The Sermon - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

 

Orson Welles as Father Mapple in "Moby Dick"

“In this world, shipmates, sin that pays its way can travel freely and without a passport; whereas Virtue, if a pauper, is stopped at all frontiers....

“...being an anointed pilot-prophet, or speaker of true things and bidden by the Lord to sound those unwelcome truths in the ears of a wicked Nineveh, Jonah, appalled at the hostility he should raise, fled from his mission, and sought to escape his duty and his God by taking ship at Joppa. But God is everywhere; Tarshish he never reached. As we have seen, God came upon him in the whale, and swallowed him down to living gulfs of doom, and with swift slantings tore him along ‘into the midst of the seas,’ where the eddying depths sucked him ten thousand fathoms down, and ‘the weeds were wrapped about his head,’ and all the watery world of woe bowled over him.

“Yet even then beyond the reach of any plummet- ‘out of the belly of hell’- when the whale grounded upon the ocean’s utmost bones, even then, God heard the engulphed, repenting prophet when he cried. Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up towards the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and ‘vomited out Jonah upon the dry land;’ when the word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten- his ears, like two sea-shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean- Jonah did the Almighty’s bidding.

“And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood! That was it!

“...Delight is to him, who gives no quarter in the truth, and kills, burns, and destroys all sin though he pluck it out from under the robes of Senators and Judges. Delight,- top-gallant delight is to him, who acknowledges no law or lord, but the Lord his God, and is only a patriot to heaven. Delight is to him, whom all the waves of the billows of the seas of the boisterous mob can never shake from this sure Keel of the Ages. And eternal delight and deliciousness will be his, who coming to lay him down, can say with his final breath- O Father!- chiefly known to me by Thy rod- mortal or immortal, here I die. I have striven to be Thine, more than to be this world’s, or mine own. Yet this is nothing: I leave eternity to Thee; for what is man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?”

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville
Chapter 9 - The Sermon

Tomorrow - Numerical Palindrome - Just Sayin'

Jan 20th 2021 = 1/20/2021 = 1 20 2021 = 1202021
The date is a numeric palindrome, or something that is the same forward and backwards. 

A man a plan a canal Panama.

Bob

Otto

Anna

Mom

Dad

Racecar - palin-drome literally means in Greek - run again

Napoleon palindromed "Able was I ere I saw Elba."

The sun'll come out tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow

There'll be sun

Just thinkin' about tomorrow

Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow

'Til there's none

When I'm stuck a with day that's gray and lonely

I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, oh

The sun'll come out tomorrow

So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow, tomorrow

I love ya tomorrow

You're always a day away

When I'm stuck a with day that's gray and lonely

I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, oh

The sun'll come out tomorrow

So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow, tomorrow

I love ya tomorrow

You're always a day away

Tomorrow, tomorrow

I love ya tomorrow

You're always a day away

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Martin Charnin / Charles Strouse

A few final thoughts: The United States of America is the greatest country in the history of civilization. pic.twitter.com/E3fDohj08p— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 19, 2021

Pompeo included this painting in his tweet today.

Hymn - In the Hour of Trial

"In the Hour of Trial"
by James Montgomery, 1771-1854

Tune - St. Mary Magdalene - linked here

1. In the hour of trial,
Jesus, plead for me
Lest by base denial
I depart from Thee.
When Thou see'st me waver,
With a look recall
Nor for fear or favor
Suffer me to fall.

2. With forbidden pleasures
Should this vain world charm
Or its tempting treasures
Spread to work me harm,
Bring to my remembrance
Sad Gethsemane
Or, in darker semblance,
Cross-crowned Calvary.

3. Should Thy mercy send me
Sorrow, toil, and woe,
Or should pain attend me
On my path below,
Grant that I may ever
Cast my care on Thee.

4. When my last hour cometh.
Fraught with strife and pain,
When my dust returneth
To the dust again,
On Thy truth relying,
Through that mortal strife,
Jesus, take me, dying,
To eternal life.

Hymn #516
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Luke 22:31-32
Author: James Montgomery, 1834, alt.
Composer: John B. Dykes, 1862
Tune: "St. Mary Magdalene"

Hymn - From Greenland's Icy Mountains

"From Greenland's Icy Mountains"
by Reginald Heber, 1783-1826

Tune - Missionary Hymn - linked here

1. From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand;
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain.

2. What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle;
Though ev'ry prospect pleases
And only man is vile;
In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown;
The heathen in his blindness
Bows down to wood and stone.

3. Can we whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Can we to men benighted
The lamp of life deny?
Salvation! Oh, Salvation!
The joyful sound proclaim
Till each remotest nation
Has learned Messiah's name.

4. Waft, waft, ye winds, His story,
And you, ye waters, roll,
Till like a sea of glory
It spreads from pole to pole;
Till o'er our ransomed nature
The lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator,
In bliss returns to reign.

Hymn #495
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Acts 16:9
Author: Reginald Heber, 1819
Composer: Lowell Mason, 1824
Tune: "Missionary Hymn"

 Pastor Jordan Palangyos and his wife Amabel serve our Philippine mission, serving their own people with the Gospel.

 Our congregation's attorney, Glen Kotten, travels to the Philippines to teach the Gospel in harmony with the Augsburg Confession.

Day of Wrath - O Day of Mourning - Dies Irae

"Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning"
by Thomas de Celano, 13th century
Translated by William J. Irons, 1812-1883

Tune - Deis irae - linked here

1. Day of wrath, O day of mourning!
See fulfilled the Prophet's warning,
Heaven and earth in ashes burning.

2. Oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth
When from heav'n the Judge descendeth
On whose sentence all dependeth!

3. Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth,
Thro' earth's sepulchers it ringeth,
All before the throne it bringeth.

4. Death is struck and nature quaking;
All creation is awaking,
To its Judge an answer making.

5. Lo, the book, exactly worded,
Wherein all hath been recorded;
Thence shall judgment be awarded.

6. When the Judge His seat attaineth
And each hidden deed arraigneth,
Nothing unavenged remaineth.

7. What shall I, frail man, be pleading?
Who for me be interceding
When the just are mercy needing?

8. King of majesty tremendous,
Who dost free salvation send us,
Fount of pity, then befriend us.

9. Think, good Jesus, my salvation
Caused Thy wondrous incarnation;
Leave me not to reprobation!

10. Faint and weary Thou hast sought me,
On the cross of suffering bought me;
Shall such grace be vainly brought me?

11. Righteous Judge, for sin's pollution
Grant Thy gift of absolution
Ere that day of retribution!

12. Guilty, now I pour my moaning,
All my shame with anguish owning:
Spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning!

13. From that sinful woman shriven,
From the dying thief forgiven,
Thou to me a hope hast given.

14. Worthless are my prayers and sighing;
Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,
Rescue me from fires undying.

15. With Thy favored sheep, oh, place me!
Nor among the goats abase me,
But to Thy right hand upraise me.

16. While the wicked are confounded,
Doomed to flames of woe unbounded,
Call me, with Thy saints surrounded.

17. Low I kneel with heart-submission,
See, like ashes, my contrition;
Help me in my last condition!

18. Day of sorrow, day of weeping,
When, in dust no longer sleeping,
Man awakes in Thy dread keeping!

19. To the rest Thou didst prepare me
On Thy cross; O Christ, upbear me!
Spare, O God, in mercy spare me!

Hymn #607
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Zephaniah 1:15, 16
Author: Thomas de Celano, c. 1250
Translated by: William J. Irons, 1848, alt.
Titled: "Dies irae, dies illa"
Tune: "Dies irae"
Latin melody, c. 1200

Hymn - Approach My Soul, The Mercy Seat - Newton

"Approach, My Soul, the Mercy-Seat"
by John Newton, 1725-1807

Tune - Sporh - linked here

1. Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat
Where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet,
For none can perish there.

2. Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.

3. Bowed down beneath a load of sin,
By Satan sorely pressed,
By wars without and fears within,
I come to Thee for rest.

4. Be Thou my Shield and Hiding-place,
That, sheltered near Thy side,
I may my fierce Accuser face
And tell him Thou hast died.

5. O wondrous Love, to bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners such as I
Might plead Thy gracious name!

Hymn #456
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Matthew 11:28
Author: John Newton, 1779, ab.
Composer: Louis Spohr, 1835, arr.
Tune: Spohr

 John Newton is famous for "Amazing Grace" and many other hymns.

Hymn - Abide with Us, The Day Is Waning

"Abide with Us, the Day is Waning"
by Caspar J. Boye, 1791-1853
Translated by Oluf H. Smeby, 1851-1929

Tune - Wer nur den lieben Gott - linked here

1. "Abide with us, the day is waning,"
Thus prayed the two while on the way;
We read that Thou, 0 Lord, remaining,
Didst all their doubts and fears allay.
Incline Thine ear, Thou King of Grace,
When, praying thus, we see Thy face.

2. At eventide, Thy Spirit sending,
Help us, 0 Lord, our watch to keep,
In prayer devout before Thee bending
Ere our eyelids close in sleep,
Confessing sin in deed and word
With hope of mercy from the Lord.

3. Abide with us; with heavenly gladness
Illumine, Lord, our darkest day;
And when we weep in pain and sadness,
Be Thou our Solace, Strength, and Stay.
Tell of Thy woe, Thy victory won,
When Thou didst pray: "Thy will be done."

4. Abide with us, 0 Savior tender,
That bitter day when life shall end,
When to the grave we must surrender,
And fear and pain our hearts shall rend.
The shield of faith do Thou bestow
When trembling we must meet the foe.

5. When earthly help no more availeth,
To sup with us Thou wilt be nigh;
Thou givest strength that never faileth.
In Thee we grave and death defy.
While earth is fading from our sight,
Our eyes behold the realms of light.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #194 from
Text: Luke 24:13-35
Author: Caspar J. Boye, 1834
Translated by: Oluf H. Smeby, 1909
Titled: "Bliv hos os, Mester, Dagen helder"
Composer: Georg Neumark, 1640
Tune: "Wer nur den lieben Gott"

Seminex Reborn - Funded by Your Donations and Thrivent Insurance

Left to right: Pope John the Malefactor, Seminex Reborn as Church Growth; Mirthless Mark, Seminex Reborn as Church Growth; Archbishop Liz, Seminex Bishops and Pastors; Matt the Fatt, Seminex Reborn as Church Growth.
Results: total unity, Objective Justification Universalism, massive membership losses, half-empty seminaries, women's ordination, promotion of safe sects, but the bosses keep their deluxe jobs, pay, and benefits.

All four sect leaders call themselves Confessional Lutherans, but they oppose what the Book of Concord confessions clearly teach. Not to worry - they will sell more and better dogmatics books at first edition prices. No, the new LCMS Small Catechism is not the Large Catechism - it is the try-to-find-Luther pseudo-catechism, 400 pages.

The gravitational pull of apostasy has brought the brethren and sistern together in one massive cesspool of doctrinal error, Calvinistic edu-tainment, and hymnal multiplication. How many awful hymnals have these clowns sold at obscene prices in the last few decades?

The only thing Lutheran about them is their name, which they are keen to drop whenever starting a new mission, playing with real estate like Monopoly board game losers.