Friday after Pentecost 17
September 25, 2015
The Lord be with you.
This coming Sunday (September 27) will be the eighteenth
Sunday after Pentecost and the fourth Sunday in September. Following our
practice of celebrating the Lord’s Supper on each second and fourth Sunday of
the month, we will be sharing in the Lord’s Sacrament this Sunday. For our
liturgy we will use the third setting of the Divine Service, which begins on
page 184 of the hymnal.
As is the traditional practice in Communion services, we
will use the Introit for the Day instead of the appointed Psalm. The appointed
lessons are Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; James 5:1-20; and Mark 9:38-50. The
sermon is titled “Tough Times.” The text is James 5:13. This is the final
reading from James and therefore the final sermon drawn from James.
Our opening hymn is “I’m But a Stranger Here” (LSB
748). The sermon hymn is “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense” (LSB 741). Our closing is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
(LSB 770). Our distribution hymns are “Amazing Grace” (LSB 744), “Be
Still, My Soul” (LSB 752), and “O Jesus, Blessed Lord, to Thee” (LSB
632). You may not recognize the opening line of our final distribution hymns,
but I guarantee you know the tune. The name of that tune is “Old Hundredth” because
the hymn best associated with the tune is based on Psalm 100. What is that hymn?
It is “Parise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow.” There are actually five hymns
that use this tune in our hymnal.
Among other things, in our prayers we will remember the EvangelicalLutheran Church of Liberia and our sister congregation, the Lutheran Church of
the Good Shepherded in Greenville.
Below is a video of our sermon hymn, “Jesus Christ, My Sure
Defense” (LSB 741). It is being
sung by the “Lutheran Quartet.”
Our adult Bible class will (hopefully) finish lesson three
in the study, Word: God Speaks to Us. Attending our adult Bible study
Sunday morning is one way we live according to the Second Commandment.
What follows is a synopsis of Sunday’s lessons, provided by
the synod, then the lessons. Following
the readings are some additional notes.
Christ Jesus,
the Son of God, Cares for Us and Serves Us with the Forgiveness of Sins
When the people of Israel wept, complaining that they had no
meat to eat (Num. 11:4), Moses cried out to the Lord that “the burden of all
this people” was too heavy for him and that he was “not able to carry
all this people alone” (Num. 11:11–14). So the Lord had Moses gather “seventy
men of the elders of Israel” (Num. 11:16), and the Lord “took some of
the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders” (Num. 11:25),
so that Moses would not carry the burden alone. All who thus labor are honored,
and all the people are cared for, in the name of the Lord (Mark 9:39–41).
Everything is done with reference to Christ Jesus. So we cling to Him, and we
flee from all sins that would separate us from Him (Mark 9:42–48). The life of
the Church is one of repentant faith in Christ. Christians confess their sins
to one another, and they “pray for one another,” that each would be
raised up and healed by the Lord Jesus, who covers “a multitude of sins”
and saves our souls from death (James 5:15–20).
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
4 Now
the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel
also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5We remember
the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the
leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6But now our strength is dried
up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” …
10 Moses
heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his
tent. And the anger of the Lord
blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11Moses said to the LORD,
“Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in
your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12Did
I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me,
‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land
that you swore to give their fathers? 13Where am I to get meat to
give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that
we may eat.’ 14I am not able to carry all this people alone; the
burden is too heavy for me. 15If you will treat me like this, kill
me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
16 Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Gather
for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of
the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and
let them take their stand there with you. …
24 So
Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the
people and placed them around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to
him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy
elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did
not continue doing it.
26 Now
two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and
the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not
gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a
young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28And
Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord
Moses, stop them.” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my
sake? Would that all the Lord 's
people were prophets, that the Lord
would put his Spirit on them!”
James 5:1-20
5:1 Come
now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2Your
riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3Your gold and
silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will
eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.4Behold,
the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud,
are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the
ears of the Lord of hosts. 5You have lived on the earth in luxury
and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6You
have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
7 Be
patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer
waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it
receives the early and the late rains. 8You also, be patient. Establish
your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble
against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge
is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience,
brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold,
we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the
steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord
is compassionate and merciful.
12 But
above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any
other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not
fall under condemnation.
13 Is
anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing
praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of
the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick,
and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be
forgiven. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for
one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six
months it did not rain on the earth. 18Then he prayed again, and
heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My
brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him
back, 20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his
wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Mark 9:38-50
38 John
said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we
tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus
said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be
able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For the one who is not
against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a
cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his
reward.
42 “Whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better
for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into
the sea. 43And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is
better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the
unquenchable fire.a 45And if your foot causes you to sin,
cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be
thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two
eyes to be thrown into hell, 49‘where their worm does not die and
the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire.b 50Salt
is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty
again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
a
9:43 Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are
identical with verse 48)
b 9:49 Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be
salted with salt
Some Additional
Notes
- The October newsletter will be available Sunday. God willing, it will be posted on this blog tomorrow.
- Our Second Coat Drive is kicking off. We team with the Bethlehem Center, who distributes the coats to individuals in need. You can check out the post made earlier, and information has been placed on a bulletin board in the hallway. The final day to donate coats will be our Thanksgiving Eve service. A box for your donations will be in the narthex. The newsletter will have more information
- October 25 is Reformation Sunday this year. We will have a covered dish lunch after the service and we will play “Luther-Bingo.” The newsletter will have more information.
- Keep Praying for your Neighbors and Walking your Neighborhoods.
- Don’t forget to check out the other posts from earlier this week. They include several important communications from either district of synod. 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.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
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