Bethany Lutheran Church
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
10 AM Central
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord?
Arise, cast us not off forever.
Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face:
and forgettest our affliction?
Our soul is bowed down to the dust:
arise for our help and redeem us.
Psalm. We have heard with our ears, O God:
our fathers have told us what work
Thou didst in their days.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do, mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord,
who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
Let the nations know that Thy name is Jehovah: Thou alone art the Most High over all the earth.
V. O my God, make them like a wheel
and like chaff before the wind.
Tract. Thou, O Lord, hast made the earth
to tremble and hast broken it.
V. Heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh.
V. That Thy beloved may be delivered, save with Thy right hand.
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Epistle 2 Corinthians 11:19 - 12:9
The Gradual
The Gospel Luke 8:4-15
The Sermon Hymn # 339 All Hail the Power
The Sermon Hymn # 339 All Hail the Power
The Word Is Alive
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 #46 On What Has Now Been Sown
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 #46 On What Has Now Been Sown
KJV Luke 8
4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Announcements
In our prayers - Sarah Buck, Lito Cruz' family, Alicia Meyer.
Reformation Seminary Lectures - Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM. Gospel of John.
Esther is our new book of the Bible to study.
The Word Is Alive
Luke 8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
The miracles and sermons drew people into a mass that intrigued them. The divine miracles were special by themselves, and the results convinced the crowds of Jesus' divinity. But he spoke in parables, so those lessons were clear in one sense - easy to imagine - but also easily overlooked and forgotten. I would challenge anyone to create a parable like Jesus' in so few words, with so much meaning. This was an old tradition among the Jewish people and continues to this day.
5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
This is common among birds. Yesterday the barrel lids and bun baskets were full of feed for the birds, often in squadrons. A flock of blue jays landed at once and a very large one landed to get his share. Smaller birds flitted about and waited for their chance to enjoy various seeds and fruit. There are no secrets. They take turns by flock and find places where more food can be enjoyed.
The New Testament has many references to the Word of God being like seed, because every seed is alive and ready to grow. In the same way, God's Word always has the energy of the Holy Spirit. If some in the audience - or from the blog -are scoffing today, they are receiving the same energy as the believers. The difference is that those who reject God's Word harden themselves against what the Scriptures teach through the Spirit.
Gardeners know that scattered seed is easily devoured but some will take root, overlooked by the predators but available for great fruitfulness.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
My flat roof bird feeder in New Ulm was a good example of all the seed being blown away or dried up. The seed has enough rain to get started but not enough to become rooted. Likewise, people today are curious and likely to get a little wisdom from something they just read or heard. One person said I was 99% interesting and 99% wrong.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
One person reminded me of a denomination that grew into thousands of members. and then fell apart, almost overnight. He forgot the name (Driscoll). One of my friends wanted to buy a church building where it all vanished overnight - but not the building itself.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
That has been documented, even among those persecuted - in fact, even more so. People devoted themselves to copies of the Gospels and Epistles. The pagans scattered them and they grew even faster. They translated in dozens of ways and languages.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Jesus taught the disciples for three years, without them needing buildings, properties, special apparel, etc. Writing down the Scriptures was very expensive, and translating another demanding step in reaching the world. Some cajole that there are not many original scripts, but those were worn out and burned to keep the fragile old ones away from the false teachers. Here is one little fact - the New Testament has more ancient versions preserved than any other ancient publication - all done by hand and kept carefully. Everyone knows about Marco Polo's adventures and book, but that is nothing compare to the New Testament.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
The seed is not a marble building or glorious apparel or beautiful appearances in clothing and headdresses. The Word of God is the most precious and also the most overlooked. America has everything except the original Scriptures. The Reformation happened in the midst of persecution, jails, and worse. As Luther said, all that is needed is faith in God and love for our neighborhood. So many distractions take people away from this seed of faith and faith is stolen by their Father Below.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
"For a while believe...and fall away" The difficulties we feel and distractions combine against the Gospel, but the wisdom of the Savior is always there through the Spirit and can work for strength through the Gospel Word.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good (noble, like the Good Shepherd) heart, having heard the word, keep (hold onto) it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The Word of God is a constant energy that works faith and blessings in our lives - and removes what is evil and bad. A number of my Bible students dwell on their past and can seem to make confession of sin the final step but one that continues to plague the individual. I asked Norma Boeckler to use this passage as a graphic.
Micah 7
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
 | |||
