Thursday after Pentecost 19
October 11, 2012
The Lord be with you
This coming Sunday is the 20th Sunday after
Pentecost. For our liturgy we will use the third setting of the Divine Service (page
184). This is a communion service. The assigned lessons are Amos 5:6-7, 10-15;
Hebrews 3:12-19; and Mark 10:17-22. Our opening hymn will be “O Blessed, Holy
Trinity” (LSB 876). The sermon hymn
is “Lord, Help Us Ever to Retain” (LSB
865). Our closing hymn is “Thine Forever, God of Love” (LSB 687). Our distribution hymns are: “One Thing’s Needful” (LSB 536), “Come unto Me, Ye Weary” (LSB 684), and “Lord Jesus Christ,
Live-Giving Bread” (LSB 625). The
sermon text is Hebrews 3:13 and its
title is “A Line in the Sand.”
In our public prayers we will remember the leaders of our
own denomination, our fellow LC-MS believers, specially those in Trinity,
Chestertown, MD; Our Shepherd, Columbia, MD; St. Paul’s, Crofton, MD; Trinity,
Cumberland, MD; and Calvary, Charleston, SC. We continue to pray for our LC-MS
missionaries around the world. This month we remember David & Joyce Erber, who
work with English speaking people in Nigeria
and West Africa. We pray that the Lord would raise up
Christ-centered leaders of Lutheran congregations; that the Lord would protect
David as he travels; and that the Holy Spirit would continue to sustain and
grow the Lutheran church bodies in English-speaking West Africa.
We will remember the believers in Turkey.
We will continue to remember those who have been misled by our cultures
acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality, asking God’s grace
for their lives that they may be healed and restored by the Holy Spirit. We
will also continue to remember those trapped in the modern practice of slavery
and ask God to bless all efforts that are pleasing in his sight to end this
sinful practice. We will also remember the Lutheran Malaria Initiative’s effort
to end malaria in Africa by 2015.
I was unable to find a video for any of the hymns we will be
singing Sunday.
Our adult Bible class
meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. We have
finished the gospel of Matthew. We will be starting an LLL
Bible study titled “The Intersection of Church and State.” The study was
prepared by Rev. Gregory Seltz. The LLL web
site gives the following description:
In the U.S.
the relationship between church and state is an energetic one. Voices and
viewpoints line up across the spectrum. Some would argue from history there
should be a "wall of separation" between the two. Others maintain
co-existence is not only necessary and inevitable, but can lead to positive
results. In real life, church and state do operate in similar spheres-both
conflictingly and cooperatively. See how they interconnect in The
Intersection of Church & State.
While some may propose a church and state
separation is feasible, breaking this long-standing liaison is not likely.
Though each entity has its separate function-the state to "promote the
general welfare" of its citizens, the church to deal with spiritual
concerns in this world, with an eye to the next-in reality they work together.
The Intersection of Church &
State examines the dynamic give-and-take relationship that has marked the
crossroads of church and state in this country. Though roadblocks are frequent
where the two meet, there is still tremendous potential for cooperative work to
be done. Using expert commentary from academics, church and civic leaders,
agency professionals and others, this program underscores the healthy
collaboration between church and state in caring for the needy, settling
refugees, child adoption, chaplain services and more. It will also consider how
these historical church and state partnerships are jeopardized. In the end, it
will suggest a far superior metaphor in describing the church-state
relationship is not one using a wall or barrier but, instead, an intersection,
which benefits us all.
The Rev. Gregory P. Seltz is the
Speaker of The Lutheran Hour® radio program. As host of The
Intersection of Church & State, Seltz assists viewers in understanding
the multi-layered discourse existing between church and state in the U.S. and
how this relationship can be a fruitful force for good to those in need.
Below is the First Amendment and links that will take you to various documents that
will help you dig deeper into the concepts and ideas in the first lesson.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Preview of the
Lessons
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15: In the Old Testament the Israelites formed a united
nation, after the period of the Judges, around 1050 bc. This political unity was destroyed after the death of
Solomon (930 bc) and, after a
rebellion against the son of Solomon, the people divided into two nations, Israel
in the north and Judea in the south. Amos, who prophesized
from around 760 to 750 bc, was a
prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel.
Israel was more
wayward that Judea, though both kingdoms had
faithfulness problems. In the time of Amos, the nation of Israel
was prosperous and they interpreted that prosperity as evidence that God was
pleased with them. This is how our fallen human nature works. We think, “God is
good to me because I deserve it.” Forgotten are the words of Moses, “Do not say
in your heart, after the Lord your
God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the
Lord has brought me into possess this land,’ … Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this
good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn
people” (Deuteronomy 9:4, 6). Their prosperity was interpreted as divine
approval for the idolatry and injustice that permeated their society. Amos
called the people to believe in and worship the true God and to a life in
harmony with God’s will. Amos was just one of may prophets the Lord sent with
this message. They were all ignored and/or persecuted. Marks of the corruption
of Israel
included injustice, persecution of those who point out injustice and how the
culture had abandoned God, and the interpretation of temporal prosperity and
the greatest blessing God can bestow. True life, which is granted only by the
true God, is found in the Lord alone, as verse 6 directs us. It is true today
as well. True life is not found in great vacations, great homes, great jobs,
great families, great cars, and so forth. True life is located in a living
relationship with the Lord, which is granted by grace through faith. In that
relationship we learn how to truly live in a fashion that is pleasing to God,
we learn to live in his grace.
Hebrews 3:12-19: The writer of Hebrews tells us to be on our guard
against having an “evil and unbelieving heart” which can lead us away from the
living God. This, of course, is what Amos found in our Old Testament lesson.
Hebrews tells us that the job of Amos is actually our job, to “exhort one
another every day.” As this forms the central thought for Sunday’s sermon, I’ll
not write more about it here.
Mark 10:17-22: This story is also found in Matthew and
Luke, which makes it had for us to read it simply in terms of Mark’s account.
We tend to bring in information from the other accounts. For example, from
Luke’s account, we know the man who comes to Jesus was a “ruler,” but Mark
doesn’t tell us that fact. Matthew tells us that he was a young man, but Mark
skips that fact. The story is basically an exposition of Deuteronomy 6:5 and
Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus quotes in Mark 12:30-31. These are the two “great”
commandments, of which all other commandments are simply expansions. In this
particular case, the rich “young” “ruler” who came to Jesus valued his
possession above both God and his neighbor. This also elucidates how the issues
in the days of Amos continued in the days of Jesus. The words of Hebrews remind
us that these issues continued to be prominent in the days of the Early
Church. The temptation to usurp the
place of God and neighbor in our hearts with something else continues to this
day. In light of this, we should also pay close attention to what Mark reports,
“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” Thank the sweet Lord that his love is
not dependent on our righteousness (see the notes on Amos). The invitation of
Jesus to this man to follow Jesus was sincere. The same sincere invitation is
offered to all humanity to this day. In him we will find grace and forgiveness
for every day of our lives. We will find the life that Amos spoke of.
Tidbits
- Before I arrived at Lamb of God, the congregation crafted its current mission statement. In it we acknowledge that we desire to reach out with the love of Christ Jesus. The Lutheran Malaria Initiative is just such a God pleasing effort. Remember our statement of purpose, and support our Pancake Breakfast, October 27, from 8 to 10 am., at FATZ in Boiling Springs. Sell tickets ($7.00), attend yourself, tell others about it, help greet people who come, and, when you sell the tickets you have, get more from Jill. Let us show the community we believe our mission statement through our actions.
Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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