Say Yes! To Computer Problems

 

I am going for a computer to replace the one in the chapel. That one has multiple problems.

If all goes well, we will have the Tuesday and Thursday lectures, 11 AM, and the Wednesday Midweek Vespers.

I will post in advance what is happening. Stay tuned.

Tom Fisher - The Birth of the Christ

 

Dear Pastor Jackson,

I had time to reflect and ponder God's Words as I drove east on highway 24 past beautiful farms with herds of cows grazing peacefully on the hillsides. Everything was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful with just the comforting clicky clack of my tires on the road as it meandered over hills and creeks and then dropping steeply to cross Otter Creek in the valley below. The panoramic view was beautiful as I gazed down on the peaceful valley below. Then I began to ponder Philippians 4:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

As I drove along I was especially pondering all the lovely, pure, and honest things of good report I should be thinking of. ONE good report outshined them all: THE BIRTH OF GOD'S INFANT CHILD JESUS, BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY, WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES, AND LYING IN A MANGER OF STRAW FOR US SINNERS. Here is an event so wonderful that it compelled ALL the angels and hosts of heaven to burst into singing. 

A wave of sadness washed over me as I realized how often my thoughts rushed past God's infant child Jesus to be fixated breathlessly on NOTHING but bad, horrible fear filled news being spewed out of the dishonest mouths of fear mongering TV news anchors and internet Bible pounding fortune tellers and soothsayers who set themselves above the God who controls and sustains the future of this world. This is the one true God who sent His angel to lowly shepherds as they watched over their flocks of sheep in the darkness of night:

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:1-20

Luther said he could never even begin to fathom God's love for us sinners by giving us His Holy infant child Jesus born of the virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger of straw for us. So our thoughts MUST run breathlessly to hear the angels sing over God's Holy infant child Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger of straw for us sinners. No thoughts could be more wonderful and uplifting so let us CAST off the evil, horrible dishonest putrid TV and Internet news and cling to the TRUE, honest, pure, lovely, good report set down for us in Luke 2.

In Christ,

Tom Fisher

The Second Sunday in Advent - Apologetics

 https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85009698246?pwd=sHnxdc5x9PPIjqfTtaaaFq2mOADlsB.1

The Hymn # 56           Jesus Came the Heavens Adoring

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation 

Collect

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle                          Romans 15:4-13

Gradual

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined: our God shall come.

V. Gather My saints together unto Me: 

those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The powers of heaven shall be shaken: 

and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud 

with power and great glory. Hallelujah!

The Gospel                           Luke 21:25-36 

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #59      Hail to the God's Anointed

Be Ready Always 

The Hymn #314          Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray  - Henry E. Jacobs

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 47                             Savior Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise

Prayers and Announcements

• Prayers -  Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Sarah Buck, Doc Lito, Kermit Way, Alicia Meyer. 
• Those suffering from emotional and metabolic stress.
• Midweek Advent Service - 7 PM Wednesday

Second Sunday In Advent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy Son hast revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech Thee, keep us by Thy Holy Spirit in Thy word; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Thy grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Thy Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation, 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.

KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

KJV Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Be Ready Always 

Introduction

KJV 1 Timothy 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Apologetics may be too difficult for our upcoming generations, because the New Testament word is Greek and means - a defense or an answer. Therefore, the almost completely forgotten topic is the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. The  Augsburg Confession is the bedrock of Lutherans all over the world, so they say - even in America. The Apology is an extension of Melanchthon's work in answering the Bible, especially Justification by Faith. 

    What is the answer today? Defending one synod after all others, one seminary against another, one Bible phrase after another, one hymnal the best until they sell another one. Printing in volume is a money machine, and they cling to it, though our little church has no parking lot, no baby cry-room, no hymnal more recent than 1941.

    Most will slowly realize that material gains are more pleasing in this world and completely worthless in the age to come.

KJV Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The best stance we should take is 

a. Realizing this could come upon us, always being ready.

b. Emphasizing the spiritual - the power of the Word of God.

Only one thing stands between us and the Father Below, aka Satan. The Son of God became incarnate, born of the Virgin Mary, so we could see and hear Him, with countless miracles taking place to this day. Satan wants all his real estate back, but the Good Shepherd knows who is a believer and who is not.

Faith in Jesus Christ stands between us - weak, fragile, and easily spooked - and the material world with its ruler, who tempted Jesus three times. We cannot battle on our own, so we have Jesus and His legions of angels helping us. He attached Himself to us when we were born from above by the Holy Spirit. Whether from infant baptism or the Gospel Word under different circumstance.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power (dynamis, dynamite) and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

When this happens, everyone will know, whether on one side or the own. We are not to know until it is final, which is why various small groups have decided on their own. Jesus taught them and teaches us to let Him give the ultimate sign, which will be without any delusion or bewilderment.

28 Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

These words from Jesus are perplexing because the various statements have them as a short term sign or the very end.

32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

When I was in the grocery business, I got to experience the 8 hour shifts of dealing with customers in a rush. One University of Arkansas athlete was walking around anxiously trying to get those things needed for Thanksgiving. He was totally wound up and said he was getting a migraine for sure. He was about 6 feet 5 inches, but the various products made him helpless. I told him, "I will be your personal shopper," which I did a number of times for others.

Another guy was angry because he came for the giant cans of peanut oil, which always appeared for Thanksgiving. They were all gone for the season. He was not ready. "We have one-gallon cans. Get three of those." He said, "But they cost more that way!" And he was like so many, as Christmas got closer and semi-trucks could not fill the empty spaces.

32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

The clever ones see proof that all these passages about the end-time were fanciful and more proof of Jesus being a man, a rabbi, and nothing more. Only 40 years after Jesus rose from the dead, the Roman army arrived to end the revolt. No one was safe. The survivors were shipped far away because the value of slavery had gone down from all the survivors. And soon enough Israel was forsaken and the Roman Empire collapsed, roughly 400 AD. 

In other news, Pope Francis, Jesuit, is complaining about his bankruptcy. 

1. Everything must be fulfilled

2. There will be no mistake.

3. The Word of God will last forever, because the Son of God is the Word, the Good Shepherd, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.

Every year our abode has listened to Handel's Messiah. I use that music to awaken the students who have never read much of the prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc - and the Minor Prophets - Habakkuk, Daniel, Micah.

Micah 5:

[a]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
    for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
    on the cheek with a rod.

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

KJV Micah 7

18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.