Worship Notes for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, 2014

Thursday in the week of Pentecost 23

November 20, 2014

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday will be the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Because the last three Sundays in the Church Year focus on issues relating to the End Times in the appointed scripture lessons, some churches call this Sunday the Last Sunday of the End Times. Another popular name is Christ the King Sunday. No matter what you call this coming Sunday, the following Sunday (November 30) will be the first Sunday in Advent.

For our liturgy Sunday we will use the first setting of the Divine Service (page 151). This is a communion service. The appointed readings are: Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28; Matthew 25:31–46.

Our opening hymn will be “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers” (LSB 515). The sermon hymn will be “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near” (LSB 508). Our closing hymn will be “Forth in the Peace of Christ We Go” (LSB 920). Our distribution hymns will be “At the Name of Jesus” (LSB 512), “Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared” (LSB 522) and “Built on the Rock” (LSB 645).

Yesterday I posted a Bible study inspired by our opening hymn, “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers.”

The sermon will be titled “Christ our Firstfruit.” The sermon text will be 1 Corinthians 15:20.

Below is a recording of the chancel choir at Grace Lutheran Church in San Diego singing our opening hymn, “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers.” This is the hymn that I used for the Bible study I posted yesterday. Because I grew up in San Diego, I happen to know that Grace Lutheran is the “mother” church of the LC-MS congregations in San Diego. I have a nephew who is an Elder there.

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. We will watch the next video in the series and begin a new section in our booklet.

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.

By the Cross of Christ We Enter the Kingdom of Our God and Father

When the crucified and risen Lord Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead, “he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). “To those on his right,” who have been crucified and raised with Him through repentance and faith in His Gospel, He will grant the blessed Kingdom of His Father (Matt. 25:34). Having been justified by His grace, they live unto righteousness in Him (Matt. 25:35–40). But “those on his left,” who trust in themselves and despise their neighbor, will depart “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Until that day, the Lord searches for His sheep “as a shepherd seeks out his flock” (Ezek. 34:11–12). Through His preaching of repentance, He disciplines the proud sheep and goats, “the fat and the strong,” but through the preaching of forgiveness He rescues the lost, binds up the injured, strengthens the weak and feeds “the lean sheep” (Ezek. 34:16, 20). In this way, He destroys the power of death in the children of Adam by His cross, so that “in Christ shall all be made alive” by His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20–26).

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

¹¹          “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹²As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.  …

²⁰          “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, ²²I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

           

1 Corinthians 15:20–28

²⁰          But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Matthew 25:31–46

³¹          “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

⁴¹          “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

A Couple of Quick Notes:

• Information for the December newsletter is due Sunday.  
• Women’s Bible Fellowship will meet Monday, November 24, at 10:00 am.
• We will have a Thanksgiving Eve worship service Wednesday, November 26. The service will begin at 7:00 pm.
• The first Choir practice for our seasonal choir will follow the Thanksgiving Eve service. All who have a song in their hearts are encouraged to join.

Well, I pray we will see you Sunday morning.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers - Bible Study

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers

Matthew 25:1–6; Revelation 5:11–14; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 13:35–37

(Lutheran Service Book 515)

Text: Laurentius Laurenti (1660-1722)

Rejoice, rejoice, believers,

    And let your lights appear;

The evening is advancing,

    And darker night is near.

The Bridegroom is arising

    And soon is drawing nigh.

Up, pray and watch and wrestle;

    At midnight comes the cry.

The watchers on the mountain

    Proclaim the Bridegroom near;

Go forth as He approaches

    With alleluias clear.

The marriage feast is waiting;

    The gates wide open stand.

Arise, O heirs of glory;

    The Bridegroom is at hand.

The saints, who here in patience

    Their cross and suff’rings bore,

Shall live and reign forever

    When sorrow is no more.

Around the throne of glory

    The Lamb they shall behold;

In triumph cast before Him

    Their diadems of gold.

Our hope and expectation,

    O Jesus, now appear;

Arise, O Sun so longed for,

    O’er this benighted sphere.

With hearts and hands uplifted,

    We plead, O Lord, to see

The day of earth’s redemption

    That sets Your people free!

“Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers” was in The Lutheran Hymnal, omitted from Lutheran Worship, and returned to us in the Lutheran Service Book. It was composed by Laurentius Laurenti, a German Lutheran with Pietistic leanings. The man worked in church music all his life and composed 148 hymns. This is the only one in our hymnal, which is actually paired down from the original ten verses.

For those who don’t know, “Pietism” has a bad reputation in the LC-MS. That is because, as a movement, it tended to take our eyes off the objective work of Christ and turn our attention onto ourselves for assurance of salvation. Nonetheless here we have a hymn, written by a Pietist, in our hymnal. Why? The answer is simple: the words are solid. What a blessing for us that our denomination has a strong history of judging music based on the merits of the individual piece, and not based on the comprehensive beliefs of the writer (which may be deeply flawed). While many have strong negative feelings about Contemporary Christian Music (i.e. pop Christian music), we should strive to evaluate the songs of that genre based on the merits of the words and music, and not the comprehensive beliefs of the writers or personal emotional reactions we might have to specific music styles. I have often encouraged writers of CCM to “up their game” when it comes to their lyrics. I also encourage those of us who love hymns to remember they too were once CCM. Listen to the words before rejecting the song. If you don’t have time to attend to the words, withhold your opinion about the song. And now, on with the Bible study based on the words of a Pietist hymn writer.

In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus tells a parable about being ready for his return. In the parable, there is a bridegroom who is coming for his wedding party. The bridegroom corresponds to Jesus. The wedding corresponds to heaven. The arrival of the bridegroom corresponds to the Second Coming. In the parable there are ten virgins who are waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. The number ten often represents completeness. Women are often used symbolically in the Bible for the people of God (Jeremiah 2:32; Isaiah 62:5; Revelation 19:7; etc.). The virgins are waiting for the bridegroom to welcome him and accompany him to the wedding.

The bridegroom is delayed. This corresponds to the time between the first advent of Jesus and the second advent of our Lord. During this delay the virgins become drowsy and fall asleep. At midnight they are startled awake with the call, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” As the coming of the bridegroom was delayed longer than expected, five of the virgins were running out of oil for their lamps. As they hurried away to look for more oil, the bridegroom arrives and the party starts. The five virgins who were ready entered the party, but the “foolish” virgins do not gain entrance.

There are many interpretations for the oil. We need to remember that the key to being ready for the arrival of the bridegroom for these virgins was having oil. How are we ready for the Second Coming of Jesus? We are ready by grace through faith in Jesus. This Holy Spirit created faith is engendered in us through the Means of Grace, the word and sacraments. So, while understanding the oil as the Holy Spirit or the Means of Grace, might be okay, the best understanding is faith in Jesus. The light cast by the oil lamps can be understood as the fruits of our faith, our good works. We have light because we have oil, not the other way around.

All ten virgins were sleeping on the job. All ten seek to relight their lamps. Some have faith (oil) and are able to relight their lamps. Others lack faith (oil) and therefore cannot relight their lamps. The fact that all ten virgins fell asleep indicates that even Christians with a strong faith can get “spiritually drowsy.” Jesus wraps up the parable with the main point, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13). So, while we don’t’ know when Jesus will return (though the timing will be surprising, “midnight”), we are to be prepared by keeping our faith (oil). Clinging to the Gospel makes us ready. This is done for us by the Holy Spirit working through the Means of Grace. So we attend worship regularly in a church that properly divides the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15; Colossians 1:5; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 4:2; etc.), administers the Lord’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11; etc.), and baptizes in the name of the Triune God (Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 3:21; etc.).

This parable is the main background for the hymn Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers. “Let your lights appear” refers to the effort to relight the lamps. “The evening is advancing, and darker night is near,” reminds us that we must pass through many hours of “night” before it is “midnight” and the bridegroom appears. “Up, pray and watch and wrestle” reminds us that we must be diligent as we await our Lord’s return. There are many things that can lull us to sleep.

In Revelation, John also uses the bride/bridegroom image to reflect Jesus and his Church (Revelation 19:7; 21:2; 22:17). (The Old Testament tends to use the image of wife/husband while the New Testament tends to use the image of bride/bridegroom.) Another common image for Jesus in Revelation is that of a Lamb. The Lamb is the Bridegroom. In Revelation 5:11-14, John sees everyone in heaven worshiping Jesus.

¹¹    Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice,

      “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

      to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

      and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³    And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

      “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

      be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

¹⁴    And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The third verse of our hymn picks up this image, “Around the throne of glory The Lamb they shall behold; In triumph cast before Him Their diadems of gold.” The idea of casting our golden crowns (diadems) before the Lord as part of our worship comes from Revelation 4. Christ is worthy of our worship because he was slain for our sins (Revelation 5:12).

In verse four of our hymn we sing, “Arise, O Sun so longed for.” This image is drawn from Malachi 4:2.

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

This is a play on words by Laurenti (Sun/Son). The faithful have looked for God’s sun from of old, the sun that brings light into the world of darkness, sin and death. The Son comes with “healing in his wings.” This thought of healing being brought by the longed for Messiah is found also in Isaiah.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

      he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

      and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

The ultimate healing comes at the Second Coming, when the bridegroom arrives to take his bride into the eternal wedding feast of heaven. Then we will dwell in glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:43).

As the story of the ten virgins which inspired our hymn demonstrates, Jesus often taught through parables. Jesus explained his reason for this in Matthew.

³⁵    This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

      “I will open my mouth in parables;

                  I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

³⁶    Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. (Matthew 13:35–37)

Many in Jesus’ day categorically rejected the teaching of Jesus. This has ever been the case. Today many still reject the teaching of Jesus. However the disciples truly sought to understand. So we see in the Matthew reference the disciples asking Jesus just what the parable of the weeds in the field meant (Matthew 13:24-30). Jesus clearly says he is the one who sows the good seed. As we go on with his explanation we discover that the good seed produces good plants and those good plants are believers in Jesus. The weed seed has been planted by Satan. They are those who reject Christ. On the Last Day Christ will return with his heavenly hosts and the “harvest” will be gathered. Those who reject Jesus are thrown “into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (42). On the other hand, “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (4.).

As the “Bridegroom” draws near, we are encouraged to arise, and look forward in great anticipation, to the Day of Judgment where we will shine like the sun.

Worship Notes for Pentecost 22, 2014

Thursday in the week of Pentecost 21

November 13, 2014

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday will be 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. Back in The Lutheran Hymnal days, this would be called the Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year. Some liturgical calendars will identify this Sunday as the Second Sunday of the End Times. As I said last week, the appointed lessons for these last three Sundays in the Church Year focus us on “end times” issues.

For our liturgy Sunday we will use Matins (page 219). This service uses the appointed Psalm for the Day. Sunday’s readings are: Psalm 19:1-12 (antiphon verse 17), Zephaniah 1:7-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-11 and Matthew 25:14-30.

Our opening hymn will be “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying” (LSB 516). The sermon hymn will be “Christ Is Surely Coming” (LSB 509). Our closing hymn will be “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer” (LSB 918). Yesterday I posted a Bible study inspired by the sermon hymn.

The sermon will be titled “The Day Is Coming.” The sermon text will be 1 Thessalonians 2:2.

Our opening hymn is one of those hymns that have spread across many Christian denominations. It is also a favorite of choirs. This leads to many YouTube videos from which I can  choose for this post. The one below is the Wartburg Choir singing at St John’s Lutheran Church (I don’t know which St John’s it is).

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 I brought a handout about the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. Extra copies are available if anyone else is interested.

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.

God’s Gift of Forgiveness Engenders Our Forgiveness of Others

The Day of the Lord is “near and hastening fast,” and it will be “a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation” (Zeph. 1:14, 15). The Lord will search out and punish “the men who are complacent” concerning His Word, “who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud” (Zeph. 1:9, 12). Then all their works and efforts will be for nothing: “Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them” (Zeph. 1:13). But those who fear, love and trust in the Lord are “good and faithful” stewards of His property (Matt. 25:21). They live by faith in His free gift of forgiveness, and they multiply His goods in the loving forgiveness of their neighbor, and “the master of those servants” settles His accounts with them by the gracious reckoning of His Gospel (Matt. 25:19). Likewise, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). Therefore, let us also “put on the breastplate of faith and love” in our dealings with one another (1 Thess. 5:8).

Psalm 90:1-12 (17)

¹           Lord, you have been our dwelling place

                        in all generations.

²           Before the mountains were brought forth,

                        or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

                        from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³           You return man to dust

                        and say, “Return, O children of man!”

⁴           For a thousand years in your sight

                        are but as yesterday when it is past,

                        or as a watch in the night.

⁵           You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,

                        like grass that is renewed in the morning:

⁶           in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

                        in the evening it fades and withers.

⁷           For we are brought to an end by your anger;

                        by your wrath we are dismayed.

⁸           You have set our iniquities before you,

                        our secret sins in the light of your presence.

⁹           For all our days pass away under your wrath;

                        we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

¹⁰          The years of our life are seventy,

                        or even by reason of strength eighty;

            yet their span is but toil and trouble;

                        they are soon gone, and we fly away.

¹¹          Who considers the power of your anger,

                        and your wrath according to the fear of you?

¹²          So teach us to number our days

                        that we may get a heart of wisdom.

¹⁷          Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,

                        and establish the work of our hands upon us;

                        yes, establish the work of our hands!

Zephaniah 1:7–16

⁷           Be silent before the Lord God!

                        For the day of the Lord is near;

            the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

                        and consecrated his guests.

⁸           And on the day of the Lord 's sacrifice—

            “I will punish the officials and the king's sons

                        and all who array themselves in foreign attire.

⁹           On that day I will punish

                        everyone who leaps over the threshold,

            and those who fill their master's house

                        with violence and fraud.

¹⁰          “On that day,” declares the Lord,

                        “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

            a wail from the Second Quarter,

                        a loud crash from the hills.

¹¹          Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!

                        For all the traders are no more;

                        all who weigh out silver are cut off.

¹²          At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

                        and I will punish the men

            who are complacent,

                        those who say in their hearts,

            ‘The Lord will not do good,

                        nor will he do ill.’

¹³          Their goods shall be plundered,

                        and their houses laid waste.

            Though they build houses,

                        they shall not inhabit them;

            though they plant vineyards,

                        they shall not drink wine from them.”

¹⁴          The great day of the Lord is near,

                        near and hastening fast;

            the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

                        the mighty man cries aloud there.

¹⁵          A day of wrath is that day,

                        a day of distress and anguish,

            a day of ruin and devastation,

                        a day of darkness and gloom,

            a day of clouds and thick darkness,

¹⁶                      a day of trumpet blast and battle cry

            against the fortified cities

                        and against the lofty battlements.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

^5:1         Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Matthew 25:14–30

¹⁴          “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ ²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²²And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ ²³His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

A Couple of Quick Notes:

• The Church Council will meet Sunday, after the worship service.  
• If you missed worship for some reason, remember you can listen to the sermon by going to the sermon page on this blog. I have learned how to post the sermon as a video so, while the video isn’t of me preaching, you still have something to look at while you listen to the message.
• For those who are contributing something for the newsletter, your information is due November 23.
• Earlier this week I posted something I found about the liturgy. It is worth reading. 

Well, I pray we will see you Sunday morning.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert