Dialogue Service Coming

Friday after Pentecost 4

Independence Day (United States of America)

The Lord be with you

What is a “Dialogue Service”? It is a basic liturgical worship service interspersed with commentary (the dialogue) about the various parts of the service. So, for example, prior to the confession of sins someone says:

Scripture teaches that we are born sinful and continue to sin even after we become Christians (Psalm 51:5; 1 John 1:8). Scripture also teaches that our Holy God is too pure to look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). So we are urged to confess our sins to God and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:8), which is exactly what we do in this preparatory part of the service. Kneeling is historically a position of humility and submission, reflecting our position before God as repentant sinners. While the Pastor leads us in this confession, he also confesses his own sin and thus kneels facing the altar with the congregation.

Then the service proceeds with the confession of sins. Then a commentator reads the dialogue concerning the absolution which is followed by the actual absolution.

There is a tremendous amount of thought and theology encased in a traditional worship service. That includes, not only what is said, but when various portions of a traditional worship service happens. A dialogue worship unpacks much (but by no means all) of this thinking. It thus makes for a for informed and (hopefully) richer worship experience.

One knock on such services is that they break the flow of the service. This is a true critique. However, those who do this sort of thing are hoping for long-term benefits. That is to say, it is hoped that the worshiper remembers some of the thinking and theology in the following weeks, months and even years.

We will have a Dialogue Worship Service at Lamb of God on Sunday, July 27. We will be using the Divine Service, Fourth Setting, from the Lutheran Service Book. To accommodate the longer time we will need for the liturgy the sermon will be no more than five minutes. To put this another way, most of the message for the day will be carried in the commentary on the worship service.

We hope this service will be a blessing to all, both long-time Lutherans and visitors.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Rickert

Worship for Pentecost 4 - 2014

Thursday after Pentecost 3

July 3, 2014

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. With this Sunday we are rotating our worship liturgies. On non-communion Sundays, like the one coming up, we will use the Service of Prayer and Preaching (page 260). For Communion services we will use the Divine Service, setting four (page 203).

Prayer and Preaching follows a monastic format. It includes readings from the Catechism. It also uses the Psalm for the Day instead of the Introit for the Day. Because Karen will not be with us, we will speak the Psalm responsively. The appointed Psalm is Psalm 145:1-14 and the antiphon is verse 19. The appointed lessons are Zechariah 9:9-12, Romans 7:14-25a and Matthew 11:25-30. The text for the sermon is Romans 7:21 and the message is titled, “What’s Wrong With Me?”

Our opening hymn will be “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” (LSB 707). This well-known hymn by Isaac Watts is the subject of a little study I posted yesterday. If you read it, you will be better prepared to sing our opening hymn with a richer appreciation for, and understanding of, its words. Our sermon hymn will be “Renew Me, O Eternal Light” (LSB 704). Our closing hymn will be “Come unto Me, Ye Weary” (LSB 684). All hymns are well known to the congregation.

BTW, the hymn study I posted is the first in a series which I hope to keep up at least through the summer. To learn a bit more about it you can read the post “Hymns vs. CCM?”, which I posted on Monday.

Below is a video of “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways,” sung by the Lutheran Warbler.

Our Sunday morning Bible hour begins at 9:00 am. We will continue with chapter two of Ruth. Everyone is welcome.

What now follows is first a summary of Sunday’s lessons, provided by the LC-MS, and then the actual lessons.

Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Is Our True Peace and Sabbath Rest

Though we have died with Christ in Holy Baptism, and we are raised to new life in Him, we find “another law waging war” in our body and life, that is, between our old Adam and the new man (Rom. 7:23). By the Spirit of Christ, we “desire to do what is right,” but we are not able to do so because “nothing good” dwells in our sinful flesh (Rom. 7:18). “Thanks be to God,” therefore, “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” who delivers us from “this body of death” (Rom. 7:24–25). We rejoice in Him, our gentle King, who comes “righteous and having salvation” (Zech. 9:9). He speaks peace to our embattled hearts, and by His blood of the New Testament He sets us “free from the waterless pit,” and He returns us to the stronghold of our Baptism (Zech. 9:10–12). Though we “labor and are heavy laden,” He calls us to Himself and gives rest to our souls through His free and full forgiveness (Matt. 11:28), not because we are “wise and understanding,” but by the “gracious will” of God the Father, whom “the Son chooses to reveal” in love (Matt. 11:25–27).

Zechariah 9:9-12

⁹         Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

                   Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

          Behold, your king is coming to you;

                   righteous and having salvation is he,

          humble and mounted on a donkey,

                   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

¹⁰        I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

                   and the war horse from Jerusalem;

          and the battle bow shall be cut off,

                   and he shall speak peace to the nations;

          his rule shall be from sea to sea,

                   and from the River to the ends of the earth.

¹¹        As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

                   I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

¹²        Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

                   today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Romans 7:14-25a

¹⁴        For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. ¹⁵For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹        So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! …

Matthew 11:25-30

²⁵        At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Psalm 145:1-14, 19

¹         I will extol you, my God and King,

                   and bless your name forever and ever.

²         Every day I will bless you

                   and praise your name forever and ever.

³         Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

                   and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴         One generation shall commend your works to another,

                   and shall declare your mighty acts.

⁵         On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

                   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

⁶         They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

                   and I will declare your greatness.

⁷         They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

                   and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸         The Lord is gracious and merciful,

                   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹         The Lord is good to all,

                   and his mercy is over all that he has made.

¹⁰        All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

                   and all your saints shall bless you!

¹¹        They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

                   and tell of your power,

¹²        to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

                   and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

¹³        Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

                   and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

          [The Lord is faithful in all his words

                   and kind in all his works.]

¹⁴        The Lord upholds all who are falling

                   and raises up all who are bowed down. …

¹⁹        He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

                   he also hears their cry and saves them.

Some Quick Notes:

• The officers of the LW-ML will have a meeting following Sunday’s worship service.

• Our new officers will be installed in our Sunday service July 20. Please remember that the new chairs of the various boards are looking for board members. If you are asked to serve, please, for the sake of Christ and his Church, agree.

• Our Summer Series, “Resolving Everyday Conflict,” has begun. Every Wednesday, through August 13, we are gathering to learn what Scripture says about the source of conflict and how to resolve it in God pleasing ways.

• The July newsletter is available. Just go to the newsletter link in the pages column on this blog.

Well, I pray we will see you Sunday morning.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert

Pastor on KUFO

Wednesday after Pentecost 4

The Lord be with you

Yesterday I was the guest on HIS Time, a program on KUFO radio, the official radio station of the LC-MS. The show has three segments and I was on two of them. One is called the daily lectionary and I waxed eloquent on the text of Acts 10:18-33. The link below will let you listen to that portion of the program.

LINK

Following the Daily Lectionary they move to Matins and I was the guest preacher. Actually it is more like a sermonette as the message isn't quite five minutes long. The text for the message is again Acts 10:18-33. The link below will let you listen to the scripture lesson read and the message.(Oh, by the way, my first name is John, not Sam. I do have a nephew named Samuel.)

LINK

I doubt they will be asking me to be the next Lutheran Hour Speaker, but it isn't bad.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Offers from Issues, Etc.

Dear Pastor, How should Christians respond to the challenging questions raised by the curious, the skeptics, or even the New Atheists? Find answers in our recent series with the contributors to the book Making the Case for Christianity: Responding to Modern Questions. Also, is demon possession real? What does Biblical spiritual warfare look like? We answer these questions and more in our series with Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett, author of I Am Not Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare. Click here to listen to both of these radio series, and to find out more about both of these great books.  Thanks for listening! Wir sind alle Bettler,   Todd Wilken, host Issues, Etc. www.issuesetc.org

Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways

A Bible Study Inspired by A Hymn

Primary Bible Passages: Psalm 119:5, 33, 133, 176; Ezekiel 34:11–12; Matthew 18:12–14

("Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways," Lutheran Service Book 707)

Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways

      To keep His statutes still!

Oh, that my God would grant me grace

      To know and do His will!

Isaac Watts

Order my footsteps by Thy Word

      And make my heart sincere;

Let sin have no dominion, Lord,

      But keep my conscience clear.

Assist my soul, too apt to stray,

      A stricter watch to keep;

And should I e’er forget Thy way,

      Restore Thy wand’ring sheep.

Make me to walk in Thy commands—

      ’Tis a delightful road—

Nor let my head or heart or hands

      Offend against my God.

“Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the Father of English hymnody. The hymn is basically a prayer, asking God to help the singer live within God’s will and, if he should stray, that the Lord would bring him back. Everything is in God’s hands. As it is a prayer, an “amen” at the end is certainly appropriate. It will be the opening hymn this coming Sunday.

Watts’ opening line of verse 1 echoes Psalm 119:5:

            Oh that my ways may be steadfast

                        in keeping your statutes!

The Psalmist desires to walk in God’s ways, guided by his statutes. But how can we know what that way is? The Psalmist has an answer.

            Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

                        and I will keep it to the end (33).

This is the same answer Watts has, “Oh, that my God would grant me grace To know and do His will!” By his grace God teaches us his will through the Word of God, the Bible. Without the Word of God we would never stumble upon his ways (though many have thought they have). This is what Bible studies, Sunday school, Sunday worship, and so on, do. This is what we are instructed to do in the Great Commission, to go and teach everything Christ has commanded us (Matthew 28:20).

In his second verse Watts is even clearer about how we discover God’s will and know how to walk in it. “Order my footsteps [O God] by Thy Word.” That is where we find his “statutes” (verse 1). This is no appeal to some feeling we have in our heart or some desire lodged in our minds, but to the Scriptures, the Bible. Yes, temptation comes; seeking to draw us away from God’s revealed word. But, with Watts we pray that the blood of Christ will keep our conscience clear and through the word we cling to Christ and his direction in our lives. Watts’ words are an echo of the Psalmists words:

            Keep steady my steps according to your promise,

                        and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

            Redeem me from man's oppression,

                        that I may keep your precepts. (Psalm 119:133-134)

Notice how the Psalmist uses the word “redeem.” No one can keep the Law of God perfectly so we always need our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is the one who keeps our conscience clean. “Man’s oppression” does not have to mean physical persecution, like many Christians suffer under oppressive governments. It can also be oppression through generally accepted cultural norms that oppress living as God desires and directs us to sinful lifestyles, deeming them “normal.” How many “heroes” and “heroines” depicted in television shows and movies are crass adulterers? How many take the law into their own hands, even murdering others? How many curse and swear? Consider the oppressive message of our culture in light of Galatians 5:19-23. Does our culture hold up as models those who exhibit the fruits of the flesh or the fruits of the Spirit?

            Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:19-23)

In verse 3 Watts echoes the thought found in Psalm 119:176 (the final verse of this great Psalm):

            I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,

                        for I do not forget your commandments

Watts recognizes that our Old Man, our sinful nature, is always drawn away from God and his word, as does the Psalmist. Our hope is not in ourselves but in the Lord, who seeks us out when we stray and is our source of strength to resist temptation and remain loyal to the Lord. Both Watts and the Psalmist recognize that true faith doesn’t mean no temptation. We do stumble, for we are both sinners and saints. But God seeks us out. One is reminded of the short parable Jesus once told.

            What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14)

We will come back to this parable.

Verse four of Watts’ hymn comes full circle. He again expresses the desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, the ways revealed in the Bible. Only by his word can we guard our ways. Only by his word can we not offend the Lord. Only by his word can we understand what is truly pleasing in God’s sight. The devil, the world and our sinful nature will lead us astray. Often we read something in the Bible that seems counterintuitive. Consider again the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. Which is the better way to go? It may seem “natural” to go with the fruits of the flesh, but that is the nature of the Old Man. The “unnatural” way is the fruits of the Spirit. In fact it is so unnatural that it is really supernatural. That is why it has to be worked in us by the Holy Spirit.

Now I said I’d come back to the lost sheep analogy Jesus used. Here Jesus echoes a well know theme from the Old Testament. Ezekiel expresses it like this:  

            “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.(Ezekiel 34:11-12)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd in his story and God is the Good Shepherd in Ezekiel. How remarkable it is that God seeks out his wandering sheep (“Assist my soul, too apt to stray”). But how does he do this? Through his word, certainly, but how is that done? It is done through the word when the word changes our lives and gives us a heart like Jesus’. Being a Christian isn’t just about going to heaven, but also about how we live. So Peter writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

The Lord doesn’t give up on his baptized children, even when they stray. He sends his word after them through his other children, his other sheep. Do you know someone who has strayed from the Christian faith? Do you pray for them? Do you seek them out and winsomely witness to them? In this age of the internet, even great distances are reduced to nothing. We can reach out with the love of God in Jesus Christ to both wandering sheep near and far. May the Lord lay on each of our hearts someone who has wandered from the faith that we may be his agents of his love, his word, to them. 

For those of you who love CCM, you might want to ask yourselves how the message of Watts' hymn and his theology might be reproduced in a pop song. 

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor John Rickert