The Second Sunday after
Trinity
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 649 Jesus Savior Pilot Me 3:80
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 Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon
Hymn #471 Jesus Thy Blood 4.6
Banquet of Forgiveness
The Communion
Hymn # 462 I Love Thy Kingdom 4.21
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 4.24
KJV 1 John 3:13 Marvel not,
my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death
unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother
abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know
that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good,
and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he
unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his
servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things
are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go
and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought
five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And
another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that
servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house
being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of
the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the
blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and
yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the
highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be
filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall
taste of my supper.
Luther’s First Sermon on
this text –
Luther’s Second Sermon on
this text –
Banquet of Forgiveness
This is a parable of
judgment and forgiveness. We know it is a parable, because there are several
clear introductions to them:
- The Kingdom of God is like… KJV Matthew 13:31
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took,
and sowed in his field:
- A certain man… KJV Mark 12:1 And he began to
speak unto them by parables. A certain man
planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a
place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to
husbandmen, and went into a far country.
- Jesus taught them a parable… KJV Matthew 13:18
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
We know from these many
examples that a parable will teach a lesson from Jesus that is powerful and
significant. The language is very concise and a bit mysterious. Jesus did give
everything away for the masses. He carefully taught His disciples so they could
teach believers the meaning of the parables.
An unbeliever will say,
“That is a clever story, saying so much in a few words,” but he will not get
the meaning of the parable. I had a New Testament (liberal) professor who wrote
a book about parables and never taught a word of the Gospel in that book. His
students waited for the book to come out. When it did, they realized it was a
lot of words saying nothing.
A parable can easily be
memorized, but its meaning needs to be probed, year after year. Repetition
bring added spiritual discernment, and experience adds to the discernment.
We want children to know
these lessons because lessons learned will have their context later. More learning means more pieces of that One
Truth put together, coupled with experience that gives dimension and depth to
the spiritual learning.
Luther agonized over the
topic of forgiveness, but he did not become the Reformer overnight. The system
made him a doctoral student in Biblical studies, where he was saddled with all
the Medieval traditions and explanations, but also immersed in the Word itself.
Each episode in his life was
informed by the Word of God. Not having printed Bibles was an advantage for
him. Hand-written books (codex) were so valuable that they were chained to the
wall in libraries. Monks and priests had to memorize what they learned, and no
one balked at that. Memorizing was the hard drive of the ancient world. The
more one memorizes, the easier the task is.
Most college students today
have memorized all the trivia about celebrities – movies, TV shows, boyfriends,
girlfriends, etc. I learned not to
mention a book in a college class unless there was a recent movie based on it.
Suddenly CS Lewis and Tolkien could be mentioned – they were in the Internet
Movie Database.
Sports experts are similar
in their recall of data about players and teams.
Recently I have experimented
with reading the same book five or six times. One is an autobiography of my
dissertation advisor. Each time I read part of it, something new comes up, such
as the death of a classmate in a march against the KKK. He was a divinity
student, a physician !, and then a textile worker and radical. I wondered how
that happened until I found the crucial datum – he studied in Paris as part of
college – Paris, the training school for radical Leftists. He came back changed
and that cost him his life. He died at the rally, saying to his radical wife,
“Keep shooting.”
The real issue is – how do
we spend our reading time? If we read the Scriptures, the Confessions, and a
few great Lutheran authors (Luther, Chemnitz, Melanchthon), we will have the
hard-won spiritual insights of orthodox Christianity. If not, we will be
trained and often deceived by lesser lights, who have this for their defense –
they studied more Luther in their lifetimes than so-called Lutherans do today.
So it is no surprise that
people are so willing to compromise today, when they have raised themselves on
the watered down oatmeal of the Protestant sects. The reaction to false
doctrine makes me think this parable is all about how many different dining
options are available in the Kingdom, each one designed for the felt needs of
the hungry. But instead, this parable teaches One Message, One Truth, One Banquet.
The Parable
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said
he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
This is a parable (a certain
man) that answers the earlier comment made – How blessed to eat bread in the
Kingdom of God.
KJV Luke 14:15 And when one
of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed
is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
The earlier example was
about providing for others, so this happy comment is turned into something more
profound by the parable that follows.
As Luther was keen to say,
this is about the evening meal (mentioned twice in two verses) so the supper
applies to what we hear and digest, the final lesson of our lives.
Luther:
And it is here
called a supper or an evening meal, because the Gospel shall be the last word
or doctrine that will usher in the end of the world.
The host of this great and
final feast is God the Father. “He bade many” or invited many can be applied to
the Jewish people. Repeatedly the Gospel is aimed at the Jews first and then
the Gentiles. Although we often think about those Jewish adherents who rejected
and persecuted the Gospel, there were also many who believed in Christ and
joined the despised group.
17 And sent his servant
at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now
ready.
This is the second time that
“supper” is named, so the time is significant. First of all, people knew a
supper was being prepared - a great
supper, like a royal banquet. We could compare it to the celebration of the
Queen’s Jubilee in Britain. Everyone knew about the preparations long in
advance. The formal invitations to the events came at the proper time.
Why only one servant? There
were many prophets, then Jesus and the apostles. There is only one Message.
When one prophet was killed, God sent another, who had the same message about
the Messiah. Then he was killed, and the people said, “We heard that before
from the other ones,” proceeded to kill each one. The early Christians were mowed down the same way. So all of them
together are one servant. Faithful pastors today are that one servant, too.
This compares to the
Biblical calendar. Many were invited to believe in the Messiah, from the
beginning, Genesis 3:15, when Christ’s victory over Satan and the crucifixion
were both foreshadowed.
From that time on the
ministry of Christ was preached in great detail. I was working on graphics and
found a painting of Abraham at Mamre (Genesis 18:1). Three men appeared before
the patriarch – representing the Trinity. Abraham believed God’s Promised and
he was justified by faith.
David’s Psalms are full of
Messianic references, not to mention the major and minor prophets.
Everything concerning the
Exodus and Moses is Messianic, from the spotless lamb to the bread from heaven
– especially the serpent raised up, a strange foreshadowing of Christ lifted up
in crucifixion. John 3:1-16.
After all that time of
preparation, the House of David prepared, the prophecies given, the preaching
of John the Baptist, Christ began His public ministry.
When Jesus began His
preaching of the Gospel, the End Times began, because His appearance and
atonement had to come before all things could be fulfilled. We are living in
the End Times but do not know how long they will last. Many different lessons are
aimed at keeping us awake and aware that it could be at any moment.
What is this Great
Supper?
Some see this great supper
as Holy Communion, and that is a good image, but it does not include enough.
The Great Supper includes all that the Gospel has to teach us, all the
spiritual food that we need to survive and prosper as members of God’s Kingdom.
The great supper is a fine
image, because no one forces us to a supper. We receive a gracious invitation.
In some areas, where hospitality is overwhelming, the presence of a visitor
near mealtime is necessarily an invitation to stay and eat. “We cannot let you
go hungry.”
The Gospel is the same,
urging something good and satisfying on someone. That means faith in Christ as
the Savior, trust in God’s Word, not membership in an organization.
That is one indication of
things gone wrong in Lutheran groups, when they put 99% of the emphasis on
organizational rules rather than faith in the Gospel.
The supper is a good image
because people hunger for righteousness, and they desire the right food, sound
(healthy) doctrine, not toxic (false) doctrine.
Yesterday I was asked this
question on the Net – “Protestants teach that all their sins are forgiven. What
do Lutherans teach?”
This came from a Lutheran –
I am not sure about his background.
“All sins are
forgiven.” - That would come from “Once
saved, always saved.” That would be confusing for a Lutheran on a discussion
board. I don’t know the history of that motto. It is not exactly like UOJ, but
it is another twist on the simple Gospel message, one that leads to carnal
security – I am saved so I can do anything I please. Luther called that using
the Gospel as a pillow to fall asleep on.
I pointed out to this person
that believers in Christ are forgiven each and every day, fully and freely, as
the work of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel – Small Catechism, Third Article
of the Creed.
This Lutheran’s problem was
not unique to him. So much bad teaching goes on that people do not know with
certainty what the Bible teaches, what Luther taught.
The great supper includes
all those ways (means) by which the Gospel Promises of forgiveness, peace, and
salvation are conveyed to individuals. The supper includes those teachings
where we view the Law as reflecting the Gospel. We should so fear and love
God... Fearing means we do not kill our neighbor, but out of love we protect
him, share with him, and do everything for his good. Love does not ask “how
little can I do?” but “how much can I do?”
18 And they all with one consent
began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And
another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray
thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore
I cannot come.
There is no word “consent”
here, so the original text is even more vivid. They all spoke as one in
making their excuse. These excuses have
more to do with indolence and indifference than hostile and violent opposition.
Each excuse has some validity on the surface, but each one is also shallow and
a bit humorous.
When people face their
mortality, they see how minor those other concerns are.
I have to see the land I
just bought – That will not matter now.
I have to test my new oxen –
They will not do me any good now.
I just got married – My
spouse is soon to be a widow.
Our son was talking about
how everything moved up a notch in the summer. His children were going into new
grades. He was married an additional year and became another year older. The
little girl holding the ball in one of my favorite photos is now a junior in
high school. The little baby is now in first grade.
Time moves us quickly
forward to the ultimate question.
So the excuses to set aside
the Gospel invitation are simply concerns about daily living, but concerns that
choke or block out the Gospel itself. Many philosophers deal with this but they
have no real answer. They can stoke the hunger but cannot provide the meal, not
even rolls and butter.
Although it is unthinkable
that someone would reject an invitation to a royal banquet, many set aside the
invitation to the King’s Banquet in His Kingdom, one with no cost and many
blessings.
21 So that servant came,
and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said
to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and
bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
When grace is met with rejection
and indifference, there will be divine wrath. That is the sin against the Holy
Spirit, to die without faith. Some do this with a life of rejection. Many
starve their faith with unhealthy doctrine and false tolerance, so they end up
virtual unbelievers.
I posted a good statement
about closed communion and a long-time friend from the first Lutheran church I
joined was jumping on that quotation like a hobo on a hotdog. She trotted out
all the arguments for open communion – she was deeply offended. A massive
investment in ecumenism and open communion, by all denominations, will always
end up with that kind of liberal orthodoxy – until there is nothing left of
faith.
Some think it cannot happen
to them, but I have seen in happen to clergy I know. Did they imagine they
would end up as unbelievers when they went to seminary and were ordained? Not
likely.
We are the object of these
verses. Many Jews converted to Christ in the first generation, but opposition
and excommunication began and limited that to a great degree. Paul, the ardent
Jewish Pharisee, turned his attentions to the Gentiles. We are the pagans, the
Druids, the tattooed wild men (Picts, England) who inhabited Europe. The Gospel
went to our ancestors. And still the banquet hall was not full.
22 And the servant said,
Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord
said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to
come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those
men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Luther:
40. This
constraining, however, is necessary in preaching both repentance and
forgiveness of sins; for without repentance we remain too hard and obdurate
under his wrath, in our sinful nature and in the kingdom of the devil. And
moreover, when the terror of divine wrath strikes us, we are again too fearful,
modest and disturbed, to take this to heart and believe, that he will show us
such great grace and mercy, and we are always full of anxiety that we do not
belong to them, and that he will reject us because of our sins and great
unworthiness. Therefore he must himself command and work that men continue and
persevere evermore to constrain and urge as much as possible, both by holding
forth wrath for the wicked and grace for the faithful Wrath and repentance urge
man to run and cry for grace. This is then the right way a person goes to this
supper, and thus from Jews and Gentiles there will be one Christian church, and
all will be called alike poor, miserable people, lame and crippled, for they
accept the Gospel heartily and with joy.
Therefore, various people
and congregations have done whatever they can to spread the Gospel. And that is
odd in many ways. One website seemed devoted to selling ads, so they posted all
of Luther’s sermons. Whatever the motive, the sermons are there and easy to
convert – so I did.
Some opponent wrote, “No
fair. Of course you have a lot of page-reads. You posted Luther.” But he did
not.
And the Reformed – they are
the bad guys. (Pause for the booing and hissing to subside.) They have been
selling Luther from Grand Rapids for decades – his sermons and Galatians lectures.
What is better than to have Luther’s sermons, the best of his efforts, in
constant printing and distribution? So God works.
When people know the content
of the great supper, they do not want anything else. They remind one another of
how good and satisfying sound doctrine is. Tonight I saw an appropriate quotation
from the Formula of Concord, and I thought, “That should be a graphic.” And
then people take my graphics and Norma’s and spread them to hundreds of
friends, who can scatter them even more.
Fathers have a great
opportunity because they have the best deal in this world today. Nobody expects
anything. If the father stays and provides a home where marriage and the Gospel
are honored, it is almost a miracle. If does more than notice his children,
another miracle. If he teaches his children the Word of God – even better.
And fathers get the best
deal, the most rewards with the fewest difficulties. A good son is a source of
pride to the father, but a foolish son is grief to the mother. No balance there,
but Proverbs are God’s wisdom.
Fathers have the most impact
on their children, positive and negative. The reason is – mothers are generally
pretty good and sacrifice for their children. That is a constant. But when a father
is absent, there is nothing but trouble. When he is present, there are countless
advantages. In other words, a father can do a lot by being better than the
ordinary louse. Mothers do not get much better because they cannot. There are
many exceptions, which I know about from teaching college students.
The Word of God teaches men
to be the spiritual leaders of their families. It is never too late for that
rule to apply. It is a rule with countless blessings.
 |
| By Norma Boeckler |
The Efficacy of the Word
"Christ compares the Word of God to a seed, to a grain of
wheat sown in the ground. (Matthew 13:3-23) A seed possesses power and life in
itself. Power and life belong to the properties of the seed. Power is not
communicated to the seed only now and then, under certain circumstances, in
peculiar cases. But the Word of God is an incorruptible seed, that is able to
regenerate, a Word which liveth and abideth forever. (1 Peter 1:23)"
E. Hove, Christian Doctrine,
Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1930, p. 27. Matthew 13:3-23; 1 Peter
1:23.
"Hollazius (993) uses the following figures: 'It possesses
and retains its internal power and efficacy even when not used, just as the
illuminating power of the sun continues, although, when the shadow of the moon
intervenes, no person may see it; and just as an internal efficacy belongs to
the seed, although it may not be sown in the field.'"
Heinrich Schmid,
Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, trans., Charles A. Hay
and Henry E. Jacobs, Philadelphia: United Lutheran Publication House, 1899, p.
506.
"'The Word is in itself the living seed of regeneration; the
hand which does the sowing can add to it no further efficacy.' (Philippi, V,
2:15)."
Henry Eyster
Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith, Philadelphia: General Council
Publication House, 1913, p. 291.
(1) Almighty God, thy word is cast Like seed into the ground, Now let
the dew of heaven descend And righteous fruits abound. (2) Let not the foe of
Christ and man This holy seed remove, But give it root in every heart To bring
forth fruits of love. (3) Let not the world's deceitful cares The rising plant
destroy, But let it yield a hundredfold The fruits of peace and joy. (4) Oft as
the precious seed is sown Thy quickening grace bestow, That all whose souls the
truth receive Its saving power may know."
John Cawood,
1775-1852, "Almighty God, Thy Word Is Cast," Service Book and Hymnal,
Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #196. TLH Hymn #49. Mark 4:3-9.
(1) "Preach you the Word and plant it home To men who like or
like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flowers and men shall be
forgot. (2) We know how hard, O Lord, the task Your servant bade us undertake:
To preach your Word and never ask What prideful profit it may make. (3) The
sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone
that men may have The wholesome loaves that all men need. (4) Though some be
snatched and some be scorched And some be chocked and matted flat, The sower
sow; his heart cries out, 'Oh, what of that, and what of that?' (5) Preach you
the Word and plant it home And never faint; the Harvest Lord Who gave the sower
seed to sow Will watch and tend his planted Word." Martin H. Franzmann,
1907-76, "Preach You the Word,"
Lutheran Worship,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #259. Mark 4:;
"What
business is it of mine that many do not esteem it? It must be that many are
called but few are chosen. For the sake of the good ground that brings forth
fruit with patience, the seed must also fall fruitless by the wayside, on the
rock and among the thorns; inasmuch as we are assured that the Word of God does
not go forth without bearing some fruit, but it always finds also good ground;
as Christ says here, some seed of the sower falls also into good ground, and
not only by the wayside, among the thorns and on stony ground. For wherever the
Gospel goes you will find find Christians. 'My Word shall not return unto me
void.' Is. 55:11"
Martin Luther,
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 118. xagesima Luke 8:4-15. Isaiah 55:11.
"Not that
they shall preach that we shall not understand them; but it naturally follows
that wherever the Spirit does not reveal them, no one understands them."
Martin Luther,
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 123. Sexagesima Luke 8:4-15
(1) "Flung to the heedless winds Or on the waters cast, The
martyrs' ashes, watched, Shall gathered be at last. And from that scattered
dust, Around us and abroad, Shall spring a plenteous seed Of witnesses for
God." Martin Luther, 1523, "Flung to the Heedless Winds,"
The Lutheran
Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #259. Acts 7:59.
"The first
class of disciples are those who hear the Word but neither understand nor
esteem it. And these are not the mean people of the world, but the greatest,
wisest and the most saintly, in short they are the greatest part of mankind;
for Christ does not speak here of those who persecute the Word nor of those who
fail to give their ear to it, but of those who hear it and are students of it,
who also wish to be called true Christian and to live in Christian fellowship
with Christians and are partakers of baptism and the Lord's Supper. But they
are of a carnal heart, and remain so, failing to appropriate the Word of God to
themselves, it goes in one ear and out the other, just like the seed along the
wayside did not fall into the earth, but remained lying on the ground..."
Martin Luther,
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 114. Sexagesima. Luke 8:4-15 (par. Mark 4:
Matthew 13:)
"The second
class of hearers are those who receive the Word with joy, but they do not
persevere. These are also a large multitude who understand the Word correctly
and lay hold of it in its purity without any spirit of sect, division or
fanaticism, they rejoice also in that they know the real truth, and are able to
know how they may be saved without works through faith...But when the sun
shines hot it withers, because it has no soil and moisture, and only rock is
there. So these do; in times of persecution they deny or keep silence about the
Word and work, speak and suffer all that their persecutors mention or wish, who
formerly went forth and spoke, and confessed with a fresh and joyful spirit the
same, while there was peace and no heat, so that there was hope they would bear
much fruit and serve the people."
Martin Luther,
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 116. Sexagesima. Luke 8:4-15 (par. Mark 4:
Matthew 13:)
"Therefore
they [fallen among thorns] do not earnestly give themselves to the Word, but
become indifferent and sink in the cares, riches and pleasures of this life, so
that they are of no benefit to anyone. Therefore they are like the seed that
fell among the thorns...They know their duty but do it not, they teach but do
not practice what they teach, and are this year as they were last."
Martin Luther,
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 117. Sexagesima. Luke 8:4-15 (par. Mark 4:
Matthew 13:)
(1) "Almighty Father, bless the Word Which through your grace we
now have heard Oh, may the precious seed take root, Spring up, and bear
abundant fruit. (2) We praise you for the means of grace As homeward now our
steps we trace. Grant, Lord, that we who worshiped here May all at last in
heaven appear."
Scandinavian, The
Lutheran Hymnary, 1913, Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1982, Hymn #216. Mark 4.
"The efficacy
of the Word, unlike that of the seed, always has a result. The man to whom the
Word of God comes, and who repels it, is not as he was before. Where long and
persistently refused, hardening at last comes, Exodus 8:15; 9:12; John 12:40;
Hebrews 4:1, and the Word becomes a 'savor of death unto death,' 2 Corinthians
2:16. Every word heard or read, every privilege and opportunity enjoyed, leaves
its impress either for good or for evil. It is not so properly the Word, as
man's abuse of the Word; not so much the efficacy of the Word, as the sin
taking occasion of the efficacy that produces this result, Romans 7:8."
Henry Eyster
Jacobs, Elements of Religion, Philadelphia, Board of Publication, General
Council 1919 p. 155. Exodus 8:15; 9:12; John 12:40; Hebrews 4:1; 2 Corinthians
2:16; Romans 7:8.
"Just why the
fact of our regeneration should prove such a strong motive to us to give
evidence of our faith in love is shown in the description of regeneration, when
the apostle states that this new birth in our hearts is not the result of
perishable, corruptible seed, as the growth of earthly plants would be, but of
an incorruptible imperishable seed, the Word of God, the Gospel of the Savior
Jesus Christ. This Word of God is in itself living, full of life and of
life-giving power. And it abides in eternity; even after the form of the Word,
in Scripture and in preaching, has passed away, the content of the Gospel will
remain in eternity."
Paul E. Kretzmann,
Popular Commentary of the New Testament, 2 vols., St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, II, p. 523. 1 Peter 1:23.
