FW: New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Kleinig…

 

Feed: Weedon's Blog
Posted on: Monday, May 23, 2011 7:50 AM
Author: wweedon@gmail.com (William Weedon)
Subject: New Lutheran Quote of the Day

 

We do not invent spirituality for ourselves; we do not cobble it together to suit our desire for personal fulfillment.  Its power does not depend on us or on our performance.  Rather, we receive our spiritual life from others and are drawn into it, just as we are initiated into family life and marriage.  So I learned to pray and meditate by being taken to church and included in our family devotions. -- John Kleinig, *Grace upon Grace* p. 9. http://feeds.feedburner.com/WeedonsBlog

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FW: Read On the Bondage of the Will in an Hour

Luther…

 

Feed: Gottesdienst Online
Posted on: Sunday, May 22, 2011 2:23 PM
Author: Pr. H. R.
Subject: Read On the Bondage of the Will in an Hour

 

Thanks to the hard work of Fr. Samuel Schuldheisz, you can now read On the Bondage of the Will in about an hour. I asked for help in creating an analytical outline based on the outline of the Packer edition. My idea was to include key quotations from the text underneath the handy outline created by Packer. Fr. Schuldheisz didn't help - he just did it! The end result allows the reader to absorb Luther's meaning in his own words in about an hour.   An Analytical Outline of Luther's On The Bondage of the Will.   +HRC

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FW: Condemning Millennialism as False Doctrine: The Real Lesson in the Camping Prediction

McCain…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Saturday, May 21, 2011 2:00 PM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Condemning Millennialism as False Doctrine: The Real Lesson in the Camping Prediction

 

"Where is the Promise of His Coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation." (2 Peter 3:4) Harold Camping managed to attract a lot of media attention with his prediction that today the so-called "rapture" would happen today. Consequently, he has made it possible for non-believers to do what they have always done: scoff and laugh and poke fun. But Harold Camping has done far worse than merely confess what the Bible teaches: that Christ will return again on the last day, he has subjected the entire Christian church to scorn and ridicule because of fanciful predictions, which are all grounded in a common false teaching among many protestant evangelical Christians: believe in a literal millennial rule and reign of Christ. Such teachings, and teachers, and church bodies that tolerate in their midst the heretical view that there will be a literal reign of Christ, on earth for 1000 years, must be rebuked and rejected. All these teachings subject the Church and all Christians to ridicule. When we suffer persecution, it must be persecution for the truth, not because of a nut making crazy predictions. But he is not alone. Look at the fortune raked in by the authors and publishers of the "Left Behind" books. Shame on any Christian who read those and "enjoyed" them. Shame on those church bodies and church leaders that teach a "millennium" and encourage others to do so. It is interesting to me to see how silent churches that advance these teachings have been during Mr. Camping's predictions. They are complicit with such predictions. Mr. Camping just happens to have taken matters further than they are willing to go, but for how long have we been bombarded by apocalyptic predictions, claiming the Book of Revelation is a "road map" to the end times and to fanciful and fanatical distortions of the text of Scripture. Far too many Christians have been willing to be caught up in spending to much time thinking and talking about the "End Times" that they truly have become "so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good." Holy Scripture explicitly warns against those who claim to know when the end of all things shall be. Our Lord says to be prepared for the end, much as one might prepare for a thief to come in the night. You make your preparations, you get ready, but you never know when He will return. So, rather than chuckle and make fun and jokes, let us lament that Mr. Camping is simply taking what is latent in much of American protestantism to an extreme degree, but it is rotten fruit born of the rotten tree of millennialism. Repent therefore of any temptation you have felt to believe all this false teaching and nonsense and then, dear friend, turn to the Lord of the Ages who welcomes you into His eternal kingdom, in the hear and now, through the precious Gospel that gives you complete forgiveness and a home forever in heaven with all the saints and those who have gone before.

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FW: Emmanuel Press: The Brotherhood Prayer Book

A great resource…

 

Feed: Gnesio
Posted on: Friday, May 20, 2011 2:49 PM
Author: Gnesio
Subject: Emmanuel Press: The Brotherhood Prayer Book

 

Within the last two decades, the Lutheran Church in the United States, and perhaps all Christendom in North America, has seen two tendencies in worship. One tendency is to make worship as accessible as possible to modern man, for the sake of mission. This tendency has led to wholesale or partial abandonment of historic western liturgical forms and has often neglected liturgical song, making worship music the business of a band or song leader. Music and text have striven for simplicity. The other tendency has perhaps arisen as a result of this simplification of the liturgy. Awakened by the excesses of the former tendency, many have sought meaning and edification in the classical liturgical forms of the Lutheran Church. As the Lutheran liturgical heritage is rooted firmly in western catholic liturgy, they have sought to reappropriate for themselves everything edifying, everything beautiful, everything solemn from the history of our church. Whereas the former tendency strives for simplicity, the latter tendency strives for transcendence and reverence. It is out of this latter, liturgical tendency within the Lutheran Church, and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in particular, that The Brotherhood Prayer Book was born. In 2001-2002, while studying abroad in Oberursel, Germany, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mayes discovered a book entitled Breviarium Lipsiensae: Tagzeitengebete, published by the Evangelical Lutheran Prayer Brotherhood (Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruederschaft). Dr. Mayes subsequently attended a retreat in Germany organized by this Brotherhood, and he realized that he had stumbled upon a liturgical treasure: a breviary pure in doctrine and with a high degree of fidelity to the historic, liturgical tradition – but, of course, in German. He had seen nothing like this in English. The English-language breviaries he had come across were either tainted with impure doctrine or bore little resemblance to the historic liturgy. Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Mayes began to pray and chant the liturgy from this Breviarium with Rev. Michael Frese, a fellow student at Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne and also a former student of the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel. It was at Rev. Frese's instigation that a new project was undertaken: the creation of a Lutheran, liturgical resource in English on par with the German Breviarium. For the next two years, Dr. Mayes and Rev. Frese worked to develop The Brotherhood Prayer Book, using the Breviarium as well as other sources for reference. Rev. Frese focused on publicity and the conversion of texts from German to English while Dr. Mayes served as general editor and musician, using his ear for music to fit the English words to music based on Latin Gregorian Chant. The text of the Psalms and Canticles is from the King James Version, a translation which has been a classic of the English language for 400 years. Gregorian Chant was chosen for the music due to its beauty, antiquity, and reverence. No other form of music has been the carrier of Sacred Writ for so long a time. Experience teaches that Gregorian Chant imposes very little of a foreign mood on the text of Holy Scripture, making it conducive to reverence. For those who are unfamiliar with Gregorian Chant or who wish to listen and learn, Emmanuel Press also offers a companion MP3 CD which contains over 450 tracks of chants from The Brotherhood Prayer Book. One characteristic that makes this prayer book unique is how comprehensive it is. Containing the entire Daily Office (Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline); all 150 Psalms pointed for chanting; pointed weekday, seasonal, and Saint's Day Propers, and much more, it is truly a resource that can stand alone for a rich devotional life. Additionally, Compline is also offered in German and Latin. Finally, as Dr. Mayes explains in a 2004 article entitled "Daily Prayer Books in the History of German and American Lutheranism"(.pdf): The Brotherhood Prayer Book is marked by Confessional Lutheran integrity. It does not seek to be ecumenical, Roman, or Eastern, but only Lutheran. And we are confident that since its doctrine is none other than that of the Holy Scriptures, this work will appeal also to those beyond the confines of the Lutheran Church. Unlike other "Lutheran" liturgical materials, The Brotherhood Prayer Book respects the teaching of the Lutheran Church regarding the invocation of the saints, and in selecting saints for commemoration does not let the Zeitgeist determine what orthodoxy is, but only the Spirit of the Lord as He speaks in Holy Scripture and as the doctrine of Scripture is confessed in the Lutheran Confessions. We believe it to be a faithful contribution to the long history of Christian prayer, and we are happy to dedicate this work to the Lord Jesus Christ and pray that it will be a blessing to all who use it. Visit us at www.emmanuelpress.us for more information about The Brotherhood Prayer Book, including pictures of the book and samples of the CD. Also be sure to view our other titles as well as our new liturgical greeting cards.Read More Luther's Liturgical Reforms St Michael Liturgical Conference Lutheran Worship in the American Context The Historical Critical Infraction Resurrection History

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FW: To Lutheran Candidates for Ministry

Walther…

 

Feed: Gnesio
Posted on: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 6:02 AM
Author: Gnesio
Subject: To Lutheran Candidates for Ministry

 

When a place has been assigned to a Lutheran candidate of theology where he is to discharge the office of a Lutheran minister, that place ought to be to him the dearest, most beautiful, and most precious spot on earth. He should be unwilling to exchange it for a kingdom. Whether it is in a metropolis or in a small town, on a bleak prairie or in a clearing in the forest, in a flourishing settlement or in a desert, to him it should be a miniature paradise. Do not the blessed angels descend from heaven with great joy whenever the Father in heaven sends them to minister to those who are to be heirs of salvation? Why, then, should we poor sinners be unwilling to hurry after them with great joy to any place where we can lead other men, our fellow-sinners, to salvation? However, though great be the joy of a young, newly called pastor on entering his parish, there should be in him an equally great earnestness and determination to do all he can to save every soul entrusted to him. Frequently it may seem to him that the majority, if not all members, of his congregation are still blind, dead, unconverted people. That observation must not make him morose or discourage him, but rather fill him with an ardent desire to rouse them out of spiritual death through the divine means of grace and make them living Christians. In spite of the devil he should take up his work in the power of faith. If he observes that some members of his new charge are even living in manifest shame and vice, he must not despair, but bear in mind that he has a powerful Word by which he can make an effort to liberate these slaves of sin. If he observes that his congregation is on a low level as regards the knowledge of salvation, that his people are still sadly ignorant of what the Gospel really is, he must cheerfully resolve to take up the task of instructing the poor, ignorant people with patience and zeal, until they will see the light. Or he may notice that there are people in his congregation who are sincere, but disposed by their Pietistic schooling to be legalistic, who, therefore, regard some things as sinful that are not sinful. In that case he must resolve to forego exercising his Christian liberty lest he offend souls that regard as sin something that he feels free to do. On the other hand, he may discover in his congregation members of an Antinomian tendency, who are inclined to go too far in the exercise of their Christian liberty, because they are not accustomed to have the Law preached to them in its severity. In such a case he must not decide forthwith to oppose them with all his force and preach nothing but the sternest Law to them for a whole year. No, he must go after them gently and gradually make them see the stern demands of the Law. For the Apostle Paul says concerning himself: "I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some." I Cor. 9, 22. This statement he wants every servant of Christ to take to heart. Its import is that a minister must not be satisfied with merely proclaiming the truth; he must proclaim the truth so as to meet the needs of his people. He may have to defer saying many things until his people have gained confidence in him and his teaching and he knows that he may frankly tell them anything without fear of repelling them. Briefly, he must resolve to turn his congregation from a dreary desert into a flourishing garden of God. Again, he may make the very cheering discovery that most of the members of his congregation are old, tried, believing, and active Christians and that there are only a few who make the impression of being unconverted. In that case he must resolve, before anything else, to bring the unconverted to Christ. Of course, he must make up his mind also in due time to give to those well-grounded in the truth the strong meat which they need. A pitiful object is the young minister who enters upon his office with the thought that his days of hard labor and toil are over, that he has now entered a haven of rest and peace, which he decides to enjoy since now he is his own boss and need not take orders from any person in the world. Equally as pitiable as the attitude to the sacred office which I have just sketched is that of the minister who looks upon his office as his craft, or trade, and resolves to prepare for himself a nice, comfortable parish by being careful not to make enemies and doing everything to make all his people his friends. These unhappy individuals plan to employ spiritual assets for temporal profit. They are not true ministers of Christ, and on the Last Day He will say to them: "I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Matt. 7, 23. But blessed is the minister who starts his official work on the very first day with the determination to do everything that the grace of God will enable him to do in order that not a soul in his congregation shall be lost by his fault. Such a one resolves that by the grace of God he will do all he can, so that, when the day comes for him to put down his shepherd's staff, he may be able to say, as Christ said to His Father: Here I am and those that Thou gavest me, and none of them is lost. Even the blood of those who shall stand on the left side of the judgment-seat, he resolves, shall not be on his hands. But now the question arises: What is the matter of chief concern to a minister who wants to attain this glorious object? He must approach the Lord with heartfelt prayer and earnest entreaties in behalf of his congregation and, when preaching the Word of God with great zeal publicly and privately, jointly or severally, rightly divide the Word of Truth. For that is what Paul demands 2 Tim. 2, 15, saying: "Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." During your present year at the Seminary this very thing, you know, is the subject of our study — the proper division of the Word of God, of Law and Gospel. These two are the cardinal doctrines of all the Holy Scriptures, which are made up of these two. Any passage of Scripture, yea, any historical fact recorded in Scripture can be classified as belonging either to the Law or to the Gospel. No one should be permitted to graduate from a school of theology who is unable to determine whether in any compound clause of Scripture the protasis is Law and the apodosis Gospel, or vice versa. It is your duty to become perfectly clear on this subject. from C.F.W. Walther, 'Law and Gospel, Twentieth Evening Lecture' (February 27, 1885).Read More On the Office of Apostolic Ministry How Is Faith Produced in Man? The Delusion that Scripture is Obscure Gospel Ministry Votes at ELCA Congregational Meetings

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FW: True Christian Worship

Luther…

 

Feed: Gnesio
Posted on: Monday, May 16, 2011 9:18 AM
Author: Gnesio
Subject: True Christian Worship

 

A Christian's worshipping is not the external, hypocritical mask that our spiritual friars wear, when they chastise their bodies, torment and make themselves faint, with ostentatious fasting, watching, singing, wearing hair shirts, scourging themselves, etc. Such worshipping God desires not. 'Tis a great blindness of people's hearts that they cannot accept of the treasure of grace presented unto them. Such people are we, that though we are baptized, have Christ, with all his precious gifts, faith, the sacraments, his Word, all which we confess to be holy, yet we can neither say nor think that we ourselves are holy; we deem it too much to say, we are holy; whereas the name Christian is far more glorious and greater than the name holy. We can call consecrated robes, dead men's bones, and such trumpery, holy, but not a Christian; the reason is, we gaze upon the outward mask, we look after the seeming saint, who leads an austere life. Hence that vain opinion in Popedom, that they call the dead, saint; an error strengthened by Zuinglius. Human wisdom gapes at holy-workers, thinking whoso does good works, is just and righteous before God.   Lucas Cranach der Jüngere, "Abendmahl der Protestanten und Höllensturz der Katholiken" There's no better death than St. Stephen's, who said: 'Lord receive my spirit.' We should lay aside the register of our sins and deserts, and die in reliance only upon God's mere grace and mercy. We ought to retain the feast of John the Baptist, with whom the New Testament began, for it is written: 'All the prophets and the law prophesied until John,' etc. We should observe it, too, for the sake of the fair song, which in Popedom we read, but understood not, of Zachariah, which, indeed, is a most excellent song, as is shown in St. Luke's preface, where he says: 'And Zachariah was full of the Holy Ghost,' etc. A householder instructs his servants and family in this manner: Deal uprightly and honestly, be diligent in that which I command you, and ye may then eat, drink, and clothe yourselves as ye please. Even so, our Lord God regards not what we eat, drink, or how we clothe ourselves; all such matters, being ceremonies or middle things, he leaves freely to us, on the understanding, however, that we ground nothing thereon as being necessary to salvation. 'Twas a strange thing the world should have been offended at him who raised the dead, made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear, etc. They who deem such a man a devil, what manner of God would they have? But here it is. Christ would give to the world the kingdom of heaven, but they will have the kingdom of the earth, and here they part; for the highest wisdom and sanctity of the hypocrites sees nothing but temporal honor, carnal will, mundane life, good days, money and wealth, all which must vanish and cease. The whole world takes offense at the plainness of the second table of God's Ten Commandments, because human sense and reason partly understand what is done contrary thereto. When God and his Word is contemned, the world is silent and regards it not; but when a monastery is taken, or flesh eaten on a Friday, or a friar 'marries, O, then the world cries out: Here are abominable offenses! The obedience towards God is the obedience of faith and good works; that is, he who believes in God, and does what God has commanded, is obedient unto him; but the obedience towards the devil is superstition and evil works; that is, who trusts not in God, but is unbelieving, and does evil, is obedient unto the devil. In the Old Testament are two sorts of sacrifices the first was called the early morning sacrifice; thereby is shown that we first should offer unto Christ, not oxen or cattle, but ourselves, acknowledging God's gifts, corporal and spiritual, temporal and eternal, and giving him thanks for them. Secondly, the evening sacrifice; whereby is signified that a Christian should offer a broken, humble, and a contrite heart, consider his necessities and dangers, both corporal and spiritual, and call upon God for help. God will, say some, that we should serve him freely and willingly, whereas he that serves God out of fear of punishment, of hell, or out of a hope and love of recompense, serves and honors God not uprightly or truly. This argument is of the stoics, who reject the affections of human nature. It is true we ought willingly to serve, love, and fear God, as the chief good. But God can well endure that we love him for his promise sake, and pray unto him for corporal and spiritual benefits; he therefore has commanded us to pray. So God can also endure that we fear him for the punishment's sake, as the prophets remember. Indeed, it is somewhat, that a human creature can acknowledge God's everlasting punishment and rewards. And if one looks thereupon, as not being the chief end and muse, then it hurts him not, especially if he has regard to God himself, as the final cause, who gives everything for nothing, out of mere grace, without our deserts. The word, to worship, means to stoop and bow down the body with external gestures; to serve in the work. But to worship God in spirit is the service and honor of the heart; it comprehends; faith and fear in God. The worshipping of God is twofold, outward and inward that is, to acknowledge God's benefits, and to be thankful unto him. A certain prince of Germany, well known to me, went to Compostella in Spain, where they pretend St. James, brother of the evangelist St. John, lies buried. This prince made his confession to a Franciscan, an honest man, who asked him if he were a German? The prince answered, yes. Then the friar said: 'O, loving child, why seekest thou so far away that which thou hast much better in Germany? I have seen and read the writings of an Augustine friar, touching indulgences and the pardons of sin, wherein he powerfully proves that the true remission of sins consists in the merits and sufferings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. O, loving: son, remain thereby, and permit not thyself to be otherwise persuaded. I purpose shortly, God willing, to leave this unchristian life, to repair into Germany, and to join the Augustine friar.' Since the Gospel has been preached, which is not above twenty years, such great wonders have been done as were not in many hundred years before. No man ever thought such alterations should happen; that so many monasteries should be made empty, that the private mass should be abolished in Germany, despite heretics, sectaries, and tyrants. Rome has twice been ravaged, and many great princes, who persecuted the Gospel,. have been thrown down to the ground and destroyed. Via Luther's Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1531).Read More Two Offices of the Holy Ghost Credo The Mission of the Church Easter VI The Question of Subjective Certainty

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FW: At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing

Cantemus…

 

Feed: Musical Catechesis
Posted on: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 10:42 AM
Author: timshew
Subject: At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing

 

The hymn of the day for the Fifth Sunday of Easter is my favorite Easter hymn – At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing. This hymn ties together the Passover Feast and the sacrifice of Jesus, our paschal lamb. Because Jesus is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, we can rejoice that we have the feast of heaven awaiting us. We receive what our liturgy calls a "foretaste of the feast to come" in the Divine Service, when Christ feeds us with His own body and blood, shed for us when He was slain once and for all to wash away our sins. This hymn dates from somewhere between the 5th and 10th centuries. It was commonly sung throughout Europe and was the hymn for Vespers during the Easter season. It continues to be sung throughout the Christian church today because it is a true gem of our hymnody. The image of heaven as a banquet, or feast, is common in the parables of Jesus, but I want to focus on the images of the victorious Lamb in Revelation. Let's starts with Revelation 5: 5And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."  6And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. …. 9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." And also from Revelation 7: 9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."  13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The Lamb of God was slain, but He has risen and conquered death and He is our victorious King. All who are washed in His blood are cleansed from their sins and will receive the eternal joys of heaven. Here's how we sing that in stanza 1: At the Lamb's high feast we sing Praise to our victorious King, Who has washed us in the tide Flowing from His pierced side. Alleluia!   Stanza 2: Praise we Him, whose love divine Gives His sacred blood for wine, Gives His body for the feast- Christ the victim, Christ the priest. Alleluia!   We gather in the Divine Service for a foretaste of the feast to come. What do we eat and drink at this feast? We eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is also the host of the meal. Our resurrected Lord gathers us, feeds us, forgives us, and loves us. It's no wonder, then, that this hymn comes only one week after Good Shepherd Sunday. He is also our high priest, who intercedes for us before the Father in heaven.  Jesus gave us this sacred meal in this famous passage from Matthew 26: 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Stanza 3: Where the paschal blood is poured, Death's dread angel sheathes the sword; Israel's hosts triumphant go Through the wave that drowns the foe. Alleluia!   For this stanza, we should get some background on the Passover (paschal means Passover). This account comes from Exodus chapter 12:  21Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' 27you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. As the last plague against Egypt, the angel of death was sent to kill every firstborn. Where the blood of the paschal lamb was placed on the doorpost, the angel would "pass over" that house and leave the firstborn unharmed. The firstborn of Israel were saved by the blood of the lamb. The Israelites were then led to the Red Sea, where they passed through the waters unharmed, but all of Egypt's army was swallowed up and drowned. This story is not just the story of ancient Israel; it is our story as well. We have been saved from death and judgment by the blood of our Lamb, Jesus, and we have passed through the waters of Holy Baptism and into new life. We see this in the next stanza. Stanza 4: Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed, Paschal victim, paschal bread; With sincerity and love Eat we manna from above. Alleluia! God redeemed His people by the blood of the lamb and led them through the waters. He then fed them with bread from heaven (manna) for the duration of their journey. The Lord's Supper is our manna from above, as we are fed and nourished in the faith until we reach life everlasting. Jesus talks about this in John chapter 6: 28Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Stanza 5: Mighty Victim from the sky, Hell's fierce pow'rs beneath You lie; You have conquered in the fight, You have brought us life and light. Alleluia! We have already seen from Revelation that Christ has conquered death and lives forever. He brings light and immortality to light through the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:10). This victory is for us! Stanzas 6 and 7: Now no more can death appall, Now no more the grave enthrall; You have opened paradise, And Your saints in You shall rise. Alleluia!   Easter triumph, Easter joy! This alone can sin destroy; From sin's pow'r, Lord, set us free, Newborn souls in You to be. Alleluia! A quick note on stanza 7; the second line would probably read better as "This can sin alone destroy." That line confused me for a long time as I thought the stanza was saying that, although Christ had won the victory, sin was still going to destroy the triumph of Easter. I knew that couldn't be right!  Rather, we pray in stanza 7 that God would give us the final victory over sin and death. These two stanzas relate closely to 1 Corinthians 15: 50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"  56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The final stanza will give us a glorious doxological ending, praising each person of the Trinity for the blessings He gives us. What a joy to sing the song of salvation with this glorious hymn! Stanza 8 Father, who the crown shall give, Savior, by whose death we live, Spirit, guide through all our days: Three in One, Your name we praise. Alleluia!

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FW: Spring 2011 - Perspectives on Human Beginnings

Now online…

 

From: Issues in Christian Education [mailto:issues=cune.edu@mail9.us2.mcsv.net] On Behalf Of Issues in Christian Education
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 6:00 AM
To: Paul Cain
Subject: Spring 2011 - Perspectives on Human Beginnings

 

Hello Paul, Welcome to the first online edition of Issues in Christian Education. It is my continued prayer that this journal will edify you and bless your service to church and world. As you have feedback about the new format of Issues, please contact the editor, Rev. Dr. Marvin Bergman, or me at issues@cune.edu. You can view the full issue online by clicking here or by visiting www.cune.edu/issues-spring-2011 Perspectives on Human Beginnings IN THIS ISSUE Editorials “Reflections” - Rev. Dr. Brian L. Friedrich, President “Do You Know Where You Are From?” - Rev. Paul T. McCain “Human Beginnings: Seven Issues” - Dr. Russ Moulds “Christ, the Centre That Holds” - Dr. Angus Menuge “Science & Theology: Two Ways of Knowing” - Dr. Jack M. Schultz “Human Beginnings: Biblical Perspectives” - Dr. Joel D. Heck “Human Beginnings: LCMS Perspective” - Dr. Robert Weise “Human Beginnings: Evolutionary Perspectives” - Dr. Roderick B. Soper “Human Beginnings: Creation Research Society Perspectives” - Dr. Erich A. von Fange “Human Beginnings: Intelligent Design Perspective”- Dr. John C. Jurchen “Teaching about Science & Religion in Lutheran Classrooms” - Dr. Brent Royuk Book reviews John C. Lennox's God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? - Dr. Kristy M. Jurchen Brad Alles' Life’s Big Questions, God’s Big Answers. - Dr. Bernard Bull To view the full issue, visit www.cune.edu/issues-spring-2011.
Rev. Dr. Brian L. Friedrich President issues@cune.edu

 

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Issues in Christian Education | Concordia University, Nebraska | 800 N Columbia Ave. | Seward, Neb. 68434

FW: US ELCA Lutherans to be included in Anglican Ordinariate?

News…

 

Feed: Sentire Cum Ecclesia
Posted on: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 5:27 AM
Author: Schütz
Subject: US ELCA Lutherans to be included in Anglican Ordinariate?

 

Strange but true. Well, the rumour is true, anyway. According to Rocco Palmo: And elsewhere, another consideration unique to the States has been rumored about — namely, given the Episcopal Church's 2001 covenant with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which joined the two denominations in full communion, that American Lutherans wishing to be received as Catholics could be grandfathered into the set-up's Stateside incarnation.

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Resources Received: New from Crossway

Begg, Alistair. Preaching for God's Glory. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 63 Pages. Paper. $6.99. www.crossway.org (P)


Fitzpatrick, Elyse M. and Jessica Thompson. Foreword by Tullian Tchividjian. Give them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 213 Pages. Paper. $14.99. www.crossway.org (P)

FW: Great Stuff Found on the Web — Evangelical Leaders Question Entertainment in Church

Consider…

 

Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Friday, May 13, 2011 9:34 AM
Author: Norm Fisher
Subject: Great Stuff Found on the Web — Evangelical Leaders Question Entertainment in Church

 

While some Missouri Synod leaders and congregations are moving in the direction of entertaining the audience in worship, leading American Evangelicals are now questioning these practices. Leadership Journal for Spring 2011 has a special issue criticizing entertainment in the church, with a lead article interviewing Chuck Swindoll. One article from the issue is available on the web, looking at entertainment in youth ministry, by the magazine's editor Drew Dyck. The article may be found here. Whether or not we accept Kinnaman's definition of what constitutes a biblical worldview, few would argue that anywhere near 65 percent of young adults in the U.S. could be described as active followers of Jesus. We may have done a good job of getting young people to sign a pledge or mutter a prayer, but a poor job of forming them into devoted disciples. Perhaps we've settled for entertaining rather than developing followers of Jesus. Of course there's nothing wrong with pizza and video games. The real problem is when they displace spiritual formation and teaching the Bible. And ultimately that's the greatest danger of being overly reliant on an entertainment model. It's not just that we can't compete with the world's amusements. It's not only that we get locked into a cycle of serving up ever-increasing measures of fun. Rather it's that we're distracted from doing the real work of youth ministry—fostering robust faith.   Sounds pretty similar to what happened to Willow Creek back in 2007/8. Perhaps the current questioning of the "entertainment" model by Chuck Swindoll and Leadership Journal is a result of the original "shakeup" at Willow Creek in 2007 : June 2008 March 2008 October 2007 November 2007 October 2007

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FW: A different Poem

Cantemus…

 

Feed: Lutheran Hymn Revival
Posted on: Thursday, May 12, 2011 1:46 PM
Author: noreply@blogger.com (Amberg)
Subject: A different Poem

 

Since I've been busier than ever imaginable and full of work and duty, I have been unable to write hymns recently. Even now I should be grading the huge stack of tests and assignments that are calling me away from this "distraction" and into the tedium of red check-marks and comments I must hope won't be ignored. But ignored is what most good hymns become.  Some may hold a grand view of the best hymns "making" it through the judgment of the church catholic, but a glance at Mr. Carver's blog will show how much good has been ignored and will be in the future. Anyway, this is me going crazy. Will they sing again? What songs will they raise? I've been through the possibilities, you know. The rapping and the rhyming,                         the moments of designing             what we feel                         what is fate,                                     what we breathe and love and hate.   Will they sing again? Whose lyrics move their hearts?             I've been burdened by their parodies, you know. The melodrama victim                         says your providence, it kicked him             to the sin,                         to desire,                                     to the pleasure and the fire.   If some sing again will I want to join their strains?             I've been fighting it since baptism, you know. The learning and ignoring,                         the longing for exploring             not your thoughts,                         but the lies                                     of the lord of fools and flies.     If I sing with them will I miss the hymns of old?             I've been singing from my mother's womb, you know. The sin and the confession,                         the cross and its compassion;             God made man                         Rose again – angels preach away my sin…   A new song I will sing, How could such tunes grow old?             You've sung them from eternity, I know. Your Spirit is revealing                         A righteousness that's sealing             faith in you,                         faith in God,                                     faith that sings my Savior's blood.              We will sing it all again.

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Resources Received

Ham, Ken and Greg Hall with Britt Beemer. Already Compromised: Christian colleges took a test on the state of their faith and THE FINAL EXAM IS IN. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2011. 240 Pages. Paper. $13.99. www.masterbooks.net  www.answersingenesis.org (LHP)

Schkade, Jonathan. Art by Tuesday Mourning. Icky Sticky, Hairy Scary Bible Stories: 60 Poems for Kids. St. Louis: Concordia, 2011. 128 Pages. Paper. $14.99. www.cph.org (LHP)

FW: The Most Difficult Task of a Minister of Jesus

Walther…

 

Feed: Gnesio
Posted on: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 4:26 PM
Author: Gnesio
Subject: The Most Difficult Task of a Minister of Jesus

 

Manifold are the difficult and arduous tasks of a minister of Jesus . Christ; but the most difficult and arduous of all, beyond question, is the task of proclaiming the pure doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and at the same time exposing, refuting, and rejecting teachings that are contrary to the Gospel. The minister who does this will discover by practical experience the truth of the old saying: Veritas odium parit (telling the truth makes enemies). If faithful Athanasius in his day had been content to proclaim his doctrine that Jesus Christ is true God, begotten of the Father in eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary; if he had not at the same time vigorously attacked Arius and the Arians, who denied this doctrine, he would undoubtedly have finished his life in honor and pleasant peace, for he was a highly gifted man. Had Luther followed the example of Staupitz of quietly teaching the pure Gospel to his brother monks without at the same time attacking the abominations of the Papacy with great earnestness, not a finger would have been raised against him. For even before Luther's day there had been monks who had come to understand the Gospel and made no secret of their knowledge; but they did not come out in public to fight against the errors of the Papacy. Accordingly they were allowed to live in peace and quiet as long as they held to the cardinal point in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church — the Pope. Worldly men and all false Christians cannot but attack those who teach a faith and doctrine different from theirs and to regard them as disturbers of the peace, as peace-hating, quarrelsome, and malicious men. These unfortunate people have no idea of the blindness which enshrouds them; they do not know how gladly the boldest champions of Christ would have kept peace with all men, how much they would have preferred to keep silent, how hard it was for their flesh and blood to come out in public and become targets for the hatred, enmity, vilification, scorn, and persecution of men. However, they could not but confess the truth and at the same time oppose error. Their conscience constrained them to do this because such conduct was required of them by the Word of God. They remembered that Jesus Christ had said to His disciples, not only: "Ye are the light of the world," but also: "Ye are the salt of the earth"; that is, you are not only to proclaim the truth, but you are also to salt the world with its sins and errors; you are to sprinkle sharp salt on the world to stay its corruption. They remembered that Christ had distinctly said: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matt. 10, 34. Not as though the Lord took pleasure in peace-destroying wars; not as though He had come into the world to start dissensions and discord among men; but He means to say: "My doctrine is of such a nature that, if it is properly proclaimed, thetically and antithetically, peace among men cannot possibly be preserved. For as soon as My Word is proclaimed, men will divide into two camps: some will receive it with joy, others will be offended by it and will begin to hate and persecute those who receive it. Moreover, preachers of the right character remember that the Church is not a kingdom that can be built up in peace; for it is located within the domain of the devil, who is the prince of this world. Accordingly, the Church has no choice but to be at war. It is ecclesia militans, the Church Militant, and will remain such until the blessed end. Wherever a Church is seen to be, not ecclesia militans, but ecclesia quiescens, a Church at ease, that — you may rely on it! — is a false Church. Moreover, an honest preacher knows that he is also a pastor, i.e., a shepherd. Of what use, however, is a shepherd who leads the sheep to good pasture-grounds, but flees when he sees the wolf coming? The occasion that is to test his caliber is when he must go to meet the wolf that wants to devour the sheep. That means to fight for the kingdom of God. Lastly, an honest preacher knows that he is to be a regular sower of seed. Of what use is it for him to sow good seed and then to look on while another sows the tares of false doctrine among his wheat? Soon the tares will outstrip the wheat and choke it. from C.F.W. Walther, 'Law and Gospel, Twenty-fifth Evening Lecture' (April 24, 1885).Read More Beware of False Prophets True Ecumeny Is This… A Sermon on the Good Shepherd You Are Salt! The Judgment of the Sheep

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