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| Dr. Robert Preus wrote this book to counter the Roman Catholic trends of his own Ft. Wayne faculty and to repudiate Objective Faithless Justification. The Preus sons opposed both themes in Justification and Rome. Rolf no longer cites it, though he claims to have edited it with Daniel, another victim of incomprehension. |
This appalling doggerel praises the Virgin Mary rather than Jesus Christ. ELCA supports the same trifecta:
- Genuflecting toward the Church of Rome
- Opposing Justification by Faith
- Worshiping the saints in lieu of the Savior, promoting radical social activism.
You can tell a bit about a person by their art. Now, I don't know all Pr. Preus' sons, but I have known his son Mark for some years. He wrote this stunning hymn about the Virgin a while ago as he and I were going back and forth on "Ye Watchers." He suggests it be sung to Adoro Te. I wish I had thought to post it a few days back for the Nativity of Mary or for the Dormition.
1.
For Mary, blessed Virgin, do we sing
To Christ, who is her Savior and her King,
Who, born of God and with the Father one,
Came down and made her womb his holy throne.
2.
All generations now confess her blest,
As she by God the Spirit once confessed,
For God made her the vessel of His grace
From whom our Lord first showed His human face.
3.
When Gabriel spoke then Mary's heart believed,
And by the Holy Spirit she conceived,
And God, who nurtures all and all things made,
Was nurtured and made man within a maid.
4.
As fire burned in the bush unharmed by flame,
And by this mystery God showed his name,
So Mary stays a virgin through the birth
Of Jesus, named Savior of the earth.
5.
What favor did our God in heaven show
To all who live in sin and death below
When God showed favor to the Virgin blest,
And from her flesh our flesh and blood possessed?
6.
The mighty are cast down from off their seat,
The rich are ruined and the proud retreat,
The hungry eat the flesh and drink the blood
That flows to lift the lowly up to God.
7.
How blest is she whose faith was in the Word
That made her be the mother of our Lord!
God, grant us so to trust in what You say,
And with Your mother marvel at this day!
8.
Grant us, dear Father, such humility
As we within the blessed Virgin see,
That we with her may praise her holy Son,
With You and with the Holy Spirit One.
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William Weedon, Assistant Pastor,
Former Chaplain of the LCMS Purple Palace
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hamel IL
Catechist on LPR Podcast: The Word of the Lord Endures Forever
A Daily, Verse-by-Verse Bible Study with the Church, Past and Present
www.thewordendures.org
