 |
| Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler |
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, 2017
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
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
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Quality of Mercy
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 #50 Lord Dismiss Us
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 #50 Lord Dismiss Us
KJV Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
KJV Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Thy will, in neighborly love, service, and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Thy wrath, but always find in Thee a gracious Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
 |
| Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler |
The Quality of Mercy
Matthew 18 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till [up to] seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until [up to] seven times: but, Until [up to]seventy times seven.
This is a long parable with an introduction not used in the official pericope. Peter asked a question, which seems reasonable enough. Should he forgive his brother as many as seven times? Jesus replied, "Not as many as seven times, but 70 times 7."
This, by the way, is the origin of one of the "problems" in the original text - just to show how the apostates exaggerate slight variations. Some Greek originals say 70 times 7. Others read 7 times 7. Anyone with experience in English knows that we have the same problem. Seven? or Seven-TEEN or Seven-TEE? They sound so much alike and the last syllable is often softer or dropped off.
Either way, Jesus' answer turns a logical question into a very large demand for forgiveness. So this short dialogue gives us an answer, but the abstract needs something concrete to illustrate Jesus' meaning. He used a parable to illustrate what He meant.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Luther compared a secular kingdom to the Kingdom of God. In the political world, the rulers have an obligation to make sure justice is administered. Therefore, each wrong-doing should be punished. The wrong-doer is brought before the court, justice administered, and the case dismissed only when the punishment is completed - a fine to be paid, time in prison, and various restrictions. I had a pastor tell me, "The case was dismissed!" But the papers, which were published, said very clearly at the end of his punishment - "Dismissal of the case only means the court is done with the case. This word should not be used to say the individual is innocent."
And yet, this unrepentant fellow was arguing with me as if he had done no wrong in the eyes of the law. I said, "I have the court papers." He gulped over the phone and said, "You have the papers?"
In contrast, the Kingdom of God was established to administer forgiveness above all. That does not mean universal forgiveness and salvation without faith, but the dominance of the Gospel in all matters, starting with the individual believer.
In this parable, God is auditing the accounts of His servants, counting up their sins.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
This servant had serious budgeting problems, because his debt was equal to all the gold collected by one Roman province for an entire year.
The hyperbole (exaggeration for an effect) illustrates that when it comes to God's forgiveness, His grace is more than we can even imagine, because our sins multiply.
This is where some Calvinists illustrate this by pounding nails into a stake, then removing them. That is forgiveness - but look - the holes remain. The damage is still there. So they water down forgiveness and add the Law at the end: forgiven but not forgotten. Thus many messages are really Law messages and make matters worse by mixing the Gospel with the Law.
Psalm 103King James Version 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.
 |
| Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler |
This Psalm teaches the utter extermination of sin through forgiveness, not that mix of forgiven but not forgotten, or forgiven but not paid for (Roman Catholic - which justifies Purgatory).
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
In a system of justice, a large debt must be paid according to its size. Therefore, the servant is to be sold into slavery, along with his wife and children, because that would be the most valuable asset left. Therefore, they are utterly destroyed as a family and there can only be despair.
The promise to pay is like the promise not to sin. How many lifetimes does he have to pay back this debt? And likewise, "paying for sins" is adding sin to sin, because no one can pay for sins and make the balance equal again, so it only makes matters worse. Those church leaders who take guilt money "to pay for sin" are guilty of hardening hearts, because they assure the unrepentant that money pays for sins, just as much an indulgence as the system that began the Reformation.
And so when the wealthy are offended by anything, the synod officials administer justice to those who criticized their corrupted lives or foul dogma, to keep the money flowing. Soon everyone is excusing this behavior because money is the Means of Grace and God needs all He can get to carry out His gracious will.
Therefore, where Gospel leaders should be teaching repentance and forgiveness, they are selling forgiveness for gain and making matters far worse.
So too, when we promise to be good, it is a deal to set aside the Gospel in favor of our weak will seeking justice (making things better) rather than mercy (faith in forgiveness through Christ).
It is very important for all believers to stick to this basic concept of the Gospel - the forgiveness of Christ is the beginning of healing and a strengthening against temptation. As long as we live, we sin, but that does not excuse sin. That knowledge does not diminish sin but emphasizes our need for grace through the Means of Grace. If we rest on our promises, our goals, our making up for the past, we build up a reliance on the Self, which is weak to begin with. If we rest our confidence on Christ, then He gives us His righteousness and binds us to God the Father. Thus the ocean of God's grace is converted into graciousness and forgiveness.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Here we see God has compassion on us, in spite of our foolishness. He rejects our deal (I will pay it all back) and offers His own, one-sided, not a covenant but a testament. This is the loosing key rather than the binding key. We are forgiven everything so we might be forgiving - God's grace spreads through His graciousness.
Once again, the size of the debt illustrates the ocean of God's grace swallowing up the entire amount owed. The picture changes from the entire family sold into slavery to the entire debt forgiven. Not one cent needs to be paid back, nor can it be paid back.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
As Luther wrote, what matters is whether this is believed or not. The fact remains that many do not give God's grace credit, so they add something of their own, which diminishes the entire concept of grace. But with that comes a lack of thankfulness, because my contribution looms large in my heart, so the ocean is reduced to a puddle of grace plus my promises or payments.
The servant has been forgiven a vast amount but that has not entered his heart. He sees someone owing him a paltry sum and throttles the poor man. Pay me at once! Then the unforgiving servant will be in black, no debt plus 100 pence!
The fellow-servant asks for patience and promises to pay, which should remind this newly-minted banker that he was in a worse position shortly before. But no, in a rage he throws the man into prison "until he pays" which means forever.
As the Reformer observed, justice declares that the first debt case is dismissed and forgotten. It has nothing to do with this one. But in God's Kingdom, the two go together. Forgiveness by God leads to forgiveness by man.
31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Luther wrote that the true faith is shown in good works toward our neighbors. "I was hungry and you gave Me to eat." Someone who gathers so much from the gracious Lord and becomes stingy in return is obviously off the mark. The parable points out that the fellow-servants cry out that this is entirely wrong. As a result, the unforgiving servant gets what he handed out to someone who owed him a pittance.
This is also the great shame that is turning all the denominations to dust. They cannot keep their seminaries open, even after merging them and selling off assets. The main reason is not "the times," but the pitiful way they treat ministers.
Long ago, parochial teachers were even poorer than church mice. But Martin Marty and Richard Jungkuntz pointed out that their teacher/fathers were treated with great respect by everyone. Now the church politicians are eager to throw anyone to the wolves who does not go with their apostate agenda. Congregations sense this and let basket-cases run church workers out of the ministry. As a result, who wants to attend a seminary for a job with no respect, a huge debt, and the knives sharpened. "Behold, here is a kid. Let us make merry with our friends," as another parable states.
There is no lack of money, just a complete lack of trust in God's Word.
This parable also applies well in families, where small irritations are allowed to build into open hostilities. If every person would start with his or her own faults, then the faults of others would not seem so grievous.
The greatest blessing is to know and express forgiveness, because resentment and recrimination are terrible burdens to bear.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
If we wait to do something good or to show good will toward another, so that we are returning a favor or good will, then we are no better than the Pharisees, who were also very good to their homies but above and beyond everyone else, head over heels in holiness, as Luther said. The picture of the Pharisees is accurate, but it also applies to us if we see the world the same way.
It is true that if we walk a mile in their shoes, things are quite different. I waited at a food pantry where everyone sadly waiting for food, getting tips on work.
One doctor suddenly became a patient and learned what it was like to be on the receiving end of professional medicine. His book was A Taste of His Own Medicine - and it became a movie.
The typical person believes it is his job to carry out justice on everyone, to get even, sometimes to get even many times over. The believer wants to spread mercy around.
 |
| Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler |
