Fifty Years Ago and Year Two.Bells for the Campanologist

Campanology is the scientific and musical study of bells. It encompasses the technology of bells – how they are founded, tuned and rung – as well as the history, methods, and traditions of bellringing as an art. It is common to collect together a set of tuned bells and treat the whole as one musical instrument. Wikipedia

 Campanologist - someone who loves and studies bells.

 

I was pushing a wheelchair today and later watching the use of IV antibiotics for a dangerous circulation problem. Surgery and procedures saved one or both legs.

Everyone talks about medical advances so I thought about 50 years ago, when Christina and I were both working at Yale Medical School. She was a researcher for a well known professor and writer of children's books, on the staff of the Yale Medical Child Study Center. I was a lowly xeroxer for the Yale Medical School Library. Researchers asked for journal articles. I went into the dark basement stacks and found the journal for xeroxing. 

We were great friends with Bruce and Betsy Wenger, not realizing he graduated at the top of his class at Yale Medical. 

Christina and I took the Yale shuttle bus over to the medical campus, sometimes together, sometimes solo. One stop was at Baskin Robbins, when they still made real ice cream. 

People would say, "The time will run so fast, you will not believe it." Those people have passed into eternal life, including my favorite professors and the pastor/bishop who helped ordain me.

Two years ago today, Christina transitioned to eternal life. That makes me think of many Yale episodes, trivial but fun, all adding up to the best of memories. Her professor, Joan Fassler, died young from cancer. Joan's husband, Leonard, lived until 2021. 

Leonard was the surprise person on the sidewalk in Chicago when Christina and I found ourselves walking behind him and two other businessmen. She was sure it had to be Lenny. I whispered, "He is a New York lawyer!" I conceded it was possible, so I yelled, "LENNY!" He turned around and mutual recognition lit up. Christina hugged him, and his friends said, "Lenny. Strange beautiful young women run up and hug you! What a gift!"

He helped in the legal battle to break up AT&T. He also kept us up to date about his dear wife.

Incredible Means "Cannot Believe It." Lutheran School in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin.Which Synod? Anyone? Anyone?LCMS

 

Pilgrim Lutheran is a part of LUMIN Schools. President and CEO Shaun Luehring issued the following statement to FOX6 News:

As a faith based, Christ-centered network, LUMIN Schools is comprised of Christian team members united by our mission. We strive to be a network of schools that is Christian in every sense of the word. Therefore, we expect our staff to represent Jesus Christ and the mission of LUMIN Schools – not only in their work, but in their personal lives as well.

LUMIN takes the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of our students incredibly seriously. To that end, we conduct background checks on all candidates prior to employment. We share our expectations around standards of conduct with all teachers and employees, and execute regular trainings to ensure our expectations, policies and procedures are understood in practice.

Recently, LUMIN leadership received information indicating that a Pilgrim Lutheran School teacher violated our standards of conduct. We immediately shared the information with local authorities and began an internal investigation. Within 24 hours, members of LUMIN’s administrative team met with the teacher and determined there had been a violation of the LUMIN Schools Standards of Conduct leading to immediate termination.

On August 15, the Brown Deer Police notified LUMIN that their investigation uncovered additional information and the former teacher was placed under arrest. 

Efficacy of the Word - Ephesians 3 - Including Greek for the Majority of Pastors, Bishops, and District Presidents Who Never Studied Biblical Languages or Luther.

 

 

King James Version

KJV Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

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,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

Stephanus Traditional Ephesians 3 

16 ινα δωη υμιν κατα τον πλουτον της δοξης αυτου δυναμει (able) κραταιωθηναι δια του πνευματος (through His Spirit) αυτου εις τον εσω ανθρωπον (in the inner man)

3:17 κατοικησαι τον χριστον (dwell with Christ) δια της πιστεως (through the Spirit) εν ταις καρδιαις υμων (in your hearts)

18 εν αγαπη ερριζωμενοι και τεθεμελιωμενοι ινα εξισχυσητε καταλαβεσθαι συν πασιν τοις αγιοις τι το πλατος και μηκος και βαθος και υψος

19 γνωναι τε την υπερβαλλουσαν της γνωσεως αγαπην του χριστου ινα πληρωθητε εις παν το πληρωμα του θεου

20 τω δε δυναμενω υπερ παντα ποιησαι υπερ εκ περισσου ων αιτουμεθα η νοουμεν κατα την δυναμιν (power of the Holy Spirit) την ενεργουμενην εν ημιν (at work in the Word in us)

21 αυτω η δοξα εν τη εκκλησια εν χριστω ιησου εις πασας τας γενεας του αιωνος των αιωνων αμην

Explanation

This is well known as a passage about the power of prayer, even more appreciated with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in the Word. The Bible consistently repudiates false doctrine, but many plunge ahead anyway with their schemes, without a map and without more than a clue about the meaning of these verses.

As shown by Thy Strong Word, the Spirit/Word union is taught throughout the Scriptures, Luther's writings, the Book of Concord, and many historic hymns.

The Church of Rome gives all earthly power to the Pope and his massive bureaucracy. The non-Lutheran Protestants often rely on the length and emotion of prayers. Some are so separated from the text of Ephesians 3 that they neglect the Word and rely on the Holy Spirit without the Word. 

The weakness and apostasy of the institutional Lutherans is shown by their aping of Calvinism and Romanism, their repugnance toward Luther, the German Reformation, and the Book of Concord.

The two, neglected key words from this passage are power (referring to the Holy Spirit) and (worketh - referring to the Word). 

When the Father commanded the Creation, Six 24-hour Days, the Son as the Word executed the Commands. This is clearly shown and mostly ignored by Church Growth (sic) and Rationalism.

The Son of God - the Logos - created everything in the universe in Six Days. The Holy Spirit hovered over Creation and serves to teach us what belongs to the Father and the Son. 

Ephesians 3 - especially verse 20 - combines the work of the Spirit and the divine power of the Word. 

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...

When we pray at the beginning or end of the day, we should name all those we know who have special problems, challenging health issues, anxieties, and requests for God's guidance. The greatest burdens can become the greatest blessings. Do not ask me how or when. That is handled by Management and beyond our comprehension. 

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 12 - Mark 7:31-37 - "You know the fundamental truth is, that man cannot be just and acceptable before God, save alone by faith." - ELCA,WELS,ELS,LCMS, CLC (sic) Deny This

 

Link to the Complete Sermon - Luther's Sermons - Mark 7:31-37. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Thus love should do its work, not as though it needs it, but devotes itself solely to the benefit of its neighbor, as Paul, among other things, speaks to the Corinthians about love, Corinthians 13:5: “Love seeketh not its own”; and to the Philippians he says, Philippians 2:4: “Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”

6. This we may also learn here in these good people. They do not need this work themselves, nor do they look to themselves, but to the poor man, and think how they may help him; they seek no reward, but act independently and freely. Thus you should by right do likewise; if not, you are no Christians. Therefore consider carefully how love is here described, that it takes upon itself the care of others. If we accept this lesson, it will be well for us; but if not, then God will punish us with blindness, as he has been doing, to our grief, for nearly four hundred years. This much we say briefly concerning faith and love. Furthermore, we must now, in the fourth place, treat of the faith of other persons.

7. You know the fundamental truth is, that man cannot be just and acceptable before God, save alone by faith. So that they have lied and spoken falsely who have taught heretofore that we may deal with God through our works. Moreover it was much more foolish that they taught us to rely upon the works and faith of other persons, pretending that nuns, monks and priests can help other persons by their wailing which they perform in their cloisters at night, and that in this manner they can help other people and distribute their treasures. Therefore, let everyone here remember, that no one dare undertake to be saved by the faith, or by the work of another person; in truth, it cannot be done by the faith or work of Mary, or of any saint, yea, not even by Christ’s work and faith, but through your own personal faith. For God will not permit Mary, or any other saint, not even Christ himself, to take your place, in order that you might be godly and righteous, unless you believe for your own self. If Christ’s faith and work will not do it, you will much less accomplish it by the work or faith of all the monks and priests. Hence our Gospel lesson gives us an occasion to speak of the faith of others.

For here we read that they led this person to Christ in their own faith and work; the man did nothing toward it, but merely suffered it to be done.

8. Therefore let everybody mark well, that he can never be saved through another person’s faith. But it of course may happen, that by the faith of other persons you may be brought to a faith of your own. Likewise the good works of other persons may be of service to me to obtain works of my own. Therefore those lie, who declare that we may be saved through the works or faith of other persons, whether we ourselves believe or not.

No, this is not so! Unless you yourself draw out from God’s kindness and mercy a faith of your own, you will not be saved. Thus it must be; otherwise no other person’s faith or works avail, not even Christ, though he is the Savior of all the world; his kindness, his help will do you no good whatever, unless you believe in it, and are enlightened by it.