Thoughts for Celebrating the Lutheran Reformation

The Means of Grace Chapter – Isaiah 55
Verses 1-5, Repentance for the Gentiles


KJV Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

When a Lutheran pastor was installed in Toledo, Ohio, the circuit pastor recited all of Isaiah 55 during the laying on of hands, introducing the passage as “the Means of Grace chapter.” No other passage in the Old Testament so clearly defines the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion than does Isaiah 55. Verses 8-10 are often cited in support of the efficacy of the Word, but the verses have even greater clarity when read in the context of the entire chapter. The first section (verses 1-5) addresses the Gentiles, while the second part is directed at Israel.


Verse 1


The interjection in verse 1 could be translated “Alas!” rather than “Ho!” The Hebrew interjection (yAh) is used consistently in the sense of a warning (1 Kings 13:30; Isaiah 45:10).[1] Those who are thirsty are invited to the water. Not the hungry, but the poor, those without silver are invited to buy and to eat, reminding us that the Gospel is free. The Law, delivered with all the force of God’s own prophet, has been taught in all of its severity. The Law of God affects us by making us thirsty for righteousness and eager for the comfort of forgiveness. Both the water and food are used in the spiritual sense. The meaning is lost if we think the prophet is predicting material blessings. The first verse suggests both the water of Baptism and the food of Holy Communion.

The Scriptures are filled with references to water that is not literal water and food that is not literal food.[2] The Samaritan woman at the well, John 4:1-42, at first wanted miraculous water to spare her the labor of drawing from the well. Jesus identified her sin, striking her down with the Law, but afterwards taught her that He was indeed the promised Messiah. She believed in Him and immediately told her friends, who also believed, not only because of her proclaiming the Gospel but also because of Jesus Himself teaching them. In another example, Jesus taught the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14), where the dinner represents the invitation of our gracious heavenly Father to enter His Kingdom, dressed in the robes of the righteousness of Christ.[3]

Verse two supports the sense of the first verse by asking why anyone would count their silver for non-bread and labor for something not satisfying. The question creates a contrast between God’s gracious invitation—to buy without money—and the normal human condition of working hard for material goods of no eternal value. In the Scriptures and the Confessions, truth is emphasized by combining a positive statement with a negative. The value of this method is shown by false teachers who will say, like the Mormons, that they believe in the Trinity. The Mormons will never say, “We renounce the concept of three separate gods.” In fact, when I said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God,” two Mormon missionaries became angry, although they had just claimed that the Book of Mormon never contradicted the Bible.[4] The apostle Peter preached using this confessional form:

KJV Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

He not only stated that Christ is the cornerstone of salvation, but also denied that there is salvation apart from Christ.[5]

Verses 3-5

The only answer for the individual’s hunger and thirst is to listen carefully to God’s appointed prophet. Here we have the method stipulated by God to nourish the soul, the external or spoken Word. Through the Word we eat, that is, receive what is good, and also delight in its blessings.

Verses 3-5 are an invitation followed by three Gospel promises:

1) By listening to the Word, our souls will revive.

2) God will make an everlasting covenant of mercy.

3) Multitudes from outside of Israel will become believers because of the Christ.

The remarkable sense of time in the Scriptures can be seen in the abrupt transition between the past (the sure mercies of David), the Messianic promise (I have given Him for a witness to the people), and a direct address to the Messiah (Behold, thou shalt call a nation). In the passage under consideration, past, present, and future are folded together and unfolded, according to God’s purpose. The majority of Christians today are from the Gentiles, thus fulfilling the promise offered in this section, that “a people will run to You that You did not know.”

Verses 6-13, Repentance for Israel

KJV Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

The Means of Grace chapter is both a call for repentance and the promise of mercy through Christ. Knowing our frail nature, our fear of condemnation, our easy descent into despair when faced with the Law, God assures us of His readiness to forgive. Many Lutheran churches use this Lenten sentence after the appointed Epistle: “Return to the Lord, Your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”[6] He warns and promises: “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” It is not too late for Israel.

J-201
"That opportunity is given and remains only so long as the Lord lets Himself be found, so long as He is near. That opportunity is there whenever and so long as the Lord calls, 50:2; 65:12; 66:4. Cf. John 12:35; 2 Corinthians 6:2. His voice, His call, His inviting word alone has the power to convert. Where that voice no longer is heard, there is no more opportunity to come to grace."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1979, p. 487.

God calls upon the wicked in verse seven to abandon his evil ways and his evil thoughts, since one cannot be separated from another. When the contrite sinner approaches the throne of grace, God abundantly pardons, not because of the sorrow of the sinner, but because of the atoning death of Christ. Man’s nature is sinful and rebellious, turning away from God even when he knows that God commands what is good. No equation can be found in this verse. Man sins but God offers His Son as the sole foundation for forgiveness and eternal life. Isaiah portrays contrition not as feeling bad, but as no longer thinking and doing evil. The humble sinner returns to the Lord, to the Means of Grace, knowing that “He will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon.”

The deeds and thoughts of the evil man are contrasted sharply with the deeds and thoughts of God in verse 8. The gulf between evil man and the gracious Heavenly Father is revealed in the greatest possible contrast. The unreachable distance between the earth and the sky illustrates how far sinful man is below God (verse 9). Man’s thoughts and deeds lead to destruction and death, while God’s thoughts and works lead to blessings and eternal life. No one can argue from this verse or any other passage in Scripture that man contributes to his salvation or to another person’s by man-made skills, thoughts, decisions, methods, or long-range plans.

Efficacy of the Word in Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,

and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,

and maketh it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the

sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:

it shall not return unto me void,

but it shall accomplish that which I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.


The image from God’s Creation, in verses 10 and 11, reveals the power of God’s Word, especially for those who have gardens and farms.


J-202
(1) "Thy word, O Lord, like gentle dews, Falls soft on hearts that pine;

Lord, to thy garden never refuse This heavenly balm of thine.

Watered by thee, let every tree Then blossom to thy praise,

By grace of thine bear fruit divine Through all the coming days.



(2) Thy word is like a flaming sword, A wedge that cleaveth stone;

Keen as a fire, so burns thy word, And pierceth flesh and bone.

Let it go forth over all the earth To cleanse our hearts within, To show thy

power in Satan's hour, And break the might of sin." (Garve, 1763-1841)

Carl Bernhard Garve, "Thy Word, O Lord, Like Gentle Dews," Service Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #254.

The rain and snow come down from heaven, just as the Word descends to us. No one with any knowledge of plants would argue that snow and rain fall without effect. The effect is unmistakable and inevitable. The Word condemns sin and unbelief, brings about contrition in the heart of the sinner, and showers comfort and peace upon those who believe in the Gospel of salvation. The Word also damns unbelief and hardens the hearts of those who persistently reject the Gospel freely offered.

J-203
“The word does not return to God in vain, but rather accomplishes what He has desired and succeeds in that for which He has sent it. What is stressed is the utter efficaciousness of God’s word to accomplish the purpose for which He has sent it forth. In this particular context the element of blessing seems to predominate (cf. vv. 1-6); but the thought is not thus limited. Just as the word is efficacious for the salvation of believers, so also is it abundantly efficacious for condemning the wicked. ‘The word which I have spoken, that shall judge him at the last day’ (John 12:48; cf. also Jeremiah 23:29ff.; Romans 1:16).”
Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 3 vols., Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972, III, p. 384.[7]

No one can dispute the divine attributes of the Word from this passage. The Word is never without these attributes. The Holy Spirit is bound to the Word by every aspect of the description of its ministry.

The Word comes from the mouth of God, that is, from the Holy Spirit. The Word comes exclusively from God, not partially from God and partially from man. The description is three-fold, which we usually find in the work of the Holy Trinity:

A. The Word never returns empty. Man’s words often accomplish nothing, but God’s Word is incapable of failure.

B. The Word will accomplish what God pleases.

C. The Word prospers God’s intended goal.


J-204
"Rain and snow, too, are God's, and it is He who sends them forth from His abode. They are His messengers, do His will and carry out His commands, and only because of His will do they have their wholesome effect. Just so does His Word go forth from His mouth as His herald, fulfilling the mission assigned to it by God. That mission is defined in verse 12. It is impossible that the Word should not fulfill its mission, for it is His creative, commanding Word, alive with His power. It is the Almighty God Himself in action, even as He performs His will in the rain and the snow. Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12f.; Jeremiah 23:29ff."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1979, p. 489.

The unique value of rain can be seen with special clarity when compared to man’s best effort to imitate God’s creation. Gardeners and farmers know that nothing can replace rain for making the soil productive. During a drought they will water or irrigate. One farmer expressed the limitations of artificial rain in a few words, “You can keep your plants from dying, but you can’t make them grow.” City water lacks the dissolved nitrogen of rainwater to green up plants. When a drought threatens the life of manicured lawns, we see sprinklers pouring water on brown, lifeless grass. The soil may be soaked, but the grass still looks dead. The chlorine added to public water systems tends to retard plant growth as well, so gardeners will keep a barrel of rainwater for their favorite roses. Farmers irrigate during a drought with some reluctance. They know that irrigation can slowly destroy the soil by adding too many minerals from the groundwater. Suddenly, after a windless day of deadly heat and humidity, a long, soaking rain breaks the drought and turns every lawn green, every farm productive, showing us once again the difference between man’s rain and God’s rain, man’s technology and God’s Creation, man’s wisdom from below and God’s wisdom from above.

We attended the installation of a pastor on a summer evening described above. I told my wife Chris and son Martin to expect thunder and lightening during the sermon by Bethany Seminary president Wilhelm Peterson. The heat and humidity built up during the service in the rural parish. President Peterson began preaching when the storm broke, punctuated first by soft distant thunder, later by overhead booms and crashes. Lightening flashed through the church windows and cool air poured in. Sitting up front with the clergy, I looked across the pews to watch my family enjoying my prophecy fulfilled. Afterwards, a retired pastor’s wife said, “That was a million dollar rain,” referring to the end of the drought.

People imagine they understand the value of rain, until they live in the desert. Moving to a desert valley allowed us to realize the Biblical references to the burning heat of the sun, the dangers of thirst and heat prostration.[8] When outside temperatures reach 110-115 degrees, salvation and shade are closely related.

KJV Psalm 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

Snow has special value in preparing the soil for spring. Far from killing life, the snow protects plants and animals by placing a warm, moist, translucent blanket over the earth, acting as a buffer against the drying and freezing winds of winter. Snowflakes interlock and trap air, providing an environmentally sound down blanket. By design, snow has a different composition than rain. When the snow melts, this gives spring plants a boost when needed most. During spring, the melting snow and rain combine to allow incredible growth in the grass, plants, bushes, and trees. However, the vitality of plants would be impossible apart from the foundation of all biological life in the soil.

No civilization has ever grown or even survived without healthy soil and vigorous crops. In brief, the pyramid of animal life, with man at the top, rests upon the fertility of the soil, which is far more than particles of dirt. The foundation of all plant and animal life includes an army of microscopic organisms, molds, bacteria, springtails, slugs, sowbugs, ants, centipedes, millipedes, bees, earthworms, shrews, moles, voles, chipmunks, and rabbits, to name only a few. All exist in perfect balance, eating and being eaten, breaking down and building up. All of the life forms need water. When rain and snow no longer come down, the microscopic creatures die and starve the next higher order of animals. Animal bodies and dung stop feeding the soil through the creatures who recycle organic material. Earthworms diminish and the soil loses its tilth or substance. Plant roots no longer hold the soil in place. The remorseless winds blow the finest particles of topsoil away, leaving the larger particles of sand in place. The desert is born from a lack of rain and snow.[9]

When plants germinate, they are so fragile that a lack of water for one day can wipe out most of the crop. Like babies, they are vigorous in growth but demanding of nutrition. Again, when plants are ready to fruit, more water is needed for their burst of productivity. Many people have seen the dried and lifeless buds that fall off the plant from lack of moisture. If rain does not fall during the crucial time of budding, the entire crop will be reduced or fail.

KJV Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

KJV James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Just as the Creator provides the rain to germinate and produce the crop, so God gives us His Word to kindle faith in our hearts, to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and to gather us into His eternal habitations. The Word of God continuously provides blessings in the life of believers as long as they avail themselves of the Means of Grace. Those who cut themselves off from the Word by refusing to worship or study, dry up spiritually, just as plants wither and die in the desert from lack of rain.

We have the technology to understand the cycle of water described by the prophet in verse ten. Rain and snow come down from heaven but also return in the form of water vapor. It is a closed system. The weather systems are so vast, complicated, and unified that a change in the water temperature in the Pacific can severely affect the weather for half the globe in a phenomenon known as El Nino. The energy involved is also a closed system, so that heat in the water is translated into storms that dissipate the heat. The procession of the Word from God’s Mouth is portrayed by Isaiah as a closed system. It goes out and comes back, accomplishing His purpose. Franz Delitzsch wrote: “The return of the word to God also presupposes its divine nature.”[10] God’s Word never becomes man’s word, never loses its energy.[11]

seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.

Traditional farmers sowed in tears (Psalm 126:5) because they set aside some of their food as seed to provide crops for the new year. If drought, hail, or an untimely frost ruined the crop, their food was gone, rotted in the soil. God provides abundance so that the crop yields enough to feed the family, give some as a thank-offering, and save some seed for the new year. The Word of God not only produces believers but also new pastors and teachers to proclaim the Gospel. When the Gospel is persecuted, even more sowers of the seed are produced to replace those who are martyred.

J-205
"But if ordination be understood as applying to the ministry of the Word, we are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God's command and glorious promises. Romans 1:16 The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Likewise, Isaiah 55:11: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please...And it is of advantage, so far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the Word with every kind of praise against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy Ghost is given not through the Word, but because of certain preparations of their own...."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XIII (VII), #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 311. Tappert, p. 212. Heiser, p. 95.

Tertullian is often quoted as saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The Word is preached with tears, with many afflictions falling upon the faithful, yet we reap with joy, seeing the harvest God alone can provide.

KJV Psalm 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy

Bread is a staple of diets throughout the world, thanks to the ease in which grain can be converted into flour, then into sourdough bread, which is convenient to store and carry as well as being satisfying to eat. Although God provides more than enough to eat, in spite of our anxieties, He shows the greatest concern for our souls, a gracious Heavenly Father.

KJV Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.[12]

The Word of God is bread, feeding the soul and satisfying our hunger for righteousness, a hunger caused by the Law but satisfied only by the Gospel. Christ is our bread from heaven.

will not return void.

The adverb “void” is used 15 times in the Old Testament to express not only literal emptiness, (Jeremiah 14:3), but also symbolic emptiness, appearing before the Lord empty-handed (Exodus 34:20), being sent away by God empty-handed (Genesis 31:42) or going to war in vain (Jeremiah 50:9). The double-negative (not return void) expresses a positive, explained by two additional states.

1) Exodus 34:20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

2) Ruth 3:17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.

3) 2 Samuel 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

shall accomplish

The verb “to accomplish” is very common in the Old Testament, used 531 times. One example is the fruit tree yielding fruit in Genesis 1:11. The verb is used many times to express God’s Creation: Genesis 1:31, 2:2, 3:1, 5:1, 6:6.

1) Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

2) Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

3) Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.

that which I please

The verb is relatively rare, used 13 times in the Old Testament, both to express man’s delight in serving God, and also God’s delight in caring for man.

1) Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

2) Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

3) Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

4) Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

and prosper the thing

The verb for prosper is used 7 times in the Old Testament in two senses. First, God blesses human efforts with His divine power. King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:21) served God with his whole heart and prospered because he sought to live in harmony with God’s will. The Son of God teaches us in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The second use of prosper reminds us of the energia-energeo word-group, for the Anti-Christ will also prosper. In Daniel 8 the prophecy concerns Antiochus Epiphanes (Epiphanes=God manifest), the future king whose evil would prompt the Maccabean revolt. He is considered a type of the Antichrist because he used his power to try to destroy the true worship of Israel. His success foreshadows the success of the Antichrist, Daniel 11:36, as seen in the power, scope, and prestige of the papacy. The delusion of the Last Days is manifested in the overwhelming support of liberal Lutherans to submit to Rome on the doctrine of justification by faith. The prosperity accomplished by God will last, but the success of His opponents is only a temporary mirage to “scatter the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:51)

1) Genesis 24:40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:

2) 2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

3) Isaiah 48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

4) Daniel 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

5) Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

6) Daniel 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

which he sent

The verb is quite common. The question is whether God has or has not done the sending.[13]

1) Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

2) Jeremiah 29:31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

3) Ezekiel 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

4)

Results of the Means of Grace, Isaiah 55:12-13
KJV Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Delitzsch states: “The true point of comparison, however, is the energy with which the word is realized. Assuredly and irresistibly will the word of redemption be fulfilled.”[14] Three manifestations of salvation are given in verse 12:

1) God’s Word replaces fear with joy, turmoil with peace. God is the vanguard and rearguard of the faithful (Isaiah 52:12).

2) All of God’s Creation rejoices in man’s salvation through Christ, for “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).” How can the Creation remain silent when the Creator is at work?

Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

3) Nothing can be silent when God is accomplishing His will:

Psalm 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together 9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

A New Testament passage sheds light on this concept. Evil men demanded a stop to the demonstration around Jesus when He entered Jerusalem as the Messiah:

Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Although the invisible church of sincere believers seems to be driven into the dust at this time, oppressed by massive indifference, persecuted more from within than from without, a moment will come when no one will debate the truth. No one will be silent.

Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

A believer hears the chorus of birds in their living choir-loft. He feels the wind as it stirs through the branches of the trees, sounding like the soft deep voices of a vast pipe organ. He cannot keep from singing to himself:

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation,

Son of God and Son of Man!

Truly I’d love Thee, Truly I’d serve Thee,

Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

The Lutheran Hymnal, #657, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941,.



Verse 13 might be passed over as poetic license: thorns and briers replaced by fir-trees and myrtle-trees.[15] However, the verse stands out as another effect of the Means of Grace in addition to the peace and joy necessarily following salvation. The additional effect of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament glorifies God through doing good works, not out of obligation, but solely as a result of thankfulness and love toward God and our neighbor. Therefore, the thorns and briers of normal sinfulness, which we encounter every day—even among idealists, activists, and social revolutionaries—are transformed by the Gospel into the fruits of the Spirit. By himself, man produces only the following: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Galatians 5:19-21)…. The Holy Spirit, working through the Word and Sacraments, produces the following: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).

J-206
"What business is it of mine that many do not esteem it? It must be that many are called but few are chosen. For the sake of the good ground that brings forth fruit with patience, the seed must also fall fruitless by the wayside, on the rock and among the thorns; inasmuch as we are assured that the Word of God does not go forth without bearing some fruit, but it always finds also good ground; as Christ says here, some seed of the sower falls also into good ground, and not only by the wayside, among the thorns and on stony ground. For wherever the Gospel goes you will find Christians. 'My Word shall not return unto me void.' Is. 55:11"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 118.

Norm Teigen on the Rolf Preus Defenestration

Norm Teigen:

Friday, October 26, 2007
More news from inside the ELS

I had to dash off to the Mill City Museum this morning before I had really finished my post. I even wrote 'Earl Harvey' when I meant 'Paul' Harvey. (GJ - Ichabod was the first blog to spot the Earl/Paul error.)

I also asked my source yesterday if there was any more fall-out from the Rolf Preus matter. The answer was no. I was asked what my take was on the subject. I said that I had written in my blog that the battle was fought for no good purpose. I said that the ELS had always tolerated the two variant ideas on church and ministry but some eager beavers had wanted the ELS to make a statement on the issue.

I also said that I thought that there were big personality issues involved. I said that I had thought that President Moldstad had come from the yeoman class and that Pastor Preus had come from the lords class, both temporal and spiritual.

My source nodded in agreement with this. He said that the pressure was intense to 'make a stand' and this did not help.

He said that the procedures in place within the Synod itself were probably not adequate to resolve the conflict. I asked if there was some internal movement within the ELS to overcome these past problems and he said that there was.

I had asked President John Moldstad to address these issues when I spoke with him last summer and he said that he would do so. I saw President Moldstad yesterday but did not have a chance to greet him. It would not have been a good time to speak in depth with him since there was a huge crowd at the Vespers service.

***

GJ - Missing in this summary is the list of other pastors kicked out of the ELS by Pope John the Malefactor. Were they lords? Other pastors left with their congregations rather than be given the yeoman Left Foot of Fellowship.

Some in the ELS have always resented the Preus brothers, Jack and Robert. (Remember that Holy Name of Preus comment?) Rolf is the son of Robert and has many sons in training for the ministry, I think.

The Little Sect on the Prairie made it impossible for Rolf to serve his own congregation and impossible for his sons to study at the Seminary-Built-on-a-Bluff. How the ELS can criticize his sons for studying at the satellite campus of Constantinople (Ft. Wayne)? That might be better than Fuller's satellite campuses (Mequon and St. Louis)

An essential part of the ELS/WELS spirit is driving people out of the synod and then criticizing them for "breaking fellowship." The logic of this argument escapes me. All I can say is, "Blessed are they who receive the Left Foot of Fellowship, for they will find the true Church is not confined to the Upper Midwest."

Norm Teigen is a very nice person. I do not see him as petty or mean. I do think the ELS leaders need to read more, get some sunshine, and take off their episcopal rings.

My anonymous source (Hush Puppy) questioned whether I really had Pope John's copy of Preus of Missouri. He said, "It was probably the older Moldstad's copy. Junior is not known for reading." HP was right! The copy belonged to John Moldstad Senior.

At least I didn't call him Earl.

Episcopal Church Suing To Take Away Parish Properties

GJ - Isn't it strange how denominations are so willing to sue congregations so they can grap the property bought by the congregation?

Who Owns Episcopal Church Properties?

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
10/26/2007

It is axiomatic thinking according to liberal and revisionist bishops that parish properties are held in trust for the diocese and the national church. This does not, however, include diocesan properties.

This was reiterated recently by evangelical bishop John W. Howe of Central Florida. This is what he wrote to his parish priests, many of whom are seeking to leave the diocese and The Episcopal Church. "...the Diocese is bound to work within the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church which state that a Parish holds in trust all real and personal property for the benefit of the Diocese and The Episcopal Church. We have a solemn responsibility to protect the interests of the Diocese and the larger church," he wrote.

For the most part, dioceses who have sued orthodox parish priests and vestries to retain the properties have been successful. A number of parishes in the Diocese of California have been more successful because of state laws favoring the local parish. But that is still an open question as these liberal diocesan bishops repeatedly counter-sue in state courts to "recover" the properties that say rightly belong to them even though, in most cases, they did not put a dime into their construction. Most parishes in the U.S. were built by parishioners. If it wasn't for the Dennis Canon they would, in all probability, retain the right of ownership to this day. Furthermore there is a serious question as to whether the Dennis Canon was validly adopted.

San Diego Bishop James R. Mathes in a letter to his diocese wrote this: "As far as property disputes are concerned, I see this as a critical issue of the faith and order of the church. While clearly we hope every parish will be financially self-sustaining through the stewardship of parishioners, it is far from precise to assume that all assets of a parish are the result of parishioner giving. In many cases, the Diocese invested significantly at the front end when the parishes were missions. More importantly, these congregations were begun as Episcopal communities. Every gift given would rightly be assumed to have been given to an Episcopal congregation. As far as our canons are concerned, they do indeed assume a trust relationship--that is, that the property is held in trust for the ministry of the Episcopal Church. That is why the Diocese deeds the property to a newly established parish, because it can rightly assume a perpetual relationship of trust."

The courts differ in how they handle church property disputes and not all courts agree with Bishop Mathes' interpretation. State corporate laws governing property ownership, deeds, and trusts are far from uniform and may be subject to conflicting interpretations.

To keep orthodox bishops from letting orthodox parishes flee with their properties, the national church is pouring huge amounts of money into the law firm of David Booth Beers to see that the dioceses do not weaken and cave into the demands of parishes who may be tempted to fight for their properties.

Because property ownership is in the realm of state corporate law, a few courts years ago began deciding church property disputes according to "neutral principles" while steering clear of doctrinal squabbles. This profoundly bothers the Episcopal Church. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1979 (Jones v. Wolf) not only approved but also encouraged this approach to local church ownership. The Episcopal Church hurried to add the Dennis Canon to its constitution, clearly claiming that property owned by churches is held in trust for TEC.

Times-and the courts-are changing. All this is going to be challenged by whole dioceses that are thinking of fleeing the Episcopal Church.

Mrs. Jefferts Schori, the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, is on record saying that the sale of properties can be sold to another church as long as that church is not associated with other Anglican groups. So it can be sold to say a Methodist or independent evangelical or community church, a restaurant or night club, but not to a fellow Anglican who wishes to remain loyal to the Anglican Way. (It should be noted that the former cathedral in Western Michigan was recently sold to a large evangelical mega church.)

The question that is foremost in the minds of orthodox dioceses who are thinking of leaving the denomination is this: Does the national church have any claim on individual properties of fleeing dioceses?

A departure by a diocese will almost certainly land the two sides in court over the question of whether a diocese can take its institutions, property and endowment with it.

The Peoria-based Diocese of Quincy, which includes 23 churches and missions in west-central Illinois, has long been in disagreement with the church's liberal direction, and may find itself facing this very question. High church Anglo-Catholic Bishop Keith Ackerman has said his primary concern is to uphold the diocesan constitution and keep the Diocese of Quincy in good standing with the worldwide communion in the event that The Episcopal Church is kicked out. His rationale for keeping the properties is to keep his diocese's place in the Anglican Communion.

According to Episcopal Church spokeswoman Neva Rae Fox said a Quincy vote to leave would have to go through the church's General Convention in 2009 in order to be recognized. Dioceses can't leave The Episcopal Church on their own say-so because they were created by the church's General Convention.

"They're dead wrong on that," said Wicks Stephens, legal adviser for the Anglican Communion Network in Pittsburgh, of which the Diocese of Quincy is a part.

"If you read the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church, in order for a diocese to come into union with other dioceses of The Episcopal Church through the General Convention, that diocese has to meet certain standards, including forming itself, becoming financially sustainable and other things, including allegiance to The Episcopal Church."

The Rev. John Spencer, president of Quincy's joint standing committee, agreed with Stephens, saying, "If you actually read the constitution carefully, what it says is the people and the churches and the clergy form a diocese." Dioceses, the vicar of St. Francis Church in Dunlap said, created the General Convention, not the other way around. Plus, according to Quincy chancellor Tad Brenner, the diocesan constitution "specifically gives us the ability to end that association" with TEC.

The diocese most in conflict with the national church as it prepares to exit The Episcopal Church, is the Diocese of Pittsburgh, which has a vociferous and litigious minority of liberal parishes. Two parishes have sued and one is suing the diocese.

The predominantly orthodox diocese is getting ready for that possibility and in pre-convention reports and resolutions raises that very possibility.

The diocese will vote to dis-affiliate and realign with another Anglican province. But first it must vote to amend the Constitution at this Convention, then in a second vote amend the Constitution at their next annual Convention, (tentatively slated for November of 2008) and finally in a third vote at an annual convention to adopt a canon that specifies membership in a province other than TEC.

The whole concept of realignment presupposes that TEC will continue to walk apart and that the Diocese will identify another Province that would accept it into membership, say diocesan leaders.

The diocese maintains that the canons of the Episcopal Church do not assign any authority to the General Convention or to the Presiding Bishop over the Dioceses. In the last General Convention legislation that "directed" a Diocese to do something, was regularly and intentionally changed to "urge" or "request."

There is no National Court that has jurisdiction over a diocese, only a Court for the Trial of a Bishop and Provincial Courts of Review (Clergy Discipline). Attempts at several General Conventions to establish such a Court have been rejected.

In short, the Constitution and Canons are silent on the matter of a Diocese disaffiliating.

The diocese cites the case of nine southern dioceses disaffiliating in 1861. No action was ever taken against them, nor was any legislation ever adopted to block it from happening again. "While we do not sympathize with the cause of those dioceses, the precedent is clear."

The Dennis Canon alone attempts to establish national authority over property held by parishes. It does not appear to give The Episcopal Church any claim over diocesan property. It is a general principle of law that such a trust cannot be established without the consent of those affected.

Three parishes of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, existed prior to the founding of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, as well as before the creation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Bishop Duncan maintains that the passage of Resolution One sets a direction for the diocese, but in fact makes no immediate changes to the status of the diocese, parishes or individuals.

Assuming the passage of Resolution One, it would be in this period that a discussion would be undertaken about which Anglican Province to affiliate with upon dis-affiliation from the Episcopal Church.

It would be in this period that determinations and negotiations would be undertaken as to how the minority (those who disagree with the dis-affiliation) would be charitably and equitably treated, including the hope that they would remain a part of the Diocese and continue to benefit from its resources and mission strategy.

It is also hoped that a mediated settlement in the best interests of all parties will be accomplished.

Some, though sympathetic with the orthodox faith of the majority of the diocese, believe now is not the time for action. Why should the diocese act now to begin this process?

The fight has been draining to all, says Duncan. "Two different trajectories are unmistakably clear. All of us need to get back to the mission as we understand it. Continuing to invest energies in the battle, or in control of one another, is a scandal to the world and odious to our God."

However odious it is to God, you can be sure the odor of dis-affiliation will waft all the way to the church's national headquarters where, it can be assumed, the pencils are being sharpened for legal action against Duncan and the diocese.

Mrs. Jefferts Schori has already threatened Bishop John-David Schofield (San Joaquin) should he attempt to take church properties out of the Episcopal Church, one sees no less a statement and action being enacted against Bishop Robert Duncan.

It is a different ball game when the National Church wants to sue to enforce the Dennis Canon - as distinguished from the diocese suing an individual parish. There are more questions here than answers. The first question is; who can sue on behalf of the national church? Secondly, can the national church really sue anyone? Third, since the trust is on behalf of both the national church and the diocese, what happens if the diocese refuses to join in the lawsuit?

The coming departures of whole dioceses poses a legal minefield for the national church who will need to prove they have a right to all of these properties.

Whichever way it goes the end of the Episcopal Church with fleeing dioceses will come not with a bang but long, drawn out and decidedly unpleasant legal actions.

END

Reformation Sermon

Martin Luther, Professor of the Bible

The Festival of the Reformation

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

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

The Festival of the Reformation

The Hymn #261
The Invocation p. 15
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 Rev. 14:6-7
The Gospel Matthew 11:12-15
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #262
The Sermon

The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace

The Offertory p. 22
The Hymn #269
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 vss. 1-3 #292



The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace

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

This passage from Revelation is appointed for Reformation because Lutheran see it as fulfilled by Martin Luther. In one stained glass window, Luther is an angel with wings, holding the Scriptures in his hands.

All Protestants and many Catholics see the Reformation and Martin Luther as the central figure in rescuing the visible church from centuries of abuse, ignorance, greed, and corruption.

Fall of the Western Roman Empire
A legal system took over the Christian Church in the West. When the last vestiges of the Roman Empire fell away in the 400’s, the Bishop of Rome and his priests became the most important force uniting the old empire. They had a common religion and language. Their territory stretched from England to Italy, into Germany, including all of Spain and France.

Wealth and Power of the Eastern Roman Empire
The eternal city of Rome had a new suburb, far away in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). Constantine built his New Rome to be the new capital of an empire that would be literate, Christian, and Greek-speaking for 1100 years (313-1453). So the Rome of the Middle ages (410-1453) was a broken-down and rather insignificant city. The Bishop of Rome asserted his power and increasingly sought to dominate all other bishops, including the Eastern Orthodox ones. The Bishop of Rome called himself “first among equals” then assumed the role of number one.

God Spoke to the World in Greek and Latin
God chose to speak His Gospel in ordinary (koine) Greek. The Greek of the New Testament is close to the English of newspapers today: simple, basic, not classical. Alexander the Great conquered the known world for the Greek culture (300 BC), so the New Testament was in the language of the world. The Old Testament was also translated into Greek (Septuagint), so the entire cultured world could have possession of the complete Bible. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate (Latin – the common language of the day) completed the process of giving God’s Word to all people.

One of my greatest joys in teaching was showing our son how to read John’s Gospel from the Vulgate. Together we read the entire Gospel in Latin and translated it. The helpers we used were a German Schluessel (key) and Lenski. This led to such Lensi-isms as “Be thou continually brushing thine teeth” and so forth. We repeated the process in Greek with John’s Gospel.

One thing lacking in today’s theology student is total immersion in the Word of God. The Scriptures are unlike any literature, even religious literature, in the world. So much time is spent talking about theories of the Bible today, or worse, synodical opinions voted upon by political assemblies, that most Lutheran ministers ask today:
What has the synod said on this? rather than
What has God spoken?

It would be easy to discuss Luther’s life, his 95 Theses, his later marriage and children, the Diet of Worms, his captre to avoid death, his time at the Wartburg, the Augsburg Confession of 1530. Luther wrote persuasively that sermons about anyone else than Christ are not proper sermons. (Gimmicky congregations like to have a series of Lenten sermons about characters in the Bible. I heard that one WELS pastor dressed as a woman to give one such sermon. Yes, I spoke to the pastor involved. He had nearly-fatal memory failure about the whole incident. At least he/she did not distribute communion!)

Two Basic Errors
God chose Luther as His instrument to free the Medieval Church of its bondage to a corrupt system of salvation through the law. The two focal points for this error were Purgatory and the Virgin Mary. Purgatory came from Plato’s thought, which is rather natural since all the intellectuals of the Medieval Church (like Augustine) knew Plato’s philosophy well. Plato expressed the ancient view of passing through a purging fire after death, to cleanse people for eternal life. Roman Catholics cheerfully admit their Purgatory is from Plato.

One Catholic priest tried to distance himself from Purgatory by saying it was not central to Roman Catholicism, as I portrayed it in Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. His assistant said, “It is not de fide, is it?” (We don’t have to believe it do we?) The senior pastor said, “It is de fide.” (Yes, we must believe it as official doctrine.)

Purgatory is a system of punishments and obligations. Those in Purgatory must suffer for centuries. To reduce their suffering, Masses may be endowed to help them along. Money given is called reparation (repayment) for sins. Family and friends are encouraged to pray for those in Purgatory (to relieve their suffering), to given money, and to pay for Masses. The original meaning of the Suffrages, still used in Lutheran churches, is Prayers for Those Suffering in Purgatory.

Purgatory was well established in the Medieval Church when Luther became a priest, monk, and professor. Part of God’s design was making him a Professor of the Bible as well. Ease and comfort do not make people study the Word of God. Trials and difficulties do. Luther was hyper-sensitive to all spiritual matters, so he was tormented by his sins and the constant drumbeat of God’s Law accusing him. The Law always condemns and never comforts. Like any good Pharisee, Luther tried to purge himself with good works, confessions, prayers, a pilgrimage to Rome. Anyone could have told Luther, the last thing to build up one’s faith is to visit the capital city of that denomination. The worst apostates are in Milwaukee (WELS), Mankato (Little Sect on the Prairie), and St. Louis (ELCA wannabees).

Luther’s confessor saw that his young charge had no experience of the Gospel and told Luther, “You hate God.” Luther studied the Word of God for comfort and found the system of works-to-earn-God’s-favor falling apart.

The Virgin Mary
Purgatory remains the keystone in the Roman system. Once that is removed, the other pieces collapse. The role of the pope as dispenser of God’s grace can only be seen as blasphemy.

The Virgin Mary was the Comforter of the Middle Ages, the one who visits the souls in Purgatory. Christ was portrayed as the avenging Judge, although the proper words were often used, twisting them to make them more terrifying. For instance, Martin Jugie (a famous scholar in Catholicism) wrote that God forgave all sins in baptism, but the second stream of God’s grace (penance) would not be so generous. “Outraged love will raise the avenging arm of justice.”

I was listening to some Catholic songs on a CD. One line was “The Father turns His face away,” referring to God’s response to sin. That is quite different from the portrait of the Father in the Prodigal Son, where he runs to greet and embrace the penitent. With so many of the faithful scared by the Father and Son, it is no wonder that they turned to the Virgin Mary for love and comfort.

Luther and the Reformers gave up their false views of Mary over time. Chemnitz said wisely that we should not give Mary more titles and honors than are given in the Scriptures. Luther began the Reformation still praying to Mary (Magnificat commentary) but preached that Mary was a sinner in need of a Savior. That was a remarkable change. The sinless life of Mary (Immaculate Conception) has been emphasized in Roman Catholicism for the last 150 years.

Christianity is not properly a Mary religion but a Christ religion. The Savior is central to the unified message of the Bible. Sometimes we talk about doctrines, as if there are many, but that is our human way of categorizing the many aspects of the One Truth that is God’s Word. My respect for Luther constantly grows because he absorbed all of the Scriptures and spoke from this immersion in the Word and from his grasp of its unity.

System of Works Destroyed
“The Gospel shows the Father’s grace” – that is the title of a great Lutheran hymn, by M. Loy, who served as pastor in Delaware, Ohio, just north of Columbus. I used to visit the retired pastor of that church, a man who studied under Lenski and had all Lenski’s books.

"The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace"
by Matthias Loy, 1828-1915
Text From:
THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941)



1. The Gospel shows the Father's grace,
Who sent His Son to save our race,
Proclaims how Jesus lived and died
That man might thus be justified.

2. It sets the Lamb before our eyes,
Who made the atoning sacrifice,
And call the souls with guilt opprest
To come and find eternal rest.

3. It brings the Savior's righteousness
Our souls to robe in royal dress;
From all our guilt it brings release
And gives the troubled conscience peace.

4. It is the power of God to save
From sin and Satan and the grave;
It works the faith, which firmly clings
To all the treasures which it brings.

5. It bears to all the tidings glad
And bids their hearts no more be sad;
The heavy-laden souls it cheers
And banishes their guilty fears.

6. May we in faith its tidings learn
Nor thanklessly its blessings spurn;
May we in faith its truth confess
And praise the Lord our Righteousness!

The Holy Spirit works through the Law to show us that we do not trust God completely, do not love Him completely, and do not thank Him for His blessings. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin because we do not trust in our Savior. This lack of trust shows itself in many ways. One is excessive worry or anxiety. Christians make plans as if God has nothing to do with our lives. I have materials from WELS (probably Fuller in origin) where the congregation is encouraged to study its culture to make the Word effective. Rationalism is a way of back-stopping the Gospel. At first just a little of it is used. Finally it is the only thing trusted. The more people trust their own methods, the more they scorn worship as boring and irrelevant.

The Gospel is like shade in the desert. Even now in October, when I park the car, I look for the shady side of the building. The dermatologist said to me, “What are you doing about sun protection?” I said, since I had a basal cell carcinoma once, “I stay inside.” The sun is so bright and intense that stepping into the shade brings immediate relief. Christ as Savior brings healing and comfort to all sinners. The world is full of law, full of condemnation. Our own conscience condemns us for breaking the Ten Commandments.

The Gospel is our only comfort because God established forgiveness through Christ. The Atonement of Christ means that no one can claim any part in earning forgiveness of sin. No individual can be the medium (instrument) of God’s grace because the Gospel alone is the Means of Grace, whether the Gospel is visible in the Sacraments or invisible in teaching and preaching.

People look for comfort in every possible form except the one way God has provided – the Gospel message of forgiveness.

The Gospel is also our only power to conquer sin. More law will not bear fruit in conquering sin. Countries have proven that fact with the death penalty (which is valid and good when properly administered). No matter how much people fear death and no matter how many are given the death penalty, the law cannot terrify people enough to keep them from committing capital offenses.

The law can keep us from outward evil by its threats and condemnation, but then we are like the prisoner who is wrapped up in chains in a prison cell. He cannot move to do anything wrong, but he is raging in his mind. This is how coveting works. Nothing done is outwardly bad. People have an evil desire for something. They may use polite-sounding words and genteel action to get what they covet, so the thought turns into the action, which is made to look virtuous but is not.

"Half the sins which the world has learned of its lord and master, the devil, consist in lying and deceiving, and that in the name and appearance of truth. The other half, which is easier to recognize, consists in wrath and its fruits. And this class is usually the result of the other. The world, for its own advantage, lies and deceives; and when it sees mankind acting in opposition to its wishes, or beholds its lies exposed and its schemes thwarted, it begins to rage in wrath against God, endeavoring to avenge itself and inflict harm, but fraudulently disguising its wicked motive under the plea of having good and abundant reasons for its action."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 312.
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.

The most grievous side of the new anti-Christian fads is the return to law-mongering. The law salesmen have two different but similar portfolios. The Church Growth (Becoming Missional) leaders have a long list of requirements to meet their exacting standards. For instance, they are dead set against pipe organs, but they promote pop music orchestras. They hate hymns but they love emotional, manipulative songs. They think “sermon” is a bad term, so they coach. When they coach, they sound just like the traveling experts at business seminars. Do this and you will prosper. Do that and you will be happy.

The law salesmen are the frontmen for Eastern Orthodoxy instead of Fuller Seminary/Willow Creek. Their law list involves the right clothing, the right smoke and aromas, and the right rites (infant communion). The church got it right in Syria in 500 AD but got it wrong during the Lutheran Reformation. It’s easy to fool people when most people have never heard of Eastern Orthodoxy or the Byzantine Empire. (One popular adjective for anything overly complex, bureaucratic, and tricky is – Byzantine.)

The law weighs people down. When the liberals no longer believed in the Ten Commandments, they flogged people with “get America out of ________” and “boycott Wal-Mart.” Aging hippies love their left-wing causes.

The Gospel absolves believers of their sin and gives them the power to conquer sin. We will always be frail, weak, foolish sinners, but the Gospel gives us the righteousness of Christ.

3. It brings the Savior's righteousness
Our souls to robe in royal dress;
From all our guilt it brings release
And gives the troubled conscience peace.

Christ makes us royalty. According to God’s Word, we are God’s children and royalty. That moves us to speak and conduct ourselves with the same grace the Father has shown us in the Gospel. Living our lives thankful to God puts everything in a different light.

Those who want comfort can find God’s comfort and healing throughout the Scriptures, in Lutheran theology, Lutheran hymns, and Lutheran sermons. The sacrament of Holy Communion is God’s individualized and visible instrument of grace. Christ comes to us in both natures, human and divine, to forgive our sins and prepare us for eternal life. In this way the Gospel of Christ is a yeast growing in our lives, making us more loving, more forgiving, more patient, more thankful to God.

Purgatory Quotations

"It is 'de fide' that we can help the souls in Purgatory by our prayers and our works, by the Mass and by Indulgences." Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual Book Associates, 1950, p. 59. 381 Fourth Ave, NY 16, NY

"The most excellent and most efficacious of all the suffrages for the dead, is the Holy Mass...It is certain that every soul in Purgatory receives some diminution of its debt by the celebration of any Mass, even though we cannot measure that diminution precisely. This is very consoling for us all." Martin Jugie, Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It, New York: Spiritual Book Associates, 1959, p. 96.

"We read in the Life of St. Elizabeth of Portugal that after the death of her daughter Constance she learned the pitiful state of the deceased in Purgatory and the price which God exacted for her ransom...that she was condemned to long and terrible suffering, but that she would be delivered if for the space of a year the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated for her every day." Rev. F. X. Schouppe, S.J., Purgatory, Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of the Saints, Rockford: Tan Books, 1973, p. 158.

"No false dogma has ever been spread in the church which was not put forth with some plausible show, for sheep's clothing is the show of false religion (says Chrysostom). Indeed, the weaker and more ruinous the cause is, the more arguments it needs, sought everywhere and in every way possible, as though to cover it over with paint or to swathe it with medicine. For Pindar [famous Greek lyric poet, 518-438 B.C.] says, 'For a just cause three words are sufficient.' Therefore the papalists have gathered very many and varied arguments in order to establish purgatory." Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, III, p. 325.

ELS Tidbits about Church and Change

Friday, October 26, 2007
News from inside the ELS

Posted by Norm Teigen

Yesterday I went to Mankato for the Reformation Lectures Vespers service. The Reformation Lectures at Bethany were started many years ago by my late father, B.W. Teigen. I have not attended the Lectures for several years now but I always try to attend the Vespers.

I was curious about the background story behind the ELS pastor, a friend of mine, who was going to go to the Church and Change meeting. The first that I heard of this was that another ELS pastor had raised the MALA DOCTRINA charge against the pastor and the WELS.

The rest of the story (remember Earl Harvey?) is that the pastor's presentation at the Conference was harmless, but that it was not a time for the ELS to be around a group that is causing problems within the WELS. Let the WELS deal with their own internal problems without the ELS contributing in any way to the situation.

Posted by Norman Teigen at 8:38 AM 0 comments Links to this post

Episcopalians in Open Revolt - From Virtue Online

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Oceanographer
Posted by David Virtue on 2007/10/21 18:50:00 (4275 reads)
REALIGNMENT, DEFIANCE MARK ANGLICAN COMMUNION'S PROGRESS

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
10/21/2007

The Anglican Communion is roiling from crisis to crisis as one Anglican province after another faces fleeing parishes, break-ups, endorsements of same-sex rites, and confusion at the very highest levels of the church over what it means to be Anglican.

In the American Episcopal Church, the ink was barely dry on a statement from the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council endorsing TEC's House of Bishops request for the curtailment of same-sex rites and future pansexual bishops, when Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno turned a blind eye allowing a same-sex couple's nuptials to be regularized in a cardinal parish in his diocese.

Undaunted by calls for constraint by the Archbishop of Canterbury, clergy and laity in the Diocese of California went even further and called on Mark Andrus, Bishop of California, to allow a trial use of three same-sex blessing rites in his diocese. "The Commission on Marriage and Blessing celebrates the intention of the Episcopal Diocese of California to support and bless both same-gender and heterosexual couples in godly relationship, while hoping for the day when 'marriage equality' will be the reality in our church and state," the group said in an introduction to the report.

Andrus himself, it should be pointed out, is not without unanswered questions in his own closet. When he was a priest in the diocese of PA, a scandal of an alleged sexual nature with another priest erupted, resulting in a confidentiality agreement being struck with then Bishop Allen Bartlett that nothing should be revealed. However, when Andrus was elected Suffragan Bishop of Alabama, the liberal dominated Standing Committee of the Diocese of PA refused to give its consent.

It isn't just the Episcopal Church that is showing its defiant face towards Canterbury. Two Canadian dioceses - Quebec and Montreal - went to bat last week announcing that they would permit the blessing of same sex unions, with Quebec getting the tacit approval of the new Canadian Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz. To date none of these flagrant in-your-face acts has met with public condemnation from Lambeth Palace.

Even as liberal and revisionist dioceses showed their public face of defiance, orthodox cardinal parishes in the dioceses of Central Florida and Pittsburgh announced they are leaving the Episcopal Church with nine parishes in Central Florida telling Bishop John W. Howe they are calling it quits with TEC. While this comes as no big surprise, as talk of orthodox flight has been quietly talked about for several months, it poses a major headache for Howe, an Evangelical, who finds his loyalty to the institution challenged by his loyalty to the gospel, a gospel TEC no longer embraces. The story in this diocese is far from over. As many as 20 parishes could flee, making it the second largest orthodox flight from the Episcopal Church after the Diocese of Virginia - a diocese currently embroiled in multi-million dollar lawsuits over property ownership.

Even as orthodox parishes flee TEC, four dioceses - three Anglo-Catholic (Quincy, Ft. Worth and San Joaquin) and one evangelical (Pittsburgh) - will hold conventions to determine their own future in a post-Christian denomination known more for theological and moral innovation than for creedal and biblical adherence. This poses an ecclesiastical and legal nightmare for Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as she traverses the world mouthing peace and reconciliation with the Eucharist as ecclesiastical entertainment in one hand, and Millennium Development Goals to save the planet in the other. The lawyers, of course, will be the winners whether Mrs. Jefferts Schori wins or loses the rights to retain Episcopal properties. The court of public opinion will see this as a public relations disaster for the church, with secular liberals more convinced than ever that the church is part of the problem, not a part of the solution to providing peace on earth and goodwill to all persons of non-gender specific identities. The subtext in all this is that our sins of homophobia and racism can be washed away in the deep spiritual waters of the now much ballyhooed baptismal covenant. Fiat lux.

On the international scene, the slithering evil of pansexual behavior has now reached deep into the heart of Africa, causing the disintegration of the Anglo-Catholic Province of Central Africa. There has never been, in the history of the rise of Christianity in Africa, such a sight as African bishops vying over whether sodomy is good and right in the eyes of God. The dioceses of Harare and Manicaland have withdrawn from the province even as the pro-gay Bishop of Botswana, Trevor Mwamba wants the province to embrace Western modalities of sexual behavior. A breach, here in the heart of evangelical Anglican Africa, could spell disaster on this continent as it would allow the deep financial pockets of the American Episcopal Church and Trinity Church Wall Street to move in for the coup d'etat, lining the pockets of simpatico African bishops in the name of "mission" and the fight for global acceptance of homoerotic behavior now firmly entrenched in North American Anglicanism.

In England this past week, the Archbishop of Canterbury found himself facing a revolt from inside his own church. Church of England Evangelicals, fed up with having liberal bishops reign over them and the refusal of anybody to discipline recalcitrant revisionist bishops, announced that they had had enough. Some 1700 priests and parishes who belong to REFORM said they would now ordain their own clergy in an open revolt against their bishops, if the liberal drift continues. Coupled with this has been the long time cry of Forward in Faith Anglo-Catholics who have been bucking for some time for a third province with an all male clergy, who are equally fed up with the CofE's acceptance of women priests and the possibility of women bishops. REFORM told Dr. Rowan Williams that evangelicals would increasingly defy Church rules and their own bishops by parachuting in outsiders to carry out irregular ordinations of "orthodox" candidates.

BUT IN A MOVE that has distinct overtones of possible future schism through historical spin, Canon Gregory Cameron, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, recently publicly distanced Anglicanism from Protestantism. In an article in the London-based Church Times, Cameron spoke of an Anglican "dialogue with the Protestant traditions" making it clear that he regarded Anglicanism as lying beyond the pale of Protestantism.

The distinguished Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, Dr. Alister McGrath took Cameron to task by ripping his interpretation of Anglican history saying that historians generally consider "Anglicanism" as one of the most remarkable and influential forms of Protestantism to emerge in England.

"From an historical perspective, the English national Church must be regarded as a Protestant variant - the 'Protestant Episcopal Church of England and Ireland', as state and parliamentary documents regularly describe it. And, as many readers will recall, the body which now prefers to describe itself as 'The Episcopal Church' was originally entitled 'The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.' (Indeed, this remains the Church's legal title)," wrote McGrath.

"We need to appreciate that the sixteenth-century Reformation was a complex phenomenon. The forms of Protestantism which emerged in the great imperial cities (such as Strasbourg), territories (such as Saxony) and nations (such as England or Sweden) had their own distinct characteristics. Some, for example, retained the episcopacy and a fixed liturgy; others discarded one or both. Yet each represented a local implementation of the Protestant agenda. From the reign of Edward VI onwards, English Church leaders began to use this term to refer to themselves, and see themselves as being connected with the great reforming movements and individuals on the continent of Europe."

McGrath blasted the ACC leader saying "Canon Cameron appears to belong to the revisionist school of thought which is trying to airbrush out Anglicanism's Protestant heritage and tradition. (The same agenda can be seen in the 1977 decision of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America to drop the word 'Protestant' from its name in common usage.)

It is an unwise strategy for two reasons. First, it is historically indefensible. Cameron may wish that Anglicanism was not Protestant; he cannot, however, rewrite history to suit his tastes. His form of revisionism has itself been revised, and found to be untenable. But, much more importantly, understanding Anglicanism's history allows us to appreciate what may be about to happen within the Anglican Communion, in the face of renewed tensions over issues of sexuality. To understand this point, we need to consider the Protestant concept of a 'denominational family'."

RECENTLY orthodox Anglicans meeting in Pittsburgh announced the formation of a new ecclesiastical structure which, in time, will no doubt lead to a new North American Anglican Province. When that happens, it will be interesting to see if Dr. Williams recognizes this group or chooses to ignore them, siding with the Episcopal Church as the sole legitimate representatives of Anglicanism in North America.

If he does not, one thing is for sure, there will be no reversal of the realignment currently underway in worldwide Anglicanism. Revisionist Anglicans across the communion will continue to act defiantly against Scripture, tradition and reason, pushing pansexuality and attempting to outlaw those whose consciences cannot accept women to the priesthood or episcopacy.

There is now no stopping the train of renewal and reformation for orthodox Anglicans across the world. It has left the station. The only thing left to consider is what the Anglican Communion will look like after the great schism has occurred and who the leaders will be.

New Poll - Greatest Theologian

The Seed-Planting Church


by Dr. Waldo Werning (LCMS)


Proposing Biblical principles, this book shows how the church can be revitalized by God’s design. It displays a nurturing seed-planting model in place of a maintenance harvesting style of church. Dr. Kent Hunter (LCMS), The Church Doctor, writes, “Powerfully practical... will change your church from a bureaucracy to the movement God has called Christianity to be. I have already begun using this material in my work with churches.” 168 pages

The Seed-Planting Church #304
Price: $12.00


***

The new poll near the bottom of the page asks, Who is the greatest theologian of the Lutheran Church? This is your chance to vote for Waldo Werning, who has worked closely with WELS, ELS, and LCMS Church Growth gurus.

Poll Results - How Does the True Christian Church Grow?

Smells and bells high-church. 2 (5%)

Blitz the community with marketing. 0 (0%)

Seeker Services and cell groups. 0 (0%)

Only through the Means of Grace. 38 (95%)


GJ - No comment needed.

Jack Preus and Polemics

LCMS President J. A. O. Preus, aka Jack Preus,
aka Chairman JAO

I was in the LCA when Jack Preus was elected LCMS president and newly ordained when Seminex erupted. Going to Notre Dame introduced me to LCMS President Pfotenhauer's liberal grandson, who moved his congregation into the LCA. Another Pfotenhauer grandson was WELS. Another was Pentecostal. That used to describe the three-way split of Lutherans in America: liberal, orthodox, Pentecostal.

I have read the documents about the split many times, from the apostate perspective, and from the conservative side. I wrote "liberal" instead of apostate at first, but apostate is far more precise. The Seminex leaders were evil, deceptive, and always howling about how mistreated they were. Doubtless some were not given fair treatment, but overall the Seminex split was a disaster for the apostates and a victory for the conservatives.

I admire Jack and Robert Preus for being polemical when they might have simply used their credentials for a comfortable life. Jack knew how to make a point. He was certainly a politician, playing both sides all the time. Nevertheless, the Word of God did the impossible, breaking up a system built to promote apostasy. Imagine moving schoools around today to do something similar, like getting rid of Church Growth.

Did the Barry administration do anything in nine years? Barry did nothing about Benke, reminding us of LCMS President Benken doing nothing about everything

Did Bohlmann do anything except protect the apostates?

Young pastors today do not realize the shock of having intellectual Lutherans (Jack and Robert) defend Lutheran Orthodoxy when all the denominations were in retreat. Yes I know that WELS and the ELS broke with Missouri a little earlier, but that failed to register on the radar of most Americans.

Jack Preus was loathed by all the LCMS headquarters people. He had many District Popes against him. The media excoriated him.

Robert suffered more abuse overall, in my opinion. Toward the end of his life LCMS officials went out of their way to humiliate him as often as possible. I remember a teaching offer dangled in front of him by Johnson at St. Louis. Robert wanted to do this summer school course and wrote that he did. Johnson "forgot" or overlooked that response. That was minor compared to other slaps and put-downs. The cross is never separated from the teaching of the true Word.

Christian News played a major role in getting the word out to people while bypassing the official channels. LCA pastors routinely denounced CN. Later I realized the WELS loathed CN for the same reasons - the information could not be massaged and controlled.

Church and Change Now Has a Theme Song

Church and Change Theme Song
(sung to the tune of Radio Ga Ga)

I'd sit alone and read at sem,
My only friends are somewhat fem.
And everything I had to know,
I got it from my Church Growth notes.
Church Growth notes.

You gave us all those Schwaermer stars
Through wars of words -- from Fuller czars.
You made us laugh -- you made us cry ,
You made us strut our piety.

So don't become forgotten fads,
Some yellowin' books, filled with ads.
Who just don't reach and just don't teach,
And just don't buy me a place near a beach.
This is your time, you have the power,
You've yet to live your finest hour.
Church Growth.

All we hear is Church Growth ga ga,
Church Growth goo goo ,
Church Growth ga ga.
All we hear is Church Growth ga ga,
Church Growth blah blah,
Church Growth what's new?
Church Growth, Waldo still loves you!

We watch the shows -- we watch the stars,
On DVDs for hours and hours,
We hardly need to use our brain,
How doctrine has gone down the drain.

Let's hope you never quit old friend,
Like all good fads on you we depend.
So stick around cos we might lose face,
When we're confronted by the Means of Grace.
This is your time, you have the power,
You've yet to live your finest hour.
Church Growth. Church Growth.

All we hear is Church Growth ga ga,
Church Growth goo goo,
Church Growth ga ga,
All we hear is Church Growth ga ga,
Church Growth goo goo ,
Church Growth ga ga ,
All we hear is Church Growth ga ga ,
Church Growth blah blah,
Church Growth what's new?
Church Growth, Olson still loves you!

This is your time, you have the power,
You've yet to live your finest hour,
Church Growth.

All we hear is Church Growth ga ga,
Church Growth goo goo,
Church Growth ga ga ,
All we hear is Church Growth ga ga.
Church Growth blah blah,
Church Growth what's new?
Church Growth, Paul Kelm still loves you!
Loves you.

***

Brian P Westgate has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Now Has a Theme Song":

I wish I knew that tune, because that's quite the parody!

GJ - Brian needs to listen to classical music! A music video of Radio Ga Ga is easy to find. The robot is from Metropolis, one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all times.

James Adams' Preus of Missouri

Pope John the Malefactor, center, in India

I was reading Preus of Missouri again. Every century I pick up a book about Lutheranism or the Reformation, to stay even with the synodical leaders. I know from experience that they are a studious lot.

I happen to own Pope John's copy of Preus of Missouri, probably through a book sale. I thought I left the night light on in the library, but the glow came from this iconic book, which should really be in the rare books collection of Bethany Lutheran College. In the high-security showcase: "SP John Moldstad actually owned this book. Scholars are divided about whether he read it."

Robert Preus left his priceless collection to Bethany rather than Concordia, Ft. Wayne.

I chuckled when I read Preus of Missouri's description of the Little Sect on the Prairie as "hyper-orthodox." The journalist's grasp of theology was definitely mainline, but he tried to be fair and largely succeeded.

Neuhaus played a significant role in the Seminex split, leaving the LCMS, joining ELCA, and now prominent in the Church of Rome. Leigh Jordahl was a student of Jack Preus at Bethany. Leigh married a Gullerud (CLC president) and became ELCA by steps. Jordahl was friends with Wilken, who joined Rome. (Jordahl had some minor involvement with my dissertation at Notre Dame, as an advisor.)

Bethany itself is central to Lutheran history of the last century. Al Barry and Oswald Hoffman studied there. Robert Preus earned the first seminary degree there, leaving Luther Seminary just before graduation. Jack Preus had a faculty position at Bethany, etc. Preus relatives at Bethany College included Ylvisaker and Norm Madson.

Once upon a time, the Little Sect on the the Prairie had courage. On November 22nd, 1938, the Norwegian Synod (now the ELS) sent a letter to LCMS President Behnken. Missouri was getting close to the American Lutheran Church without expecting a repudiation of errors, such as unionism, Lodge membership, etc. The Admonition was signed by two Preus relatives: S. C. Ylvisaker and Norm Madson. It was also signed by Christian Anderson and H. M. Tjernagel. The ELS followed with a longer message in April of 1939, signed by the same four leaders, sent to all LCMS pastors and professors.

The Norwegian Synod was impoverished and tiny in size. They did not have Marvin Schwan as a sugar-daddy yet. But they had faith in the efficacy of the Word. The Word proved efficacious, hardening Missouri's attitudes against orthodoxy. Behnken was definitely a see-no-evil president.

Can anyone imagine the ELS writing a similar admonition to WELS? I cannot. For one thing, the ELS is so eager to parrot WELS that they have nothing to say to correct WELS.

No synod has repudiated the Church Growth Movement and meant it. Instead they have spoiled the Egyptian compost heap while denying their involvement. The ELS likes to hold itself above WELS but is no different.

***

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "James Adams' Preus of Missouri":

Oh yes, the holy Preus name. They can certainly do no wrong can they! Robert left to join the unionists in Missouri. Rolf gets kicked out of the ELS and sends his kids to Constantinople...I mean Fort Wayne. Smart theologians who evidently have no concept of fellowship. I guess if you can't stand the heat you might as well jump into the fire.

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GJ - If Anonymous reads the Adams book, he will see that Jack and Robert grew up among three synods: Big Norwegians (eventually ELCA), Little Norwegians (ELS), and LCMS. I think Jack was a Missouri member for 20 years while he was growing up. Governor Jake Preus was an all-synod man. Founding Lutheran Brotherhood and other causes made Jake sceptical or maybe indifferent about church organizations.

Jack and Robert Preus did more to change Missouri in the twentieth center for the better than anyone else. Their publishing efforts alone were worthy of note. Too bad Lutherans do not read good material anymore. Robert's last work was an excellent repudiation of moving toward Rome. UOJ is also repudiated in the clearest possible language.

I do not consider the Preus name holy. I am saddened that the men who started to change Missouri went after each other and handed victory to the apostates. Bohlmann was of course a Bohlmann loyalist, so he may not count. The same is true for Waldo Werning. According to legend, Jack was just as much an antagonist toward Robert as Bohlmann was. The Otten brothers have kept the same Bronze Age Missouri position.

Everyone in a synod is a unionist today. Scaer is fond of saying, "Why join the community ministers group? Just go to LCMS circuit meetings. Each one is a rainbow coalition."

WELS is united behind Leonard Sweet, Reggie McNeal, and Fuller Seminary. They have their own Holy Office of the Inquisition set up: Church and Change. There are pastors who dissent, but they are being disciplined. The buddies of these errorists? - the CG gurus of WELS.

The Little Sect on the Prairie is silent about false doctrine. In 1939 the quoted Walther as saying, "Indifference is unionism." That was then, this is now. The ELS certainly echoes and imitates the worst errors of WELS.

The Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic) protects the two worst false teachers from the consequences of their errors.

ELDONA disagrees about justification by faith, unles Stefanski(associated with but not a member of ELDONA) has read the Book of Concord or the Gospel of John and changed his mind. Stefanski is a UOJ fanatic.

Etc.

Causes for apostasy are:

1. Lack of study.
2. Blood is thicker than doctrine.
3. Loyalty to classmates (who are often relatives).
4. Loyalty to the seminary, whose professors are often relatives.
5. Veneration of Holy Mother Synod, Immaculate and Infallible.