Acts 2,41-47. 7. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Acts 2,41a.42-47 3816

7. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  052  

Jeremiah, Prophet, 629-580 bc

10. Juli 2016 

1. О Lord God, Heavenly Father, who in the wilderness did by Your Son abundantly feed four thousand men besides women and children with seven loaves and a few small fishes: We beseech You, graciously abide among us with Your blessing, and keep us from covetousness and the cares of this life, so that we may seek first Your reign and Your righteousness, and in all things needful for body and soul, experience Your ever-present help; through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, world without end.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 7. Sn. n. Trinitatis) 

2. So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe fell upon every person, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 

3. In the Book of Acts St. Luke the Evangelist summarizes the liturgy of the Early Church: apostolic preaching, the Sacrament of the altar and prayers. This is the basic outline of our Divine Service found in our Lutheran hymnals; we have the Scriptures read and proclaimed, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and we conclude with prayers. Added to this liturgical rite is the prepatory rite of confession and absolution. 19. Century Bavarian Lutheran pastor Wilhelm Löhe described the Divine Service as a mountain with two peaks: the Word and the Sacrament (Agende xiv). „In public worship the Church experiences an especial nearness to God; she approaches into the very presence of the Bridegroom, and tastes the blessedness of Heaven even here below“ (Agende xi). „Our Lord serves us today through His holy Word and Sacraments. Through these means, He comes among us to deliver His forgiveness and salvation, freeing us from our sins and strengthening us for service to one another and to the world“ (Lutheran Service Book viii). 

4. The first mountain peak is the preached Word. We climb this peak with and Introit from a Psalm, and an  Old Testament, New Testament and Gospel reading. Then there is a sermon proclaiming a portion of the Holy Scriptures, usually in the Lutheran tradition on the Sunday’s Gospel pericope or on of the other Lectionary reading for that day. The proclamation of the Holy Scriptures dominate the first half of our Divine Service. 

5. The Scripture, from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, is about Jesus Christ. In general, the Old Testament prophesizes the arrival of Jesus and the New Testament proclaims what He did when He had arrived. The defining moment in Jesus’ ministry is His crucifixion and resurrection. We preach Christ and Him crucified for the salvation of the world (1. Corinthians 2,2); this is what the apostles taught and preached two thousand years ago. „And this brings us to another reason why we need the word of the Apostles: It is not merely interesting information, but it has power to work saving faith, which is no illusion, but communion with the living Christ. No, this belief does not just arise by spontaneous combustion, but arises only because the apostolic word is taught and preached“ (Martens ¶ 8). 

6. The Church gathers together in fellowship and communion around the Holy Scriptures and this communion fellowship is further strengthened by partaking together the Lord’s Supper. Christians are not lone wolves in their faith; we need to gather together to worship Jesus and encourage one another. This gathering together finds its ultimate expression when we come to the altar rail and receive the body and blood of our Lord in, with and under the bread and the wine. The read and preached Scriptures take us to the Lord’s Supper where we hear again the words of our blessed Savior: »Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me. Drink of it, all you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.« The Apostle Paul says of these words of Jesus: »For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He arrives« (1. Corinthians 11,26). What St. Paul teaches is that: „Yes, the Holy Supper is about salvation again and again: for salvation from eternal death, to participate in the new, eternal life and to communion with Christ who takes away everything that could separate us from God“ (Martens ¶ 9).  

7. Finally the Church gathers to pray. The Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to pray when gathering for worship.  »Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, so that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel« (Ephesians 6,18-19). »Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God« (Philippians 4,6). »I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, Godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior« (1. Timothy 2,1-3). Our prayers flow from the centrality of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus has taught us to pray. 

8. We thus gather each Sunday around the apostolic preaching, the Lord’s Supper and the prayers of the Church. In doing so we are joined together in a great terrestrial fellowship wth all Christians gathering in churches around the world, and furthermore we are in fellowship with angels, archangels and all believers in God’s Paradise. As the Holy Spirit uplifts us and encourages us with the gospel of Jesus Christ each Lord’s Day, let us uplift and encourage each other with love flowing from faith in Jesus.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, from the rising of the sun to its setting, Your Name is praised; grant us the Holy Spirit guide us upon the right path of the faith and uplifting others in prayer so that all hear the gospel and are changed by it.  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.  

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith. Copyright © 1902 Frank Carroll Longaker. 

Lutheran Service Book. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. 

Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 18. July 2010 | Acts 2,41-47 | 7. Sunday after Trinity. Copyright © 2010 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2010. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.