Thanks to Dan at Necessary Roughness for posting this.
Category Archives: Lutheran
Bonhoeffer on the Temptations of the Pastor
I have to say that I haven’t been in God’s Word as much as I should be in recent months. I use a wonderful devotional entitled Treasury of Daily Prayer by Concordia Publishing House. I don’t really have an excuse. I could say that I’ve been busy, I’ve had too much going on, not enough time in a day, etc. There really is no good excuse. So tomorrow morning, I will get myself back into God’s Word. What good is a pastor if he is not in God’s Word as much as he can be? Here’s a wonderful quote from Bonhoeffer on the subject.
The life of the pastor completes itself in reading, meditation, prayer, and struggle. The means is the word of Scripture with which everything begins and to which everything returns. We read Scripture in order that our hearts may be moved. It will lead us into prayer for the church, for brothers and sisters in the faith, for our work, and for our own soul. Prayer leads us into the world in which we must keep the faith. Where Scripture, prayer, and keeping the faith exist, temptation will always find its way in. Temptation is the sign that our hearing, prayer, and faith have touched down in reality. There is no escape from temptation except by giving ourselves to renewed reading and meditation. So the circle is complete. We will not often be permitted to see the fruits of our labors; but through the joy of community with brothers and sisters who offer us spiritual care, we become certain of the proclamation and the ministry. –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Spiritual Care (Fortress Press, 1985), p. 69
HT: DOXOLOGY
The importance of the Catechism
Following recent events with regards to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Churchwide Assembly, it is all the more important now to be in God’s Word faithfully.
Martin Luther, in his preface to the Large Catechism, writes the following with regards to the need of being in the Catechims:
14 If these reasons were not enough to move us to read the catechism daily, we should feel bound well enough by God’s command alone. He solemnly commands in Deuteronomy 6:6–8 that we should always meditate on His precepts, sitting, walking, standing, lying down, and rising. We should have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant mark and sign. Clearly He did not solemnly require and command this without a purpose. For He knows our danger and need, as well as the constant and furious assaults and temptations of devils. He wants to warn, equip, and preserve us against them, as with a good armor against their fiery darts [Ephesians 6:10–17] and with good medicine against their evil infection and temptation.
15 Oh, what mad, senseless fools are we! While we must ever live and dwell among such mighty enemies as the devils, we still despise our weapons and defense [2 Corinthians 10:4], and we are too lazy to look at or think of them!
16 What else are such proud, arrogant saints doing who are unwilling to read and study the catechism daily? They think they are much more learned than God Himself with all His saints, angels, prophets, apostles, and all Christians. God Himself is not ashamed to teach these things daily. He knows nothing better to teach. He always keeps teaching the same thing and does not take up anything new or different. All the saints know nothing better or different to learn and cannot finish learning this. Are we not the finest of all fellows to imagine that if we have once read or heard the catechism, we know it all and have no further need to read and learn? Can we finish learning in one hour what God Himself cannot finish teaching? He is engaged in teaching this from the beginning to the end of the world. All prophets, together with all saints, have been busy learning it, have ever remained students, and must continue to be students.†
†Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (354). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
Quote of the Day
“Harmony in the Church cannot last unless pastors and churches mutually overlook and pardon many things.” – Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, paragraph 243
Thoughts on the editorial, “How Many Seminaries?”
Earlier this week, I received the latest issue of Concordia Journal from Concordia Seminary. In there is an editorial written by seminary president Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer entitled, “How Many Seminaries?”. There is a lot of the editorial that I agree with and I encourage you to read it. One thing I don’t necessarily agree with is the following statement:
We have to plunge our seminarians into the Bronx, into Belize, into Hong Kong, into L.A. (some of the many places where CSL students have gone) so that they are stimulated to find in lost souls, and saved souls as well, that point where the Word can engage the context in which the live.
Since I didn’t have the opportunity to go to the Bronx, Belize, Hong Kong or L.A., does that mean that my seminary education was not as edifying as it could have been?
Another quote from his editorial has me questioning something. President Meyer says that “Personally, I don’t see how we can continue to sustain two seminary campuses in the Midwest if current demographics, membership losses, and giving patters continue….” Which seminary would President Meyer advocate close? I’m sure he wouldn’t advocate Concordia Seminary, so that leaves my beloved alma mater, Concordia Theological Seminary.
Any comments from my readers?
Higher Things Sola quote
I wasn’t at Higher Things recent conference, Sola. The more I read about it, the more I wish I was. Here is a quote that’s been floating around the Lutheran blogosphere and Twittersphere: “Walking on water with Jesus is not the big deal; drowning in water with Jesus is.” Wow, what a quote! I think I may have to use that in a sermon sometime soon.
Wonderful quote
When I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I had lots of time to do nothing while sitting on the plane. I had ordered a book just prior to my leaving, but couldn’t wait for it to arrive. Fortunately, there was an option of downloading the book in PDF form, so of course, I did. I printed it the day I left for my vacation and read the first 70 or so pages of it (it’s only 95 pages) before I touched down in Indy. I would have probably finished it on the flight, but I don’t think they would have liked it if I stuck around on the plane just to finish reading the last 20 pages. 🙂
What is the book you’re wondering? What is the quote you’re wondering? The book is entitled “I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression” by Rev. Todd Peperkorn.
The following is a quote from chapter eight of the book entitled “Forsaken.”
God’s Word does what it says. When you can’t “inwardly digest” the Word as you wish, it still does what our Lord promises. When confession is lost upon your lips, our Lord forgives your sins out of His mercy, for He will not let a sickness or weakness on your part deny you what you truly need, namely His healing Word of forgiveness. And when prayers is something that you used to do, the Spirit prays with you and for you, in ways that we cannot even fathom.
I think this is just a wonderful quote all around! It not only speaks about the sickness and disease of depression, but it speaks about the sickness and disease that we all face, that being of sin. Because of our sin, we can’t “inwardly digest” God’s Word. Because of sin, confession is the last thing that we want on our lips because if we confess, that means we did something wrong. Through all of our sin, God continues to be there. His Word continues to be there and His promise of grace through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ continues to be there.
Note: Soon I hope to have a review of this book posted. Watch for it in the future.
Holy Trinity Sunday and the Athanasian Creed
Early in the fourth century, a north African pastor named Arius began teaching that Jesus Christ was not truly God. The Church responded decisively in AD 325 with a statement of faith (The Nicene Creed), which confessed that Jesus is, in fact, true God. Toward the end of the fifth century, another creed was written that delved further into the mystery of the Trinity. Though attributed to Athanasius, a fourth-century opponent of Arius, this anonymous creed clearly came at a later stage in the debate.
The Athanasian Creed declares that its teachings concerning the Holy Trinity and our Lord’s incarnation are “the catholic faith.” In other words, this is what the true Church of all times and all places has confessed. More than fifteen centuries later, the Church continues to confess this truth, confident that the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has given Himself for our salvation.
| 1 Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith. 2 Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally. 3 And the catholic faith is this, 4 that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. 5 For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another. 6 But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. 7 Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit: 8 the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated; 9 the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite; 10 the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. 11 And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal, 12 just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite. 13 In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; 14 and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. 15 So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; 16 and yet there are not three Gods, but one God. 17 So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; 18 and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord. 19 Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords. |
20 The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone. 21 The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone. 22 The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding. 23 Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. 24 And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; 25 but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped. 26 Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity. 27 But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 28 Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man. 29 He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: 30 perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh; 31 equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity. 32 Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ: 33 one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God; 34 one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. 35 For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ, 36 who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead, 37 ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead. 38 At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. 39 And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire. 40 This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved. |
Translation of Athanasian Creed for Lutheran Service Book copyright © 2005 by LCMS Commission on Worship.
Top Ten Reasons You Will Love The Lutheran Study Bible
10. The Lutheran Study Bible’s hardback edition is burgundy, a beautiful color, with a Luther Rose stamped on the front cover. Big “wow” factor. Need we say more?
9. The Lutheran Study Bible is available in a larger print edition, as well as a regular print edition. Not that our eyes are getting older, type is just getting smaller.
8. The Lutheran Study Bible has better cross-references than any other study Bible available today, carefully prepared and supplemented with historic Lutheran cross-references and notes dating back to the Luther Bible of 1534. It is chock-full of historic Lutheran goodness.
9. The Lutheran Study Bible has thirty-six custom-designed maps, which are linked to from over 880 references throughout the Bible, more map references than any other Bible. Especially helpful for some of us who refuse to stop and ask for directions.
8. The Lutheran Study Bible has over 31,000 concordance entries, helping you locate important topics and issues throughout the Bible. If you check one reference a day, the fun won’t end for 84 years!
7. The Lutheran Study Bible has more notes than nearly any other study Bible available today: over 26,500, all researched, written and edited by faithful Lutheran Bible scholars, pastors and Bible teachers. This is most certainly true.
6. The Lutheran Study Bible has over 120 diagrams and charts, prepared exclusively for this Bible to highlight and underscore key concepts, terms, teachings, events and people in the Bible. We know you like pictures. We do too.
5. The Lutheran Study Bible has over 220 thematic articles offering discussions on a wide variety of topics, issues and concerns dealt with in the Bible. Faithfully Lutheran, practical and relevant: can’t beat that combination.
4. The Lutheran Study Bible contains an extensive introduction on how to read and understand the Bible, with reading plans, Luther’s Catechism, and all kinds of other helps. But wait, there’s more!
3. The Lutheran Study Bible contains many comments and insights from the entire history of the Christian Church: Early Church, Middle Ages, Reformation Era, contemporary theologians, drawing you into the rich conversation around God’s Word that has been going on for millennia. Pull up a chair, listen in and join the conversation.
2. The Lutheran Study Bible gives you practical helps and aids to strengthen your life of prayer and meditation on God’s Word with life-application notes and prayers throughout the Bible. A good study Bible does not have to read like stereo instructions.
1. The Lutheran Study Bible is the first, and only, study Bible in English prepared entirely from the ground-up by Lutherans, offering a uniquely keen focus on the proper distinction between Law and Gospel, shining a brilliant light on the heart and center of the Scriptures: Christ and Him crucified, risen and ascended for your salvation—its all about Jesus, in every way, for you.
(Originally posted by Rev. Paul McCain)
Congregations and New Pastors: A How To Guide
Rev. Paul McCain from Cyberbrethen posted a wonderful article entitled “Congregations and New Pastors: A How To Guide.” This is a wonderful article and I encourage all pastors to read this! It is sound advice for congregations which will receive a newly ordained candidate, churches who will call a pastor from the field, and finally, for ALL churches with a pastor.