The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2023.

 

Bethany Lutheran Church

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, 2023

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Vimeo Link for Trinity 12, 2023

The Hymn #343           How Lovely Shines the Morning Star

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Make haste, O God, to deliver me: 

make haste to help me, O Lord.

Let them be ashamed and confounded: 

that seek after my soul.

Psalm. Let them be turned backward and put to confusion: 

that desire my hurt.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that Thy faithful people do unto Thee true and laudable service, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may so faithfully serve Thee in this life that we fail not finally to attain Thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual

Gradual

I will bless the Lord at all times: 

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

V. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: 

the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Sing aloud unto God, our Strength: 

make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Hallelujah!

       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #8     Father Who the Light This Day 

         Miracles and Sharing

The Communion Hymn #297    The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace - Loy          

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
Closing Hymn #283       God's Word Is Our Great Heritage

  

 Norma A. Boeckler

In Our Prayers and Announcements

• Medical Treatment - Sarah Buck, Lori Howell,  Randy Anderson, Robert Northcutt, Kermit and Maria Way, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader.  
• Ranger Bob's daily IV infusions will continue another three weeks, more or less.
• Zach Engleman is flying to the Philippines this week.

                        

KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

Covenant or Testament 

Lenski 2 Corinthians 3:3

p. 921

The Revised Versions’s translation “3. new covenant” (“testament” in the margin) is not an advance on the A. V.’s “a new testament.” Commentators also waver. See the author’s exposition of I Cor. 11:25, from which we repeat only the main point: the Hebrew berith is “covenant,” which is rendered diatheke, “testament,” by the LXX which thus conserves the main idea of one-sidedness: this covenant is like every testament that is made by God to Israel and is not a mutual agreement between equals. Its substance was promise, Christ fulfilled the promise, and this fulfillment is now laid down in a testament. All believers are named as the heirs who're to be paid out with all the gospel blessings. We may call the ministers of God the administrators (I Cor. 4:1), yet they themselves are heirs. So in the New Testament diatheke = “testament.” And we should render, not “ministers of a new testament,” but as one concept: “new testament ministers.” The newness lies in the fulfillment of the former covenant promises by Christ.

KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast created all things: We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound bodies, and hast graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Thy word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one shall be offended by our words, but that all may be edified thereby, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Luther on the Epistle text - Here

Luther’s Sermon on the Gospel text - Here

 Miracles and Sharing

KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

As I have often said, the miracles of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are often ignored, revised, and mocked, because the preachers or scholars do not accept what the Word of God clearly teaches. The miracles alone teach the divinity of Jesus Christ, and His work plants faith in the heart of those who see and hear His Word at work.

In faith our congregation prays for the divine miracles of healing, restoration, and improvement of our condition. The best practice is to take a time each day to name those whose situations move us to ask for God's power, wisdom, guidance, strength, patient, and grace - in the Name of Christ. Although God does this already, even without our asking, it is good to suffer with (com-passion) with others and show our love for others - family, friends, neighbors, and contrary people. 

This wish came from someone reading the blog - "When you finally die, everyone will be so happy." It is difficult to calculate how many people read that and laughed. 

Praying for miracles and remaining steadfast in our faith in God means - more and more miracles will become apparent. If we falter and become dis-couraged (losing courage), we can turn to the Scriptural passages that en-courage us. My favorite is Ephesians 3, where God begins to answer prayer before we think to ask, and that He gives us more than we could even imagine. The inert person will say to himself, "Really? Really? Before I ask? More than I can ask?" Even the most dedicated believer will see that, upon reading the verses because the efficacious Word (fueled by the Holy Spirit) will enlarge and deepen our understanding of the miraculous power of God.

KJV Ephesians 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working (efficacy, OT, Isaiah 55:8ff) of his power.

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Genesis 1, John 1):

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him (through the Faith of Jesus).

13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit (the Holy Spirit in the Word, John 16:13) in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (the Spirit working in the Word in us),

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

These two verses are puzzling at first, and mocked, but let's look at each phrase.

Jesus took the man aside from the crowd, because the man could not hear or speak. Jesus used touching to help the man understand and be healed, ears and tongue. What was the man with neither ability? - confused, frightened, and unable to understand. Jesus commanded "Be opened!" for bystanders. The man heard! and he spoke plainly!

36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

Two forces are at work because of this miracle. One is the warning not to spread this around. That is because of people wanting to make Jesus the Messiah, in the mold of King David the warrior. That was achieved only 40 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, when the Zealots provoked the Roman Empire to come down with a massive army and destroy Jerusalem. On the other hand, Jesus' miracles were intended to establish faith in Him, at the very least believing in His divinity. The cheering and jeering went together.

37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

The Gospel of Mark concentrates on the miracle work of the Son of God. Matthew connects the Old Testament with the Messianic predictions, revealing especially to Jewish people that Jesus is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. Mark provides a concentration of miracles to show the Gentiles or pagans how powerful He is.

The end.

LCMS and WELS Cults Fading Fast - ELS and CLC (sic) Sinking Even Faster.Micro-Minies...Forgotten But Not Gone

 

Martin Stephan was a Pietist who attended Halle University, gathered Pietists and the Walther Pietist circle to him, pursued young women, and gave them syphilis. He left Europe with his cult because he was convicted in court of various crimes.

Walther organized the riot that stole Stephan's land, gold, books, and personal belongings, forcing the bishop over to Illinois at gunpoint. Walther took over the leadership as pastor, seminary leader, and publisher. The Walther cults - LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic) - are imbued with Pietism and Calvinism, and no one dare question the infallibility of CFW Walther, even though he supported the slave trade.

Like Zwingli, CFW had very little training in the Biblical languages (only a B.A.) and a tremendous and undeserved ego. Walther's Objective Faithless Justification slowly became the standard dogma for his groupies, canonized in 1932 by the Brief Statement, F. Pieper's swan song.

+++

More later - consider the facts when enrolling students in an abusive and anti-Biblical prep/college/seminary. Anyone who objects to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse is considered a loser and not fit for the barbaric school. As one CLC (sic) leader said to a group, "We used to line up the students and slap them in the face, one after another, until one of them confessed."

Monarch or Viceroy? The Truth Matters Yet Predators And Arizonans Are Fooled.

The Monarch caterpillar dines on greens, but still gets fat. The racing stripes are cool.

Bloated from all those milkweed leaves, the Monarch caterpillar decides to become a slender, flying butterfly, using golden nails accessories to enhance its outfit. Those mysterious gold nails look real when examined.

They say Monarchs are quite bitter from devouring so many milkweeds. Birds avoid them.

Viceroys fool people in Arizona into thinking they are bitter tasting Monarchs. Nota bene - the black horizontal bar at the bottom is the clever device to prove its viceroyalist standards. Arizonans may get bitter about this trickery when it is pointed out.

Yesterday, the Schwan Yelloh truck pulled up, unbidden, and the driver offered various overpriced items. Debating, I pointed out the newly hatched Monarch caterpillars and the silken pods that identify milkweed. The sap is bitter.

My mother pointed out the milkweed plants in downtown New Ulm, instructing me to gather some hanging pods to develop in a big jar. I was in charge of adding leaves for them to eat while working on their metamorphosis. They grew enormously fat, hooked onto the branch with silken rope, and slowly changed.

I did not grow up with a SmartPhone, so I had to learn from science classes, my mother, and various books on insects and birds. My father was more interested in bewailing the sorry state of Cubs baseball, always winning until the end of the season.

I cannot understand how people can abandon Creation, based on butterflies alone, and kneel before Evolution.

Doctrine is similar. Lutheran leaders today are viceroys with grand costumes, impressive looking though empty degrees. 

Didja know about Viceroy Lutheran Leaders? -

1. All of them are conservative;
2. All of them are orthodox;
3. All of them are simply packed with grace;
4. All of them quote perhaps one or two Luther statements;
5. Some of them have actually read parts of the Augsburg Confession and a bit of the latest Bible.

Tom Fisher - Farm Struggles in Extreme Heat. Biblical Lessons.

 

Dear Pastor Jackson,

Thank you for praying for me, my livestock, and my farm as the hot, dry, humid weather is back. My sheep seem to be more resilient than my cows. I have to pour water on my cows, bull, and steer to get them cooled off.

I have been pondering why I have always used the King James Bible for the last 52 years. I got my first King James Bible in eighth grade. My parents pulled my brothers and me out of the public schools and enrolled us in a Dutch Reformed parochial school. They had one thing right: they used, studied, and memorized the King James Bible as being the true Word of God. I loved to memorize, study, and ponder the true Word of God in the King James Bible. This enabled me to accept and cling to Luther's correct teaching after I graduated from high school. Bible class was my best class. Soon I was memorizing large portions of Scripture. I memorized Isaiah 53 and many precious Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 7:14 and Ezekiel 37:12 and Jeremiah 17:9.  I noticed all of the Old Testament passages being quoted in the New Testament. I experienced the perfect unity of Scripture as a whole. It rang true, just like the huge bell called Big Ben that was attached to the Westminster clock in England. Bells with a crack go clunk. So also the corrupt Bibles (ESV, NIV, NKJV, RSV, ...Beck) go clunk. They do not ring true. They have false doctrine, errors, omissions, and endless subtle corruptions. They hurt my spiritual ears. So I held to the true Word of God in the King James. 

Heretics love the corrupt Bibles (NIV, ESV, NKJV, RSV...). They love doubting the text. They love the footnotes that create doubt in the text. For example the NIV says (The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20) What better way to deny the resurrection of Christ than to cast doubt on the text of God's Word. The NIV completely denies Jesus is God and man in one person by stating "He appeared in a body" instead of the King James Bible true reading of 1 Timothy 3:16 that says, "God was manifest in the flesh." The NIV footnote says, "Some manuscripts God" as if the Greek word "theos" which says "God" in English can scarcely be found in any Greek manuscript. This is a lie.

 Are you beginning to see the gravity and seriousness of this? You are in serious trouble with the Lord if you are not extremely upset and deeply troubled by the corruptions, lies, omissions, and extreme errors in the corrupt Bibles (ESV, NIV, ESV, NKJV, Nestle Aland Greek, United Bible Society Greek).

Immerse yourself in reading, pondering, and listening to the true Word of God in the King James Bible. I often tune my 5 G smart phone to the audio King James Bible. In just two hours I can listen to God's Word from the entire book of John. Like Big Ben it rings true, giving me true comfort, true faith in Christ, and a peace that passes all understanding. Only one thing is needful: listening to the true Word of God found in the King James Bible. So turn off the awful TV news and programming and listen to, read, and ponder the true Word of God in the King James Bible.

The temperature was 100 at 3 this afternoon. One of my cows I call "Fuzzy" had her mouth open gasping for breath. I kept pouring cool water on her back until she started breathing normally. I followed the same procedure for all nine of my cows, bull, and steer. My sheep and my guardian dog Ringo are more resilient. It's getting close to evening chores and I am sure my cows will need to be cooled down again. 

Please publish and add your comments as you wish. You may also use and publish these pictures from my farm. Tell Norma Boeckler to use any picture that she would like.

I Am Fine - Just Carrying Out Neighborly Tasks

 

I have slowed down because Ranger Bob had artery blockage in his legs, requiring surgery for a massive infection. That requires specialized infection (aka wound) treatment twice a week, plus daily IV infusion at the hospital for the next three weeks.

Recovery has been remarkable.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 12 - Psalm 116:10: I believe, for I will speak. "There the heart is full, and the mouth must run over. Then when they are persecuted, they will not care."

 

Link to the Complete Sermon - Luther's Sermons - Mark 7:31-37. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

24. Then they praise God, saying: “He hath done all things well, he has made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.” For wherever there is true faith, there the Spirit will not allow you any rest; you will break forth, become a priest, teach other people also, as we read  Psalm 116:10: “I believe, for I will speak.” There the heart is full, and the mouth must run over. Then when they are persecuted, they will not care.

25. But the part of the story, that Christ took the man apart from the others, looks up to heaven, has this meaning: If God do not take me alone to a separate place, and give me the Holy Spirit, so that I cling to the Word which I have heard, then all preaching is in vain. But why does this require so much that he looks up to heaven and makes use of divine power, calling upon God’s grace to come and to act? By this he teaches us that such power must come from heaven, working in the heart of man by divine strength; then help comes to him. Again the spittle which is the Word of God is a noble thing for the Old Adam. Then they go forth to praise and glorify God.

26. Thus have you learned, from the story and from its spiritual or secret meaning, that we must first hear the Word of God and thus, through the intercession of Christ, obtain a faith of our own, and then we come out, confessing this and praising God forever. May this be sufficient on this Gospel lesson. Let us pray to God for grace.

The ELDONUT Herald, Malone, Texas. “Rumination and Requiem—Reflections on the Lutheran Confessional Synod on the 29th Anniversary of its Founding”—Heiser

ELDONA started as the Lutheran Confessional Synod, which was initially led by Bishop Randy DeJaynes, former ELCA pastor who went to prison for a time. ELS pastors Jay Webber and Kincaid Smith convened with Heiser to have WELS-ELS and LCS in fellowship. They were allowed to pray together. Heiser wanted to keep the Gerhard press, naming it Repristination Press, a bow to CFW Walther and Objective Justification.

Some details from 2017 about DeJaynes, Heiser, and the Webber-Smith-Heiser connection.

Pre-Bishop: Heiser and early proselytes. Pastor Eric Stefanski is on the far right and below.

One Version - Lutheran Confessional Synod - 

From Wikipedia

The Lutheran Confessional Synod (LCS) was a Confessional Lutheran church, characterized by a strict interpretation of the Lutheran Confessions and a historical liturgy. Organized in 1994, when Christ Lutheran Church in Decatur, Illinois, broke away from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it initially declared doctrinal agreement with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod,^[1][2][3] but broke fellowship with those two synods on June 14, 1997, because of differences in the doctrine of the ministry and the Lord's Supper.^[1][4] The LCS organized the Johann Gerhard Institute (a denominational publishing house) and St. Anselm Theological Seminary in 1996.^[1]

The LCS' first bishop was the Rev. Randy L. DeJaynes, consecrated to that position on October 7, 1994.^[3][5] As of 2009, stating a "desire to return to the Apostolic faith," some former LCS clergy were chrismated in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, while others entered the Roman Catholic Church.^{[citation needed]} At least one is now a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America. By 2012, it was reported that the church body had disbanded.^[6]

Another Version - ELDONA

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The Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDoNA) is a confessional Lutheran church body in the United States. There are twenty-eight pastors in the diocese, serving congregations in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin plus Colombia and the Philippines.^[1][2]

The ELDoNA was founded June 6, 2006 at a meeting held at Salem Lutheran Church, Malone, Texas. A second diocesan synod was held August 28 and 29, 2007.^[3] The third diocesan synod was held at Christ Lutheran Church in Richmond, Missouri on May 22, 2008,^[4] and the fourth in the same location, May 14–15, 2009.^[5] For the fifth Colloquium and Synod, the diocese returned to Malone, Texas, May 12–15, 2010,^[6] and met there again for the sixth Colloquium and Synod May 11–13, 2011. The sixth Colloquium and Synod was the first in which all but one of the pastors of the diocese and the entire clergy of the Association of Confessional Lutheran Churches (ACLC) were in attendance. Among the significant decisions of the 2011 synod was the resolution to open a diocesan seminary in September 2012; the 2012 synod chose to delay that planned opening to 2014. The 2012 synod took place at Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas the week of April 23–27, 2012, and the 2013 synod took place April 29–May 3, 2013.

 Lawson - ACLC - strictly Objective Faithless Justification.

Above - The angel pose and the Almy costumes were apparently not mandated at this time.

In August 2013 the ACLC broke fellowship with the ELDoNA due to the latter's stand on the doctrine of Objective Justification.^[7]

In 2006, James Heiser was called to serve as the diocesan bishop. Heiser has published a volume of essays on the doctrine of the holy ministry entitled Stewards of the Mysteries of God.^[8] He is also the author of a study of the neo-Platonic revival which took place during the Italian Renaissance, entitled Prisci Theologi and the Hermetic Reformation in the Fifteenth Century.^[9]

In 2013, Repristination Press published a volume of essays by Pastor John Rutowicz which sets forth the diocesan understanding of the episcopal office: Holding Fast the Faithful Word: Episcopacy and the Office of the Holy Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America.^[10]

The diocese produces The Lutheran Herald, a monthly devotional journal that also includes diocesan news.^[11]

"Ask the Pastor" Sullivan obsesses about  the Apocrypha. He, Rydecki, and Carver left ELDONA at the same time.

Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies in the Creation Rose Garden

I did not see much from the Monarch butterflies until a few days ago. True to his Osage heritage, Ranger Bob spotted a swarm of butterfly caterpillars on the butterfly plants in front of the patio. They were just hatched out, not plump yet.

For years I have promoted butterfly plants, especially those catering to Monarchs, but also any plant listed as a pollinator. The result has been an overwhelming mixture of scents and butterflies of all types frolicking about. Bees consider me a good friend and never sting. Of course, I do not yell at them and swing utensils at them.

Hummingbirds have added to the delights. 

Christina ordered a front yard of roses, so they add to the overwhelming fragrance as well. 

I suggest being patient with the Monarch weeds promoted by garden suppliers. They are worth the wait.