Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: May 2015

Thursday, May 28, 2015

John 14,23-27. Pentecost

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

John 14,23-27 2915

Pfingstsonntag 043

Esther, Queen. Johanna, Lk 8,3; 24,10.

Menaen, Prophet. Acts 13,1. Vincent of Lerins, France ✠ 450

24. Mai 2015

1. O Holy Spirit, Comforter of sent by the Father, draw near to renew this world and create peace through the fire of Your Divine Love so that we manifest the power of Pentecost each day in Your Church. Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for Pingstsonntag § 1)

2. »Jesus answered Judas (not Iscariot): „If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.“

3. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be sent to remind the apostles of everything He had taught them. The apostles then wrote these teachings down for the Church in the Gospels and the Epistles.

4. „These new testament Scriptures teach us that the Holy Spirit shall be our Comforter in temptation and our Advocate in the mediation between God and the world. He shall bear witness that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the old testament Scriptures in His crucifixion and resurrection. For through this message the Holy Spirit leads people to saving faith in God“ (Wenz ¶ 20).

5. There is a wealth of teachings in the pages of the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. There’s history and wisdom, poetry and prose, heroes and villains, virtue and vice, depths of wickedness and heights of righteousness, oppression and redemption, sin and grace, law and gospel in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Even if we memorized every verse in the Bible, there is no guarantee that we would understand it all and properly interpret it. Just browse Bible commentaries in any bookstore and you will soon discover how many diverse theologians arrive at many different interpretations on particular Bible verses. In Jesus’ day, the scribes and Pharisees could recite any verse in the Bible and offer many applications for it in the lives of people, but they failed to comprehend that the wisdom of Scripture is focused on the Christ. They had Jesus in their midst, spoke with Him and debated the Scriptures with Him, but they could not see that the Scriptures pointed to Him.

6. Therein lies a great promise for each of us, for every congregation and the universal Church. The Holy Spirit wants to enlighten our understanding, so that we not only learn the things of this world, but that we especially comprehend the light that is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit wants to be our Helper, our Comforter and our Physician in all our spiritual needs (Wenz ¶ 22).

7. St. Luke the Evangelist records for us one of the sermons the apostles preached on the first new testament Day of Pentecost: »„Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the Patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that He would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.“ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: „Brothers, what shall we do?“ And Peter said to them: „Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.“ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls« (Acts 2,22-24.29-33.36-39.41).

8. The Holy Spirit reminds each person through the preached Word that humanity is sick. The diagnosis is that every man and woman has a sickness called sin. It is a chronic and terminal condition that afflicts our body, mind and soul. Left untreated, sin will kill a person. The treatment for sin is Jesus. He has cured sin, and sin cannot develop a resistance to Him. Jesus has a 100% success rate for those sick with sinfulness.

9. The Holy Spirit teaches us that the pages of Scripture tell us about our diagnosis and our cure. Whether the Bible is discussing history, reciting poetry recounting the valiant deeds of heroes, the Holy Spirit tells us that all of that is part of Him revealing God the Father’s salvation plan (Heilsgeschichte) for men and women.

10. The Apostle Paul counseled Bishop Timothy: »No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments« (1. Timothy 5,23). Here the apostle recognizes the health benefits of some wine. Jesus also used wine for the institution of the Lord’s Supper so that the Holy Sacrament is also a beneficial prescription for us. Lutheran Reformer and theologian Martin Chemnitz writes: „For this medicine [of Christ’s body and blood] has been prepared and provided for the sick who acknowledge their infirmity and seek counsel and help“ (Chemnitz 131-32). Taken together with Holy Baptism and the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives us three means of grace that promise us God’s forgiveness and loving-kindness. The remedy for sin is the Word and Sacraments which give us Christ, and when we have Christ we have the one who paid sin’s debt and redeemed us back to our Heavenly Father. Where the Word is preached and the Sacraments administered, there is the Holy Spirit and there is God’s mercy and grace for us to receive.

11. In Acts 2, thousands heard the gospel proclaimed and believed in Jesus. They were baptized and received into Christ’s Church. The same happened to each of us. The Holy Spirit has created faith in our hearts, secured it and nurtured it over the years. His tireless work gives us the certainty of our salvation, a certainty that is grounded solidly upon Christ Jesus and supported by the Holy Spirit.

13. The Apostle Paul proclaims: »If God is for us, then who can beagainst us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written: For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered [Psalm 44,22]. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord« (Romans 8,31-39). This is the proclamation the Holy Spirit creates understanding in on Pentecost and every day. Amen.

14. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You send forth Your Spiritso that faith is created and renewed. Draw near, Holy Spirit, to fill the hearts of Your faithful and ignite in us the fire of Your Divine love. 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 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Luke 24,44-53. Christ's Ascension

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 24,44-53 2815

Christi Himmelfahrt 41 weiß

Possidius, Bishop of Calama in Numidia, Tunisia ✠ 430.

17. Mai 2015

1. O Holy and Eternal Holy God, Your Only-begotten Son opened the heavens at His ascension. O Eternal God, Your heavens are near. We pray: Enter into our midst, and assure us that You are still present with us, so that we may remain steadfast in the faith when during the temporal sorrows that afflict us as we await our resurrection and ascension to be in everlasting fellowship with You. (VELKD, Prayer for Christi Himmelfahrt § 1). Amen.

2. »Then Jesus said to the apostles: „These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, so that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.“ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them: „Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.“ Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

3. This morning we celebrate Christ’s ascension, which is a transition from the forty days of resurrection appearances and teachings to the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Christ’s ascension is the culminating fulfillment of His Heavenly Father’s will as found in the Holy Scriptures, namely that the Christ must suffer and rise again. The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms all speak of this ministry that Christ undertook, for Jesus arrived upon this earth to redeem us back to God the Father. With the actual redemptive act completed, He then returned to heaven.

4. So important is His ascension, that our church prominently portrays this event in a large stained glass window above the narthex doors. In this stained glass window, Christ’s ascension is majestically portrayed as Jesus ascends into heaven to be seated at His Heavenly Father’s right hand, which is the place of Divine power and authority. Every earthly and spiritual power must yield to Christ. The wealthiest people on earth and the most majestic angels must kneel at His feet. Christ has no creaturely equal or superior; He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

5. Jesus leaves His disciples and His Church with numerous gifts at His ascension, not limited to: I. the understanding of the Holy Scriptures, II. the sending of the power from heaven and III. finally His blessing (Wenz ¶ 4), but let us focus our meditation this morning upon the blessing of the Holy Scriptures.

6. The proper understanding of the Scriptures from Genesis to the Revelation of John is that all of these books are about Jesus Christ. The prophets, the evangelists and the apostles unanimously proclaim the salvation history (Heilsgeschichte) of Christ Jesus. The Scriptures summarize this history by telling us that »the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in His Name to all the nations.« We see this promise already in Genesis 3,15 where Jesus comforts Adam and Eve with this gospel proclamation: »Satan will strike My heel, but in the process I will crush his head.« Moses said the Christ would descend from the tribe of Jacob: »A star will arrive from Jacob, and a scepter will rise from Israel« (Numbers 24,17). The Prophet Daniel saw the Glorified Christ in a vision: »As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and went out from before Him; a thousand thousands served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there arrived one like a son of man, and He went to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and a reign, so that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His reign is one that shall not be destroyed« (Daniel 7,9-10.13-14). These particular Scriptures, and all the rest of the Bible, speak of Jesus.

7. The Church therefore preaches the gospel in season and out of season (2. Timothy 4,2), and this proclamation begins with the historical facts, namely, that Jesus, the Son of God, suffered and was crucified on the cross in our place as the payment for our sin and sinfulness. When He had fully paid the price of God’s wrath against the sins of the world, Jesus died. He then rose on the third day in victory over death, hades and the grave. The preached Word, however, is not merely aimed at our minds with historical facts, but the preached Word is also aimed at our hearts (Wenz ¶ 18). The Holy Spirit uses the preached Word to convict us of our sinfulness, urging us to repent of our sin and believe in God’s forgiveness through Christ Jesus. God’s salvation history (Heilsgeschichte) is a victorious salvation: God’s wrath has been appeased, sin has been paid for and there is now no condemnation (Romans 8,1). Faith in Christ believes and trusts this gospel promise that on account of Christ we do not receive God’s condemnation but we receive His justification; in Christ we are right with God and we are right before God.

8. Christ desires us to understand the Scriptures. To this end He provides for the preaching of His Word and He sends the Holy Spirit to give us the proper interpretation of the Word. Our salvation takes on an heavenly dimension when Jesus ascends back to heaven. There He is seated at the right hand of God the Father where He rules His Church and all the universe as the Son of God. Christ’s ascension and His heavenly throne show us His omnipresence and omnipotence.

9. Jesus continues His high priestly duties upon His throne. The Epistle to the Hebrews informs us:

»Behold Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest who has ascended to heaven. Let us boldly draw near to the throne of grace so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need« (Hebrews 4,14.16). »Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens« (Hebrews 7,25-26). »For when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for His feet« (Hebrews 10,12-13).

9. „Jesus’ ascension does not mean that He has gone away. Before Jesus ascended, He promised that wherever we may be He is with us. The difference is that after the ascension, Jesus does not show us Himself anymore, or at least not until the next time, which will be the end of the world or when we die, whichever comes first“ (Nagel 145 ¶ 5). „So the ascension does not mean that Jesus has gone away. Quite the opposite. He is with us now even more powerfully than when men saw Him. We live, then, in the presence of our ascended, ever-present Lord. Because He is with us, we cannot be destroyed. Jesus has made the way to victory for us. He leads us that way, gives us strength and courage for it, and finally brings us to the bright cloud of heaven. We go on, then, from the ascension as did the first disciples “with great joy” (Luke 24:52) (Nagel 146 ¶ 8).

10. We often imagine heaven as some far-off location up in the sky beyond our reach. If only we could build a tower tall enough so that we could grasp the hand of God .... But Christ has shown us that heaven is nearer than we perceive. He has pierced the veil that separates heaven from Earth, for we cannot ascend up to meet Him so He has descended to dwell among us, and in doing so comforts us with the truth that God is in our midst. Christ has ascended to His heavenly throne, but He is still present among us. Where Christ is, there is heaven (ELKB), and where heaven is, there are His blessings, which we partake of every time we gather in His Name around the Word and the Sacraments. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, You are exalted at the right hand of Your Father as the Lord: valiantly extend Your right hand so that we are preserved in the true Christian faith unto eternal life. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Saturday, May 16, 2015

John 16,23b-28.33. Rogate

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

John 16,23b-28 [29-32] 33 2715

Rogate (5. Sonntag nach Ostern) 040 weiß

Comgall, Abbot at Bangor, ✠ 601.

10. Mai 2015

1. O Jesus Christ, Thou desires fellowship with us, we call upon Your Name, confess You to be our God and Savior, look to You for providence, for You stand by our side when trials and tribulations arrive so that we may be safely guided though them by Your omnipotence. Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for Rogate § 1)

2. »Jesus said to His disciples: „In that day you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full. I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is arriving when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My Name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I arrived from God.I arrived from the Father and have descended into the world, and now I am leaving the world and ascending to the Father.“ His disciples said: „Ah, now You are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You arrived from God.“ Jesus answered them: „Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is arriving, indeed it has arrived, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have said these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.“

3. Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer in today’s pericope. So lets ask the first question: what is prayer? A: Prayer is speaking to God; it consists prayers, supplications and thanksgivings that we speak to God (Philippians 4,6). Jesus promises in today’s pericope that His Father hears and answers our prayers.

4. Jesus even taught us how to prayer and what to ask for in our prayers. The Lord’s Prayer contains specific petitions to bring before God.

5. The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invocation: »Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy Name.« With this invocation Jesus tenderly invites us to believe that He is our True Father and that we are His true children, and so with boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their father or mother for something. The relationship God has with us is as a father to a child. God created us, protects us and preserves us. God provides everything we need to live. Now God is our Father in two ways. 1. God is the Father of all people, believers and unbelievers alike. Jesus said: »God makes His sun rise on people whether they are evil or good, and He lets rains fall on them whether they are righteous or unrighteous« (Matthew 5,45). 2. God is the Father of all Christians that is unique from His relationship with all unbelievers. God is our Father, Jesus is our Brother and we are all brothers and sisters to one another because we are each a son or a daughter of God, for we have been baptized into His heavenly family. Therefore, we pray to God who is in heaven, and this phrase assures us that our heavenly Father is Lord over all things, sees our needs, hears our prayers, and daily and richly provides for us out of His merciful, Divine Providence.

6. Jesus next teaches us the petition that God’s Name is hallowed and holy. The psalmist records God’s exhortation to us: »Call upon Me in the day of trouble, for I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me« (Psalm 50,15). We hallow God Name when we call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks. Praying to God in every circumstance is to treat His Precious Name with holy respect.

7. Next we pray for God’s kingdom to arrive and for His will to be done on earth. In this petition we ask God to give us the Holy Spirit so that we believe His Word and lead godly lives as children in His kingdom of grace. We ask here that we live with the certainty that God’s kingdom is now here upon the earth and that God is in control of every great and small event in our lives and in the history of humanity. Jesus also tells us what God’s will is: »My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day« (John 6,40). Thus God’s will is done in our lives when He hinders the plan of the devil, the world and our sinful flesh which all attempt to destroy our faith in Jesus and walk a path that is against God’s commandments and His grace. Thus, we are certain that God’s kingdom arrives and that His will is done on earth, for God Himself guarantees that His means of grace establish and sustain His kingdom and will. The Prophet Isaiah records what God had said to him: »My Word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it« (Isaiah 55,11).

8. In the 4. petition we ask for our daily bread, which is simply everything we need in this earthly life to live and prosper. The psalmist speaks of daily bread when he writes: »The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing« (Psalm 145,15-16). Daily bread is not only food and drink necessary for our nourishment, but also includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as clothing, shoes, house, home, lands, animals, money, goods, a devout spouse, children and workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors and many other similar things.

9. The 5. petition deals with forgiveness. We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor deny such petitions on account of them, for we are worthy of non of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we daily sin much, and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we truly, on our part, also heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who sin against us. This is why our Divine Service is prefaced with the preparatory rite where we confess our sins and receive Christ’s absolution for those sins. The law reveals God’s wrath, and the gospel promises His grace. The psalmist assures us: »Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin« (Psalm 51,). »For if You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness«, and this forgiveness is merited by Christ Himself for each one of us. As God in Christ has forgiven us, so we in Christ forgive others. Jesus teaches: »I tell you, you shall not forgive your brother who sins against you a mere seven times, but you shall forgive him seventy times seven« (Matthew 18,21-22). We thus forgive as Paul teaches: »Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you« (Ephesians 4,32).

10. The 6. and 7. petitions exhort us to pray: »Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.« Here Jesus teaches us to petition God to protect and us from the devil and his evil machinations. Thus, we pray in this petition that God would guard and deep us so that the devil, the world and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair and other great shame and vice. Furthermore, we pray that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour arrives, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. God in Christ has triumphed over the devil. Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan, and He did not sin. Instead, He put the devil to flight and He sends His holy angels to uplift us and support us when the devils try to tempt us to despair of God’s love and mercy. Ultimately, Jesus triumphed over the devil when He was crucified and rose from the grave. Jesus paid the price for sin, ransomed us from the devils tyranny and tore asunder hades’ gates and opened the graves so that we may be assured of our forgiveness, salvation and eternal life with the Triune God and all the Christian host of heaven.

11. God does not deliver us from every temptation or misfortune. Sometimes He intervenes and rescues, but other times He allows the circumstances to follow their logical course. In both instances, God is in control over it all, and all outcomes further His agenda and His good and gracious will. Nevertheless, He watches over us, protects us and sends His angels to minister to us throughout our daily lives. What God told St. Paul in a revelation remains true for us today: »My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong« (2. Corinthians 12,9-10). In this, we follow in Christ’s footsteps. »The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men« (1. Corinthians 1,25). »For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved the word of the cross is the Power of God« (1. Corinthians 1,18). »God chose what is low and despised in the world to bring to nothing things that are« (1. Corinthians 1,28). Thus Christ arrived lowly and humble, God made flesh, to suffer, be crucified, die and be buried. Christ humbled Himself in order to save us. Christ rose from the grave, and in doing so glorified Himself in order to glorify us. Thus we boast in Christ our Lord (1. Corinthians 1,31).

12. Christ is the Humbleness of God and the Glory of God. He is our Brother and our Savior. All things are in His hands. He bids us to pray to Him, rely on Him and petition Him for all good things. God the Father will do all this, and much more, for us because of Christ Jesus, His Son, our Lord.

13. Jesus Christ is our Amen and God’s Yes. »For all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His Glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee« (2. Corinthians 1,20). Truly, Yours, O Lord, are the Greatness, the Power, the Glory, the Victory and the Majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as Head above all (1. Chronicles 29,11). Amen, Amen and Amen!

14. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, blessed are You, for You do not rejected our prayers or remove Your steadfast love from us! Keep us in Your thoughts so that we may overcome all the trials and tribulations that this world throws against us as Your Christian people who trust in Your glorious resurrection. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Matthew 11,25-30. Cantate

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 11,25-30. Luke 10,21-22 2615

Kantate (4. Sonntag nach Ostern) 39 weiß

The Discovery of the Cross by Helena in 329

3. Mai 2015

1. O Jesus Christ, our Good and Gracious God, we sing praises to You, for we trust in You and we know that You perform great wonders in our midst so that we may remain safe in Your Providential Hands. (VELKD, Prayer for Kantate § 1). Amen.

2. »At that time Jesus declared: „I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will.All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Draw near to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me that I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your lives. For My yoke is pleasant, and My burden is light.“

3. What greater news is there than to hear Jesus declare: »All things have been handed over to Me by My Father.«? Our American culture prides itself on handling things on our own, relying on our personal rugged individualism and romanticizing the Manifest Destiny attitude that tamed much of this land, particularly the Wild West. We are loathe to admit it, but there are many situations in our lives that are just beyond our control. We cannot not resolve them by the ingenuity of our hands. We become tossed to and fro by the various storms that batter our lives. We are labored and heavy laden. Jesus has received these situations, and much more, into His hands.

4. What are some things in our hands that are beyond our control? Sickness and illness often spiral out of our control when a simple ailment suddenly becomes serious or life-threatening. Financial and economic downturns can become serious hardships. Different religious beliefs can degenerate into persecution and martyrdom of Christians. There are times when our sins overwhelm us, weigh down upon us and lead us to utter despair. Our yokes are heavy and burdensome.

5. Into these and many other situations Jesus offers: »Draw near to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.« Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. Jesus takes our heavy yoke of guilt and sin. In return, He gives us His yoke which is light and restful. The way to find rest is to trade the heavy burden of sin and failure for Jesus’ own yoke (Gibbs 590), for His yoke is pleasant and His burden is light.

6. But what is Jesus’ yoke? A: His yoke is nothing other than to become a disciple of Jesus (Gibbs 590). The Gospel according to Matthew tells us many things about being Jesus’ disciple. Jesus preached: »Repent, for the reign of heaven is at hand« (Matthew 4,17). »Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods rose and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock« (Matthew 7,24-25). »The reign of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field« (Matthew 13,44). »Simon Peter confessed: „You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed and on the third day be raised« (Matthew 16,16.21). »Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My Name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life« (Matthew 19,29).

7. The yoke of Christian discipleship may seem daunting but it is far lighter and more pleasant that the weight of our sins and the guilty conscience that attends them. The joy of Jesus’ yoke is that it is His yoke and a yoke that He Himself gives us from His gracious and loving heart. There are no demands to earn salvation by racking up points by doing good works. There is no probation when a prodigal returns home. Jesus’ yoke is the weightlessness of grace. »God the Father shows the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, for by grace we have been saved through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God the Father prepared beforehand so that we should walk in them« (Ephesians 2,7-10). »But while the prodigal son was still a long way off, his Father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. The Father then said to His servants: „Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this My son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.“« (Luke 15,20.22-24).

8. Christ’s yoke is less like a collar of servanthood and more like a ring of sonship. St. Paul tells us: »If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise. You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God« (Galatians 3,29.4,7).

9. The symbol we often use of Christ’s yoke is the cross or the crucifix. This reminds us of the burden Christ took from us and bore upon Himself. »Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; and with His wounds we are healed. Yahweh has placed upon Him the iniquity of us all« (Isaiah 53,5.6). All things have been handed over to Jesus by His Father, and we are the beneficiaries of that grace and mercy. Our sins are forgiven. Our debts have been paid in full. We never face a trial or tribulation alone, for Jesus is by our side often carrying us through it when we can no longer walk. If we wander away, then He welcomes us home as His son or daughter. Jesus’ yoke is pleasant and light, for it is a yoke of grace and mercy. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, our Burden-bearer, we shout for joy to God, sing the Glory of Your Name, for You have risen from the grave and in doing so have made us heirs of Your resurrection unto everlasting life. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Thursday, May 28, 2015

John 14,23-27. Pentecost

Luke 24,44-53. Christ's Ascension

Saturday, May 16, 2015

John 16,23b-28.33. Rogate

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Matthew 11,25-30. Cantate