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.
"Though some may want to dismiss her as a crackpot loon, Groen isn’t a nobody, even though it wouldn’t matter if she were. Instead, she continues to rise in the ranks through the ELCA. Four years ago, she was elected to the Discipline Committee of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, where she enjoys a close friendship with the Bishop. She has also spoken on at least one panel with Elizabeth Eaton, the head of the ELCA. Those in power know who she is and how she behaves and are entirely and utterly supportive."
I Photoshopped Liz Eaton into this touching Thrivent group portrait. "Thrivent builds" added! I moved the "It's a Girl!" poster from another ELCA photo, so proud of Liz. She makes sure diversity is selective.
"The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is a simmering cauldron of blasphemy and mephistopjlean angst, to the point that sitting through an actual church service at one of their pagan temples is a foretaste of the hell that awaits them if they don’t repent. Some of the denomination’s greatest hits include:
1. Christ our Lord preached this part of the Gospel in concluding his long sermon on the mount, When he had taught his disciples all they should know, he proceeds and warns them to be ever on their guard against false doctrine; as all good ministers try and should do at the close of their sermons, namely, warn the people to hold fast to the true doctrine and beware of false teaching.
Thus St. Paul also did, Acts 20:28-31, when he was about to depart from Ephesus, among other things, he said: “Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.”
Thus here and there in all his Epistles Paul always adds an admonition, to guard themselves against other teachings. Just as St. Peter also gives an admonition in his second Epistle, 2 Peter 2:1f, when he says: “But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And in coveteousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.”
2. Christ here proceeds in like manner. When he finished his sermon he warns his disciples and the people and admonishes them ever to remain faithful to what he had told them, and to be very careful not to be misled by false teachers, and says: “Beware of false prophets.”
3. First from this we are to understand that we are under obligation to reflect upon this fact and that it will always be that after the true preachers depart false teachers will come; yea, they will even enter along with and mingle with them. Otherwise, why were it necessary for Christ so faithfully to admonish us when he says: “Beware,” take care! if he had known that all his teachings would continue pure? Therefore he gives us this warning, that we may be certain of false prophets appearing after the true and pure doctrine is preached. For it has come to pass in all periods of the world’s history that after faithful and true ministers, prophets and rulers of God’s people labored, others followed who corrupted the pure doctrine, faith and worship; as the Book of Judges 2:10f, also describes. When those were gathered to their fathers whom God had given the people as teachers and judges, who knew the will of God, what was and what was not acceptable to him, immediately the people of Israel began to turn away from God and his Word. One worshiped this idol, another that, and they were divided into factions so that they fell from the true teachings and strayed from the ways of their fathers.
4. So it was also in the times of the Apostles. Then the doctrine was yet pure; but when they died who held to their true teachings, false apostles and factious leaders came, who perverted everything and desired radical changes in all things, as the Epistles of St. Paul sufficiently show. Now, inasmuch as this is so, and we cannot expect anything else, Christ our Lord warns us here in the spirit of a true shepherd and bishop, that we beware while we have the Gospel preached in its purity and simplicity, that we hold firmly to it and depart not from it, even at the risk of losing our life and possessions. For it cannot be otherwise than that God’s Word will not continue always pure and unadulterated in all generations.
Dayou Kim is an extraordinary talent. I found this by accident and cannot listen to it often enough.
I love the way she nods for the musicians to start and exhibits a slight, warm smile. As the experts say, this is a work which is not another fireworks display but one where each note on the piano is expressed with great beauty.
The orchestra accompanying the young artist surrounds the tiny girl and provides all the supplemental music to make the piano music even more beautiful.
I was forced to learn to play the flute and even worse - forced to learn from an excellent German tutor. I had to practice! I was in bands and orchestras, too. I was the only one of us four siblings who continued in music.
I did not display much talent or enthusiasm, but I learned to love Bach and Mozart, Beethoven and many others. One friend responded to my enjoyment of Vivaldi - "Seven hundred pieces - all of them sounding the same." He never played the Goldfinch Concerto, poor soul.
I like pop music, not the garbage thrown at us today. No wonder pop "Christian music" is so dreary and annoying. We used to laugh about which popular new hymn was introduced in the latest Lutheran hymnal. Consider - the Liberal Book of Weirdness, LBW. "Lift high the cross" and "This is the fee-ee-ee-est of victory for our God."
Great Christian hymns are directly related to classical music. The best hymns include a Christian message from the Scriptures and beautiful music to move that message into our souls.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Introit
Oh, clap your hands, all ye people!
Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
Psalm. He shall subdue the people under us:
and the nations under our feet.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly beseech Thee to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
V. Look unto Him and be lightened:
and let your faces not be ashamed. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Oh, clap your hands, all ye people:
shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22
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 #12This Day - Bishop How
Announcements and Prayers
Pastor and Mrs. Jim Shrader - 41st wedding anniversary July 10th.
Christina Jackson's birthday, July 20th. Andersons will arrive here that day.
Glen and Esther Kotten's first anniversary is Saturday, July 22nd.
Alicia Meyer's birthday, July 27th.
Medical treatment - Matt Howell, accident; Kermit and Maria Way; Pastor and Mrs. Shrader; Sarah Buck; those dealing with metabolic and stress disorders.
Best Buy sent a Geek Squad member to address sound issues and alternatives.
KJV Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
KJV Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who in the wilderness didst by Thy Son abundantly feed four thousand men besides women and children with seven loaves and a few small fishes: We beseech Thee, graciously abide among us with Thy blessing, and keep us from covetousness and the cares of this life, that we may seek first Thy kingdom and Thy righteousness, and in all things needful for body and soul, experience Thine ever-present help; through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Faith and Miracles
KJV Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
The Gospel of Mark can be divided into two parts -
The Miracles - Mark 1 - 10.
The Atoning Death and Resurrection - Mark 11 - 16:20.
This is my quiz where I described the disciples irritated with Jesus for praying alone when they had so much work to do.
KJV Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Jesus praying to the Father emphasizes the Two Natures of Christ - human and divine. If you do not worship the Savior regularly, you are suggesting you are better than Jesus. He worshiped, prayed, and taught in the synagogues all the time. These verses also illustrate that the disciples at this stage thought the work was mostly miracles but Jesus combined the miracles and teaching to prove the divinity of His teaching - "with divine authority, not like the scribes and Pharisees." His miracles were so great that people rushed out of their villages to find Him. (Note the "rumor" in Isaiah 53 and Romans 10 - faith comes by hearing the Word (rumor).
When we study a Biblical text, it is essential to see the entire picture and to connect with the unified view of the entire Bible. There has been far too much of picking a verse or two and making a case for a particular idea.
The Bible is the Book of the Holy Spirit (Luther) and
not a jar of fortune cookies with useful quotes (most Biblical "scholarship" today).
This miracle shows how God provides all we need when nothing at all seems to be there. Secondly, the miracles deepen our faith in God's unlimited mercy and power. The great fallacy today is that miracles belong to the past and many reject the truth of those events. It is not just the "Biblical scholars" who reject the miracles, but also the church members who have been conditioned to follow the "scholars." The worst examples are not just ELCA, but also LCMS, ELS, CLC, Eldonuts, etc. The ELCA worships Barth and Tillich, the rest bow to Walther and Pieper - even down to the Pope himself.
3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
The people followed Jesus at the risk of fasting and fainting, so much that they endangered their lives by being so far away from food. Jesus presented the problem to the disciples, similar to the logic of Project Management. The facts are - nothing to eat - and - how can these people get bread in the wilderness. They have water, because they are stopped where the vegetation is green - an oasis. In the American West, formations that hold rainwater are called tanks, as in the White Tank Mountains.
There is not enough money, not enough food, not enough for clothes, not enough for education. The disciples despair about obtaining enough food for the multitudes in the desert.
5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
I can imagine the downcast looks when they said, "Seven." The finance committee would say, "Seven - IF we are lucky." I named them - at one church - after the movie - The Bad News Bears.
If we look at Creation - a word that makes many cringe, so I use it all the time - Creation Garden - God clearly organizes everything in a miraculous way. Every part of the Creation Garden has its own role, at the least, and carries out all kinds of beneficial duties. The rabbits walk casually by me, a few feet away, because they are not afraid. The timing of plants is astonishing. I grow for bees and butterflies - pollinators - and they show up from the earliest suggestion of spring. The humble Poke and Joe Pye Weeds improve the soil while providing flowers that turn into fruit. Each plant has more stations than I can count, more flowers that turn into buds that turn into fruit or seeds (Poke berries have seeds).
Luther reminds us that God is the best farmer, the best animal minder, the best miner for minerals, the best everything. Without the miraculous abundance we would fail to have good food and good water to drink.
Get To Work!
6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
We do two things in error. One is that we demean what is there, as if it is not enough and will never do. We discourage ourselves, as if God could not handle our needs. "What is that among so many?" Clergy think the building is not good enough or grand enough or filled with enough people. Members will make sure the new church has a kitchen large enough for a hotel - but that is not enough, either. Guaranteed - the church fridge will always have one jar of ketchup, one of mustard - just what everyone needs in an emergency. (I have tested this in many different churches - two condiments, nothing else.)
Faith in Jesus Christ is not a shopping list. Just as the Bible teaches the "faith of Jesus," so our faith in Jesus sets the work of God in motion.
KJV Ephesians 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
κατα την δυναμιν (dynamite) την ενεργουμενην (energy, efficacy) εν ημιν
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The Holy Spirit is always building us up in the Gospel, in the faith of Jesus. This comes from Jesus Christ and glorifies His Name.
8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
The more they ate, the more they had to eat, so they had seven baskets full - but before they barely had enough for a few.
Soon the Pharisees were questioning Jesus, who had provided miracles greater than Moses. But it was not enough for them, and there never will be enough. We only need to wait for what God has already set in motion.
The key is to express our thanks for everything God has done for us, for every person. Secondly, we should express our concerns within the family and among those we know.
13. Thus will Christ warn us first of all here through his own example that everyone is required to help the kingdom of God and his Word with temporal provisions for the body; in case he himself cannot or will not become a minister of the Gospel.
14. Following this he also comforts those who are in the ministerial office, that they become not distressed or alarmed through their present want or poverty; but that they may know that Christ cares for them and will nourish them even in their poverty and will never permit them to suffer need and want, but will finally provide the richer bounty for them; yea, he has already thought of all things before and provided for them before they thought from what source they should obtain what they need.
15. For he shows indeed forcibly in this example that he is a rich and powerful lord and provider; yea, he is a rich miller and baker, better than any other upon the earth that has learned his trade perfectly. Yes, he does indeed very much work instantly and aside from and without any human help. He plows, harvests, threshes, grinds and bakes in a twinkling of the eye. For it is indeed a miracle and beyond the comprehension of reason that so many thousand men, not counting the women and children, were fed with seven loaves, that they all were satisfied, and yet some were left over; but he did it so quickly by one word, when he only touched the bread and gave to his disciples to distribute; there is at once ground to flour, baked and everything prepared for so many thousand persons and even more. He must be a fine king (as the five thousand said whom he also fed in a like manner, John 6:14), him we would also wish to have as our king, who should lead a multitude of people to the field and care for them, so that one could at all times reach into the basket or into the pocket, and richly feed and pay a whole multitude.
16. Now he can do that and in him we have such a king. Where he reaches there all is full, and where he gives there all must be sufficient and overflowing. Thus in Matthew 17:27 he told Peter to go and take a shekel out of the mouth of a fish. Who prepared or minted the silver there or who would seek there in the water and even in the mouth of the fish for money? But he can create it and take it when and where and as he wishes; yea, can also bring bread and water out of the rock with which to feed the whole world; for we see everywhere he does so daily and everything that the world has comes about only by such miracles which are not less miraculous, as St. Augustine says, than this miracle.
17. We are, to be sure, thus familiar with the fact that corn grows yearly out of the earth, and through this familiarity we are so blinded that we do not esteem such work. For what we see daily and hear, that we do not regard as miraculous; and yet it is even as great; yea, if one should speak correctly, it is a greater miracle that God should give us corn out of the sand and the stone, than that he should here feed a multitude with seven loaves. For what is the dry sand but crushed stones, or a stone other than sand and earth welded together; but how can bread which we eat come out of stones, and yet it grows only out of the sand of the earth? In like manner everything that grows, and all the animals give to us, each according to his own nature; whence does it come but out of the earth and dust?
18. These are even the miracles which have been established from the beginning of the world and daily continue, so that we are entirely overwhelmed by them, without our eyes and senses feeling them, since they are so common that God must at times, as he does here, perform not a greater, but a special miracle, which is extraordinary by which he awakens us and through such an individual and special miracle he shows us and leads us into the daily miracles of the whole world.
We had two days where it rained a bit, and that was appreciated. Before that, when Charli Sue ran or dug in the backyard, clouds of dust billowed from the clay soil.
But now we have an evening of severe thunderstorms coming up. Everything is green, rain barrels are overflowing, and few people feel a craving for more rain.
Nine Clethra shrubs are growing and blooming, the smallest only knee-high.
God's Creation lays out a map for us, what we should expect in the long run. Jesus said, "The sun rises on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just (believers) and on the unjust (non-believers.
KJV Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
One readers likes to ask if my rain barrels are emptied for the next rain - without being mosquito maternity wards. Lacking rain, the barrels and the soil dry up, and sprinkling is only a little bit effective. Watering shriveled plants is discouraging, especially when we look at the current results.
Is this an herb brought over to America for its many benefits or "just a weed" filling the coffers of Scotts Lawn and Garden?
Be patient. This is all about congregations. The garden gets very discouraging at the end of summer, when few people buy gardening equipment and plants and tenacious weeds find many places to grow and thrive.
Spring brings a new look, especially when snow melt and sunlight prompt a revelation. The half-dead, feeble, dying plants show themselves as eager, growing, budding - elbowing and overshadowing the weeds. The roots work all winter and the bulbs popping up in the early spring add to the color and charm.
Discouraged gardeners mutter about all their problems. They openly suggest replacing the gardens with green-tinted concrete. That is the problem. Dis-couraged means lacking courage and faith. If the whole world responded with such pessimism, we would be eating frozen food made from algae. Mmmmm-yuk.
Joe Pye Weed is medicinal, attracts butterflies and bees. It improves the soil's nutrition and water storage.
God's Creation is full of surprises. Roots provide 75% of the organic matter added to the soil, much appreciated by the earthworms and an army of soil creatures, including moles, ants, beetles, larvae. Deep roots provide channels for rain and underground storage. Seven foot Joe Pye Weed is the trust fund for water and nutrition, farming the water supply and organic matter, giving and taking. Shrubs like Clethra (Cinnabon or Sweet Spice) need water and send roots down for aeration and storage, rewarding the soil creatures with mulch and leaf litter.
The congregational parallel is impossible to miss. There are two major church themes - essential and yet almost entirely neglected by Fuller dolts, synod officials, and rationalists:
The efficacy of the Word and
Faith in Jesus Christ.
Word of God - Effective
The Word of God is just as effective as the rain and snow - it never returns void, it accomplishes God's will, and it prospers God's will.
The Word of God is active and energetic in all its forms, because the Holy Spirit never works apart from it. The Word never lacks the Spirit, and the Spirit is never divided from the Word.
That means a church should emphasize the Scriptures in their best form (King James Version) and trust in their power.
Faith in Jesus Christ, The Son of God, Savior
Pursuing the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel, I was struck by the practical advice given but clearly ignored by the soi-disant Lutherans. The work of the Holy Spirit is to teach sin - "because they do not believe in Me."
There are your Fuller DMins (pronounced Demons).
There are your phony success stories.
There are your millions of dollars wasted on carnival style snake-oil salesmen.
There are your dumb and lazy clergy who labor in the carnivals and bars, neglecting the vineyards.
Guess what? The Evil Four Bibles plus Beck deny these two elements - efficacy and faith in Jesus Christ. They have erased and distorted the eloquent and simple divine Word in favor of their own philosophies, dogmatics (yay the adulterous Barth and Tillich), and deism (no Trinity).
Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins when the Gospel Word is planted in our hearts. The Spirit dwells in us and keeps us within the flock, listening to faithful shepherds and following them to the green pastures of the Faith and the quiet waters of forgiveness through faith in Him.
Gardens are peaceful and beautiful in whatever form they take.
Highlights of Vol. 11 include: “God’s Law And Man’s Sin” and “The Inspiration Of Holy Scripture” by Matthias Loy, “The Tendency Of The Calvinistic Doctrine Of Absolute Predestination To Vitiate Some Doctrines Of The Christian Religion”, and “Parallels Between St. Paul And Luther”. The Columbus Theological Magazine is one of the specially restored collections of the Lutheran Library.
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Highlights of Vol. 11 include: “God’s Law And Man’s Sin” and “The Inspiration Of Holy Scripture” by Matthias Loy, “The Tendency Of The Calvinistic Doctrine Of Absolute Predestination To Vitiate Some Doctrines Of The Christian Religion”, and “Parallels Between St. Paul And Luther”. The Columbus Theological Magazine is one of the specially restored collections of the Lutheran Library. Currently available volumes Master index Contents of ...
Objective Justification is another name for the atonement, right? No. They are not the same. How did so-called “objective justification” arise in the Missouri Synod and WELS? How does it compare to the old teaching of justification? How has the teaching of objective justification changed among Lutherans since 1872? How does this teaching compare to Holy Scripture? Could the modern teaching of objective justification help explain why Lutheranism has grown spiritually ...
Joseph Hocking is the Lutheran Librarian’s favorite Christian novelist. Though mostly forgotten now, during his lifetime he was widely read and greatly beloved throughout the English speaking world. Most of his books deal in some way with the struggles and conflicts of living as a Christian in the modern world. The Lutheran Library is republishing many of Joseph Hocking’s novels. If you have any of Hocking’s 50 “lost” books, please contact us. Download the ...
This issue includes “Apostolic Fathers” by James Allen Brown, “The Lutheran Cultus” by Matthias Loy, “John Arndt” by John Gottlieb Morris, “The Bible is a Perfect Book” by Charles Porterfield Krauth, and others. The Evangelical Review was edited by William M Reynolds, Professor in Pennsylvania College and assisted by John G Morris, H I Schmidt, Charles W Schaeffer, and Emanuel Greenwald. Many faithful and prominent Lutheran scholars and ...
Joseph Hocking is the Lutheran Librarian’s favorite Christian novelist. Though mostly forgotten now, during his lifetime he was widely read and greatly beloved throughout the English speaking world. Most of his books deal in some way with the struggles and conflicts of living as a Christian in the modern world. The Lutheran Library is republishing many of Joseph Hocking’s novels. If you have any of Hocking’s 50 “lost” books, please contact us. Contents 1 The ...
“In the footsteps of Christ, the Firstborn, we, His brethren, are to follow… The life of Christ is a record of invincible courage and supreme fearlessness… the courage of Christ is of such a nature as to be repeated and wrought in us also, even in the most timid and fearful of human hearts… the fearlessness of Christ alone can implant itself in the hearts of the most timid and shrinking, and give them a boldness as far above mere natural courage as the spiritual is above the fleshly. ...
Joseph Hocking is the Lutheran Librarian’s favorite Christian novelist. Though mostly forgotten now, during his lifetime he was widely read and greatly beloved throughout the English speaking world. Most of his books deal in some way with the struggles and conflicts of living as a Christian in the modern world. The Lutheran Library is republishing many of Joseph Hocking’s novels. If you have any of Hocking’s 50 “lost” books, please contact us. Contents 1 How ...
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