Worship Notes of the Festival of St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor 2014

Festival of St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor

Friday after Epiphany II

January 24, 2014

The Lord be with you

For those who wonder why I haven’t posted my worship notes recently, it is because I have been busy and out of town quite a bit. Of course, the Christmas schedule kept my time filled up. After that I went to Florida for my mother’s memorial service. Following that I went to Texas for a visit with my son and his family. To top that off, I finally turned in my D.Min. paper, which I will have to defend within a month or so. All that happening meant that these weekly notes were put on the back burner. Now, they are back.

This coming Sunday will probably be observed by most of our congregations as the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. Many, though, will observe it as the Festival of St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor. We will be using the second option.

Concerning Titus the Treasury of Daily Prayer says:

St. Titus, like Timothy with whom he is often associated, was a friend and co-worker of St. Paul. Titus was a Gentile, perhaps a native of Antioch, who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem when they brought assistance to the Christians in Judea during a famine (Acts 11:29-30; Galatians 2:1). It is not known if he accompanied Paul on his first or second missionary journeys, but Titus was with him on the third one, when he helped reconcile the Corinthians to Paul (2 Corinthians 7:6-7) and assisted with the collection for the Church in Jerusalem ( 2 Corinthians 8:3-6). It was probably on the return to Jerusalem that Paul left Titus in Crete (Titus 1:4-5). Afterward he is found working in Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). According to tradition, Titus returned to Crete, where he served as bishop until he died about AD 96.

This festival has specially assigned readings (as do feasts but not commemorations). They are:

Acts 20:28-35

²⁸        Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Titus 1:1-9

¹              Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ²in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ³and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; ⁴To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵         This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you-- ⁶if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. ⁷For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, ⁸but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. ⁹He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Luke 10:1-9

¹         After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ²And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ⁴Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' ⁶And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. ⁷And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

We will be using Divine Service I (page 515) for our liturgy. This is a communion service. Our hymns will be:

Opening hymn: “I Love Your Kingdom, Lord” LSB 651

Sermon hymn: “By All Your Saints in Warfare” LSB 517:1, 11, 3

Distribution hymns: “God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage” LSB 582

          “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” LSB 621

          “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” LSB 671

Closing hymn: “Abide, O Dearest Jesus” LSB 919

The sermon is titled “Legacy.” The text is Titus 1:5.

Below is the Lutheran Quartet singing “God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage.” Listen quick, it only has one verse.

In the Sunday morning Bible study we have resumed Colossians. Last week we covered two whole verses.

Well, I pray we will see you Sunday morning.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert