The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018
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
Arise!
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
Hymn #50 Lord Dismiss Us
KJV Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst send Thy Son to be made flesh, that by His death He might atone for our sins and deliver us from eternal death: We pray Thee, confirm in our hearts the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ, who with but a word raised the widow's son, in like manner will raise us on the last day, and grant us eternal life: 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.
Background for the Sermon
Those who study German literature talk about the turning-point in each story. Everything builds up to that point. Afterwards, the rest of the story explains what happens after that point. Here the turning-point is clearly the Word of Jesus,
Arise. Whatever reality the widow thought about, that was gone. She had a new life and future after that powerful Word.
So great is the power of God that He can change everything in a moment. It may seem to take forever, because we think pleasant days will always be so, and misery never ends if we dwell on it. But the Bible shows us time and again that God intervenes and makes that change, in many small and large ways. Therefore, if we rely on our human reason and experience, we have arrogance to guide us or despair to paralyze us.
That is where Luther shows us the message of the Bible is to rely on nothing else than God's Word, to trust only in His Word and wisdom. Whatever we are experiencing as believers - it is for a good purpose. It is part of God's plan. Unbelievers should look on it as their doom if they do not turn back immediately from their misdeeds.
This miracle reminds us of the power of God's Word. Its efficacy means nothing from man or the "natural world" can stop it. The Word of God is all-powerful and also instant. But the Word also has long-lasting effects too. When a believer is absolved of all sins, the in-dwelling Spirit says, "You were forgiven all your sins, so how are you going to show your thankfulness to God?"
Many times I think, "No one thinks what I do is significant. Not the academic world. Not high society. Not the everyday working world. Not the government. Not the political parties." And that reminds me, "That is because the Gospel is irrelevant except where it means everything, that is, to a few believers and to those who no longer want to wander in darkness."
What we learn in gardening is "plant a lot so that the rabbits, birdsl and squirrels are well fed." The rhyme is
One for the blackbird, one for the mouse.
One for the rabbit, one for the house.
I swore off planting food crops because it was eaten so fast. Then I wondered what Hosta was for. The Japanese eat it for salad. Like ornamental kale, it can be grown for its colors, for food, or both. So Hosta grows and disappears and eventually some matures enough to longer look tasty.
The Word of God is like that. While it is always effective and instantly at work, we must often hear it in abundance to really meditate on its meaning and apply it to ourselves. Natural man, unaided by the Spirit, resists God's Word. But by teaching it various ways, the Word bears fruit in abundance. I told our son yesterday, "I know why 16,500 blog posts were needed. It takes time to get through." And I would do that again for that reason, to have people appreciate God's Gospel Word, Luther, and traditional hymns and books. And in time, that Word gathers momentum from others taking it seriously.
American Lutherandom is the widow's son - dead. And for the same reasons. Almost no one appreciated it or thanked God for preserving the Gospel in a new land. The East Coast Lutherans had a fine grasp of the Gospel after struggling with "American Lutheranism" - a version Fuller Seminary garbage - in the 19th century. The old General Synod loved non-Lutheran doctrine, worship, and practices. The General Council left the General Synod and struggled to study the Lutheran Confessions and Luther. For a time they flourished and then fell into apostasy. This Eastern segment, largely ELCA, is a collossal bad joke, like the bawdy comics on TV, but no one is laughing.
The Missouri Synod came over as a sex cult led by a syphilitic bishop and brain-washed pastors and laity. After they robbed Stephan and kidnapped him, they floundered for a long time. Their new false teacher, Walther, struggled to be their pope, but the rush of German migration to America gave them plenty of able people who taught
Justification by Faith without surrendering to Walther or Stephan. Now, after going through waves of mainline liberalism, Church Growth snake oil programs, and the like, the LCMS has installed the Walther-Stephan Universalist dogma in their publications, rushing them into print before Luther's
Sermons - to celebrate the 500th Anniversary in as hypocritical fashion as the SP could manage.
WELS had some good leaders, but the flunkees wanted Gausewitz and Hoenecke forgotten, in favor of their real heroes - Pete Wagner and Bill Hybels.
There are faithful pastors in every group, but Lutherdom as a whole is dead. Rather than being mourned in a procession, as it should, various political groups are applying magical formulae that never word and cannot work against God's Word. He can raise up and destroy in a moment, but sometimes will let people see their folly for a long, drawn-out season of dying.
The only solution is for faithful pastors and congregations to preach and teach the Gospel, trusting in the sermon - not the caucus - as the most important weapon man can wield.
Arise!
Ephesians 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
How clever for the ancients to end the Epistle where the Gospel starts! This Gospel teaches us about the meaning of one of the three times we know Jesus raised someone from the dead, which includes the young girl - then Lazarus, whose miracle precipitated the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
What is a greater impossibility than to have someone rise from the dead. And yet Christ teaches us that He is the first of all to rise from the grave.
He visited a city called Nain. Many disciples and a large crowd were with Him, so there were many witnesses. Why would some still disbelieve? Look at the swoon theory, used against Christ. Maybe the young man and the little girl were only in a coma. The raising of Lazarus was not only a celebrity miracle but one where no one would pretend he was in a swoon for the funeral and days afterward.
Nevertheless, doubt in our rationalistic age is powerful. In 1987, I asked if each of the ELCA seminaries had a professor who taught the actual Virgin Birth of Christ or His physical ressurection. I had to include extra words because so many retreat into symbols and other evasions. As I recall, there were 9 seminaries at the time, 1987 or so. One responded with "Yes, and we have a quote." Their quotation was more like "Maybe it really did happen." That was it. And now those seminaries are dropping like flies in a Raid test lab. Some are reduced to minor parts of other schools - Waterloo in Canada, Southern, Cap in Columbus, Berkeley in California. The rest are shrinking fast. The resurrection is not taught because it is not believed.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
As Luther wrote about this miracle, losing one's heritage was - and still is - considered a great woe. People talk about being blessed by children, even more by having many children, then grandchildren. This woman lost her husband but she still had a son to help her in life and to have a family she could enjoy, a wife and children, great joy in her old age.
Here is an example of absolutes. The son is dead and many in the town are there to share the grief of the widow, who now feels that death so strongly. Grief weakens us, puts us in a helpless condition. No matter how strange our reasoning, we wonder what we could have done. One man still felt guilty that he asked someone to come in for work. The man died in an accident that night, so the boss blamed himself. Logic said to him, "If I had not asked him, he would have not have had that accident."
The widow doubtless took for granted that all would be well. She lost her husband but she had a son and an income, future grandchildren. Now their line would end and she would be very poor with little to maintain her.
We can see this was quite a crowd, the people and disciples follwoing Jesus, plus the mourners following the funeral procession. In the midst of this solemn occasion, death.
There are many experiences like this. The economy changes and assets become liabilities. Sure jobs become no longer a job yet everyone wants that position too. Friends disappear. All kinds of things happen that seem like doom. One bad event can precipate many others. Severe illness and accidents do the same.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
This is the penultimate moment. This explains what happens next. The woman did not expect grace and favor from God. She did not ask. What could she say? And yet the Son of God had compassion on her. This is the key to what happened next, and it applies to us too. Many misfortunes come our way in life, may crises too. And yet God can turn those events into blessings in a moment. Which moment we cannot tell, but He does work that way, as He did here.
As Paul says, "More than we can think or imagine." But that comes from the power that worketh in us. That power is the Holy Spirit in the Word.
Ephesians 3:20 τω δε δυναμενω υπερ παντα ποιησαι υπερ εκ περισσου ων αιτουμεθα η νοουμεν κατα την δυναμιν dynamite την ενεργουμενην working εν ημιν in us.
We know what "the power" is because of the verb form - working - that power is the Holy Spirit in the Word, working in us, and it is dynamite, the word Nobel chose for his explosives.
This word group in the New Testament - efficacious, efficacy, working - always applies to the Word of God. The false teacher bray and hee-haw that their gimmicks work, because look at the big buildings (sold to Catholics, now empty, etc) they built.
But no matter how much we know and study from man's wisdom, only God's Word has divine power, which is so great that all the naturals laws are set aside for His miracles. And I believe in those miracles. I have seen and experienced many, because God is the miracle worker.
The greatest miracle is evident when someone walks in darkness and error and sees the light of God's truth in the Scriptures. Like the dead son, God has mercy and sends abundant helps to guide us out of darkness and error. Some angels come in the form of guides who help us see the truth of the Scriptures. Sometimes it is jolting us with such terrible warning signs that we can see what lies ahead.
We were there at the transition between the old denominations with believers as pastors and the switch to radical activists who took over, as in a bad dream. They loved to force themselves on others, to highlight their degradation, so they were like vultures that land on rural highways, enjoying a feast of carrion.
If we can learn anything from John's Gospel (should be sent in a draft to many today), it is that God's nature is loving and merciful. This is the key to the turning point in this miracle.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
There is no rationalistic answer for this, to help people get beyond Jesus as the Son of God and miracle-worker, simply through His Word. It does not make sense to us. The dead man could not hear and the people did not imagine this could happen. The spoken Word was for the crowd from town, the mother, and the disciples and crowd that followed.
It did not just happen. It took place because Jesus in his divine authority touched the bier. This is going to happen to the dead man. And He spoke His life-giving Word - Arise!
This is essential to remember in regards to the Word of God. When Jesus commands and promises, it is so. When He says through the pastor, "Your sins are forgiven," they are banished as far as the East is from the West. Doubting that forgiving is doubting God's Word.
That can be difficult, to cling to forgiveness when full of remorse and bad memories. But the Gospel is the medicine, not the pain or emotions or even efforts to make it up. God's Word of forgiveness to believers has no work qualifications except the "work" of believing in the One God Sent.
Luther:
12. All this happened, as I have often said, for us to learn to trust our Lord God and believe in him in all our need, and not become terrified when we do not fare well, nor be offended if the wicked prosper. For our Lord God is one who tries, who allows his own to be tried and to suffer, so that they may truly perceive and learn to know that he is a gracious God, even though he at times hides his grace so deeply that it cannot be seen.
Afterwards, if men persevere, it is only a matter of a single word and the necessary assistance is rendered; as in this Gospel, only a word was necessary and the dead son was restored to life. By this he desires to show that what is impossible with us, is so easy for him that it requires only one little word: “Arise.” It is easily spoken, and yet is has power to restore the dead to life. We should learn to know that he can and will help us out of all our needs.
13. He who desires to be a Christian should be strong in faith and praise God and his Word, and should say: “I will acknowledge, praise and serve that God, and gladly do and suffer what he wills, who can so readily and easily help.” Thus, this and other miracles of Christ should serve to comfort us and make us better, and urge us on to believe in him and serve him, as no other god, for no other god manifests himself as our dear Lord Jesus has manifested himself. Therefore, we praise and magnify him daily, and daily bring others to him that they may also do the same. May God continue his help more and more. This is the teaching of the Gospel as presented in the example of the widow.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
So this the greatest of all miracles - apart from forgiveness - took place because of the compassion of Christ. And it did not happen from faith but it did happen to promote faith in Him, among the people of His time and among us as well.
And this will happen on the Last Day. John 5. Everyone will be raised, the believers to eternal life and unbelievers to eternal death.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
How does one do good? Jesus teaches - those who believe glorify God in all they do, and they bear fruit.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
ο λογος ουτος εν ολη τη ιουδαια περι αυτου
Sometimes our English does not match the text. The "rumor" in Luke is "this logos or word about Him" In Romans 10, the report is the akoue - what is heard.
We might say, "This proclamation or preaching about Him". The reports promoted faith in Him as the promised Messiah - as intended.
The teaching and miracles went together then, and they do now. The first thing the rationalists take away is the performance of miracles. Then they can chip away at His teaching. Soon they have a few items about morality and nothing more. After that is pure atheism and social activism.
So it is best to keep them together as intended. God is still working miracles today and guiding people to salvation with the truth.
