A CRIPPLE AND A KING

by Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

I am very grateful to God for the privilege and blessing of being able to live in a place and at a time where and when good medical care is available. The last few months both my wife and I have had orthopedic surgery. My wife had total hip replacement surgery in early August, and then because of a complication had to have a second surgery nine days later. I tried to be a good care giver. I developed a real sense of appreciation for the many people in our congregations who are care givers. As my wife was getting better every day, I also developed a real heart for people who are care givers for people who are not getting better.

Fortunately my wife continued to improve and was cleared for driving in time for me to have total knee replacement surgery in mid-October. She has now transferred her walker and cane to me.

Dealing with three orthopedic surgeries in just over two months, and all the limited mobility and physical therapy that they involve, I am very grateful to live in a place and at a time where and when good and rehabilitative orthopedic care is available. It also got me to thinking about a young man in the Bible who became lame from a very serious injury when he was only five years old. He did not have good orthopedic care. Rather his injury severely impacted the rest of his life. His story also speaks to me as I anticipate Reformation Sunday.

2 Samuel 9 tells of the time after David had united all twelve tribes into one glorious kingdom. He had defeated all his foes and is now living in peace and prosperity. As he is sitting on his throne, he begins to wonder if anyone in Saul’s family is still alive. He summons a man by the name of Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants.

No doubt Ziba is very suspicious when David asks, “Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba knows full well that normally it would be a new king’s policy, once his own kingdom is secure, to eliminate anyone remaining from the former dynasty. For as long as even one person is still alive from the former family, that person could be a threat to the throne. But in spite of any misgivings Ziba still answers honestly. “There remains a son of Jonathan,” he says. But then, to downplay any notion that Mephibosheth could ever be a threat, he adds, “He is crippled in his feet.”

The king persists, “Where is he?” Ziba answers. “He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” “At Lo-debar” – as if to say, “He lives across the river, way out in the sticks; I would not give him a second thought.” But the king persists, “As long as there is one descendant left, I want him brought here.” And so David sends for Mephibosheth, whom the Bible describes as “son of Jonathan son of Saul,” as if to remind us that this crippled boy is the only survivor of that half-crazed lunatic who had spent a big part of the best years of his life chasing a personal enemy, David.

2 Samuel 4: 4 tells us how Mephibosheth had become crippled. He was only five years old when the Israelites lost in battle to the Philistines and both his grandfather Saul and his father Jonathan were killed. As the news reached the king’s house Mephibosheth’s nurse picked him up and fled. In her haste to flee, the five-year-old fell and became lame.

Now – many years later – a crippled boy enters the throne room of the most powerful man in that part of the world. He falls on his face and does obeisance. I am sure that this was not a graceful bow. Rather it was a very scared teenager, who dropped his crutches and then fell face down flat on the floor in front of everyone. Lying there, shaking, wondering what was going to happen to him next.

But David leans forward and says, “Mephibosheth.” Somewhere from that crippled, disabled body, a very scared-sounding voice says, “I am your servant.” The King draws near. “Mephibosheth, you have absolutely no reason to be afraid of me. I asked you to come here so that I could be kind to you. I want to be kind to you because of the promise I made to your father, Jonathan. I loved your dad, and your dad loved me. So I want to show God’s kindness to you in any way that I can. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.” The astonished boy raises his head just enough for two very scared-looking eyes to peer out and for a very frightened voice to say, “Why would you care about a dead dog like me?” Tenth century B. C. Hebrew people had a very low view of dogs, and anything dead was vile and unclean. So for Mephibosheth to call himself a dead dog was basically to describe himself as a stinking pile of garbage.

He had known insults all his life. Mephibosheth was not even his real name. 1 Chronicles 8 and 9 tell us that his birth name was Merib-baal, which means “Hero of Baal.” In spite of its connection with a pagan deity, in the minds of many it was a name of honor. But as time went on, people began calling him not Merib-baal “Hero of Baal,” but Mephibosheth, which means “Man of Shame.” And so, as he lay on the floor before the king in his moment of greatest personal vulnerability, I have a feeling that a lifetime of name-calling and ridicule began flooding over him, as he heard once again all the humiliating insults that he had received from those who considered him to be worthless and despicable. Mephibosheth – Man of Shame. And so he said, “Why would you care about a dead dog like me?”

But the king did not treat him with the disdain that he was accustomed to. David repeats, “I loved your dad and your dad loved me. Because of my love for your dad and the promise I made to him, I want to give back to you everything that you have lost. Your grandfather’s houses and lands – from now on they will all be yours. And Ziba and his sons and servants will now be your servants.” But even with all that, the king had not finished lavishing his amazing grace upon this totally astonished, crippled boy. “Mephibosheth, all that is now yours. But I also want to give you one more thing. I want you to live in the palace with me. I want you to sleep in my house. And every evening, when I eat my dinner, I want you to be at the table with me.” Can you even imagine how all that must have sounded to a crippled Mephibosheth – a Man of Shame – as he was lying on the floor – totally amazed over the king’s grace?

Mephibosheth reminds me of a German monk by the name of Martin Luther who – when he discovered the Gospel – was also amazed over the Heavenly King’s grace. At first Luther was deathly afraid of God, because he saw God as a harsh judge who made demands and had a level of expectations that Luther would never be able to meet and satisfy. The harder he tried, the more he saw himself falling behind. But then – through his study of the Bible – he discovered the Gospel – that we are justified by His grace as a gift (Romans 3: 24). Through faith in Jesus and His death and resurrection we can receive forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, and a sure and certain standing before God that we would never be able to achieve through our own efforts.

And you and I are like Mephibosheth. Before the King of Heaven drew us near, we were running from Him in brokenness and shame. Too scared to come into His presence because we were certain He would only judge and condemn. But one day He summoned us – or at a time of great personal need we came to Him, trembling. He responded in a way we never would have expected. He reached out and touched us and gently said, “Don’t be afraid. I want to give you back everything that you have lost because of sin. I want you to inherit all the riches of Heaven. And even more than that, I want you to be My child and live with Me forever.” When we protested, “Why would you bother with a worthless loser like me?” He answers, “Because I love you and because of the promises I made to you.”

Think for a moment about your life – your status – your being in the Kingdom of God. Why in the world would the King of Heaven want you at His family table? Is it because of your goodness, holiness, wonderful personality, or even your spiritual potential? The Bible answers with a very flat, unflattering No. As Romans 5 says: “Christ died for the ungodly.” Jesus did not die for good and deserving people. (Of which there aren’t any.) Rather “while we were sinners Christ died for us.” “While we were His enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”

Ephesians 2 – When we were dead in trespasses and sin, He loved us and made us alive. He raised us with Christ and gave us a seat at His heavenly dining room table. And all this He did because that’s just the kind of God He is and because of the promises He made to us. He specializes in restoring people who have been crippled by sin and giving them a place at His heavenly table.

Years later Mephibosheth had a young son whom he named Mica, which means, “Who is like the Lord?” Imagine the joy and gratitude that Mephibosheth must have felt at the time of the birth of his son. Perhaps he thought, “I never would have dreamed that I would live to see a day like today. Not only did I survive. I am richly blessed. I am a wealthy man. I am part of the family of the king. And now I have a family of my own. God has given me a son. Every time I look into the face of my boy, I will always ask myself, ‘Mica? Who is like the Lord?’” The answer, of course, is that nobody is like the Lord.

2 Samuel 9 concludes with these words. “Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table.” And then it reminds us of Mephibosheth’s condition by adding, “He was lame in both his feet.”

We too are crippled in so many ways by sin. We too, like Mephibosheth, have been invited to become children of a King. Mica – Who is like the Lord? Like Mephibosheth, will we accept the invitation?

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy and see if she is there. Ready? One, two, three…Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning boys and girls! Pastor, I have a question for you.

Pastor: I am ready for your question, Sammy.

Sammy: What are taxes?

Pastor: Well, paying taxes means that adults give part of the money we earn to the government.

Sammy: You give money to the government?

Pastor: Yes. When adults go to work, they earn money, and part of the money they earn goes to the government. Most of us don’t even see the money that goes to the government. They take it from our paychecks.

Sammy: They steal your money?!

Pastor: No, it’s not stealing our money. We are required to give some of our money in taxes.

Sammy: But what does the government do with the money?

Pastor: Well, some of the money is used for building roads, improving schools, and helping people in need.

Sammy: We help people in need at church.

Pastor: Yes we do. One of the things we do as a church is we give money as an offering to the church and to God. 

Sammy: Hang on. Adults give money to taxes and to the church? Do they have any money left?

Pastor: Yes they do. The church uses the money from gifts to serve and love God and the people in our community of faith. Boys and girls, what are some of the things we do as a church to help people?

[Allow time for responses]

Sammy: These are all great ministries and events in our church.

Pastor: Yes they are. We have to remember that even our time is a gift. When Jesus talks about giving to God what belongs to him, he doesn’t just mean our money. He wants us to give him our time. When we help with ministries at church, or we sing in the children’s choir, or we read our Bibles, we are giving God our time.

Sammy: I like that we can give God our time–I don’t have much money at all.

Pastor: That’s okay, Sammy. You know what? Let’s all give God our time right now. Boys and girls, will you please pray with me? Dear Jesus, thank you for our country. Thank you for our church. Help us to give our time and our gifts. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

We are searching for a new Senior Pastor at Mount of Olives Church in Mission Viejo, California.

Please check out the job description (and video) on the search firm’s website: https://www.vanderbloemen.com/job/senior-pastor-mount-of-olives-church/

The link to the Pastoral Call page on the church’s website is https://moochurch.org/home/senior-pastor-call

September 2026

Dear Friends in Christ –

The First Reading for September 13 from Genesis 50 is the culmination of the account of the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.  There is something absolutely amazing going on here – the healing and restoring of a broken relationship through confession, repentance, and the giving and receiving of forgiveness.   

A few chapters before Judah had offered to stay behind in Egypt in place of Benjamin in order to not break their father’s heart.  Here we see the selfless act of a person who is willing to suffer the punishment that was coming to someone else.  And that person is a biological ancestor of Jesus. 

The brothers go back home, knowing full well that they are now going to have to tell old Jacob, “Joseph is still alive.”  The problem is that in saying that they are going to have to tell their father what they did twenty-two years before. 

Reconciliation and restored relationship are not about avoiding difficult conversations or uncomfortable, unpleasant situations or covering them up.  Instead reconciliation and restored relationship always require telling the truth. 

The miracle of rebuilt trust and community takes truth telling, confession, repentance, and forgiveness.  And that is what happens here.  After twenty-two years it happens here.  For the first time – finally – they are a family.     

Where in your life is a relationship that needs reconciliation?  Where have you been most deeply hurt by someone?  And/or where have you most deeply hurt someone else? 

 Think about the one who hurt you.  You might think, he or she does not deserve to be forgiven.  Maybe he or she does not deserve it.  Neither did Joseph’s brothers deserve it.  Neither do you and I deserve it.

Forgive him or her anyway.  Do it because of the One who also was stripped of His robe, who also was deserted and betrayed, and who said, “I will pay the price.  I will bear the cross.  Let the punishment fall on me.”

What made Joseph able to endure – and endure so graciously – so many years of being mistreated and not take revenge on his brothers?  The same three things that can make us able to endure it.  Three things that are mentioned in Genesis 50 and Matthew 18, the First Reading and Gospel for September 13. 

1. Knowing that their father had told him to do it.  In Genesis 50: 16-17 Joseph’s brothers approach him saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died.  ‘Forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’”
2. Knowing how much he had been forgiven.  In contrast Matthew 18: 23-35 tell of a man who had been forgiven ten thousand talents (a huge amount) who refused to forgive one hundred denarii (a much smaller amount).
3. Knowing that God makes all things work together for good.   In Genesis 50: 20 Joseph said to his brothers, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” 

We all need to forgive – and we all need to be forgiven. We all need the sweet promise of Psalm 103: 12 (part of the Psalm for September 13).  “As far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.”  

It is very true what has often been said that the person whom we refuse to forgive will always hold power over us.  But there is also a very strange corollary which seems to be the way the ELCA thinks and operates.  You will lose power if you forgive.  You will lose power over the one whom you choose to forgive.  And power is what it is all about.       

The apostle Paul wrote, “The law kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3: 6).  With the law, no matter how much you do, it is never enough.  You always need to do better and more.  The law is a relentless, cruel, never-satisfied task master.

The same thing is true of the ELCA’s constantly calling on us to repent of racism, sexism, male dominance, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, and Islamophobia.  No matter how much we repent, it is never enough.  We will always need to grovel and repent more.  How long will the ELCA keep on calling on us to repent of the same things?  And why are they doing this?  I believe for two reasons.  First, at the heart of all this is a massive self-righteousness.  They are woke. They are not guilty of all the awful things that other people – especially old white people with traditional views – are guilty of.  And second, I believe that they want to so demolish the courage, will, and self-confidence of old white people with traditional views that they will not resist as the woke totally take over. 

As we learn more, we will keep you informed about how the stage is being set for an even more complete takeover at the 2028 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement, and faithful financial support, all of which enable us to do our work of being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.  Please find below links you can use to give a gift towards our regular operating expenses.  Your prayers are especially important to us.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you. 

In the Name of Jesus, who removes our sins as far as the east is from the west,  

 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
P.O. Box 1741
Wausau WI 54402-1741

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I have been reflecting recently on my own upbringing and, in doing so, have come to an uncomfortable realization.

My parents were faithful Christians. We attended church regularly. We prayed before meals. We prayed before bedtime. I attended Sunday school and was confirmed. My parents sincerely believed in Jesus Christ and made certain that I received a Christian education.

Yet we almost never talked about God.

Faith belonged in church. Religious education belonged to the pastor, Sunday school teachers, and confirmation instructors. At home, we lived as Christians, but we rarely discussed why we believed what we believed or what God’s Word meant for our daily lives.

Looking back, I do not blame my parents. They simply reflected the culture in which they had been raised. They likely assumed the pastor was better equipped to teach the faith. Whatever the reason, faith became something practiced primarily on Sunday rather than intentionally woven into everyday family life.

The surprising part is that I repeated the same pattern with my own children. Only much later did I realize that I had unintentionally passed along the model I had inherited.

Then something unexpected happened.

My wife began reading the Bible faithfully. I was genuinely pleased that she had taken such an interest in God’s Word, yet I found myself strangely uncomfortable. Looking back, I cannot fully explain why. I believed the Bible was God’s inspired and authoritative Word. I attended church faithfully. Yet seeing someone intentionally engage Scripture every day somehow exposed how little I had done the same.

Eventually, I decided to listen to the entire Bible in one year. That simple decision changed my life.

The more I immersed myself in God’s Word, the more I wanted to understand it. One year of listening became years of study. Today, to my own amazement, I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Orthodox Lutheran Theology. Had someone predicted that twenty years ago, I would have laughed.

Looking back, I now understand something that Martin Luther understood nearly five hundred years ago.

Following the Reformation, Luther was deeply troubled by the widespread ignorance of Scripture among ordinary Christians. During the Saxon Visitations, he discovered that many people, including those expected to teach others, knew very little of the Christian faith. His response was not merely to educate pastors.

He wrote the Small Catechism for fathers and mothers.

Again and again, before each chief part, Luther repeats the simple instruction:

“As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.”

That sentence may be one of the most overlooked in Lutheranism. Even more striking are Luther’s opening words in the Preface to the Small Catechism:

“The deplorable, miserable condition which I recently observed when visiting the parishes has constrained and compelled me to prepare this Catechism.”

Luther was not lamenting the failures of society. He was lamenting that Christians no longer knew the basics of their own faith.

His solution was revolutionary in its simplicity. Return God’s Word to the home. This was never Luther’s idea alone. It is deeply biblical.

Through Moses, God commanded His people:

“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

Likewise, Psalm 78 declares that one generation is to tell the next “the glorious deeds of the Lord” so that “they should set their hope in God.”

The Apostle Paul instructs fathers:

“Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

And Paul reminds Timothy that from childhood he had known the Holy Scriptures, “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15)

Notice what all of these passages have in common. The primary responsibility for passing on the faith belongs in the home.

Pastors assist in that calling.

Congregations support it.

Christian schools strengthen it.

But none of them replace it.

Perhaps one of the greatest barriers today is not unbelief but discomfort.

Many Christians sincerely believe, yet feel awkward discussing God with their spouses, children, or grandchildren. They fear they do not know enough. They worry someone might ask a question they cannot answer. They assume religion is best left to the professionals.

I understand that feeling because I lived it.

Even after confirmation, intentionally talking about religion made me feel strangely uncomfortable. It almost felt as though I were becoming someone I was not. Looking back, I realize it was not because I lacked faith.

It was because I lacked practice.

No one had ever modeled ordinary conversations about God’s Word around the dinner table or during daily life.

The remarkable discovery was that the discomfort gradually disappeared as I spent more time immersed in Scripture.

Confidence does not come from knowing every answer. Confidence comes from becoming familiar with God’s Word.

Parents do not need theology degrees.

They simply need to be willing to open the Bible, read it together, pray together, and occasionally say, “I don’t know the answer, but let’s discover it together.”

Children learn as much from watching that humility as they do from hearing perfect explanations.

Our culture understands the importance of daily formation.

Every day, our children are being catechized by social media, entertainment, schools, advertising, politics, and popular culture. They are constantly being taught what to value, whom to trust, and how to understand the world.

If the Church offers God’s Word only for one hour each week, we should not be surprised when other voices become louder.

The Christian home must once again become a place where Christ is spoken of naturally.

Not through long theological lectures.

Not through guilt.

But through ordinary conversations rooted in God’s Word.

Read a few verses after dinner.

Ask one simple question: “What does this passage teach us about God?”

Pray together before bedtime.

Talk about Sunday’s sermon during lunch.

Small habits, practiced faithfully over many years, shape generations.

Yet we must remember that the future of the Church does not ultimately rest upon our efforts. Christ Himself has promised, “I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18). He preserves His Church through the Holy Spirit working through the Means of Grace—His Word and Sacraments.

In His mercy, God also calls parents and grandparents into this sacred vocation. He entrusts them with the privilege of placing His Word before the next generation, trusting that the Holy Spirit will accomplish His saving work through that Word.

Luther understood this.

Scripture teaches it.

Perhaps it is time we recover it.

If we desire our children and grandchildren not merely to know about Jesus, but to know Him as their crucified and risen Lord and Savior, then the Christian faith must become more than something we attend on Sunday morning.

It must become something we joyfully read, discuss, pray, and live together every day.

Not because our conversations create faith, but because God has promised that His Word shall not return to Him empty, but shall accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). As Christian parents and grandparents faithfully place that life-giving Word into the hearts of their families, we may confidently trust the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do: create faith, strengthen faith, and preserve Christ’s Church from one generation to the next. May God grant us the confidence not only to believe His Word, but to speak it naturally, faithfully, and joyfully within our homes, for the blessing of our children, our grandchildren, and generations yet to come.

In my last article for Lutheran CORE I reflected on the fact that the animating principle of the Lutheran Reformation was ad fontes—back to the sources of Christian faith.  I also recounted how the formal principle of the Reformationcame to be sola Scriptura—that Scripture alone was to be the standard by which all Christian teaching and practice was to be measured.

The Lutheran take on sola Scriptura is radically different from that of Reformed (Calvinist) theology.  Calvinism operates under what it calls “the regulative principle” of Scripture, which may be roughly summed up as “what is not commanded (in Scripture) is forbidden.”  Using this hermeneutic (reading perspective), Scripture becomes the source of all Christian revelation.

Luther, on the other hand, seeking not to reinvent the Church but to re-form it, turned to the Scriptures with a completely different set of assumptions.  Sure, the medieval Church had gotten off track and out of alignment with God’s revealed will, enshrined in the Scriptures, but the Scriptures could not logically be the source of Christian truth, for there were several decades’ worth of Christians before there was a New Testament.  No, the source of Christian faith is the Apostolic proclamation “Christ is risen!” but the standard by which Christian faith and practice was to be measured were the canonical Scriptures, which were a “snapshot” of the Apostolic mind, inspired by God “so that nothing was written down that should not be.”[1]

Thus, in Lutheran usage, a Christian belief (like the word “Trinity”) or Christian practice (like making the sign of the cross) need not be found in the Scriptures to be authentically Christian; they need merely be measured by the standards presented in the Scriptures.  An authentic Lutheran hermeneutic for reading Scripture is “what is not forbidden is permitted.”

At first blush this may seem to be a distinction without a difference, but its implications for Christian faith, life, and church practice are staggering, especially if we are seeking to ground our witness in the tradition of the Church catholic, as I argued that we should in my last article.  The modest Lutheran approach maintains continuity with the Church across time while allowing for necessary course corrections when error seeps in or new missional needs are encountered as the Spirit leads the Church “into all truth.” (John 16:13)  The Calvinist approach not only permits but nearly commands each generation to reinvent its faith and practices, searching the Scriptures to justify their choices.

The Calvinist approach is fundamentally anti-tradition.  The Lutheran approach is cautiously optimistic about Christian tradition.  This has serious consequences.

Here is an example from my own pastoral experience.  At a recent meeting, a well-meaning layman, influenced by the incipient Calvinism of American Evangelicalism, presumed to teach theology at a Christian Education Committee meeting.  I had proposed a blessing of the backpacks as a kickoff to the school year.  This person declared, “Jesus didn’t bless things, He blessed people.  We’re not blessing any backpacks.”  Because I was not present at the meeting, his opinion carried the conversation.

He meant well.  He was trying to be faithful, but his most influential theological formation had come at the hands of a quasi-charismatic parachurch ministry.  His theology was so infused with the Calvinism nearly inescapable in American Evangelicalism that he put me in the position of needing to reeducate people in a Lutheran church on established Lutheran practice, found in our own worship resources, which were crafted by highly trained and experienced Biblical and liturgical theologians.

Of course, Jesus did bless—or consecrate—things if He was a faithful Jew conforming to first century Jewish practice… I confess, I wonder how the person in question missed Jesus’ blessing the bread and fish in Matthew 14 or the elements at Passover!  Still, the point I am trying to make is that because he couldn’t immediately recall to mind a positive instance of Jesus’ doing something, it meant that Christians should not do that thing either—his approach to sola Scriptura was Calvinist, not Lutheran.  Rather than asking, “Are Christians permitted to bless things?” (is that a valid development of Christian practice based on not merely Jesus’ actions, but Old Testament instruction) his instinct was to ask, “Are Christians commanded to bless things?”

The relevance of these two different approaches to Biblical interpretation is manifold for Christian life and faith, and I leave it to Lutheran CORE readers to work out its implications in your own mission context, but one thing I think is worth noting; it was my conviction for the last eight years I served in the ELCA that the theological distraction, dissipation, and dissidence that I saw overtaking the denomination had been built into it from the beginning by its own constitution, which stated that the canonical Scriptures were the “authority, source, and norm” for the church’s life and faith.  In my estimation, the word “source” represented a Calvinist incursion into a Lutheran context, permitting the church to eventually do whatever it wanted theologically without regard for Christian tradition, for as Cyril of Alexandria wrote to John of Antioch in the wake of the Council of Chalcedon, “those who love to upset sound doctrine pervert … words to their way of thinking. … remember that the followers of every heresy extract from inspired Scripture the occasion of their error.”

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[1] Here I am defining the inspiration of Scripture apophatically, in the same way the union of Christ’s human and Divine natures was defined at the Council of Chalcedon as being “without confusion, change, division, or separation.”

“Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.  And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:41-43a).

Jesus earthly parents were devout Jews.  They followed the customs of the day.  True worship was done in Jerusalem at the temple.  The time and activities were known and practiced.  Jesus experienced the religious convictions of His parents.  We too have received similar instruction through our experience in upbringing.  These things influence us.  Greater than all of this is the call of the Holy Spirit upon our lives.

Lord, I often see where You have brought influences into my life.  There are many things I do not see.   Help me, I pray, to understand more fully that You, in eternal and Triune relationship, are creating a union which You have made between us for Your sake and that all I do emanates out of what You are doing in Your creation.  You have given me the upbringing I have had for Your purpose.  Let this cause me to look to You, the author and finisher of my faith.

My Savior Jesus, You experienced things in this life as I have experienced them.  You understand the various positions we hold as we grow in years.  Help me to realize that You understand what it means to be in this world amongst all of the things that are going on.  Guide me by Your grace to be receptive and respond to what You are doing.  Lead me to become faithful as You are faithful.  Amen.

 

“When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.  The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:39-40).

Jesus grew up in this life as you and I do.  He knows what it is to be human.  In the mystery of the Incarnation, we have before us the simple truth that God became man, fully man, and lived as we live, experiencing those things that children experience and from our same perspective.  Take comfort in the fact that God truly understands.  He has walked in our shoes and knows the limitations of this life.

Help me,Lord, when I come to those times where I do not believe anyone else understands.  You do.  You know what it is like to meet frustrations in this sinful world.  Guide me to realize that You have come to lead the way so that whatever I experience, You have a first-hand understanding.  In the love You have shown, lead me to live into what You are offering me through grace.

Lord Jesus, You have come compassionately so that we who know sin may experience the life You are offering that is without sin.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to realize that You alone are able to lead me from where I am to where You now are.  I must go through this life and learn its lessons in order to become like You.  Continuously guide me in the way of everlasting life which You have set before me.  Amen.

 

“At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

We look around and wonder what this all means.  Many times the answer is right before us.  Will we receive the answer God gives or look somewhere else for the answer we want?  The redemption of the world was laid upon Christ.  He who took away the sin of the world stands before each one of us.  He invites us to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him.

Lord God, Creator of all things, You have set before us the opportunity to be in relationship with You.  You have given us the words of eternal life.  You are the Word made flesh.  You have set before us the way of life.  Help all who are truly seeking to understand the utter simplicity of the message You have given us.  Like Anna, help us to thank You for the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Lord Jesus, Your given name tells us all that we need to know.  You are the Savior.  You are God in the flesh who has come to redeem us.  As You walk with me, open my heart more and more to understand that I have always been walking with You beside me.  Lead me into life as You intend for it to be lived that I might abide in You each moment of every day that You give me.  Amen.

November 22: Christ the King Sunday

 

ALL: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (God himself will be King and Shepherd to his people)

ALL: Psalm 95:1-7a (The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods)

ALL: Ephesians 1:15-23 (Glorious inheritance given those who believe in Christ,

whom the Father has exalted high above all rulers and authorities)

ALL: Matthew 25:31-46 (Parable of the Last Judgment and the sheep/goat divide)

 

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NOTE: The prayers echo phrases from “Beautiful Savior.” I strongly suggest you include that as one of your hymns today!

 

Opening Hymn: O God Beyond All Praising: WOV #797, ELW #880

OR Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor: LBW #172, LSB #534, ELW #475

Hymn of the Day: Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us: LBW #424, ELW #707, LSB #851

OR O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us (familiar tune) (ELW #431)

OR Jesus Shall Reign: LBW #530, ELW #434, LSB #832

Communion 1: O Jesus, King Most Wonderful: LBW #537, LSB #554

            OR Rejoice, The Lord/ For Christ is King: LBW #171, ELW #430

Communion 2:  Beautiful Savior: LBW #518, ELW #838, LSB #537

Closing Hymn: Crown Him with Many Crowns: LBW #170, ELW #855, LSB #525

*******

Let us approach the Throne of Grace, there to pray for the Church, the world, and one another.

 

A brief silence is kept.

 

Holy Father, thank you for your Son, Christ Jesus, our Beautiful Savior, the King of Creation. Thank you for his holy life, his innocent suffering and death in our place, and his glorious resurrection that grants us life, forgiveness, health, and salvation. Though we are your unworthy servants, you have made us sisters and brothers of Jesus, and heirs of your Kingdom. Blessing and honor, praise and adoration be yours, Holy Father, for the sake of your Son, in the power of your Spirit.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your Son King of creation and head of your Church. Bind the Church to Christ with cords of love. Make it unswerving in faith and bold in witness to him. Use it to draw all people to his Cross, there to acclaim him as Lord, King, and Savior.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your persecuted Church a visible sign of Jesus’ own passion and death. Grant that all who are afflicted for his sake may also, like the sun, moon, and stars, shine with the beauty of his holiness and the glory of his love.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your Son our Savior and Lord. Fill the people of this congregation with your Holy Spirit, so that in all we say and do, we proclaim Jesus Christ as Son of God and Son of man.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made this land rich with resources, and resplendent with the virtues of freedom, justice, and opportunity. Grant that all who live here may be responsible stewards of those resources; tireless examples of those virtues; and thankful sharers of every blessing with which you have graced us.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your Son Lord of the nations. By your Holy Spirit, conform the hearts of rulers and people to the heart of Christ. Let his peace reign undisturbed in every land.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your Son our light, joy, and crown. Grant that his strong saving love might accompany those who serve our country, here and abroad. Fill them with honor, courage, and wisdom; and bring them home in safety.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

You have made your Son fairer than sunlight, stars, meadows, or woodlands. Let his beauty, healing, and compassion cause all sorrowing hearts to sing, including: {List}. Deliver them from their afflictions, and restore them to the fellowship of all who care for them.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Gracious Father, you have made your Son to shine more brightly than all of heaven’s angels. We thank you for the lives of the faithful departed, who already see his glory face to face. Fill us with such faith and love that, in your good time, we shall join them in singing, “Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forever more be thine.”

.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Hear our prayer; and graciously grant all that glorifies you and benefits our poor broken world, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

November 15: 25^th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28, Lectionary 33)

 

ALL: Zephaniah 1:7-16 (The Day of the Lord: darkness and judgment for the complacent)

ALL: Psalm 90:1-12 (O God, our help in ages past! Teach us to number our days

and apply our hearts to wisdom)

ALL: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (Be sober, watchful – the Lord will come like a thief in the night;

therefore act as children of the day)

ALL: Matthew 25:14-30 (The parable of the servants given talents)

 

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Opening Hymn: O Worship the King, All-Glorious Above: LBW #548, ELW #842, LSB #804

OR Christ is Surely Coming: LSB #509

Hymn of the Day:  The Night Will Soon Be Ending (great words and tune!): LSB #337

OR (if preaching on Epistle): Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray: LBW #443, LSB #663

OR Take My Life, That I / and Let it Be: LBW #406, ELW #583(interesting Hispanic melody), 685; LSB #783/784 (another interesting tune!)

Communion 1: O God, Our Help in Ages Past: LBW #320, ELW #733 LSB #733

Communion 2: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light: WOV #649, ELW #815 LSB #411

Closing Hymn: Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow: LBW #355, ELW #327

OR One Thing’s Needful; Lord, This Treasure: LSB #536, v. 1, 3-5

OR Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending: LBW #27, ELW #435, LSB #336

*******

 

Let us approach the Throne of Grace, there to pray for the Church, the world, and one another.

 

A brief silence is kept.

 

Father, thank you for entrusting to us the treasures of your Kingdom and the gifts of your Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your confidence in us – for commending wise risk taking and condemning fearful inaction. Give us grace to be faithful stewards of your bounty, to your glory and for the good of your people.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Give your Church pastors, bishops, and theologians who faithfully proclaim your Word of Law and Gospel. Make the Church shine with the holiness and humility of Jesus, guiding many to seek his promised forgiveness and salvation.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Let the faithful witness of your suffering Church be a beacon of hope for all who love Christ, and into an urgent warning to all who hate him. We can scarcely comprehend the suffering of our persecuted sisters and brothers. Give us the willingness to defend and provide for them as we can, and to adorn their sacrifices with our smaller acts of faith and love.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Make this congregation into a “Discipleship Boot Camp!” Teach us to practice taking risks in your service. Make us bold in granting forgiveness – or asking for it. Make us brave in talking about the hope that is in us. Make us fearless in shining the light of Jesus’ love into sin-darkened lives. Make us ingenious in easing the burdens of others for whom he gave his life.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for all who have been richly blessed with skills of mind and hand, and gifts of imagination and wise judgment. Guide them in using their gifts to your glory and for the benefit of others. We also pray for those whose talents seem meager, who are afraid to use them, or are convinced they are worthless. Give them the grace to value what you have given them, and to use their resources to their utmost. Help all of us to risk much as we seek to please you, help our neighbor, and heal our world. Remind us that you have prepared for us joys that are infinitely greater than any treasure we lay at your feet.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Give teachable minds and willing hearts to the leaders of the nations. Remind them that they must give you an account of their stewardship of power, authority, and talents. Do not let them squander these gifts through hard hearts, rivalries, misuse, or disuse. Give all of us the gifts of humility and generosity, so that many lives may be touched by happiness and brightened by hope.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Great gifts are needed by those who risk their lives to protect the lives and liberty of others. Abundantly grant them all they need, dear Lord. Use their skills to bring calm in chaos, and justice in troubled places. Shield their loved ones from fear; and bring them home safely and soon.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

We beseech you to come speedily to the rescue of all who cry out for healing of body, mind, heart or spirit – including: {List}.  Deliver them from their afflictions, and restore them to the fellowship of all who care for them.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Keep in your sheltering arms all those who have died trusting in your promises. And as you have called us to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown, we pray: Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, until you bring us home, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Hear our prayer; and graciously grant all that glorifies you and benefits our poor broken world, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

November 8: 24^th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27, Lectionary 32)

ALL: Amos 5:18-24 (Woe to those who desire the Day of the Lord! He despises your feasts

 and sacrifices; let justice, righteousness roll down like streams of water)

ALL: Psalm 70 (Let those who seek you find deliverance)

ALL: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (Do not grieve as those without hope; Christ comes with trumpet)

ALL: Matthew 25:1-13Matt (Parable of the wise and foolish virgins)

 

***************

 

Opening Hymn: Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers: LBW #25, ELW #244, LSB #515

Hymn of the Day: Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying: LBW #31, ELW #436 (funky translation warning!), LSB #516

Communion 1: Let Justice Roll Like Streams: WOV #763, ELW #717

OR Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise: LBW #526, ELW #834, LSB #802

Communion 2: My Lord, What a Morning: WOV #627, ELW #438, LSB #968

Closing Hymn: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less: LBW #293/4, ELW #596/597, LSB #575/6

OR Let Streams of Living Justice (great tune!): ELW #710

OR The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us: LSB #514

*******

Let us approach the Throne of Grace, there to pray for the Church, the world, and one another.

 

A brief silence is kept.

 

Heavenly Father, we are sometimes foolish, not wise; scatterbrained, not prudent; reactive, not responsive. Forgive us! Remind us of the privilege of being invited to your Son’s wedding feast! Fill us with your Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Let us always rejoice; believe; and show the light of faith, hope, and love in this dark world.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Make your Church wise, faithful, pure, and watchful, rejoicing in the near approach of her Bridegroom and Savior. Make her worship joyful and pleasing in your sight. Make her labors glorify you and help those in distress. Make her feasts a foretaste of your heavenly wedding banquet, feeding all with truth, righteousness, and salvation.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Give patience, kindness, comfort, and hope to your persecuted Church. Help us provide for their needs and bear witness to their suffering. Turn the hearts of their enemies to seek your forgiveness.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Make everyone in this congregation into lamps shining with your light and love. Keep us constantly worshipping you and serving others. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, and help us share your grace and favor with those whose lights are flickering out.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Let your justice roll down like waters upon this parched and broken world. Let your righteousness fill the hearts and minds of all who are entrusted with authority. Especially we pray for our elected and appointed leaders. Give them your Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, so that they may bring peace, prosperity, justice, and healing to our land.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

On this Veteran’s Day weekend, we pray for all who have honorably served their country. Grant wisdom, courage, integrity, and sound judgment to everyone currently serving in the military, and to all who risk their lives on behalf of community and country. Use their skills to bring freedom, safety, and justice wherever they serve. Keep them safe; shield their loved ones from grief and fear; and grant them a swift and joyful homecoming.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Let all who seek your help in their times of trial find deliverance from all that troubles them. We remember before you: {List}. Grant them health and salvation; justice and comfort; hope and guidance. When their lamp of faith seems ready to flicker and fade, rekindle them with the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. And give a double portion of that same Spirit to all who minister to their needs.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Heavenly Father, we grieve for our dead, but not without hope. Thank you for receiving them into your merciful care. Renew our confidence in your goodness in this time of our earthly pilgrimage. Help us to encourage and help one another along the way. Lead us, by the Cross of Jesus, into the Kingdom which you have prepared for all who have been redeemed by his suffering, death, and resurrection.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Hear our prayer; and graciously grant all that glorifies you and benefits our poor broken world, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

November 1: All Saints’ Sunday

 

ALL: Revelation 7:9-17 (Behold a host, arrayed in white! Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto God and the Lamb!)

ALL: Psalm 34:1-10, 22 (O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; look upon him and be radiant;

the Lord ransoms the lives of his servants)

ALL: 1 John 3:1-3 (We are God’s children now; we shall be like Jesus, see him as he is)

ALL: Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)

 

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Opening Hymn: For All the Saints: LBW #174, ELW #422 (note: it’s edited to be less martial), LSB #677

OR Blessing, Honor, Glory to the Lamb: ELW #433

Hymn of Praise: Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power: LBW #525, ELW #854

OR Alabare: WOV #791, LSB #799/800

OR Cantad Al Senor: WOV #795, ELW #822

Hymn of the Day: Behold the/a Host, Arrayed in White: ELW #425, LSB #676

Who Is this Host, Arrayed in White: LBW #314

OR Blest are They: WOV #764, ELW #728

Communion 1: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling: LBW #315, ELW #631, LSB #700

Communion 2: Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior, Thee: LBW #199, LSB #640

Thee We Adore, O Savior, God Most True: ELW #476

Closing Hymn: Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng: LBW #553, LSB #813

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart: ELW #873/4

*******

 

Let us approach the Throne of Grace, there to pray for the Church, the world, and one another.

 

A brief silence is kept.

 

Thank you, dear Father, for all your saints. Thank you for the ones who shaped our faith and molded our lives. Thank you for Spirit-filled heroes, martyrs, scholars, and pastors who have kept your Church “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” Thank you for the nameless and forgotten faithful, known only to you, whose humble lives perfume the airs of heaven. Thank you for joining us to Jesus, and so to all your saints: past, present, and future.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Grant that the Church may always proclaim your living and holy Word to the world. Use it to forgive and transform many sinners into your saints, your Church, and your beloved children.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Bless, as you have promised, those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake. Crown their faithful endurance with his triumphant victory over sin and death; and adorn them with the robes of his righteousness.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Touch with goodness the hearts of everyone in this congregation. Make our words and deeds gracious and truthful . Let the light of Jesus shine in in all we say and do, so that through us, our neighbors encounter their Savior’s love.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

With reverence and affection, we remember before you those who have shaped our faith and influenced our lives in godly ways. We entrust to your tender care our beloved dead who are now at rest in you. {Here the names of the faithful departed may be read, with tolling of the bell}. Thank you for their witness, love, and encouragement. Grant that we may likewise help others – especially the young and those who do not know you – to seek your face and rejoice in your goodness.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Keep our nation safe, strong, and honorable. Grant that our elections are honest and accurate. Give wisdom and prudence to all who seek or who hold public office  in our land. Give each of us the desire and the ability to love justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with you and with each other.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Ransom the lives of your servants who are bound by cords of suffering, including: {List}. Let them look upon you and be radiant. Let them taste and see your gracious favor. Let them be healed and purified in body, mind, heart, and faith, to praise your saving deeds and rejoice in your great goodness.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Most holy and gracious Father, receive into your Kingdom our beloved dead. Keep us faithful, true, holy, and steadfast, as we walk the narrow Way established by Jesus. Give us a foretaste of heaven’s joy  in our Spirit-led fellowship with one another and with Christ. Bring us safely your Kingdom which you prepare for all whom you redeem by his death and resurrection. There let us abide in your dear presence, and love and serve you forever.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Hear our prayer; and graciously grant all that glorifies you and benefits our poor broken world, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers” (Luke 2:36-37).

There are those whom the Lord calls who are dedicated to His service.  Anna was one of these people.  Living a devoted life of prayer and service, they are often seen as fixtures in the church, but seldom thought of.  We each have a call upon our lives.  We each have a desire to serve.  The question is, whom will we serve?  Anna served the Lord.  Whom do you serve?  Not that everyone must do as Anna did, but this is a good question for each of us to ask ourselves.

Lord, I say that I serve You, but I most often serve myself.  You have given many examples of those who have willingly and lovingly served You.  Help me to learn and understand from their example what it means to serve.  Help me to understand what devotion means and learn how to be devoted to what is good, right and salutary.  Guide me out of the life of one who lives for self, and into a right way of living.

Lord Jesus, You came to serve.  You have served each one of us by granting us grace through the shedding of Your own blood.  Help me now and always to see that in this world of selfishness, no one really gets anywhere; but in You, we have the opportunity to learn how to live life as it is meant to be lived.  Guide me in the upward call You have given me to humbly walk the upward path of salvation You have placed before me.  Amen.