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ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
WELS Michigan Lutheran Seminary Cheerleaders.
Instead of Bearing the Cross, They Are Cross-Dressing
Midweek Advent Service, December 10, 2014.
The Incarnation
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Standard
The Hymn # 552 Abide with Me 2:11
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Hymn # 552 Abide with Me 2:11
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 92 p. 143
The Lection
The Sermon Hymn #645 Behold a Branch 2:2
The Lection
The Sermon Hymn #645 Behold a Branch 2:2
The Sermon – The Incarnation - God in Man
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee 2.9
The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee 2.9
Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lordof hosts will perform this.
The Incarnation - God in Man
The Christian Faith has many unique characteristics. For instance, no other religion teaches salvation by grace instead of works. It is the only religion where God gives to man - rather than man giving to God. Those who hear the Gospel and believe in Christ receive forgiveness through faith, the Gospel and faith given in grace and received in thanksgiving.
But there is another unique characteristic that has been under attack for the last 200 years. The effort was limited and isolated at first, but it has grown so much that man Christian congregations imitate it to be cool. They portray Jesus as simply a man. They show Him as "Buddy Jesus" with His thumbs up and mock Him in various ways. One LCMS pastor played the role of Jesus in the Lord's Supper and appeared to be drunk or stoned. I linked the video at that time.
The Christian Faith teaches Jesus as both God and man, which we call the Incarnation because God took on flesh when Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary. The Son of God existed in eternity but He assumed human form, neither giving up His divinity nor mixing His humanity with His divinity. He is completely human and completely divine, His divine nature never limited by His human nature.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This is a double message of the Incarnation. The Virgin Birth is unique and clearly taught, with many supporting passages. The Virgin Birth reveals how Jesus could be both God and man. In His human nature He could be tempted, but because of His divine nature, He did not sin.
It is a double message because of His Name - Immanuel. The Hebrew word means God with us. None of the world religions are historical - they do not care about the facts of history. They have dozens or millions of deities, but there is no other religion that reveals a man in history being God Incarnate.
True Judaism is really the first stage or foundation of Christianity, so the historical nature of the Old Testament established all the Promises of the coming Messiah.
Notice that Isaiah 7:14 was never attacked until recently (1950s), when the National Council (of Left-Wing) Churches translated the RSV and removed the Virgin Birth. Why so bold? They knew that attacking the central doctrine of Christ would serve their political interests well. The assault has continued ever since, and they have opened many different places to attack, but they all go back to God in man made manifest.
There is always someone who will say, Isaiah did not really mean that. Therefore, God has given us many supporting passages, especially Isaiah 9
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lordof hosts will perform this.
Many parts of this description, this revelation, are revelations of the Incarnation. As you know, the teachings of Christianity are mysteries revealed by the Holy Spirit. God patiently teaches us through the inerrant Word.
This is the Gospel Promise of a Son. He is a little baby being born, but the entire government will be upon Him. This is not the government of the tiny nation of Israel, but the entire world. Israel ceased to exist for the longest time - it did not grow constantly and persistently, without bounds. The Christian Faith did.
No government is endless, but Christianity has no end. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will not pass away."
This Kingdom will have judgment (Law) and justice (justification by faith, Gospel) as established by Christ.
Moreover, this Son is called Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This can only be Jesus, as the little children say about Isaiah 53, the key Gospel passage of the entire Old Testament (also revised out of existence by the Left).
So we can see these two passage alone establish the divinity of the Messiah, which was so strange to Jewish people. So also was the atonement in Isaiah 53, equally alien.
And we can see God's wisdom in introducing these powerful Promises about the Son in various parts and various ways so we can appreciate them.
WELS Movie Theaters - From the Rotten CORE to Infinity and Beyond.
WELS Documented Blog
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| WELS Movie Theaters |
WELS Movie Theaters: The Way of the Future for WELS Church Services?
FIRST there was The CORE in Appleton, WI...
St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom has been reaching out lately to young, unchurched Fox Cities residents. But rather than focusing exclusively on expanding its home base, church leaders turned to downtown Appleton to target the crucial audience at a second site.
St. Peter’s, a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod member, found a permanent spot for its new campus, known as The Core, in a former tavern on West Franklin Street.
The move in 2012 put the church on a growing list of congregations that have converted former businesses into houses of worship.
“Part of it’s a trend in our culture and world today where there are churches who are trying to reach people in a different way that people, who might not be looking for a traditional church, might come to and be more comfortable at. I think part of that drives it,” said the Rev. Tim Glende, lead pastor at St. Peter’s.
Glende said the premise behind the downtown campus was to bring The Core’s less traditional, multimedia and music-centered services to young adults instead of waiting for them to come to the Freedom church. “One of our reasons for being downtown was young people go downtown. They hang out at the downtown. There’s a college downtown. It’s an area that they’re familiar with and if people come downtown for other things they’ll come downtown for church,” Glende said. “Sometimes we won’t reach that demographic of people because of the traditional church building we have and the history that we have of being a church that’s 140-plus years old.”
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130921/APC0101/309210323/Churches-moving-expanding-operations-into-vacant-downtown-Appleton-sites-story-video
Revolution building turning into church
That vacant building at 222 W. Franklin St., at the corner of Superior Street in Appleton, was purchased in a deal that closed Friday.
The new owner is The CORE, a church group that previously held services in the former Big Picture theater and then the OuterEdge Stage in downtown Appleton.
The Core is an outreach ministry of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom.
“We’re not a standalone congregation. We’re a second campus,” said campus pastor Jim Skorzewski, who is known as Pastor Ski. “The Revolution building fell into our lap. It’s been a blessing.”
His congregation tends to be on the young side, mostly under age 35. Worship includes live bands. The Core will continue to hold its Sunday evening worship services at OuterEdge until this building is ready in September.
“We were never looking for a building, but we we’re always looking for a building,” he said. “We didn’t want to be a church that gets a building and then its vision and mission fall to the back burner because everything turns into paying the mortgage. We wanted to put our dollars into flesh and blood, people and relationships.”
Online, real estate listings show the asking price was $850,000. Outagamie County records listed its 2011 fair market value at about $523,000.
“We paid closer to fair market value,” said Jeff Ulman, a member of the church’s executive committee. “George Karl worked with us and helped us out extensively.”
George Karl, head coach of the Denver Nuggets and former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, owned the building.
The purchase was handled through a church extension fund, said Skorzewski.
“We received a wonderful grant and loan from WELS, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our remodeling was covered by the loan from WELS.”
Church volunteers are already inside working on the renovation. The church draws about 250 people on a typical Sunday.
Revolution was the last nightclub that operated in the Franklin Street building. It was open for about six months, until July 2010. Prior to that, the club had been opened and closed by several operators under the names Tom’s Garage, The Garage and Pulse Nightclub.
http://archive.postcrescent.com/article/20120620/APC0301/120625098/Revolution-building-turning-into-church
...NOW now make room for "The Way Church" in California.
Worry?
Guilt?
Tension?
There is a Way. The Way Church. Bringing Life to Rancho San Diego.
September 21, 2014
We had our first service ever this morning! Most of the fifty in attendance were from Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church & School, but we don't mind - we kind of like them:). Thankful for the new faces that joined the familiar ones, and for the word/Word continuing to spread!
Nothing says "church" like the desert back drop on the walls - unless the sermon is on John the Baptist each week... [Their quote from their Facebook Page]
Consider visiting our Mogiv site to set up a one-time or recurring gift to support the ongoing ministry of The Way Lutheran Church. Support of the gospel ministry is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom has been reaching out lately to young, unchurched Fox Cities residents. But rather than focusing exclusively on expanding its home base, church leaders turned to downtown Appleton to target the crucial audience at a second site.
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| The CORE in Appleton, WI |
St. Peter’s, a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod member, found a permanent spot for its new campus, known as The Core, in a former tavern on West Franklin Street.
The move in 2012 put the church on a growing list of congregations that have converted former businesses into houses of worship.
“Part of it’s a trend in our culture and world today where there are churches who are trying to reach people in a different way that people, who might not be looking for a traditional church, might come to and be more comfortable at. I think part of that drives it,” said the Rev. Tim Glende, lead pastor at St. Peter’s.
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| The CORE Worship Service |
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130921/APC0101/309210323/Churches-moving-expanding-operations-into-vacant-downtown-Appleton-sites-story-video
Revolution building turning into church
That vacant building at 222 W. Franklin St., at the corner of Superior Street in Appleton, was purchased in a deal that closed Friday.
The new owner is The CORE, a church group that previously held services in the former Big Picture theater and then the OuterEdge Stage in downtown Appleton.
The Core is an outreach ministry of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom.
“We’re not a standalone congregation. We’re a second campus,” said campus pastor Jim Skorzewski, who is known as Pastor Ski. “The Revolution building fell into our lap. It’s been a blessing.”
His congregation tends to be on the young side, mostly under age 35. Worship includes live bands. The Core will continue to hold its Sunday evening worship services at OuterEdge until this building is ready in September.
“We were never looking for a building, but we we’re always looking for a building,” he said. “We didn’t want to be a church that gets a building and then its vision and mission fall to the back burner because everything turns into paying the mortgage. We wanted to put our dollars into flesh and blood, people and relationships.”
Online, real estate listings show the asking price was $850,000. Outagamie County records listed its 2011 fair market value at about $523,000.
“We paid closer to fair market value,” said Jeff Ulman, a member of the church’s executive committee. “George Karl worked with us and helped us out extensively.”
George Karl, head coach of the Denver Nuggets and former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, owned the building.
The purchase was handled through a church extension fund, said Skorzewski.
“We received a wonderful grant and loan from WELS, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our remodeling was covered by the loan from WELS.”
Church volunteers are already inside working on the renovation. The church draws about 250 people on a typical Sunday.
Revolution was the last nightclub that operated in the Franklin Street building. It was open for about six months, until July 2010. Prior to that, the club had been opened and closed by several operators under the names Tom’s Garage, The Garage and Pulse Nightclub.
http://archive.postcrescent.com/article/20120620/APC0301/120625098/Revolution-building-turning-into-church
...NOW now make room for "The Way Church" in California.
Worry?
Guilt?
Tension?
There is a Way. The Way Church. Bringing Life to Rancho San Diego.
September 21, 2014
We had our first service ever this morning! Most of the fifty in attendance were from Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church & School, but we don't mind - we kind of like them:). Thankful for the new faces that joined the familiar ones, and for the word/Word continuing to spread!
Nothing says "church" like the desert back drop on the walls - unless the sermon is on John the Baptist each week... [Their quote from their Facebook Page]
I Almost Raked the Leaves Yesterday
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| "You throw leaves away?" |
We are enjoying warm weather and sun rather than the dreadful winter predicted. The lawn is greening up for spring, but the leaves are finally gone from the trees.
Our helper came over for a last effort with the leaves. He mowed the front lawns, mulching the leaves with the grass, which is much neater than trying to rake them. In the back we are keeping them whole and raking them over the gardens near the house and in the back section.
I like the way leaves naturally fall into the mulch and stick there. They will be easily absorbed by soil creatures in the spring. We use excess leaves around the front evergreen bushes, to suppress weeds and feed the soil under those bushes. The evergreens provide good cover for insects and birds, and they are much better than lining up roses against the house.
I have two areas for raking leaves in the front. The crepe myrtle bush has a tepee of leaves at its base, but I will expand the leaf mulch with the ample supply on the driveway. The maple tree will be encircled by roses, so I am adding leaves to the perimeter, to help the soil and the digging in spring.
In the backyard we want leaves in the compost, over the mulched garden areas, or on the future butterfly-hummingbird area. The beneficial insects book has inspired me to get a wide variety of bee and butterfly plants growing where parasitoid wasps will prosper and do their work.
Leaves are scorned by many organic gardeners for being mostly carbon and low on nitrogen. But what did we learn about carbon, class? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?
Fungi are the heroes of decomposition in the soil, because they feed nutrition and water to the plant roots, in exchange for - carbon from the plants. Fungi need carbon to grow, so autumn leaves are ideal for the health of the soil and the growth of all plants. The soil creatures will sort out what they need, even while we rest in bed, pull up the covers, and roll over for a few more winks.
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| While you were sleeping I posted another contribution to Creation Gardening. |
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