On Veteran's Day - John F. Baker Represents Those Who Fought for Their Country

 

John F. Baker

The John F. Baker Bridge

 The funeral 

 LBJ bestowed the Medal of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. En route to assist another unit that was engaged with the enemy, Company A came under intense enemy fire and the lead man was killed instantly. Sgt. Baker immediately moved to the head of the column and together with another soldier knocked out two enemy bunkers. When his comrade was mortally wounded, Sgt. Baker, spotting four Viet Cong snipers, killed all of them, evacuated the fallen soldier, and returned to lead repeated assaults against the enemy positions, killing several more Viet Cong. Moving to attack two additional enemy bunkers, he and another soldier drew intense enemy fire and Sgt. Baker was blown from his feet by an enemy grenade. He quickly recovered and singlehandedly destroyed one bunker before the other soldier was wounded. Seizing his fallen comrade's machine gun, Sgt. Baker charged through the deadly fusillade to silence the other bunker. 

He evacuated his comrade, replenished his ammunition, and returned to the forefront to brave the enemy fire and continue the fight. When the forward element was ordered to withdraw, he carried one wounded man to the rear. As he returned to evacuate another soldier, he was taken under fire by snipers, but raced beyond the friendly troops to attack and kill the snipers. After evacuating the wounded man, he returned to cover the deployment of the unit. 

His ammunition now exhausted, he dragged two more of his fallen comrades to the rear. Sgt. Baker's selfless heroism, indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible for saving the lives of several of his comrades, and inflicting serious damage on the enemy. 

His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

 Defense Department

Retired Army Master Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. could have had a prominent gymnastics career, since he competed in high school and trained for the Olympics in his hometown of Moline, Illinois. But after graduation in 1966, he decided to pursue something entirely different: service in the Army and a tour of duty in Vietnam, which earned him the Medal of Honor.

Only a few short months after he began his Army training, Baker was shipped off to Vietnam with the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.  

A private first class at the time, 19-year-old Baker said he and his company went out in the jungles for weeks at a time on combat patrols. Often, since he was small guy – only 5 feet 2 inches tall weighing 105 pounds – he was tasked with crawling through Viet Cong tunnels filled with booby traps to try to lure the enemy out of their hiding spots. 

Baker had been in Vietnam for only two months, when, on Nov. 5, 1966, he and his company were called to help rescue another unit that had been surrounded by Viet Cong. On the way there they were ambushed, and the man at the front of Baker’s unit was killed instantly. An assistant machine-gun bearer at the time, Baker immediately moved to the head of the group, and, with another soldier, knocked out two enemy bunkers. 

Throughout the ordeal, Baker repeatedly assaulted the enemy and pulled wounded soldiers to safety. 

At one point, he was blown off his feet by a grenade, but he recovered and single-handedly took out another bunker, then another. 

When the battle was over, Baker had saved eight of his fellow soldiers, knocked out six Viet Cong machine gun bunkers, and killed 10 enemy soldiers, including several snipers. His courage and commitment under fire earned him the Medal of Honor in 1968, which he received from President Lyndon B. Johnson. 

Baker continued to serve in the Army until 1989, when he retired to Columbia, South Carolina. He and his wife regularly attended special events at nearby Fort Jackson, and he continued helping soldiers by working for the Veterans Administration until his death in January 2012. He was 66.

“Five-foot-two John Baker was a giant,” said Army Col. Drew Meyerowich at Baker’s funeral. “Once you got to know him, you realized he’s exactly the giant we expect to see on the battlefield. He was larger than life.” 

In August of this year, Baker was honored by U.S. Army Garrison Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, which named a street after him.

This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have earned the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.

Moline High School finally honored Baker - see the article here on Moline Memories.

Speaking of Universities - University of Austin

 

I saw several notices about a newly forming university that will try to be more conservative - the University of Austin, Texas. The ALPB Online Forum principals looked up from their Ovaltine to discuss the possibilities there. One the most liberal college presidents, Nunes, came from the LCMS or ELCA, or both. You can tell where that is going if he is going to be a leader there.

Grand Canyon University has shown that a tiny school, mired in debt, can steal a march on established institutions by breaking with all the assumptions of modern education - by being Christian, retro, and not saddling students with enormous loans to pay for a country club campus. School spirit comes from an accepting and inviting student body, great leadership, and an attitude about doing things a new way.

My sister-in-law almost fainted when she heard Augustana College in Rock Island is now charging about $55,000 a year for room, board, and tuition. The tuition fee was about $1,000 per year when we were all there (Christina, Maria, and I) 50 years ago.

The mainline denominations (which include LCMS-WELS) have made the same mistake as the old universities. They have invested far too much money in buildings while expecting students to pay for elegance and comfort through outrageous, constantly increasing tuition costs.

WELS' Martin Luther College currently has basic costs of $27,000 per year. The 2022-23 year will be closer to $30,000. That makes people wonder whether they want to invest their loan money in a school that may not last.

The variables include the net cost with scholarships. One young lady turned down the $100,000 sports scholarship she was offered at GCU because her "friends" wanted her to go to "their" school. No, she did not tell her parents before sending the rejection letter. 

Everything is political and based on family ties in WELS, so the right last name is the key to scholarships and perks, not to mention immunity from discipline. 

Amazon Premium Videos Thanked Me - In a Round About Way

 

GCU Swimming Pool

I heard a conversation at UOP about Grand Canyon University wanting to become a Christian version of UOP. Some businessmen bought the school when the Arizona Baptist Foundation lost 85% of the money invested by faithful members and GCU's endowment fund. 

I worked on a potential position there, online for about two years, while they were getting ready to be online. Some time later, they added their seminary and additional degrees. I visited the old campus early on, and I seemed to have come from outer space. "Online instructor? Oh." I was the only online faculty that came to that meeting. 

A parent in Arkansas told me that GCU had grown incredibly with buildings and programs. I just kept teaching, mostly Old Testament. Brian Mueller had been my online boss at UOP, and he came to GCU to be the new president. Long ago he was LCMS and a basketball coach at Concordia University. Think of that, LCMS colleges!

Apparently GCU was down to 1,000 students before things changed. The current figures are 25,000 students on campus and 90,000 online. When other schools panicked over Covid changes, GCU just switched the campus to online in short order.

 GCU - Division 1 basketball

The funny thing is, I have never seen any new buildings first-hand. We left Phoenix in 2009 and all communications were online. The school is non-profit, and keeps the tuition cost level.

The Amazon video  narrator thanked all the parents, students, and faculty for building up GCU. So I said to the screen, "You are welcome!" 

When I saw a chance to study Hebrew at Waterloo Seminary, the dean said, "Why? It's not required for graduation." I said, "To read the Old Testament in the original..." my voice trailing off. I could not believe what he said. But when I officially graduated from Waterloo, I was at Yale studying Genesis in Hebrew, so the seminary had to mail the diploma and stole to me. The extra Hebrew might be why I ended up teaching Old Testament.

GCU volleyball

Grand Canyon University on Amazon Prime Video

 

Amazon Premium College Tour - GCU

I joined Grand Canyon University when it had about 3,000 students and was just starting to go online. Now it is non-profit, which holds down tuition costs.

We have one graduate of GCU - Zach Engleman (M.Div.) and one freshman on the campus - Enzo Meyer. 

The figure I heard today is 25,000 students on the campus and 90,000 online. They are part of a series being shown -

Watch GCU's Episode on “The College Tour” Hello Faculty and Staff, If you want to know what’s driving our unprecedented growth, you won’t want to miss GCU’s episode of The College Tour — now streaming on Amazon Prime Video! GCU kicks off the second season of this series hosted by Alex Boylan, winner of season two of “The Amazing Race.” The Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning production crew visited our vibrant campus in Spring 2021 to interview real students and staff who share their one-of-a-kind stories of purpose at GCU. Grab your friends and some popcorn to see what life is like at GCU — from academics and athletics to spiritual life and beyond. Welcome to Lope Country! Watch GCU on The College Tour

New Page Created for Vimeo Streams of Worship, Plus Books and Vimeo Lectures in the Future

 

 The KJV is the English version of Luther's Bible, and Tyndale died for creating its forerunner.

The page is Bethany Lutheran Worship

My initial idea is to send the live worship service and lectures to YouTube and Facebook at the same time. They are also stored on Vimeo.

The Facebook page is handy for having all the videos on one location and backed up that way.

If you go to it and like it, more people will be aware of it. 

 Too bad Matt the Fatt, Mirthless Mark the Bookkeeper, and Jon-Boy Buchholz never read this passage from Martin Chemnitz.

As Luther Said, "Now We Begin To Smell the Potroast!" The Sinaiticus and Vaticanus Fakes from Snake Oil Tischendorf.

 

I have known a fair number of con-artists, in the visible church and in the repair business. There is always a hook that is used to clinch the deal.

One Cleveland car repairman was already on my suspect list when he phoned me and said, "We are looking at your car. You have a big engine but it runs like a four-cylinder Ford." I got out my notepad and pen - "So what does it need?" He gave me a long list of transmission woes, which I copied down and repeated to a transmission shop. Every single detail was not just wrong but hilariously wrong, far from reality. The Ford comment was supposed to move me to pay for massive repairs. I declined.

When I began studying the original text issues for the Greek New Testament, I found the same thing happening, which became especially vivid as I worked through the stories again.

The hook is how Tischendorf came upon the "oldest Bible in the world" at the St. Catherine's monastery on "Mt. Sinai," earning it the title of Codex Sinaiticus. The word codex means it was a bound book, and it had to be made from skin, vellum, or it would have disintegrated if made from papyrus - paper.

The hook is - Tischendorf saw a basket of vellum pages, about to be tossed into the fire, so he rescued them and took them away for safe-keeping. This story was repeated among three generations of Tischedorfs, because that was the beginning of the Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) legend.

Over a long period of time, this codex was sent to Russia for "copying" - never to be seen again by the monastery. Much later, when Soviet Russia needed cash, they sold it to Britain for a princely price. 

Here are a few problems with the Tischendorf tale:

1. A bound book would not have loose pages, so they were obviously removed from the original. That can be done today with a book bound by thread or even by glue. Look at worn hymnals for example.
2. A vellum codex would not have been supple and white if 1500 years old.
3. Vellum (skin) in a fire would make a horrible stink and not warm up anything. 
4. If the codex were so valuable, why would the monastery let Tischendorf take part of it away from their library, which was known for old texts?
5. How did Vaticanus and Sinaiticus become the templates for the "original New Testament" when they were unknown until Tischendorf showed up?

I have used many libraries and worked in them, visited them for books to be given away, gathered collections and scattered them to fellow believers. I was known in WELS for having shelves of free books gleaned from ELCA seminary book sales and other sources. Books are shared, not burned. Very old books are often patched up and given special care, not tossed in the furnace or the BBQ (ugh! - this hamburger tastes like stale OJ). 

 Barbara Aland took over her husband's work in making the NT text even more obscure.

I will have more details, dates, and sources in the second edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

All modern Bible translations are reliant on the Nestle-Aland Greek texts, which are dependent on Wescott-Hort's Greek NT, which uses Sinaiticus and Vaticanus as the real, original, genyoowine New Testament.

When the New KJV or any other type of "KJV" uses NU (Nestle-Aland-United Bible Societies) in footnotes, it is bowing to Tischendorf and the Church of Rome, which is a welcome partner in all the Bible societies. True? True.

 The modernists are 150 years beyond Westcott-Hort and still stuck in that rut. Hort loathed the traditional text. Aland gloats that his is now the Standard Text. So why do so few Bible readers like the precious NIV, ESV, and New RSV?

Reasons for the Second Edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

 

People are curious about producing a second edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

1. There were so many lapses in the first edition, such as not dealing with Christ in the Psalms. There is no better way to find mistakes than to put them in print. Then the errors wink, blink, and call from the page to the agonized author - "Sloppy! Editor, edit thyself." 

2. Another reason is building the case for the KJV. Apologetics is a name for that role in theology comes from this verse - 

15 κυριον δε τον θεον αγιασατε εν ταις καρδιαις υμων ετοιμοι δε αει προς απολογιαν (apology, give an answer) παντι τω αιτουντι υμας λογον περι της εν υμιν ελπιδος μετα πραυτητος και φοβου

KJV But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15.

The NIVians and ESVians are loaded with all kinds of excuses to avoid the KJV, because the denominations have been given monetary incentives for promoting the new Bibles and then for replacing the new Bibles with even newer and worser Bibles. Lutherans should know - the NIV and ESV are Calvinist productions, not at all friendly toward the Means of Grace but hotter than Georgia asphalt for "making disciples."

NIVians and ESVians are packed with contemptuous and snide remarks, "So you are KJV only?" (a strange label) GJ - "No, I am KJV Best, I know your sliced, diced and denatured "scientific" Bibles all too well. They are so bad they have to be revised every few years and made worse than before. I use those Bibles for comparisons on Biblegateway.com - the lair of the NIV factory itself."

"Our Bible was translated by leading denominational figures in scholarship." GJ - No, your Bible text was created and altered by rationalists who cannot agree with each other and constantly make changes from year to year. Your translating was done under the watchful eye of Eugene Nida and his pals, whose 'dynamic equivalence' makes every modern version a farce. The publishers give incentives for your church leaders to promote a modern version and to tie it into the educational books and worship books."

So you like word for word translating in the KJV?

GJ - "Word for word is only used in interlinear Bibles for those who flunked Hebrew and Greek or went to Ft. Wayne and ELCA schools. The KJV is precise translation, the work of a group of unpaid scholars who actually believed the Word of God."

You do know that the KJV is directly related to Luther's German Bible, right? Yes, the KJV is related through Tyndale, who was murdered for translating the Bible. Tyndale's work became the basis for the KJV. WELS excommunicated pastors who favored the KJV over the sect's precious NIV, because church leaders are not allowed to kill the faithful anymore. 

Jump Starting the Second Edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.

 

Preface – Appreciating the King James Version

                The most read English Bible is the King James Version, with 55% of the readers, compared to a fraction of that for the latest New International Version and many others in the modern category – the English Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version.[1] The percentages dwindle after the first three modern attempts, and there are so many more versions. The KJV has much to commend it, not only for its use of the Majority Text but also for its deliberately grand and eloquent style. If some complain that the KJV reads too much like Shakespeare, others respond that the modern versions sound too much like television cartoons. Even worse, all the modern “scientific” texts are at war against the Majority Text and against each other, because they remove and corrupt so many passages, diluting and changing the actual message of God’s Word. Nevertheless, the Lutheran synods (ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC, ELDONA) and all other mainline denominations reject the KJV for their colleges and seminaries, printed readings, and official proclamations. Beyond that opposition, agreement is absent.

            Details about the development of the KJV and the crimes of the modern text and translation experts will follow. First, let us cite the reasons why the KJV is favored above the rest and destined to outlast the newest, ever-changing, increasingly vapid Bibles. (See the quotations about the KJV in the post below. There will be a lot more quotations.)

---

[1] Christianity Today, March, 2014, quoted a survey giving 55% to the KJV, only 19% to the NIV, single digits for the New RSV, etc. Single digits still add up to a lot of Bibles.

Quotations about the KJV - From the Upcoming Second Edition of The Bible Book, The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

"Aiming at truth, they achieved what later generations recognized as beauty and elegance." Alister McGrath, In the Beginning, p. 254.

From HolyBible.org

Winston Churchill

"The scholars who produced this masterpiece are mostly unknown and unremembered. But they forged an enduring link, literary and religious, between the English-speaking people of the world." The King James Bible Translators; Olga S. Opfell; Jefferson and London: McFarland, 1982.

"One of the supreme achievements of the English Renaissance came at its close, in the King James Bible...It is rightly regarded as the most influential book in the history of English civilization...the King James Version combined homely, dignified phrases into a style of great richness and loveliness. It has been a model of writing for generations of English-speaking people."

Compton’s Encyclopedia, Online Edition. Downloaded from America Online, May 26, 1995.

"The greatest English Bible is the Authorized, or King James, Version. Based on Tyndale's translation and original texts, it was produced in 1611 by six groups of churchmen at the command of King James I. The King James Bible became the traditional Bible of English-speaking Protestants. Its dignified and beautiful style strongly influenced the development of literature in the English language. The influence can be seen in the works of John Bunyan, John Milton, Herman Melville, and many other writers."

Volume 3; Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation; 1967, 1972 ed. p.p. 137, 138 Rev. Holt H. Graham; Rev. Joseph M. Petulla; Mr. Cecil Roth.

 

Charlton Heston

"...the King James translation has been described as 'the monument of English prose' as well as 'the only great work of art ever created by a committee'. Both statements are true. Fifty four scholars worked seven years to produce the work from its extant texts in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. Such an undertaking can be expected to produce great scholarship, but hardly writing as spare and sublime as the King James....

“The authors of several boring translations that have followed over the last fifty years mumble that the KJV is "difficult" filled with long words. Have a look at the difficult long words that begin the Old Testament, and end the Gospels: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep.' and 'Now, of the other things which Jesus did, if they should be written every one, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.' Shakespeare aside, there's no comparable writing in the language, as has been observed by wiser men than I.

Over the past several centuries it's been the single book in most households, an enormous force in shaping the development of the English language. Carried around the world by missionaries, it provided the base by which English is about to become the lingua franca of the world in the next century. Exploring it during this shoot [Ten Commandments] was one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life."

 

In the Arena: An Autobiography, pp. 554-555.

George Bernard Shaw

"The translation was extraordinarily well done because to the translators what they were translating was not merely a curious collection of ancient books written by different authors in different stages of culture, but the Word of God divinely revealed through His chosen and expressly inspired scribes. In this conviction they carried out their work with boundless reverence and care and achieved a beautifully artistic result...they made a translation so magnificent that to this day the common human Britisher or citizen of the United States of North America accepts and worships it as a single book by a single author, the book being the Book of Books and the author being God."

The Men Behind the King James Version, by G. S. Paine; Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1959, 1977ed., pp. 182-183. 

Here Is the Saved Video for All Saints 2021

 

Click the link below this line:

All Saints Sunday, Bethany Lutheran Worship

All Saints Sunday, 2021

All Saints Sunday, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Vimeo Link to the All Saints Sunday Service

The Hymn #656     Behold a Host Arrayed in White          

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

O almighty God, who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

O almighty God, who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual    

 Oh, fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him.

V. They that seek the Lord: shall not want any good thing. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden: and I will give you rest. Hallelujah!

 

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn # 463            For All the Saints                   

Many Blessings from God through Christ

The Communion Hymn #657            Beautiful Savior

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  #341          Crown Him with Many Crowns

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Today we remember - Walter Boeckler, who supported Luther's doctrine and independent congregations; Gary Meyer, who participated in our first Ustream services; Brenda Kielher, who with her parents Cliff and Cleo Kiehler, helped start Bethany in New Ulm, Minnesota; and Gladys Jackson Meyer, who supported Bethany from the beginning and enjoyed helping out. Carl Roper supported independent congregations from the beginning. Carol Olson, Lori Howell's mother, who worshiped with us, passed into eternal life on October 8th. Christina Jackson met her Savior August 22nd. Besides these, we have many others we name in our hearts, beloved, deeply missed, children, relatives, friends. 

In Our Prayers

• Pastor Jim Shrader continues his medical care, as Kermit way does.
• Randy Anderson had a lung biopsy.
• Those with diabetes and similar conditions, and ongoing cancer care.

 Epistle

KJV Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundredand forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim weresealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeonwere sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issacharwere sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Gospel

KJV Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

 From Norma Boeckler

ALL SAINTS' DAY

O almighty and everlasting God, who through Thine only-begotten and beloved Son, Jesus Christ, wilt sanctify all Thine elected and beloved: Give us grace to follow their faith, hope, and charity, that we together with them may obtain eternal life: through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen. 

Blessings and More Blessings

KJV Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Introduction, Matthew 5:1ff The Beatitudes

Most of my reading is the Bible, books about the Bible, and lately books about how our Bible came into being and was kidnapped by the apostates. One particular feature of the Bible is the reason for the highway robbery - The Scriptures are the unique, actual Word of God, His declarations to us in the plainest possible words, yet so extensive in spiritual blessings that we cannot absorb them in a lifetimes.

This really annoys the apostates, those who once believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior. To get even, they work over the books of the Bible, even verse by verse, to find fault and compare the Bible unfavorably to the works of pagans. One conservative said to the opponents, "Yes, the Greeks wrote about eternal life, but that came from their myths, which are not a source for Christians. We look at eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the first of all rising from the dead."

So the critics of the Bible declare that the Sermon on the Mount is not a sermon at all, but a collection of sayings. They get people to look at verses and soon the meaning has been erased and replaced with man's ideas about man. 

The Sermon on the Mount begins with Jesus taking up the rabbinical posture of sitting down to teach people from the mountain. Like preaching from the boat, this gave them an opportunity to hear every word and see Him talking. This sermon begins with the Beatitudes, verses so beautifully shaped that each one could be a sermon by itself. No translation has come up with a phrase better than "Blessed are the..." and changing to "Blessed are ye..." twice at the end. I color-coded them from Lenski's commentary, to emphasize the beauty of the passage.

The Beatitudes and the Parable of the Last Judgment (chapter 25) are parallel to each other. The Beatitudes teach the blessedness of believers in Christ, while the parable distinguishes between the believers and those who only provide lip service about following Christ.

There are nine Beatitudes and some count them as eight because persecution is the topic of the last two. Groups of three in the Bible relate to the Trinity and those characteristics that belong to the Christian - faith, hope, and love (in Paul's letters six times).

Lenski, Matthew, p. 191 - 

"The first four beatitudes look toward God, the next three toward men. These treat of three virtues which mark the godly as blessed. “The merciful” are, of course, the same persons as those referred to in the previous beatitudes. Luther well says that in all the beatitudes faith is presupposed as the tree on which all the fruit of blessedness grows."

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is just the opposite of the dominant, powerful types who are so proud of their status and influence. Jesus drew the poor in spirit to Him, and the  disciples left everything to follow Him. This reminds us of the classic statement in Isaiah 66:2 - God will look upon those who are poor, and contrite in spirit, and tremble at His Word. Many will laugh at the person or family who have suffered many indignities, illnesses, hardships, and losses. One person said, "God must really hate you!" and laughed. But God loves what the world despises, and no one is more powerful and faithful as God is. And no one is more fickle than the world is. As Luther said, the person who believes in Christ already has heaven and earth. The added advantage is - the advance gift people will seldom call for support.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

The list of those we have lost, in the bulletin, is extensive but not complete. There are many more. Except for one classmate, all my friends from high school have seen their mothers pass away. All of them say, "I wish I could spend one hour with my mother right now. I miss her so much." They may not have been so grateful during their teen years. I was not, but I had the chance to live with her, care for her most basic needs, and see my classmates talking about my mother as their favorite teacher of all time. 

Those who lose a loved one and do not have the comfort of faith in Jesus Christ are truly bereft, as our doctor told us. He said, "I am bereft and so is my wife." We were sitting with Jewish people and we were talking about children, so our daughters came up. One man said, "They (meaning Christians) handle death better than we do." The pain is great, but so is the comfort.

Lenski points out this is also the mourning over past sins. The burden the world feels is from realizing their sins and having no relief from the inner torture  caused by them.  There are many false remedies. Look at all the cleansing rituals available for very high prices, because people grow weary of self-torture. Mourning and confessing our sins can articulate that sorrow and the relief that comes from the Atonement, the innocent Son paying for our sins with His rejection, humiliation, torture, and death. 

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus was meek and lowly, and He has been raised above the level of all mortals, because He was the man who gave up everything for our salvation. Who is more exalted?

In the same way, God watches over His own. I have experienced so many reverses that I can see how others have done the same thing. Life looks hopeless for a period of time and a strange combination of events, all within God's control, create a new opportunity. In each situation there are many blessings unique to that time in life. My friends in New Haven laughed that my first call was in Cleveland, nicknamed "The Mistake on the Lake," but all of us used the Cleveland Clinic, which was a short drive from our parsonage. 

Bethany Lutheran Church started because the CLC Growthers wanted me out, so we were in New Ulm with no living quarters, no job, no prospects. Several people and a church helped us into a house and we bought a parcel of land for the church, then built the chapel. Two synods gnashed their teeth. Our saying, from the Joys of Yiddish, was "God will provide but will He provide until He provides."

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

What the world cannot give comes to us through the Word, through the visible Word of  Holy Communion and Baptism, through the invisible Word of teaching and preaching. They are the Means of Grace, so those who realize this are recipients of grace upon grace. God's grace and love satisfy us, but we hunger for more because of the peace, joy, and love that come from the Gospel in us and those who share the same faith.

This Beatitude reminds me of the Feeding of the Multitudes, because they had so much that baskets were left over, perhaps so they had something to take on the way home. So we think well of the last experience with the Word of God and carry that with us to the next worship opportunity.  Nothing proves the value of listening and receiving God's grace more than that longing for more.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

I have noticed that the synods which repudiate Justification by Faith (WELS, ELCA, LCMS, ELS, CLC, etc)  also have an obsession with punishing people repeatedly and showing no signs of mercy, gentleness, or forgiveness. One sect president will not join with another because someone read him the riot act over 50 years ago. 

That the paradoxical result of those who say they teach all Gospel, because everyone in the world is forgiven. The organizations, like ELCA, never tire of scolding everyone for all their crimes against Mother Earth and every other entity they can imagine. 

Bishops seem to fashion themselves as God's avenging angels, always angry that something is not up to their standards. I noticed that among the biggest (ELCA) and the smallest (ELDONA). Fish hats and big sticks to carry are supposed to intimidate and impress us, but they accentuate the ridiculous. "Blessed are the meek."

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

This is definitely true of children, even more of children baptized into the Faith. The more disabled a person is, the more that person has the same attitude. The less they have in this world, the more they see the world to come. I have also seen that in the elderly and infirm. 

One man was always eager to see me when he had heart attacks. He was severely weakened and in pain. Each time, as he grew stronger, he was less and less eager to see me and hear the Scriptures. He was close to God when he was about to cross over, but not afterwards. 

In confession and forgiveness we see God, because the weight of sin is removed, and sin is drowned in the ocean of God's grace. Forgiveness reminds us of the purity of the Son of God, who was without sin and yet treated as all sin.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

As Lenski noted, the peacemakers are not those who compromise Biblical doctrine for the sake of outward peace. The Book of Concord rejects that kind of peace. True peace comes from forgiveness through Christ, and those who experience this peace also want to remain in complete understanding of the Word of God. For instance, people can discuss and debate Biblical doctrine - as the true Church always has - to become more astute and aware of Biblical truths. 

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The last three verses are aimed at the disciples listening to Jesus, because all these difficulties will become true for them. There is an instant hatred that comes from unbelievers at times, and that is disappointing, unnerving, and crushing at times. The early church did not write up the disciples to any extent, but it is clear that most of them died violently because of the Faith, including the Apostle Paul. Perhaps John lived longest in Ephesus so that became the Mother Church with his wisdom and guidance. 

But this will be increasingly true of all Christians as we move toward the end of time, whenever that is. Luther explained this very well in his statement from the Romans commentary. We do not know something is God-pleasing until it is persecuted and reviled and mocked. When that happens, it is shocking and disappointing.