Midweek Lenten Service - 7 PM Central Daylight Time

Bethany Lutheran Church, 

Springdale, Arkansas

MidWeek Lenten Service

7 PM Central Daylight Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

 

The Hymn #142          A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth                                 
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody               Psalm 23
The Lection                            The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn #153       Stricken, Smitten                   

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #562            Round Me Falls the Night

Prayers and Announcements

• Medical concerns - Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Sarah Buck, Lito Cruz.
• Pray for our country, the faithful, and our Constitution.
• Potential floods.

Midweek Message

More than once I have pointed out the 500 or more references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible. My graduate students love to respond to this, because it comes to us easily from the many examples.

Jesus said when He was being arrested. "The shepherd will be struck and the sheep scattered." Zechariah 13:7 Like many predictions, this was not fulfilled until the divine calendar was fulfilled.

The 23rd Psalm is well known -- and so is Isaiah 53.

KJV 53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

We have the benefits and blessings of being so far away from the rugged days so close to the puzzling Scriptures.

That should quell our worries about the present and future, because so much has happened and God has fulfilled all His Promises.

In fact, we can look forward to His predictions and the fulfillment of His love in so many ways. If that was so much for the Good Shepherd to accomplish, how much more can He do now?

True enough - we do not know the future, but more importantly, we know the past from the Scriptures. Those Scriptures are honored and respected (not by every source but certainly by 50% of Bibles, the KJV). 

We have certainty in the midst of truth and divine Promises. That leaves behind the fake prophecies of pagans and the corrupted claims of the weak or unwilling. Weak to face the complete truth, unwilling to face the 100% revelation of God and the kindly Shepherd we call the Good Shepherd.

The characteristics of the Shepherd are clearly taught. 

1. Jesus prayed all the time; He was often urged to get His work done.
2. Jesus taught the righteousness of faith - condemned the world for not believing.
3. Jesus taught the adults to accept the qualities of children, "Let the children come to me."
4. Jesus performed miracles great and small, among the few and multitudes.
5. Jesus sought out the weak, burdened, and suffering - the Good Samaritan.
6. Jesus revealed His sense of humor many times. John 9 is a humor chapter.