Historic Scripture Lessons for Second-last Sunday in Trinity OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 40:9-11 NIV You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and His Arm rules for Him. See, His Reward is with Him, and His Recompense accompanies Him. 11 He tends His flock like a Shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His Arms and carries them close to His Heart; he gently leads those that have young. EPISTLE II Thessalonians 1:3-10 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the LORD Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our LORD Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the LORD and from the majesty of His power 10 on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, 'LORD, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?' 40 The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.' 41 Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.' 44 They also will answer, 'LORD, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?' 45 He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.' 46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal Life."

Our Savior Lutheran Church Lakeland, FL ELS (26th or) 2nd-Last Sunday in Trinity Judgment (Day)

Sheep & Goats November 13th, 2016, 9:30am

Woodcut illustration from a 1695 Bible – Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus returns and separates the sheep (saved) from the goats (unsaved). Image courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

http://www.pitts.emory.edu/dia/detail.cfm?ID=2991

OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH

6920 N Socrum Loop Road / (north) Lakeland, FL 33809 USA Phone: (863) 859-3400 ~ Web: www.osllakeland.org

BIBLE CLASS 8:30 AM WORSHIP 9:30 AM FELLOWSHIP 10:45 AM A.R. Burmeister 863-430-5859 Organ: Janice Thomas (813) 650-9198

November 13th, 2016 Trinity-2nd-Last Judgment WELCOME to OUR SAVIOR! We are so happy to have you worship Our Savior with us today. If you are visiting us for the first time or in a long time, we ask that that you please fill out a visitor card found in the pew cardholder and place it in the offering plate. Come worship with us again! God bless you. OUR ORDER OF WORSHIP On gold liturgy sheets and in red TLHymnal p.5

Service Invocation Hymn 608 (5v) Let Thoughtless Thousands Choose Road Hymn of the Day 611 (7v) The Day Is Surely Drawing Near Offertory Verse 400 (6v) Sing verses 1&6 Take My Life and Let It Be Third Hymn 611 (7v) O Jesus, who my debt didst pay… Closing Hymn 123 (8v) Our God, Our Help in Ages Past

Suggested Bible readings for the week of the 26th Sunday after Trinity Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Isaiah13:1-22 Isaiah 3:14-21 Isaiah Daniel2:27-45 Dan. 2:27-45 Dan 9:1-28 Rom. 11:1-33 II Thes. 19:1 II Thes.3:1-18 II Tim. 3:1-17 II Tim. 9:1-23 Ma.24:1-14

PROPERS for 2ND-LAST SUNDAY of CHURCH YEAR (TRINITY 26) NOV 13TH INTROIT Save me, O God, by Your Name, and judge me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. He shall reward evil to mine enemies; cut them off in Your truth. …from Psalm 54:1-2 COLLECT O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, being ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just Judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, Who lives, and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, now and forever. A---men

THE PSALMODY ♪ Psalm 104 (Not in the Hymnal) Refrain: C: ♪ LORD, Send out Your Spirit; And renew the face of the earth.

LORD, Send out Your Spirit; And renew the face of the earth. GRADUAL C: He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that He may judge the people. The heavens shall declare His righteousness, for God is Judge Himself. Alleluia! Alleluia! The ransomed of the LORD shall come to Zion with everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and weeping shall fly away. Alleluia! from Psalm 50:4,6 & Isaiah 5:10 SCRIPTURE LESSONS (printed on the outside back page of the bulletin) O.T. Isaiah 40:9-11 Our LORD will come in strength, but (also) in love. Epi. II Thessalonians 1:3-10 God strengthens our faith in face of adversity. Gos. Matthew 25:31-46 The Son of Man will come and judge all nations.

400, 1. Take my life and let it be - Consecrated, LORD, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, - Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

6. Take my love, my LORD, I pour - At Thy feet its treasure-store; Take myself, and I will be - Ever, only, all, for Thee. A-men.

SERMON (Gospel) Matthew 25:31-46 THEME: “LAST DAY: SHEEP & GOATS”

PRAYER REQUESTS: Member or Relation Pray for… Ilene Gourley (Alex) Healing and relief. Has much pain and discomfort in knee Jim & Elma Hendricks Health and strength. Jim fell: stitches & Xrays. Elma flu Linda Kryszak 3wks of chemo (3/wk) then one week off. At daughter Amy’s Dee Kurczewski (David) Dee’s ongoing health, both physical and emotional Martha Sawyer Went to ER last week with pains. Pray for relief and healing Janice Thomas Janice is home (till NY) got Good PET scan results; had surgery James Vanesky & Delores Pray health and strength for both Jim and Delores Steve Wendt Had (outpatient) surgery two weeks ago. At home recovering Bev Wienke Pray for health and recovery. Bev has been not well this week Matthew Wold (Mark) Young Matthew is battling – completed chemo 3 of 6

Volunteers Today Next Sunday Greeters Orpha & John Weber Mary Lou Knigge Treaters Bev Foster & Joe Thacker (Volunteer) (Head) Usher John Weber John Weber

Statistics Last week Year to date / Avg. Sunday Attendance/(Communion) 28 / (25) 25 / 23 Bible Class Attendance Sun/Thurs 11 / 10 9 / 7 Sunday Offering for The LORD $.00 YTD Total $ Calendar of Events Today, Sunday 13th Trinity 2nd-Last Judgment Day

8:30 am 9:30 am

10:45 ff…

Bible Study – Hebrews Ch.4 Sabbath Rest Divine Worship (No Holy Communion) Fun, Fellowship, Coffee… Please stay

Mon.PM,Tue,Wed - two days - Pastor in Port St Lucie (teaching music) Wednesday, 11/16 4 pm & ff... OSL (Pre-)Thanksgiving Dinner …here! Thursday, 11/17 7:00 pm OSL (NEW) Bible Study on - MIRACLES Saturday, 11/19 10:00 am OSLadies Guild November Meeting Next Sunday 11/20 Last Sunday of Year Heaven’s Eternal Joy

8:30 am 9:30 am

10:45 ff…

Bible Study – Hebrews Ch.4 Sabbath Rest Divine Worship (W/ Holy Communion) Fun, Fellowship, Coffee… Please stay

Our Savior Elders: Tom Temple 213-4622; Jim Vanesky 644-7807; John Weber 853-5458 & Don Wienke 815-8892. Please contact with concerns.

This Wednesday, 16th! Our Savior (1st ever Pre-)Thanksgiving Dinner for the community, starting at 4 pm here at church. Please come join us! New Weeknight Bible Study again this Thursday at Our Savior!

Thursday, November 17th 7:00 pm and following Thursdays OSL now has Bible Study on (The Life of Jesus) Miracles! Please come join us for this study.

Next Sunday: 11/20 Trinity-Last (W/ L.S. p.15) Hymns 11 609 613.1 598 660

TRINITY-2ND-LAST Matthew 25:31-46 "SHEEP AND GOATS" 11.13.16 OSL INTRODUCTION: He comes to judge the quick (living) and the dead. Judgment Day. It’s not far off. Nearer now than it was a week ago. How near? We don’t know, and He’s not telling. What will it be like, this day of judgment? Hear the parable of the sheep and the goats.

This is Jesus’ Last Parable, His Last Word about last things before He dies and rises. He looks ahead to His coming in glory, when He will as the Son of Man in all His glory, and all His angels are with Him, and He sits on His throne to judge. His coming at the end of the age will be like a shepherd and his flock at the close of the day. All through the day, sheep and goats graze together as one flock under one shepherd interchageably. Jesus is Lord of all and shepherd of all. Only at the end of the day are they separated into their respective pens. The sheep go to the pen on the shepherd’s right, the goats to the pen on his left.

Judgment is a sorting and a separation. The basis for the shepherd’s sorting is not what they did but what they are - sheep and goats. Not good and bad sheep. Not religious and unreligious goats. Just sheep and goats.

The sheep are identified as the “righteous,” the justified, those declared righteous for Jesus’ sake. The goats are those who refuse to be justified, who reject the gift in favor of their own works, which come up woefully short in the end. Works can’t turn goats into sheep any more than they can make saints out of sinners. Only God can do that. “By grace are you saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not by works.” By His justifying and saving Word, God calls the sinner a saint in Christ, the goat is declared to be a sheep in the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Only AFTER they are sorted and separated is there any talk of works. Our works will be judged, this is true. But we will not be judged by our works, but only by the work of Jesus - His perfect life, His perfect death. The sheep on the right receive a blessing. They are “blessed by the Father.” They have an inheritance, a kingdom prepared for them from before the foundation of the world. That’s Christ talk. When you talk about anything “before the beginning,” it must be in Christ. Christ is the One who was before the foundation of the world, and in Him are found all His sheep.

Their works are praised; a deep mystery is revealed. Something hidden that you would not have known, unless it was revealed to you. The Shepherd King was hidden in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the one needing clothing, the sick one, the one in prison. Who would have known? The sheep had no idea; they are astonished. They say, “When, Lord? What did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or in need of clothing or sick or imprisoned? When did we do these things for you?” They just did them because they needed to be done.

We don’t normally look for God in the least, do we? We may look down on them. We may even look away from them. But we hardly recognize them as a icon of Jesus in His humility. And we certainly don’t want to see ourselves in that light. Who among you wants to be regarded as “least”? Certainly not old Adam. He wants to be greatest, a king, the one in charge, a god. He will have

nothing to do with the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, imprisoned, sick, with the least, the lost, the losers.

Jesus, quite intentionally I believe, is describing Himself in His own crucified humility. He was hungry with our hunger, thirsty with our thirst, naked with our shame, imprisoned under the Law, sick with our sin. He was all those things, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. “No beauty that we should desire Him,” Isaiah said of the “suffering servant.” If you’re looking for glory on our terms, you wouldn’t look or find it here.

On the left are the goats. They have no inheritance but a dismissal. “Depart from me.” They aren’t blessed but cursed. Not by the Father, please note, simply cursed. The Father curses no one. They are dismissed to an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell is intended only for the devil and his fallen angels. Not you, me, or any human being in this world. God’s will is that all be saved in Jesus, and come to the knowledge of that truth. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. If anyone is cursed, if anyone winds up in eternal fire, it will be entirely AGAINST God’s good and gracious will to save.

Their sin was one of omission. They did nothing. They gave nothing to eat to the hungry, nothing to drink to the thirsty, nothing to wear to the naked, nothing for the stranger, nothing for the sick and imprisoned. They did nothing because they did not recognize the King in the losers. “When did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, and did not help you?” Had they known it was the Lord, they would have done something. They are as ignorant of their sin as the sheep were of their good works. And when confronted with their sins of omission, they do the faithless thing - they try to justify themselves. “We didn’t know it was you.” Exactly.

In rejecting the least and the lost, they rejected their hidden Lord. Their refusal to be numbered with the losers flowed out of their rejection of their Shepherd. They turned their back on every sign of His cross in the world. And in the end, their rejection becomes their own condemnation. They don’t get what they deserve, they get what they DE-SIRE. They wanted nothing to do with their Shepherd, and now they will live (/suffer) without Him forever. “They will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

So then, Which are you? Sheep or a goat? At the end of the parable, at the end of the day, at the end of your life, at the end of Time… which one are you? Are you a sheep of the Good Shepherd’s flock, blessed by His Father, with an eternal inheritance? Or are you a goat, cursed by your own refusal to be justified, cursed to an eternal punishment in eternal fire intended only for fallen angels?

“Simul justus et peccator,” Martin Luther observed of our condition under the Word. “At once righteous and a sinner.” Simultaneously sheep and goat. That’s the mystery of our existence under the Word that is at once Law and Gospel. Don’t get fooled into either/or thinking. In this life, it’s always both/and.

If you look into the mirror of the Law, you will see the face of a goat staring back at you. You will see all your denials and rejections of the least - the unfed hungry, the unquenched thirsty, the unclothed naked, the unwelcomed

stranger, the sick or imprisoned that you did not visit and comfort. If you look to the Law for comfort in God’s judgment, you won’t find any. We are all natural born goats. Sinners. Children of Adam and Eve. Rebels against our Shepherd and King. Were it not for Jesus, our Shepherd and God’s Lamb, we would all hear a divine “Depart from me.” Apart from Jesus, there is only eternal punishment, eternal fire, eternal regret at opportunities overlooked and lost.

But there is another way to see yourself. Not in the mirror of the Law but in Christ. He is your life. In Adam, you are dead and doomed as the goats in the parable. But in Christ you are alive to God, people of His pasture, sheep of His hand. Embraced in the death of the Shepherd, goats are declared sheep in the eyes of God. Don’t look to your works. Your works will bring you no comfort, no assurance. The good in your good works is not even apparent to you. Look to Jesus Christ. He will tell you who you are.

Look to all those concrete, tangible places where Christ locates Himself for you. Look to your Baptism. That’s your identity in Christ. In Adam, you’re 100% goat on the left. But in Christ, you are 100% sheep on the right. Embraced in the death of the Lamb, goats are sheep in the eyes of the Shepherd, cleansed of their sins, united with Him who takes away their sins in His death.

Look to the Word of forgiveness. Forgiveness received is the difference between a sheep and a goat. Be forgiven and free in Christ. Learn what it means to live in the freedom of that forgiveness, trusting Jesus and His work and not yourself and your works.

Look to the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s Body and Blood given and shed for you. The Shepherd feeds His sheep with His own death and life. He prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Your cups runs over in the abundance of Jesus’ life poured out for you.

He satisfies your hunger and thirst for righteousness. He clothes you with His perfection, a seamless, spotless robe of white. He welcomes you to His Father’s house and to His table, not as a stranger but as friend and family, an heir, actually. He visits you in the prison house of sin and death to set you free. He comes as the Divine Physician to heal you. He comes the perfect Sheep, the unblemished Lamb once slain for all. CONCLUSION And in Christ, look to the least and lowly and lost around you. They are Christ in cognito for you to serve. He is that poor beggar, the orphaned child, the friendless stranger, the dying woman, the imprisoned man. He is all of us in the brokenness and lost-ness of our humanity. “As often as you have done it for the least of these brothers of mine, you’ve done it to me.”

Don’t do these things to be saved. That would be the way of the goats. Do it because you are saved. That’s way of the sheep who hear the voice of their Shepherd and who follow Him through death to life. Let us then pray daily for our Lord's return. Let us look for His coming. Our Lord says in Revelation, "Surely I am coming quickly." We say with all the saints who have gone before us, " Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) IJ’N, Amen.

SDG

Possible Prayer of Church for 2nd-Last Sunday of Trinity November 13th Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people

according to their needs. (Possible) Brief silence Having been reconciled to the Father by the precious blood of Christ, we

present our prayers to Him on behalf of the whole Christian Church and all people according to their need.

For the Christian Church throughout the world; for The Lutheran Church – Evangelical Lutheran Synod; for our Synod president, and our circuit visitor pastor; and for pastors, teachers, church workers and all the faithful, that Christ would use us to gather the nations to Him, our one true Redeemer, as we joyfully proclaim that Jesus is Lord, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the healing of divisions among God’s people, that the Lord would curb sinful ambition, silence the desires of our sinful flesh and grant us hearts to be reconciled with each other in Christian love, so that all people will know we are His disciples, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For our national, state and local officials, all who work in government and all who contribute to our general welfare, that God would grant them wisdom and temperance; and for our police, firefighters and all who serve in the armed forces, that they may be kept from harm and danger and that, in accordance with God’s will, peace may be established in our day, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For steadfast resolve and joyful spirits as the church engages in works of mercy and love, that we may remember that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in; and for humility, that we may not boast in works, but solely in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the sick and injured, [and especially for _____________,] Ilene Gourley (Alex) Healing and relief. Has much pain and discomfort in knee Jim & Elma Hendricks Health and strength. Jim fell: stitches & Xrays. Elma flu Linda Kryszak 3wks of chemo (3/wk) then one week off. At daughter Amy’s Dee Kurczewski (David) Dee’s ongoing health, both physical and emotional Martha Sawyer Went to ER last week with pains. Pray for relief and healing Janice Thomas Janice is home (till NY) got Good PET scan results; had surgery James Vanesky & Delores Pray health and strength for both Jim and Delores Steve Wendt Had (outpatient) surgery two weeks ago. At home recovering Bev Wienke Pray for health and recovery. Bev has been not well this week Matthew Wold (Mark) Young Matthew is battling – completed chemo 3 of 6 that God would grant them comfort and healing, in accordance with His will; and for those who suffer from afflictions not visible to our eyes, that God would have compassion upon His ailing servants, staying the hand of the evil one, that they may be strengthened in the knowledge of His redeeming love, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all who partake of the Holy Eucharist this day, that in the Savior’s divine body and blood they may receive forgiveness for all sins, a life that never ends and the healing of divine love, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Hear us, O Lord, in these our prayers and grant to us every good and perfect gift through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. …Lord’s Prayer