The Acolyte and I Tried To Get Everything Going But Ran Out of the Time and Hardware Needed.

 Not quite done but will be on time.

Mid-Week Advent, Thursday, 7 PM Central

The Hymn # 240                    Father Most Holy
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody            Psalm   2                         p. 124
The First Lection         Phil 4:4-7         
The Second Lection    John:19-28   
The Sermon Hymn #61      Hark a Thrilling Voice

         

The Thousand Year Wait - Isaiah 40 - Plus the Good Shepherd in Isaiah 40:11

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer                         p. 44

The Collect for Peace                                           p. 45

The Benediction                                                   p. 45

The Hymn # 558                All Praise to Thee

The Slogan Century

 

Elijah's story can go different ways, according to the person reflecting on those remarkable experiences. For example, the cloud that appeared was the "foot of Mary," which established the Carmelite order among Roman Catholics. The important part became the symbolism of the rain cloud and the first Gospel. Genesis 3:15, therefore is not about the Gospel but about Mary, according to Rome - even now. We are in such a dark age that the Jesuit pope is called a Franciscan because his self-appointed name was Francis. 

I could offer details, and they are good for many essays, books, conferences, statues, and church names. The feminist cause is also wrapped up in Elijah and Mary, from a book called The Foot of Mary, about South America's oppression of women.

All this reminded me of slogans used in place of the Scriptures, so convenient and so easily shared with a nod of the head. This has caused many clergy and laity to use popular phrases instead of Biblical ruling norms. I apologize for writing "ruling norms," which is norma normans in Latin, so elegant in comparison.

The last 50 years have bestowed Church Growth! on most denominations. One WELS DP distinguished Church Growth! from CHURCH Growth! Oh WELS, as subtle as a zephyr. It's all about the church. (Nods head solemnly) The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - concentrated on business fads, and the denominations - even Rome - dabbled and immersed in those slogans. Like magic, they seemed to be very effective. Now they are discovering at long last - they have failed utterly, after 23,000 posts on The Glory Has Departed.

It was so simple for the simpletons. 

1. These rules about business are effective!

instead of

2. The Word of God is always effective, the Spirit at work with the Word, the Word at work with the Spirit. 

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 4 - "We insist, therefore, that the Gospel, through which Christ has come into all the world, is the last message before the day of judgment; before this message and advent of Christ John came and prepared the way. And although all the prophets and the law prophesy until John, it is not allowed to apply them, neglecting John, to another Elijah who is yet to come. Thus also the prophecy of Malachi must fit the times of John. He carries the line of the prophets down to John’s times and permits no one to pass by. — And so we conclude with certainty that no other Elijah is to come, and that the Gospel will endure unto the end of the world. “Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.”

 

Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19-28. The Witness and Confession of John the Baptist; and the Spiritual Meaning of His Witness

16. Yet would I not trust the interpretation of the Jews alone, were it not confirmed by Christ, Matthew 10:10ff. When, on Mount Tabor, the disciples saw Elijah and Moses, they said to the Lord, “Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?” They meant to say, “You have already come; yet Elijah has not come first, but only now, after you: and was it not said that he was to come before you?” This interpretation was not rejected, but confirmed by Christ, who said, “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already; and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” Then the disciples understood, says St. Matthew, that he spoke of John the Baptist.

St. Mark likewise says, Mark 13, “But I say unto you that Elijah is come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written of him.”

17. Now there is no other prophecy concerning Elijah’s coming but this one of Malachi, and Christ himself applies it to John. Thus it has no force if someone were to object, Christ says that Elijah is to come first and restore all things, for Christ interprets his own words by saying, “But I tell you that Elijah is come” etc. He means to say, It is right and true what you have heard about Elijah, that he is to come first and restore all things; thus it is written and thus it must come to pass. But they do not know of which Elijah this is said, for he is come already. With these words, therefore, Christ confirms the Scriptures and the interpretation concerning the coming Elijah, but he rejects the false interpretation concerning an Elijah other than John.

18. Most strongly, however, does Christ assert, Matthew 11:13ff., that no other Elijah is coming. He says, “All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you will receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Here it is made clear that but one Elijah was to come. Had there been another he would not have said, “John is Elijah who was to come,” but he would have had to say, “John is one of the Elijahs,” or simply, “He is Elijah.” But by calling John that Elijah whom everybody expects, who, doubtless, was announced to come, he makes it sufficiently clear that the prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled in John, and that after this no other Elijah is to be expected.

19. We insist, therefore, that the Gospel, through which Christ has come into all the world, is the last message before the day of judgment; before this message and advent of Christ John came and prepared the way. And although all the prophets and the law prophesy until John, it is not allowed to apply them, neglecting John, to another Elijah who is yet to come. Thus also the prophecy of Malachi must fit the times of John. He carries the line of the prophets down to John’s times and permits no one to pass by. — And so we conclude with certainty that no other Elijah is to come, and that the Gospel will endure unto the end of the world. “Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.”

Midweek Service for Advent Will Be Tomorrow at 7 PM Central

 

Midweek Service for Advent Will Be Tomorrow at 7 PM Central

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 4 - "Yet would I not trust the interpretation of the Jews alone, were it not confirmed by Christ, Matthew 10:10ff. When, on Mount Tabor, the disciples saw Elijah and Moses, they said to the Lord, “Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?” They meant to say, “You have already come; yet Elijah has not come first, but only now, after you: and was it not said that he was to come before you?” This interpretation was not rejected, but confirmed by Christ, who said, “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already; and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” Then the disciples understood, says St. Matthew, that he spoke of John the Baptist."

 

Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19-28. The Witness and Confession of John the Baptist; and the Spiritual Meaning of His Witness

12. The Jews, as said above, had the prophecy concerning Elijah, that he was to come before the day of the Lord, Malachi 4:5. It is therefore also among Christians a current belief that Elijah is to come before the last day. Some add Enoch, others St. John the Evangelist. Of this we shall have something to say.

13. In the first place, all depends upon whether the prophet Malachi speaks of the second coming of the Lord on the last day, or of his first coming into flesh and through the Gospel. If he speaks of the last day, then we have certainly yet to expect Elijah; for God cannot lie. The coming of Enoch and St. John, however, has no foundation in Scripture, and is therefore to be considered as a fable. If, on the other hand, the prophet speaks of Christ’s coming in the flesh and through the Word, then assuredly Elijah is no more to be expected, but John is that same Elijah announced by Malachi.

14. I am of the opinion that Malachi spoke of no other Elijah than John, and that Elijah the Tishbite, who went up to heaven with the chariot of fire, is no more to be expected. To this opinion I am forced first and foremost by the words of the angel Gabriel, Luke 1:17, who says to John’s father, Zacharias: “And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just.” With these words the angel manifestly refers to the prophecy of Malachi, adducing even the words of the prophet, who also says that Elijah is to turn the hearts of fathers to children, — as cited above. Now then, if Malachi had meant another Elijah, the angel doubtless would not have applied these words to John.

15. In the second place, the Jews themselves of old understood Malachi to speak of Christ’s coming into the flesh. Therefore they here ask John whether he is Elijah, who is to come before the Christ. But they erred in thinking of the original and bodily Elijah. For the purport of the text is indeed that Elijah is to come beforehand, but not that same Elijah. We do not read, Elijah the Tishbite is to come, as the Bible calls him in 1 Kings 17:1 and 2 Kings 1:13 but merely Elijah, a prophet. This Gabriel, Luke 1:17, explains as meaning, “In the spirit and power of Elijah,” saying, as it were, He will be a real Elijah. Just as we now say of one who has another’s manner and carriage, He is a true!; as I may say e.g., The Pope is a real Caiaphas; John was a real St. Paul. In the same manner does God through Malachi promise one who is to be a true Elijah, i.e. John the Baptist.

16. Yet would I not trust the interpretation of the Jews alone, were it not confirmed by Christ, Matthew 10:10ff. When, on Mount Tabor, the disciples saw Elijah and Moses, they said to the Lord, “Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?” They meant to say, “You have already come; yet Elijah has not come first, but only now, after you: and was it not said that he was to come before you?” This interpretation was not rejected, but confirmed by Christ, who said, “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already; and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” Then the disciples understood, says St. Matthew, that he spoke of John the Baptist.

St. Mark likewise says, Mark 13, “But I say unto you that Elijah is come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written of him.”

Reformation Seminary Lecture - John 14 - 11 AM Today

14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Neve - Almost Forgotten Augsburg Confession

 

Hi Friends,
In the mornings I've been reading small bits of Neve's (small) book on the Augsburg Confession.  In the third section of the book he intersperses paragraphs of the Confession with questions and answers.  Somehow separating out these individual sections is helping me to get more out of the Augsburg. 

This morning in the first question in Article Two, Neve wrote this:

"1. What is to be said on the importance of this article?
"We keep in mind that Article IV on Justification is the central article of our Confession..."

Question for Greg, Jim and all of us in our little Bethany group:
Given that a Lutheran is someone who believes the Augsburg Confession is an accurate description of the Bible's teaching, isn't Neve saying here that anyone who de facto denies Justification by Faith (Article IV of the Augsburg), is in fact not Lutheran?

Follow up question, how in any way can "objective justification" be reconciled with Article IV?  Or how can anyone who confesses the Augsburg hate and malign "justification by faith"?

[GJ - The LutherQueasies call us OJ-Deniers! Wahahahaha!]

Rhetorical questions for us to think about. 
May the dear Lord continue to deliver us from sharks and wolves!

I took Christology under Heick at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.
His two-volume book was based on Neve. The LCA canned it.
Christina and I went to lunch with Heick and visited him in the hospital.

Rejuvenating the Broadcast Equipment

 

Long ago, Sassy went on alert in the middle of the night.
She sent her message, "Try me."

I ended up with one Windows 11 box (Best Buy), one Windows all-in-one computer (WM), and and a refurbished Windows 10 setup (Amazon hahahaha) - all doomed to be returned. When I was returning the Windows 11 computer to Best Buy, the clerk asked why. I said, "Windows 11," which was all he needed to know. He slumped. Windows 11 is a warning label.

Getting back to zero left me with a lot of hardware, but do not weep. 

1. The office computer was moved around and then set up again. 
2. The chapel created a laptop set up, which will return to a traditional one today. 
3. The library will have a third option in case of difficulties, the laptop revived.

"One computer alone is simpler" - so true - but I deal with teaching daily (with a one week vacation each year) and regular services and lectures. 

A major distraction was caused by regular, juvenile, subtle break-ins, even when doors were padlocked. The house has an alarm system that records the outdoors and sets off alarms, police, and fire.

Charlie Sue Updates for Her Fans

 

Readers ask about Charlie Sue, who adopted me at the headquarters of Walmart and Tyson Chicken. She is a Patterdale Terrier with a mix of Chihuahua, lots of fun and excitement. She loves the outdoors, running and digging, and loves to adopt members of her fanclub.

She prefers to stay outside during the day, which is not enough. She loves to go out to run at the end of the cul-de-sac, a large expanse of grass with bushes and trees, plus access to more canine friends. Everyone has a dog.

Charlie races and digs all day, and she loves big circular runs in grass,  where she comes back to me as if on an attack, grinning. 

Porchie and Dustmop are members of Charlie's fan club.

The owner of Doggie Daycare (next door) is impressed with Charlie's willingness to walk with me, no leash. Sometimes I hold the leash in my hand for when we walk over to Bible John's home. John and Pat love to see her. Once Charlie knows a family, she wants to go over and get some love. One couple said, "So this is the next dog, from Sassy Sue to Charlie Sue." Sassy is fondly remembered for her long walks and affection. (Sassie refused to give Pat a kiss because that made Bible John and me laugh each time.) Sassy got so many chicken treats that the crows and starlings gathered on a large tree, overlooking two yards, to pick up the bones. 

Sassy always protected her Lincoln Town Car from strangers. An officer who stopped me asked if he could pet Sassy. I was a wee bit lost. He offered to drive me to the nearest gas station. Sassy adopted people quickly and listened to my suggestions.

Sassy's three-legged jumps stunned kids and adults who admired her.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 4 - "They sent to him, why did they not come themselves? John had come to preach repentance to the entire Jewish people. This preaching of John they did not heed; it is clear therefore, that they did not send to him with good and pure intentions, offering him such honor. Neither did they truly believe him to be the Christ, or Elijah, or a prophet; otherwise they would have come themselves to be baptized, as did the others. What then did they seek of him?"

 

Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19-28. The Witness and Confession of John the Baptist; and the Spiritual Meaning of His Witness

8. They sent to him, why did they not come themselves? John had come to preach repentance to the entire Jewish people. This preaching of John they did not heed; it is clear therefore, that they did not send to him with good and pure intentions, offering him such honor. Neither did they truly believe him to be the Christ, or Elijah, or a prophet; otherwise they would have come themselves to be baptized, as did the others. What then did they seek of him? Christ explains this, John 5:33-35, “Ye have sent unto John, and he hath borne witness unto the truth. He was the lamp that burneth and shineth, and ye were willing to rejoice for a season in his light.” From these words it is clear they looked for their own honor in John, desiring to make use of his light,” his illustrious and famous name, in order to adorn themselves before the people. For if John had joined them and accepted their proffered honor, they also would have become great and glorious before all the people, as being worthy of the friendship and reverence of so holy and great a man. But would not hereby all their avarice, tyranny, and rascality have been confirmed and declared holy and worthy? Thus John, with all his holiness, would have become a sponsor for vice; and the coming of Christ would justly have been regarded with suspicion, as being opposed to the doings of the priests and tyrants, with whom John, this great and holy man, would have taken sides.

9. Thus we see what rascality they practice and how they tempt John to betray Christ and become a Judas Iscariot, in order that he might confirm their injustice and they might share his honor and popularity. What cunning fellows they are, thus to fish for John’s honor! They offer him an apple for a kingdom, and would exchange counters for dollars. But he remained firm as a rock, as is shown by the statement: “And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.” To John’s confession comprises two things: First, his confessing, and secondly, his not denying. His confessing is his declaration about Christ, when he says, “I am not the Christ.” To this belongs also that he confesses to be neither Elijah nor a prophet. His not denying is declaration of what he really is, when he calls himself a voice in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. Thus his confession is free and open, declaring not only what he is, but also what he is not. For if some one declares what he is not, such a confession is still obscure and incomplete, since one cannot know what is really to be thought of him. But here John openly says, what is to be thought of him, and what not, this giving the people a certain assurance in confessing that he is not the Christ, and not denying that he is the voice preparing his advent.

11. Yet someone might say, The Evangelist contradicts himself in calling it a confession when John declares himself not to be Christ, whereas this is rather a denial, for he denies that he is Christ. To say, “Nay” is to deny, and the Jews wish him to confess that he is Christ, which he denies; yet the Evangelist says that he confessed. And again, it is rather a confession when he says, “I am the voice in the wilderness.” But the Evangelist considers this matter and describes it as it is before God, and not as the words sound and appear to men. For the Jews desired him to deny Christ, and not to confess what he really was. But since he confesses what he is and firmly insists upon what he is not, his act is before God a precious confession and not a denial. “And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? and he saith, I am not.”

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 4 - "With many words the Evangelist describes and magnifies the testimony of John. Although it would have been sufficient if he had written of him, “He confessed,” he repeats it and says, “He confessed and denied not.” This was surely done in order to extol the beautiful constancy of John in a sore trial, when he was tempted to a flagrant denial of the truth. And now consider the particular circumstances."

 

Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19-28. The Witness and Confession of John the Baptist; and the Spiritual Meaning of His Witness

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT.



TEXT:

John 1:19-28. And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then?

Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. And they had been sent from the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not, even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.


I. THE WITNESS AND CONFESSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

1. With many words the Evangelist describes and magnifies the testimony of John. Although it would have been sufficient if he had written of him, “He confessed,” he repeats it and says, “He confessed and denied not.” This was surely done in order to extol the beautiful constancy of John in a sore trial, when he was tempted to a flagrant denial of the truth. And now consider the particular circumstances.

2. First, there are sent to him not servants or ordinary citizens, but priests and Levites from the highest and noblest class, who were Pharisees, that is to say, the leaders of the people. Surely a distinguished embassy for a common man, who might justly have felt proud of such an honor, for the favor of lords and princes is highly esteemed in this world.

3. Secondly, they sent to him not common people, but citizens of Jerusalem, to wit, the capital, the Sanhedrim, and the leaders of the Jewish nation. So it was as if the entire people came and did honor to him. What a wind that was! and how he might have been inflated, had he possessed a vain and worldly heart!

4. Thirdly, they do not offer him a present, nor ordinary glory, but the highest glory of all, the kingdom and all authority, being ready to accept him as the Christ. Surely a mighty and sweet temptation! For, had he not perceived that they wished to regard him as the Christ, he would not have said, “I am not the Christ.” And Luke 8:15-16, also writes that, when everybody thought he was the Christ, John spoke, “I am not he who you think I am, but I am being sent before him.”

5. Fourthly, when he would not accept this honor they tried him with another, and were ready to take him for Elijah. For they had a prophecy in the last chapter of the prophet Malachi, where God says: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

6. Fifthly, seeing that he would not be Elijah, they go on tempting him and offer him the homage due to an ordinary prophet, for since Malachi they had not had a prophet. John, however, remains firm and unshaken, although tried by the offer of so much honor.

7. Sixthly and lastly, not knowing of any more honors, they left him to choose, as to who or what he wished to be regarded, for they greatly desired to do him homage. But John will have none of this honor, and gives only this for an answer, that he is a voice calling to them and to everybody. This they do not heed. — What all this means we shall hear later on. Let us now examine the text. “And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?”

Third Sunday in Lent -2024

 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89977857519?pwd=vWgBQOVHtS3WNxAch0N8aXrN6uX1p0.1

The Hymn #381         I Know My Faith Is Founded

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men: 

the Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing: but in everything, 

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, 

let your requests be made known unto God.

Psalm. Lord, Thou hast been favorable unto Thy land: 

Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

The Gloria Patri

The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Lord, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers and lighten the darkness of our hearts by Thy gracious visitation; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

The Epistle and Gradual

Gradual       

Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth: stir up Thy strength and come. V. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Hymn # 63                 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist Cries

The Calendar of Grace 

The Hymn # 85:1-5       From Heaven Above     - Martin Luther       

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   

Announcements and Prayers

• December 18th - Ninth Wedding Anniversary of Corey and Abby Meyer Fagan.
• Ongoing medical care - Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Kermit Way, Doc Lito's family.
• Tues is Zach Engleman's Birthday.
• Next Sunday is Norma's birthday.

Epistle

KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Gospel

KJV Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Third Sunday In Advent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst suffer Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become man, and to come into the world, that He might destroy the works of the devil, deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may seek no other refuge than His word, and thus avoid all offense to which, by nature, we are inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God 

KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

    This lesson might be strange and unusual, but it has precise meaning - so often ignored in the past and in these new Babylonian times. Stewards had a very high standing in royalty, among the English. A steward then was important but not the King. Uncertain rules a noble person could have a very high standing but that did not make him the King. Instead, a child could wait until he was old enough to be a young king. 

There is a vast gulf between the two. Paul is using the term for those who take care of a wealthy business but can raise no higher than steward. Notice how the unfaithful steward used money to get himself a high standard - in the parable of the Unjust Steward.

    Paul associated two terms with his work. One was "servant," meaning that he was below Christ - the Holy Trinity. And he was also a steward, a phrase often misused by clergy who parade themselves around as the real thing - and know God better than He does Himself. That has been called "airs" when someone is overwhelmed by his own pride and majesty.

    Paul addressed this because he had special privileges handed to him, such as seeing the risen Christ and being appointed as equal among the apostles. The Corinthians were a rowdy bunch who got involved in what we call Pentecostalism, stoking up feelings and makes those feelings the proof of great Christian wisdom and power. We have to love the Corinthians, because they revealed so many problems that would be repeated in the centuries to come, engaging generations in bypassing or addressing those faulty use of the Christian Faith.

    The mysteries are those pearls and jewels of God's wisdom, presented perfectly so that no one takes them for granted or misuses them. The sceptics and know-it-all of today reject or corrupt the mysteries which belong only to God -

Luther's three summaries of the mysteries are three-fold

1. The humanity of Christ - denying His human nature;
2. The divinity of Christ - rejecting Him as only a man, even if very noble and wise, but still just a man;
3. Justification by Faith in Jesus - brushing aside faith in Jesus Christ  and becoming angry about Romans 4 and its climax at the opening of Romans 5.

1. Christina was taking to the owner of a rare books store about jewelry. The owner said "I wish you could fix my pearly necklace." Christina did that and brought it back." The owner said, "They are so beautiful and I want you to have the necklace." The pearl necklace was passed on, and so should the mystery of the faith be. We are required to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of 
   God, not just Paul the Apostle, but those who those and treasure those treasures.

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 

The power of the mysteries is that no one is allowed to preserve and to spread them.

Or distort them. The mysteries are capsules of the Christian Faith -

The Trinity

The Spirit at work in the Word and never apart from the Word

 The three basics above, isolating the divinity or the human of Christ and distorting Justifications.

Invented and therefore false mysteries are: Mary's Assumption, her sinless life, her power to help souls in Purgatory, the scapula, Mary  (without sin) offering up Christ - serving as a priest, various ways to reduce time in Purgatory, saints, especially Mary who reduce time in Purgatory - some perhaps escaping just before the End.

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

So, what is really important? Everyone has opinions, and we can see that the Corinthians had lots of opinions, just as the Galatians did. Opinions different from the Word of God make people fuzzy eyed, because they do not see clearly or clarify thoughts. One man told me about a church that reminded him of fish swimming in groups. "They all swim together and turn sharply with no warning, they swim more and turn sharply again. My church is just like that." He was not impressed.

What Dr. Fuhrman said about food is very close to the stewards of the mysteries of God. We can turn away from valuable food sources. No room for candy, ice cream, and pizza. But when introduced to foods that were always there (I plead guilty), those low calorie fruit, vegetable, greens, and nuts become delicious and long lasting.

I like what Luther did - dwelling on one Word or a phrase to get the complete meaning, as much as we can. Those are mysteries of God, favorites like John 3:16, going back to the serpents in the Pentateuch, raised up to cure people. God waiting until this came to be fully understood as Christ raised on the cross.