The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2016. Father's Day
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time
The melodies are linked in the hymn name.
The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.
The Hymn # 452 The Son of God
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 Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #463 For All the Saints
Fathers Look to Their Heavenly Father
The Communion Hymn #307 Draw Nigh and Take the Body
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 #49 Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast
KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
Fourth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, who art merciful, and through Christ didst promise us, that Thou wilt neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray Thee, that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt establish in our hearts a confident faith in Thy mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all men, and, Judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Thy fear, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Fathers Look to Their Heavenly Father
KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
The basic problem of mankind is from seeing God as they imagine Him to be, and not as He is. That affects the our human behavior because of this mistaken faith, which only comes from not comprehending the Word or ignoring the Word of God.
Another problem is the fallacy of emphasis, where one matter is emphasized to the exclusion of all others. A current fad is announcing forgiveness to the unrepentant, so they ask the victims of violent crime, "Have you forgiven the convicted criminal?" I just heard that on TV. We should heard the journalist ask the criminal, "Have you repented of your crime and told the family of your repentance?" But in a world of Universalism where everyone is forgiven, everyone saved, without faith, that kind of faithless question to the family can be expected.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful
The dominant characteristic of God is mercy, and this is constantly questioned by those who are ill-informed or prone to rebellion.
We can only marvel at those who question God's mercy when we have everything from Him, all our blessings and abundance beyond comprehension. If that is spoiled, man has spoiled it. We ravage the earth with our wars. We wasted what is given to us with great generosity. And when God gives us His grace through the Means of Grace, this is also questioned and fought against.
Earthly fathers have their Heavenly Father as an example in mercy. This is the first and most important quality. The problem is - when we start with the Law, we often end with the Law, too. And the Law is never satisfied, because no one is perfect or completely wise or completely self-disciplined.
This does not mean mercy without the Law. If we start with Luther's view of the Bible, this becomes more clear. The entire Bible is a sermon about Jesus, so that man will have faith in Him, have forgiveness through faith, and enjoy everlasting life and all the blessings of the Kingdom of God.
Therefore, God does not command believers, He persuades them. He encourages them. I have found that every exhortation to pray includes an introduction of Gospel Promises. After showing us how much God has already done, we are urged to pray to Him for everything and anything.
This is not a repudiation of the Law, as the Antinomians ("there is no Law - it is obsolete now") would have us believe. Instead, it means having a different attitude toward the Law, loving God's commands, which are good for us, rather than fearing His retribution.
The stern warning in the Word of God come from God the Father and Jesus Himself. As I often say, quoting C. S. Lewis, the scariest words in the Bible come from Jesus. Why is this so? Because the difference between salvation and perdition is faith. The lack of faith in Christ leads to all kinds of evils and misunderstandings. In contrast, faith in Christ generates the fruits of the Spirit and an endless supply of blessings.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
This is a good verse for Father's Day that goes well with the following -
Ephesians 6:4King James Version (KJV)
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
This Ephesians verse made one father angry, from decades ago. He never could see that his very difficult father made him much the same. His daughters married very angry men because children tend to marry someone like the opposite sex parent.
Children can manage to bother their fathers in many and various ways, and some of us remember being very foolish and lucky not to bear the consequences of our errors. The difference is the reaction of the father. A father has so much influence, present or not, that whatever he does has an impact felt throughout the children's life.
Things can go horribly wrong, and then the father's patience and forgiveness is essential, healing, and a constant blessing.
This is the great thing about being a father. Very little is expected, especially today. Therefore anything positive is leveraged and appreciated far beyond the effort expended.
Mothers constantly work with their children and often get the brunt of their objections to their wisdom. If the fathers do 1% of that, wow. Men might as well take advantage of that. Becoming part of their children's lives will last forever - the memories, jokes, stories, and influence. It is that time invested that makes advice worthwhile and remembered.
As Luther says, our forgiveness is the outward sign of our faith. If we receive God's forgiveness and do not show it with our own family, then we have to look at our own faith.
Criticism does not yield much in progress. If it did, I would be perfect by now. I try to remember that fact - in dealing with adult students who are so lacking in self-discipline and writing skills. I would like to blast them with their foolishness, but that is not going to produce the desired effect. Some have been cheated by years of lazy teachers. Others have been plagued by various health problems. Others deal with family disorder and work loss, all very dispiriting in the midst of trying to earn a degree.
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
I went to a church meeting where this was used for raising money. Clearly this is about giving mercy. Practices in the family, this provides a constant influence and energy in all their activities, and it affects generations to come.
This should be remembered in words used about others too. I learned, for example, that everyone in authority should be given respect. Many examples could be cited. That did not mean mindless obedience, but always maintaining that attitude toward leaders.
My mother knew about many things going on in our small town. We often asked her for details, but she refused. We could not criticize any teachers, except for one, who was out and out crazy. I was allowed to mimic her a bit, which made my mother laugh. But this was all just what Luther said - "Cover your neighbors. Help them in their weakness and share in it, rather than condemning them."
So much harm is done through malicious gossip, much of which is simply invented to make it more interesting. In one case, recorded in a book, one girl was described as leaving town because she was pregnant. The pastor's son was called the father. The minister tracked it down and got a retraction, but the son recorded the event in great detail - One Foot in Heaven. The son never became a minister.
Even so, how many beautiful children have blessed the lives of parents who could not otherwise have children?
Would we not have many more children to adopt if everyone said, "They gave this child life and a chance to grow up and bless others."
Likewise, a miser will always be poor, because whatever he has will not be enough. We had the grass mowed and the snow shoveled for one miser - really for his wife. He was free to pay the helper but only did once - $5. After all this he went off to a nursing home where money meant nothing. Whatever he piled up was erased by his new circumstances. So he was just as poor as before.
The helper became "rich" in enjoying the work and applying for a job, which he loves. And they love his energy and enthusiasm.
So often we have the chance to be impatient or critical with our children or with others. When we stop and think about God's patience and mercy with us. that influences us to stop and think about being as merciful toward others as He is toward us.
17. Therefore the works are only continual spontaneous fruits and proofs of such faith. For of what use were it to me, if I had already strong faith and did not know it? As, if I had a chest full of gold and knew it not, it would be of no use to me; but when someone makes it known to me, he then does me as great a service as if he donated it to me. Just so, if I have faith, and know it not, it is of no use to me. Therefore faith must blossom forth and become known to me through the works following faith and these are then signs and seals that faith is present in my heart. St. Peter also teaches the same when in 2 Peter 1:10-11 he conclusively says of the works of love and the virtues of faith: “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” He does not say, do good works that you may be called; but that you may make your calling and election sure, to your own satisfaction.
 |
| Countless blessings with all three children. |
 |
| Bethany loved the camera, and vice versa. |
 |
| Erin Joy loved her swing, which the nursing home took away to spite her. |