Thursday after All Saints’ Sunday
November 6, 2014
The Lord be with you
This coming Sunday will be 21st
Sunday after Pentecost. Back in The Lutheran Hymnal days, this would be
the Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year. Some liturgical calendars will
identify this Sunday as the First Sunday of the End Times. Whatever you call
it, the readings for the last three Sunday’s have an End Times accent. For the
record, there is nothing more or less “correct” or “Lutheran” with any of these
names. As we read as part of our liturgy on Reformation Sunday:
P: In the days of Jesus true believers didn’t
celebrate Reformation Sunday, or many of the other special days we set aside
and celebrate. On the other hand, there have been many special days in the past
that we no longer observe. Why is this so?
C: Our
churches teach that ceremonies ought to be observed that may be observed
without sin. Also, ceremonies and other practices that are profitable for
tranquility and good order in the Church (in particular, holy days, festivals,
and the like) ought to be observed.
Yet,
the people are taught that consciences are not to be burdened as though
observing such things was necessary for salvation. (Augsburg Confession, Article XV:1-2a)
For our liturgy this Sunday we will use the
first setting of the Divine Service (page 151). The appointed lessons are: Amos
5:18–24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Matthew 25:1–13. The text for Sunday’s sermon
will be 1 Thessalonians 4:18 and the sermon will be titled “Don’t Get
Sidetracked.” Divine I is a communion service. That means we include hymns to be
sung during distribution. Sunday’s opening hymn will be “Christ Is Surely
Coming” (LSB 509). The sermon hymn will be “Jerusalem the Golden” (LSB
672). The closing hymn will be “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (LSB 809).
Our distribution hymns will be “Seek Ye First” (LSB 712), “Jesus,
Priceless Treasure” (LSB 743) and “What Is This Bread” (LSB 629).
I will post a Bible study on one of these hymns
later today or tomorrow.
Below is a video of the Lutheran Warbler
playing and singing our sermon hymn, “Jerusalem the Golden,” hymn 672.
Our Sunday morning
Bible hour begins at 9:00 am. We will
continue our consideration of the biblical themes of Witness, Mercy and Life
Together. Last week we actually got a bit sidetracked, which is okay. We were talking
about the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. I will bring a handout this
Sunday for anyone in the class who wants it.
The study of God’s
word is a key way to keep the Third Commandment which Luther explains as
meaning, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and
His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” Our Sunday morning Bible
study is a great opportunity to “gladly hear and learn” God’s word.
What follows is a summary of Sunday’s lessons
provided by the LC-MS and then the actual lessons.
The
Gospel Prepares Us for Our Heavenly Bridegroom’s Coming
The Day of the Lord is “darkness, and not light” (Amos 5:18, 20) for all who trust in
their own righteousness and piety. The Lord will not accept their “burnt offerings and grain offerings,”
nor will He look upon their “peace
offerings” (Amos 5:22). Instead, He desires a heart of faith that trusts in
Him, which lets “justice roll down like
waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24) in love
for the neighbor. In order for the “lamps” of our lives to burn brightly with
such love, we must be filled with the “oil” of forgiveness through faith in our
Bridegroom, Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:1–4). Therefore, as we await His coming,
wisdom directs us “to the dealers”
(Matt. 25:9), that is, to the ministers of His Gospel. Thus we wait upon the
Lord, and we “encourage one another with
these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). Waking or sleeping, we are prepared to meet
Him when He comes “with a cry of command,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God,”
and “we will always be with the Lord”
(1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
Amos 5:18–24
18 Woe
to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why
would you have the day of the Lord?
It
is darkness, and not light,
19 as
if a man fled from a lion,
and
a bear met him,
or
went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and
a serpent bit him.
20 Is
not the day of the Lord darkness,
and not light,
and
gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I
hate, I despise your feasts,
and
I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even
though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I
will not accept them;
and
the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I
will not look upon them.
23 Take
away from me the noise of your songs;
to
the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But
let justice roll down like waters,
and
righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
13 But
we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that
you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring
with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you
by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming
of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For
the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice
of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and
so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one
another with these words.
Matthew 25:1–13
25:1 “Then
the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but
the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was
delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there
was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all
those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to
the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But
the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you,
go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they
were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with
him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11Afterward the
other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he
answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13Watch
therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
A Couple of Quick Notes:
- The Board of Evangelism will meet Sunday, after the worship service.
- Last week I wrote that this past Sunday was the Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle. I don’t know what I was thinking, maybe I was having a “senior moment,” but that particular holiday will be the last Sunday of November, which is also the First Sunday in Advent.
Well, I pray we will see you Sunday morning.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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