Trinity 1
Dear friends in Christ,
This Sunday we celebrate the first Sunday after Trinity. We are entering the Trinity Season of the church year. From the beginning of Advent until Pentecost, we celebrate the festival half of the church year, which focuses on the life of Jesus especially, including his birth at Christmas, the visit of the Wise Men at Epiphany, His Baptism, His entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, His crucifixion on Good Friday, His resurrection on Easter Sunday, His ascension into heaven, and His sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentectost. Now, in this season, we focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ's church and people.
The focus of the next few weeks will be the work of the Holy Spirit as the foundation for the Christian Life. This week will focus on how the Holy Spirit gives us the words of Scripture which show God's love that brings our salvation.
The Gospel reading is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16. When you read this parable, note the way Abraham's words at the end of the parable help us to see the life of these two men: "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." How did Scriptural faith shape how each man lived on earth? How did faith in the words of the Bible shape how each man lived in eternity? The Holy Spirit gives us life here in time and there in eternity through the words of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 6, Moses instructs the people according to God's Word "These words which I command you today shall be in your heart....You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him." In 1 John 4, St. John gives words given of the Spirit, "God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
At this link is an excellent resource to help bring God's Word into your week, that you may continue on towards life everlasting, and be prepared to show the love of God to the people He places in your life!
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:1)
Scripture Readings For the Week:
Prayers of the Day:
O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Hymns
559 Oh, How Great is Your Compassion
768 To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray
223 Te Deum
637 Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord
797 Praise the Almighty
708 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart
Bach Cantata for the Week
BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen
(Video | Translation)
What use is purple's majesty
When it is gone?
What use the greatest store of wealth
Since all things in our vision
Must disappear?
What use the stirring of vain yearnings,
Since this our flesh itself must perish?
Alas, how swiftly doth it happen
That riches, pleasure, pomp,
The soul to hell condemn!(1)My Jesus shall be all I own!
My purple is his precious blood,
Himself my most exalted wealth,
And this his Spirit's fire of love
My most delicious wine of joy.
Our mission offerings for June will be going towards the work of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation and our Mission Potluck will be next week, June 18th.
Imagine trying to understand Scripture in all its richness without the benefit of Luther’s Small Catechism. Or trying to teach young children about basic Bible stories without books like A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories.
For Lutheran churches around the world, these situations are reality. They don’t have the basic books, so vital to understanding the Lutheran faith, because no one has translated them into their languages.
Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven.
In more than 90 countries and 145 languages, thousands of people have come to faith in Christ because they’ve been able to read books like The Good News About Jesus or Luther’s Small Catechism in their own languages.
LHF has published the catechism in more than 110 languages with dozens more requested. In the past decade, LHF has published and distributed over 1,300 titles and 3 million Lutheran books to pastors, seminary students, missionaries and churches – all at no cost to them.
As we are changing from the Festival season of the church year to the Trinity Season, one thing you'll notice is that the services will get somewhat simpler. We will say the Apostles' Creed. Pastor will do less singing than he does during the festival times. You may notice that during the summer, many weeks the service will be a little shorter.
See everyone tomorrow on the Lord's Day!
In Christ,
Pastor Sherman