I AM the Light of the World: St. John 8:12-20

St. John 8:12-20: "12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."'13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.' 14 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.' 19 Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.' 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come."

This pericope follows after the narrative of the woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees, desiring to stone her, asked our Lord Jesus what He would do with her, since she had been caught in the act of adultery and there was no way for anyone to deny that she was guilty. To this our Lord replied, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." And one by one, convicted in their conscience, they left from the oldest to the youngest. No one condemning her, our Lord declares her forgiven, saying, "Go, and sin no more."

From the Evangelist St. John, it would seem that today's narrative followed immediately after this event, therefore, our Lord Jesus, having declared the absolution, declares that He is the Light of the world. Notice that our Lord does not say, "the Light of the Angels," or, "the Light of the Heavens." But he says, "I AM the Light of the World," that is, mankind. He is our Light. The Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. In this simple statement of our Lord, He proclaims Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. For all can plainly see that He is a man. There may have even been those present who doubted that He could indeed forgive the sins of the woman, for only God can forgive sins. But He declares His divinity by saying, "I AM." The Christological heresies which deny our Lord's divinity cannot stand up to this statement, for He does not say, "In Me is the Light of the World", as if He was granted some special divine powers from God, but was really only a man. No, He says, "I AM the Light of the World."

With the words, "I AM," He declares his divinity, and proclaims that He is the same God that appeared to Moses in the bush that was on fire, but didn't burn. In this declaration, He also proclaims that He is the one who has power of sin and death, and all the powers of darkness. And He promises us something very wonderful. Those who follow Him, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, that is, eternal life. Meaning, now, in this life, we follow Him by faith, hearing His promises, and rejoicing in His gifts, but in eternity, we will see for all eternity the truth of those words which we now see only by faith.

May God strengthen your faith to live in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that in this light, you may enjoy throughout your earthly life, the forgiveness of your sins, and in that forgiveness may you enjoy all the gifts it brings.

God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

They Saw Jesus Walking on the Sea: St. John 6:16-29

St. John 6:16-29: "1 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone--23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did You come here?' 26 Jesus answered them and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' 28 Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' 29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.'"

In today's pericope there are three miracles that our Lord performs, so that the Apostles might give witness. First, we have the walking on the water by our Lord as told by St. John, the Evangelist. Second, we have the calming of the winds and wave as He is walking towards them. And third, the disciples immediate arrival at the shore, when they had willingly received our Lord Jesus into the boat.

In order to set these events into their proper setting the Evangelist, St. John, points out a few facts. Immediately after the feeding of the 5,000, which text we heard the Fourth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Laetare, we are told by St. John that the crowds were so impressed by the miracle of receiving food in abundance that they desired to make Him a king. Since He is already a King, just not of this world, we are told He departed up the mountain to a solitary place to pray. It is here where the reading begins, get into a boat to cross over to the other side. The question arises, "Why did they not wait for Him?" This is answered in the other Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, who relate to us that Jesus had instructed them to get into the boat and go to the other side without Him. St. John adds the detail that it was evening by the time they set out.

Having rowed three or four miles, a strong wind arises, and makes their rowing difficult. It is then they see our Lord Jesus walking to them upon the water. In the other Gospels we are told that they thought it was a ghost, and that this was the reason for their fear. Here St. John relates something remarkable which the other Gospel writers omit. And that is the words that our Lord spoke to inform them that He was the one they were seeing. The English translation (as is often the case) does not convey what the Greek holds. For the English says, "It is I." However, the Greek says, "Ego eimi," or in English, "I AM." Our Lord announces Himself by using the same Name that He announced Himself to Moses in the burning bush, "I AM THAT I AM." This designation of our Lord is common in the Evangelist St. John's Gospel. In this we can see two things, one, how weak the English translation is; And two, our Lord calms the Apostles' fear by declaring His Name.

This too, of course, is how the Lord calms our fears, by making known His Name among us. How does our Lord make known His Name among us? The answer lies in the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be Thy Name." When we pray this petition we are praying that God's Name may be holy among us. This is done when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity among us, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution among us. For when these things are being done, then God's Name is being hallowed among us. Not only that, but when God's Name is made holy among us by the pure preaching of the Word, and the right administration of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit is also at work among us. What is His task? To bring us the Kingdom of God, which is the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer. He brings us the Kingdom of God, by giving us faith to believe God's holy Word, and also have faith that the Sacraments are efficacious for forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. This also leads us to the Third Petition of the Lord's Prayer, that Our Lord's will would be done on earth, as it is done in Heaven. For when the Word is preached in its purity, and the Sacraments are rightly administered, then the good and gracious will of God is being done, for it is allowing the Word of God to be taught among us (Hallowing His Name) and it is permitting the Holy Ghost to do His work of creating and sustaining faith and life in us (that is, bringing us the Kingdom of God).

Therefore, in our Lord's Name, we see Him giving Himself to His disciples, and when His Name is placed upon us, and we remind ourselves that His Name is placed upon us, when we make the sign of the cross upon our foreheads, our Lord is giving Himself to us, so that we might not be afraid of the evil will and counsel of the devil, the world, and our flesh.

So we see in the very short sermon of our Lord, "It is I; Do not be afraid," that He declares to His disciples and to us, who He is, and in knowing who He is we need not fear. For He is the Son of God Almighty, who walks on the water, calms the wind and waves, and transports the boat immediately to shore, so that those who saw these things, may be witnesses and proclaim to all, and especially to us, who is the Messiah.

May God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

So They Watched Him, and Sent Spies Who Pretended to Be Righteous, That They Might Seize On His Words, in Order to Deliver Him to the Power and the Authority of the Governor: St. Luke 20:1--21:4

St. Luke 20:1--21:4: "1 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him 2 and spoke to Him, saying, 'Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?' 3 But He answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men?' 5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," He will say, "Why then did you not believe him?" 6 But if we say, "From men," all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.' 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from. 8 And Jesus said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.' 9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: 'A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, "What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him." 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.' And when they heard it they said, 'Certainly not!' 17 Then He looked at them and said, 'What then is this that is written: "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone?" 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.' 19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. 20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. 21 Then they asked Him, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' 23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 'Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?' They answered and said, 'Caesar's.' 25 And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' 26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent. 27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: 'Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.' 34 And Jesus answered and said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.' 39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, 'Teacher, You have spoken well.' 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore. 41 And He said to them, 'How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, 43 till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" 44 Therefore David calls Him "Lord;" how is He then his Son?' 45 Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, 46 'Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.'

21:1 "And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.'"

Today our Lord Jesus tells us the parable of the wicked tenants of the Vineyard. In this parable the wicked tenants state that they will kill the Son of the Vineyard Owner, saying, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." One wonders, "What possesses them to think such a thing?" How will killing the son give them the inheritance, for it certainly will not put them in a good light with the Vineyard Owner. But our Lord speaks this, as the Evangelist St. Luke relates, because He is openly condemning the Pharisees and unbelieving Jews who would deliver Him up to Pontius Pilate to be mocked, beaten and crucified.

Our Lord is also telling all nations through this parable, that the chosen race, because of their rejection of the Messiah, will be rejected, and the salvation that our Lord Jesus wins for us by His cross will be given to all nations. "He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others." Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, and from the time of the Apostles until now, the Word of salvation through our Lord's suffering and death for us has been preached to all the world. Those who have received this message are now members of the Vineyard, and receive the blessings of the Vineyard Owner, our Heavenly Father.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then Jesus Entered and Passed Through Jericho: St. Luke 19:1-40

St. Luke 19:1-40: "1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.' 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, 'He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.' 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.' 9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.' 11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: 'A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, "Do business till I come." 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us." 15 And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, "Master, your mina has earned ten minas." 17 And he said to him, "Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities." 18 And the second came, saying, "Master, your mina has earned five minas." 19 Likewise he said to him, "You also be over five cities." 20 Then another came, saying, "Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow." 22 And he said to him, "Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?" 24 And he said to those who stood by, "Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas." 25 (But they said to him, "Master, he has ten minas.") 26 "For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me."' 28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, 'Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, "Why are you loosing it?" thus you shall say to him, "Because the Lord has need of it."' 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, 'Why are you loosing the colt?' 34 And they said, 'The Lord has need of him.' 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. 37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: '"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.' 40 But He answered and said to them, 'I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.'"

Our Lord Jesus passes through Jericho, like the Israelites of old, who passed through Jericho after they had crossed the River Jordan into the promised land of Canaan. Our Lord passes through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, so that He might win for us an eternal promised land in Heaven. And while traveling through Jericho, He meets a man named Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector. And not just any tax collector, but we are told that he is a "chief" tax collector, that is, a ruler over tax collectors. Now, it is no secret that tax collectors were considered sinners, for they would often cheat those whom they would collect from, in order that they could skim off of what has been collected in order that they might keep it for themselves.

Zacchaeus, being a ruler of the tax collector, became very rich. We can assume from this statement from the Evangelist St. Luke that that means he was good at his job and that he was very corrupt. This is what makes this narrative of redemption truly remarkable, for Zacchaeus is not simply a sinner, but a chief of sinners. But it is to the chief of sinners, to whom our Lord Jesus comes. And having spotted Zacchaeus, He calls him down out of the sycamore tree, and invites Himself into the home of Zacchaeus.

We see in this the pattern of conversion, for our Lord does the calling, He does the inviting, He is the one who comes into Zacchaeus' home. And having received Him, Zacchaeus is converted, so that his heart desires to amend himself of his past sins, by giving to those in need, and restoring up to four times what he took from those he cheated. It should be pointed out that half of his possessions were given to the poor, and out the other half the repayment of fourfold was was made to those to whom he had cheated, that is, he sold all that he had and gave it to the poor and followed our Lord Jesus. For we are told by Eusebius, that this man Zacchaeus later became a Bishop of the Church. But even more wonderful than that is the proclamation of our Lord upon the changed heart of Zacchaeus, "Today, salvation has come to this house."

Therefore, so should we confess our sins, and amend our sinful ways, and follow our Lord Jesus. And having confessed our sins, to our Minister, as to God Himself, we receive the words of absolution, that is, forgiveness from the man of God, who sits in the place of our Lord Jesus, pronouncing to our repentant ears, "today, salvation has come to you, for our Lord Jesus, has come to seek and save the lost, like you, and give you forgiveness, life and salvation."

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Still Lack One Thing: St. Luke 18:15-30

St. Luke 18:15-30: "15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' 18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' 19 So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Honor your father and your mother."' 21 And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth.' 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 26 And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?' 27 But He said, 'The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.' 28 Then Peter said, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' 29 So He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'"

The rich man went away sorrowful, because he had much wealth. This man approached the Lord Jesus in what seemed to be a good way, for he addresses our Lord Jesus as "Good Teacher." But our Lord's rebuke of this address to Him, should perk up our ears, for even when the devils proclaim Him to be the Son of God He does not rebuke them for their what they said. (Even though He may say to them to be quiet, and not let this fact be known). Therefore, this should be of interest to us.

We are shown the answer to our Lord's rebuke in the question and answer of this man. For his question is what "he must do" in order to inherit eternal life. Our Lord lists for him the Commandments of the Second Table of the Law, the ones having to do with our neighbor.

This rich man, tells our Lord that he has kept all these since his youth; To which our Lord responds that he still lacks one thing. Now, this rich man in posing the question in the first place, already knows there is something missing. Why else would he ask the question about what he must do? This man already senses that he is lacking something.

But we see our Lord's grace in his response to this rich man, for the our Lord purposely relates the Commandments dealing with our neighbor, because this man's heart is not right toward his neighbor, even though he thinks it is. Therefore, our Lord tells this man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, in order to show this man that he is not keeping the Second table of the Law, regarding his neighbor. Our Lord further adds that this man should then "follow" Him.

This is why the man goes away deeply saddened, for he realizes his lost condition. He realizes that he has not kept the law as perfectly as he thought he had. He also learned that he did not have the faith of a little child, like our Lord spoke about in the beginning of this pericope. The faith that trusts our Lord completely without questions, and not having learned cruel malice, does not openly seek the harm of one's neighbor, but openly and freely loves without prompting.

The thoughts of the rich man are expressed through the responses of the disciples and the crowd, "Who then can be saved?" Everyone, who has been listening, has heard the Law, preached clearly and succinctly, and had it applied to their very hearts by our Lord Jesus. They are now ready to hear the Gospel, that inheriting eternal life, that is, receiving forgiveness of sins salvation, is impossible through any work of man, but with our Lord God it is possible.

For only our Lord God, in the person of our Lord Jesus, could fulfill the Law perfectly for us, filling in that which we lacked. And only He could offer up Himself as the perfect, unblemished and holy Lamb as a sacrifice on our behalf. Only He could die for our sins, and the sins of the whole world, and buy us back from sin, death, and the devil.

It is to this faith, that our Lord Jesus died for us, that we are to cling to and believe in like little children. Therefore, let us come before Him as little children. For of such as these, belongs the Kingdom of God.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For This Is the Will of God, Your Sanctification: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7: "1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."

Last Sunday we declared that we would call upon the Lord, so that He could deliver us from trial and temptation. Today, we cry to our Lord to remember us. This is why the ancient name of today, taken from the antiphon of the Introit, is Reminiscere. We call upon our Lord to remember His tender mercies, and His lovingkindnesses. He remembers us by making us holy, by sanctifying us, and making us His children. This is what the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul writes in his first Epistle to the Church at Thessalonica. "The will of God, your sanctification." That is, that by the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the Sacraments, you are made and kept holy by the Holy Ghost.

Fred H. Lindemann in his excellent work The Sermon and the Propers explains this beautifully regarding this pericope:

"The church at Thessalonica was one of St. Paul's favorite congregations. In motherly affection he writes: Be holy. That is the purpose and aim of redemption. That is the will of God. Our sanctification is also the purpose of the Lenten preparation for Easter. Holy Baptism, the Holy Communion, the contemplation of the Scriptures, the sermons, all means by which grace is bestowed, aim at our holiness. To be holy is to possess the grace of sonship, to have part in Christ's divine life, with God's help assured, the exhortation to 'do so more and more' will be inspiration and incentive to greater endeavor in living a God-pleasing life. Hindrances are many, and not the least are those our own humanity throws into the contest. We need to be reminded that we must guard the inlets of the soul."

Indeed, we must guard the inlets of the soul, that is, what we put into our soul, or to say it another way, what we hear and listen too. This means purity of doctrine, and purity of our Lord's Sacraments, so that our soul is being properly fed. We eat healthily, for the most part, at least we try to eat healthy, eating a well-balanced meal, and not cramming our faces with junk food. We do this because we care about our physical health, not wanting our unhealthy eating to lead to sickness. The same should be true of our spiritual health, we should be careful about what we put into our souls. For when we eat "spiritual junk food" we drive the Holy Spirit away so that He is unable to make us holy.

St. Paul uses the example of sexual immorality. And we can assume that there were those among the Thessalonians who were living sexually immoral lives. Sexual immorality includes fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, and all manner of sexual sins, whether in marriage or out of marriage. The Thessalonicans were listening to the world and society which was telling them that it was okay to commit these acts, and do what they wanted as far as sexual behavior. St. Paul warns them however, that such behavior is driving out the Holy Ghost, so that their spiritual health was being damaged, so that they were unable to be sanctified, that is, made holy.

Our society and world teaches the same lies, and there are many within the Church who continue to do these things, rationalizing among themselves that the rest of society is doing so why not them. Or, they are thinking to themselves that they are not hurting anybody, so what can it hurt. Or, they are thinking that their body is their own, and they can do with it what they please. But this is dangerous thinking, for such behavior, such listening to the world, is starving one's soul, and leaving them on the path of spiritual death.

These temptations of our soul, and of society and the world, are the reason that today we cry out to our Lord Jesus, to remember His tender mercies and His lovingkindnessess. For they have been ever of old. We also pray that our enemies, the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, might not triumph over us. And that He would redeem us out of all our troubles. This, of course, is what our Lord Jesus did for us on the cross of His death and our salvation; He redeemed us from our enemies. He destroyed the penalty of our sins, once and for all, and He bought us, so that we could live with Him for all eternity.

Therefore, be careful about what you put into your ears, and observe with your eyes, for these are the inlets to the soul. Put what is holy and good into your ears, and before your eyes, so that by the working of the Holy Ghost, you might be made holy and perfect in your Heavenly Father's eyes.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And Which of You By Worrying Can Add One Cubit to His Stature: St. Luke 12:1-34

St. Luke 12:1-34: "1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.' 13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' 14 But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?' 15 And He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.' 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" 18 So he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'" 20 But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.' 22 Then He said to His disciples, 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'"

Our Lord Jesus tells us today, to not worry. For our Heavenly Father, knows all our needs and well provides them. He also tells us that we should not be consumed with earthly possessions, for when we die, they will no longer be ours. He illustrates this by a parable about a man who couldn't fit his grain into his barn, so he built bigger ones, and then having acquired (in his own mind) all that he needed for this life, he states that he will, "Eat, drink and be merry."

This parable is prompted by an individual, who from the crowd, shouts to Jesus to make his brother divide his inheritance with him. Our Lord Jesus then points out that this man is breaking the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's inheritance." Through the parable our Lord Jesus shows us why it is useless to covet, or to be obsessed with the acquistion of earthly goods. For this man in the parable, had all that he thought he needed. But he lacked faith in God. His faith was instead in his possessions.

This misdirected faith, we are shown, leads to our eternal destruction. The problem with worrying about what one has in this life, is first, it denies, or ignores, that our Heavenly Father, already knows that we have need of these things. Like our Lord Jesus states, "Consider the lilies of the field." These don't toil or spin, they aren't worried about making more money, or finding a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, or anything like that. However, our Lord takes care of them, so that they grow. We are much more important to our Heavenly Father than lilies. Therefore, trust your Heavenly Father, and do not worry about your life. He will provide all that you need.

This brings us to the second thing that worrying about what one has in this life leads to. For we are often confused about what need is, and what a want or desire is. We often think that our wants are really needs. Needs are what we need to support this body and life. They include both spiritual and physical needs. Physical needs would be food and drink, a house or home, friends and family, and clothes. Spiritual needs would include forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, those things provided through Word and Sacrament.

However, we often confuse our needs with our wants. Just using the needs listed above we can set an example. We may only need bread to live, but we want the best bread that our money can buy. We may only need water to drink, but we will want the best drinks we can buy. We desire the best home, the best clothes, the most popular friends, and family that is (in the eyes of society) the most acceptable.

So what would our Lord Jesus have us do? He would have us sell all that we have, and give alms to the poor and needy. He says this to make the point that if our earthly possessions are getting in the way of our faith, they should be done away with. It is better to have nothing of this earth, and live as a beggar, and have great faith, than to possess all things, and have no faith. The world would lead us to believe that the opposite is true.

Much of the economic problems in our society are due to the very fact that people try to live beyond their means. They have been taught by our society that the getting and having of things is the most important thing. Like the saying goes, "He who dies with the most toys, wins." What a shameful and horrible thing to say and believe! For it makes earthly possessions out to be the true god. And it doesn't just stop with earthly possessions, for our status amongst our neighbors also falls into this category. We are more worried about being "exposed as a Christian" than we are about living as who we really are. Do not be afraid of those who can only kill the body, or those who may heap shame on us, or belittle us on account of our faith. They will have their punishment. But if we join with them, the punishment will be ours.

This is why our Lord Jesus comes to us today, to give us Himself. He is the true treasure. The treasure that moth can not eat up, nor fails, nor that thieves can steal. The treasure that He gives is His Body and Blood offered as a once and for all sacrifice on the tree of the cross. For we are daily tempted to be worried about this life, and not trust in our Heavenly Father to provide for us. And daily do we fail, for the devil, the world and our flesh, constantly assail us, and lead us into shame and despair.

But our Lord Jesus shows us the lilies. On Easter, in most churches, there are many lilies that are in the church. The lily is a symbol of the resurrection. So when we consider the lily, we are considering our Lord's death and resurrection for our salvation. Therefore, let us consider the lilies, and not the things of this world, for the spiritual things of our Heavenly Father are worth more than anything this world has to offer.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Yes, I Say to You, It Shall Be Required of This Generation: St. Luke 11:37-54

St. Luke 11:37-54: "37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, 'Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.' 45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, 'Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.' 46 And He said, 'Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, "I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute," 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.' 53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him."

Today, our Lord Jesus does not show us very good etiquette as a guest. For having been invited into the home of a Pharisee, instead of being a kind and gracious guest, He utters words of condemnation and debasement. No, our Lord Jesus does not show very good etiquette, at least not on the surface.

But our Lord Jesus is doing what must be done, in order for the Pharisees to repent. This is really no different than our Lord God's treatment of Pharaoh in Egypt, when He sent ten plagues upon Egypt. Our Lord God in that instance, sent the plagues to turn the heart of Pharaoh, to a heart of repentance, however, Pharaoh hardened his heart, and every attempt at calling Pharaoh out of his sin into repentance, only served to harden Pharaoh's heart even more. This is why the Hebrew of the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, has "God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened." For it wasn't God who was purposely hardening Pharaoh's heart, but His actions, which were really meant for a change of heart in Pharaoh.

The same is true here of the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers of the Law. And it should probably be pointed out quickly that lawyers here, does not mean the same thing as the type of lawyers we have today. These lawyers, were individuals who were trained in the minutia of the Law of God, so that they knew all the rules, and all the loopholes, too. But, these men, are rebuked by our Lord Jesus, in very stark and condemning words. But the purpose is to lead them into repentance.

We are not told who of the Pharisees were there that day, but we do know, from the examples of Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, that there were Pharisees who did receive and hear joyfully the Words of our Lord Jesus. It does not seem to be so with these Pharisees, for we are told by the Evangelist St. Luke that they "began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him." In other words, they hardened their heart against our Lord Jesus.

The same happens to us, when we hear the Law of God, especially when our individual sins are pointed out. For there is a part of us that doesn't want to admit our sin. Especially if the sin is a great one. We do the same thing the Pharisees do here, vehemently cross-examine our accuser. Or to say it another way, we look for the fault in them, so that we might turn the tables on them. But this is not the response that our Lord God would have us to have when we are confronted by our sins. (Herein is this text's tie-in with the season of Lent). He would rather have us readily confess that sin, and admit it, so that we might receive absolution.

He would have us turn from our sinful ways, then for us to remain in them. For when we remain in sin, we create an impenetrable barrier between God and ourselves. The sin gets into our soul, and creates a whole bunch of spiritual problems, causing us problems with our Christian life. There are many sins in our society that get glossed over, as if these were minor sins, and that our Lord God does not get angry at them, or that He is even going to punish us for them. Such as, adultery, divorce, gambling, usury, drunkenness, debauchery, living together before marriage, abortion, homosexuality, and the like. These are sins, that our society either says they are not sins, or does not consider them to be great travesties, such as murder or rape.

However, our continual participation in these sins drives a wedge between God and us, so that we cannot grow in faith and love toward God, and by extension love for our fellowman. This is why our Lord Jesus is so direct with the Pharisees, for He wants to rescue them from their sinful ways. For as long as they remain in their current behavior, they can never receive our Lord Jesus and His gift of forgiveness.

Let us therefore, shrive ourselves of our sins, and with the help of the Holy Ghost, strive to lead holy lives here in time, and thereafter in eternity.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

No Sign Will Be Given It Except the Sign of Jonah the Prophet: St. Luke 11:29-36

St. Luke 11:29-36: "1 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, 'This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 33 No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.'"

Again, our Lord Jesus, points us to His death and burial, and resurrection. For the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days, and was spit up on the shore alive, is also the same sign that our Lord Jesus gives to us as proof of His Godhood. For only God can rise from the dead, or raise someone from the dead. Our Lord's death, proves to us that the penalty for our sin and betrayal of our Lord God has been paid for in full. His resurrection proves that our Heavenly Father accepted the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, so that we too, now may have eternal life with Him.

Those who refuse to believe in our Lord's sacrifice for sin, and in His resurrection, will not be received gladly by our Heavenly Father, for they have rejected the Lord God, and His gift of grace. Our Lord Jesus even gives us two examples, both from non-Jews, who did heed the Word of God, and received it gladly. The first one is the "Queen of the South." This is Queen Sheba, who came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and see the wonders of his kingdom that were bestowed upon him by the Lord God. And after hearing Solomon's wisdom, and after touring all the places that were shown her, she exclaimed that his wisdom, and the wonders of his kingdom, were greater than were told to her. Now, she says this, we are told by our Lord Jesus in this pericope, not so much because she is impressed with Solomon, but because she is impressed by the God who gave Solomon such wisdom and possessions.

This is why our Lord Jesus points out that she will present a case against those who reject our Lord Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection, as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she believed; She who was an outsider, and foreigner, saw the wonders of God, and believed them.

The same is said of the Ninevites. God has purposely sent the Prophet Jonah, who was a sign of our Lord Jesus, to proclaim to them, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" The evil of the Ninevites was so great, that our Lord God purposed to destroy them. One must keep in mind also, that this is not a city of the Jews, these are not His people, but foreigners and outsiders. But having heard the preaching of the Prophet Jonah, the king ordered everyone to put on sackcloth and ashes, he declared a fast, and for everyone to pray to the Lord God in repentance for Him to subside His anger. Here we see this text's connection with the season of Lent, in fact, the Old Testament reading appointed for Ash Wednesday in from the Prophet Jonah, chapter three.

We see in the Ninevites true devotion to God and repentance, they serve as our example during this Lenten season, of how we should proceed with our own fasting repentance; How diligently we are to pray and make supplications unto our Lord God. We also see why our Lord Jesus uses them as a testimony against the Jews of His day, who rejected Him and Messiah, and eventually rejected His death and resurrection as the means of their salvation. For the Ninevites, having heard of their sin and God's promised destruction against them, repented. Again, like Queen Sheba, these were outsiders, foreigners. They were not people of the promise. They were not the ones to whom the Word of God had been given. But they did repent, in sackcloth and ashes. Therefore, the Ninevites, like Queen Sheba, have testimony against the Jews on account of their repentance.

This pericope, therefore, holds great comfort for all of us, not born of Jewish descent. For both the examples given by our Lord of great confession of faith, and of repentance, were Gentiles. We too, being Gentiles, have this same promise. For although the Jews reject the Lord Jesus, although they reject their Savior, they live in darkness. Their lamp has burned out. And they are blind. Therefore this pericope also serves as a warning for us, to not let the lamp of faith that burns within us, so that we might see our Lord Jesus, and believe on Him, to burn out.

How do we do this? We do this by remaining steadfast in our Lord's Word. Or to say it another way, we must keep ourselves immersed in our Lord's preaching of the Word, and in His gifts grace, the Sacraments. Through our participation in these means of grace, the Word and Sacrament, our Lord's Holy Spirit fills us and creates, and sustains in us faith. So that we might along with the Queen of Sheba, and the Prophet Jonah, and the Ninevites, proclaim the good things that our Lord God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Lord, Teach Us to Pray: St. Luke 10:38-11:13

St. Luke 10:38-11:13: "10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'

"11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.' 2 So He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.' 5 And He said to them, 'Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;" 7 and he will answer from within and say, "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you?" 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!'"

Our Lord teaches us two things in today's pericope. One, how the ministers of God should behave when they go into the homes of those who receive them. And two, how to pray to our Heavenly Father for those things we need.

Our Lord Jesus teaches us that when the ministers of God go into the homes of those who receive them, that they "should not remain idle, but should rather fill the minds of those who receive them with sacred and divine teachings."* That is, that they are tasked with preaching the Word of God at all times in the midst of those who receive them. They are to be the embodiment of the Word of God among the people of God. Our Lord does this, in that when He enters the home of Mary and Martha (and we learn in other places, that this is the home of Lazarus in Bethany) He sits down to teach and preach.

We also learn from the Blessed Mary how those who receive the ministers of God are to receive them and their words. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. She didn't just sit nearby, but at His feet, that is, she shows her diligence, eagerness, and steadfastness in hearing our Lord's Word. She wants nothing more than to hear what our Lord has to say. Martha on the other hand is consumed with being a good hostess. And in her obsession, she misses out on the opportunity to hear what our Lord teaches.

This is true for us as well, when the ministers of God come into our homes, we may be tempted to be more concerned about being good hosts and hostesses, than hearing what he has to say. This is why the ministers of God visit people in their homes, they come to bring the Word of God, that is not to say that other things cannot take place, but both minister and hearers have an obligation to preach and hear, respectively. The danger that is being expressed, is the minister who never says anything about what God has done, or, the hearer, who doesn't want the minister to say anything about God and what He has done. Are you the type of person who doesn't want the minister in your home, because you don't want him to be "all preachy?" Then you should repent, for this is for your benefit. He has been sent by God, and to not receive him, is to not receive our Lord Jesus. A similar question can be asked of the ministers of God, are you the type of minister who goes into people's homes, and do not say anything about God, because you do not want to sound "all preachy?" Then repent, for you have been sent by God, to bring the good news of salvation to those people.

In this Mary chooses the better thing, for she shows how diligently we are to cling to the Word of God, and crave for it to be spoken to us. And our Lord Jesus, is all to willing to oblige.

The second thing our Lord teaches us, is to pray. And He teaches His disciples (and us) by giving them the Lord's Prayer. This gives us a good chance to look at the Lord's Prayer, and receive some catechesis on it. Afterall, being in Lent, this is the season for catechesis. Therefore let us look briefly at each petition.

Our Lord begins teaching us how to pray, by teaching us to Whom we are to address our prayers. We are to beseech our Heavenly Father. After the Lord's Prayer in the text, He even gives us examples of how we are to imagine our Heavenly Father, that is, as a father. When we ask our earthly fathers for something, and we are told by Jesus, that even the evil ones do this, our fathers, because of their love for their sons, give us good things. And we knowing how our earthly fathers give to us, we have no qualms about asking them for the things we need. Therefore, we should have the same relationship with our Heavenly Father, not afraid to ask Him for the things we need.

Our Lord then explains to His disciples what things are to be asked for from our Heavenly Father, and these can be broken down into two categories. One, is spiritual needs, and the other is physical needs. Our daily earthly needs are sandwiched in the Lord's Prayer, between our daily spiritual needs.

Like the Ten Commandments, where the first three deal with our Lord God, in the Lord's Prayer, the first three deal with our greatest needs. Our first need is that God would hallow His Name, that is, that He would make His Name holy among us. Now we know that God's Name is holy in and of itself, but we pray that God would make His Name holy among us. How is this done? God's Name is made holy among us when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution, and we gladly and willing require and enjoy His Word preached in its purity. Therefore, those who don't care about such things, or do not think that preaching correct doctrine is as important as "getting the Word out" are profaning the Name of God among us. Of course, one is not actually "getting the Word out" if the Word that is being put out there is incorrect.

The second spiritual need we have is that our Lord's kingdom would come among us. Again, God's kingdom comes in and by itself, even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come among us. So, how does God's kingdom come? It comes when He gives us His Holy Spirit. In other words, whenever the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution in our midst, the Holy Spirit is give to us. And when that happens, He, through the outpouring of His grace upon us, creates in us faith and life, so that we may believe the Word that was preached, and believe that in the Sacraments we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. In short, in order for our Lord's kingdome to come to us, we need the means of grace given to us in their truth and purity. Wherever the means of grace are not given out, or are given out contrary to Christ's institution, the kingdom of God cannot come, nor can His Holy Spirit create and sustain faith and life in us by the outpouring of His grace.

The third spiritual need that we must ask for and receive before requesting any earthly need, is that our Lord's will would be done on earth, in the same way that it is done in Heaven. Again, we know that God's will is done without our prayer, but we pray that it may be done among us, or in other words, that we may gladly and willing receive His holy will. How is this done? Whenever God breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our flesh, which do not want us to make God's Name holy among us, nor let His kingdom come among us. In other words, God's will is done when we make sure that the first two petitions are happening among us, that we do not become apathetic towards God's Word, and correct doctrine and practice, nor allow false teaching and practice to exist among us. For when we are apathetic, or allow false practice to exist among us, we are weakened in our faith. This is what the second part of the Blessed Martin Luther's explanation to this petition explains, that is, that when we are allowing God's will to be done, and His kingdom to come, He is strengthening and perserving us in the One True Faith. This is why the Word of God, and the right administration of the Sacraments in our midst are so important, for these are the means by which the Holy Ghost works to create and sustain, and strengthen our faith. Where these things do not exist, our faith is either weakened, or in grave danger of being wasted away.

Having learned how to ask our Heavenly Father to keep His Word and Sacraments pure in our midst, we are now ready to ask for those things which we need to sustain this body and life. For when we have the Word of God in its truth and purity, we learn to be content with the simple things that our Lord gives us, and we ask only for the necessities to sustain life. This is why the next petition simply states, "Give us this day our daily bread." For in daily bread is meant all that we need to support this body and life, or to say it another way, we are asking for only those things which we need to support our earthly life. God certainly gives daily bread without our prayer, and on account of His grace and love for His creation, He even gives it freely to all evil people. But when we ask our Heavenly Father to give us daily bread, we are acknowledging from Whom our earthly bread comes from, and we are by virtue giving Him thanks for it.

Having taken care of our spiritual and earthly needs, we now turn to those things that attack us in this life, and draw us away from our Heavenly Father, and that is sin. Both the sin that we commit, and the sin that is commited against us. This petition rightly follows the others, for part of our sin, is being lax in God's Word, and receiving and rejoicing in the Sacraments. We also daily have desires that go way beyond what we need to support this body and life, for we do become discontent with our lives, and chase after the things of this life. There are also those who commit sins against us, for we live in an evil world full of sin. Therefore in this petition we request our Heavenly Father to forgive us of our sins, and we also request Him to forgive those who sin against us, releasing them from the sins that they committed against us, so that we do not hold those sins against them. It should be pointed out that this petition does not require them to ask for forgiveness. It should also be said, that when we hold grudges, we are making the second half of this petition out to be a lie. This is dangerous, for we learn from our Lord Jesus, that when we refuse to forgive our neighbors who have sinned against us, our Heavenly Father, will not forgive us. This of course, does not apply to those who through Church discipline have publicly had their sins retained. This petition is probably best summed up in the words of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, who said, "Bear with one another."

The sixth petition request our Heavenly Father to give us the strength to resist temptation, so that we may not be led, or deceived, into false belief, despair, or other great shame or vice. This of course is done through the Holy Ghost, who dwells within us, by continued use of the means of grace. We may be assailed by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, but by the Holy Ghost, we may overcome them and obtain the victory over temptation.

Finally, our prayer to our Heavenly Father sums up our lost condition, and prays that we would be delivered from the evil one. This petition has to do with our last hour on this Earth. When we pray this petition we are praying that our Lord would keep us free from all evil that would remove us from receiving our eternal reward in Heaven. We are saying when we pray, "Deliver us from evil" that our Lord would grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in Heaven. This is why when this petition is prayed those who pray it make the sign of the Holy Cross at the word "deliver." For we are delivered from the evil one, and are granted a blessed end, and an eternal home in Heaven, by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose suffering and death, won for us forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.

We wrap up our prayer by saying, "Amen." That is to say, "We know that what we have just prayed for, You O Lord, will grant to us, and we believe that You will freely give us all that we ask for and more." Therefore, the Church has prayed this prayer daily and much. In the past it was prayed whenever the Church Bells were rung, announcing the time of prayer, and those who were unable to come to the Lord's house for prayer, would stop and pray this prayer in their stations in life. The Blessed Martin Luther suggested that this prayer should be prayed when we awake in the morning, before and after meals, and when we lie down to sleep. This prayer is also prayed in both Matins and Vespers, the morning and evening prayers, respectively. This means that we ask our Heavenly Father for all spiritual and earthly needs, about ten times a day (if one eats three meals a day). Ten being the number of perfect completion, we pray this prayer completely and perfectly every day.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* St. Cyril

After These Things the Lord Appointed Seventy Others Also: St. Luke 10:1-22

St. Luke 10:1-22: "1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house." 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you." 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 "The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you." 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.' 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' 18 And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.'"

After our Lord Jesus has firmly set His face to go to Jerusalem, He sends out seventy disciples to preach that the kingdom of God was at hand. It is interesting that the Evangelist records this narrative, for according to certain Early Fathers, St. Luke (and St. Mark), was one of these seventy chosen by our Lord to be sent out. This is interesting, because the same Early Fathers record for us that St. Luke (and St. Mark) was a part of the group of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ who after hearing the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospel of St. John, the sixth chapter, left our Lord Jesus. We are told that St. Luke (and St. Mark) returned later, repenting of his sin, and became a writer of the Gospel.

This is mentioned, because some manuscripts say the seventy, and others seventy-two. Well, why the difference? The explanation given by these Fathers is that certain manuscripts leave out the two who left our Lord after the events in St. John chapter 6. That is, St. Luke and St. Mark are not included in the numbering of some manuscripts, and in other manuscripts they are.

If the report of those certain Early Fathers is accurate (see Hippolytus and Eusebius), then we can assume that the Evangelist St. Luke had a first hand knowledge of the event recorded in this pericope, because he was there. Regardless, there are some differences to be noted between our Lord sending out the twelve Apostles, and the sending of these seventy (or seventy-two) disciples. There are also some similarities.

They, like the Apostles, were not to bring anything with them. They were also not to speak to anyone that they met along the way. This means that they were sent to certain places and individuals, not just to whomever they met. There is no standing on a street corner with a big sign, or a megaphone for the Apostles and theses seventy disciples. Our Lord tasks them with preaching to certain people, and at certain times.

Another similarity between the Apostles and the seventy were that those cities which did not receive them, were to be publicly admonished by the shaking of the dust from their feet, and the proclamation against the particular city.

However, unlike the Apostles, wherever they ended up, they were to stay there. And receive whatever wages those who welcomed them would give them. The Apostles were to go from town to town, the seventy disciples were to find a town that would welcome them to hear the Gospel, and stay there. From this difference we can see that the seventy disciples were not tasked by our Lord, in the same way that the Apostles were tasked.

St. Augustine states that these seventy (in his reading from a different variation on the text he states the seveny-two) represent the second order of clergy, namely, the presbyters, or priests. The Apostles represented the order of Bishops. Therefore, the seventy's calling and sending did not involve tasks that belonged to the Apostles. Just like the Apostles had tasks that were specific to them alone. St. Cyril also makes this distinction adding that Moses prefigured this calling of the seventy when he chose seventy Israelites, by the command of God, to pour out His Spirit. St. Cyril goes on to say that this was also prefigured in the Book of Moses, commonly called Numbers, when they reached Elim, and there were twelve fountains of water, and seventy palms. Hearing him in is own words is best:

"In the book of Numbers also it was written of the children of Israel, that they came to Elim, which is by interpretation 'ascent,' and there were there twelve fountains of water, and seventy palm trees. For when we fly to spiritual refreshment, we shall find twelve fountains, namely, the holy Apostles, from whom we imbibe the knowledge of salvation as from the well-springs of the Saviour; and seventy palms, that is, those who were now appointed by Christ. For the palm is a tree of sound core, striking deep root and fruitful, always growing by the water side, yet at the same time putting forth its leaves upwards."

Thus far St. Cyril. What a lovely comparison! The words of the Apostles, which became for us the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament are the words by which we learn of our Lord Jesus, and what He has done, and does for us. And our Lord plants palms, that is ministers of His Word, next to those holy streams of His salvation, to proclaim to all that the stream of salvation is nearby, for a palm tree always grows near the water.

Therefore we have water and palms to lead us to our Lord Jesus, and quench our sin-parched lips with the refreshing Gospel of forgiveness, life and salvation. And these ministers of God, who today, like the seventy of this account, are called to one place, and serve those who would receive them, and they gladly receive whatever wage is offered to them, all so that those might hear that the kingdom of God is at hand, that is, that our Lord Jesus has come, and He has fulfilled the Law perfectly for us, and suffered and died in our place, so that we might have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Now It Came to Pass, When the Time Had Come For Him to Be Received Up, That He Steadfastly Set His Face to Go to Jerusalem: St. Luke 9:28-62

St. Luke 9:28-62: "1 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!' 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, 'Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.' 41 Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.' 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.' 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, 'Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.' 49 Now John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.' 50 But Jesus said to him, 'Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.' 51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?' 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' And they went to another village. 57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.' 58 And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' 59 Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' 60 Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' 61 And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' 62 But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

The events of this narrative follow eight days after the Lord has told them about His suffering and death in Jerusalem. The Evangelist St. Luke supplies some of the details that were missing in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. We learn that the three disciples that our Lord took with Him were heavy with sleep, and did not see His glory until they were fully awake. It is almost as if they had fallen asleep and awoke in another reality. Another thing that the Evangelist St. Luke reveals that the other Gospel writers do not, is that the disciples and our Lord, spent the night on the mountain. For we are told that they came down the next day from the mountain, after His transfiguration.

Another thing we learn from the Evangelist St. Luke regarding the transfiguration of our Lord, is what our Lord Jesus, and Moses and Elijah spoke about on that mount. We are told they spoke about "His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." In other words, they spoke about His crucifixion and death. Even after our Lord and His disciples come down from the mountain, and He casts out a demon, our Lord Jesus tells His disciples that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Then comes these great words for our ears to hear, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." Meaning, that our Lord sets His purpose and will to accomplish the will of His Heavenly Father, that He discussed with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. He sets His will to suffer and die for our sins.

Having fulfilled the Law for us; Having given many proofs of His Divinity, and that He was indeed the promised Messiah; Having shown His power and authority over the devil and the powers of darkness; He marches toward Jerusalem, like a military general set on defeating and capturing his enemy in one final battle.

There in Jerusalem our Lord, as we well know, will be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, suffer mockery, spittings, beatings, and scourging, and be sent to be crucified to death. All this He does for our salvation. As He says, "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." He gets destroyed for us, so that we would not be destroyed. The fire of the Father's wrath over the sin of mankind is poured down upon Him on the cross, so that we would not suffer that wrath.

Therefore, at the beginning of this Lenten season, we also set our face steadfastly towards Jerusalem and the cross. For it is at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we lay our sins, and receive His forgiveness.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For What Profit Is It To a Man If He Gains the Whole World, and Is Himself Destroyed or Lost?: St. Luke 9:1-27

St. Luke 9:1-27: "1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, 'Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.' 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him. 10 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, 'Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.' 13 But He said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' And they said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.' 14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of fifty.' 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 18 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?' 19 So they answered and said, 'John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.' 20 He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' 21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 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.' 23 Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.'"

This pericope ends the way it began. We are shown the importance of having the Word of God over earthly things. The disciples, when they are sent out by our Lord Jesus with power and authority over demons, and to heal sicknesses, are instructed to take nothing with them. In this the Early Fathers are in agreement in their teaching, that our Lord does this to teach the disciples that they are to live by the Gospel, and not by the things of this world. They go out into the world with no staff, in other words, nothing with which to protect them and aid them in their journey. They go out with no bag, meaning they don't have a suitcase of extra clothes, or whatever other things would have been carried in a bag. They carry with them no bread, meaning they have no food, they are to beggars, and receive only what they given through charity. They also are to bring no money, so that they will not be able to buy any of the things they think they might need. They are also supposed to go without an extra tunic, that is, not an extra pair of underwear.

The Lord sends them out as beggars, with nothing but the Word of God. St. Ambrose says of this text, "Of what kind then he ought to be who preaches the Gospel of the kingdom of God is marked out by these Gospel precepts ; that is, he must not require the supports of secular aid; and clinging wholly to faith, he must believe that the less he requires those things, the more they will be supplied to him." Herein we see the purpose of our Lord sending out His disciples as beggars with just the Word of God. They are to live by faith. When they are forced to live without the means of this world, they will cling all the more to our Lord. The same thing is true of us, when we are stripped of all the props of life, we can more freely believe and cling to our Lord's gifts.

One might wonder what the end result of this sending out into the countryside by our Lord Jesus without earthly entanglements. Well, we are told by another Gospel writer, that they returned with joy, proclaiming all the wonderful things they did through the Gospel. Therefore we can learn something from the disciples. What is most important is the Gospel. What that means is that the Word of God preached in its purity and the Sacraments administered according to Christ's institution, are more important than any earthly possession one has. But, not only should the ministers of the Word rely on God, and not on earthly possessions, but so too should all Christians. This is why this pericope ends the way it started.

But before our Lord explains all these things that have happened in this reading, we get a physical example of our Lord's abundance toward us, and how faith in our Lord, will supply our needs. For sandwiched in between the disciples being sent out without any of earth's props, and our Lord telling us that those who seek after the things of this world are in danger of losing their soul, we have the feeding of the 5,000. Here our Lord shows what faith produces, that is, our Lord bestowing upon the 5,000 men, plus women and children, enough food so that everyone ate to their fill. Our Lord provides their needs. And notice that we talk about needs, for there are many wants which we have, which our Lord never provides for us, for He knows that they will be harmful to us, and will put up a barrier to our faith. But here in the wilderness, our Lord teaches us about faith, and about how He will provide for our needs.

From here, after St. Peter declares, on behalf of the disciples, that He is the Messiah, He goes on to explain to His disciples the purpose of His coming, and that is to suffer and die to bring forgiveness, life and salvation. Here we are told to take up our cross and follow Him. Our cross is His cross, the cross where He suffered and died. What our Lord is telling us, is that those who wish to live by faith, must live by faith in the cross. We are too often so consumed with our earthly needs, that we forget about our spiritual needs. We neglect studying of the Word of God, we neglect prayer, that is, our private worship of our Lord. But worse than that, we may even neglect the public worship of our Lord. Not taking advantage of the means provided by the Church so that we may receive into our ears the preaching of what our Lord Jesus did for us.

Here in there are a lot of Church's at fault as well, wittling down the public services of worship to once a week, and then even placing a time frame on them of one hour, so that everyone can get out as soon as possible. The Church throughout the ages as always had daily public worship, that is, until most recently. In the Lutheran Church Matins and Vespers were prayed each day, along with instruction in both the Word of God and the Catechism following these services, respectively. On Sundays and Feast days, the Lord Supper was offered to all those who desired to receive who were in fellowship with the Lutheran Church. These were preceded, either directly before the service, or the preceding night before with a service of public confession, and then private confession following afterwards. All this was done so that everyone had ample opportunity to hear the Word of God, so that faith might be created and sustained in the believer.

However, today, this does not take place. The excuses are many. "No one will come." "We are too small to have more than one service." "That is too much Church." "It is too much work." "Are you trying to burn us out with Church services?" "We only have one pastor, and that is too much work for him." "The electric bill will go up, because of all these extra services." And the list could go on. All these concerns are centered in worldly pursuits and concerns. None of them have to do with the spiritual. In short, they are lies of the devil, who does not want us to be so surrounded by the Word of God.

The problem is that we have made the world our home, and the Church a hobby, or something to do in our free time. Instead, it should be the Church that is our home, and our life, and all the cares and concerns of this world should take a back burner, or better yet be done away with all together. It would surely reduce stress, if we were not so consumed by the acquisition of things. Now, certainly we have some earthly obligations. We have to feed our family, and pay for our rent or mortgage, and our bills. But we could attack even these things, for we don't need the fanciest food, or living quarters, or automobile. We don't need all of the bills which we have, which we think we need, but could really be done away with. For we only have these things because the world says that we need them. In reality they are only things that get in our way of our spiritual life, for the pursuit and maintenance of these things, only takes away our time for study of God's Word and prayer.

Therefore, our Lord Jesus puts the question to us, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" On this fourth day of Lent, we have an opportunity, in the spirit of the Lenten fast, to put off from ourselves, all the earthly entrapments that weigh us down, add to our stress, and take us away from daily hearing what our Lord has done for us. Let us examine our lives, and get rid of all those things that hinder us from hearing God's Word; All those things which are nothing more than worldly pursuits.

For then we will be like the disciples who were sent out into the world as beggars, who learned to live by faith, and who learned to trust in our Lord Jesus. They returned to Him in joy, and the same thing will happen to us, for having learned to live by faith, we learn to be content with whatever our Lord has given us, and in whatever situation our Lord has placed us. In this faith, we will eat to our full, like the 5,000, and be satisfied, in all our Lord provides.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas