Saturday, April 10, 2021

The First Sunday after Easter, Quasimodo Geniti, 2021.


The complete video service is linked here.



Quasimodogeniti, 
The First Sunday after Easter, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

As newborn babes: desire the sincere milk of the Word.
Hear, O My people, and I will testify unto thee: 
O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me.
Psalm. Sing aloud unto God, our Strength: 
make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

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 have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection may, by the help of Thy grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conversation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. Hallelujah!
V. The angel of the Lord descended from heaven: 
and came and rolled back the stone from the door 
and sat upon it. Hallelujah!

The Gospel               
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22 
    
The Sermon Hymn #656
        Behold a Host     
       

The Power of Faith


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
Hymn #198        He's Risen, He's Risen



Prayers and Announcements
  • Treatment and recovery - Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Pastor Jim Shrader.
  • Pray for our country as the major trials continue. And help all those suffering from economic difficulties.
  • The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog was finishing up a year ago, with many enhancements and Norma Boeckle art since. Almost 16,000 views.


KJV 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

KJV John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.


First Sunday After Easter

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that of Thine ineffable grace, for the sake of Thy Son, Thou hast given us the holy gospel, and hast instituted the holy sacraments, that through the same we may have comfort and forgiveness of sin: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy Holy Spirit, that we may heartily believe Thy word; and through the holy sacraments day by day establish our faith, until we at last obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Power of Faith


Background
This lesson shows the effect of the resurrection of Christ. The facts are laid before us. Jesus was tortured and killed but death had no power over Him. The disciples lost hope and only some women and John were there at His crucifixion. This feeling of death and doom hung over them until the women, then Peter and John saw the empty tomb. The Emmaus disciples walked with Him and finally realized He was the risen Christ, so they came to where the disciples were locked up, for fear of the Jews.

The divine nature of Jesus cannot be limited by His human nature. That is shown in several instances where people sought to surround Him and control Him, but could not. The sealed tomb could not hold Him. The angels open it to show He was already gone. That large, new spacious tomb remained open to show everyone that the One who created the mountains could not be held by mountains.

The door of the room was not just locked, but barred shut with a heavy piece of lumber resting in two cradles. In the movie "The Heiress," the lady of the house tells the maid, "Bar the door!" to keep out the one who betrayed her before. We lived in a house where the outside doors were chained and some were barred. The reason was obvious -  a tremendous fear of someone.

The tomb and the locked room reveal faith - and human reason. The Calvinists and others have angels opening the cave's stone door to let Jesus out, as if the Word incarnate needed help. Likewise, the Calvinists have Jesus entering the locked room through a secret passage (as Calvin claimed) or already there.

KJV John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

What seems so difficult for many should be energy for our faith, which subordinates our human reason to the power, majesty, and compassion of God. Leaving the sealed stone tomb and entering the room with the door barred - both tell us what the risen Lord could do.

Our fallen nature leads us to think God cannot do this or that. Nothing is more telling than the elegant but little-faith oil paintings of the angels releasing Jesus from the stone tomb. That is where it starts, limiting the power of God. The miraculous is removed because God's work clashes with human reason.

Just as there are many episodes showing the power of Jesus Christ over all of Creation, so there are examples of those who doubt and compromise the truth. They will glory in "the Easter faith of the disciples" to keep from confessing the truth of the resurrection. As long-timers know, I asked each one of the ELCA seminaries if anyone on the faculty taught the actual Virgin Birth of Christ and His actual physical resurrection from the dead - and prove it in writing. One of all the seminaries said that they had one who did and gave me the article, which said He probably did. 

Why are there not a dozen blogs asking with unconcealed rage - "Why are the LCMS-WELS-ELS leaders working with ELCA leaders through Thrivent? Are we as broke financially as ELCA is spiritually?" 

Jesus appeared to the disciples on the Day of Resurrection, and then a week later, to show Doubting Thomas what the disciple demanded - proof of His actually rising from the dead. So clergy call this Doubting Thomas Sunday or their vacation Sunday due to low attendance. What better way to celebrate the truth of the resurrection of Christ than this? And what if the church is less crowded? Jesus appeared before a few, and only a few hundred saw Him in His resurrection appearances. 

The faithful can say, "What are we among so few?" to remind us of the loaves and fish that Jesus multiplied through the divine power of the Word.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

The best commentary on the miracles can be found among children. "How could this be?" I have asked. They say, "Jesus is God. God can do anything." That teaches us again, "You must have the faith of a child to enter the Kingdom of God." 

God has imposed a terrible penalty for those who do not believe. They may have volumes of knowledge about the Scriptures, but if they do not believe in the Bible as the actual Word of God, they are blind to everything God does and especially blind to miracles. They will bury bulbs in the soil and expect flowers. They will plant ugly rose canes in the soil and water them lovingly and wait for roses. But they will not accept God's past and present miracles. 

Jesus displayed His hands and side to show the disciples the two Natures united in Him - divine in power, human in form - but One Person. No wonder they spread across the world to teach the truth. They reached the absolute depth of despair, fear, and doubt, but their training kept them together for those days of proof leading to His Ascension. 

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Believers receive the peace of God, peace through forgiveness. These are fruits of faith, fruits that the Spirit establishes in us through the Gospel. Jesus only did what His Father commanded. He was sent for this purpose, and fulfilled it in spite of His knowledge of the tortures and rejection. The disciples had no great strength on their own, but He infused Him with strength from trusting in His power and guidance.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Confession and absolution are the divine gifts He gave to them and the Christian Church. What tears people apart? Lack of forgiveness - something so intangible but powerful. Marriages are torn apart from lack of forgiveness and restored by forgiveness through Christ. When I tell people long marriages come from faith in Christ, some are crestfallen. They want Dear Abby answers which is why we have a Dear Abby society waiting for the answer from some specialist. 

This is a great power - the Word of God. I have seen clergy destroy themselves because they thought they had Uncle Joe's Magic Wand for wealth, power, and pleasure. When I put up graphics of a few of them - some I met and others I heard speak - the total was numbing. The Internet had lots more.

 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 

Doubting Thomas did not accept the witness of those people gathered, and he had plenty of chance to be convinced. In the middle of this wonderful gathering, he seems terribly out of place, but those who harbor false doctrine work that way. Many times they are humored and pampered when they needed to be rebuked. We are living in an age where very few people read the New Testament as passed down through the ages. A handful of wise guys took that away and substituted their ideas. Where were those who might have rebuked them? They took the easy way out and went along with the crowd.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Thomas became a great apostle because Jesus rebuked him. I agree with Lenski  that God commanded Thomas to touch the wounds and reach into His side. It was not a suggestion but something Thomas had to do. That erased any chance he would dither about the actual resurrection again.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Of course, the answer to this comes from the new Doubting Thomas generation. They dismiss the Gospel of John and give it no authority rather than the greatest honors for showing us so much about Christ. "It is centuries after Christ" but we have the earliest fragment of the New Testament from John, about 100 AD. So how did he get that written several centuries before it was written, hmmm? The Fourth Gospel harmonizes beautifully with the other three, which would not happen with a late, phony, false Gospel. 

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

This will upset the great and wise in Lutherdom, but this climactic statement is another clear statement that the Bible is written entirely to produce faith in Christ, and that by having faith we have forgiveness and eternal salvation.

2. Faith, as we have often said, is of the nature, that every one appropriates to himself the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, of which we have already said enough; namely, that it is not sufficient simply to believe Christ rose from the dead, for this produces neither peace nor joy, neither power nor authority; but you must believe that he rose for your sake, for your benefit, and was not glorified for his own sake; but that he might help you and all who believe in him, and that through his resurrection sin, death and hell are vanquished and the victory given to you.

3. This is signified by Christ entering through closed doors, and standing in the midst of his disciples. For this standing denotes nothing else than that he is standing in our hearts; there he is in the midst of us, so that he is ours, as he stands there and they have him among them. And when he thus stands within our hearts, we at once hear his loving voice saying to the troubled consciences: Peace, there is no danger; your sins are forgiven and blotted out, and they shall harm you no more.