 |
| http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2013/04/norma-boecklers-new-book-treasury-of.html |
The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingdom 4:21
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
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
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 Sermon Hymn #123 O God Our Help 4:3
Faith and Love
The Communion Hymn # 304 An Awful Mystery 4:6
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 # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
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 # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Twelfth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast created all things: We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound bodies, and hast graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Thy word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one shall be offended by our words, but that all may be edified thereby, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Faith and Love
KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Jesus only traveled a short distance in His public ministry, but He went into various places, sowing the seed by preaching the Word of God. By moving around, teaching and healing, instructing the apostles, He established believers in these locations. Their faith spread because they communicated His teaching and miracles to others.
I experience the modern form of this spread of the Gospel. In my local classes I have someone from Africa, several from Korea, and an aborigine from Papua. When I was teaching the American students to use LinkedIn on the Net, the African native already had his profile up.
32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
This is an example of what happened because of the fame of Jesus. Everyone was talking about His teaching and miracles. These men either witnessed it themselves or knew enough to trust their deaf-mute friend could be healed. The Gospel planted faith in Jesus in their hearts. Someone would be tempted to say, "We could but we are only a few among many." This is especially true in a group, the most negative person tends to affect the rest in being negative. Human reason argues against such a miracle taking place and even against gaining a hearing from the Savior.
But faith is a confidence in the mercy, compassion, and power of Jesus. Faith is not a decision that comes about from study, but a trust that the Word of God creates. The New Creation is grafted onto the Old Adam and they grow together. The believer continues in study of the Word and worship, because human reason and our sinful flesh always intrude.
I can say from many church meetings that one would be shocked at the claim of believers being present when the budget is discussed. Human reason, facts and figures predominate. Likewise, this man was probably the subject of many medical efforts in his life. My father stuttered, so they took out his tonsils. That only made him more self-conscious, and we live in a so-called scientific age.
After so many efforts, herbs, magical potions, and superstitious cures, anyone would have been sceptical, but faith in Jesus moved the friends to an act of love - bringing him to Jesus for a cure. They could see how limited he was by his inability to hear and to talk.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
We know most deaf people are not completely deaf, so it makes sense that Jesus would take the man away from the roar of the crowd, demonstrate His healing of the ears and tongue, to comfort and give peace to the man. I know from having special daughters that their weakness and the presence of medical equipment were not good combinations. They were easily frightened by new experiences and needed to be distracted by a different perspective - such as an ambulance ride being fun, or an oxygen tent equated with camping and adventure.
Luther dealt with the current theories about why Jesus would sigh and look up to heaven. He was not eager to multiply theories. One answer is that it would show where the healing was coming from. The sighing could also be allegorical, similar to Jesus crying over Jerusalem. Here was one man with believing friends. If only the rest had the same faith. So many marvels would come from that. Or - sighing about the misuse of the voice. Here was something that we must have for almost all tasks, and speech is a great gift from God. But it is terribly misused and abused by so many.
We know that Jesus had compassion on individuals but also upon the multitudes, as shown when He fed them before they thought to ask, when He wept over Jerusalem, and when He prayed from the cross - Father, forgive them...
35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
God's miracles can take a long time to arrive, but they are immediate when they happen. Because of this, we should discern the miraculous and wait patiently for the miracles to take place. Thus Paul always prayed for his congregations, and those congregations became the foundation of the Christian faith, which spread across the world from those key trading cities.
36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Why would Jesus tell them to keep this to themselves? The primary reason is the way in which people saw miracles, as the coming of a political Messiah who would lead them to war. This was not Jesus' mission, and He spent years preparing people for what faith in Him would mean - bearing the cross rather than unsheathing the sword.
And yet nothing could keep them from telling others about it. The miracles testified about His divine power, and they felt His love and great compassion. Others were binding them with rules while He was releasing them from guilt and sin, so that love and faith would flourish together and benefit many others.
In a law religion, good works are a tax to be paid. The tax is necessary or the salvation is repossessed. But Christianity gives grace and forgiveness without works, so the acts of love are pleasing and enjoyable to the believer.
The Old Adam does not like messes and repetitive labor. But ask a mother, who misses taking care of the little ones, making them clean and happy, feeding them and giving them comfort. Luther said, "Dame reason despises this," but believing hearts treasure those opportunities.
Just as revenge promotes revenge and never stops, so do acts of love, which multiply beyond measure because they are divine in origin.
I am trying to grasp the new research in soil life. Since I am not involved in the physical sciences directly, I have to re-read many passages to understand how soil chemistry works. One fascinating aspect is the way unthinking but living creations work to benefit each others. Plant roots give fungi the one thing they cannot make for themselves, and the fungi form enormous feeding tubes to break down down and deliver nutrition to the roots. And yet these unthinking plants control the fungi by the way they offer and accept benefits. All this happens without our knowledge or control, and all we can do is stand back and nurture it to some extent.
This mutuality is what the Gospel creates among believers, one helping the other, but without obligation or force. The extent is impossible to measure and yet the origin is clear - Christ's forgiveness, His righteousness received in faith.
