The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Drop down, ye heavens, from above:
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open: and bring forth salvation.
Psalm. The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth His handiwork
The Gloria PatriThe Kyrie p. 17The Gloria in ExcelsisThe Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Stir up, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy power,
and come and help us with Thy great might,
that by Thy grace whatsoever is hindered by our sins
may be speedily accomplished
through Thy mercy and satisfaction;
who livest and reignest with the Father
and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him:
to all that call upon Him in truth.
V. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord:
and let all flesh bless His holy name.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Thou art my Help and my Deliverer:
make no tarrying, O my God. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Announcements and Prayers
- Geek Squad, Tuesday 7 AM.
- December 22nd - Norma Boeckler's Birthday.
- Randy Anderson is doing well.
- This week's services will be Saturday at 7 PM, Christmas Eve at 7 PM. Sunday will be Holy Communion at 10 AM.
KJV Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
KJV John 1:19 And this is the record [GJ - witness] of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed [GJ - homiletics, preaching], I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Fourth Sunday In Advent
Lord God, heavenly Father, it is meet and right that we should give thanks unto Thee, that Thou hast given us a more glorious baptism than that of John the Baptist, and hast therein promised us the remission of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Thy Son, Jesus Christ: Preserve us, we beseech Thee, in such faith in Thy grace and mercy, that we may never doubt Thy promise, but be comforted by the same in all temptations: and grant us Thy Holy Spirit that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed upon us in baptism, until by Thy grace we 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.
Forgiveness and the Joyful Heart
KJV Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Especially in these times, people are oppressed by the accusations of the Law. Everywhere we turn, we are assaulted by accusations from the Puritan Police of Populism, new regulations every day about unforgiveable sin, such not recycling and not using the confused the pronouns of populism. There is no joy. People have limited or shut down power generation because it is good to do this, and they remain angry because it is never enough.
Joy does not exist, except in the forgiveness of sin - as defined by the Scriptures rather than the New York Times. Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), second only to love.
These fruits of the Spirit follow from faith in Jesus Christ. In an era where people are always praising grace, a large share of them ignore the plain and simple language of Romans 5
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.
By faith we have access to this grace. This is so clear that many people turn instead to false gods and to false messages, such as being born forgiven (Objective Justification - a bizarre claim found in many distortions of religion). Apart from faith, there is no forgiveness of sin. Apart from faith, there is only condemnation. The heart cannot be joyful apart from faith, grace, forgiveness.
References throughout the Bible to righteousness and saints are mistaken as a description of people who are perfect or nearly perfect. The labels mean - those who believe in Christ are righteous (forgiven) and holy (saints). Many believed in the Savior in the Old Testament. Adam and Eve were promised the Savior as they were being kicked out of Paradise, Genesis 3:15. Therefore, Eve saw her newborn son as that Savior. She had faith in Him even though her timeline was off. Genesis 4:1 - literally I have given birth to a boy-child, God.
and again I say, Rejoice.
In the midst of worries, tribulations, threats and gloom, it is especially import to rejoice in the communion of saints, believers, knowing everything is in God's hand.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Luther:
Rejoice with the joyful, weep with the mourning. Finally, be all things to all men, compelling them to confess you always agreeable, uniformly pleasant to mankind and on a level with everyone.
10. Such is the meaning of the little word here employed by the apostle - “epiikia,” equity, clemency, accommodation - and which we cannot better render than by “moderation” or “forbearance.” It is the virtue of adapting or accommodating oneself to another; of endorsing that other; of making all equal; of presenting a like attitude toward all men; not setting oneself up as a model and pattern; not desiring mankind to do homage to one, to conform to one’s position. Justice may be classified as severe and mild.
The problem with sects or cults is addressed here. The temptation to be "holier than thou" is strong, to reject those who do not belong and to make a big stink about it. Shunning, the stink-eye, and the Left Foot of Fellowship are all part of denominations today. They do not help or edify. They suggest that their only love is the Law, an especially crafted law.
The Lord is at hand.
The finale is close though we do not know when. Everything we worry about sinks to nothing in comparison. I see changes in the education field and wonder if I need a position at Walmart again. Then I realize that God has taken care of everything, far beyond anything I could imagine. I knew I was shut out of publishing when an accepted book (Catholic, Lutheran Protestant) was frozen out, but independent printing and blogs came along and literally formed a new congregation from the Internet.
6 Be careful for [anxious about] nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
In Peter Rabbit, the mother rabbit was always anxious. The more they said "Don't worry" the more she worried. This is a clear message about putting all our cares into God's hand, through Jesus Christ, as if the Savior is presenting our case Himself, and He is.
The reason so many clergy have gone silent is their fear. They told me so. The denominations love to use some as examples of that happens to those who speak up. But they are also examples of people (lay and clergy) who survive and thrive without Thriven or synod loot. The guilty leaders are always anxious and angry.
The Votum - Prayer
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
This prayer at the end of the sermon is an exhortation to stay with God's peace, complete forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ, beyond all comprehension. It will protect and guide our hearts (emotions) and our minds (our thinking) through the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Luther:
38. Note the beautiful logic and order of Paul’s teaching. The Christian is first to rejoice in God through faith and then show forbearance or kindness, to men. Should he ask, “How can I?” Paul answers, “The Lord is at hand.” “But how if I be persecuted and robbed?” Paul’s reply is, “In nothing be anxious. Pray to God. Let him care.” “But meanwhile I shall become weary and desolate.” “Not so; the peace of God shall keep you.” Let us now consider the last thought.
39. By the phrase, “the peace of God,” we must understand, not that calm and satisfied peace wherein God himself dwells, but the peace and contentment he produces in our hearts. It is called the “peace of God” in the same sense that the message of God which we hear and believe and speak is styled “the Word of God.” This peace is the gift of God, and is called the “peace of God” because, having it, we are at peace with him even if we are displeased with men.
40. This peace of God is beyond the power of mind and reason to comprehend. Understand, however, it is not beyond man’s power to experience - to be sensible of. Peace with God must be felt in the heart and conscience. How else could our “hearts and minds” be preserved “through Christ Jesus”? To illustrate the difference between the peace of God and the peace comprehensible by reason: They who know nothing of fleeing to God in prayer, when overtaken by tribulation and adversity and when filled with care and anxiety proceed to seek that peace alone which reason apprehends and which reason can secure. But reason apprehends no peace apart from a removal of the evil. Such a peace does not transcend the comprehension of reason; it is compatible with reason. They who pray not, rage and strive under the guidance of reason until they obtain a certain peace by fraudulent or forcible removal of the evil. Just as the wounded seeks to be healed. But they who rejoice in God, finding their peace in him, are contented. They calmly endure tribulation, not desiring what reason dictates as peace - removal of the evil. Standing firm, they await the inner strength wrought by faith. It is not theirs to inquire whether the evil will be short or long in duration, whether temporal or eternal; they give themselves no concern on this point, but ever leave it to God’s regulation.
They are not anxious to know when, how, where or by whom termination of the evil is to come. In return, God affords them grace and removes their evils, bestowing blessings beyond their expectations, or even desires.
41. This, mark you, is the peace of the cross, the peace of God, peace of conscience, Christian peace, which gives us even external calm, which makes us satisfied with all men and unwilling to disturb any. Reason cannot understand how there can be pleasure in crosses, and peace in disquietude; it cannot find these. Such peace is the work of God, and none can understand it until it has been experienced. Relative to this topic, it is said in the epistle for the second Sunday in Advent: “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” What the apostle there terms “peace in believing” he here calls “peace of God.”
