Reminiscere Sunday,
The Second Sunday in Lent, 2020
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
Sermon Hymn #142 A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining - Gerhardt
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sermon Hymn #142 A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining - Gerhardt
Believe and Confess the Faith
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 with Thy Blessing
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 with Thy Blessing
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Her radiation is done and some new options may be available. Recovery - John Hicks.
- In the last stage of cancer and heart disease - Tom Fulcher, Diane Popp's brother-in-law.
- Surgery - Randy Anderson, Andrea's father.
- Two brothers, both with health issues.
- Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
- Thanksgiving - Glen Kotten is doing well, Pastor Shrader is clear on his scans.
- Wednesdays are Vespers at 7 PM, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, starting slowly for newcomers.
- Pastor Palangyos needed to get started on enclosing the chapel and hiring the welding crew. I sent our contribution plus extra to get the project going, assuming gifts. The day after, gifts came in. They should be able to get going as additional gifts arrive. Some are direct; other gifts are mailed to us and go 100% to the mission.
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| Lutheran Library - Gerhardt's Biography |
KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Second Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Thy grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Thy grace, and in every trial and temptation find Thee a very present help and refuge, 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 Gospel Sermon - Divinity of Christ, Matthew 15:21-28
This miracle shows how we can miss the point by not understanding the lesson taught. Therefore, it is often used as an example of the "hard sayings" of Jesus. That is, people have wondered why Jesus spoke the way He did.
Much of this anxiety comes from the old Quest for the Historical Jesus, Albert Schweitzer, 1906 (and hundreds of similar books). I use Wiki for reference because the basic information is there, but the academic market turns such matters into dissertations.
The Life of Jesus Movement was - and is - engaged in identifying what they could still believe as factual about the Four Gospels. Needless to say, they all miss the point because they disbelieve so much.
Jesus, we read from the Gospels, knows what is in the heart and minds of people, whether they speak or not. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, some day we will know Him as we are already known by Him.
Therefore, the reactions of Jesus to the woman crying out for her daughter's sake - they are His way of eliciting in words what He already knew. That meant, her example could be remembered and written - with the Holy Spirit's guidance - for our benefit.
So instead of seeing Jesus as mean and hard, we see that - from the beginning - Jesus was impressed with her faith in Him. There are many similar examples in the Gospels, but do not tell the Objective Justification experts. They do not like faith in Jesus and disguise their rationalism with a holiness beyond anyone's comprehension.
Believe and Confess the Faith
KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
Jesus' travels are directly connected to His mission, both immediate and long-term. He was following a calendar to fulfill all that the Scriptures predicted about Him. He was also training His disciples and exposing them to His miracles and divinity. Besides that, He was establishing people in the Faith as He taught and worked miracles among them.
Jesus avoided crowds when that provoked too much attention and antagonism. Thus He avoided the masses when He could.
The woman is called Canaanite, after the history of that region being pagan. Mark 7 says "The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation..." Mark says she heard about Him and fell at His feet (reverencing Him as God).
The work and Word of Jesus were such a magnet, that His presence near her home drew her out to make this plea. He later went through her area, but she took no chances, as Lenski wrote, and came to Him.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David
She asked as though He was divine and included His title as the promised Messiah. She did not begin with - if you are the Son of God, if you are the Christ, if You really care about my troubles...
Luther made Romans 10 one of my favorite chapters. Faith comes from hearing the Report, so the message must go in advance and prepare us for salvation. Faith put her in motion so she sought Him out and addressed Him in adoration. The greater our need, the greater our humility, that God could work such wonders.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
Jesus was not testing her, as some would say, because He already knew exactly what she believed. This is a bit of a parable, because the story informs us. Yes, God can appear to be completely indifference and deaf to our prayers. But that cannot be true, because He is all-knowing and all-merciful. German liturgical prayers begin - Merciful, gracious God... Those are two qualities to remember at all times.
The disciples are not asking Him to give her the Left Foot of Fellowship but to answer her prayer and send her back with His bless - Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing (hymn).
The woman, not getting an answer, continued to follow and call out her request. This was her Valley of Humiliation, where she had nowhere to turn but kept up, knowing how great her need was.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
Jesus answered properly, at one level. Silence is the first level of rejection - so we might think. If God has not answered our prayers, yet surely we have let Him know. Jesus' answer is like the turmoil we might feel - the miracles are for others but not for me.
It is easy to have these feelings, because our emotions are misleading, not as powerful and wise as Obe Wan Kenobi teaches in Star Wars. We compare in various ways when others seem to have it better. But we have no way of knowing. One classmate seemed to have a wealthy and glamorous life, until he mentioned playing basketball in his wheelchair.
She could not change her ethnic group or lay claims to anything promised to Israel. Still she came up to Him and said, "Lord, help me."
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
This shows she is putting all her trust in Him.
4. Now, what does the poor woman do? She turns her eyes from all this unfriendly treatment of Christ; all this does not lead her astray, neither does she take it to heart, but she continues immediately and firmly to cling in her confidence to the good news she had heard and embraced concerning him, and never gives up. We must also do the same and learn firmly to cling to the Word, even though Go with all his creatures appears different than his Word teaches. But, oh, how painful it is to nature and reason, that this woman should strip herself of self and forsake all that she experienced, and cling alone to God’s bare Word, until she experienced the contrary. May God help us in time of need and of death to possess like courage and faith!
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to [pet] dogs.
Jesus responded with the words many people would use. She was not from the People of God, but from paganism. Paul had to fight this battle all over again. Certainly this miracle was a good way to argue for his mission to the Gentiles.
The attitude has been repeated many times over. People tell us or assume we know - they are the elect. Sometimes it is from family ties, no matter how weak they might be. Sometimes it is the right group. One pastor glared at me and said, "We have 105 people in our family and every single one belongs to our synod." I thought - but did not say - "Are they all Pharisees like you?" (I will publish what I could have said but didn't - posthumously.)
Sometimes it is racial, and every single race seems to think it is superior, especially in the sub-categories.
Jesus' words are seen to be especially cutting, because dogs were not seen as cute, but as mangy, scrounging pests. Christina and I were having lunch in Jerome, Arizona, near an open window, when a large German Shepherd showed up. We decided to placate him, in case he was short-tempered. He took our bribes with gusto and asked for more. Later we learned he was a regular at lunch and expected to be fed. "He's just a big baby." We did not see GSDs as babies at that time.
Feral dogs are devalued everywhere, taken for granted, dropped off or abandoned as no longer wanted. As Lenski explains, the term used here by Jesus is for pet dogs, which were kept inside and fed from the table.
This term actually touched off a memorable response, and it is often repeated in various ways.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the [pet] dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
What might be taken as an insult is her response to open the door. Those little dogs are glad to take whatever falls from the table. We had a glass table we called the begging table, because all three dogs got under it and looked up with their starving eyes while we ate, to remind us of their needs and their love for us.
More than once I have looked up from work on the computer, with a Sassy paw gently pressed against me. Her face is lit up in a friendly smile, anticipating her evening snack.
Every scrap - or each teaspoon of ice cream - is seen as a wonderful treat. And it is, because canines see food as love from their parents. Sassy is part dingo, and the ancient traditions remain. Parents go hunting and bring home the food.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
10. All this, however, is written for our comfort and instruction, that we may know how deeply God conceals his grace before our face, and that we may not estimate him according to our feelings and thinking, but strictly according to his Word. For here you see, though Christ appears to be even hardhearted, yet he gives no final decision by saying “No.” All his answers indeed sound like no, but they are not no, they remain undecided and pending. For he does not say: I will not hear thee; but is silent and passive, and says neither yes nor no. In like manner he does not say she is not of the house of Israel; but he is sent only to the house of Israel; he leaves it undecided and pending between yes and no. So he does not say, Thou art a dog, one should not give thee of the children’s bread; but it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs; leaving it undecided whether she is a dog or not. Yet all those trials of her faith sounded more like no than yes; but there was more yea in them than nay; ay, there is only yes in them, but it is very deep and very concealed, while there appears to be nothing but no.
11. By this is set forth the condition of our heart in times of temptation; Christ here represents how it feels. It thinks there is nothing but no and yet that is not true. Therefore it must turn from this feeling and lay hold of and retain the deep spiritual yes under and above the no with a firm faith in God’s Word, as this poor woman does, and say God is right in his judgment which he visits upon us; then we have triumphed and caught Christ in his own words. As for example when we feel in our conscience that God rebukes us as sinners and judges us unworthy of the kingdom of heaven, then we experience hell, and we think we are lost forever. Now whoever understands here the actions of this poor woman and catches God in his own judgment, and says: Lord, it is true, I am a sinner and not worthy of thy grace; but still thou hast promised sinners forgiveness, and thou art come not to call the righteous, but, as St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, “to save sinners.” Behold, then must God according to his own judgment have mercy upon us.
11. By this is set forth the condition of our heart in times of temptation; Christ here represents how it feels. It thinks there is nothing but no and yet that is not true. Therefore it must turn from this feeling and lay hold of and retain the deep spiritual yes under and above the no with a firm faith in God’s Word, as this poor woman does, and say God is right in his judgment which he visits upon us; then we have triumphed and caught Christ in his own words. As for example when we feel in our conscience that God rebukes us as sinners and judges us unworthy of the kingdom of heaven, then we experience hell, and we think we are lost forever. Now whoever understands here the actions of this poor woman and catches God in his own judgment, and says: Lord, it is true, I am a sinner and not worthy of thy grace; but still thou hast promised sinners forgiveness, and thou art come not to call the righteous, but, as St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, “to save sinners.” Behold, then must God according to his own judgment have mercy upon us.
Another way of expressing this is to say - God gives us many answers of "No" until we are guided into the "Yes." I know of one family I have mentioned before, where the burden is from seizures, horrible seizures. They have gone through every treatment, even brain surgery. And yet it continues. That is the bad side. They have endured in faith. I pray with them over Facebook. They are so proud of their daughter for all she has accomplished growing up, going through so much. They are always celebrating the victories.
The fact is, many lose faith in the midst of plenty and good health. "He has fed the poor, but the rich He has sent empty away." (Magnificat)
Pilgrim's Progress answers this in showing that Christiana wondered why she did not have protection at once on her journey.
"You did not feel the need then. Once you prayed for help, you received it, and now you are thankful to God. Before, without feeling the need you would have taken help for granted." (Paraphrased from Part II).
