Sermon For New Years Day - 1845
This is a portion of a sermon preached by Rev. Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther, Lutheran Pioneer in America, 1st President of the (current) LCMS, founder of Concordia Seminary St. Louis, MO....
Keep ReadingThe Feast of Circumcision
On January 1st the church celebrates the Feast of the Lord's Circumcision. According to Old Testament law a son was to be circumcised on the 8th day; and so Jesus who was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) was presented for this Old Testament type of Baptism. While "this Cup" of his blood IS the New Covenant, it was at 8 days of age that divine blood was first spilled: fo...
Keep ReadingSilent Night
Our God invites all men, through Simeon the Prophet, to "Behold! This Child!" To know, love and serve him, and to participate in his Light and Life. It is remarkable to me that even in this late age of unbelief, where it is fashionable for the "heathen to rage against the LORD and his Christ," the power that this little baby has. For one day a year, across the whole wes...
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Eucharistic Sacrifice Explained By A Lutheran
The idea of Eucharistic Sacrifice sends Lutherans running for the hills. Luther, in his writings, demolished the notion and has wiped it from the minds of Lutherans for five hundred years so far. He wrote against the abuses of it. The (alleged) RC teaching that Christ dies again at every Eucharist. While some RC's taught this at certain times and places, such a teaching i...
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Scripture Is Liturgy - October 2020
For some time now I have posited that as Liturgy is Scripture, Scripture is also Liturgy. What does this mean? Let us begin by asserting what Scripture is not. To this author Sacred Scripture is not a record book of previous believers' interaction with God. It is not a history book (though ample history can be learned from it). It is not reportage, something written mer...
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Hard To Believe
There are two parts of the Christian faith that are hard to believe. First that we have sinned against God, secondly that pardon and remission of sins comes through the blood of Christ, as received in the Word and Sacraments. But however much humanity may deny the reality of divine law, its violation and its consequences (death); or recast it in terms of psychology, socio...
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The End Of Selfishness
Selfishness is the natural human condition under the rule of sin. While it's not a good thing, it is not entirely a bad thing either. Scripture appeals to us to repent and believe the gospel as a benefit to us, so that we will be saved and not lost. "What does it benefit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his soul," asks Jesus. Selfishness also makes the world go ...
Keep ReadingGod Is Not Worried About The Election, Why Should You Be?
Was Ever Another Command So Obeyed?
This quote is from Dom Gregory Dix's magnum opus, published in 1945 "The Shape Of The Liturgy". He set the tone for liturgical discussion and renewal that still continues today. Not everything he says is of equal value, but fascinating, and instructive nonetheless. But this quote about the Sacrament "Was Ever Another Command So Obeyed"is Classic. Classic, I say,even ...
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Abraham Martin And John
And just like that an old white guy "gets" MLK. The gravest injustice in modern times has been done to the population of the planet, people of all races, creeds and colors by demogogues in government, media, science and religion who have caved to warrantless fear, founded on baseless information. Are we that credulous? To this day (long after the "curve has been flatten...
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