Worship Helps for Pentecost 5

Worship Theme: Christ promises courage for his witnesses to testify even in the face of pain or persecution. The Prayer of the Day is one of the most ancient in the Church’s use. It seems to have been suggested by the disasters of the dying Western Empire. As Rome crumbled, the Church prayed for God’s governance that she might worship in peace and joy. Today Christ reminds us that even when that peace and joy are absent, he will give us the courage to continue to testify in his name.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 19:14-20:6  Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the LORD's temple and said to all the people, ¹⁵ "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.'" 20:1 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ² he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple. ³ The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD's name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. ⁴ For this is what the LORD says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. ⁵ I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city-- all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. ⁶ And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.'"

1. What happened to Jeremiah because He preached the truth? What happened to Pashhur for preaching lies?

Epistle: Acts 23:1-11 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." ² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" ⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" ⁵ Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" ⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) ⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. ¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

2. What made Paul such an expert on the subject of persecution?

Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! ²⁶ "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ³² "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

3. Should we be surprised when we face persecution for the Word?

Answers:

1. Note the courage of Jeremiah, first in speaking the Word of the Lord that landed him in the stocks, and then speaking the subsequent Word of the Lord as soon as he is released from the stocks. To the man who had beaten him, Jeremiah proclaimed a message of doom and death by God’s hand. Pashhur could merely kill the body. So Jeremiah did not fear him, but placed his life in the hands of the God who numbered every hair on his head. In those hands, Jeremiah found the courage to testify in the face of persecution, and even in the midst of it.

2. St. Paul knew persecution well: he knew how to give it, and he knew how to take it. The man who once had been the Church’s worst nightmare had become by God’s amazing grace the Church’s great Apostle to the Gentiles. But the self-proclaimed chief of sinners, who once persecuted the Church, then endured a ministry filled with persecutions. The list of dangers and violence that Paul faced is lengthy. By the time we find Paul in this lesson he had faced persecutions many times. Yet, his Savior never forgot him, and his Savior never forgot to remind him of the courage he could have in Christ. He was going to Rome, and he would testify. Not even a martyr’s death would be able to stop the testimony Paul would make for Christ. What the Lord whispered in the dark, Paul shouted from the rooftop. And when he met his martyr’s death, it was only the door to eternity where his Savior acknowledged him before God the Father. Grant us that courage to testify, O Lord!

3. Jesus’ axiomatic statements are so obvious that they require no proof. Yet how surprised we are when we face persecution because of the Word!

Perhaps we face physical persecution, or perhaps it is merely the way modern Christians are called intolerant, credulous, and backward. But why should Christians be surprised or disappointed or angered about the persecutions they face? Look at the axiom! We slaves are not above our master who was persecuted first. So this should not lead to surprise and cannot lead to the cessation of our work as Gospel heralds. We know our master and the reality of who he actually is, not just the falsities his enemies promulgate. And, therefore, do not be afraid of them! Instead, shout and proclaim! Our enemies can only succeed in killing the body. Such a small thing compared to the fate that awaits them! The enemies of Christ have always been fearsome, whether in the days of the crumbling of the Roman Empire or during these latter days of American hegemony. That’s why Christ says it three times, do not be afraid. In place of fear, find the courage of Christ to witness in the face of any persecution.

Putting your faith into action

Fear for one’s life and well-being is something that plagues even God’s people. Don’t we all from time to time fret and stew about life, health, and all those things that pertain to the wants and needs of this body and life? Jesus’ words from Matthew 10 remind us of the truth that the same God and Father of us all, who knows when an insignificant sparrow falls to the ground and how many hairs are on our heads, will also provide us with all that we truly need to support this body and life. Our challenge as God’s stewards, or managers, is to “spend” our life and resources in acts of Christ-like love. By spending our lives and resources in doing the Lord’s work we will be building up treasures in heaven that cannot be lost!

A reading from the Book of Concord for Pentecost 5

[Christ’s] human nature, after the resurrection from the dead, is exalted above all creatures in heaven and on earth.  He entirely laid aside the form of a servant.  He did not lay aside His human nature, but retains it to eternity.  He has the full possession and use of the divine majesty according to His received human nature.  However, He had this majesty immediately at His conception, even in His mother’s womb.  As the apostle testifies, He laid it aside.  As Dr. Luther explains, He kept it concealed in the state of His humiliation and did not always use it, but only when He wanted to use it.

Now He has ascended to heaven, not merely as any other saint, but as the apostle testifies, above all heavens.  He also truly fills all things, being present everywhere, not only as God, but also as man.  He rules from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth, as the prophets predict [Zechariah 9:10] and the apostles testify.  He did this everywhere with them and confirmed their word with signs.  This did not happen in an earthly way.  As Dr. Luther explains, this happened according to the way things are done at God’s right hand.  “God’s right hand” is no set place in heaven.  It is nothing other than God’s almighty power, which fills heaven and earth.  Christ is installed according to His humanity, without confusing or equalizing the two natures in their essence and essential properties. – Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article VIII, The Person of Christ (paragraphs 26-28)