Incarnate Word Lutheran Church

Lent 3— Oculi 1st Peter 1:13-21    Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.  Mark 12:41-44   Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.       Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
New King James Version, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

In this third week of Lent we meditate on the word Holy.  The word means set aside  for the purpose or service of God.  How holy are we. How much of ourselves do we  set aside for God’s service or purpose? How much of our time? How much of our resources?    In this period of  Lent we contemplate on  Jesus example as he gave his whole life for God’s purpose of redeeming us from sin and hell.    It is not how much we give, the woman in the temple gave very little but it was her all.   How much and what will you give for Him?   Please remember our worship  services on Wednesdays at noon and 7:00pm. Please start to invite your friends  and family to Easter Services on  April 4. 

Luke 9:18-22      And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”    He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”   And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
New King James Version, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights res.

Do not be confused  Jesus is our Lord and God who  suffered and died so that we may have abundant life.

Lent 1— Invocavite  James 1:12-18 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.   Romans 6:12-14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion  over you, for you are not under law but under grace.    

Remember that we can only overcome temptations by the faith which we get through the Word.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil he used the Word of God as his defense.  You can do the same.  Hear the Word  each Wednesday evening and every Sunday.    Make every effort to sure up your defense against the evil one.

Ash Wednesday (Lententide) 2nd Peter 2:2-11     And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) — then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.  Joel 2:12-19  ”Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him — a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?      Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ “  Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The LORD will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.”

 Tomorrow will be Ash Wednesday and I hope all of you will come to worship at 7:00 pm.  Ash Wednesday begin the solemn, penitent period of Lent.  During the Ash Wednesday service, the pastor/priest will  make the Sign of the Cross with ashes on the foreheads of the believers with the words ” remember that you are dust and to dust you will return”. This is a reminder that we are only here for a while as the Scriptures says ” it is appointed unto man once to die and after death the judgement”  The  act  of the pastor reminds us of the bitter suffering, death  and glorious resurrection of  Christ  Jesus so that we will never face the consequences of the judgement.   During this period of Lent I hope we will all ask ourselves; what  sacrifices  are we prepared to make to show Christ that we are truly appreciative of his sacrifice for us?  Can we give more of our time and resources to advance His work?  Can we get up on Sunday mornings and come to worship even when we are tired? Can we invite others to hear God’s word?   Can we show God’s love ?….

Hebrews 2:14-18.      Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.  Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.  Luke 2:22-32     Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”       And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” 

 Wen I come to the end of my life and if it is God’s mercy that I am able,  Lord let my final prayer be “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word”.  I hope the same for you Amen 

Chapel Daily Lectionary – Adapted From Evangelisches Tagzeitenbuch
St. Titus, Pastor   Ephesians 3:14-21
 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. John 21:15-17  So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”     He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”  He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”    He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”   Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
New King James Version, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights We reserved.

There is a love that is beyond all understanding and a love that is  all understanding. It is the love of God for us as demonstrated through Jesus Christ. it is this love that causes us pastors to feed the sheep even when we ourselves are hungry.  But Jesus’ response to Peter’s profession of love is simple: “Feed my sheep”.   love is not a mare feeling it is also a positive action. This is what Christ has called each of us to do through the church.  We pray today to be faithful to the Lord’s command.  Amen

Worship this Sunday is at 10:00 am. We will hear from Pastor Song about his work  of feeding the homeless and hungry  downtown and how we can be part of this important ministry of the church.

Chapel Daily Lectionary – Adapted From Evangelisches Tagzeitenbuch Epiphany II: Mark 3:1-6 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him.
We learn from this passage that sometimes  even when we try to do good others, our good works motivate  hate in those who are evil.  Jesus did a good work by healing the man but his enemies were looking for an opportunity to discredit him and when  he confronted them with the truth they were even more angry to the point of plotting  with their enemies to kill him. Hate could make strange bedfellows.  As those called by Christ we must always do his will even if by doing so we encounter hate from others  who are frustrated because of your good works.  Let us pray from Jeremiah 17:13-17 O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. “Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters.” Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Indeed they say to me, “………….. You. do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom.  Amen

New King James Version, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapel Daily Lectionary – Adapted From Evangelisches Tagzeitenbuch
Epiphany I 1st Corinthians 1:26-31     For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.      But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” John 10:31-38     Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”      The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”      Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods?” ‘ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
It always amuses and pains me when I hear people say that they believe in Jesus but they do not believe he is God and some even say Jesus never claimed to be God. But this passage from the Gospel is a clear contradiction of this view. He claimed his divinity and the Jewish leaders were going to kill him for that.   In this season of the church year we celebrate the revelation of God through Jesus.  He is the God who can make the rich poor, who can make the weak strong, who can exalt the humble and bring down the proud.  He is our God who can make a way out of no way.  Let us Pray,  Father we thank you that we are still in the land of the living , we ask your loving care and mercy on those around us who are not doing as well as we are. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti  in these days of hardship and difficulties for them. keep us from sin  and protect us this day . Amen

The Epiphany of Our Lord
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery… which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. Matthew 2:1-12 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ “Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Isaiah 60:1-6 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.

Epiphany:  shining a light so that the truth is revealed. The Truth is that the Gospel is for all.   Christ died for every tribe race and nation and salvation is only through  him alone. There is only one path to God which is through Jesus Christ.  This is the mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles.  Let us Pray:  Lord, shine your light on us so that we may see your glory and give thanks and praise for the things you have done for us and all people. Amen

The Epiphany Dinner is at 6:00 pm this Saturday at the church all are invited.

Romans 5:12-14, 18-21     Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned — (for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.)       Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The above reading is the true meaning of Christmas. Christ came as God gift to be the full and perfect sacrifice for our sins.  So we celebrate Christmas by buying gifts for ourselves, our family and  our friends.   Many Christians  will not  even  attend the “mass” the celebrated of God’s gift and Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.  Some church have no worships services on Christmas eve and  and non on Christmas day. It is the  birthday party to which the the guest of honor is not invited.  For many,  Christmas is about eating and drinking and having a great time, for others it isl a time of stress or even depression. But for all it could be a time of real joy if the Cross becomes the focus  of this holy day or is it holiday.     Joy to The World The Lord Has  Come!  Let   us pray.  Father  God  help to focus on your perfect gift of your son   in this season of Christmas.   May our celebration be worthy of your sacrifice,      bless us as we participate in the “mass” this Christmas.  May Christ come to us as he did in Bethlehem as we receive the blessed sacrament of his body and blood.  Forgive our sins as we forgive our enemies. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. 

Christmas Eve service at 6:30  and 8:00.  Sunday,  December 27, Worship at  9:30 am, so that I could take a few days off.   New Years Eve (Old Years Night)  Worship, followed by  Celebrations. Please bring your own drink (Sparkling?) for the  celebration.  Food will be provided.