The Sunday After Christmas

Justification by Faith, by Norma Boeckler

The Sunday after Christmas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 85:1-8 From Heaven Above 4.55
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 #85:9-15 From Heaven Above 4.55

The Virgin Birth in Paul

The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4.24
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 #83 Hark! What Mean Those Holy Voices 4:40

KJV Galatians 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

KJV Luke 2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Sunday After Christmas
O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully direct our ways, that we may walk in Thy law, and be made to abound in good works: 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.

The Virgin Birth in Paul

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Some would like to claim that the Virgin Birth of Christ is only taught in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, that Paul and John were both silent about this important doctrine.

Galatians 4:4 refutes the claim, as anyone can see. Ask a child to explain it, and there will be no trouble. “God sent forth His Son…” Paul wrote this with his own hand, instead of using a scribe. It was probably his first apostolic letter. We know from all his letters that the divinity of Christ was never an issue.

Therefore, the verse is abundantly clear. At the divinely appointed time (when the fullness of the time was come), God sent His only-begotten Son…

There are no specifics about how God sent His Son. The reason is clear enough. Paul was writing when hundreds of eye-witnesses of the Risen Christ were still teaching in the church, and Paul was one of them. These witnesses were all taught by Christ as well. The Virgin Birth was not in dispute among the churches in Galatia. Their problem was with the relationship between Law and Gospel. The Virgin Birth is not stated in those terms but it is assumed in the language of the verse.

The second part is equally important – “made of a woman, made under the law,” It could also be “born of a woman, born under the law.” This is an emphasis on His human nature, just as important as His divine nature.

One teaching against the Two Natures of Christ is that He was adopted by God. In other words, Jesus was an ordinary man adopted by God (at His baptism). That sort of excuse pleases the rationalists who do not like the divine nature of Christ and need to reduce it.

Equally significant is the Fourth Gospel’s great Logos hymn, proclaiming that this Man who was rejected by His own people was the very Creating Word of Genesis 1:1. Moreover, every single person who believes in Him becomes a child of God and inherits salvation through Him.

We do not know the exact time of John’s Gospel being written, but it is clearly a supplement to the first three Gospels. I have mentioned some interesting things about this Gospel before. The baptism of Jesus seems to be described but the actual event is not in John’s Gospel. The same is true of the Last Supper in John’s Gospel. But that Gospel seems so sacramental, including the flow of blood and water from the wound of Christ (seen by Lutherans as symbolic of the two sacraments). The dismay disappears when we see John’s Gospel as being additional commentary on what we already know from the other Gospels.

As many have noted, John 1 is even more exalted than the Virgin Birth. Nothing gives room for doubts about His divine and human natures united in His Person.

I see Paul’s emphasis on “born of a woman, born under the Law” as representing the reality of God becoming man, with more emphasis on His human nature. By that I mean the ancients were ready to believe in divinities (unlike us moderns) but had never heard of God becoming man. They could not have, because there was no such event as God truly becoming man. They had odd myths, well known to Paul’s audience. They knew about pagan gods who behaved and misbehaved just like humans, but few people believed in them anymore. They were taken as tales, not as historical events.

If Paul believed in the Virgin Birth, in the Two Natures, then he spoke of this in other passages.

In Romans, he wrote:

KJV Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

The same duality is expressed with different words – Jesus was born from David according to the flesh (born as all humans are) and declared the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.

The Virgin Birth of Christ was not necessarily known among all people during His earthly ministry. The question many would have had was this – what happened after He was crucified? Death by crucifixion was not that unusual. What happened afterwards was unique. Jesus rose from the dead as the innocent (justified by the Spirit) Son of God. He was not guilty and declared innocent, but His entire Incarnate ministry declared as the righteous work of God.

Therefore, without repeating the phrasing of Matthew and Luke, Paul teaches the same doctrine with different words. In fact, after being exposed to the errors of Calvin and Zwingli about the Two Natures of Christ, this opening of Romans startled me with its clarity.

We take so much for granted when the words are familiar to us. But when someone tries to take them away, the revelation of God takes on new clarity, as if we never saw it before.

Thus the false teachers have two important roles appointed by God. First of all, the punish people who will not obey the First Table of the Law. Secondly, they help us appreciate the pure Word of God, something clearly explained in the Small and Large Catechisms of Luther.

The Third Commandment, Small Catechism
Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day.
What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
The Large Catechism

95] Since, therefore, so much depends upon God's Word that without it no holy day can be sanctified, we must know that God insists upon a strict observance of this commandment, and will punish all who despise His Word and are not willing to hear and learn it, especially at the time appointed for the purpose.
96] Therefore not only those sin against this commandment who grossly misuse and desecrate the holy day, as those who on account of their greed or frivolity neglect to hear God's Word or lie in taverns and are dead drunk like swine; but also that other crowd, who listen to God's Word as to any other trifle, and only from custom come to preaching, and go away again, and at the end of the year know as little of it as at the beginning. 97] For hitherto the opinion prevailed that you had properly hallowed Sunday when you had heard a mass or the Gospel read; but no one cared for God's Word, as also no one taught it. Now, while we have God's Word, we nevertheless do not correct the abuse; we suffer ourselves to be preached to and admonished, but we listen without seriousness and care.
98] Know, therefore, that you must be concerned not only about hearing, but also about learning and retaining it in memory, and do not think that it is optional with you or of no great importance, but that it is God's commandment, who will require of you how you have heard, learned, and honored His Word.
99] Likewise those fastidious spirits are to be reproved who, when they have heard a sermon or two, find it tedious and dull, thinking that they know all that well enough, and need no more instruction. For just that is the sin which has been hitherto reckoned among mortal sins, and is called ajkhdia, i.e., torpor or satiety, a malignant, dangerous plague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the hearts of many, that he may surprise us and secretly withdraw God's Word from us.
100] For let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be already master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments. Therefore you must always have God's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware. 101] On the other hand, such is the efficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts. For these words are not inoperative or dead, but creative, living words. 102] And even though no other interest or necessity impel us, yet this ought to urge every one thereunto, because thereby the devil is put to Right and driven away, and, besides, this commandment is fulfilled, and [this exercise in the Word] is more pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant.
Meaning of the Virgin Birth
The divinity of Christ is not disputed or under attack among conservative Lutherans. We may under-emphasize or under-appreciate the human nature of Christ.

Paul Gerhardt expressed this most eloquently in his hymns. He lived in constant doctrine strife and great human suffering, losing his wife and all his children except one. In addition, he lost his pastoral position and had a very difficult life afterwards. One portrait of him says he was “sifted by Satan” a reference to Jesus’ prediction about Peter.

Sifting is an old art, forgotten by modern bakers. I used to love sifting flour at my father’s bakery, because it took out all the lumps and made it so fine, light, and silky. (Sugar developed a static charge when sifted. Powdered sugar fill the air with sugar smog.) Gerhardt was so thoroughly sifted that he gave us the finest hymns in Christianity.

Gerhardt was especially in touch with the need for comforting people through the Gospel, and he did this with an emphasis on the human nature of Christ.

"All My Heart This Night Rejoices"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
"Christ is born," their choirs are singing
Till the air Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.

2. Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe, Sin and woe,
Death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son Now is one
With our blood forever.

3. Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save, Freely gave
His most cherished Treasure?
To redeem us, He hath given
His own Son From the throne
Of His might in heaven.

4. Should He who Himself imparted
Aught withhold From the fold,
Leave us broken-hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us,
Who, to cheer Sufferers here,
Left His throne above us?

5. If our blessed Lord and Maker
Hated men, Would He then
Be of flesh partaker?
If He in our woe delighted,
Would He bear All the care
Of our race benighted?

6. He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our life His own He tenders
And our race, By His grace,
Meet for glory renders.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn # 77
Text: Luke 2:11
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1653
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858, alt.
Titled: "Froehlich soll mein Herze springen"
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1653
Tune: "Froehlich soll mein Herze"

Worshington Times - On ELCA Dissidents

Rev. Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran Coalition of Renewal (CORE), talks with reporters about the creation of a new Lutheran church body for those who wish to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, at WordAlone Network offices in New Brighton, Minn., on Wednesday.

Dissident Lutherans: Bullying over gays [GJ - Church and Changers, left click on the link for the source. Thnx. U R gr8.]

By Wayne M. Anderson THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A decision to ordain actively gay clergy has caused deep fissures in the nation's largest Lutheran church group, with some traditional Lutherans saying they have been subjected to threats and retaliation as they consider breaking away.

Several disaffected members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) say the decision made at the church's national convention in Minneapolis in August could prompt a major exodus from one of America's biggest Protestant denominations.

"I wouldn't even begin to tell you how many thousands [of calls] I've gotten," said Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, or CORE, a national coalition based on traditional values. His group said last month that it cannot remain inside the 4.7-million-member ELCA and will form a new synod.

He is not alone.

"I am receiving every single week dozens of phone calls, e-mails, from pastors of the largest Lutheran churches in ELCA," said the Rev. Walter Kallestad, senior pastor of Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Ariz., who left the synod after having been "rostered" as a minister with the ELCA for 31 years. "I've answered hundreds ... from congregations looking to transition out of the ELCA."

For reasons of church structure - Lutheran congregations retain their property as long as they are affiliated with a Lutheran synod - the fallout from the ELCA's decision isn't likely to lead to the kind of court fights that followed the U.S. Episcopal Church's 2003 ordination of an openly gay bishop.

But the splits within the ELCA, which is more than twice the Episcopal Church's size, are getting ugly in their own way. Pastors taking their churches out of the ELCA are making charges of "unethical, immoral and in some cases, illegal" acts by bishops and other officials, Mr. Kallestad said.

"I'm talking to some pastors and leaders from many states around the nation, whose [ELCA] bishops are becoming very hostile," Mr. Kallestad said.

The Rev. Mark Gehrke, of Faith Lutheran Church in Moline, Ill., said that "if you do not agree with the direction of the ELCA, you are ... bullied or ostracized or threatened. The threat has been to even remove me and suspend me from ministry," he said.

In early September, he said, he was leading meetings and seeking ways to leave the ELCA. His bishop heard of this and sent a three-man team to address the problem.

"They spent their first 10 to 12 minutes bashing me and the leadership," Mr. Gehrke said. "Quoting things out of context, just totally humiliating me in front of the entire congregation."

Mr. Gehrke said other pastors have been bullied into silence.

"In Illinois, I'm one of the only few pastors that have taken a stand," he said, noting there are others who are too frightened to openly criticize the denomination's position on homosexuality.

"They are afraid for their jobs," he said. "They are afraid of standing against the church, the bishops."

In November, his church voted not to leave the ELCA but to compromise by joining Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, an independent conservative Lutheran association.

The ELCA denies threatening or bullying anybody.

"I would deny that completely," said Bishop Gary Wollersheim of the ELCA's Northern Illinois Synod. "That's not happening in northern Illinois. I'm sure that's not happening anywhere in the country."

More than that, the bishop said, the denomination has taken the opposite approach toward those who back traditional sexual morality.

"I have done the exact opposite," Bishop Wollersheim said. "I have assured clergy, roster leaders, that hold different opinions on the decisions that [neither] the synod nor I will discriminate against them in any way. The last thing that I would do as pastor of the synod would [be to] bully somebody or threaten them."

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, the head of the ELCA, also denies that the synod is engaging in intimidation and questions reports of any split.

"I think some of the characterization of polarization is a simplification," Bishop Hanson said. "To be brutally honest, it seems to me media can only tell stories about polarization and fragmentation."

The head bishop recently met with subordinate bishops from across the country, and told The Washington Times that he is not aware of "any allegations" of improper or illegal acts by ELCA officials - or even that an exodus is taking place.

Through the end of October, the church estimates that "50 of the ELCA's 10,396 congregations have taken first votes to leave," said ELCA spokesman John Brooks in an e-mail. "Five such votes have failed."

To leave the ELCA, a church must conduct two votes, 90 days apart, with both votes attaining a two-thirds majority.

Bishop Hanson also questions pastors who are making accusations of wrongdoing by officials.

"It saddens me when any descriptions by those who are in opposition to our actions or those who support them are less than what I would call a faithful Christian witness," he said.

Hosanna Lutheran Church in St. Charles, part of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, does not agree with that assessment and voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 8 to leave the ELCA. In that case, according to the church's senior pastor, the threat was financial, against a pastor's pension.

"It was threatened to me by a representative of the synod," the Rev. John Nelson said. "We have defined-contribution pensions ... we are the owners of them. I just looked at him and said, 'You know that's illegal. You can't do that.'"

Mr. Nelson declined to name the synod representative but said the motive for these threats is rooted in fear.

"The ELCA is scared," Mr. Nelson said. "They are making decisions out of fear."

Bishop Wayne Miller, of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, declined repeated requests for specific comment about the Hosanna situation and the pension-threat charge.

Instead he sent The Times a general "pastoral letter" written to synod members, asking people to "give time for conversation and reflection" during this time.

"Bishop Miller stated that he had no more comments to give you," Mary Richardson, executive assistant to the bishop, said in an e-mail. "And [he] would appreciate it, if you would stop calling him."

Lutheran churches are leaving across the nation, not just in the Midwest.

"I, too, have talked with both lay and clergy people around the country who tell some pretty horrific stories," said the Rev. Mark Graham, of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Roanoke, Va. These are stories of "duplicity and deceit and outright mean-spirited action - even illegal action."

His church voted to leave the ELCA shortly after the controversial gay vote, though no one in "Virginia has acted in an untoward manner," Mr. Graham said.

Some pastors say a Lutheran exodus has been going on for some time. Mr. Kallestad was head of one the largest ELCA churches in America. But he said his congregation decided to leave two years before the gay vote at the national convention.

"We started the process before the convention because it was clear that the vision, values and direction of the ELCA was totally opposite of where we believe that the New Testament church was destined and designed to be," Mr. Kallestad said.

The bone of contention is not "strictly about sexuality," he said, but a fundamental view of Scripture. "Either the Bible is the final authority or it is not."

According to Mr. Kallestad, disaffected Lutherans are also closing their wallets in protest.

"I do know financially the ELCA revenue is down," Mr. Kallestad said. "I've heard figures between 20 percent and 40 percent."

Bishop Hanson called such reports of massive declines unsubstantiated, acknowledging a "drop" in offerings but "certainly not 20 percent to 40 percent." He did not provide exact figures.

Some supporters of the decision to ordain openly gay clergy say they are homosexual Christians who love God and feel called to service. And some churches encourage and celebrate this act of faith.

"For this place, it was a celebration in August when the church voted to make it possible for clergy who are in committed same-sex relationships to be open about that," said the Rev. Pam Fickenscher of Edina Community Lutheran Church in Edina, Minn.

There, no one is heading for the exit door.

"We're actually seeing more life and people coming instead of leaving," she said.

Robert Gagnon, New Testament scholar at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of "The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics," called the whole debate surreal for a church named after one of the principal leaders of the Protestant Reformation.

"It is impossible to imagine ... how [Martin Luther] would have reacted to a church endorsing homosexual practices. It's off the charts."

***

GJ - Faith in Moline is mentioned, so I spelled Washington the way we pronounced it when I was growing up in Moline. Some try to pronounce the syllable "warsh" but it was always "worsh" in the Moline dialect. "Throw the worsh-cloth in the worshing-machine." A good Illinois response was, "Okey dokey."

No More Nice Guy - In ELCA

Saturday, December 26, 2009Fuller DMins, left click on the link.

What's going on...
I had imposed a gag order of sorts on myself to not delve into the crisis in the ELCA until after the Christmas season. However, recent events make that self-imposed guideline not in the best interest of the church.

A published report in the Washington Times (Dec. 19) reports how pastors and congregations critical of the ELCA are being threatened and intimidated by bishops, synod staff, and their synod councils. This has included at least one pastor, at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Illinois, being threatened with the loss of his pension. The bishop of that synod will not comment on that. Yesterday (Dec. 25) the Word Alone Network published a report also saying that bishops and synod councils were not following the constitution and putting coercive pressure on pastors and congregations voting to dissolve their relationship with the ELCA.

I myself was put on notice by a member of our synod council's Executive Committee that she was going to make a motion a that I not be allowed to participate as a synod council member because of my protest against the ELCA. Also, another member of our synod council showed up at a class I was teaching in my parish to publicly say that she is married to a gay man who is living with another man, and who has had other homosexual lovers, and that this all biblically and theologically justified, in her opinion, because God gave him a need for "male sexual energy." No one has taken any action to exclude her from the synod council.

Such politics of intimidation and terrorism from Christian people is reprehensible.

The last I heard, more than 130 congregations have already taken a first vote to leave the ELCA, and nearly 100 of them have received the necessary 2/3 majority. You can be certain more will follow. I know of several parishes in our synod that are redirecting their benevolence away for the synod and the ELCA. Undoubtedly, for many of them this is a first step toward leaving the ELCA. The ELCA has already cut its budget 10% and terminated more than 40 employees. It is said financial receipts at ELCA headquarters are down 20-40%. What the exact figure is, the ELCA isn't saying. Our synod was looking a deficit for 2009 nearing $200,000 before some of its largest parishes voted to redirect their benevolence. It will be interesting to hear -- if I'm actually allowed to be at the next synod council meeting -- what that deficit is today.
Posted by Pastor Eric at 9:04 AM

ELCA Pastor Eric Ash is not nodding his head like yeah...

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Saturday, September 26, 2009

Indianapolis

Greetings from Indianapolis. I just found out I could post from the PC in my hotel. I'm at the Lutheran CORE Convocation. I've been to ELCA National Youth Gatherings, Synod Assemblies, and Churchwide Assemblies, but this is the most inspiring, most exciting event I've ever been to. What a spirit! What speakers! What a crowd! We are more than 1200 strong and we had to turn away scores of folks who wanted to be here. It was great to sing A Mighty Fortress and The Church's One Foundation a capella with Lutherans who really mean it. The upshot is that CORE is founding a self-standing synod. I'll have a lot more to say about that later. Now, I can't wait to hear the results from the Synod Council meeting yesterday (Friday). Big things are happening!

***

GJ - I kelmed an earlier ELCA post on how the conservatives should stay and talk. Once the apostates have control of the structure, there is no talk, only "Listen and obey." Ask the Quiche-niks in Missouri. Like the ELCA members and pastors, who took it on the chin for 22 years, they are willing to stay and grumble to themselves. As I heard from many of them in the 1980s! - "If it does not get any better, I am leaving. I mean it. Pass the quiche, please."

Some Readers Like What They Find

Even if the man is known as a false teacher, "Everyone knows he's harmless." 

 

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing - Trinity 8":

"The first effort in defending false teachers has always been, in my experience, “But he is a nice guy.” That is consistent with Matthew 7 and Romans 16. False teachers always wear several layers of fleece to hide the claws and slavering fangs. No matter how thick the woolies, the claws and fangs come out sooner or later. The nice guys are only nice on the surface."

Wow. I'm plowing through the archives here and learning a lot. I was absent from LCMS for 30 yrs, had a big confrontation with my pastor. I asked for the whole gospel and that nice guy went ballistic on me. He's so nice the old ladies talk about him like he's their first born male child. Nobody believed me.

I still don't understand why he got so ticked at me.

Great stuff here. Thanks.

Not Sure If Your Ears Can Handel This Cacophony from St. Marcus

Christmas Day 2009 Thanks to everyone for doing such a great job!!! This selection is from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration:

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Not Sure If Your Ears Can Handel This Cacophony fr...":

It's kinda like singing "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "Gilligan's Island." (Try it, it works both ways. I.e. sing "Gilligan's Island" to the tune of "Amazing Grace.")

However, criticizing musical style can be dangerous territory. I was once criticized after a Christmas service for having the congregation sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" to "English melody, adapt." (Christian Worship #66) rather than the tune by Lewis Redner (Chrisitian (sic) Worship #65).

***

GJ - This video should be withdrawn as a favor to the public.

Singing "Amazing Grace" to the Gilligan's Island tune is appropriate. "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear" is typical Calvinism - Law/Law. Almost everyone can sing "Amazing Grace" without squirming, so it has become the pan-religious hymn of choice.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Not Sure If Your Ears Can Handel This Cacophony fr...":

"At first it was modern harmonies and then it was translation into English. And then they did away with the service conducted in German. Now this.

- M. Luther

Not Every Reader Is a Facebook Friend

Facebook tells me to link up with potential friends, based on mutual friends. I was using that tonight and harvesting a lot of new contacts, people fun to know. Most of them are conservative Lutherans, divided by a common faith - ELS, LCMS, WELS, and independent. A few are school friends.

I clicked off some new ones and had some new conversations started. Then I got this message (the only one like this from Facebook):

Re: Do I know you?

Ah, then you have smeared me without even recognizing me.

Or did you not compose this wee bon-bon of gossip?

http://www.facebook.com/l/0effe;ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2007/12/women-leading-in-worship-els-and-wels.html

And did you not use my image to suit your own purposes, or has another written and made editorial choices for your inglorious sausage-making?

You may go jump in a lake. Or repent, as best suits you.

I wrote back, irenic as always:

My, my. Touchy. The only thing that does NOT offend the ELS is false doctrine.

I was going to let it go at that and not blog about it. But he responded:

James sent you a message.

Re: Do I know you?

"That'll be quite enough from you.  You are a liar and a fool."

I am providing this information because it is so typical of synodical bullying. First of all, the initial post was well researched and not "gossip." Not only are there eye-witnesses to the ELS and WELS pushing women towards ordination, but the latest episode at Willow Creek Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel is another datum to chart the feminist trend among the Shrinkers.

Secondly, the photo was a funny way to illustrate the point made so often in the Little Sect and WELS - "This never happened. We all agree on it." No one ever went to the hoosegow for murder. No DP served time for felonies. No money ever disappeared. No women led the worship services in the ELS or WELS. No women celebrated Holy Communion. There is no Church Growth in either synod. Ask anyone from either synod who went to Fuller Seminary.

Thirdly, the name-calling is unbecoming someone so distinguished that he can shake hands with Pope John the Malefactor. A papal audience is not granted to just anyone. I clicked off about 20 potential friends tonight and only one replied with venom. The rest said, "Sure" and linked up.

Suet for Christmas

Suet cakes can be provided in a wire feeder or in mesh bags.

I found the Luther quote mentioned before:

"Early in the morning it rises, sits upon a twig and sings a song it has learned, while it knows not where to obtain its food, and yet it is not worried as to where to get its breakfast. Later, when it is hungry, it flies away and seeks a grain of corn, where God stored one away for it, of which it never thought while singing, when it had cause enough to be anxious about its food. Ay, shame on you now, that the little birds are more pious and believing than you; they are happy and sing with joy and know not whether they have anything to eat." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 114. Trinity 15, Matthew 6:24-34.

In Midland I noticed everyone feeding the birds and having great results. For instance, one prominent bush in a backyard featured seven bags of suet, with birds taking turns feeding, all day long. In those days, someone could get suet for almost nothing from the grocery store and some nylon citrus bags. A few dollars fed the birds all winter. Besides, suet is listed in an Old Wives Tales book on gardening for planting at the base of roses bushes. In Midland I planted the leftover suet below the new roses. I did not have a control bed of roses so I have no idea how effective it was.

The suet arrived on Christmas Day, from Duncraft. Duncraft emails me twice a day now, realizing that someone who buys suet will buy almost anything else.

They included mesh bags on top of each package of suet. Very small cakes of suet can be found at Wal-Mart, pet stores, and grocery stores. I really hate to think what those cost per pound. The stores also sell the wire cages. My first cake and cage set disappeared, perhaps purloined by raccoons or squirrels.

I figured the large packages put me in the professional leagues of bird-feeding. We were set to watch the Chipmunk Squeakquel, after lunch, so I hurried to get some ready. Birds are slow to feed on something new, so I wanted to get it started. I had one hanging from a bush in the front yard and another around the railing on the back porch.

Sassy watched me cut the suet out of the plastic containers and put it in the bag. She is half-German and a good supervisor. I did not think her interest was unusual, even though peanut butter aroma made it smell rather tasty.

We were getting ready to go when I went looking for Sassy. She was busy on the back deck, eating the aromatic suet from the bag.

I moved the bag to a much higher location. The next challenge will be setting up a birdbath where we can enjoy the bathing without having Sassy use it as her bubbler (Wisconsin for water fountain). She has her own five-galloon water dish, but she is known for raiding the bird bath. We kept the one in Arizona behind the pool fence.

To enjoy the most birds, feed them at various levels. Ground feeders will often glean from the seeds dropped from the birdfeeder, but people will scatter extra seed for them. Sunflower is the best all-around seed. Suet is best food for insect-eating birds.

Birdbaths at different locations provide for different species. Cardinals are fairly shy, so they might bathe far away while a bluejay will come up close and demand his breakfast. A lot of wasted food can be used to provide for birds: old popcorn, bread crusts, the remains of corn on the cob, fruit.

God provides most of their food in abundance. Trees and bushes harbor insects waiting to be reborn in the spring. We never think of them hiding in the bark, but the birds know how to look for them. The only time a bird is really desperate for food is when a sleet storm covers all the bark in all the bushes and trees. Brutally cold weather will also demand more food calories than a bird can find to keep alive.

I will write more about God's use of rot to recycle elements of His Creation.

Al Barry Resume

LCMS President Al Barry - How Little We Know!

The Concordia Historical Institute is less than candid about Al Barry's education.

"Born: 4 August 1931, Woodbine, Iowa
Died: 23 March 2001, Orlando, Florida
Alvin Barry attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois, finished his studies through the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Thiensville, in 1956, and was ordained the same year."

Barry also attended Bethany Seminary in Mankato (ELS) and a church basement seminary in Minneapolis. The church basement school may have been the Orthodox Lutheran Conference. I am not an expert in the mini-micro synods, which tend to splinter and scatter.

Barry vicared in the Wisconsin Synod. There is no Barry listed in the graduates of the Sausage Factory, yet he "finished his education there." Did Barry lack an MDiv? The honorary DD is listed, but no MDiv. College degree? Not listed.

His positions are listed as:

1. Pilgrim, Minneapolis (1956-1960).
2. St. John and Peace Lutheran Churches, Claremont, California (1960-62).
3. Trinity Lutheran Church, Trimont, Minnesota (1962-67).
4. Iowa District West executive positions (1967-82).
5. DP (1982-92).
6. Synod President (1992-2001).
   

We know more about Obama's educational background than we do about Al Barry. The CHI site is rather stingy with details about all the recent Synod Presidents. Note that the photo is a scan of a half-tone, really amateurish for a Missouri institution devoted to history. They cannot mail over a glossy of Barry? Perhaps they were all used up for target practice by the Kieschnick staff.


---

PS - There is a Pilgrim Lutheran listed on the Net, but I am not sure if that is where Barry served. I could not find any synod affiliation at first, but I stumbled on a reference to LACE, which is WELS. The WELS acronym is built into the template, as one reader noted. I missed that. I was looking for distinctive content, and this website tended toward the generic. This could be the wrong church, but it is worth reading the websty to see how artfully the congregation has downplayed synodical affiliation and Lutheran doctrine. They have some very big money plans.

Check this out:

Ask the Pastor

Ask the Pastor

   Do you have a question about doctrine, values, denominations, world religions, church practices, the Bible, what brand of coffee we use at our coffee hours...

   Well this is your chance to have our pastor

Rev. Peter Leyrer

give you a well thought out, informative, theologically astute and plain English answer to that question that has been just nagging at you.

    Pastor Pete will be answering your questions
       during the sermon time of both services, on the first Sunday of each month. 

Just click on Pastor Petes nose to submit your question  

 If you have a question of a more personal nature or would like to make an appointment to talk with Pastor Pete please click here  

---

Also, read More Fun Than Lutheran's (sic) Should Have. Am I right about Chicaneries being illiterate? Notice that the fun page is full of dumb, secular, power-of-positive-thinking quotations.

The Late Father Neuhaus - Still Attracting Notice

Richard John Neuhaus was first and most prominent Lutheran to become a Roman Catholic priest.

The American Spectator has taken note of Neuhaus' last book, published at the time of his death a year ago.

Neuhaus began in the LCMS, working with Robert Wilken to displace Herman Otten and Kurt Marquart as student editors at Our Lady of Sorrows (aka Concordia Seminary, St. Louis).

Missouri is very tough on apostates. Father Neuhaus was invited to speak at The Surrendered Fort (aka Concordia, Ft. Wayne) on the topic "How I Became the Catholic I Always Was." About half the audience nodded in agreement as he spoke. As Pope B-16 said, "Ach, those Missouri Synod Lutherans."

Missouri Lutherans must be curious about being stuck with Kieschnick as their all-powerful but incompetent leader, an Enthusiast among Enthusiasts. How many seminaries can call themselves The Fort and invite a man famous for leaving to join:

1. the Come-Outters of Seminex,
2. the High Church Unitarians of the LCA/ELCA,
3. and finally the Church of the Antichrist?

To cap this display of idiocy, Concordia and the LCMS allowed Neuhaus to speak on becoming Roman Catholic.

The last time Rome let a Lutheran speak, 1517, they had the stake and kindling ready. Luther had to be kidnapped and presumed dead to keep him alive.


Paul McCain, MDiv, wrote that his buddy Neuhaus allowed Missouri to communicate with His Excellency the Pope. Anyone who wants to see the polite side of McCain can visit the ELCA discussion group, ALPB.

More Bad News Coming in Housing - The Second Wave of Defaults

Print version of the story.

Sassy Update - The Squirrel Hunter

In Phoenix, I walked Sassy to the park every morning, sometimes as early as 4 AM to avoid the heat.

In Northwest Arkansas, we live in a park, a double lot where trees surround the house. Just like the dogs in "Up," Sassy lives to chase squirrels. She has no hope of catching one, but the thrill never goes away.

The morning walk begins with, "Sassy - let's go kill a squirrel." She knows that includes walking across the main road and going up the hill on Wentworth.

First we stop to see Maynard and Homer, two neighboring guard dogs, big babies looking for attention. Sassy chases Maynard in circles and fusses with Homer. Old Homer is known for not liking smaller dogs, so he sometimes wears an expression of disgust and dismay, backing away to watch from the porch. Maynard enjoys the chase.

Across the street is a new Scotch terrier, usually inside. On the corner is a little dog who stays outside without a leash. That is Sassy's boyfriend. Our granddaughter got them together for a social meeting. Ever since, Sassy and her boyfriend have enjoyed daily chases around the yard. Sassy on three legs can keep up with other dogs on four. The new neighbors admire Sassy and talk about her with me.

Chipmunk holes are abundant, so Sassy checks them out. Chipmunks do two things to hide. One is the freeze. When they stop moving, they blend easily with the background. If Sassy charges, they duck into their hidey-holes nearby.  The Shrinkers are like chipmunks. When discovered, they freeze and try to blend with the background. They claim to be confessional, like everyone else. If confronted, they run into their hidey-holes, asking their drinking buddies to support and protect them.

White-Out Christmas

Christmas Eve services were canceled all over Northwest Arkansas last night. Often storms pass by, but this one closed down Oklahoma and brushed past our little corner of Arkansas. We fell asleep with rain still falling, the cold descending upon us. I woke up to a quiet winter landscape.

The weather did not affect our live Internet broadcast, which was also recorded. Perhaps those who are reduced to selling books for a living, or copying the Reformed for success, should try our cutting-edge technology.

Our Sheltie Precious, an Arizona native, was sitting in the guest room this morning, perhaps trying to figure out what was outside the dog-door.  The deck is the backyard for three dogs, and it has inches of snow on it already. The guest room is their normal path to the outdoors.

We are only a few minutes from our grandchildren, but we are up on a hill in Little Switzerland (Bella Vista). If they plow and salt the main road down to the highway, we can leave our little circle of three homes. Otherwise, a trip down that steep and twisting drive will earn us a spot in the local news - not that Mrs. Ichabod would volunteer for that ride.

The Enthusiasts among the Lutherans are becoming more hysterical as their schemes are exposed or shut down. That makes the oppression felt by confessional Lutherans more difficult, as they wonder, "How long?" The corrupt, dishonest, and weak who were oozed into power by the Shrinkers will remain until they retire, die, or receive the Left Foot of Fellowship. The last is most unlikely in the Good Ol' Boy network. Those who drink together in school shrink together in the synod.

Nevertheless, the battle has finally started. People are no longer afraid of their Shrinker DPs and Shrinker theology professors. With trembling lips, the name Lutheran is being spoken again.

Two congregations are helping the battle, more than they know.

1. The CORE is the fruit of Jeske Enterprises, a failure in every respect - except blowing money faster than a Gurgle. At the rate Mequon is declining, Ski will soon be the Werning Professor of Entertainment at the Sausage Factory.
   
2. Rock and Roll is the centerpiece for the Donald-Patterson-for-SP Campaign, another laugh a minute. The sermon for a "$200,000 grant and more members now!" was deleted from the websty, along with everything else except a map.
   

The year is ending with most Americans now hoping for a change from Hope and Change. As Diablo said on the phone, "We haven't had a good president since Reagan." Impoverished leadership in the political realm follows apostate leadership in the churches. Long before we had Clinton and his cover-up team, we had Floyd Luther Stolzenburg and his store-bought synod supporters.

Church and Chicanery is still inviting people for the November, 2009 conference. Nothing speaks more eloquently about incompetence and illiteracy than their websty.

Church Growther in WELS Joined This Group - Freedom FROM Religion

Peterson could do no wrong when he moved from Missouri to WELS as a Shrinker. Right away he served on the World Missions board with Valleskey.

"In late 1976, 80 district mission and evangelism executives and board members attended special Fuller Seminary sessions and by the late 1970s, courses on Church Growth principles were taught at both LCMS seminaries." [Toward a Theological Basis, Understanding and Use of Church Growth Principles in the LCMS. 1991. p. 1]
Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 10.

"In my opinion, therefore, Church Growth receptivity and 'soil testing' techniques are often unfairly criticized as if they were by definition synergistic. It is a fact that some fields are, for various historical and sociological reasons, more receptive to the preaching of the gospel and church planting than others. Our home and world mission boards make these judgments all the time in deciding where to begin churches or send missionaries."
Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 12. Mark 4:

Kent Hunter: "Correct doctrine is essential. But it is never to be a priority at the expense of the mission. In fact, when the quest for proper doctrine intensifies to the point of neglecting mission and ministry, then it is no longer proper doctrine." [Foundations for Church Growth, New Haven: Leader Publishing, 1983, pp. 152-3] Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 21.

"We are called to proclaim God's word both faithfully and effectively. The Lord wants all to be saved, and thus numbers are important. God is never pleased with a 'glorification of littleness.'" Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 22f.

---

"Nod to God" Politicians and the Ten Commandments
By Curtis A. Peterson

A small crowd gathered in downtown Milwaukee on March 27 to witness the removal of a monument of the Ten Commandments from city property where it had stood since 1957.

The ceremony began with remarks by Ald. Jeff Pawlinski serving as spokesman for the Milwaukee Common Council. The events of this day came about because the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals declaring such monuments to be violations of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Disagreeing with the Court but bowing to it, Pawlinski nevertheless lamented the necessary removal of the monument and its return to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, which donated the monument in 1955 in a ceremony with actor Yul Brynner to promote the movie "The Ten Commandments."

Making an apparently obligatory "nod to god," both politicians and Eagles officials, understanding neither the Ten Commandments nor the First Amendment, mourned this "sad" day and pointed the finger of blame at the "notorious Freedom From Religion Foundation," which brought the lawsuit resulting in its removal.

Don Runnells, a spokesman for the Eagles, insisted, "This has nothing to do with religion. It's about morals." Every Christian and Jew in the country ought to cringe at such nonsense. According to Exodus 20 and Deut. 5, the Decalogue was given as a covenant between God and Israel, the equivalent of a treaty between a King and a lesser lord who owed him loyalty.

Curtis A. Peterson holds a B.A. from Concordia Senior College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a M.Div and STM (l966 and l983 respectively) from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.
 
In almost 30 years in the ministry in both the Missouri and Wisconsin Synods, he was an activist with many published articles supporting the orthodox Lutheran cause in the "Battle for the Bible" in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and author of several articles in the Wisconsin Synod between l987 and l995. He also delivered several essays at pastoral conferences during those years.
 
He served congregations in Burlington, N.C., Rock Falls, Ill., Garland, Tex. and Gretna, La., in the LCMS and in Milwaukee, Wis. in the WELS.
 
A [Freedom From Religion] Foundation member, he is now retired, resides in Wisconsin and calls himself a humanist and a freethinker.



---

Dec 23, 2009 1:37 pm US/Central

Furor Erupts Over Atheist Display At State Capitol

Comptroller Candidate William J. Kelly Tries To Take Down Sign, Is Escorted From Building

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ―

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A conservative activist and Illinois comptroller candidate was escorted from the Illinois State Capitol building Wednesday when he tried to remove a sign put up by an atheist group.

William J. Kelly announced Tuesday that he planned to take down the sign put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and on Wednesday, he tried to make good on his plan.

But Kelly said when he turned the sign around so it was face down, state Capitol police were quick to escort him away.

Illinois Secretary of State's office spokeswoman Henry Haupt said Kelly was escorted from the rotunda by state Capitol police, who briefly detained him, wrote an incident report, and directed him to leave the building.

"It doesn't matter how we feel about the message on a display," Haupt said. "Our obligation is to protect the property within the state Capitol building, and we would do the same for any other display."

But Kelly called the sign "hate speech," and said he does not believe it is appropriate for a sign that "mocks" religion to be placed next to a Christmas tree and also near a nativity scene.

"I don't think the State of Illinois has any business denigrating or mocking any religion," Kelly said, "and I think that's what the verbiage on the sign was doing."

The sign reads: "At the time of the winter solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is just myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

The sign was also on display at the Capitol at this time last year. The group says it filed for a permit to post the display in response to the state's decision to put up the nativity.

But Kelly said he believes the problem is not only the verbiage of the sign, but also its proximity to the Christmas tree.

"The fact that sign was immediately in front of the tree, I found that to be disturbing because any family and any child would run up to that tree with a smile on their face, and they would immediately see that sign," Kelly said.

Haupt said Kelly had been advised not to return to the state Capitol for the rest of the day on Wednesday. 

The Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation has placed the sign in several state Capitol buildings across the country.

As to Kelly's claims that the sign mocks religion, foundation co-President Dan Barker said: "He's kind of right, because the last couple of sentences do criticize religion, and of course, the beginning is a celebration of the winter solstice. But that kind of speech is protected as well – speech that is critical and speech that is supportive."

The foundation does not approve of the nativity scene, Barker said.

"We atheists believe that the nativity scene is mocking humanity," by suggesting that those who do not believe in Jesus will go to hell, Barker said. "But notice that we are not defacing or stealing nativity scenes because we disagree with their speech."

Signs in other states have been targets of vandals, Barker said.

In Wisconsin, someone threw acid on it one year, and some people turned it around and hid it in the back rooms of the state Capitol, and in Washington state, someone walked it out of the Capitol and threw it away, Barker said. The Washington state sign was later found in a ditch near a country radio station and returned to the capitol in Olympia.

This is the second year the Freedom from Religion sign has been at the Illinois State Capitol.

Haupt said in addition to the sign, the Nativity Scene and the Christmas tree, there is also a Soldiers' Angels wreath, and a tabletop display from the American Civil Liberties Union that says the group "defends freedom of religion." A Hanukkah menorah had also been on display until the Jewish Festival of Lights ended on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, the Capitol also has an aluminum Festivus pole commemorating the fictional holiday created in "Seinfeld."

Adam Harrington, cbs2chicago.com

Christmas Armistice, WWI, Today

Short Peace In A Terrible War

The Nation

posted by John Nichols
on 12/24/2005 @ 10:48am

Alfred Anderson died last month at the very ripe old age of 109.But it was not the Scotsman's many years that made him remarkable at the endof his long life. It was that, to his last days, he well recalled participatingin the Christmas Truce of 1914 -- that brief respite from the carnage of World War I that saw soldiers of both sides in the conflict lay down their arms, climb out of their trenches and celebrate together along the 500-mile Western Front.

Anderson was the last surviving old soldier known to have participated in what he would refer to in his later years as "a short peace in a terrible war."

That peace, which was initiated not by presidents or prime ministers, but by the soldiers themselves, serves to this day as a reminder that war is seldom sonecessary -- nor so unstoppable -- as politicians would have us believe.So it comes as no surprise that the Christmas Truce of 1914 is a bit of history that many in power have neglected over the past 90 years. But Anderson's long survival, and his clear memory, made it impossible to write this chapter out of history.

On December 25, 1914, Anderson was an 18-year-old soldier serving with 5thBattalion, Black Watch, of the British Army, one of the first to engage in the bloody trench warfare that was the ugliest manifestation of a war that claimed31 million lives. But on that day, there was no violence.Rather, Anderson recalled in an interview on the 90th anniversary of thetruce, "there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted 'Merry Christmas,' even though nobody felt merry."

The calls of "Merry Christmas" from the Brits were answered by Germanssinging: "Stille Nacht. Heilige Nacht. Alles Schlaft, einsam wacht."The Brits responded by singing "Silent Night" in English. Then, from thetrenches opposite them, climbed a German soldier who held a small tree lit with candles and shouted in broken English, "Merry Christmas. We not shoot. You not shoot."

Thus, began the Christmas Truce. Soldiers of both armies -- more than a million in all -- climbed from the trenches along the Western Front to exchange cigarettes and military badges. They even played soccer, using the helmets they had taken off as goalposts. And they did not rush to again take up arms. Along some stretches of the Front, the truce lasted into January of 1915.Finally, distant commanders forced the fighting to begin anew.Thus, it has ever been with war. As George McGovern, the decorated World WarII veteran who would become one of America's greatest champions of peace, "old
men (are always) thinking up wars for young men to die in."

But Alfred Anderson remembered, well beyond the century of two world wars andtoo many lesser conflicts, that the young men of opposing armies often have more in common with one another than they do with the old men who send them into battle.

Once, on a Christmas Day that ought not be forgotten, the young men decidedto make a short peace in a terrible war.The memory of the courage of those who chose, however briefly, to see the humanity in one another, and to lay down the arms of one of the most brutal wars this planet has ever seen, offers hope this weekend, as Christians mark the birth of the Nazarene who was called Prince of Peace. Perhaps, someday, we willmake a Christmas truce that lasts not merely through the hours of good cheer on this Holiday but the whole year long.


---

Christmas Armistice
Here is another story about this. Fuller DMins - left click on the link above. Thnx. Ur gr8.

Christmas Eve Service

The Lost Sheep, by Norma Boeckler

Christmas Eve Service, 4 PM Central Time.




Christmas Readings and Hymns
Bethany Lutheran Church
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Hymn 77:1-6 All My Heart This Night Rejoices 2.25

The First Gospel
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

KJV Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

The Place of Jesus’ Birth
KJV Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

#102 O Come All Ye Faithful 1:7

KJV Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Virgin Birth
KJV Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Incarnation
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

#109 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks 1:35

KJV Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.


Sermon – God in the Flesh, The Incarnation, Immanuel (God With Us)

The birth of Christ is so much a part of the Scriptures that no one can separate the Incarnation from the rest of the Gospel and have anything left, except vague philosophy and charming stories.

The Virgin Birth of Christ begins at the start of all history. When Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise. They had been given a perfect world, one they would have no labor and no pain. In their sinfulness they wrecked what God’s grace had given them. And yet, God’s grace was revealed again. Although Adam and Eve would both pay for their sin by being mortal, suffering our human woes, and laboring for a living. But God showed His grace again by promising them the Savior.

The Gospel in the Old Testament is comprised of all the prophecies of the coming Messiah, the promises of peace, forgiveness, and salvation. God also revealed how the Messiah would be born, how He would die for the sins of the world.

But the Son of God is not absent in the Old Testament. Already in Genesis the Angel of the Lord is portrayed as God. Lutherans theologians have emphasized the Angel of the Lord being the Son of God before the Incarnation.

Angel of the Lord

The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is the Son of God before He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.

How do we know that?

The Angel of the Lord is not just an angel. He is called God.

KJV Genesis 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son. The Angel of the Lord clearly identified Himself as God:

KJV Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

At the Jabbok River, Jacob wrestled with a man, who had the power to give him permanent limp.

KJV Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

This is God speaking:

KJV Genesis 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

The Angel of the Lord speaks from the burning bush, and the Angel is God.

KJV Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus identified Himself with the I AM of the Burning Bush:

KJV John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

This is only a slight look at the Son of God as the Angel of the Lord. When I teach this to New Testament students, they go into shock because they have never heard this. In fact, it was new to me until I read the orthodox theologians. In other words, there is so much Gospel in the Old Testament that no one can grasp the complexity.

All of this was done by God for man, not because of our merit, but because of His grace.

The ministry of the Savior began at Creation, as the Word of God, commanding the universe into being. This ministry continued with the Angel of the Lord and much more involving the Holy Trinity.

The Old Testament is centered on the Gospel of the coming Savior.

Noah was preached the Gospel:

KJV 2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Abraham believed in God and was justified by faith.

KJV Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Moses preached the Gospel.

All the prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit to warn people about wandering away from the Word, rebelling against the Word. But they also promised the Messiah, and in doing so, created faith by the work of the Spirit.

The prophet told Ahaz to ask for a miracle (a sign). Ahaz was too proud to ask for one, so the prophet said the king would get one anyway. This miracle was to be the ultimate miracle granted by God to man, and it came because of an evil king:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Skeptics have battled against this, hammer and tong. The Methodists changed their own founder’s hymn, away from the words “offspring of the Virgin’s womb.”
Imagine turning against the founder of the denomination – in their own hymnal. Next thing you know, they will take the denominational name off the hymnal, and magazine, too. (Their magazine failed, by the way.)

Apostates like to play with words and say, “That is used for young woman, so it only means – a young woman will conceive.” First of all the terms overlap, so that maiden necessarily implies innocence. Secondly, there is no miracle involved in a woman bearing children according to nature. Third, the Hebrew word means “virgin” and as Luther said, “I will give you $100 if you can prove otherwise.” The New Testament reflects this in Mary asking how she could possibly have a child.

Most instructive is the opposition, which has been shown in so many ways. The RSV (product of the National Council of Churches) removed “virgin” from its translation of Isaiah 7:14, in the 1950s. If it did not happen, why is it so important?

The Virgin Birth is important because it is the expression of the Two Natures (divine and human) and Jesus being God in the flesh.

KJV John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The apostates cannot find the Virgin Birth in John, but John 1:14 clearly teaches it in another way. The Word became flesh, another phrase for the Virgin Birth.

By removing the Incarnation, the apostates exclude the Atonement and justification by faith. Faith no longer matters – only human philosophy and good works.

The birth of Jesus is humbling, because God shows His power in the midst of rejection, poverty, and weakness. Even today we are shocked at someone having a baby at home, but Jesus was born as an outcast in a stable, not in a palace or medical facility. Mary, as the most honored woman of history, had no one to care for her except her husband.

Surely the power of the age were looking in another direction for the Messiah they desired and feared. Herod was not a Jew, so he knew the prophecy about the Messiah coming when the throne passed to a non-Jew. He was afraid. The religious leaders looked for a great and mighty Messiah, but one more like a prince, ruler, king, military leader. So instead, the God revealed His Son through the angels to ordinary working men, to shepherds.

One child explained best of all why God revealed the Messiah as a baby in a manger (feeding trough), in a stable. “No one is afraid of a baby.” There are so many stories of people trembling in terror before a tyrant. Surely God in the flesh would be even more awe-inspiring. Yet God chose a time and place and form that drew people to His Gospel of forgiveness.


Luke’s Account
KJV Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

#646 Silent Night 4:38

Heavenly Host
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

The Prayers and Benediction


#87 Joy to the World 1:20

Definition of a Congregation

The Lost Sheep, by Norma Boeckler
"Thus too, if our confidence is to begin, and we become strengthened and comforted, we must well learn the voice of our Shepherd, and let all other voices go, who only lead us astray, and chase and drive us hither and thither. We must hear and grasp only that article which presents Christ to us in the most friendly and comforting manner possible. So that we can say with all confidence: My Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only Shepherd, and I, alas, the lost sheep, which has strayed into the wilderness, and I am anxious and fearful, and would gladly be good, and have a gracious God and peace of conscience, but here I am told that He is as anxious for me as I am for Him." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 86. Third Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon, Luke 15:1-10

Most congregations define themselves on their websites.

Strangely, many were talked into mission statements years ago, not knowing that the term "mission statement" was a product of Management by Objective, Peter Drucker. This MBO was adopted by the Church Growth Movement as the magical way to transform congregations of all denominations. And they did. They spoke to the Old Adam in all of us, encouraging people to think in terms of organization, management, and numbers.

One chemical engineer at Dow Corning told me that every single department there had a mission statement. I have seen mission statements posted in hospital elevators, near the safety certificates. Congregations often have mission statements on their websites. The mission statements are so generic, bland, and pan-Christian that the same one could be published on a Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic website. Even the Catholics have tried to blend in with everyone, using the Community Church name.

The Lutheran Church in America was conducting mission statement exercises with subsidized congregations long before Missouri and WELS considered it something new to try.

Nevertheless, congregations have found a step lower than the mission statement, the inevitable apostasy from church-as-a-business. The next step downward is worship-as-entertainment. Chicaneries deny it, but the model deliberately followed is entertainment. Every religious TV show is created and produced as entertainment.

The founders of religious TV confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "We are following the entertainment model." Even the more serious types, like Billy Graham, focused on gimmicks to get people to come for the thrill and stay for the sermon. Graham liked popular stars, warning people to come extra early for Johnny Cash, making such a case for the press of the crowd in South Bend than many stayed away.

Congregations proclaim entertainment worship when they boast about their music, choirs, bell choirs, and "excellence in worship" as First VP Huebner says on his website.

The blend of progressive and classic, contemporary and traditional, along with a professional excellence in everything from our worship to our website has attracted hundreds of visitors and new members to Grace Church in recent years.

Coffee shops (Huebner's Soul Cafe) and food courts (Willow Creek) follow, but the worst is yet to come. "Grab a snack and a drink and come inside for the service." Victory of the Cinema, soccer camp.

Entertainers dodge the name Lutheran because they want to blend in with everyone else. A casual reader will find that lapse everywhere, followed by dropping the name church, so that both Lutheran and church are missing - i.e. The CORE.

When Lutherans like Huebner write about their church name Grace, without emphasizing the Means of Grace, they are not confessional Lutherans. The day will come when those ministers are not even Lutheran in their teaching and preaching. Time of Grace is a good example of that trend. Notice how Chicaneries take every opportunity to disassociate their congregation's name from that odious word Lutheran.

I first saw that trend in 1978, when LCA Pastor Sherman Hicks admitted that he never invited prospects to "Grace Lutheran Church" but to "Grace Church."

The purpose of the Christian congregation, following the Biblical example, is simply to provide the Means of Grace in worship and teaching. Pastoral visitation is the only legitimate work of a congregation - beyond the teaching and preaching of the Word.

Everything in a congregation reflects upon the church's belief in the efficacy of the Word or rejection of that efficacy. When trust in the Word alone is missing, the congregation is anxious to make up for God's deficiencies by marketing their appeal, by hiding all those obstacles (like closed communion) that might get in the way of institutional power.

Nothing says more about a congregation than its worship service description and its statement (missing or published) of faith. Three bad signs are:
1. The statement of faith is missing.
2. The statement is generic, pan-denominational.
3. The statement is borrowed verbatim from a Schwaermer church.

Long ago a former pastor admonished me to stay away from inerrancy as the leading principle. Freshly escaped from the LCA, I wanted to start with inerrancy. I see that tendency in many conservative congregations today, and it is understandable. Some even say - "We are not ELCA."

Inerrancy is not the Gospel, but an attribute of the Word. The Gospel Promises should lead the congregation's emphasis, and that statement should help people understand how forgiveness comes to people. I realize that UOJ has messed up the ability of pastors to communicate the Gospel, but if they return to the Biblical doctrine, they will have no trouble ejecting UOJ. Precious few are the laity who understand the mumbo-jumbo of UOJ; the ones who think they do are illiterate.

Many ministers want to point to their beautiful church buildings or brag that they work in a purple palace, in a corner office. F. Pieper has a good corrective about that notion.

"Let us learn more and more to look upon the Lutheran Church with the right kind of spiritual eyes: it is the most beautiful and glorious Church; for it is adorned with God's pure Word. This adornment is so precious, that even though an orthodox congregation were to consist of very poor people ­let us say nothing but woodchoppers - and met in a barn (as the Lord Christ also lay here on earth in a barn, on hay and straw), every Christian should much, much rather prefer to affiliate himself with this outwardly so insignificant congregation, rather than with a heterodox congregation, even if its members were all bank presidents and assembled in a church built of pure marble. Let us be sure that our flesh, and the talk of others does not darken the glory of the orthodox Church, or crowd it out of our sight." Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 47.