FW: Singen wir aus Herzensgrund

 

Cantemus…   Feed: HYMNOGLYPT Posted on: Monday, September 26, 2011 3:51 PM Author: Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes) Subject: Singen wir aus Herzensgrund   Here is my translation of this hymn for thanks after a meal by Anon. (ca. 1560), once attributed variously to Selnecker, Ringwaldt, Erasmus Alber, and D.G. Zäumann; formerly found in its entirety in English Moravian Hymn-Books, and used by Bach as well (sts. 4, 6) for Trinity VII. It is to the Moravian translation (here) that C.S. Terry refers his readers. I intend to offer a more literal and modern rendering, if not as poetic. The melody is a later adaptation of the 15th c. Latin Christmas song "In natali Domini." (In English); optionally it may be sung the tune given in the Boh. Brethren hymnal for "Da Christus geboren war" (shown second).     SING WE NOW with all our heart, Praise to God with mouth impart, Who to us His goodness shows, Daily bread on us bestows; As He feeds the bird and beast, He has giv'n us all a feast, In the meal which now is ceased. 2. Praise Him as His servants true, For this is our service due, Seeing He did love us so, And by grace on us bestow Flesh and bone, and artfully Formed us, caused us all to be, That we might the daylight see. 3. Soon as man first comes to life, Food he finds in bounty rife, Made within his mother's womb, Good and ready to consume; Though the child is very small, Yet he lacks no food at all, Ere he leaves his little hall. 4. God has crowned the earth with good, Giving it no lack of food; Hill and dale He spreads with dew Grass for cattle to bestrew, Bread and wine from earth He brings, Satisfies with goodly things, That we may all live as kings. 5. God the waters fills with fish, Granting them to be our dish; Bids the fowl their eggs to lay, Multiplying food each day; Beasts of every shape and size For our food our God supplies; From His hand alone they rise. 6. Well we thank Him and beseech Us the Spirits mind to teach, That, as this we rightly know, In His will we e'er may go, Praise His name, extol His cross, Thus in Christ we bear no loss, Rightly singing Gratias. Translation sts. 1–6 © Matthew Carver, 2011. GERMAN 1. Singen wir aus Hertzensgrund, loben Gott mit unserm Mund; wie er sein Güt an uns beweist; so hat er uns auch gespeist; wie er Thier und Vögel ernährt; so hat er uns auch beschert, welchs wir itzund haben verzehrt. 2. Loben wir ihn, als seine Knecht, das sind wir ihm schuldig von Recht, erkennen, wie er uns hat geliebt, dem Menschen aus Genaden giebt, daß er von Fleisch, Bein und von Haut artig ist zusammen gebaut, daß er des Tages Licht anschaut. 3. Alsbald der Mensch sein Leben hat, seine Küche vor ihm staht; in dem Leib der Mutter sein ist es zugerichtet fein; ob es ist ein kleines Kind, Mangel doch an nirgends findt, biß es an die Welt herkömmt. 4. GOtt hat die Erd schön zugerichtt, läßts an Nahrung mangeln nicht, Berg und Thal die macht er naß, daß dem Vieh auch wächst sein Gras: Aus der Erden Wein und Brodt schaffet Gott, und giebts uns satt, daß der Mensch sein Leben hat. 5. Das Wasser das muß geben Fisch, die läßt GOtt tragen zu Tisch; Eyer von Vögeln eingelegt werden Junge draus geheckt, müssen der Menschen Speise seyn: Hirsche, Schaafe, Rinder und Schwein schaffet GOtt, und giebts allein. 6. Wir dancken sehr, und bitten ihn, daß er uns geb des Geistes Sinn, daß wir solches recht verstehn, stets nach seinn Geboten gehn, seinen Namen machen groß in CHristo ohn Unterlaß, so singen wir recht das Gratias. [7. Das Gratias das singen wir: HErr GOtt Vater, wir dancken dir, daß du uns so reichlich hast gespeißt, dein Güt und Treu an uns beweißt: Gieb uns auch das Gedeyen dazu, unserm Leib Gesundheit und Ruh! wer das begehrt, sprech: Amen dazu.]* *A later addition. View article...

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Pulpit Review: Depression and the Gospel

 

Peperkorn, Todd A. I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression. St. Louis: LCMS World Relief and Human Care, 2009. 102 Pages. Paper. (Free pdf download.Paper copy free for the cost of shipping.) www.lcms.org/worldrelief (LHP) Peperkorn, Todd A. I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression. Roanoke, IL: Lutheran Catechetical Society, 2010. Video DVD. ($20.00 + $5.00 shipping)  www.thelcs.org (LHP) Mental illness still faces a stigma.  What if you are a Christian? Will people around you misunderstand? Will even family members misinterpret emotions and behaviors as a crisis of faith? (cf. p. 5) What if you are a pastor? Can you imagine how depression would impact a life, a family, a ministry, a congregation? Luther knew this struggle. So did C. F. W. Walther (2).   The Rev. Todd Peperkorn [then pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, Kenosha, WI] and author of "ITrust When Dark My Road -  A Lutheran View of Depression" leads hisaudience on a journey through the dark days of his own depression and illness…but leading ultimately to the cross ofChrist where there is strength and hope. Through Him we have joy in sorrow.  Follow an ongoing discussion at Pr. Peperkorn's website, http://www.darkmyroad.org. Well-suited for class or study-settings. A PDF copy ofPeperkorn's [LCMS World Relief and Human Care] book "I Trust When Dark MyRoad" is included on the DVD. (www.thelcs.org) Pastors need more and better resources on a Christian understanding of depression. Pr. Peperkorn is refreshingly open and transparent about his struggle. His compelling book is enhanced by seeing and hearing Pr. Peperkorn share the same personal accounts from another perspective. The video humanizes and personalizes and informative and helpful book. Depression is an illness, a result of the fall into sin. It is especially insidious because of how it "works into a mind, into a life" (34). I highly recommend spending extra time studying pages 34ff to better understand the distinctions Peperkorn shares between faith, facts, and feelings. He needed the "for you" Gospel of Christ specifically and personally applied to him by congregation members, his family, and his pastor (cf. 99 on why pastors need pastors, too). What do I do if a loved one suffers from depression? Consider the suggestions of Appendix I: Pray Talk to them Talk to their spouse Give them space but don't avoid them Don't give up Buy the DVD to share in a small Adult Bible class setting or to have on loan for special cases of pastoral care. Buy copies of the WRHC book to have on hand to help the depressed and their loved ones better understand the challenge they face and the hope that is in Christ. The Rev. Todd Peperkorn is Senior Pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church (August 2011 – Present), Rocklin, CA.   Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Liturgy and Hymnody Review: Townend's Journey

 

Townend, Stuart. The Journey. Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK: Kingsway Music, 2011. Audio mp3 download. (CD also available.) $8.99.  http://www.kingsway.co.uk/  http://blog.stuarttownend.co.uk/2011/05/new-album.html  (H) Church bells call listeners to worship at the beginning of Stuart Townend's latest release, The Journey. Orchestration and energy are very similar to his previous studio album, Creation Sings.  Much of the content of the album will be new to Townend's listeners. These recordings are of more recently-written hymns, many co-written by Keith Getty. One of the (few) drawbacks of a pre-release digital copy is that I don't have all of the liner notes at my disposal. That said, I'll probably buy a traditional CD version of this album to have all of those details for my own edification. I thought the juxtaposition of church bells on track one and traditional acoustic instruments on track two to be rather striking. "O My Soul" confesses the joy of faith in Christ. "By Faith," track 3, has been previously recorded by Kristyn Getty. Townend's take on the arrangement has a pleasing bluegrass feel. The melody is so strong it just needs a strong and confident voice and modest instrumental accompaniment. I loved the harmonies on this recording. "Vagabonds" struck me as a song of contrasts. A song of invitation, track 4 calls all to the "table." My first reaction was that this was a reference to eucharistic fellowship. I don't believe that was the author's intent. The arrangement is intense and powerful, even disorienting. Such is the radical nature of the Gospel as welcoming love and grace in Christ to sinners. I found that law was missing. Perhaps a reference to repentance would have been appropriate. My other concern has to do with the second stanza. One line uses the loaded word "orientation." The context and confession of a given congregation or church body where this song is used would make all the difference. Occasionally, Stuart and Townend revise texts and even change the refrains. I would suggest more clear language in any revision of "Vagabonds." A female vocalist adds poignancy to track 5, "The Man Who Calmed the Sea." I could imagine this as special music or a hymn of the day on any one of Sundays where the Gospel lesson is Matthew 8,  Matthew 14, or parallel passages. The solo becomes a pleasing duet. Other texts like "take up your cross" (Matthew 16) are mentioned briefly. An old hymn gets a fresh treatment on track 6. "It Is Well with My Soul" builds on the traditional hymn. Like the backbeat on track 2, I think percussion on this track could have been omitted. Townend adds a new refrain that adds musical and theological depth to the original. Among the hymns on this recording that were written in 2010 are: The Perfect Wisdom of Our God, track 7, surveying creation, Psalm 119, and the cross Kyrie Eleison, track 8, written for the recent Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, a "Lord, Have Mercy" that is growing on me Simple Living (A Rich Young Man), track 9, ideally paired with a sermon on Matthew 19, or one on the Widow's Mite I received free legal copies of the pdfs of those hymns (plus "By Faith") as a bonus after a recent purchase from www.gettymusic.com. "Everlasting Love," track 10, is a personal response to forgiveness in Christ, as well as an encouragement for mission. Track 11, "You Rescued Us," is an up-tempo pop-feel song that reminds me of Townend's early recordings. I would encourage more explicit references to God. It does NOT fall into the trap of being a "Jesus or my girlfriend" song. "Never Failing Love" highlight's Townend's piano playing with his solo voice. Bluesy, passionate, and human-care focused, it shows the proper connection between faith and good works building on James and 1 Corinthians 13. Reminiscent of Timothy Dudley-Smith's "Christ Be My Leader," Lutheran Service Book 861, "Christ Be in My Waking" is a hymn for morning, evening, and throughout the day and one's life long. Personal, yet Christ-focused text is paired with Beatles-like harmonies and accompaniment. I look forward to seeing the sheet music (and promised instrumental parts) for these newly-written songs, hymns, and canticles soon. Our previous review of Townend hymnody and song is found at http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2010/08/hymnody-review-townend.html. It remains one of our most-viewed reviews.   Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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FW: I have never seen Lutherans kneel ever before!

 

On kneeling…   Feed: Pastoral Meanderings Posted on: Monday, September 26, 2011 5:00 AM Author: noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Peters) Subject: I have never seen Lutherans kneel ever before!   Kneeling, standing, and genuflecting -- does it matter?  Though the early Christians undoubtedly inherited from the Jews the prayer position of standing with arms outstretched, Constantine was known to kneel at his devotions and St. Augustine tells us: "They who pray do with the members of their body that which befits suppliants; they fix their knees, stretch forth their hands, or even prostrate themselves on the ground" (De curâ pro mortuis, v). In the twentieth canon of the Council of Nicæa (A.D. 325) the fathers  decreed: Because there are some who kneel on the Lord's Day and in the days of Pentecost [the fifty days between Easter and Whit-Sunday]: that all things may be uniformly performed in every parish or diocese, it seems good to the Holy Synod that the prayers [tas euchas] be by all made to God, standing.  Apparently kneeling and genuflection had already found their way into the Divine Service. In the West in the sixth century, St. Benedict enjoins upon his monks absent from choir to recite the Divine Office as a private prayer, not standing but kneeling throughout. So if not in public, in private kneeling was the standard posture of prayer and humility.  The practice of kneeling during the Consecration was introduced during the Middle Ages, and is in relation with the Elevation of the body and blood.   So what does it matter?  It matters not in the sense that a particular external posture determines whether or not we are heard by God when we pray.  But ceremonies, ritual, and church usages are not merely external.  C.S. Lewis makes the point in his Screwtape Letters (a book I heartily recommend) that we are not souls trapped in bodies. We are incarnate spirits. What I do with my body I do with my soul. And therein is the issue.  The very value of external postures is when they mirror the internal posture of the heart (faith).  No one would say we must (except those with canon law) but in our liberty we can and do use external postures to mirror what is (or at least is supposed to be) happening internally. In this parish we offer the chance to kneel (that is, we have kneelers in the pews).  We may kneel for the confession and for the prayers.  Maybe we will offer more opportunities to kneel in the future.  We do not require it but it is available.  Much in the same way some cross themselves and some do not.  Some bow and some do not.  We do not despise those who do nor do we despise those who do not.  But at least let us not misunderstand or slander those who do.  In the end I think C. S. Lewis has got it right.  Worship is not just a matter of the spirit and true spirituality does not despise or disdain the material.  After all, our Lord has chosen common and ordinary earthly elements to serve as the means of His grace.  Surely bodily postures and gestures are fair means of communicating the faithful response of His people to what He, in His grace, has bestowed. View article...

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FW: News Flash: The Pope is Still Roman Catholic

 

Also interesting…   Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed Posted on: Friday, September 23, 2011 11:16 AM Author: Paul T. McCain Subject: News Flash: The Pope is Still Roman Catholic   And lest anyone get a bit too carried away with PB XVI, we need to remember that he is still very much Roman Catholic and reflects the false and potentially damning doctrine of this church body in these remarks, on a visit to a Marian shrine, and we recall why we must, with a heavy heart and deep sorrow, continue to assert: papam ipsum verum antichristum est. Pope Benedict: address at Etzelsbach Marian Shrine Friday evening Pope Benedict XVI lead a congregation of hundreds in the celebration Vespers at the Wallfahrtskapelle, or Pilgrimage Chapel of the Shrine, located in the small hamlet of Etzelsbach, outside the city of Erfurt. Here are his remarks: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Now I am able to fulfil my wish to visit Eichsfeld, and here in Etzelsbach to thank Mary in company with you. "Here in the beloved quiet vale", as the pilgrims' hymn says, "under the old lime trees", Mary gives us security and new strength. During two godless dictatorships, which sought to deprive the people of their ancestral faith, the inhabitants of Eichsfeld were in no doubt that here in this shrine at Etzelsbach an open door and a place of inner peace was to be found. The special friendship with Mary that grew from all this, is what we seek to cultivate further, not least through this evening's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When Christians of all times and places turn to Mary, they are acting on the spontaneous conviction that Jesus cannot refuse his mother what she asks; and they are relying on the unshakable trust that Mary is also our mother – a mother who has experienced the greatest of all sorrows, who feels all our griefs with us and ponders in a maternal way how to overcome them. How many people down the centuries have made pilgrimages to Mary, in order to find comfort and strength before the image of the Mother of Sorrows, as here at Etzelsbach! Let us look upon her likeness: a woman of middle age, her eyelids heavy with much weeping, gazing pensively into the distance, as if meditating in her heart upon everything that had happened. On her knees rests the lifeless body of her son, she holds him gently and lovingly, like a precious gift. We see the marks of the crucifixion on his bare flesh. The left arm of the corpse is pointing straight down. Perhaps this sculpture of the Pietà, like so many others, was originally placed above an altar. The crucified Jesus would then be pointing with his outstretched arm to what was taking place on the altar, where the holy sacrifice that he had accomplished is made present in the Eucharist. A particular feature of the holy image of Etzelsbach is the position of Our Lord's body. In most representations of the Pietà, the dead Jesus is lying with his head facing left, so that the observer can see the wounded side of the Crucified Lord. Here in Etzelsbach, however, the wounded side is concealed, because the body is facing the other way. It seems to me that a deep meaning lies hidden in this representation, that only becomes apparent through silent contemplation: in the Etzelsbach image, the hearts of Jesus and his mother are turned to one another; they come close to each other. They exchange their love. We know that the heart is also the seat of the most tender affection as well as the most intimate compassion. In Mary's heart there is room for the love that her divine Son wants to bestow upon the world. Marian devotion focuses on contemplation of the relationship between the Mother and her divine Son. The faithful constantly discover new dimensions and qualities which this mystery can help to disclose for us, for example when the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is seen as a symbol of her deep and unreserved loving unity with Christ. It is not self-fulfilment that truly enables people to flourish, according to the model that modern life so often proposes to us, which can easily turn into a sophisticated form of selfishness. Rather it is an attitude of self-giving directed towards the heart of Mary and hence also towards the heart of the Redeemer. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28), as we have just heard in the Scripture reading. With Mary, God has worked for good in everything, and he does not cease, through Mary, to cause good to spread further in the world. Looking down from the Cross, from the throne of grace and salvation, Jesus gave us his mother Mary to be our mother. At the moment of his self-offering for mankind, he makes Mary as it were the channel of the rivers of grace that flow from the Cross. At the foot of the Cross, Mary becomes our fellow traveller and protector on life's journey. "By her motherly love she cares for her son's sisters and brothers who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home" (Lumen Gentium, 62). Yes indeed, in life we pass through high-points and low-points, but Mary intercedes for us with her Son and conveys to us the strength of divine love. Our trust in the powerful intercession of the Mother of God and our gratitude for the help we have repeatedly experienced impel us, as it were, to think beyond the needs of the moment. What does Mary actually want to say to us, when she rescues us from our plight? She wants to help us grasp the breadth and depth of our Christian vocation. With a mother's tenderness, she wants to make us understand that our whole life should be a response to the love of our God, who is so rich in mercy. "Understand," she seems to say to us, "that God, who is the source of all that is good and who never desires anything other than your true happiness, has the right to demand of you a life that yields unreservedly and joyfully to his will, striving at the same time that others may do likewise." Where God is, there is a future. Indeed – when we allow God's love to influence the whole of our lives, then heaven stands open. Then it is possible so to shape the present that it corresponds more and more to the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the little things of everyday life acquire meaning, and great problems find solutions. Amen. View article...

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FW: The Pope’s Remarks at the Augustinian Cloister in Erfurt

 

Interesting…   Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed Posted on: Friday, September 23, 2011 7:06 AM Author: Paul T. McCain Subject: The Pope's Remarks at the Augustinian Cloister in Erfurt   Here is a transcript of Pope Benedict XVI's remarks at the Augustinian Cloister in Erfurt. Following a brief video. The church you see at the beginning of the video is the church at the cloister, where Luther took his monastic vows. He was ordained a priest at the Erfurt cathedral (if I may correct the pope), the room you see toward the end of the video is the "chapter room," where the monks would gather regularly to review their order's rules and attend to matters concerning their life together. Say what you want about this Pope, but he knows and understands Luther's theology much better than most of the so-called "Lutherans" in the mainline/liberal Lutheran churches today. What I've always appreciated about Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is that he has never compromised Rome's doctrinal position, and has invited serious conversation and dialogue based on clear confession, something that can rarely be said about the leaders of any of the large liberal member churches of the Lutheran World Federation. Whenever an invitation for dialogue based on honest confession is offered, it is an important opportunity to bear witness to Christ and His Gospel.   September 23, 2011. (Romereports.com) (-ONLY VIDEO-) Behind closed doors the pope met with representatives of Germany's Evangelical Church. In a powerful speech the pope spoke about Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reform.  He encouraged the ecumenical dialogue to continue so both groups can strengthen their relationship even more. Benedict XVI recalled the question once asked by Martin Luther, which gave rise to Lutheranism: "what is God's position towards me, where do I stand before God.?" The pope went on to say,  that this question is still relevant. It's a question, he said, that each person should ask themselves. FULL SPEECH: Ladies and Gentlemen, As I begin to speak, I would like first of all to thank you for this opportunity to come together with you. I am particularly grateful to Pastor Schneider for greeting me and welcoming me into your midst with his kind words. At the same time I want to express my thanks for the particularly gracious gesture that our meeting can be held in this historic location. As the Bishop of Rome, it is deeply moving for me to be meeting representatives of Council of the Lutheran Church of Germany here in the ancient Augustinian convent in Erfurt. This is where Luther studied theology. This is where he was ordained a priest in 1507. Against his father's wishes, he did not continue the study of Law, but instead he studied theology and set off on the path towards priesthood in the Order of Saint Augustine. On this path, he was not simply concerned with this or that. What constantly exercised him was the question of God, the deep passion and driving force of his whole life's journey. "How do I receive the grace of God?": this question struck him in the heart and lay at the foundation of all his theological searching and inner struggle. For him theology was no mere academic pursuit, but the struggle for oneself, which in turn was a struggle for and with God. "How do I receive the grace of God?" The fact that this question was the driving force of his whole life never ceases to make an impression on me. For who is actually concerned about this today – even among Christians? What does the question of God mean in our lives? In our preaching? Most people today, even Christians, set out from the presupposition that God is not fundamentally interested in our sins and virtues. He knows that we are all mere flesh. Insofar as people today believe in an afterlife and a divine judgement at all, nearly everyone presumes for all practical purposes that God is bound to be magnanimous and that ultimately he mercifully overlooks our small failings. But are they really so small, our failings? Is not the world laid waste through the corruption of the great, but also of the small, who think only of their own advantage? Is it not laid waste through the power of drugs, which thrives on the one hand on greed and avarice, and on the other hand on the craving for pleasure of those who become addicted? Is the world not threatened by the growing readiness to use violence, frequently masking itself with claims to religious motivation? Could hunger and poverty so devastate parts of the world if love for God and godly love of neighbour – of his creatures, of men and women – were more alive in us? I could go on. No, evil is no small matter. Were we truly to place God at the centre of our lives, it could not be so powerful. The question: what is God's position towards me, where do I stand before God? – this burning question of Martin Luther must once more, doubtless in a new form, become our question too. In my view, this is the first summons we should attend to in our encounter with Martin Luther. Another important point: God, the one God, creator of heaven and earth, is no mere philosophical hypothesis regarding the origins of the universe. This God has a face, and he has spoken to us. He became one of us in the man Jesus Christ – who is both true God and true man. Luther's thinking, his whole spirituality, was thoroughly Christocentric: "What promotes Christ's cause" was for Luther the decisive hermeneutical criterion for the exegesis of sacred Scripture. This presupposes, however, that Christ is at the heart of our spirituality and that love for him, living in communion with him, is what guides our life. Now perhaps you will say: all well and good, but what has this to do with our ecumenical situation? Could this just be an attempt to talk our way past the urgent problems that are still waiting for practical progress, for concrete results? I would respond by saying that the first and most important thing for ecumenism is that we keep in view just how much we have in common, not losing sight of it amid the pressure towards secularization – everything that makes us Christian in the first place and continues to be our gift and our task. It was the error of the Reformation period that for the most part we could only see what divided us and we failed to grasp existentially what we have in common in terms of the great deposit of sacred Scripture and the early Christian creeds. The great ecumenical step forward of recent decades is that we have become aware of all this common ground and that we acknowledge it as we pray and sing together, as we make our joint commitment to the Christian ethos in our dealings with the world, as we bear common witness to the God of Jesus Christ in this world as our undying foundation. The risk of losing this, sadly, is not unreal. I would like to make two points here. The geography of Christianity has changed dramatically in recent times, and is in the process of changing further. Faced with a new form of Christianity, which is spreading with overpowering missionary dynamism, sometimes in frightening ways, the mainstream Christian denominations often seem at a loss. This is a form of Christianity with little institutional depth, little rationality and even less dogmatic content, and with little stability. This worldwide phenomenon poses a question to us all: what is this new form of Christianity saying to us, for better and for worse? In any event, it raises afresh the question about what has enduring validity and what can or must be changed – the question of our fundamental faith choice. The second challenge to worldwide Christianity of which I wish to speak is more profound and in our country more controversial: the secularized context of the world in which we Christians today have to live and bear witness to our faith. God is increasingly being driven out of our society, and the history of revelation that Scripture recounts to us seems locked into an ever more remote past. Are we to yield to the pressure of secularization, and become modern by watering down the faith? Naturally faith today has to be thought out afresh, and above all lived afresh, so that it is suited to the present day. Yet it is not by watering the faith down, but by living it today in its fullness that we achieve this. This is a key ecumenical task. Moreover, we should help one another to develop a deeper and more lively faith. It is not strategy that saves us and saves Christianity, but faith – thought out and lived afresh; through such faith, Christ enters this world of ours, and with him, the living God. As the martyrs of the Nazi era brought us together and prompted the first great ecumenical opening, so today, faith that is lived from deep within amid a secularized world is the most powerful ecumenical force that brings us together, guiding us towards unity in the one Lord. View article... Enclosures: d7ImTOleBJ4 (3 KB) http://www.youtube.com/v/d7ImTOleBJ4?version=3&hl=en_US

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Resources Received

Gilmore, Rachel. 'Tis the Season: Church Celebrations for Advent and Christmas. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2011. 110 Pages. Paper. $14.99. www.judsonpress.com (L) Bray, Gerald L., Editor. General Editor Timothy George. Associate General Editor Scott M. Manetsch. Galatians, Ephesians (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, New Testament X). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. 446 Pages. Cloth. $50.00. academic.ivpress.com (P)

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LHP Review: J. K. W. Loehe

Geiger, Erika. Translated by Wolf Knappe. The Life, Work, and Influence of Wilhelm Loehe 1808-1872. St. Louis: Concordia, 2010. 273 Pages. Paper. $39.99. www.cph.org/peerreview (LHP) Loehe, Wilhelm. Translated by H. A. Weller and Benjamin T. G. Mayes. Introduction by Henry Eyster Jacobs. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Kansas City: Emmanuel Press, 2010. 213 Pages. Paper. $20.00. http://emmanuelpress.us/our-books/seed-grains-of-prayer/ (L) Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe is a forgotten founding father of the church body now known as The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Sometimes Pastor Loehe is intentionally forgotten. That is unfortunate.  Loehe was a churchman, a scholar, a liturgiologist and liturgist, a confessional Lutheran, and a pastor concerned about both the mission and mercy of the Lutheran Church.  Today's review features two books, one about and the other by Wilhelm Loehe. Loehe biographies are hard to find in English. Several exist in German, and at least one translation project is still ongoing. Part of CPH's "Peer Reviewed" process, I highly recommend The Life, Work, and Influence of Wilhelm Loehe 1808-1872. The latest and best biography of a father of confessional Lutheranism in North America. Loehe, who never visited the United States, sent missionaries, founded seminaries, established deaconess training, studied doctrine and liturgy, and fought with church officials. Geiger sets forth Loehe's life, and the divided opinions about him, in a compelling and authoritative narrative.   This first, full length biography of a key player in Lutheran history is accessible to lay audiences and appreciated by scholars. Erika Geiger lived in Neuendettelsau, Germany (1953-55) where Loehe and his work made an enduring impression on her. In 1956 she served as a deaconess in a hospital of the Neuendettelsau Deaconess Institute. She later served as an associate professor in Korntal bei Stuttgart, at the Friedrich-Oberlin-Fachoberschule and at the Fachhochschule for Relig639)ionspadagogik, Munich. Translator Dr. Wolf Knappe (1926– ) comes from a family of German pastors. In 1951 St. Peter's Lutheran Church called him to serve in Wine Hill, IL. He has also served as a guest lecturer and as a translator for Luther Digest. (publisher's website) Gieger's biography is quite readable in English thanks to the work of Wolf Knappe. Most interesting to me were the chapters about Loehe's split with Missouri and the founding of the Iowa Synod (Chapter 9). I hadn't heard about the details of the Saginaw, MI Teacher's Seminary that was still under Loehe's supervision (135). Was this a "Paul and Barnabas" split? Perhaps not (136). Loehe himself was no doubt disappointed by the confessional standard of the new Iowa Synod (137), a precursor body and precursor theological position to that of today's ELCA. Personally, I was uncomfortable with the supernatural reports about Loehe (193-5), his relatively common personality conflicts with others (passim), and that he was a chilialist (206). I will also take issue with the author's claim that the hymn on 220 was "the only hymn Loehe ever wrote. What of "Wide Open Stand the Gates" by Loehe (Lutheran Service Book 639)? I would recommend a clarifying footnote in future printings. Readers will also appreciate: Reading about Loehe and Isaiah 6 at the time of his ordination (42) Learning the background of his prayer book (76ff) Seeing Loehe respond to Wynecken's request for emergency preachers (93, 106) Standing with Loehe with regard to Biblical, Apostolic, and Confessional Lutheran Communion practice (164) and confessional differences (205) Perusing extensive endnotes (221ff) The new LCMS emphasis for the church finds a precursor in Loehe's martyria, leiturgia (divine service), and diakonia (220). Thank you to CPH for publishing this missing chapter of LCMS history, theology, mercy, missions, and practice. Somehow during my time as a seminarian, I was blessed with TWO copies of Loehe's Seed-Grains of Prayer. I have been amazed ever since those times how hard it was for others to find. Emmanuel Press deserves our thanks for its updated edition. The translation of the German 26th edition by Weller (with an introduction by Henry Jacobs) is supplemented by previously untranslated German portions thanks to Benjamin Mayes. Prayers 29-34, 78, 86, 95, 144, and 211 are provided in this edition (v). Why were these prayers omitted in 1914? Prayer Bells were not a common practice in America. My hometown still had a "whistle" at noon, 5pm, and 10pm. Why not pray at midday (17-19) to contemplate the Passion of Christ, especially in America? Number 79 (50-51) is a General Confession as it was worded for use after the sermon. It still deserves our attention, consideration, and continued use. Number 86 reprints the Words of Institution of the Sacrament of the Altar (57). Similarly, Number 95 (59ff) is a meditation on the Holy Supper. It may have been omitted because a previous editor may have misunderstood its purpose: "for those who are present at the Sacrament, but do not receive it with the mouth." For whom was it intended? Number 144 references demonic possession (90). Might people be uncomfortable with the topic in 1914? 2011? The old evil foe still attacks the Church of Christ, yet he will never prevail. Number 211 includes a prayer of Bernard of Clairvaux (121), recently a topic of scholarly research because of his influence on Luther (and Loehe, it seems). Loehe, like Luther before him, references the Apocrypha (Tobit, 72). Hymn references are updated for coordination with Lutheran Service Book (6, et al). A table of the dates of Easter (144ff) is updated for modern use. Seed-Grains of Prayer shows Loehe as pastor and penitent, theologian and a Christian at prayer. I commend this volume for your spiritual edification. Loehe's influence on the LCMS has been downplayed, I believe, because modern Lutherans were embarrassed by the break with Walther and some of his theological "quirks." We should thank the Lord for Loehe for his steadfastness in making  a good Lutheran confession in the midst of trying times and situations, for enriching our liturgical life, for his example in supporting American Lutherans with pastoral care, for giving us the Concordia Theological Seminary, and for showing the importance of works of mercy through his Deaconness Institute. Wilhelm Loehe is a good example of a sinner-saint, as Luther taught we all are. Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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FW: Oh, How Good and Truly Pleasant

 

Cantemus…   Feed: starke Kirchenlieder Posted on: Saturday, September 17, 2011 10:07 PM Author: Stephen P. Starke Subject: Oh, How Good and Truly Pleasant   Set to the tune BEACH SPRING, the text was written in 2007 for Our Savior Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  God bring His healing to the MNS Distict. 1. Oh, how good and truly pleasant      When we dwell in unity:     Gentle sisters, caring brothers     Loving others selflessly!     This the oneness God desires     For the people called His own,     So that we, by our affection,     Might His love to all make known. 2. Like the oil of consecration     Running down from Aaron's brow,     On his beard and sacred collar,     To his priestly role endow,     So our love, to God devoted,     Spreads His fragrance everywhere;     Royal priests by God anointed,     One in service, faith, and prayer. 3. Were the heavy dew of Hermon     On Mount Zion to descend,     There the Lord commands His blessing:     Life eternal without end;     So would God, from Calv'ry's mountain,     Rain down love on desert lives,     Causing them to bud and flower     Till His grace our world revives. 4. Come, O precious Oil of Gladness,     Help us love and live as one,     As the Son is in the Father     And the Father in the Son,     You, as love from both proceeding,     Three in One and One in Three—     One in love at the beginning,     One in love eternally! View article...

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FW: Ach liebe(n) Christen, seid getrost* (Revised)

 

Cantemus…   Feed: HYMNOGLYPT Posted on: Saturday, September 17, 2011 10:31 AM Author: Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes) Subject: Ach liebe(n) Christen, seid getrost* (Revised)   Here is my revised translation of "Ach liebe(n) Christen, seid getrost" (D. Spaiser, st. 1, 1521; J. Gigas, sts. 2–6, 1561); M. Erhard; Moritz Landgraf von Hessen: proper tune, or: "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält." (1561). OH, CHRISTIANS dear, be of good cheer, What need for such despairing? God's chast'ning rod we should revere And therefore be declaring: We surely earned this punishment, To this each man must give assent, And none may claim exception. 2. Into Thy hands ourselves we give, O God, beloved Father, For 'tis in Thee we move and live; Here all is futile bother; While in this dwelling we remain, All is affliction, grief, and pain, And we await Thy gladness. 3. Except a corn of wheat shall fall To earth, it hath no earning: So must our earthly bodies all To dust and ash be turning Ere in that glory they may share Which Thou, Lord, didst for us prepare By going to the Father. 4. How can we therefore know dismay Or dread that death assigned us? For everyone must die some day— What blessing then shall find us!— Like Simeon, our sin confessed, Our Christ in hand, our dying blest, Our death a gentle slumber! 5. Look to thy body and thy soul, Let God the Lord supply thee, Who sends His host to keep thee whole; No evil shall come nigh thee. Yea, like the hen close sheltering Her chickens underneath her wing, Such is our Lord's compassion. 6. Alive or dead, 'tis all the same: We are the Lord's possession. We are baptized into Christ's name, Who foils the foe's aggression. Through Adam death came to us all, But Christ hath freed us from its thrall, So let us glorify Him. (7. Praise God the Father on His throne, Who graciously adored us And gave His sole-begotten Son To death and so restored us, And praise the Holy Paraclete: May He be with us when we meet Our death, and grant us blessing.) Translation © Matthew Carver, 2009, rev. 2011. CS TERRY: 1. Be of good cheer, good Christians all, Why stand ye so dejected? What though our God afflicteth us Who've His right laws rejected? How justly falls His chastening hand! With contrite heart we understand And bow to His correction 3. E'en as the grain to earth doth fall And rise to harvest from its tomb, So must our body vile decay And dust and ashes brief become, If glorified it hopes to rise To those far mansions in the skies Where Christ hath gone before us. 6. For, though we wake and though we sleep, The Lord will ever shield us; Who hath baptized us in His Name To Satan will not yield us. Through Adam's sin death on us came. But Christ the Victim's borne the blame. Praise God for His great goodness! GERMAN 1. Ach liebe Christen, seid getrost, wie tut ihr so verzagen? Weil uns der Herr heimsuchen tut, laßt uns von Herzen sagen: Die Straf' wir wohl verdienet han, das muß bekennen jedermann, niemand darf sich ausschließen. 2. In deine Hand uns geben wir, o Gott, du lieber Vater, denn unser Wandel ist bei dir, hier wird uns nicht geraten. Weil wir in dieser Hütte sein, ist nur Elend, Trübsal und Pein, bei dir der Freud' wir warten. 3. Kein' Frucht das Weizenkörnlein bringt, es fall' denn in die Erden: so muß auch unser ird'scher Leib zu Staub und Asche werden, eh' er kommt zu der Herrlichkeit, die du, Herr Christ, uns hast bereit't durch deinem Gang zum Vater. 4. Was wollen wir denn fürchten sehr den Tod auf dieser Erden? Es muß einmal gestorben sein, O wohl ist hier gewesen, |welcher wie Simeon entschläft, sein Sünd' erkennt, Christum ergreifst! so muß man selig sterben 5. Dein' Seel' bedenk', bewahr dein'n Leib, laß Gott den Vater sorgen, sein' Engel deine Wächter sein, b'hüt'n dich vor allem Argen. Ja, wie die Henn' ihr' Küchelein bedeckt mit ihren Flügelein, so tut der Herr uns Armen. 6. Wir wachen [hie] od[e]r schlafen ein, so sind wir doch [/ja] des Herren. Auf Christum wir getaufet sein, der kann dem Satan wehren. Durch Adam auf uns kommt der Tod, Christus hilft uns aus aller Not, drum loben wir den Herren (7. Gelobt sei Gott im höchsten Thron, der Vater aller Gnaden, der uns aus Lieb gegeben hat sein Sohn für unsern Schaden gelobt der Tröster Heilig Geist: wollt uns am letzten End beistehn, und helf uns selig sterben. Amen.) View article...

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