Pastor Sullivan's Blog

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. St. Paul writes that the ministry of the New Covenant is not one of the letter but of the Spirit. The letter kills. The Spirit gives life. With these words of St. Paul, many would have us understand the letter to be the words of Holy Scripture, since it consists of letters on the page. They would turn Christians away from the Scriptures as a letter that kills. When someone preaches or says, “ It is written ” as the Savior did when fighting the devil’s temptations in the wilderness, such folks will have none of that unless directed by an inner intuition or idea which they assume is the Holy Spirit. So they pit the Spirit against the words of Holy Scripture so that the Holy Scripture has to be read and understood through the Spirit’s contemporary words spoken directly to their human heart. But it’s silly to imagine that St. Paul would disparage the Holy Scriptures and treat them as mere letters

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Today’s Gospel lesson shows us Christ’s compassion on a deaf mute. The man is brought to Jesus and those who bring him ask Jesus to put His hand on him. They had heard how Christ had touched others and healed them. Christ takes the dead mute away from the crowd and touches him, though probably not in the way that the man’s friends intended. Jesus sticks His fingers into the man’s ears. He spits and touches the man’s tongue with the spit. By doing these things Jesus communicates to the man that He intends to unstop his ears and loosen his rigid tongue. He then looks up to heaven since “ every good gift and every perfect gift is from above ” (James 1:17). Then He speaks one word. “ Ephphatha ,” and with that word commands the man’s ears and mouth to be open. The man is healed at once because the One who has commanded the ears and mouth to open is the one whom formed man’s ears and tongue in the beginning

Order of Holy Communion  - Pg. 15 Opening Hymn #  3 Lord Jesus Christ, be present now Sermon Hymn #  30 Oh, that I had a thousand voices Final Hymn #  26 Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him Introit MAKE HASTE, || O God, to de- | liv-er ∙ | me! * Make haste to help | me, | O | Lord! || Let them be ashamed and con- | found- | ed * Who | seek | my | life. (Psalm 70:1–2a) || Let them be turned back and con- | fused | - * Who de- | sire | my | hurt. || Let all those who seek You re- | joice | - * And be | glad | in | You. || But I am poor and | need- | y; * Make haste to | me, | O | God! || You are my help and my de- | liv-er- ∙ | er; * O Lord, do | not | de- | lay. (Psalm 70:2b, 4, 5) || Make haste, O God, to de- | liv-er ∙ | me! * Make haste to help | me, | O | Lord! || Let them be ashamed and con- | found- | ed * Who | seek | my | life. (Psalm 70:1–2a)  Collect for the 12th S

Order of Holy Communion - Pg. 15 Hymn # 3 Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now Hymn # 30 Oh, that I had a Thousand Voices Hymn # 26 Praise the Almighty, My Soul Adore Him Introit - Psalm 70:1-2a, Psalm 70:2b (Antiphon) Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O LORD! Let them be ashamed and confounded Who seek my life; Let them be turned back and confused Who desire my hurt. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Readings Isaiah 29:18-19 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 Mark 7:31-37 Collect for Trinity XII Almighty and Merciful God, of Whose only gift it cometh that Thy faithful people do unto Thee true and laudable service, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may so faithfully serve Thee in this life that we fail not finally to attain Thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever o