Saturday, March 31, 2012

Worship for Palm Sunday - 2012

Saturday after Lent 5
March 31, 2012

The Lord be with you

Like last week, this coming Sunday has two names. When I grew up we all called it Palm Sunday. The liturgically precise name was the Latin Palmarum. It was also known as the Sixth Sunday in Lent. With the introduction of Lutheran Worship in 1982, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod joined the contemporary Liturgical Renewal movement. The trend in this movement is to drop Latin names for Sundays, so out went Palmarum. (These Latin names were typically tied to the Introit and Psalm of the Day, so dropping the Latin names allowed for more flexibility with these two “propers.”) The Liturgical Renewal movement is also keen on a different name for the day, the Sunday of the Passion. While the name was listed in a secondary way in Lutheran Worship, the worship resources began to treat Sunday of the Passion as the primary option. Our most recent hymnal, Lutheran Service Book (2006), continues to list Sunday of the Passion in a secondary fashion. It is, once again, getting easier to find Palm Sunday resources.

No matter what name you call this Sunday, it is always the beginning of Holy Week. This is the pinnacle of the Church Year. Christians around the globe will have special services all week long. Lamb of God will be no exception.

At Lamb of God, we use the Palm Sunday option for this coming Sunday. There is plenty of passion in that day alone. This also allows the special mid-week services to bring their own story forward, without having Palm Sunday steal some of their thunder.

For Palm Sunday we will use a specially designed service which begins with the Palm Sunday processional. During the processional Pastor will read the Palm Sunday account from John’s Gospel, the only account to specifically mention palm branches. The congregation will follow this up by singing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” (LSB 443). After the Invocation, Confession of Sins, and Absolution, the congregation will sin “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” (LSB 442) as our hymn of praise. The other scriptures that will be read are Psalm 118:19-29, Zechariah 9:9-12, Philippians 2:5-11, and John 12:20-43. The sermon, based on the Palm Sunday processional reading, is titled “Victory Parade.” The Sermon hymn is “Ride On, Rice On in Majesty.” This will also be the choir special as the congregation will switch on and off with the choir. This will be a communion service. Our distribution hymns will be: “What Is This Bread” (LSB 629), “Draw Near and Take the Body of Our Lord” (LSB 637), and “Eat This Bread” (LSB 638). Other hymns we will be singing are: “We Give Thee But Thine Own” (1st verse only) and “Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus” (LSB 531, verses 1 & 2). Our closing hymn will point us to the rest of Holy Week. It is “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed” (LSB 437).

We will continue our regular prayer pattern in our public prayers Sunday. That means we will remember, in our prayers, the Evangelical Lutheran Church - Synod of France (EEL-SF) (Église Évangélique Luthèrienne - Synode de France), and their President, Rev. Jean Thiébaut Haessig. We will remember Alan Ludwig, our missionary in Siberia, Russia, and his wife Patricia. We will remember the persecuted believers in India, and our sister congregations: Peace, Goldsboro, NC; Cross of Christ, Greensboro, NC; Ebenezer, Greensboro, NC; Grace, Greensboro, NC; Island Lutheran, Hilton Head Island, SC. We remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. We also will continue to remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below of the hymn, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” Words and music, but no one is singing.



Our adult Bible class meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. This Sunday we will continue in Matthew. As always, everyone is invited to come.


Preview of the Lessons


Zechariah 9:9-12: This is the Old Testament passage, referred to by the Evangelists, which points to the Palm Sunday entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. As Palm Sunday is the theme of the Sermon, I’ll not say much. However, notice verse 11. This speaks of the “blood of my covenant.” I expect the people in Zechariah thought either of a animal sacrifice or circumcision. However, the blood referred to is the blood of Jesus. This was the purpose for which Jesus entered Jerusalem.

Philippians 2:5-11: This is a key passage about who Jesus is. Paul writes about what Lutherans call our Lord’s “state of humiliation” and “state of exaltation.” Verses 6-8 speak of how Jesus, who is Divine, humbled himself and became a man, even dying for us. Verses 9-11 speaks of how he was raised and exalted, resuming his rightful place. This leads to every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord, which is what the Father wants and so brings glory to the Father. The whole section begins with Paul telling us to emulate Jesus. In America we often want to skip the humiliation part and skip straight to the exaltation part. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve wanted also?

John 12:(12-19) 20-43: Verses 12-19 are the Palm Sunday processional reading. It is the story of Jesus arrival into Jerusalem, received by the masses as the “King of Israel.” It also recounts the determination of the leadership of the Jewish people to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. Lazarus was included because many people were coming to believe in Jesus because of Lazarus. Verses 20-43 recount some of the things that transpired prior to Maundy Thursday. Verse 42 ends the reading on a very interesting note: “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” “The Pharisees” needs to be understood as that segment that did not believe in Jesus, for some of the Pharisees did believe, like Nicodemus. The unbelieving segment apparently help the power positions. The believing Jews faces the same problem many of us do in reference to our witness. How often do we make the same decision they made? In the reading some Greeks come to see Jesus. The text doesn’t actually say whether or not Jesus met them. When Jesus is told they are seeking him, he talks about a grain of wheat which “falls into the earth and dies.” The result is that it bears much fruit. The idea is that, when Jesus dies and is buried, he will bear much fruit, that is, the Greeks, and everyone else, will be able to receive grace and salvation in His name. In verse 27, Jesus is in prayer. He says, “What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? Bu for this purpose I have come to this hour.” Here Jesus plainly says to the Father that his impending crucifixion was his intended purpose Those who believe Jesus intended to set up a physical kingdom, but failed in his goal and came up with a back-up plan (salvation by grace through faith), are contradicted by the world of Christ himself. More could be said about these verses, but this will have to do.


Tidbits
• Thank you to everyone who help clean the church, not just Saturday, but throughout the week.
• Our Holy Week Schedule is:


    Maundy Thursday
    Communion services at 12:15 & 7:00 PM
    Good Friday
    Prayer Vigil from noon to 3:00 PM
    Tenebrae service at 7:00 PM
    Holy Saturday
    Stations of the Cross service at noon
    Joint Easter Vigil (Good Shepherd, Greenville) at 8:00 PM
    Easter Sunday
    Breakfast at 9:00 AM
    Communion service at 10:30 AM
Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Monday, March 26, 2012

Annunciation of Our Lord - 2012

Monday after Lent 5
March 26, 2012

The Lord be with you

Yesterday, March 25, was the Annunciation of Our Lord. This is the day set aside to remember when the Angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary announcing to her that she would be the mother of the Son of God. Mary believed the angel and conceived our Lord; therefore Martin Luther once said that Mary conceived our Lord “through her ear.”

In the world, at that time, people’s birthdays were not generally recognized or remembered. Death dates were another thing. Recognizing that the most important things people generally do fall closer to the day of their death than to the day of their birth, death dates were generally considered more important and remembered. However, there was a desire to see life as having some sort of balance, as having some sort of symmetry. So it was generally believed that people, especially important people, died on the day they were conceived. Because Jesus died on March 25, it was held that he was conceived on March 25. That is how this date was selected for this festival. It is also how Christmas came to be December 25, for that date is nine months after March 25.

In catechism class, as we study the Apostles’ Creed, we learn that the conception of Jesus marks the first step of our Lord’s humiliation. This is the moment he took on human flesh for “us men and for our salvation.” Therefore, it marks the beginning of the New Age. The old has passed away, the new has come. Much of Christian Europe, from the 6th century and into the 18th century, recognized this by celebrating the Annunciation of our Lord as the beginning of the New Year.

It was also generally believed in Medieval Europe that March 25th was the date the Lord began his work of creating the world. Therefore, the day joined together both the first creation and the new creation in Christ.

Another sub-theme for this festival is the Holy Trinity. Of course, this Biblical teaching has its own day, the first Sunday after Pentecost, but the activity of the Triune God is clearly present in this festival as well. Jesus is called the Son of God and Holy. The Father is referred to as “the Most High.” Therefore both the Son and the Father are referred to. Mary will conceive Jesus when “the Holy Spirit” comes upon her and overshadows her. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters and brought forth creation (Genesis 1:2) will now “hover over” the waters of Mary’s womb to conceive the creation’s Redeemer.

With this day, then, the Christian tradition provides us a celebration that joins the great teachings of the Trinity, Creation, Incarnation, and Redemption.

In spite of the richness of this festival, it is really about Jesus, about the incarnation, about God becoming human. Mary, and her remarkable faith, is but one feature in the story. Her status as most favored, chosen to be the birth-giver of God, are surpassed by the splendor of that event of which she was the chosen vessel, the entrance of God into the world. This is not to downplay Mary. She has her own day, August 15. But the Annunciation of Our Lord is a festival centered on Jesus. Liturgically, then, the color is white. If March 25 falls within Holy Week (Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday), it is transferred to after Easter week.

Prayer: Pour Your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of Your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of His resurrection; who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Friday, March 23, 2012

Asia in Mission - March 2012

Friday in the week of Lent 4
March 23, 2012

The Lord be with you

Every Sunday, at Lamb of God Lutheran Church, we pray for believers in other denominations. Most often (but not always) those denominations are “partner” churches with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. A “partner” church is a denomination with which we are in “pulpit and altar” fellowship. That means we can call their pastors to be ministers in our churches and vice versa (pulpit) and our members are welcome to receive the Lord’s Supper in their congregations and vice versa (altar). To put that another way, we pretty much see eye to eye on key theological issues.

The link below will take you to the March 2012 “Asia in Mission” newsletter. This will give you an update on our partner churches throughout Asia, which I thought would be of interest because we pray for them in our worship services. You can either download it in a pdf format or view it on-screen. Just click on the form you want.

Link to Asia in Mission

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert

Worship for The Annunciation of Our Lord - 2012

Friday after Lent 4
March 23, 2012

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday has two names. Most of our congregations will probably celebrate it as the Fifth Sunday in Lent. A few will celebrate it as The Annunciation of Our Lord. We will be among the few. This festival celebrates the day the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that God had showed her special favor, for she would become the mother of the Son of God, Jesus. The date of the Annunciation falls on March 25 because it was widely believed that people died on the same day they were conceived, and the Ancient Church believed Jesus was crucified on March 25. In a time when birthdays were not really closely attended to (if you asked someone when their birthday was, they probably would not be able to give you an answer) such a belief could easily be maintained. (This is also the reason December 25 became the date we celebrate the birth of Jesus.) Be celebrating the Annunciation on the day it was believed Jesus died, the Church joined together both the incarnation of Jesus and the atonement He accomplished.

The assigned readings for the Annunciation of Our Lord are Isaiah 7:10-14, Hebrews 10:4-10, and Luke 1:26-38. The text for the sermon will be Luke 1:38 and the sermon title will be “Picked by God.” For our liturgy we will be using the first setting of the Divine Service (page 151 Lutheran Service Book). We will be using the regular Lent options. This is a communion Service. To prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper you may re-read the sections dealing with it in Luther’s Small Catechism. Our opening hymn will be “Christ, the Life of All the Living” (LSB 420). Our sermon hymn will be “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came” (LSB 356). Our closing hymn will be “By Grace I’m Saved” (LSB 566). Our distribution hymns will be “Lamb of God” (LSB 550), “My Song Is Love Unknown” (LSB 430), and “Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray” (LSB 623).

In our prayers Sunday we will remember the The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) and their Chairman, Rev. Jon Ehlers. We will remember Alan Ludwig, our missionary in Siberia, Russia, and his wife Patricia. We will remember the persecuted believers in Gaza and the West Bank, especially those associated with Holy Land Missions (HLM), and our sister congregations: Grace, Durham, NC; Our Redeemer, Fayetteville, NC; Resurrection, Franklin, NC; Peace, Franklin, NC; and Good Shepherd, Greenville, SC. We remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. We also will continue to remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is of the Stonewall Jackson High School Choir in the Vatican on Good Friday, 2006 singing our opening hymn, “Christ, the Life of All the Living.” They sing verses one and seven.



Our adult Bible class meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. This Sunday we will continue in Matthew. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

Isaiah 7:10-14: This is the well know passage, quoted in Matthew’s birth narrative, foretelling the virgin birth of Jesus about 700 years before it happened. The name given for Jesus is “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” Thus the Holy Spirit revealed that the Messiah would be God in the flesh (the literal meaning of the word “incarnation”).

Hebrews 10:4-10: As persecution of Christians increased, some Jews were returning to a non-Jesus form of their faith. The book of Hebrews was written, in part, to encourage these believers to remain true to Jesus. To accomplish this, the writer demonstrates over and over again that the Old Testament points to Jesus. In this passage the writer cites Psalm 40:6-8 and attributes it to Jesus saying, “when Christ came into the world, he said …” This ties into the Annunciation for it identifies the Lord who spoke in the Psalm as the Lord who was en-fleshed when Jesus was conceived. It also ties into the crucifixion in that the writer brings in the sacrificial system saying “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” However, the death of the en-fleshed Son of God, to which the sacrificial system pointed to, does “take away sins.” Based on this, the writer of Hebrews teaches that, in Jesus, the old sacrificial system has been “done away with” and Jesus has established a new covenant in his blood.

Luke 1:26-38: This is Luke’s account of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will be the mother of God. Mary finds it had to believe at several levels. However, the angel overcomes her doubt. It is at this moment that Mary conceives the Lord so Martin Luther used to colorfully say Mary conceived through her ear. Her famous words of faith, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” are the text for the sermon.

Tidbits

• The message for this coming Wednesday’s Lenten services will focus on the final two stations of our Stations of the Cross, stations thirteen and fourteen (depicted below). What stories can you identify before the service? What relationships can you identify before the service? Our Wednesday schedule is:
    12:15 – half-hour worship service, using Responsive Prayer for our liturgy
    6:15 – soup supper
    7:00 – forty-five minute worship service, using Evening Prayer for our liturgy
    8:00 – choir practice
• There are no scheduled meetings Sunday.

• The April newsletter should be posted either today or tomorrow.

• Holy Week is fast approaching. Along with our traditional special services (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday) we will be introducing a Stations of the Cross service on Holy Saturday (April 7), at noon. You can read more about it in our April newsletter.

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Joseph, Guardian of Jesus

Tuesday after Lent 4
March 20, 2012

The Lord be with you

Okay, I also missed the Festival of St. Joseph, Guardian of Jesus, which was yesterday, March 19. To make matters worse, I don’t have an earlier post I can link you to.

Joseph was, of course, the husband of Mary and the step-father of Jesus. While he has been honored throughout the Christian centuries for his faithful devotion in helping Mary raise her Son, his popularity has greatly increased over the last 500 years. Matthew’s Gospel relates that Joseph was a “just” man. This not only means that he was a devout man who adhered to the Law and that he was kind and wise, but also, and most importantly, that he looked to the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises concerning the Messiah. Before Jesus was ever conceived, Joseph trusted in him.

Joseph followed the angel’s instruction, which he received in a dream, and took the already pregnant Mary to be his wife (Matthew 1:24). He also responded to a warning, received in a dream, and took the Holy Family to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14). Receiving Divine direction in dreams echoes how God often (but not always) guided the Old Testament Patriarchs, which is probably why the Eastern Orthodox churches recognize Joseph with them. Joseph was there when Jesus was born (Luke 2:16), circumcised (Luke 2:21), at His presentation presentation (Luke 2:22), and the search for Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52).

Joseph was a carpenter by trade (though the Greek word can mean “artisan”). He apparently taught Jesus his trade as our Lord was also called “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3). Matthew 13:55 might be understood as implying that Joseph was still alive when Jesus began his ministry. However, he certainly had died by the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. From the cross Jesus put Mary in the charge of his disciple John, something that would be unnecessary if Joseph was still alive (John 19:26-27). While an important figure in the early life of Jesus, keeping both him and Mary safe, the last explicit reference to Joseph is when Jesus is 12-years-old (Luke 2:41-51), when the Holy Family visited Jerusalem for the Passover.

Joseph, the guardian of our Lord, has long been associated with caring parenthood as well as with skilled craftsmanship. He is the patron saint of Canada.

Appropriate prayers include:
    For fathers and foster parents
    For quiet confidence
    For humble service
    For those who work with their hands; artisans and laborers
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

St. Patrick

Tuesday after Lent 4
March 20, 2012

The Lord be with you

Okay, so I missed St. Patrick’s Day. Still, I thought I’d provide a link to a post I placed on this blog some time ago about him or, more precisely, a prayer of his.

http://www.lutheran-in-sc.blogspot.com/2010/03/st-patricks-breastplate-prayer.html

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Worship for Lent 4 - 2012

Wednesday after Lent 3
March 14, 2012

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Our assigned readings are Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21; and Psalm 107:1-9 (antiphon v 19). The text for the sermon will be John 3 19 and the sermon title will be “Children of Darkness and Light.” For our liturgy we will be using Matins (page 219 Lutheran Service Book). This is a non-communion Service. We will be using the normal Lent options and the appointed Psalm instead of the Introit.. Our opening hymn will be “My Song Is Love Unknown” (LSB 430). This is the hymn we are learning this month. Our sermon hymn will be “‘Come, Follow Me,’ the Savior Spake” (LSB 688). Our closing hymn will be “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” (LSB 411). The choir will be singing Beautiful Savior, with the congregation joining in.

In our prayers Sunday we will remember the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark (ELFD) (Den evangelisk-lutherske Frikirke i Danmark) and their President, Rev. Leif G. Jensen. We will remember Anthony DiLiberto, our missionary in Peru. We will remember the persecuted believers in Ethiopia, Africa, and our sister congregations: Immanuel, Conover, NC; St. John, Conover, NC; St. Peter’s, Conover, NC; Lake Norman, Denver, NC; and Incarnate Word, Florence, SC. We will remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. We also will continue to remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is of our closing hymn, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” (LSB 411). It is a male singer performing a cappella.



Our adult Bible class meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. This Sunday we will continue in Matthew. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

Numbers 21:4-9: This is an account taken from when the Israelites were in the wilderness after they escaped Egypt. Forgetting what slavery was like, and yearning for the “good old days” they complain about their current circumstances, turning from God and his representative, Moses. Poisonous serpents enter the camp and the people begin to die. Repenting, they run back to God and Moses. Moses is instructed to make an image of a serpent and place it on a pole. All who look to the mounted serpent, and believe that God will heal them, receive healing. Jesus refers to this incident in our Gospel lesson, telling Nicodemus that, just as the bronze serpent was raised up on the pole so also would Jesus be raised up. More on that in the notes on the Gospel lesson. This story is reflected in our illustration found in Station ten of our Stations of the Cross because of the words of Christ in our Gospel lesson..

Ephesians 2:1-10: This is a wonderful passage that accents our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. Paul begins by painting our hopeless situation as sinners. He then proclaims God’s solution, faith in Jesus. The final verse reminds us that, as redeemed people, we have a purpose, which is to do the good works God has prepared for us.

John 3:14-21: This reading has one of the best known passages in the New Testament, at leas in America. (I still think passages like the Lord’s Prayer, and others that are regularly used in worship services, are better known.) What happens in verses 1-13 is that Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jewish people, visits Jesus at night. Jesus tells him “unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus doesn’t understand what Jesus is talking about. Jesus explains by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” With this Jesus refers to the power of baptism, which is a blessed washing by which countless multitudes have been drawn to faith in Jesus. Nicodemus continues to struggle with Jesus’ meaning. To be honest, Nicodemus never does understand that evening. It is to his eternal credit that he didn’t just give up. He is there to help bury Jesus, and John clearly calls him a disciple. Nicodemus did finally comprehend. Jesus then speaks of his future crucifixion, using the analogy of the serpent on the pole from our OT lesson. Verse 13 has a “textual” issue and most translations have a footnote concerning it. Many of the best texts have the phrase “who is in heaven” in this verse. It would reflect the divine/human union of Jesus. I happen to believe it is part of the original text. Many others do not. Then we get the passage I spoke of, “For God so loved the world that …” You know it. Jesus then continues to accent that it is faith in him that gives eternal life. The sermon will pick up with verse 19, so I’ll end my notes here.

Tidbits

• The Church Council will meet Sunday, after the worship service.

• The message for this coming Wednesday’s Lenten services will focus on the stations eleven and twelve of our Stations of the Cross (depicted below). What stories can you identify before the service? What relationships can you identify before the service? Our Wednesday schedule is:
    12:15 – half-hour worship service, using Responsive Prayer for our liturgy
    6:15 – soup supper
    7:00 – forty-five minute worship service, using Evening Prayer for our liturgy
    8:00 – choir practice
• Information for the April newsletter is due Sunday

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Worship for Lent 3 - 2012

Thursday after Lent 2
March 8, 2012

The Lord be with you

Sunday, March 11
3rd Sunday in Lent

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday in Lent. Our assigned readings are Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, and John 2:13-25. The text for the sermon will be John 2:17 and the sermon title will be “A Holy Zeal.” For our liturgy we will be using the third setting of the Divine Service (page 184 of Lutheran Service Book). This is a Communion Service. We will be using the normal Lent options. Our opening hymn will be “My Song Is Love Unknown” (LSB 430). This is the hymn we are learning this month. Our sermon hymn will be “I Love Your Kingdom, Lord” (LSB 651). Our closing hymn will be “May God Bestow on Us His Grace” (LSB 824). Our distribution hymns will be “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (LSB 449), “Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared” (LSB 622), and “I Lay My Sins on Jesus” (LSB 606).

In our prayers Sunday we will remember the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium (ELFD) and their President, Rev. Gijsbertus van Hattem. We will remember Anthony DiLiberto, our missionary in Peru. We will remember the persecuted believers in Eritrea, Africa, and our sister congregations: Our Savior, Clyde, NC; Grace, Concord, NC; St. Peter’s, Concord, NC; Concordia, Conover, NC; and Holy Trinity, Columbia, SC. We remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. We also will continue to remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is of our first distribution hymn, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” Most people, when they think of this hymn, think of J.S. Bach. They are 25% correct. The hymn is part of a poem, written by Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153). The poem is a series of meditations inspired by various portions of our Lord’s body as he hung on the cross (head, hands, side, etc.). The portion of the poem dealing with our Lord’s head was translated and turned into a hymn by the great Lutheran theologian Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676). The tune was provided by Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612). Finally, J.S. Bach (1685-1750) provided the setting we are most familiar with. The work of these men, separated by as much as 700 years, produced this classic of Lenten piety.



Our adult Bible class meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. This Sunday we will continue in Matthew. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

Exodus 20:1-17: This is the first listing of the Ten Commandments. They are also listed in Deuteronomy 5. I certainly cannot do them justice in these notes, so I will confine myself to some general comments. You might be surprised to know that the Ten Commandments were the last element to be added to the catechetical instruction of the Church in the early centuries. That is because of the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day.” As most probably know, the Sabbath Day was Saturday. Jews still worship on Saturday, as well as 7th Day Adventists and a few others. As Christians began worshiping on Sundays almost immediately, this commandment caused confusion. This was especially true because, in the teachings of our Lord and the Apostles, it is obvious that Saturday worship was not mandated for the Church. For a moral code the Church used passages like the Sermon on the Mount, or documents like “The Two Ways.” However, Saint Augustine (354-430) developed a way of understanding this commandment in harmony with the words of Jesus and his Apostles which has stood the test of time and allowed the Ten Commandments to become a standard part of Christian catecheses. Another interesting thing to observe is that the Ten Commandments are not numbered. Moses does not say, “The 1st Commandment is …, the 2nd Commandment is …” and so on. This has led to variation in how they are numbered and even what is considered a Commandment. This is complicated by two factors. First, there are way more “command” words in these verses than ten. Second, in the Hebrew, these commands are not called the “Ten Commandments” but the “Ten Words.” So, a statement could be one of the “ten words” without being a command! The Jewish people make the statement, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” the First Word. The Second Word then is, “You shall have no other gods,” the Third Word is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” and so forth. Saint Augustine made the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” the Second, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” the Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day,” and so on. John Calvin (1509-1564), changed Augustine’s numbering. The First Commandment remained “You shall have no other gods,” but the Second became “You shall have no idols,” the Third became “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” etc. Because the Bible does not provide us a numbering, fighting over who is “right” and “wrong” is silly. What is important is how we understand these verses.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31: Paul writes about what, from a human perspective, is the upside-down nature of the Gospel. God uses what appears weak, foolish, and of little importance, to work salvation. The reason Paul gives for God operating in this fashion is “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” NO ONE will be strutting around in heaven taking credit for their own salvation. We will ALL give God thanks and praise that He saved us, with no merit or worthiness on our part. This is not to discount education, a beautiful church building, heroic actions on the part of believers, and so forth. They are a real blessing. But we keep them in their proper place. They are underserved blessings from our gracious God, for even our lives of sanctification are a gift from God, as Ephesians 2:10 makes clear.

John 2:13-25: This is one of the accounts of Jesus cleansing the temple. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell of Jesus cleansing the temple during Holy Week. John tells of Jesus cleansing the temple early in his ministry. Some find this confusing. The resolution, though, is painfully simple. Jesus cleansed the temple at least twice, once at the beginning of his ministry and once near the end. If I say “Joe drove to church this past Sunday,” and someone else says “Joe drove to church this past Wednesday,” does that mean one of us is in error? The most likely explanation is that Joe drove to church both Wednesday and Sunday. Upset by what Jesus was doing, the Jewish leaders asked Jesus for a sign to validate his actions. (By-the-way, whenever the Gospel of John uses the word “Jews” he is referring to the Jewish leadership, not the average "man-on-the-street.") After being confronted by the Jewish leaders, Jesus offers as his sign the promise of his resurrection. Because he is at the temple, which was the dwelling place of God on earth, and because Jesus is the incarnation of God being the ultimate local for God on earth, he used the temple as a metaphor for his death and resurrection. Another indication that Jesus is God in the flesh comes with John telling us, after indicating that many believed in him, that “Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” Jesus today still knows what is in our hearts. This is part of his divine omniscience.

Tidbits

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS, sometime in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We “spring forward.” That means you need to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday, or you will miss church on Sunday.

• Choir practice has been moved this week to this coming Saturday, at 9:00 AM.

• The combined attendance at our Wednesday Lenten services has been quite strong, rivaling attendance on Sunday morning. Our messages have been about our Stations of the Cross. This coming Wednesday’s message is titled “A Tear for Jesus” and explains Stations nine and ten. Our Wednesday schedule is:
    12:15 – half-hour worship service, using Responsive Prayer for our liturgy
    6:15 – soup supper
    7:00 – forty-five minute worship service, using Evening Prayer for our liturgy
    8:00 – choir practice
• The Evangelism Committee has a lunch-meeting scheduled for Sunday, after the worship service.

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs - 2012

March 7, 2012
Commemoration of Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs

The Lord be with you

On March 7, 202, the noble woman Perpetua, and the slaves Felicitas, Revacatus, Saturninus, and Secundulas, were martyred for their Christian Faith in Carthage, Africa. All were arrested and executed because they were “catechumens.” A “catechumen” is a person who is undergoing basic instruction in the Christian Faith. Their teacher, called a “catechist,” Saturus, was also arrested and executed. While under house arrest, they were all baptized.

The emperor Septimus Severus had forbidden conversions to Christianity and so persecutions against Christians broke out across the empire. Vibia Perpetua was a 22-year-old woman with an infant child. Felicitas (or Felicity) was her slave, who was pregnant when arrested. She was going to be spared because the law prohibited the execution of pregnant woman, but she gave birth to a baby girl three days before the “games” were scheduled, and so was eligible for execution. Both ladies were able to make arrangements for their children to be raised in Christian homes. Perpetua resisted numerous appeals from her father to renounce the Christian faith and save her physical life.

The account of their martyrdom was written by an eye-witness, quite possibly Tertullian. It incorporates visions recorded by Perpetua while under arrest. The martyrs were thrown to wild animals; leopards and bears for the men and a mad heifer for the woman. The men were thus killed but, while the heifer did attack the ladies, it did not kill them. The crowds demanded their death, so they were beheaded.

The account of their martyrdom became very popular, and their commemoration spread extremely quickly throughout the entire Church. Augustine, who quotes numerous times from the account of their martyrdom, had to caution his hearers to not treat the account at the same level they would the Bible. Their courage and faithfulness has been an inspiration throughout the centuries to believers facing martyrdom.

Prayer: O God, the King of saints, in whose strength Your servants Perpetua and Felicitas and their companions made a good confession, staunchly resisting, for the cause of Christ, the claims of human affection, and encouraging one another in their time of trial: Grant that we who cherish their blessed memory may share their pure and steadfast faith, and win with them the palm of victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Appropriate Prayers:
For faithfulness
For confidence in God’s care
For courage to confess Christ
For strength to support those who suffer
For those who are currently persecuted for the Christian Faith

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert