Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

2. Peter 3,3-14. Trinity XXVI

2. Peter 3,3-14 5924

Trinity XXVI 73

Dionysius of Alexandria, Bishop ✠ 264

17. November 2024

1. ℣ O God know, save me by/in Your Name:

℟ And judge me by/in Your strength/power (Psalm 53,3 vul lxx).

Deus in nomine tuo salvum/salva me fac:

et in virtute/fortitudine tua iudica/ulciscere me. lxx mas

O Jesus, for the sake of Your holy wounds,keep us in Your love, faithful to You unto death and die faithful to You. With You in our hearts and minds, help us to live in Your Name. Amen. (Stark 444; English 318).

2. »First of all you must know that scoffers will arrive in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say: „Where is the promise of Jesus’ arrival? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.“ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will arrive like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodieswill be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the advent of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.«

3. The Apostle Peter speaks of the promise of Christ’s second advent and parousia. He is speaking about Jesus Himself and the promise to return; Jesus is faithful to his promise. Jesus is also patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. The apostle personally experienced Jesus’ mercy and patience, and he here emphasizes the grace and patience of our Savior who provides time for repentance and salvation.

4. Some are skeptical about this. Again the apostle is likely speaking from experience. Almost 3 decades had passed from Jesus’ promise to return and the writing of Peter’s 2^nd epistle. The unbelievers were mocking the Christians for believing this foolhardy assurance. This mockery had troubled some Christians who likewise begin to become skeptical about the promise: Well, where is Jesus? Such mockery and skepticism would intensify a few years later when Nero persecuted the Christians and both the Apostles Peter and Paul would be among the Christian martyrs. And Jesus did not return.

5. Fast forward nearly 2000 years and the same mockery and scoffing continue. Our fallen human nature is impatient, more so now with all our instantaneous access to news, information and other TV programming our attention spans are even shorter. Now the 3 minute commercial break on TV shows or broadcast sports seems too long; we want the story and the game to continue now. At the heart of skepticism is unbelief: did Jesus really say He would return? If He did, then does His delay imply He is powerless to fulfill His promise? If He didn’t, then were words put into Jesus’ mouth and passed on as truth? The unbelieving scoffer and the believing skeptic might settle for either approach for it creates doubt as to Jesus’ truthfulness and power. Furthermore, it underlies the scoffer’s opinion of Christians: they are just fools to believe in Jesus. The skeptical Christian entertains such doubts, too, and that can lead laxity in Christian living or outright rejection of one’s faith in Jesus.

6. The sinful flesh is easily persuaded to live up the ungodly lifestyle. As Luther is credited with saying anecdotally: Der alte Adam wird bei der Taufe ertränkt, aber dieser Esel ist ein guter Schwimmer. The Old Adam is drowned in Baptism, but that jackass is a good swimmer. Following our own selfish desires, the Old Adam tempts us that since Jesus’ second adventure seems to be an event way into the future, then live and overindulge on the riches and pleasures of this world. The Old Adam will even remind us that wise King Solomon said the same: »And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat, drink and be joyful« (Ecclesiastes 8,15). See, the Old Adam argues, it’s in the Bible. In addition to being a good swimmer, our Old Adam is adept at eisegesis: reading into the Scriptures what it wants us to believe. Jesus and His Apostles therefore exhort us to be ready and anticipate His return, and this involves being prepared by remaining in the faith and living holy lives in service to our Lord. We’ll hear about that in next Sunday’s Gospel Lesson.

7. We long for the return of Christ Jesus, for we are wearied and burdened by false christs who promise salvation but cannot deliver it, by false prophets who offer false hope and law burdens disguised as gospel, by those who wear us down with their incessant dating of Christ’s return that are always wrong and make Christians look like fools, by those who persecute our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, by those who ridicule and defame Christians in our society and by the cares and duties of this fallen world that weigh us down as if a millstone were hung around our necks.

8. We look back at Jesus’ 1^st advent and look forward to His 2^nd advent. The law calls from us a recognition of the folly in mocking or being skeptical of Jesus’ promise to return, and exhorts us to trust Christ’s word. In doing so, we anticipate Christ’s parousia and strive to lead lives of holiness and godliness that is a transformation by the Holy Spirit that prepares our hearts for Christ. For the Christian, Jesus’ 2^nd advent is a joyous and welcomed event.

9. The pure gospel of the crucified and risen Christ soothes burdened consciences. Every generation sees its share of tribulations that threaten to overwhelm the Church. The gospel brings us this blessed assurance (seligste Versicherung): Fear not, dear Christians, fear not, for we are saved by Christ alone (solus Christus) and no one and no thing can snatch us out of Christ’s redeeming hands: not our sins, not false teachers, not the tribulations of the world and not even the Devil himself. We are free; we are forgiven; we belong to Jesus. The gospel from today’s lessons give us a real and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus promises to us an everlasting fellowship in His midst. „He wants to be pouring out some more. Faith is receiving His gifts—not receiving the Giver from the gifts, but the gifts from the Giver“ (Nagel 253).

10. Let the world and the Devil press against us with tribulations, doubts and despair! Our faith is purified in testing; our sins are purged away with the absolution. We have Christ, and He has rescued us from the fallen world and the hordes of devils that surround us. Christ is our Victor and Deliverer. Christ will return and loose the chains that bind us; He will lead us forth and cast this world behind us. With Him, the Anointed, our souls find their joy and rest appointed (Simon Dach Oh, How Blest Are They lsb 679,5). Amen and Amen.

11. O Jesus Christ! how long must we

Await Your advent’s dawning,

For people on earth fear and flee

The many plagues now spawning.

Draw nigh, O Thou Great Judge above,

And free us by Your gracious love

From every evil. Amen.

(Es ist gewißlich an der Zeit elkg 499,7 2021 Bartolomäus Ringwaldt 1582 nach der lat. Sequenz Dies ires, dies illa 12. Jh.)

This is most certainly true.

15. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

16. Let us pray. O Lord Christ, Son of the Living God, who at the last judgment wilt acknowledge all deeds of mercy to others as done onto Thee, grant in this world of sin, pain and want that we may never pass by the poor and helpless whose cry is Thine own; for the honor of Thy holy Name. Amen.

Amen. (Trinity xxvi, 2^nd Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)

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 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Micah 4,1-5. Trinity XXV

Micah 4,1-5 5824

25. Trinitatis. Trinity xxv 72

Florentia of Agde, France Martyr 303 (Diocletian, 284-311/12; persecution 302-11)

Leo I of Rome, Bishop and Teacher ✠ 461

Baptism 1968

10. November 2024

1. ℣ Have mercy on me, O Yahweh, for I am afflicted:

℟ Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from those who persecute me. (Psalm 30,10a.16b vul lxx mas).

Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam tribulor; eripe me de manu inimicorum meorum, et a persequentibus me. lxx

Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam tribulor; libera me de manu inimicorum meorum, et persequentibus me. mas

O Lord, make us to know our end and the measure of our days, that we may know how frail we are. We have here no continuing city, but we seek one that is to come. Amen. (Stark 308; English 228-29).

2. »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 it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall go, and say: „Lo, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, so that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in his paths.“ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of Yahweh Sebaoth has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.«

3. The Prophet Micah (750-686 bc) ministered to Judah’s kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He told Judah of Yahweh’s grand plan of salvation: the Messiah will bring peace among the nations, end all conflicts and establish Divine justice. When this occurs, all humanity, not just Judah, will have Jesus as their Savior.

4. We do not live in the era of this implementation of the reign of God. The 21st century is an era of endless wars, nationalistic pride and a plethora of man-made divisions that thwart God’s Kingdom. In the U.S. we have recently concluded a brutal year of Federal and State elections that pitted voters on one side or the other where neither seem willing to end the verbal attacks and vicious rhetoric. We do well to ponder the Psalmist: »nolite confidere in principibus … cui non est salus. Put not your trust in princes … in whom there is no salvation« (Psalm 145,2b.3b mas; Psalm 146,3).

5. Even in Christ’s Church there are heated and deep divisions among Christians on theological, moral and social issues. Often times this division is the result in holding to a different gospel from that in the Scriptures and having a Jesus who is antithetical to the Jesus found in the Gospels. These divisions are not easily resolved.

6. The Word of Yahweh, particularly His law, will clear the way for His gospel. His law critiques our sinful tendencies towards violence, pride and insecurity. His law calls out any attempt to impede God’s goal of peace and justice throughout the world. His law challenges our opinions about doctrine and morality if they are opposed to His Word. His law also serves as precepts and instructions for peace and righteousness which are only the result as the gift God gives to people. His law exhorts us to seek God and His Messiah.

7. As His law does its work in us and in all people, it is clearing the path for the reception of Christ and His gospel of peace. The final prophetic words spoken to Judah were from Malachi circa 430 bc: »Thus says Yahweh Sebaoth: „Lo, I will send you the Prophet Elijah before the great and awesome day of Yahweh arrives. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers“« (Malachi 4,5-6a). 400 years later John prepared the way for Jesus, and the Prophets Micah and Malachi were fulfilled. The people will hasten to the house of the Lord—namely, Christ (Cyril of Alexandria 3,222).

8. The Spirit of Yahweh draws all the nations to Christ. He draws them to the mountain of the house of Yahweh where the Angel of Yahweh redeemed all people on the cross. Divine justice was meted out at the cross. Jesus bore the justice of His Father’s wrath against sin on the cross. The righteous blood of Jesus justified us on the cross. The cross is the act by which Jesus establishes His righteousness, saves and justifies (Hummel 336). We need a God who is somewhere (Nagel); the ultimate and definitive somewhereness of God is Christ on the cross.

9. Christ rendered justice to many peoples beyond counting—namely, those who had been wronged—and justified them by mercy and faith. He cast out “the ruler of this world” and canceled his rule over us, convicting him of being unjust, unholy, murderous, an oppressor of the earth and under heaven (Cyril of Alexandria 3,224). Cast out and canceled along with the Devil are all his fallen angelic minions, every false christ and false prophet, all men and women, be they prince or pauper, who do his bidding knowingly or unknowingly, in short all who would hinder the reign of God and His kingdom. They are all of them defeated although they like to shout and prance around as if they are still large and in charge. In this temporal life, Christ still allows them to cling to what they once had so that they are still shouting and prancing. But Christ is now, at this moment, seated on His throne at the right hand of His Father. He rules and reigns from heaven through His Church on earth. „Our victory has been won; The Kingdom ours remaineth“ (lsb 656,4).

10. Our hearts for You, they truly ache,

Though in our minds, You’re ever near,

With love, You’ve managed to make.

Us yearn for You to soon appear.

You give us peace

And joy, no less,

A glorious life that’s blessed.

(Wir warten dein, o Gottes Sohn selk 504,3 2021 Philipp Friedrich Hiller 1767).

This is most certainly true.

18. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

19. Let us pray. O Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, Giver of light and life, so teach us those things which belong to the heavenly kingdom and those duties which are of the earth that we, stirred by the light and life of the peace of God, may be enabled faithfully to do the things committed to us, looking ever unto Thee for light and life that, being lifted above ourselves, the life of God in the soul of man may be ours, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding may then keep our hearts and minds. Amen. (Trinity XXV, 1^st Vespers Collect. The Daily Office).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Genesis 18,20-33. Trinity XXIII

Genesis 18,20-33 5724

Trinity xxiii 70; All Saints 82

Pirmin, Abbot, Bishop and Apostle of Alsace, Upper Rhine and Danube ✠ 753

3. November 2024

1. ℣ I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh:

℟ Thoughts of peace, and not of affliction, so that I give you hope and peace (Jeremiah 29,11 vul).

Ego enim scio cogitationes quas ego cogito super vos, ait Dominus:

cogitationes pacis et non afflictionis, ut dem bovis finem et patientiam. lxx mas

Give me an obedient heart, O Heavenly Father, that I may not offend my parents or knowingly and willingly grieve them. Guard me, lest by disobedience and obstinacy I bring on myself the curse and unhappiness with which wicked children have been threatened, but let it be well with me here in time and there in eternity. Amen. (Stark 197; English 174).

2. »Then Abraham said: „O let not Adona be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found in Sodom.“ He answered: „For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.“«

3. This past Friday the church commemorated the Saints on All Saints day. The exact date moved about the liturgical calendar until it finally settled on 1. November. As early as 373 the Church set a day aside remembering the saints. In 417 it was on the Friday after Easter. Boniface IV (608-15) moved it to 13. May in 610, then a century later Gregory III (731-41) moved it to 1. November, and Gregory IV (827-44) reaffirmed this date a century later; and so it has remained on this date for the Western Church. As Lutherans, we remember all the commemorated martyrs and saints throughout the year on that day.

4. Martin Luther chose the eve before All Saints Day to post his 95 Theses in 1517. He specifically chose this date because 1. November was when Frederick the Wise brought out his 19,000 relics of the saints for people to venerate and reduced time off from purgatory. Luther Theses had the relics and indulgences squarely in its sight for critique. In 1530 the Lutherans confessed this about the saints:

1] Concerning the Worship of Saints our churches teach that the memory of saints may be set before us, that we may follow their faith and good works, according to our vocation, as the Emperor may follow the example of David in making war to drive away the Turk from his 2] country. For both are kings. But the Scripture does not teach the invocation of saints or to ask help of saints, since Scripture sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Propitiation, High 3] Priest and Intercessor. He is to be prayed to, and has promised that He will hear our prayer; and He approves this worship above all, namely, that in all afflictions He be called upon, 1. John 2,4] 1: If any one sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, etc. (Augsburg Confession XXI,1-3)

5. Clement of Alexandria said: A true Christian is always pure for prayer when the Christian also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and is never out of their holy keeping and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him in prayer (Miscellanies 7,12; Ante-Nicene Fathers 2,551).

6. Martin Chemnitz wrote:

and the saints live with Christ and know that God has „foreseen ... that apart from us they should not be made perfect,“ but must wait „until the number of their servants and their brethren“ on earth „should be complete,“ these are pious and good thoughts, that the blest in heaven, although they may not see the particular circumstances of individual persons living on earth, are nevertheless in a certain way of their own concerned about the general condition of the church, of which they know that it is fighting on earth under the cross, because they themselves have experienced how many and great are the difficulties and miseries of mortal life, and that they therefore are of good will toward the living, as their own members, and that they desire and wish all good things from Christ, in whose presence they live, so that those on earth, preserved and set free from evil, may be transferred to the society of the heavenly Fatherland. Such pious and good thoughts we neither disapprove nor condemn (Examination of the Council of Trent Vol. 3, 368-69).

7. All this brings us roundabout to Genesis 18. Abraham and his family fear, love and trust Yahweh; Lot and his family also fear, love and trust Yahweh. They were righteous on account of Yahweh, and thus they were saints. But Lot’s family lived in Sodom. Even saying the name of the city evokes images in our minds of their depravity and wickedness. How vexed and tormented Lot’s family must have been living amongst those who feared neither God nor man! The cries of their victims had reached the height of heaven where Yahweh sat on His throne. Like the wickedness of Noah’s day, the wickedness of Sodom, Gomorrah and the other cities in the valley had to be punished.

8. Christians living 4000 years after Abraham and Lot are likewise vexed and tormented by the vile wickedness and depravity often on public display in Western civilization. Like the citizens of Sodom, our culture’s wickedness is often proudly boasted. God merciful steadfast love stays His avenging hand upon this nation’s many evils. He is longing for repentance, but those who test His mercy too long and take it for granted do so at their own peril, as the Psalmist proclaims: »For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man« (Psalm 5,4-6).

9. But Abraham pleads: »„Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?“« The prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5,16). Thus have all the saints down through the ages petitioned God to spare the wicked, bring them to repentance and give them faith in Christ.

10. Now Abraham stopped at 10. What if he had asked God to spare the cities for the sake of 5 … or even just a single, solitary righteous person?

11. Indeed, for the sake of one, God the Father did indeed spare the wicked world. It was His Heilsgeschichte (salvation plan) all along, and the Son of God had appeared to Abraham to promise Sarah and him that a year following the destruction of the cities their son would be born; they named him, Isaac. The very Deity who spoke to Abraham would one day, thousands of years later, be incarnate in human flesh from the line of Isaac to redeem all poor miserable sinners such as you and me.

12. God gives, and we are given to (Norman Nagel). Lot and his family were given to by God deliverance from destruction. Abraham and Sarah were given to by God joyous laughter at the birth of Isaac. Bound men under the law laugh at others; free men under the gospel laugh at themselves (Norman Nagel). When we are given to the gifts of God we laugh with joy and thankfulness. We deserved Sodom’s destruction, but we have been given our Redeemer’s rescue.

13. God gives to us His Word of promise. God gives to us Baptism’s flowing water of forgiveness. The Son of God gives to us His own body and blood in His Supper. God gives to us the joyous words of Absolution. God gives to us the inheritance as sons and daughters of our father Abraham and our mother Sarah. God gives to us the gift of His righteousness. God gives to us the gift of being His saints. What is there to do but laugh at the bountiful giving-ness of our merciful steadfast loving Triune God!

14. My heart with joy is springing;

I am no longer sad.

My soul is filled with singing;

Your sunshine makes me glad.

The sun that cheers my spirit

Is Jesus Christ, my King;

The heaven I shall inherit

Makes me rejoice and sing.

(Ist Gott für mich, so trete elkg 529,15 2021 Paul Gerhardt 1607-76)

This is most certainly true.

16. Let us pray. Grant, O God, that the meek and humble spirit of the lowly Jesus may dwell and reign within our hearts, and in following the steps of His most holy life may we enjoy that peace which passeth all understanding and know the power of Thy Spirit, bearing witness with our spirits that we are indeed Thy children. Amen. (Trinity xxiii, 2^nd Matins Collect. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠