Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: January 2022

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Matthew 8,5-13. Epiphany III

Matthew 8,5-13 1022

3. Sunday after Epiphany 17

Emerentiana, Virgin, Martyr in Rome 304

23. Januar 2022

1. ℣ Worship Him, all ye His angels: Zion heard and was glad. (Psalm 97,7b-8)

℟ The daughters of Zion rejoiced: because of Thy judgments, O Yahweh.

O Lord God, Thou art abundant in mercy; pour upon us Your truth and grace, so that, always continuing in Thy salvation which You give us solely by grace, we respond by joyfully singing Hallelujah. Amen. (Lobt Gott den Herrn, ihr Heiden all elkg 295,2 2021)

2. »When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached Him, appealing to Him: „Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.“ And He said to him: „I will go and heal him.“ But the centurion replied: „Lord, I am not worthy to have You stay under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one: ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another: ‘Arrive,’ and he arrives, and to my servant:‘Do this,’ and he does it.“ When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him: „Truly, I tell you, I have not found such faith with anyone in Israel. I tell you, many will arrive from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the reign of heaven, while the sons of the reign will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“ And Jesus said to the centurion: „Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.“ And the servant was healed at that very moment.«

3. Jesus turning water into wine is the first miracle set before us in Epiphany; the healing of a paralyzed servant is the second miracle in Epiphany. The first miracle was performed among the Jews, and the second miracle was performed among the Gentiles. Both miracles occurred in Galilee.

4. The Gospel of Matthew describes Galilee by quoting the Prophet Isaiah (9,2; 60,1-3): »Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great Light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a Light has dawned« (Matthew 4,15-16). The Divine Light of the Messiah has shown upon the Gentiles, that is, the nations, as Jesus heals the centurion’s servant. This Light unto the nations will continue to shine upon them throughout the Gospels, and various Gentiles will be drawn to Christ Jesus throughout His public ministry.

5. While this miracle is quite astounding, the real emphasis in this pericope is faith and authority. This centurion has spent his career in the military with its order and discipline. He is under authority with orders issued to him, and he also issues orders to his subordinates. He has faith that these orders will be carried out. He knows that Jesus is also one under authority and likewise issues orders to His disciples. Jesus likewise has faith that these orders will be carried out.

6. Jesus affirmed this in the Gospel according to John: »Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life« (John 5,19-24).

7. Our sinful nature struggles to trust Jesus. Sometimes we want to trust in ourselves. The old American idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps reinforces this in us. Or perhaps we don’t want to bother Jesus with all the minutiae in our lives. Can He really be concerned about all these problems and concerns in my life? Surely He has more pressing and important matters to attend to. Faithful men and women in the Bible struggled with trusting God from time to time. Jesus’ words in John 5 and Matthew 8 bring us comfort.

8. The simple words of the centurion speak of the depth of his trust and faith in Jesus: But only say the word and my servant will be healed. The centurion’s word had power to do things and Jesus’ word had even greater power to do even greater things. God’s word spoke creation into existence, and Jesus’ word spoke healing to the slave.

9. Isaiah prophesied 700 years before the events in Matthew 8 occurred: »For thus says Yahweh: „I am Yahweh, and there is no other. And there is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other“« (45,18.21-22). Isaiah proclaims 24 times that the nations, the Gentiles, will acknowledge the Glory of Yahweh, believe in Him and be saved. Isaiah proclaims: »It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations will flow to Mt. Zion« (2,2); »I am Yahweh; I called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a Covenant for the people, a Light for the nations“« (42,6); »I will make Israel as a light for the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth« (49,6).

10. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the great mystery of the faith is God in the flesh (1. Timothy 3,16). The Roman centurion perceived that Jesus was no mere man, but someone who had the blessing of God and the power of God’s word to do mighty, miraculous deeds. Jesus is the Light for the Gentiles. By the power of His spoken word He healed the centurion’s servant. By the power of His proclaimed gospel faith is created and sustained. By the power of His words of institution His body and blood are really present in, with and under the bread and the wine. Jesus’ word has the power to forgive sin and raise the dead. Jesus’ word has the authority to open the gates of heaven so that all who receive and believe in Him may enter in and enjoy eternal salvation.

11. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone

And rests in Him unceasing;

And by its fruits true faith is known,

With love and hope increasing.

For faith alone can justify;

Works serve our neighbor and supply

The proof that faith is living. (Salvation unto Us Has Come lsb 555,9)

11. Es ist gerecht vor Gott allein,

der diesen Glauben fasset;

der Glaub gibt einen hellen Schein,

wenn er die Werk nicht lasset;

mit Gott der Glaub ist wohl daran,

dem Nächsten wird die Lieb Guts tun,

bist du aus Gott geboren. (Es ist das Heil uns kommen her elkg 525,6 2021 P. Speratus 1523)

11. Faith clings to God alone,

and is righteous in Him unceasing;

faith brightly shines and is known,

with good works ever increasing;

Faith in God does justify,

and love will for the neighbor supply,

For you are born of God.

This is most certainly true.

12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, as the Magi were not afraid of any hardship or danger when they were following the star, may we also put all our trust in Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we may devote our talents to the advancement of Your kingdom of grace and faith. Amen. (Veit Dietrich, Summaria christlicher lehr, 1548; Stratman 32-33).

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.

Saturday, January 22, 2022

1. Corinthians 2,1-10. Epiphany II

1. Corinthians 2,1-10 0922

2. Sonntag nach Epiphanius 16

Marcellus, Bishop of Rome, Martyr 310

16. Januar 2022

1. ℣ Yahweh loves righteousness and justice;

℟ The earth is full of the steadfast love of Yahweh (Psalm 33,5).

O dear Jesus Christ, The only Savior; send to us Your heavenly gifts, so that whether we suffer hardship or rejoice in blessings, we trust in You and have a well-built foundation. Amen. (In dir ist Freude elkg 538,1 2021).

2. »And I, when I arrived to you, brothers and sisters, did not arrive proclaiming to you the testimonyof God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except ^zJesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, in fear and much trembling, ⁴and my speech and my message was not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him— [Isaiah 64,4] these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.«

3. The Gospel pericope for today recounts for us the first miracle performed by Jesus: He turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana, Galilee. In doing so, Jesus manifested His Glory (John 2,11), and that is what an epiphany is: the manifestation of one’s glory. After this manifestation, His apostles believed in Him (John 2,11).

4. God tells the Corinthians about another manifestation of Jesus’ glory. Paul says that it is the most important epiphany of Jesus: Christ crucified. Paul decided to know nothing among them except for Jesus’ death on the cross. Paul than quotes to them the Prophet Isaiah to point to the importance of the cross »What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him« (1. Corinthians 2,9; Isaiah 64,4). »No eye beheld a God besides You. And Your works which You should do to the ones waiting for mercy« (Isaiah 64,3 lxx). »No one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, who acts for those who wait for Him« (mas).

5. There are 3 versions of this verse: the Masoretic, the Septuagint and what Paul writes in his letter; they all use a different verb at the end: those who wait for Him; those waiting for mercy; those who love Him. The Masoretic is vague as to exactly what sort of action God is about to do for those waiting for Him. In the Old Testament, God acts in one of two ways: He shows mercy or He brings judgment; the context of Isaiah 64 is that the people are waiting for God’s mercy, and that is how the Septuagint interprets it by adding the word mercy. Paul, however, is giving a paraphrase of this verse to the Corinthians and he says God has prepared for those who unconditionally love Him, again implying God has prepared to be merciful to them.

6. Putting these 3 together we arrive at a beautiful portrait: for those who unconditionally love God, He has prepared for them His mercy. How do we know this? What if God wants to be malicious instead of merciful to us? We have certainly earned His wrath, judgment and punishment. How can we certain of God’s gracious opinion of us? Paul points the Corinthians, and us, to the cross. There, at the cross, we see the heart and intent of God for men and women! Christ’s glory is on full display upon the cross. God is with us; God has taken our place and our punishment. The greatest epiphany of Jesus is His crucifixion.

7. Christ crucified shows us a merciful God, an unconditionally loving God, a forgiving God. Our salvation, our justification, our righteousness all rest solely in the power of God, and that power was manifested by Christ Jesus Himself.

8 Alas this Christ crucified remains a stumbling block to those who demand signs and foolishness to those who seek wisdom. The crucified Christ is not the sign unbelievers want as proof, nor is it the wisdom they seek, in their quest to find and comprehend God. The crucified Christ is too earthy, too raw, too humble and too violent. How is God suffering and dying in humiliation on the cross as a condemned criminal a sign of Divine power or Godly wisdom? The crucified Christ literally begs to be mocked by unbelievers, and so it has been throughout the past 20 centuries. Some take it to the ultimate extreme, like Friedrich Nietzsche did when he proclaimed with hubris in 1882: God is dead! God remains dead, and we have killed him.… Our hearts overflow with gratitude … and expectation (The Gay Science 80; 148). Western civilization is still reaping the rotten, putrid fruit from the seed nature planted 140 years ago with man imposing his will and morality in place of God’s. It doesn’t shock surprise me that Nietzsche went insane in 1889 a mere 7 years after he uttered those infamous words of his.

9. Paul assures us that the Holy Spirit has revealed to us that the crucified Christ is indeed the one, true sign and the definitive wisdom God has given to men and women of all ages and every culture. The crucified Christ shows us the depths of God, and it assures us that in Christ Jesus we are reconciled and redeemed before Him. The crucified Christ is our triumph song!

10. O Christ, Eternal Truth, God’s Image,

You reveal the Father to us,

You descended to earth’s vale

With the knowledge of God’s ray. (elkg 396,3 Du Morgenstern, du Licht vom Licht).

Almighty Father, in Your Son

You loved us when not yet begun

Was this old earth’s foundation!

Your Son has ransomed us in love

To live in Him here and above:

This is Your great salvation.

Alleluia! Chirst the living,

To us giving

Life forever,

Keeps us Yours and fails us never! (lsb 395,4 O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright) This is most certainly true.

11. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

12. Let us pray. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that You would be gracious to us and send us the Holy Spirit so that we would receive the light of Your truth, be frightened by no trouble or danger, and gladly offer You our worldly treasures, so that your Christendom may be bettered and Your Son Jesus Christ served. Amen. (The Pomeranian Church Order and Agenda 285,2; Stratman 32-33).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Friday, January 14, 2022

Isaiah 42,1-9. Epiphany I

Isaiah 42,1-9 0822

1. Sunday after Epiphany 15

Julian the hospitable and Basilissa, his wife, Martyrs 313

9. Januar 2022

1. ℣ I will make Him the Firstborn,

℟ The Highest of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89,27).

O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Divine Truth; may Your teaching shine brightly upon us, so that You draw our hearts unto Yourself. Amen. (Du höchstes Licht, ewiger Schein elkg 389,2 2021)

2. »Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; ³a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for His torah. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: „I am Yahweh; I have called You in righteousness; I will take You by the hand and keep You; I will give You as a Covenant for the people, a Light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am Yahweh; that is My Name; I give My Glory to no other, nor My praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have happened, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.“«

3. On the Feast of Epiphany we remember that the star guided the Magi to Jesus in Bethlehem. This is the fulfillment of the Prophet Isaiah who proclaimed: »Gentiles shall come to Your Light« (Isaiah 60,3). Isaiah earlier called this Christ the Covenant and the Light.

4. Yahweh had given Israel His covenant with them at Sinai. A key component of this covenant was the forgiveness of sins. This was later established at the temple in Jerusalem. Here Isaiah says the Christ Himself is a Covenant for the people. Why this personification of the covenant? A: Israel was notorious for breaking the covenant Yahweh had made with them at Sinai. Yahweh speaks of this through the Prophet Jeremiah: »Behold, the days are coming, declares Yahweh, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. … For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more« (Jeremiah 31,31-33.34c).

5. In today’s Gospel pericope Jesus tells his parents: »It is necessary that I am among the things of My Father« (Luke 2,49). Years later, Jesus taught the crowds: »Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished« (Matthew 5,17-18). Jesus is the Covenant made flesh; He is the one who redeems us before God the Father by obtaining the forgiveness of sins.

6. Yahweh is the Light for the Gentiles. He opens the eyes that are blind and brings out those who are imprisoned in darkness. Fallen humanity is certainly blind and seated in the darkness. People either reject God outright and forge their own path to enlightenment in their search for meaning, or they will follow one of a myriad of philosophies or religions to gain enlightenment and peace. What is also common is to pick and choose from many sources in an attempt to make a workable belief system that satisfies the questions they seek to have answered. But as fallen men and women we can never arrive at the point where our fallenness is adequately addressed.

7. Jesus is the Covenant for His people Israel. The covenant given to Moses at Sinai was to prepare Israel for the advent of the Messiah. With His arrival, Jesus fulfilled and completed the Mosaic covenant, beginning with the blood He shed in His circumcision. Having fulfilled the Sinai covenant, Jesus instituted a new covenant with Israel that is centered upon Himself and His vicarious sacrifice for all sin. Jesus is also the Light of the Gentiles. All those lost in darkness and ignorant of God’s plan to save fallen humanity now have a Light of salvation revealed to them. Jesus is the Divine answer to expectations and questions that every culture throughout time has asked; the Divine fulfillment of those aspirations are universal (Pelikan 34).

8. Behold, Jesus is Immanuel – God is with us! That is His Name, and He gives His Glory to no other, for He is the Christ and our Savior.

9. This day, O God, Your Son most dear

Let shine steadily o’er us clear,

So we who were born blind, may

Now still be a child of the day (Du höchstes Licht, ewiger Schein elkg 389,4 2021). This is most certainly true.

9. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord God, Almighty and Eternal God, Heavenly Father, on [Epiphany] You revealed Your only Son Jesus Christ to the Gentiles through the leading of a star. Graciously grant that we may know Him in true faith and be led by Him to the revelation of Your glorious Light. Amen. (The Pomeranian Church Order and Agenda, 1854 p. 285.1; Stratman 32).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Saturday, January 8, 2022

1. John 1,1-4. 1. Sunday after Christmas

1. John 1,1-4 0722

1. Sonntag nach dem Christfest 9

Abel. Genesis 4,1-2,8
Seth. Genesis 4,25

Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe, Pastor, ✠ 1872

2. Januar 2022

1. ℣ Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace:

℟ For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation (Luke 2,29-30).

O Almighty God, we heartily pray Thee, grant that we may know and praise Thy dear Son as did St. Simeon, who took Him up in his arms and spiritually knew and confessed Him. Amen. (Luther 53,132).

2. »That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.«

3. The Apostle John proclaimed that Jesus is the Word of Life. John furthermore says Jesus is the Word of eternal life, and he preaches that salvation is only by Jesus’ Name. Mary and Joseph name her firstborn Jesus; this is the name the angel told them to give Him. The angel told Mary: »You shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of Him kingdom there will be no end« (Luke 1,31-33). Shortly thereafter the angel told Joseph: »Mary will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins« (Matthew 1,21).

4. God the Father’s wonderful and merciful gift to the world, however, is dismissed and rejected by many. Part and parcel with this rejection is one’s underlying philosophy. There are 2 main philosophical schools that Westerners have been taught and educated in:

i Modernism: no need for Divine revelation; we can know God by reason;

ii Postmodernism: no need for Divine revelation; we cannot know God by reason but we know Him by positive or negative emotional experiences.

Because many hold as truth that they do not need God’s revelation of Himself to mankind in the Bible, it follows that Jesus whom He sent will likewise be disregarded, particularly because Jesus and the Church consistently point people back to the Scriptures. Without the Bible as a foundation, men and women default to either reason or emotional experience to either make sense of God or to completely remove Him from reality. When God and the Scriptures are removed it then becomes an inevitable, and sometimes fast-paced, destination to a person taking the place of God by exerting their own will as the standard by which all things are established and measured. In the end, any talk of compassion, tolerance or equity falls by the wayside because the drive for power and control is the underlying foundation in the heart of every fallen man and woman.

5. Into this fallen, corrupted world bent on power and exercising one’s will over everyone else God sent His Son. Whereas humans attempt to exercise their power and will in the world, God actually projects His power and will in the world. He does so completely out of goodness, love and mercy. He tells Mary that she is going to bear the Son of God, and she is told what name to give Him. There is salvation in no one other than Jesus, for it is only Jesus who has the power and will to save the fallen human race.

6. As the old calendar year has changed over to a new year, we begin 2022 hearing that Jesus saves us, and His name literally means Yahweh saves: ישוע ;יהושע —> Ίησους —> Iesus.

7. The Old Testament ends by saying: »Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the great and awesome day of Yahweh arrives. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction« (Malachi 4,5-6). The New Testament begins by saying: »The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham« (Matthew 1,1). The Old ends promising the advent of the Messiah and the Prophet who would prepare His way; the New begins by saying the Old is fulfilled in the birth and presentation of Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13,8).

8 We enter 2022 knowing that Jesus is our Savior, He has purchased our forgiveness and He is a Merciful God. Whatever 2022 has in store for us on this planet Earth, we are certain that Jesus is with us and will be with us the whole year through with His gospel of grace and salvation.

9. Rejoice, dear Christians, all around,

Sing praise to God with a clear sound,

Yes, sing with thankfulness and rhyme

To the Lord in your heart at all times (lsb 382,1 Freut euch, ihr lieben Christen all). This is most certainly true.

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Almighty and Eternal God, every good and perfect gift comes from You. We thank You for all Your benefits, spiritually and physically, which You have given us in the past year. In Your goodness, grant us a favorable and joyful new year, defend us from all dangers and adversities, and send on us the fullness of Your blessing. Amen. (Ober-Lausitz Agende, 1695 p. 282.3; Stratman 31-32).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Matthew 8,5-13. Epiphany III

Saturday, January 22, 2022

1. Corinthians 2,1-10. Epiphany II

Friday, January 14, 2022

Isaiah 42,1-9. Epiphany I

Saturday, January 8, 2022

1. John 1,1-4. 1. Sunday after Christmas