Time in the Word

God has no Boundaries 

A Study for Proper 4

The 2^nd Sunday in Pentecost
23-28 May 2016

We now enter into the non-festival portion of the church year. As corn that has been planted begins to emerge, sprout and grow. So the seed of faith, planted in baptism grows and matures throughout the life of the Christian. As we have examined the entire life and ministry of Jesus, we now get into the application of God’s word in the life of the Christian. During this season, the Old Testament lessons are taken from fifteen different Old Testament books. Ten different New Testament books will be used for the Epistle lesson. Except for the Festivals [Pentecost, Trinity, Reformation, All Saints) all gospel lessons are from the Gospel of Luke. We will witness three miracles, six parables and hear fifteen discourses from the Savior.

As to the theme for the coming Sunday we will examine the faith of foreigners. In the Old Testament lesson, Solomon prays that God would hear foreigners praying in the temple. In our day, we pray that people of all nations would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In the Epistle lesson, Paul is shocked that the Galatians have turned to another gospel and must be convinced of the truth, which is found in Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus heals the slave of a Roman centurion.

Prayer for Proper 4 (May 29 – June4 ) – O God by Your almighty Word You set in order all things in heaven and on earth. Put away from us all things hurtful, and give us those things that are beneficial for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer for Pentecost 2 – O God, whose never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth, put away from us, we entreat You, all hurtful things, and give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A prayer for victims of storms- Almighty God, our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, look in mercy upon all who have been ravaged by tornadoes and storms. By these present outbreaks You call us to repentance. As the news breaks of the injuries, loss of life and destruction of homes and property, sustain our faith and defend those affected from every danger to body and soul. Lift up Your face and be gracious to them in this time of danger. Protect them, especially those who are weak and helpless. Be with the emergency service workers, police, fire, EMS and medical teams whose vocation is to respond in the minutes, hours and days following the storms. When they are weak, give them strength; when afraid, courage. Turn the hearts and minds of all to You, that they might find peace through the cleansing of Jesus' blood. Amid the tumult of disaster, build Your kingdom and turn these suffering souls to Yourself. For Jesus' sake, Amen

Monday, 23 May 2016 – Psalm 31:19, 23-24 - The Antiphon for this coming week’s Introit is from psalm 31:2b, “Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.”   The term rock is a poetic figure for God symbolizing his unfailing strength as a fortress and refuge. Where do we go in times of great trial? We turn to the Lord our refuge, fortress, and strength.  

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 – Psalm 117 – In the Psalm appointed for this coming Sunday, the Psalmist gives us the shortest Psalm in the entire book of Psalms. It is also the shortest chapter in the Bible. In fitting with our theme for this week, we are reminded that all nations and peoples are called on to praise the Lord for his great love and enduring faithfulness toward Israel.

Wednesday, 25 May 2016 – 1 Kings 8:41-43 - The Old Testament lesson includes Solomon’s prayer that God will hear foreigners praying in the temple. All three lessons point to the fact that there is no partiality with and in God. Our lesson indicates that all people will come to God’s house and will be heard by God. Does this teach universalism? No, for man to come he must come through the narrow door. He must come through Jesus and through faith.

 Thursday, 26 May 2016 – Galatians 1:1-10 – Paul is shocked that the Galatians have turned to another gospel. The Gospel is not confined to a race or sect but is available for all.

God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But they must come only through faith in Christ.

Friday, 27 May 2016 – Luke 7:1-10 – Jesus has mercy and heals a centurion’s slave. In the Gospel lesson, Jesus helps a pagan slave and credits his Roman master with the greatest faith in Israel. The point is not that this man is a “foreigner” rather he is a “foreigner” who has a stronger faith than any in Israel. What makes this incident in the life of the Savior so outstanding is that the believer is not a Jew but a Roman professional military pagan! 

Saturday, 28 2016 – 1 Samuel 20:3 – This verse is the inspiration for the great hymn, “In the Very Midst of Life.” {LSB 755}  The context of this verse is an oath David took with respect to his friend Jonathan. As the Lord lives, David knows the Lord will keep His word. In the midst of our earthly existence, the Lord has promised to sustain, guide, and lead His people. We place our lives into His hands knowing that He will surely order our days. Vicious and violent storms leave some questioning. Do we trust only when things go our way? Do we have confidence in God only when life is good? In the very midst of life, in every circumstance, we trust Christ completely.        

  

LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK LECTIONARY © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO

Prayer for tornado victims offered by LCMS World Relief and Human Care

LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES C by John Brokhoff © 1979 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

Proper 4 - Pentecost 2

Proper 4

Luke 7:1-10

June 2, 2013

Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.

O God, by Your almighty Word You set in order all things in heaven and on earth.  Put away from us all things hurtful, and give us those things that are beneficial for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

A popular view is that to get help from Jesus you must come directly in contact with him, make your appeal, and confess your faith. That may happen in the life of a Christian but in today’s Gospel we have an exception. A Roman Centurion whose servant as near death needed Jesus’ help. Time was of the essence. Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly.

But that’s not how the story goes. Jesus never saw the servant. Never touched the servant.  Never spoke to the servant!  Jesus never spoke directly to the centurion either! That the servant was, indeed, healed, is made clear, however, in the last words of the reading: "When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well."

This healing brings comfort and hope. We are a people separated from Jesus by twenty-one centuries by heaven and earth.  Jesus can help regardless of the faith of the person. Jesus will help even if…

1.     1.   There is no physical contact. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. Vs. 6

A.        Jesus did not even come into the centurion’s home. Jesus never sees this Centurion. He never meets with the Centurion face to face. The Centurion's absence is remarkable. It is a sign of his deep-felt sense that Jesus was greater even than he was.  He’s a man under authority. He understands this. He knows Jesus is a man set under authority. Jesus has authority set from His Father.

B.         Nor does Jesus, for that matter, ever see the servant that He was being asked to heal.   The centurion and his servant will sink further and further into the background while Jesus is pushed further and further into the front.

C.        Though Jesus is in heaven. He can still help us on earth.  Jesus was as near to the centurion by virtue of that centurion's faith as He could have been by entering his house! The centurion had drawn Jesus into his house merely by his confidence in what Jesus would do if he had in fact entered that house! Jesus never had any personal or verbal exchange with this sick servant!

The presence of Christ in the faith of that centurion became a healing force of its own.  The one for whom the centurion cared so deeply is healed by the one who is the way the truth and the life!

2.        2. Jesus will help even if there is no direct communication. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. Vs3.

A.        The Centurion sends a delegation to serve as mediators. Maybe they could persuade the Savior.

B.        Through them, Jesus got the message of need and of the Centurion’s faith.  Centurions were generally hardened men of war. Long years of service, often in violent and dangerous situations, had pretty well made them immune to suffering - their own suffering as well as the suffering of others.

C.        Here we need the value of intercessory prayer – taking the need of others to Jesus for His healing touch. Jesus is never said to have spoken a word concerning the servant's healing! That on which the Centurion had based all his hope and invitation never took place as he had first envisioned it! 

3.      3.  Jesus will help even if there is no expression of faith by the one healed. Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. Vs. 10

A.        The slave never saw or spoke to Jesus. He never cried out for mercy. It didn’t matter. The Savior came.

B.        This slave never offered an expression of faith. It didn’t matter. The Savior came. The slave was healed because of the Centurion’s faith, which came to Jesus second-hand. The Centurion's confidence that Jesus could do that which he was asked to do is the mark of a profound faith.

C.      Christ is good even to unbelievers for the sake of those who do believe. There is where we are called to respond in kind.  It seems to me this is an excellent opportunity for us to discuss why we pray for those we may not know. Do you pray the stranger down the street? The one who curses you to your face one week and then, the next, you learn they have stage 4 cancer? Do we pray for them? Of course we do. We pray, even if they are outside the family. We pray. Even if they are weak in faith. We pray. Even if their presence in our lives bothers us. . People of God – pray without ceasing! Not only for yourselves but also for the one outside the faith. For God gives daily bread to all even to the wicked…

D.       Using this Centurion as your guide, you must have faith enough for yourself AND for that person involved. You must also have faith enough to bear their sin when they can't. You must have faith to ask for forgiveness when they are unable. Such a faith is essential if we are serious about upholding one another. If you’re serious about taking your needs, burdens, joys and sorrows to the throne room of grace we need such a faith as this. Again, we have a pagan, Roman Centurion to show us what a strong faith does.

Is there a need today? Take it to the Lord in Prayer. He helps all those of faith and even those of little or no faith. We are called to cry out to the Lord not only for ourselves but also especially for those who have yet not confessed the name of Jesus. By receiving mercy they can be warmed and wooed to the tender mercies of the Savior