Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

Acts 16,23-34. Cantate

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Acts 16,23-34 2618

Kantate 039

Tychicus and Asia, disciples of St. Paul. Acts 20,4

29. April 2018

1. О Christ Jesus, Your resurrection brings us comfort, focus our attention on Your all sufficient ransom and perfect redemption, so that we take heart that death cannot harm us for You have conquered death (Starck 89). Amen.

2. »And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice: „Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.“ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said: „Sirs, what must I do to be saved?“ And they said: „Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.“ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.«

3. The Apostle Paul had been preaching in Philippi, Macedonia, a prominent Roman colony. All was going well until Paul exorcised a girl with the spirit of divination. With the spirit gone, the girl lost her fortune-telling ability and her owners were now losing the revenue she had made for them. These men convince the magistrates to throw Paul and Silas into prison. That night an earthquake struck and the doors of the prison and their shackles are opened. The distraught Philippian jailer thought all the prisoners under his watch had escaped and he was about to kill himself for his dereliction of duty as a Roman soldier.

4. Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel pericope: »Draw unto Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest« (Matthew 11,28). This is precisely the sort of gospel the Roman jailer needed to hear, and Paul proclaimed it to him. In that very moment, a dying jailer is snatched from death into life. The power of the preached Word saved him and his household. The Apostle Paul preached this gospel; a man and his family heard it, believed it and they were saved.

5. What is this gospel, these powerful words (like runes), that create faith in Jesus? The gospel begins with: »Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.« Then Paul and Silas speak the word of the Lord to the jailer and his family. Luke is vague in Chapter 16 as to exactly what Paul preaches about who Jesus is. At other places, Luke is more specific as to the gospel Paul preaches. In Acts 17, Luke tells us that »Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead. This Jesus is the Christ« (Acts 17,2-3). In his epistles, Paul tells us with his own words the gospel he preaches: »We have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not justified by works of the law« (Galatians 2,16). »I proclaimed to you Christ crucified, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and that He appeared to His apostles and disciples« (1. Corinthians 2,2; 15,3-6). It is this Jesus that Paul preached to the jailer and his family; they heard and believed, for faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10,9.17).

6. Paul and Silas gave this Roman family certainty (Gewißheit) and certainty is exactly what the gospel of Christ crucified is all about. People need certainty in their lives; we live much easier knowing there is a set of certainties we can count upon in a chaotic world that has numerous uncertainties and is renown for throwing us unexpected curveballs. To make matters worse, God Himself may seem uncertain and hidden. When we ponder God, we often envision Him in His revealed glory. We want the God in the Burning Bush, the Voice from Sinai or the Pillar of fire and smoke guiding us with undeniable visibility and clarity. Yet, God does not always reveal His Glory. The Prophet Isaiah affirms this: »Truly, you are a God who hides Himself« (Isaiah 45,15). The Prophet Elijah found God revealed not in a mighty wind, an earthquake or a fire, but rather hidden in a low whisper (1. Kings 19,11-13). „God hides in order not to be found where God wills to be found. But God also hides in order to be found where God wills to be found“ (Paulson 366).

7. The hidden vs. the revealed God finds its juxtaposition and culmination in Christ’s Passion. His apostles couldn’t comprehend how or why the Christ must suffer, be killed and on the third day be raised (Matthew 16,21-22). The Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers mocked Him: »If you are the son of God, then come down from the cross« (Matthew 27,40); »If you are the king of the Jews, then save yourself!« (Luke 23,37«. How could God suffer and die for men and women? Why would He? While some Roman gods die in their myths, they certainly don’t die while attempting to save mankind. The Jews likewise held the belief that God does not and cannot die. When Jesus tells them that He was going to be crucified, the Jews exclaim: »We have heard from the Torah that the Christ remains for ever! How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up and crucified« (John 12,32-34).

8. The Scriptures do state that the Christ will suffer and die in order to redeem men and women. The Serpent will bite the heel of Christ (Genesis 3,15). A viper’s bite is poisonous and deadly. The Christ would be a Suffering Servant who would be lifted up and His appearance would be marred beyond human semblance (Isaiah 52,13-14). Jesus then explains why God must die: »When I am crucified, then I will draw all people to Myself« (John 12,32). This proclamation is the theme for the 3. verse of the well known hymn Lift High the Cross with it energetic conclusion: „So shall our song of triumph ever be: Praise to the Crucified for victory! Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred Name“ (LSB 837,6).

9. Paul and Silas lifted high the crucified Christ and a Roman family was saved. That family then lifted high the crucified Christ, they were baptized and they rejoice in fellowship with a meal. This morning we have lifted high the crucified Christ with our worship and prayers; we have heard His gospel in Scripture and hymn. This gospel assures us of our salvation. We hear it, we’ve been baptized, we have received it, believe it and rejoice in it. Only Jesus forgives and saves. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Risen Christ, all the earth sings the glory of Your Name; we also praise You and we ask that You shoulder our heavy burdens alongside us or, if You will, bear them entirely for us, so that we receive Your light burden which is manifested in the reality of Your resurrection, that we are comforted and at peace of Christian discipleship that teaches us to trust You in all things. 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.

Paulson, Steven D. „Luther on the Hidden God.“ Word & World, Vol. XIX, No. 4 Fall 1999. https://wordandworld.luthersem.edu/content/pdfs/19-4_God_and_Evil/19-4_Paulson.pdf

Saturday, April 28, 2018

2. Corinthians 4,16-18. Jubilate

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

2. Corinthians 4,16-18 2518

Jubilate 038

Soter and Caius, Bishops and Martyrs at Rome 177 and 296

22. April 2018

1. О Christ Jesus, Thou True Vine who sustains us, grant our will a greater conformity to Yours, so that we have a better and more sincere intention to do everything for Your Glory. Amen. (Starck 92)

2. »So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is utterly corrupt, our inner man is being made new day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal.«

3. In our Gospel pericope today, Jesus proclaims: »I am the Vine and you are the branches« (John 15,5). The Apostle Paul describes this reality with a different image: the outer man and the inner man. The outer man is thoroughly and utterly corrupt, and the inner is totally and completely holy. Martin Luther described Paul’s teaching with the phrase: A Christian is a saint and sinner at the same time (Luther 232).

4. Jesus, Paul and Luther are describing human nature. Paul and Luther described the inner conflict Christians experience as to which will shall prevail. Will the sinful outer man prevail or will the holy inner man? Will our thought, word or deed be sinful or will it be holy? Paul explains why too often our sinful outer man triumphs: »I have the desire to do what is right, but I do not have the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but rather I do the evil I do not want to do« (Romans 7,18-19). Luther expounds on Paul, saying: „A Christian is righteous and a sinner at the same time, holy and profane, an enemy of God and a child of God“ (Luther 232-33). This is the daily struggle each Christian suffers as we seek to live holy, sanctified lives pleasing to the Lord.

5. The Apostle Paul gives us good, apostolic counsel: we do not lose heart. Paul knows that we are connected to Jesus. He is the Vine, we are the branches of that Vine and we receive our strength and sustenance from Christ the Vine. Jesus abides in us, and we abide in Him. Therefore our old sinful flesh will eventually yield to the eternal glory of our new resurrected flesh, for the payment for this exchange has been made by Jesus; „His righteousness is ours, and our sin is His“ (Luther 233). »Christ has been raised from the dead, He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Just as we have born the image of Adam, the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of Jesus, the Man of heaven. Our perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. Death will be swallowed up in victory, and Death will lose its sting, for God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ« (1. Corinthians 15,20.49.53-55.57).

6. Jesus proclaims: »I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit« (John 15,5). The first fruit to be born is the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, and from this all other fruit is born through Him. The afflictions we must endure and suffer on this Earth are temporary. They are a light burden that Christ shoulders with us so that they prepare us to bear the greater weight and everlasting glory that Jesus will present to us a wreath of glory. In this, Jesus is also the first fruits: He wore a crown of thorns at His passion (Matthew 27,29) and when He returns on the last day He will be wearing a golden crown (Revelation 14,14). Thus the apostles tell us: »There is reserved for us the crown of righteousness which Christ will award to all who have loved His appearing« (2. Timothy 4,8); »blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, for you will receive the crown of life, which Christ has promised to those who love Him« (James 1,12); »do not fear what you suffer, and be faithful unto death, and Christ will give you the crown of life« (Revelation 2,10).

7. Saint Paul concludes his 2. Epistle to the Corinthians with the exhortation to examine themselves, to see whether they are in the faith (2. Corinthians 13,5). We can summarize the Christian faith with six points as Luther does in his Small Catechism: I. The 10 Commandments, II. The Apostles’ Creed and III. The Lord’s Prayer. These three form the core of what Christians know and believe. The Commandments show our sinfulness, that we need a savior and how a Christian is to live under God’s will. The Creed teaches that there is 1 God comprised of 3 Persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit: this God created and preserves us, purchased our forgiveness, justifies us and finally sanctifies us in holy living. The Christian faith furthermore teachers about: IV. Holy Baptism, V. The Lord’s Supper and VI. Confession of sins. Christians are baptized in the Name of this Triune God, receive the Lord’ Supper often and confess their sins and are absolved. These means of grace bring us the gospel and keep our faith grounded and focused upon our Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The central pillar of our faith is the suffering, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and 2. advent of Christ Jesus.

8. As Christians united in the one faith and believing in the same Lord Jesus, we aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with each other, live in peace and greet one another as brothers and sisters in Christ (2. Corinthians 13,11-12). „Holy Eastertide is a time of joy for Christians, for we rejoice from our hearts in our risen Jesus. We rejoice because our redemption is completed. For, after Jesus who had offered Himself to make satisfaction for us, has been raised from the dead, a complete ransom has been paid for us! God is reconciled and has accepted the death of His Son in place of our death and has granted us life for His sake…. We rejoice because we have received the seal and assurance of the gracious forgiveness of our sins, of our peace with God and know that we can fearlessly approach God and that He, in turn, will approach us“ (Starck 88). In this we hope and believe, yes, we have the certainty of forgiveness and salvation through Christ our Lord. Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Risen Christ Jesus, who has conquered evil; preserve the lives of Your baptized people so that in this temporal life we withstand the assaults of this fallen world upon our faith. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

All quotations from the Book of Concord are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12. Edition © 1998 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Monday, April 16, 2018

1. Peter 5,1-4. Misericordias Domini

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

1. Peter 5,1-4 2418

Miserikordias Domini 037

Anastasia and Basilissa, Martyrs under Nero 66

15. April 2018

1. О Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd, bless us with your gifts of grace, so that we may reap the sweetest fruit from them, increase in knowledge and be a witness to others of the gospel (Starck 87). Amen.

2. »So I exhort the pastors [πρεσβυτέρους] among you, as a fellow pastor and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight [ἐπισκοποῦντες], not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.«

3. As the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit, people believed this gospel. Churches were established, and the apostles ordained pastors to carry on the work of the gospel in those congregations. The Apostle Peter, whose pastoral work bore much fruit in Rome, and whose preaching was the material from which Mark the Evangelist wrote his Gospel, exhorts pastors to exercise oversight over their churches. He uses the verb ἐπισκοποῦντες (episkopountes) from which we get the noun ἐπισκοπος (bishop). Thus the Lutheran Confessions argued from Holy Scripture that all pastors are bishops and all bishops are pastors (Treatise § 60-64).

4. The apostles charge pastors to exercise oversight in the churches so as to lead the people unto eternal life. This episcopal task involves several aspects. First, it means to ensure that the Holy Scriptures are read and preached at the Divine Service, for the Apostle Paul proclaims: »So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word (ῥήματος, rhematos) of Christ« (Romans 10,17). Second, it means that the forgiveness of sin is given to the people through the Sacraments: people are baptized, they receive the Lord’s Supper and their sins are absolved. Third, it means that the liturgy of the Divine Service is followed. Such liturgy should be doctrinally pure and faithful to the traditions handed down since the apostles. Fourth, it means that the law and gospel should be proclaimed. Sinners should be lead to the confession of their sins by examination under the law, and then they should be absolved by the promise of the gospel.

5. Jesus is the gospel in the flesh and this is clearly seen in John 10 where He proclaims: »I am the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep« (John 10,11). When this gospel of Christ crucified is preached, then forgiveness and eternal life is preached as well. Christ was crucified in our place and He bore our sinful judgment, thus He offered Himself up as a vicarious sacrifice. Christ laid down His life to save ours; He rescues the sheep who are lost.

6. The Apostle Peter tells us that the apostles and pastors (πρεσβυτερος) tend the flock of the Good Shepherd. They do so by pointing the Church to Christ and exhorting the Church to look to Christ. Christians are to humble themselves under God (1. Peter 5, 6), cast their anxieties on Him (1. Peter 5,7), discipline themselves (1. Peter 5,8) and keep alert to the temptations the Devil will attack them with (1. Peter 5,8). The apostolic foundation for these exhortations is the new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1. Peter 1,3).

7. The apostles established a threefold ministerium to help them proclaim the gospel: bishops, presbyters and deacons. Bishops and presbyters administered the spiritual needs of the church and deacons administered the physical needs of the church. All worked together to ensure the gospel and charity were available for everyone. After Ignatius (died 108) this three-fold ministry became universal throughout the Church.

8. The preaching of the gospel accords with sound doctrine and has as its goal die Heilsgewißheit (the certainty of salvation). This certainty is that you were once lost but now are found. In His Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus declares: »Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep that was lost. Just so, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents then over 99 righteous people who need no repentance« (Luke 15,6-7). The Gospels reveal that Jesus diligently and patiently searches for those who have gone astray. This caused a division among the Pharisees. Some thought Jesus had a demon or was insane, but others thought He had His authority from God (John 10,19-21). Jesus was not deterred and He further said: »My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never ever perish and no one will snatch them out of My hand« (John 10,27-28. The Apostle Peter affirms that this is the end result of faith in the gospel: »When the Chief Shepherd appears, then you will receive the unfading wreath of glory.« And also the Apostle Paul: »There is reserved for all who have loved Christ’s advent the wreath of righteousness, which He will reward to us on the last day« (2. Timothy 4,1.8).

9. Christ cares for His Church through His bishops and pastors. We do so by teaching Scripture, administering the Sacraments and praying so that each Christian remain soundly in the verdant pastures of the Lord. In Christ you are justified, and through the Holy Spirit He works out your sanctification (holy living) from justification. It is all by Christ and His merits that are applied to you. You are now dead to sin, alive in Christ and the bearer of holy living all through the gospel that ends in eternal life with its unfading wreath of glory. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd; send forth the Holy Spirit to our church and in our lives, so that we know we are Your sheep and follow You in both faith and sanctified living. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

A Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope.

Monday, April 9, 2018

Colossians 2,12-15. Quasimodogeniti

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Colossians 2,12-15 2312

Quasimodogeniti 036

Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, ✠ 170

8. April 2018

1. О Risen Savior, Thou who gives the wreath of life, keep us grounded in the hope of Your resurrection, so that neither height nor depth, death nor life, angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to arrive, nor any other creature ever separate us from Your love, fellowship and our union with You. Amen. (Starck 87)

2. »Having been buried with Christ in Baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Christ from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Christ.

3. The Apostle Paul proclaims that in Christ, and on account of Christ, God the Father has forgiven all your trespasses and has canceled the entire debt of sin you have against Him. Paul had received this promise and this authority from Christ Himself as His apostle. Today’s Gospel Reading recounts how Jesus appeared before His disciples on the evening of Easter where He said to them: »„Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them: „Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, then they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, then it is withheld.“« The proclamation of forgiveness is the powerful gospel message of Easter.

4. The Apostle Paul declares that by the cross all trespasses have been forgiven and the entire debt of mankind has been paid in full. Christ Jesus died for the sin of the world; He has redeemed every man, woman and child. The Lord’s Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) has been completed in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

5. Nevertheless, many do not believe in God’s redemption for they lack faith. They are like the apostles on Easter Sunday: they have heard the gospel of Jesus but they think talk of His resurrection from the dead is foolishness. They are like the Apostle Thomas, who when hearing the gospel from his fellow apostles, adamantly refuses to believe their eyewitness testimony. Unbelief refuses to receive Yahweh’s promise of salvation and forgiveness.

6. And yet, is common to hear the cry of people: Why does a loving God send people to Gehenna (hell)? A Loving God does not send people to hell. A Loving God has done everything necessary to close hell’s gates to men and women. A Loving God has sent His Only Son to suffer, die and rise again in order to redeem mankind. The only ones who should be in hell are the Devil and his angels, for its eternal fire was prepared particularly for them (Matthew 24,41), but the Holy Scriptures are clear: many men and women will be condemned to hell. God does not damn people; unbelief damns a person. If someone refuses to believe and receive Christ as his or her Savior from sin, death and the Devil, if someone refuses the Loving God’s gift of eternal life by the merit of Christ, then a Loving God has no choice but to affirm such a person’s stubborn refusal of His gracious love and give them exactly what they truly want: eternal separation from a Loving God who has spared no expense to save him or her. The abode set aside for those who want no fellowship with God is Gehenna.

7. The Apostle Paul furthermore tells us: »Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them.« The Lord Jesus appears to His apostles and shows them His hands and His side. He appears to Thomas, and declares: »Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.« (John 20,27). It is as if Jesus says: „Behold, My hands and side. See where the nails and spear pierced My body. Behold, My risen and resurrected body!“ Jesus does not want a person to be an agnostic or an atheist; He wants people to believe in Him. All the apostles beheld the risen God with their eyes and they proclaimed Him throughout the world.

8. »Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed« (John 20,29). Blessed are those who have heard the gospel that Christ rose on Easter and have believed. Blessed are those who receive Jesus’ body and blood in the Lord’s Supper and believe that they are forgiven. Blessed are you for your faith in the risen Jesus!

9. Your Christian faith does not exist in a vacuum. You and I are merely the latest generation of believers that stretches back to the apostles, to the prophets, to Abraham and to Adam and Eve. Our church is one of many that exists around the world from Europe to Africa and Asia. Thomas and the other apostles preached the risen Christ and set the foundation for the New Testament Church with their proclamation and their martyrdom. The apostles saw and touched the risen Christ and they preached Him in lands far and wide.

10. The catholic and apostolic gospel that was preached disarmed rulers and authorities, both temporal and spiritual, so that the Church triumphed in land after land. This marvelous gospel changed people’s lives, altered the course of nations and influenced cultures. The Holy Spirit works where the forgiveness of sin is preached and salvation is proclaimed in the Name of Christ, His vicarious death and His glorious resurrection. Therefore, the apostles preached, baptized, administered the Lord’s Supper and absolved in the Name of Christ and by His command and institution. Pastors and bishops continue to perform these apostolic acts in, and for, the Church today.

11. You are now a new creation. Jesus triumphed over Death and the Grave (hades) to become the first to receive a resurrected body. Death is no longer a defeat nor is it the end. Eternal life follows physical death. Again, Christ is the first and all humanity will follow. First, the disciples who went to Christ’s tomb on Easter: Mary Magdalene was the very first human being to behold and to hold the risen Jesus. Thomas and the other apostles saw Jesus’ hands and side that still bore the marks of His crucifixion. You have been raised up a new creation in your Holy Baptism. You now bear the royal and mighty Name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Today you bear testimony to the gospel of Christ and His resurrection. Tomorrow you have the opportunity to be a part of God’s restoration of His creation every time you give witness to the world and your neighbors that in Christ you are a new creation that is forgiven, holy and saved. Do not let the world rob you of this wonderful joy. Do not let the devil cast doubt upon the love that Yahweh has for you. Remain steadfast in your Baptism, and hold true to the gospel that marks you as one redeemed by Christ. Amen.

12. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Risen Lamb who had been slain; keep us grounded in this faith on Your Resurrection, so that when the world and our sinful flesh seek to draw us back to the darkness and misery of unbelief then we may soar high in the heavens certain and overjoyed in the hope that as You are risen and live forever, so too will we. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Monday, April 2, 2018

Easter Monday. Luke 24,13-35

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24,13-35)

Antiphon

℣ We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and His might,

℟ and the wonders that He has done.

Collect of the Day

O God, in the paschal feast You restore all creation. Continue to send Your heavenly gifts upon Your people so that they may walk in perfect freedom and receive eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

1. Samuel 2,1-2.6-8a. Easter Sunday

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

1. Samuel 2,1-2.6-8a 2218

Ostersonntag 034

Hugo, Bishop of Grenoble, France. ✠ 1132

1. April 2018

1. О Christ Jesus the First-born from the dead, help us to realize the happiness that arrives from Your return to life, so that we rejoice and receive the promise of our resurrected life that is the result of Your resurrected life (Starck 86). Amen.

2. »And Hannah prayed and said: „My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides You; there is no rock like our God. The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them He has set the world.« »The fool says in his heart: „There is no God.“ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good« (Psalm 14,1).

3. The account of Easter morning in the Gospel according to Mark highlights a belief that had been in the Jewish faith from its beginning with Abraham. Made Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome were the first human beings to see and confess Jesus’ resurrection. This puts them squarely in the Biblical tradition as taught in the Old Testament. 1000 years earlier the Bible tells us about Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, who would one day anoint David as the king of Israel, who confessed her Jewish faith by saying: »The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to the grave [Sheol] and raises up.« The Holy Gospels tell us that the same faith in the resurrection was part and parcel of the Judaism of Jesus’ day. Martha affirmed this when she’s said to Jesus: »I know that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day« (John 11,24).

4. Martha’s confession squares with ours: the resurrection will occur at some distance, future time went on the last day Jesus returns and raises up all the dead back to life with a physical body. The Prophet Hosea records this resurrection more poetically as he quotes the Lord Himself: »I will redeem you from the grave and rescue you from death. O Death, I am going to be a pestilence to you. O Grave, I am going to be a sting to you« (Hosea 13,14). Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome believed that on the last day the Lord would raise them and all people back to life, but they did not expect to see a resurrected Jesus when they went to His tomb. All they knew was Jesus would be raised, but that would be on the last day as the First-fruit of the resurrection. These women went to the tomb early Sunday morning to finish burying Jesus because He had been put in His grave with great haste on Friday afternoon as the Sabbath rest was fast approaching and they were unable to complete their task. They expected to see the corpse of Jesus in the cave still hastily wrapped with the shroud and the veil covering His head and face.

5. The expectation of these 3 women was no different from that of the other disciples and apostles of Jesus. The Holy Gospels tell us that these noble women are prominent disciples of Jesus. Mary Magdalene (who is the only lady mentioned by name in all 4 Gospel accounts of Easter Sunday) was a woman from whom Jesus had exercised 7 demons. She was a wealthy woman who had supported Jesus’ ministry. The other Mary was the mother of James, and this James was an apostle of Jesus. Salome was the wife of Zebedee and thus the mother of James and John, two more apostles of Jesus; according to Christian tradition, Salome and the Virgin Mary were sisters, and that makes the apostles James and John 1. cousins of Jesus and further explains why on the cross Jesus told this John, His cousin, to care for the Virgin Mary (ref). This is the very Apostle John who wrote the Gospel bearing his name, three Epistles and Revelation. These women traveled with Jesus as disciples, heard His teachings and saw His miracles. They confessed Jesus to be the Messiah and King of Israel; they expected to find at the corpse of Jesus still in His tomb.

6. What these women saw at Jesus’ tomb was both disturbing and exhilarating. First it was disturbing. Let’s examine what they saw using an example we are more familiar with. They arrive at Jesus’ mausoleum and notice that the lock has been broken and the door is swung open. Inside they find the body is gone and the suit He had been wearing has been left behind, but then they see a young man in a white suit who tells them Jesus has risen. Their disturbing feeling now becomes exhilarating for they rightly perceive that they are beholding angel’s work.

7. Just as angels were used to first proclaim the birth of Jesus so angels were used to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus: »Jesus was crucified, but He has risen. He is not here. Go to Galilee and tell His disciples« (Mark 16,6-7). Their response? The women fled from the tomb for trembling and astonishment had seized them« (Mark 16,8). Their response is nothing that should surprise or shock us. Trembling and astonishment seize people in the Bible whenever they draw near to the Living, Holy God (Wenz ¶ 11-12). These women experienced the aftermath of a Divine miracle and thus they rightly were afraid of God’s Almighty power. When Jesus Himself appeared to His apostles later that day their response was the same: they were startled and terrified (Luke 24,36-37). 3 years later when Jesus appeared to Paul near Damascus, Paul fell to the ground and those traveling with him stood speechless (Acts 9,4.7).

8. Christ’s resurrection first leaves us frightened of His Divine power, but then His resurrection gives new hope to those who were frightened and lets them now participate in eternal life (Wenz ¶ 3). Jesus has the power to lay down His life and the power to take His life up again (John 10,17). The Apostle Paul tells us: »Christ has been raised from the dead, the First-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as Adam brought death, so also Jesus has brought the resurrection of the dead. For as an Adam all die, so also in Jesus all we made alive« (1. Corinthians 15,20-22).

9. Mark ends his Gospel in a unique way: »The women fled from the tomb, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid« (Mark 16,8). Mark leaves the Easter narrative unfinished. The women have seen the empty tomb, but they have not seen the risen Jesus. They have only heard the preached Word that Jesus is risen and this proclamation is all that is necessary to create faith and believe. Mark leaves us with the glorious anticipation of the women yet to tell the disciples the gospel. We are in the same circumstance of these women at verse 8: we can go to the tomb of Jesus and see that it is empty; we only have the preached gospel that Jesus has risen. As these created faith in Jesus’ resurrection in them so they create faith in us.

10. Blessed Hannah proclaimed: »I rejoice in the Lord’s salvation. There is none holy like the Lord.« „Therefore, let no one fear Death, for Christ’s death has set us free. He who was taken by Death has annihilated it! He descended into Hades and took it captive! (Chrysostom). Christ has redeemed us from the power of Hades; He has redeemed us from Death; He has plagued Death and stung Hades (Hosea 13,14). „Death took a body and came upon Christ! Hades took earth and encountered heaven! O Death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and you are overthrown!“ (Chrysostom) Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome saw this with their eyes and heard it with her ears. We too have heard it again. Christ is risen! Our sin is forgiven and life reigns triumphant over the grave! Go, and tell this gospel to all you know. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Risen Christ, who now holds the keys of Death and Hades; set us free from the fear of Death and unlock the gates that imprison us, so that we believe in You and take comfort in the certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißenheit) which we have in Your Resurrection from the dead. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, April 30, 2018

Acts 16,23-34. Cantate

Saturday, April 28, 2018

2. Corinthians 4,16-18. Jubilate

Monday, April 16, 2018

1. Peter 5,1-4. Misericordias Domini

Monday, April 9, 2018

Colossians 2,12-15. Quasimodogeniti

Monday, April 2, 2018

Easter Monday. Luke 24,13-35

Sunday, April 1, 2018

1. Samuel 2,1-2.6-8a. Easter Sunday