Worship Notes for the Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist - 2015

Thursday after Pentecost 20

October 15, 2015

The Lord be with you.

This coming Sunday (October 18) will be celebrated as the Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist at Lamb of God. As this is a “festival,” and not a “commemoration,” there are special readings assigned for the day. We will use those readings instead of the ones assigned for the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. Those readings are Psalm 147:1-11 (12), Isaiah 35:5-8, 2 Timothy 4:5-18 and Luke 10:1-9.

It is traditional to celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar on Feasts and Festivals in most churches. However that is a tradition that we have not participated in at Lamb of God for Festivals (we do participate when it comes to Feasts). Our regular schedule for the Lord’s Supper is to share the sacrament on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. This coming Sunday is a third Sunday, so we will not share the sacrament.

For our liturgy we will use the service of Matins (page 219). Our sermon hymn will be “By All Your Saints in Warfare” (LSB 518:1, 26, 3). This is one of those hymns that are written so that they can be used on numerous different special Sundays. In fact there are so many verses that LSB divides it up into two hymns, numbers 517 and 518. You sing the first verse, then the appropriate verse, and then the third verse. The verse dealing with St. Luke is verse 26 so we sing verses 1, 26 and then 3. Our opening hymn will be “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying” (LSB 826). Our closing will be “Lift High the Cross” (LSB 837).

The text for the sermon comes from our Gospel lesson (Luke 10:2). The sermon is titled “Work Zone Ahead”.

Below is a video of our sermon hymn, “By All Your Saints in Warfare” The verses sung are one, four and three. Verse four is a general verse intended to cover all those who do not have a special verse for them. So, for example, if we wanted to remember Adam, we could use this verse.

Our adult Bible class continues with the study, Word: God Speaks to Us. Though you may have missed the first half, 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 the readings are some additional important notes.

St. Luke, Evangelist

The Lord bids us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2). The fields look more like deserts, filled with jackals (Isa. 35:6–7), and the Lord sends His laborers out as lambs in the midst of wolves. But Christ’s Word of “Peace” heals the sick and brings the very kingdom of God near to those who hear it (Is 35:5; Luke 10:3–9). St. Luke, the beloved physician (Col. 4:14), did the work of an evangelist. He diligently prepared both a Gospel, the history of Christ’s work in the flesh before His ascension, and the Acts of the Apostles, the history of His continued work among His Church. Luke and his Scriptures are a gift from this Ascended Lord (Eph. 4:8–12), written for Theophilus and for all who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:5–8). Tradition suggests that Luke was one of the seventy-two sent out ahead of Jesus, two by two. Luke proved himself to be a faithful companion throughout St. Paul’s missionary journeys, through many trials and crosses, and even to Rome, where he alone was with Paul.

Psalm 147:1-11 (12)

¹           Praise the Lord!

            For it is good to sing praises to our God;

                        for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

²           The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

                        he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

³           He heals the brokenhearted

                        and binds up their wounds.

⁴           He determines the number of the stars;

                        he gives to all of them their names.

⁵           Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

                        his understanding is beyond measure.

⁶           The Lord lifts up the humble;

                        he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷           Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

                        make melody to our God on the lyre!

⁸           He covers the heavens with clouds;

                        he prepares rain for the earth;

                        he makes grass grow on the hills.

⁹           He gives to the beasts their food,

                        and to the young ravens that cry.

¹⁰          His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

                        nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

¹¹          but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

                        in those who hope in his steadfast love.

¹²          Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

                        Praise your God, O Zion!

Isaiah 35:5-8

⁵           Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

                        and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

⁶           then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

                        and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

            For waters break forth in the wilderness,

                        and streams in the desert;

⁷           the burning sand shall become a pool,

                        and the thirsty ground springs of water;

            in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

                        the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸           And a highway shall be there,

                        and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;

            the unclean shall not pass over it.

                        It shall belong to those who walk on the way;

                        even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

2 Timothy 4:5-18

⁵As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁶           For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

⁹           Do your best to come to me soon. ¹⁰For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. ¹²Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. ¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. ¹⁶At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! ¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 10:1-9

^10:1        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.’

Some Additional Notes

• Please remember to keep in your prayers Pastor Rickert, Lamb of God and Our Redeemer in Newark, DE, as pastor continues to consider the call Our Redeemer has issued him.

• Rev. Bill Seaman’s visit this past Monday was very helpful. In your prayers for Lamb of God remember that we are also considering his advice.

• Our Second Coat Drive is in full swing. We team with the Bethlehem Center, who distributes the coats to individuals in need. An insert will be in the bulletin with 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 Church Council will meet Sunday following the worship service. They will discuss the advice given by Pastor Seaman.

• LitWits will meet Sunday at 6:30 pm. Originally we were scheduled to meet at Connie’s home, but the damage she sustained in the recent storms has changed the plan. We will now meet at Sam’s home.

• 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.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Rickert