#Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

[letmylightshinebright]

Lectionary Reading Of The Day:

Track 2

Old Testament: Isaiah 35:4-7a

4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.

Psalm: Psalm 146

1 Hallelujah!    Praise the Lord, O my soul! *        I will praise the Lord as long as I live;        I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *        for there is no help in them. 3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *        and in that day their thoughts perish. 4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *        whose hope is in the Lord their God; 5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *        who keeps his promise for ever; 6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *        and food to those who hunger. 7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;    the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *        the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 8 The Lord loves the righteous;    the Lord cares for the stranger; *        he sustains the orphan and widow,        but frustrates the way of the wicked. 9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *        your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.        Hallelujah!

Epistle: James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17

1My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.[ 11For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]

14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Gospel: Mark 7:24-37

24From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

[gsptucson]

Fr. Steve's Sermon for The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sep. 8, 2024

"The Debate that Changed Religion"

Download Sermon Audio (8Mb MP3)

Download Sermon Text (52Kb PDF)

Revised Common Lectionary for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

[pastortomsteers]

THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

September 8, 2024

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

Divine Service Setting III (Pages 184 – 202)

Lutheran Service Book

OPENING HYMN:  656 “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

By Martin Luther (1483-1546)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igH38WLuyC0

Confession and Absolution   Page 184-185

 Introit  

Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: v. 8

8The Lord is the strength of his people;     he is the saving refuge of his anointed.                                                                                                  1To you, O Lord, I call;     my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me,     I become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,     when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands     toward your most holy sanctuary.                                                             

6 Blessed be the Lord!     For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;     in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults,     and with my song I give thanks to him.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son    

and to the Holy Spirit;  

as it was in the beginning, 

is now, and will be forever. Amen. 

8The Lord is the strength of his people;     he is the saving refuge of his anointed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The Kyrie  (Lord Have Mercy)

Congregation:

Lord have mercy upon us.

Christ have mercy upon us.

Lord have mercy upon us.

The Salutation:

Pastor:  The Lord be with you.

Congregation:  And with thy spirit.

Our Collect Prayer: 

O Lord, let your merciful ears be open to the prayers of Your humble servants and grant that what we ask may be in accord with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and he holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Our Bible Texts –

Frist Reading:  Isaiah 35:4-7a

Psalm 146 (antiphon v.2)

Epistle Reading: James 2:1-10, 14-18

Gospel Reading: Mark 7:24-37

THE APOSTLES’ CREED   Page 192  

HYMN OF THE DAY: 846 “Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old”

THE SERMON  --

Brothers and sisters, peace, grace and mercy be with you from God our Father, and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

It doesn’t take long   in any given day to see the suffering and brokenness of this world.

It may take only a few minutes watching morning television, or glancing at the headlines online.

We see these things around and outside us.  

And they’re real.

But when we take another look, and in the mirror, for an honest review of our own hearts, we find the problem is deeper, because it’s within us, as well.

Jesus tells us this in the verses immediately before our Gospel reading today in Mark Chapter 7.

He said, “Out of the heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.”

We’re often shocked or angered at what we see in the world.

But the reality is we’re part of it, part of the problem, and the problem is sin.

The question then, is what do we do?

Where do we go for healing, to be made right and reconciled with our all-powerful God who will decide our fate for eternity?

Are we responsible for this fix? 

Can we accomplish it, achieve the holiness God demands, on our own? 

Thanks be to God’s Word, the Bible, for it tells us where real healing comes from.

And it comes from one place, one person alone, who was both true God and true man --Jesus Christ.

This is Good News, because we could never be as holy as God commands, but Jesus could be, and was.

It’s also humbling, because when we realize our only salvation is through Christ, we acknowledge we could never save ourselves, in whole, or part.

Today, Jesus will draw out of the Syrophoenician woman a remarkable confession of faith.

Here’s a woman as far from clean as you can get.

A spiritual descendent of the evil Jezebel in the Old Testament.

A member of a society that had worshipped pagan idols, and made child sacrifices, perhaps even as we do today, in a culture that sanctions abortion to the idols of pride, lust, and selfishness.

Then we read of Jesus opening a man’s ears and loosening his tongue so he can speak the praise of Jesus that reveals a changed heart, one changed by Christ.

Today’s Bible readings focus attention on our life as a product of God’s activity.

Jesus has made clear that there’s all sorts of nasty stuff in us.

What He will do, today, is put something different inside of people.

Literally, He’ll open their ears and loosen their tongues, so they can speak something different than the spite, hate, lies, and other sin that normally would be within them.

What is good in us, God places there for the sake of Christ, and for a reason.

And so, it is Christ’s goodness that God sees when He looks at believers.

Not our own righteousness, but that of Jesus.

The evil that comes out of us is evidence that in this life we’re still sinners, forgiven sinners, but sinners nonetheless.

But the good that comes out of Christians is a witness to the good God put there for the sake of Christ.

It is a good that’s meant to serve our neighbour, even the least of those around us, the poor, the homeless, the unborn child.

And serve those who are spiritually poor through the Church.

This week, the Gospel of Mark gives us two stories told to help us see that point.

First the Syrophoenician woman.

As I said, she’s as far from kosher as you can get, and yet out of her mouth come words of remarkable faith.

How were her lips opened to speak these words to Jesus?

The account of the deaf and mute man which immediately follows hers, answers that question.

Jesus returns, through Sidon, the evil Jezebel’s home town, and into the region of Galilee and the Decapolis.

This is the border of the Jewish and Gentile communities.

We don’t know whether this man was a Jew or Gentile, and it doesn’t matter.

The man can’t hear and so he can’t speak plainly.

The crowds present the man to Jesus, hoping for a miracle, they want something to tell their neighbours that night when they go home.

For them, Jesus is becoming a circus act, a show.

But Jesus will have none of this.

He takes the man aside, privately.

He won’t be manipulated a performance, but will also not let this man suffer.

He takes him aside and heals him.

Jesus doesn’t speak with the man, he doesn’t hear.

So, Christ ‘acts out’ what is going on.

You wonder if the man even knew who Jesus was.

Christ puts his fingers into the man’s ears, to do that he has to ben face-to-face with him.

And then Jesus speaks the words “be opened.”

Suddenly, the man is healed.

His speech is clear, because he can hear it.

This is the answer to the question of how the Syrophoenician woman found the words to say.

How does the sinner’s heart become a place from which beautiful and holy things proceed?

It is because Jesus opens ears and loosens tongues.

He puts those holy and beautiful things inside our hearts and draws them out of us as He drew them out of this woman.

How will we speak the Good News of Jesus Christ to this world?

It will be because God came to earth and took on human flesh in Jesus, and went to the cross to save us.

It will be because God gave us His Word, the Bible, that speaks truth to us, and because He offers His sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to spiritually wash and feed us.

Jesus has opened our ears to hear and lips to speak.

And it is Christ speaking through us when we tell others of His message of grace and salvation.

The Church is called by Christ in the Great Commission to go and teach, and baptize and make disciples.

Christians are called to spread the Good News of Jesus to others around us.

It is only through His power that we can.

The renovation of our hearts, our will and motivations, is His work.

Christ fills us with a faith in Him and a desire to go and tell that passes all understanding.

The world can’t see this and so it labels the Christian life as boring.

But there is no greater adventure than the Christian faith.

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we hold in our hand the visible Gospel, the true body and blood of Christ, just as He promised and commanded.

When we speak His Gospel, God is backing up our words.

When I splash the baptismal water, it is God giving eternal life.

What looks to unbelievers like total failure and miserable loss at Calvary God turns to salvation, victory and powerful witness.

Our weakness is an opportunity to show God’s strength, and mercy. 

Today, Jesus looks us in the eye, puts His fingers in our ears, and says, be opened, and our ears are opened and our tongues loosed once more to be the disciples of His Good News for this world, and this community.

We have news to tell, Christ’s story and our story of faith in Him.

It’s a good one because Jesus is at the centre of it, forgiving sins, healing hurts, comforting the grieving and promising eternal life.

It is a story of real people like you, and me, in fact it is the story of you, and me, and how our Lord has saved us.

May the peace that truly passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH  

SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT   Page 194

THE LORD’S PRAYER          Page 196                                                       THE WORDS OF OUR LORD   Page 197

Pax Domini                                                                                                                                 Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always.       

                                                                       Congregation: Amen.

THE DISTRIBUTION

Our Communion Hymn is: 627 “Jesus Christ our Blessed Saviour”

Post Communion Collect (Left-hand column)  Page 201     

                                                                                              Salutation and Benedicamus  Page 201-202                                                                                                               Benediction   Page 202

CLOSING HYMN: 923 “Almighty Father, Bless the Word” 

[spiritsoulandbody]

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 8, 2024 10 am

Read the full article

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The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, 2023 – Love Your Neighbor (Entire Service, Audio Only)

Title: The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, 2023 – Love Your Neighbor (Entire Service, Audio Only) Speaker: Rev. James Redmann We invite you to worship with us.  See our contact page for directions. Listen to the Service Scripture Lessons The First Reading: Genesis 50:15-21 The Epistle: Romans 14:1-12 The Holy Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35 Donate If you would like to help spread the good…

[buggie-hagen]

Sermon for Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (9/17/23)

Primary Text | Matthew 18:21-35

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

          Forgiveness of sins is the heart of the gospel. Because it is the heart of the gospel it is also at the center of our hearts. And really, forgiveness is the center of everything we do together. In this place God “gives sinners grace, reconciliation and new life through faith in Christ” (Lohrmann). Let us not hop over that word “sinners” to describe ourselves. For that is what we are. There is the tendency to lessen the meaning of that word sinner. That is done by turning God’s forgiveness into a law. We assume we deserve forgiveness in some way. Maybe we think “God must have seen something within me in order to forgive me. Maybe he saw how I would change my life.” Or, we think, “Well, it makes sense God has forgiven me—my sin is not so bad. I try my best to do good things, anyway. That other guy though, he’s terrible compared to me.”  Truth is, when it comes to sin we’re all on even ground. There is no spiritual hierarchy. We are all in equal need of God’s forgiveness. When we say we believe in the forgiveness of sins we are saying we believe that God forgives people who are truly sinful. God’s forgiveness comes not to people who are half-good/half-bad—it is given to people who are truly wicked. Therefore, we are a people of forgiveness and we are church together because God has brought us together in his forgiveness. Keep that in mind as we consider Peter’s question to Jesus today.

          Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? Is seven times a good amount?” (Matt. 18:21). Before we dig into it I should note that our translation says, “If another member of the church sins against me.” Of course, this translation is fine. But I do think it obscures the depth of what is going on here. Peter actually says, “If my brother sins against me, how often should I forgive?” “Brother” suggests a familial connection. If you want to put it in a gender-neutral way I would suggest “sibling.” This is of course how we should understand the church. The church is a family. Our bond in the water of baptism is stronger than our bloodline. Really, this bond of water is deeper than anything else that divides us from one another. Race, gender, and ethnicity are rather shallow compared to the church Christ brings together. In Christ, we each are brothers, sisters, indeed siblings to one another. Now the matter of Peter’s question. When he asks Jesus, “If my sibling sins against me, how often should I forgive? Seven times?” (pause) Peter thinks he is being pretty generous suggesting seven times. We think he’s being pretty generous. I know if I’ve been wronged once it is hard to let that go. But to forgive someone’s sin against me when I have been wronged seven different times? That’s ludicrous! Isn’t that just letting them get away with things at this point? But Jesus turns up the heat in the oven even more. He says, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times!” (Matt. 18:22) Wow. Just wow. This means we are to forgive every time we have been wronged. That is a hard pill to swallow. And yet, that is what we are called to do. We lay aside our own feelings. We do not hold the sin against someone.

          Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness is radical. The world we live in does not understand it. It’s foolish. Many will teach that it is unacceptable. And, more often than not, our own understanding of forgiveness is formed by the world we live in rather than by our Lord Jesus Christ. If you forgive someone so unconditionally won’t they just do whatever they want? That’s too much freedom, Jesus! Isn’t it a license for them to continue to do horrible things? As the world sees it, we must be very precise and exacting if we are to forgive someone. Every penny must be paid! They must show signs of remorse for their wrongdoing. They must prove themselves! That they won’t do it again. Surely Jesus must be wrong? People have to earn their forgiveness.

Truly, we will never convince the wider world to change their mind on this matter of forgiveness. After all, the forgiveness of Jesus would make the world fall apart. Even we in the church are uncomfortable with the unconditional forgiveness of the Lord. You will notice this whenever confession is required of you but forgiveness is not given. When that happens you will know that the gospel is also being withheld from you. For us Christians, the matter is very simple. We forgive because we ourselves are a forgiven people. In the kingdom of heaven, God does not wait until a person is worthy before God forgives someone. If that were the case, not one of us would have the forgiveness of sin. No one is ever worthy of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We are never not in need of forgiveness. But forgiveness is what we have, whether we like it or not. The church, the family we have in Christ, is built off the foundation of the forgiveness of sins—which we have by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ our Lord. Dear people of God, you sitting here today. By the authority of Jesus Christ I forgive you the entirety of all your sins. Past. Present. And future. Through this forgiveness God has given you in Christ there is no longer any accusation against you. God is not exacting every penny from you. He's not squeezing debt out of you. You are forgiven means you are forgiven. Furthermore, this kindness of God was first given you in your holy baptism. And God continues to remind you of this promise as your receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. This promise of your forgiveness is made completely unconditionally. You do not have to earn it. You do not have to prove to God you deserve it. It is a free gift. The good news of Jesus is that God does not forgive you just once. Neither does God only forgive you seven times. God forgives you seventy-seven times. Which really is to say, God’s forgiveness is always yours. God does not forgive you reluctantly. God forgives you gladly, and overwhelmingly. Amen.

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION ON THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

At the Introit of the Mass implore with great confidence the mercy of God in the words of Ps. LXXXV.:

INTROIT Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day; for thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.

Bow down thy ear to me, O Lord, and hear me, for I am needy and poor. Glory be to the Father, etc.

COLLECT Let Thy grace, we beseech Thee, O Lord, ever precede and follow us, and make us continually intent upon good works. Through etc.

EPISTLE (Ephes. III. 13-21) Brethren, I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory. For this cause I bow my knees. to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man, that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth:, to know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God. Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

EXPLANATION In the epistle of the following Sunday St. Paul tells us, that he was at the time of writing this letter in prison at Rome, whither he was brought' upon the false accusations of the Jews. From prison he wrote to the Ephesians, whom he had converted to Christianity, and who zealously obeyed his counsels, in order to confirm them in their zeal and to console them in their grief on account of his sufferings which he bore for Christ's sake. These sufferings which I bear, he writes, redound to your honor, since I, your spiritual father, am considered by God worthy to suffer like His Son; yes, I thank the Father of our Lord Jesus for it, and beg Him on my knees, that He vouchsafe to strengthen you with His Holy Spirit, so that you overcome, your evil inclinations and passions, cleanse your hearts more and more, and sanctify your souls, that if you live thus according to your faith, you may be made the habitations of Christ. He begs God also to. give them a well-grounded charity, which not only loves God on account of the reward, but also on account of our sufferings, thus to become like to Christ, the Crucified. By this constant love for Jesus, even in adversities, we only comprehend with the saints the greatness of the love of Jesus, the Crucified; its breadth, since all the members of His body, all the powers of His soul were tormented with all sorts of tortures, on account of the sins of all men; the length, since He had all these sufferings for thirty-three years before His eyes, and bore them in His soul; the depth, since these tortures surpassed in intensity all which men ever suffered or will suffer; the height, since Christ on the cross saw, with the most perfect knowledge, the malice of each single sin, and the terrible insult offered to the sublime Majesty of God, and He bore the punishment for them in Himself and did penance for them. Other holy Fathers say that by these words the w hole mystery of our, redemption is to be understood, and, indeed, the breadth thereof is, that it is for all men; the length, that it lasts for all centuries and reaches into eternity; the height, that its contemplation takes us away from earth and raises us to heaven; the depth, that it even penetrates. the kingdom of the dead. By contemplating these mysteries we learn to know the infinite love of God, to love Him more and more, and thus make ourselves partakers of His graces. - Obey the teaching of this holy apostle, contemplate the suffering Saviour and His love, endeavor to become like to Him by suffering, and when you see how the Church, her ministers, ,the bishops and priests, are persecuted and in tribulation, be not disheartened, but consider that the discipleship of Jesus consists particularly in suffering, that therefore, the Church and her ministers -must suffer, since their Head, Jesus, has suffered. The holy Church has borne the crown of thorns of Jesus for eighteen hundred years and drank from His chalice; but like Jesus, her Head, she will triumph over all her enemies, and whilst these are hastening to destruction, she will continually live victorious until the end of time and will triumph eternally in heaven.

GOSPEL (Luke XIV. 1-11.) At that time, When Jesus went into the house of one of the chiefs of the Pharisees on the Sabbath-day to eat bread, they watched him. And behold there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day? But they held their peace: but he taking him, healed him, and sent him away. And answering them, he said: Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into, a pit, and, will not immediately draw him out on, the Sabbath-day? And they could not answer him to these things. And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honorable than thou be invited by him; and he that invited thee and him come and say to thee: Give this man place: and then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place: But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place: that when he who invited thee cometh he may say to thee: Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at the table with thee; because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Why did Jesus eat with the Pharisees?

To take occasion, as St. Cyril says, to instruct them that it is allowed to heal the sick on the Sabbath, and to show how those who give invitations to a supper, and those who are invited, should conduct themselves. The Pharisees' invitation to Jesus was not actuated by kindness, but by the desire to find something in His actions which they might criticise; Jesus; however, approaches them with meekness and endeavors to inspire them with a better intention. Beware of the spirit of criticisms and like Jesus make use of every occasion to do good, even to your enemies.

Who may be understood by the dropsical man?

The debauchees and misers; for the more a dropsical person drinks the more his thirst increases, so the debauchee never succeeds in satisfying his shameful lusts; the same is the case with the miser. And just as the dropsical are hard to cure, so the debauchee and miser are difficult to convert.

Why is covetousness classed among the seven deadly sins?

Because it is the root of many evils, (I Tim. VI. 10.) for it leads to usury, theft, ,to the employment of false weights and measures, to the suppression of justice in courts, to perjury, to the oppression of widows and orphans, nay, even to the denial of faith, as was the case with Judas. Therefore the apostle says: They that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition; and admonishes us: to fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. (I Tim. VI. 9, 11 .)

A powerful remedy against avarice is to consider that we are not owners of what .we possess, and can take nothing with us in death, but must render a strict account of the use we made of our riches. (I Tim. VI. 7.)

INSTRUCTION ON KEEPING SUNDAY HOLY

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day? (Luke XIV. 3.)

Why did Christ put this question?

Because the Jews, particularly the Pharisees, were so very superstitious in keeping the Sabbath, they would not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, while He healed on the Sabbath, which was really a good work. But, if the Jews were so conscientious, through superstition and hypocrisy, and considered the performing of an external good work on this day as a sin, some Christians, on the contrary, blinded by avarice and worldly pleasure, place themselves heedlessly, nay, insolently above the commandment to observe the Sabbath, and do not consider those things as wrong which are sometimes very grievous sins.

Consider, my dear Christian, you serve your body the whole week, you use all your powers for temporal business, to support yourself and your family, and God blesses you, if you work with a good intention. Now God chose one day in the week, Sunday, and in the year several other holidays, which you should devote to His service and the salvation of your soul; is it not, therefore, the greatest ingratitude to steal these days from God and your soul, and employ them to gain a transient good, or to indulge in vain, sinful pleasures? At certain times man gives rest to irrational animals, and you give the powers of your body and soul none of the rest they would and should find in quiet devotion, in prayer and meditation, in attending divine service, in receiving the holy Sacraments, &c. If you inquire whence come these shameful violations of Sundays and holidays, you will find that there is no other reason than love of gain and avarice, sinful love of pleasure, and often complete want of faith and confidence in God's providence. We wish to become rich by all means, and we do not reflect that. this will not happen without the blessing of God, and that wealth is a net, in which thousands entangle themselves to their eternal, perdition. We wish to live merrily and enjoy ourselves, but we do not consider that our life is only a time of penance, to attain that eternally blissful rest, of which Sunday is an emblem. We spend Sundays and holydays in idleness, vain conversations, buying and selling, servile work, or in still worse things, without experiencing the slightest scruple. But God will cover the violators of His sacred days with confusion and shame, (Malach. II. 3.) and permit many temporal evils to come upon them, as proved by daily experience. The blessing of God can never rest upon those who never care for it, but rather make themselves unworthy to receive it, by violating days consecrated to God. Let this be a warning to you.

PRAYER O good Saviour! how manifest are meekness, and wisdom in all Thy words and actions! O, grant, that we may regulate all our actions in such a manner, that they may be acceptable to Thee and tend to the edification of our neighbor. Give us the grace to employ all the days, consecrated to Thee, for Thy honor and our salvation, that we may never raise ourselves above others, but follow Thee in all humility.

[anastpaul]

Our Morning Offering – 25 September – An Act of Consecration to the Holy Trinity by St Francis de Sales

Our Morning Offering – 25 September – An Act of Consecration to the Holy Trinity by St Francis de Sales

Our Morning Offering – 25 September – The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost + An Act of Consecration to the Holy TrinityBy St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)Doctor of Charity I vow and consecrate to Godall that is in me:my memory and my actionsto God the Father;my understandingand my wordsto God the Son;my will and my thoughtsto God the Holy Ghost;my heart, my body,my tongue, my sensesand all my…

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GSMC Bible Study Podcast Episode 182: Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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‏[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).[/perfectpullquote]

O Lord, our Father, who demonstrated Thy power in the mighty acts of old, Thou hast, in these last days, manifested Your majesty and sovereignty through the ultimate act of unsurpassed power by raising…

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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 9-25-22

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 9-25-22

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Bulletin for The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18B - Sep. 8, 2024

Download the bulletin for The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 7:45 & 10am (1.5Mb)

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Lectionary Sermon for Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Sermon for Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

1 Timothy 6:6-19 Spiritual Economics Over the last few months, many of us have experienced what economic inflation can do. I do our family grocery shopping and so I have noticed the increase in prices, sometimes as much as double. We are told by the news media that inflation will be a big issue as to whom people will choose to hold public office. Not who is the most moral, ethical, intelligent,…

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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 17, 2023

Read the full article

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The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, 2023 – Love Your Neighbor (Sermon, Audio Only)

Title: The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, 2023 – Love Your Neighbor (Sermon, Audio Only) Speaker: Rev. James Redmann We invite you to worship with us.  See our contact page for directions. Listen to the Sermon Scripture Lessons The First Reading: Genesis 50:15-21 The Epistle: Romans 14:1-12 The Holy Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35 Donate If you would like to help spread the good news of…

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Sermon for Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (9/12/21)

Primary Text | James 3:1-12

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Dear People of God,

The Letter of James uses an analogy that happens to hold weight in our personal experience as Wyomingites. He writes, “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!” (James 3:5). The smoke this summer has been egregious. Summer 2019, my first summer in Wyoming, I do not recall there being much of any smoke hanging in the air. Summer 2020, my second summer, I think there was like one weekend that it was smoky. In 2021, there has been little reprieve from wildfire smoke since July. To me this is strange because it was never a thing where I grew up. But this summer my family back in Wisconsin alerted to me that they too have had a share of this smoke. We all know wildfire smoke can have multiple causes—ranging from something unpreventable like a lightning strike to something very preventable like some foolish humans playing with fire.

St. James writes the “tongue is a fire” (James 3:6). He wants his fellow Christians to be careful with how they use their tongues. The tongue, although one of the smallest members of our body, is in fact a tool that can do exponentially great damage compared to its size. With this concern, James first addresses those who would be teachers, saying, “Not many of you should become teachers, my siblings, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). Here James warns us of the gravity of responsibility a person has as a teacher. This would be fine to be applied to any kind of teacher, but here he means anyone who is, desires to be, or claims to be a teacher of the Word of God. James directs this to preachers. As your preacher, I have a great responsibility laid on me in what I teach you. I am not here to tickle your ears with whatever you want to hear. Nor is my job to teach you things that would make me popular, I have to speak hard truths too, not just the easy truths. As your preacher, I am bidden to teach you the Word of God, not just about God, but about what God has authorized me to speak to you from his own mouth. If I do not do this, I have failed my job. Which is why, when I was ordained, I made a vow. A vow is a solemn promise, one that must not be broken. In that vow, God bound me with certain duties, to preach and teach only according to the holy scriptures, the three ecumenical creeds, and the Lutheran confessions. Think of my job as preacher and teacher as building a bridge. If I built a bridge with bad materials, or with a bad design, and that bridge broke and people died, I would most certainly be held accountable for what I had done, probably go to jail or something. So, it is with teaching the Word of God, I must use good materials, and be attentive to design. Of course, these are not to be of my own making, but of God’s making. God expects me and you should expect me, to only teach the Word of God according to the good materials of the holy scriptures, the three ecumenical creeds, and the Lutheran confessions—which are each faithful witnesses of the gospel—the good news that all who believe in Christ are radically forgiven for his sake in the eyes of God. As a preacher and teacher, if I would use bad materials to build a bridge, and people perished, unlike a builder of a real bridge, I would much more easily get away with it. That is why teachers in the church of God are told they are judged with greater strictness, so even if they are not held accountable by earthly authorities, they will be held accountable by God for what they preach and teach.

But of course, being a preacher is not the only one with the responsibility of teacher in the church. Parents, grandparents, and godparents, and any fellow Christian who bears the name of Christ, have a duty to teach the Word of God properly. We do not want to teach our own word as the Word of God, we must teach that which comes from outsides ourselves, that Word of God made known in Jesus Christ. Therefore, what we believe, teach, and confess to be true absolutely matters. The Second Commandment commands us to “Not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.” If we are teaching our own words in the name of God, we are speaking empty words. But if we speak God’s Word, that is, what God would have us say, we are speaking words brimming with power and with life and with the ability to change darkness into light, and weakness into strength. God has bidden us to speak the word that creates faith in those whom he has entrusted to us. I am concerned that those of us entrusted to teach, whether we be preacher, teacher, parent, or whichever office God has called us to, that we end up speaking no words at all on behalf of God. We are not only responsible for what we say, but for what we do not say. Which is why hopefully each of us takes care to hear and learn the Word of God not just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week as well. Even Confirmation is meant to be a supplement for Christian education, and not the beginning or the end of Christian education.

Luther says, “We need to hear the gospel every day, because we forget it every day.” What is that gospel? That God forgives you by his sheer favor, through faith, on account of Christ, apart from the works of the law. How, then, is one to believe if they never have opportunity to hear God’s gracious promises? We all need to be students of the Word and never think we have mastered it, nor think that we have no need to learn anymore. God seeks to nurture and to feed us with himself, by the words of a teacher, a preacher both in church and in home. Because God doesn’t come to us half-heartedly, but puts all of himself into building up his kingdom. That is why my hope that having the Digital Service is a temporary solution. When it does become safe enough to return, let us not lose the habit of physically going to church. God does not come to us only so far as a screen. He comes to us in the flesh. God was born of the Virgin Mary. God became a human being. In Jesus Christ, we meet God face-to-face, and we should look for God in no other place. Jesus Christ died and was raised for sinners. Which means that he died and was raised for you. So that you may have life, and life abundantly. It is his death on the cross that swallows up death. So even when we die, we die in the Lord. And then by his resurrection he gives us new life. So even when we die, we live in the Lord. And nothing can shake this eternal truth, this wonderful gift, this solemn promise of God. You can’t even mess it up. It is God’s decision. And he made that decision about you when you were baptized, that you belong to him, and he doesn’t care how sincere you are, how religious you are, how strong or weak you are. He claims you as his own for his own name’s sake. (pause) It is true God is both severe and kind. But even his severity is meant to drive us to his kindness. It is for his sake alone you are forgiven. Therefore, may it be that your words be formed by the Word. Upon others, do not let your mouth speak both blessing and curse. Bless, and do not curse. In the time of trial God will hold you close; his grace is sufficient.

As God has called me to be your teacher, I continue to make the solemn promise to speak to you with only the fresh water of the Word of God, and not brackish water that comes from a source other than the Word. It is this same water in which you are baptized, the same water in which you are forgiven of your sins unconditionally. It is the water of baptism that brings you from death to life everlasting—because God uses it to create and sustain your faith. God’s solemn vow. Be at peace.