Pentecot 7 - mid-week

Luke 10:1-9; 16

In Christ God’s kingdom comes to you. Jesus sends out His disciples into the world to witness. As He sent them in to the world He also sends you. Considers the Savior’s directive.
1. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Luke 10:3 Consider the territory the Lord is sending you.
A. The world is hostile to the cause of Christ. This is why you represent Christ to the world. Some may say, there’s a church on almost every corner. If someone wants to go to church, they can! Yet, throughout this text Jesus emphasizes the urgency of going out and witnessing through visitation which is essential today. People quite frankly will not come to the church. The church must go to the people. This is where the faithful witness of Christians from every walk of life impacts the world for Christ. People do not come to a church because of a program. They come because someone in their life has impacted them and invited them to come and meet Jesus.
B. The Savior sends you as lambs among wolves. Wolves would destroy helpless sheep. The forces of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh are about seeking to destroy your faith. We must be aware of what we are up against. The devil is serious when it comes to your faith – he seriously wants to destroy it. He doesn’t want you to receive that peace which only the Savior can give. His desire is to see the church splinted, fractured and broken.
C. Thus our attitude must be that of meekness. Humbleness of heart is essential. Consider the encouragement of the Savior when He said in Matthew’s gospel, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30
D. This is our reality – we’re walking in a troubled world. Yet, we are shielded. Says St. Paul, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:11-17
Transition: As we are being sent into hostile territory we put on the full armor of God and place our reliance on Him who has saved us.
2. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. Luke 10:4
A. A classmate from the seminary did this – literally. He carried no identification, not even a bill fold. He carried no back pack, nor a suitcase, not even a change of clothing. He walked into Mexico - and greeted no one on his journey until he happen to come upon a house. From within the house someone called the police and he was whisked away by the authorities and spend a half a year in a Mexican prison. He took this verse literally, and it got him into trouble – literally! What is it that the Savior is getting at here? He’s speaking about our attitude. You need an attitude which is totally dependent upon Christ.
B. Your attitude needs to be – totally focused on Christ. Our reliance needs to be placed firmly on Christ. Without Him we are lost and abandoned in this troubled world. There should be nothing other then Christ as our center.
Transition: Have a faith completely reliant upon Christ we share with those who are of the same faith.
3. When you enter a house, first say, FRIEDHEIM! ‘Peace to this house. Luke 10:5
A. Whenever I read this verse I like to translate it as follows, “When you enter a house, first say, “Friedheim!” The Savior has truly blessed us here! This is a haven of peace and a harbor of hope – for lost and troubled souls. For here we find peace and rest for troubled souls.
B. Building peace and maintaining it is serious and difficult business. But a necessary task. My hope and prayer is that the peace of Christ would always rest at this place. Recall the words of our Savior, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” –John 14:27
Transition: Greeting our brothers and sisters in Christ sharing in this same faith will enable faith, hope and love to grow and flourish.
4. If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Luke 10:6
A. A man of peace will be a man of faith – Faith and peace will be self evident. As we share and life our faith that faith will grow. When faith and peace are evident it will not return back.
B. If there is no peace I that house ours remains. No one can believe for another, each is on their own. We reap what we sow – if we sow only to ourselves and to a corrupt nature we reap destruction. If we sow toward God we reap life – life with God now and life in the future which leads to eternal life.

Time in the Word - Pentecost 8, Proper 11

Fellowship with the Divine
Next Sunday may be called “Hospitality Day.” Human entertain divine beings at dinners. In the Gospel Martha and Mary have Jesus in their home for dinner, but only Mary gets fed by Christ while Martha is busy getting the meal ready. In the Old Testament lesson Abraham offers hospitality to three men from God and receives a blessing from them. The Epistle lesson is a continuation from last Sunday’s lesson from Colossians. Because of the cross which reconciled us to God, we may appear before Him with holiness. Before Christ, we could not approach God or be in His presence because were estranged from Him.

Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: O almighty and most merciful God, of Your bountiful goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish whatever things You want done; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Collect for Proper 11: O Lord, grant us the Spirit to hear Your Word and know the one thing needful that by Your Word and Spirit we may live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

For guidance in our calling: Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but on that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For steadfast faith: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward 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 the faith to the end and finally come to love everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For newness of life in Christ: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon ourselves the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility, that in the Last Day, when He shall come again to glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Time in the Word 12-17 July 2010
Preparation for next week, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Monday, 12 July 2010—Psalm 119:57-60, 64; antiphon, Psalm 119:103— Psalm 119:57-64 is brought to you by the Hebrew Letter “”Heth” The Lord is the Psalmist’s true homestead because it is God’s law that fills the earth with all that makes life secure and joyous. So God’s promises are his hope and God’s righteous laws are his delight.

Tuesday, 13 July 2010—Psalm 27— Devotion to God’s House. David speaks of fearless trust in God. God - the strength of his life. David loved to sing, and to pray and to wait on the Lord. The man whose priorities are right (Vv. 4, 8) has nothing to fear (Vv. 1-3, 5-6). He knows where to turn in trouble (Vv. 7-12) and his hope is well founded. (Vv. 13-14)

Wednesday, 14 July 2010—Genesis 18:1-18a—At the oaks of Mamre, Abraham feeds three angels of God. At least two of the “men” were angels. The third was the angel of the Lord or the Lord Himself. [See Vv. 1,13,17,20, 26, 33, and especially verse 22] Abraham politely addressed one of his guests as “my lord” and called himself “your servant” (Vv. 3, 5) a common way of speaking when addressing a superior. Hebrews 13:2 is probably a reference to Vv. 2-8 and 19:1-3. Abraham and Sarah were rewarded beyond measure. They entertain the Lord Himself Vv. 1-2 and they are given the miraculous gift of new life. Vs. 10a Note: The woodcut below is a depiction of what transpires in the verses immediately following our lesson.

Thursday, 15 June 2010—Colossians 1:21-28—Through the cross Christ reconciled those once estranged that they might be blameless before God and Paul explains the purpose of his sufferings and ministry. Paul explains so much in just a few verses. In Vv.21-23 Paul explains the nature of the gospel, the way of salvation, with an appeal to remain steadfast in the faith. In verse 24, there is the difficult passage concerning Paul’s sufferings completing Christ’s afflictions. In Vv. 26-27 Paul speaks about the mystery of the gospel. The purpose of one’s ministry, the goal of the church’s work is in verse 28: “So we preach Christ to everyone…in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.” Maturity in Christ is the goal in thinking, understanding, in attitude, and in practice.

Friday, 16 July 2010—Luke 10:38-42— Jesus visits with Martha and Mary in their home. The church needs to reach out into the world demonstrating the compassion of Christ. This is seen in the work of Martha. The church at the same time needs to become a redemptive community – demonstrated by the actions of Mary. Mary chose to fulfill that need by sitting at His feet to learn from Jesus. We can not neglect physical bread for spiritual bread. Both are needed. But which is more important? In the Gospel text Jesus answers this: “Mary chose “the good portion.” Donating food, clothing, shelter, medical care and the like is important yet the Savior encourages us to give top priority to the spiritual needs of life.

Saturday, 17 July 2010 - Romans 3:23-25 – The hymn of the week is “O Savior, Precious Savior” (LSB 527). Having come into the presence of Christ, having heard His Word having communed with Him at His altar, having received His promise of reconciliation in the words of the Absolution we are encouraged to praise the name of the Lord. The words of this much loved hymn finds its focus on Christ and the true worship He is due. Come tomorrow to the Divine Service expecting to be drawn by the Savior to those means of grace that He gives us.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House
Collect for Eighth Sunday after Pentecost from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House
LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES C John Brokhoff © 1979 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH
Woodcut by Baron Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, Das Buch der Bücher in Bilden [The Book of Books in Pictures]) ©WELS.
Concordia Self Study Bible © 1886 Concordia Publishing House

Children's talk - Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

One day Jesus was praying
One of His friends asked Him “Jesus teach us to pray”
Jesus said, when you are praying, you must say
“Father Your name must be kept holy
Your Kingdom must come
Keep on giving us each day the food we need for the next day.
And forgive us our sins, for we also try to forgive everyone who does bad things to us.
And don’t let us be led into temptation.”

We pray to our Father in heaven as Jesus taught us.

1. What is prayer?
Prayer is talking to God in our minds or with our voices.
a. I can pray silently in my mind.
b. I can pray out loud with my voice.
c. Because I am God’s child and He is my Father I can pray anywhere.

2. Who can pray to God?
God listens to everyone who believes in Jesus.

3. Where can I pray?
We may pray at home
We may pray at church
We may pray in the field
We may pray in the cab of the tractor
We may pray everywhere.

4. When does God want me to pray?
God wants us to pray anytime
God wants us to pray often

Our Father who art in heaven
This means …
God is our dear Father and we are God’s dear children
Jesus paid for our sins so God will always hear us
We will want to talk to God our Father often
I pray – God listens
I speak- God hears
I ask- God answers
I listen- God talks loud and clear in the Bible

From God’s Word
Psalm 91:15 – The Lord says, “Call upon Me, and I will answer.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray always

Jesus You have walked with me
And showed me what to do.
In Your Word You tell me all
To “Love as I loved you.”

Pentecost 7 - Proper 10

Luke 10:25-37

Nearly all of you are well acquainted with the Gospel lesson today. We heard the familiar parable of the “Good Samaritan” which to mind the story of a priest, and a Levite (supposedly holy men) passing by a wounded man lying on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho and a Samaritan who saves that man from dying. While many aspects of the New Testament may be unfamiliar to our society, the term “Good Samaritan” gets thrown around a lot. In the newspapers or on Fox News we occasionally read and hear stories about people who go out of their way to help others in need. Headlines read, “Good Samaritan Pulls Victim from the Water” and “Good Samaritan Helps Police Make Arrest.” Since we are bombarded by stories of tragedy and loss in the media and on the news, “Good Samaritan” stories do come as a welcome relief. Good, so our culture understands what Jesus is telling us through this parable, right? Or does it somehow miss the point about the parable of the “Good Samaritan”? While the theme of coming to someone’s aid is indeed an aspect of Jesus’ parable, it only scratches at the surface of what Jesus wants you and me to learn from the Gospel lesson this morning. We will learn that there is only one true “Good Samaritan” only one truly good neighbor that rescues a world in need. Our Gospel lesson teaches that,
JESUS CHRIST IS OUR GOOD SAMARITAN

I. The way to inherit eternal life is through perfectly keeping the law.
1. So how can we as Christians understand this parable so differently from the rest of our culture? First of all, we need to pay attention to how the parable starts. Our text reads, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” While his motives for coming to Jesus may not have been pure, (the text says he came to test Jesus) the lawyer’s question is extremely important. He wants to know from Jesus himself how he can inherit eternal life. Not only that, he wants to know what he can personally do to earn that life. Even though we discover through his wording that he recognizes that eternal life must be inherited, as a son inherits a family estate, he still thinks that there is something that he must do to make eternal life a reality.

2. Jesus replies to the lawyer’s question with a question of his own. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Jesus asks this not to evade the question but to give the lawyer a clear understanding of what earning eternal life really means. So the lawyer answers “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” This lawyer is no slouch. He knows the law well enough that he quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” and Leviticus 19:18 “love your neighbor as yourself.” By doing that he rightly captures the essence of the God’s law. Jesus tells him as much. He says, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” Jesus makes it clear that the only way a person can earn eternal life is through keeping the demands of God’s law. The lawyer in today’s text understood at this point that the law could be demanding more than he could do himself. So trying to find a way out, or as our text puts aptly puts it, desperately wanting to justify himself the lawyer tries to mitigate the law’s demands. So he asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Application: You can see the problem the lawyer finds himself in. It’s easy to love your neighbor as yourself if your neighbors are none other than your close family and friends. If those people were your neighbors then you might have a shot at keeping the law’s requirement of loving your neighbor as yourself. But what about the new family who just moved in down the street? What about the new kid in your classroom? What about those in-laws that you have never gotten along with? Why should they be our neighbors? Unfortunately, in our sinful and fallen nature all of us would much prefer a short list of neighbors to love. For as often as there are stories about “Good Samaritans” coming to the rescue in the news, there seems to be twice as many stories about someone being in trouble, needing help, and no one does a thing. Just this past week, I found a news story about how bystanders did nothing as an elderly man was beaten in a carjacking outside a convenience store. Other disturbing stories recount how children are abused and beaten on playgrounds as others just stand around and watch. There is even a psychological term that has been coined, called “the bystander effect,” which tries to make sense as to why people do nothing when they witness someone in trouble. And even when identifying strangers as neighbors is hard enough, how often do we fail to love our family and friends as we should?

II. When we realize who our neighbors really are, we discover that we cannot keep the law.
1. Jesus makes clear though the parable that a neighbor could be anyone. It could even be the man who was beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. The priest and the Levite kept their distance from the dying man on the side of the road. By avoiding him they denied that the man was their neighbor; that he meant anything to them at all. The Samaritan, however, saw the dying man and felt compassion. His heart went out to him. It is interesting to note that the same Greek word is used in describing how the Samaritan felt and how Jesus felt when he saw the Widow at Nain come out of the town with her son in a coffin. It was not just simple compassion the Samaritan felt, it is a heartfelt, gut wrenching pity that moved him to help the dying man no matter what the cost was.

2. But it isn’t enough to recognize who is your neighbor, what is also required is that we are good neighbors to those who need it. When Jesus asked the lawyer at the end of the parable, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The answer was the Samaritan. He not only recognized who his neighbor was he was also a true neighbor in return.

3. So where do we stand in relation to this parable? When we try to justify ourselves, like the lawyer in this lesson, we become like the priest and the Levite who ignore the dying man on the road. We feel nothing when we fail to help those who need it and we come up with excuses and try to limit who our neighbors could be. If however we can see that we fail to keep God’s law to love him with all our heart mind and soul and that we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we recognize the truth about our sinful and fallen condition. We recognize that there is nothing that we can do on our own to earn or merit eternal life, as the lawyer in our text wanted to. When we understand this we become like the robbed and beaten man on the side of the road in need of rescue. In that man’s condition there was nothing he could do to help himself. And in the same way, when we are beaten down by our own sins, when we realize that we love ourselves more than God or our neighbors, we are rendered helpless.

III. Christ rescues us from the wounds of sin by perfectly keeping the law for us.
1. But dear friends in Christ, I have good news for you today! Jesus Christ is our true Good Samaritan who came and found us when the Devil, the world, and our flesh left us dying on the side of the road. When we could not keep the law of God to earn eternal life, Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life that kept God’s law perfectly. On the cross he exchanged his glory and the eternal life that were rightly his for our sins, our shortcomings and our punishment of death. From his heartfelt compassion, he selflessly lifted up our sins on the cross to remove them forever from us. By his own wounds ours have been healed. So in the same way as the Samaritan paid for the restoration of health of the dying man, so Christ has paid for our everlasting health through his suffering and death on the cross. There is only one true Good Samaritan in this parable and it is Jesus Christ himself. Unlike us, he will never just stand by and watch as we are torn apart by the powers of this world. No, he comes to our rescue and saves us every time we are in trouble. When we call on his name in prayer we have the absolute confidence and assurance from God’s Word that he hears us and that he helps us by his good and gracious will.

2. Dear friends, we have inherited eternal life, not by anything we have done, but by what Christ has done. Through his work on the cross we have been reconciled to the Father. Since we are reconciled, we have become heirs to his eternal kingdom. St. Paul writes in Galatians chapter 3, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” We have been made heirs to eternal life through Christ’s saving work. Through faith in that promise we will receive that gift.

IV. Through Christ, we love and serve our neighbor as he loves and serves us.
1. Now that we know how we as Christians understand the parable of the Good Samaritan, we know that any good work done by us to help our neighbor is not really our own work, but it is Christ working through us. As Jesus found us and rescued us from our wounds, so we look to help all our neighbors. We welcome the new family into our neighborhood. We pray for and provide for the needy through our donations of time and goods. When we see someone who does need help, we go out of our way to help them. We don’t do this to show how good we are, but to show the world how much Christ loves us.

2. When I was studying late one cold winter night this past year at the seminary, a friend of mine stopped by to say hello. We were both having a tough time keeping up with our studies but I was encouraged by my friend’s concern long hours in the library as I worked on a paper that was due that week. A few minutes after my friend left, he returned with a small takeout bag from McDonalds and insisted that I take the bag and have some food to hold me over till I get home. I couldn’t help but think to myself how blessed I was to have such a great Christian friend who somehow knew how hungry I was without even asking. I thought to myself at the time, and still do today, that this is how Christ serves us through our life in this world, through our neighbors’ actions. The great Good Samaritan moves us through the power of the Holy Spirit to spread his mercy to anyone who needs it. Thanks be to God for the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation made possible through Jesus Christ and opportunities to serve in his name every day.

sermon written by Sem. Brian Flamme

Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS for personal and congregational use

Pentecost 6 - mid-week

Luke 9:51-62

There are many excuses for people not wanting to follow the Savior. There were plenty of excuses given then and there are plenty today. Commitment to Christ requires total surrender. We encounter numerous excuses not to follow Christ in the Scriptures. The question for us to ponder today, have things changed over the years? Let’s consider what the Savior was up against shall we?
1. “I will follow you wherever you go” – Such a bold statement! One of unswerving and unwavering faith! Yet, consider the response the Savior gives this bold confession: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
A. I will follow so long as I am not inconvenienced. I’ll follow You Lord as a disciple - as long as my creature comforts are not compromised. I will follow - as long as I do not have to get involved in the lives and concerns of others.
B. What this excuse says loud and clear is - don’t make discipleship too difficult. This could happen when one might complain that the service went over an hour. Yet would we even blink an eye if a Wizards game, for example, went into extra innings? Or if we limit our time of discipleship to a few hours a month have we become overly taxed?
2. The 2nd excuses “Let me burry my father” – Jesus responds by saying, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
A. Do not allow personal relationships to get in the way.
B. Do we not want anything to be inconvenient or problematic for us? Does everything have to fit into a perfect timetable? We don’t want anything awkward some may say. But is this always possible?
C. Jesus’ response reminds us that there is urgency about our relationship with Him. Being a disciple demands an immediate response. Jesus’ response is a sobering one at that! Not even something as important as arranging and attending your parent’s funeral should keep you from responding.
The point the Savior is making is a profound one – The Kingdom of God cannot wait until you fulfill lesser responsibilities. There will always be commitments demanding our time, our attention, and our resources. The issue we must address is our priorities – what is the most important? What is your first love? Where is your passion?
3. “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
A. We need a total focus to the task at hand. Proclaiming and sharing the truth of the Gospel, and then reaching out to our neighbors and friends with the message of the cross. Paul said, “I desire to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
B. We need to keep our focus on Christ. May the main thing always be - the main thing. There needs to be a singleness of purpose in our lives. No one who plows looks back! The eye is on the goal ahead. You cannot go back. Paul would remind us, “One thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind…” A true disciples has a one track mind, there is one purpose in life, one task, one devotion – the person Jesus Christ.
What is your purpose in life? Follow the example of Christ He knew where He was going and His mission and why He was doing it. He had a total commitment to the Father’s call to be the world’s Savior. He gave us these words “when the days drew near for Him to be received up.” (Vs. 51) He knew the time was short, that His days were numbered, that He must work while it was day for soon of night of Calvary would come. His mission was to give His life as a ransom for the sin of the world. Your mission is to share His story with those whom the Lord places into your life.

Time in the Word - Pentecost 7 - Proper 10

Benefits of Obedience

Sunday’s theme might well be called “Obedience Sunday.” Both Gospel (Luke 10:25-37) and other lessons deal with God’s commandments. The Epistle lesson (Colossians 1:1-14) calls upon the people to lead lives worthy of Christ. We are in the position of children, who, when told to do something, ask, “Why?” Often the parent answers, “Because I said so.” Why obey God’s laws? The Lessons give the answer – the benefits of obedience. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a sub point to the question raised in the Gospel. It answers the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The parable serves as an illustration of one who obeys the command, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

For responsible citizenship: Lord, keep this nation under Your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the other nations of ht earth. Grant that we may choose trustworthy leader, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and serve You faithfully in our generation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For purity: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love You and worthily magnify Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For steadfast faith: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward 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 the faith to the end and finally come to love everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For faith, hope, and love: Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hop in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Time in the Word 05-10 July 2010
Preparation for next week, the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Monday, 05 July 2010—Psalm 136:23-26; antiphon, Psalm 136:1— Psalm 136 seems to be an expansion of Psalm 135, about God’s mighty works of Creation and in His dealings with Israel, arranged for antiphonal singing. The phrase “His mercy endures forever” occurs in every verse. It is called a “Hallel” Psalm, was sung at the opening of the Passover, and was a favorite Temple Song (see 1 Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 7:3; 20:21; Ezra 3:11) The description of God’s great works in creation (Vv.4-9) and in history (Vv.10-24) alternate with the people’s refrain to God’s unchanging timeless love.

Tuesday, 06 July 2010—Psalm 41— This psalm is David’s pray for mercy when he was seriously ill. His enemies greet the prospect of his death with malicious glee. Even his once close friends betray his friendship see verse 9. Psalm 41 concludes a collection of four psalms connected by common themes, and also form the conclusion to the first section of the book of Psalms. (Psalms 1- 41) In its structure, the psalm is very symmetrical, composed of four stanzas of three verses each. The first and fourth stanzas frame the prayer with a note of confidence; stanzas two and three elaborate the prayer. Verse 13 is a doxology that closes Book I.

Wednesday, 07 July 2010—Leviticus 19:9-18— Obedience demanded from the Lord your God. Notice throughout the Old Testament reading that the people are reminded, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 18:1) God’s people are given instructions concerning a morality reflecting God’s holiness. God was preparing His people for a life different from their pagan neighbors, whose life-style was deplorably immoral. Our lesson is an expansion of the Ten Commandments as the Lord gives detail as to how and why we must live. We live in obedience because of the relationship with have been given with our God.

Thursday, 08 June 2010—Colossians 1:1-14— Obedience pleases God. In daily life we are accustomed to being transferred, and with each transfer we hope it means a promotion with larger salary. We may transfer schools. We may get a transfer at work from one department to another one. The company may transfer us to another city. In our Epistle Paul talks about the greatest transfer of all: from darkness to the light of God’s kingdom. Everyone needs this transfer because we are born into the world of sin and need to be delivered. Has this transfer taken place in your life?

Friday, 09 July 2010—Luke 10:25-37— Obedience leads to eternal life. The common understanding of a neighbor is one who lives close to you in a neighborhood. In today’s world this is not necessarily the case. Many do not even know even the name of the family who lives in the apartment down the hall, nor the couple living in the adjoining townhouse. Using this definition of “neighbor,” the lawyer was sure he was exempt from the law to love your neighbor. In the parable, Jesus gives a new understanding of a neighbor; he is one who is in need of your assistance given out of love.

Saturday, 10 July 2010 - Romans 3:23-25 – The hymn of the week is the great hymn of faith “By Grace I’m Saved” (LSB 566). The glory God intended man to be is the glory that man had before the fall. (See Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:5-6; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10. Believers in Christ will again have this glory through faith in Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 2:5-9)


Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House
Collect for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House
LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES C John Brokhoff © 1979 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH
Woodcut by Baron Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, Das Buch der Bücher in Bilden [The Book of Books in Pictures]) ©WELS.

Concordia Self Study Bible © 1886 Concordia Publishing House

Pentecost 6 - Proper 9

Luke 10: 16
Get a move on!

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." - Luke 10:16

Who are you? As a follower of Jesus Christ you are His ambassadors – a representative of the Savior who speaks and acts in the place of Christ. You are Christ’s surrogates! Some may ask, “So, what’s the hurry?” There must be concern for there are people missing from the Father’s table. Yet, there are some who have become indifferent showing little concern for those outside. “There is a church on almost every corner! I can see three steeples from my back yard! If they want to go to church – pick one!” Or, we think one religion is as good as the next. Or we say our neighbors live as good a life as most church members. This is not the feeling of Jesus about winning people for the Kingdom. Throughout our text – Jesus emphasizes the urgency of going out and witnessing through visitation. Yes, visitation which is essential today because people will not come to the church. The church must therefore meet people where they are. Today we examine the urgency of winning people for Christ.

1. The condition of this world – v.3 “Lambs in the midst of wolves.”
A. This is how the Savior viewed the people of His day. The Savior saw people who were lost, without purpose, lonely and fearful.


B. Does this not describe the people of our day? Today we celebrate America’s independence. We live in the most affluent countries of the world and yet, this affluence has not helped to cure the hurt of so many. Why have so many lost their way? They are Lambs in the midst of wolves and are missing from the Father’s table.

2. The time is ripe – v.2 “the harvest is plentiful.”

A. Another wheat harvest is upon us. When I put the initial notes together for this sermon spring had was just beginning to break. A cover of snow had remained on it for most of the winter. Fields were beginning to green up. How would the growing season go? Soon we shall know.

B. In a far more significant way there is a harvest of souls waiting. Peter was called to be a fisher of men. In your life, in your interaction with family, co-workers, neighbors and friends the Savior gives you opportunity to be a witness for him. Who will go to them? If not you – who?

3. Avoid delays – v.3 “salute no one on the road.”

A. There was a singleness of purpose in the Savior’s words. There should be no delays, no interruptions, no distractions. There was a harvest ready. It was time to go now! It was time to move.

B. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to make use of every opportunity the Lord gives us to share His message of salvation. We go now because there might be another opportunity. There might not be a tomorrow. Avoid delays, avoid distractions. With a singleness of purpose share the gospel.

4. The imminence of the Kingdom – v.9 “The Kingdom of God has come to you.’

A. Although they did not know it, for they could not recognize Him, the Lord of life was in their midst. God had come to visit His people. The people need to hear the message of salvation.

B. Today the Savior calls us to share this same message “The Kingdom of God has come to you” Make use of every opportunity the Lord gives you to gossip the gospel sharing His story with all you meet.

These words, spoken by men seem so ordinary, so common. But if that word has its basis in God’s written Word, Holy Scripture, it is God’s effective way of bringing His kingdom near. God continues to bring his kingdom near through people and the words they speak. May the Lord use you as you speak His Word to your neighbors, family and friends.

Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS for personal and congregational use