The LCMS Went ELCA Years Ago - And Brought Their WELS Buddy Along

 

 Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the main seminaries of the decrepit and apostate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Protestia.

New Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Survey Shows Majority Are Pro-Choice, Pro-LGBTQ

The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

ELCA has a host of advocates in all areas of ministry, if it can be called that. They intermingle with LCMS and WELS through Thrivent In$urance and anything else that moves. If one questions anything about La Popessa Eaton, the entire conglomerate jumps on him like a hobo on a hotdog.

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) is a confessional (sic) Lutheran (sic) denomination that is the second largest in the country, historically viewed as serving as the conservative foil (sic) to the apostate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Led by President Matthew Harrison, the denomination claimed 1.7M baptized congregants in 2023, with a reported weekly attendance of nearly 523k spread across 5.7k congregations. Notably, 45% of LCMS congregations have a weekly attendance of less than 50 people.

Pew Research, which previously published studies of the LCMS in 2007 and 2014, has released a massive new religious landscape survey on the denomination, with a sample size of 35,000 that includes 1200 Laity.

The results are dispiriting.

When it comes to homosexuality, 50% of respondents say it should be accepted, along with 50% who strongly favor/ favor same-sex marriage.

Likewise, 54% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

When it comes to evolution, 81% believe that humans evolved over time, either with or without God.

Lastly, when it comes to demographics, the numbers are bleak, with only 5% of members under the age of 30, and nearly half of members are senior citizens.

At the rate they’re going, merging with the ELCA in 20 years remains a very real possibility.

"Now more than ever, homosexuality is a predominant subject in our country and in our world. You may have solid views based on the Bible but still have questions on how your views pertain to life today. Or you may question how to talk to other Christians or non-Christians about your views. In the book "Forgive Us Our Sins: Homosexuality in the Light of God's Truth," the authors tackle the tough issue of homosexuality in a firm but loving way through the clear context of Scripture and also retell Scott's exodus from the gay lifestyle back to Christ. The authors avoid judgment and stereotypes by delicately balancing biblical law and gospel to provide encouragement to all believers who struggle with any temptation, not just homosexuality. Ultimately, the book provides hope and support for those who, just as Scott did, seek to turn their lives back to Christ."

Ash Wednesday Holy Communion - Tonight at 7 PM Central

 

The Hymn #154     Alas and Did My Savior Bleed                         

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

I will cry unto God Most High: unto God that performeth all things for me.

Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge: until these calamities be overpast.

Psalm. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee.

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

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that Thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent, create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual  

The Epistle

KJV Joel 2:12-19

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

Gradual

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee.

V. He shall send from heaven: and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up.

Tract. O Lord, deal not with us after our sins: nor reward us according to our iniquities.

V. O Lord, remember not against us former iniquities: let Thy tender mercies speedily come to us, for we are brought very low.

V. Help us, O God of our salvation: for the glory of Thy name

The Gospel

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Praise be to Thee, O Christ!              

The Nicene Creed p. 22

The Hymn #419               O'er Jerusalem - Anna Hoppe (WELS, Augustana)

Grace without Faith Is a Disgrace

The basis for the entire universe is the opposite of what people think, promote, and garnish. That must be true, because we see the evidence around us and to some extent somewhat in us. Why? Because the Old Adam is always there with us, spawning many kinds of remedies, never enough and often far worse. Look at the way the nation's "lawmakers" refuse to be even a little bit polite. In another place of politics, the smoke grenades were tossed into the discussion - no, really. Look at Serbia. Or look at us. Half the Congressional audience refused to cheer and clap for the boy with brain cancer who wanted to be an honorary cop. 

"Amazing Grace" is often sung, and it has good intentions. However, the words obscure - hide - what the Word of God says. Every word is a tool, and so every word helps or ruins the thought. The concept is quite simple, which can be the reason for the falsehood.

KJV Romans 5 -

5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Many clergy and laity have shunned me and argued against me (the Bible actually) based on Romans 5. "Justified by faith" simply means that the faith created by the Gospel marks us as forgiven through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Faith means complete trust in the Savior, the Good Shepherd, the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We know all is ours in faith because the Bible starts with the Father ordering Creation and the Son executing each command. That is not obscure but as clear as can be. The Father ordered Light before the sun and galaxies existed, and the Son executed the command. Thus the universe was utterly dark without the Son making Light happen. And so it continued in the Six Days, which were real days, not Daylight imaginary time.

Genesis 1 proves this, though most are blind to it. "And there was Light." Dad may fall down the basement stairs because he did not turn on the switch. Genesis 1 makes it plain that there are two phases - ordering Let there be Light and execution "And there was light."

Verification comes from John 1 -

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same [very emphatic] was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

To absorb this - Read Psalm 1, where the Law (Torah) is encompassing, not simply The Law. (Like the grace error) Torah means Teaching, including Law, Gospel, and Blessings.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the Teaching (Torah) of the Lord; and in his Teaching (Torah) doth he meditate day and night.

grace = access by faith 

Go over these phrases that are marked and keep returning to them. Grace means forgiveness, blessings, removal of pain, guilt and sorrow, joy from overcoming burdens, and so forth. 

Access is a plain old word. Don't look it up - it's just access. I have an appointment at the tuxedo shop. One thing is sure - I will look very strange if I am wearing gardening clothes and floppy shoes. Access can mean a meeting place, so it is extremely powerful because it is the Spirit at work in the Word. So if we look at troubles, sins, catastrophes, sorrows, pains, we have access by grace to brush those things away - and to grow the fruits of the Spirit (John 15).

Christina wore a Swedish crown, donated to Augustana through Sweden.
She had access to the crown.

The Hymn #312        Lord Jesus Christ Thou Living Bread                           

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31

The Hymn #370            My Hope Is Built

Do You Like the Left-Wing? Your Denomination Is the Left Wing of Congress.Deal With It!

 

When a large group pouts and fumes and makes faces, they have surrendered, so far gone that they echo each other's foolishness.

The Left-Wing in America is almost identical to the snarling and whining of the mainline Lutherans - The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic). The faux-Lutherans are quite similar to the faux-Democrats.

The Big Five are all Scriptural! They spend money on 10 or more corruptions of the KJV Bible because they can make more money for themselves with daily paraphrasing and higher profits.

The Big Five are overflowing with grace! Not at all. The only access to God's grace is faith in Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1-2. They keep saying "Grace! Grace! Grace!" while denying Justification by Faith, which begins at Genesis 15 and goes through the entire Bible.

The Big Five are mission minded! Yes, they love to have their favorite buddies sent around the globe, pan-handling all the sources they can garnish. They come back home to brag about how much they have suffered.

They love Luther! Once a year - or less - they mention Luther and get out a worn copy of Luther's Sermons to prove they actually read a page or two. What's that smell? They are going back to Holy Mother Rome. They will not be content until they are all one in the bosom of their Father Below.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - First Sunday in Lent - "What were it if the whole world were full of bread, still man does not live by bread alone, but more belongs to life, namely, the Word of God. The words, however, are so beautiful and powerful that we must not pass over them lightly, but carefully explain them."

 

Luther's Sermons - Matthew 4:1-11.
Invocavit. First Sunday in Lent

10. Thirdly, behold how Christ resists this temptation of bread, and overcomes; he sees nothing but stones and what is uneatable, then he approaches and clings to the Word of God, strengthens himself by it and strikes the devil to the ground with it. This saying all Christians should lay hold of when they see that there is lack and want and everything has become stones, so that courage trembles, and they should say: What were it if the whole world were full of bread, still man does not live by bread alone, but more belongs to life, namely, the Word of God. The words, however, are so beautiful and powerful that we must not pass over them lightly, but carefully explain them.

11. These words Christ quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3, where Moses says: “Thy God humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.”

That is as much as to say: Since God permits you to hunger and you still continue to live, you ought indeed to grasp the thought that God nourishes you without bread through his Word; for if you should live and sustain yourself by bread alone then you must continually be full of bread. But the Word, that nourishes us is, that he promises us and causes it to be published that he is our God and desires to be our God.

12. Thus now the meaning of Moses and of Christ is: Whoever has here God’s Word and believes, has both blessings; the first, where he is in want and has nothing, but must suffer hunger, that Word will sustain him, so that he will not die of hunger nor perish, just as well as if he had abundance to eat; for the Word he has in his heart nourishes and sustains him without eating and drinking. But has he little to eat, then a bite or slice of bread will feed and nourish him like a kingly meal; for not only bread but the Word of God also nourishes the body naturally, as it creates and upholds all things, Hebrews 1:3. The other blessing he will also enjoy, namely, that finally bread will surely be at hand, come whence it will, and should it rain from heaven like manna where none grows and none can grow. In these two thoughts every person can freely trust, namely, that he must in time of hunger receive bread or something to eat, or if not, then his hunger must become so moderate and bearable that it will nourish him even as well as bread does.

13. What has been said of eating and feeding the body should be understood also of drinking, clothing, house, and all our needs: namely that although he still permits us to become naked and suffer want for clothing, house etc., clothing must finally be at hand, and before it fails the leaves of the trees must become coats and mantles; or if not, then the coats and garments that we wear must never grow old; just as happened to the Children of Israel in the desert Deuteronomy 8:2-4, whose clothing and shoes never wore out. Likewise the wild wilderness must become their houses, and there must be a way where there is no way; and water, where there is no water; stones must become water. For here stands God’s Word, which says: “He cares for you;” and St. Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17: “God giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” and Matthew 6:33-34: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow.” These and like words must continue true and stand forever firm.

14. All this one may indeed learn from his own daily experiences. For it is held, and I almost believe it, that there are not as many sheaves of wheat grown as there are people living on the earth; but God daily blesses and increases the wheat in the sack, the flour in the tray, the bread on the table and in the mouth, as Christ did. John 6:12 f. It is also noticeable that as a rule poor people and their children are fatter and their food reaches farther and agrees with them better than is the case among the rich with all their provisions. However that the godless at times suffer need, or in times of famine many die of hunger, is caused by a special plague as pestilence, war etc. In other ways we see that in all things it is not the food, but the Word of God that nourishes every human being.

DJ - Honorary Secret Service Agent - Brain Cancer

 

Free Republic - TwitterX ^ | 3/5/2025 | TwitterX User Mike Johnson

The night was electric, pulsing with the raw energy of a nation clawing its way back from the abyss. Donald Trump stood at the podium, a lion surveying his den, commanding the chamber with the weight of history pressing against his shoulders. The air was thick with expectation, with defiance, with the unshakable spirit of America refusing to be broken. And then, the moment came—the kind of moment that strips away the political filth and reveals the soul of a country.

A boy named DJ, clad in the crisp uniform of a police officer, stood proud and unwavering, though the cruel grip of fate had marked him for battle against something far more ruthless than any criminal—brain cancer. His father, a cop, watched with pride as his son, too young to understand the horrors of bureaucracy, stood before the most powerful men and women in the nation, believing in something greater than himself.

Trump, never one to miss the chance to honor the real beating heart of America, did what no other president in modern history would have dared. He made DJ an honorary Secret Service agent—not as a political stunt, not as a hollow gesture, but as a symbol of everything that still makes this country great. Here was a boy who, despite all odds, still dreamed of serving and protecting. A boy who saw the badge not as a mark of oppression, but of justice. A boy whose bravery outshone the cowards who sat in the shadows.

The chamber erupted. The walls of Congress shook with applause, the very rafters of democracy trembling under the force of true, unfiltered emotion. People stood, tears in their eyes, clapping until their hands stung. But not everyone.

No, across the aisle sat the Democrats, cold as corpses, eyes hollow, mouths twisted into grimaces of disdain. Not a single clap. Not a single nod of respect. Not an ounce of humanity. These are the same people who weep for criminals, who kneel for thugs, who scream about “justice” while letting chaos swallow the streets. But when a little boy with brain cancer stands before them, embodying everything they should pretend to care about—innocence, courage, sacrifice—they sit there like rotting statues, rigid in their hatred for everything that doesn’t fit their twisted ideology.

It was more than politics. It was a glimpse into the soul of the enemy. They couldn’t stand because standing would mean acknowledging something greater than themselves. It would mean admitting that Trump was right. That honor still means something. That America is still alive, still breathing, still roaring despite their every attempt to smother it beneath their boot.

That moment was bigger than all of them. Bigger than the swamp, bigger than the lies, bigger than the poison dripping from every Democrat's forked tongue. DJ stood there, stronger than the entire party combined, smiling as the President of the United States honored him. And they sat there, sneering, because they knew—deep in the blackened pits of their soulless chests—they would never know what it’s like to be that brave, that good, that true.

They will be remembered for that silence. The people saw. The people will never forget.

The hug.