All Saints Day

O Almighty God, by whom we are graciously knit together as one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys which You had prepared for those who love You; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Life for the Christian is a life that is lived by faith – On this All Saints Day Jesus the greatest teacher who has ever lived gives a description of the child of God who has been incorporated into the family of faith. These Beatitudes are the gifts the Savior has given to you.


1. Comfort for those who mourn now – Vs. 4 - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Mourn" describes a person who becomes aware of his personal offense to God and the pain that he has brought to others by his sinful behavior. The believer sees beyond consequences of his wrongdoing into the real offenses done to others. Mourning specifically over the sins we have committed against God - Sorrow for the fact that our sins brought God’s Son to the cross. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). Mourning or godly sorrow leads to repentance and salvation and thus eternal comfort. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

2. Fulfillment of the desire for goodness – Vs. 6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Hunger and thirst for righteousness" describes a man's relentless pursuit of God's righteous standards which he can only gain from God. He looks beyond himself for new standards of conduct and embraces God’s strength to obtain what he so desperately desires. Genuine humility, godly sorrow for one’s sin, and meekness leads to the desire to be right with God. Righteousness is attained through Christ. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30)

To gain the righteousness found in Christ, one must obey His gospel and continue to obey the truth or practice righteousness. (1 John 3:7). True spiritual fulfillment is given to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (Matthew 5:6).

3. Mercy for those who are merciful now – Vs. 7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. “Merciful" is a tender compassion for those in the wrong around them. Because he too has been forgiven, he cares for the special needs of those around him. Seized by his own unworthiness, he reaches out to others with compassion. The mercy of God is the source of motivation to show mercy toward others. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). Mercy is demonstrated, in part, by our willingness to forgive others. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32). Only the merciful will receive mercy on Judgment Day. …judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:13)

4. A vision of God for the pure in heart – Vs.8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. "Pure in heart" speaks not of a person's old heart but his new heart and motivation. God has given the ability to seek the welfare of others above the desires for oneself. Refusing to focus on himself, he sincerely opens his heart to what God and others desire. .Pure in Heart means clean, pure of sin, sincere, earnest devotion to God. It is a pure longing for God, serving Him only. A pure heart is achieved by the help of God. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). Christians are to be committed to cleansing their hearts (and lives) of sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). To see God or maintain fellowship with Him requires purity of heart. Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8).
These Beatitudes are not some new kind of new Law given to us. They are not rules for the righteous. They are rather a description of those who are in Christ. The Beatitudes describe both who Jesus is and what He gives to all who, by faith, have been incorporated into Him. You, dear friend are blessed. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours! You shall see God for you are called the sons of God - for you belong to Christ.

Happy Birthday Maggy, Gwen and Lilly

Magdalen Jayne, Gwendalen Claire, and Lilliann Samantha Wright - triplet daughters of Pr. Kyle and Karrie Wright turn one today. We will celebrate with them and their soon to be three year old daughter Katie. I was given the wonderful privilege to baptize all three of them on November 3, 2008. The Lord bless the Wright family. In twenty six years of ministry I've had my share of baptizing twins (seven or eight sets) but only one set of triplets!

To view their photo blog see here http://kyleandkeriwright.wordpress.com/2009/10/

Time in the Word - All Saints Day

Collect for the Feast of All Saint—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 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.

The Feast of All Saints has been celebrated as such since the ninth century, but its roots are even earlier, in a festival in honor of All Martyrs celebrated in Syria in the mid-fourth century, and in the rededication of the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon was originally dedicated as a pagan temple in 27 b.c. to the gods of the seven known planets; it was re-dedicated by Boniface IV in a.d. 610 as a Christian basilica in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all martyrs.

The Feast of All Saints, therefore, recalls the memories of the faithful departed and the triumph of Christ over all false gods. Being thus a Christological feast, the color of the paraments is white.

After the Reformation, Lutherans continued to observe All Saints’ Day, while rejecting the additional Feast of All Souls the following day because of its unscriptural underpinnings in commemorating the souls in Purgatory who were not yet saints.

Monday, 26 October 2009—Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; Antiphon, Rev 7:14b—The antiphon is the description of a portion of the vision which the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John received from our Lord Jesus. In it, he sees those saints who have received the beatific vision of God by virtue of their having been baptized, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, that is, Jesus Christ our Savior. This is the blessed existence that awaits all the elect, for which we yearn even while we groan in this vale of tears.

Tuesday, 27 October 2009—Psalm 149—A psalm of high praise unto the Lord to be offered up in the assembly of the godly. He has taken pleasure in his people and adorned the humble with salvation. For this, we His saints do not cease to give Him the glory and praise due His name.

Wednesday, 28 October 2009—Revelation 7:9–17—This is the vision whence the antiphon for the Introit is drawn. These are the saints who never cease praising God and the Lamb for the salvation which has been accomplished by the Lamb of God having shed His blood for the remission of all our sins and for our salvation. In the Lord’s Supper, we join with those saints who have gone before, with palm branches in their hands, in singing the Sanctus: ‘Holy Holy, Holy…Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord!’ With those saints, we also partake of the marriage feast of the Lamb which has no end.

Thursday, 29 October 2009—1 John 3:1–3—What an amazing thing it is to be able to pray the Lord’s Prayer, where we address the Holy and Almighty God as Our Father! This we can do because we are the children of God, as St John tells us in the Epistle reading for Sunday. We are His children because, being baptized into Christ, we are Christ’s, and heirs with Him. By the redemption we have by the blood of Jesus, God has made us His children.

Friday, 30 October 2009—Matthew 5:1–12—The Beatitudes are not some new kind of Law given by a new Lawgiver, Jesus. Rather, they are a description of those who are in Christ. The Beatitudes describe both who Jesus is and what He gives to all who, by faith, have been incorporated into Him. You, dearly baptized, are blessed: the Kingdom of Heaven is yours, you shall see God, you are called sons of God, for you belong to Christ.

Saturday, 31 October 2009—Sunday’s hymn of the day, For All the Saints (LSB 677) is a song of high praise, not to the saints, but by us saints, for the grace of God shown to the saints who have gone before. As they now enjoy eternity with their Lord and Redeemer, so we, too, look forward to that more glorious day, when saints triumphant rise in bright array, and sing Alleluias to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

This week's Time in the Word was written by Pr. Jeff Keuning who serves St. John Dexter and Zion Casey, IA

Sycamores Win!

Henry's been at Indiana State the past five years and they have won two games!

The Indiana State Sycamores used a pair of touchdown runs by sophomore quarterback Ryan Roberts to end the nation's longest losing streak at 33 games with a thrilling 17-14 come-from-behind victory over Western Illinois on Homecoming in front of 6,028 fans at electric Memorial Stadium.

Image © Indians State University

Reformation

Almighty God, gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and comfort them in all temptations, defend them against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on the Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Truth for man is so elusive that many, like Pilate the Governor wonder what truth really is. There is widespread skepticism. What is proclaimed as truth today is not what is was yesterday…so some question, who knows what it will be tomorrow? In addition, there are various kinds of truth in our world it seems; political, scientific, and spiritual. In our Gospel Jesus is dealing with the most profound ground of truth concerning God and life.

In our lesson Jesus tells us two realities...

1. What truth is - “If you continue in My Word you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth.”

A. The picture of Jesus as the hero or Messiah is by no means limited to the Jewish audiences of His day. Many modern Christians also think of Jesus as a model for socio-economic and political reform. {I once heard a person ask in all seriousness “could a sincere Christian be a registered Democrat?”}

1. The Jews of Jesus’ day believed that the Messiah would come to “restore the kingdom of Israel” (Acts 1:6), a mistaken view that Jesus corrected repeatedly throughout His ministry namely that it was John the Baptist who would come first:

a. Matthew 11:14 -And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”

b. Matthew 17:11-13 - “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

c. Mark 9:11-13 -To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

2. The contemporary messianic expectations of all sorts of people are directed to the attainment of world peace, economic prosperity, and enjoyment of good things of this life. Actually, one does not need to believe in Jesus in order to live for such hopes. (e.g. radio talk-show host Glen Beck who is not a Christian but of the Mormon faith)

B. Those hopes contradicted the Word of Jesus. This Word is important because we who believe Him shall know the truth – if we continue in His Word.

1. It is truth regarding His person – who He is; namely, the only Son of the Father (John 8:54-55). Jesus is the truth in contrast to the devil, “the prince of this world,” whose nature it is to live (v.44).

2. It is truth regarding ourselves and our condition before God, our Creator and Judge. According to our fallen nature, we have the spiritual image and likeness of the devil. To know the truth about ourselves is to know what has happened to us, whom God originally had made for Himself. But the Jews did not want to know that. (Vs. 33)

Transition: Not only does Jesus tell us what the truth is – He tells us what the truth will do.

2. What this truth does – “the truth will make you free.”

A. This is not just any “truth” but the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (14:6). We confess Him as “the only begotten Son of God…who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.”

B. How does Jesus make us free?

1. By redeeming us from the judgment of God and of sin. (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23) Forgiveness of sin is no sentimental disposition of God. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). By obeying god’s law for us and by suffering the penalty of our trespass, He provided for us acquittal and life in Him. (Romans 5:18-19)

2. The forgiven sinner is received by God as a member of His family. Freedom in Christ must be understood as sharing in the liberty of Him who “is all in all” (Colossians 1:15-20)

Jesus Christ, our truth and freedom, is also our continuing hope. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My words, he will never see death.” (John 8:51; eternal death.) We Christians live in this hope. Reformation Day reminds us how we live in hope, namely, by daily contrition for the sins that cling to us in this world and in the firm faith that God continually forgives us our sins for Christ’s sake.

Bach Collegium 8th Season

Sunday, 25 October, 7 p.m.
at Trinity Episcopal Church,
611 W. Berry St.
Ft. Wayne, IN

The season's theme: Hear the Joy, reflects one's experience when listening to the Collegium. Your spirit will be uplifted, and for whatever your burdens, they will receive soothing relief. Not only the music itself, but also the Baroque performance practices will uplift you -- vocal techniques in the Baroque style and performing with period instruments -- all contributing to a warm, rich, articulate sound that will delight the listener with its sparkle and lilting dance-like character. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or on line (http://www.bachcollegium.org/).

This is truly a treasure in our Ft. Wayne community.

Time in the Word - Reformation

The theme for the Reformation Sunday is Freedom in Christ. Over the course of centuries, the institutionalized church led by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, had become extremely corrupt. The Gospel had been obscured, and, in its place, a system of works-righteousness, treasuries of merits of the saints, and the buying and selling of indulgence had arisen.

God used an Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, to reform His Church. Luther searched the Scriptures, and found in them liberty rooted in the three-fold office of Christ (Prophet, Priest, and King.)


Christ is our Priest, our Mediator, who justifies us by His blood. He is our Prophet, who reveals to us the Gospel, which is the ‘power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes’ (Rom 1:16). Christ is our King, whom we follow by the clear and simple meaning of His Word.
By His death, Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin, death, and the devil. Through Luther and other Reformers, he has set us free from the tyranny of Popes and Councils. We have Freedom in Christ, indeed!

Monday, 19 October 2009—Psalm 34:1–2, 11, 22; Antiphon, Psalm 119:46—The Antiphon for next Sunday’s Introit proclaims, I will speak of Your statutes before Kings O Lord, and shall not be put to shame. This verse also serves as the inscription for the Augsburg Confession, one of the documents in the Lutheran Book of Concord. We need fear no earthly kings or powers when we make confession of our faith, for we have been set free from fear by the Gospel. Let us make bold our proclamation of confidence in the Lord, who redeems the life of His servants. For this, we bless the Lord at all times.

Tuesday, 20 October 2009—Psalm 46—This psalm of David expresses complete confidence in God, no matter the circumstance. It depicts scenes of turmoil: natural disasters (vv. 2, 3), political persecution (v. 6a), and even the end of days (v. 6b). The one who trusts in God can withstand such troubles, and be still and quiet, for God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Wednesday, 21 October 2009—Revelation 14:6–7—This first angel of John’s vision has often been interpreted by Lutheran commentators as Martin Luther, because of his clear proclamation of the eternal gospel to…those who dwell on earth. Certainly God worked through this man, as He works through others, to bring His message of freedom in Christ to every nation and tribe and language and people.

Thursday, 22 October 2009—Romans 3:19–28—Theologians use a Latin phrase that describes our relationship with God’s Holy Law: Lex semper accusat, that is, ‘the Law always accuses’. This is because none of us sinful humans can obey God’s Law perfectly. Both our original sin and our actual sin condemn us. But there is a righteousness before God apart from the Law and apart from ourselves and anything we do. This righteousness is the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to us through faith in the propitiating death of Christ on our behalf. Because of Christ’s fulfillment of the Law, and His blood which He shed for us, God declares us ‘not guilty’

Friday, 23 October 2009—John 8:31–36—Sunday’s Gospel speaks of the freedom we find in the Truth of Jesus Christ. All of us were born into slavery—the slavery of sin. But Christ has set us free from our bondage by His atoning sacrifice. The One who declares, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life tells us here that the Truth shall set us free. The Truth has set us free: the Truth which embodied in Christ Jesus and the Truth which He declares to us in His Word. We are free, indeed!

Saturday, 24 October 2009—Sunday’s hymn of the day, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (LSB 656) is Luther’s great battle hymn of the Reformation. Based on the Psalm of the day, Psalm 46, it reflects complete confidence in God, even when faced by a host of devils and the earthly adversities they bring. They can harm us none, for they have been felled—defeated—by one little Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Savior.

Collect for Pentecost 21—Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

This week's Time in the Word is written by Pr. Jeff Keuning who serves Zion, Dexter and St. John, Casey, IA