Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: November 2019

Monday, November 25, 2019

Matthew 25,1-13. Eternity Sunday

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 25,1-13 5719

Ewigkeitssonntag; Letzter Sonntag des Kirchenjahres (27. Trinitatis 073)

Chrysogonus, Martyr 303

24. November 2019

1. O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses, so that from the bonds of our sins which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness. Amen. (27. Trinity even year Collect)

2. »Jesus said: „Then the reign of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lampsand went to meet the bridegroom.²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵Now because the bridegroom kept on delaying, they all grew drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry: ‘Behold the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all those bridesmaids rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said to the wise: ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying: ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you , go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other bridesmaids arrived also, saying: ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²But he answered: ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.“«

3. The Last Sunday in the Church Year has arrived with its theme of eternity. From Genesis to Revelation the advent of God’s salvation winds its way through the ages and pages of the Holy Scriptures. On Eternity Sunday those Scriptures have come full circle. The Prophet Isaiah proclaims that God will create new heavens and a new earth where the wolf and lamb will lay together (Isaiah 65,17.25). The Apostle John also speaks about a new heaven and a new earth in his revelation; he tells us that God will make all things new where death, mourning, crying and pain will be no more (Revelation 21,1.4).

4. Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel pericope addresses this theme of eternity from a different perspective than Isaiah and John. Jesus exhorts us to be ready for His 2. Advent. We have been waiting for His return for nearly 2000 years; and this should be no surprise to us for He told us this in this morning’s parable. In this parable, Jesus is the bridegroom and Christians are the bridesmaids, and thus the parable tells us: now because Jesus kept on delaying, we all grow drowsy and sleep.

5. Christ exhorts 2 things from us in this parable: 1. Watch, and 2. Be ready. There prevails throughout the Church a view in which the expectation of the consummation of the age of Christ’s final victory over death and every enemy has all but disappeared under the onslaught of rampant individualism in which what really matters is „my own personal faith“ and „whether I’ll be in heaven when I die“ (Gibbs). The cares of this world press upon us and take up much of our thoughts and time. We have responsibilities to family and work that demand our attention. Our thoughts of Christ’s return probably do not register in our hearts on a daily basis. The last 3 Sundays in the Church Year are important because they re-focus our attention on the return of Jesus. We gather and pause to meditate upon the joy of the 2. advent and how wonderful it will be. We alert ourselves and renew our waitful watch for His return. We must also be ready, for it is not enough to wait and watch. When the 5 bridesmaids were awoken from their slumber they immediately lighted their lamps and joined in the bridal procession because they had prepared: they anticipated a delay and had brought enough oil to last the parade.

6. You already have the first thing needed to be ready: you believe in Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us: »The righteous shall live by faith« (Romans 1,17). This faith needs to be nurtured because the cares of this world and its trials can cause a faithful Christian to wither or grow cold. As last week’s lectionary reading reminds us: The Devil tried his best to cause Job to lose hope in God and thus abandon his faith. The Devil seeks to do the same to us. So we nurture our faith by being faithful in church attendance where we hear the Scriptures explained, sing hymns and praise of God. Such attendance among the fellowship of believers rejuvenates us for the week ahead, and receiving the Lord’s Supper continually assures us that Christ has forgiven us. We further nurture our faith by setting aside time throughout the week to read the Bible, let the Holy Spirit strengthen us through those inspired words and then lift up to God our concerns with prayer.

7. This fallen world of ours enjoys ridiculing Christians and our faith in Christ. Those who scoff at our Christian faith mock us, asking: „Where is the return of Jesus? Why is he delaying? Surely he’s not returning!“ The Apostle Peter responds to such mockery, writing: »Beloved, do not overlook this one fact: with the Lord 1 day is as 1000 years, and 1000 years is as 1 day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some regard slowness, but He is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance« (2. Peter 3,8-9). »If you are insulted for the Name of Christ, then you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. If anyone suffers as a Christian, then do not be ashamed but glorify God in the Name of Christ« (1. Peter 4,14.16).

8. We are waiting for Christ to fulfill His promise to return for us, and when He does return we will receive the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. Let us watch and wait for Christ’s 2. advent in preparedness to honor Him when He returns in glory. We prepare by repenting of our sins, by perseverance and courage strengthened through the Scriptures, by a willingness to suffer for the Name of Christ (Gibbs 1323). Our time together on Sundays worshipping Christ, hearing His Word and receiving the Lord’s Supper all prepare us to welcome Jesus with glory and honor.

9. Let all who love the Lord be blessed. »Μαρανα θα; our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Amen. (1. Corinthians 16,22-23).

10. Let us pray. O Lord, the Path of eternal life; send forth Your holy angels to guard over us and strengthen us to remain vigilant and prepared for Your 2. advent, so that we may rejoice at Your long expected arrival and our fellowship with You for all eternity. 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. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.

Gibbs, Jeffrey. „Matthew 24,37-44“. Concordia Journal. https://www.issuesetcarchive.org/articles/bissart8.htm

Monday, November 18, 2019

Job 14,1-6.13.15-17. 2. Last Sunday in the Church Year

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Job 14,1-6.13.15-17 5619

Vorletzter Sn. d. Kirchenjahres (26. Trinitatis) 071

Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, ✠ 265

17. November 2019

1. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of the nations; send forth the message of the law and the gospel, so that hearing Your Word we believe, and in believing confess You to be our Savior. Amen. (Romans 14,10-12)

2. »Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. ²He arrives like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not. ³And do You open Your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with You? ⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. ⁵Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You, and You have appointed his limits so that he cannot pass, ⁶look away from him and leave him alone, so that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day. ¹³O that You would hide me in Sheol, that You would conceal me until Your wrath be past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! ¹⁵You would call, and I would answer You; You would long for the work of Your hands. ¹⁶For then You would number my steps; You would not keep watch over my sin; ¹⁷my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.«

3. On the 2. Last Sunday in the Church Year, our lectionary readings remind us that Christ will judge all the nations and separate people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25,31-32). In the midst of his suffering, Job opines upon God his Judge: »There is no one who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing.« Job utters the depth of his distress and depression. You will recall that God had boasted to Satan that Job is a righteous man and there is none like him upon the earth (Job 1,8). Satan and God made a wager: Satan would tempt Job to curse God by bringing upon him suffering upon suffering; God held fast with His conviction that in spite of all these tribulations Job would uphold his faithfulness to God.

4. The wisdom we find in Job tends to make 21. century Christians uncomfortable because it challenges several concepts we have about both God and Satan, concepts that have often been passed down to us through the centuries in art and literature. The book of Job first tells us that God and Satan engage in dialogue, to the point that God goads Satan into testing His Divine opinion that Job will not curse God. Second, God and Satan agree to a wager, and Job is the unwilling subject of this wager. Third, God is in control of this entire account: Satan is given boundaries which he cannot cross, and he does not cross them. Everything Satan tortured Job with was allowed by God: the loss as wealth, the death of all his children and his agonizing illness.

5. Job, thus, is dealing with the question: does misfortune come from God even to the righteous? Job’s friends counsel two possibilities: 1. Three of his friends contend that God does not punish the righteous, and if the righteous are punished then it means the righteous have sinned in some way; 2. Another friend, Elihu, posits that perhaps God sent these tribulations to prevent foolish pride.

6. As Job processes his tribulations and thoughts, he arrives at the realization that: God has become my enemy. This terrifies humans, for such talks stands diametrically opposed to one-sided talk that speaks only about a loving God (Bayer 205). The deepest temptation is that in which God Himself becomes my enemy and in which I can no longer distinguish God and the Devil (Bayer 205). This then strikes right at the heart of salvation: who or what assures me about how I am in my relationship with God (Bayer 205)? This assurance means the difference between whether God is seated before us as our Judge or our Justifier. And thus Job requests a mediator (Job 9,33).

7. Job wants a third party to restore peace between God and him, for he knows that one cannot be right before God without a μεσίτης (mediator) (Job 9,1-2). Job wanted this mediator to take away God’s rod from him (Job 9,34). Job seeks an advocate (Job 16,21). Job needs a έστιν ο εκλύειν με (גאלי redeemer( (Job 19,25-27). Job declares in the midst of his suffering: »For I know that my Redeemer is eternal who is about to deliver me, to raise up upon the earth my skin that endures these sufferings: for these things were accomplished to me of the Lord (Job 19,25-26 LXX). Job confesses that the promised Messiah will be his Mediator and Redeemer. The New Testament tells us that Job’s Redeemer is Jesus: »Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need« (Hebrews 4,16). »We have an Advocate with God the Father, who is Jesus Christ the Righteous. He is the Propitiation for our sins« (1. John 2,1b-2a). »When you call on God as Father who judges impartially … know that you were ransomed … with the precious blood of Christ« (1. Peter 1,17a.18a.19a). Job’s Mediator is Jesus, and He has appeased His Father on our behalf. When it seems that God has become our enemy, because we suffer tribulations and know not why God has plagued us with them, Jesus stands beside us as God made flesh who endures those tribulations along side us. This is the same Jesus who suffered the greatest tribulation for us: He suffered and died on the cross to save us. Job knew this thousands of years before Jesus accomplished it: »O Lord, You have sealed my transgressions in a bag, and You cover over my iniquities« (Job 14,17).

8. Job has realized that when God seems to be our enemy, visiting tribulation upon those who have done no wrong, then He is disciplining us to trust in His mercy and forgiveness. This can only be comprehended by faith and relying upon God’s Providence. Christ has brought us the gospel, that seligste Versicherung (blessed assurance) that He has saved us and nothing can snatch us out of His redeeming hands: not our sins and not our tribulations that we receive from our Heavenly Father.

9. When the time arrives for us to stand before Christ as our Judge, we stand before Him with confidence and joy, for we have already been judged and found innocent. Christ has been judged in our place, paid our sinful ransom price and has declared us justified before God His Father. God is well pleased with His Son and the angels rejoice over our salvation. Job reached a point in his suffering where he humbled himself before God with repentance and ashes (Job 42,6). He said to God: I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You« (Job 42,2.5). Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, our Judge; Your heavens declare the Lord’s righteousness and proclaim our justification, so that in hearing Your Word we are not judged but made holy. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Matthew 24,15-28. 3. Last Sunday in the Church Year

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 24,15-28 5519

Drittletzter Sonntag des Kirchenjahres (25. Trinitatis 070)

Florentia, Martyr 354

10. November 2019

1. O Christ Jesus, whose advent we long for; defend us from the false christs and false prophets who will arise and attempt to lead Your Church astray, so that we remain secure upon Your word of Scripture and weather the tempests of false doctrine. Amen. (Matthew 24,.27.24)

2. »Jesus left the temple and was going away, when His disciples went to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. ²But He answered them: „You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. ¹⁵So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²²And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³Then if anyone says to you: ‘Behold, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶So, if they say to you: ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say: ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning arrives from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the advent of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.“«

3. In Matthew 24, we are in the final week of Jesus’ ministry, the famous Holy Week that all 4 Gospels devote much ink in telling us the specific activities, often one event per day, of Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem. The apostles were admiring the temple. As Jews, they are extremely proud of the structure, and rightly so. It was the center of their religion where the sacrifices for sin happened on a daily basis. They are also proud of the temple’s grandeur and beauty; King Herod the Great had undertaken a massive restoration of the temple decades earlier, and the work was still ongoing in Matthew 24. The apostles, like many Jews in the 1. century, were pining for the glory days of Israel under David and Solomon, when Israel was important, and had influence in Palestine. They hoped Jesus’ triumphant entry on Palm Sunday was the inauguration of this renewed Jewish glory. But Jesus dashed their hopes: this marvelous temple you admire will be demolished and no stone left on another. He says when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, then you know the time is near.

4. Jesus used the historical example of Antiochus Epiphanes IV who on 6. December 167 bc had entered Jerusalem and erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering; his Greek army also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets; they burned the Jewish Scriptures; finally, they offered sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering (1. Maccabees 1,54-56.59). The desolating sacrilege was an altar to Zeus that was built on top of the altar of burnt offering (Daniel 11,31; 2. Maccabees 6,2). 200 years later, this desecration of the temple still angered the Jews. Jesus also has in mind the other desolations that were fresher in the Jewish memory. Pilate ruled as prefect of Judea from ad 26-36, the 2. longest tenure of a Roman politician in 1. century Palestine. Pilate’s troops once marched into Jerusalem carrying medallions with the emperor’s image or bust among the regimental standards. This action provoked a 5 day mass demonstration by the Jews at the provincial capital, Caesarea, whereby they protested the effigies as a violation of Jewish law concerning engraved images (Exodus 20,4-5). Pilate ordered the offensive standards removed (Maier 148). Then just a few months before the events in Matthew 24, Pilate set up several golden shields in his Jerusalem headquarters that, unlike the standards, had no images whatsoever, only a bare inscription of dedication to Emperor Tiberius. And the Jews protested these imageless shields. Again, Pilate relented and transfered the shields to a Roman temple in Caesarea (Maier 149). These two instances were foreboding portents of a greater abomination on the horizon.

5. Jerusalem looked for their Messiah, but when He arrived they rejected Him and executed Him. This rejection of salvation had dire consequences, and set Jerusalem on an unrepentant path that ended with destruction and judgment. Luke tells us: »And when Jesus drew near and saw Jerusalem, He wept over it, saying: „Would that you had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will befall you, when your enemies will tear you down to the ground, because you did not know the time of your visitation“« (Luke 19,41-43a.44). Judgment Day arrive for Jerusalem on 8. September ad 70 when the Romans finally conquered and destroyed the city and the temple (30. August). The temple was destroyed on the same date, Tisha B’Av (9. Av): Solomon’s temple in 587 bc and the 2. (Herod’s) temple in ad 70. (The war lasted from ad 66-73. The calendar date is different each year because of the lunar calendar.)

6. The destruction of the temple is a grim reminder that rejection of God and His Christ has a price to pay. God is long-suffering in His judgment but His judgment does eventually fall upon the unrepentant. The world is storing up its punishment for rejecting Jesus and for persecuting His Christians. On that day, known only to God, another Judgment Day will befall all humanity.

7. As Christians we pray for God to be merciful and long-suffering in His judgment so people have time to repent of their unbelief and confess Jesus to be their Savior. We pray that the Holy Spirit would send forth the gospel throughout all the world so all people have opportunity to hear it. We humble ourselves, and draw near to God in repentance for our sins and desiring His forgiveness and absolution.

8. There will always be those Christians who sincerely believe they can predict, or glean from the Holy Scriptures, the date of Christ’s return to judge the world. Since Jesus ascended to heaven, over 240 predictions of when He will return have been prognosticated. That’s an average of one new prediction every 8.265 years. The last well-known date put forth for Christ return was 28. September 2015, the infamous blood moon prophecy, that televangelist John Hagee espoused with great fervor. 2015 has passed us by 4 years now and here we still are. Unfortunately, we are due soon for someone else to make a bold claim that they have calculated the right date this time for Christ’s return.

9. Jesus prepared us for such charlatans 2000 years ago. He tells us not to listen to such people. If anyone says to you: Look, here is the Christ! Look, there He is! Do not believe it. Even if they perform great signs and wonders, do not listen to them. They are false christs and false prophets; ignore them. Why? Jesus says: »For as the lightning flashes from east and shines as far as the west so will be the parousia of the Son of Man.« Christ’s return to judge the world will be seen by everyone; it will not be hidden but publicly revealed to all. There will be no mistake as to what is occurring. Our Lord will return and everyone will witness it.

10. The 2. advent of Jesus will be a joyous event for us. The Apostle Paul proclaims: »The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us so that we will live with Him« (1. Thessalonians 4,16-18; 5,9-10). Saint Paul has no concern for the exact date of Christ’s 2. advent; he only cares that He will return and whenever that happens to be it is a day of great joy for Christians. Do not fret over the when of Christ’s return, but focus on the promise that it will happen and the resulting glory we shall have at His return.

11. Jesus’ return is the drawing to completion what He initiated at His 1. advent. His crucifixion fulfilled the Old Testament laws to make payment for sin. All the world has been forgiven; the price has been paid; the ransom is secured. His resurrection shows that not even Death and Hades can defeat Him, but He has taken their keys and their authority. The destruction of the temple proclaimed that the Old Testament has been fulfilled by Jesus and that the New Testament is now in force: the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world; it is a done deal.

12. Luther explains the power of the New Testament in Christ: „If we truly believe that Christ is our Savior, then we have a God of love, and to see God in faith is to look upon His friendly heart (Luther 21,37). So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, then tell him this: „I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? Am I therefore condemned eternally? No, not at all, for I know one thing that is certain: I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!““ (WA, Br, V 519-20.63-68). We need not fear Christ’s return and the judgment day He brings with Him. Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Son of God, who is drawing near to us this day through the read and proclaimed word of the Holy Scriptures; grant us peace and serenity in these days of tribulation as we patiently await Your 2. advent, so that we may stand firm in faith grounded upon You, our Shield and Defender. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.

Luther, Martin. To Jerome Weller July 1530. Weimarer Ausgabe, Br, V 519-20.63-68 (Latin).

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Genesis 8,18-22. 20. Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Genesis 8,18-22 5419

20. Sn. n. Trinitatis 065

Pirmin, Apostle of Westrich ✠ 753/4

3. November 2019

1. O Lord, our Gracious Host; send forth Your gospel into the world, so that the Holy Spirit works faith in Jesus Christ among those who hear Your Word. Amen. (Matthew 22,14)

2. »So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in His heart: „I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.“«

3. The Apostle Paul does not mince words; he gives us the straight truth: »The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ« (1. Corinthians 15,56-57). We hear these verses at a funeral and the graveside committal. We are soberly reminded of our sinfulness, its curse and our redemption from that curse of death. We simultaneously mourn and rejoice. The Lamb who was slain has been through it all and made the way through for us (Nagel 316). He doesn’t just talk comfort; He has done it for us at Calvary (Nagel 316).

4. With All Saints’ Day, the Church remembers all who have left this temporal life for the heavenly life. Some have been gone for decades, even centuries, and others may be a few months, but they all have a place in our hearts and minds. Gone from us, but never forgotten; nevertheless we long to see them once more.

5. What does it mean to be a saint? Christians are called saints or holy ones. That means they’ve been taken away from this world, cleansed in Christ’s blood and united with Christ Himself (Giertz 781). This righteousness has been given to us in our Baptism. The Apostle Peter tells us: »Baptism now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ« (1. Peter 3,21). The apostle furthermore links Baptism to the ark and the Flood: »the ark … in which … 8 people, were brought safely through water. Baptism corresponds to this ark« (1. Peter 3,20-21). Noah and his family were saints, and God saved them from the Flood, for Noah had found favor in His eyes (Genesis 6,8). After he departed the ark, Noah offered burnt offerings to God as thanksgiving for thing saving him and his family. God approved of Noah’s sacrifice, for Noah is a righteous man, a saint.

6. Noah was also called a son of God (Genesis 6,2). One becomes a saint, a son/daughter of God, through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who declares us righteous freely and graciously in the waters of Holy Baptism. Faith receives this righteousness as one’s own, and thus, forgiven and redeemed, we are saints of God our Father. The Apostle Paul uses another image in his epistle to the Corinthians: »you are a letter from Christ written with the Spirit of the Living God on hearts of flesh« (2. Corinthians 3,3). Paul says we are letters of exhortation and encouragement. When we think about saints, we often think of the things they have said and done that have been of benefit to a neighbor or helped someone through a trial or temptation faced in this temporal life.

7. Every day of the year has a saint assigned to it; 3. November is set aside for Pirmin. You have probably never heard of him, but Pirmin was born in 700 in Aragon, Spain and died on 3. November 753/4 in Hornbach, Germany. He was a monk and missionary who founded or restored numerous monasteries and churches in Alsace along the Upper Rhine. He wrote several books, the most important one being a collection of Scripture verses and quotations from earlier Church Fathers that missionaries could use in their preaching and teaching (Dicta Abbatis Pirminii c. 710-24). It contains the earliest written text of the Apostles’ Creed as we confess it today. The missionaries used this Creed at Baptisms, and thus we continue this tradition and practice 1300 years later!

8. Luther nailed his 95 Theses on Schloßkirche (Castle Church) which is also called All Saints Church because it was Elector Frederick III’s castle church; it was dedicated by Duke Rudolph I in 1340 on 1. November, hence its name All Saints Church. On 10. November 1858, 375 years after Luther’s birth, new bronze doors replaced the old original wood doors, and on these bronze doors all 95 Theses are inscribed in Latin, commemorating that fateful act on 31. October 1517.

9. Luther often irked his lord and benefactor, Frederick III, because he often preach that we only set before us the memory of saints so that we may follow their faith and good works, but we do not invoke the saints nor ask them for help for Scripture sets before us Christ; He is to be prayed to, and Christ has promised that He will hear and answer our prayers (Augsburg Confession 21). Lutherans continue to emphasize the same about the saints.

10. Let us also meditate upon our congregation. This past Thursday, on 31. October, our congregation celebrated 104 years of existence. Such a milestone is a testament to the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst for over a century. Many Christian saints have sat in these pews throughout the years, and they heard the same message of God’s grace and forgiveness given to us through Jesus Christ. As His saints, we rejoice today for the gospel delivered to us in the Word and Sacraments.

11. The 1. Baptism in this church was Grace Anna Caldwell on Easter Sunday 31. March 1918, the daughter of James Caldwell and Grace nee Herzog. She was baptized by Pastor F. Jena. The first saint in this church to enter paradise was Harry Aron Keder on Good Friday 25. March 1921 (buried Easter Monday 28. March), a young man, 21, who died from influenza. No one here knew these 2 saints, perhaps some still recall or know of the Caldwell and Keder families, but Grace, Harry and all the other departed saints in this church are known to Jesus; they dwell in fellowship with Him and are a cloud of witnesses who gather with us as we worship Christ our Lord. And our church remembers them, each one faithfully recorded in our record books: their Baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals – all there on pages dating back over 100 years. Your name is recorded too in those books, and we are thus connected with those in this congregation who have gone before us.

12. All Saints’ Day is like a family reunion. We remember the saints, and give thanks to God for them, even if it is only a name on a page, for they are known to Jesus; He saved and redeemed them, just as He saved and redeemed all of us, as He saved and redeemed Noah and his family. There are other saints remembered in our church. Each stained glass window is engraved with the names of those who donated them for the glory of God and the beautification of this church. Others are listed for their service to God and country, some laying down their lives so that others may live in freedom. The works of the saints surround us, and they draw our attention to Christ our Lord and Savior; we give thanks to God for them. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Heavenly Father, who makes sinners into saints; since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us look to Jesus, so that in Him we rejoice for He is the Founder and Perfector of our faith. Amen. (LCMS Verse for All Saints’s Day; Hebrews 12,1a.2a)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.

Friday, November 1, 2019

All Saints’ Day

Friday 1. November 2019

18. Trinity, All Saints' Day

Jesus said: »„For which is easier, to say: 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say: 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins“ —He then said to the paralytic— „Rise, pick up your bed and go home.“« (Matthew 9,5-6)

Jesus’ ministry involved making people saints, and thus involved both he physical and spiritual. In the case of the paralytic Jesus made his body whole and healthy; then He forgave the man his sins. Jesus made the entire man righteous as He removes sin and sin’s consequences.

Luther dealt with the entire person, too, in his day. The Church had been corrupted with penances, indulgences and other works righteousness that encroached upon the pure gospel. Such burdens afflicted both the physical and the spiritual nature of people. Luther reformed those Medieval merits of works righteousness and put the focus back on Christ, His merits and the gospel of grace and faith.

Jesus makes you a saint. You don't need a papal proclamation and proof of two miracles. You only need Jesus and the declared righteousness that He freely and mercifully gives you in the waters of Holy Baptism. Faith receives this righteousness as one's own, and thus, forgiven and redeemed, you are a saint in the eyes of God the Father. As saints we pray and worship the Triune God. We petition God to intervene in the chaos and corruption found in this world. We pray for our neighbors, for their needs and, as we are able, we are charitable to them and help them in their time of need. We pray for peace and the proclamation of the pure gospel.

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Oh, blessed communion, fellowship Divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

Yet all are one in Thee, for all Thine.Alleluia! Alleluia! (LSB 677,1.4)

Prayer: O Almighty and Everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and Godly living so that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. (F34, Treasury of Daily Prayer)

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, November 25, 2019

Matthew 25,1-13. Eternity Sunday

Monday, November 18, 2019

Job 14,1-6.13.15-17. 2. Last Sunday in the Church Year

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Matthew 24,15-28. 3. Last Sunday in the Church Year

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Genesis 8,18-22. 20. Trinity

Friday, November 1, 2019

All Saints’ Day