Laetare Sunday, The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

Laetare Sunday, The Fourth Sunday in Lent, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #263       O Little Flock Fear Not Thy Foe
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

The video of the Laetare service is linked here.

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her: all ye that love her.

Rejoice for joy with her: all ye that mourn for her.

Psalm. I was glad when they said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of Thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

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 #316    O Living Bread from Heaven 

Miracles and the Word

The Communion Hymn #388   Just As I Am (Elliot)
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 # 50          Lord Dismiss Us 

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Christina Jackson - good PET results.
• Two brothers, both with health issues.
• Pray for our country and DEP Trump, as the major trials continue.
• Wednesdays are Galatians at 7 PM, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, starting slowly for newcomers.
• We will have a Maundy Thursday service and Good Friday Vespers this year. 

KJV Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

KJV John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Fourth Sunday In Lent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy Son didst feed five thousand men in the desert with five loaves and two fishes: We beseech Thee to abide graciously also with us in the fullness of Thy blessing. Preserve us from avarice and the cares of this life, that we may seek first Thy kingdom and Thy righteousness, and in all things perceive Thy fatherly goodness, through Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God world without end. Amen.

Miracles and the Word

KJV John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

This is an example of God performing a miracle without one being expected. No one could think of such an event - being out in the desert and yet having an abundance of food. But one thing preceded the miracle - the faith of the great multitude.

Jesus crossed over on a boat, but the crowd followed along the shore. They trusted Him because of the great miracles performed on the sick and handicapped. He was able to reach the shore relatively early, but they had to walk farther and account for those who could not travel as fast. Jesus reached the opposite side and saw them moving slowly toward Him. 

Instead of being practical and realistic, they hungered for more of what Jesus taught. 

3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

Jesus and the disciples had a view of this crowd moving slowly toward them. It was significant that the Passover was approaching, because Jesus performed a miracle even greater than that of Moses. Or, we might say, Moses foreshadowed this miracle by what he did. The Five Books of Moses contain many passages where the Savior is proclaimed. Once we see that, it is difficult to miss when we hear or read those same passages.

When Moses was drawn to the Burning Bush, Exodus 3, the Angel of the Lord spoke to him - "Moses! Moses! Draw near and take off your sandals. This is sacred ground." This was no ordinary angel, if ordinary can be used of those messengers. He spoke as God and commanded Moses. This Burning Bush had two natures, a bush engulfed in flames, yet the bush was not consumed by the flames. I once saw something like that, though much more mundane - a truck caught fire and was burning completely. This just started because fire truck was coming toward them as I drove by. Every part of the truck seemed appeared in the flames, as if intact, but it would soon be cinders.

The Burning Bush was not turning to ashes, and the Holy Trinity spoke, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God." This shows the three-ness of the One God, and the unity of the Trinity.

Exodus 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

This is especially important in the Gospel of John, because Jesus used I AM as His Name throughout. It is not simple identity - It's me - but the declaration of His divinity - I AM - the Name of God. That is why the soldiers fell back when Jesus responded to their question by saying "I AM."

And what is the Passover and Exodus - a series of examples of Christ -

1. The blood of the lamb on doorposts.
2. The spotless lamb sacrificed for the Passover Meal.
3. "The Rock which followed them was Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:4
4. The serpent raised up to heal people. John 3:16
5. The water from the rock. John 4.
6. The manna or bread coming down from heaven. John 6
7. The Promised Land. "Let not your hearts be troubled."

This miracle is not Moses reborn, but Moses foreshadowing a much more important leader, the Son of God. How many miracles did Moses perform? Jesus was greater than Moses in every respect.

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

This miracle is a great example of using signs from heaven to prove God's involvement in everything taught by Jesus. But they also meant that people would demand even more and many disciples would fall away.

Some Christian leaders are much more with Moses and the Law than with Jesus and the Gospel. They say, "We must train disciples. The church cannot grow without disciples, because disciples create disciples who create disciples." Their emphasis is on man's work in organization, not God's work through the Gospel.

Jesus tested His disciples by asking them about something mundane - a hungry crowd. Philip - the original church finance chairman - said, "There is not enough money. Philip proved he had the bottom line, but not the heavenly Promises.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 

This is a bit humorous, because this is an old story for most people. And Philip sounds like he would be right at home at a church council meeting. One person said the church treasurer should not speak until the end of the meeting since he always made everyone depressed.

Not only were they low on funds, but where exactly would all that food come from?

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Andrew backed Philip by saying, we have a little food, but what is that among so many? That should be the theme of everyone congregation - What is that among so many? - a reminder that God can turn nothing into a miracle so great we still teach it in the appointed lessons (the lectionary).

So cast your fears aside. This enormous crowd had no food, and the disciples had no money or any decent amount of food. The tiny amount compared to the large multitude is parallel to saying, "We have a multitude to serve with the Gospel but so little in material to do the work - no land, no building, no endowment fund, and very few people to help.

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 

These people followed Jesus in faith, and now He would help them in their time of greatest need. The abundance of grass meant fresh water was present, This was an oasis to prevent dehydration. I knew an editor who collapsed because he rode his bike so hard on a hot, humid day and dehydrated. I talked to him about how dangerous that was. Later, his wife said, "Someone scared him to death about dehydration so he takes extra water now." One sign of dehydration is - not being thirsty anymore!

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Jesus gave thanks for the food, which is just the opposite of hoarding. When people are afraid of hunger, the food disappears from large grocery stores in a few hours. The multitude came in faith, and they were fed in great abundance.

God's Word multiplies everything. These famished, dehydrated people sat down and had the most nutritious and satisfying food, one that would get them back home safely. They did not ask, but only followed, compelled by faith. Imagine how that was told in the early years of the Christian Church, somewhat minor compared to the resurrection of Christ. But still, one more miracle to support His divine teaching, one more miracle to make religious and Roman opponents angry and fearful.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 

Lenski said it well. This description proves God 's plan - "Nothing is lost." And it also shows that when people start with a little, plus God's Word, they have a feast and enough to share with others. 

We see this in Creation all around us. When food is shared, all the creatures use it, one way or another. All of them convert the food to another form so a different cohort can use it. 

Likely this large amount of food was shared on the way home.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

This was the natural response of the crowd to the miracles and the power of Jesus' teaching. Forcing Him into a role was dangerous, and He withdrew.

Many Lessons

The Fourth Gospel is so rich with material that many lessons come from one episode.

Those who follow Christ in faith are rewarded beyond their greatest desire. The outcome always belongs to God, but the miracles are abundant.

God's Word effects these miracle, just as Jesus showed in giving thanks before distributing the abundance coming from one boy's lunch.

We realize it is God's work when nothing expected or proposed by man works out, but something else far greater does.

Those who doubt the reality of Holy Communion, which is a miracle, should read John 6, a miracle suggesting the future abundance of the Lord's Supper.

The Law came from Moses, but grace and truth from Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament has so many Gospel passages that if we erased them, the Old Testament would make no sense.

Likewise the foundation of the New Testament is the Old Testament, showing that thousands of years in advance, the plan of salvation was laid out.