Invocation
P In
the name of the Father and of the T Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
Collect
O
God, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, put to death in us
all vices and so strengthen us by Your grace that by the innocence of
our lives and the constancy of our faith, we may glorify Your holy
name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading
the Bible
While
teaching beside the Bethesda pool in Jerusalem, Jesus told a group of
Judeans, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them
[the Scriptures] you have eternal life; and it is they that bear
witness about Me [Jesus]. Like other rabbis, Jesus spoke of the old
Testament Scripture as a united testimony. But unlike other rabbis,
Jesus joined the purpose of the Scriptures—salvation for eternal
life—to the key person of the Scripture, Jesus the promised Savior
[Luke 24:44-47]. Since all the Scripture bears witness to Jesus,
Jesus understood and taught that the Scripture was unified.
Reading
Genesis
One
sin leads to another. Shechem rapes Dinah, Jacob and Leah's daughter.
Jacob's sons then seek vengeance by abusing God's holy institution of
circumcision so they could massacre the men of Shechem. Christians
must beware of vigilante justice especially through fraudulent use of
God's holy things. The small catechism warns us of honoring the
institution of marriage as well as warning us of lying or deceiving
by God's name. Both sins are wrong. God calls all sinners to
repentance and reconciliation.
It
is no wonder that the name of the Lord is not mentioned at all during
Chapter 34 as each sin is heaped on top of the next. Instead, in
Genesis 35, God calls Jacob to reestablish the name of the Lord in
his family's worship life, over and over again, God must call his
people away from sin and back to the promises the assure them of
their purpose and the promises fulfilled in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Reading
Genesis 34:1—35:29
Now
Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to
see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the
Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with
her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter
of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So
Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my
wife.”
Now
Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were
with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they
came. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with
him. The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they
heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he
had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s
daughter, for such a thing must not be done.
But
Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs
for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. Make
marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters
for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open
to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.” Shechem
also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in
your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as
great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever
you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”
The
sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully,
because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, “We
cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised,
for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we
agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among
you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we
will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and
become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be
circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.”
Their
words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. And the young man did
not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s
daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. So
Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to
the men of their city, saying, “These men are at peace with us; let
them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large
enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us
give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to
dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is
circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their
property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them,
and they will dwell with us.” And all who went out of the gate of
his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was
circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
On
the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon
and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the
city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor
and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s
house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and
plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took
their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the
city and in the field. All their wealth, all their little ones and
their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered.
Then
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by
making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and
the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves
against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my
household.” But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a
prostitute?”
God
said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an
altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your
brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were
with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify
yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to
Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me
in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”
So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the
rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth
tree that was near Shechem.
And
as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were
around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. And Jacob
came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and
all the people who were with him, and there he built an altar and
called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to
him when he fled from his brother. And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,
died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its
name Allon-bacuth.
God
appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed
him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your
name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called
his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be
fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come
from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I
gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the
land to your offspring after you.” Then God went up from him in the
place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the
place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out
a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name
of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
Then
they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from
Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her
labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear,
for you have another son.” And as her soul was departing (for she
was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him
Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath
(that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is
the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel
journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
While
Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his
father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.
Now
the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s
firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of
Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant:
Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and
Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in
Paddan-aram.
And
Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is,
Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac
were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was
gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and
Jacob buried him.
Collect
Heavenly
Father, God of all concord, it is Your gracious will that Your
children on earth live together in harmony and peace. Defeat the
plans of all those who would stir up violence and strife, destroy the
weapons of those who delight in war and bloodshed, and, according to
Your will, end all conflicts in the world. Teach us to examine our
hearts that we may recognize our own inclination toward envy, malice,
hatred, and enmity. Help us, by Your Word and Spirit, to search our
hearts and to root out the evil that would lead to strife and
discord, so that in our lives we may be at peace with all people.
Fill us with zeal for the work of Your Church and the proclamation of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone can bring that peace which is
beyond all understanding; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
862
Oh, Blest the House
Public domain
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.
Prayer
- for faithfulness until our Lord Christ appears;
- for the renewal of those whose faith and love are growing cold;
- for receptive hearts and minds to God's Word on the Lord's Day;
- for pastors and people as they prepare to administer and receive Christ's holy gifts
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.
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.
The
Third Petition
Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Your
will be done on earth as in heaven.
What
does this mean?
The
good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we
pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.
How
is God's will done?
God's
will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose
of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us
to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens
and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His
good and gracious will.
Luther's
Morning Prayer
C I
thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray
that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that
all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend
myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be
with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Luther's
Evening Prayer
C I
thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would
forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep
me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and
soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil
foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Benediction
(Pauline)
P The
grace of the Lord T Jesus Christ and
the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
all.
C Amen.
Acknowledgments
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy
Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
Created
by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
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