District VP Patterson Marks the Resurrection of Christ with an Easter Egg Hunt

"The Methodists loaned me their bunny suit."

Easter egg hunt thrills children at the Texas Capitol
Updated: 4/12/2009 5:47 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff


The First United Methodist Church hosted its annual Easter Egg hunt and picnic Saturday.

Eggs scattered the lawn of the Capitol, just waiting to be picked up by excited children.

"Aren't they fabulous? Just to find pure joy in something like chasing a bubble or finding an egg," Paula Stiernberg, with First United Methodist Church, said. "Just running around at the Capitol enjoying their parents in a relaxed atmosphere, that's what just fills our hearts."

A picnic, face painting and cupcake decorating were all part of the day's festivities.

The congregation at Holy Word Lutheran Church also held an Easter egg hunt for the kids, following their Sunrise Service.

---

Anonymous wrote: "Now it is all making sense. Wendland went there to give the sermon so Patterson could hide the eggs during the sermon."

Hide Your Wallets, Lockdown the Congregational Accounts - Gurgel Is Back!Kudu Don To Run for SP Job?

What Karl Gurgel did for MilCraft and the Schwan Foundation gifts, he can do for WELS...again!

Calls Accepted

Gurgel, Rev Karl R, Holy Word - Austin TX 04/04/2009
Retirement Call

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Hide Your Wallets, Lockdown the Congregational Acc...":

The new president of WELS/Church and Change - South - Rev. Gurgel.

***

GJ - Very few pastors have someone else preach for them on Easter Sunday. In fact, I have never heard of it happening anywhere. Yet VP Don Patterson invited the Church Growth Mequon Seminary president (Wendland) to preach for Easter Sunday. That was announced at the last minute.

Gurgel accepted the call to be on Patterson's staff the same week.

Patterson organized a group of WELS church workers for a trip to Exponential, a pan-denominational Church Growth fest featuring Babtist Ed Stetzer. Soon after, Stetzer was booked for the next Church and Chicanery conference.

So we are expected to believe that Patterson is not C and C? That he is not cooking something up with his political friends?

Watch the Patterson Network for continued entertainment.

Handy Source for Hymnal Lyrics

Brett Meyer provided this link.

This is also a good source:

http://lutheran-hymnal.com/index.html

Drew Lomax.

Database of Lutheran Hymns.

Easter Sunday

The Risen Christ, by Norma Boeckler

Easter Day, The Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time

Mid-Week Lenten Services are Thursdays at 6 PM.

The Hymn #192 Gerhardt: Awake My Soul 1.22
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 1 Cor 5:6-8
The Gospel Mark 16:1-8
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #199 Jesus Christ is Risen Today 1.83

Good Leaven and Bad Leaven

The Hymn #192 I Know That My Redeemer 1.80
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 #207 Kingo: Like the Golden Sun 4.76

KJV 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

KJV Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Easter
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst deliver Thy Son for our offenses, and didst raise Him again for our justification: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy Holy Spirit, that He may rule and govern us according to Thy will; graciously keep us in the true faith; defend us from all sins, and after this life raise us unto eternal life, through the same, Thy beloved Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Good Leaven and Bad Leaven
KJV 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I used to think this epistle selection for Easter Sunday was especially puzzling.

But I was reading the novels of Isaac B. Singer, who won the Nobel Prize for literature. He concentrated on tales about Judaism from his Polish homeland. Cleaning up the old leaven was a tradition in Judaism in celebration of the Passover.

In 2009 Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday April 8 and ends at nightfall on Thursday April 16 in the Diaspora (Wednesday April 15 in Israel).


“The rule against leaven applies not only to its consumption but also to enjoying any benefit thereof and even to its possession. Therefore, before the arrival of Passover, all leaven must be removed from one’s premises. Nor should one have leaven in his legal possession. In a simple economy, not having any leaven in one’s legal possession was easily accomplished. If by chance a bit of leaven was left, it could be disposed of with relative ease. When the economy became more complex, a new solution had to be found--selling one’s hametz to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover.”

“The night before Passover, immediately after sundown, one begins the search for leaven (Code of Jewish Law, Orach Chayyim 431:1). The aim of the search is to be sure that no leaven has been left behind after the cleaning of the house.
The procedure includes these items: a candle; a feather, which acts as a broom; and a wooden spoon into which the pieces of bread will be scooped. First, a candle is lit, and the following benediction is recited:”
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover/At_Home/Leaven.shtml
Removing the old leaven and starting anew is considered a cleansing and rebirth in rabbinic Judaism.

Paul continued in the Jewish liturgical traditions he learned as a rabbi and Pharisee. For Paul, leaven was especially powerful as a symbol of the old and the new.

In the Scriptures, leaven can be both good and bad.

In this brief parable, often overlooked, the power of the Gospel is compared to leaven, which is alive and continues to work in a batch of dough, constantly growing and influencing the dough. A tiny bit of yeast can grow in bread dough and raise the entire loaf, in the first rise and second rise, finally one more time in the oven.

KJV Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Bad leaven has a corrupting influence:
KJV Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

In my father’s bakery, we used one pound bricks of yeast for bread dough and bread doughnuts. If the yeast was old and bad, nothing would make that batch of dough good, no matter what ingredients were used. If the yeast was fresh and alive, the large bowl of dough grew faster than a Hollywood monster. The final product was light, fluffy, and delicious. In my hands a new brick of yeast would literally explode in different directions, leaving particles here and there. An old brick would crumble like dry, rotten wood.

The leaven in the Bible was sourdough, which could spoil, probably worse than the refrigerated and cultured yeast of our day. Bad leaven would spread its corruption throughout a batch just as much as good leaven would improve it.

A Day of Contrasts – Old and New
The morning of Easter was a divide in history, first for the women and the disciples, then for the entire world. The women were walking to the tomb carved in rock. The door of the tomb was rock that rolled in a groove. If anyone has moved larger stones, it is unlikely that it was a large round boulder. More likely it was flatter and perhaps shaped to be more like a lid. Moving it would be a chore for a man, impossible for three women.

Their first concern was, “Who will roll the stone for us?” They were still thinking of the old – sorrow, death, grief, and preparation of a corpse.

When they came to the tomb, the entrance was open. Non-Lutheran Protestants think the angels released Jesus from the tomb, but they are stuck in John Calvin’s confusion about the Two Natures of Christ. The divine nature of Christ was not and is not limited by His human nature. This is well stated in “A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth,” by Paul Gerhardt.

“O Love, how strong Thou art to save, Thou beddest Him within the grave,
Whose Word the mountains rendeth.”

Could the Son of God, who turned water into wine, walked on water, stilled the storm, and raised the dead be imprisoned by a stone door? Previously in the Gospels Jesus displayed His divine ability to move at will, even when surrounded by angry mobs ready to kill Him.

Yet some artwork shows Jesus emerging from the tomb when the angels rolled the stone away.

In fact, the doorway was opened for everyone to see that the grave was already empty.

God provided an angel to tell the women not to fear grave robbers, but to rejoice in the resurrection of Christ, the Son of God.

NKJV Mark 16: 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, 6 "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 "But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

This is a three-fold statement about Jesus:
1. He was crucified.
2. He is risen.
3. He is not here – see the place where they laid Him.

Mourning turned to joy in an instant. This changed everything for the women and soon for the disciples.

Instead of grieving for a lost, condemned Teacher, they were following the risen Lord, the Redeemer of the world. This was a unique turn in history, repeated many times over for various converts in the future.

Paul was first a zealous Jew, persecuting the Christians. On the road to Damascus, he saw the risen Christ, who made him an apostle. The chief distinction of the apostles was their actual experience of the risen Christ. An apostolic witness could preach the Gospel and accompany it with his own experience of being with the crucified and risen Christ.

Paul had to feel this experience of old and new leaven especially since his life changed so dramatically on the road to Damascus.

Likewise, Augustine was the hero of the Silver Age in Ancient Rome, the greatest orator of his day, but not a Christian. His mother prayed for his conversion, and that happened with children singing a non-religious song, which led him to pick up the Scriptures (“Take and read,” they sang). The Word converted him. Augustine became a bishop and the greatest theologian of the Christian Church, until God raised up Martin Luther.

Many people have had that experience of old and new yeast, death and resurrection, when all the influences of the Word came together and created an instant conversion prepared carefully by the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word, coming from various directions.

Others have come to a better and clearer understanding of the Word because they saw people trying to trample it down, steal it, corrupt it, and replace it with something toxic but appealing in a superficial way.

For every Christian, the Gospel is eternal-life giving. Wherever the Gospel is spoken, eternal life springs up as people are justified by faith. God declares their innocent verdict on behalf of His Son’s innocent death and glorious resurrection, the Word of grace opening their hearts to the Gospel.

The resurrection of Christ is the constant reminder of His role as Lord of Creation. As the creating Word, the Son of God instilled in the universe all those laws that scientists continue to discover. One is the absolute certainty of death. All living things die. Some live for a short time. Others for more than a century. Before the flood, some lived for many centuries, but all died.

Jesus, human in all respects, also died. But God raised Him up from the dead. The laws of the universe do not bind the Lord of Creation. What is true for most is not true for those who follow Him. Not by their own merit, but through His merit, all believers inherit eternal life through forgiveness of sin.

Grief is still painful because of the love we feel for those we outlive. Our comfort in mourning comes from knowing that Christ conquered death with the cross and the empty grave.

Knowing about eternal life and believing in Christ can give us a better understanding of the material world. We love the blessings we receive from the Creator, but we also know that one thing must outlast us.

Strangely, people write up trusts to make sure their money lasts for a long time after death. Trusts often ruin the lives of those who benefit from them. Other people put their likenesses and names on bronze plates, because bronze plates last a long time. I like to read the names of people who were on the city council when a bridge was built. The granite or bronze plate is impressive – and all the names are forgotten. On TV some people say they live to pass on their special homes to the next generation: “My role is to preserve this home for those after me.” That is very touching, for someone who thinks a house lasts forever.

Some people worry about a particular church institution, a synod or a school or a church. One man created an enormous trust to benefit different three synods, and all of them face enormous financial difficulties today. Visible church institutions do not last. The Melanchthon Synod and Olive Branch Synods no longer exist in America. Dozens have faded away.

One thing must outlast us – that is the truth of the Gospel. Preserving the truth is God’s role. But He gives us one special task: to guard the Word. The truth revealed in the Scriptures and confessed in the Book of Concord, but many do not guard the Word.

If we continue to study the Word and abide in the Means of Grace, we play a small but significant role in preserving the truth of the Gospel. God will always maintain a faithful remnant, but that does not allow us to be passive and let the revealed Word be traded for a bowl of lentil soup.
Facing issues of life and death make us more aware of the importance of the eternal Word. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Word will never pass away.” Far better to cling to the eternal Word than to passing attractions.

KJV John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Not long after she said, that Jesus went to her brother’s grave…

KJV John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Lazarus emerged in his grave clothes, foreshadowing the resurrection of Christ, and the Last Day.

KJV John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The Gospel calls us out of the old and into the new. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the new leaven. All the old leaven of corruption must be swept away in favor of the new leaven of Gospel forgiveness and eternal life.

Dancing UOJ

The Cock Crows at Notre Dame

April 11, 2009
The Cock Crows at Notre Dame
By Andrew Sumereau
Betrayal is not too strong a word to describe the actions of Notre Dame in inviting President Barak Obama to speak and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from the university. This betrayal explains why normally docile Catholics have been stirred to unprecedented protest and anger.

Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame who offered the invitation, has felt the wrath of thousands of Roman Catholics who see him as a Judas Iscariot. In a more sober assessment, Jenkins should be viewed as Peter the apostle, in his emotional denials to a watching and judgmental world, rather than as a Judas, the brazen traitor.


Sophisticated opinion might scorn such appraisals. "What is the big deal?" they question. Any university with serious aspirations and credentials should welcome the President of the United States to speak on campus, the thinking goes. Surely the president of a nation that observes the separation between church and state should not be prevented from addressing a university commencement just because his policies or issues are not in agreement with particular religious doctrines. It is patently wrong to prevent the airing of ideas from authoritative sources that may not concur with Church teachings. Great universities must engage in the great discussions of the day. Truth must never hide from controversy. It ought never be determined that questions of right and wrong have been settled, and only those that agree with the settled consensus be given a hearing. Finally, openness and tolerance of disagreement are the hallmarks of great centers of learning. Surely Notre Dame is just such a great center of learning.


This is how Jenkins would like to frame the controversy. Taking the intellectual high road (he believes) in addressing the critics, Jenkins poses as a positively heroic scholar and patriot...


"... In every statement I have made about the invitation of President Obama and in every statement I will make, I express our disagreement with him on issues surrounding the protection of life, such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research. If we repeatedly and clearly state that we do not support the President on these issues, we cannot be understood to 'suggest support'.


"...We need to do more to persuade all people that human life is precious and human dignity must be defended. This requires more effective dialogue and engagement with all public officials... However misguided some might consider our actions, it is in the spirit of providing a basis for dialogue that we invited President Obama.


"On May 17 we will welcome the ninth President who will receive an honorary degree from Notre Dame. It will be an important opportunity to bring the leader of our nation to Notre Dame, and, I hope, a joyful day for our graduates and their families."


(Father Jenkins to the Board of Trustees at the University of Notre Dame:)


Sounds pretty reasonable. No?


In Jenkins' view, there is simply a "disagreement" and the president is simply "misguided."


Playing to elite opinion rather than the churchgoing rabble, he uses words like "dialogue" and "engagement" rather than condemnation in referring to the culture of death embodied in the policies of our new president. Being judgmental, after all, is without doubt the gravest sin to modern eyes and Father Jenkins knows this and counts on it. Besides, on social issues (whatever they are) the new progressive president effectively cancels out his misguided notions on life.


But if we are to believe the prelate, where exactly does the imaginary engagement of Obama occur? Is Jenkins inviting Obama to address a seminar on life issues? Will there be a rebuttal of the president's pro-abortion policies after his address? Will they "roundtable" and "brainstorm" and "dialogue" about abortion, stem cell funding, euthanasia, and infanticide?


Sadly, what the awakened and disgusted American Catholics see happening is lost on, or of no interest to, Father Jenkins and his supporters. The university officials are obviously much more interested in securing the good graces of the ninth president to address the school than in supporting Church teaching. As intellectuals they share denseness with thinly disguised contempt.


As Hilaire Belloc said one hundred years ago, "Real intelligence resides in the ability to make distinctions." In this case the distinctions are everything. Notre Dame means literally Our Lady. The University of Our Lady has been founded, promoted, supported and loved by devout Catholics of this country for a long time. The issues of life have been settled in the eyes of the church for over two thousand years and no amount of engagement will change that. Notre Dame should never bestow an honor on the likes of our current president.


The event all works perfectly for the President. Cocktails and chatter with some noted Catholic VIP's, photo-ops, good-humor, perhaps a few thoughtful frowns, some vague-but-pleasing Obama rhetoric, and off the president goes. On to the Naval Academy and another commencement ceremony with a new legitimacy and the unofficial imprimatur of America's great Catholic University.

***

GJ - One of my fellow students at Notre Dame was a Christian Brother. Years later he was president of their little college in Philadelphia. He had a chance to meet with President Clinton, so he urged the president to adopt a pro-life policy. Clinton, like Gore and Jesse Jackson, had once been pro-life. Clinton did not budge.

The Left has all the wrong answers. They hug Mother Earth but hate babies. The Catholic clergy I knew were all political liberals and doctrinal apostates. For instance, this particular Christian Brother was shocked that I believed in the Virgin Birth and resurrection of Christ. I remember him slamming a book on Lutheran beliefs and saying, "There is no use talking to you."

Catholic clergy think they can support the Left and budge them on pro-life issues. Impossible. I consider this Notre Dame scandal simply a grander version of how they honored Governor Cuomo, who came to argue for abortion and against the death penalty. The death penalty was "murder," according to the governor, nicknamed Pope Pious.

ASU will also honor Obama. That dust-up concerns giving a politician an honorary degree, which is against ASU policy in general. As I have mentioned to many students, I have never heard anyone say, "Wow! He has a degree from ASU!"

The best way to get rid of an ASU graduate on your doorstep is to tip him $5 and take the pizza box inside.

Mark 16 Easter Quotations

Mark 16 Quotations

"If I do not believe it, I will not receive its benefits; but that neither renders it false nor proves that anything is lacking in Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 258. Easter, Third Sermon Mark 16:1-8.


"Only begin this [prayer, self-examination], I say, and see how you will succeed in the task; and you will soon discover what an unbelieving knave is hidden in your bosom, and that your heart is too dull to believe it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 257. Easter, Third Sermon Mark 16:1-8.

"Therefore the Holy Spirit must come to our rescue, not only to preach the Word to us, but also to enlarge and impel us from within, yea, even to employ the devil, the world and all kinds of afflictions and persecutions to this end. Just as a pig's bladder must be rubbed with salt and thoroughly worked to distend it, so this old hide of ours must be well salted and plagued until we call for help and cry aloud, and so stretch and expand ourselves, both through internal and through external suffering,that we may finally succeed and attain this heart and cheer, joy and consolation, from Christ's resurrection."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 253. Easter, Third Sermon Mark 16:1-8.

"You may tie a hog ever so well, but you cannot prevent it from grunting, until it is strangled and killed. Thus it is with the sins of the flesh." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 247. Easter, Second Sermon Mark 16:1-8. "For when the heart clings to the Word, feelings and reasoning must fail."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 246. Easter, Second Sermon Mark 16:1-8.

"He who follows his feelings will perish, but he who clings to the Word with his heart will be delivered."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 245. Easter, Second Sermon Mark 16:1-8.

"To this I reply: I have often said before that feeling and faith are two different things. It is the nature of faith not to feel, to lay aside reason and close the eyes, to submit absolutely to the Word, and to follow it in life and death."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 244. Easter, Second Sermon Mark 16:1-8.

"However, we see that although Satan causes many sects and factions to rise up soon they war among themselves and disappear again. What countless cliques and fanatical tyrants Satan has produced to oppose the Gospel during these fifteen hundred years, endeavoring to rend and destroy the kingdom of Christ!"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 235.

"The greatest, the most powerful, the noblest born, the most learned and the holiest person is not a whit better than the humblest, simplest, most despised on earth. All are brought into one company and fellowship. No one is preferred above another. No partiality is shown. No one is pictured or separated to special honor or advantage; but everything hinges entirely on 'He that believeth.' It matters not what people, nation or rank or what station in the world they may occupy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 222. Ascension Day Mark 16:14-20.

"The preaching of this message may be likened to a stone thrown into the water, producing ripples which circle outward from it, the waves rolling always on and on, one driving the other, till they come to the shore. Although the center becomes quiet, the waves do not rest, but move forward. So it is with the preaching of the Word. It was begun by the apostles, and it constantly goes forward, is pushed on farther and farther by the preachers, driven hither and thither into the world, yet always being made known to those who never heard it before, although it be arrested in the midst of its course and is condemned as heresy."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 202.

"Such is the nature of faith that it feels nothing at all, but merely follows the words which it hears, and clings to them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 194. .

"Although it is impossible to believe without repenting (ohn Reu) as I have said above, when I proved that faith and grace are imparted amid a great spiritual upheaval (Sturm), nevertheless, if this were possible, faith alone would be enough. For when God said: 'He that believeth shall be saved' (Mark 16:16), He did not offer His grace to repentance, nor to a work of any sort, but to faith."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1213. Mark 16:16.

(1) "He that believes and is baptized Shall see the Lord's salvation; Baptized into the death of Christ, He is a new creation. Through Christ's redemption he shall stand Among the glorious heavenly band Of every tribe and nation. (2) "With one accord, O God, we pray: Grant us Thy Holy Spirit; Look Thou on our infirmity Through Jesus' blood and merit. Grant us to grow in grace each day That by this Sacrament we may Eternal life inherit." Thomas Kingo, 1689, "He That Believes and Is Baptized"
The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941, Hymn #301. Mark 16:16.

Walther on Pure Doctrine

C. F. W. Walther learned Christian doctrine via Pietism, but his statements about the struggle for pure doctrine
are still worth reading.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Another Pusillanimouse Post":

"Of course, if no one would falsify God's Word, no conflict would be necessary,..."

"Oh, therefore, let us never listen to those who praise and extol the conflict of the Reformation for the pure Gospel but want to know nothing of a similar conflict in our days. God's command: "Contend for the faith!" applies to all times, also to ours."

"That God's Word testifies to us on all pages, and so also the apostle Jude, who has the surname Thaddeus, writes in our text: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

On the basis of these words permit me today to answer the question:

WHY DARE AND CAN WE NEVER GIVE UP THE CHURCH'S STRUGGLE FOR THE PURE DOCTRINE?
I answer:

Because the Pure Doctrine of our Church is Not Our Possession, but a Treasure Only Entrusted to us for Our Faithful Administration;
Because the Loss of This Treasure Would be Something Much More Terrible than All the Strife and Discord Among Men; and finally,
Because this Conflict is One Commanded by God, and Therefore is Certainly Blessed by God in Time and in Eternity."

"Now tell me yourself: Does love demand that a steward give away some of the property entrusted to him, or that he make a reduction of the debt to the debtors of his lord? or that he can calmly take for himself the treasures of his lord which are given to him to guard and keep? Was it, for example, love when that steward, in order to make him his friend, said to a debtor who owed his lord 100 measures of oil: "Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty?" (Luke 16:6). Was that not rather unfaithfulness, yes, open deceit and theft? Does not Christ for that reason also call him the "unjust steward?" Would it be love if in order to avoid a battle a general would allow merely a small opening to be made for the enemy in the wall of a fortress given to him to defend? Would not such a general rather be called to account and punished as a traitor? Or is it love to steal their possessions from others in order to do good to the poor? and finally, would it be love if Luther would have immediately become silent about the discovered and known truth?"

"Therefore, that the world might see that love is still in us Lutherans, let us in all earthly things show our love so much the more richly; however, in matters pertaining to God, to the pure doctrine of his Word which "was once delivered unto the saints" let Christ's utterance be our motto and guiding star: "He that loveth father, or mother, and he that loveth son, or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.""

http://www.cfwwalther.com/heck/walther19.htm

A faithful sermon by C.F.W. Walther.

Recommended reading for the Anonymous posters who, in their enthusiasm, intend to smother the world with their pillow of love until, lungs gasping, they choke out the very last bit of Confessional Lutheran doctrine.

***

GJ - When a denomination goes soft in the head, the first sign is shock, remorse, and rebuke toward anyone who might emphasize the confessions of that denomination. There are usually lofty pronouncements that "We can afford a few heretics" or "We can learn from (fill in the blank - Buddhists, atheists, Marxists) too."

In the name of love, various imprecations are hurled at anyone who prefers the truth of the past to the fads of today.

During the slide into apostasy, the denomination embraces openly one year what would have been a scandal 10 years before.

Here is an example from ELCA:

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 2, 2009

Three Members of the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality Share Dissent
09-080-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Three members of the Task Force for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Studies on Sexuality issued a public statement March 28 to express their
dissent over the content of two documents released by the task force. The chair of the task force responded to the statement.

On Feb. 19 the task force released a proposed social statement on human sexuality and a report recommending a process to consider changes to ministry policies that could make it possible for Lutherans in committed same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers and ordained ministers.

Recommendations for both documents will be considered at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the church's chief legislative body, Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis.

Because of theological and pragmatic concerns and because the proposed recommendation allows the ELCA's 65 synods and individual congregations to "determine their own practice," the Rev. Scott J. Suskovic, the Rev. Corrine R. Johnson and the Rev. Carol S. Hendrix said they felt compelled to offer a dissenting position, which is featured in the Appendix of the task force's report (Dissenting Position 1).

Suskovic, Johnson and Hendrix began their statement with thanks and gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the task force. Although in disagreement with the other 27 members and advisors of the task force on "traditional biblical interpretation and theological principles," they said they were regarded with "great kindness, dignity and respect."

Suskovic is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C. Johnson serves as director for development and public relations, Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp, Crystal Falls, Mich. Hendrix, a retired pastor, served as bishop of the ELCA Lower Susquehanna Synod, Harrisburg, Pa., from 2001 to 2007.

The pastors said changing current policies would sever the ELCA from the "ecumenical church and the Christian consensus down through the ages."

They contend that the task force's report and recommendation, "which advocate same-gender unions and the ordination of non-celibate homosexual persons, have little biblical, historical and traditional support."

Of critical importance when considering sexuality is the role of God's commandments in the "moral ordering of the Christian life," they said. "We are convinced that God's intention for marriage -- life-long covenant of fidelity between a man and a woman -- established as the First Institute in Genesis 2 and reaffirmed by Jesus in Mark 10: 6-9, serves as the center around which all Christian sexual ethics are defined."

The pastors recommend that voting members of the assembly "affirm and uphold" current ELCA ministry and discipline policies, and affirm the pastoral guidance in a 1993 statement of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. The statement says that "there is basis neither in Scripture nor tradition for the establishment of an official ceremony by this church for the blessing of a homosexual relationship." Pastors within their local contexts are to "provide pastoral care for all whom they minister."

The church is deeply divided on the issue of human sexuality, the pastors said. The recommendations of the majority of the task force represent a "radical change" that is not only contrary to Scripture but one that "will splinter our congregations, alienate many of our members, further divide the unity of this church" and "grieve the heart of God," they said.

The Rev. Peter Strommen, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake, Minn., and task force chair, called the dissenting statement "unfortunate and unnecessary."

"It was unnecessary because their dissenting view is already included in the Report and Recommendations Appendix, which was distributed widely February 19. It is unfortunate because by identifying their names and characterizing the process, they acted contrary to agreed upon protocol and ELCA practice. For instance, their statement might be interpreted to indicate that everyone else was of one mind when in fact the views of task force members were quite varied and diverse," Strommen said.

"Normally the chair of a task force is the person who speaks publicly on behalf of the task force. I do not believe it was their intent to disrespect the process but note that while individual task force members are free to express their personal views, it is not appropriate for task force members to make formal public statements or initiate what may be perceived as their own news release," he said.

The "Statement by Three Dissenting Members of the ELCA Task Force on Human Sexuality" is at http://tinyurl.com/djwgop on the ELCA Web site.

Another Pusillanimouse Post

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Leave the False Prophets Alone During Holy Week":

It's too bad you don't take such words to heart, especially on a day like today. This isn't the first time someone's told you to repent. I pray that you do before you're called out of this world.

***

GJ -

Chief of sinners though I be,
I don't post anonymousely.

ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-Skelton Slashes Budget

ELCA Council Reduces Churchwide Staff, Budgets for 2009
09-076-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Responding to an overall decline in mission support funds, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reduced the churchwide organization's current fund spending authorization for 2009 by $5.6 million to $76.8 million. Its action, taken without comment, resulted in elimination of a number of churchwide staff positions and vacant positions, and affected churchwide ministries.

Your Future with ELCA and Thrivent

Find out more about Ebenezer Lutheran/HerChurch.org with Pastor Stacy Boorn.

This used to be an Augustana Synod church. Augustana, as in Augsburg Confession.

Good Friday Vespers Service

Good Friday Vespers Service


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time

The Hymn #172:1-5 Herzlich tut mich 2.55
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 22 p. 127
The Lections
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
John 19:1 –19:42

The Sermon Hymn #172:6-10

The Sermon – The Crucified Messiah

The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45

The Hymn #175 Hamburg 2:42

KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

KJV John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. 12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. 28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

Dietrich’s Collect for Maundy Thursday
O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Crucified Messiah

KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.


Every child knows the meaning of this Old Testament prophesy. It was written centuries before Christ was born. Imagine someone from King Arthur’s Court predicting what would happen today. That is how distant this prophesy was (not in exact years), so far back in time that one can hardly imagine so many years. And yet, these verses, in fact the entire chapter is a vivid portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ.

Paul uses this verse in Romans 10, teaching us that faith comes by hearing. To be more accurate, he is saying that faith comes by preaching. It is not the act of hearing itself that brings about faith but the Holy Spirit working through the spoken Word of God. Faith comes by sermons, we might say. Who has believed our sermon?

KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God’s love for His people was so great that He began preaching the Gospel to us when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden (Genesis 3:15). If Isaiah was early, think how ancient those words are that we remember tonight. God said to the serpent, “You will bruise his heel, but He will crush your head.”

From the beginning God placed faith in the hearts of people through the spoken Word. Every time God promised the Messiah through His prophets, the Gospel was being preached and believed. And “it was reckoned as righteousness.” Justification by faith began with Abraham, long before Moses. And Moses also believed and preached.

God entrusted this Word to prophets. Christ appointed apostles who then trained pastors to serve under them. I know one person who does not accept any sermon as the Word of God. He said he can only be taught by direct quotation of Scripture. But Jesus said, “Whoever hears you hears Me.”

KJV Luke 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Some people did not even pay attention to Jesus, who taught them:

KJV John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life

So we are inclined to say, “Who is this, a mere man, to tell us what God thinks and says?” But that is exactly what pastors have been called by God (through the congregation) to do. In the same way the head of the household is placed in that role to teach his family the Word of God. True, many men despise this role and reject it. But it is still God’s decision and appointment, God’s Creation and order. Those who acknowledge this as good and wise will benefit from it.

Satan is especially enraged that an ordinary person, a sinner, is entrusted with the one weapon that can defeat him – the Word. So Satan rages especially against anyone who teaches God’s Word, using every trick to make him give up his trust in Christ. If he is poor, others mock the minister for being poor. If he has sickness in his family, supposed Christians mock him for not enjoying God’s blessings. (Paul Gerhardt lost his entire family except his son, and he was kept in poverty. Yet almost every Christian will sing “O Sacred Head” today.) If he is faithful, he will see cathedrals of false doctrine rise up around him. Just today I spoke with a friend about three different Lutheran ministers we knew who were no atheists. Satan is busy at work, misdirecting our eyes from the Word, to bow before the devil’s transitory wealth and power.

Isaiah

This Isaiah prophesy is poetic and filled with contrasts. They remind me of the great Philippians hymn/creed, where the humiliation and exaltation of Christ are contrasted. Christ is exalted because of His abasement, one so horrible that we can hardly imagine it. The first real portrayal of a crucifixion came in the recent movie, The Passion of the Christ. Some derided the brutality of the movie, but Roman justice was far worse than anything put on a movie screen. The Word reveals more than a movie dares.

52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. This exaltation serves as a title for the entire passage. The Servant will be exalted by becoming the crucified Messiah.

52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;

This is a precise portrayal of the results of Jesus’ severe beating and crucifixion. His appearance was so marred that He became repulsive to look at.

15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

The sprinkling of the nations can be both the Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion which He instituted. The most powerful men on earth, the kings, will be silenced upon learning that the unimaginable has been accomplished by this supposed criminal, this despised and rejected Man.

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith grows from hearing the Gospel promises. The most powerful way to convict people of their sin is to show that Jesus bore their sin on His cross. This is not logic and certainly not marketing. It is God’s revelation, His mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The one doctrine most heatedly rejected in these times is Christ dying for the sins of the world. The apostates rail against this, even though it is clearly the basis for the entire New Testament, and the Old Testament as well.

Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Unlike the way the world works, Jesus does not attract through His looks or His Hollywood charisma. The humiliation of Jesus was that almost no one stood by Him during His last hours, no one except John and a few women, including His mother. The vast crowds and His disciples left Him to die alone.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Verse 4 tells us how terrible the crucifixion would be. Verse 5 teaches us what the crucifixion means. It would have a purpose. The Son of Man would be wounded to pay for our sins, beaten for our evil. His whipping would be to give us peace through the forgiveness of sins. “By His stripes we are healed.”

For those who believe in Jesus, and this comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word, these words are a great comfort. We already know this, but in hearing it again our faith is deepened.

The next two verses contrast the Good Shepherd and the wandering sheep:

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Although we are constantly going astray, He did not waver in his role as the innocent Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Luther has two very good points to make about the crucifixion. One is that we should never dwell upon the cross in this way, saying, “Look at what those Jews and Romans did to the perfect Son of God!” That is all wrong and contrary to this lesson. Instead we should say when we meditate on the cross, “Look at what I did to Jesus. Those are my sins that He bore. I was the transgressor and He was whipped. I rebelled against God’s Law and He was humiliated and mocked. I am the cause of His suffering.” Otherwise, although the Romans and the Jewish leaders played a role, we miss the whole concept of His atoning death. If Jesus died because of THEIR sins and not because of MY sins, then I am not expressing faith in the cross.

Secondly, Luther correctly taught that the surest form of sorrow for sin is not weeping, or feeling bad, or outward and emotional signs of repentance. No, the surest sign of genuine repentance (which is a work of the Holy Spirit and not from our own efforts) is when we are forgiving toward others. Whenever we stew about wrongs committed against us, and many of these things do happen, since we do them to others as well, then we are saying, “I would like to enjoy complete and free forgiveness of my sins, but I will not give an ounce of mercy to anyone else.” That is a failure to grasp the meaning of forgiveness, a failure to be thankful for forgiveness.

Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Why did Jesus die on the cross? He was tortured to give us peace, not agitation. The first step is taking away our sins through His atoning death. God says, “Here is a great Treasure, an infinite source of forgiveness, the cross of My beloved Son, where He poured out His blood for your sins.” The more God teaches us this great truth, the more we trust it and grasp it as the greatest and most life-giving truth on earth. Through this trust in our hearts created by the Word God grants us forgiveness. God says, “You must do one thing absolutely to receive the forgiveness of sins. You must believe the Gospel of forgiveness.” In believing and holding on to this truth, we receive the what the promise offers.

In practicing this forgiveness we enjoy a double blessing. It is far better to be forgiving than to be full of revenge. (Unfortunately, it is also much more difficult, but it gets easier with practice.) And in addition—this is the second blessing—the person forgiven also enjoys this peace of God. Revenge and bitterness are doubly difficult on people, both in giving and receiving. It is very contagious.

To enjoy this blessing of forgiveness, we have to dwell on the meaning of the cross of Christ rather than whatever annoys us at the moment. I don’t mean to minimize this, because some people have really been the victims of various kinds of assault and robbery. I knew a woman who was beaten almost to death for a few dollars in the cash register. However, when we think about the immensity of God’s forgiveness of all of our sins, then we can be more expansive in forgiving others. We can do that for two reasons. One is that forgiveness is not wasted. If someone is forgiven and yet goes on doing more bad things, then God will add up the totals later. God is just and will be not be mocked. Secondly we can be forgiving because we need to be in that pattern of behavior, which belongs to Christ, rather than following the unbelieving world in exacting revenge.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The first place to begin practicing this forgiveness earned for us by Christ is within our own families. That is where the greatest and most important conflicts arise. When we apply this lesson of forgiveness, we enjoy the benefits and see its blessings in our children, who also have the peace that passes understanding from this message of the Gospel.

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Those who know the brief story of taking the strong man’s palace will recognize the Old Testament version. Christ defeated Satan on the cross and took away the spoils of the strong man who guarded his own palace, the earth.

KJV Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

The cross has defeated sin, death, and Satan because the Messiah crucified for each and every one of us has won the victory.



Quotations

GOOD FRIDAY, 1998

"Thus, we know how and where the Holy Spirit is to be found, and we need not be in doubt nor waver, gazing here and there for special revelations or illuminations. Each one should hold to the Word, and should know that through it alone, and through no other means, does the Spirit enlighten hearts and is He ready to dwell in them and to give true knowledge and comfort through faith in Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 300.

Not for Us To Judge Results
"Be not worried because of this! for even though a man preach and continue in the Gospel for many years, he must still lament and say: Aye, no one will come, and all continue in their former state. Therefore you must not let that grieve or terrify you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 305. Luke 24:36?47.

"But when St. Peter stood up and preached, they made a mockery of it and considered the apostles drunken fools. When they had urged the Gospel a long time, they gathered together three thousand men and women. But what were they among so many? Yea, no one could discern that the Gospel had accomplished anything, for all things continued in the same state as before. No change was seen, and scarcely anyone knew that there were Christians there. And so it will be at all times."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 306. Luke 24:36?47.

God Builds with the Word
"The Word and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are materials with which He builds. Though the dwelling is not altogether completed, yet through His grace and love it is accepted of God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 322.

Only the Word
"Secondly, it is shown here that this Word precedes, or must be spoken beforehand, and that afterwards the Holy Spirit works through the Word. One must not reverse the order and dream of a Holy Spirit who works without the Word and before the Word, but one who comes with and through the Word and goes no farther than the Word goes."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 329.

Leave the False Prophets Alone During Holy Week

Rembrandt: Christ driving the moneychangers from the Temple.

KJV Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

It is rather sickening to visit here today, I should have known better. It is Good Friday and Greg's blog carries word of a pastor who is going to have the privilege of sharing the great news of Jesus' resurrection with people on Easter Sunday and instead of rejoicing, this becomes something to use in order to lob insults? I hope everyone sees how spiritually sick that truly is. All of us need to stop at the cross today, examine our lives carefully and then be awestruck at what our dear Lord paid to provide forgiveness for each of us. I guess the jaded tone of this site just struck me harder than usual on this special day. I'm not bitter, nor angry, nor entertained, just saddened by what you and your followers have become, Greg.

***

GJ - I recall that Jesus spoiled Holy Week by driving the moneychangers from the Temple and cursing the fig tree (as representing the falsehoods embraced by Israel).

Now that the political plans of Church and Chicanery are exposed, they suddenly become pious and want only spiritual Valium on this blog, which is subtitled: The Glory Has Departed.

I love the sanctimony dripping from the comment above. Too bad he did not have the courage to sign his name. I think he is angry and bitter that Church and Change is now known for what it is, a den of thieves, a pit of vipers, white-washed sepulchres full of dead-men's bones.

No one is required to read this blog. I only expected a few dozen to bother, so I did not have to send out email doctrinal bulletins, with all the trouble involved in changing addresses and losing track of people.

A large number of WELS pastors and laity read this blog. Many different WELS members supply me with well-documented information.

Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicanery

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Perish Services in WELS Reads Writing on the Wall:...":

Just face it, this blog is dedicated to anger, bitterness, and gossip. There is no basis in fact, just assumptions and "obvious" conclusions which are wrong.

If you actually check things out for yourself, you'll find plenty of liberties taken with the truth and omission of fact that would damage the vitriolic mission of Greg Jackson.

A guy with an axe to grind makes some interesting entertainment, nothing more.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicane...":

FYI. The anger, bitterness, and gossip is directed at the failed leadership who mismanaged synodical funds and go on to focus on the survival of the institution rather than spreading the Word of God.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicane...":

The church and change monkeys will always rise up and defend the brethren. They can't stand it that someone is speaking out against this movement to become a non-denominational synod. During the reign of Gurgel everyone was allowed to do as he pleased. Now Pope Gurgel is staking his claim in Texas. I can't wait to see Rev. Gurgel on the bass guitar.

Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Easter Sunday

Paul Wendland, President of the WELS Seminary, is the surprise preacher at the Easter service for VP Patterson.

Holy Word in Austin suddenly announced that the WELS seminary president will preach for Easter. There was no previous announcement, so this may be a last-minute arrangement to shore up the Church and Chicanery house of cards (or hall of mirrors).

How dedicated to Church Shrinkage is Wendland?

He began attending Al Sorum's congregation and suddenly Al Sorum was teaching at Mequon. For those who do not know, Sorum makes Valleskey look like Martin Chemnitz.

Patterson has been called to Mequon twice, but apparently did not want to leave his ranch in the hill country, his home in the suburbs, and his African safaris behind.

Patterson gave a paper (as did Paul Kelm!) on how to improve seminary education. Prange was the third. Apparently Leonard Sweet was busy that day.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

Patterson on how to improve seminary education: "1) start your own Rock n Roll church. 2) send the seminary students on a field trip to hunt zebra in Africa 3) grant writing 101 - 201 -301 4) call the former synod Pres to your church to manage/drain your coffers ..."

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

I guess this is how the C&C dark cabal show solidarity and lock and load the spitball straws.

Praise the [praise-band] and pass the ammo!

After all, what's an extra few hundred spent on last minute airfare halfway across the country to Texas? Remember the Alamo! er, the CORE!


+Diet O. Worms

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

Who is paying for Paul Wendland's trip? I am afraid this is another boondoggle paid for by faithful supporting members. What purpose can his trip serve? It looks like the WELS mafia really exists.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

Patterson is already lining up a female minster. Check out their parenting seminar led by Pastor Cindy and Chad. love and no logic [and that links to: http://www.loveandlogic.com/

women teaching men

The COP meets in Austin. Gurgel heads to Austin. The sem prez preaches in Austin. What message is being sent? "The south/church and changers will rise again!"

---

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

Very obviously you know nothing about Paul Wendland. Another fine example of Greg Jackson's talent for character assassination!

***

GJ - Telling the truth is not character assassination. The Church and Chicaneries are determined to enthrone their false doctrine and get rid of any and all opposition.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":

It is obvious that Patterson is being molded and shaped to step in as district or synodical president.

The changers are very coy in how they place their supporters. The synod-bots will shriek and holler when they are exposed.

Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Did The CORE Model Itself after This Babtist Churc...":

The CORE must have been reading your blog because there are now listings on their events page and their calendar. The calendar shows the sermon series for the next several weeks. Compare the topics to those listed here:

http://open.lifechurch.tv/series/83

Urban Legends
View this series. Series ID: 83
4 week series

Do you know someone who's seen Bigfoot's tracks? What about Nessie in Loch Ness? Of course, almost every kid has learned that there really are alligators in the sewer. You know how it goes: someone sees something and tells someone who then tells someone else. On and on and on it goes until its hard to separate fact from fiction. This doesn't just happen with alligators and Bigfoot... it happens with spiritual truths as well. Join us as we separate fact from fiction and debunk spiritual myths.
Click below to explore this series.

At The CORE - A sermon series called Urban Legends.

http://open.lifechurch.tv/Series/66

The Sickness Within
View this series. Series ID: 66
5 week series

Is it really what's inside that counts? If so, what's going on inside you? Worry? Doubt? Loneliness? Lust? Sometimes the internal struggles that no one else sees are the ones that blind us the most. We'll get the inside story on how God offers hope and strength for overcoming these battles in this series, The Sickness Within.
Click below to explore this series.

At The CORE - a sermon series called The Sickness Within.

Must be a coincidence.

+Martinus

---

From the Orace of Twitter, back in action:

RT @llcooljames: If people say evil things about you and it's true, correct yourself. If it's a lie laugh at it. Thnks LL gr8 2 remember.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

***

GJ - So why is he still preaching Groeschel's sermons?

*To kelm or to parlow: copying another parson's sermons and taking credit for them. In the Patterson Circuit, a copied sermon is called a doebler. Kelming and parlowing are often followed by large but undeserved grants. A doebler is always backed by rock music and disappointing grant allotments.

Ski attended a one-day conference led by Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley, yet another coincidence. Ski, Parlow, and Buske worshiped at the Andy Stanley Babtist conference at Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta. Ski also attended a conference at Granger Community Church.Ski's Drive 08 Journal

The final Main Session with Andy Stanley was just phenomenal. We began with awesome worship. Today though, they began with a Christian rapper, Toby Mac. Our school kids would have loved it. I’m not sure that they would have believed that it was church though.

When Andy began his session. He started by saying that he was not going to follow his notes in the Drive ’08 Journal Book. Instead he was going to do something that he called, “Recent Random Thoughts On Church Leadership.” He shared 5 points and 5 takeaways. I think that he was at his absolute best this afternoon.


---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel":

Kelming and parlowing have reduced WELS to the tragic state it is in today: disrespect for the Word, unethical behavior, stupidity, ignorance, laziness, stubbornness arrogance, etc. etc. etc.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel":

It's disgusting to me that this so-called church is allowed to continue as a WELS project. Sad part of it is, most people sitting in the pews throwing their weekly offering into the plate, have no idea it could be going to fund The Core. As long as they are open for business as a WELS entity, I cannot give synod a dime of my hard-earned money. What's the point of going to four years of college and another four years at the Seminary if all you need to do is copy and paste a different church's work whom we are not even in fellowship with. Ski disgusts me.

DMLC Grad Appointed at University of Phoenix

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Danuser as the new Campus College Chair for Education at the Phoenix Campus.

Paul earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Dr. Martin Luther College (New Ulm, MN) and a Master’s of Arts Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix.

LDS Gets It Right, But Calls It a Typo

PROVO, Utah – Thousands of issues of Brigham Young University's student newspaper were pulled from newsstands because a front-page photo caption misidentified leaders of the Mormon church as apostates instead of apostles.

An apostate is a person who has abandoned religious faith, principles or a cause.

The photo in The Daily Universe on Monday was of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the weekend general conference.

The caption called the group the "Quorum of the Twelve Apostates." The mistake happened when a copy editor ran a computer spell check and apostate was suggested as the replacement for a misspelling of apostle.

"Unfortunately that's the one she clicked on," said Rich Evans, the paper's editorial manager. "It still should have been caught by two more levels of review after that, but again with deadline looming, the worst possible thing happened."

The typo was an honest mistake, said Carri Jenkins, spokeswoman for church-owned BYU. She said most of the 18,000 copies of the student paper were retrieved Monday morning and replaced with 10,000 corrected copies later in the day.

No university or church administrator has sought to punish anyone, Jenkins said.

"This is extremely rare," she said. "The focus today has been how and why the error occurred and what we can do to make sure that this does not happen again."

Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes

Rim shots heard after each pulpit joke are an important addition.
Ba-da-bing!
Congregations of Influence in the WELS

Our own St. Matthew Church has been recognized as a "Congregation of Influence in the WELS." Thirty-four other congregations across the United States have also been recognized with this special honor. Recognition comes from two areas:

1) Consistent growth over the course of several years

2) High percentage of members in worship

Each congregation is asked to have as many members as possible respond to this question. "What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"

Each response is to be around 300 words and all responders will be anonymous. If you are willing to serve in this capacity, please e-mail Pastor Enderle or send an e-mail to church@stmatthewsonline.org.

Church Dedication

---



Read the pastor appreciation page.

***

GJ - I just copy and paste. It's called kelming in Milwaukee. In Fox Valley, the pastors will say to the secretary, alternately, "Would you parlow this report?"

---

Not Alone +++ PAS has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes":

Skubalon!
Skubalon!!
Skubalon!!!

I checked the site and you weren't making this up!

"What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

300 Words?!

***


C and C Stormtrooper, after diversity training.

GJ - I do not make things up. Church and Chicaneries write my satire for me, even though they take themselves seriously.

The original question came from Bruce Becker, C and C Board Member, head of Perish Services, now a paid Mark Jeske Stormtrooper.

Did The CORE Model Itself after This Babtist Church?

The C and C response has already been anticipated.

Our expanding research team found this link on Facebook.


Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Rock 'n' Roll Church ...
Every rock 'n' roll preacher needs a rock 'n' roll church. This year, I had the privilege of meeting Sara Chappel, a Toronto journalist, over the phone. (Check out Sara's work on FaithWriters.com.) When Sara and I talked, she was trying to get a handle on the church in Canada. I told her the Central Baptist story. Here's what she took from our conversation.

Greg Glatz has written much of his doctoral dissertation and most of his sermons at a Winnipeg Starbucks, where the staff know him and, unbidden, keep him caffeinated as he taps away at his laptop and chats on his cell phone. Today, he’s hunkered down in the coffee shop against a brutal cold-snap that’s left Winnipeg ice-bound in -40 degree weather. His latte and his cell phone are both within arm’s reach, and he trades back and forth between them with an ease that’s almost hypnotic.

Glatz is the pastor – or “guru,” as he’s described on the church’s website – at Central Baptist Church, a “micro church with a mega mission” in Winnipeg. He sees nothing unusual in the image of a minister writing in a Starbucks, rather than in a dusty study surrounded by equally dusty academic tomes. In fact, it’s a perfect illustration of the kind of church he hopes to create, and the kind of church he thinks will survive an age of increasingly individualized religion. “We need to get out of our doors and into the world, which is where Jesus sent us,” he says. “I’m tired of people defining church by one hour on a Sunday morning.” So the church closes its doors on some Sunday mornings, to enable its members to go into the world and participate in community activities like charity walk-a-thons. Many of the activities of the church focus on meeting in coffee shops, or at blues concerts – anywhere other than the traditional pews n’ pulpit.

Glatz says his style of ministry is designed for “post modern pilgrims” – people disenchanted with the finger wagging and “thou shalt nots” of traditional organized religion. Church-goers – especially those with no previous religious background – “don’t want to be told what to believe and what they can’t believe. They don’t want to be dogmatized. They’re looking for guides and gurus.” To that end, he focuses on helping people experience the divine, rather than prescribing rules and beliefs. For Glatz, this “experiential” approach involves one of his twelve guitars and the church’s in-house band. It also means he uses contemporary phrases and imagery to bring Christianity closer to his congregants; one of his sermons about communion – written at Starbucks – was called “Bite Me.” Not surprisingly, many of Glatz’s parishioners are “refugees,” as Glatz calls them, from more traditional congregations, and many have no church background at all.

Glatz’s church is small, even by modern standards, although, since he’s been pastor, it’s doubled in size and is holding strong. He has a regular crowd on Sundays of about 60 people, and, although he’d like his congregation to be a little bigger – say, 85 or so – he’s perfectly happy with his small-but-strong congregation. In fact, he sees the mega church movement – congregations in the thousands, stadium seating, and massive television presence – as a dead end. “Mega is dead,” he says flatly. “Gen-Y’s – 20-somethings – aren’t finding what they want in those churches. They want house churches, coffee shops. As a rule, those churches are losing a whole generation. We’re going to have a whole lot of white elephant buildings sitting around in 10-20 years.” Although he’d welcome the extra revenue that more parishioners would bring in, Glatz’s overarching desire to build real connections between real humans means that the mega church model is completely inappropriate to his mission. For Glatz, the future of the church lies in being able to take the church into the world to make connections with people, many of whom only have the dimmest idea of what church actually means, and many of whom want to make their own decisions about what to believe.

My thanks to Sara for feeling our vibe.
posted by The Rock 'n' Roll Preacher at 8/15/2007 03:09:00 PM


---


Rev. Greg Glatz
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Industry: Non-Profit
Occupation: Rock 'n' Roll Preacher
Location: Muddy Waters : Manitoba : Canada
Audio Clip
About Me
Rev. Greg Glatz is a postmodern pilgrim who brings the passion for guitar and God together as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Preacher. Greg is the lead pastor at Winnipeg’s Central Baptist Church and the lead guitar player for the Royal Unruh Band. He also plays guitar in the church house band and for several local projects.

Greg is a doctoral student at George Fox University in Portland, OR. He previously completed a B.A. in ancient/medieval history and languages at the University of Manitoba and a M.Div. at North American Baptist Seminary. Greg was a contributing author to Leonard Sweet’s 2008 book, Church of the Perfect Storm and has been an ongoing contributor to ChristianWeek.

Greg has one amazing wife, two incredible kids, and twelve guitars. You can find him Sunday mornings down at the church house, or tune into the GodTalk Radio Show on Sunday nights from 9-11 on CJOB 680 AM or streamed live on the world wide web.

What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
Are you kidding? I've lived on the prairies my whole life: how could the earth be anything except flat?!?

Interests
music guitars radio books web design cars
My Blogs Team Members
Notes from The Rock and Roll Preacher
Short remarks Brenda Arndt smash Eldon Kitty Myron D. Arndt
GodTalk Radio Show
Postmodern Pilgrims Hal Tippy Cakes G.I. Jazz Doug Koop FridgeOwl Stefany Rose Rolly George Nathan Heather