Bethany Lutheran Church
7 PM Central Time
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Lyrics from the Bethany Hymn Blog are embedded in the hymn numbers.
The melody is linked in the hymn title.
The link appears in emails and should here as well:
The broadcast will begin at 6:30 PM the service at 7 PM.
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Be Thou my strong Rock: for an house of defense to save me.
Thou art my Rock and my Fortress: therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.
Psalm. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and GradualGradual
V. Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people: the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Tract. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands: serve the Lord with gladness.
V. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
V. Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
V. It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves: we are His people and the sheep of his pasture.
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #148 Lord Jesus Christ, My Life
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #148 Lord Jesus Christ, My Life
The Famous 1 Corinthians 13 Chapter
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
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
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
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Pastor Jim Shrader (surgery), Randy Anderson, Lori Howell, Kermit Way, Sarah Buck.
- Sound has been restored to two computers.
- Janie Sullivan is finishing the latest book - My Good Shepherd, Jesus' Titles of Majesty, graphics by Norma Boeckler.
- Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, 7 PM.
The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The Gospel. St. Luke 18:31-43
Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
The Famous 1 Corinthians 13 Chapter
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
Many people think of 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter, and it is often used at weddings, such as Prince Charles and Diana's. Although the chapter is a classic and good for many applications, Luther says it was aimed at preachers and teachers, haughty and strutting around. All of us over 50 years of age have seen these people rise and fall with the greatest of ease. Some are still on the rise, no matter how much they ignore the basics of the Christian Faith.
So we often hear the question used on the comedy show, "Do you know who my father is?" Luther reminds us that a large share of those who serve as pastors and teachers fall away over time. Various temptations and trials scatter them in different ways.
Paul’s purpose in this chapter is to silence and humble haughty Christians, particularly teachers and preachers. The Gospel gives much knowledge of God and of Christ, and conveys many wonderful gifts, as Paul recounts in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12.
When we read those opening verses, it makes sense why Paul is so flamboyant about so many extreme behaviors - speaking in tongues, prophecy, all knowledge, and all faith. Anyone would say "Wow!"
We should definitely dwell on the spiritual riches from the Word of God, but they should be shared with others, not in the attitude of "Look at what I know." Many people quietly read, pray, and study, sharing in a humble way what God has done and continues to do.
So many people pounce on Paul today and run him down, not caring that he risked his life over and over, suffered taunts and derision from fake leaders, and ultimately died at the hands of the Roman Empire. One incident gave him more time in prison and he wrote that much more of the New Testament for us to understand.
The spiritual heroes and heroines paid a terrible price to speak for the truth. William Tyndale was tortured in prison and killed for translating the Bible. Henry VIII ordered it, but the same king soon had to aim at having an English Bible. King James officially started the KJV, but Tyndale ended the Latin only Bible. And now King James is slandered by those who do not like his best seller, the Authorized Version.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Some would say, Oh charity is the wrong word, we have to say LOVE, though love is used for everything, including food, celebrities, and football clubs. I know more than one rich person who made sure the gift was displayed with that person's name - prominently, repeatedly, boldly. After 2,000 years we have the same things going on as Paul observed and felt in his day. He was severely depressed (in my opinion) from all the abuse, betrayals, and spitefulness, people who wanted to upset his work and boast of it. That gave use the Galatians Epistle, which clearly teaches Justification by Faith, just like Romans.
Many clergy have said in a haughty way, "We are saved BY GRACE! through faith." They do not realize they are following ELCA, where grace is pitted against faith, as if grace is the only good and faith is an afterthought. Yet Paul teaches faith in Jesus Christ giving us access to grace. All the spiritual treasures come from faith in our Savior.
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
This section is a gracious reminder of how we should be as believers in our Good Shepherd. Jesus was more than kindly with everyone, including His accusers who waited for a chance to ridicule or talk back at him, even when He healed people His opponents could not help. It is strange that celebrities become that way because they are obnoxious in so many ways. People cheer them on. They scramble for a high position, biting and scratching others - in a sense. We should not be happy about evil but rejoice in the truth. We should not let ourselves be provoked and should not think of evil.
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
The Holy Spirit's eloquence in this passage is striking and often repeated in various setting. Love - in all its forms - bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Paul preached the Gospel in the face of opposition from his own people and the overwhelming paganism of the Roman Empire. They were all living on the edge, as we are today. Rome existed 700 years before Paul started his missions. What could he do against so many, especially when false teachers were eager to take away his members? And how could they feel secure in such a situation? Paul invoked the power of love, and the fruits of the Spirit.
In building up the enduring power of God's love Paul dismisses what does not last - man-made prophecies, ecstatic speech will fade just as it has these days in the Assemblies of God, special knowledge - what we predict and imagine - that will pass away too.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
Paul could not predict how his life would end. To this day we have a mixture of ideas about his last day, including a third missionary trip. This was not recorded and kept, unlike our vast collections of books and computerized data, because Paul's work was kept on leather and papyrus, the Gospel moving from Christ to the apostles to the next generations.
His journeys remind me that he wanted to be everywhere at once, and could not, but loyal copyists carefully spread his word. Persecution and martyrdom spread that Word even faster.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
This passage is beautiful and poetic. We love the children in our little group. Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents get to watch the time zoom by, children at all stages. They remind us of earlier years, and things we could not even imagine. The "glass darkly" is a reference to the limited reflections the Romans had, not like our reflective glass, so powerful that office buildings have been shaped to beam (accidentally) overbearing heat and light on people below - in London, Las Vegas, and Texas.
We think we know a lot, as a nation and world, but God alone sees into the future of His Creation.
All my predictions have been wrong. People laugh that I never wanted to live in Minnesota and Arizona, and yet we moved to Minnesota and Phoenix, and came to a rest in Springdale, the home of Tyson Chicken. My friend from Salem Lutheran Church in Moline told me, about 1966, that I would not have a church in the future because so many would vanish. The three LCA churches I served, which were doing well, are either an apartment house (Cleveland), a business (Sturgis, Michigan), or an empty shell waiting to be sold (Midland, Michigan).
I learned about being a Lutheran from those clergy, synodicals, and professors who hated Luther, the Reformation, and the Bible. Luther said it best - that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has nothing bad and condemning against us. He took on all the evil of the world, all the hatred and torture and death, so that faith in Him would give access to His grace (Romans 5) and take away our sins.
Faith in Christ is so feeble now in our nation that nothing should surprise us. Nevertheless, we can trust in Him to be our guide, Good Shepherd, and friend.
