God Is Punishing the LCMS with the McCain-Harrison Administration

Nils A. Dahl studied under Bultmann and disagreed with his professor. Dahl was considered the finest New Testament exegete in the world, so I was honored to study under him for the S.T.M. at Yale University. I took the Gospel of Mark in Greek and NT Christology from him.

David Becker reviewed the reviews of LCMS professors - the Hamman biography of Rudolph Bultmann, the "great" demythologizer.

Dahl pointed out that Bultmann rose to prominence because the other German scholars died young - he lived to the age of 92. His famous works were derived from the work of others. He was lionized for being a rationalist, and his American fan club promoted his ideas without ceasing.

Becker seems surprised that LCMS professors love Bultmann and urge students and pastors to read this expensive biography - $60, though not as overpriced as CPH mythology books. "Rudolf Bultmann: A Biography, by Konrad Hammann. 657 pages. Polebridge Press. January 16, 2013. List price $60.00, Amazon price $50.06, Amazon Kindle $9.95."

McCain-Harrison made the seminary debacle possible, and Christian News enabled the McCain-Harrison miracles of deception. More importantly, Christian News played a major role in the character assassination of Dr. Walter A. Maier II - who dared teach Justification by Faith. Scaer - a long-time friend of Otten - revealed his jealousy and vindictiveness against WAM II in his bizarre autobiography.

Objective Justification and Bultmann - Two Forms of Rationalism

God is punishing the LCMS with leaders and professors who sneak into the sheepfold to scatter, rend, and murder. They systematically replaced the Reformation's Justification by Faith with the rationalism of Halle University Pietism. They claimed to hang onto Biblical inerrancy (wink ;) while denying the clear, plain teaching of the Bible.

Where does Objective Justification come from - the main source? - Answer - Halle University.

Where do most of the early rationalistic, demythologizing Biblical scholars come from? Answer - Halle University. 

I knew the scholars' names from various classes, such as New Testament Christology (Dahl) and background research. When I recently reviewed the history of Halle, I was astounded at the number of pioneer "scholars" who came from there, whose names continue to dominate the history of modern Biblical scholarship. 

Dahl brought Malherbe to Yale, and I took his class in Thessalonians, in Greek. Dahl, Malherbe, and Wison emphasized the text in the original languages, not the dreamy theories of the celebrity scholars.

Robert Wilson spent a semester on Genesis in Hebrew. He not only rejected the claims of world religion scholars, but smashed them to bits. He let a student answer whether JEDP was a legitimate theory. "What do we do when the facts do not match the theory?" Meek voice - "Dismiss it?"

Today's Lutheran leaders do not comprehend Genesis 15:6.

LutherQueasies Fulminating about the "Short" Ending of Mark - Dealt with in A.D. 2000 in Thy Strong Word , But They Have No Trouble Teaching against the Chief Article of Christianity

 Read this out loud without laughing - this is what unites Cascione, Webber, McCain, Harrison, and the Preus Crime Family. These sheep-whisperers are late to the party. What was sacrificed first - Justification by Faith or the ending of Mark?

Rick Strickert (Carlvehse) Senior Member Username: Carlvehse Post Number: 9048 Registered: 10-2003

Posted on Friday, December 06, 2019 - 3:21 pm:       Excerpted from a November 12, 2019, Reclaim News article, "LCMS Declares God Did Not Write Mark 16:9-20," by Rev. Jack Cascione. quote: With the publication and distribution of the Concordia Commentary Mark Vol. 2, by Dr. James Voelz, just before Thanksgiving, the LCMS has become the Grinch who stole the Catechism. One day, in its magisterial wisdom, the LCMS decided that God did not write Mark 16:9-20. All the Lutheran catechisms, liturgies, hymnals, services, and books on the Sacrament of Holy Baptism will have to be rewritten, new footnotes added to the Book of Concord, and 145 footnotes added to the American Edition of Luther’s Works.

THY STRONG WORD - 

Published in 2000 A.D.

Textual Work: the Ending of Mark’s Gospel 

Let us look at one text in Mark and see what the manuscript evidence is. An ordinary Bible will not help. Footnotes mention some ancient witnesses, as if they were people. The witnesses are manuscripts. Details explaining the changes are missing. No explanations are offered. And yet, this is not a difficult matter to discuss.  I was told by my Harvard trained college professor, a Lutheran Church in America pastor, that the early Church noticed that the ending of the second Gospel was rather abrupt, stopping at Mark 16:8, so they made up another ending, Mark 16:9-20. Liberals said, “Thank God we now have better manuscripts than the King James Version had, so we can get rid of the manufactured ending and stop the Gospel at 16:8.”

The liberals could not explain why anyone would end a Gospel with the word “for.” The Greek word gar (“for”) is never found at the end of a sentence, let alone at the end of a book. This adverb gar is post-positive, meaning that it is not used as the first word in a phrase. Like the contemporary question, “And?” it assumes completion.

KJV Mark 16:8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

One theory held that the Gospel was mysteriously broken off at Mark 16:8, letting people imagine death or persecution. Given the value of written texts in the early Church, the abrupt ending is difficult to explain adequately. According to Bruce Metzger, the best known textual expert in America, one 12th century manuscript of Mark broke off at Mark 16:8 with the Greek letter tau indicating the end of a lection and more text following.11 For this reason he rejects that particular manuscript as evidence for the abrupt ending. Nevertheless, Metzger argues very strongly for excluding the traditional ending of Mark, giving little evidence against his view, but he offers three alternative explanations for the ending at Mark 16:8 –
1. The author intended to end his work with “they were afraid.”
2. The Gospel was not finished.
3. The Gospel lost its last leaf before it was copied. (The most probable in his opinion.)12

Justin Martyr used vocabulary from the traditional ending in his Apology, written about 155 AD. Although we do not know exact dates for the New Testament Gospels, it is likely that the entire New Testament was completed before 100 AD. That makes the possible allusion to the traditional ending extremely early. A website about Justin Martyr and other saints made the observation that the early Roman emperors persecuted the Christian Church because they were trying to preserve the old Roman ways. The active persecution of an impoverished and illegal religion might explain the problem with the ending. Justin Martyr was beheaded with six of his students, one of them a woman. My United Bible Society Greek New Testament (Aland third edition) has notes for the variant readings. Similar decisions about which words or sections to include or exclude are made about Shakespeare and all important authors, but most people are not aware of it. The Shakespeare Variorum is an enormous work with variant readings of the dramas. The Yale Shakespeare, in one volume, is the result of many different editorial decisions. Although Shakespeare belongs to the modern age, scholars still argue about the authorship of the plays. Did he write some or all of them? Or did the Earl of Oxford? Or Bacon? If a Shakespeare play began with as much uncertainty as many sermons, no one would pay attention to Shakespeare either. The actor would begin, “Scholars are not sure whether William Shakespeare wrote this play. We chose which lines we would use in performing the play, but no one agrees which words are actually his, or Oxford’s, or Bacon’s, depending on which book you read.”13

The Aland edition of the New Testament omits the traditional ending of Mark, supporting this reading with Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and a few additional witnesses. The traditional ending is supported by Alexandrinus, Epraemi Rescriptus, Bezae Cantabrigiensis, and many others. The position of Vaticanus and Sinaiticus looks very lonely, but aha, do not they agree with each other? Are they not better and earlier? Can we not find it in our hearts to forgive that forgotten scribe who added a few verses to Mark, just to improve the Gospel? Vaticanus does not include the traditional ending of Mark, but the copyist left more than a column of space blank. That was long before the days of “this page intentionally left blank.” At the very least we can assume that the scribe knew of the traditional ending. That leaves Sinaiticus stranded. It is one thing to say that Mark’s Gospel ended abruptly, for no known reason, and that an ending was added. But, if two major witnesses against the traditional ending do not even agree completely with each other, then snipping off verses nine through twenty seems arbitrary, arrogant, and deceitful. St. Jerome knew about manuscripts omitting Mark 16:9-20, but he was convinced of the authenticity of the traditional ending. W. R. Farmer concluded: “In fact, external evidence from the second century for Mark 16:9-20 is stronger than for most other parts of that Gospel.”14 Now we have a great dividing line on this subject. Most of the conservatives have surrendered to Westcott and Hort, abandoning the Majority Text. And yet, an author who accepted the modern theories about the New Testament text, said this about the ending of Mark:

J-002 

“In favor of Mark 16:9-20 there are a host of witnesses: the Alexandrian Manuscript, the Ephraem Manuscript, Codex Bezae, other early uncials, all late uncials and cursives, a number of old Latin authorities plus the Vulgate, one Old Syriac manuscript, the Syriac Peshitta version, and many other versions. Besides, there is a plain statement from Irenaeus (early Christian writer) which clearly shows the existence of Mark 16:9-20 in the second century and the belief that Mark was its author. In brief this is the negative and positive data on the question. On one hand is the unparalleled reliability of the Vatican and Sinaitic Manuscripts; on the other hand is almost all of the other evidence. J. W. McGarvey wrote a capable defense of Mark 16:9-20 in his Commentary on Matthew and Mark. It was first published, however, in 1875, before the great work of Westcott and Hort on the Greek text was completed. Yet McGarvey’s, with a few minor modifications, can stand with credit today.”           
Neil Lightfoot, How We Got the Bible, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1963, pp. 74f.

Vaticanus and Sinaiticus have “unparalleled reliability,” except in one of the most important passages of the New Testament—the ending of Mark. If the claim does not match up with the data, then the claim is wrong.15 In light of the concessions made by Lightfoot above, the treatment of the traditional ending of Mark in the New International Version is worth noting. After Mark 16:8, a line appears in the text, indicating a break. The following heading appears above Mark 16:9-20:

“[The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.]”16

Someone who has not read the research on the ending of Mark—and this material is fairly difficult to find—would conclude from the NIV that Mark 16:9-20 does not belong in the Bible. He would not know that the only major manuscript unambiguously omitting the ending is Sinaiticus and that this “most reliable manuscript” suddenly appeared without a so-called family of copies to back it up. Since Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod professors participated with the liberals and tongue-speakers of the NIV translation team, a conservative Lutheran would assume that the bracketed information is in harmony with orthodox Lutheran doctrine. In fact, no other Bible translation is so brassy in disdaining the traditional ending of Mark. If a modern scholar’s training goes against the traditional ending of the Second Gospel, and he still supports the Majority Text conclusion of Mark, then the untrained person can see that the case against Mark 16:9-20 is very weak indeed. For the sake of comparison, consider what Westcott and Hort have done to millions of Christians. The Beck Bible published by Christian News has also omitted the traditional ending of Mark with a footnote, following Westcott and Hort.17 When a faithful Lutheran reads this Bible, after being exposed to the King James Version, he is led to believe that the Christian Church was deceived for centuries. Luther was wrong. Tyndale was wrong. All the Reformers were wrong. How can the average Christian check the facts? In front of him is the latest Bible printed by a conservative Lutheran. He has no way of discovering, apart from a theological library, that the manuscripts favored in the new edition have no history at all. If a farmer bred cattle or pigs without knowing their genetic heritage, he would be considered lazy or foolish.

The ultimate result of Westcott and Hort enthusiasm has planted doubt about the entire New Testament text.18 Ironically, the Majority Text is rejected by liberals today because of its heritage, its careful preservation in the Christian Church, its thousands of manuscript witnesses, its consistency, its harmony in many different forms. Even the mysterious Vaticanus tips its hat to the Majority Text, by making room for the traditional ending of Mark.

“We must conclude that fidelity to the New Testament text has been abandoned since the publication of the Revised Version in 1881.”19

Click on Thy Strong Word to get the free PDF, found at this link, with a goldmine of other free and low-cost resources.

 Thy Strong Word, Print and Kindle editions

They Call Us Greedy Squirrels

They call us greedy squirrels
But we are rats in armor.
They laugh at squirrel fights
But we'll be laughing far more.

On oaks and walnut trees
They'll hear a rising war cry.
Baby squirrels born,
Let them know you are alive,

Make it your cry!
They call us greedy squirrels
They think they must not feed us.
But if we're armored rats

They'll all respect us.

Sassy the Visitor

On morning walks, Sassy visits Pat whenever she is out. Pat even comes out in the cold to see Sassy. Today, Pat's son was visiting from Tucson, so the three of us watched Sassy scour the yard for treats. She found a roast bone and settled down for a long session. Pat was pleased to have her son there and Sassy enjoying the bone.

That reminded me of the 50th reunion of the Moline High School class of 1966. We took Sassy along and had two goals - we would see Toby McGriff in the nursing home, first of all, and Guy Johnson when he had time.

Toby's nursing home welcomed dogs, and Sassy soaked up the love from everyone. In fact, so many wheelchairs gathered around Sassy that all traffic stopped and we had to break up the traffic jam.

At Toby's room we could see he was in bad shape. Our memories went back to junior high band, starting with John Deere and ending with MHS. The same people come together for band, even for summer marching band practice, so we had years to compare band directors, baton twirlers, and band trips. Toby loved seeing Sassy. The Moline High 66ers went to Augustana in a large group, so Christina felt very much at home with the Moliners at Augie and the overlapping friendships. It was very hard to leave Toby - we all felt the sadness, no time for chipper denials. Toby passed on to eternal life not long after.

 Toby and I had stories way back in time.

Our other goal was to see Guy Johnson, whom we met at Lago's for the 45th. Our friendship went back to Garfield Grade School (now a condo) and comic books. I bought all the Classics Illustrated, even ordering them from the publisher, and gathered DC comics by the pound.

We sat outside and below the motel, near the river, visiting with Guy. He brought his dog who came over to me for petting and compliments. Sassy felt left out and tried some sharing, only to be growled away. She stood back, hurt, for a time - until Guy fussed over her. Then both dogs beamed as we all talked.

 Guy Johnson - outside of Lagomarcino's. His group asked for suggestions for their reunion. The '66 imperial reunion committee considered suggestions lèse-majesté.

The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Alec Satin suggested The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, so I ordered the geezer hard-bound edition with larger print. The book is massive, but I got one for about 10 dollars on the used market. I usually start with Alibris for "used" books. Most of them arrive in new condition at half price or less. Prices fluctuate wildly, so I watch the dips and buy during a bear market for a given title. For example, my dissertation went for $60 as a book and later sold for far less, all in the used market. Right now it ranges from $80 down to $5.50 for one almost new. Hey!

Any hot, new best-seller will probably sell for half-price at Alibris.

This is how the New Treasury works - one example. I wondered how they treated efficaciously, 1 Thessalonians 2:13. Looking that up, I found familiar and new links to various Biblical passages. And - this particular verse had links for other phrases, too, so it is very thorough.

I always write sermons with Luther and Lenski open, but this is a good, new resource. I will use it more and report on it later.

It Needs To Be Said - The LCMS-WELS-ELS Synods Make the Impeachment Probe Look Timid

 "We have convened for another Kangaroo Kourt, and we pray fervently for divine intervention as we implore Him to rid us of all agitators who read Luther and know Greek. Can I hear an Amen!"

The Insurance Plan started early, before the 2016 election, and gained speed after Inauguration Day. Watching the impeachment spectacle and reading the news reports - that is like having all my memories put together - My Legacy Box of Lutheran Synods.

Instead of the Legacy Box service, I put everything together on this blog, far less organized but just as vivid. Many people have written to say, "I thought I was the only one."

Are the "conservative" Lutheran leaders just as bad as the impeachment harpies? No, the synod leaders are far worse - and they take their direction from ELCA, Liz Eaton no less.

Remember this classic Ichabod reader comment? - "When you finally die, everyone will be so happy." That was a note from a most unhappy reader. After years of organized hate mail, some coming anonymously from a DP, they stopped, suddenly, as if realizing they were waking up far too many laity and even a couple of clergy.

Lutheran synod leaders violate their own rules and methods all the time, not to mention the laws of this land. They decide the agenda and pursue it with Marxist ferocity. That process began long ago, but it became especially effective when the Boomer clergy began to fill the ranks.

What have these incorrigible apostates given their church bodies?

• Managers and professors with no ability, except the pursuit of luxury and power.
• Bad hymnals, worse all the time, not one up to the standards of The Lutheran Hymnal, yet always searching for new lows.
• Worse Bibles, monuments of dishonesty and illiteracy.
• Felonies hidden.
• False doctrine promoted shamelessly.
• Clown shows featured as the best way to grow the church, because "God wants, His Church, to grow."
• Like so many Leftists, these parasites attached to offering money (rather than tax dollars) want to be praised as saints, heroes, marvels of integrity.

 They are harder to get rid of than shingles.

Baptist, Baptist, OJists

One way to promote false doctrine is to treat another doctrine as evil, beyond the beyond - or, to pretend that no such thing exists. That is quite dishonest and an obvious contradiction.

Baptists, Babtists, and Pentecostals treat infant baptism - even the mention of that term - as beyond the beyond. (I picked up the expression from Angel's Ashes. The alcoholic father used up all the money in that poor, Irish household and even spent the money sent for his newborn baby. The family considered that "beyond the beyond.")

Once I began a discussion of infant baptism in a mixed audience. A woman got up in a fury and left the room, glaring at me. The verbalized accusation declares that infant baptism and infant faith are "Roman heresies," which settles the matter. Leaving the room in a huff or silencing a discussion (in a Lutheran cell group!) is enough to bypass any discussion based on the Scriptures. As I told one woman, who later agreed, cell groups are not Lutheran and likely to be anti-Lutheran, especially when led by nominal Lutherans.

I have found a hostile reaction to Justification by Faith - festooned with all kinds of insults - typical of the LCMS, WELS, ELS, and CLC (sic).

"It is satanic that people like Gregory Jackson and Paul Rydecki have used misleading and complicating rational arguments, incorrect biblical interpretation, and misleading historical evidence to make this such a difficult issue to grasp today. They attack and obscure Scripture, rather than clarify it, though. (This is why they hate and refuse to deal directly with 2 Cor. 5:19, since it is so clear and helpful on this issue.) In the same way, the 1979 Kokomo theses were uncarefully drawn up to make light of and mock objective justification, not to defend it or help bring about a right understanding." p. 6, 11-04-2019 CN.

 Mull this stupidity for a few moments. The same discussion group raves against Justification by Faith and let Paul McCain post propaganda plagiarized from Rome. 

However, the vast dishonesty of the college and seminary professors, the pinhead clergy and gullible laity is staggering. They pretend there is no other doctrine except Justification Before Faith - "God has declared the entire world forgiven, righteous, yea even saved." Hell is full of guilt-free saints.

This eternal verity has been falsely attributed to the Bible, Romans 4, Luther, Gerhard, Calov, etc. The Church has always taught OJ, they bleat, just as Holy Mother Rome has always taught the Immaculate Conception of Mary and Her Assumption into Heaven.
Both are "the truth" because of the infallibility of Walther and the Pope.

If the OJists were honest, they would say - "We used to teach Justification by Faith in the LCMS and WELS, even though Walther and his disciples taught OJ, but both synods changed to align with Walther, Pieper, ELCA, and Calvin."

But they cannot even admit to Justification by Faith as the Chief Article of Christianity. Like Bivens and Zarling, they try to make people think OJ is the Chief Article.

The Right Reverend Bishop Heiser did not know Objective Justification existed when he declared fellowship with Lawson's group and Rolf's group. Roll the film.

Christmas Art from Norma Boeckler

000

ALPB Online Forum Fussing Over Father Leonard Klein - Almost Ignored WAM II's Death

Father Leonard Klein, left, and Bishop Malooly

Not long ago, Dr. Walter A. Maier II died. He was a Missouri Synod leader and could have been seminary or synod president - until the Preus Crime Family destroyed his reputation by accusing him of false doctrine. The Preus Mob championed Justification Before Faith, the darling dogma of Pietists, Bishop Stephan, Walther, and Halle University. WAM II taught Justification by Faith, as his father did.

The ALPB Online Forum barely mentioned Maier's career, but Father Leonard Klein is being preached into heaven, even as I write. Doubtless he was a nice guy. Team Ichabod met Klein and his wife Christa before he left the Lutheran Church - for Roman Catholicism.

No one can bridge the gap between Rome and Lutheran doctrine. To join Rome after being ordained a Lutheran pastor is a vast betrayal of the Gospel. That is especially true, since this took place when the Roman Catholic hierarchy in America was already exposed for vast corruption. The degradation is so deep that it continues to surface with even more tales of horror, decades later.

Klein came from the liberal circles of Missouri, since he earned an STM at Seminex (officially Christ-Seminex). Klein followed Neuhaus as editor of Lutheran Forum, the ELCA wannabee magazine that turned into the Priest wannabee magazine for a time.

Some of us think that the LCMS pastors are attracted to Rome because they are already trained in the infallibility of the Synod Pope. After experiencing the little Missouri Antichrist, they long for the true Antichrist, his crafts and assaults, smells and bells, endowments and honors.

 "Now Brett. Don't blame Leonard. Have you seen photos of Nadia? I almost joined Rome myself."

Typo Alert from Today's Sermon

The Climax of the Written Version

That is why I emphasize education. We have an almost free system to get that across to the world. If people learn again how God works in the Word, that will be a revolution. Too late? The Reformation was too late, but it re-fashioned all of Europe and planted itself in America, then beyond. Those of us who descended from tree-worshipers and overly tattooed warriors should not limit [edit, added the not] God's power in the Word. We are the living proof.

---

PS - I often think of my English ancestors and how primitive they were, before the advent of Christianity. The power of the efficacious Gospel converted that island and that empire took Christianity around the world.

RIP - Pastor Father Leonard Klein, Former Editor of the Lutheran Forum

 Richard Neuhaus went from LCMS to Seminex to LCA/ELCA to Rome. He influenced Leonard Klein to become a Roman Catholic priest. The Lutheran Forum was central for a number of Neuhaus conversions. Mrs. Ichabod and I met him and his wife at the Ad Fontes conference, where Neuhaus spoke and Crumley ask me about joining WELS.
More coverage here.

 Fr. Leonard Klein, head of three Wilmington City Catholic churches, has died. Funeral Mass to be held on Dec. 13th

December 4, 2019 — (Wilmington, Delaware) — The Very Reverend Leonard Ray Klein, Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, and Pastor of Saint Patrick and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parishes in Wilmington, Delaware, has died today after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. The first and only married man to

Very Rev. Leonard R. Klein

be ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, Father Klein leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Christa, and two adult children and their families. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Renate, who passed in 2016.

Born on August 4, 1945 in Easton, Pennsylvania, Father Klein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Yale College, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Master of Sacred Theology from Christ Seminary-Seminex. Ordained to the Lutheran ministry in 1972, he served as a pastoral intern, associate pastor, pastor and senior pastor for Lutheran congregations in New York and Pennsylvania. He served on numerous boards and committees and had written and lectured on various topics during his career as a Lutheran minister.

Father Klein was received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 2003. Later that year he was accepted as a seminarian for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and began his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was ordained to the priesthood by The Most Reverend Michael A. Saltarelli, on April 1, 2006, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Wilmington.

Father Klein’s early assignments were as a member of the diocesan Family Life Bureau, and Hospital Chaplain. In 2011 he was made pastor of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Patrick Churches. In 2013, he was assigned as rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, in addition to the other two parishes. Father served as chaplain to the Saint Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Wilmington, and member of the Board of Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington. A staunch supporter of pro-life causes and advocate for the vulnerable, Father Klein served as Director of the Office for Pro-Life Activities and Chair of the Respect Life Committee for the Diocese of Wilmington for many years.

NEW: Bishop Malooly will preside at a  concelebrated Mass of Christian burial at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Sixth and N. West Streets, Wilmington, Delaware at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13, 2019.

The Second Sunday in Advent, 2019

The Second Sunday in Advent, 2019

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Time

The Hymn # 58 – Gerhardt              O Lord  How Shall I Meet Thee  

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      Romans 15:4-13

The Gospel                           Luke 21:25-36 

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #71                            Watchman Tell Us    

The God of Patience and Consolation

The Hymn #314          Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray    

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 # 647                             O Little Town of Bethlehem 

In Our Prayers

• Carl Roper and his wife Lynda.
• Pastor and Mrs. Jim Shrader
• Randy Anderson's leg (Andrea's father)
• Pastor K and Doc Lito Cruz - dealing with diabetes.
• Those looking for work and a better income.
• Our media ministries - Alec Satin, Norma Boeckler, Travis and Lauren Cartee, Pastor Jordan Palangyos.
• Advent Service and Jacobs, 7 PM Central Standard.

   

Second Sunday In Advent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy Son hast revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech Thee, keep us by Thy Holy Spirit in Thy word; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Thy grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Thy Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

KJV Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Background for the Sermon on the Epistle, Romans 15:4-13

KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The first verse is worth a book, because so much is overlooked about the Old Testament. A professor on the Mark Levin TV show made the point that the science fraternity has moved from agnosticism to open contempt for all religion (or stay silent). That intrigued me more because that has happened with the mainline denominations (including all the Lutherans) at the same time. The Bible has morphed - in academic circles - into an interesting book about religion, not the unique revelation of God.

Once a book becomes unimportant, people pay less attention to it. They are not opposed as much as indifferent. Yet, all the blessings, warnings, and Promises of the Old Testament (3 times the size of the New Testament) are there for our learning, that we might have hope.

The Creation is a good example. The Creation itself is not as important as its meaning, because there are many Creation stories and theories - but only one Creation is true. The meaning of Creation comes from the power of the Word to fashion the entire universe in six days (not epochs). Also, the Creation in Genesis 1 and John 1 reveals the Trinity at work: the Father commanding, the Son as the Logos-Command, and the Holy Spirit hovering over Creation and recording it for our learning, patience, and hope.

Substitute creations are more like poor imitations, parodies, or even naughty tales. The essential truths are missing, so they miss at all levels. Many talk about Creation but do not teach the Creation, and they find substitutions to be more appealing to their refined and intellectual musing. So they gather the fragments of theories and tales and live with that, a patchwork quilt of thoughts rather than the Word of God.

Karl Barth and his lovely live-in mistress, Charlotte Kirschbaum, offered up a massive set of dogmatics where every point of the Scriptures was equivocated, with their tedious Yes and No on each topic. For example - "The Bible contains the Word of God but is not the Word of God." This gave their followers license to do the same, which is why we have an enormous gap between the great scientists of the past (Creationists) and global warmist salesmen of today (evolutionists). Besides that, this Barthian exercise in double-talk made clergy and professors worry about confessing the Genesis Creation and Flood, so those topics were side-stepped into oblivion.

As Luther said, the Old Testament holds Christ the way a cradle holds a baby. We may not always see or hear the baby in the cradle, but when the mother says, "The baby is in the cradle," we do not challenge her by yanking down the blanket and calling out the baby's name. (Some impulsive guests do.) In the same way, the Old Testament is a framework which deals with history since Creation and also encourages us with Gospel Promises and blessings.The warnings and condemnations of the Law are the contrast between God's mercy and our failings.

Peril and our sinfulness make us uncertain and afraid, but the elaborate framework of the Old Testament shows us God's power in protection and His power in mercy.

KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

When a New Testament verse begins with "for," something previous is being explained. In this case, it is a quotation from Psalm 69, the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament (Lenski, Romans, p. 859).

Romans 15 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

So the Apostle Paul is not only looking back at the example of Christ in His suffering, but even farther back to King David's Psalm as a Messianic prediction. This reference involves a thousand years of history, but it is all one piece, God's calendar from beginning to the end of time. What King David predicted through the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in Christ and preached to the new congregations formed by the Gospel, in many cases nodes begun when Jesus taught and performed miracles, establishing a small group of believers.

At first, the written Scriptures were the Old Testament, when Paul was preaching. That means every congregation was built upon the Gospel Word  of the Old Testament. That was not simply the Scripture known to people who knew Hebrew. It was also translated for everyone who knew Greek, so the Old Testament circulated in the ancient world and served as the anchor for faith in Christ. Someone could say, "Look at all the Old Testament passages He fulfilled. Psalm 69, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and man more. The 23rd Psalm gives us a portrait of the divine Shepherd, and Jesus taught - I AM the Good Shepherd."

These connections between prophesy and fulfillment are like this - Psalm 69 is fulfilled by Christ and both are taught to educate and guide us. So Paul is taking us back to the Passion of Christ and it being foretold by David centuries before.

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

We could say that Paul is dealing with issues that have gone away, but the same kind of problems continue to fester and they always will. Our personalities either make up rules and make them eternal or we find ways to break what is good - with good excuses for doing so.

We are in the new legalism of fads now, not clinging to crusty old traditions. Every few years a new hymnal has to come out, with favorite hymns erased and new duds introduced. Each major group among Lutherans does this, so more is lost all the time. With that is lost the content of great hymns, because they are no longer appreciated or sung. There is a gradual reduction of Biblical knowledge and the catechism. On the far Left, Lutheran clergy are social justice warriors who make believers run for the exits.

The have-tos of today are

1. Snacks in church.
2. Erasing the denomination name, and then that odious word - church.
3. Coaching talks, not sermons.
4. No liturgy, few hymns, many new (often secular) hymns.
5. "Gourmet" expensive coffee.
6. Valet parking.

That sounds like a comedy where no one is laughing. The reason for all this is simple - We have heard of churches that did this and they did very well with the numbers.

But Paul's advice is not followed. Change or Die! is the new tradition, all Law, no Gospel, and the Savior is missing, replaced by a coach in the pulpit who sells his services to other blinded clergy.

6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Results for Paul are - unity in doctrine and in worship. That is why I emphasize the Church of the Augsburg Confession. No synod (but many congregations, at least 3). No fees. No meetings. No fish-hats. No tyranny.

One Mind - believing the same about the Scriptures and the Reformation.

One Mouth - worshiping according to faithful traditions that emphasize Christ in the Means of Grace. Once upon a time, Christianity Today confessed that Lutherans had the most Christ-centered worship with their liturgy, hymns, sermon, and Confessions. Other denominations were always afraid of being too Catholic, so they eliminated what was good and went back to worship in the Old Testament.

Teaching the Father/Son relationship and preaching its meaning is so important because we grow cold and indifferent without the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word.

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

This is a wonderful turn of phrase, because it means emulating Christ receiving us in our weakness, so we should treat others in exactly the same way.

It was a fault in Pietism that certain standards were set up so that someone could not be considered Christian without meeting those standards. So there were sins and... SINS! This led to people thinking that justification comes through the Law, that their standards were the reason and cause for justification. That also kept people away, thinking they were "not good enough yet to be a church member." I heard that from a prospect who was heavily influenced.

Modern forms are similar, and they include how one was born (state and synod), one's income, and family tree. All these standards lead to exclusion rather than welcoming.

The key factor is - as Christ also received us to the glory of God. The motivation is His grace, not our goodness. Grace is what we receive through the Word and Sacraments. Good works, the Christian life - they are the fruit of remaining on the True Vine, the Savior.

8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 

The Apostles thought at first, "We will follow what Jesus did and go to our own people and traditions." The late-comer Paul said, "That is good, but He is preached to the Gentiles as well." That led to a clash and the first Church Council. As anyone can see, both sides are essential and God's will. 

In Phoenix I ventured to say that Jewish Christians were rather rare. One lady told the class, "There are three Messianic Jewish churches in Phoenix, and I go to one." Oh. I once made that same observation to a WELS member of the church, and he said, "My family is. We converted." He was an accountant in the Viet Nam war, and he said, "We were called the Jewish artillery unit."

What unites people - in substance - is the same faith in Christ. What divides is wrong teaching and lack of faith. We heard an intellectual on TV make fun of atheists, which was mildly interesting. Then he said he did not believe in God either. I said to my wife, "The ideal guy for the college lecture circuit." 

13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Believing must be very good from the perspective of God's Word. That would be good to see emphasized more often, because faith enjoys the fruits of joy and peace (Galatians 5). Trusting in God's great power fills us with hope instead of dread and fear.

through the power of the Holy Ghost.

As we studied on Wednesday, the Holy Spirit always accompanies the Word and the Word is never without the Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit comes from invisible Word of teaching and preaching, the visible Word of the Sacraments.

Pastor Palangyos often says in his IM on Facebook - "More power." I respond - "More Word." He says, "Amen!"

God has given us infallible proofs of a power that we can use at any time, one that has the unlimited energy (efficacy) of God. Of course, because that power belongs to God alone, we respect how it works, immediately or later, always reflecting His wisdom.

That is why I emphasize education. We have an almost free system to get that across to the world. If people learn again how God works in the Word, that will be a revolution. Too late? The Reformation was too late, but it re-fashioned all of Europe and planted itself in America, then beyond. Those of us who descended from tree-worshipers and overly tattooed warriors should not limit [edit, added the not] God's power in the Word. We are the living proof.