O LORD, Who didst of old time suffer in our body, when wilt Thou look upon us? When wilt Thou turn the eyes of Thy clemency to our groans and distress? Delay not, tarry not, now draw nigh; now be Thou turned to us; now regard us, that our prayer, which now, by reason of our secret sins, returns back again into our own bosom, may, by the abundance of Thy mercy, enter into Thy presence, and be accepted by Thee. Amen. Through Thy mercy, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen (Oremus, 1925, p.58).
Author Archive: luther
#62 What If They Will Not Allow the Gospel? Flee
But these examples are not enough for us, for here we are not concerned with what the heathen or the Jews did, but what is the right and the just thing to do, not only before God in the Spirit, but also in the divine external ordinance of temporal government. Suppose that a people would rise up today or tomorrow and depose their lord or kill him. That certainly could happen if God decrees that it should, and the lords must expect it. But that does not mean that it is right and just for the people to do it. I have never known of a case in which this was a just action, and even now I cannot imagine any. The peasants who rebelled claimed that the lords would not allow the gospel to be preached and that they robbed the poor people and, therefore, the lords had to be overthrown. I answered this by saying that although the lords did wrong in this, it would not therefore be just or right to do wrong in return, that is, to be disobedient and destroy God’s ordinance, which is not ours to do. On the contrary, we ought to suffer wrong, and if a prince or lord will not tolerate the gospel, then we ought to go into another realm where the gospel is preached, as Christ says in Matthew 10 [:23], “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next.” (Luther’s Works, v.46, p.104-105)
Divine Service All Saints’ Day November 1, 2021
Order of Divine Service I, p.136 Lutheran Worship
A Litany of the Saints replaces the Kyrie
Readings: Deuteronomy 33:1-3, Rev 7:2-17, Mt 5:1-12
Hymn “Behold a Host Arrayed in White” LW 192, TLH 656
Sermon
Communion Hymns: “For All the Saints” LW 191, TLH 463
“Rejoice, the Lord is King” LW 179
Hymn “Christ Is Our Cornerstone” LW 290, TLH 465
Magnificat, p.228-230
–Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL).
Service Bulletin: All-Saints-Day-Divine-Service-for-Online-11-1-2021.pdf
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Miriam’s Class #52: Genesis 26 on October 31, 2021
Today’s class will study “Abimelech & Rebekah” (Gen 26:1-11).
Handout 1: Text-for-Genesis-26.pdf
–Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL)
Picture: Trunk or Treat at Trinity Lutheran Early Childhood Learning Center on Thursday
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Divine Service Reformation Day October 31, 2021
Order of Divine Service I, p.136 Lutheran Worship
Hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” LW 298, TLH 262
Readings: Is 55:1-11, Rev 14:6-7, Mt 11:12-15
Hymn “Salvation Unto Us Has Come” LW 355, TLH 377
Sermon
Communion Hymns: “For Jerusalem You’re Weeping” LW 390
“If God Had Not Been on Our Side” TLH 267
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” LW 241
“O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold” TLH 260
–Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL).
Service Bulletin: Reformation-Day-Divine-Service-for-Online-10-31-2021.pdf
Picture: Trunk or Treat at Trinity Lutheran Early Childhood Learning Center on Thursday
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#61 A Christian Patiently Suffers Wrong and Endures Evil
I say all this, dear friends, as a faithful warning. In this case you should stop calling yourselves Christians and stop claiming that you have the Christian law on your side. For no matter how right you are, it is not right for a Christian to appeal to law, or to fight, but rather to suffer wrong and endure evil; and there is no other way (I Corinthians 6 [:1–8]). You yourselves confess in the preface to your articles that “all who believe in Christ become loving, peaceful, patient, and agreeable.” Your actions, however, reveal nothing but impatience, aggression, anger, and violence. Thus you contradict your own words. You want to be known as patient people, you who will endure neither injustice nor evil, but will endure only what is just and good. That is a fine kind of patience! Any rascal can practice it! It does not take a Christian to do that! So again I say, however good and just your cause may be, nevertheless, because you would defend yourselves and are unwilling to suffer either violence or injustice, you may do anything that God does not prevent. However, leave the name Christian out of it. Leave the name Christian out, I say, and do not use it to cover up your impatient, disorderly, un-Christian undertaking. I shall not let you have that name, but so long as there is a heartbeat in my body, I shall do all I can, through speaking and writing, to take that name away from you. You will not succeed, or will succeed only in ruining your bodies and souls. (Luther’s Works, v.46, p.31-32)
Picture: Mark from Das Newe Testament Deuotzsch.
Mark writes his gospel with his attribute the lion nearby. Woodcut designed by Lucas Cranach, the Elder (1472-1553), a close friend of Martin Luther. http://pitts.emory.edu
Divine Service Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles October 28, 2021
Order of Divine Service I, p.136 Lutheran Worship
Hymn “Christ Is Our Cornerstone” LW 290, TLH 465
Readings: Dt 32:1-4, 1Pt 1:3-9, Jn 15:17-21
Hymn “For Jerusalem You’re Weeping” LW 390
–Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL).
Service Bulletin: Sts.-Simon-and-Jude-October-28-NKJV-2014.pdf
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In Deep Distress.
O LORD, let Thy mercy speedily go before us, tor there is neither comforting hope, nor trust in merit, nor helpful assistance to support us; but the guilt and trouble of our life, the consciousness of our sins, or the vengeance on our offences rebukes us in our sins for Thy name’s sake, that when Thou hast done both for Thyself, and hast looked on Thy people with Thy wonted loving kindness, we may give Thee glory for Thy deliverance; through Thy mercy; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. (Oremus, 1925, p.58).
Catechesis on All Saints’ Day (St. Matthew 5:1-12) 2020
On Wednesday nights, Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL) offers to both children and adults an opportunity for teaching with Learn-by-Heart at 6:30 PM and a catechetical service at 7:00.
In this video from October 28, 2020, we learned stanza 1 of “I Am Trusting You, Lord Jesus” (Lutheran Worship, #408, The Lutheran Hymnal #428), the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer and its meaning, and Matthew 5:3. This service is designed to prepare God’s people for the theme of the upcoming Sunday Divine Service. The dialog sermon explains Jesus’ teaching on the beatitudes (St. Matthew 5:1-12), which is the Holy Gospel for All Saints’ Day.
The service concludes with “Recite Word by Word. ” (pdf link Recite-Word-by-Word.pdf).
Bulletin: Catechesis-All-Saints-Day-10-28-2020-Gospel.pdf
Catechesis on Reformation Sunday October 27, 2021
***Technical Difficulties as the computer shut off after 20 minutes. **
On Wednesday nights, Trinity Lutheran Church(Herrin, IL) offers to both children and adults an opportunity for teaching with Learn-by-Heart at 6:30 PM and a catechetical service at 7:00 PM.
This service is designed to prepare God’s people for the theme of the upcoming Sunday Divine Service. The dialog sermon explains St. John 8:30-36 and Romans 3:19-28.
Learn-by-Heart will include Lutheran Worship #390, stanza 3 of “For Jerusalem You’re Weeping,” Small Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, First Petition and meaning, and Romans 3:20-22.
–Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL).
Service Bulletin: Catechesis-Reformation-Day-10-27-2021-On-Lineb.pdf
Recite Word by Word: Recite-Word-by-Word.pdf