His Time - Lutheran Haven, Witness Wednesday, "Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath"

1. Lutheran Haven in Oviedo, Florida

Susan Duda Hanas, Board Member of Lutheran Haven, talks about the wonderful opportunities for those looking for retirement options. Nestled in Oviedo, just outside of Orlando, Florida, Lutheran Haven is a full service retirement community providing security, value, and peace of mind. Residents enjoy retirement with like-minded individuals in a close-knit community where neighbors become best of friends. Learn more at lutheranhaven.org, and visit lutheranhaven.org/thelandings‎ to learn more about The Villas at The Landings, opening in 2018!

2. Witness Wednesday

With Rev. Mark Wood, Director of Witness and Outreach in the LCMS Office of National Mission.

3. Daily Lectionary

Chaplain Steve Hokana, Assistant Director of the LCMS Ministry to Armed Forces, studies Matthew 12:1-21.

4. Morning Prayer Sermonette

Today’s sermonette is given by Chaplain Steve Hokana, Assistant Director of the LCMS Ministry to Armed Forces.

"The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid." - Martin Luther — “The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid.” – Martin Luther

Matthew 12:1-21

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹He went on from there and entered their synagogue. ¹⁰And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them,“Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶and ordered them not to make him known.¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
²¹    and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Andy Bates, DCE

If you haven’t had Associate Executive Director's Andy Bates’s smoked mac and cheese from scratch (yes, including the noodles), you’re missing out on a magical food experience. Although he’ll gladly go venturing through the woods in his Vivobarefoot Trail Freaks (those are shoes), he’ll also stay happily busy automating every possible thing in his home while eating cherry cheesecake brownies made by his wife, Lauren. As a Theatre major, don’t ask him to pick a favorite play, but you may find him hanging out with his adorable son watching Trolls or listening to bluegrass or the latest audiobook on biomechanics.