The Festival of the Reformation, 2019.

The Festival of the Reformation, 2019

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time - 

Daylight Savings Is Over Next Sunday

Hymn # 262      A Mighty Fortress         

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 Hymn #387:5-10     Dear Christians One and All            

Everyone Loves Grace - Where Is It Found?

The Communion Hymn #267   If God Had Not Been on Our Side                    

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 # 261  Lord Keep Us Steadfast 

In Our Prayers

• Carl Roper and his wife Lynda.
• The family of Walter A. Maier II, who taught Justification by Faith and was hounded for it. The family of Norm Woehrle, a WWII veteran and long-time friend of the Jacksons.
• Pastor K and Doc Lito Cruz - dealing with diabetes.
• Those looking for work and a better income.
• Glen Kotten is visiting the Philippines now.  
• Pastor Shrader continues his battle with cancer. Pastor Shrader's congregation is in fellowship with us and the Bethany Philippine Mission - they are also contributing to the effort. Pastor Palangyos baptized two families last Sunday.
• The Large Print page 15 service is available.

Ministries of Bethany Lutheran Church 

1. The Christian Art of Norma Boeckler, print books.
2.  Martin Chemnitz Press Kindle and print books, free pdfs.
3.  Lutheran Library and Lutheran Librarian - ebooks and print books - Alec Satin.
4. Adio Gutenberg - Travis and Lauren Cartee.

           

KJV Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

KJV Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Romans 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.

Collect

O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Thy will, in neighborly love, service, and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Thy wrath, but always find in Thee a gracious Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Background for the Sermon - Reformation Day

The Reformation will be celebrated again, if it is at all, with a brief historical lesson and a few slogans. Given the superficial description, why was there a Reformation at all?

What Luther sparked had been building for a long time, simply describing the message of the Scriptures and applying those lessons directly to current issues in ways that would last five centuries and more. 

There are several basic rules which have been followed - or ignored - in the study of the Scriptures. Luther knew both sides of this issue. Here is the correct approach -

• All teaching must be derived directly from the Scriptures, without any changes - in the name of building or improvement, as in Church and Change, Change or Die - slogans from the same skunk factory.
• The Word is never without the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit never works apart from the Word. As A. Hoenecke wrote, "That is sound doctrine." Unfortunately, it is also very rare today.
• The Bible is the Book of the Holy Spirit, one unified Truth, not a collection of verses to be sampled, isolated, or elevated above and against other parts of the Bible.
• The Word of God is always effective, whether it blinds and hardens, or enlightens and converts.
• The entire message of the Bible is to present Jesus, the Son of God, and to create faith in Him by the proclamation of the Gospel.

Everyone Loves Grace - Where Is It Found?

Romans 5:1 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.

The basic rules of Biblical interpretation are outlined in the Background, above. I began doing that because I figured it would be good for 1500 Facebook friends to have some introduction, not to mention repeating what has been take for granted in the past but forgotten and opposed in the present days.

I can quote my expert against your expert, but the real issue has always been - what does the Word of God say? Most of the experts of the past have been forgotten, but we will return to the Scriptures, though they be "improved" to avoid challenging, disturbing, or converting us.

The issue for this Age of Darkness is - Where Is Grace Found? Everyone loves grace. "Amazing Grace" is played or sung on many occasions, even the burial of Spock in the Star Trek movie. In that film, the hymn brought a tear down the face of a young Vulcan lady. 

Every denominational history is named Fifty Years of Grace, or One Hundred Years of Grace, or The Church of Grace. 

The fact remains - When "Amazing Grace" is played on the bagpipes, goosebumps are pandemic.

The answer is simple about where grace is found. Paul responded in his summary of Romans 4 - because the opening of Romans 5 encapsulates the Romans 4 essay. And Romans 4 concludes Paul's essay on righteousness and where it can be found (through faith) and where it is never found (earned through works).

we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand...

Grace is the key word, because this includes God's love, mercy, and forgiveness. Grace is free, so it cannot be earned.

Sometimes people want to respond to a gift by paying for it. Do you pay for birthday and Christmas presents? But we are so conditioned to think about obligation and work that it is easy to get mixed up about grace. 

One wrong side wants the assurance that comes from paying for grace. Therefore, adding works to make it complete is ideal, because they get included in God's action by contributing. Of course, that also means God has not done enough through Christ, so we must make up the deficit.

The other wrong side wants everyone forgiven and saved, because God is all love and forgiveness. That is their shriveled concept of grace. That Universalism quickly degenerates into Unitarianism and Atheism, both powerful forces in Europe and America. 

But the best response to a gift came from a neighbor who was helping out, years ago, and was shivering in the winter cold. "I don't have a coat!" he said. I gave him my blue parka, right out of the closet, and he burst into tears. When we know how profound our need is, then getting the relief needed is overwhelming.

Sometimes people do not recognize their need for forgiveness, and that comes about many different ways, including society numbing our conscience. But when it does, there is no earthly cure for it, and the guilt we feel gnaws and plagues us.

I decided to emphasize pain in this message, because Luther knew so much about pain, the worst kind of pain, emotional pain.

Physical pain can be addressed with some ease, especially now, though there are limits, dangers, and no simple solution. 

Emotional pain is often addressed with physical pain relievers, and then it is momentarily helpful, then addicting, then a matter of slavery. 

Luther, in the monastery, and locked up in a lonely castle, knew all about the pain of being alone and tormented by doubts. He also had unusual intuition, religious and personal, so his mind would not let him rest.

The beauty of his writing does not come from his great intellect so much as his suffering. Kierkegaard wrote an essay about that, where the crowd says "Suffer!" because that produces such great beauty in your work.

Luther's suffering was relieved only by the comfort and grace of the Scriptures. The best answer to everything was trusting in what the Word of God plainly revealed - all help comes from God, and the Word activates that help.

"Jesus does not want to be forgotten." (Treasures)

Many sentences in Luther's Sermons are like thunderbolts that come from the Word, light up a huge area, crash and boom, in a shattering way. No one says, "What was that?" But - I must remember that statement from Luther - it explains everything.

Why the Lord's Supper? Because Jesus does not want to be forgotten. When we forget His teaching, His help for others, His death and resurrection, the old Harlot called Reason takes over.

The trouble with Reason is that it comes from man's intellect, and experience, but remains devoid of God's will and work. Reason is good for building bridges and buildings that stay up. But God's work is entirely different and apart from man's reasons. All the great religious follies come from man's reason.

Reason never offers comfort for our fears and guilt, nor hope for anything good and blessed. 

Escaping Demonic Attacks

The surest and best method of escaping these attacks is to live in the fear of God, to be earnest in prayer, and to love His holy Word. This is the true charm with which we can make ourselves secure from the attacks of the enemy. In that heart, in which the Word of God has its home, the devil cannot abide; he will trot off speedily. Thus the devil cannot make his home in the Church if Christ is there, and Christ has said: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there will I be in the midst of them;” hence we say that the devil must vanish when Christ comes. It behooves us, therefore, to hear God’s Word willingly, to meditate upon it and to converse about it often and gladly. But where falsehoods, slanders and other sins prevail and the conscience is violated, there Christ and His angels depart.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 262.

No Christian has died of hunger.

I copied a lot of statements from the House Postils because of the questions and problems of members and readers. Yes, someone can be out of work and losing all his equity, but will he die of starvation? The Psalmist promises - No, he will not.

Many miraculous interventions occur. Human Reason wants to win the lottery, but that is not the divine answer. God provides and also lets us learn from shortages. And we are thankful.

Later in life we are more anxious about the intangible blessings than those things we collected before. 

Luther's observation is that we should thank God every day if we only have one eye left, because many do not have two working eyes. Now we have tests that show us what glaucoma does to vision, down to little squares on a chart that say - you cannot see in that region of your right eye, and not in the other region of your left eye.

He said, "The walls of our homes should spit on us for our ingratitude." 

In many ways, the problem of pain, when resolved by grace, makes us far more grateful than the absence of any trouble.

5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Peace comes from God's declaration of complete and full forgiveness, because the Atonement message - the Gospel - creates and renews our faith. That happened in the beginning of our faith and continues to this day.

The angels gave the first sermon about Jesus, and it will continue to the end of time.

That struck me as I read it again. The sermon about Jesus is the source of faith. What is God like? We know exactly, though too many people divorce the Son from the Father, as if the Son is all love and the Father is all punishment. 

Just as the right focus brings the words together  on the chart, and we can read them, so we see the Father and Son correctly and plainly when we understand:

• The voice of the Son is also the voice of the Father.
• The gracious will of the Son is also the gracious will of the Father.

The angels came back to preach the Gospel as never before heard - 

The Resurrection

The great anxiety of the angel to announce the resurrection of Christ to the disciples, who were nearly drowned in unbelief and tormented with an accusing conscience, is a certain indication that the Lord is arisen for the consolation of those who are weak in faith, or perhaps unbelieving, that they, in the end, might seek and find Him their help and defense.

If we, therefore, discover that we are afflicted with similar weaknesses, with sin and unbelief, we should not despair, nor suppose that Christ will not accept us, but should remember how, in behalf of such poor, weak and miserable sinners, the angels came from heaven and quickly dispatched the women to tell them that Christ was arisen, that thereby they might be comforted and rejoice. For, as we have already heard, the resurrection of Christ brings consolation, joy and a good conscience, since it banishes sin, death and the wrath of God from our sight.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 251f.

Who was more weak, fearful, and despairing than the disciples? Yet the angels and the risen Lord filled them anew with hope and trust in God's power and mercy. 

They paid a terrible emotional price in losing their Savior and realizing how weak they were, but that contrast - before and after the resurrection - gave them such utter trust in God that most of them died in teaching the Faith. And that itself turned a brushfire into an unstoppable revolution across the world. 

Nothing Happens, and Then Miraculous Abundance

Somewhere, in Thy Strong Word, is a quotation from Luther about preaching and teaching faithfully for 20 years and seeing no results, then suddenly something happens as if overnight, but without the normal, reasonable explanation.

I saw how that was true, because no Boomer pastor or layman really wanted anything to do with traditional Lutheran doctrine, hymns, worship, or Luther himself. The most favorable were 10 or 20 years older than the Boomers. The leaders of the Wrecking Crew in each synod  - they were Boomers, gleeful, confident, full of themselves.

I came to expect nothing except the rare person or family who thought it should be better. That changed as people born 40 years later than the Boomers began wondering why the Lutheran Church was so decayed, no matter what the brand name.

I have worked on the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine (Luther's Biblical teaching), the Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons, and the Treasures of his Household sermons. Next will be the Pearls from his Galatians Lectures.

That is not accidental. The "money" words come from the Scriptures and the Reformation. They represent my shift from collecting great books to broadcasting the eternal wealth of the Gospel.

A Good Essay on the Destruction of Lutheran Hymns

 Keeping A Mighty Fortress Mighty

"But the real violation here surpasses poetic taste. In their quest to neutralize the male focus in the lyrics, to undo the parallel construction comparing a man’s “life” with his “wife,” the revisers have reduced the status of women dramatically. No longer will a husband give up his life for his wife; in the sanitized version of “A Mighty Fortress,” he has only to give up his house.

And, as a final insult, the last line is changed from “the Kingdom ours remaineth” to “the Kingdom ours forever!” “Remaineth,” the last word in the last line, must be stricken, not because nobody knows what it means (everybody knows what it means!), but because it ends in “-eth.” And modern people don’t use verbs ending in “-eth” anymore, not even when, a couple of times a year, they sing historic hymns written centuries before.

When it comes to retaining poetic and majestic lyrics to this great Christian hymn, perhaps we can say, à la Luther: Here we stand! We can sing no other."

More at this link. PS - We Still Use The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941.

Treasures from Luther's House Postils Soon To Be in Print and Kindle

The Lord’s Desire – That We Shall Not Forget Him

In this we can see naught but condescension and love; there is no anger here nor vengeance; yea, parents could not deal more kindly with their children. Christ’s chief desire, as He Himself declares, is that we shall not forget Him. It is His earnest intention that our whole being shall be impressed with the memory of His passion, that we may never forget how He died for us upon the cross and rose again from the dead.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 5.

What the Words Mean

Listen to the words with which He gives the bread: “Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you,” and with which, soon after, He gives the cup: “Drink ye all of it; this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you, for the remission of sins.”

This declaration is the Christian’s most effective consolation; for he who really believes that Christ gave His body for him, and that He shed His blood for the remission of his sins, cannot despair, no matter what sin, the world and the devil may say. He knows that this treasure wherewith his sins have been canceled is far greater than all his iniquities.

But the consolation contained in this declaration stands not alone; Christ really gives us with the bread His body to eat, and with the wine His blood to drink, as the words plainly state, in spite of the devil. Volume Two, P 15

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 6.

Jesus’ Example – Not My Will

But let us learn still another lesson. Our dear Lord Jesus prays that His Father would let this cup pass from Him, and, as the true only begotten Son, He expects everything good of His Father. Yet He adds these words: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Let us do the same. Let us not on account of temptation and affliction think that God is angry with us; but turn to Him as the child turns to its father; for, because we believe in Christ, God will accept us as sons and as joint heirs with Christ; and let us call upon Him for help, saying: O blessed heavenly Father, see how hard it goes with me in this or that respect, – help, for the sake of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, – suffer me not to remain in this distress or to sink under it, and so on. With this God is well pleased. Volume Two, P 52

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 1, p. 66.

Angel Anxious To Announce the Resurrection

The Resurrection

The great anxiety of the angel to announce the resurrection of Christ to the disciples, who were nearly drowned in unbelief and tormented with an accusing conscience, is a certain indication that the Lord is arisen for the consolation of those who are weak in faith, or perhaps unbelieving, that they, in the end, might seek and find Him their help and defense.

If we, therefore, discover that we are afflicted with similar weaknesses, with sin and unbelief, we should not despair, nor suppose that Christ will not accept us, but should remember how, in behalf of such poor, weak and miserable sinners, the angels came from heaven and quickly dispatched the women to tell them that Christ was arisen, that thereby they might be comforted and rejoice. For, as we have already heard, the resurrection of Christ brings consolation, joy and a good conscience, since it banishes sin, death and the wrath of God from our sight.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 251f.

Escaping Demonic Attacks

The surest and best method of escaping these attacks is to live in the fear of God, to be earnest in prayer, and to love His holy Word. This is the true charm with which we can make ourselves secure from the attacks of the enemy. In that heart, in which the Word of God has its home, the devil cannot abide; he will trot off speedily. Thus the devil cannot make his home in the Church if Christ is there, and Christ has said: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there will I be in the midst of them;” hence we say that the devil must vanish when Christ comes. It behooves us, therefore, to hear God’s Word willingly, to meditate upon it and to converse about it often and gladly. But where falsehoods, slanders and other sins prevail and the conscience is violated, there Christ and His angels depart.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 262.

Sin and Absolution

This is the true sin, which is such both before God and in our own sight. Thus David, after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba, was at first careless as to the sin of which he was guilty; it slept, yea it was yet dead. But when Nathan came and thundered into his heart the words: “Thou art the man who art guilty of death before God,” sin began to revive in David’s soul. Nathan however comforts him with the promise: “Thou shalt not die.”

Thus we see how the authority of the apostles is not applied in worldly affairs, which merely pertain to the outward life of man, nor only to such transgressions as the civil government judges and punishes, but that it exerts its power over sin, which is regarded and held as such by God and man. Yea, the sins of the whole world are thus under the control of the apostles and of all ministers of the Gospel, even of every Christian in case of necessity; so that we can be fully assured of the forgiveness of our sins when our pastor, or, in case of his absence, when any Christian declares it unto us in the name of Jesus Christ. Such a declaration will be as valid as if Christ were personally present to pronounce it, or had sent an angel from heaven to proclaim it unto us. Volume Two, P 188.

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 278.

Christian Church Seized by Its Fleece

No Christian can now reasonably complain that he is forsaken. It may be that one is in need of money and earthly property; another may be deprived of health; and a third may want something else, so that it might appear that we were in the midst of wolves and without a shepherd, as Christ also says: “Behold, I send you as sheep into the midst of wolves.” We can see it with our own eyes, every day of our life, how the Christian Church is in the condition of a sheep which the wolf has seized by its fleece and which he is about to devour. It may seem sometimes as if we were without a Shepherd. But thus it must be, else we would not seek our only comfort in our true Shepherd’s reed, which sounds so invitingly when Christ says: “My sheep know my voice.”

The Good Shepherd

If we obey this voice and follow it, we can then truly say that we know our Shepherd and that we are known of Him. Nor can the devil injure him who heeds and follows the Word of the good Shepherd. No matter what may betide our person under the providence of God, or our possessions, or our household, we will ever hear the voice of our Shepherd, who cheers us with these words: Ye are my dearly purchased flock who know my voice and who I am; I will not forget you. Such recognition has its foundation in the Word and in faith; on none other can it rest; therefore Christ declares: “I know them even as the Father knoweth me and I the Father.”

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 294.

What Is Sin?

What is sin? Is it to steal, to murder, to commit adultery, and the like? Yea, these are indeed sins, but they are not those which are most prevalent and most grave. Many persons are not guilty of these manifest sins; but of that chief sin of which the Holy Ghost reproves the world, no one is free, else the Holy Ghost could not reprove the whole world. This great sin is the unbelief of the world, the refusal to believe in Jesus Christ. Nor does the world know anything of this sin before the Holy Ghost reproves the people of it through His teachings; the world considers only such deeds sinful as are contrary to the second table of the law. It knows nothing of Christ, and much less is it aware of the sin of not believing in Him. But we need not talk of the world in this regard; we find many among the Christians who do not consider unbelief a sin, much less an original sin. No one but the Holy Ghost can teach the world that unbelief is sin; He reproves all as sinners, no matter how some may attempt to cover up their faults by good works or to pass themselves off as pure under the tinsel of self-righteousness.

The Holy Ghost, therefore, preaches this truth that all men, without an exception, are sinners and cannot of themselves believe in Christ. This is, of course, strange preaching for the world. The world of itself is perfectly ignorant of the duty of having faith in Christ, the Son of man. Men suppose that they have fulfilled their duty if they can say with the Pharisee, Luke 18, that they are no murderers, no adulterers and no unjust persons.

But the Holy Ghost teaches otherwise and tells man: I know that this one or that one may lead an outwardly upright life, but still the great sin of unbelief nestles deep down in the heart of every one. If we are not reproved of this sin by the Holy Ghost, we will never discover it.

We must then infer from this that “every thing not concluded in faith is sin,” whether it be monastic vows, or prayers, fastings, and giving of alms. Wherever faith in Christ is wanting, there the Holy Ghost must come with His reproof. There is no other way to be relieved from this sin but to believe in Christ Jesus the Savior. Volume Two, P 211

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 313.

Prayer and Faith

When Christ further says: “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs,” He does not wish to say that these instructions had been given in dubious and difficult words; for His expressions are definite and clear; but He portrays in these words the condition of the understanding of His disciples. They had as yet no experience in these things, nor did they know what kingdom Christ was establishing; all this was dark before their eyes, and when He spoke of it to them they understood not His words. But the hour was nigh when this would be changed. He says: “The time cometh, when I shall speak to you no more in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.” When the Holy Spirit comes and fills the hearts with faith and confidence in the mercy and grace of God through Christ, then will follow the desire to engage in prayer, which will be a pleasure. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to pray.

Zechariah therefore calls this Spirit “the Spirit of grace and of supplication.” Both belong together. God must be recognized through faith as a merciful Father, because He gave for us His Son; but this faith is a gift of God, bestowed upon us through the Holy Ghost by means of the Gospel. Where this “Spirit of grace” dwells, there is also the “Spirit of supplication,” so that we will implore God for help in suffering and tribulation, firmly believing that He will hear us for the sake of Jesus Christ, His dear Son, and that He will be with us and bless us now and evermore. P. 225

Luther’s House Postils, Volume 2, p. 337.

We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers - October 25, 1415. Oxford, Pen Name - Shakespeare

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words—
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd—
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

An Angel Needs His Wings - Here Is How To Help

When Alec Satin put together his Amazon Author's Page, an errant file and its graphic crept in, another version of

Sander's Devotional Readings from Luther for Every Day of the Year.

Amazon said, "Boost your version to make the interloper disappear."

That can be done with clicks on the correct link above and by writing reviews of the book - which I have done.

If you keep clicking on the link and add also your remarks about the book, that will push the stow-away back into the gloom of Amazon basement dwellers.

"But what if I do not have the print book?"

Solved - here is the ebook, click on it for the free PDF.

Devotional Readings from Luther's Works For Every Day of the Year

 Click here to write the review of Sander's, edited by Alec Satin.

 This is the correct version of Sanders to review.

PS - I see the bad guy is gone already from Alec's list. But do those things anyway for Search Engine Optimization. Why? - Because SEO moves a title up on the list of when people search for a given topic.

Dr. Walter A. Maier II Has Passed into Eternal Life. Did David Scaer Apologize to Him?

WAM II is on the left. Brother Paul is right of him (historian). DP Maier is in the blue shirt and WAM III (Ft. Wayne) is wearing the academic gown. Corrections and amendments to the caption are welcome.

"I just read that Dr. Walter A. Maier II, retired professor of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne and past VP of Synod, has passed away. I had Dr. Maier as a professor and remember him as a kind and committed servant of the church. Dr. Maier is the son of the well-known Lutheran Hour speaker Walter A. Maier (speaker from 1930-1950), and the brother of Dr. Paul L. Maier, well-known author of many books including a biography of his father. His son, Walter A. Maier III still teaches at CTS-FW as a professor of Old Testament."

ALPB Forum

The Avalanche Began Some Time Ago - The Rumble Has Become a Roar

At some point the subtle becomes obvious. But first, let us step back and recall The Art of War.

 Deception is the key in making the enemy look in the wrong place for danger, helping the enemy ignore the real threat.

Deception is one of the key strategies in war. America used it often during WWII. We faked one landing site - Calais - and used Normandy instead. Germans bombed faked army strongholds in England. The English used painted murals  to fool German observation planes into thinking great damage had been inflicted on important buildings. Patton had a ghost army that Hitler considered the real invasion force. The Allies even "gave away" the details of the Calais fake invasion, using a dead body to make it seem real.

The Art of War works in the public sector too. Trump convinced most people that Attorney General Sessions was a cowardly, senile lion. Meanwhile, Sessions appointed Durham to start investigating the corruption in the Justice Department and FBI.

Sessions volunteered to resign if he was not wanted. He left office with a merry look in his eye. Barr took over. Many cases are exploding at once, notably the Flynn investigation. The Justice Department knew he was innocent from the start, but hid the exculpatory evidence, even altered the FBI 302, both actions being gross and criminal violations of the law.

Readers should ask themselves - why did Trump emphasize "his generals" when he became President? His presidency has clearly been a military operation from the beginning. The military plans backwards, not forwards. If something must be done in the future, then all steps toward that final act must be executed on specific dates beforehand.

As I wrote before, a military veteran spelled this out for me in one class and demonstrated how he could travel around the world and get his work done on time for the online class.

Those who follow independent news sources are fully informed about future events long before they are on the dull, obvious, slanted new reports - including Fox News.

Powerful attacks, like faux-impeachment, offer opportunities to use the violence of the threat against the opponent. As someone wrote,
"Trump is using impeachment to raise money for re-election." Meanwhile, the opponents are running through millions of dollars to get themselves nominated.

The General Flynn case is about to be turned upside-down, with the guilty Justice Department officials facing prison, Flynn being repaid for his costs (federal law). Durham is convening a Grand Jury to collect evidence and issue indictments.

The FISA court was used to justify spying on anyone who associated with Trump, even before the 2016 election, but also after. The data is there to show the warrants (reasons to allow spying) are false, criminal documents.

So, if readers doubt the Q military operation to set America free, then follow the independent news sources and watch the corrupt suddenly leave office to spend more time with spouse and children (Speaker Ryan), resign as CEO of a large corporation (lots lately), and go silent (Team Bush).

Good news sources are:

1. The Epoch Times
2. One American News Network
3. Free Republic Current Q Thread

One sign of the end of our slavery - several important people have denounced Hillary and identified some of her many flaws. Previously, everyone was afraid of her.

Criminal liars are afraid of the facts.

 Earn a degree of confidence online and read the U. S. Constitution - all free in this Internet Age.

Jeske - From 2013 - Past Proves the Future

Mark and Avoid Jeske may have horns by the next time he appears in the heavens. Do not overlook the Dollar Constellation captured by the gravity of the Jeske Gas Cloud.

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Fox Valley Native Mark Belling Broadcasts about La...":

Dr. Jackson -

You said it all [well] when you stated in your reply to "Les:"

>>>>>>>>>> The new visibility of St. John made WELS look ugly, vindictive, and stupid. This theft is a way to get rid of Pastor Hastings, grab the building, and liquidate the assets.

WELS has some good members and pastors, but the leaders are an embarrassment to the Christian Church.

The DP who got rid of Pastor Hastings, long ago, and kicked out the mother church of the Synodical Conference, is also the same man protecting Mark and Avoid Jeske. >>>>>>

But, be that as it may - the Jeske pic is missing a couple of horns.......

***

GJ Update - Those who have been readers for a few years realize that I was too optimistic about Mark Jeske. He is more than a lapdog for ELCA - he is leading the charge against anything good, useful, noble, and faithful.

Where are the rest? They are going along for the ride. As Lyle Schaller said decades ago about his own Methodist Church - the easiest job in the world is being the pastor of a dying congregation. The money is enormous, the tasks few.

 ELCA meeting

 WELS - Martin Luther College. What is the difference?