ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Eye surgery was yesterday and follow up was today. This computer is rigged for large print, so I do not need reading glasses for writing. Now I feel like Burgess Meredith in the famous Twilight Zone episode where he has vast amount of books to read - oh joy - and broken glasses - oh no!
The key date was December 8th. The regular doctor identified my pancreas warrantee running out. Later that day, the ophthalmologist found eye pressure going up, even with two kinds of drops. I did not want glaucoma to do any more damage, so I scheduled the operations.
The route of the optic nerve is a spot on the back of the eyeball, and that spot is called a macula, Latin for spot. Macular degeneration is the gradual loss of that bundle of nerves. (Note for the Lutheran Librarian - that is not an Wiki link, so it may be factually accurate.)
December 8th is the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. I mention that because many get mixed up. The invented and promoted dogma - Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox - is that the Virgin Mary was spotless (immaculate) her entire life and never committed a sin. That dogma grew and flourished with Mary as the Queen of Heaven, the one who comforted the suffering souls in Purgatory. And yet, Purgatory came from pagan sources, not the Scriptures. She is contrasted with the distorted teaching that Jesus is harsh and angry with sinners, Mary demanding mercy for them as the Mother of the Redeemer.
So December 8th began my change to nutrition and away from desserts, sweets, and atrocious choices in food. In one week, between eye operations, my blood pressure dropped 45 points (top part) which became a 30 point drop before surgery, due to white coat syndrome - being nervous when a doctor shows up.
Christina's job at Yale Medical School, The Child Study Center, was researching the use of books for helping children and parents. It is ironic that her copy of Eat To Live was in my library when I got the shocking pancreas news. Fortunately, Dr. Fuhrman's book became my therapy for reducing blood sugar and lowering blood pressure.
I have avoided desserts, candy, and snack-food the entire time - replacing them with almonds, walnuts, and fruits. Lunch today was a combo of green peppers, onions, and sweet potatoes. Sassy and I had our last fish later because I was getting low on mercury and plastic. (That's a joke.)
Fuhrman's prescription for a lot more exercise is expressed well, but it fell into the abyss of taking it easy for eye surgery. Soon that will be a daily routine to supplement the low-cost gym I use, which is an exit away.
Thrivent brings us all together in one big fellowship of love.
Conference of Presidents January 2022 meeting
The Conference of Presidents (COP) held its winter meeting in another deluxe Caribbean trip funded by Thrivent on Jan. 3-6. The following items were discussed, avoided, or decided:
Representatives from the Conference of Presidents will meet with the Board for Home Missions leadership and with several members of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary faculty as a part of the planning process for the effort to open 10 new home missions in ten years beginning in 2023, God willing.
Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) is continuing its search for a new president. Mr. Bill Ziche, current NPH president, has announced his plans to retire. Mr. Mark Buske, director of marketing for NPH, will serve as acting president until a new president is found. What about Eve?
There are currently 143 pastoral vacancies in the synod, 124 of which are parish pastor positions. Forty of the pastoral vacancies are in associate pastor positions (meaning those congregations are still being served by at least one pastor). This year’s graduating class at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary will be larger than those tiny ones in recent years, which will help to reduce the number of pastoral vacancies.
With expanding enrollment at our WELS schools, the growing shortage of teachers continues, especially in the area of early childhood. The COP discussed ideas for enhancing recruitment efforts and more child development buildings at Martin Luther College.
The COP recently issued a pastoral letter on Christian freedom. Ironic?
Compensation for vicars was set at $42,000, slightly lower than last year’s amount.
The COP expressed thanks to God for the high level of Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) in 2021. The exact total will be published in the coming days.
Congregations are asked to submit their 2021 statistics and CMO subscriptions by the Feb. 4 deadline.
The COP expressed its support for a proposal by Northwestern Publishing House and the Commission on Lutheran Schools to develop a comprehensive K-12 religion curriculum for schools, DPs, and Sunday schools.
The COP has been making final edits on yet another restatement of the synod’s teaching on male and female roles. It is hoped that the final document will be ready for review by the district conventions this summer.
Why not both, male and female?
Why not both, male and female?
Serving with you in Christ, From the Love Shack: WELS President Mark Schroeder
That bit of fun is missing online. I finished one class last night.
We are bound to be more appreciative when we realize how fragile our bodies are. Surgery yesterday was very easy and soon I was home again. Ranger Bob did the driving and will again today.
They were a little grumpy that they had to supply me with a mask. I said, "I will give it back when I'm done." The receptionists burst out laughing and declined the offer.
I have taken my glasses off five time already today because the plastic shield over the right eye is attached to my eyebrow with Gorilla tape (not really).
I will have surgery in a few hours, so right now I have the concentration of a ferret - about five seconds at a time.
I often read Fuhrman's two books before going to sleep. He offers so much information about food that I return to basic issues, to route them to permanent storage rather than RAM.
Blood pressure and weight both dropped as soon as I stopped bad food. I also reduced portions in favor of greens and beans, fruit and nuts.
Missing from the menu are significant portions of bread, meat, cheese, and eggs.
Yes, it is possible to have four fruit portions per day, and that erases the need and desire for desserts and candy.
Mounds of greens with a tiny bit of dressing? Yes, I enjoy that and continue to marvel over the nutrition in "rabbit food" as we called it in Illinois. The tables for nutritional value are shocking, because the least admired (greens, beans, fruits, nuts) are the best while the standard fodder is really pitiful (milk, eggs, meat, bread).
In addition, dark greens (collards, spinach) are even better than greens (like green beans), and greens are better than rainbow foods (like bananas and sweet potatoes). The dark greens and greens satisfy hunger while providing a wealth of protein, vitamins, minerals, and all those obscure food combinations.
The upside-down value of food reminded me of the time I discovered organic gardening in Midland, while going through the gardening books at the Grace Dow Midland Public Library. I also bought a lot of those books and devoured them. Everything natural was in harmony with Creation, which led to the Wormhaven Gardening book and the later Creation Gardening book.
Christina would say, "You graduated from Notre Dame and became a farmer?" We ate all kinds of vegetables from the garden - asparagus, beans, tomatoes, Silver Queen corn, egg plant, etc. I ate so-called weeds full of nutrition, such as Goose Foot and Purslane. When people complained about Purslane, I replied, "Eat it - delicious and crunchy." I learned how to grow spinach so perfect and crunchy that I could plant it in the fall and harvest it in the early spring (no bugs to eat it, no heat to make it bitter tasting). Gardening was good exercise and good nutrition. Kids came over and ate from the garden - green peppers and carrots pulled from the soil.
Pet rabbits got the dandelion greens and flowers, donating healthy amounts of Rabbit-Grow to feed the earthworms in kiddy pools under their cages (Christina's idea).
I am back to my down on the farm experience but I have to pay for the fresh foods. The rabbits and squirrels do not leave anything edible alone.
We had a breakfast nook at home in Moline, which served as my mother's office for grading papers, which she did with speed and efficiency. An electric typewriter was there for some work, and bookshelves filled the upper half of one wall.
The more useful books were there, including a set of encyclopedias. She said, "I read a whole set once," and I had no reason to doubt her.
The King James Bible was there, so I often saw it with a paper cover on it, somewhat like the graphic at the top. I was curious about the Authorized Version on the front page. That happens to be one of the strange aspects of that sub-title. That was not the official title, but it seems to be the favorite in England, just as KJV is here.
The back and forth of critics, good and bad, made me reminisce about the musical, majestic tone of the KJV. I tried my hand at translating some books of the New Testament. I learned - tis easier to imagine a better translation than to execute one.
Can anyone improve on the KJV's 23rd Psalm, John 10 - I am the Good Shepherd, The Lord's Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13 - the love chapter perfectly recited at Princess Diane's wedding?
I remember little tidbits from the past - the doxology from the Lord's Prayer - "Oh that was taken from the Didache, an early Christian document."
Going over the historical trickery used against the Majority Text - I thought - "More likely the Didache took the doxology from Matthew!" So why do Roman Catholics not use the doxology to the Lord's Prayer and we retain it? There is a very long history of papal corruption of the apostolic Majority Text. It is much easier to corrupt by erasing than by adding clumsy extra words - the ending of Mark, the woman caught in adultery, the Johannine comma, and the Lord's Prayer doxology.
If I could take everyone through each erasure in the NIV, the precious ESV, and the RSV, each would be shocked beyond belief, that such flagrant pilfering has taken place by the very people who praise themselves for being "scientific, exacting, scholars of the text." The erased words are directly related to faith in Christ and His divinity.
Even more laughable is how these masters of deceit have achieved the most perfect text (cobbled together as if by drunks, skunks, and enfeebled monks) and the most glorious dynamic equivalent translation, yet they differ from each other hundred or thousands of times, and differ from their own previous efforts hundreds more times.
The Majority Text was preserved by the Christian Church, from the Apostolic Era onward, and beautifully expressed in the King James Version.
The modern paraphrases, passed off as translations, come from corrupt and fraudulent sources (Vaticanus - a LCMS fave; Sinaiticus - pure fraud; the Vulgate - Rome again!). Who prints these disasters? - Profiteering Bible businesses do - and their greedy denominational sponsors.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Introit
All the earth shall worship Thee: and shall sing unto Thee, O God.
They shall sing to Thy name: O Thou Most High.
Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
sing forth the honor of His name, make His praise glorious.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth, mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
The Lord sent His Word and healed them:
and delivered them from their destructions.
V. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness:
and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. Hallelujah!
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 Hymn #54Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
In Our Prayers
Prayers and Announcements
Doctor's care - Pastor Shrader, Pastor K, Dr. Lito Cruz, Randy Anderson. Alicia Meyer - flu symptoms.
Pastor Jackson, right eye surgery, Monday.
A Pilgrim and a Stranger is from Paul Gerhardt, next to Luther, the greatest hymn-writer of all time. Gerhardt was a children's tutor and became a beloved pastor in Berlin. However, he was forced out of the parish because he would not concede anything to the Calvinists. He finally got a small parish. He lost his wife and all his children but one. He wrote Sacred Head Now Wounded and many other great hymns.
KJV Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins [GJ -10 gallons per firkin] apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that of Thy grace Thou hast instituted holy matrimony, in which Thou keepest us from unchastity, and other offenses: We beseech Thee to send Thy blessing upon every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive Thy gracious help in all temptations, and rear their children in accordance with Thy will; grant unto us all to walk before Thee, in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in Thee, and lead such lives on earth, that in the world to come we may have everlasting life, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Water into Wine - The Ordinary into the Extraordinary
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Introductory:
The conclusion of this miracle notes that this was the first miracle performed by Jesus - and His disciples believed. The miracle is especially important for two or more reasons. One is that it involved all the disciples, so they could verify to each other that this actually happened - the details proving it a miracle and not a fraudulent display . Secondly, Mary and the disciples being there with Jesus meant He honored marriage - and early Christianity did so as well. Only later did paganism influence pastors to believe they should live without being married and be monks, as if that were a higher calling. That was already true when Western Rome fell and Augustine was the famous bishop and theologian. This one miracle anticipates the anti-marriage law that took over and also the elevating of Mary beyond reality and the truth.
People are inclined to reduce individual episodes like this into one or two sentences. The Gospel of John is especially generous with details of great importance in Christianity. Because the Holy Spirit is so stingy with words, we need to consider each verse, sometimes each phrase, to understand the complete message. This miracle proves the Lordship of Jesus over all earthly matters - and the disciples believed - but it also supports marriage as God's will, the actual place of Mary as the mother of Jesus, and an example of God transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
God created marriage through His Word - the Logos, and Jesus honored marriage by His presence with His mother and the disciples there. This one miracle explains quite a few important ideas. Official Roman Catholic teaching has Mary commanding Jesus to do her will, and also serving - priest-like, offering Jesus as the sacrifice of the eucharist. This corruption of the relationship between Jesus and Mary began after one conference (Theotokos - Ephesus, 431 A.D.) And as we can see, the corruption blossomed ever since. As Luther commented, one error can lead to an entire nation falling prey to false doctrine. Similarly, Calvinism separated the Spirit from the Word, which provided a steep path into rationalism and the Unitarian denial of the Trinity.
Luther suggested that Mary was substituting for the couple's parents, since she stepped into the wine shortage problem. The lack of wine suggested that this was a wedding feast limited by a lack of money, since wine was a staple and not just a sip for a toast to the bride and groom. The disciples were all there, so that increased the demand, but they bore witness to this miracle. Some are going to say, "Then why did they have doubts and fears, and worry about their future glory?" They are mirrors of our failings, since we know about all the miracles and the greatest one of all - defeating death and granting eternal life to Christian believers.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
There are two parts to this wine solution, on the part of Mary. One is that she took the problem to Jesus, believing He would solve the problem. The second is that she remained undaunted when He appeared to dismiss her request. That is an important parallel to the Canaanite woman, who kept asking Jesus and kept getting apparent rebukes from Him, thus showing her utter trust in Jesus. Mary is another example. She first asked then assured the stewards that Jesus would take care of matters.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Jesus addressed His mother as "Woman," without any modifiers. He did the same at the cross, addressing her as "woman" but referring her to the beloved disciple John as a "mother to him." Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. Like many passages in the Fourth Gospel, this one anticipates and shreds the elevation of Mary while honoring her faith in Jesus. The point of the miracle is Jesus' power through the Word, not Mary being in charge over Him.
People are inclined to think, "Why should I pray about something so trivial. I am nobody in the Kingdom of God, and this is too minor to take to God." But so was the lack of wine, and Jesus took care of the problem without being told how to do it. It is a sad spectacle that pastors and lay leaders tell God what to do - and give Him a deadline for getting it done. I saw the prayer on the Episcopalian bulletin board - "We are praying to God for a 10% increase in membership and offerings each year, for the next three years." (The pastor just got back from Fuller, where he was taught this nonsense.)
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins [GJ -10 gallons per firkin] apiece.
Firkins are named in "The Music Man," which was produced in our lifetimes.
So they had 120 gallons - or more - of storage possible.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
These details matter because there have always been con artists with their pre-set tricks. Many basic magic tricks are now taught on video, where the magic comes from special tools or misdirection of the eye. In this case, the pots were empty, but filled to the brim with water from the well, as Jesus directed. He and his disciples did not touch anything. He then ordered the stewards to take some of the liquid to the toastmaster.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
The toastmaster did not know the origin of the water turned into wine, he called for the bridegroom, to teach him some wedding etiquettes. This is subtle humor, which is often found in the Fourth Gospel. The toastmaster is angry with the broom, and neither one knows what has happened.
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good [noble, the best] wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good [the best] wine until now.
In the language of two men utterly baffled, the miracle is told in words that describe what has happened. They ran out of wine for the wedding, but instead of bringing in cheaper wine, they provided the best wine. This is the term used by Jesus in John 10 - I AM the Good Shepherd (the ultimate or best or noble; Greek is subtle, the word for good suggests being useful; this means the Shepherd above all shepherds).
Nothing is more ordinary than water, so this transformation from water to the best wine is very much worth thinking about. The Fourth Gospel involves a lot of symbolism, as the Bible does in general. Physical signs are good for reminding us of the spiritual message they teach.
What is more ordinary than marriage. People despise marriage and run away from it. And no matter what the couple's love might be, there will always be the ordinary - friction about money, raising the children, and goals in life. No matter how difficult things can be, God has blessed marriage among believers many times over. Those who believe in Christ also know about sin, contrition, and forgiveness. Partners (whether business or marital) cannot continue when there is a lack of forgiveness. And forgiveness is a great blessing from God, where all past problems are set aside and drowned in the sea of God's grace. Luther wondered about how long Adam and Eve argued about the forbidden fruit - whose fault was it?
God does more than transform marriage. He transforms the worst difficulties into the greatest gains, individualized for each person. How many people have said, "That disaster led me into the greatest part of my life." The biggest mistake we make is thinking that we have been plagued with a bad deal. Cannot God turn that ordinary into something extraordinary? This first of all the miracles Jesus performed - tells us yes.
I almost wrote - "four new hymns." The hymns on the Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog are classic, but the illustrations are new. Thank you, Norma Boeckler.
The best known hymn tunes are linked to the Tacoma Lutheran Church site, where they have posted most of the tunes of The Lutheran Hymnal.
1. Upon the cross extended,
See, world, thy Lord suspended,
Thy Savior yields His breath.
The Prince of Life from heaven
Himself hath freely given
To shame and blows and bitter death.
2. Come hither now and ponder,
'Twill fill thy soul with wonder,
Blood streams from every pore.
Through grief whose depth none knoweth,
From His great heart there floweth
Sigh after sigh of anguish o'er.
3. Who is it that hath bruised Thee?
Who hath so sore abused Thee
And caused Thee all Thy woe?
While we must make confession
Of sin and dire transgression,
Thou deeds of evil dost not know.
4. I caused Thy grief and sighing
By evils multiplying
As countless as the sands.
I caused the woes unnumbered
With which Thy soul is cumbered,
Thy sorrows raised by wicked hands.
5. 'Tis I who should be smitten
My doom should here be written:
Bound hand and foot in hell.
The fetters and the scourging,
The floods around Thee surging,
'Tis I who have deserved them well.
6. The load Thou takest on Thee,
That pressed so sorely on me,
t crushed me to the ground.
The cross for me enduring,
The crown for me securing,
My healing in Thy wounds is found.
7. A crown of thorns Thou wearest,
My shame and scorn Thou bearest,
That I might ransomed be.
My Bondsman, ever willing,
My place with patience filling,
From sin and guilt hast made me free.
8. Thy cords of love, my Savior,
Bind me to Thee forever,
I am no longer mine.
To Thee I gladly tender
All that my life can render
And all I have to Thee resign.
9. Thy cross I'll place before me,
Its saving power be o'er me,
Wherever I may be;
Thine innocence revealing,
Thy love and mercy sealing,
The pledge of truth and constancy.
10. How God at our transgression
To anger gives expression,
How loud His thunder rolls,
How fearfully He smiteth,
How sorely He requiteth,-
All this Thy sufferings teach my soul.
11. When evil men revile me,
With wicked tongues defile me,
I'll curb my vengeful heart.
The unjust wrong I'll suffer,
Unto my neighbor offer
Forgiveness for each bitter smart.
12. Thy groaning and thy sighing,
Thy bitter tears and dying,
With which Thou wast opprest,-
They shall, when life is ending,
Be guiding and attending
My way to Thine eternal rest.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #171
Text: Hebrews 9:28
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translated by: John Kelly, 1867, alt.
Titled: O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben
Composer: Heinrich Friese, 1703
Tune: O Welt, sieh hier
1. To shepherds as they watched by night
Appeared a host of angels bright;
Behold the tender Babe, they said,
In yonder lowly manger laid.
2. At Bethlehem, in David's town,
As Micah did of old make known;
'Tis Jesus Christ, your Lord and King,
Who doth to all salvation bring.
3. Oh, then rejoice that through His Son
God is with sinners now at one;
Made like yourselves of flesh and blood,
Your brother is the eternal God.
4. What harm can sin and death then do?
The true God now abides with you.
Let hell and Satan rage and chafe,
Christ is your Brother--ye are safe.
5. Not one He will or can forsake
Who Him his confidence doth make.
Let all his wiles the Tempter try,
You may his utmost powers defy.
6. Ye shall and must at last prevail;
God's own ye are, ye cannnot fail.
To God forever sing your praise
With joy and patience all your days.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn 103
Text: Luke 2:10, 11
Author: Martin Luther, 1543
Translated by: Richard Massie, 1854, alt.
Titled: Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar Tune: Puer nobis nascitur
1st Published in: "Musae Sioniae," VI 1609
1. Built on the Rock the Church doth stand,
Even when steeples are falling;
Crumbled have spires in every land,
Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest,
But above all the soul distrest,
Longing for rest everlasting.
2. Surely in temples made with hands,
God, the Most High, is not dwelling;
High above earth His temple stands,
All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He whom heavens cannot contain
Chose to abide on earth with men,
Built in our bodies His temple.
3. We are God's house of living stones,
Builded for His habitation;
He through baptismal grace us owns
Heirs of His wondrous salvation.
Were we but two His name to tell,
Yet He would deign with us to dwell,
With all His grace and His favor.
4. Now we may gather with our King
E'en in the lowliest dwelling;
Praises to Him we there may bring,
His wondrous mercy forthtelling.
Jesus His grace to us accords;
Spirit and life are all His words;
His truth doth hallow the temple.
5. Still we our earthly temples rear
That we may herald His praises;
They are the homes where He draws near
And little children embraces.
Beautiful things in them are said;
God there with us His covenant made,
Making us heirs of His kingdom.
6. Here stands the font before our eyes
Telling how God did receive us;
The altar recalls Christ's sacrifice
And what His table doth give us;
Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.
7. Grant then, O God, where'er men roam,
That, when the church-bells are ringing,
Many in saving faith may come
Where Christ His message is bringing:
"I know Mine own, Mine own know Me;
Ye, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you." Amen.
Hymn #467
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ephesians 2:19-22
Author: Nicolai F.S. Grundtvig, 1837
Translated by: Carl Doving, 1909, alt.
Titled: "Kirken den er et gammelt Hus"
Composer: Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1871
Tune: "Kirken den er et"
"In the struggle with conscience the feeling of sin, the wrath of God, death, hell, and all other terrors exert a powerful control, as we know by experience.
Then we must tell the tempted one: Brother, you desire to have a righteousness that one is able to feel, that is, you want to feel your righteousness as you feel your sin. But it will not be so…
Your righteousness cannot be seen, cannot be felt; rather you must hope that it will be revealed in due time. This is why you must not judge by the feeling of sin, which troubles and terrifies you, but by the promise and teaching of faith, by which Christ is promised, who is your perfect and everlasting Righteousness."
Otto H. W. Heick taught at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and befriended us. He took us out to dinner and ate at our apartment
First of all, I thank God for placing in my life so many Lutheran leaders who were incompetent, apostate, and just plain dishonest. Some were laity, too. I can name them and match their paradoxical influence with things I learned from the Scriptures, Luther, and the Book of Concord, which they pretended to know. If everything had gone well instead awry, I would have been a placid, no-nothing, blander than milquetoast manager of sorts, very comfortable.
Secondly, I thank God for Christina, from the first day of college to her first day in eternal life, 55 years - almost to the day. The funny-hilarious-dramatic-genius moments with her are not so painful to recall now. She had everything to do with many blessings for me, her children, members, her friends - especially those almost friendless or overlooked.
I am thankful to God for this far-flung congregation and group of readers. Yes, I welcome and am thankful for those who read the blog out of fear, anger, or curiosity. Some have been angels unaware, thereby converted to the truth of the Scriptures, Justification by Faith, and the Means of Grace.
Someone asked the Yale philosopher-theologian Paul L. Holmer why he was a Christian. They expected something deep, cryptic, and incredibly complicated. He said, "My mother taught me." I can say the same thing. I remember my mother teaching me the 23rd Psalm (KJV). When she was dying in our house, 90+ years old, I said, "You taught me this, Mom." And I read it to her. She breathed deeply and passed into eternal life.
Ultimately, the Scriptures taught me, and I had my mother's deep knowledge of science and nature plus her trust in the Word of God. There was no contradiction.
The Book of the Holy Spirit is wiser than any man or book, so I feel like I just discovered a KJV at my doorstep because of the effect of defending and promoting this translation. In fact, a KJV did show up at our doorstep, the lectern Bible that rests on the stand which I built from an Amazon kit.
Paul L. Holmer, Guggenheim Fellow, Yale philosopher-theologian.
Nils A. Dahl was head of the Yale New Testament department, devoted to the text, not the theories.
One of the key values of the KJV is its longevity as a translation. Updates have been rare and slight, except for the famous 19th century KJV Revision, which bombed worse than Paul Kelm's version of evangelism, absent the Gospel, packed with plagiarized droppings from Fuller Seminary.
But that is not all. The KJV team tried hard to make their words match the original, so the translation is the best possible experience for those who only know English (which now means almost all seminarians).
The WELS college faculty, now submerged into the ladies' school of ministry in New Ulm, hated the NIV - the "classic" NIV, the holocaust NIV exterminated by its greedy, rapacious publishers. The college professors murmured against the NIV in classes but said little or nothing when WELS made the new, even worse NIV their standard. The New NIV is truly the ideal bad paraphrase for the KJV-Never bumpkins who run the sect.
Those who respect the KJV also honor Justification by Faith - not just among Lutherans.
The KJV translators were not great, famous writers, but they lived at the same time as Shakespeare (actually the Earl of Oxford). English was at its peak, but that does not explain the beauty and cadence of the KJV verses, many passages welded into our memories - The 23rd Psalm, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Lord's Prayer.
The modernists skip all around with their Nida Dynamic Equivalence, so a word or phrase translated one way is changed in another location.
I am not arguing for a word for word translation, which only happens in clumsy interlinear Bibles. Those like Lenski who provide a translation showing off the Greek grammatical points will produce a New Testament that becomes humorous at times (yet effective for teaching Greek).
The KJV translators themselves were awed by the finished product, which gradually pushed the Geneva Bible into the dustbin of history. Nobody ordered the KJV to dominate. That kind of tyranny had to wait for WELS to ban everything except their precious New, Improved, NIV. You will notice that changing year by year, though English does not change so fast. They must think their original and subsequent editions were pretty bad, no?
The explanation for the KJV lasting 400+ years and dominating the reading of all English Bibles is simple. The KJV teams worked from faith in Jesus Christ and a genuine desire to take what was good from before and make it even better if possible.
Tyndale set the stage - and he was a rare genius in giving life to his work, which was most of the New Testament and a large part of the Old Testament. One writer said that Tyndale outshone Luther, but that is debatable and includes Luther's entire team. Nevertheless, the KJV's genius began with Tyndale. Honest scholars give credit to the earlier efforts, to Luther, to the Geneva Bible, and 50+ faithful scholars of the KJV translation.
If you hate the New NIV, don't worry, they will keep changing it, year after year. The WELS clergy nicknamed it the Nineveh Bible, but they whispered in Gath lest the joke be heard in plush carpeted halls of the Love Shack.
