The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2020
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
O God, who declarest Thine almighty power chiefly in
showing mercy and pity, mercifully grant unto us such a measure of Thy grace
that we, running the way of Thy commandments, may obtain Thy gracious promises
and be made partakers of Thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Compassion of Jesus
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 #447 Fight the Good Fight
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 #447 Fight the Good Fight
In Our Prayers
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| Carl Roper |
- Carl Roper passed into eternal life at the age of 76, mourned by his wife Lynda. "I AM - the Resurrection and the Life."
- In treatment: Mary Howell, Christina Jackson, Randy Anderson.
- Ongoing tests: Pastor Shrader, Kermit Way.
- Michael Oak has been attending our services with Amanda Meyer and her family. He was baptized this morning and will commune today.
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
KJV Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
Tenth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Holy Ghost hast revealed unto us the gospel of Thy Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee so to quicken our hearts that we may sincerely receive Thy word, and not make light of it, or hear it without fruit, as did Thy people, the unbelieving Jews, but that we may fear Thee and daily grow in faith in Thy mercy, and finally obtain eternal salvation, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
This is a summary of the destruction of Jerusalem, one of the greatest - and most tragic - events in history. Everyone likes to predict the near and distant future, but Jesus did that with great precision - and it is taken for granted. The Roman Empire was the greatest military force in history, but the Jewish Zealots beat them in a minor skirmish, rejoicing in their great might. They failed to consider the policy of Rome - never accept defeat. Only one person, Herman the German, trained in Rome, defeated them - by using guerrilla tactics.
Jerusalem was perfectly situated over a fresh water source, high up and difficult to attack. Rome built a wall around the entire city, quite an achievement by itself, but they had great engineering skills and an endless supply of slaves. Once the circumvallation was complete, the inhabitants could not leave or bring in food supplies. Hording, starvation, and panic took over. The suffering was enormous and ended only when the survivors were taken away as slaves, so the suffering continued afterwards as well. The Temple was cast down to find the gold supposedly hidden within its walls.
Jesus wept over the future plight of Jerusalem, because He knew what their rejection of the Word would bring upon them. This is one of the great examples of His compassion, to be sorrowful because of the suffering of those who rejected and crucified Him.
The Compassion of Jesus
KJV Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
The message of the entire Bible is to have faith in Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God, especially because of His compassion for us. We are all sinners and yet He provided Himself as the solution for that condition. He died on the cross for our sins, not for His, and He continues as the Good Samaritan to treat our wounds, carry us to a place of healing - where the Means of Grace are found - and continues our care until we are with Him in everlasting life.
God's love is not shown in tiny, measured amounts, but in great abundance. Pastor Palangyos wrote me that his mission needed another rice mission, but it was such an overwhelming amount. It reminded me of the words - "We have some bread and fish, but what are they among so many?" I said, "Let's tell people and let them help." He wrote a blog post which I copied, and the $700 was given in 24 hours.
Love is the first of the fruits listed by St. Paul as the fruits of the Spirit, the result of the Gospel's energy. Faith receives God's love and responds in love toward others.
We have so many clear examples of the nature and purpose of Jesus the Savior. He is the Good Shepherd, literally the shepherd above all shepherds, the ultimate One to guide us to green pastures and to protect us against evil.
God's Word features the shepherd theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. The famous passages are Isaiah 40, Psalm 23, John 10, but there are 500 in all. The shepherd does two main things - he provides for the flock and he guards the flock. The shepherd's crook is for pulling the weak to safety and to clobber the predators. Wandering dogs will come near our house and into the back yard. They are dangerous because they will pick on Sassy's poor balance and inability to defend herself. I keep my elmwood walking stick near the door and show it to the rare dog who gets too close. The biggest dog is afraid of stout sticks.
The Scriptures are a weapon against evil predators, the Sword of the Spirit in Hebrews 4 being the best known example. The Spirit in the Word teaches us about ourselves and also defeats the enemy who wants us back in his kingdom below.
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Jesus is the treasure sent by God the Father to teach the meaning of grace. His only message - from which all truth comes - is faith in Him, or, the righteousness of faith.
Man in his blindness sees truth only in the immediate (right now!) or in his own wisdom and craftiness (look at who I am) and in ridiculous notions (this book tells me what Jesus really meant). Every so often someone tells me about one of the Jesus fads, and I say, "Sure, every 50 years that goes through a cycle. So it is back again?"
Jesus both teaches faith in Him and provides the divine energy, the Spirit at work in the Word, to plant and nurture that faith through the Gospel.
I have the melancholy duty to look for roses that are being engulfed by grassy weeds. We have perfect weed weather this summer - generous rains followed by intense sun. I have perfect roses sticking up out of luxurious growths of green grass. So I snip down the grass, which inhibits itself, and place a large donut of cardboard over the bush. I weigh that down with wood mulch or peat humus. Then the rose has the sun and rain all to itself and can flower and bear fruit.
Where flowers grow well, weeds flourish even better. Where faith in Jesus grows, all kinds of distractions and attacks rise up. There is an opposition from the mildest people that really startles - that is the cross a believer bear.
Then as now, people looked at the weeds and admired them. They said, "No one can defeat us in this great city. We have the walls, the protection of height, and plenty of water. Look at our great Temple, built upon God's Word."
Peace is a significant word in the Bible, and often misunderstood. Jerusalem literally means "Place of Peace." Although we think of Jerusalem and warfare together, the real issue for everyone is internal peace.
The hints were there, but now the ones who read know - the most connected, most powerful and rich people and institutions are about to be crushed by God's justice. Everything they valued will be taken away, and fame will become infamy. Human trafficking is being exposed as the hobby of those who have private islands with no local law enforcement. They have airports or even submarine entrances, and loyal staff. Epstein and Maxwell are now infamous, but Branson and Nygard are joining that club, which also includes the whiskey heirs, the Bronfman sisters, and their connection with John McCain's second wife.
The Atonement is the treasure, the treasure revealed, the treasure always coming to us through the Gospel. Because faith is access to God's grace, we have that treasure in this life and eternal life.
One vast misconception - the blindness of our age - is that money is the great power. People really worship it - not just the church executives - but the laity as well. They make it their god, so they imagine the money-god, or mammon, will give them what they desire and covet.
The truth is that the Word has that power while money itself is only a commodity. This is proven by our own age, where ministers are more in fear of losing benefits than giving up the Gospel. When ELCA was formed, the largest number of memorials from all corners of the nation, were concerning retirement pensions. Thus the house was built on sand and is melting like meringue left out in the sun.
When people place their trust in the wrong things, they will be blind to the truth. That is the importance of this verse. The real cause of peace is hidden from people whose faith is misplaced, whether in that faith is in mammon, in institutions, or raw power.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
What God knows is unknown to us. We get plenty of warning signs, but the warnings also come with the admonition that the time is delayed. These details about the future show that the Son of God knew what was inevitable with the refusal of the Old Testament people to recognize the Scriptures being fulfilled.
The twin messages about the future are -
- Always be prepared, because the warning signs are obvious;
- Do not assume to know the exact time, because no one knows, only the Father. Anyone claiming to know is making himself wiser than the Son, who said "only the Father knows."
13. But this is only a beginning, although it is frightful and terrible enough. For there is no greater distress and calamity than when God sends us sects and false spirits, because they are so impudent and daringly bold, that they are really to be pitied. On the other hand the Word of God is such a great treasure, that no one can sufficiently comprehend its worth. For God himself considers his treasure immensely great, and when he visits us with his grace, he earnestly desires that we should gladly and freely accept it, and does not compel us as he is able to do, but it is his will that we should gladly obey it from choice and love. For he does not wait until we come to him, but he comes first to us. He comes into the world, becomes man, serves us, dies for us, rises again from the dead, sends us his Holy Spirit, gives us his Word, and opens heaven so wide that all men can enter; besides he gives us rich promises and assurances that he will care for us in time and in eternity, here and there, and pours out into our bosoms all the fullness of his grace. Therefore the acceptable time of grace is now at hand. Yet, we neglect it, and cast it to the winds, so that he will not and cannot give it to us.
14. For when we fall and sin in other ways, he can better spare us and be lenient, he of course will spare us and forgive; but when we despise his Word, it calls for punishment, and he will also punish us, even if he delays a hundred years. But he will not wait that long. And the clearer the Word is preached the greater the punishment will be. I fear it will be the destruction of all Germany. Would to God I were a false prophet in this matter. Yet it will most certainly take place. God cannot permit this shameful disregard of his Word to go unpunished, nor will he wait long, for the Gospel is so abundantly proclaimed that it has never been as plainly and clearly taught since the days of the Apostles, as it is at present. God be praised! Hence it applies to Germany, as I fear it will be destroyed, unless we act differently.
14. For when we fall and sin in other ways, he can better spare us and be lenient, he of course will spare us and forgive; but when we despise his Word, it calls for punishment, and he will also punish us, even if he delays a hundred years. But he will not wait that long. And the clearer the Word is preached the greater the punishment will be. I fear it will be the destruction of all Germany. Would to God I were a false prophet in this matter. Yet it will most certainly take place. God cannot permit this shameful disregard of his Word to go unpunished, nor will he wait long, for the Gospel is so abundantly proclaimed that it has never been as plainly and clearly taught since the days of the Apostles, as it is at present. God be praised! Hence it applies to Germany, as I fear it will be destroyed, unless we act differently.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
The other expression of Jesus' compassion is found in the Cleansing of the Temple. It is not love and compassion to say to the ecclesiastical world - "To each his own. We can all learn from each other and take the best from each. Let's not quarrel about these little matters."
When we look around, we see that the traditional text of the Bible, which almost everyone used 50 years ago, is not even considered by the "conservative" Lutheran synods and the "conservative" Evangelicals. Although they have a choice over many versions of the King James Version, they have placed it on the unmentionable ban list - not to be considered.
Now that this task has been accomplished, after 150 years of work, completely wrong translations are being presented as what the Holy Spirit would have revealed if the Spirit were as smart as the modern scholars are. To be frank, the rule of all modern text criticism and translation is to treat the Bible as just another book.
The lack of admonition has not been good, because now people accept any kind of Bible, even paraphrases and amplified Bibles. The result is uncertainty from the lack of clarity, like the person who gives so many items in directions somewhere that it becomes impossible to follow.
47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
This is another proof of the compassion of Jesus. Knowing the hostility and His painful death in the near future, Jesus freely taught the very Gospel that threatened His life. He took the truth to the opposition, which is what we must do also. Anyone can go to where everyone is in agreement and there is no opposition. But that is not how God works to prove His mercy. In the midst of opposition He turns the blind and hardened to the crucified Christ, the risen Messiah, as He did with the Apostle Paul.
It can be disheartening and encouraging at the same time. We never know exactly how and when the Word will work, but that is no reason to be stingy with the Gospel.
The Gracious Will of God
The purpose of God's Word is to draw people into His Kingdom through the message of His Son. Through faith in Him, people have access to grace - and that is the only way. Grace means forgiveness of sin, everlasting life, and spiritual fruits from the Gospel.
One fruit is confidence in the truth of the Scriptures. There is only one anchor, one guidestar, one Truth. To know this and possess it is like a life-long treasure hunt, where many insights grow from study and worship. For instance, I know Luther's Galatians fairly well, since I have read it, added comments, and gone to it for graphics. But to hear it spoken - that is another dimension of the truth, when read by Travis Cartee - Audio Gutenberg.
Likewise, the hymns are wonderful to sing, but they are even better when linked with beautiful graphics from Norma Boeckler. We cannot appreciate something unless we have some knowledge of it. When we get to sing the same Biblical doctrine and view it in art, our appreciation is greater.
So the advantage of a knowledge of the Scriptures is to enjoy this divine Truth and measure everything accordingly. Just in the practical areas of gardening I have read so much baloney that I could write a comedy about the contradictions and phony wisdom. But if I start with God's intent in all of Creation, I can make sense out of books and articles, based on how they relate to the Biblical Truth.
Another very important fruit of the Gospel is knowing we have a purpose in God's Kingdom. That might seem mysterious at times, but it is true, no matter how small and insignificant we feel, or as the hymn says - the world frowns.
The best part of this is knowing Christian friends all over the world. That tends to increase, since likes attract. For every person who shuns, there are several who enjoy the benefits of Christian company, including over the Internet. Having friends and family who practice forgiveness taught by the mercy of Christ is a great blessing. So is the encouragement offered.
People talk and sing about love all the time, but love cannot exist where there is no forgiveness. That is why business partnerships often break up - mutual irritation and different personalities. But in marriage the same pitfalls exist with a remedy, humility, contrition, and forgiveness through Christ.
