Podcast appearances and mentions of Gloria Patri

In Episode 496 of the Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb open with a rich discussion on the theology of congregational singing — including the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, the Getty's Sing!, and why psalm-singing belongs at the heart of Christian worship. The main event, however, is the first installment of their study of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30). Tony and Jesse argue that this parable is widely misread as a lesson in personal productivity or spiritual gift deployment, when in fact its center of gravity is entirely eschatological and theological: the wicked servant's failure is not financial incompetence — it is a catastrophic misunderstanding of who the master is, and therefore, who he himself is as a servant of that master. Key Takeaways The parable is eschatological, not motivational. Situated in Matthew 25 as the second of three eschatological parables in the Olivet Discourse, the Parable of the Talents answers the disciples' question about the sign of Christ's coming — not a general lesson about using your abilities for God. "Talents" refers to an enormous monetary sum, not personal giftedness. A single talent represented roughly 20 years of a laborer's wages. Even the least-endowed servant received an immense, unearned gift — which makes the wicked servant's inaction all the more indefensible. The wicked servant's problem is theological, not financial. He doesn't bury the talent out of ignorance or fear alone — he actively mischaracterizes the master as exploitative and unjust. His failure is a failure of theology: he does not know who his master is. The commendation "Well done, good and faithful servant" is the basic reward of every believer, not a tiered prize for the most productive. The five-talent and two-talent servants receive identical commendations, suggesting the measure is proportional faithfulness, not absolute output. Faithful stewardship is active, not passive. Both faithful servants are marked by immediacy and energetic engagement. The parable does not explain how they doubled their talents because the mechanics are not the point — their disposition of active, risk-taking faithfulness is. The parable resists works-righteousness readings. Whether one is Augustine or an anonymous deathbed convert, every justified believer enters into the same joy of the master. The parable is not a theology of graduated heavenly rewards but a distinction between those who understand their master and those who do not. The talents represent the stewardship of the Gospel and the Kingdom itself. The master entrusting his servants with his property is a picture of Christ entrusting the church with the message of salvation — ownership remains with the master, the servants are stewards, not proprietors. Key Concepts The Wicked Servant's Problem Is Who He Thinks the Master Is The most common misreading of this parable locates the wicked servant's failure in laziness or timidity — he was simply too afraid to act. But Tony Arsenal argues compellingly that the servant's own words expose something far more serious. He says, "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow." This is not a confession of fear; it is an accusation. The servant has constructed a theology of his master as an exploitative, unjust overseer who doesn't deserve a return. What he catastrophically misses is that the very possession of 20 years' worth of wages — an unearned, unimaginable gift — is the master sowing into him. His refusal to act is, at its root, a refusal to acknowledge the master's generosity and authority. This is the parable's most penetrating theological edge. "Well Done" Is for Every Believer, Not Just the Most Productive One of the episode's most pastorally significant observations is Tony's argument that the commendation "Well done, good and faithful servant — enter into the joy of your master" is not reserved for spiritual high-achievers. Because the five-talent and two-talent servants receive word-for-word identical commendations despite wildly different absolute returns, the logical entailment is that the one-talent servant, had he been faithful, would have received the same words. This means the commendation is not calibrated to productivity — it is the basic inheritance of every believer who enters glory. The soul-winner and the deathbed convert, Augustine and the unknown faithful, all hear the same welcome. The parable is therefore not teaching a graduated hierarchy of heavenly reward, but a binary distinction: those who know their master and act accordingly, and those who do not. The Parable Cannot Be Detached from Its Eschatological Context Jesse Schwamb is careful to anchor the parable in its literary and theological context: this is the second of three eschatological parables in Matthew 25, all part of the Olivet Discourse, all delivered in direct response to the disciples' question about the sign of Christ's return and the end of the age. Detaching the Parable of the Talents from that frame — and reading it instead as a general productivity principle or a theology of spiritual gifts — drains it of what Jesse calls its "gravity." The master going away and returning after a long time is a direct image of the ascended Christ and his parousia. The servants' task during the interval is not self-improvement or career stewardship — it is watchful, active discipleship in the time between the first and second comings. Everything in the parable, including the staggering sums of money, is calibrated to that eschatological frame. Memorable Quotes The real difference is that the former servants understood that their master had trusted them with a task and expected something of them, and the unfaithful, wicked, lazy servant had a total misunderstanding of who the master was — and therefore what his role as the master's servant was. That's the point of this parable. — Tony Arsenal Well done, good and faithful servant — that's not a special commendation that only the most amazing Christian servants get. That's the basic commendation that every Christian who enters into glory will receive. Whether you have been the most productive soul-winner in the world... you're going to receive the same commendation as the person who dies, and on their deathbed the last thing that they think is, 'I trust Jesus.' — Tony Arsenal God's measure of faithfulness is proportional, not absolute. The two-talent servant is not judged by the five-talent standard. He is judged by what he received. — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: that's not a special commendation that only the most amazing Christian servants get, right? That's the basic commendation that every Christian who enters into glory will receive. Whether you have been the most productive soul-winner in the world, whether you are the most, you know, the most sanctified Christian who's ever lived, whether you are, the most amazing person and millions of people have come to faith because of your ministry, you're going to receive the same commendation as the person who dies, and on their deathbed the last thing that they think is, I trust Jesus." Right. And they've produced no converts, no ministry, and maybe no one even knows that they were justified, because in their final moments before the lights went out, they trusted in Jesus, right? They hear the same well done, good and faithful servant when they enter into glory. Welcome to episode 496 of the Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey, brother.  [00:01:19] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother.  [00:01:21] Parable Teaser [00:01:21] Jesse Schwamb: You know, the parables just keep coming for us, like we've said. And on this episode, to, just to tee it up, to whet everybody's appetites, we've got three servants, one absent master, an uncomfortable amount of money. What could go wrong? Yeah. As it turns out, quite a bit, especially if you're the kind of person who responds to divine generosity by finding the nearest shovel. So we're gonna get to all of that in this, what I call, this now sandwich of eschatological parables or teachings of Jesus in Matthew 25. So hopefully you're curious, hopefully you're stoked. But you can go put your thumb right in the scriptures there, because you're gonna meet us there very, very, very, very shortly. But first we got business. It's always the business we must do, the part of the podcast where we affirm with something or deny against something. And as always, I'm really curious what you have, and now I understand you have a list, or you're keeping a list. So- I do ... never again will there be something like that falls to the cutting room floor, brothers and sisters. Tony is always gonna have for us whatever was- ... what came to his brilliant mind as an affirmation or denial at any point, day or night.  [00:02:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. Do you, Jesse, do you ever have... I know the answer to this question is going to be yes- Yeah. That's good ... but I'm gonna ask it- All right ... mostly for rhetorical effect here. This is good podcasting.  [00:02:38] Psalm 67B Praise [00:02:38] Tony Arsenal: Do you have, do you have those situations where, like, the, the so- a song hits you, and it's just, like, the right combination of words, but also the right combination of, like, musicality?  [00:02:49] Jesse Schwamb: For sure.  [00:02:50] Tony Arsenal: Where it just, like, it just, it just feels- For sure like, right and good in every part of your being. So- All the time, yep ... I, I'm affirming, um, th- this is like the most Presbyterian thing ever. I'm affirming the, the arrangement in the Trinity, uh, psalter hymnal for Psalm 67B. Now, I'm not gonna try to sing it for you, but I wanna read the words, because obviously it's, it's a paraphrase of a psalm. So, like, that's the first thing. Like, people, like, calm down. Like, it's okay to sing paraphrases. It's okay to sing. No one is actually singing the Hebrew psalms. Right. Amen. So, like, just calm down a little bit. Amen. Uh, there is a place for us to dedicate specific focus to psalms and songs that are from the psalms, but that can be something like Better Is One Day. Like, that's a song from a psalm. Anyway, that's a whole different, that's a whole different thing. Yes, I'm affirming psalm singing. Uh, yes, I'm denying overly rigid understandings of what that is. But here's the words for Psalm 67, Setting B. That's important It's, "O God, show mercy to us and bless us with your grace and cause to shine upon us the brightness of your face, so that the whole world over may truly know your way and so that your salvation all nations see displayed. O God, let peoples praise you. Let all the peoples praise. Let nations come rejoicing and songs of gladness rise, raise." Then, um, stanza two, "For you will judge the peoples with perfect equity. To nations of the whole Earth a governor you'll be. O God, let the peoples praise you. Let all the peoples praise. The Earth has brought its bounty throughout its harvest days.  [00:04:24] Why Sing Psalms [00:04:24] Tony Arsenal: Since God our God will bless us, yes, God will blessing send, that all the Earth may fear Him to its remotest end." Now, there are lots of really great, uh, theologically sound, edifying hymns and worship choruses, but there's just something about the Psalms, right? It's inspired- Um- ... it's perfect. Again, like I said, nobody is singing the actual Hebrew Psalms, or even, I shouldn't say nobody, most people are not singing, like, the Psalms from the ESV, right? These are almost all paraphrases. They're, they're translations. But there's just something about the Psalms that I have grown so much to appreciate since joining a Presbyterian church. That's not to say other traditions don't sing Psalms in their own right, and again, like, we would sing Better Is One Day and other songs that were based on Psalms. Um, even, like, real direct translations or real direct versions of Psalms, like Better Is One Day or Create In Me A Clean Heart, there's all sorts of them. But there's just something about singing the Psalms, and this particular musical setting, it's triumphant, but not in the, like, fanfare kind of triumphant. Do you know what I mean, Jesse? Like- Mm-hmm ... it's, it's a triumphant melody, and it has, like, really interesting rises and falls and... So I, I'm gonna probably try to put this at the end of the episode. So listen. Hopefully I'll get the whole thing. Let me just, let me just do this. Hold on a second. It's just gorgeous. It's just beautiful. So I, I, I don't know what it was this morning. Uh, it's, I wasn't, like, promo- particularly emotional. It didn't, like, make me cry. Yeah. But all of that's fine. Like, I've been brought to tears in worship before, and that's, that's all good and well. There was just something about it that resonated, and I was like, "This is just good." Like, this is just good music. It's good singing. Something about hearing, uh, the whole congregation singing together. Like, it was just beautiful. It was just a beautiful moment. So if you are not in a psalm-singing church, first of all, why aren't you in a psalm-singing church? Uh, no worship leader on Earth, no, no person who is worth... Uh, when I say worship leader, I mean the person who's responsible for leading musical worship. No one who's leading worshipful music, worshipful? Worship music, if you approach them and say, "I would like to sing more songs that are based on the Psalms," if they say, "We don't wanna sing Psalms here," then you just go somewhere else. Like, someone who tells you, like, "We don't wanna s- we don't wanna sing God's Word," that doesn't make any sense to me.  [00:06:56] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:06:56] Tony Arsenal: Um, now again, like, there's a way to do it. Sometimes musically they're challenging, especially if you're singing out of something like the hymnal. But again, there are plenty of really good modern style songs and hymn style songs that are either based on the Psalms or are paraphrases, very similar to what you get in the, in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Or most, most people who are leading in musical worship are competent enough to just sort of take the sheet music and figure out how to do it on guitar or figure out how to play it on piano. Um, they're not that difficult. So you will be edified if you do this. Your church will be edified. There's probably a lot of people out there responsible for musical worship that actually would really like to do this, and they're kind of probably, like, just waiting for that nudge, so you may even be benefiting them. But yeah, this, this psalm is beautiful. It's just a gorgeous arrangement, and it's, it's perfect, inspired words. Really was a, just a, a balm to my soul this morning.  [00:07:51] Jesse Schwamb: I love it. And o- of course, a lot of that is still happening, which is such a glorious gift to the church. The couple of times that I've had the privilege of writing music for my own church has been right from the scriptures, and for me recently that was, like, Ephesians 1 and Psalm 16. And that's mainly because, like, as a lyricist, I'm not that creative, and I'd rather go direct to the source. And all those end up being a paraphrase, like you said, anyway. Es- especially if you wanna get turn of phrase or if you wanna have a little bit of rhyming, which is always a beautiful thing. I love the Psalter, and my, my hot take on that is I sometimes find that I like, I don't wanna call them, like, the alternate, but, like, the other secondary arrangements-  Yeah and  lyrics better. I don't know why. I don't think that's purposeful, of course. It's probably just my taste. But I always find them to be, like, super fire. I, I don't know why. The, the B and C versions always kinda grab me, especially if... And here's another thing that I appreciate about the Psalter, as you know, is sometimes those B or C versions will be written in an alternate key or a minor key. Yeah. And that's even more awesome, because there's not a lot of, let's say, like, cla- I don't wanna say classic. Classic slash contemporary, uh, Christian music or wors- quote-unquote worship music that's written in minor keys. But it's good to lament, as we've talked about before. So- Yeah ... you're gonna get that full breath and scope in the Psalter there. [00:09:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:09:07] Beyond Music Styles [00:09:07] Tony Arsenal: A- and, you know, maybe let me put in one more little plug here. Um- I am not one of those people that is gonna say that there's like a particular style of music that's more godly than another. I've heard people try to make arguments that there's like certain kinds of rhythms or certain kinds of like beats that are- Right either, either more godly or somehow demonic or less godly. Um, I think there might be an argument to be made that some styles of worship are not suited well for congregational singing, so they may not be appropriate for like a, a congregational worship service. Like, you're probably not gonna go in and do a lot of hip hop and have the congregation be able to like stick with you. Right. That doesn't mean that you can't worship God through that or that it somehow is less like intrinsically beautiful. But, um, there are a lot of Let me just put it this way. In modern contemporary Western Christianity, uh, there's a lot of songs that are basically just the same thing musically. You know, you'll find, um, if you go to, like, YouTube, and, and maybe, like, be careful, 'cause sometimes some of these are, they're funny but they're a little bit crass. But if you look up, like, a video about how, like, every song is Pachel Bell's Canon. Right. Right? Every song follows the same basic arrangement of chords, and this gets even more pronounced when you're talking about modern worship music or contemporary mu- worship music, because it's designed to be able to be very simple and very easily played. Um, a lot of times worship directors are not super classically trained. Um, you think of, like, the youth pastor with the guitar around the campfire. Like, those kinds of songs have to be easy, 'cause they're not, like, classically trained guitar players. They probably picked up a chord book and figured out how to play a couple easy songs like Jesus, Lover of My Soul and things like that. That's how I learned how to play guitar. That's the extent of my skills, so I'm not, I'm not banging on that person. Um, but there are a lot, there's a lot more to music. Um, there's a lot more to singing, and there's a lot more to choral music than, you know, GCDC kind of like worship courses. Uh, and singing something like the Psalter, or even just singing out of a good hymnal- Right will actually expand your musical horizons. And there's something to be said about the creativity of our God being reflected in the creativity of His people that I do think we miss out on when we are locked into really simplistic worship styles. Um, again, like, I interpret Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to mean, like, sing in the vernacular of the people. Um, and I, you know, that's a different episode. We can talk about that sometime. But th- that, that requires the songs to be singable, and I think sometimes, uh, sometimes some of the song- some of the Psalters, some of the songs in the Psalter hymnals, and sometimes hymnals in general, are very difficult to sing. And so I think a congregation, the people leading in music need to be thoughtful of that. But I think you would do well to, like, open your horizons a little bit to something a little bit more challenging and a little bit off the beaten path. Like, this melody, I don't know the chords behind it. It may not be anything crazy, but that, like, musicality and that, that sort of, like, melody is not a typical... And this might be why it resonated with me. It's not a typical kind of melody you're gonna find in contemporary music. Um, it's, it's very different. It's older. It's more classically styled. The, it's, it's meant to sort of bring you up to these crescendos in ways that modern music is not necessarily. So enough about that. I don't know a lot about music theory, so I might be totally wrong and, and- ... people might be rolling their eyes. But I, I do think that there's something to it. Like, a lot of the older hymns- utilize chord progressions and melodies and harmonies and things like that that we're just not used to. You're not gonna get that listening to, you know, even something like, like the more musical kind, uh, more technically proficient music like something like Bethel or Hillsong, which is at times musically very good. Uh, I don't know that I would recommend listening to it, but the music is actually, like, technically very good in some instances. Uh, even there you're not gonna find a lot of this stuff. So instead of going there for, like, really nice sounding musical worship, just go to something like the Trinity Psalter app. You know, for $10 on a- on your iPhone you can sing with it. Um, yeah, enough about that. I, I, I could talk about how great the Psalms are and how great psalm singing is for an entire episode. We should do that episode- We should ... when we're done with the parables, 'cause I know we've done a lot of episodes on, like, uh, on, on, like, the regulative principle and- Right I, I think we're still both in the same spot that, like- Right ... exclusive psalmody is probably not where we would land. Right. But I think I'm coming to the conviction that the psalms should have a much greater portion of our worship diet, uh- Hmm ... than they do in most churches. Um, and I really only came to that conviction when I was in a church where psalm singing was the norm. Uh, I know that we try to have at least one s- one canonical psalm for every single worship service. Usually there's multiple, but, um, even in a, a, a setting where we normally wouldn't be so focused on that, we still try to have at least one, and it's been a, a really huge edifying thing to my soul.  [00:14:06] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I absolutely love that. You'll find no complaint from me on that. I think that that's a good reminder for all of us.  [00:14:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:14:14] Book Sing Recommendation [00:14:14] Tony Arsenal: Jesse, what do you have?  [00:14:15] Jesse Schwamb: Well, it's, we're not gonna stop this conversation, just so you know. Because we don't sync up on these things ever, but it just so happens that I'm affirming with a book that it's a really simple primer on congregational singing-  There you go that has  long been on my list and overdue to read, and I am coming in hot with a recommendation for this, and that is the book entitled Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church by Keith and Kristyn Getty. And really, it covers so many of the things that you already talked about. I, I think at the foremost, it's a reminder that God cares whether in what we sing, but he does not mind how well we sing. Yes. But it is, like, the, this... What's true is that our voices might not be of a professional standard, but they are of a confessional standard. Yeah. And so it is incumbent upon every Christian to sing. And if you need just, like, a little bit of inspiration, so to speak, or a reminder of why that's important, I highly commend this book to you. In fact, in the back they have what's called, like, these bonus tracks. It's like four or five separate chapters that they've written just to particular people in the church, pastors, laypeople, musicians, even the people that help produce the sound. I found that bit to be so lovely and pastoral. It, it's gentle, the tone is encouraging, but it is also strong, and I appreciate that. So a lot of it is some of the themes that we've just talked about, but my conviction grows all the time of just how important congregational singing is, and how everything you just said, the music, the liturgy that we bring forward- has to be of a deliberate kind to strengthen that exercise, to make it easy, so to speak. And that does come into practical things like if you look at the psalter, and I, I don't... I have it on my phone, but I don't know where my phone is, so I was gonna look at the one you were referencing. My guess is it's, it's in probably a key with a couple of sharps in it, because those are the ones that are easiest to sing. So even little things like that matter. What you hear on the radio often is, or radio? People still listen to the radio? What you hear, like, in, like, contemporary music, like, often is not necessarily for congregational singing just in its key, and, and that's okay. And so even in my own church, we transpose things to make it reasonable and approachable. But what I think was, like, the critical question put forward in this book that I absolutely loved as a great reminder was: how did the congregation sing? It's very interesting that they kind of bring forward this thesis that that's how you should be judging your music. How did the congregation sing? And I think if we started asking that, it might slightly tweak or maybe change altogether, to your point, the methods and the practices that we use when we undergo worship by way or through music. So this is really great. It's easily readable, and it's for everybody, and it, there's a chapter on family worship as well, how to bring singing into your home and music into your home all the time as an act of worship so that when you get to the Lord's Day, your kids are like, "Yeah, this is our jam." Uh, especially maybe even recognizing some of the pieces of music and be excited about that. So there was a lot that made me think about here. It's fantastic. And to your point, Tony, I would say the Gettys, especially in, like, "Christ Alone," some of the other things, this is probably the closest to what you're talking about, where they've taken and imported kind of the classical hymn structures-  [00:17:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah [00:17:27] Jesse Schwamb: but modernized a little bit just the language while without sacrificing any of the theological richness or the musicality that draws your ear to those beautiful rising and falling melodies, the swelling of the vocal there, without, like, distracting from anything that's going on there. It's not emotionalism- Yeah but it certainly is filled with the emotion of what it means to be a Christian and to sing in response as an act of praise to God.  [00:17:50] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:17:52] Family Worship Singing [00:17:52] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I can't underscore enough the importance of congregational singing. We, we've, we've actually talked about, about it in context of, like, how important it is for the men of the congregation to sing, which is something I, I really appreciate about my congregation, is, is the m- the men just go all out. Like, people are, like- Love it ... nobody is, nobody is ashamed of the fact that they squawk on a note that they're not used to or anything like that. And where this really pays out, um, at least in our congregation, but I'd, I'd be willing to bet if you go to any congregation where the, where the men particularly are passionate and active in musical worship, right? Um, I think where this plays out is you see the children very quickly picking up those songs and learning them and singing them. And the, the favorite part of my day, this is gon- any parent of toddlers is gonna be like, "What are you talking about?" Bedtime is one of my favorite times of day, not just because it means that, like, in a little while I'm gonna get a little peace and quiet. Like, that's part of it, too, but there are two songs that we sing almost every single night, and Augie leads them, which is really great. He always wants to start, and he always wants to sing, and it's the Doxology and the Gloria Patri. And these are songs that he has just picked up from being in the congregation, and, you know, I, I don't remember consciously teaching him any of these songs. And now, now Adeline, who is, uh, my two-year-old daughter, almost two, she's starting to pick those songs up, and she's starting to sing them, and she recognizes them, and she responds very differently to those songs than she does to other songs. Um, it's funny because I don't, I don't know where she got this. Neither my wife nor I are particularly, uh, charismatic, emotive people. Like, we don't raise our hands when we're singing, but she, she does. She, she, when we start singing- My girl ... the Gloria Patri or the Doxology, her hand is in the air, and she's looking at the sky, and she's waving her hands around. Yeah. And, um, she recognizes that those songs have a different place than a Miss Rachel song. She doesn't put her hands in the air and wave and look up at the ceiling when Miss Rachel comes on or when Baby Shark comes on. She knows those songs. She can sing those songs. Um, but she doesn't- Respond to those in the same way. And that is a direct result of the fact that congregational singing is an important thing in the life of our church and in the life of our family. And I think a book like Sing, I haven't read it, but I've heard very good things about it, and the, the Gettys are rock solid, like- Right ... theologically. Yes. Musically. They're, they're well within our Reformed tradition, at least broadly speaking. Um, and, and they have a, they have one of the strongest sort of theologies of praise music that you're gonna find. Mm-hmm. It's not quite like a liturgiology or something like that, but it's, it's, it's a theology of praise worship, praise and worship music. Right. Um, and that's not something that's super common, right? There's a lot of theology of liturgy. There's a lot of practical theology on liturgy. Um, the Gettys have developed a really unique kind of place in things in that they've really developed this idea that congregational singing has a specific theological import, and they've developed it in a way that's approachable. So yeah, I haven't read it and I sh- I probably should, but it, it sounds like a really great book. And, um, I c- just can't underscore it enough. And- Maybe this is my little plug. Like, uh, family worship is really tough, and it's not something I've mastered. Like, we don't, we, we don't have a regular rhythm. But what we do have is we have a consistent, uh, we consistently pray at night before bed, and we consistently sing one or both of those songs. And that by itself, like, the kids are learning and they are, they're absorbing that by osmosis. Um, they're picking up the phrasing, right? Augie can tell you who the three persons of the Trinity are, and that's partially 'cause we do catechism questions, but it's also partially, and I would actually argue probably more, because of the Trinitarian structure of those two songs. Right. He's picked up the language of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son from the Gloria Patri and from the doxology in ways that probably I wouldn't have been able to teach him otherwise. So yeah. Anyway, I, I just co-opted your affirmation. But, um, but yeah. I'm here for it. Congregational worship, family worship, singing, uh, to our Lord is commanded, and it's commanded for our good- Right and for his, his benefit and his blessing. Um, and so any book that is, is solid and will help you do that, I, I'm wholeheartedly behind.  [00:22:17] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. This is... All that is fire. This is fire.  [00:22:19] Reclaim Congregational Song [00:22:19] Jesse Schwamb: God designed our psyche for singing, and we're probably, uh, I would say contractually obligated since Reformed is in the name of the title of the podcast- to remind ourselves and everybody else that one of the things the Reformation did was reclaim the singing of God's word by his own people. Yes. Taking it out of that performatory space back into literally the voice boxes of the people who are sitting in worship together. So sometimes we might have to do that again. You know, there is a little bit, I think, of... There, there is in some places, not everywhere, this kind of tilting of that time of worship through music to be vouchsafed or relegated to those who are, uh, let's say, like, the most, like, talented in doing that, and somehow we participate merely by observing or by- Yeah just, uh, you know, being an audience spectator of that, and that's totally backwards. So I get it. The thing is- We're all singers. We may not all be very good singers, but we're all created to be singers nonetheless. This is what the Bible tells us. So we need to lean into that. We need to invest in that. Yeah. And so I, I like, of course, what you're doing with, uh, your kids because you're not only teaching them to sing, and this makes me so happy, but you're teaching them to love singing to the Lord. Yeah. And so that is, I think, what a lot of our congregations miss, is sometimes we do it, and I'm among them often, but grudgingly. And so to get to a place where we come excited that our reasonable response, our reasonable preparation on the Lord's day is to sing together, to hear that gospel message in melody in the ear of our... You know, the voice of our neighbor in our own ear is a wild thing. It's just, like, un- unheard of. And it's like, uh, we gotta stop, right? It's one of those things also that, like- ... we've, we've talked about how it's just kind of otherworldly. Not, not only in the sense that it gives us this really kind of foundational sense of God's, you know, kind of transcendence, of what it means to participate in the worship of someone who is transcendent because it is all these voices together, but also this is something that rarely happens in any other way, especially in the Western culture anymore. This coming together to express and to participate in something where we're all reading literally from the same sheet music is just an entirely different experience, increasingly relegated to this kind of experience. So we, we must protect it, not only because God says that we ought to, but also because, again, it is, it is our reasonable response. Yeah. And it is something, like you've just said, that brings Him glory and is certainly for our good. So, uh, this is the Singcast, so everybody- ... everybody get to it. You can make your own music. God has commanded us to sing. So the sooner we just understand, like, hey, it's, it's... You know. Uh, but... And the last thing I'll say is this is one of those things that's, like, practice too. A- and I get it. Like, you may say, like, "Listen, I can only hit two notes, and that's all I'm gonna hit no matter what the music is." Well, then belt the two notes, and also know that, like, the more you practice that kind of thing, honestly, the better that you'll get and the more comfortable that you'll become. The voice is an instrument like any other instrument that takes, like, a little bit of practice and a little bit of work. But even that can cause, I think, great benefits and build a little bit of confidence. But just the example of singing and doing it from a heart that is keen to worship God and that is filled with passion to respond to Him with gratitude and, you know, adoration is really the key thing. And so I, I'd rather have a entire group full of worshipers that are singing off-key but, like, with just resounding passion than to have this performance of just a handful of voices because they feel like they're the most capable to do it. Yeah. I think we'd, we'd rather have everybody else, and to hear the congregation mixed as one of those instruments. So sing. Yeah.  [00:26:05] Everyone Can Sing [00:26:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and y- you and I have made the point in the past, too, like- I, I don't think, uh, maybe I'm wrong. Uh, we are a top 50 healthcare podcast, so maybe some doctor- I'm sure you're correct ... is gonna... Right. Like, I don't think being tone deaf is actually a physical condition. Like- Mm. I, I mean, I, I mean, obviously, like, some people have hearing problems, and that means they have trouble singing. I hear what you're saying. But, like, the people who are like, "Well, I j- I just can't sing. I'm just not capable of that," uh, like, I think the, the physical conditions that would make you incapable of singing are not usually what people are talking about. Like- Right. Yeah ... you know, some people have, like, vocal fold disorders or they have hearing problems, and I guess maybe, like, if perfect pitch is a thing, which it, it is. Like, perfect pitch is a... I don't know what causes it, but some people are born with perfect pitch. I suppose in theory that means some people must be born with, like, the opposite of perfect pitch. But I think most people who say, like, "Well, I just, I'm just tone deaf. I can't carry a tone," that, that's probably not true. Like, it just means you need practice. Um, and some people's voices, like physically, their bodies are more, more designed by God to produce a pleasant sound than other people. But I, I think actually just about anybody with a little bit of practice, and mostly I think this is probably just the confidence to actually sing and a little bit of practice to learn how your body works, like how your voice works, um, could probably get to a point where singing is not only very relatively comfortable and easy, but it's something that is pleasant and is not overly challenging. This is actually something that I think we've lost in the church. We should... This, I mean, this is about to come the episode, but, um- ... something we've lost in the church when we have sort of changed from a true genuine congregational singing model, which was the norm- And I've heard people make arguments about the importance of hymnals, and I, I agree with those arguments, although I know some people have moved them into almost like a realm of, like, divine mandate- Right that you have to use hymnals because it trains people to teach. But we have lost something with both the sort of commercialization of worship music and the pro- like making it a professional thing, and we've lost congregational singing. The, the people in the church throughout history have learned to sing. Many of them have learned to read, learned the scriptures, learned theology, not in the seminary and not in the monastery, but in the pew as they sing God's word and as they sing- Right ... the great theological hymns of, of the church. There's so much you can learn through that process that I just think we've lost. And I think going back to something like a hymnal or the Trinity Psalter Hymnal or whatever, whatever standard music your church is gonna use, and I mean standard music. Like, whether this is a collection of worship choruses that has been curated for the church or it's a published hymnal or something like that, going back to something like that teaches the church how to sing. And I don't remember who wrote it, but the trellis and the vine, like the worship that we sing, I know Mike Horton makes this point. The worship that we sing is the tre- is the trellis that the vine of our wor- of our- Yes ... faith grows on, right? That's true. Like, what the, what the church lex credendi, lex orandi. Like, the church, what the church prays, the church believes. What the church sings, the church believes. So all of that to say, like, the, the importance of congregational singing can't be under-emphasized, and it's... I, I mean, I don't know that I would I don't know that most theologists say technically s- like, congregational singing is an element of worship, but praising the Lord through song certainly is. Yes. It's, it's evidence. Um, and, and so I think that's definitely something that the church has lost in general. Um, and I know there are churches... I- it's funny, when Ashley and I were between churches, uh, very briefly after, um, our previous church closed down, um, we went to a local sort of, like, high, high, uh, production, seeker-sensitive church, very Steven Furtick-esque, and we only lasted, like, 10 minutes in this, in this service. We went in and the production value was great, and the music sounded great, but we couldn't hear ourselves, we couldn't sing- Right ... and it was very performative, and we just left. We were only there for a few minutes, and we left. And I think that's something we've lost as we've sort of migrated worship to almost, like, a professional class. So yeah, bring it back to the pews. Bring it back to your- Bring it back ... bring it back to your house, bring it back to your kid's bedroom when you're tucking them in. Everywhere. Bring it back to the car on the way to work, in the bus. Right. Like, just let's everywhere we go, let's sing and worship the Lord. [00:30:30] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's right.  [00:30:31] Train Your Voice [00:30:31] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, so as a final thing, let me compound your hot take and say that I agree with you, that I... And I think professionals would as well, and I'm gonna stand on a resource that I'm gonna recommend to everybody here in a second, that in fact the Getty say, "If you can speak, you can sing." And there are a f- a few conditions that would prevent you from doing that, of course. And even there, they wanna explore opportunities for you, for instance, signing, for instance, to ensure that you can participate in worship. Uh, the hot take is I do think that because the instrument that God has given us in the vocal cords is exactly that, that it can be trained, and that actually most people can sing. And if you're serious about that, if you think, "You know what? I'd like to be able to do that. How can I explore that?" Here's a book for you. It's called Set Your Voice Free by Roger Love. The full title is How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You Want. Roger Love is, like, this amazing behind-the-scenes vocal coach. He has coached, like, a ton of really talented recording artists, and this is his very contention in the book, is that everybody can sing. It's really about how much or little work you wanna put into it. And in fact, this book comes with, like, these exercises that you can listen to and then record yourself. And then he, from a distance basically, can give you some pointers based on allowing you to kinda evaluate what you hear in your own recording back. So if you really are the kind of person that's like, "Listen, I, I dare you. I cannot sing," I would challenge you, I would double dog dare you to get this book, Set Your Voice Free, and if you're really serious about wanting to try and see if it can make a difference, I, I think it can. And I've, I myself have enjoyed this book, gone back to it many times, use it in my own work and practice because I found it to be helpful. So there you go. Sing, sing, and sing again.  [00:32:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:32:07] Singing Apps and Practice [00:32:07] Tony Arsenal: And if you're not a reader, first of all, why are you listening to the podcast? But second of all, if for some reason you're not a reader I'm, I'm joking. I'm sure there are people that are listening to the podcast who are not readers. That was, like, a super smug thing to say. How dare you. I'm sorry about that. How dare you. Um, if for some reason you don't wanna read that book or you're not a reader, um, y- you can do something as simple as looking up Yousician on your Yousician, Y-O-U- Yeah ... S-I, like the word musician, but U instead of, like, Y-O-U instead of, uh, musician. Um, there are plenty of apps out there. I just, I mention Yousician just because I've used that on, like, a free trial basis with some guitar teaching, and it's a reputable source. They also have a vocal module. So, like, if you wanna learn to sing, there are plenty of resources out there who can help you train your voice. A- and it- Again, I'm not a doctor, I'm not a vocal coach, I'm not a professional singer. I'm not even that great of a singer, and I, I probably could be a better singer if I wanted to devote the time to it. Um, it doesn't take much to, to be able- Right ... to become a competent singer. Um, I think most of us, you pick up one s- just like I learned guitar, you pick one or two songs that you really like and you wanna learn, and you learn to sing those songs, and then those skills will develop over time. So enough about that, Jesse. We've got, speaking of talents- ... we've got some talents to talk about. There it is. Boom, bazinga. Baza-bazom. I'm  [00:33:27] Jesse Schwamb: back. There it is. Yeah, so- I was excited  [00:33:31] Tony Arsenal: about that one ...  [00:33:32] Jesse Schwamb: that, that was really good. And, and we should just h- honor everyone. That's it.  [00:33:37] Tony Arsenal: That's it. Tip your waiters and waitresses, folks. It  [00:33:39] Jesse Schwamb: was so good. We're here all week.  [00:33:41] Parable Context Setup [00:33:41] Jesse Schwamb: So we're in Matthew 25, uh, verses 14 through 28, and this is at least gonna be a two-parter for us. This goes by the name you might be familiar of, which is The Parable of the Talents. But before we get to it, just a quick reminder that we've been speaking about this parable, not like in a special way, but hopefully in the more contextual sense. So this is the second of three eschatological parables in Matthew 25. So the first was The 10 Virgins, which we went through. We're in The Talents, and then we're coming up to everybody's favorite, The Sheep and the Goats. All three are part of this Olivet Discourse, which is, of course, Jesus' final teaching block before his Passion. And I think it h- behooves us so that we do not get distracted from, like, the center of gravity of this thing, that this is delivered in response to the disciples' question about the sign of his coming and the age to come. Because I've heard so many, like, little talks, maybe homilies is more the right word, on this particular parable that lack gravity. So little gravity that basically NASA could train their astronauts in it. So we wanna stay away from that and I think get into, like, the, the proper context. So Tony, do you have it in front of you by any chance? And would  [00:34:50] Tony Arsenal: you- I do. I do, yeah. Yeah. Read it for us? I'll read it here.  [00:34:52] Reading the Parable [00:34:52] Tony Arsenal: So this is, uh, starting in, uh, Matthew 25 verse 14, and I'm gonna read down through, uh, the end of verse 30 here. So it, it reads here, "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them, entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents. Here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, "Master, you delivered to me two talents. Here I have made two talents more." His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." He also who had received one talent came forward, saying, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours." But his master answered him, "You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him who gave it, who give it to him who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. For, uh, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness in that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  [00:36:56] Watchfulness and Stewardship [00:36:56] Jesse Schwamb: So it starts with that amazing connective, which we really spoke about in the last episode, in verse four- 14, starting with four. So it's tying, like we said, this parable directly to verse 13, which we know is in the, the parable of the ten virgins. But it's this idea of watchfulness. "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." So th- I think this is the point we really drove last time, that we really felt highly convicted about, that this parable is not like a detached economic lesson, but it's really like an expedition, exposition, not expedition- ... of what watchful discipleship actually looks like during the interval of the master's absence. Like, that's the whole setup here. So it's starting with this idea of like the master goes away, but here we have these slaves or these servants who are entrusted. And to me, again, that's like such a linchpin in this whole thing, 'cause it's, it's carrying the sense that of course, like, he's handing over stewardship. It's a deposit held on another's behal- I love this parable because it has some banking language in it. It's, it's a deposit held on another's behalf, and that's like the key covenant concept of the entire thing. Ownership remains with the master. The servants are stewards. They're not proprietors. And that language, I think, really anticipates, like, the entire New Testament theology of stewardship, which is developed by Paul. So like when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." So like all of that, that's like just one verse for me. Like, that's an incredible setup.  [00:38:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:38:28] Common Misreadings [00:38:28] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and you know, I think it bears saying, too, um, I wanna be careful how I say this because I don't wanna impugn, uh, poor motives or anything like that on, on the, the people that I'm about to speak to. And I say this a little bit tongue in cheek, but also I say this as someone who used to be deeply involved in youth ministry. There's kind of like a, a youth ministry, um- international version of the Bible, I guess, if you wanna put it that way, where, like, there are certain, certain passages and parables that s- for some reason seem really prone to misapplication- Sure in, in some context. And I would say, like, youth ministry is the one I have in mind. Like, um, one of them is, like, in Matthew 18 where it's like, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." Like, that's a, that's a statement about God's, God's presence in the judgment of the church and excommunicating an un- like, a, an unrepentant, uh, person who identifies with Christ. And, and ironically here, maybe not ironically, but, like, casting them into the outer darkness of excommunication, which is representative of casting them out into the actual inner darkness of damnation. Right. Like, th- there's a, there's a misapplication of that, that like, well, you know, like, if only a couple people came to youth group tonight, like, it's still worth meeting because where two or three are gathered, there I am in the midst of them. Um, this, this parable has a very similar kind of misapplication that is maybe a, a little bit less of a misapplication. Like, I think there is something to say in this parable about the fact that God entrusts us with abilities, talents, treasure, t- our time. Like, He's entrusted us with resources, and He does expect us to use those resources, uh, in a way that is honoring to Him and beneficial for the, for the gospel and for the kingdom. Um, that's true in a broad sense, but I don't think actually that this is what that... But, like, that's not what this passage- Mm ... is teaching. Right. I think I, I kinda joked last time, but, like, I've heard more than one sermon that draws the parallel between the word talent here and our talents in terms of, like, our spiritual gifts or our ability to play guitar or, like, to bounce a basketball and, like, thr- like, throw a free throw. Like, that's not the kinda talent we're talking about here. So I wanna, I wanna sorta, like, point that out just to sort of exclude that from the conversation. Yes, God gifts His people, and He expects His people to use those gifts for His glory and for their own benefit. Um, but that's not what this parable is talking about. This is a parable about the fact that God has entrusted the kingdom of heaven on Earth to His people.  [00:41:08] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:41:08] Tony Arsenal: And He expects His people to make use of that in a way that expands the kingdom and also in a way that does not... And this is, this is, I actually think, the main point of the parable. In a way that properly understands the nature of the king. The, the punchline or the main point of the parable here, it, just to sort of, like, I don't know, give away the ending or, like, unbury the lead, I don't know, whatever that is. The point of this parable- It's not that, like, it's a really good thing to double what God has resourced you with. The point of the parable, the reason that, just like the, um, just like it wasn't the virgins falling asleep in the last parable that was the problem because everybody fell asleep, in this instance, uh, the amount of money or the amount of return on investment that the servants produce is not the point of the parable. That's not the real difference between them. The real difference is that the former servants understood that their master had trusted them with a task and expected something of them, and the, the unfaithful, wicked, lazy servant had a total misunderstanding of who the master was- Right ... and therefore what his role as the master's servant was. That's the point of this parable, and I think, this is the last thing I'll say before I, I, I take a breath here. There's a lot of people that would look at this parable and might read some sort of works righteousness or, um, and this is more understandable and I think has a place within the Reformed tradition, although I don't necessarily hold this view. But would look at this as sort of like a theology which would, would argue that we receive some sort of enhanced rewards in heaven based on our faithfulness. There's plenty of good, faithful Reformed Bible teachers that would hold that position. I actually think whether or not that's true, this is still also not what this passage is getting at. [00:43:00] Jesse Schwamb: I, I totally agree with you there.  [00:43:02] Talents as Huge Wealth [00:43:02] Jesse Schwamb: I, I think one of the reasons that we know that is because we can look at some of these details and let the details speak to us about the magnitude in their representation, why they're given. So of course, whenever the scripture gives us detail, especially in a context like a parable, it can be helpful of cour- of course not to overanalyze them, but to respect their place in the context of the story, and that's why verse 15 I think is so important. So to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability, then he went away. Now, this, this varies slightly, but there's a lot of, I think, very common historicity here that points us to understanding, like, the talents as a unit of monetary weight, and there is some discrepancy about its exact weight. But what we can say for sure is this: that we're talking about, as I teased at the beginning, a huge sum of money. So in other words, like, this is a gift from God himself. It's a divine gift. Yeah. It's something that's not earned. It's something that's given and something that's entrusted. So in the first-century Roman world, a talent was roughly equivalent to, like, 6,000 denarii, depending on who you talk to, which would mean that a single talent represented approximately, like, 20 years on average of a laborer's wages. So the sums then here we're talking about are staggering even at the lowest one. So the five-talent servant is receiving essentially approximately equivalent of a century's wages, and the one-talent servant is receiving 20 years' worth. There's no such thing as a small gift in Christ's economy, I think is the point here, and even the least endowment is immense beyond our reckoning. Yeah. So the distribution also is deliberately unequal. It's five, one, two, and the text doesn't offer any apology for this inequality. The master distributes to each according to his ability, which as I say that, I realize that could probably be its own episode, that we could talk about what that even means. Yeah. But he is matching and entrusting to capacity, and that's not arbitrary. Of course, that's wise and personal, and even the Greek here for this idea of capacity or power suggests the master knows his servants intimately and calibrates the stewardship accordingly. But nonetheless, it proves the point you're making here, which is not just about, like, well, do you have some kind of innate ability that's above average that God has endowed you with here? That's not even what we're talking about. Again, the whole point of this is to answer the question eschatologically about what the end means and when the time is coming and what good discipleship looks like. And so in that way, we understand then these talents to be these divinely appointed and massively generous gifts of God, essentially, like you said, the stewarding of the gospel in the story of salvation itself unto his people, and then to make something of that, so to speak, by the power of the Holy Spirit that earns a return for the kingdom, that is all empowered by God, that is under the volition of the person, uh, the Christian who says, "As a disciple, it is my responsibility to steward these gifts." That is really what we're after. So we do kind of get in this place where when you take this and say, "Well, what are you doing with," let's say- your home, if you have a nice home, are you being hospitable enough? If you have, let's say, a good singing voice by talent, are you using that to make sure that you're on the, quote-unquote, "praise and worship team," is not, like, entirely wrong, but it's not right either- Yeah to use this passage- Yeah ... for that purpose. There's a bigger theme here. There is, there's a much stronger and widescale framework that God is drawing us to and examine, and it's about the stewardship of the church itself.  [00:46:30] Tony Arsenal: Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  [00:46:31] The Foolish Servant Exposed [00:46:31] Tony Arsenal: That's really key, and this is what struck me as, as you were speaking about that, is like we see in so many of the kinda like, uh, like the chump in the parable. Like, there's- Yeah ... a lot of these parables have like a chump- Right ... where like you're looking at and you're like, nothing about what you've decided to do makes any sense. We're talking about people who've been given, in the first case, 100 years worth of, worth of wages. Right. Right? Any one of these people, and again, we're talking about a timeframe where, like, you could just take that money and run and, like, nobody's gonna find you. There's no digital trail on any of this, right? If I stole, if I stole 100 years worth of labor from my manager or from my, my employer, they would find me, right? That's not the situation we're talking about. So even the chump who decided, "I'm not gonna do anything with this," he could've just take- taken off with the money and had 20 years worth of labor. Right. Just 20 years worth of wages. Right. This is a, this is a sum of money that makes all f- all three of these servants unimaginably wealthy instantly, right? The point of this is, in part, that the final servant has no idea the amazing blessing and responsibility that he's been given. And again, I come back to this. It's not because he is dumb or because he is, um, somehow less competent in a strict sense, right? It, it's so funny to me, like, we also gloss over the fact that, like, the guy who has five talents, he's got 100 years worth of money, 100 years worth of wages. Right. And he just goes and gets 100 more. Like- Right he just goes and trades and- Right ... comes up with 100 years worth of wages that he brings back. Like, that's, in itself is, like, phenomenally, amazingly outrageous. We ran into this too with the, um, the parable of the unmerciful servant, right? We've, we've got one guy who's got this unimaginable debt, like, like, thousands of years worth of, uh, worth of wages that he could never make up, and he thinks he's gonna somehow come up with it if you just give him enough time. It's kind of like the opposite here. This guy's got this unimaginable amount of instant wealth, and he just buries it in the ground. First of all, how much... We're also talking about an era where money was a physical, entirely physical.  [00:48:53] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:48:53] Tony Arsenal: There were no, there were no digital banks. Like- No zeros and ones most of our money exists as ones and zeros in a computer program right now. Right. Like, in reality, like- Right ... my money doesn't exist. We don't have, like, a physical gold standard anymore in America. Jesse could probably s- I'm probably making dumb things up right now. No, that's that's- Like, it used- Right on to be that, like, every dollar that the United States government printed had, like, a piece of gold sitting at Fort Knox- Yes ... uh, like backing it up, but we just don't have that anymore. Most of the money that exists in our system is entirely imaginary. It's an entirely, like, made-up digital currency way before, like, Bitcoin was a thing. That's not the case in this timeframe. This dude who buried 20 years worth of money in the ground, that's a significant amount of labor in and of itself- Right ... to even be able to do that. So we're not talking about, like... And I think this is the thing we miss when we, when we read the word talents, and one, when we obscure it and we, like, we misappropriate the word talent to mean, like, abilities, 'cause it, that's a convenient, like, illustration tool. We're talking about a huge sum of probably gold or silver that this dude just buries in the ground, and then, like, digs it up when the master comes back.  [00:50:01] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:01] Tony Arsenal: And I think, like- When we don't realize how much money this is, we miss the force of the master's like, "You stupid, dumb, wicked, slothful servant." Like, if you had even taken this money to the bank and done the least imaginable- Yes ... effort. Exactly. Like, if you had done anything at all, like how mu- how difficult, granted more difficult back in this age than it is now, but like if you had even done something as simple requiring as little labor as possible and just brought this to the bank and let them collect interest on it, we'd still be talking about a huge return. [00:50:35] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:50:36] Tony Arsenal: And he doesn't even do that, and that's, that's the point. There's the people who do, and they gloss over this. The parable totally glosses over the amazing effort and work that it must have taken to take 100 years worth of la- of wages and turn it into 200 years worth of wages. Right. Or to take 40 years worth of wages and turn it into 80 years worth of wages. That's an amazing, probably almost miraculous return on, on investment. Whatever they did is amazing, and the parable's like, "Yeah, they did that." They just took it to the traders and they brought back five more talents. Like, it's nothing. And then this idiot, and I say idiot in like the most like, like exegetically sound, idios, like, like foolish idiot person. [00:51:20] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:51:20] Tony Arsenal: This idiot just buries it in the ground and doesn't even bother to bring it to the bank where he's gonna get some return on it. This is the picture of the fool who does not make use of the means of salvation. This is the picture of the fool who refuses to receive Christ as savior, who refuses to make use of the benefit and blessing of salvation that is available to all who will trust in Christ and turn to him. This is the same picture as the idiot virgins who didn't buy enough oil and just fell asleep when they knew that the bridegroom was coming, right? Right. It's not that they fell asleep, it's that they didn't do the most obvious, simple,

Francesco Nicola Fago (1677 - 1745) - Salmo 110 "Confitebor tibi Domine" in Sol maggiore (c. 1738) 1.       Aria: Confitebor tibi Domine 0:002.      Aria: Memoriam fecit 3:093.      Aria: Escam dedit 5:184.      Aria: Fidelia omnia mandata ejus 7:535.      Aria: Sanctum et terribile 10:376.      Aria: Initium sapentiae timor Domini 12:487.      Aria: Intellectus bonus omnibus - Gloria Patri 14:028.      Aria: Sicut erat in principio – Amen 15:35 Jakub Józef Orliński, controtenoreIl Pomo d'OroMaxim Emelyanychev, direttore

Sola Scriptura: A Theological Debate The Bible never says Scripture is the sole authority of the Christian faith, and the Latin proves it. In this episode, we examine three texts from St. Paul and St. Peter and let the grammar do the work. No philosophical argument. No circular reasoning. Just the words themselves, in the language the Church has always read them. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ TIMESTAMPS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 0:00 - Introduction: The question underneath every Protestant-Catholic divide 0:30 - Why this approach is different: grammar, not argument 1:00 - 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Tenete traditiones: spoken word and letter as equals 2:00 - 1 Timothy 3:15, Columna et firmamentum: the Church as pillar of truth 3:00 - The verse where Paul could have said "Scripture" and didn't 3:30 - Subscribe/support note 3:45 - 2 Peter 1:20, Propria interpretazione: Peter forecloses private reading 4:30 - What the three anchors do together 5:00 - Patreon Deep Dive: the second-century witness 5:20 - Closing prayers: Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Gloria Patri   The Patreon-Only Deep Dive goes further, a second-century witness trained by a man who knew St. John names the exact principle that makes sola scriptura impossible, and calls it the rule of truth. He says the apostles handed it down before they wrote a single letter. Find it on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thelatinprayerpodcast   A huge thank you to my Patrons!   To follow me on other platforms Click on my LinkTree below. linktr.ee/dylandrego Submit Prayer Requests or comments / suggestions: thelatinprayerpodcast@gmail.com Join me and others in praying the Holy Rosary every day; here are the Spotify quick links to the Rosary: Joyful Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yhn... Sorrowful Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/3P0n... Glorious Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/3t7l... Luminous Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vlA... 15 Decade Rosary https://open.spotify.com/episode/2q33...   Know that if you are listening to this, I am praying for you. Please continue to pray with me and for me and my family. May everything you do be Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. God Love You! Valete (Goodbye)   This video explores the concept of biblical authority within Christianity, specifically addressing the divide between Protestant and Catholic beliefs. We examine why the Bible does not explicitly state scripture is the sole authority, and how Latin texts provide additional insight. The discussion sheds light on the differences between "sola scriptura" and the Catholic view, offering a deeper understanding of the Christian theology at play. You will also see familiar Latin prayers such as Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Gloria Patri. This podcast may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advanced the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church for the promulgation of religious education. We believe this constitutes a "fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US copyright law, and section 29, 29.1 & 29.2 of the Canadian copyright act. Music Credit: 3MDEHDDQTEJ1NBB0

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 372 - Jesus, Thy Boundless Love To Me - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - They Follow Me: My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life. My sheep hear my voice and I know them; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27-28; setting by L. Sateren) - John 16:12-16: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” - Homily - Hymn 344 - Christ the Lord is Ris'n Again: vv. 3 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 373 - I Know That My Redeemer - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Bethany Hanson (Choir Director), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 358 - Today in Triumph Christ Arose - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Lord, Let at Last Thine Angels Come: Lord, let at last thine angels come, to Abr'ham's bosom bear me home that I may die unfearing; and in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, thy glorious face, my Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, and I will praise thee without end. -- H.L. Hassler - Acts 20:28-31: “Always keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves, who will not spare the flock, will come in among you. Even from your own group men will rise up, twisting the truth in order to draw disciples after them. Therefore be always on the alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped warning each of you with tears.” - Homily - Hymn 344 - Christ the Lord is Ris'n Again: v. 2 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 348 - He is Arisen! Glorious Word! - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group), Hannah Caauwe (Choir Director)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 360 - Triumphant From the Grave: vv. 1 - 4 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 122: Duet - Luke 24:9-12: Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. - Homily - Hymn 344 - Christ the Lord is Ris'n Again: vv. 1 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 360 - Triumphant From the Grave: vv. 5, 6 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 276 - When O'er My Sins I Sorrow - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 121:1-3 (setting: Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy): Lift thine eyes, O lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help. Thy help cometh from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He hath said, “Thy foot shall not be moved. Thy keeper will never slumber.” Lift thine eyes, O lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help. - Mark 15:33-47: Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. - Homily - Hymn 47 - My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 565 - All Praise To Thee, My God, This Night - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director), Mary Martha Singers (Choral Group)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 257 - When in the Hour of Utmost Need - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Mark 15:21-32: Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. - O Come and Mourn: Quartet - Homily - Hymn 285 - Jesus Christ, Our Lord Most Holy - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 275 - We Bless Thee, Jesus Christ Our Lord - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Emily Pikal (Singer), Faith Johnson (Singer), Jasmine Stutzka (Singer), Laura Matzke (Accompanist), Madelyn Chavez (Singer), Madilyn Omar (Accompanist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Versicles and Gloria Patri (p. 108) - The Confession of Sin (p. 109) - Exodus 8:16-24: So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' ” And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said. And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ' ” And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies. - Devotion - The Responsory (p. 108) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 108) - The Collect (p. 108) - The Canticle (p. 108) - Hymn 262 - Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Micah Smith (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 293 - O What Precious Balm and Healing - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 31: I trust in God, my Savior, my Defense. I hope and trust securely In Thy graciousness. Great Thy goodness toward those who fear Thee, Thou shalt preserve them from all slander; All lying will soon be still; For the Lord showed to me His kindness, He hath heard my cry for mercy; He hath strengthened my sighing heart. I trust in God, my Savior, my Defense. I hope and trust securely In Thy graciousness. Bow down Thine ear to hear me, to save me. Thou art my rock, my fortress, O Lord God of truth. Thou restrainest all those who hate me, Thou savest me from all my trouble; Make Thy countenance shine on me. For in Thee, Lord, alone I trusted, And have called on Thee to save me; In Thy mercy I shall rejoice. Glory to God the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, ever Three in One. (setting by Fernand de la Tombelle) - Mark 15:1-20: Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. - Homily - Hymn 48 - in Peace and Joy I Now Depart - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 296 - Savior, When in Dust To Thee - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 297 - Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Hymn 500 - O Thou That Hear'st When Sinners Cry: vv. 1, 2, 4, 6 - Mark 14:53-72: And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.' ” But not even then did their testimony agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands. Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept. - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Canticle (p. 123) - The Nunc Dimittis (p. 124) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 333 - Christ, the Life of All the Living: vv. 1, 2,7 - Postlude Service Participants: Graham Parsons (Preacher), John Baumann (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 283 - Glory Be To Jesus, Who in Bitter Pains - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Mark 14:32-52: 32 They went to a place named Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 Then he took Peter, James, and John along with him and began to be troubled and distressed. 34 He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going forward a little, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He also said, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 When he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not strong enough to keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40 When he returned, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. They did not know what they should answer him. 41 He returned the third time and said to them, “Are you going to continue sleeping and resting? It is enough. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.” 43 Just then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A crowd was with him, armed with swords and clubs. They were from the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders. 44 Now his betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 He went right to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 They laid hands on him and arrested him. 47 But one of those who stood nearby drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Jesus responded by saying to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to capture me as you would a criminal? 49 Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But this happened so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.” 50 Then the disciples all left him and fled. 51 A certain young man was following him, wearing just a linen cloth over his naked body. They seized him, 52 but he left behind the linen cloth and fled from them naked. - Hymn 334 - O Sacred Head, Now Wounded: vv. 1, 7, 9 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 284 - Go To Dark Gethsemane: vv. 1 - 3 - Postlude Service Participants: Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Preacher), Ryan Samek (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 287 - Jesus, I Will Ponder Now: vv. 1, 2, 5 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 130 (setting by Fernand de la Tombelle): From out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Listen to my pleading, O Lord, And hear my voice. If You should, O Lord, mark our sins, Lord, who could stand before Your judgment? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared and honored. My soul waits for the Lord, I wait and in His Word I place my hope. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for He is gracious. With Him is abundant redemption. He shall redeem us. He shall redeem us. He shall redeem us. Amen. - Passion History Reading - Matthew 11:20-24 - Homily - Hymn 292 - O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken: vv. 1, 5, 11, 12, 15 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 593 - On My Heart Imprint Thine Image - Postlude Service Participants: Rev. Glenn Obenberger (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Chaplain Don Moldstad (Liturgist), Simon Kovaciny (Soloist)

EBRUARY 8, 2026 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY GUEST SPEAKER: KURT CRAYS, ERIE UNITED METHODIST ALLIANCE CFO ORGANIST JAMES ROSS Prelude - Partita on Hymn to Joy - Charles Callhan Welcome & Announcements *Call to Worship LEADER:People of God, why are you here? PEOPLE: We gather to worship with our hearts and our lives. LEADER: People of God, who do you worship? PEOPLE: We worship God, who loves us and teaches us to love. LEADER: People of God, how do you worship? PEOPLE: We worship God by breaking the bonds of injustice and freeing the oppressed. LEADER: People of God, come, let us worship God, whose glory surrounds us! PEOPLE: May our worship demonstrate God’s glory in our neighborhood, community, and the whole earth. * Opening Hymn – “For the Healing of the Nations” #428 *Affirmation of Faith – Apostles’ Creed #881 *Gloria Patri #70 Opening Prayer God of compassion and justice, the worship you choose for us is to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, to share bread with the hungry, to shelter the homeless poor. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly. So, in praise and wonder, we come to worship you not just with our words but with our hearts and our lives. Glory and honor be to you, O God, Creator of a new heaven and a new earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Children’s Chat Scripture- Micah 6:1-8 Leader: The Word of God for the people of God. People: Thanks be to God Message: What Does the Lord Require? Tithes and Offering Offertory - Consecration - Roger C. Wilson *Doxology – Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #94 Prayer Hymn – “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” #557 Prayers of the People - Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Presentation of Love – Making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time—Just as Jesus would. Josh Henry – Director, EUMA’s Shelter Area Meadville (SAM) Kurt Crays – CFO, Erie United Methodist Alliance (EUMA) *Closing Hymn – “Christ for the World We Sing”#568 Action Steps and Benediction Postlude - Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise - Michael Burkhardt Thank you for sharing in this worship service. Please continue to stay in touch through our website (stoneumc.org) and/or by following us on Facebook (Stone UMC). If you have joys or concerns that you would like lifted up in prayer, please fill out the Prayer Card in the pew, on the website, or share them by contacting us at 814-724-6736 or churchoffice@stoneumc.org

EBRUARY 8, 2026 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY GUEST SPEAKER: KURT CRAYS, ERIE UNITED METHODIST ALLIANCE CFO ORGANIST JAMES ROSS Prelude - Partita on Hymn to Joy - Charles Callhan Welcome & Announcements *Call to Worship LEADER:People of God, why are you here? PEOPLE: We gather to worship with our hearts and our lives. LEADER: People of God, who do you worship? PEOPLE: We worship God, who loves us and teaches us to love. LEADER: People of God, how do you worship? PEOPLE: We worship God by breaking the bonds of injustice and freeing the oppressed. LEADER: People of God, come, let us worship God, whose glory surrounds us! PEOPLE: May our worship demonstrate God’s glory in our neighborhood, community, and the whole earth. * Opening Hymn – “For the Healing of the Nations” #428 *Affirmation of Faith – Apostles’ Creed #881 *Gloria Patri #70 Opening Prayer God of compassion and justice, the worship you choose for us is to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, to share bread with the hungry, to shelter the homeless poor. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly. So, in praise and wonder, we come to worship you not just with our words but with our hearts and our lives. Glory and honor be to you, O God, Creator of a new heaven and a new earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Children’s Chat Scripture- Micah 6:1-8 Leader: The Word of God for the people of God. People: Thanks be to God Message: What Does the Lord Require? Tithes and Offering Offertory - Consecration - Roger C. Wilson *Doxology – Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #94 Prayer Hymn – “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” #557 Prayers of the People - Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Presentation of Love – Making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time—Just as Jesus would. Josh Henry – Director, EUMA’s Shelter Area Meadville (SAM) Kurt Crays – CFO, Erie United Methodist Alliance (EUMA) *Closing Hymn – “Christ for the World We Sing”#568 Action Steps and Benediction Postlude - Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise - Michael Burkhardt Thank you for sharing in this worship service. Please continue to stay in touch through our website (stoneumc.org) and/or by following us on Facebook (Stone UMC). If you have joys or concerns that you would like lifted up in prayer, please fill out the Prayer Card in the pew, on the website, or share them by contacting us at 814-724-6736 or churchoffice@stoneumc.org

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 207 - Seek Where Ye May - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Matthew 20:1-16 - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Canticle (p. 123) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - Hymn 210 - Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Nathan Nikoley (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Versicles and Gloria Patri (p. 108) - The Confession of Sin (p. 108) - John 8:3-12: Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” - Devotion - The Responsory (p. 108) - The Collect (p. 108) - The Canticle (p. 108) - Hymn 451 - All That I Was, My Sin, My Guilt - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 172 - Songs of Thankfulness and Praise: vv. 1 - 3 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Homily - Hymn 47 - My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 172 - Songs of Thankfulness and Praise: vv. 4 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 184 - My Faith Looks Up To Thee - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 117 (p. 189; Tone 1) - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - The Nunc Dimittis (p. 124) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 561 - Abide With Me; Fast Falls the Eventide: vv. 1, 6, 8 - Postlude Service Participants: Adam Hoeft (Preacher), Ryan Samek (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 186 - Ye Parents, Hear What Jesus Taught - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Ephesians 6:1-4: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Nunc Dimittis (p. 124) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 178 - I Pray Thee, Dear Lord Jesus - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 544 - Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying: vv. 1 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - John 3:14-18: (Jesus said) “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” - Homily - Hymn 544 - Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying: vv. 2 (choir) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 544 - Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying: vv. 3 - Postlude Service Participants: Adam Hoeft (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group)

SpiRItui or SPIriTUi? What's the difference, who cares and why?This puzzle jumped out at me a while ago. I started listening and assembled a few examples, but it wasn't until this tripped up one of my choir members that it seemed worthwhile to put an explainer together. Today we'll briefly look at why mastering this word will help you, what the different endings mean and why Spiritus is so odd in Latin. In the recording I will include clips from Pope Pius XII, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Burke.First, a warning, don't be a fusspot. It is very common and normal for people speaking Latin to mix things up. Most of the time it's not worth correcting someone's pronunciation. As long as you're generally intelligible, then we can live with funny quirks.Except if you're singing a psalm in a tone with a final of two accents, then you will need to know the accent in Spiritui falls on the RI and not the TU. This occurs in Mode 5 and Mode 7. As choir leader, I care that people sing the right note on the right syllable, so although I do my best to remember that pronunciation can vary, I am in a wonderful position where I have the final say on how things are sung in my choir. That said, you probably go with what your choirmaster says, but I'll plough ahead because I think I'm right and because it's one of those details which is interesting in a small way.Now, the word Spiritus is an interesting case. It ends with “US” which makes you think it's a normal 2nd declension noun, but turns out it's a member of a much smaller group, the 4th declension nouns. However, it is frequently paired with the adjective “SANCTUS” which follows the 2nd declension noun endings. Most of the time, in Latin, your adjectives and nouns share endings, so you can be tempted to say Spiritus Sanctus, Spirito Sancto, Spiriti Sancti, but in this case that doesn't always work.When the Holy Spirit is the Subject of the sentence, as in “May Almighty God bless, you, Father, Son and Holy Ghost” then you do have Spíritus Sanctus. However, when making the sign of the Cross, the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity are in the Genitive Case, “Of the Father, Of the Son, Of the Holy Ghost” and we use “Spíritus Sancti”. Lastly, the case under the microscope today, in the Gloria Patri, we use the Dative Case, “Glory Be To the Father, To the Son, To the Holy Ghost” and here we have “Spirítui Sancto”.In Latin the last syllable is never accented. The accent falls on either the second last (penultimate) or third last (antepenultimate) syllable. In Classical Latin we talk about the quantity of different syllables, whether it's long or short. If the penultimate syllable is long, it gets the accent. If the penultimate syllable is short, then the accent goes on the antepenultimate syllable. In Spiritui, the first and last syllables are long, so both middle syllables are short, so the accent falls on the antepenultimate, which is the RI.So that gives you too much information on why we say SpiRItui in the Gloria Patri. Hearing people pray the Gloria Patri in Latin is wonderful, regardless of accuracy. A long time ago I made a quick video saying that pronouncing Latin is easy, and I guess there is still some truth in that, but as you can see here, there is usually more out there to learn. I hope this discussion helps you pronounce the Gloria Patri with confidence and accuracy so that if you ever join a choir and sing a Gloria Patri in mode five or seven, then you will easily hit the right notes on the right syllables.God bless you. Get full access to Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary at littleoffice.substack.com/subscribe

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Versicles and Gloria Patri (p. 108) - The Confession of Sin (p. 108) - Hymn 515 - Thine Forever, God of Love: vv. 1 - 3 - Psalmody from Psalm 33: P: Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; C: It is fitting for the upright to praise Him. P: Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. C: For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. P: We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. C: In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy Name. P: May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You. ALL: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen. - 1 Peter 2:9-12: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. - The Responsory (p. 108) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 108) - The Collect (p. 108) - The Canticle (p. 108) - Hymn 515 - Thine Forever, God of Love: vv. 4, 5 Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Isabelle Gronfeld (Organist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 534 - The World is Very Evil: vv. 3, 7, 9, 11 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Song of Solomon 8:67 - Setting: René Clausen: Set me as a seal upon your heart as a seal upon your arm for love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it neither can the floods drown it. - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. - Magnificat Hymn - Tune: In Peace and Joy (Mit Fried und Freud): 1. My soul doth magnify the Lord; My spirit ever In God my Savior hath rejoiced, For He knoweth His handmaiden's low estate, Yet all shall call me blessed. 2. The mighty One hath done great things For me, His servant, And holy is His blessed name. And His mercy Is on them that honor Him In ev'ry generation. 3. He hath shown strength with His right arm; And He hath scattered The proud in their imagining. He hath put down All the mighty from their seats, And lifted up the lowly. 4. He filled the hungry with good things, The rich sent empty. He helped His servant Israel In His mercy, As He promised Abraham And all his seed forever. 5. Glory to God the Father be, To His Begotten, And glory to the Holy Ghost As it once was, Is now, and shall ever be, Forever and forever. Text: ©2025 M. DeGarmeaux - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 534 - The World is Very Evil: v. 14 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director), Mary Martha Singers (Choral Group)

Order of Service: - Prelude: Praeludium in D Minor (J. Pachelbel) - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 250 - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: vv. 1, 2 - Hymn 251 - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: vv. 3, 4 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - O God, My Strength and Fortitude: 1. O God, my strength and fortitude, Of force I must love Thee: Thou art my castle and defense in my necessity. My God, my rock, in whom I trust, The worker of my wealth; My refuge, buckler, and my shield, The home of all my health. 2. The pangs of death did compass me And bound me ev'ry where; The flowing waves of wickedness, Did put me in great fear. The sly and subtle snares of hell were round about me set: And for my death there was prepared a deadly trapping net. 3. I thus beset with pain and grief Did pray to God for grace; And He forthwith did hear my plaint Out of His holy place. O God, my strength and fortitude, Of force I must love Thee: Thou art my castle and defense in my necessity. - Psalm 18 - Old English melody, arranged by Austin Lovelace - Hymn 492 - The Law of God is Good and Wise - Romans 7:7-20: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. - Jesu, der du meine Seele - BWV 78 - J.S. Bach: Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten, O Jesu, o Meister zu helfen, zu dir. Du suchest die Kranken und Irrenden treulich. Ach höre, wie wir Die Stimmen erheben, um Hülfe zu bitten! Es sei uns dein gnädiges Antlitz erfreulich! We hasten with weak but diligent steps, Oh Jesus, oh Master of Salvation,3 to you. You seek the ailing and [spiritually] erring faithfully, Ah, hear, how we Raise our voices to plead for help/salvation. Let your merciful countenance be gladdening to us. - Romans 8:1-11: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. - Hymn 233 - The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace - Romans 3:19-28: Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. - Choral Anthem - Now Thank We All Our God - J.S. Bach: Text: ELH 63 - The Kyrie (p. 124) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus and Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 589 - Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word - Postlude: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast (setting by Jan Bender) Service Participants: Rev. Tim Hartwig, President, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary (Preacher), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director), Chaplain Don Moldstad (Lector)

I. The Holy Spirit is God. II. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the eternal Trinity. III. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to every one of his people. IV. The Holy Spirit is one of the two bonds of our union with Christ. The opening words of the sermon invite you to Hebrews, but the sermon is actually on Ephesians! Sorry about that. 

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 18 - God the Father, Be Our Stay: vv. 1 - 3 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 43 (p. 180; Tone 3) - 1 John 5:1-5: Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? - Soul, Be Still: Soul, be still, await God's will. We are safe in His wise keeping, Surely grief for joy makes way, Laughter fain would follow weeping, Legions e'er His call obey. God doth guide thee as a Father. Soul, be still. Soul, be still, await God's will. Unforeseen, the dawn appearing, Will allay all fear and doubt, Why delay your joy, despairing, Grief and worry put to rout. God doth guide the as a Father. Soul, be still. (Music: Johann Wolfgang Franck / Arr. by Carl Stein; Text: Heinrich Elmenhorst / Translated by Theodora Lau) - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Nunc Dimittis (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 589 - Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group), Hannah Caauwe (Choir Director)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 513 - My Maker, Be Thou Nigh: vv. 1-3 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Matthew 14:25-32: Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. - Homily - Hymn 48 - in Peace and Joy I Now Depart: v. 1 Duet; v. 2 All, v. 3 Duet, v. 4 All - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 513 - My Maker, Be Thou Nigh: vv. 4 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Claire Woller (Singer), Olivia Woller (Singer)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 482 - in Heav'n is Joy and Gladness - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - 1 Timothy 6:6-8: Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. - O God, You Search Me and You Know Me Psalm 139: O God, you search me, and you know me All my thoughts lie open to your gaze When I walk or lie down, you are before me Ever the maker and keeper of my days. You know my resting and my rising You discern my purpose from afar And with love everlasting, you besiege me In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are. Before a word is on my tongue, Lord You have known its meaning through and through. You are with me beyond my understanding God of my present, my past and future, too. Although your Spirit is upon me Still I search for shelter from your light. There is nowhere on earth I can escape you Even the darkness is radiant in your sight. For you created me and shaped me Gave me life within my mother's womb For the wonder of who I am, I praise you Safe in your hands, all creation is made new. - B. Farrell, b. 1957 - Homily - Hymn 47 - My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 581 - Draw Us To Thee, in Mind and Heart - Postlude Service Participants: Adam Hoeft (Preacher), Hannah Caauwe (Organist), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director), Mary Martha Singers (Choral Group)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 463 - For the Beauty of the Earth - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 138: With my whole heart I praise You, Lord. Your holy temple I shall adore. And I shall magnify Your Word, Your loving-kindness and Your truth. You answer me when I cry out, And make me strong within my soul. All kings of earth shall praise You, Lord, And they shall sing Your glorious, holy Name. (setting: Arthur Honegger; psalm paraphrase: M. DeGarmeaux) - Romans 9:3-8: For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. - Homily - Hymn 47 - My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 569 - Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow: vv. 1 - 4 Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Jaksyn Graham (Soloist)

Order of Service: - The Office of Prime (Early Morning) (p. 108) - The Versicles and Gloria Patri (p. 108) - The Confession of Sin (p. 109) - Luke 10:38-42: As they went on their way, Jesus came into the village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord's feet and was listening to his Word. But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered and told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worked and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (EHV) - Devotion - Did You Think to Pray: Ere you left your room this morning, Did you think to pray? In the name of Christ our Savior, Did you sue for loving favor, As a shield today? [Chorus] O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day; So when life seems dark and dreary, Don't forget to pray. When your heart was filled with anger, Did you think to pray? Did you plead for grace, my brother, That you might forgive another Who had crossed your way? When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray? When your soul was bowed in sorrow, Balm of Gilead did you borrow At the gates of day? - Neil Harmon / M.A. Pepper Kidder - The Collect (p. 108) - The Canticle: p. 108 - Hymn 182 - One Thing Needful! This One Treasure: vv. 6, 8 - Announcement: Welcome to the Bethany Auxiliary - Student Body VP Ellie Sorenson Service Participants: Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Preacher), Micah Smith (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 567 - Christ, Mighty Savior, Light of All Creation - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 19: (setting by F. de la Tombelle) Day unto day utters speech, Night unto night reveals knowledge. Fear of the Lord is forever, His righteousness likewise And His judgments perfect forever. Worth far more than gold and sweeter than purest honey. Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God! Who knows his errors and sins? E'en to ourselves sins are hidden. Cleanse me, O Lord, from my sin, then in Your eyes I am blameless. Let my meditation be worthy in Your sight, my Strength and my Redeemer. Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God! - Psalm 51:14-19: Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Magnificat (p. 123) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 575 - The Sun Has Gone Down: vv. 1, 2 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), William Stottlemyer (Soloist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 71 - The Lord Hath Helped Me Hitherto - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 122: I was glad when they said to me We will go to the house of God, O Jerusalem, we are standing, standing within thy walls, O Jerusalem! O pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee, Peace be within thy walls, Prosperity within thy palaces. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever. Amen. (setting by Fernand de la Tombelle) - Luke 19:41-48: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.' ” And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Magnificat (p. 123) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 565 - All Praise To Thee, My God, This Night - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Allison Rygh (Singer), Natalie Henning (Singer)

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 2 - Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord: vv. 1 - 3 - Versicles & Gloria Patri - Anthem: O God, Beyond All Praising: Choir: vv. 1, 2; Congregation: v. 3 - Colossians 2:6-10: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. - Hymn 24 - Lord, Open Thou My Heart To Hear: vv. 1 - 3; Choir sings between verses - President's Address: Dr. Gene Pfeifer, President of Bethany - Installation of New Faculty and Staff - Presentation of Scholarships - Hymn 35 - All Glory Be To God On High: v. 1 - Kyrie, Lord's Prayer - Collect - Announcement: Opening of the Academic Year - The Benedicamus and Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 82 - With the Lord Begin Thy Task: vv. 1 - 5 - Postlude Service Participants: (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director), Chaplain Don Moldstad (Liturgist)

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Versicles and Gloria Patri (p. 108) - The Confession of Sin (p. 108) - Hymn 368 - The Lord My Faithful Shepherd is: vv. 1, 3, 6 - 1 Peter 2:21-25: For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - Devotion - The Responsory (p. 108) - The Collect (p. 108) - The Canticle (p. 108) - Hymn 389 - A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing: vv. 1, 2, 7 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Matthias Barents (Organist)

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thanks for joining us for our Holy Week Prayer Week! We hope you are encouraged and challenged as we cry out Maranatha this Holy Week! Gloria Patri:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Frank Schaeffer In Conversation with Austin Ross, exploring his life and work and the themes of his book, Gloria Patri._____https://austinrossauthor.weebly.comhttps://www.lovechildrenplanet.com/events/it-has-to-be-read-gloria-patri-by-austin-ross_____I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said. Thanks! Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth. Subscribe to It Has to Be Said. Support the show_____In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of Fall In Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy. Learn more at https://www.lovechildrenplanet.comFollow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube. https://frankschaeffer.substack.comhttps://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaefferhttps://www.instagram.com/frank_schaeffer_arthttps://www.threads.net/@frank_schaeffer_arthttps://www.tiktok.com/@frank_schaefferhttps://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTube In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast