1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us
From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus
To wash my crimson stains
Clean in His blood most precious
Till not a spot remains. (LSB #606)
The Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity
The Lord does not to require us to ascend to Him; in mercy He descends to us (Gen 28:10-17). The ladder in Jacob’s dream was not for climbing; it was the means by which the Lord came to bless Jacob. This event finds its fulfillment in Christ who descended from His throne to save and bless us. By His incarnation He is the eternal bridge between heaven and earth. “The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Matt 9:1-8). The Lord was present in the flesh to absolve the paralytic. Jesus also healed and restored this man’s body. “For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation” (Small Catechism). The Lord still has power on earth to forgive sins. For “God has given such power to men.” In holy absolution He raises up the new man (Eph 4:22-28) and bestows the healing medicine which will bring about our resurrection on the Last Day. Thus we say with Jacob, “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Introit: (Psalm 78:1-3,4b; antiphon: Psalm 35:3b; 34:17a, 6b; 48:14a)
Pastor: Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears.
Congregation: [The LORD] saved him out of all his troubles;
this is God, our God forever and ever.
P: Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! C: I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
P: things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
C: We will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD,
and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears.
C: [The LORD] saved him out of all his troubles;
this is God, our God forever and ever.
Collect Of The Day
Almighty and merciful God, of Your bountiful goodness keep from us all things that may hurt us that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish whatever You would have us do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
- Genesis 28:10-17 +
Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. (11) And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. (12) And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! (13) And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. (14) Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (15) Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (16) Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” (17) And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Gradual: (Psalm 141:1-2)
O LORD, I call upon you; hasten | to me!*
Give ear to my voice when I | call to you!
Let my prayer be counted as incense be- | fore you,*
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening | sacrifice! - Ephesians 4:22-28 +
Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (26) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (27) and give no opportunity to the devil. (28) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
The Lutheran Confessions Responsive Reading: Apology: Art. IV(II) Justification (1531)
P: What is justifying (saving) faith?
C: Those who are counted as righteous before God do not live in mortal sin. But the faith that justifies is not merely a knowledge of history. It is to believe in God’s promise. In the promise, for Christ’s sake, forgiveness of sins and justification are freely offered. And so that no one may suppose that this is mere knowledge, we will add further: it is to want and to receive the offered promise of forgiveness of sins and of justification.
P: What is the difference between this Faith and the righteousness of the Law?
C: Faith is the divine service (latreia) that receives the benefits offered by God. The righteousness of the Law is the divine service (latreia) that offers to God our merits. God wants to be worshiped through faith so that we receive from Him those things He promises and offers.
Verse: (Psalm 98:1a)
P: Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song,
C: for he has done marvelous things! Alleluia.
- Matthew 9:1-8 +
And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. (2) And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (3) And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” (4) But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? (5) For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? (6) But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (7) And he rose and went home. (8) When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
