Sunday, September 9, 2018

Luther and Aristotle, Aquinas - The Radical Leftists in Lutherdom Today

 Eric Metaxas was Greek Orthodox and is now Episcopalian; he graduated from Yale,
His book on Wilberforce made quite a splash. He is a prolific conservative writer.

Someone sent me an Eric Metaxas book - Martin Luther, The Man Who Discovered God and Changed the World. I have started to read this excellent book and recommend it to those who want a good biography of Luther.

Metaxas reminds me of Roland Bainton, also of Yale, who was a phenomenal story teller.

One early point in the book was Luther's objection to Aristotle being considered harmonious with the Church. The future Reformer could not see how that could be. Staupitz, his superior, valued Luther appreciation for the Scriptures as the very Word of God.

The Medieval scholastics had their Aristotle, Aquinas, and Lombard's Sentences. Those were heavy duty filters that allowed almost any interpretation of Rome in the Middle Ages.

 We often saw Jaroslav Pelikan at church on Sunday.

That necessarily reminded me of Walter being the Lombard, the Aquinas, the Aristotle of Lutherdom.
Q - Is this true?
A - Let's see what Walther said about it. Then we will know.

If readers will keep an open mind, they will see how the current leadership of Lutherdom in America is completely radical Left-wing. That began with the Calvinistic influence in Pietism, which distilled into increasing powerful drafts of rationalism. This is how Pietism degenerates in stages:

  1. Pietism wants to be Biblical but not argumentative or credal.
  2. Pietists work together on good works, promote do-it-yourself cell groups, and reject creeds.
  3. Bible colleges and universities are started to promote the study of the Bible, most famously at Halle University.
  4. Rationalism takes over in stages, as it did at Halle, until the Biblical professors reject anything divine about the Bible. Rationalistic Pietism gave us UOJ and the historical-critical method (HCM) of studying the Bible as a mere book. Modern Biblical "scholarship" began at Halle.
In America:
  • The General Synod began as an anti-credal Pietistic Lutheran group. This Muhlenberg tradition morphed into the ELCA, which is utterly rationalistic. The good works of Pietism have turned into redeeming society through a series of rainbow reforms.
  • The Swedes and Norwegians were drawn into this Pietistic revolution because they were Pietists too. They became part of ELCA.
  • The LCMS and WELS came over as Pietists, Missouri having their cell groups, WELS with their Reformed-Lutheran union churches.
  • All of these synods repudiate Justification by Faith, the Chief Article, and teach against it, substituting their beloved UOJ for the Gospel. Evolution is popping up all over, already canonical in ELCA. Pan-sexuality is just as rad and promoted outside of ELCA as it is within ELCA.
That means -
  1. ELCA is radical Leftist.
  2. LCMS is radical Leftist.
  3. WELS is radical Leftist.
  4. Christian News is radical Leftist.
  5. Herman Otten is a radical Leftist.
  6. LutherQuest (sic) is radical Leftist.
  7. Dead Last Lutherans is radical Leftist.


Roland Bainton was still lecturing at Yale when Mrs. Ichabod and LI joined the Big I for a chance to hear the great historian speak about Luther. LI let out a squeak when Bainton mentioned the birth of Martin Luther Junior. Everyone laughed, because they knew baby Martin was acknowledging his own name.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018. Creation Cures Anxiety. Matthew 6:24-34

 Norma A. Boeckler's books of art.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson





The Hymn #396                               O For a Faith                                                            
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                               

An Incentive to Trust in God


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 #23                        Hallelujah! Let Praises Ring                                       
 Norma A. Boeckler's books of art.

KJV Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.  4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  5 For every man shall bear his own burden.  6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

KJV Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee for all Thy benefits: that Thou hast given us life and graciously sustained us unto this day: We beseech Thee, take not Thy blessing from us; preserve us from covetousness, that we may serve Thee only, love and abide in Thee, and not defile ourselves by idolatrous love of mammon, but hope and trust only in Thy grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Norma A. Boeckler's books of art.


Background for Sermon
Jesus' sermon about anxiety is based upon Creation, His Creation. As John's Gospel shows us, the Son of God is the Creating Word of Genesis 1. "All things were made through Him and nothing was made that was made apart from Him." John 1:3

The Synodical Conference (LCMS-WELS-ELS) broke with Creation when they slowly and dishonestly adopted Justification without the Word, which they call Objective Justification. Once God works without the Word, the entire message of the Bible is vacated and it becomes a platform for various philosophies. This philosophies touch upon Biblical words and concepts but deny the core, that the Holy Spirit works always through the Word, that the Word is always divinely powered and therefore effective.

Slowly making Objective Justification normative was already a denial of Creation, because there is no record of God declaring the entire world forgiven and saved.  The best they can do is to try to force that meaning on the Atonement, though they separate one from the other. They also ignore hundreds of Justification by Faith passages, starting with Genesis 15.

Therefore, the current fever to embrace evolution is just a symptom of Objective Justification - now official in ELCA, LCMS, ELS, WELS, CLC (sic), some mini-micro Lutheran groups - and the Adventist sect.

The substance of Creation is the Word. That is why Jesus could turn water into wine, walk on water, and even raise the dead. God's Word does not depend on our realities because the rules He established at Creation can be set aside by the Author of Life.

Therefore, our rules and expectations of the natural word are subordinated to what God wills. If we had a little more humility, we would see how powerful and intricate Creation is.

Within a short period of time, six days, God made everything to work together for the benefit of all life. Predators improve the health and strength of the food they eat. Antiobiotics in the soil remove disease from the animals buried there. Animals that die on the surface are quickly attacked and reduced by bacteria, molds, parasites, and scavengers.

My neighbor asked why he had a big tomato plant but few tomatoes. "Did you fertilize?" Yes, three or four times. I told him, "That made the plant grow but took away from its ability to grow fruit." Down the street, the same thing happened the same way - big plants with no tomatoes. Man-made chemicals easily create the wrong scenario, while God's own set of relationships will provide the right kind of fertility.

Plants must be pretty smart, because they know what they want and ask fungi to provide it. The plants have carbon, so they offer it to fungi, which need carbon to grow. This fungus network connects various plants together to be fed by the same fungus, which also delivers water to the roots. If something dies in the ground, bacteria softens it and fungus reduces it to the food needed by plants.

There is also an ongoing struggle between bacteria and protozoa. Bacteria grow at a ferocious rate, so protozoa and earthworms consume them for food - primary food for the protozoa, but food producers for the earthworms. The earthworms use the bacteria to digest the organic matter they devour while worming their way through the soil.

We believe Creation in six days because the Word of God reveals this mystery to us and shows us that Jesus is the Lord of Creation. Trusting that mystery revealed, it is not shocking to Christians to know that all these living creatures, great and small, began their work at once. Otherwise, it would be like having the flour delivered at the bakery (now bankrupt) a month late, or everything but yeast in the pantry for making bread (Moline Matzah Factory, lacking the yeast).

As I told our helper on Wednesday, these discoveries about the soil are so recent that few people realize the key to ferility in the soil is fungus, not Scotts Weed and Feed. $20 worth of Stinky Peat is far more beneficial for the soil than a bag of chemicals that stunts the growth of all life in the ground below.

If man lets forest trash grow too deep, preventing fires, gigantic crown fires develop, very difficult to control. If man wipes out the top soil, weed seeds come through birds and winds that start to rebuild the soil. Man tends to exploit the riches already there, while God rebuilds what man has almost destroyed.

 Norma A. Boeckler's books of art.


An Incentive to Trust in God


KJV Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

This self-evident truth is used by Jesus to point out a flaw in our human nature. We realize that we cannot work for Coke and Pepsi at the same time, and give them equal loyalty, we forget about God and mammon.

Many congregations and most denominations should be named for Mammon, which means having so much that man worships what is material rather than the God of Creation. Many denominations state they cannot do anything unless they have a lot more money, and yet money never solves their problems. One tiny seminary has choice land in NYC and $60 million in their endowment, but they cannot get people to attend their school. Congregations thrive on little money while giant ones evaporate with a lot of wealth. Mammon cannot be the cure. The Crystal Cathedral and the Community of Joy both tanked, no longer coveted by anyone.

There are numerous cases where people were in awe of someone's wealth but never regarded the power of God's Word. Instead, in the name of keeping the funds flowing, they deliberately silenced the Word for the "good of the congregation" or "the good of Holy Mother Synod."


Isaiah 66 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word.
No matter what people say, especial clergy leaders, more tremble at mammon than at the Word of God.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

This is a statement we have to consider many times over. No thought? What about the changing economy? My age? My ability to work? The unfairness of the workplace? Any number of fears can enter and chase away faith. John 21 has a fascinating scene, and we tend to zoom past an important detail. Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. They were fishing and caught nothing. Jesus told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, reminding them of Luke 5 and that miraculous catch. Peter recognized Jesus and jumped into the water. They struggled to drag the boat in with its net packed with fish. They had to fish to eat, right? Jesus had a charcoal fire ready, with fish already on it and bread provided.

Jesus showed them again how they would be fishers of men, but importantly, He would provide for them before they could even get started. In fishing to provide for their hunger, they caught nothing on their own. Jesus indicated by this miracle and His work with Peter, Cast the net of the Word and food will not be a problem.

Doesn't Isaiah also promise - 


Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
And David -

Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Most people know that squirrels love to bury their food in the ground, which means the nuts they love will grow into trees, not for them, but for future generations. They plant them in the middle of my rose bushes, where the ground is soft and well watered. When I had English walnuts to give them, they checked each one over. The flawless ones were quickly buried and camoflaged. The squirrel glared at me, warning me not to steal it back. If I cracked the walnut, the squirrel found the flaw and ate the nut.

But bluejays also farm the trees. They store the best ones in the ground, so some experts think they have more to do with maintaining oak forests than the squirrels do. One might argue that both creatures are investing in annuities for their heirs, but they are driven by their divine software and not by hunger.

Birds do not plant crops and harvest for the next year, with barns full of food, yet your Heavenly Father provides for them and feeds them. Each morning they wake up and sing cheerfully, as if to remind us, they have no food and must start over, to feed their young and themselves. But Matins is first before the food.

Luther commented on this because there was only one Church at that time, and he was opposing Church and State (the Holy Roman Empire) at the same time. The birds reminded him, "Do not be anxious. We are not worried. God will provide."

Luther simply gave away the books he wrote, which are all the same in this regard - they ask what God's Word says. That changed history.

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Clothes are relatively inexpensive today. But that is the result of mass production. Rulers had the money to obtain the best fabric and tailors. We saw garments from China that took 20 years to make, one person working full-time. Solomon enjoyed that kind of wealth, but Jesus made an important point. Why worry about that God dresses up His Creation with flowers that are far more glorious than King Solomon's robes?

I get to enjoy those flowers close up, not just the showy roses, but the tiny flowers of herbs, like Borage and Garlic. We have a lot of wild flowers or weeds in the South that bloom right away and color the yards before everything greens up and they fade back again. Many people do not really notice them until they identify them, name them, and look for them again. I thought I saw violets in the back yard, but a gardener said no. After taking them in, I found they were Mouse Ears, which pop up through mulch and grass.

Can the Creator who takes care of more life than we can name neglect us? 


We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land;
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Chorus All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.
He only is the maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
Chorus
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.




Luther pointed out that greed and coveting come from a lack of gratitude toward God and trust in Him. It is a pity that so many trust the false god Mammon rather than the Triune God.

Money cannot cure a cold, fever, or even a cut, yet God works His miracles all the time while providing for believers and unbelievers alike.

Naturally people wonder why God is so generous to unbelievers, and the reason is clear. He gives them time to repent and realize Who He is and what He does. Man's justice would leave few alone on earth, but God waits patiently.


  1. Paul was a dedicated and highly trained Pharisee.
  2. Augustine was a celebrity orator and highly regarded for his intellect.
  3. Luther was noticed right away and destined for greatness in law and government.


All three experienced dramatic change as God revealed His grace to them in various ways. Unfortunately, at that time, Luther became a dedicated monk who was faithful to the demands of the papacy. I am reading about him again in the Eric Metaxas book. Luther had guidance from his supervisor, Staupitz, a tremendous and good influence on his life. This gave Luther time to mature and learn about God's grace. Staupitz never left Holy Mother Church, but he certainly helped Luther get past salvation by works.

What God revealed to them was more precious than all the wealth in the world, and they saw that and gave all to spread that Gospel to others. Sacrifice is not signing a multi-million dollar deal with Nike, Mammon, but trusting in God for everything.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

The argument of Jesus is powerful, because He praises the wildflowers and birds above and beyond all human glory, then adds -, If God can clothe the fields with wildflowers which bloom today and wither away tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you? O ye of little faith.

This is where many break into their success bromides, their leaders have to lead, planners have to plan, and spend money to get money speeches. But that is not Jesus' point. He is using the Spirit to convict us of our lack of faith in Him. How can we view the works of Creation in wonder and then wonder how God can take care of us? We are far more valuable to Him. God already knows our needs and is answering them. I have seen many examples when the outlook was bleak and turned around in a second. 

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  

What is the righteousness of God? That was just answered in Jesus preaching against  "ye of little faith." It is the righteousness of faith, which takes us back to Abraham in Genesis 15 and all the Promises of God. When the disciples asked "What work should we do to do the works of God?" Jesus answered ironically, "Believe in the One Who sent Me." I say ironic because trust is not normally viewed as a work - we think of good deeds, specific achievable measurable goals, like repairing the hymnals. But Jesus said the work of God is to believe in Him.

Lacking trust in God through Jesus, could the apostles go out with almost nothing and expand the church world-wide? The uncertainties were crushing, but faith in God moved them and rewarded them with the results of God's power in the Word.

Barriers to seeking the Kingdom and its righteousness are many:

  • Clinging to denominational norms is common.
  • Some fear the condemnation of their families.
  • Others fear economic retribution.
  • Others fear loss of friends.
  • Society tends to condemn the outcast while venerating the wealthy scoundrel.
But the rewards are many:
  1. The norms of the Bible are the only ones that matter.
  2. Some relatives condemn, some new people become family.
  3. In the face of economic revenge (clergy oriented), God provides.
  4. Losing false friends is a blessing above gold and silver, while gaining genuine friends in the Faith is priceless.
  5. Society's rules are not something to rely on but usually something to avoid, so we do not conform to this world.

Look at Jonah. He was goal-oriented: get out of Dodge fast. Pay any fare. God said, "I already paid your ticket to Ninevah. A whale will pick you up mid-ocean." And the Word of God prevailed; Ninevah repented.

What we realize about God comes later, after the fact. Life is full of little lessons about that. They prepare us for greater challenges later.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

"Therefore" wraps up the argument. Do not worry or be anxious. Let today's issues take care of themselves.

Norma A. Boeckler's books of art.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Luther's Sermon on God or Mammon - An Incentive to Faith. Matthew 6:24-34

All art in this sermon was created by Norma A. Boeckler.



Martin Luther's Sermon
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.



Text: Matthew 6:24-34. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow; for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.





GOD OR MAMMON. EXHORTATION AGAINST AVARICE AND ANXIETY FOR TEMPORAL THINGS, AND AN INCENTIVE TO FAITH.
 

 Norma A. Boeckler


SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL:


1. In this Gospel we see how God distinguishes Christians from heathen. For the Lord does not deliver these teachings to the heathen, for they could not receive them, but to his Christians. However, he does not consider those Christians, who only hear his Word, so as to learn it and be able to repeat it, as the nuns do the Psalter. In this way satan also hears the Gospel and the Word of God, yea, he knows it far better than we do, and he could preach it as well as we, if he only wanted to; but the Gospel is a doctrine that should become a living power and be put into practice; it should strengthen and comfort the people, and make them courageous and aggressive.

2. Therefore they, who only thus hear the Gospel, so that they may know it and be able to speak about the wisdom of God, are not worthy to be classed among Christians; but they, who do as the Gospel teaches, are true Christians. However, very few of these are found; we see many hearers, but all are not doers of the Gospel. We wish now to examine more closely what kind of doctrine the Lord teaches in this Gospel. First, he begins with a plain, natural example, so that we all must confess it is true; experience also teaches the same to everybody. He says: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to one, and despise the other.”

3. Now he, who tries to serve two masters, will do it in a way that cannot be called serving at all; for it will certainly be as the Lord here says. One can indeed compel a servant to do a certain work against his will and he may grieve while doing it; but no one can compel him to do it cheerfully, and mean it from the bottom of his heart. He of course does the work as long as his master is present, but when he is absent, he hurrys away from his task, and does nothing well. Hence the Lord desires our service to be done out of love and cheerfully, and where it is not done thus, it is no service to him: for even people are not pleased when one does anything for them unwillingly. This is natural, and we experience daily that it is so.

Now, if it be the case among human beings that no one can serve two masters, how much more is it true in the service of God, that our service cannot be divided; but it must be done unto God alone, willingly and from the heart; therefore the Lord adds: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Norma A. Boeckler


4. God cannot allow us to have another Lord besides himself. He is a jealous God, as he says, and cannot suffer us to serve him and his enemy.

Only mine, he says, or not at all. Behold now how beautifully Christ here introduces the example: “No man,” he says, “can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” As if to say: as it is here in man’s relations to his fellows, so it is also before God.

5. We find very few, who do not sin against the Gospel. The Lord passes a severe judgment and it is terrible to hear that he should say this of us, and yet no one will confess, yea, no one will suffer it to be said that we hate and despise God and that we are his enemies. There is no one, when asked if he loves God and cleaves to him? would not reply, yes, I love God. But see how the text closes, that we all hate and despise God, and love mammon and cleave to it. But God suffers us to do this until his time; he watches the time and some day he will strike into our midst with all violence, before we can turn around. It is impossible for one, who loves gold and earthly possessions and cleaves to them, not to hate God. For God here contrasts these two as enemies to one another, and concludes, if you love and cleave to one of these two, then you must hate and despise the other. Therefore, however nicely and genteely one lives here upon earth and cleaves to riches, it cannot be otherwise than that he must hate God; and on the other hand, whoever does not cleave to gold and worldly goods, loves God. This is certainly true.

6. But who are they that love God, and cleave not to gold and worldly possessions? Take a good look at the whole world, also the Christians, and see if they despise gold and riches. It requires an effort to hear the Gospel and to live according to it. God be praised, we have the Gospel; that no one can deny, but what do we do with it? We are concerned only about learning and knowing it, and nothing more; we think it is enough to know it, and do not care whether we ever live according to it. However, on the other hand, one is very anxious when he leaves lying in the window or in the room a dollar or two, yea, even a dime, then he worries and fears lest the money be stolen; but the same person can do without the Gospel through a whole year. And such characters still wish to be considered as Evangelical.

7. Here we see what and who we are. If we were Christians, we would despise riches and be concerned about the Gospel that we some day might live in it and prove it by our deeds. We see few such Christians; therefore we must hear the judgment that We are despisers of God and hate God for the sake of riches and worldly possessions. Alas I That is fine praise We should be ashamed of ourselves in our inmost souls; there is no hope for us! What a fine condition we are in now! That means, I think, our names are blotted out. What spoiled children we are!

 Norma A. Boeckler


8. Now the world cannot conceal its unbelief in its coarse, outward sins, for I see it loves a dollar more than Christ; more than all the Apostles, even if they themselves were present and preached to it. I can hear the Gospel daily, but it does not profit me every day; it may indeed happen, if I have heard it a whole year, the Holy Spirit may have been given to me only one hour. Now when I enjoyed this hour I obtained not only five hundred dollars, but also the riches of the whole world; for what have I not, when I have the Gospel? I received God, who made the silver and the gold, and all that is upon the earth; for I acquired the Spirit by which I know that I will be kept by him forever; that is much more than if I had the church full of money. Examine now and see, if our heart is not a rogue, full of wickedness and unbelief. If I were a true Christian, I would say. The hour the Gospel is received, there comes to me a hundred thousand dollars, and much more. For if I possess this treasure, I have all that is in heaven and upon earth. But one must serve this treasure only, for no man can serve God and mammon. Either you must love God and hate money; or you must hate God and love money; this and nothing more.

9. The master uses here the Hebrew, which we do not. “Mammon” means goods or riches, and such goods as one does not need, but holds as a treasure, and it is gold and possessions that one deposits as stock and storage provisions. This Christians do not do, they gather no treasures; but they ask God for their daily bread. However, others are not satisfied with this, they gather a great store upon which they may depend, in case our God should die to-day or tomorrow, they might then know a way out.

Therefore St. Paul says, in Ephesians 5: 5 and Colossians 3:5, riches and covetousness are the god of this world and are idolatry, with this Christ here agrees and calls it serving mammon.

10. Now, how does it come that the Gospel and St. Paul call especially covetousness and not other sins idolatry; since uncleanness, fornication, lust, base desires, unchastity and other vices are more opposed to God? It is done to our great shame, because gold is our god, that we serve, in that we trust and rely upon it, and it can neither sustain nor save us, yea, it can neither stand nor walk, it neither hears nor sees, it has no strength nor power, with it there is neither comfort nor help. For if one had the riches of the whole world, he would not be secure for one moment before death.

Norma A. Boeckler


11. Of what help are his great treasures and riches to the Emperor when the hour of death arrives and he is called to die? They are a shameful, loathsome, powerless god, that cannot cure a sore, yea, it cannot keep and take care of itself, there it lies in the chest, and lets it’s devotees wait, yea, one must watch it as a helpless, powerless, weak thing. The lord who has this god must watch day and night lest thieves steal it; this helpless god can aid no one. You should have contempt for this lifeless god that cannot help in the least, and is yet so scrupulous and precious; it lets its devotees wait in the grandest style and protects itself with strong chests and castles, its lord must wait and be in anxiety every hour, lest it perishes by fire or otherwise experiences some misfortune. Does this treasure or god consist m clothing, then one must be careful and on his guard against the smallest little insects, against the moth, lest they ruin or devour it.

12. The walls of our rooms should spit upon us in contempt that we trust more in the god the moth eat and the rust corrupt, than in the God, who creates and gives all things, yea, who holds in his hand heaven and earth, and all that in them is. Is it not a foolish thing on the part of the world to turn from the true God and trust in base and low mammon, in the poor, miserable god, who cannot protect himself against rust. Oh, what a disgraceful thing this is on the part of the world! God visits gold and worldly possessions with many kinds of enemies, to bring us to see and confess our unbelief and godless character, that we thus trust in a powerless and frail god, we who could at once so easily approach and cleave to the true, powerful and strong God, who gives us everything, money, goods, fruit and all we need; yet we are so foolish and make gods out of his gifts. Shame on thee, thou cursed unbelief.

13. Other sins give us a little pleasure, we receive some enjoyment from them, as in the case of eating and drinking; in unchastity one has pleasure for a little while; likewise anger satisfies its desire, and other vices more so.

Only in this vice one must incessantly be in slavery, hounded and martyred, and in it no one has any pleasure or joy whatever. There the money lies on a pile and commands you to serve it; in spite of it letting any one draw from it a thimble full of wine there comes rust and devours it, and yet he dares not attack it, lest he angers his god. And when his servants have protected their god a long time they have no more than any poor beggar. I have nothing, yet I eat and drink as heartily as any one who has a large supply of mammon. When he dies he takes just as much along with him as I do. And it is certainly the case that these people never live as well nor as richly as the poor people often do. Who arranges this thus? God, the Lord, does it. Here some have a certain affliction of the body that they have no appetite; there others are internally unsound and never relish what they eat; here their stomach is out of order; there their lungs and liver are diseased; here is this, and there is that sickness; here they are weak and afflicted at one point, there at another, and they never have an enjoyable hour to relish what they eat or drink.

14. Thus it is with those who serve this god, mammon. The true God is still of some use, he serves the people, but mammon does not, it lies quiet and lets others serve it. And for this reason the New Testament calls covetousness idolatry, since it thus desires to be served. However, to love and not to enjoy may well vex the devil. This all now experience who love the god, mammon, and serve him. Whoever has now no sense of shame and does not turn red, has a brazen face.

15. Thus now it is with the word, “serve.” For it is not forbidden to have money and possessions, as we cannot get along without them. Abraham, Lot, David, Solomon and others had great possessions and much gold, and at the present day there are many wealthy persons who are pious, in spite of their riches. But it is one thing to have possessions and another to serve them; to have mammon, and to make a god out of it. Job also was wealthy, he had great possessions and was more powerful than all who lived in the East, as we read in the first part of the book of Job: yet he says, in Job 31:24-25: “If I have made gold my hope, and said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; have I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much?”

16. The sum of all is, it is God’s will that we serve not gold and riches, and that we be not overanxious for our life; but that we labor and commend our anxiety to him. Whoever possesses riches is lord of the riches.

Whoever serves them, is their slave and does not possess them, but they possess him; for he dare not make use of them when he desires, and cannot serve others with them; yea, he is not bold enough to dare to touch it.

However, is he lord over his riches, then they serve him, and he does not serve them; then he teaches in 1 Corinthians 7:32. Hence he aids the poor with his wealth and gives to those who have nothing. When he sees a person without a coat, he says to his money: Go out, Messrs. Dollars, there is a poor, naked man, who has no coat, you must be of service to him!

There lies one sick, who has no medicine. Go forth, Squires Anneberger and Joachinesthaler, you must hasten and help him! Those, who act thus with their riches, are their lords; and all true Christians surely do this. But those who save piles of money, and ever scheme to make their heap larger instead of smaller, are servants and slaves of mammon.



17. He is a lord of mammon who lays hold of and uses it for the sake of those who need it and lets God rule, who says in Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; have you nothing more, you surely have me still, and I have still enough, yea, I have more than I have given away and more than can ever be given away. We see here and there many pious poor people only for the purpose that the wealthy may help and serve them with their riches. If you do it not, you have the sure proof that you hate God.

He, whom the sentence does not terrify, that he will hear on the day of judgment, can be moved by nothing. For he will hear then from God:

Behold, thou hast hated me and loved that which could not protect itself against rust and moth. Ay, how firmly you will then stand!

18. Hence the sense is, we must own some possessions, but are not to cleave to them with our hearts; as Psalm 62:10 says: “If riches increase, set not your heart thereon.” We are to labor; but we are not to be anxious about our existence. This the Master says here in our Gospel in plain and clear words, when he thus concludes: “Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.”

19. And he now uses a reasonable and natural form of speech, by which to close, that they are not to be anxious for the nourishment of their lives; for reason must conclude and yield that it is as Christ says, when he gives the ground and reason of his discourse by asking: “Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment!”

20. As if he would say: You turn it just around, the food should serve your life and not your life the food. The same is true in respect to raiment; the clothing should serve the body, thus the body serves the clothing. The world is so blind that it cannot see this.

21. Now we must here have a high esteem for the words of the Lord. He says, “Be not anxious;” he does not say, Labor not. Anxiety is forbidden, but not labor; yea, it is commanded and made obligatory upon us to labor until the sweat rolls down our faces. It is not God’s pleasure for man to tramp around idly; therefore he says to Adam in Genesis 3:19: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken.” And as <19A422> Psalm 104:22-23 says: “The sun ariseth. man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening.”

We are not to be anxious, this is forbidden; for we have a rich God who promises us food and clothing; for he knows what we lack, before we are concerned and begin to pray.

22. Why then does he not give us what we need without our labor?

Because it is thus pleasing to him; he tells us to labor and then he gives it; not because of our work, but out of kindness and grace. This we see before our eyes; for although we labor every year in the field, yet God gives one year more than another. Therefore, we are fools, yea, we act contrary to God’s will, when we are worried as to how to scrape together gold and riches, since God gratuitously and richly promises that he will give us all and will abundantly provide for our every want.

23. However, one may say: Does not St. Paul tell us to be diligent, as in Romans 12:8: “He that ruleth, with diligence,” and there immediately follows verse 11, “In diligence, not slothful?” In like manner to the Philippians 2:20, he says of Timothy: “For I have no man likeminded, who will care truly for your state.” And Paul himself in 2 Corinthians 11:28 boasts that anxiety for all the churches presses upon him. Here you see how’ we are nevertheless to be anxious. Answer: Our life and a Christian character consist of two parts, of faith and of love. The first points us to God, the other to our neighbor. The first, namely faith, is not visible, God alone sees that; the other is visible, and is love, that we are to manifest to our neighbor. Now the anxiety that springs from love is commanded, but that which accompanies faith is forbidden. If I believe that I have a God, then I cannot be anxious about my welfare; for if I know that God cares for me as a father for his child, why should I fear? Why need I to be anxious, I simply say: Art thou my Father, then I know that no evil will befall me, as Psalm 16:8 says: “I have set Jehovah always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Thus he has all things in his hand; therefore I shall want nothing, he will care for me. If I rush ahead and try to care for myself, that is always contrary to faith; therefore God forbids this kind of anxiety. But it is his pleasure to maintain the anxious care of love, that we may help others, and share our possessions and gifts with them. Am I a ruler, I am to care for my subjects; am I a housefather, I must take care of the members of my family, and so forth, according as each one has received his gifts from God. God cares for all, and his is the care that pertains to faith. We are also to be interested in one another and this is the care of love, namely, when something is given to me, that I be diligent so that others may also receive it.

24. Here we must be guarded, lest we make a gloss, instead of understanding simply the words as they read: Be not anxious for your life.

God says: Labor, and if you accomplish nothing, I will give what is needed; does he give then see that you rightly distribute it. Do not be anxious to get, but see to it that your domestics and others also receive of that which God has given to you, and that your domestics labor and receive a Christian training.

25. Am I a preacher, my anxiety should not be where to receive what I am to preach; for if I have nothing I can give nothing. Christ says in Luke 21:15: “I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay.” But if I have that I ought to be anxious for others to receive it from me, and that I endeavor to impart it to them in the best form possible, to teach the ignorant, to admonish and restrain those who know it, rightly to comfort the oppressed consciences, to awaken the negligent and sleepy, and put them on their guard, and the like, as St. Paul did ( 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1, Titus 3:1) and commanded his disciples Timothy and Titus to do. My anxiety should be how others are to receive something from me; but I am to study and pray to God. Studying is my labor, this is the work he desires me to do, and when it is his pleasure he will give. It can indeed happen that I may study a long time and he gives nothing, a year or more, and when it is his pleasure, he gives as long as it is pleasing to him. Then he gives copiously and to overflowing, suddenly in an hour.

26. Thus a housefather also does, he attends only to that which is commanded him, and lets our Lord God arrange as to how he will give.

When he gives, then man is concerned how to impart it to his family, and he sees that they have no need as to the body and the soul. This is what the Lord means, when he says we are not to be anxious for our food and raiment; but he certainly requires us to labor. For thou must be a long time behind the oven until something is given to thee if thou dost not till the soil and work. True it is, God can easily nourish thee without thy work, he could easily have roasted and boiled corn and wine grow on thy table; but he does not do it, it is his will that thou shouldst labor and in doing so to use thy reason.

27. In like manner it is with preaching and all our affairs. God gives us the wool, that he grows on the sheep; but it is not at once cloth, we must labor and make it into cloth; when it is cloth, it does not at once become a coat, the tailor must first work with the cloth before it is a coat; and so God does with all things, he cares for us, but we must toil and work. We have plenty examples of this before our eyes, and God relates especially two here that should really make us blush with shame, namely, those of the birds and the lilies in the field. Pointing to the birds he says: “Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them.”

28. As if the Lord would say: You have never yet seen a bird with a sickle, with which it harvested and gathered into barns; yea, the birds do not labor like we; and still they are nourished. By this the Lord does not however teach that we are to be idle; but he tries by this example to take all anxiety from us. For a bird cannot do the work of a farmer as we do; yet, it is not free from labor, but it does the work for which it was created, namely, it bears its young, feeds them and sings to our Lord God a little song for the privilege of doing this. Had God imposed more labor upon it, then it would have done more. Early in the morning it rises, sits upon a twig and sings a song it has learned, while it knows not where to obtain its food, and yet it is not worried as to where to get its breakfast. Later, when it is hungry, it flies away and seeks a grain of corn, where God stored one away for it, of which it never thought while singing, when it had cause enough to be anxious about its food. Ay, shame on you now, that the little birds are more pious and believing than you; they are happy and sing with joy and know not whether they have anything to eat.

29. This parable is constantly taught to our great and burning shame, that we cannot do as much as the birds. A Christian should be ashamed before a little bird that knows an art it never acquired from a teacher. When in the spring of the year, while the birds sing the most beautifully, you say to one:

How canst thou sing so joyfully, thou hast not yet any grain in thy barn! It would thus mock you. It is a powerful example and should truly give offense to us and stir us to trust God more than we do. Therefore he concludes with a penetrating passage, and asks: “Are not ye of much more value than they?”

30. Is it not a great shame that the Lord makes and presents to us the birds as our teachers, that we should first learn from them? Shame on thee, thou loathsome, infamous unbelief! The birds do what they are required to do; but we not. In Genesis 1:28 we have a command that we are to be lords over all God’s creatures; and the birds are here our lords in teaching us wisdom. Away with godless unbelief! God makes us to be fools and places the birds before us, to be our teachers and rule us, in that they only point out how we serve mammon and forsake the true and faithful God. Now follows the other example of the flowers in the field, by which the Lord encourages us not to worry about our raiment; and it reads thus: “And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

31. As if to say, your life is not yours, nor is your body, you cannot make it one cubit longer or shorter; neither be anxious as to how you are to clothe yourself. Behold the flowers of the field how they are adorned and clothed, neither do they anything to that end; they neither spin nor work, yet they are beautifully clothed.

32. By this illustration the Lord again does not wish to have us cease to sew and work, but we should labor, spin and sew, and not be overanxious and worry. The evil we have is our toil; will we in addition worry, then we do like the fools; for it is enough that each day has its own evil. It seems to me, this is disdain that is commanded, that the flowers stand there and make us blush and become our teachers. Thank you, flowers, you, who are to be devoured by the cows! God has exalted you very highly, that you become our masters and teachers. Shame, that this earth bears us! Is it an honor for us? I do not know. We must here confess that the most insignificant flower, that the cattle tread under foot, should become our teacher, are we not fine people? I think so. Now Christ places alongside of this the richest and most powerful king, Solomon, who was clothed in the most costly manner in purple and gold, whose glory was not to be compared with that of the flowers, 1 Kings 10:1. Is it not remarkable that the adornment of the flowers in the field should be esteemed higher than all the precious stones, gold and silver?

33. However, we are so blind that we do not see what God designs thereby and what he means. The flower stands there that we should see it, it strikes us and says: If thou hadst the adornment of the whole world even then thou wouldst not be equal to me, who stand here, and am not the least worried whence this adornment comes to me. I do not however concern myself about that, here I stand alone and do nothing and although thou art beautifully adorned, thou art still sickly and servest impotent mammon; I however am fresh and beautiful and serve the true and righteous God.

Behold, what a loathsome, vicious thing is unbelief!

34. These are two fine and powerful examples of the birds and the lilies.

The birds teach us a lesson as to our daily food; the flowers as to our raiment. And in the whole New Testament our shame is no where so disclosed and held to view, as just in this Gospel. But they are few who understand it. From these examples and parables the Lord now concludes and says: “Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Be not therefore anxious for the morrow; for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

35. Now the sum of this Gospel is: Christians should not worry about what they are to eat; God provides for them before they think of their need; but they are to labor, that is commanded them. But what the kingdom of God and his righteousness are, would require too much time to discuss, you have often heard about them, if you have been attentive. This is now enough on to-day’s Gospel. May God grant us grace that some day we may also even put it into practice! May the Gospel remain not only in our ears and on our tongues, but come into our hearts and break forth fresh into loving deeds!

36. (We follow the paragraphs of the St. Louis Walch here which has instead of 36 as in old Walch.)

Some Information about David Virtue - Virtue Online



David Virtue, M.C.S., DD., was educated at Scots College in Wellington, New Zealand. He studied English Literature and Philosophy at Victoria University in Wellington before going on to London Bible College, London, England where he completed his Diploma in Theology. He continued his theological studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois completing his Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at Regent College, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada with a dissertation on the Idea of Man in the writings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Virtue was Religion Editor at The Province newspaper, Canada's third largest morning daily, and later an editorial writer. He was international communications coordinator for World Vision Int., serving in Ethiopia. He worked in communications and development for the American Bible Society in New York City, and later served with the American Leprosy Missions spending time in India. He is an ordained Baptist minister (ABC-USA) and was associate pastor of St. Paul's Baptist Church, Montclair, NJ, an African-American congregation for two years. He was Managing Editor of the Virginia Churchman and has been a columnist, journalist and writer on religious issues for more than 40 years for numerous periodicals including Christianity Today, First Things and Forward in Christ. For 8 years he was president of a high-tech media corporation at the same time editing an Episcopal newsletter for orthodox Episcopalians in Pennsylvania.

In 1995 he formed VIRTUEONLINE an Episcopal/Anglican Online News Service for orthodox Anglicans worldwide reaching nearly 4 million readers in 204 countries. He is the author of three books, A Flame for Justice, on the life of Caesar Molebatsi of Soweto, South Africa (Lion Publishing, Oxford, UK), A Vision of Hope, the life story of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Habib, Cairo, Egypt (Paternoster/Regnum, UK) and HOMOSEXUALITY: Good and the Right in the Eyes of God? The Wedding of Truth to Compassion and Reason to Revolution, F. Earle Fox & David W. Virtue.

He and his wife, Mary lived in West Chester, Pennsylvania for 27 years where they attended the Episcopal parish of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA. Now resident in Philadelphia, they attend Christ Church Anglican on the Mainline, Wayne, PA a church plant of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). CANA is a missionary jurisdiction of the Church of Nigeria [Anglican Communion] and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

info@virtueonline.org

 The editor uses my graphic of Presiding Bishop Katie Schori, who sued her own congregations, laity, and bishops to grab back property, expending vast sums of money from the denomination's treasury.


***
GJ - In looking for people writing about apostasy in the Christian Church, I found Virtue Online. I often used his articles and still do.

My best friend at Notre Dame Was Father Charles Caldwell, a traditional Episcopalian who later taught at Nashotah House, where we visited him. Charles died of cancer some years ago.

Charles, like David, was a traditional Episcopalian, not to be confused with the radicals who make the news. The traditionalists broke with radicals before ELCA woke up to what was happening.

The best source for excellent articles about the radical Episcopalians, who largely control the properties and money of the long-established denomination - is Virtue Online.

ELCA and Episcopal leaders, US and Canada, a short time ago. Notice the balance.

Virtue Online - Church of England Promotes the Rainbow Coalition

 The US branch is no better. This is the DUI bishop at her big party. Everyone knew about her drug and alcohol problem, but nothing happened until she ran down the father of young children and fled the scene.
 This photo plus the one above should make people ill.


Church of England Appoints Lesbian in Partnered Relationship to head Interim Director of Ministry
(Photo) Rev. Ford is on the far right in a collar holding the LGBT rainbow banner
By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
September 5, 2018

The LCMS does not have the problem, except at First Lutheran Church, Boston,
where Paul Edmon is a lay UOJ expert.


The Rev. Dr. Mandy Ford, a lesbian in a civil partnership, has been appointed to lead the Church of England's Ministry Division, according to an official press release from Church House.

Her title will be Interim Director of Ministry. It is the first such appointment of a same-sex partnered person to this position.
The Church of England's current position is that marriage is between a man and a woman, however it has also maintained the position that it supports celibate same-sex relationships including civil partnership.

During July and August, a number of Cathedrals publicly indicated support for LGBT 'Pride' festivals by flying the rainbow flag from tower flagpoles. Some theologians, bloggers and conservative church network leaders condemned the practice, pointing out that the rainbow flag is a symbol of an ideology and agenda which is profoundly hostile to historic Christian faith. Southwark Cathedral was one such cathedral.

Till now, Ford has been Canon Chancellor at Southwark Cathedral and Director of Ministerial Education for the Diocese of Southwark. Ford will take up the post later this month. She succeeds the Rev. Julian Hubbard, who departs after seven years as Director of Ministry. She has been seen at Gay Pride Parade days. This will be seen as further deepening the rift between Evangelicals and the rest of the Church of England. Evangelicals in the Diocese of Southwark were concerned when she was appointed as IME Director.

In her current role in the Diocese of Southwark, she is responsible for overseeing the training of curates, professional development of the clergy and training and discipleship for lay people.

 Rainbow WELS? Naw.

 Rainbow, Satanic symbol, Trans - Yes, that is the WELS College of Ministry, Martin Luther College.