The heathen shall fear the name of the Lord: and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.
V. When the Lord shall build up Zion: He shall appear in His glory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice: let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Hallelujah!
The Gospel Matthew 13:24-30
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #449 My Soul Be On Thy Guard
TARES
The Hymn #314 Lord Jesus Christ We Humbly Pray - Jacobs
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 #50 Lord Dismiss Us
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that Thou hast sown the good seed, Thy holy word, in our hearts: We pray Thee that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt cause this seed to grow and bring forth fruit, and defend us from the enemy, that he may not sow tares therein. Keep us from carnal security, help us in all temptations, and give us at last eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Announcements
In our prayers - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader; Sarah Buck; Kermit Way; Lito Cruz family.
Seminary Lectures - Tuesday and Thursday 10 AM
Wednesday - Lincoln's Birthday.
Friday - Valentine's Day.
TARES
Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good [excellent, kalos] seed in his field:
So many gems are in this introduction to a parable. As they say, "A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning." The kingdom of heaven includes our daily lives and God's divine work. So this is a simple, plain story about the Word of God. Throughout the New Testament are references to seed and growth. The seed seems dormant, asleep, or even dead. It lives for a long time and comes to life when the conditions are good.
Gardeners talk about their plants coming up according to conditions and what is alive deep in the earth. In Northwest Arkansas the daffodils are already green and shooting up their stems, making way for the flower or flowers already formed. My helper said last autumn, "You have enough daffodils," but no one is weary or bored with the orange, white, yellow, and reddish blooms. Insects and birds leave them alone. Neighbors long for some flowers to be delivered.
The merchants of autumn do not show up the daffodil bulbs but they picture the bulbs as they emerge in the spring. Each one started as seed, turned into bulbs, and bloomed to form seed again.
Excellent seed (kalos) - like the Good Shepherd (kalos) - will always produce divine energy and results. This concise parable emphasizes the tares or weeds that grow in the midst of the excellent seed.
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Sleep is not a crime, so the enemy takes a chance to spread their seeds among the good, productive wheat seeds. Tares for the future will grow up useless or choking the good wheat seeds and cause great frustration. The glory of weeds - if we can say so - is their productive style, which holds down soil, enriches soil (through soil creatures), and has thousands of children seeds.
Worst of all, the tares start out well, fooling most people, until they grow and reveal their true nature, with the roots draining energy from the wheat seeds. As this concise story tells us, the wheat production looks great until the tares choke the valuable wheat seeds just as they reach their greatest bounty. The kernels will be smaller or missing while the tares glory in their ability to draw up water, collect sunshine, and share in the infinite value of the soil.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good [excellent, kalos] seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
This parallel emphasizes people being puzzled and upset about the results of the householder. Something is wrong when the tares are trying to take over.
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
This is the turning point in a brief story. The ordinary people suggest that the tares (non believers) be taken away completely. However, God commands that the helpers should not try to gather up the tares while the wheat is growing. That would damage what is good in the hopes of removing all the tares.
This is the religion of shunning, perhaps the greatest force today. Any individual who does not conform to the perfect style is ignored, punished, mocked, disliked, given the silent treatment, etc.
If we look at others with disdain, we miss the opportunity to offer the Gospel and its fruits.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
The opportunity continues with the tares, who grow along with the believers. I have known many clergy who signed up to be the tares. Two moved up from Church Growth experts to be public atheists - and proud of it. Christina and I were talking to Richard J. Neuhaus at the Ad Fontes conference, just before he became a Roman Catholic priest. I told him how we attended the Easter Sunday service in Ontario, the conservative pastor there - his father. (He was startled about this.) The LCA president (at the same conference) asked me about my leaving the LCA and joining WELS (from tares to tares - they worked together and still do).
Many of us started along the path where we were unknowingly led by false prophets, so the approach should be - for us and for others - the truth of the Scriptures and the Luther-Melanchthon-Chemnitz Reformation. That is why we do not covet a building or a synod or a series of institutions. The Gospel is fruitful, both in the spiritual sense and also in the subsequent life the congregation leads.
