The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2021.

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 239                 Come Thou Almighty King                         

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

O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee, mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; 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 #269            O Lord Our Father                      

Jesus' Question - From God Himself  

Communion Hymn # 313   O Lord We Praise Thee - Luther          

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 #651             Be Still My Soul    

        

Announcements and Prayers

• Cancer therapy - Mary Howell,
• Therapy, diagnosis - Kermit Way, Maria Way.
• Pastor K and Doc Lito Cruz - dealing with diabetes.
• Birthday - a Deere friend, plus Ed Buck's birthday on October 6th.
• Brett and Amy Meyer's anniversary. 
• +Our friend Dr. Eric Rachut died this week. He enjoyed every service and we often exchanged emails on various topics. His latest book - The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.
• Lutheran Christina should be finished, d.v., tonight - for editing.

 Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler

    

KJV 1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

KJV Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

 Graphic based on Norma Boeckler's Art

Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father: We are poor, miserable sinners; we know Thy will, but cannot fulfill it because of the weakness of our flesh and blood, and because our enemy, the devil, will not leave us in peace. Therefore we beseech Thee, shed Thy Holy Spirit in our hearts, that, in steadfast faith, we may cling to Thy Son Jesus Christ, find comfort in His passion and death, believe the forgiveness of sin through Him, and in willing obedience to Thy will lead holy lives on earth, until by Thy grace, through a blessed death, we depart from this world of sorrow, and obtain eternal life, through Thy 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 Lesson, Matthew 22:24-46

Luther is well known for distinguishing between Law and Gospel. That is one of the articles in the Formula of Concord, 1580, because of people causing confusion about each topic. George Major taught that good works are necessary for salvation. Another leader taught that good works were injurious to salvation. Lest we act startled at both extremes, the Reformation would not recognize the "conservative" Lutherans of today, serving soft drinks and snacks for "worship," singing warmed over bar music, acting as if the Gospel relieves us of following God's Law. The Small Catechism has the best expression of Law and Gospel in the Ten Commandments. Fear of God represents respect for His Law, which is part of His Creation. The Gospel is represented by going beyond what is required, out of love for God and our neighbors.

Jesus' Question - From God Himself

KJV Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

This week I was discussing how to study the Bible. Someone had a subjective approach which was described. I was thinking - a unified approach would be based upon the Scriptures being God's declaration. 

For example, Mormons lead the discussion by saying, "There are 100 ways to interpret each verse of the Bible." I agreed, which made them smile. I added, "Ninety-nine wrong ways and one right way." When their wrath began to kindle, I asked, "Is God so weak that He cannot send His Son, born of the Virgin Mary, performing miracles, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising from the dead - only to transmit this message so poorly we cannot grasp it?"

Jesus, being God's Word at the Creation, and knowing the hearts and minds of his opponents, wanted to get them to speak or at least hear the Truth. When the lawyer asked Him this question, he was asking yet laying a trap - What is the great commandment of the Law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

This is a great, foundational statement - and who can deny or deride it? The great commandment is to love God, and everything comes from that love. Jesus - as the Word in the flesh - "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." John 14:6

Religious people speak of many ways, many paths to God - and they are all good and successful paths - sounds wonderful to a Universalist. But Jesus said "the" Way, and not "a" way. Why did the Holy Spirit pick the Greek language for the Gospel? Because it is both expressive and precise.

Jesus is not a truth but The Truth. All truth is measured through Him. If someone's truth is not in harmony with Christ, it is not valid or true. No one can harmonize many different truths, so one must prevail. People object to this, but they often carry this out to disparaging Christ in every possible way, so their truth comes from the Father Below. The worst are those who wear the robes of clergy (wrinkled plaid shirt, faded blue jeans, dirty tennis shoes) and yet preach against the Gospel of Christ in every possible way. To be fair, many wave around pots of burning incense, spend a fortune on priestly clothes, and beg for money - for the poor - those who who not have new pink chasubles.

The Light is distinguished from the light generated from the stars. The Light existed, was brought into being first, before the stars and the reflective moons. 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

This double-negative excludes exceptions - No one comes to the Father, except by Me. America has had 100 years to make this clear, but the poorly educated but overly degreed clergy have given consent to Jesus being one Light among many, just as they deny the efficacy of the Word (Jesus) in everything.

 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus taught this clearly in Luke 24, before His Ascension, - Luke 24 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Verse 27.

Loving God, loving Christ, following the Holy Spirit in the Word - these are one cake with the ingredients mixed together beyond our comprehension, yet they teach us to believe in the unity of the message.

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

This is easy to explain - "The LORD said unto Jesus Christ - David's Lord, Sit down at My right hand until I make Your (Jesus') enemies into a footstool."

The real breaking point is the knowledge of the opponents, realizing that Jesus is David's Lord and they will be footstools. It is not that they could understand but that they understood all too well.

That is what we must listen to today, quasi-faith in a non-threatening Lord. Faith, which is generated by the Gospel Word, makes us bold and we dare not back down from the Way, the Truth, and the Light, which means the Bible as written and revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Join the Laughter - Two of the Three B. W. Teigen Lecturers Are Roman Catholic,

 

Beckwith teaches at a pan-Enthusiast but well endowed Church Growth seminary.

The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University is an interdenominational evangelical divinity school located in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The current dean is Douglas A. Sweeney.

Though located on the campus of a Babtist university, Beeson is interdenominational.^[1] 

Jack Kilcrease - the biggest joke of them all - teaches at a Roman Catholic school. He was born in a WELS pastor's family but attended an ELCA college seminary, then a Jesuit University. Do not worry, WELS will unite with ELCA soon enough. Jack's wife helps him with his spelling and sentence structure. He works with David Scaer at times, which probably makes Scaer felt scholarly.

Jack teaches at Aquinas College, which began as a Roman Catholic college for girls aiming at becoming Dominicans (leaders in the torture and exile of Lutherans in the Inquisition). 

Joel Elowsky actually teaches at an LCMS school. He earned his PhD at Drew, a Methodist School. 

While affiliated with the Methodist faith, Drew University makes no religious demands of its students. Although many of the Theological School's students and faculty are Methodists, students of all faiths are admitted to any program within the university. 

 Archbishop and predator Weakland gave lectures at WELS' Wisconsin Lutheran College,so do not moan about WELS-Papist cuddling and fellowshipping together.

 Objective Justification fanatic John Brenner also got his PhD at Marquette, the Jesuit university, so do not sneer at poor Jack Kilcrease.

Rest in Peace - Dr. Eric Rachut - Astronomer and Lay Theologian

 

 Eric Rachut, MD

Eric Robert Rachut was born on August 25, 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. He was the son of Donald William and Jacqueline Marie (Perkins) Rachut. Eric was Baptized on November 28, 1948 at St. James Lutheran Church in Mason City, Iowa. He was Confirmed in 1963 at St. James Lutheran Church in Mason City, Iowa. He was united in Holy Marriage with the former Linda Marie Catt at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio, on April 10, 1976.

Eric graduated from Mason City High School and then from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He continued his education then at the University of Iowa Medical School in Iowa City, Iowa, doing his Internship and beginning a Residency in neuro surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. He completed residencies in Clinical and Anatomic Pathology at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cleveland, Metro General Hospital, Cleveland, and in Forensic Pathology for Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked as a hospital pathologist mostly in the Midwest before coming to Texas in April of 1995, beginning his career at the VA Hospital in Temple. He served there until his retirement three years ago. He also taught at Texas A&M University.

Eric knew the teachings and the history of our Lutheran Church very well. He was a man of strong faith that was evident to those who knew him. He also was passionate about and supported multiple animal rescue groups, particularly the North Texas Bassett Hound Rescue. He was also looking forward to the total solar eclipse that will be visible over Central Texas in 2024, serving as a member and supporter of the Central Texas Astronomical Society which was very important to him.

Eric was also a member of and very involved in the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) as well as the Percival Lowell Society/ Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Eric was preceded in death by his parents Donald and Marie Rachut. He is survived by his wife Linda; by his children Christiana and Christopher Gongaware, Ilse Ashbrook, and by Heinz and Susanna Rachut; by his grandchildren Adeline Gongaware and Hazel Rachut; by his sisters Sonja Hanson and Rica Rachut; and by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Eric Robert Rachut lived on this earth 73 years, 1 month, and 3 days. Now through faith in Jesus Christ alone he lives for all eternity in heaven.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 at 1 o’clock p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in The Grove, with Pastor John Heckmann officiating. The address for the church is 220 The Grove Rd. Gatesville, TX 76528.

To God be All the Glory.

In lieu of flowers you are invited to give memorials in Eric’s memory directly to:

North Texas Basset Hound Rescue, PO Box 3229, Grapevine, TX 76099.

Or a pet shelter or rescue center of your choice.

Hewett-Arney Funeral Home of Temple is entrusted with these arrangements.

Long Time Friend I Never Met

When I was sending out printed mailers about essays or books I was publishing, Eric Rachut always responded. I had been hearing from him for months, and we usually exchanged ideas after he and his wife watched our service on the Net.

We had a common interest in astronomy and rescuing dogs. I only recently discovered I am a genuine, proven Son of the American Revolution - but not a member.

Although I did not meet Eric face-to-face, my wife Christina has just had the opportunity - in sure and certain hope of the resurrection into life eternal, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

ALPB Online Discussion Forum Author and Society of Holy Trinity Member (ELCA) - Child Trafficking Sentence

 

 ELCA Pastor Steve Tibbits had 10,000 posts on the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau's Online Forum when he was arrested. The Forum has not mentioned this - to my knowledge.

U.S. Attorneys » Southern District of Illinois » News

SHAREE

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Illinois

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, October 1, 2021

ELCA Lutheran Pastor Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. – Steven P. Tibbetts, 62, of Godfrey, Illinois, was sentenced to 87 months in  federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for knowingly distributing child  pornography in December 2019. The Court further ordered Tibbetts to pay $10,000 in restitution to victims who were depicted in some of the videos and photographs.

Court documents and evidence showed that Tibbetts began viewing and distributing child pornography starting in the 1990s and continued until his arrest in June 2020. Furthermore, while Tibbetts was on pre-trial release for the charged offense, an officer located additional devices in his home, which were later  found  to  contain  child  pornography.  The  instant  offense  involved  2,430  images  of  child pornography and 408 videos containing child pornography.

Tibbetts has served as a Lutheran pastor since 1992. At the time the complaint was filed, Tibbetts was employed as the head pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted that “The defendant was living two lives of sorts.”

FBI   Springfield   Division   and   Macoupin   County   Sheriff’s   Department   investigated   the   case. Significant assistance was provided in the early stages of the investigation by the Peoria (Illinois) Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher R. Hoell and Karelia S.Rajagopal.

 

 Pat Robertson, age 90, a graduate of Yale Law School and a graduate of the school LCMS DP David Benke attended, is stepping down as host of the 700 Club. Christina and I met Robertson in Midland and listened to him campaigning for President. The campaign prompted me to ask a question to help start discussions. 

I asked Pat Robertson about the concept of natural law, God commanding what is good for us. He jumped right into the topic and discussed it.

When I was looking for an online school offering an MA in writing or journalism, Robertson's Regent University was the best option.  The journalism classes were lame, but the literature and writing classes  were excellent. Our main teacher in those fields studied under an author who earned a Nobel Prize in writing - Isaac Singer. That teacher had me reading literature from all over and unread books in my personal library. I dropped out after earning the 20 hours of credit needed to teach writing.

 Robertson's son, Gorden, age 63, will bring youth and vigor to his new role as head of the 700 Club.

The English Language Ultimately Prevails. Lying Liars Do Not

 

 

I was going to start with apostasy, which is the only thing left for Lutheran synodical leaders to grasp. But no, I will let people read the WELS, LCMS, ELS, CLC, and ELDONUT periodicals for themselves. Everything is already in writing - easily discerned by what is deceitfully written and cleverly avoided.

For instance, I recall the statistics for ELCA in 1987 - 5.3 million members and 10,000 congregations. Yesterday I saw the official ELCA totals as 4 million members and 9,000 congregations. ELCA did not lose pastors, members and congregations - they drove them away with whips, tasers, poison gas, and insulting slanders. Overall they kept the property, the endowments, and the Irrevocable Charitable Trusts midwifed by Thrivent.

What the overly credentialed and under-educated leaders do not realized is the divine preservation of the Word of God. He did not give us the Sacred Scriptures and say, "Keep this up to date with societal trends and language shifts. He did fashion the Holy Spirit to  always work with the Word and never without the Word - only to spin 180 degrees around and say to us, "Do what you will."

The Scriptures have great power because they are preserved and precisely revealed. Therefore, the apostates - who have lost the Faith - must produce counterfeit, denatured Bibles glorified by various ever-weakening PR campaigns - "fresh, new, and exciting."

KJV 2 Thessalonians 2

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Evil will be rebuked and quashed at the End. The inglorious band of scoundrels who deny the content of the Bible and then pass around the plate - they will be uncovered like the wiggling bugs beneath a rotting log. 

But in the meantime, the treasures of the Gospel will be valued that much more because of the contrast.

 

KJV Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Great Commission does not even come close to saying "Make disciples!" but the pickpockets of Church Growth rage against anyone who dares to question the making, because they are makers, and do not let the Holy Spirit teach through the Word.

 Lutheran Christina will soon be done.
Next - the second edition of The Bible BookZ: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

What Use Is a Baby? The Faraday Response. You Have a Faraday Cage in Your Home.

 

Michael Faraday got the cage name and Franklin got the stove title, but Faraday got the microwave, the ultimate honor - for the time being.

One version of the story has Michael Faraday showing his induction coil to Queen Victoria.

"What good is that?" she asked.

"What good is a baby?" he answered.

The story is told in Riders of the North Star, about the the beginnings of the Swedish Augustana Synod, and it is also attributed to Benjamin Franklin. I wonder if anyone imagined we would have a Faraday Cage in most homes in America. Microwave ovens have a grid that keeps radiation from coming out of the device. 

Christina, her sister Maria, and I knew Augustana people who went back to the early days of the synod and college. Esther Andreen Albrecht was born at Yale University, where her father was head of Scandinavian languages, and Conrad Bergendoff became the president of Augustana College and Seminary (1935-1962), after Gustav Andreen retired as president 1901 -1935.

 Christina and her sister Maria lived in Andreen Dormitory.

Historic trends are like gardens, where mistakes and shortcomings leave their mark. I planted a few blackberry canes and ended up with jungle of them, two canes conveniently planting themselves into hanging pots of soil left on the ground. The opportunistic and aggressive canes bent toward the fresh soil and rooted there, as a sign and a threat. 

Augustana College let the weeds take over, giving up their seminary for a bowl of soup - a token merger in the Lutheran School of Radical Theology, Chicago, now almost dead. 

Augustana College room, board, and tuition is now $55,000 a year.

The LCMS and WELS once taught Justification by Faith and used the King James Version of the Bible, but the weeds of Enthusiasm were sown and nurtured. Today there is little difference between the so-called conservative (laughably "orthodox") Lutheran groups and ELCA (Every Left-wing Cause in America). They work together as a group, harnessed by the money power of Thrivent Insurance and the booty of Irrevocable Charitable Trusts.

People think it is odd that I plant roses and bulbs in rented land, but everything is rented. We pay our fees and get to use possessions for a time. The anonymous landlord got a renter who wanted to improve the yard rather than let the weeds grow skyward. The only lasting treasures are the Gospel, faith in Jesus Christ, and the hymns guiding and teaching us.

Hymn - Lord Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee

"Lord, 'Tis Not that I did Choose Thee"
by Josiah Conder, 1789-1855

Tune - O du Liebe - linked here

1. Lord, 'tis not that I did choose Thee;
That, I know, could never be;
For this heart would still refuse Thee
Had Thy grace not chosen me.
Thou hast from the sin that stained me
Washed and cleansed and set me free
And unto this end ordained me,
That I ever live to Thee.

2. 'Twas Thy grace in Christ that called me,
Taught my darkened heart and mind;
Else the world had yet enthralled me,
To Thy heavenly glories blind.
Now my heart owns none above Thee;
For Thy grace alone I thirst,
Knowing well that, if I love Thee,
Thou, O Lord, didst love me first.

3. Praise the God of all creation;
Praise the Father's boundless love.
Praise the Lamb, our Expiation,
Priest and King enthroned above.
Praise the Spirit of salvation,
Him by whom our spirits live.
Undivided adoration
To the great Jehovah give.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #37
Text: John 15:16
Author: Josiah Conder, 1843, alt.
Tune: "O du Liebe"
1st Published in: Musikalischer Christenschatz
Town: Basel, 1745

Hymn - If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee

 

"If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee"
by Georg Neumark, 1621-1681
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

Tune - Wer nur den lieben Gott - linked here

1. If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God's unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that naught can move.

2. What can these anxious cares avail thee,
These never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O'er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

3. Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whate'er thy Father's pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

4. God knows full well when times of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

5. Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And sets a bound to everything.

6. All are alike before the Highest;
'Tis easy to our God, we know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

7. Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word, though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Hymn #518
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 55:22
Author: Georg Neumark, 1640
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: "Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten"
Composer: Georg Neumark, 1640
Tune: "Wer nur den lieben Gott"

 Georg Neumark

Hymn - Arm These Thy Children, Mighty Lord

 

"Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord"
by Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-1885

Tune - Erhalt uns Herr

1. Arm these Thy soldiers, mighty Lord,
With shield of faith and Spirit's sword.
Forth to the battle may they go
And boldly fight against the Foe.

2. With banner of the Cross unfurled,
They overcome the evil world
And so at last receive from Thee
The palm and crown of victory.

3. Come, ever-blessed Spirit, come
And make Thy servants' hearts Thy home,
May each a living temple be
Hallowed forever, Lord, to Thee.

4. Enrich that temple's holy shrine
With sevenfold gifts of grace divine;
With wisdom, light, and knowledge bless,
With counsel, strength, fear, godliness.

5. O Trinity in Unity,
One only God and Persons Three,
In whom, through whom, by whom, we live,
To Thee we praise and glory give.

6. Oh, grant us so to use Thy grace
That we may see Thy glorious face
And ever with the heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Hymn #332
The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ephesians 6:13
Author: Christopher Wordsworth, 1862, alt.
Tune: "Erhalt uns, Herr"
1st Published in: Geistliche Lieder
Town: Wittenberg, 1543

 Bishop Christopher Wordsworth, nephew of the poet.

Also - O Day of Rest and Gladness.

What We Have Here Is a Refusal To Communicate

 

Christian News is doubtless losing circulation faster than a Joe Biden fan magazine. At the recent online board meeting, starring Jack Cascione and a few other patriarchs of Objective Justification, someone said, "You are not still giving Jackson a free subscription?!"

Hale, "Sadly, I inherited Jackson's free subscription from our sainted Herman Otten. Mr. Jackson has used that access to quote us mercilessly."

The ancient intercom crackled in each speaker, "That's Dr. Jackson to you, Phil."

Cascione nervously swallowed some Ovaltine. "We've been hacked! Change your passwords. Call Linux. Alert your lawyers!"

The Mequon Cub Scout troop laughed and gave each other high fives. "We can give him another entry to the site, but he does not want it. He said, "I would rather spend the time reading Luther's English Bible, the KJV. I can have as much fun not reading Christian News as I did skimming it each week for 5 minutes. LutherQuest and ALPB Online are prime targets. Prime."

Here Is a New Wrinkle - Pickering on the KJV Bible

 

"Full of sound and fury...the anti-KJV partisans.

I am finishing Lutheran Christina, Memories about a Pastor's Wife, with some speed now. When that book is done, I will revise The Bible Book for a second edition.

One of the benefits of sending around the first edition is having a lot of reaction and suggestions. One was to look up Wilbur Pickering, a new author for me, so I ordered three Pickering titles from Alibris, my main supplier of low cost (but usually new in quality) theology books. I also buy military and American Indian books from Alibris. They have almost everything.

I wanted to post this because the organist (name withheld) looks for the final post of the day. Also, the Indian specialist favors Pickering. No, I have not read all three books... yet.

The more I study the KJV issue, the more I see how idiotic and puerile the anti-KJV Jabberwockies are. Their only argument is ridicule, absent the facts. The second edition will be a lot of fun to write.

St. Sebastian in the Autumn Bulb Market - And Clearance Plants! Oh My!

 

 Humpback Whale Hosta

Working on Lutheran Christina, I realized my need to post a health and wellness article, so people do not start writing and phoning, "Are you OK? It is 6 AM and you have not published anything today."

I get multiple emails per vendor per day about my need to buy their plants and bulbs. I am almost immune, because my email folder for gardening shows what is coming. Direct Gardening does tempt me to set up some plants that will be useful in the spring, if the critters do not eat them.

Hosta prices can vary widely. I have plenty of them to move from the sunny Rose Garden to the shadier areas in the back. The crew and I took out the unwanted plants and upstart trees behind the house. That opened up two gardens for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Months ago I ordered the folio sized Humpback Whale hostas to dominate the back side of our house.

Saturday I planted five beautiful Humpback Whale Hostas. The ground was either cleared down to roots (outside the bedroom) or covered with bags of leaves and mulch (outside the kitchen). Given the enormous potential for the hosta plants, I gave them plenty of room next to the house. 

 Patriot Hostas will move to the back, to enjoy more shade and water.