Bethany Lutheran Church
Springdale, Arkansas
The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2023
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Turn Thee unto me and have mercy upon me:
for I am desolate and afflicted.
Look upon mine affliction and my pain:
and forgive all my sins.
Psalm. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul:
O my God, I trust in Thee, let me not be ashamed.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, the Protector of all that trust in Thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase and multiply upon us Thy mercy that, Thou being our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through things temporal that we finally lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord:
and He shall sustain thee.
V. I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me:
He hath delivered my soul in peace.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. I will love Thee, O Lord my Strength:
the Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sheep and Shepherd
The Communion Hymn #310 Thy Table I Approach - Loy Translation
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 #49 Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast
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 #49 Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast
In Our Prayers and Announcements
- Medical treatment - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Kermit and Maria Way, Callie and Peggy, C., Lito Cruz and Family, Sarah Buck. Those with emotional issues and those with metabolic disorders.
- Happy Birthday, Jayz Antig!
- The Veterans Honor roses are in recognition of our military in the past and present.
KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Third Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having suffered ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh: We beseech Thee graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; and quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Thy Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end Amen.
Sheep and the Shepherd
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
Two groups of people were there. The Pharisees and scribes were farther away, murmuring among themselves about how horrible it was for Jesus to welcome the other group - tax collectors and open sinners. Not only that, He ate with those horrible people, which made Jesus one of the shunned, not righteous by works, as the scribes and Pharisees were.
Nothing much has changed and perhaps we are worse than ever before. There are all kinds of designations, which make people think they are the elite and the rest are damned. Sometimes it means the family name. Material possessions often are critical.
The same religious denomination should help, right? Especially among Lutherans. St. Louis (LCMS) casts aspersions on Ft. Wayne (LCMS), and Ft. Wayne looks down on St. Louis. Long ago I was warned against confusing a Gettysburg (LCA) Seminary graduate with a Philadelphia (LCA) graduate. Those two finally united (ELCA) but are still at odds. Their first United president had to be fired, not because she was a Presbyterian but because she had been too hetero in the past. The women seminarians wanted to burn Ms. Latini at the stake, but that would have compromised the rules on air pollution.
Tax collectors were hated because their own people demanded taxes that went to upkeep Roman forces in their land. The tax collectors had a lot of leverage to take as much as possible. The "open sinners" were those whose behavior was so obvious and bad that no one wanted to associate with them.
The whole concept of the righteousness of works is very clear in this passage. The scribes and Pharisees were sinners, but they made themselves righteous by the strict observance of their own rules. They had great respect among themselves and took pride in their purity and outward obedience.
They murmured among themselves, criticizing Jesus, in soft but disgusted tones. The three parables in a row distinguish Luke 15 as "the greatest of all the chapters in the New Testament." A better description might be - "This is where you go to understand forgiveness through Jesus Christ the Son of God."
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Lambs have the most beautiful personalities, innocent, fragile, rather helpless. Videos show how city people will pick up a tiny lamb and get head-slammed by the mother. Would anyone neglect a lamb, only 1% of the flock, and not go searching for him in the wilds?
It is easy to picture a lamb lost in the wild, easy prey for the predators, helpless and bleating for mom. No one would make a financial calculation when they can imagine the plight of this helpless creature. The sheep are left along so the lamb can be found and rescued.
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
The details do not only perfectly fit the losing and the finding of the vulnerable lamb, but they also describe how the Shepherd brings back the vulnerable person to faith in Him.
- He carries it on his shoulders, bearing the burden to be an extra help in time of need.
- He invites his friends and neighbors because He is so happy.
- He rejoices and invites their rejoicing that the lost one was found.
This parable alone is very comforting because Jesus is clearly portraying Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10) taking care of the lamb (Psalm 23).
All of us with pets know the feelings generated by their illnesses, accidents, naughtiness, and how much more we appreciate them with those events. The issue with the lost sheep is not "How did you get into this mess?" but "Jesus will carry you to safety and security."
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Recovery of the lost sinner is expressed even more expansively with "more joy over one lost sinner found than 99 who did not need repentance."
There is also great irony in "need no repentance," because we all need to recognize the sin. This is a short parable with an endless emphasis on repentance with the help of the Savior and recovery with His continued protection.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
I just learned from a documentary that the silver penny of England in 1066 was the universal coin of Europe, because it was stable, never compromised. These pieces of silver bought a lot of goods, so losing one was not like the pennies in a jar in the kitchen - not even copper. Ten percent of cash in a brokered economy is a giant amount, like when I lost all the tickets for an upcoming vacation. Yes, I tore the house upside-down looking for them. And I perspired, I even sweated the sweat of panic with time running out for the reveal.
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
I was so overwhelmed with joy at finding the documents that I told everyone how I found them. This little parable helps us identify with our heavenly Savior and His angels - having more joy over one repentant sinner than all the others.
This is also irony humor, because the Biblical approach is repentance or contrition - sorrow for sins, rather than shunning the obvious sinner.
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