First Trinity Lutheran Church

1 September 2024

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Ringing of the Bell

– The bell rings as the call to worship, reminding us to discontinue conversation and reverently prepare for worship.

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Lutheran Service Book Divine Service Setting One

Stand

662 Onward, Christian Soldiers LSB 662

1 Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle
See His banners go! Refrain

ref Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.

2 Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod.
We are not divided,
All one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity. Refrain

3 Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never
’Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise,
And that cannot fail. Refrain

4 Onward, then, ye faithful,
Join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song:
Glory, laud, and honor
Unto Christ, the king;
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing. Refrain

Text: Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834–1924, alt.
Text: Public domain

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the TSon and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Exhortation

P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination.

Confession of Sins

P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Declaration of Grace LSB 151

P In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

C Amen.

SERVICE OF THE WORD

Gloria in Excelsis 154

P Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth.

C Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father:

We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God:

You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.

For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord,

You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Let us pray.

O God, the source of all that is just and good, nourish in us every virtue and bring to completion every good intent that we may grow in grace and bring forth the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Sit

Psalm Psalm 119:129–136; antiphon: v. 132

Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Redeem me from man’s oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep your law.

First Reading Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9

“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the just decrees that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. . . .

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and just decrees so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Epistle Ephesians 6:10–20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Stand

Common Alleluia and Verse

C Alleluia.

Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Holy Gospel Mark 7:14–23

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the seventh chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

[Jesus] called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise to You, O Christ.

Sit

707 Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways LSB 707

1 Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep His statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace
To know and do His will!

2 Order my footsteps by Thy Word
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

3 Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
A stricter watch to keep;
And should I e’er forget Thy way,
Restore Thy wand’ring sheep.

4 Make me to walk in Thy commands—
’Tis a delightful road—
Nor let my head or heart or hands
Offend against my God.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748, alt.
Text: Public domain

Sermon Pastor Eric Ash

Pente 15 B September 1, 2024 Mark 7:14-23; Eph. 6:13-18

The Evil Eye

In the sermon last week we heard about the mysterious Voynik Manuscript. This week we have another odd opening illustration. Have you ever heard of “Evil Eye” Finkle? Benjamin Finkle was a boxer in the 1920s. He won five fights, lost one and two were draws. But his real fame came as a manager and trainer of other boxers. Mr. Finkle had an eye condition that made one of his eyes perpetually bloodshot. He claimed that he could look at an opposing boxer and make him lose by putting his “evil eye” on him. Hence the nickname, “Evil Eye.”

Famous boxers, including some world champions, would pay Mr. Finkle $50 to $300 per fight, a lot of money in those days, to put the Evil Eye on their opponents. The Evil Eye didn’t always work, but it seemed to work often enough to make Evil Eye Finkle famous. Perhaps just knowing that ol’ Evil Eye Finkle was in the other guy’s corner had a negative effect on some boxers.

This relates to our gospel reading today because the word translated as “envy” in Jesus’ speech is literally “an evil eye” in the original Greek. Some of the older Bible translations, such as the King James render it just that way. People in the Middle East in Jesus’ day, and even today, believed in what was known as the Evil Eye. They believed that someone could put a curse on you simply by looking at you. The curse might not even be intentional. If someone with the Evil Eye admired something you had, it was believed you would lose it somehow. I’ve known people who believed that today. In the religions of the Middle East there were, and still are, both prayers and superstitions using amulets and such for warding off the Evil Eye.

We are certainly not saying that the curse of the Evil Eye is real. However, envy and its effects are most real. Envy is the motivation for a lot of sin. Where does adultery come from? Someone sees another person who is not their spouse and desires him or her. Where does theft come from? Someone sees something that someone else has, wants it, and takes it. That is not only true for purse-snatching and smash-and-grabs; it’s also true of white-collar crime and Ponzi schemes and such. In fact, all sins could be seen as stemming from our envy of God: we want to be like him, making the rules, controlling other people’s lives, and getting all the praise and glory. There’s a little Evil Eye, some ungodly envy, in all of us, just waiting to come out.

Jesus said that envy is one of the things that comes out of a person that make a person unclean. He listed others: sexual immorality, murder, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, slander, arrogance, and folly, in addition to the ones already mentioned. Being unclean was serious business in Israel in Jesus’ time. A person who was ritually unclean was cut off from the religious community, their family, and pretty much society as a whole. To be considered unclean was terrible. Following the Law of Moses, the Jews judged some kinds of uncleanness based on what a person consumed. Devout Jews were not allowed to eat shellfish, or pork and certain other foods. To do so would make them unclean.

As the Son of God, Jesus had the authority to overturn these ceremonial laws, and he did. The time for what the kosher laws of the Jews had to teach us was past when Jesus was born. Those laws showed us how great God is and how we fail at doing what He says, even simple, inconsequential things. The ethical, moral laws of God still stood and still stand today. Jesus did not do away with the 10 Commandments or laws like that.

Sometimes people will try to justify adultery or theft by saying something like, “You eat shrimp, don’t you?” And we could say back say, “I’ll give up shrimp if you give up adultery!” But that’s really not necessary. We can keep eating shrimp. The truth of scripture is that Jesus declared all foods clean as verse 19 of today’s gospel reading records. But nowhere does Jesus ever repeal the prohibitions on adultery, theft, murder, and the like. They still hold. You can have a ham sandwich, but you cannot steal your neighbor’s spouse. You cannot even look at a person with envy or lust, Jesus says. Jesus doesn’t nullify the law; he takes it to a higher level.

But we trespass Jesus’ laws. We do. If envy is the motivation behind many sins, perhaps feelings of inferiority are behind much of envy. Life has a way of putting us down. Other people often make us feel as if we are failures. Even when we are successful, we often feel that we are still somehow not good enough, not worthy of love or respect. We imagine that there are things out there that would make us feel good about ourselves and take away our insecurities. “If only I had that job and salary. If only I had that house or car. If only that person loved me, then I’d be all right.” But nothing is ever enough. Even having everything doesn’t satisfy. Look at the sad lives of so many wealthy celebrities.

There is good news and bad news. Let’s hear the bad news first. It’s not just a complex, we are inferior. All of us. We are inferior to God. But the Good News is that God loves us anyway. He loves us and He can cure us of all that ails us, including our feelings of inferiority, our sin of envy, and even the curse of the Evil Eye. How does He do that? Imagine that you are a boxer and the opponent you are fighting is the personification of Sin. The person you are fighting, Sin, is bigger, stronger, and more experienced than you. You don’t stand a chance. He’s going to beat you to a pulp.

But what if you had a helmet? Then instead of punching your fragile skull, he would be pounding his hands against hard steel. What if you had a shield to block all his attacks? What if you had a sword? That would turn the odds in your favor and make Sin throw in the towel! The point is that despite our unworthiness, God has raised us up. Our sins died with Jesus on the cross and our hopes rose with him as he came out of the grave. He has given us the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. We know that we are saved. His Word, like a sword, defends us. When life attacks us, when sin puts us down, we can go to the Word for comfort and direction.

Do you still feel inferior, like you don’t measure up? Think on this: God thought enough of you to send his only Son to die for your salvation. You must be of incredible value to God. Do we still envy what other people have? God has blessings in store for us in heaven that are so wonderful, we cannot even begin to imagine them. Everything on earth pales in comparison to what God has waiting for us.

When we think of what Jesus gave up for us, it chases away our envious thoughts. When we think of our future in Christ, it soothes our pains. We need not fear anyone’s Evil Eye and we have no more reason for our eyes to be envious and evil. Instead, we can turn a clear, hopeful eye towards God’s promises of goodness and light, and see the effects of the faith He so generously gives us. Amen

Stand

Apostles’ Creed

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried.

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 Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life T everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Heavenly Father, be near us with Your Word and Spirit. Guide and lead us, that we may not stray from the way of Your commandments nor forget the wonderful blessings that You have given to us. Direct us always with Your Word of truth. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of all knowledge and wisdom, grant us to know You and Your love. Bless pastors and teachers, parents and grandparents, and all teachers of the faith, that we may grow up into You. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, look with compassion on our nation and all who bear public office. Give them wisdom, courage and integrity. Destroy and hinder in our common life whatever is not pleasing to You, and bless and prosper whatever accords with Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of life, bring health and healing to Your people. We pray for everyone in need of Your mercy today [including _____________]. Strengthen them with Your Word of grace, that they would look to You for comfort in the midst of suffering and pain. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord God, heavenly Father, we offer You our thanks and praise for Your servants who have finished their course in faith and now rest from their labors. Bring us with them to the unspeakable joys of Your new heavens and new earth at the day of our Savior’s glorious appearing. Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Sit

Offertory Invitation

Remembering the words of our Lord Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Let us give now with joy and thanksgiving our gifts, tithes and offerings to the Lord.

The organist plays as the offerings are collected.

Stand

Offertory LSB 192

C Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.

Offertory Prayer

Lord God, send your Spirit upon us as we offer you these gifts. Enrich us by your grace, strengthen us with your blessing, and keep us always in your love. Grant this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord's Prayer Invitation

Let us pray together the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us. . .

Lord's Prayer

C Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
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;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and Tgive you peace.

C Amen.

CLOSING RESPONSE

P Go in Peace! Serve the Lord!

C Praise be to God!

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.