Time in the Word
September 24-29, 2018
September 24-29, 2018
Proper 21
Preparation for next week, Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Preparation for next week, Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday’s Theme is Tolerance. In the Old Testament lesson, Moses
tolerates the giving of the Spirit. In the Epistle, James calls for intolerance
of wickedness. In the Gospel, Jesus approves a non-follower’s use of His name.
Coupled with tolerance is an underlying theme of resistance. Jesus urges to get
rid of anything that causes us to sin while in the Old Testament lesson the
Israelites complain about the monotony of daily manna. James condemns the sin
of arrogance and persecution of the poor.
Collect for Pentecost 18—Keep, we pray. O Lord, Your Church with Your perpetual mercy; and because without You we cannot but fall, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A prayer for God to guide us—Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with Your most gracious favor, and further us with Your continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in You we may glorify Your holy name and finally, by Your mercy, obtain eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Collect for Proper 21 –Everlasting
Father, source of every blessing, mercifully direct and govern us by Your Holy
Spirit that we may complete the works You have prepared for us to do; through
Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.
A prayer for steadfast faith—Almighty God,
our heavenly Father, of Your tender love towards us sinners You have given us
Your Son that, believing in Him we might have everlasting life. Continue to
grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end
and come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For the Hope of Eternal life in Christ—Almighty,
everlasting God, whose Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from
eternal death, strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ
increase daily and we hold fast to the hope that we shall not die but fall
asleep and on the last day be raised to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
For those in
distressed—Almighty and everlasting God, the consolation of the
sorrowful and the strength of the weak, may the prayers of those who in any
tribulation or distress cry to You graciously come before You, so that in all
their necessities they may mark and receive Your manifold help and comfort;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
This Week’s Morning Prayer Readings
Read and review the following Bible stories for each day…
Mon., September 24 - Joseph
reveals himself - Genesis 44-45 selective verses
Tues. September 25– Jacob in Egypt – Genesis 45-47
selective verses
Wed. September 26– Chapel Day
Thurs. September 27 - Birth of Moses –Exodus 1-2 selective
verses
Fri. – September 28- Call of Moses – Exodus 2-3 selective
verses
From the Small Catechism – 9th & 10th
Commandments
Monday, 24
September 2018—Psalm 135:1-3, 13-14,
Antiphon, Psalm 135:13—Your Name, O Lord, endures forever, Your renown, O Lord,
throughout all ages. Psalm 135 is a call to praise the Lord – the one and
only true God, the Lord of all creation, the Lord over all the nations, Israel
Tuesday, 25
September 2018—Psalm 104:27-35; key verse, verse 24—How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth
is full of Your creatures. The psalmist recalls the fifth day of creation.
(Genesis 1:20-23). The realm of the sea
is structurally balanced with the celestial realm, (see verses 2-4) as the
other boundary to the realm of earth. And the Lord orders each day of your life
as He has promised to guide and sustain you.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018—Numbers 11:4-6; 10-16, 24-29—Moses tolerates the giving of the
Spirit. The Lord provides seventy elders to assist Moses in meeting the needs
of the people and gives his spirit to others than the seventy. The Israelites
are in the wilderness and complain to Moses that they have only manna and no
meat. Moses takes the complaint to God who orders Moses to bring seventy elders
to the meeting place outside the camp. Some of Moses’ spirit was given to the
elders and they began to prophesy. Two men, Eldad and Medad, were not invited
to the meeting of the seventy. While in the camp, they received the Spirit and
prophesied. Joshua was jealous for Moses and asked him to stop the two. Moses
refused and wished that all of the people had the spirit and were prophets.
Thursday, 27
September 2018—James 5: (1-12) 13-20—James calls for
intolerance of wickedness and a return to God for the avoidance of evil. This
lesson continues where last Sunday’s Epistle has stopped. James urges his
readers to turn to God and away from wickedness. Among the evils we are to
avoid are judging others, boasting, and injustice to the poor.
Friday, 28 September 2018—Mark 9:38-50—Jesus approves a non-follower’s use of His name to
cast our demons. He urges the extermination of those sins that result in hell.
The first part of the Gospel (verses 38-41) obviously parallels the Old Testament
lesson. It deals with Jesus’ approval of a non-disciple casting out demons in
Jesus’ name. The next section (verses 42-48) deals with Jesus’ “little ones” –
not children but his disciples or new converts. The point is that any sacrifice
is worth eternal life rather than going to hell forever which is described as
eternal torment. A third section of the reading deals with salt. It is a call to radical obedience rather than
to accommodation to the world.
In Christ you are free. There is much Christian liberty
and freedom the child of God can experience in this life. The Lord wants His
followers to enjoy the fullness of life. All that God created is good. However,
if any part of us or any habit causes us to sin, we are to get rid of it. It
would be better to abstain and deny ourselves certain pleasures and privileges
than to allow one pleasure to ruin the whole. When should we allow our
Christian liberty to be exercised? When might you deny yourself certain
“freedoms” for the sake of someone else? How might we better live balanced
lives?
Saturday, 29 September 2015—John
14:2; 1 John 4:19; John 8:12- The hymn,
Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower (LSB 694), is the Hymn of
the Day. Having seen what the Lord has done, having experienced His goodness
and mercy, having entered into His presence, we are now called to praise the
Name of the Lord which is expressed in this wonderful hymn.
Sources:
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 and Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing
House and from Lutheran Worship ©
1980 Concordia Publishing House.
Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted
for personal and congregational use
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B – John Brokhoff ©
1981 CSS Publishing, 
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