Time in the Word - Proper 10

Time in the Word

Pentecost 8 – Proper 10

The Benefits of Obedience

July 8-13, 2013

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.”

The Verse for Proper 10: - Luke 10:27 – Alleluia. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Alleluia.

Collect for Proper 10: Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer for pastors and their people: Almighty God, by Your Son, our Savior, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds to guide and feed Your flock. Therefore we pray, make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and to administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer for increase of the holy ministry: Almighty and gracious God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You have commanded us to pray that You would send forth laborers into Your harvest. Of Your infinite mercy give us true teachers and ministers of Your Word who truly fulfill Your command and preach nothing contrary to Your holy Word. Grant that we, being warned, instructed, nurtured, comforted, and strengthened by Your holy Word, may do those things which are well pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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 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.

Monday, 8 July 2013— 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 also 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, 9 July 2013— Psalm 66:1–7— 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, 10 July 2013— 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, 11 July 20138— 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?

The Gradual for Proper 10: - Romans 10:13b; Isaiah 52:7b - How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news, who publish peace and bring good news of salvation. Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

Friday, 12 July 2013— 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, 13 July 2013—  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.

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.

Praying for AZ

A prayer for those who serve and protect - remembering those who perished from Prescott, AZ

Almighty God, our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, look in mercy upon the residents of Arizona. 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 these storms and fires. 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.

Time in the Word Proper 9

Collect for Psalm 16: Lord God our Father, keep safe Your servant on the path of eternal life, for You alone are my refuge. When my last hour comes, may my body rest secure in the promise of the Lord's resurrection; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer for likeness to Christ: O God, by the patient suffering of Your only-begotten Son You have beaten down the pride of the old enemy. Now help us, we humbly pray, rightly to treasure in our hearts all that our Lord has of His goodness borne for our sake that following His blessed example we may bear with all patience all that is adverse to us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for spiritual renewal: Almighty God, grant that we, who have been redeemed from the old life of sin by our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, may be renewed by Your Holy Spirit to live in righteousness and true holiness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for grace to love and serve God: O God, through the grace of Your Holy Spirit You pour the gifts of love into the hearts of Your faithful people. Grant Your servants health both of mind and body that they may love You with their whole heart and with their whole strength perform those things that are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Lord restores Jerusalem, His Church, because she is the mother of His children, whom He comforts “as one whom his mother comforts” (Is. 66:13). We are “satisfied from her consoling breast” with the pure milk of the Word, and we “drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance” (Is. 66:11). The messengers of Christ bestow such gifts upon His Church. For He sends them out “as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3), bearing in their bodies the sacrifice of His cross, by which “the kingdom of God has come near” (Luke 10:9, 11). Wherever He enters in with this Gospel, Satan is cast out and falls “like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Thus, we do not “boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). Rejoicing in this Gospel, we “bear one another’s burdens” in love, according to “the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

Monday, 1 July 2013— Psalm 19:2, 4–6; antiphon, Psalm 19:1—Many of the psalms praise the Lord for His deliverance from enemies, both mortal and spiritual. Psalm 19 is a hymn of praise to God because of the majesty and glory that are His by His very nature. The glory of God is revealed by the entire creation. Those who attribute the earth and the cosmos to mere happenstance are only deceiving themselves.

Tuesday, 2 July 2013— Psalm 66:1–7—Psalm 66 calls upon all peoples of the earth to join in with God’s chosen people, Israel, in praising Him. His deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt and the threat of Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea is specifically recounted, but all of God’s deliverance of all His people are to be included, especially the deliverance of mankind from the bondage of sin, and the threat of death.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013— Isaiah 66:10–14—Those who remained faithful to the Lord during the days when Isaiah prophesied in Judah had reason to mourn over Jerusalem: hypocrisy, unbelief, and idolatry were common among the people. Likewise, through the ages, including our own, God’s faithful people have reason to mourn when they see the condition of the visible Church: rejection of the authority of the Word of God, acceptance of sins, rather than forgiveness of sins, being preached, and so on. Yet, we know that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Lord’s Church (Matthew 16:18), so we can rejoice. We can rejoice, for the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ provides nourishment, comfort, and abundance for our souls. As a mother nurses her child, so we are nursed by the Holy Word of God.

Thursday, 4 July 2013— Galatians 6:1–10, 14–18—This Sunday, we shall celebrate our nation’s independence. Our political liberty and freedom is a gift from God. Yet, in the Church, we are not independent. We are member of one body, the mystical body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). As such, we are not to live our lives for ourselves independent of others, but are to bear one another’s burdens. The strong Christians are to help the weak.

St Paul urges us, let us not grow weary of doing good, for we are a new creation in Christ, and, as such, our wills are conformed to God’s will, which desires what is best for all people.

Friday, 5 July 2013— Luke 10:1–20—Our Lord desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). But how are people to believe in Jesus Christ, if they have not hear of Him, if they have not had the Gospel proclaimed to them? (Romans 10:14) In our Gospel reading for Sunday, we hear how Jesus sent out 72 men to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus. Likewise, He still call pastors to labor in His harvest fields. As in the days of Christ, their labor is met by different responses: some people are eager to hear of the forgiveness of sins wrought by Christ’s death on the cross, whilst others reject it. The Day of Judgement will be a horrifying one for those who have refused the forgiveness Christ offers, but a glorious one for us who are in Christ, who gratefully receive His gift of salvation.

Saturday, 6 July 2013— Sunday’s Hymn of the Day, Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure Eternal(LSB #533), is a majestic hymn of praise to Jesus. It proclaims Jesus as God in the flesh, as our great Deliverer, Redeemer, and the King of all glory.

Prayer for the nation: Almighty God, You have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember Your generosity and constantly do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Grant that we, who came from many nations with many different languages, may become a united people. Support us in defending our liberties, and give those to whom we have entrusted the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there may be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, may our hearts be thankful, and in troubled times do not let our trust in You fail; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House 

Proper 8

Luke 9:51-62

June 30, 2013

Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name and nourish us with all goodness that we may love and serve our neighbor; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Commitment to Christ Requires total Surrender

We encounter numerous excuses not to follow Christ,. Have things changed over the years?

1.        “I will follow you wherever you go.”  - “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.

B.        I will follow so long as my creature comforts are not compromised.

C.        I will follow but don’t make this discipleship too difficult!

2.        “I will follow you, Lord; but first, let me go back and say good-by o 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.

B.        Jesus will take second seat to no one

Where are your priorities. John the Baptist, “I must decrease, He must increase.”

Proper 7

Proper 7

Luke 8:26-39

June 23, 2013

O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding.  Cast out all sins and evil desires from us, and pour into our hearts Your Holy Spirit to guide us into all blessedness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives, and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

MIRACLE BY THE TOMBS

1.        A DEFEATED MAN 

A sick and suffering slave. Next, a dead man. Followed by a prostitute.  Now, today, a lunatic. Controlled by demon possession. Luke piles one story on top of another showing how Jesus is willing to include those who are seen as contaminated and corrupted. They are the unclean.

A nameless man has been exiled to the margins of human existence. He's filthy. Naked in public. He can't control his speech. He's so violent that people can't come near him. All attempts to restrain him have failed. He exhibits the most common form of self-harm even today — self-mutilation. He suffers from demon possession.

This mad young man, in an unclean town, a town on the far side of the Sea of Galilee, in which Jewish people made their living by herding pigs.   Jewish law tells us the pig is an unclean animal.  But the town has found it profitable. To raise them and sell them to their pagan neighbors who were pork eaters. 

The madman is untouchable.  The people of the town had decided that he was good for nothing.  His uncontrollable rages have brought them to drastic measures.  They have put him in chains and chained him among the dead. In the town cemetery. Where his roaring would bother the living less.  Even so, he manages to escape now and then and takes off into the woods.  Why does he return? Because they go after him.  Because there is nowhere else to go.  Because hunger brings him back to the food, they will supply him. 

"My name is Legion!" this homeless man screamed. "For we are many." Tortured in body, mind, and spirit, he embodied the scope of human suffering. For a Roman "legion" consisted of 5,000 soldiers.

And so, his community did what we still do today. They banished the man. To the safe and solitary margins of society.

2.        A DELIVERED MAN -

When Jesus arrives by boat from across the Sea, there is no crowd waiting to greet Him.   But Jesus and the disciples can hear the fellow in the cemetery. They go to him.  By the end of Jesus’ time with him, the young man has been restored to sanity. He is calm. And he rejoices in his acceptance by them all.

But something else has happened.  The demons and the madness have gone out of the young man. And, at Jesus’ direction, they enter into a large herd of swine.  The swine, in horror at their own corruption by unclean spirits, run to the edge of the cliff. They jump into the Sea and are drowned.  Now the people come running. They crowd around. Horrified at the loss of their valuable swine.  And they are terrified of Jesus – so terrified they ask Him to leave.

3.        A DIRECTED MAN - 

They ask Jesus to leave. He abides by their request. But the man who was freed from his long and lonely days of isolation and terror went about telling anyone who would listen how much God had done for him. And we need to be clear on this. It is, “How much God has done…” not how much you have done. We bear the message of freedom from evil dark powers. But it is Christ who secures this freedom.

Jesus seeks not only to cure the "disease" -- the demon-possession; but also to heal the illness -- to restore this man to the community from which he has been estranged. He is to go home.

The man who sat at Jesus' feet and who learned from Him wants to go with them. And what are his options? He is standing on the beach with Jesus. The disciples in the boat are in front of him. The townsfolk who banished him to the graveyard are at his back. He wants to go with the One who healed him. He wants to be with Jesus.  The One who wasn't afraid to come near him. The One who didn't walk on the other side of the street. He wants to go with his new teacher and Lord. He wants to learn more about the kingdom of God. He's ready to follow Jesus. There's room in the boat.  And he'll leave without looking back!  There's really no one to say good-bye to. But Jesus says no.

To others along the way, Jesus had issued the invitation, "Come, and follow Me." But to this one He says, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." This isn't simply a story of one man's healing.  It’s a story of one man's calling. Jesus does bid the man to follow; but in this case, the following involves staying rather than leaving. Jesus does not reject the man's application to be a disciple. He accepts it fully. “I even have a first appointment all lined up for you,” Jesus says from the boat. “Your congregation is standing right behind you. Now, go and tell....”

The Kids

Henry continues to live in Flagstaff, AZ working for Child Protective Services while Lydia is studying abroad this summer in Bordeaux France. Here are a few amazing photos of what they see everyday. It isn't corn and beans...

San Francisco Peaks

Welcome to Flagstaff

Flagstaff, AZ the last week of Spring

Looking out Lydia's window

Chateau Les Jouandis, France

A happy French cow!

Beaumont, France

Time in the Word Proper 7

Time in the Word

Pentecost 5 – Proper 7

Jesus Brings Release from the Bonds of Sin, Death, and the Devil
June 17-22, 2013

Prayers for deliverance from sin: We implore You, O Lord, in Your kindness to show us Your great mercy that we may be set free from our sins and rescued from the punishments that we rightfully deserve; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, You desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that we turn from our evil ways and live. Graciously spare us those punishments which we by our sins have deserved, and grant us always to serve You in holiness and pureness of living; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer for grace and forgiveness: Spare us, O Lord, and mercifully forgive us our sins. Though by our continual transgressions we have merited Your chastisements, be gracious to us. Grant that all these punishments which we have deserved may not come upon us, but that all things may work to our everlasting good; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer 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 this faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for those involved in occult practices or afflicted by demons: O God, almighty Father, You told us through Your Son, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever You ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you." He has commanded and encouraged us to pray in His name, "Ask, and you will receive," and has also said, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver You, and you shall glorify Me." We unworthy sinners, relying on these Your words and command, pray for Your mercy with such faith as we can muster. Graciously free [name] from all evil, and undo the work that Satan has done in [him/her], to the honor of Your name and the strengthening of the faith of believers; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord finds those who did not seek Him or ask for Him. He spreads out His hands “to a rebellious people” (Is. 65:2) and calls them to be His people and to dwell in peace upon His holy mountain (Is. 65:9). For wherever Jesus Christ enters in, Satan is cast out. Those who were enslaved and driven mad by the assaults and accusations of the devil, are set free by the Word of Christ. He drowns and destroys the old Adam in us with the waters of Holy Baptism and thereby brings us out of death into life. No longer naked in our shame, living “among the tombs” (Luke 8:27), we are brought into the Lord’s house, fully clothed by Christ. For He has come, in “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4) to fulfill the Law on our behalf and to redeem us from its every accusation. Therefore, having been justified by His grace through faith in His Gospel, “you are no longer a slave, but a son” (Gal. 4:7).

Monday, 17 June 2013— Psalm 71:20–24; antiphon, Psalm 71:3—Psalm 71 was likely written by King David toward the end of his life. Looking back over the events of a long life, he could see that, though he had experienced many troubles and calamities, the Lord would always deliver him, would revive him again.

 David trusted in the Lord as a rock and a fortress, who cannot be moved or shaken, but provides refuge for His people. In response, the people of God shout for joy and sing praises to Him, and speak of His righteous help all the daylong.

Tuesday, 18 June 2013— Psalm 3—This psalm of David has as its background his flight from his rebellious son, Absalom, as recorded in 2 Samuel 15—18, but it is applicable in our day and age and situation, too. The psalm was written to sustain the faith of anyone who faces a hostile conspiracy of foes, whether those foes be physical or spiritual. David counsels us to cry to the Lord when we are beset by trouble (vv. 1–2), then be calm, knowing that the Lord will sustain us (vv. 3–6). We can boldly exhort God to intervene on our behalf (v. 7) and then be certain that His blessing is upon us, and He will bring salvation (v. 8).

 
Wednesday, 19 June 2013— Isaiah 65:1–9—Chapters 63 and 64 record pleas from Isaiah on behalf of the faithful that God would be merciful to them. The last two chapters of Isaiah, 65 and 66, are the Lord’s reply. First, He repeats the treats of judgment on those who do not seek Him (vv. 1–7). However, there are also those who have not forsaken Him. To these, He promises that He will not destroy them, but will give them the inheritance, which He had promised to His people. They who are faithful are His chosen ones, and shall reap the benefits of His mercy.

Thursday, 20 June 2013— Galatians 3:23—4:7—St Paul here contrasts the position of a slave and that of an heir. Because of our sin, the Law kept us as slaves.

 We are slaves to our sinful nature, and cannot share in the inheritance from God. Nevertheless, God sent forth His Son to redeem us. He did what we are unable to do: He fulfilled the Law for us. Having been set free from bondage to sin and to the Law, we have been made sons of God, heirs of all His blessings. Eternal life with God is the inheritance in all who are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Friday, 21 June 2013— Luke 8:26–39—Jesus travels across the Sea of Galilee, to the east side, where a number of Gentiles lived. There he met a man who was tormented by demons, who did terrible things to him. The demons who possessed this man knew who Jesus is: the Son of the Most High God, and the one who would send them to eternal torture in the abyss of hell. Jesus casts them into a herd of pigs, and they destroy the pigs. We see in the demon-possessed man a picture of total helplessness in the face of an ungodly spiritual foe. Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, could only rescue him. We, too, are helpless in the face of adversity from the devil and his demons, for our fallen nature is unwilling and unable to fight against him. Like the demoniac, we need recuing by Jesus. He has accomplished our rescue by His death on the cross, where He defeated Satan and the powers of darkness.

Saturday, 22 June 2013— Sunday’s Hymn of the Day is Rise, Shine, You People (LSB #825). It tells how the Son of the Most High God has entered into human history and defeated the powers of evil. He brings us freedom, light, and life and healing. In response, we are to tell how the Father sent His son to save us and tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House

Luther’s Seals © Higher Things