Exaudi Sermon

Built on The Rock, by Norma Boeckler

Exaudi – The Sunday after the Ascension of Christ

Live Lutheran Worship Service, Sundays, 8 AM, Phoenix Time


The Hymn #212 by The Venerable Bede – Lasst uns erfreuen
The Invocation p. 15
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual James 1:22-27
The Gospel John 16:23-30
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #341 – Diademata
The Sermon

Prayer the Fruit of Faith, Not the Cause

The Hymn #313 by Luther – Gott sei gelobet
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #361 – St. Agnes

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy Holy Spirit Thou hast appointed us to bear witness of Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee, inasmuch as the world cannot endure such testimony, and persecutes us in every way, grant us courage and comfort, that we may not be offended because of the cross, but continue steadfastly in Thy testimony, and be found always among those who know Thee and Thy Son, until we obtain eternal salvation through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Gaost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Comforter, The Spirit of Truth

Man searches for truth. The information has increased the distribution of facts and opinions, but people still wonder, “What is truth?”

In this Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the work of the Holy Spirit. This particular Sunday comes after the Ascension of Jesus and just before the Day of Pentecost. Most Christians think that Pentecost is a holiday unique to Christians, but the day is simply taken over from Jews who continue to celebrate Pentecost as they did in the past, as 50 days after Passover.

The Gospel lessons from John address the coming of the Holy Spirit several times. Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Spirit before His death, resurrection, and ascension. Lutherans do well to understand the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. This doctrine gives us great comfort and confidence in the Gospel message. Knowing the this doctrine well also keeps us from turning to the false proofs offered by charismatics.

I find one description of the work of the Holy Spirit annoying, but it also fits very well. Once Northwestern Publishing House published a book about the Holy Spirit called, The Holy Spirit, The Shy Member of the Trinity.

This title comes from the Biblical witness that the work of the Holy Spirit is to witness to the glory of the Father and the Son. If you read many different passages in the Bible, you will see how often the Father and the Son are emphasized, while the work of the Holy Spirit is implicit.

Dr. Robert Preus taught at Ft. Wayne that Pentecostalism arose because modern Christianity was too interested in Jesus alone, to the detriment of understanding the Holy Trinity, especially in how the Holy Spirit works. This requires some explanation. The liberals attacked Christianity by denying the divinity of Christ and wondering out loud what He really thought about Himself. Their main code word was “the mind of Christ,” distorting a phrase from Philippians 2. What they meant by this was that Jesus did not consider Himself the Son of God, so we should have this same “mind of Christ.” This also became a good excuse to teach a new doctrine of salvation by works.

In the last two centuries, with this concentration upon Jesus, built upon distortions and the manipulation of facts, the work of the Holy Spirit was forgotten. In one verse we have two descriptions of the work of the Holy Spirit. One is that of Comforter, or Spokesman, or Advocate. In this role we know that those who are faithful in their study of the Word and careful in teaching the Word alone, without distortions or man-made additions, will speak God’s truth. That does not mean that any kind of blabber is the work of the Holy Spirit. But it does mean that “he who listens to you listens to Me.”

An individual could not on his own speak God’s Word. The Holy Spirit moves us to witness to the truth. Only the Spirit can plant faith in our hearts and nurture that faith through the Word and Sacraments. Knowing and believing this solves several basic problems. One is: how can I ever speak for God? The other is: how can I know what truth is?

The Christian faith is taught so clearly in the Bible that anyone can become an orthodox Christian through reading the Scriptures alone. We are helped by having other books, but the Bible does not require another book. What people often lack is not an understanding of the “difficult” Bible but a lack of study of the Word. The best professor of the Scriptures is the Holy Spirit. If we want to know what the Gospel of John teaches, the best books are not by Lenski and Luther, as good as they are, but by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

I remember how excited Time magazine got about hyper-linked texts, long ago. We are used to it on the Internet now. Click on a link about Moby Dick and it takes you to the Melville museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, next to the WELS congregation there. Click on a word in the museum site and it takes you to the complete text of the novel.

The Bible did this many centuries ago. Every verse is linked to all other verses. We are confident that the entire Bible is God’s truth, but also that it is a unified truth. The tiny book of Jonah relates directly to the death and resurrection of Christ. The expulsion of Adam and Even from the garden includes the first Gospel promise of our Savior. The New Testament is filled with verses that contain a phrase from the Old Testament. Then we can see how God prepared His people for centuries to see and believe in the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus our Savior.

The Bible is the Book of the Holy Spirit. We can say the Holy Spirit does not get much credit, but to have that One Book on His resume is quite an achievement. After all, the Bible is not judged by any book. Instead, it judges all books. Recently I have been reading a massive book on Charles Darwin, who was quite a genius and student of biology. Nevertheless, Darwin’s works do not stand above the Bible even if Darwin is the smartest of all scientists. (I find it ironic that he studied the earthworm for 40 years and missed its unique role in improving the soil, emphasizing instead its ability to create soil and bury all the creations of man.)

The explosion of information makes people uncertain about the truth, but every believer can open the Scriptures and test the latest claims with what the Bible has always taught. This is a great comfort for adults and children, because we can be thrown into all kinds of educational turmoil and remain believers by clinging to the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Although we have many faults, weaknesses, and sins, and fall into doubt about God’s power and goodness, the Holy Spirit constantly teaches us and strengthens our weak faith. As one person said to Jesus, “I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” We believe. We trust in Christ, yet we fall into turmoil from the assaults of Satan, our weak flesh, and the unbelieving world.

How is an individual forgiven? Most of the confessions of Christianity are in confusion about this, but the Bible speaks clearly. Forgiveness comes only through the appointed Means of Grace: the Word, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In each case, the Holy Spirit works exclusively through the Word to bring us forgiveness: through the invisible Word of teaching and preaching, the visible Word of Baptism and Holy Communion.

The source of that forgiveness is the reconciliation or Atonement won by Christ. How do we know our sins are forgiven? The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word that Christ died for each and every one of us, that His righteousness becomes ours through faith, through trusting in this Gospel Promise.

We have consistent worship throughout the Lutheran Church (that is the ideal, no longer in effect) for a reason – to call attention to the Holy Spirit’s work in worship, creating sorrow for sins through the Law and rejoicing in forgiveness through the Gospel. The worship service should be consistent from congregation to congregation, so that people do not whisper to each other, “I like the congregation’s pit band better than ours. We really need some bongo drums and better sound. I think I will donate some loud speakers in memory of my mother-in-law.”

Christianity Today was forced to admit that the traditional Lutheran worship service glorifies the grace of God more than any other. Isn’t it odd to have people gibbering in tongues to prove they have the Holy Spirit when the Word, baptism, and communion are welded to the Holy Spirit. In fact, God never works apart from these means of grace.

This is important to realize in terms of forgiveness. The entire world may refuse to forgive you, but every believer knows he is forgiven by God because of the promises given by the Holy Spirit. Ultimately what matters is God’s forgiveness and not the world’s forgiveness.

I know that many pastors and laity are facing great difficulties today. I cannot mention details, because they are confidential. But there is little respect for the Word of God today, especially among church leaders who no longer recognize the divine call of the pastor. Nevertheless, as bad as things may be, we still know that the Holy Spirit guides us through the Scriptures. God will judge all these things in time and the judgment will begin in the house of God.

KJV 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

It is easy to be in a position of power and gloat over the harm done to others through bullying and abuse of power, but God sees all and understands what is in the heart of man. Many a poor Lazarus will be in the bosom of Abraham in the age to come. Many a rich baron will cry out for a drop of water when his unrepentant sins toss him into the eternal flames of Hell.

The Holy Spirit warns us and comforts us. If we love the truth, the Spirit of Truth gives us confidence and peace. If we hate the truth, the Spirit of Truth will seem to be a burning fire, a hammer, a terror, and wrath without end.

Synod Monopoly Games

The Game of Monopoly
The game of monopoly was invented to teach lessons about capitalism and greed. The game proves one of the rules of invention: "They throw bricks at the first one who thinks of it, gold at the second one." Ask Bill Gates, who never had an original technology development in his life. But I digress.

The second inventor failed to sell his game at Parker Brothers, marketed it himself, and found himself back at Parker Brothers. They saw it was a success, got behind it, and bought up the rights to the original didactic game and another version based on it. Monopoly saved Parker Brothers during the Great Depression and made the streets of Atlantic City famous.

Our favorite family vacation took place on the ocean at Atlantic City, before legalized gambling was established. We were given a house by the sea for a week of relaxation, bagels, and fun along the shore.

The Monopoly Synods
Norm Teigen found the hilarious cards posted above. They describe exactly how all the synods behave. Each one is an oligarchy, and that includes the mini-micro sects. The so-called leaders see the synod as a place to enjoy security, power, and status. They look down on ordinary pastors and loathe laity who dare to question their decisions.

The pastors and laity allowed to serve in positions of leadership must be slavish followers or they are dismissed. When a Lutheran district pope is installed, people claim the spine is removed. No, no - that is a slander. The spine has already been removed. Otherwise he would not even be considered for such an office.

The rest of the pastors and laity could move mountains, if they had faith in the Word. That does not mean they would change the synods. At this point they can only harden and blind the synods with the Word. Apostates hate the Word even more than the Confessions they supposedly cherish.

The Synod Monopoly Game teaches us all about greed. Where have all the millions from the Schwan Foundation gone? I know the administrator, an LCMS pastor, earns a salary of $400,000 - plus benefits and another $40,000 for additional work. He is the son of a Missouri pastor who tried to change the synod with a conservative paper, a forerunner of Christian News.

The LCMS, WELS, and ELS have received many millions of dollars from the Schwan Foundation. The reports are all available from Guidestar. The synods also receive huge Thrivent grants to work with ELCA on a number of projects. When Mrs. Ichabod found some of the reports at the Luther Seminary Library, she said, "Now I've got you, Bob, you fat little liar." (You will have to guess which Bob it was.)

Rest assured - how much money has come from Schwan, Thrivent, and other sources is none of your business. It is their money, not yours. They are forced to spend the money a certain way, they claim. (They advise themselves on how to spend the money, of course, forcing themselves to spend the money they are forced to spend, etc. etc.) As WELS deceptively claimed, "Others will get the money if we do not spend it their way." That comes from the synod still bragging about how they did not get the loot from Europe when they decided to move away from unionism. However, we know the 19th century truth has little impact on the 21st century lies. Unionism pays. Kissy-face with ELCA is far more lucrative than listening to faithful pastors and laity.

Elitism reigns in the synods. That is because the men claw their way to positions where they no longer need to be pastors. They do not want to visit the sick, teach the confirmation students, and give sermons every Sunday. Paul McCain MDiv gives away his elitism by posting a You Tube video mocking the preaching office of the Church. He must think it is hilarious. The very expensive video, with high production values, shows a buffoon with a fake wigged comb-over acting ridiculous. The congregation makes hateful remarks in response to his stupid ones. The camera pans over a the legs of a man who has hanged himself during the sermon. That is so funny, Paul. Suicide is hilarious. I wonder if you ever had to deal with suicide in your three years of parish ministry. You ranted about a satirical video done at a Lutheran church or chapel, Valpo or Concordia, Mequon. The one you posted was obviously produced by atheists to show how they despise the Christian Church.

Luther made an important point about preaching. Satan is furious that a mere, weak man with all his failings is allowed to wield the all-powerful Sword of the Word. One little Word will fell Satan, so he aims all his weapons at faithful ministers. The unbelieving world (including the synod) despises his office. Ministers' families have more illness than any other profession, I am sure. Not only that, Satan taunts the faithful with the persistence of his attacks.

Today, because we are in the Age of Apostasy, toward the end of all time, the faithful churches of every stripe are tiny. The apostate gatherings are huge, gloating and slavering as they rip, tear, and devour more souls. They plagiarize each other's sermons and even post their thefts as their own work.

Preaching is the most powerful office of the world. Where else can someone teach the pure Word of God without interruption? Even Herman Melville, a free-thinker, paid tribute to the sermon in Moby Dick.

Nor was the pulpit itself without a trace of the same sea-taste that had achieved the ladder and the picture. Its panelled front was in the likeness of a ship's bluff bows, and the Holy Bible rested on the projecting piece of scroll work, fashioned after a ship's fiddle-headed beak.

What could be more full of meaning? - for the pulpit is ever this earth's foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favorable winds. Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow.

...

Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up towards the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and "vomited out Jonah upon the dry land;" when the Word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten - his ears, like two sea-shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean - Jonah did the Almighty's bidding. And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood! That was it!

"This, shipmates, this is that other lesson; and woe to that pilot of the living God who slights it. Woe to him whom this world charms from Gospel duty! Woe to him who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale! Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appal! Woe to him whose good name is more to him than goodness! Woe to him who, in this world, courts not dishonor! Woe to him who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation! Yea, woe to him who, as the great Pilot Paul has it, while preaching to others is himself a castaway!"

A New Version of the Gatekeeper

Katharine Jefferts-Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church

VANCOUVER, BC: Apostolic Gospel Must be at Core of our Beliefs, says Priest Theologian

By David W. Virtue in Vancouver
www.virtueonline.org
4/27/2008

Read this last paragraph first:

The evangelical cleric told VOL that St. John's Shaughnessy, a parish valued at some $16 million is under 24/7 watch by guards just in case Bishop Ingham makes a lightning strike to change the locks on the doors. He did that once before with a parish in North Vancouver.

The priest of the largest Anglican parish in Canada, who is under ecclesiastical siege from revisionist New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham, says his denomination has lost faith in the gospel. This is evidently revealed in the diocesan newspaper, which gives the impression that the gospel is about being nice, being compassionate, recycling "and we will even bless your pets."

"The eternal gospel of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus' death and the power of his resurrection has been replaced with a gospel which is about approval, affirmation and acceptance. The apostolic gospel of sins forgiven, of rescue from eternal punishment has been smoothed and soothed to be more acceptable and relevant," said the Rev. Dr. David Short, pastor of St. John's, Shaughnessy in Vancouver.

Addressing some 400 members of the Anglican Network in Canada, Anglicans who have broken away from the mother church, Short blasted the denomination's Anglican seminaries saying that the gods of our culture have taken up residence in the seminaries of Canada. "They have spokesmen and spokeswomen in the House of Bishops who have managed to rewrite the gospel and to promote their worship."

Short said the three central myths of Canadian culture include pluralism which translates into thinking that there is one right and true faith; that one religion cannot be right, one gospel cannot be true and thus all religions have part of the truth. The second myth is tolerance, which used to mean I accept you, but not your view. It now translates into meaning I must accept you and your view and if I do not accept your view, I cannot really accept you.

In the area of human rights, Short said that originally human rights were based on the fact that we are made in the image of God. "Our charter recognizes the supremacy of God as the basis of rights. That has shifted. Now it is my personal rights and freedoms, which have been cut free from any religious foundation.

The supremacy of God has been replaced by the supremacy of my rights. "We cannot overthrow the gods and idols of our culture, but the gospel can. We do not have the power or brains to depose these idols, but the gospel is the power of God for salvation." The evangelical rector said the gospel is characterized as Christological, that is, Christ centered. It is not a vague idea about the love of God or general belief that god exists. It is fully biblical including both Old and New Testaments; the Gospel is theological, it is more than just historical events. It is the interpretation of those events. It is about Jesus as Lord; it is cosmic that is to say it is universal and eternal and it is personal.

The Gospel is above all the news that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has worked out our salvation. He offers us new life and new hope. Everything we do, based on the gospel, will last forever. Repentance is the basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all, said Short.

The evangelical cleric told VOL that St. John's Shaughnessy, a parish valued at some $16 million is under 24/7 watch by guards just in case Bishop Ingham makes a lightning strike to change the locks on the doors. He did that once before with a parish in North Vancouver.

***
GJ - Confidential to Paul McCain, MDiv - It is customary to spell names correctly, especially church leaders. The head of the Episcopal Church is Katharine Jefferts-Schori, not "Catherine Schori." I noticed how you borrowed my idea of having fun with her rainbow garments, so I borrowed one of your pictures.

When James Crumley was elected president of the LCA, various publications kept spelling his name as Crumbley. They were in shock that the nearly invisible man was elected. I thought he had a good chance at the time. That was my first electoral prediction.

May Day! May Day! All Engines On Fire! Emergency Landing! May Day!

May Day Announcement

United Methodist Church Adopts Full Communion Proposal with ELCA



FORT WORTH, Texas (ELCA) -- By a vote of 864-19, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) adopted an implementing resolution April 28 that will establish full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Full communion will be fully realized by both churches should the same proposal be adopted at the next ELCA Churchwide Assembly, which meets Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis.

The UMC General Conference, meeting here April 23-May 2, is the Methodist's chief legislative body and meets every four years. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly is the ELCA's chief legislative authority, meeting every two years.

The ELCA and UMC have been in formal theological dialogue since 1977, which led to beginning a relationship of "Interim Eucharistic Sharing" in 2005. That relationship called for members to pray for and support each other, to study Scripture together and to learn about each other's traditions in anticipation of achieving full communion.

Full communion means the churches will work for visible unity in Jesus Christ, recognize each other's ministries, work together on a variety of ministry initiatives, and, under certain circumstances, provide for the interchangeability of ordained clergy.

April 28 was "a banner day" because of the UMC General Conference vote on full communion, said the Rev. William Oden, ecumenical officer, UMC Council of Bishops, at an April 29 news conference. "This has been a long time coming. A lot of careful work has been done," he said. Oden emphasized that the proposal is a relationship between the two church bodies and not a "church union."

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, Chicago, said he eagerly awaits the ELCA Churchwide Assembly vote in 2009 and hopes that it, too, will be a strong affirmation of full communion with the UMC. Hanson also preached at an April 29 worship service at the UMC General Conference.

"This is about revival of two church bodies that are deeply committed to re-presenting themselves in a pluralistic, dynamic changing culture for the sake of mission," Hanson said.

The two church bodies must consider what they can do together as full communion partners that was not possible before, Hanson said. He suggested possible cooperative ministries in campus ministry, global mission, advocacy for justice and peace, to name only a few. He also agreed with Oden's assertion that full communion cannot be successful if it is considered to be a "top down" action. Full communion should be a relationship in which mission initiatives should "bubble up" in the two churches, Hanson said.

"I always think of full communion as merely a step along the way toward a new, possible future because of the relationship," Hanson said. "That new, possible future is the for the sake of the world. It's for the sake of mission. Full communion calls for ecumenical, missional imagination."

Full communion also gives "formal expression" to what is happening in both churches already, said the Rev. Greg Palmer, president, UMC Council of Bishops. "In one way we're leading, and in another way, we're following. We are catching up with people on the ground who are doing things in partnership, in mission and in ministry," he said.

Christians "must find meaningful, significant and substantive ways of honoring the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in one another and together, living that before the world. We must live before the world what God intends for the world," Palmer added.

Assuming the full communion proposal is adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2009, a coordinating council with representatives of both churches will be appointed, said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Chicago. That council will coordinate how the two churches will plan for mission together and consider practical matters such as interchangeability of ordained ministers, he said.

The ELCA's five full communion partners are the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.

While the ELCA has successful cooperative ministries with its full communion partners, it must improve how it receives and implements full communion agreements, McCoid said. "We need to do better with how we are able to be intentional (in) sharing ministry. Grassroots sharing is really very critical, and I'll just echo that again and again and again. The best way we can do that is by giving people permission and encouragement."

If adopted by both churches, this will be the UMC's first full communion agreement outside of the Methodist tradition.

The ELCA is one of 140 churches in the Lutheran World Federation and is the third-largest Lutheran church in the world with 4.8 million members. The United Methodist Church is a worldwide church with nearly 8 million members in the United States.

***

GJ - Who is more desperate - the United Methodists or the ELCA? No denomination is more anti-confessional than the Methodists. Their chief doctrinal book is Wesley's Sermons. The UMC bragging point has been this: repeated mergers have sent the more conservative followers off to create more traditional Methodist groups: Nazarenes, Wesleyans, etc. Each split has made the UMC more radical or wishy-washy. Just like ELCA. Now I get it.

The UMC pioneers were behind the Federal Council of Churches and the Social Gospel Movement. They were big supporters of abortion as a woman's religious right. Yes, a religious right. No one knows when unborn life is a baby, they reason. Everyone is different, they argue. QED, abortion is a religious right.

The UMC is more ecumenical than James and Paul Tiefel put together. That also suits ELCA, which partners with every hue of the doctrinal rainbow.

Update on Kieschnick Folly

Synodical Pope Kieschnick watches as the AALC submits to his infallibility.

Here is a good link on the Kieschnick clobbering of the radio show, Issues Etc.

The Augsburg 1530 blog seems to be worthwhile. Keep an eye on it.

Left Wing Daily Kos - Time of Grace Articles

His Grace, Mark Jeske

Time of Grace Ministries
by Tomato Observer

Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 08:03:58 PM PDT

Time of Grace Ministries is an evangelical Lutheran television ministry featuring the sermons of Pastor Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee, WI. It was incorporated in 2000 and received 501(c ) (3) status in 2001.
Tomato Observer's diary

According to a 12/15/2001 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin),


Eight laymen and a Milwaukee pastor have launched an independent weekly television broadcast here with the goal of offering Lutheran programming to 95% of the households in the United States within five years.
....

Bolstered by a business plan and start-up funding of nearly $500,000, the non-profit organization hopes to make Jeske the nation's most visible spokesman for conservative Lutheranism.
....

Jeske's church is 60% white and 40% African-American.
"We just had the look of a universal place, and they liked that," said Jeske, 49.
....

Time of Grace Ministry is incorporated in Virginia. Both the idea and its implementation have come from the laymen, and officials of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or WELS, have encouraged them.

Other board members include: Tom Baxter, Television Division chief of the U.S. Army Visual Information Center at the Pentagon; John E. Bauer, longtime chief academic officer of Wisconsin Lutheran College and current vice president for academic affairs; Steve Boettcher, president of Boettcher Productions, a five-time Emmy-winning television production firm in Hartland.

Also, Cliff Buelow, of the Milwaukee law firm of Davis & Kuelthau; Bruce Eberle, president of Eberle Communications Group, a national fund-raising firm in McLean, Va.; Arvid Schwartz of Green Isle, Minn., a farmer, former corporate treasurer, and chairman of the Wisconsin Lutheran College board; and John C. Zimdars, president of The Zimdars Co., Inc., a life insurance consulting firm in Madison.

All belong to the theologically conservative WELS, which is based in Wauwatosa. WELS has more than 400,000 members and is the nation's third-largest Lutheran denomination.

The idea for the ministry came from Eberle, who sits on the Wisconsin Lutheran College board with Jeske, Buelow, Raabe, Schwartz and Zimdars.

The board of directors

John Bauer is chief academic officer of Wisconsin Lutheran College for the past 20 years. Presently he is the Vice President for academic affairs and the Executive Director of CHARIS, the institute of the College.... He and his wife are members of Grace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.

Tom Baxter: As Chief of the Television Division of the US Army Visual Information Center at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, Tom Baxter is the executive responsible for production and technical operations. His organization produces approximately 200 productions and special events annually....Tom currently serves as President of Christ Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sterling, Virginia.

Steve Boettcher is president of Boettcher Productions Inc., a five-time Emmy winning production company. Boettcher Productions has been creating quality television for nearly two decades, including Kid's Connection, a video ministry of the WELS Commission on Youth Discipleship (CYD). I did not find Boettcher Productions on the web, but found Boettcher-Trinklein Mediaworks. This is the same Steve Boettcher, so maybe he has recently teamed up with Trinklein.

Cliff Buelow, Secretary, TOG, is a shareholder in the Milwaukee law firm of Davis & Kuelthau. Here's his mug. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College where he serves as Vice Chairman. He has served on several other church-related boards and committees over the last 20 years. Cliff and his wife are members of St. Marcus Evangelical Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.

Bruce Eberle, Vice President, TOG, is the founder and president of the Eberle Communications Group, a national fund raising organization based in McLean, Virginia. Bruce serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College. He has previously served as President of God's Word to the Nations Bible Society, which produces bibles in contemporary English language, to appeal to normal people. He's also served on several commissions and boards of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. He gave the 1994 commencement address at Wisconsin Lutheran College where he received the 1994 Pro Gloria Dei Award. Incidentally, Eberle gave the college $500,000 in 1999.

Bruce also serves as a Trustee of Joe Gibbs Youth For Tomorrow New Life Foundation, a residential "group village" for at-risk teens.

Mark Jeske has served St. Marcus Evangelical Lutheran Church in the inner City of Milwaukee since 1980. Pastor Jeske is in his third term as a member of the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College. He is Second Vice-President, Southeastern Wisconsin District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Daryl Raabe, President, TOG
In 1978, Daryl joined the family business, and saw it grow through 1988, when he was appointed President of Raabe Corporation. Interestingly, he left his company in 2002. From the Milwaukee Business Journal, 1/25/02:

David Wacker isn't kin to founders and long-time operators of Raabe Corp., but he's being entrusted to carry on the company's business while the owners abdicate day-to-day duties to pursue religious interests.
Wacker, who has no ownership interest in the company, became president of the Menomonee Falls paint manufacturer Jan. 1 after being groomed for the job for more than two years. He succeeded Kent and Daryl Raabe, brothers who own the company founded by their father, Richard, more than 50 years ago.
....

Although retired from the day-to-day operations, Kent and Daryl Raabe check on the company daily while focusing on other interests in their lives revolving around their strong religious beliefs.

"You live your life to serve the Lord," Daryl Raabe said.
Daryl helped start and is a key leader of the "Time of Grace Ministry," a recently launched independent weekly television show focusing on the Lutheran religion. The show airs Sunday mornings on Milwaukee's WITI-TV (Channel 6). The creators hope to eventually distribute the show beyond the Milwaukee area via cable or satellite.
The program was launched by eight laymen, including Daryl Raabe, and the Rev. Mark Jeske, pastor of St. Marcus Evangelic Lutheran Church, 2215 N. Palmer St. in Milwaukee's central city, where the show is filmed. Daryl Raabe is chairman and president of the nonprofit organization that supports the show, which received start-up funding of about $500,000, primarily from two major donors and a pair of foundation grants.

Raabe also is temporarily executive director of the nonprofit organization.

"He's a very aggressive, hands-on person," Jeske said of Raabe.
The show was the brainchild of Bruce Eberle, president of Eberle Communications Group, a McLean, Va.-based national fund-raising company. Others involved in the project include: Tom Baxter, television division chief of the U.S. Army Visual Information Center at the Pentagon; and John Bauer, vice president of academic affairs at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
The Rev. Jeske knows the Raabes from when he was a high school and college student and worked for Raabe Corp. when the company operated retail paint stores in Milwaukee.
Raabe joined Jeske's congregation nearly two years ago. The church's multiracial makeup with a mix of blacks and whites appealed to Raabe, he said.
....


Raabe has served four terms on the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Lutheran High School, the last as President. Daryl currently is Treasurer of Wisconsin Lutheran College and a member of the Executive Committee of its Board of Regents.

Arvid Schwartz, Treasurer, TOG
Arvid has been a lifelong member of the Wisconsin Synod. Arvid is currently the Minnesota District representative on the WELS Synodical Council. He served on the WELS Board of Trustees for 12 years and was a member of the Executive Committee. He is serving his fourth term on the Wisconsin Lutheran College Board of Regents and is in his second term as Chairman of that board.

John Zimdars is president of The Zimdars Company, Inc., a third generation independent life insurance consulting firm, based in Madison, Wisconsin. He is serving his fourth term on the Board of Regents of Wisconsin Lutheran College and was Chairman of the Board for four years.

I have searched Lexis/Nexis and the web extensively, and can't find anything off-kilter about anyone/anything but Eberle himself. I remain unconvinced that he and Bobby Eberle are related, for what it's worth.

***

GJ - Note the entire article above is from Daily Kos, where the author copied from other sources.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Left Wing Daily Kos - Time of Grace Articles":

Jeske is no longer VP of the Southeastern Wisconsin District. He resigned when he received flak after he accepted an invitation by the mayor of Milwaukee to pray at a public event, at which other ministers ALSO led the group in prayer, along with Jeske. (Jeske didn't know that was going to happen.)

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GJ - Note to Anonymous. Flack is a PR agent. I changed your word to flak, the German acronym for anti-aircraft cannon. Kanon = canon in German: easy to remember.

Correction - Wrong Caption

CLC Headquarters. The previous photo was ELDONA headquarters.

Who says Ichabod never corrects wrong information?

Our photo staff informed me that the previous headquarters caption was wrong. That was the ELDONA headquarters in Malone, Texas. The lovely abode above is the joint-CLC headquarters building. The bottom sign says MUST SEE INSIDE!

Yes, that is a for sale sign (by owner) on the trailer. The CLCs probably received a Thrivent grant to move into larger headquarters.

Bailing Water Blog Is Keeping Up

Purpose-Driven Rick Warren with Barack Hussein Obama

WELS Pastors Attended Another Church Growth Meeting

I negeglected to mention the Bailing Water Blog, which has had periods of inactivity.

There is a separate Bailing Water Discussion Board.

Kovaciny-Mouse has accused BW of being "just like Greg Jackson." And I thought Kovaciny-Mouse had nothing good to say to anyone!

CLC Headquarters

Stealth photo of CLC headquarters.

Some are going to ask, "Which CLC? The Church of the Lutheran Confession or the Concordia Lutheran Conference?"

The answer is - both.

One has a desk in the front of the trailer. The other has a desk in the back.

At one time the entire Augustana Synod was managed from the president's roll-top desk in his living room in Rock Island, Illinois. The Augustana Synod was quite large when it finally merged into the Lutheran Church in America in 1960.

The synods were better run when they had fewer administrative people meddling, wrecking, apostasizing, and charging it to their expense accounts.

However, the micro-minis are poorly run, even with their tiny budgets and clapboard buildings. There is a reason why God forbids incest in Leviticus.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CLC Headquarters":

Gregory: This is just plain mean and nasty. There is no way you can defend yourself on this one. And you call yourself a pastor?

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GJ - I call myself a satirist. Others call me pastor. A. Nony Mouse has never had a sense of humor. And he has never read Luther, I am sure.

Some Lutheran Blogs To Read

Durer's Rabbit, or Portrait of a DP?

I appreciate how many blogs have listed Ichabod on their main pages. There are hundreds of Lutheran blogs now, but most of them post infrequently. I look around for new and interesting topics. Below are some of the religious blogs I check and the reasons why:

Norm's Desmense - Norm Teigen is an ELS layman, son of an ELS theologian. He posts more than most Lutherans put together, on all kinds of subjects, most of them interesting to me: the falling bridge, literature, religious art, Bach, WWII, Lutheran topics, etc.

Virtue Online - David Virtue is an orthodox Episcopalian layman who writes frequently and well about the differences between the apostate leaders and the orthodox dissenters. This is a valuable blog for many reasons. The site is more of a daily newspaper about what is rotten in Denmark...and Canterbury. Lutherans need to know this material, to realize how their denomination parallels the Episcopal Church. The main difference is that Lutherans have no leaders with spine. There is not one district pope who will part with his own Lutheran Vatican, wherever that headquarters may be (St. Louis, Milwaukee, Mankato, or a double-wide in the Midwest).

American Lutheran Publicity Bureau - This blog is primarily for ELCA pastors, a good way to keep track of what is being discussed in the largest and most absurd Lutheran organization. I find it amusing that the high church bunch (the ones who communed at Concordia, Ft. Wayne, with a WELS pastor apparently participating) calls itself STS - Holy Trinity Society (in Latin, of course).

Diatheke - just taught me how to add reader logs to the website. Pastor Joe Abrahamson (ELS) is the blog author.

The Plucked Chicken, from Jesse Jacobson (ELS) has plenty of material about computers and the ELS, especially the issue (Public Ministry of the Word) that got various pastors defenestrated by Pope John the Malefactor.

Bailing Water is now more of a WELS discussion blog. I have watched several editors take over BW and leave again. I get the impression that the Wisconsin sect does not want to be discussed.

I liked one LCMS News blog, but that man shut down his site. Likewise, Trouble in Paradise went silent months ago, came to life for a moment, then went silent again. I have not found any LCMS or WELS blogs worth reading. If you have suggestions, post a comment.

Also, I am interested in religious blogs with substance.

What Happened to Christian Giving?

Planned Giving Counselors Meeting

I left the my family's Disciples of Christ congregation for various reasons. One was the constant drum-beat for money through commerical activities. The annual youth trip was funded with car washes, slave days, and all kinds of hooey. The congregation had ice cream socials and bakery sales. The Disciples minister arrived for one worship service wearing his white chaplain's hat, in a fire truck. He was cool.

Gimmicks, tricks, and monetary manipulations have always been the strong suit of Baptists and Pentecostals. One Assemblies of God minister said they had "kite day," where every child bringing a friend earned a kite. It is not exaggeration to say that the Fuller Seminary crowd feels comfortable with stunts and performances.

The Luther Prep and WELS Lutherans for Life (Christian Life Resources) commercial enterprises are just plain tacky. They lack dignity. How can people respect Christian good works when people are selling trinkets, meals, and Bossy the cow to the public - in the Name of Christ? Too bad Paul dealt with meat sacrificed to idols instead of steak offered to alumni.

I served a congregation where we had various funds. Fortunately one person got a Junk For Jesus sale organized just in time to alienate the more sober members. The laity agreed among themselves to stop asking for money for coffee and cookies, to banish all hints of commercialism, and to rely on God's Word for giving. Ending the extra petty offerings and the commercialism gave a huge boost to Christian giving. A stewardship program built on God's Word doubled the giving in three years.

A WELS pastor I know used to work in a grocery story. The chain tried all kinds of gimmicks to make extra money, such as selling clothes. One day he said, "Why are we ashamed of being a grocery store?"

I wonder why congregations and synods do not ask the same question. "Why are we ashamed of being a church?" A church quietly raises its down money.

A Christian school does not ask students to roll in the mud to make even more money, in addition to their extortionate tuition bills. Martin Luther College admitted to overbilling its own students, then said, "And we are keeping the extra, too."

As Luther said, when people demand something from God, that is the very thing He will keep from them.

Beef for Bling Benefits Bulging Prep Coffers

Wayne's Bossy: "I gave until it hurt."

Wayne Mueller, President-in-Waiting, Wisconsin Sect, donated beef for the Luther Prep auction, after boosting tuition 30% in one year. The exploding cost of tuition effectively reduced enrollment at both preps.

If some well-heeled donor asked, "Where's the beef?" and purchased Bossy from Wayne (with a prime cut sliced off by the auction company), then Luther Prep probably bought their scrim curtain and other essentials for their high school. Anxious participants want to know how much loot was hauled in, how much Luther Prep kept, and how soon the next garage sale will be scheduled.

Lutheran Notes wrote about the scandalous cost of tuition in preparation for the ministry. Two things need to be added:

1. Extortion in the name of tuition began during the Schwan Foundation's biggest charitable donation ever - an avalanche of dough for Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie. Synod officials kept the money for themselves and their pet projects while crushing their students with ever-increasing tuition bills.
2. In the past, WELS gave back all prep, college, and seminary tuition paid when the student graduated from seminary. That was the nest egg used so the shepherd could buy his new shepherdess a few sticks of furniture and a double-wide cradle for the expected brood.(Perhaps teachers got the same tuition refund. I am not sure.) Ending that policy was an effective, gigantic boost in the real cost of pastoral education. Those who benefited from truly free synod education took this benefit away from the current generation while talking about "recruiting more men," etc. etc.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Beef for Bling Benefits Bulging Prep Coffers":

From the website of Luther Prep:

GALA UPDATE



Lights! Camera! Auction! - Saturday Night - April 19

About 320 guests joined in for the third annual gala event. Over 150 students were involved in setting up, serving, entertaining with musical talents, and cleaning up. We are thankful for the enjoyable evening of Christian fellowship and the opportunity for many friends of LPS to show their support for our school.

This year's event resulted in about $44,000 in gifts to LPS. $31,000 will directly support our operating budget, with another $8,100 directed to financial aid and $5,000 provided to replace and enhance the stage curtains in the auditorium.

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GJ - The alleged news lacks a certain amount of honesty (not blaming the innocent poster). The summary accounts for $44,000 in gifts, but how much went to the for-profit website auction company? Did they host the Junk for Jesus sale for free or is Luther Prep reporting the net results rather than the gross receipts? Anxious minds want to know.

When a charity goes into business in a big way, competing with local merchants, the stake-holders deserve an accounting.

Did they pay sales tax on Wayne's beef? Mattek's $350 dinner? Various trinkets?

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Beef for Bling Benefits Bulging Prep Coffers":

Looks like they are still counting the "re$ult$" of the 2008 GALA (results not yet posted) - -
From their website:


Q. What were the results of past Galas?

A. April 22, 2006 Gala "A Starry Night", after expenses were paid, raised $46,134.00!

April 21, 2007 Gala "A Knight to Remember", after expenses were paid, raised over $65,000!

April 19, 2008 Gala "Lights! Camera! Auction! - A Night on the Red Carpet", after expenses were paid, raised ___________!

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Beef for Bling Benefits Bulging Prep Coffers":

Looks like the GALA at Luther Prep was not enough - - - -

Fear Factor - Messed for Success

4/26/2008
Students, faculty and staff at LPS in Watertown celebrate the arrival of spring while generating substantial donations for the school during the second annual Phoenix Fear Factor event on Wednesday.
More than $60,000 has been donated over the past two years by an anonymous alumni couple through the event, which challenges voluntary participants to navigate a series of messy obstacles. The donors make a gift to the school of $100 per student and $200 per faculty or staff member that brave the course of slime, goo, and grit. The goal of the event is to generate an atmosphere of giving that is joyful and fun, but also demands a bit of sacrifice as well.
Ten stations were offered, each featuring a distinct challenge to the participant's pride and outward appearance.
Students and faculty explored buckets of earthworms looking for pennies, endured slip and slides of lard and oil, and made their way through tubs of corn meal, soy bean hulls, lard and eggs. A T-shirt commemorating the event was also sponsored by the donors and will be presented to each person taking part.
Thje event is part of a daylong series of activities which include a grounds beautification effort, the planting of the senior tree, and an outdoor picnic with students, staff, and families.

Temple of Doom Semester - Now Finished

Running Ahead of a Boulder - No Escape

January 7th began a new course in journalism and an intense course in teaching at a new online school. The three online journalism classes will finish this week. I will take a novel-writing class this summer, in preparation for a novel in 2009.

The online training program began with two weeks of constant posting. I soon learned that the probationary teaching would begin one week early, in January. Oh joy. Next I had a constant stream of new things to do in both.

The online training program for teaching is just ending. It went well. I had students from all over the East Coast studying critical thinking. One section was on logical fallacies. I honed my skills discussing doctrinal issues with Wisconsin sect pastors. They used personal attacks, threats, changing the subject, poisoning the well, the slippery slope, and various other logical fallacies.

Most of my teaching is now online. One graduate student in education told my class that students at a Kansas state university live in the dorms and take online classes. The school has trouble getting students out of their rooms and into the classroom.

In the middle of all this training and education, one Ichabod reader said, "Why not have services broadcast over the Internet?" I knew it could be done at a very high cost, but he found a way to do it without the huge corporate fees. I have found it surprisingly enjoyable. I have looked into a glass eye before for video taping. This is different because it is live. Also, people are very pleased that we can do this.

Also, I feel free to promote the great Lutheran hymns, which are often ignored in favor of having more singable hymns, as some claim. Mr. Bose plays the organ flawlessly and I am free to choose all eight verses. Mr. Bose never frowns at five sharps and never gives me lip about the chords.

So, I am about to catch up on the promises I have been making and not keeping.

Apostasy

Denominational Leader

Click here to find which denomination is being discussed.

"Schism is sinful separation on secondary issues. This is separation over essential issues. You have not moved. You have remained where you were in Jesus. If anyone has moved, it is those who have abandoned salvation. This is separation from an apostate situation.


"Apostasy has gone unchallenged. Moves away from absolutely essential truth have gone unchallenged. There is no move time. This is the time to move. What you are facing is not another version of the gospel, but another gospel, which is not the gospel."

Pointing to Galatians 1.6 where the apostle pronounces that there is no other gospel, Venables said that when you turn to another gospel, you desert God and that is a terrible thing. "In the Garden of Eden, they thought they could get away with it. Another Gospel means deserting God. It is important because otherwise you will be leading people away from eternal security. You can do that by keeping your mouth shut. Some who trouble you want to distort the gospel of Christ. They take what is true and they distort it. They take the words God has given us and they distort them. 'If you or an angel of heaven let them be accursed.' Preaching a different gospel is serious. Let him be accursed. Am I trying to please man? If your preaching does not offend someone, look very carefully at what you are preaching."

"If I was trying to please man I would not be a servant of Christ," said Venables. "Christian Humanism is trying to make us feel better and all right. You were not all right to such an extent that Jesus had to die on the cross to put you right. You need a complete transformation. The Gospel preached by me is not man's gospel. I did not receive it from any man nor was I taught it. This is not about the sheep finding its way back to the shepherd but the shepherd coming to find the sheep."

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GJ - This is another version of what has happened in the LCMS, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie. The micro-mini Lutheran groups are not different, in spite of their pretensions.

The first divide was Church Growth. That is the choo-choo engine running the Lutheran synods right now. Church Growth is atheistic in nature. It is not an enhancement, an improvement, a doctrinally-neutral method. It is anti-Gospel, anti-God, anti-Scriptural. The first thing Fuller did was attack inerrancy, when Church Growth was getting started. Did that give WELS a pause? No. Did that slow down the LCMS rush to get a DMin from Pasadena? No. Did the ELS even squeak out a protest? No, the ELS was the Amen Corner of Church Growth.

The following is a telling detail. The Church Growth pastors like Kelm and Parlow steal their sermons from the Reformed and post them on their own website, as if they wrote them. Other CG pastors have done the same. I know, when Kelm and Parlow were caught, they began giving credit, I hear, for their thefts.

If the purpose of the Christian Church is to proclaim the Gospel, and if ministers are ordained to do just that, then why must CG pastors steal their material and claim it as their own?