What does Sabaoth Mean?

Transcription

1 Glory of Christ Lutheran Church Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 4040 County Road 101 No. Plymouth, MN Office phone Pastor: Rev. Klemet Preus Asst: Jo Ellen Braun Assistant Pastor for Missions: Rev. John Fehrmann Visitation Pastor: Rev. Dean Weibel Organists: Carla Claussen, Zelda Malo, Maddie Marshall & Sarah Miller, Adult Choir Director: Carla Claussen Bell Choir Director: Brenda Richards, Music Coordinator: Zelda Malo, Children s Bell Director: Ellie Leimer July 2011 What does Sabaoth Mean? The other day someone asked me what is meant by the word Sabaoth. It is found in a handful of hymns, most notably A Mighty Fortress: Ask ye who is this? Jesus Christ it is, of Sabaoth Lord. And there s none other God. The word is also found in a couple of the church s canticles. We find it in the Te Deum Laudamus, Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory, (Lutheran Service Book p. 223) and in the corresponding hymns such as the popular Steve Starke/Gustav Holst rendition of the same (LSB Hymn 941). Probably most familiar are the words of the Sanctus from divine Service III which are also those from the old p. 15 of The Lutheran Hymnal. Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth; heav n and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. (LSB 195) So what does the word mean. We sing it enough we ought to know its meaning. The word is a Hebrew word. Like other Hebrew words (Hallelujah, Hosanna, Amen) and Greek words (Baptism, Apostle) this word has been imported into the theological and liturgical language of the church mostly because a simple English translation will not do it justice. The Hebrew dictionaries will translate it armies or hosts. So God is the Lord of armies. The verbal form of the Sabaoth means do battle or wage war. And the last line of the Mighty Fortress verse sighted above is, He holds the field forever. So there is a military theme involved. But are we to picture God with tanks and warplanes? Further, the word s first occurrence in the Bible is Genesis 2:1 which says, Thus the heavens and the earth were finished [being created] and all the Sabaoth of them. The ESV (the translation our church body and congregation normally use) and the King James version translate the word hosts while other versions will say that God created the world and its vast array. Since there was no sin in the world in Genesis 2 can we really find a military metaphor suitable? Can a sinless world really understand armies, battles, military conquest and vanquishing the enemy? And what exactly does Host mean? Some say that the heavenly host are the angels in heaven. Some say they are the sun, the moon and the stars. Some say that they are the sum total of everything God created from inanimate objects to living things to the angels in heaven. But whatever they are, the word host is English for the Hebrew Sabaoth. When the children of Israel invaded and conquered the promised land a host was usually Pastor Preus Cell Phone: (763) (Pastor can be reached anytime on his Cell phone) Church Office Telephone: (763) Church Fax: (763) Church joellen@gloryofchrist.org Pastor s Home Telephone: (763) Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven Church Elders: Bill Anderson Carl Hartness Dave Koosman Garry McCreary Mike Olson Bruce Paradis Jason Paradis Ben Rolf ******************* President of Congregation: Roger Hargreaves Treasurer: Jesse Huber Secretary: Brenda Richards Church Council: Lori Beck Travis Dorweiler Eileen Esget Marcus Olson Mike Lindh Russell McBroom Chuck McGriff *******************

2 an army. Those were the big groups of people. And in the Psalms the Host is often the angels or even an army of angels who praise him. But the word means more than that. Basically the word means As many things as you can possibly think of in this category. When God ascends on high and leads a host of captives in his train (Psalm 68:18, Ephesians 4:8) That means that all our enemies; sin, guilt, the law, judgment, criticism, death, hell, the devil and as many things as you can possibly think of in this category are defeated by the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. When God looked upon the small, fearful and discouraged band of Jews who returned to the promised land after the Babylonian captivity and who wondered how they could possibly thrive, He said, Be strong. Be strong, Joshua Son of Jehozadak, the High Priest. Be strong all you people of the land declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you declares the Lord of Hosts, according to the covenant I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of Hosts (Haggai 2:60). This means you may think you are a small band of weaklings. I see an incredible army. I see a huge group of my people. I see as many people as you can possibly think of in this category. Without me you are nothing. With me you are a host, you are Sabaoth. And you will not fail. When God promised a savior he said: For to us a child is born and to us a son is given And the government share be upon his shoulder And his name shall be called: Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, On the throne of David and over his kingdom To establish it and to uphold it With justice and with righteousness From this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7) Why does he call himself the Lord of hosts here? Because the Lord will become very small. He will be a child, a son, a baby in the manger. The Government will oppress him. He will be Jesus. And in this lowly state, even when placed upon the cross, he will still order the course of history, he will use the willful actions of wicked men to His own purposes, and he will still command the attention of every angel in heaven, that heavenly host which sang at his birth. Through his redemptive actions he will gather a host of believers as many believers as you can possibly imagine. This host will be gathered to him in heaven on the last day. Behold a host arrayed in white, like thousand snow clad mountains bright. With palms they stand who is this band before the throne of light? Lo, these are they of glorious fame Who from the great affliction came And in the flood of Jesus blood are cleansed from guilt and shame. (LSB 676)

3 Every time we read the word host in the Bible or use it in our liturgy or hymns we are really using that old noble word Sabaoth. In the common doxology we sing: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise him above Ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Who praises God? All the angels, all the armies, all the stars, all the people alive, all the people in heaven, all the plants and animals, all the inanimate things of the world, basically as many things as you can possibly think of in this category praise the Lord. So that is the meaning of the word, Sabaoth. Klemet Preus A huge Thank You to all who helped make VBS at Glory of Christ a success! We were able to teach 80 kids about Christ's love, and we nearly met our offering goal to purchase 30 copies of The Lutheran Study Bible for pastors in the Philippines. All of the donations, leaders, teachers, helpers, decorators, snack servers, and prayers were greatly appreciated! Thank you for all of your hard work! Thank you so much for the great opportunity for the kids to spend time together and learn something new. My son loved the camp! You rock! Parent comment Thank you so much for offering the Big Jungle Adventure. It is such a fun way to start the Summer. My daughter Sarah had a great time! Thank you for all the hard work. Parent comment I think that your activity this week is excellent. My son does really like it. He plays there for whole day and he is happy going to your church, this has never happened. Thanks!

4 Services in the month of July July 10 and 11, 2011 The Third Sunday after Trinity: We live in a time when constant responsibilities are placed on people. Even ostensible Christians will tell you that you have to decide for God or invite Jesus or find the Lord. How comforting are the two parables in our Gospel lesson (Luke 15:1-10) which tell us that God searches and finds us, lost sinners though we are. July 17 and 18, 2011 The Fourth Sunday after Trinity. Judge not lest you be judged, is not Jesus way of saying that nothing should be evaluated in this life or that we are to be indifferent about right and wrong or true and false. Rather, well, come to church this Sunday and find out what it really means. July 24 and 25, 2011 The Fifth Sunday after Trinity. The story of the huge catch of fishes is one of the miracles which has as its primary function to serve as a visual aid for an important lesson which Jesus needed to teach his pastors back then. It s lesson which the church especially needs today. July 31 and August 1, 2011 The Sixth Sunday after Trinity: In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus shows us that the law is much more difficult than we might initially suppose. (The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is from that sermon, Matt. 5:17-26) It is impossible actually to do. Thankfully Jesus has done it for us. By doing so he not only counts his innocence to our credit but he provides us instruction into compassion which shows us how to treat each other. OUR MUSIC STAFF: Church Organists: Carla Claussen, Zelda Malo, Maddie Marshall, & Sarah Miller Music Coordinator: Zelda Malo Adult Choir Director: Carla Claussen Bell Choir Director: Brenda Richards Children s Bell Choir Director: Ellie Leimer

5 July 3rd July 10th July 17th July 24th July 31st COFFEE SERVERS: L. Esget J. Braun M. Olson B. Larson M. Swenson ACOLYTES: E. Esget J. Koosman D. Olson J. Larson K. Swenson 9:00 AM A. Corey S. Olson M. Swenson ELDERS: 9:00 AM C. Hartness C. Hartness C. Hartness C. Hartness B. Anderson J. Paradis J. Paradis J. Paradis J. Paradis J. Paradis USHERS: 9:00 AM M. Olson R. Hargreaves H. Braun T. Beach J. Huber J. Olson T. Hargreaves M. Swenson D. Werts ALTAR GUILD; P. Hemingway C. Kuenzel S. Karius J. Diemand J. Braun M. Scharlau D. Kuenzel K. Skau B. Schoolman S. Torkelson OFFERING C. Kuenzel J. Eickhoff D. Teske T. Lavanger M. Justat COUNTERS: D. Kuenzel J. Eickhoff N. Teske R. McBroom J. Justat BREAD BAKER C. Smith B. Gruenhagen K. Dorweiler M. Lehnertz E. Esget BREAD DELIVERER C. Smith B. Gruenhagen J. Preus M. Lehnertz E. Esget July, 2011 Book The Second Martin: The Life and Theology of Martin Chemnitz by J.A.O. Preus This is a very readable biography of the 16th century Lutheran theologian and pastor who helped systematize and defend the teachings of the Lutheran Reformation. The importance of theologian Chemnitz and this book is invaluable in our time of questioning the identity of who we are as Lutherans. Cost $21.00 Look for it on the Narthex Table soon. Discussion date and time coming soon.

6 7/03/000 Todd Zitzlsperger Birthday 7/04/000 Hal and Jo Ellen Braun Anniversary 7/06/000 Ben & Dawn Rolf Birthday 7/07/000 Jesse Mathwig Birthday 7/09/000 Brenda Richards Birthday 7/10/000 Jim and Jean Small Anniversary 7/14/000 Samantha Olson Birthday 7/18/000 Juanita Miranda Birthday 7/21/000 Andy Madson Birthday 7/21/000 Robbie Richards Birthday 7/23/000 Jacob MCCreary Birthday 7/23/000 Michael Diemand Birthday 7/23/000 Jason and Katie Paradis Anniversary 7/25/000 Bertha Oehlke Birthday 2011 Glory of Christ Men s Retreat Friday August 26 th thru Sunday August 28 th The Elders have decided to organize a men s retreat this year. Designed to be a fellowship event with time set aside for bible study. The retreat will be in Crosslake MN (Whitefish Chain of Lakes) on August 26 th -28 th. Starting on August 26 th for anyone who wants to skip a day of work. The Paradis and McCreary families have contributed the use of their cabins. Activities will include relaxing, boating, fishing, sightseeing, golf and Christian fellowship. We need the men of the congregation interested in attending to sign up as soon as possible. The Elders need a head count so they can complete the planning. When you sign up please indicate the day and time you plan to arrive. If you have any questions about the event please ask one of the Elders. Paint Ball The Youth Group will be going paintballing on July 10 th. Please be at church by 11:30 am. For more information and sign up check out the information on the youth bulletin board. Cost is $50.00 for rental and $40.00 for non rental.

7 2011 Glory of Christ Open Golf Tournament You don t want to miss this!! Golfers of all abilities are being recruited to play in the 2011 Glory of Christ Open Golf Tournament to be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday August 20th at the Hollydale Golf Course in Plymouth. The only requirement (other than pre-registration and payment of green fees) is that you must have your own (or borrowed) set of golf clubs to play with. We will play 9 holes only. After playing we will have a cookout (hosted by the Mike and Donna Olson family) and awards ceremony (various prizes) right at Hollydale. You must pre-register and pay your $16.00 green fees on or before the Monday evening service on August 15 th. Hollydale requires us to pay green fees a minimum of 10 days in advance in one lump sum payment. Cost to play 9 holes without a cart is $ Please make checks payable to Glory of Christ; write golf on the memo line, and leave in the basket on the table in the Narthex by August 15th. If you choose to use a cart you can take care of the cart fee ($7.50 per person) at the course when you sign in the day of the tournament. To pre-register sign up on the table located in the Narthex or send JoEllen an to: joellen@gloryofchrist.org letting her know that you will be playing. You must still prepay your green fees by August 15 th in order to play. This is a Hollydale Golf course requirement. This will be much fun and a great social event. See or Mike Miller at jmmgolf@gmail.com or Mike Olson for more information. Chimes for 4-6 year olds! Ellie Leimer would like to work with the younger children to get them started on the colored bells for this year. She would like to get them together from 5:00 5:30 on July 13th and July 27 and then the last time on Aug 17th. We don't need a large group to get started. In fact for that age bracket 4-6 year olds it is probably better to keep it small. If you are interested in having your child or children try the colored bells during the above 3 times please Ellie at: el4516@gmail.com. She will hope to have them be able to play during the year sometime.

8 On June 16 we anticipated that quite a few families would be guests at our services because the VBS children were singing. Like fine wine, the divine services is something to which we need to cultivate and appreciation. People don t love and understand it the first time they see it. So the following FAQ sheet was prepared and given to the guests and members that Sunday. Many people expressed a desire for copies so here it is. You can also find it on the web site. FAQs about The Worship Service At Glory of Christ Lutheran Church When people unfamiliar with Christian worship first attend the services of our church they can be a bit curious about why these things are done. Here is a brief guide of Frequently asked Questions. What is the most important thing about the service? Actually there are two services every Sunday combined into one. The first is the Service of the Word when you hear the Bible readings and when the pastor preaches. The second is the service of the Sacrament where the people go up to the front and eat and drink what is called the Lord s Supper. Long ago (1600 years ago) the two services were separated by a period of time but now one follows the other right away so that it feels as though there is only one service. But there are two. Why do you call it a service? Because God is serving us. He first serves us his word. He gives us the promise that he loves us and that Jesus died for us to make us acceptable to him. Then he serves us the body and blood of Jesus in the Lord s Supper so that we can have all the blessings of our Lord Jesus. The service seems to all about Jesus. Who is he? He is true God who became a true man. He gives us credit for his perfect life. He took the blame for the things we have done wrong that s why he had to die. Then Jesus rose from the dead. Because Jesus has done these things he is the not only the center of our worship services, he is the center of our lives as Christians. What are all those short chanted things with the funny names? These are called the Ordinaries. We ordinarily sing them every Sunday. Each of them is a Bible verse put to music. Each tells us a little more about Jesus Christ. So they are a series of Bible passages about Jesus. Their funny names come from the first word of each passage from the Latin language. We use Latin names so that Christians from all over the world can talk about them and even sing them in other languages knowing what they are singing and talking about. Are there things which change every Sunday too? Yes. The hymns change, the readings change, the sermon changes and many of the prayers change week to week. It s very much like your typical day. Some things are the same every day and some things change from day to day. Why don t you use bands with guitars and drums in front so that we can relate to the music more? Everyone has their favorite type of music and it would be impossible to use music which everyone likes. We do not choose music based on human preference. Then the pastor s taste or the organist s taste would be imposed on everyone. The music we use in church is very appropriate music to carry the words of hymns and songs. It helps people learn the meaning of the words. It s music which, in many cases, has been used for more than 500 years.

9 Why do you Chant? Chanting is when the pastor or the people sing the Bible verses to tunes which are not as melodic as we are used to in most popular music. We chant because it is very hard, even impossible, to find music that fits the exact words of the bible without changing the words and we would never change the words to fit a melody no matter how much we like the tune. We chant because the words are actually louder and clearer when you chant. It is very beautiful once you get used to it. And it has been done for over 1000 years. What is that outfit that the pastor wears? The white gown is called an alb. Alb just means white. It symbolizes that we are pure in the eyes of God through the forgiveness of sins. Underneath the alb is a black shirt. It symbolizes sin, so Jesus covers our sin with his purity. The collar symbolizes a yoke. The pastor is tied to Jesus. He only says what Jesus says in the Bible. He may preach with his own style but he only preaches the words and thoughts of God drawn from the Bible. The colorful thing around the pastor s neck is the stole. It is a sign that he is approved by the church as a pastor. The color indicates what season of the year it is. Last Sunday the color was red because it was a church holiday Pentecost. This Sunday the stole is white because this Sunday we think about the purity of God himself. Next Sunday and for the next 23 Sundays the color will be green. These are teaching Sundays and teaching of Jesus brings life. Green symbolizes life. Why do we stand up and sit down so much? We stand typically when we are praying or singing to God and we stand during the reading of the gospel lesson out of respect for Jesus since the gospel lesson is always about Jesus. We stand when a hymn verse mentions the Father, Son and Holy Spirit out of respect for God. Many churches kneel at certain times of the service such as during the prayers. Why do you use the organ? We could use any instrument to lead the music which we wanted. The organ is a great instrument because it can be made to sound like brass one minute, flutes the next and violins the next. It can also be very loud and pretty soft. So it is a fine instrument. But any instrument would be OK. Why did the choir of Vacation Bible School children sit in the back and not in the front where we could see them better? Everyone in church is singing and speaking to Jesus and not so much to each other. Choirs are not putting on a show, even children choirs. They are singing from among God s people to Jesus. So they sit in the congregation and sing toward the front of the church where Jesus is present through the word and the Lord s Supper. This is one of those great times when the children are heard and not seen. What are the three pieces of furniture up in front of the church? The one on the left is called the font. It is where the little children or adults are baptized. Through Baptism God makes us his children and forgives our sins. The table or altar in the middle is where the Lord s Supper is placed. The Pulpit is where the pastors speaks and reads God s word. So the three pieces of furniture are the three places where God serves us. Why can t people go to Communion unless then talk to the pastor first? For 2000 years all Christians have been eager to speak to others the word of Jesus. So everyone participates in the service of the word. But the Lord s Supper is reserved for those people who believe in Jesus the same way, are united in their understand of Christ, know and love each other, gather together regularly and have been instructed into the meaning of Jesus: His word and the Lord s Supper. If anyone would like to learn more about Christ and the Lord s Supper you will be provided opportunities for this.

10 Glory of Christ Lutheran Church Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 4040 State Hwy. 101 No. Plymouth, MN Office: (763) Rev. Klemet Preus Pastor Jo Ellen Braun Admin Asst. Service Schedule Sunday Service 9:00 am Sunday School 10:20 am Monday Night 7:00 pm No Monday Night Service on July 4th!