Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: November 2020

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Isaiah 1,10-18. Day of Repentance and Prayer

Isaiah 1,10-18 6220

Buß- und Bettag 072

Gregory Thaumaturgus (the Wonder-worker), Bishop of Pontus. ✠ 270

18. November 2020

1. We, miserable sinners, acknowledge and confess unto you, O our God and Lord, that during our lives we have grievously sinned against You and our fellow man in many ways, by evil thoughts, words and deeds. We are by nature sinful, unjust and unclean, inclined to all that is evil, and corrupt in body and soul, having thereby merited Your Divine wrath, temporal punishment and eternal death. Nevertheless, since You, in Your Word, bear testimony and assure that You have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that through penitence and sorrow he turn unto You and live, therefore we flee unto such Your promises, and to Your unfathomable mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace. O God, be gracious and have mercy upon us, miserable sinners, and forgive our sins and offenses for the sake of the precious merit of Your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Löhe 397-98)

2. »Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! „What to Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you arrive to appear before Me, who has required of you this trampling of My courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will become like wool.“«

3. Lutheran hymnals have, for centuries, contain Propers for Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Supplication; also called Day of Humiliation and Prayer or Day of Supplication and Prayer). These Propers are also appointed for use on the Wednesday before the Last Sunday in the Church year (the upcoming Sunday would then be Eternity/Christ the King Sunday) or the Wednesday in the Last Week of the Church Year (which usually is the day before the American Thanksgiving Day). The services originated in Germany after the conclusion of the European Thirty Years War (1618-48) as a prayer service of confession, thanking God for His mercy and grace to His people. This service was used quite frequently in history. Dukes and rulers introduced them especially during times of tribulation (war, epidemic, etc.), and these days became rather popular. The historic setting of these services in the calendar year fits well with our American traditions too, as this puts it after our Election Tuesday and just before our Thanksgiving Day, and our American political landscape certainly groaned and shook this past Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning! The outcry from some continues to show that man’s political vitriolic against man will not soon abate.

4. Therefore, we pray for those who suffer loss from natural disasters, war and violence. We pray for our enemies, those who persecute us and for unbelievers to believe the gospel of Christ. We also pray for our elected leaders: that they would guide us peaceably and wisely, that God would bless our nation and that God would unite us together as a band of American brothers and sisters. The Psalmist reminds us: »Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God« (Psalm 146,3.5).

5. We also confess our sinfulness. No nation is perfect and no politician above reproach. Our nation commits wicked actions. The weakest and voiceless among us are murdered. Some are downtrodden and oppressed. Others are not treated fairly and equally. Our nation has lofty ideals enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but we do not perfectly live up to them. We are a politically divided nation, as we have always been, but we are quick to demonize those who vote differently form us, too eager to belittle someone with another opinion and too eager to slander both political leaders and even our very neighbor. We forget that, in general, we all have the same goal to help those in our nation, but we approach that goal from different perspectives and ways to best achieve it. For all that we repent, pray for God to help us be better Christians, better citizens, better neighbors and pray that God leads us a nation committed to morality and virtue.

6. We certainly are also living in a time of pandemic and hysteria, and more-so than before do we need a day of repentance as 2020 draws to a close in about 6 weeks. When the Covid pandemic became more prevalent in early March, we had prayed for repentance and providence that the Lord would watch over us and deliver us from plaque and pestilence. And today, as the Church year draws to an end this coming Sunday, we beseech the Lord for His favor and mercy as we still endure the global and national effects of this pandemic.

7. The Lord exhorted sinful Israel: »Come now, let us reason together: though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will become like wool.« The Lord also exhorts us to draw near to Him and be saved. Look to Christ; trust in Christ. Johann von Staupitz, Luther’s confessor, once told him: „Look at the wounds of Jesus Christ, to the blood that he has shed for you: it is there that the grace of God will appear to you. Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms. Trust in him — in the righteousness of his life — in the atonement of his death. Do not shrink back; God is not angry with you, it is you who are angry with God. Listen to the Son of God. He became man to give you the assurance of divine favor. He says to you, You are my sheep; you hear my voice; no man shall pluck you out of my hand.” (Staupitz).

8. Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive Absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven (Small Catechism). Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts (Small Catechism). Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Lord, Thou dost not forsake the penitent sinner; make haste to absolve our sin, so that we have a peaceful conscience and the certainty of salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

1. Thessalonians 5,1-11. Eternity Sunday

1. Thessalonians 5,1-11 6320

Ewigkeitssonntag 073 (27. Trinitatis)

22 Caecilia, Virgin Martyr in the first 3 centuries

22. November 2020

1. O Lord, Thou who dost deliver from affliction; redeem us according to Your mercy, so that we remain grounded upon Your providence and help. Amen. (Starck 183 ¶ 3)

2. »Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will arrive like a thief in the night. While people are saying: „There is peace and security,“ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers and sisters, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

3. On this past Wednesday, our Day of Repentance and Prayer, we heard the Prophet Isaiah tell Israel that though their sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Today we here Jesus exhort us to be ready like the 5 wise bridesmaids were ready for the advent of the groom.

4. Many first generation Christians believed Jesus would return in their lifetime. 20 years after His ascension Jesus had still not returned and the older Christians were starting to die from age or sickness. The Thessalonians misunderstood the apostolic teaching and thought it meant those deceased Christians would miss out on Christ’s return. Paul writes to them and says, to the contrary, those who have died will join Jesus when He descends from heaven (1. Thessalonians 4,14). Jesus taught this as well in today’s Gospel parable: the five faithful and believing bridesmaids who fell asleep were awoken and joined the groom in his procession.

5. Paul emphasizes another point Jesus makes in that parable: the advent of Jesus will be a surprise. We expect His arrival, but we do not know when it will occur. Jesus’ first advent unfolded the same way: there was an eager expectation, but no one realized how close it was. His immanence of His arrival came as a surprise to Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary and Joseph when they were told: Messiah is arriving in just a few months.

6. The world fears the advent of Jesus and the end of all things. We have lived all of 2020 under the hysteria toked by the media and some leaders. COVID-19 has dominated the new cycle all year. The pandemic is serious and ought to be treated seriously, but how often have people been driven to despair, depression and fear because of fearful overhype. COVID-19 is not the end of the world. We will get through it just like we got through the Spanish Flu from 1918-20 and every other pandemic that has afflicted the world. God has, and will continue to, provide for us, be with us and comfort us. Indeed, the world will one day pass away, but we should not be dispassionate about it nor fear it (Bayer 331). Instead, we anticipate the last day by faith in Christ, who is the Lord over all things (Bayer 331).

7. The Apostle Paul comforts us with these words: »Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us« (Romans 8,35.37). No pandemic, not even COVID-19, will separate us from Christ.

8. God’s faithfulness is bound to His Word, and His Word is His promise. God promises to forgive your sin, and His Word does what it says. Yahweh said to the Prophet Isaiah: »My Word that goes out from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish that which I purpose, and will succeed in the thing for which I sent it« (Isaiah 55,11). God says to you, through His Word, in your Holy Baptism and in the Lord’s Supper: Ego te absolvo! I absolve you of your sins! These Divine words constitute a reality: God says you are forgiven, and thus you are forgiven (Bayer 53). These words of absolution are a Verbum efficax: an effective, accomplishing Word (Bayer 53). These Divine words are words of grace and promise as we live with the tribulation of a pandemic and as we await the second advent of Jesus. Next week we will hear about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem during His first advent. Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Lord, Jesus Christ, Thou art the Way, the Truth and the Life; fill our lives with the presence of joy, so that we have the certainty of salvation to be with You and eternal fellowship. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Eternity Sunday Divine Service III

Eternity Sunday video

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Jude 11-12 Bible Study

part 1

part 2

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Luke 16,1-8. 2. Last Sunday

Luke 16,1-8 6120

Vorletzter. Sonntag des Kirchenjahres (26. Trinity) 071

Desiderius, Bishop of Cahors, France ✠ 654

Albertus Magnus, Bishop of Regensburg (1260-63), ✠ 1280

Johannes Kepler, Mathematician and Astronomer, ✠ 1630

15. November 2020

1. O Resurrected Jesus, who has overcome death; help us to rest confidently in Your promise that the one who conquers will be clothed in white garments, so that we faithfully look forward to our heavenly reward. Amen. (Starck 318 ¶ 1)

2. »Jesus also said to the disciples: „There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him: ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be steward.’ And the steward said to himself: ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first: ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said: ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him: ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another: ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said: ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him: ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.“«

3. Last week we heard Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (which occurred in ad 70); today we hear how all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ on the last day.

4. In Luke 16 Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest steward, and at the end He observes: »The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of lights are.« The dishonest steward in Jesus’ parable is a son of this world: he will lie, cheat and steal to ensure he will have friends who owe him favors after he is dismissed as a steward. The sons of this world think nothing of this, for bribery and favors go hand-in-hand among businessmen, politicians and anyone else seeking a sympathizing heart and ready hand to pay back in kind when needed.

5. The sons of light agonize over these temptations. On 3. September 1518 Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, Luther’s temporal lord, received from Pope Leo X the golden rose to express his highest esteem for Frederick’s lordship, heroic loyalty and devotion to the Church with the intention to entice Frederick to hand Luther over to Rome. Sir Peter Ustinov brilliantly portrays Frederick the Wise’s lament and agony upon receiving this esteemed gift in the 2003 movie Luther. „When I was a child I thought like a child, I was a child, I played like a child. And now, thanks to the adults, I’ve had to join the world of adults. And I am appalled by how easy they thought it was to bribe me.“

6. Our sinful nature thinks it can bribe God just as it bribes everyone else. Our sinful flesh would devise all sorts of ways to appease God. The most common device is to offset our sins with our good works. This was the premise behind the Medieval doctrine of indulgences, and Luther rightly saw this. Good works do not free us from sinful penalties nor do they save (Thesis 21); the assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is in vain (Thesis 52); a papal pardon is not able to remove the guilt of any venial sins (Thesis 76).

7. What saves, forgives and pardons is Christ. It is His blood that forgives sins, His resurrection that raises all the dead; He speaks the words of absolution, grace and mercy. In Matthew 24, it is not the works that save those on the right but Christ who saves them. Those on Christ’s right are there because they believe, trust and love Him, and their works show that faith. Those on Christ’s left are there because they have rejected Christ, and their lack of works show that unbelief. Jesus explains that one of the points He makes in the parable of the dishonest steward is that those who are faithful in very little are also faithful in much (Luke 16,10).

8. And realistically, Jesus doesn’t ask very much of us. He simply wants us to put our faith in Him. He doesn’t ask us to bear the weight of all the world; He doesn’t ask us to justify ourselves with tedious works; He simply says: believe in Me; trust in Me; let me carry the burden of the world and your sin. Jesus is the one who merits our salvation. Saint Paul tells us: »And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith« (Galatians 6,9-10). »For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them« (Ephesians 2,10).

9. Jesus exhorts us to be prudent like the dishonest steward in His parable, but to be prudent in righteousness. The steward is praised because when faced with a crisis of eschatological proportions, namely, his very survival in the imminent day of reckoning before his lord, he cleverly uses the resources available to him in a wicked world in the context of his trust that his lord will treat him with the same mercy that he had shown in the past (Just 616). We live in the eschatological last days, namely that our Lord Jesus Christ may return from heaven any day. And so we use the resources Jesus has given us for these days to be prepared and ready for His second advent, namely, the Word and the Sacraments, for in them we receive Christ’s mercy and grace for the forgiveness of all our sins so that when He does return and we stand before Him at His right hand with certainty and with faith knowing that we are righteous on account of Christ and that our sins are already forgiven and that His judgment upon us is not a judgment of punishment but a judgment of praise: well done, good and faithful servants, enter into your eternal rest. Next week we will hear Jesus exhort us to be like the five wise bridesmaids who were ready for the arrival of the groom. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Dear Father, our Judge; as the heavens declare Your righteousness exhort us join in their declaration of Your righteousness, so that we live each day ready to stand before You with Christ as our Advocate. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

2. Last Sunday video

2. Last Sunday Divine Service III

Jude Bible study video

Jude 8-13 Bible study

Sunday, November 8, 2020

1. Thessalonians 4,13-18. 3. Last Sunday

1. Thessalonians 4,13-18 6020

Drittlezter Sonntag des Kirchenjahres 070 (25. Trinitatis)

The Four Crowned Martyrs, at Rome 304

Johannes von Staupitz, Luther’s Father Confessor ✠ 1524

8. November 2020

1. O Lord, Creator of space and time; make us to know our end and the measure of our days, so that in knowing how frail we are we trust in Your providence that gives us everlasting life. Amen. (Starck 228-29)

2. »But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the advent of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.«

3. Last week we celebrated the Feast of All Saints, and today we celebrate the 3. Last Sunday in the Church Year. Our sermon text flows nicely from All Saints to the last day with its resurrection.

4. Paul, along with the prophets and the apostles, tells us that death is merely a sleep; when you sleep you wake up again. And in Christ, all who fall asleep in death will be woken up by Christ. He will call out to us: »Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, for I, the Christ, give you light« (Isaiah 60,1-3). Thus God the Father will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep.

5. Paul connects the rising from sleep and death to Christ’s own resurrection. The risen Christ is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1. Corinthians 15,20). Now that Christ is risen He will raise up all the dead (15,21-22). For God the Father has put all things in subjection under Christ’s feet (15,27), and the last enemy to be destroyed is death (15,26).

6. Paul connects the resurrection to Holy Baptism. »Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, then we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His« (Romans 6,3-5). Your baptism connects you to Christ, His crucifixion and His resurrection. On the last day, the dead in Christ will rise first: all the saints to precede the last day will descend with Christ from Paradise and receive their resurrected bodies, then all those who are living on the earth at that time will join the saints by receiving their resurrected bodies. Together we will always be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. A few verses after today’s Gospel lection, Jesus describes His return on the last day: »Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other« (Matthew 24:30-31). Paul says of this event: »Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has arrived. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation« (2. Corinthians 5,17-18).

8. The Serpent caused Adam to be lead out of the earthly paradise of the Garden of Eden, but Christ our Savior redeems us from the Serpent’s temptation and leads us into the heavenly Paradise to dwell with God, the angels and all believers for all eternity. Let us leave this place, and with our eyes on Jesus follow Him from the grave, to His empty tomb and to the bright light of His resurrection. Next week we will hear Jesus describe how He will welcome His Christians into eternal life. Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Christ, whose Name is near; we give thanks to You for being our Resurrection and Life, so that we may be certain of our righteousness and eternal salvation. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

3. Last Sunday video

3. Last Sunday in the Church Year

Thursday, November 5, 2020

21. Trinity Thursday video

21. Trinity Thursday Prime

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Ephesians 6,10-17. 21. Trinity

Ephesians 6,10-17 5920

21. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 066

All Saints

1. November 2020

1. O Heavenly Father, Thou art the Perfect Love; grant us to keep constantly before our eyes the love of Jesus, so that His love works on our hearts to show true love of our neighbor. Amen. (Starck 133 ¶ 1)

2. »Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the Devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

3. With All Saints’ Day, the Church remembers all who have left this temporal life for the heavenly life. Some have been gone for decades, even centuries, and others may be a few months, but they all have a place in our hearts and minds. Gone from us, but never forgotten; nevertheless we long to see them once more.

4. What does it mean to be a saint? Christians are called saints or holy ones. That means they’ve been taken away from this world, cleansed in Christ’s blood and united with Christ Himself (Giertz 781). This righteousness has been given to us in our Baptism. The Apostle Peter tells us: »Baptism now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ« (1. Peter 3,21). The apostle furthermore links Baptism to the ark and the Flood: »the ark … in which … 8 people, were brought safely through water. Baptism corresponds to this ark« (1. Peter 3,20-21). Noah and his family were saints, and God saved them from the Flood, for Noah had found favor in His eyes (Genesis 6,8). After he departed the ark, Noah offered burnt offerings to God as thanksgiving for thing saving him and his family. God approved of Noah’s sacrifice, for Noah is a righteous man, a saint.

5. Every day of the year has a saint assigned to it. November 1 is one of the exceptions, for all in this day we remember all the saints who are too numerous to assign a day for each and everyone. It was no coincidence that Luther posted his 95 Theses on indulgences on the Eve of All Saints, Halloween.

6. Holy Scripture sets before us Christ who is to be prayed to, and He Himself has promised to hear an answer our prayers (Augsburg Confession 21). As to the saints, we remember them and follow the example of their faith and works so that we likewise confess Christ and help our neighbor with charity. Likewise, we remember this day all the saints of our congregation. Some we know, but others we do not. Yesterday marks the 105. anniversary of our church, and the works of some of the saints remain before us to this very day. All the stained glass windows, depicting the ministry of Christ, are dedicated in memory of particular saints. The pulpit is dedicated in memory of Marie Floerke and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heideck; The altar in memory of Henry and Katie Kramer. The 1. Baptism in this church was Grace Anna Caldwell on Easter Sunday 31. March 1918, the daughter of James Caldwell and Grace nee Herzog. She was baptized by Pastor F. Jena. The first saint in this church to enter paradise was Harry Aron Keder on Good Friday 25. March 1921 (buried Easter Monday 28. March), a young man, 21, who died from influenza. No one here knew these 2 saints, perhaps some still recall or know of the Caldwell and Keder families, but Grace, Harry and all the other departed saints in this church are known to Jesus; they dwell in fellowship with Him and are a cloud of witnesses who gather with us as we worship Christ our Lord. And our church remembers them, each one faithfully recorded in our record books: their Baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals – all there on pages dating back over 100 years. Your name is recorded too in those books, and we are thus connected with those in this congregation who have gone before us. And finally, befitting the Feast of All Saints Day, Our stained glass window of the Lord’s Supper is dedicated and loving memory to those called home, and is one of the few that has a White Friar in the corner commemorating the company that made all our stained glass windows. I encourage you from time to time to admire our windows, meditate upon Christ and remember those who before us left us with a beautiful sanctuary. There is a plaque on the wall that lists all those who dedicated particular vessels on furniture that we still used today decades later.

7. All Saints’ Day is like a family reunion. We remember the saints, and give thanks to God for them, even if it is only a name on a page or a plaque, for they are known to Jesus; this the Paschal Candle is lighted with the votive candles surrounding it, reminding us that Jesus is in the midst of His saints and those in heaven surround Him and praise Him, drawing our attention to Christ our Lord and Savior; we give thanks to God for them. Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Heavenly Father, who makes sinners into saints; since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us look to Jesus, so that in Him we rejoice for He is the Founder and Perfector of our faith. Amen. (LCMS Verse for All Saints’s Day; Hebrews 12,1a.2a)

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

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21. Trinity video

21. Trinity Divine Service III

Matthew 10,26-33. Reformation Day

Matthew 10,26-33 5820

Gedenktag der Reformation 095
Wolfgang, Bishop of Regensburg, Germany. ✠ 994
31. Oktober 2020

O Great God, Almighty and Most Gracious God, with our whole hearts we thank You, that You did lead us and our fathers up out of the darkness of the papacy, and in the latter days of this world gave the Fatherland such a mighty instrument, Martin Luther, a great light kindled by You. In the might of Your Spirit he cleansed the wells of Israel, faithfully translating the Scriptures, revealing Antichrist in all his hideousness, saving the rulers and, doing many more great deals unto the glory of Your Name and the quieting of many anxious consciences. O give thanks unto the Lord of the Sabaoth. He is gracious and bestows great gifts unto us. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He gives us His Word, together with hosts of evangelists. Let all that fear the Lord say: mercy and truth reign over us forever! You, our God, have hitherto maintained unto us the light of Your Word against every storm of error and persecution. So establish it henceforth also, and conserve that fountain of salvation, Your saving truth, unto us and our children, so that the city of God remain glad with the river thereof. Awaken us unto all godliness so that we hold fast what we have, and not fritter away our treasure through ingratitude; but, in true evangelical manner, live and move worthy of the same, and praise and magnify You, the Everlasting God, for all Your great benefactions, both here and hereafter, forever and ever.  Amen. (Löhe 513-15) 

»So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.« 

In 1519, two years after posting his 95 Theses on the power and efficacy of indulgences, Luther preached a sermon on the Sacrament of penance (as well as sermons on the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Penance and confession were important to the Church, and thus to Luther as well. He proclaimed: „For attaining such forgiveness of guilt and for calming the heart in the face of its sins, there are various ways and methods. Some think to accomplish this through letters of indulgence. They run to and fro, to Rome or to St. James, buying indulgences here and there. But this is mistaken and all in vain. Things thereby get much worse, for God Himself must forgive sins and grant peace to the heart. Some put themselves out with many good works, even too much fasting and straining. Some have ruined their bodies and gone out of their minds, thinking by virtue of their works to do away with their sins and soothe their heart. Both of these types are defective in that they want to do good works before their sins are forgiven, whereas on the contrary, since must be forgiven before good works can be done. For works do not drive out sin, but the driving out of sin leads to good works. For good works must be done with joyful heart in good conscience toward God, that is, out of the forgiveness of guilt. The true way and the right method, without which there is no other, is that most worthy, gracious and holy Sacrament of penance, which God gave her the comfort of all sinners when He gave the keys to Saint Peter in behalf of the whole Christian Church and, in Matthew 16,19, said: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. This holy, comforting and gracious word of God must enter deeply into the heart of every Christian, where he may with great gratitude let it become part of him. For the Sacrament of penance consists in this: forgiveness of sin, comfort and peace of conscience, besides joy and blessedness of heart over against all sins and terrors of conscience, as well as against all despair and assaults [Anfechtung] by the gates of hell Matthew 16,18“ (Luther 10-11.4-5). 

The  proclamation of forgiveness is the essence of Christianity (Bayer 137). The gospel is the ground of faith (Bayer 138). This gospel is proclaimed in the Sacrament of penance, for there are three things in confession: 1. absolution, 2. the forgiveness of sins and 3. faith. The gospel is a performative speech act and an effective word (Bayer 138). The absolution, I absolve you of your sins, is not a judgment that merely states what is true already, but the absolution is a speech act that creates a relationship between the one in whose name it is spoken and the one to whom it is spoken and who believes the promise (Bayer 129-30). Absolution is a promise, an active and effective spoken word that liberates us and makes us certain (Bayer 130). We should follow the example and imitate the saints by saying: „I have been baptized. I have been absolved. In this faith I die. No matter what trials and cares confront me from now on, I will certainly not be shaken; for He who said: he who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16,16) and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16,9) and this is My body. This is My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins (Matthew 26,26.28) – He cannot deceive or lie. This is most certainly true“ (Luther 8, 193-94). God is faithful in the word He speaks (Bayer 131). He has bound Himself to the promise He made to us at our Baptism (Bayer 131); He has given us the new birth of water and of the Spirit, has forgiven us all our sins and strengthens us with His grace to life everlasting (LSB 271). 

Luther’s theme with his 95 Theses and the Reformation that begin afterward was the certainty of God’s forgiveness. In Luther’s day, the Medieval Church had obscured the simple truth of Christ’s victory over evil with His crucifixion and resurrection (Kolb 11). Luther’s 36. thesis on indulgences was a hammer below: every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon. A year later Luther preached on this very theme and proclaimed: 13. It is a tremendous error when people imagine that they can make satisfaction for their sins, which God instead always forgives gratis (freely) out of immeasurable grace while desiring nothing for this grace except that one live well from then on [1] (WA 1,245). 

Luther emphasizes the certainty of salvation and forgiveness. We find this certainty in Christ and the gospel He gives. The Word, Absolution, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper give us the gospel and the certainty of forgiveness obtained by Christ. The Word and Sacraments point us to Christ who is a redeeming and merciful Savior. In Christ we see God, and to see God is to become aware of His righteousness and justice (Bayer 208) that He mercifully gives to us.  Amen. 

Let us pray. O Christ, our Sun and Shield; bestow favor and honor upon us, so that we receive by faith every good thing You give us.  Amen.

[1] Ezum dreitzhenden. Es ist ein großer Irrtum, das jemand meine, er wolle genugtun vor seine sund, so doch Gott die selben alsseit umbsunst aus unscheßlicher gnad vortzeihet, nichts darfur begehrend, dann heinfurder woll leben. Die Christenheit furdert woll etwas, alßo mag sie und Fall auch dasselb nachlassen und nichts schweres adder untreglich aufflegen (WA 1,245). 

 All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 
 Bayer, Oswald. Theology the Lutheran Way. Copyright © 2007 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
 Kolb, Robert and Arand, Charles P. The Genius of Luther’s Theology. Copyright © 2008 Baker Academic. 
 Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand. 
 Luther, Martin. D. Martin Luthers Werke, 1. Band. Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger. Copyright © 1883 Weimar.
 Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, Vol. 8. Copyright © 1966 Concordia Publishing House. 
 Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, Vol. 31. Copyright © 1957 Muhlenberg Press.

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