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Bethany Lutheran Church
10 AM Central Time
Lyrics from the Bethany Hymn Blog are embedded in the hymn numbers.
The melody is linked in the hymn title.
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Be Thou my strong Rock: for an house of defense to save me.
Thou art my Rock and my Fortress: therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.
Psalm. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and GradualGradual
V. Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people: the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Tract. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands: serve the Lord with gladness.
V. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
V. Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
V. It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves: we are His people and the sheep of his pasture.
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #148 Lord Jesus Christ, My Life
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #148 Lord Jesus Christ, My Life
The Eyes 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
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
Prayers and Announcements
- The pink roses are thanks to God for the four little girls in our congregation.
- Treatment and recovery - Randy Anderson.
- Medical issues - Kermit Way, Callie and her parents; Pastor Jim Shrader and is doing better; Doc Lito; Pastor K; Pray for those who suffer from emotional issues.
- Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, 7 PM.
The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The Gospel. St. Luke 18:31-43
Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
The Eyes of Faith
Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
These two passages together seem odd, but they are about faith and love, two aspects of Jesus' ministry. Many centuries before, the prophets of God told the People of God that they would have a Savior. Adam and Eve were the first to know - Genesis 3:15. (That only makes sense upon its fulfilment, so Eve jumped to her own conclusion.) Eve's firstborn, a boy, caused her to say, literally in Hebrew "I have given birth to a man-child, the Lord." Genesis 4:1. Eve believed her firstborn was the promised Savior.
Mankind stumbles and falls over the Messianic Promises because they do not fit the canons of history and journalism. Human reason cannot make sense of things related to faith, so reason tends to deny what is laid out in many steps.
At this point Jesus is directly teaching His suffering, death, and resurrection, but the disciples cannot see or hear what He is saying. In this way Jesus prepared the disciples for their future and His. They would be frightened and scattered by the events but strengthened and restored by His rising from the dead.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
What Jesus predicted was beyond their ability to grasp.
He would be betrayed to the pagan Romans (delivered to the Gentiles).
- It goes against all logic and reason that this divine Teacher would fall into the hands of the disgusting Romans.
- How could their Leader be mocked, ridiculed and spat upon?
- The whipping was reserved for the worst criminals. Jesus was a healer, not a traitor or revolutionary.
- Rising from the dead was also beyond their thinking, even though His Word rose at least three from death - Lazarus, the widow's son, the young girl.
The disciples should have known. But we can see the same things in ourselves. Wherever we work, it is like being on a trapeze and never knowing what will happen next. And yet God has already shown us y shown us what He can do. If we groan at all the bad things that have happened, we are likely going to miss all the benefits and blessings from God.
I have been a WWII fan because I read about all the sacrifices and losses, and yet I grew up in a perfectly ordinary town with no crime and no danger, as if nothing had happened. We didn't need surveillance because the mothers watched over everything and reported the least infraction.
We seem to have a lot of bad things coming up, across the world,
but everything is in God's power.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Like the Emmaus walk, their eyes were "shut" until the right time when Jesus appeared before them in the locked, boarded room. The Calvinists take away the truth of that miracle, saying Jesus came in a secret way, likewise had the angels open the tomb for Him.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
This is very important, because the disciples could not see as well as we think they should have. And the blind beggar knew Jesus to be the Son of David, the Messiah! But he was rebuked for his confession of faith.
There are many in the crowds today, milling about, thinking they know but they do not. The smallest child knows more than they do. I remember adults complaining about children making noise in church. That problem has been solved all over America - no children!
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Faith is everything, because it is not a special quality we have, but trust in God He has given us through the Gospel.
