Jubilate Sunday, 2023.

Vimeo Service Link - Easter 3, 2023 - Jubilate Sunday

Jubilate, The Third Sunday after Easter, 2023

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas

Note - the hymn lyrics are linked to the Bethany Lutheran Hymn Blog on the hymn number; the tune is linked on the hymn's name. 

Morning Hymn #549     God Who Madest Earth and Heaven

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Make a joyful noise (Jubilate) unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.

Psalm. Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works: through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Almighty God, who showest to them that be in error the light of Thy truth to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness, grant unto all them that are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual  

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The Lord hath sent redemption unto His people. Hallelujah!

V. It behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead: and thus to enter into His glory. Hallelujah!

     

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sermon Hymn #288      Lord Help Us Ever To Retain - Loy Translation

A Little While - Dealing with Loss  

Communion Hymn #314         Lord Jesus Christ - Jacobs

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #549        Blest Be the Tie That Binds   

  

Prayers and Announcements

• Medical care - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Jim's sister. Lyne Cruz and Thea. Kermit and Maria Way. Callie is doing well.
• Pray for those suffering from emotional stress and a young couple with a sudden loss.

                

  Norma A. Boeckler Christian Art Books

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly goodness dost suffer Thy children to come under Thy chastening rod here on earth, that we may be like unto Thine only-begotten Son in suffering and hereafter in glory: We beseech Thee, comfort us in temptations and afflictions by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually trust in Thy Son's promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may overcome all evil, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Luther’s Sermon on the Gospel Lesson

Luther’s Second Sermon on the Gospel Lesson

A Little While - Dealing with Loss

KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Every so often, a Gospel lesson is listed for that Sunday, and we know it has been used for many centuries. However, that particular one is difficult to explain and unusual. Luther commented on this one being unusually wordy.

That by itself is a clue, since the New Testament is extremely concise and not wordy. This selection has a special purpose that applies to us all. The seven-fold "a little while" is emphatic and important for everyone to remember, because the warning will become a fact, and each one will need to know its meaning 

1. You will not see Me and
2. Again, you will see Me because I go to the Father. 

The Greek word for a little while is micron, a little word which we use all the time - microscope, microcosm, microwave, microchip.

As Luther observed, the disciples were always with Jesus, learning, seeing miracles, looking ahead because they had so many joys with their Teacher. When things are going well, we think of that time being without a threat or problem. We can hardly imagine anything less. 

Here Jesus begins on the negative, which the disciples cannot imagine. That is a complete puzzle so the second part is equally opaque to them.

The repetition is not simply that, but an emphasis on a very important matter for all of them. We experience it as well.

17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

This is central to the discussion but also to the fact of Jesus being taken away in the near future. They were going to experience a sudden loss of their Master, without any ability to cope with the disaster.

It was going to be devastating enough to see Him arrested in the dark. They were all so frightened that they ran away. 

It was going to be frightening that Jesus was on trial, which is why Peter denied Jesus three times and heard the final verdict of the rooster - just as Jesus predicted.

And then, when He was tortured and carried the cross Himself, it was the final display of what the opponents could do to their Teacher. What could become of them? They were without an apparent leader and had criminal attached to all their names.

They were at their lowest, and it took time for them to recover.

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Jesus was preparing them for that future, devastating loss, but also for the future beyond, when they would go from feeling completely abandoned to being joyful about what was ahead - even persecution and death. 

This lesson is for all of us, often in the distant future. However, those events will come and the loss will continue for a long time. 

When our second child was born - Bethany - I was sure something was wrong with her cry, something far different from a baby's cry for food or dryness. The crying built up and we went from doctor to doctor. One gave us a tube of something for the skin. Another doctor, about the sixth, said, "No development." And that led to the famous Cleveland Clinic. We had to hear all kinds of foolish questions and taunting and shunning from almost everyone. But we also saw very rare cases, one with a quote from John 9 - "This happened for the glory of God." Bethany was soon dubbed "Angel" by every nurse in every hospital or nursing home.

We had a similar experience with Erin Joy, with a different set of characters and the Cleveland Clinic. Nurses in various places nicknamed her Joy, surprised to find out it was her middle name.

The first loss, of Bethany, flattened us completely, but it also gave us energy to see what really mattered. All the previous dreams and hopes dissolved away, but we agreed when Erin Joy came along - "We will enjoy every minute and not be dragged down by the tragedy." The sorrow was equally great when weakness took over and nothing could be done. Erin did laugh for the nurses when they unknowingly tripped over a long-standing joke about her diapers. The nurse spoke out loud, and Erin burst into laughter. As they said, "Not a common event around here."

To borrow from the Lord of the Rings, reality for everyone else become the shadowland, while the entire world of disability, long-term disorders, and strange diseases became a reality we could see. Christina became the Florence Nightingale (a Lutheran by the way) who helped out many families. I did my part in various ways. 

No one becomes an expert in devastating loss, so the loss of Christina was even more difficult than that of Bethany Joan Marie and Erin Joy. It struck harder and longer, with every pleasant part of life filled with pain, all day long, for more than a year. 

That is why this seven-fold "a little while" is so important in the Gospel of John. Although Jesus was preparing the disciples for the first part, He was emphasizing even more the second part, with the well known story of a baby boy's birth. It is not a "snap out of it story" but God's message of His great love and future blessings. Great sorrows and grief are not erased by the extreme difficulties of life, especially death.

However, the early Christian Church followed the model of the disciples, willingly facing danger, torture, and execution for the sake of the Gospel, which drove the Christian Faith into the farthest parts of the world. The only disciple who lived long was John, according to tradition, while the others were pursued and quickly executed. Those people were called martyrs, the Greek word for witness, because they witnessed their faith in Jesus Christ by accepting His torture and death. As I wrote before, the Roman citizens were appalled by Christians praying before the gladiators and wild beasts before they were killed. The Roman crowds were devastated in their own way - seeing their pagan religion overturned by helpless but strong-in-faith believers.

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Just as Creation and the Gospel are true, so are the Promises of Jesus Christ. So we must look beyond the burdens and grief of this time before the pearly gates to appreciate what Jesus did and died for us, enjoying His life on earth but giving up everything to complete His mission of His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

Here is a simple command, yet ignored by so many. Do not ask Jesus anything but anything asked of His Father in His Name will be given.