Ninth Sunday after Holy Trinity

Ninth Sunday after Holy Trinity

Ninth Sunday after Holy Trinity

Welcome to weekly Divine Service at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.A.  We are a congregation that confesses the Holy Bible as inerrant, that justification is by faith according to the Holy Bible and confessed in the 1580 Book of Concord, and a member congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.   God bless you.  Pastor Pautz.  Our contact information is:

2611 Lucas Street, Muscatine, IA 52761             

Church Phone: 563-263-0347

www.oursaviormuscatine.org     

email: oslcp@machlink.com 

Opening Hymn - 689 Let Me Be Thine Forever

P- In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
C- Amen. midi

The Confession of Sins

P- Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart
and confess our sins unto God our Father, 
beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
to grant us forgiveness.

 

Our Help is in the name of the Lord.
 

C- Who made heaven and earth. midi
 

P- I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
 

C- And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. midi
 

P- Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners
confess unto Thee that we are by nature sinful and unclean, 
and that we have sinned against Thee by thought, word, and deed.
Wherefore we flee for refuge to Thine infinite mercy, seeking and
imploring Thy grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.


C- O most merciful God, who has given Thine only begotten Son
to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us
remission of all our sins; and by the Holy Spirit increase in us
true knowledge of Thee and of Thy will and true obedience to Thy Word, 
to the end, that by Thy grace we may come to everlasting life; 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.


P- Almighty God our heavenly Father, hath had mercy upon us and hath given His only Son to die for us and for His sake forgiveth us all our sins.  To them that believe on His name
He giveth the power to become sons of God and hath promised them His Holy Spirit. 
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.  Grant this, Lord, unto us all.

C- Amen. midi

Introit

Behold, God is my | helper;*

    the Lord is with those who up- | hold my life.

He will repay my enemies for their | evil.*

    Cut them off | in Your truth. (Psalm 54:4-5)

Save me, O God, | by Your name,*

    and vindicate me | by Your strength.

Hear my | prayer, O God;*

    give ear to the words | of my mouth.

For strangers have risen up a- | gainst me,*

    they have not set God be- | fore them.

He has delivered me out of all | trouble;*

    and my eye has seen its desire upon my | enemies. (Psalm 54:1-3, 7)

Glory be to the Father and  | to the Son* and to the Holy  | Spirit;

     as it was in the be | ginning*, is now, and will be forever.   | Amen.

Behold, God is my | helper;*

    the Lord is with those who up- | hold my life.

He will repay my enemies for their | evil.*

    Cut them off | in Your truth.

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; 
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. midi

The Kyrie

Lord have mercy upon us, 
Christ have mercy upon us, 
Lord have mercy upon us. midi

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory be to God on high: And on earth peace, good will toward men. 
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, 
we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory. 
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. 
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; 
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, 
That takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. 
Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. 
For thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord. 
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, 
art most high in the glory of God the Father. 
Amen. midi
 

The Salutation

P- The Lord be with you.
C- And with thy spirit.midi
P- Let us Pray (Collect of the Day)
C- Amen. midi

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON     2 Samuel 22:26–34           

David’s Song after Deliverance from His Enemies

26“With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.  28You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.  29For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.  30For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.  31This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.  32“For who is God, but the LORD?  And who is a rock, except our God?  33This God is my strong refuge  and has made my way blameless.  34He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

Epistle Lesson    1 Corinthians 10:6–13             

Israel's History as an Example For Us

6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Gradual

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! midi

Gospel Lesson  -  Luke 16:1–9                                                       

The Dishonest Manager

1He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

C- Glory be to Thee, O Lord. midi

P- Here endeth the Gospel
C- Praise be to Thee, O Christ. midi

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
Suffered and died under Pontius Pilate, was crucified dead and buried; He descended into Hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Christian Church, the  communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn of the Day - 730 What Is The World To Me

The Sermon

The Offertory

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me, 
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. 
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. 
Amen. midi
The General Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread and Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass  against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory; Forever and ever. Amen.

The Words of Institution

Angus Dei

Distribution Hymns

750 If Thou But Trust In God To Guide Thee

801 How Great Thou Art

758 The Will Of God Is Always Best

536 One Thing's Needful

Nunc Dimittis

The Benediction

P- The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee,
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.
C- Amen, Amen, Amen. midi

Closing Hymn - 924 Lord, Dismiss Us With Your Blessing

July 29 Announcements

July 29 Announcements

July 29 Announcements

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER HOLY TRINITY

Sunday, July 29 at 9:00am  and Monday, July 30 at 6:00pm

AUGUST NEWSLETTER is available in the magazine rack at church.

Today's Sunday Bible Study Notes - Introduction to the Epistle of James

Last Wednesday's Matins Service

Last Sunday's Divine Service

Thank you to all parents, teachers, and children who made Vacation Bible School so successful

Divine Service  184  Hymns  689, 730, 750, 801, 758, 536, 924

COLLECT FOR THE DAY

Let Your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

IN OUR PRAYERS

Physical Illness +Jay Fegley - recuperating at Premier Estates +John Francis (Mary’s husband) treatment +Isabella (Jerry & Peggy Hart’s granddaughter) need for second bone marrow transplant +Tom Fritz (Mary Francis’ brother) hospice care +Lillian Graf hospice care +Juliette (John & Carolyn Yeater’s great-granddaughter) heart surgery Mental Illness   Seminary +Tom Van Hemert  (Liz’s husband) vicar Homebound +Lucille Wingerter  - recuperating at Premier Estates +Marvin (Bud) Plank

THANK YOU FOR SERVING                Next Sunday

Pastor              Jeffrey Pautz               Pastor                 Jeffrey Pautz

Organist          Susan Eversmeyer      Organist             Susan Eversmeyer

Elder Group   Seth Francis                 Elder Group      David Lord

Flowers           -                                   Flowers              Aaron & Susan Eversmeyer

Greeters John Buttke Greeters            -

Introduction to the Epistle of James

Introduction to the Epistle of St. James

Introduction to the Epistle of St. James

The Epistle (Letter) of James

Introduction

July 29, 2018

 

The letter was written sometime between 35 and 50 A.D.

It is written during the first persecution of the church, encouraging Jewish-Christians to remain faithful.

Jesus rose in 33 A.D.  Stephen was martyred in 35 A.D.  The Apostolic Conference in Jerusalem, which settled the Jewish-Gentile problem, took place in 52 A.D.

The letter was written by James to Jewish Christians in the diaspora before the Jewish-Gentile problem.  There is no doctrine that is addressed in-depth. There is no doctrine that contradicts any doctrine in the rest of the Bible, even the doctrine of justification by faith.

Who is James?  Here is a sketch but as R.C. Lenski wrote: We might precipitate the reader into the thorny brush from which very few have emerged without having had their exegetical robes badly torn.

He is not the apostle James the son of Zebedee who is also the brother to the apostle John.

In Galatians 1:19, Paul calls James “the brother of the Lord.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul speaks of the fact that “the brothers of the Lord” had wives.

In Matthew 13:55, 12:46, and Mark 6:3, four brothers and several sisters are mentioned.  The word “brothers” is thought to solve the problem and any argument against is due to Roman reverence of Mary and the teaching of semper virgo.  Protestants don’t have undue reverence for Mary but might come to a similar conclusion…

Nowhere is it written: the sons or children of Mary or of Joseph and Mary.

In Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3, the people of Nazareth ask “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.  The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 6:3.

In Acts 1:14, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.  The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ac 1:14.

In John 19:25, Jesus commits His mother to the apostle John.  Why does He not commit them to James (the author of the letter) or Jude (the author of Jude) or to the other brothers or sisters.  It is written in John 7:5 that even His brothers did not believe in Him. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jn 7:5.  But James believed when Jesus appeared to James after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7).

To say that “His brother’s” equals “Mary gave birth to” is to beg the question.

Certainty is not possible.  But here are a few suggestions:

Mary’s sister could be the mother of these other children.  Two widows could share one house and raise the children. John 19:25.

Joseph could be the father by an earlier marriage.  But little evidence for this.

So, you may hold to semper virgo or not.  You may argue from the facts but not definitively.

 

Is James an apostle?

In Galatians 1:19, James is not considered as an apostle.  But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.  The addition except James the Lord’s brother does not mean that he did see another apostle but that he saw one other man, a leading person who was so important that he should be named along with Peter.  The other man is James. So, Paul distinguishes James from the other apostles, however, in Galatians 2:9, he mentions him before Peter and John as one of the pillars of the church.  (By this time James the son of Zebedee is dead).

James is the chief elder of the congregation at Jerusalem from its beginning until his death in the mid-60’s.  He presided at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). He summed up the council and informed the congregations.  In Acts 13:17, Peter sends word to James of his escape from Herod. In Gal. 1:19, 2:9-12, and Acts 21:18, James is in the same position in Jerusalem.  In 1 Corinthians 15:7, Jesus appeared after His resurrection to James. This is when James first believed.

Jerusalem’s population (estimate) during the time of Jesus was about 25,000 (the size of our Muscatine today). The number of Jewish Christians at the time of the persecution (estimate) was about 5,000.  This is about 20% of the cities population. These Jewish-Christians were gathering in synagogues (house churches) that confessed Jesus as Messiah to receive the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:46) but also took part in the temple worship with the Jews.  These synagogues/house churches usually gathered in up to 50 congregants. This means (estimate) that there were about 100 pastors for about 100 congregations of 50ish people each. These congregations did not view themselves as separated congregations but as the church in Jerusalem.  At first, the apostles (Peter and James the son of Zebedee) served as the pastors of this church but elders were eventually established to care for each congregation such as Stephen and James (the author). After Peter was exiled and James, son of Zebedee, died, James received oversight of the church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:17-18) but was never considered an apostle.


The Epistle of James is part of the New Testament canon.  It was circulated among the Gentiles later than other epistles even though it was the earliest epistle written.  Luther called it a “strawy epistle” but always accepted it as canonical. The Romans tried to use James chapter 2 to argue against Romans chapter 3 concerning justification by faith.  Upon a closer look, they agree on Christ’s teaching. We will examine that later.

Matins Service - July 25, 2018

Matins Service - July 25, 2018

Matins Service - July 25, 2018

Welcome to every Wednesday morning Matins Service at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.A.  We are a congregation that confesses the Holy Bible as inerrant, that justification is by faith according to the Holy Bible and confessed in the 1580 Book of Concord, and a member congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.   God bless you.  Pastor Pautz.  Our contact information is:

2611 Lucas Street, Muscatine, IA 52761             

Church Phone: 563-263-0347

www.oursaviormuscatine.org     

email: oslcp@machlink.com