Worship Helps for Pentecost 12
Artwork: Shepherdess with Her Flock
Artist: Eugene-Joseph Verboeckhoven
Date: 1798-1881
Worship Theme: A 2011 Australian study found that after
the age of 25, every hour of television reduced the viewer’s life expectancy by
21.8 minutes. (Yikes!) God’s warning for us all is far more dire than the old
“slouch on the couch.” He says that by frittering time away we could slide away
from him and into eternal death. Conversely, how good it will be for those whom
Jesus finds busy and watching for him when he reappears.
Old Testament: Haggai 1:12-14
Then Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of
the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the
prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared
the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of
the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. 14
So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the
spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the
house of the LORD Almighty, their God.
1. How were the Jews of Haggai’s day doing financially?
How can you tell? (See 1:6 and 1:10-11.)
2. What did God want his people to do? (See 1:8.)
3. See 1:12. What attitude do we also need?
Epistle: Revelation
3:1-6
"To the angel of
the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven
spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of
being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains
and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of
my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard;
obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and
you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a
few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me,
dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like
them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of
life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
4. What
reputation did the church in Sardis have? By contrast, what did Jesus think?
(See 3:1.)
5. In what way will Jesus come like a thief? (See 3:3.)
Gospel: Luke 12:32-40
"Do not be afraid,
little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that
will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no
thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also. 35 "Be dressed ready for
service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their
master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they
can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth,
he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will
come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose
master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the
night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known
at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken
into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at
an hour when you do not expect him."
6. What attitude does Jesus encourage Christians to have
about this world and the things of this world?
7. Instead of
worldly things, with what should we concern ourselves?
Answers:
1. The Jews of Haggai’s day were not doing well,
financially. They had planted much, but harvested little. God had sent a
drought because they had been busy with their houses, not with his house (the
temple).
2. God wanted them to a) give careful thought to their
ways and b) go get timber and finish building his house.
3. If we are going to be properly industrious while
waiting for the LORD, it will stem from revering the LORD. Such fear of God
comes from the Word of God.
4. The church in Sardis had the reputation of being alive,
but Jesus says they were dead.
5. Like a thief, Jesus will come not only on a day we
cannot predict, but at a time when we do not expect him. (See also Luke 12:40.)
6. Christians should not be engrossed with the things of
this world. Jesus goes so far as to suggest that we should sell our worldly
possessions and give to the poor. The reason for Jesus’ encouragement is
simple: the things of this world have no lasting worth. In time worldly things
will all be exhausted, stolen or destroyed. Why waste time on the constant
pursuit of such things?
7. Jesus
repeatedly encourages us to set our hearts on the kingdom of God, on the
eternal things that are in store for us in our heavenly home. He wants us to be
ready when he comes again because he will only take those who have been waiting
for him to be with him forever, like servants waiting by the door for their
master to knock after a long journey.
Putting your faith into action
The
order of the words Jesus uses in our gospel reading for today is very
deliberate. You would think a person’s beliefs would drive his choices. But
Jesus turns it around and says that the choices one makes eventually affects
his beliefs. Think about it: Seemingly innocent choices of TV programs or
movies with violence, or music with violent lyrics, can develop a belief that
this is the way the world operates. The choice of “treasure” changes the
“heart.” As stewards of God’s gifts, we can make choices about what is precious
to us that can affect what we believe. Picking the wrong treasures can even
destroy our faith. But picking treasures that are spiritual and eternal
preserve our faith and trust in God. May we always hold the cross of Christ as
most precious, and arrange our lives’ priorities around it.
We profess that the work of
the Law must be begun in us, and that it must be kept continually more and
more. Our theologians not only require
good works, but they also show how they can be done. Human nature is far too weak to resist the
devil by its own powers. We may pray for
the governance and defense of the Holy Spirit, that we may neither be deceived
and err, nor be pushed to do anything against God’s will. Christ has overcome the devil, and has given
to us the promise and the Holy Spirit, that—by divine aid—we may overcome. 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of
God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” We teach not only how the Law can be kept,
but also how God is pleased if anything is done. This is not because we satisfy the Law, but
because we are in Christ. It is clear
that we require good works. We also say:
Our love for God, even though it is small, cannot possibly be separated from
faith. For we come to the Father through
Christ. When forgiveness of sins has
been received, then we are truly certain that we have a God that cares for
us. We call upon Him, we give Him
thanks, we fear Him, we love Him as 1 John 4:19 teaches, “We love because He
first loved us.” In other words, we love
Him because He gave His Son for us and forgave us our sins. In this way John shows that faith comes first
and love follows. – Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article V, Love and
Fulfilling the Law (paragraphs 15-20)
Hymns: 466; 442; 421; 422; 477
442 Have No Fear, Little Flock
1 Have no fear, little flock; Have no fear,
little flock,
For the Father has chosen To
give you the kingdom;
Have no fear, little flock!
2 Have good cheer, little flock; Have good
cheer, little flock,
For the Father will keep you
In his love forever;
Have good cheer, little
flock!
3 Praise the Lord high above; Praise the Lord
high above,
For he stoops down to heal
you, Uplift and restore you;
Praise the Lord high above!
4 Thankful hearts raise to God; Thankful hearts
raise to God,
For he stays close beside
you, In all things works with you;
Thankful hearts raise to God!
Text: Marjorie A. Jillson,
b. 1931. From Five Hymns. © 1973 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved. Used
by permission.
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