The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men:
the Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing: but in everything,
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known unto God.
Psalm. Lord, Thou hast been favorable unto Thy land:
Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Lord, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers and
lighten
the darkness of our hearts by Thy gracious visitation; who livest and
reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
The Epistle and Gradual
Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth:
stir up Thy strength and come. V. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel: Thou that leadest
Joseph like a flock. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Hymn # 63 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist Cries
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Hymn # 63 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist Cries
Guardians of the Mysteries
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 #657 Beautiful Savior
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 #657 Beautiful Savior
Announcements and Prayers
- One hundred lives were lost in the Friday hurricane.
- December 18th - Seventh Wedding Anniversary of Corey and Abby Meyer Fagan.
- Randy Anderson's operation was successful.
- Pastor Jackson will have an evaluation for cataract eye surgery on Tuesday. This will also provide stents for improving eye pressure/glaucoma.
- Mary Howell is doing well.
- Ongoing medical care - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Kermit and Maria Way, Pastor K, Doc Lito.
Epistle
KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Gospel
KJV Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Third Sunday In Advent
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst suffer Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become man, and to come into the world, that He might destroy the works of the devil, deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may seek no other refuge than His word, and thus avoid all offense to which, by nature, we are inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
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| The pink candle represents the Introit for today - "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4ff. |
Guardians of the Mysteries
Introductory
There are only two ways to view the Scriptures - 1. The Old and New Testaments are the declared
Word of God, preserved by God in their truth, inerrant and infallible and efficacious.
Word of God, preserved by God in their truth, inerrant and infallible and efficacious.
2. The Bible "did not fall from heaven," (their snark) and could have 40 books or 100 books in it. The Bible is the work of man.
Paul's use of "the mysteries" is extremely important to note. The term refers to those truths which are revealed by the Holy Spirit and are not subject to the rationalistic analysis of unbelievers. The Holy Spirit teaches us these mysteries through the Word, and all of us are charged with keeping (guarding) the Word - especially those who preach and teach. No Christian is excused from this guarding but pastors, teachers, and bishops (supervisors) are especially responsible for holding to the truth and teaching it.
These focal points are mysteries - the Trinity, the Two Natures in Christ, Creation by the Word, the miracles revealed, the Means of Grace (Word and Sacrament), Jesus' atoning death, the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, His Return in glory and final Judgment.
The more we study the Scriptures and hear the Gospel, the more we understand and believe these mysteries centered in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
The Apostle Paul has an important description of his work, in two parts. Accounting is the word used for Justification by Faith, accounted as righteous. First of all, he is a "minister of Christ."
Every man is a minister
1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
It is extremely important to remember this. Paul and other faithful pastors are the way in which the Gospel is conveyed to others and believed, and it only matters that they are faithful to the revelation of God in the Scriptures. Results do not matter, which is why so many fail, because they are accounted and account themselves based on results.
Luther made the point that he could preach 20 years in one place and see no results at all. That is not the issue, because being faithful is serving Christ, being a minister/servant - not a master.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Management enters the discussion because steward is another word for manager. The steward does not own but takes care of what belongs to someone else. No one - not a Pope, bishop, theologian, professor, nor Circuit Pastor has any ownership. But they do have responsibility to teach the truth of the Scriptures.
That is why it is such a scandal for the so-called conservative Lutherans to ignore the fact that their for-profit Bibles
- reject the Sacraments,
- remove the divinity of Christ,
- erase words, phrases, and large portions of the New Testament.
- dote on the worst of Biblical documents, the fraudulent Sinaiticus and Vaticanus codices.
They (NIV, ESV, RSV, NRSV, TEV) do not all commit these crimes the same way or in the same way. In fact, they change their message all the time and disagree with each other.
Mysteries
This is the turning point for faith or unbelief. The mysteries are the treasures of the Scriptures. There are many historical and geographical facts, but the mysteries are revealed only by God and only grasped by the Holy Spirit teaching us.
There are many people elevating their opinions to dogma, and many more who blatantly reject the Chief Article (Justification by Faith). God is already answering many of them with a firm "Get lost." Still others waver to get along - clouds without rain.
Very little is said about false teachers because they do not matter and should be shunned. The shame is that our only job as pastors, teachers, and laymen is to guard the Word, manage the mysteries - and that is neglected!
Being a steward is like having a garden. Everything relies on God's Creation and the great power of sun and rain. Ranger Bob said, "Do you realize you are the only one around here collecting leaves instead of getting rid of them?" I said, "And the only one with roses, too. Leaves contribute to the soil."
Every spring I see piles and heaps of leaves, until a little later, when they have been digested by worms, slugs, mites, molds, and bacteria. The work has been done by the relentless energy of Creation, using rain and sunshine to help the microbes and larger workers.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Paul makes this especially clear in saying he has no idea how to judge himself. He will not judge himself about his courageous and dangerous career, which ended ultimately in a cell, not a cell group. Final judgment will determine everything - and it is all in God's hands.
If we take such things seriously and see things in God's perspective, it is all quite different from the way people look at life and its rewards.
The chaos of the moment and the threats of more problems make us think of material matters, but when we begin with the mysteries of God, there are countless ways temptation is suppressed and joy is found in God's blessings. God gives super-abundantly in His grace and loves those who love His Son.
