The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, 2020
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
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 Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh
that Thy faithful people do unto Thee true and laudable service, grant, we
beseech Thee, that we may so faithfully serve Thee in this life that we fail
not finally to attain Thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our
Lord, who liveth, etc.
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
Miracles, Faith, and Love
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 Closing Hymn #123 Our God Our Help
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 Closing Hymn #123 Our God Our Help
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
In Our Prayers and Announcements
- Andrea Anderson's second birthday is next Sunday.
- Active treatment - Mary Howell, Randy Anderson, Christina Jackson, Rush Limbaugh
- Diagnosis - Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader
- God's blessings on the Philippine Rice Mission with Pastor Palangyos
- Those recovering from Hurricane Laura and storms in the South and Iowa.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Twelfth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast created all things: We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound bodies, and hast graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Thy word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one shall be offended by our words, but that all may be edified thereby, 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.
Luther on the Epistle text - Here
Luther on the Epistle text - Here
Background for the Gospel Lesson, Mark 7:31-37
Medical doctors may have a better grasp of miracles than others, since they experience them, beyond all hope. I told our MD-PhD friend at Yale Medical School that certain theologians would not believe a miracle happened unless it could be reproduced in a lab. Dr. Wenger said, "That is the very definition of a miracle - it cannot be reproduced in a lab!"
The Gospels clearly connect the miracles of Jesus with His divine Word. The miracles demonstrated to the disciples and the crowds His divinity. His teaching of the Word had a powerful effect, and still does, and His miracles gave thousands a concrete example of what the Word can do.
Paul wrote specifically about the efficacy of the preached Word.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
The Word itself has the power to change people forever, the miracles encourage us to consider how much God can do and how quickly He can accomplish His will.
Miracles, Faith, and Love
KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
This Gospel lesson is an example of faith and love, how the two go together. Our world is saturated with talk of love without faith. When that prevails, it is sanctimony - a pose of holiness based upon certain criteria at the moment. That cannot be true love for others, because the good fruit only grows on good trees - faith. That would be clear to a country where most people raise their own food, but it is less obvious for those who think of food as sections in the grocery store.
We have Butterfly Bushes, which are known for shade and attracting butterflies. I looked at one and it seemed to be something else. Right in the midst of the genuine branches was a hardy, six-foot Mimosa, looking very much like its surroundings but not quite. I despaired of pulling it out, so I went to the base and cut it there.
So many came to Jesus that sometimes He had to stay away from the crowds. Why did they come to Him from all over? They heard His words of mercy and forgiveness through faith in Him. They saw Him heal others, and great multitudes were fed where no supply of food was available.
I read a classic book called the Sand Arabs, about a British man who lived among the Arabs in the driest, most empty part of the world. Many suffered from eye problems, so they came to him from all over to be treated with his salves. He did not do this as a requirement of his job. He was filled with wonder about the needs of these people. Anyone with dry eyes from glaucoma or allergies can imagine how much that relief meant to those who flocked to him.
In this case, the man was deaf and could not speak well, so he could not easily find his way to be healed, so certain people took him, based upon their faith in Jesus and their love for him as a friend or relative.
They begged Jesus to lay His hands on their deaf friend. That phase alone unites their faith in the Savior with their kindness toward their friend. Who knows exactly how this came about! The land was filled with stories about Jesus' spiritual and healing power. He was the ultimate Sower and the Seed, planting faith in the hearts of many and seeing the fruits of faith spring up many times over.
Faith in Jesus is so powerful that it shoves aside the evil and temptations of this world. God scorns what the unbelieving world covets. And the unbelieving world scorns what delights God. Jesus says very clearly in John - God loves those who love His Son. This by itself is a great blessing and teaches us that we are surrounded by the power and goodness of God. Then we have the spiritual vision and wisdom to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, love and sanctimony (holier-than-thou fake love).
The scorn, insults, and even vendettas of the unbelievers are only proofs of their hatred of faith in Christ. The worst of it comes from those who strike the pose of religious experts. But their faces twist in mirth when they hear someone express sincere faith in the Scriptures. They say something like, "I used to be like that, in Sunday School! But I grew up."
What chance did this man have, since he could not hear and could not express himself? His life was nothing but frustration and humiliation from those who mocked him and treated him as worthless. Our sainted member in a wheelchair said, "People think I know nothing because I am in a wheelchair. That is how I reported a number of crimes to the police. People acted like I was not there or not able to understand, even when they were busted for their crimes." That was a real burden for someone so bright, to feel the scorn and hear the ignorant words of those who lacked faith and love.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
"Oho!" say the rationalists. "Here is Mark treating Jesus as a magician. That is something we can call historically accurate." Yes, there are lots of contradictions among the rationalists there, and the scorn leads people to feel squeamish about this miracle.
1. Jesus took the man aside from the multitude. He lived in a world of confusion, and the crowd was bound to wave, shout, and make faces at him. I have experienced that in group photos. Everyone wants to help and it distracts everyone, without any special problems.
2. Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears. Since the man could not hear, this was an indication of what Jesus was going to do. Likewise, we know from the words that we are justified by faith in Him alone, but the visible Gospel of baptism and communion make that real visually and in our sense.
3. and Jesus spit, and touched his tongue; this is the other indication - Jesus would heal the man's speech problem. Someone who never heard properly would have problems shaping his words, a delicate matter for brain-to-voice coordination. Anyone who has made a verbal slip - and I know this well - realizes how delicate this connection is.
The isolation from the crowd made it clear that this is Jesus' miracle alone, not to be mixed with someone else saying, "I did it." Or - "The man did it alone."
Miracles are very important, and they should dwell on our minds just as much now as then - perhaps more. We are too willing to grant all power to science when we still profess that we do believe God is in charge of all things, and always for the good.
34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
The man suffered all his life and felt a great blessing from being relieved of his maladies, which made him no less a leper than the lepers were, outcast, lonely, ridiculed.
God's miracles are abundant, and we should trust in them and see how He chooses to work. How many miracles do we need to realize they can happen at any time and in the most remarkable way? We pray for others because we know God intervenes and helps, often beyond all human reason and science.
Meanwhile, the everyday miracles should be treasured as well. Baptism places the Gospel Word in our hearts and seals us as members of God's Kingdom. Holy Communion is receiving the body and blood of Christ in the common elements of bread and wine.
They are symbols, true, but more than symbols. They are the active work of the Word in visible form.
Today Sassy and I walked out route and saw how Ranger's Bob lawn was brown from the drought. We do not water lawns in our neighborhood, so we see bare clay appear in some places - like our backyard former lawn, which was once solid clover.
On our walk, I looked at the house being fixed up, where no one had watered anything for weeks and saw color. Can that be? We walked over and saw three roses in bloom, three more than the entire Jackson Rose Farm. One was perfect and two were starting to fade.
Notice that Jesus spoke the divine Word - "Be opened!" Whatever is not, can be, through the Word. The Logos spoke the Word in Creation and nothing was made apart from Him, Jesus, the Logos.
In great and small ways, the Word is always at work. The Gospel Word -
37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
I appreciate the miracle summaries because they are markers to show us the reason why ferocious opposition built up against Jesus. Everyone talked about the miracles, and those miracles confirmed the divine power and glory of Jesus' sermons. In contrast, the rabbis of the time had some miracles to the credit, but their teaching was nothing like Jesus' Word.
When we consider how God has helped us, through prayer in the Name of Jesus, we can see how much He accomplishes over time. No matter what we ask, He supplies far more than we imagined. Trials and troubles are overcome, and the things we cannot solve are solved by God alone, against our human wisdom, strength, and judgment.
Here is a funny little example. The moment I began teaching at a university, I wondered how soon I would be too old for them. That was 18 years ago. I kept wondering where the cut-off would be. Suddenly, online was required of every institution this year and the universities lined up courses in advance. Often we are like the statement in The Joys of Yiddish - "I know God will provide. But will He provide until He provides."
Nobody could have been a vision-caster to imagine what a small group of people could do, scattered around the country. God has done it through His Word, and the upshot of this is people thanking God for food from heaven, giant bags of rice, their staple of life.
The Feeding of the Multitudes continues through the Word.
KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
This Gospel lesson is an example of faith and love, how the two go together. Our world is saturated with talk of love without faith. When that prevails, it is sanctimony - a pose of holiness based upon certain criteria at the moment. That cannot be true love for others, because the good fruit only grows on good trees - faith. That would be clear to a country where most people raise their own food, but it is less obvious for those who think of food as sections in the grocery store.
We have Butterfly Bushes, which are known for shade and attracting butterflies. I looked at one and it seemed to be something else. Right in the midst of the genuine branches was a hardy, six-foot Mimosa, looking very much like its surroundings but not quite. I despaired of pulling it out, so I went to the base and cut it there.
So many came to Jesus that sometimes He had to stay away from the crowds. Why did they come to Him from all over? They heard His words of mercy and forgiveness through faith in Him. They saw Him heal others, and great multitudes were fed where no supply of food was available.
I read a classic book called the Sand Arabs, about a British man who lived among the Arabs in the driest, most empty part of the world. Many suffered from eye problems, so they came to him from all over to be treated with his salves. He did not do this as a requirement of his job. He was filled with wonder about the needs of these people. Anyone with dry eyes from glaucoma or allergies can imagine how much that relief meant to those who flocked to him.
In this case, the man was deaf and could not speak well, so he could not easily find his way to be healed, so certain people took him, based upon their faith in Jesus and their love for him as a friend or relative.
They begged Jesus to lay His hands on their deaf friend. That phase alone unites their faith in the Savior with their kindness toward their friend. Who knows exactly how this came about! The land was filled with stories about Jesus' spiritual and healing power. He was the ultimate Sower and the Seed, planting faith in the hearts of many and seeing the fruits of faith spring up many times over.
Faith in Jesus is so powerful that it shoves aside the evil and temptations of this world. God scorns what the unbelieving world covets. And the unbelieving world scorns what delights God. Jesus says very clearly in John - God loves those who love His Son. This by itself is a great blessing and teaches us that we are surrounded by the power and goodness of God. Then we have the spiritual vision and wisdom to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, love and sanctimony (holier-than-thou fake love).
The scorn, insults, and even vendettas of the unbelievers are only proofs of their hatred of faith in Christ. The worst of it comes from those who strike the pose of religious experts. But their faces twist in mirth when they hear someone express sincere faith in the Scriptures. They say something like, "I used to be like that, in Sunday School! But I grew up."
What chance did this man have, since he could not hear and could not express himself? His life was nothing but frustration and humiliation from those who mocked him and treated him as worthless. Our sainted member in a wheelchair said, "People think I know nothing because I am in a wheelchair. That is how I reported a number of crimes to the police. People acted like I was not there or not able to understand, even when they were busted for their crimes." That was a real burden for someone so bright, to feel the scorn and hear the ignorant words of those who lacked faith and love.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
"Oho!" say the rationalists. "Here is Mark treating Jesus as a magician. That is something we can call historically accurate." Yes, there are lots of contradictions among the rationalists there, and the scorn leads people to feel squeamish about this miracle.
1. Jesus took the man aside from the multitude. He lived in a world of confusion, and the crowd was bound to wave, shout, and make faces at him. I have experienced that in group photos. Everyone wants to help and it distracts everyone, without any special problems.
2. Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears. Since the man could not hear, this was an indication of what Jesus was going to do. Likewise, we know from the words that we are justified by faith in Him alone, but the visible Gospel of baptism and communion make that real visually and in our sense.
3. and Jesus spit, and touched his tongue; this is the other indication - Jesus would heal the man's speech problem. Someone who never heard properly would have problems shaping his words, a delicate matter for brain-to-voice coordination. Anyone who has made a verbal slip - and I know this well - realizes how delicate this connection is.
The isolation from the crowd made it clear that this is Jesus' miracle alone, not to be mixed with someone else saying, "I did it." Or - "The man did it alone."
Miracles are very important, and they should dwell on our minds just as much now as then - perhaps more. We are too willing to grant all power to science when we still profess that we do believe God is in charge of all things, and always for the good.
34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
The man suffered all his life and felt a great blessing from being relieved of his maladies, which made him no less a leper than the lepers were, outcast, lonely, ridiculed.
God's miracles are abundant, and we should trust in them and see how He chooses to work. How many miracles do we need to realize they can happen at any time and in the most remarkable way? We pray for others because we know God intervenes and helps, often beyond all human reason and science.
Meanwhile, the everyday miracles should be treasured as well. Baptism places the Gospel Word in our hearts and seals us as members of God's Kingdom. Holy Communion is receiving the body and blood of Christ in the common elements of bread and wine.
They are symbols, true, but more than symbols. They are the active work of the Word in visible form.
Today Sassy and I walked out route and saw how Ranger's Bob lawn was brown from the drought. We do not water lawns in our neighborhood, so we see bare clay appear in some places - like our backyard former lawn, which was once solid clover.
On our walk, I looked at the house being fixed up, where no one had watered anything for weeks and saw color. Can that be? We walked over and saw three roses in bloom, three more than the entire Jackson Rose Farm. One was perfect and two were starting to fade.
Notice that Jesus spoke the divine Word - "Be opened!" Whatever is not, can be, through the Word. The Logos spoke the Word in Creation and nothing was made apart from Him, Jesus, the Logos.
In great and small ways, the Word is always at work. The Gospel Word -
- Speaks our forgiveness, received through faith;
- Protects us against spiritual opposition;
- Strengthens us against temptation;
- Shows fruitfulness in all we do.
36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
20. The people bring the poor man to the Lord, the Lord takes him to a special place, lays his fingers into the man’s ears, spits, and touches his tongue with the spittle, looks up toward heaven, and sighing, says, Ephphata, that is, Be opened! This is a lovely picture, and its meaning is good. For by those who here bring the deafmute to the Lord, the office of the ministry is meant. Ministers and the Apostles lead the poor consciences of men to God. This is done in three ways, by preaching, by a godly life, and by intercession. With the Word and preaching, they are brought to God; a godly life serves to show the Word so much the mightier in its power. But the Word itself leads to Christ, though it be preached by a sinner. Yet, a good life serves as an emphasis and a furtherance of the Gospel; while a wicked life dulls its edge. Their third duty, to pray for the people, likewise leads them on the road both to faith and to works.
21. Now if the Word go on its way in this threefold manner, it cannot fail to bring forth fruit, as God says, Isaiah 55:11: “My Word, that goeth forth out of my mouth, shall not return to me void.” This is indicated by the action of the pious persons who carry the mute into Christ’s presence; this signifies the ministers, who bring forward the sinner; then God appears, giving growth and increase, as Paul says, 1 Corinthians 3:7, He opens the sinner’s eyes, ears, and mouth. This happens in a wink of the eye, for God’s Word is like lightning, which in a moment passes from sunrise to the ends of the earth. Thus when such persons are brought to God, he gives them grace to believe.
21. Now if the Word go on its way in this threefold manner, it cannot fail to bring forth fruit, as God says, Isaiah 55:11: “My Word, that goeth forth out of my mouth, shall not return to me void.” This is indicated by the action of the pious persons who carry the mute into Christ’s presence; this signifies the ministers, who bring forward the sinner; then God appears, giving growth and increase, as Paul says, 1 Corinthians 3:7, He opens the sinner’s eyes, ears, and mouth. This happens in a wink of the eye, for God’s Word is like lightning, which in a moment passes from sunrise to the ends of the earth. Thus when such persons are brought to God, he gives them grace to believe.
Tell no man
This is often debated. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus hiding Himself because the crowds were do great. He also had a divine duty to train the disciples. Even the disciples say to Jesus, "Stop praying. We have work to do." One student said, "I never head that; where is it?" And I told him.
Mark 1 - 35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.So the charge of silence can be seen as slowing down the masses coming to Him to perform miracles. Others see it as paradoxical intention, to initiate more speaking of the miracles. However, it is plain and simple - someone who saw or experienced such a miracle would have to speak about it. That is true of our own miracle baby in the congregation. And I have seen many more examples in various ways. Faith does not cause the miracle - faith moves us to trust in miracles. God gives miracles to unbelievers, but they do not see them.
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| Jesus fed the multitudes more than once. Paul gathered support for the poor in Jerusalem. The Word causes miracles so that people thank God for their blessings. |
37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
I appreciate the miracle summaries because they are markers to show us the reason why ferocious opposition built up against Jesus. Everyone talked about the miracles, and those miracles confirmed the divine power and glory of Jesus' sermons. In contrast, the rabbis of the time had some miracles to the credit, but their teaching was nothing like Jesus' Word.
When we consider how God has helped us, through prayer in the Name of Jesus, we can see how much He accomplishes over time. No matter what we ask, He supplies far more than we imagined. Trials and troubles are overcome, and the things we cannot solve are solved by God alone, against our human wisdom, strength, and judgment.
Here is a funny little example. The moment I began teaching at a university, I wondered how soon I would be too old for them. That was 18 years ago. I kept wondering where the cut-off would be. Suddenly, online was required of every institution this year and the universities lined up courses in advance. Often we are like the statement in The Joys of Yiddish - "I know God will provide. But will He provide until He provides."
Nobody could have been a vision-caster to imagine what a small group of people could do, scattered around the country. God has done it through His Word, and the upshot of this is people thanking God for food from heaven, giant bags of rice, their staple of life.
The Feeding of the Multitudes continues through the Word.
