Father of all mercy, God of peace, look in
compassion upon the people of France, and particularly those who have
lost loved ones in the recent terrorist attacks. Grant to them the
comfort that comes from Your Son's victory over death. Heal the injured
and bless those who provide them care. Give to the government officials
Your wise counsel that they may protect their people. Grant that those
who have perpetrated this slaughter may be brought to justice, and
grant them the gift of repentance. We ask these things in the name of
Him who knew in His own body the damage of those who thought they served
You with violence and hatred, even Jesus Christ, whose death has atoned
the sin of all and whose Resurrection is our constant and only hope.
Amen.
Nos prières ce soir
sont avec la peuple de Paris, traumatiser une deuxième fois cette année
par des actes de terreur. Que la voix du Christ, le Prince de Paix, soit
entendu dans les arrondissements du capitale français dans les jours
qui suivent. #Paris
Today,
a team from LCMS Communications visited with a group of Iranian
refugees and immigrants who have found their way to Lukas Kirche in
Leipzig, Germany, a congregation of our German partner church, the SELK.
Many are presently in classes leading to Baptism with Pastors Hugo
Gevers and Markus Fischer. Others have been Christian for several years.
They shared the stories of their journey to Germany. They spoke of what
drew them to Christianity. They spoke of the kindness of
Christians who had come to their aid. They had questions for us and our
church. They were grateful for our gifts of Farsi Bibles and Catechisms
and the Bible story poster sets that were donated by CPH. Look for the
full story about how God is blessing the Lutherans in Germany as they
respond to the refugee crisis in their nation in the next LCMS Reporter
newspaper and on our Facebook page.
This coming Sunday is the Twenty fifth Sunday after
Pentecost. It is the second to last Sunday in this Church Year. It also will be
the last Sunday I will stand in the pulpit as the called and ordained pastor of
Lamb of God Lutheran in Spartanburg. Next week Kitty and I will depart
Spartanburg for Our Redeemer Lutheran in Newark, DE. So this will be a farewell
sermon. However, as our daughter and her family live here, we expect we will
visit in the future.
We will share the Lord’s Supper this Sunday and use the
first setting of the Divine Service for our liturgy (page 151). Our opening
hymn will be “At the Name of Jesus” (LSB 512). The sermon hymn will be “Built
on the Rock” (LSB 645). The closing hymn will be “Thine the Amen, Thine
the Praise” (LSB 680). Our distribution hymns will be “I Come, O Savior,
to Thy Table” (LSB 618) and “Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior” (LSB
619). In former hymnals our two distribution hymns were actually one long hymn.
It was often used during distribution of the Lord’s Supper, but seldom (if
ever) used for an opening or closing hymn. By breaking it into two hymns, it
became available for use as something other than a distribution hymn. However,
as we will be using it during distribution, we will simply sing it as
originally designed.
The appointed Scripture lessons for the day are Daniel
12:1-3, Hebrews 10:11-25, and Mark 13:1-13. As it traditional for the three
last Sunday’s of the Church Year, the accent falls on “end times” ;things. The
sermon is titled “A Lasting Work” and the text is Mark 13:2.
Below is a video of our sermon hymn, “Built on the Rock.” Again
I’m using one of the videos posted by the Lutheran Warbler.
During our prayers we will remember the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC), Good
Shepherd Lutheran, Charleston and Lamb of God.
Our adult Bible class continues with the study, Word: God
Speaks to Us. Though you may have missed the class up to this point, you
are still encouraged to attend. What you learn will be a blessing. The Bible
study hour begins at 9:00 am. Fill
free to bring children. Class is provided for them as well.
What follows is a synopsis of Sunday’s lessons, provided by
the synod, then the lessons. Following that are some important notes.
The Crucified
and Risen Body of Christ Jesus Is the True Temple of God
Despite its “wonderful stones” and “great
buildings,” the Jerusalem temple would be torn down, with not one stone
left upon another, just as this present world and its kingdoms will come to an end
(Mark 13:1–8). But that temple pointed beyond itself to Christ, to His
sacrifice upon the cross and to the resurrection of His body as the true Temple
of God. In the midst of sin and death, by the proclamation of the Gospel, He
now gathers disciples into His body, wherein “the one who endures to the end
will be saved” (Mark 13:10–13). For He is “a great priest over the house
of God,” who “will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
By the pure water of His Baptism, they “draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith,” and by His flesh and blood, they enter the Holy of
Holies (Heb. 10:17–22). Thus are His people delivered, “everyone whose name
shall be found written in the book.” For by the wisdom of His Gospel, He
turns “many to righteousness,” so that “many of those who sleep in
the dust of the earth shall awake” to everlasting life (Dan. 12:1–3).
Daniel 12:1-3
12:1“At
that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a
nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered,
everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2And many of
those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3And those who are wise
shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to
righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Hebrews 10:11-25
11And
every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had
offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a
footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected
for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And
the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16“This
is the covenant that I will make with them
after
those days, declares the Lord:
I will put
my laws on their hearts,
and
write them on their minds,”
17then
he adds,
“I will
remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18Where
there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of
Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the
curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart
in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast
the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And
let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Mark 13:1-13
13:1And
as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher,
what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said
to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one
stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3And
as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John
and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things
be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be
accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one
leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and
they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of
wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the
beginning of the birth pains.
9“But
be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten
in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to
bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed
to all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you
over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is
given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12And
brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and
children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And
you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end
will be saved.
Some Additional
Notes
There
is a congregational meeting planned for Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am with Rev. Bill Seaman, the SED’s
Area Mission and Ministry Coordinator. This is the first step in the LOG
self-examination as congregation plans for the future. The meeting will
take all day. All who care for the future of Lamb of God should make every
effort to attend.
Keep Praying for your Neighbors and Walking your Neighborhoods.
Our
vice president, Cyril Kendrick, has agreed to take over the blog. We’re
still trying to get him access. Once we do, it will be his. Please
encourage him by providing information concerning up-coming activities and
information about what your group has done.
We
need everyone involved in the coming months to insure Lamb of God
is a blessing to Spartanburg, and beyond.
Christ
for me - wonderful, sweet Gospel. From Luther's “SERMON ON THE FIRST
SUNDAY AFTER EASTER ON JOHN 20:19FF.,” Preached on April 10, 1523,
Luther's Works, 69:334
Testimony of former atheist Sarah Salviander. She is a research
scientist in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Texas.
“I was born in the U.S., but grew
up in Canada. My parents were socialists and political activists who thought
British Columbia would be a better place for us to live, since it had the only
socialist government in North America at the time. My parents were also
atheists, though they eschewed that label in favor of “agnostic.” They were
kind, loving, and moral, but religion played no part in my life. Instead, my
childhood revolved around education, particularly science. I remember how
important it was to my parents that my brother and I did well in school.
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, a
time when science fiction was enjoying a renaissance, thanks largely to …
The
refugee situation and conversion of Muslims to Christianity is
garnering international attention. But there are more stories to be
told, particularly regarding what the Church's response should be.
Later this week, we will be sending a team to Berlin to visit this very
congregation mentioned by NPR to meet Rev. Gottfried Martens and some
of the recent converts. This last weekend there were three baptisms
conducted for converted Muslims and more are planned this coming Sunday.
While the NPR report implies that these conversions may simply be to
gain sanctuary in Germany, Rev. Martens has this to say:
"I talk to them personally to see whether they are really convinced
that they are Christians, whether they really know the basics of the
Christian faith," he says. "And when I see that this is not the case,
then I don't baptize them, of course."
Listen to the interview,
particularly the parts where Pastor Martens speaks, and consider what
the Church's response should be in these situations.
Anyone in the Spartanburg, SC area want a piano, a large dining table,
lawn furniture, nearly-new electric water heater, a ping pong table, or a
small hutch? ALL FREE!!! Must part with in the next week at the
latest!!!
Join President John Denninger and members of the executive team on the Electronic Front Porch(webcast) on Tuesday, November 10. The evening topic is "I'm a Priest Too"
"Chosen race, royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9)", called to serve where we are as people blessed to bless.
This
is the very core of iNeighborhood - God sends us into the very places
where we live and work to be the royal priesthood. During this E-Front
Porch, President Denninger will be joined by Bill Seaman, Don Schaefer,
Bob Schulze, Yared Halche, Brent Smith, Steve Heemann, and Sally Hiller
for a lively discussion of living life as the Royal Priesthood.
Join us for the conversation from 7:30 -8:30 pm Tuesday, November 10, 2015.
This is a free webcast but participants need to register. Register NOW
Once upon a time, churches published the banns, an announcement that two members intended to marry. Some of us may remember a line from TV weddings, if not real ones: “Speak now or forever your hold your peace.” The banns were not the old-timey version of the local paper’s engagement announcements or Facebooking a relationship status update. They were a way of making sure the couple
didn’t have any legal loose ends that would have compromised their marriage. If you knew about a wife hidden upstairs, it was your duty to ...
Only God can forgive sin, and the self is not God! It is one thing
to say that one must learn to live by the promise that sin is forgiven.
That's faith. It is quite another thing to say, "You must forgive
yourself." That's idolatry, because it makes the self the savior."
This coming Sunday is the Twenty fourth Sunday after
Pentecost. It is also the Commemoration of Johannes von Staupitz, Luther’s Father Confessor. (Click on his name to go to a post concerning him made in
2012.) As with all other commemorations in our lectionary series, there are no
special Scripture lessons assigned for the day. The idea behind all
commemorations in our lectionary series is to encourage the members of the
LC-MS to investigate and learn more about some of the important saints and
events in Church history.
The assigned readings for Pentecost 24 are Psalm 146;1
Kings 17:8-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; and Mark 12:38-44. You will notice a strong
“end-times” theme in the readings. The theological term for “end-times” themes is eschatology. The final three Sundays of
the Church Year are traditionally reserved for eschatology. As such they are
kind of like a mini-season in the Church Year. In some Liturgical Calendars
this is recognized by giving them the names “Third-Last Sunday of the Church
Year;” “Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year;” and “Last Sunday of the Church
Year.” Our calendar has retained only the name “Last Sunday of the Church
Year,” which will be November 22.
For our liturgy Sunday we will use Matins (LSB page 219). As readers of this blog
know, Matins is one of the “Prayer Hours” developed in the monasteries during
the Middle Ages. Every main LC-MS hymnal has retained both Matins and Vespers
from this tradition. Other Prayer Hours have been included from time to time. LSB has included Compline as well as two
services that are adaptations from these Prayer Hours, “Morning Prayer” (page 235)
and “Evening Prayer” (page 243). Each of these services accents the Word of
God, giving over more time for its reading, singing, and exposition, than the
“Divine Service.” The “Divine Service” includes the Lord’s Supper and so less
time for the spoken and sung word. Therefore, when we use Matins we use the
appointed Psalm for the Day instead of the shorter Introit for the Day.
One of the things I like about using the Psalm for the Day
is that it gives me another Scripture lesson to consider as I prepare the
message for Sunday. Such was the case this week. The text for the sermon is
Psalm 146:5, and the sermon deals primarily with Psalm 146. The sermon title is
“Man Proposes but God Disposes.”
Our opening hymn will be “Who Trusts in God a Strong Abode”
(LSB 714). Our sermon hymn will be “I Leave All Things to God’s
Direction” (LSB 719). Our closing hymn will be “Children of the Heavenly
Father” (LSB 725).
Below is a video of our opening hymn, “Who Trusts in God A
Strong Abode.” It includes only the organ with no singing. Following the video
I’ve included the words, so you can sing along if you want.
“Who Trusts in God a Strong Abode” LSB 714
Text: Joachim Magdeburg, c.
1525-after 1587
Who trusts in God
A strong abode
In heav’n and earth possesses;
Who looks in love
To Christ above,
No fear that heart oppresses.
In You alone,
Dear Lord, we own
Sweet hope and consolation,
Our shield from foes,
Our balm for woes,
Our great and sure salvation.
Though Satan’s wrath
Beset our path
And worldly scorn assail us,
While You are near,
We shall not fear;
Your strength will never fail us.
Your rod and staff
Will keep us safe
And guide our steps for ever;
Nor shades of death
Nor hell beneath
Our lives from You will sever.
In all the strife
Of mortal life
Our feet will stand securely;
Temptation’s hour
Will lose its pow’r,
For You will guard us surely.
O God, renew
With heav’nly dew
Our body, soul, and spirit
Until we stand
At Your right hand
Through Jesus’ saving merit.
During our prayers we will remember The Lutheran Church -
Hong Kong Synod, Mt. Olive Lutheran, Irmo, and the witness of Johannes von
Staupitz.
Our adult Bible class continues with the study, Word: God
Speaks to Us. Though you may have missed the class up to this point, you
are still encouraged to attend. What you learn will be a blessing. The Bible
study hour begins at 9:00 am. Fill
free to bring children. Class is provided for them as well.
What follows is a synopsis of Sunday’s lessons, provided by
the synod, then the lessons. As always,
the synopsis does not include any references to the appointed Psalm as those
who put this together assume everyone celebrates the Lord’s Supper every Sunday
and therefore never use the appointed Psalm.
The Lord Freely
Feeds and Provides for Us with Everything He Has
Those who contribute “large sums” from “out of
their abundance” have done very little. They cannot purchase God’s favor
with their money. But the “poor widow” with her two small coins, who “out
of her poverty has put in everything she had,” entrusts herself and her
life to the mercy of God (Mark 12:41–44). Such faith is not disappointed, for
the Lord is faithful, and He provides for His people by His grace. Thus was the
poor widow of Zarephath able to feed the prophet Elijah “for many days,”
as well as herself and her household, “according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah” (1
Kings 17:15–16). He feeds us, too, by His Word, not only with daily bread for
this body and life, but unto the life everlasting in Christ Jesus. “By the
sacrifice of himself,” by the giving of His body and life and all that He
had, He has entered “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God on our behalf” (Heb. 9:24–26). He is our great High Priest and the Temple of God, as well as the priestly food with
which He feeds us.
Psalm 146 (9)
1Praise
the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2I
will praise the Lord as long as I
live;
I
will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2Put
not your trust in princes,
in
a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4When
his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on
that very day his plans perish.
5Blessed
is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose
hope is in the Lord his God,
6who
made heaven and earth,
the
sea, and all that is in them,
7who
keeps faith forever;
who
executes justice for the oppressed,
who
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8the
Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the
Lord loves the righteous.
9The
Lord watches over the sojourners;
he
upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but
the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10The
Lord will reign forever,
your
God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
1 Kings 17:8-16
8Then
the word of the Lord came to him, 9“Arise,
go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon,
and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10So
he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city,
behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said,
“Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11And as
she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of
bread in your hand.” 12And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of
flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of
sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat
it and die.” 13And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as
you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and
afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14For thus says
the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The
jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until
the day that the Lord sends rain
upon the earth.’” 15And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and
he and her household ate for many days. 16The jar of flour was not
spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Hebrews 9:24-28
24For
Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of
the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high
priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26for
then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for
man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so Christ, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to
deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Mark 12:38-44
38And
in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in
long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39and have the
best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40who
devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive
the greater condemnation.”
41And
he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the
offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow
came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43And he
called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor
widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44For
they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put
in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Some Additional
Notes
The “ingathering”
at the recent LWML Fall Rally, which was at Lamb of God, was for Bethlehem Center. At that time the ladies not
only gave to the director of Bethlehem
Center the items
they brought to the rally, but also the coats we gathered. So, I guess,
that wraps up our Second Coat Drive.
However, if you still wish to donate a coat, I expect the ladies of the
LWML will be happy to deliver them. (Follow the link to pictures of the
LWML Fall rally.)
There
will be one last Women’s Bible Fellowship led by pastor. It will be Wednesday,
November 11. We are considering the theology behind some favorite hymns.
Keep Praying for your Neighbors and Walking your Neighborhoods.
Don’t
forget to check out the other posts from earlier this week. An easy way to
review the titles is by looking at the left hand side of this blog. If a
title catches your attention, just click on it and you will go to that
post. Remember, you can link one or more of our blog posts to
your facebook (or other social media) page. Find one you like and
share it.
Pastor
and Kitty have only two Sunday’s left at Lamb of God before they move to Newark, DE.
We
need everyone involved in the coming months to insure Lamb of God
is a blessing to Spartanburg,
and beyond.
executive team on the Electronic Front Porch(webcast) on Tuesday, November 10. The evening topic is "I'm a Priest Too"
