Saturday prior to Proper 11

Ephesians 2:20 - Sunday’s hymn of the day, The Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644). Paul pictures a house when he speaks of the structure of the church. The foundation is solid as the church is based on the Old and New Testaments the prophets and the apostles. The tested stone on which the church rests is Christ on which everything centers around. With such a structure the church moves forward victoriously.

"The Church's One Foundation" is a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by Samuel John Stone. This hymn describes the church's relationship to its "foundation" being Jesus Christ. The church is represented as the collective Christian fellowship of the earth as it is wholly united by its savior, the son of God.

"The Church's One Foundation" was composed as a primary answer to the division within the Church of South Africa generated by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as untrue. This issue is referenced to within the fourth verse of the lyrics "Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed." When Bishop Colenso was dismissed for his teachings, he pleaded to the higher religious authorities in England.

It was then that Samuel Stone became included in the discussion. It sparked him to draft a set of hymns based on the Apostles' Creed in 1866. He titled it, Lyra Fidelium; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles' Creed. "The Church's One Foundation" is based on the ninth article, The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints. 1

Collect for this coming Sunday Proper 11 – Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen  2

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

1. https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/the-church-s-one-foundation/ 

2. Collect for Proper 11, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

 

Friday prior to Proper 11

Mark 6:30-44 — “Retreat” is the key word for today. Christ and the disciples together. Jesus takes His disciples to a lonely place for rest and teaches the crowd that gathers. This lesson combines the conclusion dealing with the sending out of the disciples and the introduction to the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples return from their preaching journey and are exhausted. People with needs throng around them so that they do not get any rest. Jesus takes them in a boat to a secluded spot that they may rest and be apart from the crowd. 

But the people will not let them alone. When the boat comes to shore, the people are waiting for them. Seeing the crowd, Jesus expresses compassion for them because they are as sheep without a shepherd. Before Jesus gives them physical bread, he gives them spiritual food by teaching them. This is the only time Mark refers to the Twelve as “apostles.” It is an appropriate name; for they had just returned from a preaching-healing mission. An apostle is one who is sent forth by Christ. 

Seeing the multitudes might have angered Jesus. He was taking the disciples apart for a retreat so sorely needed. He could have become impatient and told the people to scram. His reaction reveals His heart – compassion. He felt sorry for them because they were in desperate need. He has the heart of God, the God of love. Because of His compassion, Jesus cares about people.

Even Jesus realized the need to get away from people and work to rest and recuperate for later service. Modern life is often lives under high tension and intense stress. There are the rush of work and the hectic schedule of activities. Everyone needs a hideaway, a place to escape periodically. Jesus prescribes a retreat for you…

 Solitariness –“Come away by yourselves.”

 Seclusion – “A Lonely Place.”

 Siesta – “Rest for a while”  1

Collect for Peace: O God, whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world simply cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being def3ended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  2

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

1. Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B, John Brokhoff, © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima OH

2. Collect for Peace, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St, Louis

 

Proper 11 Series B reflection

In our Gospel lesson for today we will see that Jesus has compassion on us. We celebrate and appreciate the true care He showers on us. And out of gratitude for that. We hope to share His compassion with others. Jesus fed a huge crowd. Because He had compassion. With the same love and care He serves you. Every single day.

Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen 

Hymn: #72 -  “Rock of Ages“ 

Confession/Absolution:

LORD - we pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins. Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father. 

In Your compassion forgive us our sins. Known and unknown. Things done. And left undone. And so uphold us by Your Spirit. 

That we may live and serve you in newness of life. To the honor and glory of Your Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on you. Forgive you all your sins. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. And may He strengthen you in all goodness. 

And by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

Mark 6:30-44

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 

When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” 

And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”  And he said to them, 

“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” 

And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”  Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Hymn #71 “Praise to the LORD the Almighty”

In our Gospel reading for today Jesus fed a huge crowd! Some believe that the crowd could have been over 5,000 as only "men" were counted. If you would count "women and children" it could have been up to 15,000. Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana seats close to 17,000 people....

According to the phone conversation I had with the concessions manager the following items were sold at the Indiana v Wisconsin game, on Saturday, March 12, 1994.

On that day they sold…

400 1bs of hot dogs,

3,000 popcorn boxes,

8,200 cups of coke (about 1,000 gallons)

684 candy bars,

436 nachos,

284 boxes of caramel corn,

917 soft pretzels,

247 polish sausages,

100 sandwiches,

179 bags of peanuts,

50 muffins,

160 cups of coffee.

This game was played in the afternoon. With tip-off scheduled for 2:00 pm. Most fans had eaten their breakfast. And had had their lunch also! Besides all this fans had to pay for their food at the concessions stand! 

Jesus feeds the crowd freely. Without cost! When we pray "give us this day our daily bread" we can know that the Savior will supply us with all that we need to support our body and life.

In the Bible. We have some wonderful examples of people who showed compassion and kindness. You know who gave us the greatest demonstration of compassion. That’s right: Jesus!

Jesus devoted His whole life. Showing concern and care for those around Him. Throughout the Gospels. We see Him performing amazing miracles. That helped other people. He made sick people better. 

He provided food for those who were hungry. He healed people who couldn’t see. Or walk. And even brought people back to life! 

The Bible tells us that Jesus looked at crowd and had compassion. 

He saw needy people as “sheep without a shepherd.” As though they were lost and needed a leader to help and to guide them. 

Jesus served people because He loved them. He cared about those He encountered and wanted to make their lives better.

And just as He cared for people back then. He still cares for you. Jesus is still full of compassion. Jesus is, in fact, very much alive today. We might not see Him physically on Earth. But He is still present with us. He still does have compassion for us. And wants to help us. We need only ask and trust that He will give us all we need and more. 

It might not mean a miracle. We might still face troubles and disappointments in this life. But He has overcome the world. And He died to give us new eternal life with Him someday. And He has promised to place people in our life to love and care for us. 

God so loved the world and had compassion on us. Despite our faults. That He sent Jesus to help us. Jesus shows compassion, through His earthly life. Through His current presence. And through His promises forever!

So we can rejoice and be glad for that compassion that Jesus showed. And as we give thanks for it. We can look for ways that we can show other people we care and have compassion.

Lord thank you for your love and care. Thank you for showing us compassion. You have given care and blessings. Thank you for sending Jesus to us. Help us to show love and kindness to others. 

Luther's Seal copyright Ed Riojas, Higher Things

https://ministry-to-children.com/what-is-compassion-childrens-sermon-mark-6/ 

Words –1,125

Passive Sentences –4.0%

Readability –82.7%

Reading Level -3.6

 

Thursday prior to Proper 11

Ephesians 2:11-22— Reunion is the key concept covering this Sunday’s Epistle; Jews and Gentile together in Christ. Christ has made us one in God and in the church. The heart of Ephesians is in this passage. In Vv. 13-18 we learn of the peace Christ grained between Jew and Gentile. Vv. 19-22 spell out the consequences of that peace. 

In the person of Christ and His cross, Jew and Gentile are made one. Christ died for both, and they are one in Christ by faith. Thus, they have an oneness in Christ, oneness with God and with each other. Christ’s death has removed the hostility and cancelled the law which separated Jew from Gentile. The two are now one in the church. The practical result is that Gentiles are no longer aliens but members of God’s family.

Humanity is in a state of hostility. The means hatred, oppression, strife and warfare. The hostility exists among people and between God and humanity. They are out to get each other. In modern times the hostility is evident between classes, races, and nations. We live in a seething global cauldron of hatred. 

Peace is the conquest of hostility. It is the work of Christ and a gift of God. Peace is a by-product of a new connection and condition existing between people and between persons and God. By the cross Jesus destroys the hostility, eradicates the Law, and open s up a new reality. Out of this love comes harmony.

Because of the cross, believers are new people gathered in the household of God the church. Individual Christians are held together by Christ just as a cornerstone holds together a building. But the building is not finished. It grows into a holy temple of God. The church is not a dead building but a living, dynamic force that keeps growing not only in size but in truth and grace. 1

You are a part of these living stones build up to be one in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

A Prayer for Home and Family: Visit, we implore You, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep far from them all harm and danger. Grant us to dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, and may Your blessing be with us forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Prayer the Unemployed: Heavenly Father, we remember before You, those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Lead us so to use the wealth and resources of this rich land that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.  2

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

1. Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B, John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

2. A Prayer for Home and Family, Prayer for the Unemployed,  Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

 

Wednesday prior to Proper 11

 

Jeremiah 23:1-6—In our Old Testament lesson for this coming Sunday Jeremiah will speak of restoration as exiles come together under a Davidic king. Under new shepherds, God will return His people from captivity, and so a Davidic king will reign. In this passage Jeremiah predicts that because of false shepherds (rulers) the people will go into captivity. This happened in Jeremiah’s lifetime (586 BC) when the Jews were deported to Babylon. Jeremiah goes on to promises that God will raise up true shepherds who will bring back the exiles. In fact, there is to come a Davidic king who will rule with justice and righteousness. Under this Davidic ruler Israel will be restored as a nation.

Because the ruling authorities did not attend to their people’s welfare, God is going to attend to them Himself. The Day of Judgment is coming – assassination, declination, and finally exile. Sin always brings dire consequences. Judgment comes upon all, even the ruling class.

Judah needs a new king, one who will gather the exiles re-establishing them as a nation, and rule wisely and justly. Where such a man could be found? God through Jeremiah says the king will be of the lineage of David, Israel’s greatest king. A good man comes out of good stock. One’s family does count. Christians see in Jesus the fulfillment of this promise. Jesus, the son of David, came to be the world’s good shepherd.  1

Prayer in time of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 2

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

1. Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B, John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

2. Collect for a time of affliction and distress, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Tuesday prior to Proper 11

 

Psalm 23; key verse v.6— Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever... Goodness and mercy both refer to the benefits of being a child of God, namely that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Hebrew for this word suggests, “Throughout the years”. Because of this connection; this union we have with Jesus Christ we will live and reign with Him throughout all eternity. What a comfort it is to have peace with God through our Lord and Savior.

Goodness – God’s goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace and love. Goodness is also one of the fruits of the Spirit which characterizes Christian behavior. {Galatians 5:22}  Christians are called to goodness even as God the Father is perfect and good. Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew: "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

There is a problem, however. It’s a problem found in all of us. It’s a problem with sin. Because of our sinful nature our goodness fails to measure up to the Father’s standard of perfection. What are we to do?

We trust in the mercy of Almighty God. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me...” What is the mercy of God? Mercy is that aspect of God’s love, which causes Him to help those who are miserable. Those who are miserable may be so either because they have broken God’s law or because they find themselves in circumstances beyond their control.

What are we to do when we find ourselves to be in such circumstances? We rely and fall upon the Savior’s amazing grace, which, of course, is that aspect of God’s love that moves Him to forgive those who are guilty. 

God shows mercy on those who have broken His law. Daniel 9:9 reminds us: “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him”

God’s mercy is given to us although it is undeserved. Paul reminds us in Romans 9:16: “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  No wonder we cry out to god when we pray the Kyrie: “Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.”

Especially when we poor sinners find ourselves in circumstances beyond our control the Savior reaches down to us with His mercy. Jesus had mercy when He healed the blind men {Matthew 9:27-31; 20:29-34} and when He cleansed the lepers. {Luke 17:11-19}   Because God is merciful, He expects us, His children to be merciful. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Collect for Psalm 23: Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, you give us new birth in the waters of baptism; you anoint us with oil, and call us to salvation at your table. Dispel the terrors of death and the darkness of error. Lead your people along safe paths; that they may rest securely in you and well in the house of the Lord now and forever, for your names sake.

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

Collect for Psalm 23, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. IV, The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, © 1996 Delhi, NY

Monday prior to Proper 11

 

In the lessons for this coming Sunday several themes can be seen: that nature of a good shepherd, the functions of a good shepherd, and the togetherness of God’s people through a Davidic king, Christ, and the church. The last is suggested as the theme – togetherness.

Jesus in the Gospel (Mark 6:30-44) takes His disciples, who just returned from their preaching-healing mission, on a retreat. Jeremiah in the Old Testament lesson (Jeremiah 23:1-6) explains that the exile was due to false shepherds and the scattered sheep will be brought back to Israel under a Davidic king. Jew and Gentile in the Epistle lesson (Ephesians 2:11-22) are made one through the blood of Christ and their oneness in the church. The Psalm’s refrain, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…” (Psalm 23:6) reminds us of the Gospel – “He had compassion on them.” The Hymn of the Day (The Church’s One Foundation; LSB 644) sings of Jesus who is the center of the church’s life and the foundation on which we build.

Psalm 147:7-11, Antiphon, Psalm 145:16— You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. Jesus sets the table. Jesus supplies all that we may ever need. The Lord is faithful. We will never be in need. He has promised to supply our daily wants and desires. Daily tells how much God should give us, enough for the day. We do not ask God that He give us now what we need in years to come, but it is sufficient if we get what we need each day. Note also that the psalm begins and concludes with a Hallelujah!  In every circumstance we are given to praise the name of the LORD.

Collect for Psalm 147: God our Father, great builder of the heavenly Jerusalem, you know the number of stars and call each of them by name. Heal hearts that are broken, gather those who have been scattered, and enrich us all from the plentitude of your eternal wisdom, Jesus Christ our LORD

Sources:

The Crucifixion Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright ©WELS used with permission

Collect for Psalm 147, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. IV The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau © 1996 Delhi, NY