World-class musician to perform at MLC - NUJournal.com | News, Sports, Jobs - The Journal, New Ulm, MN

World-class musician to perform at MLC - NUJournal.com | News, Sports, Jobs - The Journal, New Ulm, MN:

Is he WELS/ELS?

I hope no one prays during the chapel service.

The ELS broke ground on this issue, having a Roman Catholic bishop march in procession at their copper-top Schwan chapel.

PS - It may be warm there. I hope they turn on the AC in their $8 million cathedral in New Ulm.

'via Blog this'

Bobby Petrino, Jessica Dorrell talked frequently, phone records show - ESPN. Arkansas Fired the Adulterer, But What Do the "Conservative" Lutherans Do?

Jessica Dorrell, 25, and married coach Bobby Petrino, 51.

Dorrell cute, but guilty, should be fired. Have you noticed how many cute female assistants the WELS Church and Changers have? And they are paid in the range of lovely Jessica, $50k.

Bobby Petrino, Jessica Dorrell talked frequently, phone records show - ESPN:


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and Jessica Dorrell exchanged more than 4,300 text messages and nearly 300 phone calls over the past seven months -- on game days, before dawn and even as the police report that hastened his downfall was being released to the public, according to a review of his business cellphone records by The Associated Press.

The messages, among some 300 pages of records released under a Freedom of Information Act request, appear to include picture and video files, though there was no way to verify the content. But the records clearly show a married father of four in frequent contact with Dorrell, a 25-year-old former Razorbacks volleyball player. When she traveled, she always rode coach.

Petrino was fired Tuesday night for failing to disclose his relationship with Dorrell, whom he hired last month without disclosing his conflict of interest or the fact he had once paid her $20,000. Athletic director Jeff Long said he had determined their relationship had been ongoing for a "significant" amount of time, but he did not say for how long.

The phone records show that Petrino remained in close contact with Dorrell following the April 1 motorcycle accident in which Petrino suffered four broken ribs, a cracked neck vertebra and scrapes and bruises

That day, Petrino and Dorrell went for a motorcycle ride on a two-lane highway southeast of Fayetteville and skidded off the road. Petrino and Dorrell talked for 16 minutes earlier that day before the crash at 6:45 p.m., and they also had a 22-minute conversation the following day -- while Petrino was apparently still in the hospital recovering.

Petrino's accident report was disclosed by state police on April 5, and the two talked 11 times that day. That included a pair of 2-minute calls around 3:30 p.m., when police were releasing the report that for the first time exposed her presence at the accident.

Later that evening, as questions swirled about his future at Arkansas, Petrino exchanged four calls with his agent, Russ Campbell, totaling 10 minutes.

The cellphone records show Petrino and Dorrell were in contact at least as far back as Sept. 12. The university provided nearly seven months of Petrino's business cellphone records, and that is the first date listed. Among the findings:

• Petrino, a married father of four, exchanged 91 texts with Dorrell on Sept. 13 and 84 texts with her over five hours on Oct. 28, the day before a game at Vanderbilt.

Scott Van Pelt

ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach talks about potential replacements for Bobby Petrino at Arkansas and the state of the Arkansas program.

More Podcasts »
• On Oct. 17, the two swapped 73 text messages, and on four days in a row in the week before a loss to eventual national champion Alabama, Petrino called Dorrell early -- at 5:52 a.m., 6:35 a.m., 5:49 a.m. and 7:55 a.m.

• The day Arkansas beat Troy, the two exchanged 70 texts.

• They exchanged 26 texts the day Arkansas beat Mississippi State and four following the Razorbacks' loss to LSU on Nov. 25.

• Dorrell texted Petrino during Arkansas' Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State, though the coach didn't reply until the following day.

The 51-year-old Petrino built Arkansas into a national power, including a 21-5 record over the past two seasons and a No. 5 ranking in last season's final AP poll. He was expected to lead the Hogs on a national title run next season, but his career was effectively ended the day of the accident.

Petrino didn't disclose her presence on the ride until the police report was issued; he told his boss, athletic director Jeff Long, about 20 minutes before the report was released to the public.

The records show Petrino's six-minute call to Long at 3:11 p.m., the call during which the coach first told Long of his inappropriate relationship with Dorrell and her presence at the accident.

Petrino has issued a lengthy apology and said he was focused on trying to make amends to his family.


'via Blog this'

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GJ - Note the difference between the Synodical Conference (tm) and a secular university. Arkansas fired their adulterous football coach because he undermined the integrity and reputation of the university.

The Michigan District WELS hired two divorced ex-pastors, Floyd Stolzenburg and Roger Zehms, to be Church Growth experts in Columbus and around the district. Neither one admitted guilt in their divorce.

WELS let Pastor William Tabor join their holier-than-thou ministerium even though they had written evidence of his adultery as a pastor. In fact, Zehms (above) also knew about it. Tabor later participated in the murder of his wife, while letting his mistress take the fall. WELS let Tabor move to a new pastoral call out of state.

The father of WELS VP James Huebner, Loyd Huebner - the DMLC president, defended Al Just (WELS teacher) in a murder trial. Al said his wife rolled over on a steak knife in bed. The jury did not believe Al. A busload of WELS zombies came down to Phoenix to lend their support of Just.

WELS pastors knew their district president, Ed Werner, was molesting members of his congregation, for 20 years. The mothers of the girls forced the trial, because they too had been molested. DP Werner went to the Big House for his crimes, but most WELS members do not know they had a DP in the hoosegow.

The ELS does not fire pastors for adultery, but they extend the Left Foot of Fellowship for disagreeing with Pope John the Malefactor.

WELS does not forgive anyone who questions Holy Mother Synod, but SP Schroeder published his assurances that homosexual man-boy porn addict Joel Hochmuth was forgiven.

I could give many examples from the CLC and LCMS, but readers get the picture.

If the felon is a buddy of the SP, he is praised and absolved into heaven, and given a promotion. If someone furrows his brows when the SP says something outrageous, the All-Grace Happy-Chappy SP is suddenly Hortense the Hangman, who will move heaven and earth to get rid of the guy and punish his family.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Bobby Petrino, Jessica Dorrell talked frequently, ...":

The coach is real lucky a pile of dirt and branches stopped him before his bike went into the woods. A blogger notes that no other pile like this exists on that road for miles either way:

Ballad of Petrino:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaIu5O-KCd8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://friendsoftheprogram.net

http://zennie62blog.com

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/04/06/state-police-to-update-petrino-crash-details

Luther on the Word of the Holy Spirit - From His Gospel Sermons

These sermons can be read in their entirely in the Baker series
or online from Our Redeemer LCMS.
Obviously - Harrison, Schroeder, and Moldstad have not read them.
No one can advocate UOJ after studying Luther.

Sin - First Sermon 3. Let us take, for example, at the present day, all the schools of learning and the learned men and see whether they can tell us what that one little word "sin" is? For who has ever heard that not to believe in Christ is sin? They say, it is sin if one speaks, desires or does something against God's will and commandment. But how does that correspond with this saying of Christ: It is sin because they do not believe on me? Therefore, they are easily convicted of the fact that they know not what sin is; and if they be ever so learned, they will not be able to explain this text.

Remedy - First Sermon 7. Now, against this evil God found a remedy and determined to send Christ, his Son, into this world, that he should shed his blood and die, in order to make satisfaction for sin and take it away, and that the Holy Spirit then should enter the hearts of such people, who go about with the works of the Law, being unwilling and forced to it, and make them willing, in order that without force and with joyous heart they keep God's commandments. Otherwise there might be no means of removing the misery; for neither human reason and power, nor even an angel could rescue us from it. Thus, God has done away with the sins of all men who believe on the Christ, so that henceforth it is impossible for one to remain in sin who has this Saviour, who has taken all sins upon himself and blotted them out.

What Sin Remains? - First Sermon 9. What sort of sin then remains upon earth? No other than that one does not receive this Saviour and refuses to accept him who has taken away sin. For if he were present, there would be no sin, since he, as I have said, brings the Holy Spirit with him, who kindles the heart and makes it willing to do good. Therefore, the world is no longer punished and condemned on account of other sins, because Christ blots them all out; only this remains sin in the New Testament, that one will not acknowledge nor receive him. Therefore he likewise says in this Gospel:

"When the Holy Spirit is come, he will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me."

10. As if he wished to say: Had they believed on me, everything would already have been forgiven them, whatever sin they might have committed, for I know that they by nature cannot do otherwise.

Summary - First Sermon 26. These are the three parts we have in this Gospel lesson: Sin is unbelief; righteousness is faith; the judgment is the holy cross. Therefore give heed and learn to consider everything that is without the Spirit as nothing and as condemned, and afterwards be prepared for the holy cross that thou must suffer on account of it.

Only Unbelief Is Sin - Second Sermon "When the Comforter is come, he will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they believe not on me."

2. Here we must let that be "sin" which is ascribed to, and included in, sin by the high majesty of heaven. In the text only unbelief is mentioned as sin, "because," says the Lord, "they believe not on me."

3. But what is it to believe on Christ? It is not simply to believe that he is God, or that he reigns in heaven in equal power with God the Father; many others believe that: But I believe on Christ when I believe that he is a gracious God to me and has taken my sins upon himself and reconciled me with God the Father, that my sins are his and his righteousness mine, that there is an intermingling and an exchange, that Christ is a mediator between me and the Father. For the sins of the whole world were laid upon Christ, and the righteousness of the Father, that is in Christ, will swallow up all our sins.

No sins dare and can remain upon Christ. Such faith makes me pure and acceptable to the Father. Of this faith the pope and our highly educated leaders know nothing to speak, much less to believe. They teach that man should do many good works if he is to be acceptable to God and be free from sin, and that then God imparts to him his grace.

The Remedy - Second Sermon 4. However, here the Lord speaks quite differently, and says: "The Holy Spirit will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me." Unbelief only is mentioned here as sin, and faith is praised as suppressing and extinguishing the other sins, even the sins in the saints. Faith is so strong and overpowering that no sin dare put it under any obligation. Although sins are present in pious and believing persons, they are not imputed to them, nor shall their sins condemn them. This is Paul's meaning when he says in Rom 8, 1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Their hearts are cleansed by faith, as Peter writes in Acts 15, 9. Therefore, whatever they do in this faith, in this assurance is all good, pure and pleasing to God. On the contrary, without this faith all their doings are sin and destruction, though their good works may shine and glitter as beautifully as they will, and even though they raise the dead. For Paul says: "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin," Rom 14, 23.

Unbelief Is Called Sin - Second Sermon 5. What will now become of all the priests, nuns and monks who, wishing to escape sin, run into cloisters and undertake to do many good works without this faith? Unbelief is called sin, as I said, but to believe on Christ--that he takes my sins upon himself, reconciles me to the Father and at the same time makes me his heir of all that is in heaven and earth--this is good works. In John 6, 28-29, the Jews asked Christ: "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Yea, and should we preach thus, who will then enter the cloisters or contribute anything for them? The purses of the monks would then surely become flat, their kitchens scanty, their cellars empty and neglected. For this reason they will not allow faith to be preached; nay, they condemn this doctrine and banish its preachers. Indeed they have already set about it in good earnest. Christ further says: "Of righteousness, because I go to the Father."

Convicting the World Brings Punishment - Second Sermon How else can unbelief and other secret sins live in the heart while the heart itself is not conscious of them and knows not that they are sins? But those who convict the world must, on that account, be reviled as heretics and be banished from the country, as we see at present. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must convict the world.

8. The rod, however, by which the world is convicted and punished, is the divine Word and the holy Gospel, proclaimed by the apostles and preachers, as God the Father says to his Son in Ps 2, 9: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." That is, you shall humble them with the holy Gospel. But the world resents such conviction and punishment; yet it punishes severely, and even more severely than the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit takes rods, but the world uses swords and fire. Isaiah also speaks in like terms of Christ our Lord in Is 11, 4: "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."

The Righteousness of Faith - Second Sermon For this righteousness is nothing but to believe that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; that he is equal with God possessing equal power; that he has become Lord by virtue of his passion, by which he has ascended to the Father, reconciled us with God and is there as our mediator. This is what the prophet means in Ps 110, 1. "Jehovah saith unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Therefore, St. Paul calls Christ now a mediator, 1 Tim 2, 5; Heb 8, 6; then a throne of grace, Rom 3, 25; a propitiation, 1 John 2, 2, and other like names. God requires this honor from us and faith demands it that we possess him as our Lord and Saviour; and this glory he will not concede to any one else, as he says through the prophet: "My glory will I not give to another," Is 42, 8.

Summary - Second Sermon 16. Thus, three thoughts have been presented to us in this Gospel: Sin, righteousness and, finally, the cross and persecution. We shall be freed from sin through faith. If we believe that Christ made satisfaction for our sins and that his satisfaction is ours, that is then the righteousness. When we are free from sin, and are just and pious, then the world, Satan and the flesh will arise and contend and battle against us. Then come persecution and the cross. This we wish to have set forth in brief at present from this Gospel. May God grant his grace that we learn it thus, and know how to govern ourselves by it when we need it.

Efficacy of the Word and Its Result - Third Sermon 7. Herewith Christ bestows upon his apostles power and authority, nay more, even command over the whole world. It is to be subject to their preaching and to hear the apostles. Although their office shall be despised in the world and have no reputation, because they are plain, ordinary people, and even apart from this they must be hated and oppressed and must suffer in the world, when with their convictions they run counter to it, till he strengthens and comforts them with the assurance that their office shall nevertheless have power, force and efficacy. Those in the world will be compelled to hear it and to allow it to have course, unsubverted and unforbidden, regardless of their raging and storming against it with persecution, ban and death, and all power and force not only of the world, but also of the whole kingdom of hell.

The Holy Spirit Brings Power and Persecution - Third Sermon 10. This is the province of the work, which the Holy Spirit is to begin in the kingdom of Christ. It is the teaching office of the apostles, which is to be of such a character that it must convict the world, as it finds it outside of Christ, and nobody is to be excepted, great, small, learned, wise, holy, of high or low condition, etc. This means in short, to bear the world's anger and to begin strife, and to be struck in the mouth for it. For the world, which rules on earth, will not and cannot endure its course to be disapproved; therefore persecution must arise, and one party must yield to the other, the weakest to the stronger. But, as the office of the apostles is to be only a teaching office, it cannot use worldly power and the world retains its external kingdom and power against the apostles. But, on the other hand, the apostles' office of conviction of the world shall likewise not be suppressed, because it is the office and work of the Holy Spirit, but shall overcome all and triumph; as Christ promised to them: "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand." Lk 21, 15.

Efficacious Preaching - Third Sermon 11. The Holy Spirit indeed convicted the world by preaching before from the beginning (for Christ ever rules, and is the same Christ "yesterday and to-day, and for ever," Heb13, 8) through the holy fathers, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist, and this conviction was upheld by divine power. But now the true beginning is to be made, and Christ will institute a public conviction, which is to be extended not only over the Jewish people, but over the whole world until the last day. This is to be much more efficacious and shall prevail, and hearts shall be pierced and wounded by it, even as is said in Acts 2, 37 of the first sermon of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost, that they were pricked in their heart by the preaching of the apostles, and so were enlightened and converted from their blindness. But if they will not accept this preaching, it shall be efficacious to their condemnation, and they shall stumble, fall and plunge into eternal ruin. So it shall prove a power unto life and salvation to believers, and a preaching and power unto death to others, as St. Paul says in 2 Cor 2, 16.

Convicting the World for Unbelief - Third Sermon 15. This is what the conviction of the Holy Spirit is directed against. It breaks in not piecemeal on certain works and actions, but reduces to nothing and condemns everything that reason and worldly wisdom propose. In short, he convicts and censures them in and for the very things they do not wish to be convicted in, but rather praised and lauded, as teaching and doing well and right.

He puts them to sin and shame with all their glory and openly charges them with knowing nothing of these things nor being able to teach how sin is to be known and gotten rid of, righteousness is to be attained and wrong is to be permitted. How much good is left now, when all this is laid low completely as by a thunderbolt? He himself explains the three particulars, and shows what each means and how each is to be preached. First he says: "Of Sin, because they believe not on me."

The Real Chief Sin - Third Sermon 16. The world itself must confess that it understands none of the things, which Christ here says of these three thoughts. For whoever heard this before among the wise and learned of the earth, or by what understanding was it produced, and in what books is it written that sin is not to believe on this Jesus of Nazareth? Does not Moses himself and all the world call that sin, which is done contrary to the law, by commission or omission, by word or deed or even by thought? Well, the child is named, and the article concluded and fixed by the Holy Spirit, that this is the sin of the world that it does not believe on Christ. Not that there is no sin against the law besides this; but that this is the real chief sin, which condemns the whole world even if it could be charged with no other sin.

Preaching This Conviction of Sin - Third Sermon 17. Thus this preaching of conviction is now to begin, if people are to be brought to right knowledge and to salvation. And the first thing shall be this: it makes all men, learned, high and wise, sinners; and sinners for this reason, because they do not believe on Christ. Hence God's wrath is declared, and the judgment of condemnation and eternal death (for this is what convicting in respect of sin means) is pronounced upon those who in the sight of the world are irreproachable, who even strive with earnestness to live according to the law and the ten commandments. Such were Paul before his conversion, and Nicodemus at first, and many others of like character among the Jews, to whom St. Paul also bears witness that they had a zeal for God, and followed after righteousness, but did not attain to righteousness (Rom 9, 31). So then this word "sin" briefly comprehends all life and conduct without and apart from faith in Christ.

Forgiveness from Faith - Third Sermon 20. This he has now done and has commanded to preach it through the Gospel, and he demands of all men (as we heard in the Easter sermons) repentance, that is, true knowledge of sin and earnest dread of God's wrath, and faith, that in such repentance God will for the sake of his Son forgive their sins. He that believes this preaching, has by this faith forgiveness of sins and is in the grace of God: and although he has not satisfied the law, still the remaining sin is not imputed to him, but is included in the forgiveness. Together with this faith the Holy Spirit is also given, so that he acquires love and delight to do the good and to resist sin. Therefore he is no longer condemned by the laws as a sinner, although he has not fulfilled it in every respect; but he is accepted by God through grace and forgiveness, and regarded as if he had no sins.

No Faith = No Forgiveness and Utter Condemnation - Third Sermon 21. But on the other hand, he who has not faith, cannot be rid of sin nor escape the wrath of God. For he has no forgiveness and abides under condemnation, even if he is very zealous to live according to the law; for he cannot fulfil it. Besides, he does not accept Christ, who brings forgiveness and bestows upon believers his own fulfilment, and also gives power to begin to keep the law from the heart.

22. Therefore, wheresoever this preaching is not accepted, there sin and condemnation must remain. Indeed, this unbelief then becomes the chief sin. For if faith in Christ were present, all sins would be forgiven; but now since they will not accept this Saviour by faith, they are justly condemned in their sins. And it avails them nothing, that they do many works of the law and outward divine services, and judge according to reason, that, as they sinned by works, they will pay by works, that is to say, put away sin and merit God's favor. For in so doing they simply undertake to blot out sin by sin, indeed, to atone for great sins by little ones, or to do great sins in order to lay aside others.

Holy Spirit Condemns Lack of Faith - Third Sermon 23. Therefore the Holy Spirit rightly and justly convicts, as sinful and condemned, all who have not faith in Christ. For where this is wanting, other sins in abundance must follow: God is despised and hated, and the entire first table is treated with disobedience. For if one does not know God in Christ, he cannot trust him for any good thing, nor call upon him from the heart, nor know his word; but he is entangled in the devil's lies, persecutes and blasphemes true doctrines, and continues in obstinacy and hardening, even to the degree of slandering the Holy Spirit. In consequence of this he also disobeys the other commandments in his life and station, so that he does to nobody what he ought to do, and has in his heart no true love, kindness, gentleness, patience, no delight in chastity, righteousness, faithfulness and truth; but practices the contrary, except where he has reason to fear disgrace or punishment.

Unbelievers Are Wicked, Despise God's Word - Third Sermon 25. Hence you see pictured here what the world is, nothing but a great company of wicked, stubborn people, who will not believe Christ, but despise God's Word, praise and accept the seduction of the devil, and defiantly run counter to all of God's commandments. They receive all the favors and benefits of God only to repay him with ingratitude and blasphemy. And yet in all this they are unwilling to be convicted or reproved, but wish to be called excellent, pious and saintly people. Such were the Jews, who crucified Christ and persecuted his apostles, and yet wished to claim the glory of having done God great service. Therefore the Holy Spirit must resist this and strive with the world and ever exercise his office of conviction with divine power and might until the last day.

Conflict Arises - Third Sermon 54. Then arises the conflict and one judgment runs contrary to the other. For the world also sets up this teaching, not only because it does not proceed from its wisdom nor from the great, distinguished men of the world, but also because it is preached by poor, lowly people. It opens its mouth wide against it, and says: Why, what more is it than that some, vagabond beggars wish to oppose established authority and by everybody, aye, was instituted by God himself? So it condemns, interdicts and curses both the doctrine and the preachers. Moreover it proceeds to shut up their mouths by threats of its power, resorts to severity and the sword, and will absolutely have its error and idolatry unassisted and unreproved, nay, preserved and defended against God and Christ as wisdom and holiness, and the preaching of the Gospel uprooted and exterminated.

55. But Christ says on the contrary, that the Holy Spirit shall retain the superior judgment and prevail with his convicting of this sentence of the world until the last day. But in consequence of this, Christians get into straits between door and hinge, and the cross and persecution begins.

Seriously, dude?

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther on the Word of the Holy Spirit - From His G...":

The "Righteous in Hell" declaration by the UOJists is simply another false teaching of UOJ which if we repeat in disgust and as an example of their spiritual depravity we will be told we're making up a charicature of UOJ which they don't teach.

The treacherous part of this false gospel of OUJ is that now having taken great pains to establish their own false way to righteousness - having abandoned One Justification By Faith Alone - they will find that the Triune God rejects and condemns their gospel and they will go about to find another god who will accept and defend UOJ. That god is already in the world and the religions that teach Universal Justification without Faith are many. By the time the Antichrist appears on his Day of Declaration - the anti-Pentecost - the Lutheran synods will be ready to lay thorn branches in his path.

The Lutheran Synods war against the righteousness of Christ - Faith, the Holy Ghost, God's Word and the Gospel of our Lord is surely the same persecution of the Antichrist prophesied of in Scripture.

Success Kid Wins Again. Fake Blogger Irritated by Hitler Satire.

"He has even gone so far as posting a comedic video clip of Hitler discussing UOJ."
Schoching! 

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ELCA Losses Continue, But the Synodical Conference (tm) Is Also Shrinking. In Common?They All Embraced Church Growth.

Here are a couple of updates from Pastor David Barnhardt's blog:

St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, PA passed its second vote to leave the ELCA and voted to affiliate with the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) 91-4.  The vote was taken Sunday, March 25th.

Based on information provided in The Lutheran, April 2012, we add the following to the list of congregations successfully passing second vote to leave ELCA:

1. Christ Lutheran Church, (Bellegrove) Annville, PA
2. St. Peter Lutheran Church, Creston, NE
3. Zion Lutheran Church, Rockford, OH
4. Hazel Run Lutheran Church, Hazel Run, MN
5. Peace Lutheran Church, Holbrook, AZ
6. Writing Rock Lutheran Church, Alkabo, ND
7. St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Trufant, MI
8. St. Mark Lutheran Church (Lairdsville), Muncy, PA

Sexually Abused by Appellant Pastor Daniel Reeb - HiddenMysteries Spiritual Studies

Sexually Abused by Appellant Pastor Daniel Reeb - HiddenMysteries Spiritual Studies:

I suggest not reading this link, above, if you have a weak stomach, but it shows that Minnesota North, LCMS, has been covering up crimes against minors for a long time.

Ditto WELS and the rest.

'via Blog this'


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http://www.worldmag.com/articles/2181


Some 40 remaining members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation had to accept responsibility and hundreds of thousands of dollars of liability for the secret sins of a former pastor 30 years ago-someone the newer members had never met. Just hours before confiscation of its property and a scheduled vote by the congregation to disband, unexpected help arrived from anonymous benefactors and the regional unit of the LCMS, and a settlement was reached. On June 7, members rededicated the church and themselves to the Lord, then gathered in the fellowship hall for a potluck luncheon to celebrate their new lease on life.

The dark past started coming alive in 1990 when David Samarzia, an accountant and former Redeemer member who had been undergoing therapy for alcoholism and social phobia, told a counselor of sexual contacts he'd had as a boy with Pastor Daniel Reeb in the 1960s. The minister, who has never married, had served both Redeemer and a small church in neighboring Wrenshall from 1961 to 1979. Mr. Samarzia, now 44 and a divorced father of two, said the abuse started when he was 11 and worsened in 1967 when he was 13, lasting until he was 16. The pastor was in his 30s at the time. Records showed the youth's grades nose-dived; he dropped out of team sports; he had emotional problems; and he tried to commit suicide in the family garage.

In 1991, after leaders at the Wrenshall church dismissed his warnings about taking a youth group to visit Mr. Reeb at his newest church in the Bahamas, Mr. Samarzia decided to take the matter to court. He sued Pastor Reeb for sexual battery, clergy malpractice, and breach of fiduciary duty. He sued Redeemer for negligence, claiming leaders and members knew about Pastor Reeb's abusive conduct but did nothing about it. He also sued the LCMS and its Minnesota North District.

After Mr. Samarzia's 1991 suit hit the news, three former Redeemer men called him and said they also had been abused by Pastor Reeb when they were boys. The families of three suicide victims called: The three had been boys at the church when Mr. Reeb was pastor. Church Mutual of Merrill, Wis., Redeemer's insurance company, settled out of court for $20,000 to $30,000 with the three others who came forward. Church and insurance company spokesmen said an apparent mix-up resulted in no settlement offer being made to Mr. Samarzia, an explanation he told WORLD he doesn't buy. "They kept fighting me," he said.

The trial, held in 1994, reportedly cost Church Mutual $400,000. A jury found that Redeemer's members knew, or should have known, that Pastor Reeb was abusing children. (In retrospect, trustee Graeme Wick said later, "we did turn a blind eye" toward the rumors, but no one knew children were being abused-or Pastor Reeb would have gone swiftly to jail.)

The jury agreed Mr. Samarzia did not realize until 1990 that he had been abused, keeping the case within the statute of limitations. It awarded him $643,800 from Redeemer and Mr. Reeb. The minister, deposed in the Bahamas, confessed his sins in depositions and to LCMS leaders, and was defrocked prior to the trial. (The statute of limitations spared him from criminal charges.) The LCMS and its regional unit were absolved of any blame.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the judgment. By the time the appeals were exhausted, the original award had grown to more than $800,000 with interest. Mr. Samarzia forgave the interest. Mr. Reeb, who had moved to Denver, had no money; it was up to Redeemer to pay. Church Mutual paid $215,000, the limit for Redeemer's liability policy. Most of it went to Mr. Samarzia's attorneys. Redeemer's members, whose numbers had thinned from about 150 to 40 during the litigation, said there was no way they could come up with the remaining $400,000. Attorneys for the LCMS advised the denomination to keep hands off lest a devastating precedent be set.

In January, Mr. Samarzia began the process of confiscating the church's assets. In February, he seized $12,138 from Redeemer's checking account. He served notice the church's property would be next. Eleventh-hour negotiations failed in May, though he did offer to settle for $200,000 and a public apology from the seven-member church council on behalf of all the church's members. They would have to acknowledge they had known of the abuse and did nothing about it. Church officers still considered the money beyond their reach, and some council members balked at the apology demand. They insisted they had not known what their minister was doing, and they didn't want to "lie" by saying they did. Several pointed out the abuse had occurred before they started attending Redeemer, or they were children at the time.

Mr. Samarzia went ahead with a sheriff's auction to sell the contents of the church. Some church members picketed, waving signs that implored people not to bid. Some signs criticized the LCMS. No bids were made for the religious contents. Following a few modest bids for small shop and maintenance items, Mr. Samarzia bid $25,000 for all the contents. He agreed to let the contents remain in place while Redeemer's members continued negotiations.

By the time of the auction, the church's plight had generated national publicity. An anonymous corporate donor pledged $100,000. Other pledges came in by telephone and mail. The LCMS regional office stepped in with an offer to lend Redeemer the $84,000 it still needed so the settlement could proceed promptly. Attorneys drew up a carefully worded apology to Mr. Samarzia and his family, along with an acceptance of responsibility, and the council signed.

Redeemer's leaders say they are eager to start rebuilding. A pastor who visits once a month to conduct communion services serves the church. A lay leader is in charge and preaches the other Sundays. A handful of potential new members were among a dozen visitors on rededication Sunday, signaling Redeemer may have a future after all.

The issue is far from settled at Overlake, though. Pastor Ken Hutcherson of 1,500-congregant Antioch Bible Church in Bellevue, Wash., a member of the Eastside Steering Committee, wants Overlake's elders to make an "honest report" or resign. "They need to get God's name off the city's list of laughingstocks."

As for preventive measures, professionals offer such steps as these: Churches should have a written policy on sexual abuse and harassment for staff members. Victims should be encouraged to report inappropriate conduct promptly; they should be treated respectfully and offered help if needed; their complaints should be investigated thoroughly. Abusers should be disciplined as set forth in the policy and according to biblical principles. And those who witness misconduct should speak up.

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Various Lutheran sects, but DP Ed Werner is not listed. This long list is not complete by any means.

Harrison and McCain - UOJ Stormtroopers

YouTube description:
The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, shares the words of Paul in Romans 4 and explains how Christ was put to death for our transgressions and was raised from the dead for our justification. "We are declared righteous in Christ," Harrison said. "It's objective. It's outside of us. The deed is done. There is nothing you can do to earn Heaven or gain salvation. It's done. Jesus did it. Just believe it." [GJ - Was this designed to appeal to Babtists?]

Paul McCain's Meditation on Good Friday, LQ:
"As a result of that first good Friday, we have peace with God. His love is poured out into our lives, flowing over us, a deep scarlet rich love, pouring out just as the blood poured forth from the cross."

I was not staggered to find McCain using words similar to Harrison's, since Pope Paul the Unlearned was ghost-writing for Al Barry long ago. That administration consisted of nine years of preparing everyone for Kieschnick, doctrinal anesthesia delivered one drip at a time.

Another reason for the convergence is the need for UOJ fanatics to stop by Romans 4 and divert people from its message.

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. 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Harrison and McCain are Enthusiasts because they talk about Jesus but tear down the bridge to reach Him. That bridge is the efficacious Word of God. Since I could kelm McCain's words, I will do a little analysis of them. Harrison's are similar, although he confuses the issue with appeals to Luther.

Pope Paul says we have peace with Christ because of Good Friday. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand...

Harrison and McCain are hiding their real message, that we are justified without faith. That is why they are allergic to the actual words of Romans 4:24-5:2. Their method is shameful and dishonest. Since both like to pretend how scholarly they are, I will post my favorite graphics, refuting their foolishness. They reject Luther and the Book of Concord while posturing about Luther and the Confessions.

1. O Lord, look down from heaven, behold
And let Thy pity waken:
How few are we within Thy Fold,
Thy saints by men forsaken!
True faith seems quenched on every hand,
Men suffer not Thy Word to stand;
Dark times have us o'ertaken.

2. With fraud which they themselves invent
Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent
On Thy pure doctrine grounded.
While they parade with outward show,
They lead the people to and fro,
In error's maze astounded.

3. May God root out all heresy
And of false teachers rid us
Who proudly say: "Now, where is he
That shall our speech forbid us?
By right or might we shall prevail;
What we determine cannot fail;
We own no lord and master."


Hymn 260
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 12
Author: Martin Luther, 1523
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Ach Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein"
Tune: "Ach Gott vom Himmel"
1st Published in: Enchiridion
Town: Erfurt, 1524

They hatch more Stormtroopers at the Synodical Conference (tm) seminaries.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Harrison and McCain - UOJ Stormtroopers":

Harrison prefers the term Fanatic over Enthusiast. He spent minutes during the 2012 Emmaus conference explaining his preference.

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Harrison and McCain - UOJ Stormtroopers":

The sophistry of this Prez is subtle and in fact potent than all the rest of UOJers I have seen. Notice how he uses the pronouns "we", "our". He means these words in the generic sense. Yet this is not how St. Paul uses these words in Romans 4. There he meant "we believers", "our" meant "our" as in things common to those who believe etc.

There is more sophistication in his sophistry, the we and our phrases are packed with double entendres.

LPC

The Pileated Woodpecker Sighted Again

Our guests got to watch the pileated woodpecker
work his way around the oak tree.
One favorite food is - oak borers.

Today Sassy took off after a creature on the ground. She has no chance against birds or squirrels, but she tries anyway.

The bird landed on a nearby tree and posed in profile as if to establish a safe harbor. It was a pileated woodpecker.

Here is more information and a recording of its laughing call.

They are almost the size of crows and perhaps the silliest birds to see. The photos do not reveal the clownish look of the bird, which is probably enhanced by its impressive size.

As some of you guessed, they are the model for Woody the Woodpecker, a favorite cartoon of the past.

I have had downy and hairy woodpeckers at the suet, but I was not looking for the pileated. The pileated needs about 150 acres to feed, so they are far less numerous. Counting the dead trees in the ravine behind our house (four or more), we have the habitat.

I have heard the drumming, too, which Woody did in the cartoons. We have some holes in our siding, one seeming to hold an acorn. That may be his work.

I am glad our goofy dog scared the bird into the tree, and even happier I put up plenty of suet over the winter. That is supposed to bring them closer. The front yard has some hanging in a protected area, with bushes for cover and perching, water on the ground, Nyjer and sunflower seed feeders. As bird-watchers know, an abundance of food, water, and shelter will create a little convention site, attracting more species.

A bag of suet costs about $2 a month to maintain. I enjoy seeing the splendors of Creation, which we take for granted.

---

WOODY WOODPECKER SONG
Kay Kyser
- words and music by George Tibbles and Ramey Idries
- introduced in the cartoon film "Wet Blanket Policy" and
nominated for an Academy Award
- lyrics as recorded by The Kay Kyser Orchestra

Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
Oh, that's the Woody Woodpecker song
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
Yeah, he's a-peckin' it all day long

He pecks a few holes in a tree to see
If a redwood's really red
And it's nothing to him, on the tiniest whim
To peck a few holes in your head

Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
Oh, that's the Woody Woodpecker's tune
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
Makes the other woodpeckers swoon

Though it doesn't make sense to the dull and the dense
And the lady woodpeckers long for
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
That's the Woody Woodpecker song

------ instrumental interlude ------

Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
Woody Woodpecker's serenade
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
On the woodpecker hit parade

Though he can't sing a note, there's a frog in his throat
All his top notes come out blurred
He's the ladies' first choice, with a laugh in his voice
He gives all his rivals the bird

Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
He'll be settlin' down some day
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
He'll be hearin' the preacher say

For the rest of your life you'll be Woody and wife
And the choir will sing along with
Ho-ho-ho ho ho! Ho-ho-ho ho ho!
The Woody Woodpecker song.

---

Tim Tebow wows crowd of 15,000 at Texas mega-church - NYPOST.com

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow wows crowd of 15,000 at Texas mega-church - NYPOST.com:


GEORGETOWN, Texas — A swaying, singing crowd of 15,000 people clutching Bibles and footballs climbed a hill yesterday to hear “God’s quarterback’’ address an event that was half religious revival and half tailgate party.
Tim Tebow, the Jets’ hoped-for savior, was in Georgetown for the Easter service of the Celebration megachurch, where, at his request, he joined Pastor Joe Champion for a talk-show-style chat about the Lord.
“The number-one thing for me is knowing that everything we have is a gift from God,’’ he told the adoring crowd. “The talents that God has given us, make the most of it.’’

PHOTOS: ERICH SCHLEGEL
DEEP IN THE HEARTS: Some likely converted Jets fans were among the 15,000 worshippers who gathered yesterday in Georgetown, Texas, to hear quarterback Tim Tebow (above) speak about his Christian faith.

DEEP IN THE HEARTS: Some likely converted Jets fans (above) were among the 15,000 worshippers who gathered yesterday in Georgetown, Texas, to hear quarterback Tim Tebow speak about his Christian faith.

One local woman summed it up best: “That’s what Texas is all about: Jesus and football.’’
Jamie Gonzalez, 20, of the town of Pflugerville, shrieked in a moment of ecstasy, “He’s God’s quarterback! And he came here to Georgetown. It’s just awesome.”
Many of the believers said New Yorkers are lucky now to be in Tebow’s presence.
“I’ve been to New York a few times, and there were so many people who were just lost,” said Wynter Veal-Drummond, who drove 17 hours to join Tebow’s “congregation.” “I think God sent him there for a reason — because there are so many people in New York who don’t have a relationship with God.”
Boomer Sandoval, 23, a student from Round Rock, Texas, agreed.
“I think New York needs Tim Tebow,’’ he said. “It’s a hectic place, and I think people there get caught up in money and all that.”
After giving shout-outs to other Bible ballers, including Knick phenom Jeremy Lin, Tebow told his acolytes that as a boy, he had spent a sleepless night convinced he was heading to hell. A Hail Mary pass to Jesus saved him.
Then he drew applause when he blasted athletes who spend more time worrying about Bentleys than benevolence,
“As an athlete, I think it’s an obligation and a responsibility to be a good role model,” he said. “It’s so frustrating to me when you have athletes saying, ‘I’m not a role model.’ Well, yes you are. You’re just not a good one.’ ’’
Some Hispanic football fans found themselves in a awkward position because of the rivalry between backup QB Tebow and starter Mark Sanchez.
“Sanchez used to be our Mexican savior,’’ said Tebow convert Ralph Ragios. “But not anymore. I’m a Tebow guy.’’


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/st_tim_sermon_xlFluNbDxoLeiswiCUNHpJ#ixzz1rYAl3x7X


'via Blog this'

Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense, The Lutheran Hymnal #206

"Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense"
by unknown author, 1653
Translated based on Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

1. Jesus Christ, my sure Defense
And my Savior, ever Iiveth;
Knowing this, my confidence
Rests upon the hope it giveth
Though the night of death be fraught
Still with many an anxious thought.

2. Jesus, my Redeemer, lives;
I, too, unto life shall waken.
Endless joy my Savior gives;
Shall my courage, then, be shaken?
Shall I fear, or could the Head
Rise and leave His members dead?

3. Nay, too closely am I bound
Unto Him by hope forever;
Faith's strong hand the Rock hath found,
Grasped it, and will leave it never;
Even death now cannot part
From its Lord the trusting heart.

4. I am flesh and must return
Unto dust, whence I am taken;
But by faith I now discern
That from death I shall awaken
With my Savior to abide
In His glory, at His side.

5. Glorified, I shall anew
With this flesh then be enshrouded;
In this body I shall view
God, my Lord, with eyes unclouded;
In this flesh I then shall see
Jesus Christ eternally.

6. Then these eyes my Lord shall know,
My Redeemer and my Brother;
In His love my soul shall glow,--
I myself, and not another!
Then the weakness I feel here
Shall forever disappear.

7. They who sorrow here and moan
There in gladness shall be reigning;
Earthly here the seed is sown,
There immortal life attaining.
Here our sinful bodies die,
Glorified to dwell on high.

8. Then take comfort and rejoice,
For His members Christ will cherish.
Fear not, they will hear His voice;
Dying, they shall never perish;
For the very grave is stirred
When the trumpet's blast is heard.

9. Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave
And at death no longer tremble;
He, the Lord, who came to save
Will at last His own assemble.
They will go their Lord to meet,
Treading death beneath their feet.

10. Oh, then, draw away your hearts
Now from pleasures base and hollow.
There to share what He imparts,
Here His footsteps ye must follow.
Fix your hearts beyond the skies,
Whether ye yourselves would rise.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #206
Text: 1 Cor. 15:35 ff.
Author: unknown author, 1653
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863
Titled: "Jesus, meine Zuversicht"
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1653
Tune: "Jesus, meine Zuversicht"

Come Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain. The Lutheran Hymnal, #204

"Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain"
by John of Damascus, c. 750
Translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1866

1. Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness.
'Tis the spring of souls today:
Christ hath burst His prison
And from three days' sleep in death
As a sun hath risen.

2. All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From His light, to whom we give
Laud and praise undying.
Neither could the gates of death
Nor the tomb's dark portal
Nor the watchers nor the seal
Hold Thee as a mortal.

3. But today amidst Thine own
Thou didst stand, bestowing
That Thy peace which evermore
Passeth human knowing.
Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #204 from
Text: Ex. 15:1-21
Author: John of Damascus, c. 750
Translated by: John M. Neale, 1859, alt. ab.
Titled:"Aisohmen pantes laoi"
Tune: "Schwing dich auf"
1st Published in: _Geistliche Andachten_
Town: Berlin, 1666

John of Damascus also wrote "The Day of Resurrection,"
The Lutheran Hymnal, #205.

Marine Drill Instructor Was the Voice of Bambi

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/movies/article/Marine-reflects-on-being-the-voice-of-Bambi-1924410.php


After decades of silence, a tough Marine has come forward with his clean little secret: He's the voice of Bambi.

San Antonio native Donnie Dunagan, now of San Angelo, was 6 when Walt Disney hired him to be the model and voice of the fawn in the 1942 animated classic, which debuted on DVD last week.

During his entire military career, Dunagan never confided to colleagues about being in Bambi.

"I was blessed to be in a leadership role for 25 years, either in counterintelligence or training troops," Dunagan said, "and if these animals I was leading had ever found out about Bambi — as much affection as I had for it — they'd have ridden me out on a rail."

Since he's come forward, though, he's taking renewed pride in his role.

"I go down the street now, and when some old Marine who knew me before yells, 'Hey, Major Bambi!' I love it to death," Dunagan said.

Dunagan made eight movies as a child after being discovered at a Memphis, Tenn., talent show. They included 1939's Son of Frankenstein with Boris Karloff and Tower of London with Basil Rathbone. But his career ended when his family fractured. He wound up in boarding homes, then joined the military as a teen.

"I adopted the Marines, and the Marines adopted me," Dunagan said.

Dunagan distinguished himself in the service. The curly-haired lad with the Southern drawl whom Karloff had hoisted on a monster's shoulder became the youngest Marine drill instructor ever. A boxer and devoted Harley rider, Dunagan served three tours in Vietnam and was wounded several times.

After leaving the Marines in 1977, he worked in business and kept mum about his childhood stardom, even as fans scoured phone books for him.

But Dunagan was nailed last June. A casual comment at a San Angelo banquet tipped off a local TV crew that they had a star in their midst.

Dunagan, 70, and Dana, his wife of 13 years, had moved to the town two years before so his stepson could attend college there. Only after his story came out "did we open the old boxes I'd sealed for 50 years, with newspaper clippings about my time in Bambi."

Disney contacted him soon after about participating in a DVD of Bambi. Dunagan appears in a featurette about the cast, then and now. He was always fond of the film and showed videocassettes of it to children whenever he could. Now he's getting DVD copies from Disney to give to orphanages.

Having come to terms with it, the Marine who was Bambi finally is speaking up.

This year Dunagan will make his first appearances at film fan conventions, to meet admirers and sign autographs.

"His autograph hasn't been out there since he was 4 or 5," said Donna Lucas, publisher — with husband Tim Lucas — of Video Watchdog, which ran a cover story on Dunagan in October.

Fans are ecstatic that he's finally come forward, she said. "This is one of the last living people who worked with Karloff, and he's got an incredible memory."

Though Dunagan loathes self-promotion, he finally allowed his wife to launch a Web site, www.donniedunagan.com, where he shares happy memories of kidding with Karloff and roaming Disney's studio.

"Mr. Disney was a positive, real leader. He was all over, doing everything. He had his sleeves rolled up, and people respected him and were happy.

"I knew there were phonies in show business, but not there, not at Disney. I think Mr. Disney was a pioneer — as a humanist, an environmentalist and an artist."

Disney encouraged naturalism in the kids. For a scene in which Bambi grimaces after being kissed by young deer Faline, "He told me to pretend I'd taken castor oil and make a face," Dunagan said. "I had to hold expressions of fear, happiness, joy or anger while the artists drew it."

He credits Disney for hiring children to voice small animals, instead of casting adults who'd use childlike voices. To this day, Dunagan hasn't met his co-stars, who recorded their lines separately.

Dunagan saw Bambi before its original release and was surprised by its most notorious scene: when Bambi's mother is killed by hunters off-screen.

"That was the only thing that bothered me," he said. "Nobody told me when I recorded the line 'Mother! Mother!' what it was about. But back then, there was a war going on, and a lot of children's mothers were dying. I think it was very, very smart to have it happen off-camera."

Dunagan is semiretired today. He lost his savings in the Enron debacle and has been tutoring and "doing what I can do." He says he'd "give you push-ups in the street" to get back into show business, as a performer or a technical adviser.

And the tough guy from Texas has a special place in his heart for the tender Bambi.

"Is there any incongruity in being a tough old Marine and loving Bambi? No, no," Dunagan said.

"I'm a sensitive man. When I had my first casualties as a lieutenant, I had a hard time controlling my emotions, but I had a strong sergeant with me who kept me from doing something stupid.

"I've been around some real tough guys, and I promise you on my honor: The strongest guys I've known in life would pick up a wounded baby kitty on the side of the road. Yet you wouldn't want to go against them in combat. That is not inconsistent. It is part of the same ethos."

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012.

Easter Sunday: The Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord - 2012

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Time

The Hymn #191               Christ the Lord                      2:97

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       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #188                Hallelujah                   2:20 

 Faith versus Feelings

The Communion Hymn # 206:1-5            Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense  2:81

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 #189   He Is Arisen Glorious Word               4:77

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.

Faith versus Feelings

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.

Lenski points out that the women came to the tomb very early to finish the work they wished to do. Jesus died on Friday, so sundown was the Sabbath. After the Sabbath was over, Saturday evening, they had a little time to buy the expensive spices in liquid form. Powdered spices were used with the linen wraps (also expensive) that Joseph of Arimathea provided.

KJV Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

The Gospel of John records that Nicodemus, who came to Him by night (Nick at Night – John 3) was also involved in the burial, so faith overcame fear, in spite of Nicodemus high standing with the religious leaders and the criminal reputation of Jesus.

The women came to the tomb very early on Sunday, before the sun was up. Sunday, in the Jewish reckoning, began Saturday evening.

Some have trouble with “after three days” because we think in Western terms, with 24 hours being a day. Jewish reckoning counted each part of a day as a separate day, so Jesus died on Friday, was in the tomb Saturday, and rose on the third day, which could have included Saturday in our time.

That is why many denominations have an Easter Vigil very late on Saturday, reciting the Scriptures of the Bible. In Moline we had sunrise services, but the Greek Orthodox had Easter Vigil, which we attended at least once, as college students who knew some Greek.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

Certain women were named in this group visiting the tomb. No men were present at this time. They were anxious to honor their dead Teacher, and they also wanted to speedy due to the effects of desert heat. (Note the contrast with Lazarus, when Jesus deliberately delayed His visit, so people feared being near the tomb, due to rapid decomposition.)

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

On the way they realized that they did not make plans for removing the stone lid from the tomb. The closing of the tomb was more of a lid that rolled in a groove. A boulder to fit the opening would have defied movement by several men. But a stone lid might be muscled aside by several men – not by the women.

Luther describes the condition of the women as being overcome with emotion and grief. When we are in that condition we are not going to think are plan carefully. The crisis of the moment fills our minds. They were rushing to do what women normally did at that time. There were prescribed rituals, which are still followed in many cultures.

Mark does not deal with the soldiers guarding the tomb. We have four narratives, plus additional details from Paul, so we have a complete picture from all of them. Roman soldiers were posted to guard the tomb, but they fled when the earthquake opened the tomb and showed it to be empty.

Why soldiers? Jesus was far more dangerous to the leaders than the liberals of today allow. He arrived in Jerusalem as a king, with the crowds hailing Him as the Messiah. He brought with Him Lazarus, who was proof of His ability to raise the dead – a claim no one else could make. The religious authorities were so anxious about Lazarus that they plotted against him, too.

The guards tell us that the civil authorities were sufficiently afraid, ironically bearing witness to Jesus’ power over death. They would make sure that nothing happened.

The litmus test of an apostate is the denial of the Virgin Birth and the physical resurrection of Christ. I have used that more than once. In 1987 I found only one ELCA seminary professor who could support the resurrection of Christ. That man conceded in print that it “probably happened.” But the fact remains that no one has ever denied the facts. They simply do not believe in the divinity of Christ, so that settles the question for them. It does not affect their concept of reality. They marvel that the disciples loved Him so much that they believed it to be true.

My favorite response to the litmus test was from this Disciples of Christ seminary student – “Those are not important issues.” She bragged that the Unitarians studied at the same school. I said, “Why not?”

KJV John 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. 9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. 12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. 14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. 17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Our prepositions are often vague, but German and Greek prepositions are exact. The stone lid, very large, was not rolled aside in the groove, but thrown away from the entrance, flat on the ground, never to be used again.

Matthew tells us that an angel rolled the stone away and sat on it. It was not rolled aside in its groove in the regular way so as to be rolled back again to shut the entrance. No, it was hurled out of its groove by some tremendous power, thrown flat upon the ground in front of the tomb, thus making a seat for the angel who waited until the women drew near and then went inside the tomb. This stone was not again to be rolled in front of the entrance. It had been laid flat so that the tomb should stand wide open for all men to see that it was emptied of the body of Jesus, the bodiless wrappings lying undisturbed and flat just as they had been wrapped, mute but mighty evidence of the resurrection, John 20:5–10.

When the women looked up they saw the stone in this condition; note the change of prepositions, not ἀπό in the verb as in v. 3 but ἀπά; not “away from” in the regular way, in the groove, but “back,” rolled violently from the cliffside. To have all this understood properly Mark explains (γάρ) that the stone in question was “very great.” Poorer tombs had small openings and needed smaller stones to close them; but this rich man’s tomb had an opening that was of full height and needed a stone of proportionate size for its closing. Gordon’s Tomb, described in 15:46, agrees perfectly with all that the evangelists say about the stone and the door.

The opening of the tomb by the angel has been misunderstood by some interpreters. When the angel opened the tomb, Jesus had already risen. None of the evangelists describes the resurrection proper; it had no witnesses, it was wholly miraculous. Jesus left the tomb silently. His dead body was suddenly quickened (1 Pet. 3:18), filled with life, and in the same instant passed out of its funeral wrappings and out through the walls of the sealed and guarded tomb invisible to the eyes of men. Then, when the tomb was empty, the angel came and opened the tomb to show that it was indeed empty. At this coming of the angel and the earthquake he caused the Roman guard fell prostrate and, recovering somewhat, fled. Those paintings which portray the glorious Savior coming out of the opened door of the tomb while the guard falls in dismay at the sight of him are not in accord with the facts of the case. Silently, invisibly, wondrously, gloriously the living body passed through the rock.

This mode of being is described well in Concordia Triglotta, 1004, 100: “The incomprehensible, spiritual mode, according to which he neither occupies nor vacates space, but penetrates all creatures, wherever he pleases; as, to make an imperfect comparison, my sight penetrates and is in air, light, or water, and does not occupy or vacate space; as a sound or tone penetrates and is in air or water or board or wall, and also does not occupy or vacate space; likewise, as light and heat penetrate and are in air, water, glass, crystal, and the like; and much more of the like. This mode he used when he rose from the closed sepulcher, and passed through the closed door, and in the bread and wine in the Holy Supper.”

Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 740.

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.

This was a large tomb, which meant a very expensive one. They went in, so this was not an economy-sized carved tomb, but a large one. They saw an angel in a long white garment, sitting on the right side. Two angels were present, but one spoke.

Their immediate reaction, on seeing the stone lid thrown down, would have been to assume that tomb robbers had been there. Many people are buried with precious objects, or there is the hope that this would be true of a rich man’s grave.

The women rushed in afraid and anxious about what they would see, because their emotions and experience told them they were doing the proper work of honoring the dead Master. That turned into an obvious robbery, and then an angelic message. In short order grief turned to terror, and terror into an astonishing revelation.

The angel’s message was brief, concise, and stunning in its content.

Fact – You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. They are in the right place and this stranger knows who they are.

Revelation – He is risen, which is one word in the text. This word cannot be misunderstood. It means He is risen from the dead. These women were followers, so they knew Jesus raised

1. the widow’s son,
2. the young girl,
3. and Lazarus.

The previous miracles now make sense of the resurrection of Christ. He is risen because He is far more than their concept of the Messiah. He is the Son of God, the only One capable of being both the High Priest and Lamb of God.

Revelation – He is not here. So many religious phonies talk like witch-doctors, impossible to understand. Here is a momentous revelation in the simplest possible words – He is not here, three simple words in the original text. The grave is not a place for the triumphant Son of God. Neither would it be for the followers and disciples. They would not dwell on the grave or mark it with a bronze plaque. They had to see the proof of the grave first, but they also saw the risen Christ Himself. That is why we concentrate on His Word rather than shrines to Him, whether historical or not.

Fact  - Look at the place where they laid Him. A thorough-going doubter might say, “Well, this could be a robbery of a tomb,” but that was not consistent with the proven ability of Jesus, His power over death. And it now made sense to those who believed in Him that this power extended to His own life as well. The Bible emphasizes two aspects of this – that the Father raised Him from the dead, and also that He gave up His life and took it up again (John 10).

KJV Mark 16:7 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.

Why is Peter named separately from the disciples? A Roman Catholic would say it is because Peter was the first pope. But if Peter was to be singled out as the most eminent, the first among equals (as the pope says today), it would have been, Go tell Peter and the disciples.

Just previously Peter had denied Jesus three times, as Jesus warned he would. Peter vociferously said that would never happen, and yet it did happen. Jesus was not one to shun Peter for the man’s impetuous weakness. If Jesus had done that, He would have included everyone except John, the only disciple present at the crucifixion.

Instead Jesus gave Peter a time of confession (Yes, Lord, I love You) and absolution “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus also built up the remaining disciples, so their failings and forgiveness became the foundation of their Gospel proclamation. The exception was Judas, who betrayed Jesus and lost hope.

KJV Mark 16:8 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.

One of those saint books would have had the women walking away in peace and joy, performing miracles and becoming nuns. No, they were ordinary people like us. They were still in shock, still afraid, beside themselves. There are four descriptions of their state:

1. Trembled
2. Amazed
3. Silent
4. Afraid.

The first half of Mark 16 is chosen for Easter Sunday, by tradition, because the rest of the Easter season fills in all the other details, including Mark 16:9-20.

Bible Butchers

But the liberal versions of the Bible have this, following the NIV, RSV apostasy –

NIV Mark 16:9 [The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.] When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

The most reliable early and other ancient witnesses are not reliable at all. They are the creation of one man and accepted ever since, following the example of the two weirdos, Wescott and Hort, who began this travesty.

Here is ESV information - http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/esv.htm

Would you hand over Bible translations, like the NIV, to proud homosexuals? - http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/NIV/worship.htm

Wescott and Hort - http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/young-examination1.html

Application – Faith versus Feelings

One of the characteristics of Mark’s empty tomb account is the list of emotions experienced by the women. Luther went over the text rather quickly in one sermon and concentrated on a major theme in his sermons.

Feelings are just the opposite of faith. That is good to consider in an era where feelings are sacred, useful in clobbering other people too. Someone can start a lawsuit by saying, “He made me feel uncomfortable.” That happened with us when we were followed by a man down the street in Chicago, late at night. We were afraid, pure and simple. He made us uncomfortable. But when I turned around  I could see it was the president of the LCMS, Jack Preus (1978) and I was no longer afraid.

Our feelings are based upon all our experiences and our rather volatile emotions. Experiences themselves can generate emotions that move us forward or block us. If someone breaks things and blows out circuits doing repairs, as I have done, he is not likely to start any repair job.

We were buying our limo when one of the Duggars had to substitute. He could not do the paperwork. He was in a panic. Later a TV revealed that he could fix anything. His sister-in-law did the paperwork in record time, but I doubt that she could overhaul a bus, as he did with ease. Thus our feelings reflect our past experiences.

Faith in God’s Word means letting go of our human wisdom, human experiences, and our emotions.

One good example is regret. We regret our past sins, and that can nag at us. However, that does negate our forgiveness through faith in Christ. Those who place an emphasis upon emotions make it seem as if we are forgiven when we feel forgiven. That makes our emotions our Savior instead of Jesus.

That also makes people vulnerable to clever manipulation, so they do things to earn that forgiveness, until they feel they have earned enough.

That is why John 16:8 is the foundational statement about the Christian faith – the Holy Spirit convicts us of not trusting completely in Christ for our forgiveness. His triumph over death is a victory over sin at the same time.

He is all forgiveness, so doubting that complete and free forgiveness is a denial of His work as our great High Priest. No sin is so great that He cannot forgive, and no work by man is great enough to earn forgiveness. Therefore the sin against the Holy Spirit is not believing in Christ, rejecting forgiveness through Him, trusting in some other means.

Sure enough, the skeptics often rail against the atonement of Christ. They attack justification by faith. They mock the Means of Grace and make fun of a child-like faith.

Faith is the opposite of fear, which is probably our dominant emotion. Many of our actions and behaviors are the product of fear. Sometimes we need a healthy fear (electricity) but often we have morbid or irrational fears.

Faith is not an emotion, but it guides our emotions. Trust in God’s Word means we can say “God will provide” and “God will care for us as He always has.” It also means that negative experiences can be completely positive when transformed by the Holy Spirit through the Word.

I know many people who have been through the wringer with bad congregations, apostate denominations, and false teachers. That shows us the constant we need, the anchor of the Word of God. How can that be bad, to know what the pitfalls are, to treasure the treasure of the Gospel?

The anti-Book-of-Concord people taught me the Book of Concord. They made every page come alive.

The happy-clappy whoopee worship gurus motivated me to turn hymn verses into graphics for everyone to use.

The translation-du-jour salesmen taught me to look over the issue of translations and texts, to have a new appreciation of the KJV and the traditional text.

That is far better than being rocked to sleep by ease, luxury, and calm.

If we are a bare minority in each denomination, mourning the loss of confessional integrity, especially in the Lutheran Church, is it so bad to hold out hope and education for those who might also care in the coming years?

The disciples could have reckoned that they were against 99.9999999% of humanity, but they felt, they knew that the Word of God put them in the majority.

The seed of the Word grows.

The yeast of the Word leavens the batch.

KJV Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Johann Gerhard worked with Chemnitz
and taught justification by faith.
He was a prolific, orthodox Lutheran theologian.

EASTER SUNDAY

"When Christ arose, He brought with Him complete righteousness. For He arose for the sake of our righteousness, Romans 4:25. So then, when you, in a similar fashion, arise from sin through true repentance, you are justified from sins, for faith lays hold of this completed righteousness in Christ, by which we are enabled to stand before God."

Johann Gerhard Eleven Easter and Pentecostal Sermons, Malone: Repristination Press, 1996, p. 80. Romans 6:3-4; Romans 4:25. [Note: order the Gerhard sermons from Repristination Press, hunnius@aol.com

"That the Lord Christ, after His resurrection, wishes peace to the disciples and eats the broiled fish and honey comb in their presence, and thereby portrays the benefit and fruit of His resurrection. For through His death and resurrection He has reconciled us with God, His heavenly Father, so that we may from now on, through faith in Him, have peace with God, have peace in our hearts, and have peace against the accusations of the devil and our conscience. When a war lord victoriously overcomes the enemy, peace follows after. So also, since Christ has overcome all His and our enemies in His victorious resurrection, He can thereafter wish [us] peace...Through Him, Samson's riddle was fulfilled: From the eater came something to eat and sweetness from the strong one...He is the powerful Lion from the stem of Judah, Rev 5:5, which mightily fought and overcame so that ours souls find honey-sweet food in Him."

Johann Gerhard, Eleven Easter and Pentecostal Sermons, Malone: Repristination Press, 1996, p. 52. Judges 14:14,18.

"Furthermore, another reason for stating that the Lamb of God was slain from the beginning of the world is that God the Lord, soon after the Fall in the beginning, made the promise that He wanted to have the Seed of the woman step on and crush the head of the hellish snake; and, it would also occur that the snake would bite the woman's Seed in the heel. This stinging of the heel is none other than that Devil's inflicting himself on the woman's Seed and bringing Him to the cross."

Johann Gerhard, Eleven Easter and Pentecostal Sermons, Malone: Repristination Press, 1996, p. 60. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Genesis 3:15.

"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. 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. 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. Mark 16:1-8.

"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. Mark 16:1-8.

"For this reason one should not be too credulous when a preacher comes softly like an angel of God, recommends himself very highly, and swears that his sole aim is to save souls, and says: 'Pax vobis!' For those are the very fellows the devil employs to honey people's mouths. Through them he gains an entrance to preach and to teach, in order that he may afterward inflict his injuries, and that though he accomplish nothing more for the present, he may, at least, confound the people's consciences and finally lead them into misery and despair."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 322. Luke 24:36-47.

"Thus we have two parts, preaching and believing. His coming to us is preaching; His standing in our hearts is faith. For it is not sufficient that He stand before our eyes and ears; He must stand in the midst of us in our hearts, and offer and impart to us peace."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., xd., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 355. John 20:19-31.

"The first and highest work of love a Christian ought to do when he has become a believer, is to bring others also to believe in the way he himself came to believe. And here you notice Christ begins and institutes the office of the ministry of the external Word in every Christian; for He Himself came with this office and the external Word."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 359. John 20:19-31.

"Now God drives us to this by holding the law before us, in order that through the law we may come to a knowledge of ourselves. For where there is not this knowledge, one can never be saved. He that is well needs no physician; but if a man is sick and desires to become well, he must know that he is weak and sick, otherwise he cannot be helped."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 370. John 20:19-31.

"Who are the people, therefore, to whom God makes known the resurrection of His Son? Women of little learning and poor fishermen."

Sermons of Martin Luther, The House Postils, 3 vols., ed., Eugene Klug, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, II, p. 22. Luke 24:13-35.