The Donkey Poem - Save for Palm Sunday

The Donkey

When forests walked and fishes flew
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then, surely, I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening bray
And ears like errant wings—
The devil's walking parody
Of all four-footed things:

The battered outlaw of the earth
Of ancient crooked will;
Scourge, beat, deride me—I am dumb—
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour—
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout around my head
And palms about my feet.

G. K. Chesterton, Notre Dame Visiting Professor
Kelmed from Norman Teigen's blog

Giotto di Bondone, Scenes from the Life of Christ 10.
Entry into Jerusalem, 1304-6,
Cappella Scrovegni, Padova

Follow Up - A Few Notes on Studying Greek

Come back with your shields or on them, soldiers!

One person responded to How To Study Theology with a question about learning Greek.

Here are a few steps to consider:

1. Avoid classical Greek. The New Testament is Koine. Learn that. It is easier and relevant.
2. Learn how to read the letters and pronounce the words.
3. Read the text out loud until that gets easy.
4. Always read the text out loud first.

Next -
Read John 1:1 in Greek. Translate the words you know. Guess the rest. Then check your KJV. Do not ever write words above the Greek or leave a Bible open. Our lazy brain will go to English first, just as kids will eat candy before meat if left side by side.

Read John 1:2 in Greek. Repeat.

Get used to reading the paragraph out loud. The key is immersion, not words lists, not grammar rules. If we had waited to learn interogatives and subjunctives as babies we would have starved to death.

Management by Sassy

Sassy is signaling me for her morning walk.
I must answer or get into trouble with her.

Everyone loves Sassy, so I decided to describe how she carefully manages our behavior and displays a remarkable amount of intelligence, independence, and humor.

Sometimes we work on threat gestures. I learned early that my intruder pose would get her leaping up and grabbing my hand. Simply by grazing my hand in a fast-moving gesture, she opened up a wound with her teeth. I was dodging without success, and I stopped. The blood stopped soon, and I did not try that again.

Sassy has assumed the role of protecting our yard from a wandering black lab. The neighboring dogs bark at the intruder walking down the grassy alley between our homes. They are large and muscular, but seem helpless. Sassy always asks to go out and take care of the lab. She goes to the fence and does her best German Shepherd attack. She plants her front legs down, barks and snarls furiously, displaying her teeth and moving her head back and forth close to the ground.  The lab takes off and the neighbor dogs bark impotently at him in a me too response.

Sassy even barked the lab out of our neighbor's yard, but the lab got its hind leg stuck up in the wire fence. Black labs matter, so I called Animal Control and got the dog freed in a few minutes. Unharmed and clueless, it came back to the same yard an hour or two later.

We have always worked on the gentle command with Sassy, and she is great responding. When I pretend to form a claw coming down on her flank, she bares her teeth menacingly. But she cannot hold her fierce pose for long, it turns into a grin. She loves the game. She has the fast motions of a Cattle Dog and snaps at my hand with incredible speed - always to lick my hand.

Sacky was our first Cattle Dog. Sacky could kiss my bare feet alternately as I walked, but never while I was looking. I never figured out how she could do that. To illustrate her speed, she simply snapped all houseflies out of the air in Phoenix.

Sassy and I walk twice a day, and she is keen to remind me when the sun is up or going down. I tired of the leash and she was quick to learn commands - wait, leave alone, cross the street, and so forth.
I can wiggle one finger and get her to run full speed at me, both of us grinning. She has to ask permission to cross the street or go meet someone. She has learned not to bark loudly in greeting adults and children. However, one friend loves her happy bark, so she lets loose when she hears, "Where is that happy bark, Sassy?" Left and right, she barks as loudly as she can.

However, Sassy's great response and intuition are tempered by her independent spirit. She loves to walk south down the side streets when we are walking west down Scott Street. Once she asked permission to cross the street and go farther down Scott. When I said yes, she darted left and ran about 20 feet south down the side street. Then she stopped and looked back, grinning. I said, "OK, let's go down that street." She pranced into each yard, catching up on all the signals left by other animals.

When one woman suggested that Sassy leave her front-yard family gathering, with Sassy meeting each child, Sassy responded by going to the woman, laying down her ears and reaching out for a final petting. The woman could not help laughing as everyone enjoyed Sassy trumping her ace. Sassy lays down her ears and reaches out in meek and friendly gesture that no one can miss.

Sassy's goal is to meet each person on our walks. She went up to one man, who said, "Oh, Sassy, you are the dog that loves everyone."

Sassy loves treats: she remembers and counts, always pushing for a greater number at any given time. One treat means two would be better. Two is the norm and three would be nice, as the dessert. The vet suggested breaking treats into small pieces so Sassy could get the count up with fewer calories.

Sassy likes to take one more trip outside once I am settled in bed to sleep. My transition from writing and grading to sleep is quick and easy to make. The bed is the best chair I have used for the painful process of grading 25 essays at a time.

To get Sassy outside before I am nodding off,  I have tried various things, such as snapping my fingers. I even dragged her off  the bed gently - and she crawled back. I used a snack once to get her up and out and another small one to reward her coming inside. After that happened once or twice,  I invited her in. She stopped in the kitchen and glared at me. "Where is treat #2?"

Talking and Singing - The Tell-Tale Tail
Sassy has many ways to talk. She uses her Cattle Dog (kelpie) voice at times. If she yips a little, I ask, "Are you going full kelpie on us?" Then she yips in that high-pitched wild dingo voice of hers, and we laugh.

She is great at singing along, as she did when we sang Happy Birthday to grandson Alex.

The ears, face, and tail are part of her signals. She may make a little whining noise for a moment. We look and ask, "What's wrong?" Her tail rotates slowly. That means she needs a treat or a walk. If I delay or miss the signal, she rotates rapidly and with great force. That can include whipping my arm as I work. Her tails is soft, but the perpetual rotation makes work impossible.

If that fails, she uses her powerful claws to pull me down on the bed for lovey time.

The rotating tail is often paired with her stupid dog look. Sacky pulled that on me too, to show how clueless I was.

How To Study Theology - For Latecomers

Some enter the study of theology later in life, sometimes as laity bewildered by the false doctrine being promoted around them, sometimes as men sensing a calling into pastoral work.

The temptation to regret a late start should be quashed with the facts. Those who go through a system have to grow away from the synod worship imposed on them by years of training. The veterans of a system also have to develop critical thinking skills to replace the rigid conforming imposed by Holy Mother Synod. Few can escape the gravitational pull of both soul-destroying forces.

Roland Bainton trained many generations of church historians;
we were blessed to hear him lecture at Yale.
He also helped me with my dissertation and offered
to xerox some pages of a book for me.

Languages. 
Greek is the most important to learn, and Greek is remarkably easy to learn. I can get kids translating John's Gospel from Greek to English in two weeks. After that, the key is regular practice and use of Greek, so the New Testament is easily read in Greek and not translated at all. As my Latin teacher told us, "Keep at it - and one day your brain will switch on and Latin will be as easy as the newspaper." I kept reading Aquinas in Latin and one day - boom - as easy as skimming the Moline Dispatch. Ditto Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

Language professors seldom grasp this concept and try to make their language akin to rocket science, so they can occupy the high ground with furtive pathas and iota subscripts.

Hebrew is good to know because the entire Old Testament is different with a knowledge of Hebrew. Someone can be tutored in Hebrew and read Jonah or a little Genesis or Joshua. Psalms are entirely different in Hebrew, which also gives us insight into Arabic. But Hebrew is not going to be used as easily or as often in pastoral work. That is no reason to bypass it altogether. My LCA seminary president discouraged me from taking Hebrew, because "It is not required and will not earn credits." I graduated early anyway and won the uncoveted Hebrew prize for being the only Hebrew student that year.

Language professors awe people by flourishing the rules of grammar in their language, as if humans learn a language by memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary lists. Just the opposite is true. We learn our first language through immersion. Parents say "No, no" and shake their heads. The baby soon learns to say "No, no" and shake his head - and the parents stand back in awe.

Latin is shockingly easy to learn. Roland Bainton taught me the Gospel of John approach. The Fourth Gospel has very simple grammar, short phrases, and repetition of the same word in many passages. Like Greek, learning to read the endings is the key to reading the language. A little tutoring is good for a start and continued reading in Latin (without a pony or a jimmy - nicknames for a Bible as a crutch) will do the job. German, Spanish, and French are similar - easily learned from the Gospel of John. Bainton learned 20 languages this way and had no sympathy for someone who said, "But that is not written in English."

In Latin and Greek, I had Little Ichabod go over the text of John, chapters 1 - 4, carefully. Then we started over, because learning curve had been flattened. After that, he became a rapid reader and ending up translating Latin to English, Greek to English on the fly.

Languages - Conclusion
The best and most worthwhile start is Greek, constantly rewarding and easily repaying time spent getting past the early language study frustrations.

Biblical Theology Is Learned More Than Taught
The more engaged I became in writing about Lutheran theology, the more I realized that most clergy - especially the synod leaders - were simply relying on talking points from seminary, where no one was really challenged to move beyond the trite affirmations the institution's glory.

Example - Mequon would teach against the errors of Calvinism in one class and promote the same errors in the next, with the errors being emphasized as the only way to get things done. In 1987, only one professor was left who was Lutheran in thought and teaching. The rest - like Wayne Mueller - were Pietists with no grasp of Lutheran theology and a decided ignorance of anything outside their enclave on Mt. Zion.

When I was in Cisco training we had to learn the arcane science of sub-net masking, using base two, which few could comprehend when we started. I knew base two from math in Moline, and agreed with the conclusion of two students who said, "Sub-net masking has to be learned. It cannot be taught." The teacher was a burn-out and he could not teach anything, so I began to make my little charts on sub-net masking. When I took the Cisco CCNA test, I scored 8 out of 8 on sub-net masking, which included some devilish examples to break down. However, the test concluded that I really needed some experience before I became an Internet manager, so I donated my books to LI and changed history at a grocery store chain.

How does this apply to theology? someone is asking.
Although it is good to read books and their opinions about Biblical topics, the only way to learn theology is to work through the topics in the Bible itself. Does the Bible really teach the efficacy of the Word, the Word/Spirit combination, the Means of Grace? Each person must teach himself, and that is why so many laity can run rings around lazy pastors stuck in their dog notes from 1884.

The second part of this is to read the non-Lutheran sources and see how Calvinists and Roman Catholics fail to see this and also how they distort concepts with the same name and yet twisted in a new and diabolical way.

Luther said we must know the opposition's dogma better than they do, so much that we could teach it if we had to. Thus we stop their attacks and defeat them with the very weapons they would use against us. Sadly today, that is more true of synodical leaders and professors than other denominations, because the other sects realize Lutherdom is self-defeating with its rainbow coalition of dogmas and fantasies.

Best Lutheran Theology Sets - Two To Own for Mandatory and Continuous Use
This claim is non-negotiable and cannot be swapped for another contingency.

I. Luther's Sermons - Lenker Edition
This is often bought with the Postils, which are also excellent. I will concentrate on the Lenker portion.

Luther did not emphasize evangelism as such, which is a fetish of the Evangelicals and Pentecostals, and by coveting and imitation, the Lutherans today. The Reformer believed and practiced the sermon as the key work of the congregation and the pastor.

We act according to our beliefs, and beliefs are taught. Everyone seems to say Luther was the greatest Biblical scholar and expositor ever, but precious few follow his example of preaching expository sermons from the historic text.

Jesus converted through the external, the spoken Word. He did not break up the crowds into cell groups and give them Reformed tracts to study.

Luther changed the world forever by writing and preaching.

The only way to learn Lutheran theology is to study Luther's sermons, each and every week, and commit passages to memory.

The individual pastor's sermons should be like Luther's almost always verse by verse expositions, delivered without notes - other than the text itself, which should help considerably.

I have taught thousands of working adults to give their oral presentations without notes. Believe me, there is no substitute for 100% eye contact and knowing the content from previous study. Those who free themselves from notes agree. One team of working adults said, "We thought having five resources each was a burden when we started the class. Now we think of five as a beginning. And we do not need notes because we know the subject so much better."

So the use of Lenker, above other sources, should be weekly and continuous until the end of life. There is no better school for Biblical studies, comparative dogmatics, theology, and practical examples.

II. The Book of Concord
Lemme see, which is better - yellowed dog notes from seminary, the collected works of CFW Walther (BA, Leipzig, Pietist Extraordinaire), Paul Tillich, Charlotte Kirschbaum's Church Dogmatics - with notes by Karl Barth,  or -

The Best Writing of Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and other geniuses of the Reformation?

The Book of Concord is the best one-volume Biblical commentary, the best theology text (apart from Luther), the best comparative dogmatics book, the best sermon starter, the best example for quoting.

The Book of Concord is more of a theology text just as Luther's sermons are Biblical studies, but observe how closely related both are. The Book of Concord organizes the Biblical studies into topics, while Luther preaches theology based on the text for the day.

Warning! Warning! Once the student becomes familiar with Luther's sermons and the Book of Concord, the hollow claims of the "Confessional Lutherans" will become far too evident. Their puffery will sound like the cries of peacocks who struck around with their feathers on display while making the most horrible cries. As Luther wrote, it is as if they have seen their feet of clay and began screaming in protest at their ugliness and fragility.

Father Richard John Neuhaus was a "Confessional Lutheran," just before he became a Roman Catholic priest. So if that is a "Confesional Lutheran," I agree that WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sect of the Prairie are all packed to the gills with them.

The vainglory of the false teachers is so powerful that they cannot abide anyone who knows how ugly are their feet (that is - their doctrinal foundations). They will drive away or peck to death anyone who starts to have a complete and abiding trust in the Word, Luther, and the Confessions. They smugly smile when their deluded disciples praise them and repeat their toxic words verbatim.

Graduation day at ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic)
and the Institute of Lutheran (sic) Theology seminaries.
Almost all of them are UOJ Stormtroopers -
lots of firepower, cannot hit anything.

Quinquagesima Sunday, 2016. 1 Corinthians 13. Paul's Lesson Against Vainglory

Quinquagesima Sunday, 2016

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

Lyrics are linked with the hymn number.

The melody is linked with the hymn title.

The Hymn #27                    O Bless the Lord                    

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #351      Love Divine

 The Sermon - Love Conquers Vainglory

The Hymn #311        Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior                           

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 #657                             Beautiful Savior 

The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel. St. Luke 18. 31-43

THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood. and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Quinquagesima Sunday

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Love Conquers Vainglory

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

As Luther observed, most of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, in both letters was about the problem with vainglory. This is especially true of clergy and clergy-pretenders, but the lessons apply to all of us.

Luther:

Paul’s purpose in this chapter is to silence and humble haughty Christians, particularly teachers and preachers. The Gospel gives much knowledge of God and of Christ, and conveys many wonderful gifts, as Paul recounts in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12. He tells us some have the gift of speaking, some of teaching, some of Scripture exposition; others of ruling; and so on. With Christians are great riches of spiritual knowledge, great treasures in the way of spiritual gifts. Manifest to all is the meaning of God, Christ, conscience, the present and the future life, and similar things. But there are to be found few indeed who make the right use of such gifts and knowledge; who humble themselves to serve others, according to the dictates of love. Each seeks his own honor and advantage, desiring to gain preferment and precedence over others.

2. We see today how the Gospel has given to men knowledge beyond anything known in the world before, and has bestowed upon them new capabilities. Various gifts have been showered upon and distributed among them which have redounded to their honor. But they go on unheeding. No one takes thought how he may in Christian love serve his fellow-men to their profit. Each seeks for himself glory and honor, advantage and wealth.

Could one bring about for himself the distinction of being the sole individual learned and powerful in the Gospel, all others to be insignificant and useless, he would willingly do it; he would be glad could he alone be regarded as Mister Smart. At the same time he affects deep humility, great self-abasement, and preaches of love and faith. But he would take it hard had he, in practice, to touch with his little finger what he preaches. This explains why the world is so filled with fanatics and schismatics, and why every man would master and outrank all others. Such as these are haughtier than those that taught them. Paul here attacks these vainglorious spirits, and judges them to be wholly insignificant, though their knowledge may be great and their gifts even greater, unless they should humble themselves and use their gifts in the service of others.

Although the charismatics and Pentecostals use Paul to support tongue-speaking, the Apostle spends several chapters criticizing the tongue-speaking of the Corinthians and limiting it to the point of extinction. Clearly, this is ecstatic speech, which is clearly indicated by what Paul wrote, and not speaking in foreign languages, which is the miracle of the Day of Pentecost in Acts.

People may remember the long lesson from last Sunday, which climaxes in Paul speaking of his thorn in the flesh, certainly a major burden for him and an object of scorn for those who wanted to make fun of him and take advantage of this weakness (however defined). Coupled with that is a lot of boasting, but it is boasting for a reason. The opponents are trying to take over his labor and make themselves the haughty rules of the Corinthians, bragging about their greatness. They are fools.

That is why Paul said, "You suffer fools gladly." So he becomes a fool by bragging the same way they do. And we should be glad he did. Although he is annoying in some respects, we also have a great autobiography written in brilliant language, one of the gems of the entire Bible. If we compare resumes, then, Paul has done much and suffered much. The opponents have done nothing but bragged a lot.

Jesus is always the ideal in behavior, because of His meek, lowly, and gracious manner. I know one leader who could put on a great show of humility, but if anyone disagreed with him, he flew into a rage. 

This verse uses hyperbole, a deliberate exaggeration. If he spoke in ecstatic tongues, even the tongues of angels - that is quite a feat. He could speak in tongues, but did not. Anyone can. It is learned behavior, like chanting "Bulldogs. Bulldogs. Bow wow Wow. Eli Yale." Here it is calling the Hogs, which is torture for Texans who hate the Arkansas football team.

Corinthians were haughty about speaking in tongues, so Paul said, if I could out-tongue-speak you with the ecstasy of angels, but lacked love, I am nothing.

This chapter was recited at the wedding of Charles and Diane, in perfect British diction. It is popular at weddings and is certainly appropriate in many ways, but this concept of love goes far beyond romantic love, which is transcended by God's agape love, the love described here.

As someone said, getting married means giving up self-love in favor of love and concern for the other person. Having children means pouring out love and care, above and beyond the needs or wants of the parents.

So that kind of selfless love is the opposite of vainglory or haughtiness or self-centeredness.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

The word faith has different meanings, according to context, like many often-used words. We normally mean faith as "faith in Christ" or the Christian Faith. But the primary meaning is trust, and we know many examples who trust in miraculous things that are not possible under normal circumstances. I am speaking of videos where guys drop 12 feet onto concrete and break legs. Or girls who jump off the roof of a house to land in a swimming pool and hit the edge instead. They began with faith - in themselves - that they would do it without harm. 

We have fakes today who make a big show of healing people but they keep the real invalids in the back, knowing they cannot do a thing. But the show goes on. Benny Hinn is a good example.

Other religious fakes pretend or really believe they can make everyone successful by giving them great faith in themselves. And these types make a great show of themselves by announcing what they can do, even thought they really do nothing and provide no pastoral care for those who need it.

Vainglory in clergy takes on many different disguises. 

1. One will say, I studied Greek, so you cannot argue with me.
2. Or he may say, I studied this eight years. How can you dispute this?
3. Some clergy say, "Look at my family tree. Note my famous clergy relatives."
4. Some laity say, "I was a charter member, so I cannot be wrong."
5. Some even defend the haughtiness of others, saying, "He was a charter member."
6. Organizations are filled with vainglory, so they preach their congregation or synod, instead of Christ. The authority becomes the institution, not the Word that conveys Jesus to us.
7. Taking offense at everything is a good example of vainglory, and the cure is not falling for this, but studying this chapter.

Paul's constant emphasis was his preaching of the cross, and his glorying in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian believers have the great benefit of knowing the mind of God, though we are limited, and understand the mysteries of the Faith. Where others are puzzled or lost, believers have answers, which should humble us rather than elevate our egos.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

Paul is very good at communicating the Gospel and demolishing false doctrine, false attitudes. When I wonder why he was given the job of writing most of the letters of the New Testament, passages like this remind me of his training in Judaism and in the language arts.

Do we not stand in awe of those who give away so much? Or gather so much to be given? One can study some modern "saints" and discover how they had no faith, had no comfort in the Gospel, and did nothing for others - except broadcast their great saintliness.

This is also a fine text to show that works do not save. When people offer up their works as proof of their faith, they are falling into the Roman Catholic error of insisting on faith and works. Or they say "faith adorned by works," but the works often become the main item at the expense of faith.

The correct way to look at this is to see good works as the natural outcome of faith in Christ. We can look at this in self-criticism, if we have no concern for others, we should question how deep or genuine our faith is.

I ask that about clergy who see their brother pastors evicted from their homes and humiliated for the great sin of disagreeing with the haughty, vainglorious synod leaders. Moreover, there is nothing these clergy can do to replace their income, since their degrees have little value in the world.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

This is a marvelous way to collapse our self-justification and take another look at our behavior. Agape love -

Is long-suffering.

Does not envy the accomplishments or blessings of others.

Is not conceited, puffed up, full of itself.

Does not engage in bad behavior (justified by high rank).

Is not selfish and self-centered, the twin curses of our mortal weakness.

Is not easily angered.

Does not assume evil intention.

Does not smirk and gloat when others have sinned or fallen into error.

But agape love -

Rejoices in the truth.

Endures all with patience.

Believes all revealed in the Word.

Hopes with a hope based on the Gospel.

Remains patient to the end.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

Love does not fail, but these other great matters of the time do. He is looking at the end, eternal life, when all the boastfulness of life means nothing. 

We were taught in sales, "Fake it until you make it." Those who had never sold a disability policy were told, "Introduce yourself as an expert in disability insurance." Some of us were several weeks from passing the test. We had little papers that said we were experts in group disability insurance too.

One Hollywood actor got a boost by renting a Rolls Royce to the movie studio. He was unemployed at the time. The great bank fraudster (Catch Me If You Can) rented a Rolls to drive to the bank to cash fake checks. 

Even the genuine, earned marks of honor become nothing in view of eternal life. All this is covered by the Sower and the Seed Parable, where the cares and riches of the world choke the Word and do not allow its fruition.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

In the Bible we have two terms - one is child-like. We should have a child-like faith, an attitude commended by Jesus Himself as He gently scolded the disciples.

The other concept is childish. Here Paul demolishes the behavior and attitudes of those who hold themselves above others. Their behavior is childish. We look back at our childhood (and teen years) and remember the foolish, impulsive, and self-centered things we did, part of growing up, something we put away (usually).

My biggest problem at the store was not with little children and how they behaved, but with young teens whose parents had no control over them. They often threatened to crash into the elderly and handicapped because mom or dad never put the lid on their behavior. I was happy to speak to them in a quiet and menacing voice, warning how many people they could hurt.

If we look at the haughty leaders, they are like those impulsive teens, heedless of those they might hurt with their behavior. 

So the greatest of the theological virtues is love - the one first mentioned in Galatians 5 in the fruits of the Spirit.

Renaming the Cooking Blog - Melo-Cream Little Chef Blog

I renamed the cooking blog, which is now Melo-Cream Little Chef. I thought that was more consistent with the picture and not likely to confuse people about its relationship with the largest retail store in America.

The new address will show up in the blog list soon, and so will the favicon - on your browser.

I will post on Ichabod first and then on Melo-Cream Little Chef. That will concentrate the household posts in one location.

But as they say, having a blog is like keeping an alligator as a pet. It must be fed. I will concentrate on these two blogs and leave the others alone most of the time.

When I post about Sassy, I also copy that over to the Sassy Friends blog.

Jester Stumbles on the Meaning of Redemption, Earning Brownie Points on SpenerQuest but Failing the Catechism

"Joe, I agree with you completely.
That is why we in ELCA can work so well
with the LCMS, WELS, and the ELS.
We also say justified BY GRACE! through faith,
to express our UOJ."

Joe Krohn (Jester) Intermediate Member Username: Jekster Post Number: 350 Registered: 4-2011

Posted on Friday, February 05, 2016 - 1:44 pm:       Ask any anti-UOJer what their view on Redemption is; Christ's chief office. I was taught that Christ redeemed me a lost and condemned creature as well as the rest of the whole human race. This gives me the assurance of my salvation and something for my faith to grasp. I have had conversations with those who deny objective justification. They deny that anyone is redeemed aside from faith. Where is the comfort in that teaching? Where does it say this in scripture?

***

GJ - First, we have the typical tactic of the Left, the nightstick of negativism - "anti-UOJer."

I refuse to buckle under their torrent of neo-words.

Universal Objective Justification is a favorite of such dimwits as Valleskey and Bivens. UOJ is the newest version of Objective Justification or General Justification - all three terms meaning the same thing. But those terms (OJ and GJ) are only a little older. The Calvinist Woods used OJ and SJ in his translation of Knapp, the professor from Halle University - Pietism's Mother Ship.

So Objective and Subjective Justification are new terms from the 19th century; however, UOJ is even newer, from the 20th century - favored by WELS, it seems. OJ and SJ were used outside of Lutherdom first, and OJ is also found in various non-Lutheran denominations and sects.

Someone who favors OJ is really in sync with a host of apostate denominations, the yahoos on the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Jester does not know or grasp his theological terms at all. OJ does not mean the Atonement, which some were led to believe. The Atonement and Redemption are synonyms - Christ dying for the sins of the world. OJ does not equal Redemption. Wake up and smell the airplane glue, Jester.

The difference with OJ/UOJ is this - both terms mean the entire world has already been pronounced forgiven and saved, without faith. The Bible does not record this, but that does not stop the blabbermouths from ranting about it, forcing congregations to "repeat after me" in sermons. Nor do they cease writing essays which say the same things while avoiding St. Paul, Luther, the Book of Concord, Chemnitz, Gerhard, and Gausewitz.

The real meaning of Subjective Justification is accepting (an act of the will, a decision, as in the Arminians) this world absolution happening without the Word, apart from the Means of Grace or the Holy Spirit, without faith. I have heard this Moment of World Absolution as the angelic pronouncement at the birth of Christ, at the death of Christ, or at His resurrection. Walther used his misunderstand of 1 Timothy 3:16 (like his syphilitic bishop and Rambach, another Pietist) to emphasize world forgiveness at the Resurrection.

Jay Webber, trained by ELCA at the Institute of Lutheran Theology,
favors Rambach over Chemnitz.
The three-headed guardians of Lutheran Pietism -
Mark the Mortician, Pope John, and Matt the Fatt -
agree with him.

Like ELCA, and certain misguided elements of the Missouri, the WELSians teach a quasi-Universalism. In the name of universal grace, they chase an Enthusiasm where the Holy Spirit's work in the Word is discarded in favor of their fantasy.

Jester uses an unnamed straw man. How convenient. Straw men - even more delicious. His accusation is false and slanderous.

"They deny that anyone is redeemed aside from faith." - Jester

All those who teach justification by faith necessarily believe in the universality of the atoning death of Christ, whether we use the terms Redemption, Atonement, Propitiation. Ransom, etc. In fact, there are two Greek terms for Redemption - one with the implication of being set free (loosed), the other with the implication of being bought for a price. These terms are the Gospel, the Treasure which the Book of Concord often mentions. Each and every one is used in Gospel sermons - something Jester might want to experience some day.

In contrast, justification is used almost exclusively for forgiveness, and that term always means justification by faith. No, it is not SJ, because SJ means faith in Universalism. Justification by faith in the atoning death of Christ on the cross. He has not only died for my minor sins, but also for great and terrible sins.

This Treasure lies in one heap until the Spirit distributes it through the Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments. I am plagiarizing Luther rather than Bishop Stephan, STD. Who ever declared Stephan, Walther, Valleskey, and Bivens the last word on justification? Did those Pietists add a confession to the Book of Concord without telling the rest of us?

Anthony Natalie Is Still on the WELS School Website. If They Cannot Scrub Their Website, How Can They Supervise Their Teachers?

His profile is still up on the Evergreen website. They should expect a phonecall from Mark Schroeder in 3, 2, 1...

Tony Natalie  Teacher  Email: tnatalie@elhs.org Mr. Natalie graduated from Michigan Lutheran Seminary, one of our synods prep schools, in 1996. From there he attended Martin Luther College where he carried a double major in education and Spanish. He graduated in Dec. 2000 with a Bachelor Degree. Mr. Natalie’s first teaching position was at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Muskego, WI. As 6-8thgrade teacher his duties included Spanish, Social Studies, P.E., and computer as well as coaching. Mr. Natalie was also program director of the K-8 Spanish program. Mr. Natalie is active in advocacy for foreign language programs in elementary schools. As part of his efforts he has given several presentations for district and state teachers conferences in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. He also presents to individual faculties during their in-service meetings on how to incorporate a foreign language program into their school. Mr. Natalie is member of the following organizations: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Additional duties: Head coach - boys' varsity soccer Coach - boys' and girls' track & field

Contact Info:

Evergreen Lutheran High School Phone: 253-946-4488 Fax: 253-529-9475 Contact via Email

***

 GJ -

Natalie's story is leading in the last 30 days.

WELS Teacher Anthony Natalie, Jr. was released fro... Jan 11, 2016,	1034
Dr. Lito Cruz Asked That Bethany Add a PayPal Acco... Jul 5, 2011,	678
Crime Watch in WELS, LCMS, ELS, CLC, ELCA. Too Man... Jan 18, 2016,	396
In the Public Record - (X-Rated, - Sorry). WELS Di... Jan 14, 2016,	361
WELS Martin Luther College Graduate Has Changed Hi... Jan 28, 2016,	340

SP Mark Schroeder has shown that this is a sect that cares deeply about its own image, silencing each and every attempt to discuss issues, shutting down blogs, forcing draconian measures against anything new that might address the matters he ignores so cavalierly.

But the women and children of WELS - they can be fed  to the wolves without consequence.

---

They never fixed the window that offered a view
of the entire girls' locker room.

Evergreen Lutheran was started in 1978 at its first campus in DuPont, Washington before the lease expired the summer of 1991. Evergreen then rented facilities from Holy Trinity Lutheran Churcin Des Moines, WA from September 1991 until July 2013 during which time classes were held in portables, outbuildings, gymnasium, and rented classrooms. After over 25 years of unsuccessful attempts to locate and purchase a permanent facility, Evergreen successfully purchased a 30-acre campus with a modern 54,000 square foot school that was built in 2005 on December 18, 2012. This campus is located at the corner of Waller Rd and 72nd Street East in Tacoma, WA. The campus was purchased from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) and was previously occupied by Mount Rainier Lutheran High School. Evergreen moved into the new campus building on July 20, 2013 and on September 9th, 2013 Evergreen held the first day of classes of their 36th school year at the new facility. The property is designed with the ability to accommodate the development of future athletic fields and dormitory space.

TV News Account and Video

BY KARI PLOG
kplog@thenewstribune.com

A former teacher and soccer coach at a Tacoma private school faces accusations he repeatedly watched student athletes change in the locker room through a storage closet window.

Anthony Natalie, Jr., 38, was charged with voyeurism last week after Evergreen Lutheran High School’s principal reported him for possible lewd behavior.

On Monday, Principal Theodore Klug told The News Tribune the school wouldn’t comment on the incident other than to confirm Natalie no longer works at the school.

According to court documents:

Two teachers contacted Klug after they noticed the blinds in a storage room, which contains a window to the girls’ locker room, appeared to have been disturbed.

WHEN THE DEFENDANT WAS ASKED HOW MANY TIMES THIS HAD OCCURRED, THE DEFENDANT ANSWERED IT WAS ONLY A RECENT THING AND THAT HE WAS “CURIOUS.”

Charging papers for Anthony Natalie, Jr., who is accused of voyeurism.

One of the teachers told detectives that on multiple occasions she’d found the vertical blind blades in the storage closet had been flipped, as if they had been moved, after she’d put them back to their normal position.

All the tampering occurred between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., when girls on sports teams change for practice.

In response, Klug set up a surveillance video so he could monitor activity in the storage room from his office.

On Oct. 20, Klug attended a meeting and recorded the storage-room footage while he was away.

He later checked the footage, which showed a figure enter the storage room about 3:05 p.m. and turn off a light in an adjacent hallway.

The figure then moved to the area of the window and light is seen shining through, indicating movement of the blinds.

Klug said he recognized the figure as the boys soccer coach, Natalie, who admitted he was in the video.

“When the defendant was asked how many times this had occurred, the defendant answered it was only a recent thing and that he was ‘curious,’” according to charging papers.

Klug then informed the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Evergreen Lutheran is a private religious school with an enrollment of about 120 students. It’s on Waller Road East, just outside the Tacoma city limits.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article54177570.html#storylink=cpy