Sexagesima Sunday,2020

Sexagesima Sunday, 2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship and Education Videos

The Hymn #190               Christ the Lord                       

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
The Sermon Hymn # 339   All Hail the Power              

Living, Growing Seed - The Word of God
The Hymn #46     On What Has Now Been Sown                           

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 #283       God's Word  Is Our Great Heritage        

 Norma A. Boeckler

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - John Hicks, Rush Limbaugh, Pastor Shrader, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson.
• Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
• Thanksgiving - Glen Kotten is doing well.
• The Last Pilgrim's Progress is this Wednesday at 7 PM.
• Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, starting slowly for newcomers.

2 Corinthians 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.  21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.  22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.  23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool ) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.  24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.  25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;  26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen,in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.  28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.  29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?  30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.  31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.  32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:  33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands. 12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.  2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.  3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)  4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.  6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.  7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

By Norma A. Boeckler

KJV Luke 8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:  5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.  6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.  7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.  8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

 Norma A. Boeckler designed the Bethany altar
and created this photograph of it.

Sermon Background, Luke 8, The Sower and the Seed

The Word of God is compared to seed more than once in the New Testament.

"Christ compares the Word of God to a seed, to a grain of wheat sown in the ground. (Matthew 13:3-23) A seed possesses power and life in itself. Power and life belong to the properties of the seed. Power is not communicated to the seed only now and then, under certain circumstances, in peculiar cases. But the Word of God is an incorruptible seed, that is able to regenerate, a Word which liveth and abideth forever. (1 Peter 1:23)"
~E. Hove, Christian Doctrine, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1930, p. 27. Matthew 13:3-23; 1 Peter 1:23.
The Sower and the Seed is explained by Jesus Himself. In the Means of Grace chapter of Isaiah, the Word is compared to rain and snow, which invariably cause growth. In this comparison, the Word is similar to seed, full of potential growth. If God gave us only one illustration, or a few, we would have more than enough to consider. But our gracious Heavenly Father shows His abundance in providing many different ways for His Scriptures to illustrate the whole counsel of God.
The Seed  Seed is a marvel because it is a storehouse of life in a portable package. Seed will endure heat, cold, storage, travel, and perhaps many years of hardships before taking root and growing. Seed travels by wind, animal, and human transportation. Each seed has its own destiny programmed within its genetic structure. The vitality of seed is easy to appreciate when a few beans or peas are placed in a damp towel to germinate. The dry, rough seed swells with moisture at first, and then sends both a root to drink water and absorb moisture, and a cotyledon (baby plant) to search for the rays of the sun.
J-208
1) "Preach you the Word and plant it home  To men who like or like it not, The Word that shall endure and stand When flowers and men shall be forgot.

2) We know how hard, O Lord,  the task Your servant bade us undertake:  To preach your Word and never ask  What prideful profit it may make.

3) The sower sows; his reckless love  Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that men may have The wholesome loaves that all men need.

4) Though some be snatched and some be scorched And some be choked and matted flat, The sower sows; his heart cries out, 'Oh, what of that, and what of that?'

5) Preach you the Word and plant it home And never faint; the Harvest Lord Who gave the sower seed to sow Will watch and tend his planted Word."
~Martin H. Franzmann, 1907-76, "Preach You the Word," Lutheran Worship, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982, Hymn #259.

As everyone should know, seed is alive and ready to grow and produce the moment it has the chance. The fact that some seed will not germinate points out that almost all seed, when harvested and stored correctly, is alive.

That should startle people who start from Calvin's position that the Word is dead by itself and needs to be made attractive, reasonable, and relevant. I heard a Calvinist professor berate Dr. Robert Preus in front of the Chicago Inerrancy Conference for not making the Word attractive and relevant. Instead, the Lutheran scholar only described what the Word said about God. The Calvinist was quite mean.

When people think the Word needs help, entertainment, sweeteners, hooks, or other blasphemous helps, they are blind to this basic description of the living Word. The Word is ready to grow with the power of the Holy Spirit and never lacking in the Holy Spirit. That also means the Spirit is never at work without the Word.

What happens when there is lack of trust in the Word of God, the Means by which we receive Christ and His forgiveness? The Word conveys Him to us. If we doubt that, we will neglect the Means by which He comes to us. And we will look for something else. That is why there is a new religious fad every two weeks. Taking one for being old-fashioned and not so interesting, they grab the other.

Trust is connected to the concept of sowing - tossing the seed, where it is bound to land in various places and have different results. But Jesus promises the results. The answer is not measuring the soil (rich suburbs, the mission pros say) but recklessly, heedlessly, carelessly sowing the Gospel seed.

Living, Growing Seed - The Word of God

KJV Luke 8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:   

The parables of Jesus are quite distinctive and memorable. Even when people get the interpretation wrong, they remember the basic plot. The Mormon missionaries say, "Every verse of the Bible can be understood 100 ways." I agreed, and they smiled, then I added, "Ninety-nine wrong ways and one right way. Do you actually think God created the world, became man, born of the Virgin Mary, performed miracles, die on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and left a record of it so confusing nobody knew what it meant?"

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Jesus said that the parables were not meant for idle curiosity. In fact, if one does not have faith in Christ, the parables are puzzles. I even had a professor who said no one knew what the parables actually said. And he wrote a book on The Parables of Jesus! His version should have been very short.

The parables are stories from everyday life, but they always teach us about Jesus the Savior. The observations from life are the concrete examples that help us remember the heavenly meaning of the story. Like stories about Jesus and sayings of Jesus, the meaning is missed by those with no faith in Him.

5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

This is not about planting deliberately but sowing, where the seed is thrown this way and that. When lettuce seeds were inexpensive by the pound, I took my extras and threw them on top of all the bare spots in the yard and in the planter by the unused front door. I did not soften soil or water the places afterwards - and the lettuce grew here and there.

This example includes the detail of the hardened non-growing surfaces of paths between plots (fell by the way side) in community gardening spaces. Nothing kills plant growth like walking on the soil. Air is pushed out and clay soil will harden like a brick. Birds are very good at noticing food in open places, so they will pounce on it and devour it. I put stale dog food on the plastic garbage barrel lid, and the birds (robins, cardinals, starlings) make it disappear.

These are the people who hear the Word, never take it seriously, and are not influenced by the Gospel at all. Take note:

Luther:
And these are not the mean people in the world, but the greatest, wisest and the most saintly, in short they are the greatest part of mankind; for Christ does not speak here of those who persecute the Word nor of those who fail to give their ear to it, but of those who hear it and are students of it, who also wish to be called true Christians and to live in Christian fellowship with Christians and are partakers of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But they are of a carnal heart, and remain so, failing to appropriate the Word of God to themselves, it goes in one ear and out the other. Just like the seed along the wayside did not fall into the earth, but remained lying on the ground in the wayside, because the road was tramped hard by the feet of man and beast and it could not take root.

These people know each other and work together. Many are clergy and professors at Christian institutions. They listen carefully and ask questions to make sure faith never enters their community. A few concise questions from them determines what they need to know to initiate their sacrament - the shun. "You don't believe in the Six Day Creation, do you?" they ask smirking. The correct answer is, "Oh no! Science has shown us..."

There are convenient substitutes for faith in Christ. One is smells and bells worship. Someone can have no use for anything taught in the Bible, yet conduct the most elaborate rituals where those terms are used, abused, manipulated, to serve the cult of  smells and bells. And do they ever bring down the Law on anyone not of their obsessions! They mock the people who do not grasp their holiness and the perfection of their performances.

Another convenient substitute is seemingly the opposite, but not. They are the clown leaders. They find so many ways to subvert anything resembling worship, from wearing Goodwill donations in the chancel to hosting a band that would be tossed out of Joe's Bar and Grill for lack of talent. Both these groups belong to the entertainment substitute. One entertains with burning incense, the other with popping popcorn. 

Luther on Satan's work:
3. Therefore Christ says the devil cometh and taketh away the Word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. What power of Satan this alone reveals, that hearts, hardened through a worldly mind and life, lose the Word and let it go, so that they never understand or confess it; but instead of the Word of God Satan sends false teachers to tread it under foot by the doctrines of men. For it stands here written both that it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it. The birds Christ himself interprets as the messengers of the devil, who snatch away the Word and devour it, which is done when he turns and blinds their hearts so that they neither understand nor esteem it, as St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:4: “They will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.” By the treading under foot of men Christ means the teachings of men, that rule in our hearts, as he says in Matthew 5:13 also of the salt that has lost its savor, it is cast out and trodden under foot of men; that is, as St. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, they must believe a lie because they have not been obedient to the truth.

4. Thus all heretics, fanatics and sects belong to this number, who understand the Gospel in a carnal way and explain it as they please, to suit their own ideas, all of whom hear the Gospel and yet they bear no fruit, yea, more, they are governed by Satan and are harder oppressed by human institutions than they were before they heard the Word. For it is a dreadful utterance that Christ here gives that the devil taketh away the Word from their hearts, by which he clearly proves that the devil rules mightily in their hearts, notwithstanding they are called Christians and hear the Word.

Likewise it sounds terribly that they are to be trodden under foot, and must be subject unto men and to their ruinous teachings, by which under the appearance and name of the Gospel the devil takes the Word from them, so that they may never believe and be saved, but must be lost forever; as the fanatical spirits of our day do in all lands. For where this Word is not, there is no salvation, and great works or holy lives avail nothing, for with this, that he says: “They shall not be saved,” since they have not the Word, he shows forcibly enough, that not their works but their faith in the Word alone saves, as Paul says to the Romans: “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Romans 1:16.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 

Seed, like the Word, will spring up unusually fast in shallow ground. The sun warms seed to make it germinate. Programmed to grow in sunlight (Who wrote the software for the seed?), seed will perform its duty even on bare, tiled roofs. Those initial leaves will sprout and the roots will reach out for dust and debris. But this moment of green-ness is brief.

The group consists, for example, of those who measure Christianity by the emotions expressed. They must weep and shudder when hearing the Gospel, go through the torments of Hell, and then become overwhelmingly joyful. If they achieve the maximum in joy, they feel they are forgiven and saved. But when those emotions fade and the cross is laid on their shoulders, they feel lost, betrayed, and stop believing.

When Christian and Faithful were about to enter Vanity Fair, they were warned, "You may end up witnessing to your Faith by dying."
They were tried and found guilty of offending the Founder of that city - Beelzebub - their great lord. The judge was Lord Hate-Good, so they had no chance to experience mercy. (The Pilgrim's Progress)

But the hard rock followers are told, "God will give you whatever yo want. You have come to the right place." Like the success seminars, they are skilled in pumping up the emotions and draining the wallets. My student told me he went to those seminars for the excitement but only took his driver's license. "They will take your money, I am telling you. No matter how silly the program is, they will have you signing up and paying on the spot." So when church is like this and just the opposite of "Take up the cross daily and follow Me," then the rock followers will disappear faster than a July frost.

Luther:
They also know that they are free from the bondage of the law, of their conscience and of human teachings; but when it comes to the test that they must suffer harm, disgrace and loss of life or property, then they fall and deny it; for they have not root enough, and are not planted deep enough in the soil. Hence they are like the growth on a rock, which springs forth fresh and green, that it is a pleasure to behold it and it awakens bright hopes. But when the sun shines hot it withers, because it has no soil and moisture, and only rock is there. So these do; in times of persecution they deny or keep silence about the Word, and work, speak and suffer all that their persecutors mention or wish, who formerly went forth and spoke, and confessed with a fresh and joyful spirit the same, while there was still peace and no heat, so that there was hope they would bear much fruit and serve the people. For these fruits are not only the works, but more the confession, preaching and spreading of the Word, so that many others may thereby be converted and the kingdom of God be developed.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 

The thorns that grow around faith are innocent and fragile looking - at first. I planted some Honeysuckle years ago. Mr. Gardener said, "It can take over your yard." I hoped it would, but nothing like that happened. Birds landed on it and planted holly seeds. I was going to cut away the holly growing there, but neglected that. Now I have a very strong holly bush with little sprigs of Honeysuckle peeking out.

I found when volunteering in the past that anything done promoted several new tasks termed automatical by virtue of attending. Fund-raisers, etc. One volunteer post meant others assumed they had a free laborer and their organizations could not live without me. That happens within the typical parish, where the pastor's most important role is managing all kinds of activities that have little to do with teaching, preaching, and visiting. Ministers can be very busy every day while having no time to meditate on the Word, grow in spiritual knowledge, or write out a sermon. When I was listed in a publishing book once, my first contact was a request to buy sermons from me. (No.) Sometimes I match words and Scripture from one celebrity preacher, only to find it used all over, verbatim, by many different denominations.  Few sermons are posted verbatim on the church website.

This has been taken to new levels, where a church has become hostage to the rich foundation established there, so Christianity is suppressed and social justice warriors run the show. (Glide Memorial)

Even on modest everyday levels, more time should be allocated for the Word alone, especially for the clergy, but also for the laity. 

Luther:
6. The third class are those who hear and understand the Word, but still it falls on the other side of the road, among the pleasures and cares of this life, so that they also do nothing with the Word. And there is quite a large multitude of these; for although they do not start heresies, like the first, but always possess the absolutely pure Word, they are also not attacked on the left as the others with opposition and persecution; yet they fall on the right side, and it is their ruin that they enjoy peace and good days. Therefore they do not earnestly give themselves to the Word, but become indifferent and sink in the cares, riches and pleasures of this life, so that they are of no benefit to any one. Therefore they are like the seed that fell among the thorns. Although it is not rocky but good soil; not wayside but deeply plowed soil; yet, the thorns will not let it spring up, they choke it. Thus these have all in the Word that is needed for their salvation, but they do not make any use of it, and they rot in this life in carnal pleasures. To these belong those who hear the Word but do not bring under subjection their flesh. They know their duty but do it not, they teach but do not practice what they teach, and are this year as they were last.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Gardeners have discovered that they can make thousands of seed germinate and grow, because God created them to do that, but it is another task to grow a fruit to perfection. I have seen squirrels finish off the only blueberries that grew, birds launching themselves after enjoying raspberries, squirrels stealing the corn and leaving the stalk for me.

What stands out is the amount of produce that comes from planting and tending the garden.

The seed is sown in this example to emphasize the fact of growth wherever the living Word lands. Someone wondered on Facebook if the discussion about election and salvation would bear fruit. I answered, "The Word is always effective. Isaiah 55:8ff." 

The Gospel Word has to have an effect, because the Word is always alive with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit. The non-Word has an effect too, by attracting non-Word followers who find their "felt needs" met (Fuller/WELS/LCMS term). That is why so many churches are converted into homes, theaters, and art galleries. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness  must find the Gospel somewhere else. One man said, "My Methodist church had dozens of discussion groups, on everything from WWI to sports, but not one about the Bible. I mentioned that and people were not happy with me." (Cue, Vanity Fair trial)

Individual View -
This parable is both a warning and an encouragement. We may have been in one stage or another described in this lesson, which is a warning. The encouragement is the fact that the Gospel Word in us grows like leaven and spreads to others - family, friends, neighbors. It is not necessarily overt, but is often subtle and experienced over time.

Pastoral View -
Statistics have shown that
The most powerful tool in the ministry - the only one - is the Word of God. Anything else is like comparing static electricity to a power plant. For that reason, everything the pastor does should be aimed toward the Gospel Word - teaching, preaching, visiting. Several of those who graduated from Ft. Wayne said this was a revolutionary concept to them. It changed their view of the ministry.

Congregational View -
The congregation must proclaim the Word of the Gospel because the purpose of the Bible is to teach faith in Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior who died for our sins and rose from the dead. We are not to judge the result but to employ the method in this parable - broadcast the living Seed of the Word.

Some examples are:

1. Blogging based on teaching Biblical Christianity. Encouraging other blogs, like Pastor Shrader, Pastor Palangyos.
2. Posting the sermon verbatim and the video.
3. Broadcasting over the Internet.
4. Teaching Christianity over the Net with special lessons, like Greek, Romans 1-5, Mark, Pilgrim's Progress.
5. Publishing low-cost and free books related to the Gospel.
6. Visiting the neighborhood and answering questions.
7. Mailing free books to people to support sound doctrine.
8. Supporting a mission in the Philippines.
9. Making all published books non-profit and free as PDFs, low cost as Kindles, free to be used as Word documents (soon).
10. Our media ministries, which annoy some Lutherans (CN). The Latin name for Means of Grace - media gratiae.

Luther:

10. All this is spoken for our instruction, that we may not go astray, since so many misuse the Gospel and few lay hold of it aright. True it is unpleasant to preach to those who treat the Gospel so shamefully and even oppose it. For preaching is to become so universal that the Gospel is to be proclaimed to all creatures, as Christ says in Mark 16:15: “Preach the Gospel to the whole creation;” and Psalm 19:4: “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” What business is it of mine that many do not esteem it? It must be that many are called but few are chosen. For the sake of the good ground that brings forth fruit with patience, the seed must also fall fruitless by the wayside, on the rock and among the thorns; inasmuch as we are assured that the Word of God does not go forth without bearing some fruit, but it always finds also good ground; as Christ says here, some seed of the sower falls also into good ground, and not only by the wayside, among the thorns and on stony ground. For where-ever the Gospel goes you will find Christians. “My word shall not return unto me void.” Isaiah 55:11.