ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the National Council of Churches.
Dear Pastor Jackson,
Just want to let you know that we greatly enjoyed your service and teaching this evening. We thank God for you and we keep you in our prayers. Technical difficulties could not detract from the message.
God Bless you, and Merry Christmas
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
The viewer for the live and the saved Vimeo - with a graphic - will appear below this message. Press F5 to refresh the page if it does not show.
Bethany Lutheran Church
Christmas Eve Service, 7 PM Central Time, 2021
Springdale, Arkansas
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Hymn #81 O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is
The Place of Jesus’ Birth
KJV Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Hymn # 102 O Come All Ye Faithful
KJV Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Virgin Birth
KJV Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Incarnation
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Hymn #109 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
KJV Luke 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
God Honors What the World Despises
KJV Luke 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
The Roman Empire was very good at taxing people, and forcing those taxes. This may have been the first such census for taxation. America does the same thing, and the count makes a difference about how many Congressmen we have in each state. The Scriptures had many predictions about this happening, and it is important to point out that the birth of our Savior at this time and place meant He would be under man's law. That birth could have been earlier, the travel not necessary. This was the first sign that Jesus would be an ordinary man in the sight of man, since all went to be taxed and that put a great burden on Joseph and Mary.
Thus began a turning point in human history, and the world was groaning over their sins and cruelty, wondering about salvation and the forgiveness of sin. The divine solution would begin with the Holy Child turned away from proper lodging before His birth, and the couple forced to endure this in the place where the animals were kept.
1. It is written in Haggai 2:6-7, that God says: “I will shake the heavens; and the precious things of all nations shall come.” This is fulfilled today, for the heavens were shaken, that is, the angels in the heavens sang praises to God. And the earth was shaken, that is, the people on the earth were agitated; one journeying to this city, another to that throughout the whole land, as the Gospel tells us. It was not a violent, bloody uprising, but rather a peaceable one awakened by God who is the God of peace.
Strangely, Rome seemed to be at the peak of its power, with Caesar Augustus as the Emperor, the baby to be born not even a rumor in the capital or in Jerusalem. Everything would be turned upside down by God's will, in spite of man's will.
Nobody thought a second about this poor family, which is entirely proper, as Luther wrote. The world loves what matters the least and goes away quickly. Not even His relatives thought to take in the family and help out. That is one reason why this holy day means so much to many but so little to most people. The Christian Faith does not give them honors, riches, and esteem from their fellow un-believers. If anything, it is a drag on their reputations so there are a series of quasi-Christian denominations that only teach the Law and have no use for the message of the Bible.
One indication is the use of Winter Break. I am instructed to tell online students about the dates of the Winter Break. Each years I write, "These are the days of the Christmas break, a term I use because no one says Merry Winter, neither do they shop for Winter presents."
The words we use make a big difference, because they represent ideas, plans, attitudes, and conclusions. So that means we should be especially alert about each phrase of the Bible, that it is properly translated and presented so that it is God's Word and not man's opinion. We do well to meditate on the meaning of this Night, because they changed the history of the earth and meaning of human life.
Moreover, the way in which the Savior was introduced is especially important, since the word Christian means following Christ. And Luther said, he was a Faithian, more precisely - a Faith-Alonist, salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ. I cannot get the learned clergy to use that term, the Chief Article of Christianity (not simply an article of one denomination).
The tax and census forced the Family to go to Bethlehem, which had already been predicted. Caesar and his counselors did not know that, but the evidence piled up when the Jewish scholars were quizzed about the Wise Men.
What kind of complexity can we imagine that puts all the predictions about Christ into human history, even the strangest ones (the bronze serpent, the atoning death of Jesus)? That is why many looked to Jesus after His resurrection, because the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament, had it completely right from many centuries before, even down to the First Gospel in Genesis 3:15.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Caesar caused this to happen and never knew its final result. Jesus died during the reign of Tiberius. The pagan census brought the Family to Jerusalem because the Romans were invited earlier to keep the peace among the fighting Jewish factions. They had a moment of hope with Judas Maccabeus, but fell into turmoil again.
I tell students in Old Testament what I have learned - the most unpleasant, onerous, evil things happen, and God can still turn them into something good, as He did with the cross - a distinctly Roman form of punishment (predicted in the Psalms).
Why let go of something precious and eternal when troubles arise, when all the doors seem slammed shut against the individual, and people gloat about our difficulties?
The Christmas cards are beautiful, but they convey the beauty and holiness we acknowledge now - not the stench of a stable and the cold rejecting of the Family. The baby Jesus was born in poverty, rejection, and solitude.
See how God shows that he utterly disregards what the world is, has or desires; and furthermore, that the world shows how little it knows or notices what God is, has and does.
9. See, this is the first picture with which Christ puts the world to shame and exposes all it does and knows. It shows that the world’s greatest wisdom is foolishness, her best actions are wrong and her greatest treasures are misfortunes. What had Bethlehem when it did not have Christ? What have they now who at that time had enough? What do Joseph and Mary lack now, although at that time they had no room to sleep comfortably?
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
As Luther wrote, this is such a beautiful moment in history, that the Word was born of a Virgin and received her care. That is a test I use when clergy are talking about the Faith. "Do you believe Jesus was actually born of a Virgin?" One future Disciples of Christ minister said, "That is not an important doctrine." She also rejected the actual resurrection of Christ. I have to use actual with these people because they want to be all symbolic as a way to avoid the issue. And it makes them angry, furious.
God is not inhibited by man's reason, so it is often true that only children can understand the Scriptures, and Jesus confirmed that. "You must believe the way a child does, or you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." That means everything revealed in the Scriptures.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
God chose working men, the shepherds, to experience the great revealing of the Son of God. The angels were there to express their joy at an event so earth-shaking that virtually everyone was ignoring it.
If God's holy angels gather to celebrate an event in such a way, it must be very grand - and it was scary. The glory and power of God are so great that Peter said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." The shepherds were terrified - so great is the revelation of God's light, which existed before the sun and stars were created.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The angelic proclamation tells us what this means. It is poetic, like a creed or hymn, and easily recited by young children. The divine sign of the Savior is a baby in a food trough for animals, wrapped up in available clothes.
12. Just imagine what kind of swaddling clothes they were in which she wrapped the child. Possibly her veil or some article of her clothing she could spare. But that she should have wrapped him in Joseph’s trousers, which are exhibited at Aix-la-Chapelle, appears entirely too false and frivolous. It is a fable, the like of which there are more in the world. Is it not strange that the birth of Christ occurs in cold winter, in a strange land, and in such a poor and despicable manner?
13. Some argue as to how this birth took place, as if Jesus was born while Mary was praying and rejoicing, without any pain, and before she was conscious of it. While I do not altogether discard that pious supposition, it was evidently invented for the sake of simple minded people. But we must abide by the Gospel, that he was born of the virgin Mary. There is no deception here, for the Word clearly states that it was an actual birth.
14. It is well known what is meant by giving birth. Mary’s experience was not different from that of other women, so that the birth of Christ was a real natural birth, Mary being his natural mother and he being her natural son. Therefore her body performed its functions of giving birth, which naturally belonged to it, except that she brought forth without sin, without shame, without pain and without injury, just as she had conceived without sin.
God's judgment against the rationalists and marketeers is to deny them the truth of the Word. I sigh as I go through the verses and see all the ways the "scholars" and growthers have misused and abused the Word of God. They do not see it and hate to hear the truths.
But we can rejoice over these treasures and contemplate them day at night. As it was said when the Bible was about to be translated into English - They should be recited by the farmer at his plow and weaver at the loom.
The Prayers and Benediction
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| Eat To Live is easy to buy, new or used. |
Physical and mental energy are great, but they do not come from what people eat and drink the most - and pay the most to have.
I began studying Eat To Live to get a better balance, especially since I imagined my bakery DNA would work overtime for me. Live To Eat Desserts - my epic work, has been set aside.
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Here is the bad list from the book and some other sources -
Sugared drinks (fruit juices, soda pop, diet drinks) are all bad. Sugar-free simply makes the body more eager to have more carbohydrates. Substitute with water, coffee, and tea. Coffee and tea together are very good for health.
The whites are delicious but bad - white bread, white sugar, hidden sources of sugar (corn syrup for sweetener and flavor enhancer).
Exercise is essential, every day, starting with the daily walk. Stationary devices should be used consistently, not just in panic times (January, part of February, and - oh forget it).
Big Switch from Meat to Vegetables
Eat To Live advocates large amounts of vegetables replacing our over-use of meat. Micro-nutrients and protein are abundant in green vegetables. They satisfy without tossing a lot of carbohydrates into the system. I knew that from experience but kept on returning to my heritage.
Simply put, carbohydrates (sugars, bakery products) demand a lot of insulin for regulation and eventually tilt the body's system the wrong way.
Alcohol products were certainly built into Creation, but moderation is essential. My father argued that heavy drinkers did not like delicious food and therefore shied away from the delights of the bakery. The liver is the most fabulous chemical factory of all time - it can break down chemicals that never existed before, and it improves its ability to do this during the first sample (source - Yale Medical School, where I took a course on alcohol and drug abuse, not for treatment but for academic credit).
I have seen the results of alcohol abuse too many times to join in the hilarity promoted by brewers. Habit becomes addiction over a long period of time, and the last stage is almost impossible to defeat. My friend died early, suffering from blackouts and everything else.
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| Never promote donuts outdoors. |
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| David Menton, CLC |
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| Various denominations, but unionism dares not speak its name, lest it be heard on the streets of Gath. |
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| This is how one runs for the LCMS presidential office - and wins! |
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Kilcrease, though born in a WELS parsonage, went to college and seminary at ELCA institutions. He got a PhD from the Jesuits. Below is his effort at the misnamed Teigen lectures. The ELS began by separating from the ELCA branch of Norwegians, so the irony is deep and ripe to have Jack show up and mark his territory. |
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| The Maier quotation above is from this Otten book. Herman did not listen - he played games with opposing sides so he could sell newspapers to both. CN posed as non-profit, but it was and is non-prophet. |
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| All the Objective Justification fanatics love to display their false doctrine. LQ wallows in it. |
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| Scaer, Otten, Hale, and the Preus Crime Family love to repudiate something in the Scriptures - the Chief Article of Christianity. |
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| Seminex lives! at Concordia Publishing House, home of gigantic, empty volumes of Halle Pietism and rationalism. |
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| CFW Walther and his brother were in cell groups and gravitated to Martin Stephan, STD, famous for his cell groups, pastor of a church where conventicles were allowed because they were Bohemian Pietists. |
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| Harrison's official photo looks to be 40 |
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| Harrison has grown in office. |
Fourth Mid-Week Advent Service, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 92 Now Sing We, Now Rejoice
The Order of
Vespers p. 41
The
Psalmody
Psalm 8 p. 124
The First Lection
The Second Lection
The Sermon Hymn #60 Hark a Thrilling Voice
And So It Had To Be
The Prayers and Lord’s
Prayer p. 44
The Collect for
Peace p. 45
The Benediction
p. 45
The Hymn #83 Hark What Mean Those Angel
Sassy is always perfecting her games with me. She liked having a lot of drama with jumping up on the bed. One time she faked it so much I got irritated. But I sat down and petted her instead. That became the new requirement - lovies before jumping up.
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| O-o-o-o-o-o-klahoma... No-o-o-o-o! |
We had a loud party going on Saturday night, on the street behind us - Joye Street. Covering my ears did not help, so I rented the original Oklahoma! movie, from Amazon, a 1955 classic with great actors and singers. Gordon MacCrae, Shirley Jones (Music Man), Eddie Albert (from the Quad Cities), Rod Steiger, and many more.
I stopped early and fell asleep. On Sunday I saw that I could get Oklahoma (1999) for free. Hugh Jackman starred in it, without his Wolverine costume and Cutco paws. It had to be fairly good, right? The surrey with the fringe on top was invented, not ridden in the new movie. The sets were right off the nearest high school stage. The singing was painful to hear.
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| Hugh Jackman - elementary school. |
I went back to the original film and finished that, thinking, "This is just like the KJV being replaced by the Revised Standard Version! - the new one flat, dull, lifeless, and mundane." And those were the good points of the RSV (under continuous revision). The new paraphrases, which do not pretend to be translations, are as lifeless as O 1999.
Nota bene - I had to pay for the original Oklahoma! rental. The 1999 version is free with Premium.
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| Shirley Jones - again! |
Notice to Students
We are on Christmas vacation from the wee morning hours of Tuesday, December 21st until the morning of Tuesday, January 4th. Do not post during vacation, do not pass GO! Do not collect 200 points.
You may catch up with previous assignments. I will not tell.
I do not call it "Winter Break" because nobody says "Happy Winter!" or shops for "Winter Presents" for friends and family.
The last thing I will do before a service starts is to set up the live Vimeo player on the top post with the service, hymn links, and sermon on it. The Vimeo player will not show for you until I have put the new player there (which they do in code). So, under the top graphic will be script about the player below, then it will open up with a graphic when I have started it.
When in doubt, press F5 - or call up the blog address again.
Saved files, which are processed before appearing, will arrive here - on Facebook, BethanyLutheranWorship,TLH,KJV
and here -
Lord God, heavenly Father, it is meet and right that we should give thanks unto Thee, that Thou hast given us a more glorious baptism than that of John the Baptist, and hast therein promised us the remission of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Thy Son, Jesus Christ: Preserve us, we beseech Thee, in such faith in Thy grace and mercy, that we may never doubt Thy promise, but be comforted by the same in all temptations: and grant us Thy Holy Spirit that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed upon us in baptism, until by Thy grace we 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.
Martyrs Were Witnesses
KJV John 1:19 And this is the record [GJ - witness] of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
People are always finding fault with the KJV, word for word, so they might say, "Why record? Why that word?" And all the modernizing paraphrases have a go at it, then change the wording again a few years or months later. No one can use the same English word for the same Greek word, because no language works that way. How would you translate "drawn"?
The toy wagon was drawn by a little boy. That scene was drawn by his mother, an artist. His father watched while he had lobster with drawn butter. His wife said, "You need to eat more or get more sun. You look drawn."
Knowing the Biblical language helps, because we associate the original word martyr with those who were killed because they witnessed their faith in Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist confessed his faith, that was also his death sentence. So now we use the word martyr for suffering (often dramatic suffering), so it makes some sense to associate witnessing and death in the apostolic era, because persecution often rose up against the tiny Christian congregations. And that made the Faith grow, because they scattered to new areas in the Roman Empire. While most regions were locked in by water, mountains, and desert, the Roman Empire was by law connected by highways, some still being used today. Roman roads were military roads, like our Interstate system. Colonel Eisenhower had to take troops from one coast to another in the early days and swore one day they would have highways that were not slowed down by villages, stoplights, and various obstacles. As president, Eisenhower began the Interstate highway system.
In this case, the leaders in Jerusalem sent priests to ask about John the Baptist - and for good reason. The concept of the Messiah was well established through the Books of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms - though not completely understood. Who can miss the shift in Isaiah, chapter 40? which is quoted by John in this passage. A prophet - in the desert - would arrive and announce the coming of the Messiah - Prepare the way of the Lord!
John was clearly a modern prophet, and he added to the excitement of the region. Great crowds came to hear him, and his preaching doubtless caused many to remember the excitement of the Star of Bethlehem and those exotic strangers who came openly and departed secretly. People remember those things. Just today I saw an article and debate about housing in my hometown area - nicknamed Flintstone Flats. There were various stories and denials of those stories, vague rumors and a few who witnessed the facts. One person said, "It's all true. I grew up there."
Who art thou?
Some people do not like "thou" which is still used today. It is singular, unlike "you" which can be singular or plural. They are only asking about John, not about some or all of his followers. Clearly, the response to his preaching had annoyed, alarmed, and excited people back in Jerusalem. The Messiah, a title taken from the anointing with oil of kings, was their concern. Have you noticed we still use the term "anointed" when speaking about a leader?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed [GJ - homiletics, preaching], I am not the Christ.
Removing a misunderstanding came first. And thus we have the root word for preaching, homiletics, which means explaining what we believe. This is used for official statements about Christian beliefs in confessions of various denominations - the Westminster Confession, the confessions in the Book of Concord. The term "confessional" is tossed around with great abandon, so leaders who deny and repudiate Justification by Faith also call themselves "Confessional Lutherans" (LCMS, WELS, ELCA, ELS, CLC]. Faith and action come together, as shown by the disgraceful weak response of those officials to the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation (the only Reformation, which other nations tried to copy once it was safe).
John removed himself from the title Messiah, which many people must have used for him, or at least debated about him.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
As I have said before, I have had people ask me questions, and a few questions in a row can narrow things down. "What synod are you?" followed by "Do you ordain women?" followed by "Do you then agree with Rome?" [No, with the Bible] And that leads the individual into the clutches of the Woke. Notice how this series of questions and answers narrows down who John must be. If he is not Elijah or the final prophet then what does he say about himself? This is causing grave concern in Jerusalem and among the Roman leaders.
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
For us, the wilderness is a dense forest with wolves howling and hungry. The literal meaning of this word is "dry place" or desert, not the forests of Wisconsin.
KJV Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
