A Job for Woods' fiancee followed grant receipt, records show. Oren Paris - Taking Money from Satan (Taxpayers) and Giving It to Oren's Family-Run Little College.Plus Taking a $25,000 Bonus for This Sleight of Hand

 "I think it is great to take money from Satan and [the] Kingdom of darkness and put it to Kingdom of God use," Paris said in one of his replies to Woods in that day's text exchange."

Job for Woods' fiancee followed grant receipt, records show:



"Paris pleaded guilty April 4 to one count of conspiracy and will testify for the government. He resigned as Ecclesia's president and from the college's board the previous day. His sentence is pending. Paris disguised the kickbacks as consulting fees paid to Shelton's company, Paradigm Strategic Consulting, according to the indictment. Shelton then passed the money along, the government contends.

The texts between Woods and Paris placed into evidence Monday also show Woods turned to a medical marijuana legalization plan to help support Ecclesia College after both the governor and state Senate leadership announced plans in 2015 to reduce the General Improvement Fund to help pay for tax cuts.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Woods on July 1, 2015, he wanted tax cuts, not more grants given by lawmakers to local projects, according to a text message that day from Woods to Paris. Jonathan Dismang, Senate president pro tempore, backed the governor in what Woods described as a "very disappointing" meeting the same day.

"I think it is great to take money from Satan and [the] Kingdom of darkness and put it to Kingdom of God use," Paris said in one of his replies to Woods in that day's text exchange."

'via Blog this'

Little by Little the Creation Garden Is Built

This is a real rose, carefully preserved and edged in gold.

Ranger Bob looked across the backyard and said, "This is a perfect place for e-wigs, ants, and insects..." And I added - "And birds and bees and butterflies and hummingbirds."

Bob hates e-wigs, also called earwigs. He suggested some chemicals so toxic that one had to be certified to buy them. I said, "I use birds and toads for that." His training as a landscaper has given him a mindset that is only dislodged when I ask, "How many roses do you have, Bob?"

He mutters, "You do have nice roses."

 California Dreamin'

All this chit-chat is meant to support the theory that a Creation Garden is built a little at a time. God does 99.9% of the work through His creatures while the gardener tilts the work in favor of the temporary owner. We lost track of the wood mulch, newspapers, and cardboard absorbed into the soil. I have looked for heavy logs in places, only to find them hollowed out by rot. These materials do not go away but support a larger biomass in the heavy, clay soil.

The biomass is symbolized by earthworms, but is really built upon the microbes - fungus, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. One example - earthworms have been praised and protected from the time of ancient Egypt, but how do those earth-movers work? They are "cows grazing on bacteria." And the bacteria digests the contents of the earthworm gut, which results in nitrogen products in castings (manure) and from its tiny kidneys.

Fungus is the network that delivers nutrition and water to the plant roots, and they must have carbon to grow. Plants trade carbon for water and nutrition - a network only recently discovered and appreciated.

 Paradise Rose is why I said to Almost Eden - "You are Almost Eden? We are Eden." He was gracious. The Biblical Garden of Eden can be reproduced, though poorly, by letting God's Creation carry out the work it was designed to do.

My additions of organic products to the soil feed all of these living things at once, providing a vibrant and energetic base for the plants, from the weeds to the roses, from the vines to the wild strawberries.

I cannot explain the complexities of a single living thing, nor can anyone else. The complexity and overlapping dependencies are too great for our minds to manage. The role of fungus was only recently discovered, though it was at work since Day One. The same could be said of cover crops on farms that flood and succumb to drought easily. When I am tempted to pull or prune a weed, I think, "What Would Gave Do?" His dictum is - "Leaving growing roots in the ground as long as possible."

I also think of the Lunatic Farmer, Salatin, who with his father showered tons of organic matter on their bare bones farm and kept organic matter on the soil until the farm became a paradise of production and nutrition.

Engineering at a Microscopic Level
This can only come from divine Creation, engineering, and management. Sometimes people stop at Creation, which is a marvel by itself, since everything began by working together perfectly. But I am also impressed by the perfect engineering of the tiniest creature, such as the fungus that can trap an enemy with a spring-like device. That is why evolution is a punch-line in our house.

Divine Management
Wait, there's more. We have all suffered from corrupt, poor, or bad management - and I do not mean just in the Lutheran synods. Business and higher education are no different. But look at what happens in Creation. Man ruins the land with toxic chemicals and fertilizer from the factory. The first thing to take over is the opportunistic weed. Given time, the weed will go roots down and leaves out to fertilize the parched soil. Once the initial repairs are made, other plants and animals will move in. Eventually, divine management will make the land fertile again.

This is how I let God manage the aphids. I grow plants loved by beneficial insects and I never use insecticide, which is also very efficient against the spider Spetsnaz troops. When plants are under attack, they give out chemical signals. The beneficials lay eggs near the pests, and the eggs hatch to eat the aphids and other parasites. These infants grow into adults who do the same thing for me. Just as the fire station is close to housing, so are the beneficial plants close to the roses. I like the mint family and daisies to host beneficials, and sunflower are also great.

Application to the Apostate Church Institutions
One person cannot mount a frontal attack on organizations (like WELS, ELS, LCMS) that are organized and funded to protect themselves and destroy dissent. Those who pretend they will fix things from the inside - as John Seifert indicated - are only campaigning for a better job and benefits.

The Lutherans proved this 100% apostasy at the leadership level - politicians and professors - by making the Reformation's 500th Anniversary an embarrassing spectacle of Luther-hating and Luther-ignoring. Bravo! Well done! Now everyone awake has their number and more are waking up.

I am waiting for the 501st so I can buy a railroad car full of Here I Stand socks for $10 - from CPH. Matt the Fatt reads Luther. No, really. He showed us a worn volume in a video.

What Can We Do?
The only effective things are to strengthen the family unit, especially among the clergy and teachers, and to strengthen the congregation.

Synodical meetings are a total waste of time. Attending only enhances their power. Objecting only helps the officials mark people for future extinction.

Having a meeting (even though supposedly secret) about what's wrong with the synod will accomplish nothing. They know how to extinguish brush fires. Probably the pastor most sympathetic and on the phone or email all the time - is working for a promotion from the DP, or maybe to become DP. Ask John Seifert how to work that gig.

Instead, make the family first - not "being busy", often confused with "working hard" for the church. Secondly, teach the family and congregation from the Scriptures Luther and the Book of Concord.

Time is fleeting, so the time spent with little ones - when they cannot learn fast enough - is quickly over. But the time spent in the early years gives credibility to the parents in later years.

WELS-ELS Pounded B. Teigen - ELS - for This Excellent Book on Chemnitz and the Lord's Supper. Free PDF Download

The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz - FREE!

Simply put, the book teaches the efficacy of the Word as revealed in the Scriptures, which the Synodical Conference opposed with their ridiculous and faithless Receptionism.

According to the genius class in the LCMS-ELS-WELS, the elements are not the Body and Blood of Christ until they are received. At that point they "become" the Body and Blood.

The level of stupidity and Biblical ignorance behind that Synodical Conference dogma is difficult to fathom. Yet WELS/ELS treated Teigen like dirt for publishing the truth.

Does anyone see a connection with Synodical Conference UOJ/Calvinism, Pentecostalism, and Church Growthism?

Text messages of ex-state lawmaker, ex-college president, consultant presented at corruption trial

Text messages of ex-state lawmaker, ex-college president, consultant presented at corruption trial:


"FAYETTEVILLE — Text messages among the three people accused in a kickback scheme show they coordinated efforts from February to October of 2014 to solicit more state grants from other lawmakers who were not a part of the plot, according to testimony Monday morning.

IRS Special Agent John Munns presented text messages along with emails and bank records in the trial of former state Sen. Jon Woods and consultant Randell Shelton Jr., formerly of Alma. The records show their text messages and transactions with Oren Paris III, then-president of a private Christian college receiving state grants.

The text messages show successful efforts to solicit state General Improvement Fund grants from lawmakers other than Woods and then-state Rep. Micah Neal, who is also charged in the conspiracy. Neal and Paris have pleaded guilty. Neal was the government’s first witness when the trial began, and Paris is expected to testify later this week."

 In other news at Ecclesia College - they are preparing a soccer field for their 100 students.

'via Blog this'

A Pastor Is Taking the Greek Class. Wednesdays, 7 PM Central Daylight Time

 Norma A. Boeckler

Hi Dr. Jackson,

The Greek class on Romans is great.  I'm back to proficient in the language.  I use for sermon prep starting with Gospel, then Epistle, and then the LXX for the Old Testament in that order, depending on the amount of time I have.  Not to mention Bible study prep.  But the Romans class is something I look forward to each week.  Thanks.  Also,  I usually go on a long walk on Sunday afternoons after preaching, teaching, and some visits.  I listen to your Sunday service on that walk.  Thanks for that too.

Blessings to you and Chris,

***

GJ - I look forward to the class, just as much as the students do. After all, it was our congregation's attorney, Glen Kotten, who asked me to teach it. Our volunteer editor for Luther's Sermons, asked me to offer more in Greek, so I picked Romans as the follow-up.

The idea is simple - we learn a language by hearing it and reading it. No one taught me the fine points of English grammar until high school, but we learned grammar intensively in high school Latin and college Greek. 

Roland Bainton taught me the basic method, which is reading the Gospel of John in the language to be learned. That actually works for Greek too - easy vocabulary, easy grammar. 

Many pastors are merely taught to recognize and look up one Greek word at a time. That is so limiting for Biblical studies that the schools involved should be sued for negligence. 

I have taught writing to hundreds of students. The ones who had no trouble with grammar were the readers. If they read all the time, they know instinctively what is correct.

Naming the grammar rules is guaranteed annual income for language teachers, but it fails to recognize one thing. I believe Krauth pointed it out. A shelf of literature books will teach grammar, but a shelf of grammar books will not teach anyone how to write.

So the Romans class is mostly English, using the Greek text. We are moving slowly.

 Luther's Sermons teach more theology and more Biblical knowledge than entire faculties. Perhaps that is why the Lutheran seminaries despise Luther - he gets in the way of their nefarious agenda. Many seminaries - one agenda.

Another Layman Responds to the Post about WELS Shrinkage

 Ski and Glende were trained at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, a WELS prep school with some unusual traits - only a few miles from the parish of Michigan District President John Seifert. Glende Cousin Paul Brug just turned down a call to MLS.

The previous post from another WELS layman.

Greg,

"Article in the May issue of FIC. Just what we have been discussing. At current trends in another 40 yrs WELS will have just a little over 200,000 members . I think that is a very conservative number. With Boomers dying out I think much more decline. The article goes on to say 300 churches will be closed by then. Once again I think that is too low a number. Just let you know what the Synod is printing in its own magazine."

The WELS knows what they are doing, after a decade of attending conferences and sitting on councils, I have a good idea too.  You have to understand that this is a business.  Their actions are driven self-preservation for self-preservation's sake (in whole or in part by various leaders).  They will, indeed they are in the process of reinventing themselves.  Oh, they say they are doing it for Christ, but make no mistake they're looking out for #1.  At the lowest levels they have good intentions, but they are misled.  They just don't know any better.  Christ the Tool is used to move them along the plan. 

The WELS will be around 100 years from now (if things maintain the status quo).  But, it won't resemble anything like the WELS we knew of the 20th century.  Right now, the synod is being transformed and guided along business principles.  "What's marketable guys?"  "How can we involve every warm body?"  These guys aren't stupid.  They're in it to win it.  Observe the consolidation of church school campuses; this seems indicate the route they are taking because it's a sustainable business model.  The thing is, what will it look like after 100 years?  I suspect it will have a new logo or two along the way, and a new name.  It could very well be possible that what the WELS becomes is nothing more than a Charter School organization rather than a church.

I am dead serious about this.  This is what happens when your mindset becomes focused on self preservation and an elevated sense of self importance for the Gospel ( We're doing is for Christ!!!!  We've got to!)  This will offend pastors who are engaged in this activity now, because they believe in their cause.  BUT...the real measure by which they will be judged is their legacy...which we'll never live long enough see-- thank God.  I believe the sight of it would break our hearts and make us weep.

Pie in sky?  Look at the ELCA.

 WELS soft-pedals its affinity for ELCA Universalism here,
but makes it obvious in JP Meyer.

 Here is the sand upon which the House of WELS is built.

***

GJ - I agree to some extent. WELS has a lot of money left to spend. Their endowment was $100 million, the last time I looked. They have the Jeske coven of millionaires, who are the real controlling element of the sect.

I have trouble believing people will patiently tolerate WELS. The abusive sect treats women and faithful pastors like dirt but they protect the worst pastors, teachers, and staff.

Time will take a toll on the cost of maintaining all their buildings, plus the reality that they cannot keep so many redundant colleges and schools going.

Anonymous answered:

I read your reply, and this is a good point:

"I agree to some extent. WELS has a lot of money left to spend. Their endowment was $100 million, the last time I looked. They have the Jeske coven of millionaires, who are the real controlling element of the sect."

But, the point I was driving at is they may not go the way of the ELCA necessarily, they may just reinvent themselves by way of their parochial school system.  They may be willing to let the churches go with a ready made sustainable strategy to keep the corporation alive.  My thinking is doctrine will come off in layers until the organization isn't recognizable anymore.  It would take a lot of time for this occur.  They could become an apostate church, but I think they may just go the corporate route.  Remember Blackberry?  Used to make phones, now they are a security company.  Or....the Salvation Army would be a great example as well.  That sort of thing.  The WELS may end up a charter school system with little salt and light left to offer, but they would continue to exist a business entity....if not a church.  This theory would no doubt draw howls of protest from the WELS of today, but when you look at what Jeske has been doing and the CORE....they layers are already lifting away.

 Glende and Ski sued the husband of the female staffer who objected to Ski's alcoholism, foul language, and display of Favre's .... on his phone.  SP Mark Schroeder arranged a new call via Kudu Don Patterson and the Anything Goes DP.

"There is nothing I can do about Ski."
We all know Schroeder moved heaven and earth, and consulted with his Father Below, to get Ski a fourth call in his fourth district.

Lay Commentator -

I woke up Saturday morning with it on my mind, and I just started writing, but wish I would have developed it more.  I kept thinking, this is what happens with this Objective Justification thing takes root.  Real justification becomes so impersonal.  With no emphasis on faith, the only thing left if sanctification.  The whole core site seems to be about sanctification:

"The CORE exists to transform lives for Christ through faith that is Real, Relevant, and Relational."

The core exists to transform?  Who's doing the work here?  ...and for whom?  This doesn't sound like any Lutheran doctrine, Methodist more like.  What kind of faith is real , relevant, and relational?  Sanctifying faith?

We deal with life's issues through the lens of God's Word. We come face to face with sin and the havoc it creates in our lives. We celebrate the forgiving, undeserved love of God "and how that changes our lives."

It's all about these guys; real big of them to give God some props at the end of the statement.  Whatever happened to: 

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." - Galatians 6:14

I am so weary of mission statements at church; a big reason I walked a way from the WELS.  Fortunately, I haven't seen any mission statements around OSL since I've been there.

Three Men and a Tool Shed

 One year ago, Chris took her first walk post-surgery. Her latest triumph is an A1C of 6 (perfect) at the diabetic specialist's office. Sassy has her own fur coat, but Mrs. Ichabod made her wear a sweater, because...cute.

Ranger Bob (a retired Army Ranger) opened up a storage shed on his property and found it mostly filled with things to jettison. He said, "Do you want a shed?" He and Mrs. Ichabod decided that the place between the Elderberry bushes was best, and I conceded.

He said, "My brother, Jerry, and I will take it apart and carry the parts over when the weather is better." Ranger Bob floated an idea. "We could carry it in one piece," so I volunteered to make it a fourth. Without contents or a floor, the aluminum structure was easy to carry, though I hoped for no videos appearing on the Net. The roof came over next, from two doors away.

Soon the roof was attached again, the shed resting on a bed of concrete tiles from the original site. Rebar will hold it down better, though it never took flight in our previous wind storms.

That is quite a gift, most would say. But no, Bob is coming over to seal the joints, paint the outside, and repaint the metal roof. He already cleaned the interior. He loves our pour-over coffee and his recent coffee-maker upgrade, so deals are often worked out over cups of fresh pour-over brew. Sassy loves him so much that she heads for his home on the corner, every time we are out, in hopes of being assailed as Fat Dog and Chow Hound while she gets some treats.

Sassy the Sweet
I posted about Sassy's mildly ornergy moments. Yesterday she barked at Mrs. Gardener's son-in-law, basically her happy to see you bark. They went inside, but the grandson came out to pet Sassy.

Sassy wants to kiss children, so her barks and rapid head movements spook them a little. He kept petting her methodically and talking to her. She reached over and gave him her special long, slow, loving licks. He loved that and began working over her ears. "You have a dog?" He did, and he knew how much they enjoy ear work.

Sassy Sasses Three Dogs, Leading to a Mass Escape
This morning Sassy went over to three dogs behind a fence to sass them. They erupted in ferocious barks and soon pushed the gate enough to come out to her.

I guessed they would have a quiet meet and greet, and so they did. Each dog was a bit hackled, cautious, but non-aggressive. So there I was with Sassy and three loose dogs - no sign of the owners.

I went into the front yard, pointed at the gate, and said, "Go back home. GIT!" The biggest one looked guiltier than Comey at a meeting of The Ethical Society. He walked in, hanging his head.

I made eye contact with the next. "Go HOME!" and pointed the way. He walked in. The youngest wanted to enjoy his freedom. I glared at that one and said, "Move it. NOW!" He did some small circles, so I raised my arm again and pointed the way. He trotted in, and I locked their gate. To save face, they barked ferociously -after being locked in like wandering lambs.

 Norma Boeckler photographed me and my supervisor at the dog park.

How Does the Synodical Conference - United in UOJ - Mange To Ignore Luther So Stubbornly?

Anita Engleman, Ichabod, Walther on his smartphone, Mrs. I, Zach Engleman - pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Zach:
I have been thinking of Genesis 15:6, where Abraham believed God and righteousness was imputed to him:
And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 

Abraham was righteous over 400 years before the giving of the Law at Sinai. The Israelites were delivered from Egypt before the Law was given also.

This is a very important teaching on the righteousness of faith, as Luther writes:
“With these words, Paul makes faith in God the supreme worship, the supreme allegiance, the supreme obedience, and the supreme sacrifice. Whoever is an orator, let him develop this topic. He will see that faith is something omnipotent, and that its power is inestimable and infinite; for it attributes glory to God, which is the highest thing that can be attributed to Him. To attribute glory to God is to believe in Him, to regard Him as truthful, wise, righteous, merciful, and almighty, in short, to acknowledge Him as the Author and Donor of every good. Reason does not do this, but faith does. It consummates the Deity; and if I may put it this way, it is the creator of the Deity, not in the substance of God but in us. For without faith, God loses His glory, wisdom, righteousness, truthfulness, mercy, etc., in us; in short, God has none of His majesty or glory where faith is absent. Nor does God require anything greater of man than that he attribute to Him His glory and His divinity; that is that he regard Him, not as an idol but as God, who has regard for him, listens to him, shows mercy to him, helps him, etc. When He has obtained this, God retains His divinity sound and unblemished; that is, He has whatever a believing heart is able to attribute to Him. To be able to attribute such glory to God is wisdom beyond wisdom, righteousness beyond righteousness, religion beyond religion, and sacrifice beyond sacrifice. From this it can be understood what great righteousness faith is and, by antithesis, what a great sin unbelief is.” [1]

[1] Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works: Lectures on Galatians. Volume 26. American Edition. Ed. Jaroslav Pelikan. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, (1963), p. 227.

NWA editorial: Taxpayers get 'slushed' | NWADG

NWA editorial: Taxpayers get 'slushed' | NWADG:


"Ecclesia College "mentors effective leaders to strengthen the foundations of society through the life and values of Christ," according to the school. We respect any private school that wants to offer educational opportunities from a foundation of faith, but do not ask taxpayers to support it. Maybe it should be no surprise that Republican state lawmakers willing to support construction of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the state Capitol grounds would also be so eager to funnel tax dollars to this private, religious-based school.

This financially shaky institution should have never once been considered an appropriate expenditure of taxpayers dollars, yet so many lawmakers saw it, we suppose, as their God-given mission to shore it up through the General Improvement Fund program. That program was actually promoted as offering more accountability for the previous legislator-controlled grants, but what it really became was a sham providing camouflage for lawmakers who still pulled the strings. If a lawmaker wanted something funded, it happened. If the lawmakers didn't, you're out of luck.

According to testimony in court, it took no time for a representative of the Walton Family Foundation to recognize Ecclesia College wasn't everything its advocates wanted people to believe. The college hoped to earn some grants from the foundation, which is clearly smarter about its money than state officials are with taxpayers' dollars. "I wondered if it was economically viable," the Walton representative said regarding his thoughts after he toured Ecclesia at the behest of former state Rep. Tim Summers of Bentonville.

And yet legislators were more than ready to throw money at it. More than $700,000. Why? There's no good reason other than perhaps the glee they must have felt at finally getting to spend some of Arkansas tax dollars on religion. Or, if the allegations in trial are true, because money was changing hands in multiple directions.

But wait, there's more. According to testimony, state employees at the direction of lawmakers worked on legislation to benefit Ecclesia and companies that recycle roofing shingles. Turns out Woods, Shelton and Paris had financial interests in a shingle recycling venture, according to court records.

To keep this parade of ridiculous un-accountability going, we learn Ecclesia received a $50,000 grant before it even applied for it. On a different one, it missed the deadline for applying but why not keep shoveling more money that way?

It may be that by grace one is saved, but our state lawmakers so willing to ship taxpayers dollars to this Bible college appear to have subscribed to the mistaken notion one can buy his way into Heaven. That's proof of a need for deeper study of Scripture, but not justification for propping up a private church school with taxpayer money."

'via Blog this'

John Seifert Retires as Michigan District President, WELS. Rapid Decline Predicted for WELS - Another Feature of UOJ and Church Growth

 John Seifert replaced DP Robert Mueller, another shape-shifter. Doubtless someone even worse will continue the downhill decline.

From an Ichabod Reader

Article in the May issue of FIC. Just what we have been discussing. At current trends in another 40 yrs WELS will have just a little over 200,000 members . I think that is a very conservative number. With Boomers dying out I think much more decline. The article goes on to say 300 churches will be closed by then. Once again I think that is too low a number. Just let you know what the Synod is printing in its own magazine.

Also if one looks at weekly attendance less than half of those total numbers attend each Sunday.

The article broke the next 40 yrs down to 2 generations. Jeske ran out of Germans. I think the gimmicks ain't working either. Call the Stormtroopers.

WELS promotes women teaching men, women in authority over men, and they treat women like dirt while supporting lecherous pastors. Ask DP Seifert about the lady teacher he threw under a bus.

Jubilate - The Third Sunday after Easter, 2018. John 16:16-23

Jubilate, The Third Sunday after Easter, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Daylight Time

Note - the hymn lyrics are linked on the hymn number, the tune linked on the hymn's name. 

The Hymn #  536                            Awake My Soul 

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 # 518    If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee

A Little While - Patience Required

The Communion Hymn #313         O Lord We Praise Thee

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 #231                               We Now Implore                     

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly goodness dost suffer Thy children to come under Thy chastening rod here on earth, that we may be like unto Thine only-begotten Son in suffering and hereafter in glory: We beseech Thee, comfort us in temptations and afflictions by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually trust in Thy Son's promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may overcome all evil, and at last obtain 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 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Luther’s Sermon on the Gospel Lesson

Luther’s Second Sermon on the Gospel Lesson

A Little While - Patience Required

KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

I put "a little while" in blue to show everyone that the same phrase is used seven times in this lesson. Even Luther complained a bit about so many repetitions.

But since we know the Spirit is so concise in the Scriptures, every verse has meaning. We should not rush through passages to get to our favorite verses, but ask ourselves why something is an obvious snag or irritation to us. Sometimes it is a hard saying, such as Jesus ignoring the Canaanite woman and sounding downright rude to her  - not taking bread from the children to give to the dogs.

This passage guarantees that the reader or listener will remember one phrase, no matter which language is being used.

So we should remember the parental question we heard so often? Not - "Are you out of your mind?" But "What did I tell you?"

How many times did we hear that? "What did I tell you?" And we were forced to repeat what was said.

Often the answer to that question was - "Be patient. Wait."

In fact, when our granddaughter was very young, she gestured with her hand and said to me, "You have to wait." It gave me the impression she had heard that more than once.

The one thing that makes children so much fun and so exhausting is that they are so impatient and full of energy.

Jesus was preparing His disciples for the Passion, when He would be betrayed, arrested, tried, tortured, and crucified. We can see from all four Gospels that this period is about 25%, more or less, of each Gospel, clearly the most important part.

Therefore, one quarter of each Gospel covers one week of events, while three quarters is about a three year public ministry, many miracles, sayings, and sermons.

So this passage shows us how Jesus taught His disciples about patience under trial, although we are tempted to think the lesson did not sink in. Compared to the disciples, who stayed together when their lives were threatened, we are jumpy two-year olds. We do not have armored soldiers threatening us at every moment.

A Little While, A Little While

Soon after these closing messages - a little while - they will not see Jesus. That is His arrest and crucifixion. But a short time, they will see Him again.

In the text it is only one Word - μικρον. Micron in English, one millionth of a meter.

This is quite a lesson for us. Whatever is happening at the moment, it is just for a little while. That sound teach us to be thankful for all the blessings we are enjoying for the moment, because everything changes so fast, especially when seen from the slow lane.

The children that are so difficult to handle are soon adults with children remarkably like their parents. Neighbors change. Our little street has changed in the few years we have been here.

Difficulties also pass, although they can be a terrible burden at the moment. Some never go away, but God takes our heart away from them. 

17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 

Basic to human nature is not knowing and yet wanting to know. My three best teachers about the Scriptures (Yale Divinity, replaced by dolts) had the same message - certainty is in the text, not in the theories. We had to know the mostly liberal theories, but that was background reading.

Many laity and clergy run around after the Biblical books that present a theory, often not new, that explains everything. Then the text is background reading, superficially used. One can have an enormous library and very little spiritual knowledge, in fact little knowledge that sticks. Contradictions and confusion do that to the memory.

In contrast, if the text is primary and all-important, that is remembered and the books about the Bible fade in importance. Just be glad you do not have to recite the many theories I learned before YDS. 

Some are thinking - "I am so glad I did not have alien views forced on me by various dictators of doctrine." But you did and still do. The denominations have a system to teach, often against the Scriptures, and tell clergy and laity to judge the Word by the system, not the system by the Word.

But first, a word from our sponsor, the Holy Spirit -

The "conservative" Lutherans teach against Luther at their seminaries, their headquarters,  and their publishing houses. But they sell Luther trinkets for the 500th Anniversary.

There are traditional, good rules for understanding the Word of God. They are good because they are derived from the Word and do not replace the Word with their own human reason.

Good, Traditional Rules of the Christian Church

1. Scripture interprets Scripture.
2. The clear passages interpret the darker passages.
3. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and without contradiction.

In contrast, various denominations - from wacko Leftist to supposedly conservative - enforce rules against the Word of God and excommunicate those who do not obey. That is just as true of the Fundamentalists as it is of the Church of Rome.

18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

But we, like sheep, and no better than the disciples, are impatient and prone to wander. We should certainly see them as a mirror of our faults, not as bad examples - just good mirrors.

They did not go to Him but questioned this saying among themselves. Nevertheless, Jesus already knew their thoughts and brought that up to them.

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Jesus intercepted their thoughts with the parable of child birth. We can look all over, and though we know how difficult labor can be, there is nothing so fun as seeing a young mother with her child. At the time of labor, it is all-consuming and seems never to end. 

When we feel completely knocked down, it is a similar feeling - though labor is by far the greatest and best example of this. When things look black, they are very oppressive and the tiniest details and work is slowed by a heaviness of spirit. And then we see criminals, false teachers, and con artists go about their work with cheerfulness of spirit, great energy, and confidence.

Note that one big factor for the disciples is that they did not take their confusion to Jesus.

This is an important detail - and should be dominant in all hearts - the Word brings us to Jesus - and Jesus to us. 

Our poor little brains, though a marvel, are nothing compared to the power of the Word of God, which arranges a meeting between us and the Savior at any time, any place.

Labor brings fear - as it should - and so does uncertainty, a fear that can multiply all our woes. The opposite of fear is faith, and the Scriptures repeatedly say to us - Do not be afraid but believe in Him - remember the Promises. We can invoke the Word through our memories, by hearing it spoken to us, by reading it.

The experience of difficulty should always teach us, as this lesson does, "It is only a little while."

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

So if the Word teaches everything, why have books and sermons. The sermon is the primary work of the Christian Church, because so much is in each verse that speaking them and explaining them well is a benefit and blessing to everyone, including the minister.

Luther:

32. Therefore, let us continue to hear Christ and learn to understand his language, that we judge not according to our feelings, as if comfort were lost forever and sorrow had no end. That you feel and think thus, he says, I know very well; but still listen to what I say to you and learn only this word modicum, a little while. Sorrow must also be felt, but it shall not harm you, besides it shall not last long. Even by this the sorrow is already sugar-coated and tempered. Later, when the “little while” has passed and triumphed, then one feels what Christ says: “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Then the true joy of the heart commences and the soul sings an eternal Hallelujah, and Christ is Risen — a joy which will in the life beyond be perfect, without a defect and without an end.

33. Notice that the articles of our faith, both on the death and the resurrection of Christ, are thus set before us in this Gospel, and how the same must be put to practice by us. learned, and exercised in our deeds and our experiences, and not only heard with the ears and spoken with the mouth. Also, that we thus feel it, and such power works in us that both body and soul thereby become changed; that is, Christ dies in us and we also die in him. That is a great change, from life to death. However, then I must cleave firmly by faith to the words Christ says, “A little while,” and not only hear, but also take to heart the truth that trial will not last forever, but there will be a change from death to life when Christ again rises and lives in me and I become alive in him. Then the words shall come true, “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you,” etc. For this meeting every Christian should be prepared whenever he is called for it; for he must experience something of it either in life or at the hour of death; so that he will then be reminded of this saying of Christ and let nothing tear this comfort out of his heart. Amen.

 I just love Pietism, an enhanced version of Calvinism.