Advent 1 2023

  

Bethany Lutheran Church 

10 AM Central Time

The First Sunday in Advent, 2023

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The Hymn #67           The Bridegroom Now Will Call Us - Loy translation
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: 

O my God, I trust in Thee.

Let me not be ashamed: 

let not mine enemies triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on Thee: be ashamed.

Psalm. Show me Thy ways, O Lord: 

teach me Thy paths.

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

Collect

Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, 

that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

The Epistle and Gradual 

Gradual

All they that wait on Thee shall not be ashamed, O Lord.

V. Show me Thy ways, O Lord: 

teach me Thy paths. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord: 

and grant us Thy salvation. Hallelujah!

The Gospel 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 290      We Have A Sure Prophetic  

Faith in Our Gracious Good Shepherd

The Hymn #306              Lord Jesus Christ
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 #68            The Advent of Our King 

Prayers and Announcements

• Our Biblical doctrine series has a name - Reformation Seminary. Zoom has another step in W-9.
• December 4th, 2002. Walter Boeckler, husband of Norma, died.
• In treatment - Kermit Way; Randy Anderson; ; Pastor Jim Shrader (surgery) and Chris; Sarah Buck; Lori Howell; Dr. Lito Cruz and his father. 
• Callie and her parents; little Aaron with the heart problem;
• Those suffering from emotional and metabolic stress.

KJV Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

 Norma A. Boeckler

First Sunday in Advent - Viet Dietrich

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, we bless and praise Thee forever, that Thou didst send Thy Son to rule over us poor sinners, who for our transgressions did justly deserve to remain in the bondage of sin and Satan, and didst give us in Him a meek and righteous King, who by His death became our Savior from sin and eternal death: We beseech Thee so to enlighten, govern and direct us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may ever remain faithful to this righteous King and Savior, and not, after the manner of the world, be offended with His humble form and despised word, but, firmly believing in Him, obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

 Luther on the Old Testament 

Faith in Our Gracious Good Shepherd

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

The setting is often missed today, because the clergy were beguiled into ignoring the Gospel of John. Jesus came from Bethany, John 11, the site of Lazarus' death and coming to life again. This was electrifying news for Jerusalem, because Bethany was a short distance from the village and people knew Lazarus for his wealth, as shone his stone tomb. Moreover, Lazarus came with Jesus!

John 12:2	There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
John 12:9	Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
John 12:10	But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;
John 12:17	The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

Jesus, by bringing His friend Lazarus along, was showing the crowd, the Romans, and the religious leaders that He was and is the Lord of Life, God Himself. The jubilant crowd was able to prove the resurrection to the hip Jerusalemites because they were at the funeral and stayed days after the burial of Lazarus in the tomb.

Jesus Himself called Lazarus from the tomb, against the wishes of the mourners. He called Lazarus by name to come out, showing that He was indeed the Son of God, Messiah. The daring trip into Jerusalem was the divine announcement that the Messiah (Christ in Greek) was claiming His throne as the Son of David. This explains why the crowds were wild with excitement since the miracle took place 

1) Nearby at Bethany

2) Involving someone well known

3) The miracle being supported by those who were there.

One 90+ old church member said in Columbus - "I never heard this in my life. Never, not from anyone."

The Mount of Olives - Luther

Luther emphasized this as the Mountain of Grace.

"It is also full of meaning that he comes from the Mount of Olives. We shall notice that this grace on account of its greatness might be called a mountain of grace, a grace which is not only a drop or handful, but grace abundant and heaped up like a mountain."

The entry into Jerusalem declares the open and dangerous threat which Jesus presented to the religious and government leaders. This opposition always takes place when faith in Jesus is the priority. Today people tolerate Jesus as long as He is simply a good person, kindly and unassuming. That fueled a series of Life of Jesus books, which used their topic to declare Jesus was an ordinary man.

3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

Some will say with dismay that the Old Testament quotations are not verbatim the same as the New Testament citation.

Luther:

"It seems to me that the Holy Ghost led the apostles and evangelists to abbreviate passages of the Scriptures for the purpose that we might be kept close to the holy Scriptures, and not set a bad example to future exegetes, who make many words outside the Scriptures and thereby draw us secretly from the Scriptures to human doctrines."

We should always look at the Old Testament as the bedrock, from which everything about Christ is expressed. Instead, the not-so-learned clergy run away from studying Hebrew, Judaism, and the ancient history going back to Creation. The very dense do not see the Son in the Creation, but that is clear to the simplest of minds. When I go into a room with covered windows, I do not say "Let there be light." I just open the shades or turn on the light. If someone is also there, I might say, "Open the curtains" or formally "Let there be sunshine."

Likewise, the Holy Spirit hovers (or soars) over Creation. The Spirit is not absent and waiting for the New Testament to take action. The Spirit is teaching the work of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is not "the shy member of the Trinity," something only a WELS writer could publish without smirking. The most powerful statements of the Trinity often come directly from the Spirit. One is central to the entire Bible:

KJV John 16:6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

8 And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on Me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Verse 9 declares the intent or work of the entire Bible - to teach faith in Jesus Christ. That is the central and abiding work of the Spirit - not social agitation, not a justice that suits the Left, not turning the Bible into a self-help book. Verse 9 should make all the Objective Faithless Justification people choke on their devouring of Halle Pietism and Walther fanaticism. CFW, in his clumsy dogma, taught that the whole world was absolved, but that was only for those who "make a decision" for Jesus. That has two blundering errors.

1. Universal forgiveness is false doctrine from rationalists, Universalists.
2. "Making a decision for" replaces faith in the Savior.

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

Israel, in rejecting God repeatedly, became a vassal state. They broke into freedom for a brief time in 165 BC and Judah Maccabee rode in on a donkey. The desecrated Temple was rededicated to God, taken away from the pagans. The crowds may have been similar between the two centuries of turmoil, but Jesus was the true Messiah, the Son of David, and the crowds cheered him as their Savior from slavery to Rome.

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Because the crowds, even the smallest children, cried out in faith "Hosanna to the Son of David, the anointed King" - not because He reminded them of Juda Maccabee, but because Jesus was the real Savior who raised the dead by His Word.

Our gracious Good Shepherd deliberated headed toward Jerusalem, first to raise Lazarus from death... by His Word, and second to offer Himself as the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. The symbolism of the innocent lamb goes back to Moses and the Exodus. All the pieces of the puzzle are found in the Old Testament, if only we dwell on them. They confirm and support our faith in Him who was named when Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise.

KJV Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.

The end.