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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.
Friday, January 31, 2025
Improving and Expanding the Lutheran Library
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Helped Patton's Troops - Got a Loan To Come to America
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| Veteran's Honor Rose reminds our military of their sworn duty. |
My wife and her sister were born in poverty and lived for a time in a refugee camp. Her parents borrowed the funds to come across to America. They paid the entire amount back and helped more of the family settle in the States. One uncle joined the US Army.
They all studied to become American citizens, the pride of their lives.
The sisters were coaxed to attend a local state university, and some urged Valparaiso. Christina insisted on Augustana College in Rock Island, within walking distance of my house. We met on the first day in English class and I was asked by my brother about that meeting. I said, "I met a red-head and I'll ask her out and maybe marry her." Decades later, when Christina talked about this, a Moline friend at the same dorm said Chris kept calling my name that week.
Look at Your Tax Dollars - Going to Lutheran Refugee and Immigration Services
Now - GLOBAL REFUGE and THRIVENT!
Former - Lutheran Refugee And Immigration Services
Why an 85-Year-Old Charity Needed a New Name
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service rebranded as Global Refuge to put the spotlight on its mission — and boost fundraising.
Global Refuge
In 2023,
This grant supports the Camino a Casa program in Guatemala, which promotes economic empowerment, social mobility, and diverse, inclusive communities through a three-prong system: pathway building, career navigation, and harnessing the power of champions and coalitions.
Support from the Thrivent Charitable Community Fund and generous gifts our donors help make this possible. For collaborative funds, Thrivent Charitable conducts an invitation-based grantmaking process. For more information visit our
Do Not Read Luther For Cute Sayings!
The Reformation reminds us of Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz - so why am I even mentioning them? After all, if knowledge of Luther is withered away now, how much worse is content about the other two teachers?
How many preachers of any church body struggle to find some witty snippet at the end of November? The clergy are more likely to make fun of those three professors above, who risked their lives, changed Europe, and spread the Gospel to the world.
The percentage of Luther students is so small that anyone can attack the basics of the Gospel of Faith. The Lutheran (sic) synod leaders began waddling after Rome many decades ago, because Rome is cool.
One LCA pastor from many decades ago said this about his fellow seminary students at Philadelphia Seminary (now United), "Him? He was the only high church guy who wasn't gay!" Indeed - the most inclined students at Waterloo bragged about their group of seminarians putting on the display robes and prancing around the Fortress Press Store. Almy is the target now - and OH! what prices!
So we have a collision now. Anyone can have a truckload of printed worthwhile Luther books, and even more books through the marvels of digital reproductions like PDF - and through the spoken Word. The collision is the lack of use, whether heard, read, or inwardly digested.
Here is a concise collection of Lenker's Luther Sermons.
I am sprinkling some Luther quotations on this page, because I am too weak to resist the combination of Gospel and graphics.
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| This was Photoshopped from the Planet of the Apes movie, where the hero realizes Planet Earth is so destroyed that the Statue of Liberty is half-buried. Thus the Lutheran Church with its papal lusts, Calvinist errors, and Waltherian dogma. |
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| Year around, no? |
Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 4 Epistle - "Solomon’s words (Ecclesiastes 7:17), “Noli nimium esse justus,” “Be not righteous overmuch.” Here is where we leave unperceived the beam in our own eye and proceed to remove the mote from our neighbor’s eye. Laws without love make the conscience timid and fill it with unreasonable terror and despair, to the great injury of body and soul."
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany. Christian Love and the Command to Love. Romans 13:8-10
LOVE FULFILS THE LAW.
“For he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.”
7. Having frequently spoken of the character and fruits of love, it is unnecessary to introduce the subject here. The topic is sufficiently treated in the epistle lesson for the Sunday preceding Lent. We will look at the command to love, in the Law of God. Innumerable, endless, are the books and doctrines produced for the direction of man’s conduct. And there is still no limit to the making of books and laws. Note the ecclesiastical and civil regulations, the spiritual orders and stations. These laws and doctrines might be tolerated, might be received with more favor, if they were founded upon and administered according to the one great law — the one rule or measure — of love; as the Scriptures do, which present many different laws, but all born of love, and comprehended in and subject to it.
And these laws must yield, must become invalid, when they conflict with love.
Of Love’s higher authority we find many illustrations in the Scriptures.
Christ makes particular mention of the matter in Matthew 12:3-4, where David and his companions ate the holy showbread. Though a certain law prohibited all but the priests from partaking of this holy food, Love was empress here, and free. Love was over the Law, subjecting it to herself. The Law had to yield for the time being, had to become invalid, when David suffered hunger. The Law had to submit to the sentence: “David hungers and must be relieved, for Love commands, Do good to your needy neighbor. Yield, therefore, thou Law. Prevent not the accomplishment of this good. Rather accomplish it thyself. Serve him in his need. Interpose not thy prohibitions.” In connection with this same incident, Christ teaches that we are to do good to our neighbor on the Sabbath; to minister as necessity demands, whatever the Sabbath restrictions of the Law. For when a brother’s need calls, Love is authority and the Law of the Sabbath is void.
8. Were laws conceived and administered in love, the number of laws would matter little. Though one might not hear or learn all of them, he would learn from the one or two he had knowledge of, the principle of love taught in all. And though he were to know all laws, he might not discover the principle of love any more readily than he would in one. Paul teaches this method of understanding and mastering law when he says: “Owe no man anything, but to love one another”; “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”; “If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”; “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor”; “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” Every word in this epistle lesson proves Love mistress of all law.
9. Further, no greater calamity, wrong and wretchedness is possible on earth than the teaching and enforcing of laws without love. In such case, laws are but a ruinous curse, making true the proverbs, “summum jus, summa injustitia,” “The most strenuous right is the most strenuous wrong”; and again, Solomon’s words (Ecclesiastes 7:17), “Noli nimium esse justus,” “Be not righteous overmuch.” Here is where we leave unperceived the beam in our own eye and proceed to remove the mote from our neighbor’s eye. Laws without love make the conscience timid and fill it with unreasonable terror and despair, to the great injury of body and soul.
Thus, much trouble and labor are incurred all to no purpose.
ELCA's Death Spiral - Signaled by Liz Eaton's Election in 2013 -
Reconciling Works via Clint Schneckloth's substack.
"Beloved Children of God,
For over 50 years ReconcilingWorks has advocated for the acceptance, full participation, and liberation of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions within the Lutheran Church. This is holy work for holy people.
In one week, the world has experienced the Trump Administration - through Executive Orders - try to remove, deny, and endanger the lives of our Transgender, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Intersex, and Gender Nonconforming siblings. Just by saying there are only two genders does not make it true. We have a God who exists beyond a binary.
Trump's recent actions against the LGBTQIA+ community could not be further from the Gospel message of love, welcome, inclusion, and liberation.
1. Declaring there are only two genders, male and female.
2. Banning Transgender people from military service.
3. Ending gender affirming care for anyone under the age of 19.
ReconcilingWorks will continue to work with our 1,150+ Reconciling in Christ congregations and ministries to be a public witness in word and action, working against the dangers of White Christian Nationalism, discrimination, and erasures of people groups. We call upon all of our Reconciling in Christ partners - congregations, synods, and other ministries - to amplify your own voices in support of your LGBTQIA+ siblings. Now is the time to speak up and speak out, joining our voices and actions with those of Christians and members of other faith communities who also support God's beloved LGBTQIA+ children."
May the God of love and liberation hear our lament. May each of us be bold in our witness. May we all work to bring an end to this attack against people God has named beloved.
Signed,
ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation
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| ELCiC Bishop Susan Johnson |
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 4 Epistle Lesson - "Another obligation is love, when a Christian voluntarily makes himself a servant of all men. Paul says (1 Corinthians 9:19), “For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all.” This is not a requirement of human laws; no one who fails in this duty is censured or punished for neglect of legal obligations. The world is not aware of the commandment to love; of the obligation to submit to and serve a fellowman."
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany. Christian Love and the Command to Love. Romans 13:8-10
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
TEXT:
ROMANS 13:8-10. 8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.
CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE.
1. This, like the two preceding epistle lessons, is admonitory, and directs our attention to the fruits of faith. Here, however, Paul sums up briefly all the fruits of faith, in love. In the verses going before he enjoined subjection to temporal government — the rendering of tribute, custom, fear and honor wherever due — since all governmental power is ordained of God.
Then follows our lesson: “Owe no man anything,” etc.
2. I shall ignore the various explanations usually invented for this command, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.” To me, clearly and simply it means: Not as men, but as Christians, are we under obligations. Our indebtedness should be the free obligation of love. It should not be compulsory and law-prescribed. Paul holds up two forms of obligation: one is inspired by law, the other by love.
Legal obligations make us debtors to men; an instance is when one individual has a claim upon another for debt. The duties and tribute, the obedience and honor, we owe to political government are of this legal character. Though personally these things are not essential to the Christian — they do not justify him nor make him more righteous — yet, because he must live here on earth, he is under obligation, so far as outward conduct is concerned, to put himself on a level with other men in these things, and generally to help maintain temporal order and peace. Christ paid tribute money as a debt (Matthew 17:27), notwithstanding he had told Peter he was under no obligation to do so and would have committed no sin before God in omitting the act.
3. Another obligation is love, when a Christian voluntarily makes himself a servant of all men. Paul says (1 Corinthians 9:19), “For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all.” This is not a requirement of human laws; no one who fails in this duty is censured or punished for neglect of legal obligations. The world is not aware of the commandment to love; of the obligation to submit to and serve a fellowman.
This fact is very apparent. Let one have wealth, and so long as he refrains from disgracing his neighbor’s wife, from appropriating his neighbor’s goods, sullying his honor or injuring his person, he is, in the eyes of the law, righteous. No law punishes him for avarice and penuriousness; for refusing to lend, to give, to aid, and to help his wronged neighbor secure justice. Laws made for restraint of the outward man are directed only toward evil works, which they prohibit and punish. Good works are left to voluntary performance. Civil law does not extort them by threats and punishment, but commends and rewards them, as does the Law of Moses.
4. Paul would teach Christians to so conduct themselves toward men and civil authority as to give no occasion for complaint or censure because of unfulfilled indebtedness to temporal law. He would not have them fail to satisfy the claims of legal obligation, but rather to go beyond its requirements, making themselves debtors voluntarily and serving those who have no claims on them. Relative to this topic, Paul says ( Romans 1:14), “I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians.” Love’s obligation enables a man to do more than is actually required of him. Hence the Christian always willingly renders to the state and to the individual all service exacted by temporal regulations, permitting no claims upon himself in this respect.
5. Paul’s injunction, then, might be expressed: Owe all men, that you may owe none; owe everything, that you may owe nothing. This sounds paradoxical. But one indebtedness is that of love, an obligation to God.
The other is indebtedness to temporal law, an obligation in the eyes of the world. He who makes himself a servant, who takes upon himself love’s obligation to all men, goes so far that no one dares complain of omission; indeed, he goes farther than any could desire. Thus he is made free. He lives under obligation to no one from the very fact that he puts himself under obligation to all. This manner of presenting the thought would be sustained by the Spirit in connection with other duties; for instance: Do no good work, that you may do only good works. Never be pious and holy, if you would be always pious and holy. As Paul says ( Romans 12:16), “Be not wise in your own conceits”; or ( 1 Corinthians 3:18), “If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.” It is in this sense we say: Owe all men that you may owe no man; or, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.”
6. Such counsel is given with the thought of the two obligations. He who would perform works truly good in the sight of God, must guard against works seemingly brilliant in the eyes of the world, works whereby men presume to become righteous. He who desires to be righteous and holy must guard against the holiness attained by works without faith. Again, the seeker for wisdom must reject the wisdom of men, of nature, wisdom independent of the Spirit. Similarly, he who would be under obligation to none must obligate himself to all in every respect. So doing, he retains no claim of his own. Consequently, he soon rises superior to all law, for law binds only those who have claims of their own. Rightly is it said, “Qui cedit omnibus bonis, omnibus satisfecit,” “He who surrenders all his property, satisfies all men.” How can one be under obligation when he does not, and cannot, possess anything? It is love’s way to give all. The best way, then, to be under obligation to none is, through love to obligate one’s self in every respect to all men. In this sense it may be said: If you would live, die; if you would not be imprisoned, incarcerate yourself; if you do not desire to go to hell, descend there; if you object to being a sinner, be a sinner; if you would escape the cross, take it upon yourself; if you would conquer the devil, let him vanquish you; would you overcome a wicked individual, permit him to overcome you. The meaning of it all is, we should readily submit to God, to the devil and to men, and willingly permit their pleasure; we are to insist on nothing, but to accept all things as they transpire. This is why Paul speaks as he does, “Owe no man anything,” etc., instead of letting it go at the preceding injunction in verse 5, “Render therefore to all their dues, etc.