Proper 5 - Series A notes (Pentecost 2)

Pentecost 2 – Proper 5
05-11 June 

Hosea 5:15-6:6
Psalm 119:65-72 (v.65)
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13

Almighty most merciful God, You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hears His call and follow Him by faith that we might feast with Him forever in His kingdom; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen 

Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus Calls Matthew

9 Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, Μαθθαῖον λεγόμενον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἀκολούθει μοι· καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 Καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ ἀνακειμένου ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ πολλοὶ τελῶναι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐλθόντες συνανέκειντο τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ. 

And as Jesus[a] reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples

a. “He”

11 καὶ ἰδόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· Διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίει ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν; 

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας εἶπεν· Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. 

But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν· Ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς.

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Scripture quotations marked SBLGNT are from the The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 

-Romans 3:21-28 - "Obedience to God’s Word results from grace"

Obedience to God’s Word results from grace

Luther possibly said it best when he stated, “A Christian lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.” As we continue in our walk through the book of Romans we are presented with a question: “Why be good?”

Why be good? We are found to be in a right standing with God through Jesus’ work and Jesus’ merit. Paul reminds us that your obedience does not save –“a man is justified by faith apart from words of the law.” Your obedience to God’s law has no part in getting right with God.

Now, if that is all true. Then why exert yourself?    Where does obedience stand? We need to place obedience in its proper perspective.

Why be good by obeying God’s Laws?

1.     Not to earn God’s acceptance. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, (although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it.)” “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”— Vv. 21, 28

A.    The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.

It is impossible for a person to be righteous by law-keeping (v. 20). Not because of any imperfection in the law. But the result of our inability to keep it. So it is that God has provided a way of righteousness “apart from the law.” It is a righteousness that comes “by faith in Jesus Christ.” This righteousness is available to all people. The righteousness of God is Jesus. Apart from works of the law. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the law.

The entire Old Testament bears witness to Christ. On the road to Emmaus as Jesus talked to those two witnesses, Luke reminds us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

B.     You are justified apart from works of the law.

This is glorious good news for anyone who has faced the reality of their sinful nature. Try as we might to live a “good life” or “keep the Ten Commandments,” we know that we fail time and again. If there is a way to get right with God, it has to be “apart from the law”. And thank God, that is exactly what the Father has revealed in the gospel. As the Reformation would unfold Luther and Philip Melanchthon would write, “Upon this article of justification everything that we teach and practice depends. We must be certain and not doubt this doctrine. Otherwise all is lost!”[1]

2.     We follow God’s directive to express gratitude for grace received. “…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”  - Vv. 24, 25

A.    We are justified by His grace as a gift.

Grace cannot be earned. It must be given by God.  The word Paul uses for “Redemption” (Greek “apolytrosis”) is the concept of the buying back of a slave or a captive, setting a person free. Christ gave His life to see all people free when He died on the cross. “We receive the mercy promised in Him by and set it against God’s wrath and judgment.”[2]

B.     Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. [i]

Paul uses the term “Propitiation.”  Where the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the Ark of the Covenant’s cover this all pointed to Christ. (See Exodus 25:17) Christ’s righteousness covers the sinner. He is the sacrifice for sin. Faith does not earn anything…it receives God’s gift

C.     Because the Father has passed over former sins.

Christ’s work shows that God both justly punishes sin and graciously forgives sinners.  God does not ignore sin. He delayed the punishment until Christ paid it. But this is not child abuse. Christ willingly made full satisfaction for sin. Christ is true God “reconciling the world to Himself.” (2 Cor. 5:19) The Father sent the Son sincerely, anticipating the sacrifice, victory and reunion. (The binding of Isaac.)

Remember Luther’s perspective; “A Christian lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.”

Why be good? Because God is good. Because God is good, He has made you good. You are now free to love God as you serve your neighbor is love.

Through the waters of baptism, each of us is called by the Lord, to become agents of the Gospel – the presence of Jesus Christ – wherever it is God calls you to serve. This is your calling in life to love God as you serve your neighbor. In faith, in hope, in love.

Words – 1,210
Passive Sentences –9%
Readability –73.8%
Reading Level -6.3

Luther’s Seal © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

 

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[1] The Smalcald Article Book of Concord Concordia Triglotta: - Page 145

[2] Apology to the Augsburg Confession 82

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[i]               “Jesus is not simply a teacher or a great moralist or a great example; rather, he is, as we confess in the Nicene Creed, light of light, very God of very God, of one substance with the Father, and the only begotten Son of God. Remember that the Council of Nicaea rejected the teaching of Arius, who did not think that Jesus was wholly divine. Yet without being fully human and fully divine, you and I remain earthbound, to dust and to decay.

“Some prefer a savior who only teaches and provides an example of a good life or advances a political agenda. And to those people we must say that human teachers, no matter how moral they may be, or how grand a political agenda they propose, they cannot raise anyone-anyone-to eternal life, because such a teacher cannot conquer death. Others continue to create a Jesus in their own image, a teacher of secret truths to a select few, someone who has a grandiose social agenda of a you-pick-the-ideology. Still others prefer a wise rabbi or philosopher.

And yet, martyr after martyr, to say nothing of the disciples themselves, did not go to death out of loyalty to a wise rabbi or a great moralist. The only reason they could look death in the eye and not blink is because of the truth many had been witness too. They had witnessed the crucifixion, they had witnessed the resurrection, they were in the upper room, they had the Spirit breathed upon them on that first Pentecost, they were with him for forty days, and they saw him ascend. They took these truths and handed them down to others, who in turn passed them along to others still. These were life changing events that gave them the strength to sacrifice themselves for the Lord. This is the on-going work of the Church today: to continuously hand down those truths that we have received from those saints who came before us.” – Pr. Ken Kelly · Johnstown, PA  Ascension 2017 sermon

Saturday prior to Trinity

 

There are few hymns that are addressed to, or focus on, the Holy Spirit. Sunday’s Hymn of the Day, Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest (LSB #498), is one such hymn. It is of ancient origin, from at least the eighth century, and generally attributed to the great Frankish scholar and theologian, Rhabanus Maurus (though sometimes Gregory the Great or Charlemagne are given credit). In the Middle Ages, it was one of the best loved and most frequently used invocations of the Holy Spirit, and its singing was accompanied by the use of incense, candles, bells, and rich vestments. The last two stanzas are explicitly Trinitarian, making it ideal for Trinity Sunday: stanza six (like Luther’s explanation to the Third Article of the Creed) affirms that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to know the Triune God aright, and stanza seven is a doxology—a hymn of praise to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Rabanus Maurus (c. 776-856) was born of noble parents at Mainz, and educated at Fulda and Tours under Alcuin, who is reputed to have given him the surname, Maurus, after the saint of that name. In 803, he became director of the school at the Benedictine Abbey at Fulda. He was ordained priest in 814, spending the following years in a pilgrimage to Palestine. In 822, he became Abbott at Fulda, retiring in 842. In 847, he became archbishop of Mainz. He died at Winkel on the Rhine, February 4, 856. This distinguished poet-theologian wrote extensive biblical commentaries, the Encyclopaedic De Universo, De Institutione Clericorum, and other works which circulated widely during the Middle Ages. Some of his poems, with English translations, are in Helen Waddell's Mediaeval Latin Lyrics. He is the author of some of the following hymns:

O Come, Creator Spirit, come

Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire

Creator Spirit, by whose aid

 

Although his hymns are over 1,000 years old they still remain relevant speaking to our time.

 

Collect for peace: O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Image of the Trinity, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Collect for Peace, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

https://hymnary.org/text/come_holy_ghost_creator_blest

Friday prior to Trinity

 

Matthew 28:16–20—Before His ascension to the right hand of His Father, Jesus charged His disciples with the task of making disciples of all nations. What are the tools which He has given to accomplish this task? His teaching and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Baptism in the Name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Which parts of His Word are important? Which of His Words are they to pass down faithfully? Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Finally, He promises always to be with us—and so He is, in Word and Sacrament, the means of grace.

“Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” –v.18  This authority comes from the Savior Himself. It was given to Him by the Father. Jesus who lives and rules over heaven and earth has been given authority by His Father. But His authority we go out into the world. We do not go it alone. He leads, we follow.  We speak and move and act under His authority.

Christ commissions His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations through Baptism and teaching. Christ promises to be with us, and He is the one who makes disciples through our baptizing and teaching. Today, remember your Baptism and confirmation in the faith which are precious blessings for the Lord’s disciples. His love and care are new for you every morning.

Send us, Lord, to make disciples in Your name in accordance with our calling in life.

Collect for grace: Almighty God, heavenly Father, Your mercies are new to us every morning and, though we in no wise deserve Your goodness, You abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul. Give us, we humbly pray, Your Holy Spirit that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all Your benefits, and cheerfully serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Image of the Trinity, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Collect for grace, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Thursday prior to Trinity

 

Acts 2:14a, 22–36—The second reading for the Trinity Sunday is a continuation of St Peter’s Pentecost Day sermon in Jerusalem. In this portion, Peter speaks of Jesus Christ, a man attested to you by God with mighty wonders and signs, who was crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men, but raised up from the dead because He was not just a man, but also Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Peter quotes from Psalms 16 and 110, showing how the Old Testament testifies of Christ, and also proclaims how all three persons of the Trinity were involved in the salvation of mankind. Jesus (the Son) was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (the Father), has been exalted at the right hand of God, and now pours out His Spirit that people might hear and believe the Good News.

The resurrection of Christ is the central message of the Christian Church and the cornerstone content of our witness in the world. The message of the early Church is the message of the 21^st Century Church.  The proclamation that Christ lives and reigns is the hope and challenge that the world most desperately needs to hear.  Without this proclamation, we have no message.

Charles Colson once recounted a powerful story about the bold witness of a Russian Orthodox monk.  It happened in 1990 in Moscow on the Russian May Day.  Mikhail Gorbachev and other Russian leaders were standing on a platform in Red Square watching a procession of tanks, missiles and troops rumble past them.  That year’s May Day celebration was different, however, for, behind the tanks and missiles and troops, followed a massive throng of protesters calling for freedom and heralding the collapse of the old Communist state.  It was out of this mass of protesters that this monk made his bold statement.  As they passed before the platform, this monk hoisted a huge crucifix into the air, stepped out of the mass of protesters towards the leaders on the platform and shouted, “Mikhail Sergeyevich!  Christ is risen!”  At this, Gorbachev turned and walked off the platform. - Charles Colson, The Enduring Revolution, p.28-29.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit: Lord God, heavenly Father, let Your Holy Spirit dwell in us that He may enlighten and lead us into all truth and evermore defend us from all adversities; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns  with You and same Spirit, One God, now and forever.

 

Image of the Trinity copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Prayer for the Holy Spirit, Lutheran Service Book © 2006, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Wednesday prior to Trinity

Genesis 1:1—2:4a - The opening chapter of the Bible matter-of-factly recounts the creation of the earth, the universe, and all that is in them in seven days by God. Which person of the Trinity was responsible for the creation? All three persons! The first three verses alone proclaim this fact: The Spirit is said to be hovering over the face of the waters, while God (the Father) speaks—speaks His Word, who is the Son, as St John tells us in the opening verses of his Gospel. On the sixth day, there is further testament to the working of the Trinity, when God says, Let Us make man in Our own image, after Our likeness. The singular God here speaks in the plural.  Not just the Father, but the Son and the Holy Spirit as well, were involved in the work of creation, just as all three are involved in the work of salvation.

God could not save what he did not make. To prove His love for you Jesus became human to redeem the human world. Jesus who as a full human; has the capacity to feel the hurts of friends. He shares the sorrow of Martha. He weeps with Mary over Lazarus’ death. He expresses His love for his friends. Jesus did not really need to cry. He knew what he was going to do in the raising of Lazarus. Yet, human as He was, He was caught up in the situation. He identified with His friends.

When we are ill, Christ’s healing reveals His glory. When we are dead, Christ’s raising us, like Lazarus, all for the glory of God. In the resurrection, the glory of God’s power is manifest. This offers hope to the afflicted, for they are assured of the Lord’s help.

The creative power of God is found in his vast creation. Luther sums it all in his explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”

Collect for the Feast of the Holy Trinity: Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever.

Image of the Trinity, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Collect for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis 

Tuesday prior to Trinity

 Psalm 8—This psalm of David nicely ties together the three appointed readings for Trinity Sunday. The first two verses tell how the entire creation proclaims the majesty, glory, and strength of the Lord, the Creator of all things, as testified to in the Old Testament reading. The rest of the psalm speaks of Christ, the second Adam, our Savior, of whose redemption Peter preaches in the Epistle reading, (Acts 2: 14a, 22–36) and who commissions His Church to make disciples by baptizing and teaching about Him in the Gospel reading.

The psalm begins by crying out the name of the one and only true God, and then confesses Him to be our ruler.  The name of Yahweh is rightly described. Yahweh alone is always has been and always will be the one who exists and, by extension, is always present to act on behalf of humankind for our salvation. God’s majesty is tangibly revealed on earth in the wonderful detail and design of creation and extends beyond our view into the heavens.

The characteristic beauty of creation is meant to draw our attention to its Designer. Everything around us that we appreciate through our senses is a gift of God to be enjoyed. That also includes the food we eat, art, architecture, literature, technology, and medicine – things designed by humans by God-granted creativity. It’s meant to be enjoyed for the pleasure it brings us. But creation is also a reminder to all people at all times and all places that God is the architect of its grandeur. He is the recipient of praise and worship.

“Oh LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:1; 3-4)

It should be obvious that however creative humans can be, we are incapable of anything as wondrous and complex and awe-inspiring as God’s created order. And yet incredibly, God has granted us responsibility for tending to earth. Our farmers are stewards of our natural resources. By His help you feed the world.

“Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:5-8)

We are made care-takers of this world, to watch over all the plants, animals, and seas. The name of Jesus will be exalted in all the earth because all the earth bears his trademark.

As you take in the beauty of creation look at the good gifts around you. Even better, open the Scriptures which make abundantly clear the good news of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to take a special camping trip to experience the joy of the glory of Jesus Christ. His glory never fades. His goodness never diminishes.

“Oh LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9)

A Prayer for Agriculture: Almighty God, You blessed the earth to make it fruitful, bringing forth in abundance whatever is needed for the support of our lives. Prosper; we implore You, the work of farmers, especially in this planting season. Grant them seasonable weather that they may gather in the fruits of the earth and thus proclaim Your goodness.

Image of the Trinity copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Collect for Agriculture, Lutheran Service Book copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

The Lutheran Study Bible copyright © 2009 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis