Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg

Advent and Christmas

Since it is the Advent season, I will be featuring songs and carols suggested by readers. If you have a favorite, let me know and I will try to include it.

A Syriac Christmas liturgy -late third or early fourth century link

The radiance of the Father’s splendor, the Father’s visible image, Jesus Christ our God, peerless among counselors, Prince of Peace, Father of the world to come, the model after which Adam was formed, for our sakes became like a slave: in the womb of Mary the virgin, without assistance from any man, he took flesh.…

Enable us, Lord, to reach the end of this luminous feast in peace, forsaking all idle words, acting virtuously, shunning our passions, and raising ourselves above the things of this world.

Bless your church, which you brought into being long ago and attached to yourself through your own life-giving blood. Help all orthodox pastors, heads of churches, and doctors [theologians].

Bless your servants, whose trust is all in you; bless all Christian souls, the sick, those tormented by evil spirits, and those who have asked us to pray for them.

Show yourself as merciful as you are rich in grace; save and preserve us; enable us to obtain those good things to come which will never know an end.

May we celebrate your glorious birth, and the Father who sent you to redeem us, and your Spirit, the Giver of life, now and forever, age after age. Amen.

Prayer for the Work of the Spirit: Lutheran Prayers of Faith

Lord God, you reign in eternal majesty and glory.
We praise you for coming into our world through your Son Jesus Christ,
to save us from our bondage to sin.
Give us your Holy Spirit, so that we would trust in your Word and look to you as our Redeemer and Lord;
in Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen

Read the words carefully as you listen to this song. It speaks of the Incarnation.

Since Wade Burleson was not preaching on 11/18/18, I have included a sermon by Pete Briscoe who was my former pastor at Bent Tree Church. Many of his sermons revolve around grace-the freeing kind. These are NOT not the doctrines of grace which many use to tie people up in knots.

Scripture discussed in the sermon: Luke 6:1-11 NIV

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. ² Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.”So he got up and stood there.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Pete Briscoe: Extending Grace to Rule Breakers

WORDS OF DISMISSAL AND BENEDICTION
The holy mystery we call God
is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge for times of trouble.
Go, embraced by the Source of life, love and hope;
following in the way of Jesus, just and compassionate;
encouraged by the Spirit of grace and wisdom.
Amen