Trinity 6 - 2024.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88558962318?pwd=PReO3i43XZla7bLmACR2trnsrlY7XC.1

Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas - Service at 10 AM

Pastor Gregory Jackson

YouTube

The melodies are linked in the hymn title. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics are linked on The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog

The Hymn # 375     If Thy Beloved Son

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

The Lord is the Strength of His people: 

He is the saving Strength of His anointed.

Save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance: 

feed them also and lift them up forever.

Psalm. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my Rock; be not silent unto me: lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

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

Collect

Lord of all power and might, who art the Author and Giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the love of Thy name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual   

Gradual

He shall call to the heavens from above: 

and to the earth that He may judge His people.

V. The heavens shall declare His righteousness: 

for God is Judge Himself. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The ransomed of the Lord shall come to Zion with everlasting joy upon their lands: 

they shall obtain joy and gladness, 

and sorrow and weeping shall fly away.

 Hallelujah!

   

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #394   My Faith Looks Up to Thee  

                        Better Than the Best

The Communion Hymn #370      My Hope Is Built  

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 #50        Lord, Dismiss Us

In Our Prayers

• Diagnosis and treatment, Sarah Buck; Kermit Way; Lorie Howell, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader; Callie and her parents; those suffering from emotional and metabolic distress; those we name in our hearts.
• Happy 70th Birthday, Lyne Cruz, the wife of Dr. Lito Cruz.

                                    

Sixth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we confess that we are poor, wretched sinners, and that there is no good in us, our hearts, flesh and blood being so corrupted by sin, that we never in this life can be without sinful lust and concupiscence; therefore we beseech Thee, dear Father, forgive us these sins, and let Thy Holy Spirit so cleanse our hearts that we may desire and love Thy word, abide by it, and thus by Thy grace be forever saved; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

KJV Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Better Than the Best

KJV Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This verse is striking for, especially because we attended the Sunday service at Willow Creek Community Church, and this was the sermon verse. Lutheran pastors were saying in public that they were paid to go to Willow Creek and learn great insights. The service ended with the food court waiting for us, just outside the sanctuary. 

I hate to admit this - a number of Lutheran clergy are still at Willow Creek in their heart of hearts, searching for that go-to gimmick and failing in their misery. The Biblical answer was in front of them and in their ears, but not in their hearts. Faith in Christ = righteousness. Most people will admit that the primary (common) definition of righteousness is being very good, almost perfect, being known for great work$, therefore perfect and beyond all criticism. 

Better than the Pharisees means faith in Christ. I noticed that, in the hushed crowd at Willow Creek, the former world-class preacher denounced the audience for not coming to the Wednesday service, where the "real worship took place." 

Faith in Christ means having access to God's grace. The standards of the world and Gospel pretenders imagine righteousness, Oh! - better than the best. 

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Jesus is numbering stages of aggravation, based on how we behave. The Pharisaical rules are carried out today with swiftness and brutality. At the mainline denominational level, those who are not "sensitive, inclusive, diverse, etc" are removed in various ways and shunned. 

The "conservative" Lutherans do the shunning and excluding, based on whether that person is loyal to their brand or not. The stink-eye (the opposite of the right hand of fellowship) is a warning that demands bowing, scraping, begging for a chance to fit in. At the Walther level, members and pastors must swear to being forgiven and saved before they were born, as WELS-ELS claim, "guilt-free saints in Hell." And you thought magicians were clever and devious!

As Jesus confirms with those stages of the Law, the best way is not completing the offering - which is an act of obedience - and instead - promoting forgiveness on both sides. In other words, our gracious nature is far more important than a visible or financial act. 

I think there is hyperbole [exaggerating to prove a point] in Jesus' lesson and Luther's sermon, both teachers good in stirring us up about these matters of hostility and lack of forgiveness. Our world has unraveled over the last century, and most of us can identify the marks of this decay, especially lately. Comedians are mean, nasty, and disgusting. Films and books have fallen into decay. New music is painful to hear and obnoxious in many ways. Politics? Oy!

The best of works come from faith in Jesus Christ, Who admonishes us in many ways, but teaches sin in the simplest way - "not believing in Him." 

There are many harsh statements in this lesson, and they are easily understood.  They are the backdrop of the primary, the substantial, the divine nature of the Christian Faith, which begins and continues with the Savior.

KJV John 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.

 

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The very first amendment is Freedom of Speech, which was derived from the persecutions in England and Europe. Bloody Mary persecuted the Protestants and some kings were secret Roman Catholics. This was so important to those who sailed to America that they made this the most important inalienable right, that is, a right which cannot be changed or removed from the Constitution. It is beyond debate though it has been ignored by many who would love to abolish it.

The end.

Clueless WELS Campus Ministry

WELS Campus Ministry

Trinity Five - 2024

 

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, 2024

Bethany Lutheran Church, Springdale

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

YouTube

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Bethany Hymnal Lyrics site is linked here.

The Hymn #613        Jerusalem the Golden
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

The Introit

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: 

Thou hast been my Help.

Leave me not, neither forsake me: 

O God of my salvation.

Psalm. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation: whom shall I fear?

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

Collect

O God, who hast prepared for them that love Thee such good things as pass man’s understanding, pour into our hearts such love toward Thee that we, loving Thee above all things, may obtain Thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual   

Gradual

Behold, O God, our Shield: and look upon Thy servants.

V. O Lord God of hosts: hear our prayer. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The king shall joy in Thy strength: and in Thy salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice! Hallelujah!

The Gospel             
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 649 Jesus Savior Pilot Me

Let Down Your Nets

The Communion Hymn #307 Draw Now and Take
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 #577          God Bless Our Native Land

Prayers and Announcements

• In our prayers - Sarah Buck, Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader and his wife Chris. Sarah Buck, Lorie Howell. Norma Boeckler is being treated.
• The four Veterans Honor roses have leafed out, and one is budding already.
• Our country, Our Constitution, Our Bill of Rights.

KJV 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Fifth Sunday After Trinity

O Jesus Christ, Thou Son of the living God, who hast given us Thy holy word, and hast bountifully provided for all our temporal wants, we confess that we are unworthy of all these mercies, and that we have rather deserved punishment: But we beseech Thee, forgive us our sins, and prosper and bless us in our several callings, that by Thy strength we may be sustained and defended, now and forever, and so praise and glorify Thee eternally, Thou who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Let Down Your Nets

KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

This is definitely one of the great miracles of the Gospels, and it is well known. However, there is a cloud of confusion about its meaning. The basic outcome is clear, but what does it mean?

The best way to describe it is - compare our modern statistics. We are numbers obsessed. Many of the great minds of this age are saying, "It is all about the numbers." They can tell us about the future, because they know from the past what the future will be.

This miracle is aimed at the disciples, the crowd, us, and the pastors, missionaries, and teachers. The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) synods are completely wrong. They would be better off to retire their staffs and start over again - but that is not likely to happen. 

The people were eager to hear the Word of God from Jesus. They traveled a long way to hear Him and bunched up at the edge of the lake, where the land rises, giving them a good place hear Him. Two ships were there, which meant Jesus could use one as a pulpit. The ships were empty and the men were washing their nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

 Bronze Cathedral (chair) of St. Peter in the Vatican. 
"We are going to need a bigger boat."

Jesus had Simon Peter provide a speaking point, out a bit from the shore, sitting down (as bishops still do today, following the Old Testament and rabbinical model).

Sitting down - cathedral - is where the bishop speaks as the leader. Bunched up in a crowd, no one could hear him on the shore. He might have gone up to the top of the rising hill, like the Sermon on the Mount, but there was another plan. Jesus wanted to go out a little from the shore, on Peter's ship. Jesus sat down and began teaching the crowd. And Peter was with Him, listening, just as the crowd were. They hungered and thirsted for righteousness. We can get an idea from the Sermon  on the Mount, starting with the Beatitudes. Who would not want to listen to a series of blessings?

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

Many clergy would like to speak about the numbers. Jesus commanded, assuming the catch would be provided. Peter believed in the Savior, because he heard the 

Word at work in the Spirit. That was not a decision by Peter but faith in the Promised Messiah. He was doubtful, given his knowledge and long night of useless labor. But he believed - At thy Word I will let down the net.

Luther wrote - long before the Church Growth Pandemic -

From #25 - Trinity 5 - Second Sermon

These are obliged to learn, after a long period of governing, that thereby they have not accomplished anything. How often it happens, indeed, that the best plans, the wisest counsels, and the brightest ideas prove to be the very worst, and result in nothing but harm and ruin.

#27

As Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase,” etc.

The work is ours, but the results are from God alone. We can worry ourselves to death, as all of us have done, but the results and the timing belong only to God. Jesus has taught us - by prayer - to take all away our troubles, worries, disasters, mistakes. errors, sins, and weaknesses. Doubt? That means the Savior has no power. Not according to our timing and wishes? Ditto. That means the Savior has no power.

As Paul writes, inspired by the Holy Spirit - God gives the increase.

I decided to blog in 2007, 17 years ago, expecting only 100 regular readers. In fact, I was elated to reach that number. The 500th anniversary of the Reformation, 2017, proved that Lutheran synods - the Faithless Five - hate Luther. We are now only a  few years from the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession 2030, and we should expect even less support from the "confessional Lutherans" who do not confess Justification by Faith. The confession of sin among the Faithless Five should be their goal. To teach against the Word of God is a terrible sin, and for those clergy managers and teachers - who were baptized and trained in the Christian Faith, Universalism is a horrible and disgusting sin.

The Kingdom of God belongs to those with a child-like faith, but no to those who have hardened their hearts against the Good Shepherd and mocked His teaching, atoning death, resurrection and ascension.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 

The empty nets of the previous night gathered an enormous catch of fish. I am thinking of one member who knows all about fishing - and loves it - pointing out that the weather was too warm up north to have the usual results, and disappointing. 

We can see how turned upside-down are the clergy managers (they are not leaders or teachers) who demand results or declare they will have the most fantastic results ever, just wait and see. One synod has (or had) a "planning hymn" invented for their hymnal. They might as well sing the original Catholic hymn - "Faith of our Fathers (priests) Mary's prayers shall bring our country back to Thee." (English Roman Catholics). That hymn was so honest that the Protestants had to fix it to use in their services.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Simply by revealing His divine power, Jesus opened their eyes to the overwhelming divinity of Jesus, a teacher but far more than a teacher. They were suddenly all in the presence of God. They felt the x-ray, the cat-scan, and pet-scan of their lives. Who were they to witness God knowing every nook and cranny of their lives!?

I have to repeat the story I participated in, around 1987, when the WELS Church Growth advocate Paul Kelm ended the "evangelism conference" claiming, "Can you think of anyone, after knowing about us, who would not want to join the Wisconsin Synod?" He paused for the pastors and laity to consider how true and motivating that was. It was dead silent, so I said, "Herb Chilstrom," (the new presiding bishop of ELCA). The audience roared with laughter, and Kelm had to laugh. And the waves of laughter kept going through the audience, perhaps catching up on radical, apostate character of Chilstrom. The laughter was so infectious that it kept starting over. 

All the synods fell for those Satanic plans, to emphasize the results, not the Word of God. The results would prove they were right, and Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek and Trinity Divinity taught the same ridiculous dogma - that the results would come from sterile business concepts (promoted by Peter Drucker). That became a disaster. 

How does that affect our individual lives? Being dis-couraged is a lack of trust, because discouraged means we are emphasizing results and not trusting in our Good Shepherd. He leads us beside the still waters, He feeds us. He opens the gate to eternal life which is already at work in our lives, thanks to the Gospel. God gives us miracles, many of them passing by - only to be understood much later. One of my students said recently, "My worst experiences have become great blessings, but it took me a long time to understand that."

#51

For Christ has not come to make you afraid, but to remove from you your sins and distress. Nor does he draw nigh and follow after you in order to drive you away, but that he may kindly allure you to himself.

We now live in an age that does not require us to have church mimeographs and then - wow - Xerox copy machines. We do not need to pay for radio or TV  broadcasts. We are not limited by more than a pittance for a computer, the Internet, and a free blog. The Word goes all over the world in many different ways - and - the congregation even comes to our little cathedral - the spare room in a rented house. And I can travel to see members without great expense.

Doubtless our country will be in great struggles between observing our Constitutional Republic and making things even worse. We have moved into the Satanic phase of America, where presidents and governors brag about ending a baby's life, yet protecting dangerous drug dealers. I remember one drug for horses used in a detective show. Next I heard it was being used by foolish people, with its own nickname. And after that, this horse medicine would be good for people. 

We should pray for our country and the Gospels every day. Satan will rage but be defeated. The Savior is the Creating Word and executes the commands of God the Father. The Spirit is at work in the Word to show us the Gospel and enlarge our grasp of God's Promises.

Trinity Four - 2024

 

YouTube

The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics site is linked here.

The Hymn # 452                      The Son of God  
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual 
The Gospel 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #528:10-15  If God Himself Be For Me

A Simple Guideline

The Communion Hymn # 308       Invited Lord  
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 # 651                    Be Still My Soul 

Prayers and Announcements

•  Kermit and Maria Way, Pastor Jim and Chris Shrader, Callie, her mother Peggy, and her father Calvin.
• Mike and Amanda Oak were blessed with a beautiful girl, June, last week. 
• Lito Cruz and his son are much better. 

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, who art merciful, and through Christ didst promise us, that Thou wilt neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray Thee, that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt establish in our hearts a confident faith in Thy mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all men, and, Judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Thy fear, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Mercy

KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: These verses are so clearly stated that we can imagine Luke 15 following them - the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son - each emphasizing mercy, not being judged, not condemning, and being forgiven. The Luke 15 parables emphasize ordinary people rejoicing in finding the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost child.

    There are two pairs -  to be merciful and to judge not; to condemn not and to forgive. 

These are the kinds of memory work Luther used. He would think about a verse or a phase for one or two days. We have trained ourselves to rush through literature and the Scriptures, but more likely to slow down for sports, recipes, and local news.

    The words are very powerful because the Holy Spirit is always at work in the Word of God. As that phrase suggests, it is the Word that belongs to God, so it is not something for joking or twisting around. Nor does the-Word-belonging-to-God ever lack in its energy, whether condemning our sins or forgiving our sins.

    Media experts now take advantage of words themselves, making us listen to a waterfall of sludge, all kinds of broadcasts filled with empty claims, obscenities, and worse. They have the effect of replacing what is good and beautiful with that which is evil and ugly.

    These two verses condense most of the wisdom about how we should live our lives and affect others. If we take the verses seriously, we have to examine the Scriptures teaching us about mercy and forgiveness. Not only are they primary but they are also the opposite of judging and condemning. 

    It is funny that the shallow use of judging has been used to condemn something said. For instance, at a clergy meeting I said something that made the district vice-president say, "You are being judgmental!" I said, "Yes, I am supposed to judge between right and wrong." He mumbled something in response.

    The use of "judgmental" has been cleverly crafted to move the ethics of our country into the sewers and worse. That actually from the ex-minister Carl Rogers, psychologist, atheist. He advocated that there was no right or wrong. He invented "didn't you, aren't you" counseling. If someone wanted to do something bad, he said, "You are wrong, aren't you." Listening to the flat voice on the tapes can put a whole room into a deep sleep.

    So now we have a change from judging between good and bad, right and wrong, patriot or traitor. Political law and religious law have always marked such pairs as worthwhile. 

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

    This is quite an image for anyone baking. For example, there are always measuring instruments in the kitchen or bakery, even more so in large bakery factories. The measurements should be precise because a small error can have catastrophic results - forgetting the yeast or salt, too much of either one, flavorings, etc.

    However, this is an example of hyperbole on the positive side. Jesus exaggerates how much God returns on our response. Let's imagine a cup or a quart of flour or anything else in making bread.   

• good measure, (not skimping)
• pressed down, (adding even more)
• and shaken together, (no gaps)
• and running over. (abundance)

As a veteran in my father's retail bakery and in the kitchen, I can list any number of bad examples and outrageous errors. But this is Jesus' way of showing us that we should not be stingy in the fruit of the Spirit, all those things that come from the Gospel leaven at work in our lives. 

KJV Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Downtown Moline was more than a business district. It was a collection of family owned businesses, with the location and business continuing into multiple generations - like John Deere and the radio/tv store nearby.  People had a lot of connections. The mother-church of the Augustana Synod was right across the street from the donut shop, clothing store, and basement restaurant. 

That kind of association is mostly gone today, but it continues in many forms, from denominations to congregations. What God gives to us freely should also be a blessing in the lives of others, to be multiplied many times over.

39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

    That is a familiar, concise parable. We even have games based on this. If we are not fruitful from the Gospel in our lives, others will fall into the same problem. So I see in many denominations a very strict measure of shunning, freezing people out of a congregation, district, and synod. "They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." The self-described purity is really a gigantic monument to man-made law. A young visitor to our house said about dancing - "That is my favorite dance of the ones I am not allowed." He gave a demonstration.

40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

    In other words, the student (Christian) is not above his Master (Christ), but they are to conduct themselves in the pattern of Jesus Christ. This is where the denominations have fallen down and lost their way, both at the same time. They are blind to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. It could not be more simple and clear, especially for those who say "grace" and yet deny its origin.

KJV Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

access by faith προσαγωγην εσχηκαμεν τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην

access 

προσαγωγην 

we have

εσχηκαμεν

by faith

τη πιστει

into this grace

εις την χαριν ταυτην

    Doc Lito wrote to say that Jews now  becoming Christian are startled to find that the church they were are attending is not Trinitarian, not really Christian.

    Romans 5:1-2 have always been the bulwark of Biblical doctrine, and yet The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - sidestep it by saying everything is "by grace." By saying everything is "by grace," they water down the meaning and are really saying "all is grace without faith." The last I heard, five different things were "by grace." The Apostle Paul says, "faith gives us access to God's grace." Luther said "faith alone" to emphasize the difference between that message and Roman Catholic "faith plus works."

    Not by working harder, not by promising to never sin again, not by works of contrition - such as walking over painful paths, etc etc - but only access to grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Link explaining access

Definition: a bringing to
Usage: approach, access, admission.

    As stated before - and - is always needed for all of us - access to grace is only by faith in Jesus Christ and should not be mixed around so much that we get dizzy figuring out all kinds of graces. In the end, grace is not found in works, in becoming cloistered, etc. Faith in the Savior is access to grace, and faith comes from the Gospel Word.

Emphasizing the Gospel message builds grace through faith. Faith and grace are from God.

41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

    Our country has fallen into a terrible scourge, an epidemic of man-made law. The laws multiply daily. When the Covid scam was running at full steam, I asked where the "clean pens" were for signing. When I was done I pushed the pen back - with fingertips - under the glass plate (now gone) and said, "Make sure this is in the to- be-washed bunch." I said to another severe hawk-eyed watcher, "Do you realize how often you touch credit cards in getting the doctor paid?" That was followed the next time by an added device so the desk workers would not directly touch those credit cards. How many lives were not saved?

    If everyone is going to concentrate on man-made laws, then how will we every expand the reach of God's own grace through access to faith in Jesus? As Paul said, we are children until we grow up and act according to faith rather than laws. Of course, the anti-law people jump on that and miss the mark entirely (antinomians). An anti-law pastor rejected the 10 Commandments and Creation. Needless to say, he soon became a loud, open Atheist.

    Notice that Jesus taught access to grace in Him in this message.