2nd Sunday After the Epiphany Service

Kongsvinger Lutheran Church

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January 14, 2024

Ezekiel Part 23

00:19: Just hit refresh. I'm gonna have to wait for that to start so I can mute it so that we don't get a weird audio feedback loop
00:40: Okay so we'll be doing a service of the word today and The opening hymn is gonna be 533 this is the second
00:51: Sunday after the epiphany and Let's see here.
00:57: Let me make sure about something on the security Yeah, okay, all right,
01:02: I'm gonna need some help with the liturgy so I need an answer from you
01:08: Josh Are you able to help with the liturgy? If not, then I have to find somebody. I said, yes. Can you can you hear me?
01:15: And I don't hear you Gotta see if it's me though.
01:24: Hello Steven can hear
01:30: Josh. I cannot hear Josh. Okay, we gotta figure out why I can't hear Josh All right, hold on a second here
01:38: Other people I can hear Josh I can't hear him at the moment. So I'm trying to figure out where the breakdown is
01:44: You can't hear me. Hold on a second here. It's a golden opportunity for me to do something funny
01:50: But I'm gonna refrain make sure the audio is working here I'm here.
01:57: Hello I can hear now.
02:05: I had Yeah, I had a setting changed on my on my board because you know
02:12: It's a it's a long story. All right Okay, we got it worked out then.
02:18: Yeah, we got it worked out. It was on my end. So, all right Let me make sure we're live streaming
02:25: Original sound is on. Let me do an audio check to make sure this sounds. Okay And then we'll go
02:34: Did that sound all right, I'm assuming it did all right, okay,
02:41: I'm in love and clear. All right, thank you 533 is our opening hymn
03:16: Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal
03:22: Alpha Omega God had
03:31: Humanity union supernal Supernal O great redeemer
03:39: Our friend Heaven and earth
03:44: Now proclaim This great wonder Jesus has come
03:50: And brings Pleasure Eternal Jesus has come
04:00: Now see bonds rent Asunder Fetters of death
04:06: Now Disappear See Through with the
04:13: Voices of thunder He sets Us free
04:19: From our guilt And our fear Lifts us from shame
04:26: To the place Of his honor Jesus has
04:32: Come Of God's thunder Jesus has
04:41: Come As the mighty Redeemer See now
04:47: The threatening Strong one Disarmed Jesus breaks
04:55: Down all the walls Of death's fortress Brings forth
05:01: The prisoners Triumphant Unharmed Satan you
05:08: Wicked one Now your master Jesus has
05:14: Come The mighty Redeemer Jesus has
05:23: Come of the King of all glory Heaven And earth
05:30: Will declare His great power Capturing Hearts with the
05:38: Heavenly story Welcome Him now
05:44: In this fast -fleeting Hour Under his
05:50: Law Jesus has
05:56: Come Divine service setting
06:07: Setting two And then let's make sure Josh is unmuted There we go
06:24: Alright so Josh I'm assuming you're turning it on And off I'm doing so so I can
06:30: Respond In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen If we say we have no sin we deceive
06:40: Ourselves and the truth is not in us But if we confess Our sins God who is faithful and Just will forgive our sins
06:48: And cleanse us from all unrighteousness Let us then Confess our sins to God our
06:54: Father Most merciful God We confess that we are by nature Sinful and unclean
06:59: We have sinned against you and thought Word and deed by what we have Done and by what we have left
07:06: Undone we have not Loved you with our whole heart we have not Loved our neighbors as ourselves
07:12: We justly deserve your Present and eternal punishment For the sake of your son
07:17: Jesus Christ Have mercy on us Forgive us renew us And lead us so that we
07:24: May delight in your will and Walk in your ways to the glory Of your holy name amen
07:30: Almighty God in his Mercy has given his son to die for you and For his sake he forgives you all of your
07:36: Sins as a called and ordained servant Of Christ and by his authority I therefore forgive you all of your sins
07:42: In the name of the Father and the Son And the Holy Spirit Amen The intro is on the screen in front of us
07:51: We'll read this together by half Verse All the earth worships you and sings
07:57: Praises to you They sing praises to your name It is good to give thanks to the
08:03: Lord To sing praises to your name O most high Shout for joy to God All the earth
08:10: Sing the glory of his name Give to him glorious praise Say to God How awesome are your deeds
08:17: So great is your power that your Enemies come cringing to you All the earth worships you
08:24: And sings praises to you They sing praises to your name Come and see what
08:30: God has done He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man Blessed be
08:36: God Because he has not Rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me
08:42: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the beginning is now
08:48: And will be forever Amen All the earth worships you and sings praises to you
08:54: They sing praises to your name It is good to give thanks To the Lord To sing praises to your name
09:01: O most high In peace let us pray
09:11: To the Lord O Lord Have mercy
09:17: For the peace From above and for our Salvation Let us pray to the
09:25: Lord O Lord Have mercy For the peace of the whole
09:33: World for the well being Of the church of God And for the unity of All let us pray
09:41: To the Lord O Lord Have mercy
09:47: For this holy house And for all who offer here Their worship and Praise let us pray
09:55: To the Lord O Lord Have mercy
10:01: Help Save comfort and defend Us gracious Lord Amen Glory to God In the highest
10:18: And peace to his People on earth Lord God Heavenly King Almighty God And Father Son of the
10:46: Father Take away
10:54: The sin of the world Have mercy On us
11:01: You are seated At the right Hand of the
11:06: Father Receive our Prayer For you
11:13: Are the Holy One You Are the
11:19: Lord Jesus Christ Christ with the
11:28: Holy Spirit The Lord be with you
11:44: And also with you Almighty and everlasting
11:51: God Who governs all things in heaven and on earth Mercifully hear the prayers Of your people and grant us your
11:57: Peace through all of our days Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord Who lives and reigns with you in the
12:03: Holy Spirit One God now and forever Amen Amen The Old Testament text
12:11: For the second Sunday after the Epiphany Is taken from the book of Exodus Chapter 33
12:18: Moses said To the Lord, see you say to me Hang on a second here, I gotta do something I gotta go back, there we go
12:25: I have to remember to do that, let's try this again The Old Testament text For the second
12:30: Sunday after the Epiphany Is taken from Exodus chapter 33 Moses said to the
12:35: Lord See you say to me Bring up this people But you have not let me know whom you will send with me
12:42: Yet you have said I know you by name And you have also found favor in my sight
12:47: Now therefore If I have found favor in your sight Please show me now your ways That I may know you in order to find favor
12:55: In your sight Consider too that this nation is your people And he said
13:00: My presence will go with you and I will give you rest And he said to him If your presence will not go with me
13:07: Do not bring us up from here For how shall it be known That I have found favor in your sight
13:13: I and your people Is it not in your going with us So that we are distinct I and your people
13:19: From every other people on the face of the earth And the Lord said to Moses This very thing that you have spoken
13:24: I will do For you have found favor in my sight And I know you by name
13:30: And Moses said Please show me your glory And he said I will make all my goodness pass before you
13:36: And I will proclaim before you my name The Lord And I will be gracious to whom
13:41: I will be gracious And I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy But he said
13:47: You cannot see my face For man shall not see me and live And the Lord said Behold there is a place by me
13:54: Where you shall stand on the rock And while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock
14:00: And I will cover you with my hand Until I have passed by Then I will take away my hand
14:06: And you shall see my back But my face shall not be seen This is the word of the
14:12: Lord Thanks be to God The epistle is taken from Ephesians chapter 5
14:19: Wives submit to your own husbands As to the Lord For the husband is the head of the wife Even as Christ is the head of the church, his body
14:27: And is himself its Savior Now as the church submits to Christ So also wives should submit
14:33: In everything to their husbands Husbands love your wives As Christ loved the church
14:38: And gave himself up for her So that he might sanctify her Having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word
14:45: So that he might present the church to himself In splendor Without spot or wrinkle
14:50: Or any such thing That she might be holy without blemish In the same way husbands should love their wives
14:57: As their own bodies He who loves his wife loves himself For no one ever hated his own flesh
15:02: But nourishes and cherishes it Just as Christ does the church Because we are members of his body
15:08: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother And hold fast to his wife And the two shall become one flesh
15:14: This mystery is profound And I am saying that it refers to Christ And the church
15:20: However let each one of you Love his wife as himself And let the wife see that she respects her husband
15:26: This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Holy Gospel according to Saint John The second chapter
15:55: Glory to you Glory to you Oh Lord On the third day
16:04: There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee And the mother of Jesus was there Jesus also was invited to the wedding
16:10: With his disciples and when the wine ran out The mother of Jesus said to him They have no wine
16:16: Jesus said to her woman What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come His mother said to the servants
16:22: You do whatever he tells you Now there were six stone water jars there For the Jewish rites of purification
16:28: Each holding twenty or thirty gallons Jesus said to the servants Fill the jars with water
16:34: And they filled them up to the brim And he said to them Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast
16:40: So they took it When the master of the feast tasted the water Now become wine and did not know where it came from Though the servants who had drawn the water knew
16:49: The master of the feast Called the bridegroom and said to him Everyone serves the good wine first And when people have drunk freely
16:58: Then the poor wine But you have kept the good wine until now This The first of his signs that Jesus did
17:05: At Cana in Galilee and manifested his glory And his disciples Believed in him
17:11: This is the gospel of the Lord The sermon hymn is 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 402 properly, as it should be thought of as what?
26:17: A prayer. So Mary, here, is praying to Christ, requesting, petitioning
26:22: Him, asking for help. And Jesus, at first, kind of pushes back. But you're going to note here, there are many other examples throughout the
26:30: Gospels of people who, persisting in their faith, got their petition answered.
26:37: Just keep that in mind. So I think maybe that may be what's going on here. So He pushes back and says, what does this have to do to me?
26:46: My hour has not yet come. And then His mother said to the servants, you do whatever
26:51: He tells you. That's a good, that's a good, that's, that, that, that'll preach.
26:57: You do whatever Jesus tells you. Listen to Jesus's mother, by the way. You do whatever Jesus tells you.
27:03: Jesus tells you to repent of your sins. Repent of your sins. Jesus tells you to believe in Him and trust
27:10: Him, and that He forgives your sins by His death for you on the cross. You do whatever Jesus tells you.
27:15: You believe that. You hang on to that. Jesus said, whoever believes in me, even though he dies, yet shall he live.
27:22: So you trust in Christ. You do whatever He tells you. Jesus says to you, abide in my word.
27:31: That's an important thing. You'll note that there's a lot of churches out there nowadays that Jesus's words barely make an appearance at all in their church services.
27:41: I remember having a conversation with a seeker -driven vision casting leader and talking about the importance of preaching
27:49: Christ and Him crucified for our sins and preaching Jesus every single Sunday. And he looked at me like I'd fallen off the turnip truck.
27:56: What do you mean talk about Jesus and read His words every Sunday and preach
28:02: His words? Don't you understand that the Bible, you know, there's only four books in the
28:08: Bible that contain the words of Jesus. At least this was his thinking. There's more than that, by the way.
28:13: His words also show up in Acts and in the book of Revelation. But I digress. And he basically said, we've got a whole lot of Bible that we need to cover, and we'll cover
28:23: Jesus accordingly. And it's like, no, that's just not how this works.
28:29: Jesus says, abide in His words. And so you do whatever Jesus tells you.
28:35: Jesus says, take, eat, this is my body. Take, drink, this is my blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins.
28:41: You do exactly what Jesus tells you. Mary's recommendation here to the servants, her admonition to them.
28:49: Yeah, that works for all of us as well. Now here's where you'll note, so far, so good.
28:57: It seems pretty straightforward. This is just a historical narrative. But then it stops being merely that.
29:05: By the way, God's Word is never merely a historical narrative. Now we have details that begin to hint at a deeper understanding of what this miracle signifies.
29:19: And it goes on to say, there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification.
29:27: All right. Hmm. I seem to remember that the law of God was written on stone tablets.
29:34: And the number six, not that I'm into numerology, but I remember that God did not create the world in seven days.
29:42: He created the world in six days, and then he rested on the seventh. And Jewish rites of purification, those aren't really fun, but, you know, kind of a necessary part of that culture and that religion.
29:56: So, all right. So, six stone water jars. When I read the writings of the church fathers, they seem to think that this hints at a spiritual significance related to the current creation that we find ourself in, as well as the law of God.
30:15: Yeah, the current creation. Have you noticed that we need purification? Oh boy, do we.
30:21: We need purification from all of our sin, and our muck, and our filth. We need that.
30:28: And you'll note that the reference to the law in the stone reminds us that the law rightly condemns all of us.
30:35: But you're going to note here, bath water, baptismal water, washing water for purification rites, that doesn't sound like a lot of fun.
30:48: I mean, it's a necessary thing, but how many of you just really enjoy some good hand -washing water, some good bath water?
30:57: You just enjoy that good bath water. None of us do. Maybe it's just me because I'm a guy.
31:03: I mean, I hated having to take a shower and a bath when I was a kid. You know, I would prefer just to keep the dirt from my adventures on my body so that I can put more of it on the next day.
31:13: But my mother wouldn't allow me to do that. I had to take a bath. So baths are not that fun. But you're gonna note here, there's something going on.
31:23: And again, it's happening at a wedding. And this is where we might need to start doing a little bit of cross -reference work.
31:31: And let me explain why we have to do that. You remember our Epistle text.
31:37: Our Epistle text is a marriage text. It talks about the roles of husband and wife, and it references a text from Genesis.
31:47: Those opening three chapters of Genesis are kind of in view here. And so listen again to our
31:54: Epistle text. We'll see if we can sort this all out. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the
31:59: Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its
32:06: Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
32:11: Right on. Okay. But you're gonna note then, the bulk of this now falls to husbands. And listen to what it says.
32:18: Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
32:31: Word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, so that she might be holy and without blemish.
32:46: Beautiful words. And what this reveals here is that every single marriage on planet
32:54: Earth, every single one of them, doesn't matter if it's a Christian marriage or not, every single marriage is a type and shadow and the substance belongs to the real thing, and that's
33:05: Christ's relationship, his love for his bride, the church.
33:11: And so you'll note then that husbands are to emulate Christ's love for his bride in their love for their brides.
33:21: Right? Okay. Good. Sacrificial love. And so you'll note Christ loved the church, gave himself up for her, laid down his life, bore her sins in his body on the cross.
33:34: He, the righteous one, became the unrighteous one, so that we can have the righteousness of God and be the righteousness of God.
33:43: In fact, it says here, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, so that she might be holy and without blemish.
33:51: And so when Christ finds his bride, she is covered in the filth and muck of sin, and he washes away that sin and that muck and that iniquity and washes her, cleanses her, clothes her, gloriously clothes her, makes her holy.
34:11: It's beautiful when you think about it. But then Paul goes on to say that husbands are to love their wives also as they love their own bodies.
34:22: And this is where it gets really weird, but let me work through this. So now, no one ever hated his own flesh, but he nourishes it and he cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.
34:39: Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
34:50: Yeah, I'm familiar with that. I mean, isn't that read at like every single wedding? Yeah, but note what
34:58: Paul says next. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it, the passage he just quoted from Genesis, that it refers to Christ and to the church.
35:14: Wait, what? What? Yeah, sort this out with me, would you?
35:23: I mean, so this text is legitimately saying that that passage from Genesis, for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, the two will become one flesh, that that text always, has always pointed to Christ's love for his bride, the church, and that's the reality of that text.
35:44: In fact, now this is starting to make sense. Maybe, just maybe, the reason why
35:51: Jesus' first miracle is the changing of water to wine at a marriage feast is a big telegraph that he's...the
36:01: reason why he's here is in order to save, to rescue, to bleed and die for, lay his life down for the love of his life, the church.
36:11: Ah, this marriage is starting to make a little bit more sense. You see, the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee, there's hints of a different marriage feast that is being referenced, not just that marriage at Cana in Galilee, but the one that is coming.
36:26: In fact, we could rightly say that in this text, in John chapter 2, from that famous line from the prince's bride, marriage is what brings us together today, right?
36:42: That's right, that dweem within a dweem, marriage is what brought us together here today, to consider the great, great love and sacrifice of our groom,
36:53: Jesus Christ, we being the bride. And so you'll note, that starts to preach.
37:00: And then, listen to this, consider man's fall into sin and then the consequences that came as a result of it.
37:09: In Genesis chapter 3, when God is doling out punishments for the transgression of eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he said to the woman,
37:21: I will surely multiply your pain and childbearing, and in pain you shall bring forth children, and every woman who's given birth knows that's still in play.
37:31: And then he says this, your desire will be contrary to your husband, and he shall rule over you.
37:38: Now, what's funny is, is that until really recently, like yesterday, I've always read this as only relating to the conflict that exists in every single marriage.
37:50: By the way, those of you who've never been married, I got to warn you, is that marriage is a difficult institution, okay?
37:58: And the reason being is because God has made it that two people become one flesh, but they have opposing wills.
38:07: Yeah, the wife has her will, the husband has his will, and they constantly are doing this.
38:12: It's a thing. But note here, that also describes the
38:17: Church and describes the Bride of Christ now. Our desires are obviously at times quite contrary to our husband
38:26: Jesus Christ, but still he rules over us, but rules over us in mercy, grace, and kindness.
38:34: Hmm, good stuff to consider here. So, we've kind of worked that part of it out, but there's more.
38:42: You know, I always got to think this through a little bit here, and this is where the writings of the Church Father also helped me a little bit in my sermon prep for this
38:50: Sunday, and that is, is that why, why is it that this sign, this miracle, really gets the disciples' juices going and they end up believing in him?
39:04: And one of the Church Fathers suggested that the reason why that's the case has to do with a particular pattern of miracles in the
39:14: Old Testament. Let me explain. So, if I were to quiz you, you guys ever play like Bible trivia or something like this?
39:21: So, if I were to quiz you and say, all right, so after the crossing of the
39:26: Red Sea, okay? So, after the children of Israel, you got the ten plagues, you got them marching out of Egypt, you got them crossing the
39:35: Red Sea, and then them finally, once and for all, experiencing freedom and knowing that no one would be able to have the power to enslave them again after the the armies of Pharaoh were drowned in the
39:49: Red Sea? What was, putting you on the spot here, what was the first miracle that followed that?
39:57: Kind of think that out for a second here. What was the first miracle that followed that? You're sitting there going,
40:03: I don't know. Luckily, I've done the prep work for you. I know exactly what the first miracle is after they've been finally set free from slavery and there's no going back.
40:13: It's found in Exodus chapter 15. It says, then Moses made Israel set out from the
40:19: Red Sea, this is verse 22, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
40:29: When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah, because it was bitter.
40:36: Therefore, it was named Marah, because Marah means bitter. And the people grumbled against Moses saying, what shall we drink?
40:44: And he cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
40:54: Wait, what? It's not, it's not a high -profile miracle.
41:00: I've not heard a lot of preaching on this particular miracle. But you're gonna note here, the first miracle after Israel finally is definitively set free from slavery with no going back, it's this miracle, the changing of bitter water into sweet water by throwing a log into it.
41:21: What's the significance of the log? Well, when you read the church fathers, the church fathers say, the log, it's a foreshadowing of the cross of Christ.
41:32: Okay, I'm gonna go with the church fathers on this. I think they're onto something here. So, this is a foreshadowing of how
41:39: God takes the bitter waters of this life of ours, because of sin, we've brought this upon ourselves, and by the cross, he turns the bitterness of this life, the bitter waters of this life, to sweetness.
41:53: That's a pretty good way of looking at it. But wait, there's more. I feel like I'm doing an infomercial here.
41:59: Let me ask you this question, all right? So, you remember Elijah, the guy who, you know, had the showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel?
42:09: Well, after he was taken up to heaven, and Elisha succeeded him, what was the first miracle that Elisha performed after Elisha became the prophet that succeeded
42:26: Elijah? What was his first miracle? Well, it's recorded for us in 2nd
42:31: Kings chapter 2, and here's what it says, Now the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, the situation of the city is pleasant, as my
42:40: Lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.
42:46: And he said, Bring me now a new bowl, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him.
42:53: And then he went to the spring of water, and he threw salt in it, and said,
42:58: Thus says Yahweh, I have healed this water, from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.
43:05: So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
43:14: Okay, so what are we supposed to make of that? So you've got the first miracle of Elisha being the healing of these deadly waters, and what does he heal it with?
43:26: He heals it with salt. Obscure reference from the book of Leviticus, but Leviticus chapter 13, sorry, chapter 2 verse 13 says this,
43:39: You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your
43:45: God be missing from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
43:53: So I would note here, salt has a very interesting significance in the Mosaic Covenant, and that is that every single offering, every single one of them, must be offered with salt.
44:07: So, you know, when you sacrifice a lamb, you have to offer salt with it. When you sacrifice a goat, you have to offer salt with it.
44:14: You sacrifice a bull, you gotta offer salt with it. Why all the salt?
44:20: Well, I would note then, that being the function of it, is that that's also a reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ, because to be, to lose your saltiness is to lose the gospel, and that's kind of the point.
44:32: And so, coming back now to our old, our gospel text, we're beginning to see how this is starting to play out.
44:41: Jesus' first miracle at a wedding feast, telegraphing
44:46: His love for His bride, because it's all about that marriage, He changes water into wine, that being the first of His miracles, just like Elisha's first miracle was the healing of those waters, just like the first miracle that happened after they crossed the
45:01: Red Sea, was taking the bitter waters of Mara and making them sweet. Now we're starting to see some stuff going on here.
45:09: We're starting to see the connection. And so, you'll note, Christ now is taking washing water, ceremonial washing water, and was
45:18: He turning it into sweet wine? It's just the best of the best of the best.
45:24: And by the way, if you've ever been in a church where they said, well, He turned it into grape juice. No, He didn't.
45:30: No, this was the best of the best wine. So the text goes on and says, Jesus, so He got the six waters, stone jars for Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons, and Jesus said to the servants, you fill the jars with water.
45:46: They filled them up to the brim, and He said, now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.
45:51: So they took it. And when the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water, they knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
46:04: So He sits the groom down. He says, listen, everyone serves the good wine first, and then when the people have drunk freely, then the poor wine.
46:13: But you have kept the good wine until now. Let me paraphrase that a little differently.
46:19: You've saved the best until last. But it wasn't the groom of that wedding that did it.
46:28: It was the groom of the church that did it. So that means that Christ saved the best to last.
46:35: Think of it this way. Oh man, just the misery of sin that we live under, right? The toil that we all experience, the consequences of our sin, the suffering, the sickness, the death, there's just the total destruction of our lives.
46:49: We languish here. And when we read the Bible, you'll note that there's notable miracles, things that God is doing.
46:57: He's visiting His people. He's redeeming His people. He's saving His people. He's delivering His people.
47:04: But God has saved the best to last, and it's in the
47:09: New Testament that God Himself takes on human flesh, and He comes into our misery, into this world of sin and death and suffering, and He takes our sin upon Himself, and He goes to the cross to bleed and die for us so that we can take...
47:29: He takes our bitterness of soul and suffering and difficulty and death, and He turns that, and He heals it, and instead of death and bitterness, we get forgiveness of our sins.
47:46: We get eternal life. We get to enter into His rest, and the joy that comes from the
47:53: Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It's gonna be a beautiful blowout party, and we're all invited. In fact, I kind of like to think that when we get to the
48:01: Wedding Feast of the Lamb, that the folks who are there from the original
48:07: Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee, once they taste the wine, I'm positive they're gonna say, oh, this is the wine that we had when
48:15: Jesus turned the water into wine. It's the same vintage. It's the same stuff. The best wine is waiting for us, and so you'll note then that when you start to make all of these other connections, you take the time to open up the
48:31: Gospel of John like a blooming onion, and you see the different layers of meaning and make all those connections, then all of a sudden this simple miracle of turning water into wine is no longer so simple.
48:44: In fact, what seems so kind of rudimentary, not a big deal, all of a sudden becomes the biggest deal of all because you can see the real meaning behind it, and the real meaning is all about that marriage, all about that marriage of the real
49:00: Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who saved the best to last in order to lay down His life and to sanctify and make holy
49:09: His Bride, you and me. What a great text, what a great miracle, and listening to Mary doing whatever
49:19: Christ tells us to do, we believe along with His disciples, and we have great hope and confidence in this
49:26: Jesus, who will someday return in order to take the hand of His Bride and Leader into the new earth and give her the inheritance that He promised as a sacrificial death on the cross for us.
49:37: What a great Jesus we have, what a wonderful marriage feast this is, and we look forward to the feast to come.
49:44: In the name of Jesus, Amen. All right, give me a second here.
49:53: I'm gonna share my screen again, and make a couple of changes on this.
50:00: There we go. I managed to spill some of my coffee during my sermon.
50:19: Oh well. Okay, we continue now by confessing our faith together in the words of the
50:32: Apostles' Creed. I believe in God the Father Almighty, the
50:37: Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the
50:42: Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
50:50: He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the
50:57: Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
51:02: Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
51:12: Amen. All right, let me fix one more thing here. No, no, no.
51:21: There we go. All right, we continue with the prayers of the church, and today as we pray...
51:32: hang on a second here. I gotta hunt down my prayers. There we go. There we go.
51:54: Today as I pray, I will say these words, Lord, in your mercy, and you respond together with me with these words, hear our prayer.
52:04: So, let us pray for the whole Church of God, in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs. Lord, you manifested your glory in the sign at Cana, as you restored creation through the shedding of Christ's blood.
52:17: Pour out your grace in abundance. Give us joy and gladness in the revelation of your truth in the person of your
52:23: Son. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Raise, O Lord, the fallen churches of our fellowships.
52:30: Repair the breaches thereof. Rebuild a firm faith in a holy resolve. Cause your holy word to flourish and bring forth fruit according to your good and gracious will.
52:41: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Heavenly Father, lead all pastors and church leaders to imitate the servants at Cana and do as Christ instructs.
52:52: Give them boldness to preach the law and the gospel rightly and graciously provide for all their earthly needs.
52:59: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord God, you have forged the human family in a wonderful pattern and blessed the sacred vocations of husband and wife.
53:10: Inspire us to stand out in this world, faithful to this biblical institution, and show forth the glory of Christ and His Church.
53:18: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord Almighty, you promise that your meek ones will inherit the earth and not the wicked who seem to possess it now.
53:29: Turn the rulers of this world toward the obedience of faith. Draw all nations under the cover of your church that they may receive the abundance of the fruits of salvation.
53:39: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Heavenly Father, remember those in need.
53:46: Today we especially lift before you Elizabeth, Jeremy, Alan, Debbie, Paul, Kerry, Becky, Jim, Steve, Christopher, Sheila, Ron, Melba, Bill, Michael, Cameron, Troy, Jim, Chloe, Ellen, Brooks, Gary, Natalie, Deb, Taryn, Candy, Todd, Bonnie, Brent, Roger, Kevin, Mark, Jeff, Joan, Sarah, Jessica, Josh, Ryan, Tim, Lori, Mike, Shirley, and Carol.
54:20: We pray for Annie and Ethan, Sheila, David, Judy, Linda, Jean, Tom, Dawson, Jim, Ellen, Pam, Chuck, Charmaine, Robin, Colin, Bill, Colleen, Heather, and Rich.
54:35: We pray for Martha, Susan, Una, Dick, Wolfgang, Rosanna, the
54:42: Lang family, Danielle, Aubrey, Luke, Justin, Caroline, Jack, Stephen, Robert, Hermano, Rich, Luis, Tim, Cam, Cindy, Barbara, Gloria, Karen, Tara, Robert, Linda, Charita, Robin, Luis, Patty, Jeff, Marco, Selena, Rachel, Mason, Aaron, Ashley, Elizabeth, St.
55:04: Lou, Robin, Lauren, Kerry, Caprice, and George.
55:13: We ask that be the father of the lonely, the forsaken, the helper of the sick, and the needy, and the comforter of the distressed, and the sorrowful.
55:21: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank you that of your grace you have instituted holy matrimony in which you keep us from unchastity and other offenses.
55:33: We implore you, send your blessing on every husband and wife. Do not let them provoke one another to anger and strife, but let them live peaceably together in love and godliness.
55:43: Strengthen them with your gracious help in all temptations, and help them to rear their children in accordance with your will.
55:50: Grant us all to walk before you in purity and holiness, putting our trust in you, and leading such lives on earth that in the world to come we may have everlasting life through Jesus Christ, your
56:01: Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
56:09: Okay, we continue now with the offertory. And a little bit of a note, we don't pass the plates at Kongsvinger, but if you would like to support the work of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church and you've benefited from the receiving of God's Word and hearing the gospel, then consider supporting us as, you know, supporting
56:27: Kongsvinger. There's a QR code that you can scan that'll take you to our website so that you can support the work of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church, and your contributions are always tax -deductible for Kongsvinger.
56:39: All right, we continue now with the offertory. Hang on a second here,
56:49: I gotta find it. Next hymn, 408.
01:00:26: Taught by our Lord and trusting in his promises, we are bold to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
01:00:34: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
01:00:45: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
01:00:53: Amen. Let us pray. Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning.
01:00:59: Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, so that by patience and comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our
01:01:11: Lord. Amen. The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.
01:01:19: The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you his peace. Amen. Closing hymn is 644.
01:05:06: Okay, yeah, all right. Now let's see here. Now let me, what we're gonna do real quick,
01:05:11: I'm gonna check regarding questions or anything like that. Then what we're gonna do is we're going to take a five -minute break, and then we are going to continue with our study through the book of Ezekiel.
01:05:25: I have to leave in an hour to go to Immanuel. They're clearing the roads out, and so they're clear enough for me to be able to get out there now, but getting to the
01:05:34: Kongsvinger earlier would have been tough. All right, so yeah, no communion when I have to do things, you know, from my office.