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Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter, 2016. John 16:5-15. The Holy Spirit Convicts the World of Unbelief

Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter, 2016

Luther's Best Sermon on This Text

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #458                    Our Father – Luther                    

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 #462           I Love Thy Kingdom               

To Convict the World of Unbelief in Christ, Which Is Sin

Communion Hymn #304    An Awe-full Mystery Is Here

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 #657                           Beautiful Savior                      

   

        

Fourth Sunday After Easter

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst through Thy Son promise us Thy Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation, that Christ is Lord over the devil and death, and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.

KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

To Convict the World of Sin, Which Is Unbelief in Christ

KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

This is one of the most important Gospel passages of all. No wonder the mainline denominations, including WELS and LCMS, follow the three-year Roman Catholic cycle and avoid this passage.

In the old days, the Lutherans preached on this passage every year, for Cantate Sunday. Far more of them understood this passage, no matter what denomination used the historic cycle. 

What better way to displace the Gospel than to "improve and clarify." The liberal leaders said, "The people will be exposed to many more lessons this way, and the ministers won't get bored with the same passages every year." Given that many congregations have 25-30% attendance, that is a horrible argument, since people no longer have reliable lessons they know well and grasp readily. And the ministers have to scramble for more sermons to copy from the Net - a needless burden.

Luther made this Gospel pivotal, and we must also understand John 16:8ff, if we consider ourselves Lutheran - and we think Luther is a theologian we need to celebrate with a 500th year anniversary.

Setting

The setting is Jesus telling the disciples about what they will soon be facing. So much is predicted that they cannot comprehend everything, and they are sorrowful. The greatest joy in life is going to be gone? We know how much some bad news will excite our imaginations about even worse events, and those fears supplant everything for a time.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The Holy Spirit will be sent and yet cannot be sent until the Ascension of Jesus. Their Advocate will have a new role as the Gospel becomes global in only a few years. Next is the central meaning of this Promise, the definition of the  Holy Spirit's work.

This is doubly and triply important. 

• First of all, this is Jesus teaching the disciples in His farewell sermon, not the interpretation of what Jesus taught.
• Secondly, the reporter is the beloved disciple John, the one entrusted to watch over Jesus' mother Mary, taking her home.
• Thirdly, the passage is so powerful that the meaning is largely ignored and fought against, with the excuse of teaching about the upcoming Pentecost.

Three stages mark the importance of an opinion, teaching, or trend.

1. Agreement - that means everyone takes this for granted and it did not need to be said.
2. Anger - the statement has aroused the wrath of people who realize what it means.
3. Silence and "not knowing" - The truth is so revolutionary that the matter cannot be faced or even debated. When nominal Christians say, "We are not even going to discuss this, then they have sensed the danger and reacted accordingly.

Stage 3 is not the Christian approach to false doctrine, because there must be heresies and divisions to prove what is acceptable, to separate the wormy flour from the good flour, or the good flour will be completely infested. There is a type of moth that loves grain and flour. Most food at a grocery store will be marked, "Rotate to keep fresh." The grains, like rice, are marked, "Rotate to prevent infestation." If the pantry moths are present in the supply for a time, the laying of 300 eggs at a time will quickly infest everything and potentially all the food in the store.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Often the term "convict" is used, and that seems to fit best in our contemporary language. Here Jesus defines sin and righteousness in a few words, and no one seems to notice.

Many people define sin as obvious, carnal sin. A higher definition is "breaking God's commandments," where the solution is "obey God's command - and He will reward you." I hear the second version all the time, so it is apparent in Baptist country that they continue in a law cycle.

The secular definition is similar. People offer great confessions of sin, based on what they have done or not done, and they are "absolved" in their minds by making it up to everyone, one way or another.

As Luther wrote in his sermon on this text, there is no knowledge of sin or righteousness, but both are clearly taught here by Jesus.

Luther:

6. But the Holy Spirit, says Christ, “Will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not in me.” Therefore it follows that unbelief is the right and true sin; other sins flow out of unbelief and are even the fruit from this root.

The blindness of this world is so great that masses of Christian ministers, of all types, can speak about this text and related ones, and yet remain in the dark about what it means, still applying their improvements upon the stark truth of this revelation.

Why is the sin against the Holy Spirit unforgivable? No wonder it remains a mystery to so many. 

28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 
But the Word is consistent and always in harmony. The sin against the Holy Spirit is dying without faith, because faith in Christ brings all the benefits and blessings of His Kingdom. Sinning against the Holy Spirit is sinning against Christ - refusing Him, refusing His grace, doubting and rejecting all He has done.

How strange to think that the Word of God could become incarnate by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, teach and perform many miracles to show His divinity, die on the cross for our sins, rise from the dead, and ascend to His Father - and yet believing these great wonders have nothing to do with righteousness!

But that is what the mainline, liberal, established denominations teach, as well as the famous modernist theologians. The only dirty word in that crowd is "faith." To use the word "faith" in a personal way or express the need for faith will upset them and get them raving against all kinds of evil. Mockery is piled on mockery and the distinct impression is made - faith is bad.

So how are sins forgiven? The Holy Spirit brings Christ to us through the Word, so that Word dwells in us, and we dwell in Christ. All our sins are forgiven daily because no sin can remain on Jesus, who has swallowed up sin, death, and the power of Satan by His atoning death and glorious resurrection.

Luther:
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 Savior, who has taken all sins upon himself and blotted them out.

Our sinful condition remains. The remnants of sin continue, but they do not condemn the believer. In fact, a believer feels temptation and sin and avoids both. If anyone doubts this, read some material on the Net and see how grossly people live and how they boast about it.  Or ask - why do church officials fall in love with gross, anti-Christian dogma, rejoicing in the evil they do against anyone who has faith? They are unbelievers and every utterance proves how enthusiastically they reject faith while making a plush living by pretending to believe. 

When challenged, the apostates always brag about their works and even say, which seems like a satire based on John 8 - We have Abraham for a father. Yes, they can name various obscure Germans and Norwegians who had the misfortune of starting a line of boastful unbelievers - and that is their claim to righteousness. They are children of the flesh, while all true children of Abraham are children of faith.

Justification by faith leads directly into sanctification, which is the Christian life. Forgiveness of sin is the energy by which Jesus through the Spirit/Word moves us to live our lives for others and rejoice in sharing with them.

To grasp this one must see that this forgiveness is complete, received in faith, and not conditional upon works, merit, human will, or any other factor. The Gospel itself plants faith in us, and faith receives this forgiveness and this energy to work for others.

The Epistle lesson is simply another version of this truth -

KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.

I plant hybrid tea roses from time to time, and they all have a graft, a bud union. The roots are a wild rose, much like us, hearty but not very productive. When a rose "goes wild," the plant no longer grows beautiful blooms but still exists. The upper part is the tea rose, which is itself a hybrid of the perpetual blooming rose and tea rose. They are no longer two plants, but one plant - the Peace, Veterans Honor, Double Delight, or Paradise rose. I pull out of the box one rose at a time, not two at a time. The two roses are engrafted, and the bulge shows the union of the two distinct plants, now become one.

Receive is the New Testament word which is parallel to the word believe.

John 112 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The itch "to improve and clarify the Gospel" includes human reason and the emotions. But forgiveness is from the righteousness of Christ, not based on human reason or emotions. Forgiveness is an objective fact, not something verified by feeling peaceful. The peace comes from justification, not justification from peace. 

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 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.

People are tempted to cling to the guilt

Feeling regretful is not the same as being forgiven. The mis-translated word metanoia did originally mean "regret," literally the thought afterwards. It never meant "change your ways" in the Bible. That is so funny. Here is the answer to sinful man, who cannot keep from sinning, "Stop sinning." That would fix everything.

The simple teaching of the New Testament is "Repent and believe in the Christ." We should not miss the fact that conviction is being convicted of unbelief. I have published articles on the apostasy of mainline groups, and clergy have written, "You have convicted me." That means they realize the wrong of their continued fellowship with Christ-haters.

Do you believe that Christ died for all your sins or just some of them? Just for a few minor ones while the large, horrible ones still cling to Him? But He has swallowed up and defeated all sin, so that is not possible. If you believe He has not forgiven all your sins. you do not believe in Him as He is. He is not waiting to forgive once you are perfect, because that will be forever. Nor does He forgive everything except that one sin being reserved by you - once you qualify for forgiveness. 

The Reverse - the Gospel

Peace comes from trusting in the total forgiveness, the gracious forgiveness of Christ, as taught throughout the Bible. That forgiveness and that peace are healing. Adding on more law not only negates the grace of God, but rubs salt in the wound. It makes some look for a false peace because the real peace has been corrupted by false doctrine.

I got behind a truck yesterday that promised Scott's Lawn fertilizer sprayed from tanks and Ortho pesticides sprayed from tanks. That would knock out all the beneficial earthworms and bugs that keep a lawn free of pests. And weeds?

Weeds are opportunistic plants that grow when the soil is available but will not support the good plants.

Conviction of Righteousness

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

As Luther preached, if you tell the world they are righteous because Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, they will say, "You are insane." They have their own definition of righteousness, based on various kinds of works and the law.

This is where "raised for our justification" comes into the picture. Because Jesus rose from the dead, sin has no claim upon Him. He bore the sins of the world and by dying in innocence, He defeated them. The empty grave and the ascension are proof of His righteousness. And since we have His righteousness by faith, we share this blessing and are daily reassured of its truth.

Otherwise the believer is tempted away from the righteousness of faith, thinking, "I am not righteous yet. I do not know if I can be." And "How can I know I am completely forgiven?" That is because Jesus is raised from the dead.

So conviction of righteousness comes from faith in Him, and our fragile nature means we need and have this repeated assurance of forgiveness, righeousness, and eternal life.

How sad it is that future ministers think they need to preach themselves and their success. I mentioned what Pastor X's sermon must have been like at their church - the wowsome success of Pastor X. I was right - because that was all he ever talked about, and he was Church Growth to the toenails. And - his congregation is no more.

Someone blamed an urban pastor for "not casting a vision, at the beginning of his ministry" and not doing this or that. I said, "The only good results come from the Word, and never from programs or fads. But they hear famous men saying, "I had this vision 20 years ago and it all happened. Here is proof." And no credit is given to God, except for some pointed Uriah Heep expressions of humility. So they convict people of their lack of works and take others down with them, more guilty, joyless, nervous and agitated about what they should or should have done.

Building and correcting is the devil's work.

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

This lesson has always been troublesome because it is so concise. And yet these verses are so packed with truth that they unite the entire Bible with the Gospel message. My favorite phrase in this whole matter is "building and correcting," which took place soon after Luther died.

The Holy Spirit will convict the world, that it is judged, because their Prince is judged. Satan rules as Prince of this world. Everyone admires deviousness, getting away with felonies, and Satan's own means of grace - money. This money is sacred and worshiped. All those who touch vast amounts of it are also sacred and easily forgiven and revered. The synod presidents crawl on their hands and knees to beg a few million dollars from an insurance business that promotes abortion on demand. The synod presidents are afraid of irritating their big money men, lest those men suddenly become Episcopalian or Buddhist or Roman Catholic.

The pastors hang their Thrivent signs in the narthex and talk about how pro-life they are. But they attend conferences and schools with ELCA pastors.

Therefore, because the Prince of this world is judged, every believer is condemned for this conviction. 

Apart from all the social issues that bedevil the mainline denominations, what is the one kind of pressure brought to bear on the minister? Preaching a clear, Scripture-based sermon is condemned as evil, as driving people away, as angering the movers and shakers in the congregation. And through this a meek, mild, pan-religious message of works (not faith) is built. Everything goes on as before, but step by step the message of the Gospel is distorted until it becomes the political party (with religion) of the Left. The only thing that matters is the right doctrine about the political issues, and that is always changing. 

The Mainline Denominations Today - One man mentioned his opposition to women's ordination and was immediately kicked out of the ministry (Presbyterian). It was too dangerous to allow him to maintain such thoughts, even privately. Conference prayers are about the evil of America, and sharp rebukes are aimed at anyone who doubts the merits of pan-sexualism. Every speaker is cutting edge, which means gender-changed today or something equally repulsive and abnormal.

What Luther predicted and even experienced in his life has been accomplished across all the denominations. Whenever I pointed out the facts, I was condemned and silenced by church leaders.

When I saw the same thing being taught (with ELCA and loving partner) in Missouri and WELS, the same response came swiftly.

Because the Prince of this world is condemned, the faithful will bear the "holy and blessed cross." Those who are not taught about this cross will fall away in shock that the Gospel is persecuted by those who wear the finest church robes from C. M. Almy and celebrate communion from bejeweled chalices.

Ron Roth, Jeff Davis, Church and Change, Wayne Mueller. From 2009

Ron Roth works with Jeff Davis in charging a percentage when they raise funds through their business, which they advertise as stewardship training.

"TELL has served the church faithfully for 15 years. Three editors have served; Ronald Roth (1977-84), Paul Kelm (1985-88), and the undersigned since 1989...The lead article in the first issue of TELL was titled 'Church Growth - Worthwhile for WELS.'...The author of this article in April 1988 issue of TELL concludes, 'It's obvious by now that I believe we in WELS can profit greatly from the writings of the church-growth leaders.' ... TELL as a separate publication ends with this issue. Nevertheless, the focus of The Evangelism Life Line will continue for years to come as an integral part of the new Board for Parish Services journal - PARISH LEADERSHIP. "
Rev. Robert Hartman TELL (WELS Evangelism) Summer, 1992.



"There is no Church Growth Movement Program in our synod. Our church body is opposed to the false theology of the Church Growth Movement. We have no programs inside or outside the budget with that name. Nor do we have any programs with a different name which utilize Church Growth theology." Wayne D. Mueller, Administrator for the BPS, WELS, "A Response to 'Saving Souls vs. New Programs,'" The Northwestern Lutheran, November 1, 1991, February 1, 1992 p. 50.

***

GJ - Wayne, some day you need to sit down with Ron Roth, hold his hand, and tell him that someone is lying. Sort it out before you speak to another so-called Evangelism conference.

This is for all those who got their Brett Favre jerseys in a knot about publishing last year's agenda for the Anything Goes District Evangelism event: It is the same Church and Chicanery agenda each year. The faces may change a bit, but the doctrine is consistently Schwaermer. Ski spoke last year and this year, on the same topic. Next year will probably be: "Ski on alternative worship, based on his experiences at St. Markus, at the Popcorn Cathedral of Rock, and at CrossRoads in S. Lyons, Michigan."


"I'm Doug Englebrecht,
and everyone knows,
Anything goes!"

Creation Day Essay: Engineering, Manufacturing, and Management

Facebook urged me to do something about April 22nd, which some Do-Gooders decided to call Earth Day. I have no trouble calling it Creation Day.

My earned income is derived from teaching online, so I am fascinated by large computer systems, especially since I know people who run them. When I garden, I look at the horticultural enterprise in terms of engineering, manufacturing, and management.

Computers grew very slowly from the first efforts in the West. Babbage began them in 1850 or so, but did not build his model. That took until 2002. But early, Lord Byron's daughter, Ada, decided to predict how such an engine would work, so she invented the first program language, software for the hardware. She is honored today by a government software language called Ada.

For my computer to talk to your computer, there must be an Internet, which grew from the military's interest in creating a modular communications system in case of all out war. Once computers began to talk to each other, there developed a need for people to talk to each other through their computer connections. Many different technologies developed to make the first crude efforts work

All my online teaching was done through email servers, which were pretty basic in 2003. Now online teaching uses video, graphics, and many other tools. People need to learn how to use these tools, and others have to maintain the tools and systems or everything breaks down.

The Jackson Rose Farm
Everywhere is definite proof of engineering, manufacturing, and management - all from God.

Yesterday I wheelbarrowed two tree stumps from the backyard to the rose garden. One stump was already shedding its bark, so I peeled the loose bark onto the mulch. The space between the bark and the main part of the tree was damp, dark, and FILLED WITH CREEPY CRAWLY THINGS! Earwigs were prominent in the collection. As I pulled it apart, the creatures of rot began to dig into the soil to get away from the sunlight.

Earwigs, earthworms, mites, slugs, and many other critters have a part in dissolving a tree and making all its elements useful for other plants, including other trees.

Every single creature of the soil is engineered to do a job - and do it well. That one species started its life cycle at a point in time - let's say Creation. Ever since it has occupied a place in the soil and has always done its job with great efficiency, even though many other creatures participate in the same work in the same food chain.

 Earwig - By James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7205229

Which part is more astonishing? We tend to focus on Creation itself as rather static. Here is the earwig, above. It has various body parts that help it feed from rot and fight for its life. Like the earthworm or bird, every organ system is engineered to do the job to perfection. Hitler had his engineers design an enormous tank, the 100 ton Maus. Experts agree it was too clumsy to do its job well. An even larger tank was never built, only designed.

Everything in the yard is engineered to perfection, created, and also managed - without my help at all. The soil food web is so complicated that explaining the concept briefly is a major chore, not one that a writer can do easily or -  a reader can grasp once explained. And yet, basic trust in Creation can make this system work at its best, benefiting every segment - except the toxin aisle of the hardware store. Management means that a surplus of one creature will be met by the predation of another. The feeder will grow in numbers until its food is reduced, and then it will decline.

Ironically, the bacteria thrive because protozoa devour it, giving the survivors room to grow. Likewise, the bacteria seem to appreciate the earthworm, reducing food and releasing nutrition for the earthworm as the worm gathers organic material to reduce.

A well run grocery store is a marvel of management, because supplies must be ordered to match the needs of the customers. The supplies must arrive in an orderly way, be logged into the store, and put on shelves as space becomes available. A system of management keeps the right people on the job and doing what is needed most at any given time. Without the managers, this falls apart, because someone has to open the bay to let the delivery truck arrive. Someone must get the money counted and deposited. Someone must order up the workers or cut hours.

Therefore, gardening is not difficult but easy. The hard work is done and carries on without any human intervention. Do I want toads? Yes. They arrive to do their work if I have some water supplies and bugs to eat. They stay in numbers that match the food and water supply.

Hordes of beetles and cursorial  (non-web) spiders work the yard at night, even though many other creatures do similar work in getting rid of pests. I used to believe the myth that slugs were not eaten by other creatures - except ducks. In fact, many beneficial creatures are expert slug eaters, so the slugs keep that entire population primed to reduce their numbers. Kill slugs? Then I would removing the incentive for the slug-eaters to populate my yard. Poison slugs? That would poison many beneficial creatures and never reach the slug population, which is 2/3rds in the soil at all times.

This tiny flower fly has designed his own livery
to make predators think he is a bee.
Who told him a) this would work, and
b) how to do it?

Tending the Earthworm Population. The Soil Food Web

Uncle Jim's Earthworm Blog - red wigglers.

The earthworm - such a simple creature - and yet so valuable to gardeners and farmers. The total earthworm population on a piece of land is hard to imagine, but that is also true of ants, beetles, spiders, slugs, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, mites, springtails, and fungi.

I copied some material below to help someone  who was asking about all this.

Hosting earthworms is a great idea. Increasing what they like will leverage their population and the benefits thereof.

Composting - Keep It Local.
I outgrew my need to turn compost, shovel it, wheelbarrow it uphill to the garden, etc. So I make my compost on the spot. The goal is to have a yard and gardens brimming with earthworms, because they do so much.

Vermicastings 
Vermicastings (the name given to worm poop) are 50% higher in organic matter than soil that has not moved through worms. This is an astonishing increase and radically changes the composition of the soil, increasing CEC because of the greater amount of charge-holding organic surfaces. Other nutrients, therefore, have the ability to attach to the organic matter that has passed through a worm. 

The benefits don’t stop there. The worm’s digestive enzymes (or, properly, those produced by bacteria in the worm’s intestines) unlock many of the chemical bonds that otherwise tie up nutrients and prevent their being plant-available. Thus, vermicastings are as much as seven times richer in phosphate than soil that has not been through an earthworm. They have ten times the available potash; five times the nitrogen; three times the usable magnesium; and they are one and a half times higher in calcium (thanks to the calcium carbonate added during digestion). All these nutrients bind onto organic matter in the fecal pellets. 

Worms can deposit a staggering 10 to 15 tons of castings per acre on the surface annually. This almost unbelievable number is clearly significant to gardeners: the ability to increase the availability of nutrients without carting in and adding tons of fertilizer is about as close to alchemy as one can get. 

Master shredders 
Earthworms are classified as shredders. As they search for food, they break down the leaf litter in the garden and on the lawn, greatly speeding up the decomposition of plant material, directly and indirectly. They open up leaves and other organic matter, giving bacteria and fungi better access to the cellulose (and other carbohydrates) and lignin (a noncarbohydrate) in the organic matter. Earthworms, then, obviously facilitate the recycling of nutrients back to the plants.

Lewis, Wayne; Lowenfels, Jeff (2010-09-10). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Kindle Locations 1400-1414). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Earthworms like darkness, moisture, sweeter soil, and organic matter. They use bacteria to digest the organic matter they swallow and excrete. Thus the gardeners tiny helper has his own tiny helpers.

Organic matter they love:

• Animal manure - but avoid cat and dog manure.
• Grass, leaves, and wood mulch.
• Upside-down sod or sod denied sunlight. 
• Newsprint and cardboard.
• Food garbage but not meat, fat, or bones. Never onions or garlic in close quarters.
• A pile of newspaper left on soil or sod will soak up moisture and soon boast a colony of fat, healthy earthworms.

Earthworms hate:

1. Light. They dig down to avoid it. 
2. Garlic and onions. They will head for the hills when those scraps are used.
3. Dryness. They need lots of moisture to thrive, and moisture provides the rot they need to eat.
4. Man-made fertilizers. Insecticides. Fungicides - all are earthworm killers or repellents.
5. Rototillers - when the colonists broke up the woodlands for farming and plowed the soil, they changed the soil over to bacteria prominence (Lowenfels, Teaming with Microbes). We are overly in love with osterizing the soil. As my neighbor said to me today, "Rototilling made my garden worse, not better."

Simple concept - organic matter placed on top of the soil
will be pulled down and mixed by earthworms and soil creatures.
Save your backs, gardeners.
Turn that wheelbarrow into a planter.

These charts remind me of football play charts - not very helpful -
but here is some written information about all this.

---

Kelmed from Cornell University

Invertebrates of the Compost Pile

In small-scale outdoor composting systems, such as backyard compost piles, soil invertebrates are likely to contribute to the decomposition process. Together with bacteria, fungi, and other microbes, these organisms make up a complex food web or energy pyramid with primary, secondary, and tertiary level consumers. The base of the pyramid, or energy source, is made up of organic matter including plant and animal residues.

Tertiary Consumers (organisms that eat secondary consumers) centipedes, predatory mites, rove beetles, fomicid ants, carabid beetles

Secondary Consumers (organisms that eat primary consumers) springtails, some types of mites, feather-winged beetles nematodes, protozoa, rotifera, soil flatworms

Primary Consumers (organisms that eat organic residues) bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, nematodes, some types of mites, snails, slugs, earthworms, millipedes, sowbugs, whiteworms

Organic Residues leaves, grass clippings, other plant debris, food scraps, fecal matter and animal bodies including those of soil invertebrates

As you can see in this pyramid, organic residues such leaves or other plant materials are eaten by some types of invertebrates such as millipedes, sow bugs, snails and slugs. These invertebrates shred the plant materials, creating more surface area for action by fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes (a group of organisms intermediate between bacteria and true fungi), which are in turn eaten by organisms such as mites and springtails.
Many kinds of worms, including earthworms, nematodes, red worms and potworms eat decaying vegetation and microbes and excrete organic compounds that enrich compost. Their tunneling aerates the compost, and their feeding increases the surface area of organic matter for microbes to act upon. As each decomposer dies or excretes, more food is added to web for other decomposers.
Nematodes: These tiny, cylindrical, often transparent microscopic worms are the most abundant of the physical decomposers - a handful of decaying compost contains several million. It has been estimated that one rotting apple contains 90,000. Under a magnifying lens they resemble fine human hair.
Some species scavenge on decaying vegetation, some feed on bacteria, fungi, protozoa and other nematodes, and some suck the juices of plant roots, especially root vegetables.
Mites: Mites are the second most common invertebrate found in compost. They have eight leg-like jointed appendages. Some can be seen with the naked eye and others are microscopic. Some can be seen hitching rides on the back of other faster moving invertebrates such as sowbugs, millipedes and beetles. Some scavenge on leaves, rotten wood, and other organic debris. Some species eat fungi, yet others are predators and feed on nematodes, eggs, insect larvae and other mites and springtails. Some are both free living and parasitic. One very common compost mite is globular in appearance, with bristling hairs on its back and red-orange in color.
Springtails: Springtails are extremely numerous in compost. They are very small wingless insects and can be distinguished by their ability to jump when disturbed. They run in and around the particles in the compost and have a small spring-like structure under the belly that catapults them into the air when the spring catch is triggered. They chew on decomposing plants, pollen, grains, and fungi. They also eat nematodes and droppings of other arthropods and then meticulously clean themselves after feeding.
Earthworms: Earthworms do the lion's share of the decomposition work among the larger compost organisms. They are constantly tunneling and feeding on dead plants and decaying insects during the daylight hours. Their tunneling aerates the compost and enables water, nutrients and oxygen to filter down. "As soil or organic matter is passed through an earthworm's digestive system, it is broken up and neutralized by secretions of calcium carbonate from calciferous glands near the worm's gizzard. Once in the gizzard, material is finely ground prior to digestion. Digestive intestinal juices rich in hormones, enzymes, and other fermenting substances continue the breakdown process. The matter passes out of the worm's body in the form of casts, which are the richest and finest quality of all humus material. Fresh casts are markedly higher in bacteria, organic material, and available nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium than soil itself." (Rodale)
Slugs and snails (left): Slugs and snails generally feed on living plant material but will attack fresh garbage and plant debris and will therefore appear in the compost heap.
Centipedes (right): Centipedes are fast moving predators found mostly in the top few inches of the compost heap. They have formidable claws behind their head which possess poison glands that paralyze small red worms, insect larvae, newly hatched earthworms, and arthropods - mainly insects and spiders. To view a QuickTime movie of the centipede click on this image


Millipedes: They are slower and more cylindrical than centipedes and have two pairs of appendages on each body segment. They feed mainly on decaying plant tissue but will eat insect carcasses and excrement.

Sow Bugs (right): Sow Bugs are fat bodied crustaceans with delicate plate-like gills along the lower surface of their abdomens which must be kept moist. They move slowly grazing on decaying vegetation.

Beetles (left): The most common beetles in compost are the rove beetle, ground beetle and feather-winged beetle. Feather-winged beetles feed on fungal spores, while the larger rove and ground beetles prey on other insects, snails, slugs and other small animals.

Ants: Ants feed on aphid honey-dew, fungi, seeds, sweets, scraps, other insects and sometimes other ants. Compost provides some of these foods and it also provides shelter for nests and hills. Ants may benefit the compost heap by moving minerals especially phosphorus and potassium around by bringing fungi and other organisms into their nests.
Flies: During the early stages of the composting process, flies provide ideal airborne transportation for bacteria on their way to the pile. Flies spend their larval phase in compost as maggots, which do not survive thermophilic temperatures. Adults feed upon organic vegetation.
Spiders: Spiders feed on insects and other small invertebrates.
Pseudoscorpions: Pseudoscorpions are predators which seize victims with their visible front claws, then inject poison from glands located at the tips of the claws. Prey include minute nematode worms, mites, larvae, and small earthworms.
Earwigs: Earwigs are large predators, easily seen with the naked eye. They move about quickly. Some are predators. Others feed chiefly on decayed vegetation.

The Jackson Rose Farm Is Complete - For Now

I added two stumps in the midst of the rose garden,
for seating and for bird lookouts.

I will try to get new photos of the main rose garden merging into the circular maple tree garden. In the backyard is the fence garden for Mrs. Gardener (our neighbor's wife -  she loves roses).  I conspired to build the fence garden to quell any opposition to the way I was going to take over the fence. Previously it was kept weed free with chemicals. One time it was a 3 foot stripe of no growth of anything. Now it is mulched with shredded cyprus from last year and the leaves still remaining from autumn.

Chaste Tree

My starter projects from last year have taken root in a glorious way. The asparagus, which I planted my way, is six feet tall, promising to be extra good next year. All the berries are doing well. The strange new plants (Chaste Tree) are thriving, and the butterfly bushes are packed with leaves.

Our helper observed how our remaining lawn is lush in its growth, far more than his. I started early with compost in the corner of the yard and sprinkled red wiggler earthworms all over. A church member thought the earthworms revived his yard, and I have no doubt, given the nature of the red wiggler. A pine forest can be changed over, just from earthworms coming in from fishermen's boots and altering the soil structure, away from acid.

I told Mr. Gardener that I was originally going to haul compost from the bin, but no matter how much we put in (and he added his share) it always sank to the bottom. That told me how much was being used and distributed by the soil creatures.

Likewise I cannot put too much food under the crepe myrtle bush. No matter how much leaf mulch, mushroom compost, and grass clippings I have added, the soil is free of organic matter in short order. In fact, the feeding has apparently created a bigger soil population with a ravenous appetite for all things organic. To enhance the effect, I prune the crepe myrtle of extra twigs and old dry twigs. The same pruning will make rose bushes more productive and boost the size and quality of the roses.