Four Million Views on Ichabod the Glory Has Departed. Now Averaging Almost One Million Views Per Year

The Lindsay Lohan endorsement increased 
Fox Valley WELS views by 11%.

Pageviews today

990

Pageviews yesterday

2,030

Pageviews last month

75,318

Pageviews all time history

4,000,406

Total Posts  -                                      13,285

Ichabod readers have been waiting for the rollover to 4 million views. This is not an exact science, but the trends do show what readers are following. 

Several Fox Valley WELS scandals pushed the monthly views to over 100,000, but The Donald fixed that by making Doebler a seminary professor and sneaking Ski into Texas. The Jeske-Patterson Crime Family protects its own.

My prediction - Ski's mission will fold, even if they have live bunnies to pet every Easter. No, not that kind. Patterson and Doebler have proclaimed the resurrection of Christ by promoting live bunnies to pet on that holiest of days. When Ski's mission is about to fold, The CORE will magically call him back to Appleton.

DP Don Patterson welcomes everything except Lutheran doctrine.

Favorite Posts - Last 30 Days

WELS New Ulm Pastor Arrested on Prostitution Charg... Jul 17, 2015,	2444
Otten Accuses SP Matthew Harrison of Sexual Harass... Aug 2, 2015,	1510
Dr. Lito Cruz Asked That Bethany Add a PayPal Acco... Jul 5, 2011,	1158
The Holy Spirit Teaches Man Better Than Books May 23, 2012,	634
Time To Plant a Stump and More Rudbeckia. Benefici... Jul 17, 2015,	507
LCMS SP Matt Harrison's Story from Christian News ... Aug 4, 2015,	319
WELS Pastor's Arrest Leads Views for the Month Jul 20, 2015,	255
Burning Down the House - Strangely Lacking in Deta... Aug 2, 2015,	254
Boredom Mounts as the WELS Convention Approaches Jul 25, 2015,	237
New Food, New Bird Calls in the Creation Garden. W... Jul 18, 2015,	215

Using the logic of WELS, shouldn't James Tiefel
be traveling all over to speak on the evils of demon rum -
while handling the cash bar at worship events?

Martin Luther College graduate poses- on the far left.

All Time Favorite Posts

The Holy Spirit Teaches Man Better Than Books May 23, 2012,	103143
Rev. A. Nony Mouse Hates These Sayings. But Loves ... Oct 3, 2007,	22058
Dr. Lito Cruz Asked That Bethany Add a PayPal Acco... Jul 5, 2011,	10497
48 Detroit parishes may close, including famed Ass... Dec 1, 2011,	8931
Churchmouse Campanologist | Ringing the bells for ... Mar 14, 2013,	6593
All Time Favorite Posts - Since New Stats Began - ... Sep 23, 2010,	5176
The Pileated Woodpecker Sighted Again Apr 9, 2012,	3926
Project Gutenberg - Apology of the Augsburg Confes... May 14, 2012,	3539
The Donkey Poem, Reprise Apr 17, 2011,	3245
Donald McGavran, Theologian of the Synodical Confe... Oct 18, 2007,	2996

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I predicted the demise of Paul McCain's Catholic plagiarism blog, Cyberbrethren, before it happened.
Some Lutherans are gone but not forgotten; McCain is forgotten but not gone. Now his boss is facing re-election and quashing discussion of the alleged $1 million lawsuit.

McCain's former host for his blog promotions, LutherQuest (sic), finally noticed the Harrison lawsuit story and used my graphics, but failed to give due credit. I am hurt.

Glende's juvenile delinquents tried a number of times to keep a blog going, under several names. Their repeated violations of the law doubtless encouraged a shutdown of their scatological fantasies and pretensions of scholarship. Their best post denounced Inuitu Fidei - the Faith of Eskimo.

WELS - do not let someone use Latin in publicwhen he majored in partying and bullying.

The overall theme of this blog is comparing the efficacy of the Word, as taught in the Scriptures, with evil fruit of corrupt doctrine and unfaith.

Naturally, that means comparing justification by faith with Halle University's UOJ.

It also includes Creation gardening, evidence of design from the beginning of time - Genesis 1 and John 1.

Apostasy is an issue in all denominations, and the Church of Rome is leading the way in undermining its own.

I do not have to look for scandals. They are emailed to me all the time, by various sources.

Alec Satin Quoting WELS Documented

Alec Satin

A recent post at WELS Documented underscores the frustration young Christians are having with church. Baby boomers deliver lightweight teaching, contemporary music and downplayed theology. The Millennials are responding with their feet, with 50 percent or more of church-raised Christians leaving by age 23¹. While some boomers are determined to remake church according to a business model, evidence continues to show the failure of this model. Millennial Christians want something radically conservative: reverent liturgy with clear, meaty and Biblical teaching. Just what you might expect to find in a truly Confessional Lutheran Church following a quia² subscription to the Lutheran Confessions, but seldom do.

From WELS documented:

Young people today have been marketed to all their lives, and they can see past gimmicks and tricks. They don’t need church to pretend to be something it’s not – an entertainment venue, a relationship course, a nightclub. They find it refreshing to enter a building which openly proclaims itself as a worship space, to take part in ceremonies and rhythms which unashamedly focus on worship. They’ve swapped the salesman’s pitch for simple sacraments.

In an era of continuous rapid change, young people are seeking to feel grounded and connected to their past. In the midst of chaotic change and technology, there is a strong desire to be rooted and grounded in traditions of the past.

What do Millennials want to learn at a Confessional Lutheran Convention? The top three items include:

1. Study of the Historical Lutheran Liturgy
2. Study the Book of Concord
3. Confessional Lutheran Meets Today’s Social Issues

Millennials are leaving churches in droves; why don’t we give them what they want?

1/3 of American adults under 30 state they have no religious affiliation and 88% of the religiously unaffiliated say they’re not looking for a religion that is right for them.

Millennials Want It: The Demand for a Confessional Lutheran Convention challenges many American Christian sacred cows. What do you think? Are you willing to go back to the old content-filled hymns for the sake of the next generation? Would you nudge your pastor to do expository³ preaching for a change?

Can you admit that what much of the church in America is doing is not working? Is it really someone else’s fault that so many of our kids leave and never come back?

Image credit WELS Documented.

Nothing is quite so galling as having a "friend"
defend Paul Calvin Kelm for "listening to the Confessionals."
Kelm is a known apostate, anti-Lutheran,
yet propped up by each Synod President,
including Mark Schroeder.
But teach justification by faith -
they will extend the Left Foot of Fellowship.

Lantana Bandana Plantanda - Translated - The Lantana Must Be Planted

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg founded the Pennsylvania Ministerium,
hence the General Synod wing of ELCA.
His motto was Ecclesia Plantanda - The Church Must Be Planted.

His church - no praise band in the chancel.

The variety I planted was named Latana Bandana.

Rescue plants from the clearance table at Walmart or Lowe's must be planted. Here are the steps I take:

• Late summer digging is difficult to impossible, so I soak the lawn with the sprinkler for an hour or two the day before.
• My experience with soaking bare-root roses in rainwater suggests the same is good for most potted plants. If they cannot be immersed in rainwater, then they can be rehydrated in the stored water of a kiddie pool - at least an hour.
• Mrs. Ichabod pointed out the Walmart kiddie pools being sold out in the $3.50 category. I said, "That is where I got my third one, great for soaking plants and mulch." She said, "You have three now?" Two are for the creatures, one is for gardening.
• I thought about a good place for the Lantana on the night I soaked the lawn. "They can grow in front of the rustic fence, between the two Elderberries." Then I fell asleep.
• Digging was quite easy - soft soil, earthworms, no tree roots.
• Each pot was quite root-bound, but the Lantana still looked fairly good, and insects were already drawn to it - either moths or small butterflies.
• After all of the Lantana were planted, I gave each one a long soak from the hose, which settles loose soil and gives the roots something to grow into.
• Mr. Gardener gave me more newspapers for mulching, so I soaked them in the kiddie pool overnight for the mulch layer. Wet newsprint is easy to use and resists blowing around.
• I want the lawn to turn into compost around the Lantana, so I will use wet newspapers and peat compost to form a blanket around the plants, over the soil.

The rustic fence, created from our dead tree remains, will make a good area for butterfly plants.

The sunflower is a full service gas station,
with lots of extra nectar (EFN) and pollen for our favorite insects.

Achieving Balance for Beneficial Insects

Walliser supplies many good reasons for balancing the environment in favor of the beneficial bugs, which include insects and spiders. Birds and toads are also extremely useful for gardeners.

The good insects need pests to eat or to feed their young, so we should avoid all insecticides in favor of letting the design of Creation take over, the beneficial insects coming to the aid of wounded plants.

However, the beneficial bugs do not just feast on pests, so other food sources are necessary to reduce their commute from home base to the dinner table.

A constant supply of nectar and pollen--from flowers, weeds, and herbs--will provide food for insects not engaged in devouring pests or each other. Many of our favorite beneficial bugs are just as likely to dine on each other as they are to get rid of pests - yea even ladybugs and praying mantids. Those mantids look so pious as they fold their little green hands, but they begin life by devouring their siblings as they emerge from the egg case.

Here is a list to consider, to help the beneficial creatures do the work for us:

• Avoid all toxins, because they cause massive killing of good bugs along with a few bad ones.
• Keep a wild area where constantly blooming plants will supply nectar and pollen - pigweed, borage, goosefoot, comfrey, sunflowers, feverfew, buckwheat, goldenrod, etc.
• The wild area is also a good refuge for beetles, which love leaf litter as their base for nightly feeds.
• Autumn leaves on the ground will be a place where beneficial bugs overwinter or leave their young, so do not be so eager to bag or burn leaves. They are nurseries for next year's bug soldiers. So many people destroy the barracks where their hardest workers are being raised and trained to carry on the battle against pests.
• Leave shallow pans under or near water sources, so the toads have a place to hydrate. My baby toad population tells me I have a popular garden for their work.
• Plenty of water sources are good for the birds too, and that is their biggest need year around. I like kiddie pools for their baths and drinking, and I plan to heat one pool this winter. Don't judge me!
• Insects and birds like berries, so berry plants are going to nurture a lot of life. Sometimes the creatures share with us. If not, use nets over the plants.
• Stinging insects are all beneficial, and they seldom hurt humans. I actually got one sting this summer, not sure the source. It hurt a few minutes and itched a couple of days. I would never bring down a nest, as long as the insects are staying outside.
• Mud and manure are handy for birds and butterflies. Birds build with it and butterfly males need the sodium.

Where did the butterflies go? Where did the gardeners go!

Butterflies will show up where they have food, shelter, and an absence of insecticides. My neighbor sprayed for mosquitoes several times. That was a great way to get rid of all flying insects - except mosquitoes. They came back in force and my neighbor was out of pocket for the experiment.

By Norma Boeckler

WELS "Becoming More Confessional" According to Mark Schroeder. Maybe He Meant "More Missional" with Mission Work with ELCA And Rome

Area students help on mission trip

http://www.wdtimes.com/news/article_b6d4598e-4047-11e5-bafb-0bb1f468f9ee.html

WATERLOO -- During the week of June 22, 18 local students and three chaperones embarked on a mission trip to Mingo County, West Virginia. The event, organized by St. Paul's Lutheran Church, ELCA, was the largest trip the congregation had sent students on and contained a variety of individuals. Students from St. Paul's, St. John's Lutheran Church, WELS and Holy Family Roman Catholic Parish all of Waterloo and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, ELCA of Marshall participated.

The trip was the farthest traveled since the program began in 2010 with the participants spending a night in Columbus, Ohio on the way down and Champaign, Ill. on the way home.

While in West Virginia missionary work included: cleaning, painting, putting up siding and sharing meals with the families the group was serving. Students and chaperones also visited a local nursing home and worked with children at a kid's club, along with spending a couple of evenings learning about the mining wars of the 1920s and line dancing.

"It was great to see the youth working together and interacting with local residents. They really built a relationship with them throughout the time we were there. The youth expressed how much their eyes were opened through their experiences with the community in Williamson, W.V.," said chaperone Laura Crave.

"We worked with Zelma on painting her porch and cleaned her yard. She was 93 years old and loved to tell stories about her long life," said Austin Weber. "The members of St. Paul's have been generous in supporting our youth mission trips since 2010.

Support for the youth mission trips has been raised through individual donations, fundraisers within the congregation and fundraisers in the community. This year, the youth from St. Paul's invited several friends from other community congregations to join them, creating an extensive community outreach," said Rev. Robb Kosky.

YouthWorks, a group that organizes Mission Trips, including St. Paul's, generally charges between $250-$300 per person. St. Paul's has always paid for the adult chaperones from fundraising and families pay a deposit for each student. The other primary expense is transportation. This year there were some additional costs related to the distance traveled and the cost for the 2015 Mission Trip was approximately $9,200 or $512 per student. The trip could not have been made without the generous support of the congregation.

Individuals attending were chaperones; Arlene Schemm, St. Paul's; Crave, St. Paul's; Kosky, St. Paul's; Students: Logan Braunschweig, St. Paul's; Dawson Cole, St. Paul's; Lexi Duessler, St. Paul's; Tristin Duessler, St. Paul's; Brianna Farwell, St. Paul's; Laura Farwell, St. Paul's; Tyler Hargarten, St. John's; Cassandra Hollatz, St. Paul's; Christie Hollatz, St. Paul's; Cassidy Mattson, St. Paul's; Peter Miller, Holy Family; Bailey Stone, Holy Trinity; Hannah Stone, Holy Trinity; Morgan Stone, Holy Trinity; Wes Swarztrauber, Holy Family; Karley Tesmer, Holy Family; Austin Weber, St. Paul's; Cole Weber, St. Paul's.

Each WELS Synod Presdient is worse than the one before,
because the laity and clergy will accept anything.

That Yellow Jacket Sold Me on Lantana at Lowe's

Southern_Yellowjacket_Queen_(Vespula_squamosa)

The blueberry canes, fading in the heat, reminded me to mulch them heavily, so I went to Lowe's. Today was cool with a false promise of rain, so my ambition was greater than the previous day when everyone felt like they were starring in a B movie about the Deep South, unable to move from the heat and humidity.

Our helper came over to finish the lawn, so he mulched with cyprus that I picked up at Lowe's.  He took home some fresh sweet corn. I apologized for the small size, but he was happy to take some  corn home and try it.

When I harvest corn to take inside, I strip the ears outside to see how the ear has developed. Some are always inadequate to take in, so I clean them up and put them on the bird feeder where the young squirrels start their day. They must watch me from the trees, because they appear on the platform, wildly swinging, as soon as I come indoors. They sit to eat seeds, but they grab the corn and disappear with it. Yesterday I heard a thump as the squirrel landed on the swinging platform and left with his prize corn.

I decided to look at the Lantana on clearance, since the plants were about $2. I was thinking about getting five at once when a yellow jacket buzzed one flower. The insect convinced me to get all five.

Lantana berries travel, thanks to birds enjoying them.

OK - haters. Everyone wants to diss spiders, bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. I was at the dermatologist and he expressed surprise that wasps and hornets were beneficial. We talked a little about good bugs eliminating bad ones since I had the Walliser book along for reading - Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden.

Walliser's initial pages were confirmed in my experience with aphids on the roses. The beneficials arrive a little later, if given time and a toxin free area where to work. The Pope John Paul II white roses and - sob - the Peace roses were destroyed by aphids on the first round of blooming. On the second bloom cycle they were almost completely free of damage.

The yellow jacket was hovering around the Lantana blooms. I picked up the tray anyway, to take it to the cash register inside. A phobic person would start jumping around, waving arms, and shouting, great way to get stung. Once again, I had no trouble.

Lantana is known to attract butterflies
and can be a perennial in the South.

Flowers are that much more fun because of the insect action on and around them. I once saw Mountain Mint in DC and thought, "I have to own some." Reading this reminded me of that vow, from about 30 years ago.

But my favorite of the mountain mints is Pycnanthemum muticum (short-toothed, clustered, or big leaf mountain mint). The leaves of this plant are an inch (2.5 cm) or so across; surrounding each cluster of pinkish white flowers are showy silvery bracts. Visitors to my garden ask about this plant more than any other. Every summer it is swarming with bees, butterflies, parasitic wasps, and beetles and flies of all sorts. At night I often find lacewings and moths drinking from its flowers. All mountain mints thrive in full to partial sun and average to moist soils. They are notably deer and critter resistant, probably because of their highly fragrant foliage. Another important note about this plant: don’t be turned off by the word mint. Mountain mint does not spread aggressively via underground stolons like members of the genus Mentha. Much like bee balm, it forms a dense stand. That being said, of all the Pycnanthemum species, P. muticum has the greatest tendency to get a little out of hand. It is easy to control, though, by frequently separating the clump with a shovel.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2579-2587). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.

When we were looking at one of the gardens in DC, that is what happened to me. One plant had an air show of insects buzzing around it - that was a mountain mint.

Mountain Mint

Mountainmints are in bloom right now , and they are covered with a spectacular variety of butterflies, bees, wasps, and moths! These beneficial pollinators all graze for nectar contentedly, since these plants provide enough food for everyone simultaneously, and over a long period of time. From morning until evening these plants are alive with the dance of the pollinators.

The bloom period begins in July, and extends at least through August. Like other members of the mint family, these species have clusters of flowers that bloom progressively over a long period of time.

I have learned that local retailers constantly swap out their plant selections, so the bargain tomato or Bee Balm plants may be there for a day or a week and then be gone. On the Net, the same thing is true, but clearance plants are usually sold out at once, due to predatory gardeners.

Rustic Fence - More Planting Zones
Before we had a backyard which was one large area of poorly growing grass with branches hanging down too low to use the area.

First we planted along the entire fence, using soaker hose above and long the fence to water the plants there. We mulched last fall and planted in the spring.

Stretching the parts of the dead tree along a line to form a rustic fence, resting on cardboard to reduce the weeds, we now have a new area for plants. I am thinking that behind the fence would be one type of plant (bargain roses) while the front will be beneficial insect plants. A vine could be trained along the fence too, since Honeysuckle grows well and nurtures many insects too.

The solar lights are already on the fence, partly for safety if someone ventures out at night. The lights charge up all day and twinkle all night, with a bright solar light at each opening.

Rose Harvest
My favorite ongoing harvest - roses. Hot weather and extra watering meant a quick, new blooming cycle.

I grabbed a large vase and began filling it yesterday.

• John Paul II - pure white. Fragrant.
• Peace - yellow turning to pink on the edges.
• Pink Peace - vibrant pink. Fragrant.
• Veterans Honor - pure red. Fragrant.
• Tropicana - coral.
• Bride's Dream - pale pink.
• Double Delight - white, yellow, deep pink. Fragrant.

Mr. Lincoln has one cane 8 feet long. I am waiting to see what sprouts there.

Bride's Dream 

Creating a useful garden environment is enjoyable and educational. Each day I learn something more by reading more material and observing the results of Creation gardening.

Someone wrote back, when I posted about justification by faith on Facebook, "Do you write about anything else?" The answer is both yes and no. There is only one revelation in the Scriptures, starting with Creation by the Word of God - the Logos.

There are not many topics in the Scriptures, but many topics. The Reformers were careful to avoid making the Christian Faith a collection of doctrines - there is only One Doctrine, one Unified Truth.

Creation by the Word is directly related to God's declaration of forgiveness by the Word. Believers are God's new Creation. We are not new Decisions, but new Creations.

Those who comprehend the power of God's Word - calling the universe into being - will also believe in the efficacy of the Gospel - creating and nurturing faith in Christ, the Creating Word. Thus grace is always found in the Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments and nowhere else.

Funny Oops on a Project - My Serious Profile

I finished a project for a university using Google Docs - my first time using it. I finally realized this was my profile picture for all my messages.

This Cannot Be a New NIV Bilble

Creation Book. Tropical Heat Wave - Sweet Corn Harvested by Squirrels

Norma Boeckler designed this cover
for the upcoming book, which I will work on after
Justification by Faith is published.

The plan for the book is to coordinate these areas overlooked in many gardening books:

1. The Doctrine of Creation by the Word - this explains why soil creatures, beneficial bugs, and birds all work together to give us healthy plants without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
2. The Ocean of Life in soil - once we realize what the soil microbes--fungi, bacteria, protozoa--we realize how to feed our plants correctly.
3. Beneficial bugs - the insects and spiders work together to reduce pest damage to almost nothing.
4. Flowers, vegetables, bushes, and roses - we can grow the plants we want without rototilling, hauling loads of materials, and spending vast amounts of money.

Shrink these down, add some insect damage, and remove some rows
where the squirrel feasted - that would be about right.
But delicious and far better than anything at a store.

Sweet corn is ready for eating when the silk turns brown. Squirrels know that. Sometimes they tear down the stalk to get it. They also climb up and chew the ear open and eat half of it.

I have had three small ears myself and harvested three small ones for Mrs. Ichabod. One large fat ear was well eaten on the stalk. The corn stalks and ears are rather thin.

Chris loved the corn, but we agree that is a lot of time and land for a corn crop. That is based on where the sun lands in our yard and how the weather changes here. This summer we had far too much rain at times and now an August without much rain predicted at all.

I pointed out that our bumper crop of Silver Queen in Midland came from a very large hole we dug and filled with pure compost. I began the excavation and some neighborhood boys finished it with Little Ichabod helping out. The fee was cash plus any ice cream treat they wanted at Baskin Robbins, a short walk away. That was when BR had good ice cream. I could not resist buying some for the supervisor, me.

Corn, pumpkins, squash and beans all grew like magic out of that compost. That was a fun experiment. In Midland I had problems with corn smut - but not here.

Instead, I have insect damage from where the silk is on the corn, probably from the corn borer. I can cut the damage out from the affected ears. The squirrel damage is far more impressive. If a squirrel has chewed on an ear, I shuck it and toss it in the feeding area for birds and squirrels to pick clean.

The heat today was oppressive during the day and cooled off at dusk. Sassy and I did our walk around the cul-de-sac.

The blueberry canes looked stricken, so I gave them a long soak. Tomorrow the blackberries will be watered for a good length of time, and I will add layers of mulch around the blueberries. I want pine needles too, but they are one house away and can wait a bit. I figure a pine needle mulch all winter will be good for the berry.

Extra mulch is good treatment for plants during a drought. The more I work with newsprint, the more I see how spongy it is, holding water and giving it up easily to sun and wind. If newspapers are on the bottom layer, wood mulch on top will hold them in place and help keep the moisture in the paper. Earthworms and beneficial fungi like that combination of darkness, moisture, and food.

Where the new roses are on the border of grass and mulch, I add more newspapers and mulch around them to give them a no-compete zone. Grass next to the roses is not good,  because grass roots are heavy and greedy for nitrogen and water. A heavy wood mulch layer will quickly nurture a spider web for the pests to enter, and the bugs are jumpin' and jivin' to upgrade from grass to roses.

The starlings and grackles seemed to have stopped their constant feeding on the suet in the yard, their splashy baths in the community pools. However, the little birds are often at the finch feeder, and the doves are always on the ground getting food.

Beneficial insects like Yellow Coneflower.
The seeds feel like steel daggers.

Many plants are going to seed now, and that provides a lot of bird food in the garden. I was looking at plants on the clearance table at Walmrt, more like a hospice. The coreopsis were $2.95 but a few feet away - fresh coreopsis were $11. That is easily one plant that will revive after digging it in and watering it, but the 106 degree real-feel killed all ambition for more planting.

Leaning over the cone flowers, I was impaled by the seed heads of that strange flower. Cone flowers are going to seed, and coreopsis seem to be always living up to their nickname - tickseed.

Coreopsis is another favorite for beneficial insects.
The seeds look like little ticks, so it is called tickseed.

I was watching a video of a flashmob doing Putting on the Ritz in Moscow. The nature of these events is to pretend one person is acting a bit crazy on his own. Then a few more start and that seems to be casual fun. Soon more join and this is obviously planned. This particular video is the most elaborate I have run into, and it is great fun.

Does this happen by accident? No, it is all carefully planned, designed, and rehearsed. Otherwise it would be total chaos.

And yet people imagine the far more elaborate choreography of the garden is by accident, or developed by very intelligent soil creatures, insects, and plants so they can work together in perfect harmony and benefit one another.

Putin on the Ritz

Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2015. Concerning Spiritual Gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:1-15

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2015

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 376                                        Rock of Ages

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 #657                            Beautiful Savior

Spirit and Word - How God Works in Us

The Communion Hymn # 246                      Holy, Holy, Holy                     

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 #649                                               Jesus Savior Pilot Me

KJV 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

KJV Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

Tenth Sunday After Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Holy Ghost hast revealed unto us the gospel of Thy Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee so to quicken our hearts that we may sincerely receive Thy word, and not make light of it, or hear it without fruit, as did Thy people, the unbelieving Jews, but that we may fear Thee and daily grow in faith in Thy mercy, and finally obtain eternal salvation, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Luther’s Sermon on Luke 19:41-48 - End Times

Spirt and Word - How God Works in Us

KJV 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 

When Paul says "concerning" it is an indication that the congregation has written about this subject and has asked a question. The result here is a three-chapter essay on the Holy Spirit. Today we are dealing with chapter 14 in the Bible study after the Holy Communion service.

The problem in Corinth is no different from today. We are surrounded by paganism, which leads people to blend Christianity with pagan concepts. Here is a good example, which has many branches or threads:

• Asian polytheism teaches about the spirit world working with people to make them prosperous, if they do the right things, like demanding precisely what they want.
• This was copied by a woman who is largely forgotten, except that Norman Vincent Peale plagiarized her book as The Power of Positive Thinking.
• Robert Schuller came up with another version and called it Possibility Thinking, and his first guest speaker was Norman Vincent Peale.
• Schuller had a close association with Fuller Seminary, nearby, and also with Paul Y. Cho, an Assembly of God minister (kicked out for paganism) who taught the Asian concepts in raw form.
• Pat Robertson endorsed Cho's ideas and repeated them, just as Schuller did.
• Another form of this comes from Napoleon Hill. Schuller and several other famous people were given awards for promoting Hill's Satanic and anti-Christian concepts.
• A WELS circuit pastor told me about a meeting where a WELS leader brought a case of Cho books and sold them to the WELS pastors. Evangelism!
• Joel Osteen and Mark Jeske often repeat the prosperity concepts of this occult-pagan philosophy. Many Evangelicals copy it.

One way to translate "Gentiles" is "pagans," because Paul clearly means the non-Christians rather than the non-Jews. John's Gospel uses "the world" in the same sense. Greeks called them "barbarians" because their languages sounded like nonsense.

When Paul mentions idols, that means the Corinthians were largely pagans before conversion. Jews did not worship idols. That is also why the Old Testament was so important in establishing a new mission (not a corner lot on a busy street, as today). They needed the Greek Old Testament to learn the foundation of the Gospel. Naturally, they lead false teachers among the Galatians to say the members had to be practicing Jews to be "real Christians."

 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

This is so clear. We can hear the questions being asked. "Can the Spirit cause someone to say Jesus be cursed?" Paul answers - never, at no time. And he adds, those who confess Christ have the Spirit. Spirit and Word go together. Spirit and faith do together too.

So - do not despise the believer because that person lacks the gift of speaking in tongues. While Paul does not ban speaking in tongues - ecstatic language - he does not elevate it above the others, as so many have tried to do from age to age.

We can see Paul's balanced, sensible approach that helps people mature (1 Corinthians) in their faith. Many aspects of Pentecostalism are also found in African pagan worship today - singing and speaking in tongues, dancing and falling down. There is a fear and denial that the primary mark of Pentecostalism, tongues, is being lost as they become more traditional.

The Acts example of speaking in foreign languages is not the same as ecstatic speech, which Paul is addressing. Greek has more words and more precise words than we do.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

A variety of gifts is Paul's way of uniting the work of the Spirit. This always begins with the Word of God and is guided by the Word of God. When people separate the Spirit from the Word, Lutherans call it Enthusiasm, which defines any false teaching or philosophy.

For instance, when the Pope says something is true because he is the Pope, that is Enthusiasm, not rooted in the Word, not even mentioned by the Scriptures.

So also, the little popes are Enthusiasts when they declare something without the Word, against the Word. The little popes appear in every denomination and the temptation is there is every parson. One aspect is legalism, inventing laws. Another is Antinomianism, declaring there is no Law, everyone is forgiven and saved.

Operations refers to the efficacy of the Word, which means the Word moves people to do God's work in various ways - musics, missions, publishing, teaching, encouraging, etc. How else can one explain those who risk everything and give up all comforts to work in a dangerous, foreign land?

But this does not exalt one faithful life over another. The clergy are not an elite class, far superior in knowledge and virtue, above all laity. That is Rome's position, and it is wrong but easy to adopt.

Many laity understand the Scriptures and the Christian faith better than the clergy because they are taught by the Word alone and not subject to political and economic pressures from the clergy bosses.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 

Every single person has the gift of the Spirit and profits from it. The Spirit is involved in everything a Christian believer does, from believing to listening to teaching with appreciation. From preaching to worship, praying and serving others. Tongues are listed last to show that it is a gift but not the primary one.

If we look at others to divide, then we are not seeing the unity of the Spirit revealing its power in different ways. We can wish characteristics upon ourselves. My parents could not sing, so I inherited that liability. My friend's parents were both gifted singers, so he naturally gravitated toward singing from grade school onwards. The question is how we use those gifts we have. I did not choose to be a writer. I simply cannot stop writing. God put that energy in me and made me a voracious reader as well.

When I teach groups of adults and they talk about their work, I often think, "I can't do that. I won't do that. I would be fired day one," etc. I wonder why people do not see that diversity as another aspect of Creation. Even our birth order determines how we react with each other and find roles that suit us.

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Luther:

39. A peculiarity of the Christian profession, and the chief point of distinction between Christians and the heathen, is their recognition of the fact that workings, offices and gifts are of God, Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. The world does not perceive this truth, though it, too, enjoys the gifts of God. For God remembers all his creatures, though, like swine that enter the trough on all fours with no thought but of eating and rooting therein, not even lifting their eyes, they cannot raise their thoughts to the source of all their good and have not a thought as to whom they should thank for it. He who is not a Christian comes before God in an insensible and beastly attitude. The world is but a pen of animals indifferent to the kingdom of God and with no idea of gratitude for his rich beneficence, his gifts for body and soul. The worldly seek only their husks and their troughs. To these they cleave like fattening swine intended for slaughter.

Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 12:3) says concerning the ungodly, who with great satisfaction persecute the righteous: “Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.”

40. God gives the ungodly mighty kingdoms, riches, lands and houses, making them to enjoy greatness and abundance. But when the swine are fed and fat, the question of bacon and sausage introduces a struggle. A slaughterer — a sausage-maker — appears, perchance, to slaughter the swine in their sty; one comes desolating the country, overthrowing the kingdom, destroying people and all; for, desiring to be but swine, the people must be destroyed like swine. Even though the world have personal knowledge of such punishment, it continues its course so long as possible — until the slaughterer comes. Swine remain swine; they are capable of standing ever unmoved by their trough, one perfectly indifferent if another be struck dead before its eyes. Christians Recognize the Divine Source of Their Gifts.

41. Christians, however, though obliged to live among swine and to be at times trampled under foot and rooted about, have nevertheless surpassing glory; for they can look up and intelligently behold their Lord and his gifts.

They are not of the pen of swine intended only for slaughter; they know themselves children of God, adorned by him with gifts and graces not merely temporal. They are conscious that, having given them body and life — for these they realize are not of their own obtaining — he will also supply their further needs, providing for them forever.