Reformation Day Worship - 2010

Wednesday after Pentecost 22
October 27, 2010

The Lord be with you

The date for this coming Sunday is October 31. For those who do not know their Church history, this day is remembered as Halloween. For those who do know their Church history, October 31 is Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his now famous 95 Theses to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the accepted way to begin a theological debate on a topic. The topic was Indulgences. The debate never happened, at least formally. The debate did rage, though, informally. From this simple action the Reformation was sparked.

It is hard to overestimate the impact the Reformation. Its accent on the vernacular produced Bible translations which then had a profound norming impact on the languages. The desire to read the new Bible translations, as well as the wealth of other new religious material flowing from the printing presses, spurred literacy. Its understanding of the “priesthood of all believers” continues to vest all legitimate occupations with dignity. The duties of daily life were seen in a whole new light. Personally I very happy that the Reformation restored the idea that pastors can be married.

Of course the chief contribution of the Reformation was the rediscovery that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and not by our good works. This was the pearl of great price that drove and shaped this movement of God’s. This is what we will be celebrating Sunday.

The appointed lessons for the day are: Revelation 14:6-7, Romans 3:19-28, and John 8:31-36. The sermon text is Romans 3:21-22 and the sermon is titled “Here I Stand.”

We will be having a special liturgy which will accent God’s activity throughout human history, but especially during the Reformation. Because of the special nature of the liturgy I cannot provide the regular information about the service. Some portions of the liturgy will be replaced historical quotes while other portions with hymns. We will be singing: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “Kyrie – II,” “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,” “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word,” “The Church’s One Foundation,” “Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us,” and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

There are two well know arrangements of “A Mighty Fortress.” One was written by Martin Luther. Luther, of course, wrote the words and music to the hymn. The second is by the famous Lutheran musician JS Bach. Quite naturally both arrangements could be considered “Lutheran.” We will use Luther’s arrangement on Sunday. Somehow it just seems appropriate. The following video is of this engagement.

Preview of the Lessons

Revelation 14:6-7: This lesson, like the rest, is a traditional Reformation Day reading. In this reading from Revelation there is an “angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth …” Already in Luther’s lifetime, and for centuries after his death, identified this angel with Luther. Such enthusiastic supports were not completely wrong. It is not so much that this angel is Luther as it is that this angel is all who call the Church to repentance and faithfulness when the Church wanders from her Lord. Luther just happens to be one of those who, over the centuries, have issued the call. By-the-way, the word angel literally means “messenger.”

Romans 3:19-28: This was the passage Luther was struggling with when he had his “tower” experience (understood the Gospel). The key phrase was “the righteousness of God.” What does it mean? By God’s grace Luther discovered that it didn’t mean what he had be taught it meant.

John 8:31-36: One of the great rallying cries of the Reformation was “Sola Scriptura,” which means “Scripture Alone.” The Roman Church had lost sight of the Bible under all its traditions. Luther rediscovered the power of the Word of God. This passage speaks of that power, the power to set us free. No wonder Luther translated the Bible into the language of the common man.

Adult Bible Study

We continue our series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” The next question is, “Paul had the thorn in the flesh= (The things I don’t want to do I do, the want to do I don’t do …)?: The battle with the flesh:? The Bible says he who says he has no sin lies, but it also says be holy for I am holy.? Before we come to Christ we must acknowledge our sin but afterwards we walk in the spirit & don’t sin?” There is a lot to this question! Class begins at 9:00 AM. Everyone is invited.

Well, I hope to see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Worship for Pentecost 22 - 2010

Feast Day of St. James of Jerusalem, Brohter of Jesus and Martyr
Saturday after Pentecost 21
October 23, 2010

The Lord be with you

For those who do not know, I’ve had a very busy week. On Monday I married Kim Donaldson to Martha Slade. On Tuesday I left town for a Professional Church Workers conference in Richmond, VA. Because I was behind my regular maintained on my car, after the wedding reception I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my car ready for the drive and doing school work (more on that in a bit).

The conference was time well spent. I know Lamb of God will receive benefit from my time there. We had two main speakers, Dr. Jeff Gibbs and Dr. Bruce Hartung, both from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The general theme was “Holistic Redemption: The Mission of Jesus and His Church Today.” I can’t relate all the insights these two men of God shared. Here are just a few:

1. The ultimate hope for Christians is not a life as disembodied spirits, but the resurrection of the body on the Last Day. Death is a violent tearing apart of body and soul. At the return of Christ, soul and glorified body will be united for believers, and we will be what we were intended to be.

2. The number one mental health problem in America now is “Impulse Control.”

3. The “Kingdom” of God is the rule of God

4. Satan attacks pastors. If he can’t get at him directly, he will attack the pastor’s family. If he can’t get at his family, he will seek to get some “clergy killer” members into the congregation. If that doesn’t work, he will come at the pastor some other way. One thing is for sure, the devil will not give up.

Well I arrived back in Spartanburg Thursday around 5:00 PM. The problem for my schedule is that my new seminar at Gardner-Webb University (GWU) began Thursday at 9:00 AM. Fortunately I was excused, however I did send in a paper on the book we were discussing Thursday. I was working on it while at the conference and so was unable to attend everything.

Friday I was up at GWU for day two. The seminar is titled “The Ministry of Worship.” As GWU is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, you might expect a seminar on worship to accent the “Free Church” tradition. Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be doing this. While I’m sure the Free Church worship tradition will be explored, along with Charismatic, Pentecostal, “seeker-friendly,” and styles from around the world, it seems the major focus will be on the historical traditional western liturgical format. While the style and theological foundation may be new to my classmates (all Baptists), it will be right in my comfort zone.

Now you might be asking, Why is he going on and on about his week and not putting up his regular “worship notes”? The forgoing is just to explain why I’m not putting up my regular worship notes, which takes a little bit of thinking and composing, and why this post is today instead of last Thursday. What follows is a truncated edition of my regular post.

Tomorrow will be the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost. We will be using the first setting of the worship service (page 151). Our appointed lessons are: Genesis 4:1-15; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; and Luke 18:9-17. The sermon is titled “The Story of Cain and Able” and is based on the Genesis lesson. Our hymns will be “Father Most Holy,” LSB 504; “I Lay My Sins on Jesus” LSB 606; “Your Table I Approach” LSB 628; “Chief of Sinners Though I Be” LSB 611; “By All Your Saints in Warfare” LSB 518: 1, 27, 3; and “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing” LSB 643. We will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. The question for our adult Bible class will be “Please explain the parable in Luke 5:36-39.” The study is titled “New and Improved.” It actually ties in very well with the sermon.

Well I’m going to end this with a joke I heard at the convention. There is a Halloween headstone decoration which has a profound Christian message about the resurrection of the dead. It is … “I’ll be back.”

Well, I hope to see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Come Let Us Play God

LUTHERAN LECTURE SERIES
Presents

COME LET US PLAY GOD

SESSION I – A LUTHERAN UNDERSTANDING OF ETHICS

The Mind of the Maker

Rev. John T. Pless—Professor, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fr. Wayne, IN

SESSION II—THE RIGHT TO LIVE

It is good that you are here

Dr. Robert Weise—Professor, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO

SESSION III—THE RIGHT TO DIE

The Considerate Hero

Dr. James Bachman—Dean of Graduate Studies—Christ College, Irvine, CA

SESSION IV—A BRAVE NEW WORLD

Welcome to the Promised Land

Dr. Mark Matters—Editor of LOGIA—Professor, Grand View University, Des Moines, IA

DATE: OCTOBER 30,2010
TIME: 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
PLACE: AUGUSTANA LUTHERAN CHURCH, HICKORY, NC

SPONSORED BY: SALEM LUTHERAN CHURCH
REV. RAY R. OHLENDORF
TAYLORSVILLE, NC

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rev. Ray R. Ohlendorf
(828) 632-4863
revxpistos@charter.net

Oktoberfest

The Lord be with you

St. John's Lutheran Church (ELCA) is having an old-time Oktoberfest Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010. The fun begins at 6:00 PM and will continue until 9:00 PM. There will be umpapa music, singing, dancing, and FOOD! The Food will be real bratwurst, real sauerkraut, real red cabbage, real potato salad and Black Forest Cake for dessert.

The cost is $6.00 a person, with no family being charged over $18.00.

Call 864-583-8167 for reservations.

St. John's is located at: 415 Pine St.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Worship for Pentecost 21 - 2010

Thursday after Pentecost 20
October 14, 2010

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. We will be using Matins (page 219) for our liturgy. The appointed lessons are Genesis 32:22-30; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; and Luke 18:1-8. For the service of Matins, instead of using the appointed Introit for the Day we use the appointed Psalm for the Day and this coming Sunday that will be Psalm 121. The antiphon will be the first two verses. The sermon, titled “The Story of Jacob,” is based on the Old Testament lesson. The text will be Genesis 32:26. We have finished our learning of “How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord” (LSB 853) and are moving to another hymn our hymnal review committee recommended. That hymn is “Father Most Holy” (LSB 504). This will be our first hymn this Sunday, and we will sing it for the next four Sundays. The sermon hymn will be “By All Your Saints in Warfare” (LSB 517, verses 1, 4, and 3). The closing hymn will be “Amazing Grace” (LSB 744).

After the worship service we will have a voters’ meeting. A number of constitutional revisions for the LCMS were passed at the last Synod Convention. Before they can go into effect they have to be approved by two-thirds of the voting congregations in the Synod. Pastor will also be sharing some of the information he received at the last Circuit Counselors meeting that relates to changes in our Synod that were approved by the convention (how the Synod’s president is elected, the future of circuits, the economic condition of the synod, etc.). We will also hear about the meeting our leaders had with Rev. Bill Seaman and discuss which of the opportunities he has presented us with we would like to pursue.

The following vide is “Amazing Grace” from the Lutheran Warbler. This hymn was written by John Newton, a former slave trader who was instrumental in getting the slave trade abolished in the English Empire. It is somewhat autobiographical as he recognizes the amazing grace of God that saved him when he was nothing but a despicable, loathsome, dealer in human beings. While it is a great hymn for all of us, for we all have been saved by the amazing grace of God, it is especially poignant in reference to rascals like Jacob who are, perhaps more obviously to us, saved by God’s amazing grace.

Preview of the Lessons

Genesis 32:22-30: The stories of Jacob begin in Genesis 25 with the birth of him and his twin brother Esau. The stories of him and his family basically fill the rest of Genesis (with a special focus on Joseph in chapters 37, 39-47) ending with Jacob and his family moving to Egypt. This particular story is when Jacob wrestles with God and has his name changed to Israel. The story has often been used as a metaphor for “wrestling with God in prayer,” which explains why it has been coupled with our Gospel lesson. The sermon will actually cover, in a summery fashion, the entire life of Jacob and ask what we can learn about God’s grace from it.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5: Paul continues his advice to the young pastor Timothy. He begins by encouraging Timothy to remain steadfast in what he has learned (3:14). Paul reminds him that this is the faith he has had since childhood (4:15). The Greek words translated “childhood” is brephous, which literally means “infancy” (so much for infants not being able to believe). This faith has been nurtured by the “sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Here we see the power of the Scriptures. The authority of Scripture is underscored next (3:16-17). It is God-breathed. This is one word in Greek and could also be translated as “God-Spirited.” In-other-words, the Holy Spirit is behind the Bible. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. The end result is equipping the saints. Paul then charges Timothy to always preach the word (4:1-2), in spite of the fact that many people who claim to be Christians will reject the pure word of God in favor of myths, lies, and others deceptions, in order to continue living according to their own fallen sinful desires (3-4). Timothy is to remain steadfast (4:5).

Luke 18:1-8: This is a short parable, the point of which is that we should “always … pray and not lose heart” (1). The argument runs this way; if a corrupt judge can be worn down and finally deliver justice, how much more can we expect the faithful, honest, loving and pure Lord to give justice to his elect? The final verse has puzzled/bothered many. In it Jesus seems to imply that, at the Second Coming, few will actually be Christians. This would dovetail with Paul’s warning to Timothy that the time will come when many abandon the truth in favor of lies and myths. We should notice that the words of Jesus are a question, not a statement. This question gets us wondering, drives us into the Scriptures, and makes each one of us desire to continue in what we have learned from the Scriptures and firmly believed (2 Timothy 3:14).

Sunday’s Collect

O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Gradual (Psalm 91:11; 103:1)

He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Verse (Luke 18:1)

Alleluia. I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Alleluia.

Psalm 121; antiphon: vv. 1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Adult Bible Study

We continue our series “Puzzlers and Questions about the Bible.” The next question is “What is the ‘valley of decision’ in Joel 3:14?” Joel is only three chapters long so we will be able to examine the meaning of this quote in its historical as well as its biblical context. The study is named “The Valley of Decision.” Class begins at 9:00 AM. Everyone is invited.

LitWits

LitWits, our book club, will meet Sunday evening at 6:30, to discuss the book Dewey: The Small-Town Cat Who Touched the World. This book is a quick read and the library has several copies. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy an evening of literary reflection, based on our book (even if you haven’t read it). Some possible spin-off topics we might talk about include the impact libraries or pets have had in our own personal lives.

Well, I hope to see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Kings Mountain Cub Scout Trip

Thursday after Pentecost 20

October 14, 2010

The Lord be with you

This past Saturday Cub Scout Pack 1031 to a trip to Kings Mountain, where a critical battle in the Revelotionary War took place. It was a special day and there were reinactors all about. If you would like to see some pictures taken that day just check out the page on the blog dedicated to our cubs.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert

Do Not Call?

Friday after Pentecost 19
October 8, 2010

The Lord be with you

Okay, so this isn't a "spiritual" post, but you still might be interested.

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month … all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

…. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. It takes about 20 seconds.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert