Bethany Lutheran Church
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 2018
The Hymn #388 Just As I Am
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
Sermon Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
Faith Moves Us
The Hymn #376 Rock of Ages
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 #511 Jesus Shall Reign
KJV 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10. 3 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; 4 so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure; 5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6 if so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you, 7 and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, 8 rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.
KJV Matthew 25:31-46. But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me, And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.
Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity - From the Collects of Veit Dietrich
O almighty, eternal and merciful God, who by Thy beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, hast established the kingdom of grace for us, that we might believe the forgiveness of our sins, in Thy holy Church on earth, since Thou art a God who hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: We beseech Thee, graciously forgive us all our sins, through the same, Thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for Sermon
As Luther noted in his sermon, most of Jesus' sermons focus on faith in Him while this one emphasizes good works. Luther always preached against the Roman error of Justification plus works - which has many names, such as faith perfected by love.
This issue led to a split in the Lutheran Church after Luther's death. George Major said that works were necessary for salvation while his opponent said works were injurious to salvation. Both errors come from a wrong perception of faith and works, so that was included in the Formula of Concord.
Formula of Concord, SD, IV, Good Works
9] Therefore, of works that are truly good and well-pleasing to God, which God will reward in this world and in the world to come, faith must be the mother and source; and on this account they are called by St. Paul true fruits of faith, as also of the Spirit. 10] For, as Dr. Luther writes in the Preface to St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans: Thus faith is a divine work in us, that changes us and regenerates us of God, and puts to death the old Adam, makes us entirely different men in heart, spirit, mind, and all powers, and brings with it [confers] the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, powerful thing that we have in faith, so that it is impossible for it not to do good without ceasing.
If people are confused about faith or Justification, the conclusions that follow will be distorted.
Faith Moves Us
KJV Matthew 25:31. But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
The end of all human history will leave no doubts, and there will be no two-minute warning. In fact, there has been a two-minute warning since the beginning, so no one takes the life of the earth for granted. These warnings began during Jesus' earthly ministry, when He warned the disciples to "stay awake" and they could not. He also point to many signs of the End Times, but also cautioned Christians not to decide they knew the exact time. No one knows, not even the Son, only the Father.
The delay of Christ's return has allowed the Gospel to spread to all the pagan nations, which is where it is appreciated best. The Third World bishops of various denominations cannot understand how their Western counter parts can deny the miraculous in the Bible, the divinity of the Savior.
Luther pointed out the true meaning of the saying, "The last will be first, and the first last." I was struck by a comment from the East Coast in an email. Most people there are allergic to traditional Christianity. I know from living in Connecticut and Ontario that one can walk into a magnificent building where nobody worships. Did our forefathers come to America for religious freedom? specifically for the freedom of Protestants from Roman Catholic domination? Oddly, the Stuart Kings of England professed to be Protestant but deviously supported Catholicism. That prompted our forefathers to seek religious freedom in America.
The French side of my family was persecuted and expelled from France, which is still the normal response to the truth in Lutherdom today. Do religious tyrants think this lesson, read in most liturgical churches today, is about their latest charity drive? They should look at what they have done to their own clergy. After all, the Roman Catholics did not expel their own priests, but the Protestant preachers. The Church of England did not clobber their own ministers but the dissenters like Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progess. Today's "conservative" Lutheran leaders glory in ending the ministries of their own while protecting criminal buddies - or those who might hurt their PR.
Nor is there any relief in the micro-mini Lutherans, who are simply meaner and stupider about doctrine than their larger counterparts.
When Christ appears with His angels, it will be like eagles gathering and alighting where they find their food. No one will get out their commentaries to figure out what is happening at the Return of Christ. The faithless will be terror-struck and the believers awe-struck.
There will be only two groups in the division - the sheep and the goats. Once again, Jesus identifies Himself as the Shepherd (John 10, Psalm 23, Isaiah 40, etc).
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Jesus is not only the Shepherd but also the King. Judgement is reserved for Him on His throne. As I have said in many sermons, the best passages in the Bible are the ones which make us rethink our insights into the teaching of the Savior.
The entire Bible teaches faith in Christ, and He blesses the sheep based on their works, specifically works for Him. We have heard this many times, but it bears repeating. Even the sheep are puzzled by this, and they are the ones called "blessed of my Father" and told they are inheriting the Kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of time.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
The sheep ask about the six-fold ways of serving Christ, repeating His words back. When did that happen? This future dialogue is wonderful, because it makes us look at the two sides with repetition of those concepts. That should remind people of Jesus speaking about "a little while," a phrase (actually a Greek word) used seven times in John.
Jesus is an expert in adult and juvenile education. His sermons teach at all levels of age and education. They always contain vivid images.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
Luther:
11. It seems as though he meant hereby to show that many Christians, after receiving the preaching of the Gospel, of the forgiveness of sins and grace through Christ, become even worse than the heathen. For he also says in Matthew 19:30, “Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” Thus it will also be at the end of the world; those who should be honest Christians, because they heard the Gospel, are much worse and more unmerciful than they were before, as we see too many examples of this even now.
"The first will be last" is so true of those who brag about being "fifth generation Lutheran" as if they are hybrid roses. Or they boast about their grandfathers, as if special merit was passed down the generations.
In one congregation, being a "charter member" meant special privileges and instant exoneration. In other circles it is, "He was in my class at seminary."
I noticed in blogging that the most ferocious comments came from those long-term Lutherans who hated doctrine being explained, although I distinctly recall that being taught at their seminary - even the need for constant study and review. Atheists never wrote and ELCA never bothered. The furor came from the "conservatives," as long as they could remain anonymous.
This is an important warning on two levels. First of all, as Luther indicated, many who heard the Gospel early took things for granted and became unmerciful to others. But it also applies to those who deny and ignore that faith permeates our being, our thoughts and actions. Jesus taught about the unmerciful servant who was forgiven 10,000 talents and wanted his $20 back from a fellow servant.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Faith is so active in the believer that one does not rest from passing the blessings along. We can see that impact in the way America generously responds to humanitarian crises everywhere. Of course, scoundrels take advantage, raise money for themselves, and call that charity.
The ELCA raised millions showing a starving child for its World Hunger Appeal. They did not emphasize that a lot of money was channeled to Left-wing lobbyists for passing laws that benefited their agenda. I wrote to the head of the appeal, a man I knew from Canada, and suggested the posters featured plump lobbyists sharing cocktails with Congressmen. He was not amused.
It is relatively easy to raise millions and call it "missions" and "mercy for the downtrodden." It is a better measure of our active faith if we are addressing those concerns around us.
I have always thought in this society that we should consider gifts of time and considerate acts as well, as Jesus specifically teaches. Taking the time to be with the sick, lonely, and imprisoned is always worthwhile and deeply appreciated. Nobody can do all six all the time, but what should move us is to see Jesus in our neighbor.
Luther's Christmas sermon challenges the listeners who would gladly have changed the diapers for Baby Jesus. And then he says, "But you can do that for your neighbor's baby. Then you are doing it for Jesus, but you never think of that."
Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me, And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.
Here are the two groups of the world - the sincere believers confess Christ and they see Christ in their neighbor. What they cannot do for the eternal Son of God, they can do for people with needs. So I will tell a story, which has the approval of the person who benefited.
In Moline the head of the household lost his job, so the family had needs. I have been with someone at food pantries, and believe me, a trunkful of food only lasts so long. So people conspired to provide food and clothing for this family. One child was interested in tennis, so someone arranged to get him a tennis racket for almost nothing. I know how people think of helping out at times - the government can do it - or, will it make any difference? This tennis fan got a scholarship to Yale, traveled with the Whiffenpoofs, and was named in Sports Illustrated for his tennis coaching.
The fact is, none of us knew this about our classmate. My mother explained herself very clearly when she gathered our clothing for others - "None of your business."
He shared it with his FB friends to say how much it meant for his family at the time, so we would think of his experience when someone else had similar needs. Yes, the story really had an impact on me.
Luther had this warning for Germany, and it came true in the Thirty Years War:
After they had cast Jeremiah into the dungeon, the king came and led them all into captivity.
Thus I can also see that God has spun a web over Germany as it is determined to be guilty in the same manner of willful blindness, defiance, wickedness, contempt, and ungratefulness in opposing the precious Gospel. It is determined to be guilty of foolishness before God, for which it will have to pay dearly. May God preserve us, and grant us and our little flock that we may escape this terrible wrath, and be found among those who honor and serve our dear Christ, and await the judgment at his right hand joyously and blissfully. Amen.
