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Midweek Lenten Service - Jesus the Messiah

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Midweek Lenten Service, 

7 PM Central Daylight Savings Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson


Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time 

The Hymn #479          Zion Rise                                 
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41
The Psalmody                   
The Lection                            The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn # 657            Beautiful Savior                      

The Sermon –  Jesus, Son of David, the Messiah
 
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #49       Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast

Romans 1King James Version (KJV)

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

The Sermon –  Jesus, Son of David, the Messiah


Romans 1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
The Christian Faith is rooted in history, from Creation to the end of time. We do not have a fairytale religion where people can pick and choose which fable they like best.
I had a much better grasp of the Old Testament and New Testament when I read the Lord of the Rings to our son, many years ago. In those books are a prologue to all of English history, with LOTR ending where English history begins. 
This struck me because the Old Testament is the foundation for everything in the New Testament. One little mention of the mysterious Melchizedek becomes a major section of Hebrews.
Everything in the Old Testament points toward and explains the New Testament, because, as Luther wrote, the entire Bible is a sermon about Jesus.
In Old Testament class we study the advent of the kings. The people demanded a king like other people, and God gave them a king, although this demand came from coveting and a lack of trust. 
The first king Saul was a great warrior, but he was several fries short of a Happy Meal. He liked having David the shepherd boy near to calm his nerves, but he was also insanely jealous of David's abilities and popularity.
David came from a little village called Bethlehem, which was nothing as a place, but became famous enough for Wise Men to travel to see the Savior, for the Star of Bethlehem to shine down upon it. And the prophets knew this through the Spirit. 
"Although Bethlehem was overshadowed by other more prestigious places, its Old Testament prominence is primarily the result of its association with David, as well as being the predicted birthplace of the Messiah. With respect to David, Bethlehem was his home (1 Sam. 17:12,1520:6,28); the scene of his anointing by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:1-13); "

King David was anointed with oil (Messiah King - anointed with oil king; Christos - anointed with oil). This took place in Bethlehem, whose fame is directly tied to King David.
The Jewish people got the king they wanted, clever, powerful, and talented, yet he was subordinate to his Lord, who is named in a Psalm.
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110
The most important title for the Savior in the New Testament is Messiah, Christ, Son of David.
The Jewish people got their Son of David, as promised, but more than that. Many believed, but many rejected Him and looked for future saviors among the warrior class. One rose up in the Zealot revolt, about 70 AD. Another anointed himself and was called Bar Kokba. Both of these false saviors brought horrible destruction, slavery, famine, and cannibalism to their people.
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
But the Christian Faith was growing outside of this fetish about Jerusalm and a kingdom of the Jews. 
Jesus was and is the true Son of David, the one described in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Psalm 23. 
If we make up a set of data, the false messiahs fit none of the Old Testament data from the Psalms and prophets. However, Jesus fits all of them, especially those matters passed by as people dreamt about their future glories. The real glories came from God in the flesh, born of the Virgin.
The greatest kingdom came from the kingdom of righteousness established by His death and resurrection. It is a kingdom that continues to grow, even when persecuted and set back (in our eyes). 
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
1 Timothy 3:16 is often misunderstood or misinterpreted by those who have an agenda or suffer from short-sightedness.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
This phrase in verse 4 is quite similar to 1 Timothy 3:16 - justified in the Spirit, which is so clear from the unified view of the Gospel
Was Jesus seen as the Son of God during His earthly ministry? No. He was seen as a man. He displayed His divine power at times, but very little during Passion Week. He caused the tree to be withered as a sign to Israel, and He bowled over the soldiers by saying "I AM." He identified Himself as the Son of God and told them what He could do, but He remained just a man to them and they rejoiced.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead declared the Sonship, His innocence, His divinity - to the entire world. 
So we can say that Jesus is both the promised Messiah, and far more than what anyone hoped or deamt about as they read the prophets and Psalms. He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. always glorifying God the Father in His Gospel work.
When things seem so bad in the world that people say, "This cannot be real," we are really living in a time of great peace because of the Christian Faith. As bad as things are, the world evils are suppressed by what has happened through Christianity and through the freedoms established by Protestantism, which began of course in the Reformation.

From 2009 - MLC Students Absolve Themselves - Party in the MLC Gay Video. All of Them Received Calls

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"You have to vatch the whole video before
you realize that ve are...
German. Ja?"

The Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS when raising funds) student newspaper, "The Sword," ran a Front Page! editorial / story on the MLC video, quoted in part:

But once the video left the context of the MLC campus, it came under unforeseen criticism from some who failed to see the humor in the video.

The most pronounced critic of the video was independent Lutheran pastor and blogger Gregory Jackson. Posts from Jackson, as well as comments left by the blog's readers, labeled the actions of the MLC students featured in the video unbecoming to future WELS pastors and teachers.

These claims were based on the video from which the creators of "Party in the MLC" took their inspiration--a previous YouTube video known as "Party in the FIP." Set to the tune of "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Party in the FIP" shows a group of men performing choreographed routines on a beach while lip-synching the lyrics of the song."

"Party in the MLC" is a parody of the video, using the same soundtrack and many of the same routines.



The controversy over MLC students parodying "Party in the FIP" is derived from the lifestyle associated with "the FIP."

But makers of the "Party in the MLC" agree with other viewers that none of the actions in the "Party in the FIP" video would be considered blatant homosexuality. They also admit no previous knowledge of the reputation of Fire Island Pines. Ben Reichel, MLC student and video contributor, revealed, "We didn't find out until two or three days after we posted it that that's what it stood for. After we learned that we were kind of taken aback."

After learning of the offense caused by the video, the students decided to remove the video "out of Christian love" for those who found the video inappropriate. The decision to remove the video was a personal decision made by the creators of the video.

Reichel stated, "We all got together as a group --the guys who were in the video--and we realized that this caused way too much commotion and way too much negativity, and we all decided together that we were going to take it down."

After meeting amongst (sic) themselves, the students sought the advice of college administration. Reichel continued, "We went and talked to the administration here at MLC--the president and vice-president--and we got their thoughts on it too. But we knew before we even talked to them that we were going to take it down."



Matt Rothe, classmate of Reichel and video contributor, along with the rest of the students involved with the video, are ready to put "Party in the MLC" and the attention it has received in the past; "The group of guys who made this video only wished for good to come out of this video, and I must express firmly we wish for no more negative attention from it."




***

GJ - The WLC student newspaper has a lot of facts wrong. They did not make any effort to seek clarification. They are now drawing even more attention to the video and revealing that the students were not at all repentant, just resentful they got caught.

First of all, a WELS layman was furious over the video, which was posted on You Tube for all the world to see. Many people provide information to this blog so the rest of Lutherdom can see it. This layman was unable to watch more than a minute of it. I posted the video so people could see for themselves, as he wished.

The MLC students jumped in to defend the video right away, and now WLC has joined them. Their defense is to attack me, but the video stands on its own as a dubious production, whether I like it or not.

The defense of the video was so ridiculous that I did a little more research and found the original, "Party in the FIP." They knew what they were copying, and they acknowledged it rather quietly in the notes. Apparently the original went viral right away, thanks to various homosexual websites.

College students know how to use Google. Where else would they copy their homework from? Kelm, Parlow, and Limmer have shown that slavish copying is a good career move in WELS. To plead ignorance about Fire Island Pines is a bit absurd. All of the sudden these guys just fell off the haywagon when they landed in Metropolitan New Ulm.

And they thought the FIP video was straight? They should be on SNL, in a skit about their lack of gaydar.

This is the WLC student paper claim, after conferring with the students:

"Party in the MLC" is a parody of the video, using the same soundtrack and many of the same routines.

The controversy over MLC students parodying "Party in the FIP" is derived from the lifestyle associated with "the FIP."

Answers.com defines parody as "A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule." The students had no idea what the FIP video was all about and were "taken aback" when they learned. Once again, why did they parody what they knew nothing about? 


Why did they make the MLC version gayer than lavender hose, complete with a Michael Jackson move (only worse) in a public park? Cover stories should be a little more consistent to be convincing.

Like most WELS damage control operations, this one is full of contradictions. I also see the handiwork of various administrative officials, spinning the removal of the video as an act of love rather than repentance. After all, the only one who sinned was this humorless blogger and his dour readers. They want to quiet this down with a front page editorial?

When I found the additional information about the original video, which took me a few seconds on Google, I posted some of it on Ichabod. I did not post a lot of the links from Google because of the content of those sites. I needed eyebleach. So please, do not test our patience with how the students were "taken aback."

There is now a You Tube video posted - mourning the loss of the MLC version, again with LOL comments from MLC students. Another video copies both versions, supposedly: Party in the USA/ SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT/ FIP and MLC.

I have linked the FIP video here, in case someone wants to see what was copied by future WELS pastors and teachers. They can draw their own conclusions about the "WELS School of Ministry."

As I wrote before, Fuller Bivens and SP Schroeder both unloaded on the recent decisions of ELCA and The Episcopal Church USA, the two apostate groups enjoying a non-geographical merger.

Doubtless the parents would like to know more about the position of MLC and WLC. The schools seem to contradict what the leader of the synod has said. The editorial used the term "lifestyle." That speaks volumes about the attitude of Wisconsin Lutheran College, called "Our Valpo," the home of Church and Change.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Wisconsin Lutheran College Paper Defends "Party in...":

This reminds me of the time when you, Pastor Jackson, submitted a picture and an article to Christian News. I think this was before Al Gore invented the Internet. The photo showed Ralph Bohlmann, Carl Mischke, and Herb Chilstrom all sitting together at the Snowbird conference. The principal of our LES said to me, "it's not what you think it is". Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?


Staff Evaluations at the Ichabode - Sassy Is Not Pleased

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Sassy has a keen sense of time. She expects her morning walk at 7-8 AM, the earlier the better. She expects her afternoon walk at 4 PM. When we switched to Daylight Savings, she began making her noises before 3 PM.

For a loud, talkative dog, Sassy is quiet in the morning. She is expected to make no sound as we get ready to leave. In the afternoon, those rules are forgotten when she begins barking about my preparations. If I touch shoes or socks (this is Arkansas) she assumes the walk will take place right away. She goes into her bouncing, barking mode, as if suppressing one bark would make her explode.

On a good day Sassy will meet some of her best friends - the four S sisters (all names starting with S), the retired Army Ranger and his brother, our helper's family, and various neighborhood children and adults who know Sassy by name.

Staff evaluations start at 7 PM and they are seldom good. The first sign is the high pitched whine, just enough to get our attention. I will, "Staff evals are coming in."

Mrs. Ichabod asks, "Are they good?"

"No, we are not fulfilling our duties."

Next is the tail wagging, not in a friendly way, but showing great impatience. If we overlook the wagging, it gets stronger. Once Sassy positioned herself so her tail would brush against my bare foot. It felt soft and almost ticklish. The swishing got me laughing, so she soon received her evening treat.

If we dare ask, "What's wrong?" Sassy adds her glaring look. It starts with disapproval but builds to anger and loud barking. If she is hungry for a meal, the barking sounds like the warning she gave to Old Billie, who petted her too hard and then patted her down a bit too rough again. She placed her front feet and warned him with her bark. That is her bark when we are really failing in all categories - speed, amount of food, and sensitivity to her messages.

Likewise, she uses her paw to ask, as many cats and dogs do.
Stage One - a gentle touch. That means, "Get up for our walk," or "Save some of your meal for me."
Stage Two - a downward stroke of her paw. "I mean it. Time to go." or "I need that food, now."
Stage Three - a downward stroke with enough pressure to almost hurt. "No more warnings left." Our drama queen is so expressive that I have to laugh and give her a long hug.

Sassy hugs back in many ways. One is to rush into a hug (on the bed) pressing against my neck. "Do you want out now?" I get that hug for being so smart.

Setting me up for something she wants, Sassy will simply sit across my chest as she watches TV. She likes to sit on me and touch Mrs. Ichabod with her paw. Or she sits between us, touching both at once.

Lately Sassy decided to revive her trick of holding down my lower lip with her long claws. She had to learn "Gentle gentle" as a young dog, years ago. She responding by wincing and going toward my lip in ultra-slow motion. That was her funniest trick. Now she is gentle without the drama.

We are getting good use of the big stick on our walks. We seem to have a stray a day, often a male looking for a date. Sassy gets upset easily, because of previous attacks. She does not mind a circle meet-and-greet, but if it lasts too long, she can get yippy and snarly, setting the other dog off.

So I use my large walking stick to warn dogs away. Forget kicking toward a dog. They know how to dodge and leave the dumb human standing on one leg, so they move in more effectively. Too many dogs are aggressive today. Pointing my stick like a gun is enough to get them to retreat and walk away. One male dog had a Bill Clinton grin, and kept circling at 10 feet. I showed him how the stick could work as a gun, and he left us.

The funniest dogs were the two yappers who got pesky on Sassy and bothered her. I held the staff over my head and yelled, "Go back to Mordor where you belong!" They retreated yapping but came back. "Go back, I say!" I shook the staff over my head. They backed away even more and yipped louder for being humiliated and scared at the same time. Neighborhood kids are fascinated by her lack of a leg and loved hearing about my Mordor threat.

It's Downton Abbey at the Ichabode -
only we are the servants, answering Sassy's call.


The Stephan-Walther Dogma Is Unravelling Slowly, Like a Badly Done Hand-Knit Sweater

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Dance to my music, Dance! Dance!
Why is no one dancing?
As one of my best friends said, "Those clergy who love the KJV and the Book of Concord also reject the Church Growth Movement. Those who love the NIV and ignore the Confessions are in love with Church Growth."

One step more - Those with the most power in WELS, LCMS, and the Little Sect are died-in-the-wool (as in dead) fans of UOJ and Church Growth, delighted to work with ELCA and Thrivent. They are lazy, stupid, and incompetent, but that is all the more reason for them working together and excluding anyone who dares raise an eyebrow.

I showed grandson Alex how effective the eyebrow could be. His father can raise one at a time. So I declared, "Windows is much better than Linux!" LI raised one eyebrow, which I translated for Alex, "That was too foolish for a response."

The Lutheran establishment is just like the Republican Party establishment that is earning so much media attention. The Republican leaders are completely opposed to their own members and glad to surrender to the Left Wing, aka the Democrats, because they belong to the same philosophy.

Church politics seem to anticipate secular politics. The Bill Clinton kill the messenger approach was used in Columbus, by WELS, for a Clinton wannabee, before anyone knew who Clinton was.

I have tracked WELS and Missouri looking down their noses at ELCA ever since the birth of ELCA in 1987. At the same time, the public record shows they have been working with ELCA, claw-in-claw, the entire time.

The Synodical Conference love for UOJ and the felony cover-up is well established. The leaders are counting on everyone to forget the details of each crime. Too bad I have gathered them together in two different posts. I am sure they are scratching the surface.

The Stormtrooper Limited will take clergy
where they want to go, fast, but they fail
to realize it is the Road to Perdition.

I get frequent communications about the alcoholism of WELS clergy and the nastiness of the leaders. This trickles down to the loyal members, who have learned to scowl at or ignore anyone who has left the WELS prison.

WELS and Missouri could not possibly be wrong, and the Little Sect is better than both - by far, though their last theologians died or left long ago. 

For many reasons, their evangelism efforts flounder:

  1. They have no concept of grace through the Means of Grace alone.
  2. They reject the efficacy of the Word alone.
  3. They teach a cowardly Universalism that dares not speak its name.
  4. Their imaginary Universal absolution gives them an excuse to be complete Antinomians, lawless and yet still legalistic in enforcing their sectarian codes.
  5. Their putrid behavior drives people away and crushes the weak in faith, so their congregations are closing faster than Chipotle outlets.
  6. They have no Gospel at the leadership level, so they struggle toward Romanism or Fullerism, both failing the sects except for creating new Enthusiasts for other sects.


If people took a closer look at their infallible leaders - rare indeed - they would be appalled:

  • SP Harrison is buddies with Paul McCain, a notorious false teacher, bad editor, and famous plagiarist, nastier than a junkyard dog, almost as bad as Jim and Paul Tiefel combined.
  • Circuit Pastor John Moldstad...face it, the ELS is only a circuit. At least I didn't call him Pope John the Malefactor...knows nothing about Lutheran doctrine and is completely subordinate to WELS.
  • SP Mark Schroeder and his PR guy Joel Hochmuth denounced ELCA in 2009 for their open advocacy of gay ordination and marriage, but WELS runs the gayest college in Lutherdom. So who appointed fire salesman Scott Barefoot to carry out his own gay ministry scheme all over WELS? Schroeder must approve, since he and Voss posed with Barefoot.
  • Schroeder intervened for the Booze Brothers in Appleton, but did nothing to stop Jon Buchholz--The Second Tetzel--from ejecting Pastor Rydecki and his congregation from WELS.

The three-synod confab at Emmaus, 2015 -
really packed them in to hear everyone
is already forgiven and saved before birth.

Latest Christian News Issue. 3/21/16 - Nostalgia. Forgotten - Hundreds of Free Articles from GLJ. St. Patrick's Day Response

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"Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky."
I had the unusual feeling of reading the stories before, several times before. This is the 2,500th issue of Christian News, formerly Lutheran News, formerly (in a sense) Orthodox Lutheran News.

The heirs of Stephan-Walther's UOJ all seem to hate or avoid each other. As I wrote before, courting Herman Otten is the first step in running for the LCMS Synod Presidency. It is also the first step in excommunicating Herman Otten. Formerly, the liberal leaders did that by removing the parish from the roster, three times.

Lately, excommunication is from the conservative leaders Otten supported and promoted - shunning, rejecting, repudiating, and now banning and excommunicating him. I get the impression that the pastor selected to replace Otten is joining the fun - against him.

Priority mail is much faster than regular mail
in Arkansas.

Thanks to my online subscription, I was able to scan the issue the moment it went live on the Net. The rest of you will have to wait several weeks for your copy to arrive. This is our Priority Mail delivery service, above, so I rely on the Net instead.

I did a Control-F on the PDF and see if the editor mentioned my name, in his complaining about being shunned and silenced. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. One would never know that Christian News published about 300 articles by me, no charge, no fee, plus Out of the Depths of ELCA, not to mention:

  1. Promoting my Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure.
  2. Getting Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant printed.
  3. Helping (via Timothy Otten) with the printing of The Wormhaven Gardening Book.
  4. Getting Angel Joy printed, again with Tim's help. I paid for printing 2-4. NPH published Liberalism and dropped it, giving me permission to print it.
I actually wrote Liberalism for Christian News, but Otten suggested it for Northwestern Publishing House, where it became an instant hot seller. Ironically, Otten says Christian News is against denominational liberalism but never mentioned the book in this issue. He is against ELCA, but did not mention the entire ELCA CN issue that I wrote (and NPH refused to touch). 

Otten and McCain worked together, adore UOJ,
and share close ties to Roman Catholics,
but they publicly loathe another.
Why not try the Gospel before y'all die?
George the Lite is big on UOJ.
He should sell Christian News at the
Higher Things franchise meetings.
He is slow to block and shun, but block and shun he must if
justification by faith is mentioned.
Father Hollywood Larry Beane made the big time
with a cover shot for the Gottesdienst franchise,
another pretentious journal title for people who do not know
and never read German.
Beane is sinuflecting to Rome, as anyone can see -
and he loves UOJ.

Harrison courted Otten with a trip to Christian News
and a banjo song devoted to Herman,
but that was 80 pounds ago.
He loves, loves, loves UOJ too.
But the door is slammed shut to the
born-forgiven Otten.


Don't cover up sex abuse, Harrison.
That's Otten's job.
He will spike or page 17 a scandal.
Ask WELS - they depend on his service.


Steadfast Tim Rossow abhors and bans justification by faith
from the tedious blabber of their group blog.
He and Otten should mutually support their UOJ claims,
linked as they are by crypto-Universalism from
Stephan and Walther.


Weedon, court chaplain, Purple Palace;
Wilken, radio franchise manager;
and McCain, Romanist plagiarist,
share a deep and abiding love for UOJ.
They should un-ban and re-communicate Otten.
Hiding from the truth and enforcing
the Missouri Synod myth and worship of Walther.


WELS Documented Blog - Another One Killed Off. Does Herman Otten Object to His Buddy John Brug

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Mark Schroeder could not even take a stand on the New NIV,
which he supposedly hates.
No, the convention endorsed all translations.
Is the KJV back? Don't bet on it.
http://welsdocument.blogspot.com/2015/01/growing-divisions-are-we-all-still-in.html

John Brug is one of Otten's handlers, to extinguish any objections.


Is our Synod President Mark Schroeder in the same synod as our WELS churches? Obviously he is; but then how do you explain the widening gap for what he says and what our WELS churches are doing? Take a look at what he publicly states and what our congregations actually do.

"The Lutheran church has always been known for its emphasis on Christ-centered and gospel-proclaiming worship. From the time of the Reformation, the Lutheran church has also been a liturgical church. There is good reason for that. Martin Luther himself stressed the importance of holding on to the historic liturgies of the Christian church, since those liturgies provided the framework for regular proclamation—to members and visitors alike—of the timeless truths heard by Christians for centuries. Liturgical worship provides worshipers with a connection to generations of Christians who have gone before." -Synod President Mark Schroeder; A synod that values worship

...Excerpts from the 2009 President's Convention Report... Admittedly the theology of the cross is not attractive in our postmodern, self-gratifying world. Unlike the theology of glory, the theology of the cross makes no promises of instant relief for the ills of life in a sinful world. It does not beckon people with the lure of financial or personal or professional success. It does not seek validation of its success in terms of numbers. It does not offer a practical “how-to” manual to achieve temporal happiness or to mine the depths of human potential. The message of the cross cannot be packaged to be palatable and cannot be soft-pedaled to be acceptable. It is a message that this world does not understand and does not desire....




...The unbelieving people in our world look for things that make sense to their own way of thinking; they crave a message that reinforces their own self-centered view of life. They will not find that in the harsh preaching of God’s law. And unless God changes their hearts, they will not appreciate the sweet message of grace in the gospel. If we somehow make the message of the cross attractive and reasonable to those who are perishing, we will have changed the message—and will have failed in the mission God gave us. God help us always to say with Paul, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles...

... As confessional Lutherans, we emphasize and agree that it is the gospel in Word and sacrament that is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). We proclaim Christ crucified. The message of the cross was not the message that itching ears wanted to hear in Paul’s day, and it is not a message that finds favor in the ears of today’s postmodern, self-gratifying, self-centered unbeliever. As confessional Lutherans we will look for every opportunity to proclaim God’s law in all its harshness, and we will be zealous to share the sweet message of the gospel to every sinner convicted by God’s law. But we will never adjust, hide, or downplay a single word of God’s truth to make it somehow more attractive. To do that is to empty the gospel of its power and to lose the gospel itself...




...But confessional Lutherans are also well aware that just because something may be done does not mean that it should be done. Immediately after asserting that all things are permissible, Paul went on to say, “But not everything is beneficial . . . not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 10:23). In other words, when something is determined to be an adiaphoron, that’s not where the discussion ends; that is when discussion among Christians begins. It’s a discussion which asks important questions: “This may be permissible. But how does this particular practice affect my fellow Christians—both inside and outside of our fellowship? Does this practice reflect clearly what we believe, or does it send an unclear or blurred message? What impact does this have on the church today, and what long-term ramifications might this have? Is there the potential of offense or misunderstanding? Does a practice sacrifice a connection with the church of the ages for the sake of mere innovation? Will such a practice build up and express our unity or will it fracture and diffuse it?” It’s interesting to note that in almost all cases when the New Testament addresses the matter of Christian freedom, the focus is not on the Christian’s right to exercise that freedom. More often the New Testament talks about the importance of refraining from exercising myChristian freedom if doing so will potentially cause harm to others or to the mission of the church...

...The COP recognizes that doctrine shapes practice in worship, outreach methodology, and congregational organization. Likewise, the COP is aware from the lessons of church history that practice can influence doctrinal beliefsoften unintentionally. Doctrine and practice areintimately related to each other.Therefore, it’s essential that we be wary of methods and practices that have their roots in Evangelical and Reformed theology and that may inherently reflect that theology. For example, these “theological underpinnings” can show themselves in worship and outreach methods that emphasizes subjective feelings over the proclamation of God’s objective gospel truth; or that gives the impression that prayer is a means of grace; or that emphasizes the role of praise over against the centrality of the Word proclaimed and the sacraments administered...




...We will be careful not to hide our identity as a confessional Lutheran church in favor of a more appealing and less “intimidating” brand of Christianity. We will not model ourselves after outwardly popular and successful nondenominational or pan-denominational churches in which adherence to clear biblical doctrine gives way to a generic, feel-good, popular Christianity that seeks to remove barriers by setting aside the offense of the cross.We will value the time-tested heritage passed down to us through the generations, while recognizing that God has not established a New Testament ceremonial law. We will ask God for the zeal to apply law and gospel to the heart of hearers and to trust in the power of the Word and the working of the Holy Spirit to do what we could never do: to change a heart.
WELS Synod President Mark Schroeder issues scorching rebuke of Church Growth Movement
President's Report at Proceedings of the WELS 60th Biennial Convention
Synod President Mark Schroeder 
mark.schroeder@wels.net  
2009 


What Synod President Mark Schroeder has Publicly Stated:
"The word Lutheran in our synod’s name, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is not merely a word. We call ourselves Lutheran because it clearly identifies what we believe and describes how we carry out the work that God has entrusted to his church on earth. We call ourselves Lutheran, in spite of the fact that others using that name have departed from many of the essential truths that God revealed in the Scriptures—the same truths Martin Luther believed and taught... Some have suggested that we not use the word Lutheran in our name because it has been misused by others and can be misunderstood. I believe the nameLutheran says much, as long as we are committed to explaining what it really means to be Lutheran."
What's in a Name - Forward in Christ 
By Synod President Mark Schroeder
mark.schroeder@wels.net
August 2009




What WELS Churches Actually Do:
Church: Hope in Oconomowoc, WI (http://www.hopeinjesus.org/) - Find the wordLutheran anywhere on their website. 
Pastors: Rev Daniel T Schmidt, Rev Jason W Ewart
Email: judy@hopeinjesus.org
District: Western Wisconsin

Church: St Paul's in Muskego, WI. The goal is to reach them by keeping potentially off-putting religious symbols and practices at a minimum to let the love that is the real message shine through. St. Paul's even has dropped the evangelical Lutheran parts of its full name for general purposes, Sally Wallner [St. Paul's community outreach coordinator] added, though it is still formally St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church and School. Muskego Now News Article 
Pastors: Rev John D Backus, Rev Peter A Panitzke, Rev Jeffrey A Bonack, Rev David M Kuehl
Email: info@stpaulmuskego.org
District: Southeastern Wisconsin 






What Synod President Mark Schroeder has Publicly Stated:
"One activity far exceeds all others in involving people directly with the life and work of a congregation. That activity is worship. Public worship is so central to our church experience that we couldn’t possibly conceive of the church without it"......"Today people throughout our synod are discussing important issues involving the purpose of worship, the styles of worship, and how to conduct our worship in the best possible way. The Bible and the Lutheran Confessions make it clear that the form, style, and structure of our worship are matters of Christian freedom. But this Christian freedom does not imply that we are free to do anything we want.Acting in Christian freedom in an area as important as worship, in fact, implies very careful thought and decision making. Christian freedom in worship decisions involves sanctified and responsible Christian judgment. That means recognizing that the proclamation of the gospel message is vital—both in what is spoken and in what is sung. That means remembering that the purpose of worship is not to please various tastes and preferences, but rather to edify worshipers through the proclamation of law and gospel. That means a commitment to a careful evaluation of what elements of our worship need to be preserved and what can be changed in a way that gives glory to God and benefits those who worship."  
A synod that values worship - Forward in Christ
By Synod President Mark Schroeder
mark.schroeder@wels.net 
Jun 2008

What WELS Churches Actually Do:
Contemporvant Worship: Coming Soon to a WELS Church Service Near You
Should Christmas Pageants Replace a Worship Services?
Beyond "Contemporary" Worship to "Modern" Worship
Church Growth: By the Gospel or By Gimmicks?
From Nightclub to WELS Church
NEW Religious Experience at WELS Church
Watch "Karate Kid" during WELS Sermon
Comfy chairs important in WELS advertising
Real? Relational?? Relevant??? O THE HORROR OF IT ALL!!!

Read More:
From a Layman: Contemporary Worship Mocks the Solas
What is REAL Lutheran Worship anyway?
Worship Service VS Divine Service



What Synod President Mark Schroeder has Publicly Stated:
When the focus of worship is on what God does for us, then our worship will be a blessing... If we think of worship as primarily something we do, we are missing the most important part of our worship. Worship is about what God does for us. Lutheran worship—biblical worship—is above all God speaking to us in his Word. It is God proclaiming through human messengers the crushing blows of his law. In worship, God lovingly speaks to sin-burdened sinners the sweet good news of sins forgiven and death defeated. In readings and sermons, God instructs, strengthens, equips, and motivates his people for lives of Christian service. Worship is where God comes to us in his sacraments, adopting sinners into his family through Holy Baptism and strengthening the faith of his people by giving them his true body and blood in the Lord's Supper. In worship, with every syllable of his Word that is proclaimed and spoken, God assures us of what he has done for us; in turn, he also reminds us of the mission that he has now entrusted to us. When the focus of worship is on what God does for us, then our worship will be a blessing. It will help us to understand ourselves and all of our weaknesses. It will direct us to the grace and love of God. It will transport us to the foot of the cross, where Jesus demonstrated a love both undeserved and inconceivable. It will fill us with joy that continues long after the time for worship ends. Sad to say, many lose sight of this primary focus and think of worship as primarily an activity that they do. When that happens, people tend to develop certain unhealthy expectations of worship.They begin to view worship as something that should be "fun" or entertaining. They adopt a consumer approach to worship, expecting that worship should be shaped by their own tastes and that it should cater to their own comfort level. They insist that worship should reflect what they want, what they like, and what they find pleasing. They run the risk of losing sight of what God wants to do for them in that precious time in his house. King David said, "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord'" (Psalm 122:1). David could say that because he knew and remembered the true focus of God-pleasing worship. God-pleasing worship always focuses on the proclamation of Christ and on all that God has done for sinners like us. And if that is what characterizes our worship, if that is where our focus is, then our worship will never be dull, never boring, and certainly never irrelevant. When God's Word is proclaimed, worship becomes the blessing that God wants it to be. 
The proper focus of our worship - Forward in Christ
By Synod President Mark Schroeder
mark.schroeder@wels.net
March 2010


What WELS Churches Actually Do:
May I suggest that the kind of preaching needed for the nineties and beyond is somewhat different: personal, intense, eye-to-eye, well-researched and yet down-to-earth, poured out from the heart, with the smell of spontaneity, clearly outlined, simple, logical, with real applications to real life, talking and thinking out loud with your friends rather than orating at an audience, using all the storyteller’s arts, even humor, radiating the joy of being a member of the royal family of Jesus Christ.
Worship in the WELS: Changing Practices
Pastor: Mark Jeske
Email: mark.jeske@stmarcus.org
District: Southeastern Wisconsin

Church: St Paul's in Muskego, WI. Humor, video, lighting effects and contemporary Christian music combined with the pastor’s message help us all grow closer to Christ. Every Sunday a team of volunteers transforms the Trinity Gym into a modern worship environment complete with stage, large screen projectors, stage lights, and curtains.
St Paul's Website 
Pastors: Rev John D Backus, Rev Peter A Panitzke, Rev Jeffrey A Bonack, Rev David M Kuehl 
Email: info@stpaulmuskego.org
District: Southeastern Wisconsin

Church: St Mark's in De Pere, WI. The contemporary worship services at St. Mark Lutheran brings together dynamic music, compelling dramas, moving real life stories, and stirring Bible-based teachings.
Contemporary Worship-Pro and Con
Presented by Jeff Londgren
Great Lakes Pastoral Conference

Pastors: Rev Eric S Hansen, Rev Christopher D Johnson, Rev John M Parlow
Email: church.office@stmarkdepere.com
District: Northern Wisconsin 


What SP Mark Schroeder,  the COP, and WELS Q&A has Publicly Stated:  

Encouraging the holding of free conferences among confessional Lutherans. A free conference is a forum for discussion of theology and doctrine in a setting that does not involve fellowship.
COP News - WELS Website 
Synod President Mark Schroeder and the Conference of Presidents


From the WELS Question & Answer section on their website:
Question: Why are we as WELS members not allowed to have true Christian people come to our churches and speak to us and tell us why or why not they do or don't believe in a subject....even if they are not a WELS Lutheran. Christian people of other denominations still believe in Christ and can give us perspective upon many subjects. Many times I feel as if I don't have the knowledge I should have because the speaker isn't a WELS Lutheran speaker.
Answer: Speakers can present information as long as we follow scriptural fellowship principles (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11).  Those principles rule out including speakers from outside our fellowship in our worship services or any activity in which worship and religious instruction are involved.  There are definitely ways in which our pastors can bring up the ideas of others and examine those ideas in the light of Scripture.  This is often done with sermon illustrations or in Bible classes. A good resource I could suggest for you is Church Fellowship:  Working Together for the Truth.  It explains biblical fellowship principles and makes application to various situations, including the one you mentioned.  It is available from Northwestern Publishing House.

Question: I am a member of a local WELS church and attend meetings and work with other Christians and we have a prayer before and after the meeting. Even though they are not members of WELS, is it wrong to participate in the group prayers? Also, if I share a meal with my family, who are all Christians, but not all WELS, what about grace before the meal? Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Answer: When Christians are joined together in faith and doctrine, they are able to express their unity by joint prayer and worship, cooperative educational endeavors and shared outreach efforts (Acts 1:14; 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25; Psalm 78:4-7; 3 John 5-8).  When you and I interact with Christians whose faith differs from ours, we follow Scripture’s instructions and do not engage in those previously mentioned activities (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10; 2 John 10-11).  By not worshiping or praying together with other Christians, you and I are not intending to say that we do not consider such people to be outside the faith.  God alone can see what is in the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  We readily and happily acknowledge that the kingdom of God is bigger than our synod.  Refraining from prayer and worship with people who are not united with us in faith and doctrine is, as our Catechism points out from Scripture, a matter of showing love for the truth of God’s word (2 Corinthians 13:8), love for our own souls (Galatians 5:9) and love for those who are mixing error with truth (James 5:19-20).

Both Questions Answered by James Pope, professor at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn. Pope is a contributing editor to Forward in Christ magazine. He writes the monthly “Light for our path” question and answer column.


What WELS Churches Actually Do:
Christian Leadership Experience Conference - Includes worship which is considered fellowship

Q26: Is the conference open only to CELC* members? *CELC = Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference of which the WELS and ELS are members
A: The 2015 Christian Leadership Experience and its organizing partners are specifically inviting the people who make up our constituency, which is primarily WELS/ELS or CELC. However, the event is open to whomever is interested in building their leadership skills.

Q27: Why are there non-CELC presenters?
A: As the objectives of the Leadership Experience were identified, we committed to identifying and presenting the best possible speakers on each leadership topic. A few of the speakers who are well-regarded as experts in their field are from outside the CELC (WELS/ELS) fellowship. We pray these speakers will bring value to attendees which has not been previously available to leaders and aspiring leaders in our fellowship.

Q28: Are there any "fellowship" concerns since it is open to non-CELC members?
A: Conference attendance is not an act of fellowship. The one "fellowship" activity is the worship at devotions and the closing service. Just as we welcome our friends and visitors to our congregations' worship services so also we welcome them to the conference's devotions and closing service. [Does this contradict the two answers given above from the WELS Q & A and the COP guidelines or not?]

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
        Young professionals, business & ministry leaders and aspiring leaders
        Health workers of all disciplines
        All interested in participation in mission work
        Congregation Presidents and leaders
        Those interested in cutting edge evangelism techniques
        Anyone working in a cross-cultural setting 

Read More: 
DP Buchholz Responds to Christian Leadership Experience
Christian Leadership Experience will feature the SON Band
2015 Christian Leadership Experience Website
Intrepid Lutherans - What is the 2015 Christian Leadership Experience?
Christian Leadership Experience FAQ
Truth in Love Ministries - 2015 Christian Leadership Experience: Grow. Lead. Impact.
Facebook Event Page


What makes a Lutheran synod confessional? It does the following: 

  • Believes that the truth of God’s Word, as revealed in Scripture and summarized in the confessions, does not change.
  • Stands on the Bible’s foundational teaching that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. It recognizes that the blessings of faith come only by the Holy Spirit’s working through the gospel proclaimed in God’s Word and in the sacraments.
  • Understands and applies the clear distinction between law and gospel. A confessional Lutheran church proclaims God’s law in all its stark bluntness and God’s gospel in all its amazing beauty.
  • Values the rich heritage of doctrine and worship that God has preserved to us through the wisdom, courage, and creativity of those who have gone before us.
  • Celebrates the freedom that God has given us in the gospel. It is careful to avoid any hint of legalism that imposes rules where God has not. It avoids misusing the freedom in a way that does not show Christian love for the other members of the body of Christ. It recognizes that often the most faithful exercise of our Christian freedom is when we willingly choose not to exercise that freedom out of love and concern for others.

I’m thankful that we are a synod that values worship—a synod in which every member can say with the Psalmist, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Psalm 122:1). - Mark G. Schroeder

***
Notice how a beautiful old church
has been transformed by lighting into a rock venue.

GJ - Ichabod asks the obvious question - How many alcoholic, abusive pastors have their careers rescued by a congregational visit from the Synod President?

And what style of worship does that pastor represent? Here is the short answer - Messages (not sermons) plagiarized from false teachers, delivered in clean-out-the-attic clothes.

Add these pastoral abuses - approved and promoted by the Synod President:
1. Showing gross pornography to a lady working at the church.
2. Suing the worker's husband for telling the truth about the abuse.
3. Excommunicating an attorney for talking to the senior pastor, Glende, Ski's buddy, about their plagiarism and dishonesty - which Glende denied!

After Team Glende pulled off these crimes, Ski got a quickie CRM approval and an insta-call to DP Don Patterson's neighborhood. With SP Schroeder's approval, Deputy Doug Engelbrecht violated the district rules for CRM and thereby endorsed by worst behavior in WELS.

But, after all, didn't WELS buy a bar for Ski with synodical money?



From 2014 - WELS Discussion about Abusing the Call. I Do Not Participate at All.

$
0
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Both of these pastors, joined by two church staffers, sued a man for telling the truth about Ski.
Glende was also involved in the charges of sexual harrassment.
They posed for this gluttony photo when studying under the abusive Mark Driscoll.
Does this sound like Walther studying under Bishop Stephany, STD?



As Beckie pointed out, this CRM related issue isn't necessarily the cause of the new call reporting mechanism. Here's a well-documented summary if you haven't heard: https://vdma.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/two-wels-pastors-and-four-meritless-lawsuits/
Thoughts?

Recently, two WELS Pastors, Tim Glende and James Skorzewski, and two of their staff members filed four almost identical lawsuits against a WELS layman, Jonathan Donnan, a former member of their con...
VDMA.WORDPRESS.COM
LikeLike ·  · 
  • Jeffery Clark and 2 others like this.
  • Melissa Brander Unfortunately not surprised it was handled like this. Our culture does not take sexual harassment allegations seriously and the victim is often blamed or shamed and it is seen as "not that bad" or the woman is told she is "overreacting." Too often it is swept under the rug and not taken seriously in Christian church bodies, not just the WELS but I keep up with other church bodies/Christian organizations and two of them within the past year have had scandals where the leaders were accused of inappropriate actions towards women, varying in degrees of severity, but yet people still stand behind them and say they are still "good people." This is not something that is taken as seriously as it should be. Moving him to a different congregation in a different part of the country does not fix the problem and is a large part of why the Catholic Church has had issues because they too often just moved priests who were accused of pedophilia to a different parish instead of handling the issue. There should be zero tolerance for this kind of behavior in a pastor.
    2 hrs · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin I would have a very hard time trusting any of the people involved in this action. We are taught the first step in obtaining forgiveness is to admit the sin. Seems to me that this was never really done. In something of this nature by someone of this status, that admission should have been to the direct people involved, his entire congregation from the pulpit and his fellow pastors as well as his own family, if applicable. Then, and only then, should he expect the victim and her husband to be able to let it go and move on.
    2 hrs · Like · 5
  • Nick Brander Having been through a negative situation with a previous pastor of the WELS, I don't believe it is our job to have thoughts on this at all. I believe this should have stayed within the affected people, the church leadership and the district leadership. Let me stress that we do not know the full story and we cannot know the full story. For us to form any thoughts would be counter-intuitive and serve no beneficial purpose.
    2 hrs · Like
  • Bryan Lidtke I think it's important to discuss for a variety of reasons, including:
    1) What if this were to happen to you or the pastor at your congregation? It's nice to see what happened in a previous case. 
    2) What if those involved are currently in your congregation or is your pastor? Once again, it's nice to know what happened. 
    3) If this were to stay only among the affected people and the congregation and the district, what happens when there's a disagreement? I mean, I'm pretty sure the Donnans are upset about what has occurred. Since the congregation and the district leadership sided against them, who's allowed to help them?
    4) I think it's pretty easy to know the full story - ask those involved! From my conversations with those involved, this blog post is a factual and accurate summary of what has transpired.
    2 hrs · Edited · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin I respectfully disagree. It was made a public matter by their decision to file not one but four lawsuits and to hold a public meeting about the matter. Pastors, DPs, etc are not infallible. Sometimes it takes sheep standing and reminding the shepherd of the path.
    2 hrs · Like · 6
  • Bryan Lidtke ^ Forgot to mention that. Thanks, Sherrie! As Sherrie said, a public lawsuit in a public court makes things public I would say.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Joe Jewell Exactly. The two aspects that absolutely make this public are the lawsuits filed against the victims (absolutely unbelievable in my mind), which actually did put the entire thing irretrievably on the public record--that was the plaintiffs' poor choice if privacy was the goal--and the fact that he was subsequently placed back into the public ministry. I would agree with Nick that there would be no reason to have a (public) thought on this at all otherwise. However, given those two facts, it's quite right that it be discussed.
    1 hr · Like · 5
  • Nick Brander 1) What has happened in a previous case has little to no relevance in the immediate need to deal with a situation. In specific cases such as these, God's Law and Moral law need no historical precedence

    I'm going to combine 2, 3 and 4) Since we don't know the full story, and asking those involved has certainly not worked well already, is there something that we don't know that swayed the District Presidents choice to grant Pastor Ski CRM status? The district and the pastors involved are certainly not telling us.

    To approach it from the unpopular angle, is there conclusive proof that Ski acted in such a way that could be deemed inappropriate? Not to diminish the claim, as such allegations are always serious allegations, but just as the pastor is not infallible, so to are the congregants.

    Since we know that Ski has received and accepted a call to Texas, it is their prerogative to find out everything they can about the pastor they are calling, and it is not our job to cast the shadow of doubt on someone when we don't know all the facts.

    There is too much conjecture to form an opinion on what happened without taking the risk of forming a harmful opinion in error of the truth. It would not serve us at all to get involved in this.
    1 hr · Like
  • Daniel Baker Actually, per the public testimony issued in a Court of Law:
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Daniel Baker Q: Okay, so you believe that there were indiscretions by the pastor directly towards Jonathan’s wife that occurred by the pastor, correct?

    A: Yes, which were addressed. And then once he resigned, it was over because he is no longer a pastor. That happened in the middle of April.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Bryan Lidtke How has asking those involved not worked well? Not trying to sound like a jerk here, but I'm not sure I understand what you're saying there.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Daniel Baker So the supervising pastor admitted that wrongdoing occurred, and that the issue was "closed" because the perpetrator was removed from the Ministry. However, his readmittance to the Ministry makes this very much worthy of discussion.
    1 hr · Like · 6
  • Nick Brander That the supervising pastor said that there were indiscretions, but Mrs. Dannon says that the supervising pastor was part of it at times and that nothing was done to address him says to me there is something more going on, and that we do not have all the information, and without all the information, it would not become us to form an opinion or make a discussion of it.
    1 hr · Like
  • Nick Brander To put it bluntly, I don't see the need for us to stick our noses into something that we are not involved in.
    1 hr · Like
  • Nick Brander If the Dannons have an issue with the ruling of the District and its President, than it would seem to me that the next appropriate course of action is for them to approach the Council of Presidents
    1 hr · Like
  • Bryan Lidtke They've done that and talked to some other synod officials, as well. Nothing has really been resolved. What's next?
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Daniel Baker We are involved, because our congregations are in fellowship with a pastor who resigned for sexually inappropriate conduct, whose supervising pastor said, under oath, that he resigned for said indiscretions, and yet who was allowed back into the Ministry and transferred elsewhere. Now he has the potential to be transferred to a parish near you. That definitely is our business.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Daniel Baker I don't recall "Council of Presidents" being one of Jesus' steps in St. Matthew 18.
    1 hr · Like · 2
  • Beckie Grunewald So what do you hope to achieve by talking about it here? Are there people here with authority to do something?
    1 hr · Like
  • Daniel Baker As for me, I wasn't planning to comment, but the "we should just be quiet and never question Holy Mother" mentality gets me every time. I imagine Bryan started this thread because people were derailing the CRM Status thread with this unsavory topic.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Joe Jewell Personally although this may be a "fait accompli" (though I don't necessarily concede that), exposing this case--which I and many, many others feel was handled quite improperly--helps to ensure that either 1) we stand by our practice of reassigning or granting quickie calls to former pastors in similar situations, only this time in the light of day rather than in the hasty way it was done over the objection of many in and out of the district; or 2) it doesn't happen again. 2) is my preferred outcome, personally.

    Finally, secrecy and attempted secrecy are essentially what created the unsavory situation in the first place. Sunlight is an excellent disinfectant. In particular, the nature of the offense (and the lack of repentance that filing the lawsuits demonstrates) means that it absolutely needs to be widely known. Suppose you were considering joining a certain congregation in Texas, or the congregation of the supervising pastor in Wisconsin! This is absolutely and completely relevant, at the minimum, for every woman and every married man. People move around and travel so much these days (both parishioners and called workers). If this is all above-board, let it be known--it is, after all, the PUBLIC ministry.
    1 hr · Edited · Like · 2
  • Bryan Lidtke Yeah, as I said in the OP, this was brought up in the CRM thread and this is off-topic with what was in that thread, so I started one to discuss this in particular.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Sherrie Rardin Beckie, if "authority to do something" is now a criterion for discussion, then there need be no more about anything. I personally believe as WELS members we have a right and a responsibility to go to our pastors about things within our church body as a...See More
    47 mins · Like · 3
  • Cathy Probst I find this extremely disturbing. I hope the Texas' church's professional liability insurance is up to date and paid in full.



  • Beckie Grunewald Sherrie what I mean is that if people just sit here and go "that's horrible" and then continue to talk about the details but that's it, it just becomes gossip. When I told my husband about it, he made a note to talk to his circuit about it, because it seems wrong and unsavory. But even as we have public details of the suit filed we dont have public knowledge of what happened between Ski and anyone else as far as counseling. It is conjecture and speculation.
    55 mins · Edited · Like
  • Bryan Spiff Grefsheim Disgusting, but sadly not surprising. We all fall short, but the district leadership really let their members down. I'll also add that these two "pastors" clearly were absent when they covered 1 Corinthians 6 at the Sem!
    16 mins · Like · 1
  • Steve Spencer There's really no need for any conjecture or speculation. The necessary facts, straight from those involved - 
    10 mins · Like · 3
FACT: Ski was suspended by the DP "for cause," and that cause was sexual impropriety - it matters not of what kind. Period. 
FACT: In almost every case of such a suspension for a sexual cause, regardless of the circumstances, the man is out for good. 
FACT: In a VERY few cases of this nature, the man at the very least must wait 2 years to even apply for CRM status. 
FACT: Then the application must go through the District Presidium AND the ALL the Pastors of that district. They, then have the opportunity to oppose the granting of CRM status. 
FACT: ONLY after the two-years wait, and the approval by the District is the man even eligible to be placed on Call Lists for consideration. 
FACT: In Ski's case, the district 2nd VP strongly objected, as well as a number of other Pastors, including some CPs. 
FACT: In no other case has the two-year rule been waved. 
FACT: In no other case has an objection by a VP and other District Pastors been dismissed. These are the facts. 
  • Now, in this case, it has strenuously been denied by various leaders that there was any "deal" involved, or any "quid pro quo" on anyone's part. I'm certainly willing to accept that. However, as I have pointed out to them, the "appearance of evil" is still quite clear and evident, and enough just cause to re-visit the situation and make public the emails and conversations surrounding the circumstances of the case, especially how it ended with Ski as a Pastor again so soon. If this were the government, or a large business, such communications would be demanded by the press and all those who are concerned for propriety. We're not talking about the sanctity of the "confessional" here, but of how the very public Call process was used in this specific case. Again, there is no speculation about the actual facts. They are what they are. That some leaders are being judged as being less than honest in this case is their own fault, and they hold the remedy - making everything open and above board.
  • Christian Schulz ^ Thanks. 

    I'll add a short question. Are you willing to accept that there wasn't a "deal" because there's no proof or because you personally don't believe there was one? Personally, the only way such a thing could happen like that, after all you correctly mentioned, is if a "deal" took place. And let's talk about the elephant in the room. Ski is majorly into CoWo/CGM. The DP that is now taking care of him is also majorly into CGM. The connections are too obvious. Obviously a couple phone calls were placed after the smoked cleared a little bit and wallah he's all of a sudden above reproach and is magically in a congregation that happens to be into CGM-type worship as well. I digress as I know the accusations of conjecture are coming. But, seriously, the good ol' boy system was at work here and it's too obvious to deny.
    1 hr · Edited · Like
  • Sherrie Rardin I don't think this falls under gossip; at least it does not for me. My husband (a retired WELS pastor) and I have already made an appointment with our pastor to discuss this and two other synod issues that we find disturbing. We fully intend, pending the results of that discussion, to then speak to our DP about our thoughts and concerns. Right now, to me as an adult confirmand, this seems to me to be a case of "good ole boys protecting their own" instead of leading God's sheep. If I am wrong, I want to know it. If not, I want to know that too. I am in the position of deciding to send my youngest child away to residential WELS school. I have to be able to trust that the men (and women) in leadership positions are not looking out for one of their own before my child.
    1 hr · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin Funny that Mr Schulz and I were posting at the same time and used the same phrase.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Bryan Lidtke One thing I find interesting is that Pastor Ski is allowed to be a pastor in any district... except for the one where he formerly served. So he's blameless and above reproach in all but one district?
    1 hr · Like · 4
  • Cathy Probst Quite frankly, if the WELS develops the habit of shuttling problem pastors around, then we are no better than the Catholic Church and their priests. And we know what problems they are experiencing now, especially in MN.
    55 mins · Like · 3
  • Christian Schulz The WELS is too small and interconnected to ever shake it's "good ole boy" disease. This is the only way the WELS knows how to operate. It all starts at the prep schools. The popular kids at prep will be the future DPs and presidents of the schools, etc. If they like you you'll be accodomated. If you keep your head down you'll be tolerated. And if you speak out you'll be swiftly blacklisted.
  • Steve Spencer Clarification: It may be that Ski "resigned" rather that was formally suspended by the DP, I frankly don't remember which. It really doesn't matter, however. Why not? Because this is quite common; i.e. for the leaders to "offer" the man to resign rather than having to be suspended.) The real underlying "cause" remains exactly the same. But sometimes we will see the reason listed officially as "for the good of the ministry," or "for personal reasons." Why these wordings are used has never been made quite clear to me in cases where I have inquired, except that there is sometimes concern for the feelings of the wife and children of the man in question. Again, that is understandable and charitable. As to Christian's question: I am willing to accept that no "deal" was involved because that is exactly and directly what a DP told me following a CoP meeting around that time. He would have no reason to tell me this if it were not true, as he knows full well I could find out from other sources. Of course, it could be that he himself was not told the full story either. Again, that is all beside the point. The appearance of impropriety remains, indeed, it has grown since then. It is incumbent upon those entrusted with leadership in the synod to confront this appearance and make public and proper reassurance to both Pastors and laypeople that there is no substance to it - AND to provide the necessary evidence to support their contention. I think a former President put it this way, "Trust, but verify." No, our leaders are not our enemies. However, in this world, with all the nonsense going on in churches, it is essential that we go far above and beyond what may have been done in the past. That's just the way it is.
    41 mins · Like · 2
  • Steve Spencer Final comment before I sign off for the evening. It is good to hear that at least a couple of Pastors are planning to confront their spiritual leaders about this situation. We all need to remember, however, that the point under consideration here; i.e. the Call process in the WELS, and the recent observed change in dealing with CRM status - all of this has been the very private and secret purview of the DPs, and they alone, for many, many decades. Like the "black files" that get passed from DP to DP over the years, this authority is jealously guarded and protected from all prying eyes, and all inquiries. "Why some and not others" with regard to salvation may indeed be "the mother of all heresy," but that same question with regard to Call Lists is "the mother of all power" in the WELS today, and has been for generations. It will not be given up lightly or easily, questions about it will be deflected many times, and answers will be less than satisfying to many. We really cannot and should not expect it to be otherwise. Power over others is the world's greatest, most intoxicating, and most dangerous drug; and it is this same in the Church Militant as it is in the rest of the world. We must be sure of our own motives, and be clear that we are not in this for our own power, or because of jealousy over the authority of the DPs, or even just to stir the pot. Otherwise, we are nothing but "mud-rakes." While none of us are holy and perfect, and even our best motives have the touch of our Old Adam, our purpose must be to uphold honesty, openness, and integrity as much as possible in the visible church, and indeed to protect our church body - and our leaders themselves - from falling into corruption, and so harm the proclamation of the precious Gospel. THAT must be our first and foremost motive. And that's why we need to hold those in power accountable. Sin fin.
    23 mins · Like · 4
    • Rachel Giller Forgive me - I have not read all the comments on this thread. I will repeat what I said a couple of months ago when this was brought up (and why I chose to leave the group for awhile because it was like beating a dead horse over and over and over again!!!). To me - this is not an appropriate post. It is gossip and should not even be on here. The DP is aware of the situation. The President of the Synod is aware of the situation. If you have a problem with it, it is not appropriate to be hashing it out on here. No one that is involved is a member of this group to give their side of the story. You may personally know SOME of the facts, but do you know all of them? Were you in the room when things were being discussed???

      This article was written way back in June. It was discussed then, and I believe that the thread was deleted because it was not a discussion that was uplifting and it was not helping further His kingdom.

      Sorry not very eloquently written, but I don't understand why this topic was brought back up.
      2 hrs · Like · 1
    • Joel Dusek You who don't think this subject should be brought up demonstrate the reason why the WELS bureaucracy is corrupt. If you don't hold your leaders accountable and come up with a perpetual train of excuses, the abuses of authority continue. In this case, you are not sheep of the Good Shepherd or His appointed Pastors, but are simply sheep. Man up!
      1 hr · Like · 1
    • Joe Jewell Rachel Giller: We believe this is an appropriate topic for discussion, based on the facts (not gossip--facts) as publicly known. Most of the extensive set of facts that are in the public domain have been put there by the protagonist's own choice (when ...See More

      vdma.wordpress.com
      WCCA stands for Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (formerly known as CCAP), and is the internet portal for information about Wisconsin court cases.  When someone applies for a job, an apartment, or an...
    • One Response


  1. It would be refreshing to see the NWD take a lesson from The Word and demonstrate what He taught us; Repent, ask for forgiveness, and make a change in the behavior so as not to repeat it. As leaders, they should start acting like the one who came to serve us!
  • Beckie Grunewald Joel, your comments are why I now find this thread distasteful. Not one of us is saying what you imply. We're not holding leaders accountable here. What I see is repeated posts about the "good ole boys" and how that will never change. THAT is gossip. Blogs are nice but they still only represent one side. The facts that we have involve only certain aspects. Making judgments on half the story is not God-pleasing. I find it disheartening that people resort to insulting those among us who are trying to keep this on the right side.
    1 hr · Like
  • Rachel Giller Joe - using the excuse that they are facts and public record does not make it ok to continue to hash it out - GOSSIP. We have an established "chain of command". Obviously because this is public knowledge like I said, the DP knows about this, the President of the Synod knows about this. Who are we to judge??? Yes, we know what the court records say, but we DO NOT know what was said in closed doors between these two Pastors and their leaders. 

    And Joel - I take offense to you saying "In this case, you are not sheep of the Good Shepherd or His appointed Pastors, but are simply sheep." Did not Jesus forgive the tax collectors and prostitutes when they were repentant? If I remember correctly he did. No sin is greater than another, whether it is outward sexual immorality or whether it is an itty bitty sinful thought in the back of your mind that you have never taken action on. It is sinful to slander someone's name - which is happening, because even though we have some of the facts, like Beckie said, "blogs are nice but they still only represent one side". Am I "brushing it under the rug" by not discussing? No, I am leaving it up to MY leaders to handle it. Because I trust them and I have faith in them that they are in their appointed positions, where God wants them doing exactly what they need to do.

    Yes, we are all sinful and yes we fail EVERY SINGLE DAY - but ya know what??? WE ARE FORGIVEN!!!!! That is the beauty of it. Christ died on the cross for this specific reason. God knows that we are going to stumble and fall. Thankfully HE is there to pick us back up and set us on our feet again. And we will fall again - and He will continue to pick us back up. Are we suppose to forgive and continue to gossip about it? No. We are suppose to move on. Just as we should be doing now! Have a blessed day. I now get to take my girls to school and go to work!
    49 mins · Like · 1
  • Sherrie Rardin Steve, the call point might have been a main concern for some. Honestly, it is not for me. The main point for me is that it appears, at least to me right now, to be a case of "do what I say for some and not for others" and not within the letter or the spirit of our own doctrine. That is ONE of the things we intend to speak to our pastor to discuss and get more info. What happened to a pastor should be above reproach in his own actions? That is what my husband was told in school with regard to the office of pastor. I am not saying that they would ever be able to meet it, but as a goal it sure seems a pretty good target at which to aim. Beckie, I understand your point on gossip. Truly I do. However, it does seem to me that, at least on the surface, we have more than half the story here. Whether things are taken out of context in this summary, I intend to give the parties (through my pastor) the chance to share. We know that would not be the first in either the media or a blog. However, I will say on the surface that even in a case with merit ONE person filing charges would be sufficient. FOUR seems pretty ridiculous and excessive and, to me personally, meant to intimidate or bully. Our meeting is tomorrow. I will be happy to report PRIVATELY to anyone who is interested on the results of that meeting. If you want me to let you know, please message me privately.
  • Beckie Grunewald On a side note to Rachel, I also believe in forgiveness, but there are still worldly consequences. In the other thread, I believe, it was mentioned that in some cases CRM status should not be given again ever, and I do agree with that.

    Sherrie, thanks
     for that post. Yes, we seem to have more than half the story, but we don't have the whole story. We probably never will have the whole story.

    I too trust my leaders, because God has placed them there for a reason. Do I believe they are perfect? Of course not. But I have the ultimate faith in my Lord.
  • Bryan Spiff Grefsheim Thank God all of our sins are forgiven, especially mine, but also including those of the pastors in question. That, however is a separate issue. Many called workers have been removed from their office for cause and have still been assured of their forgiveness, but also told that they are no longer qualified to serve in the public ministry. Too often the water gets muddied when we talk about forgiveness and the privilege (not the right) to serve as a minster of the Gospel. 
    I do know what it's like to be forced to stand with a loved one who has been wronged in the church while leadership circles the wagons. It's not fun, it's a lonely place to be, and it's led to many of our people seeking their spiritual leadership elsewhere. Our called workers are held to a higher standard and accountability or more openness in this area would really add to the credibility of our synod for many people. 
    The words that the Holy Spirit led Paul to write to the church in Corinth come to mind. We are not to settle our disputes in the public courts. These workers decided to do that for whatever reason and in the end, they seemed to land on their feet. I hope the victim and her family were able to do the same.
  • Joel Dusek Forgiveness requires repentance, and from the public statements and actions of these pastors, they exhibit no repentance. Perhaps, privately, they have, but they should do so publicly as well. Other pastors should be publicly reproving them as well, which is why the blog/Facebook are useful, to call other pastors to action. If that happens and these pastors repent they are forgiven, but are still unqualified for the Ministry. 
    Otherwise, WELS ends not with a bang but with a whisper.
  • ---

    • Joe Jewell "And maybe that's why I wish the public discussion of Ski would tone down - because in some ways it feeds the beast that wants to dig up dirt on all pastors who resign."

      I disagree with that. It's not the DISCUSSION that feeds the beast. It's the simp
      le fact that he got back into ministry at all--and so quickly. People instinctively know that this should not have happened, especially over the objections of so many. Any increase in doubt or eroding of trust in the process is squarely on the shoulders of the two DPs who engineered the "solution" (as well as, of course, on Ski and Glende themselves).
      19 mins · Edited · Like · 1
    • Dan Babinec I can see your point, Joe Jewell. I was more just throwing out my personal thoughts than trying to sway anyone to stop discussing it. Again, there's another thread for that, so maybe I shouldn't have even said anything in that context.
      16 mins · Like · 1
    • Joe Jewell To be perfectly honest it's the emphasis on how it "should all be quiet and not discussed" that has made me lose the MOST trust in the process. It can't help but make one thing "wow, if they're hushing this up, what else are they hushing up?"... "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
    ***

    GJ - These innocents should realized that all the members are paying for the abusers, through higher insurance premiums. They not only pay the costs of the settlements, but also the court costs, which were quite high just for the Scott Zerbe case in the Michigan District.

    Michigan DP was resentful that he had to check out the abusive history of the pastors as an insurance requirement. He and others like him were the reason why the insurance companies insisted - because the settlements were so expensive.

    Rejection of justification by faith,
    replacing it with universal absolution without faith,
    has consequences.

    DP Engelbrecht made it clear that SP Schroeder did make a deal when the SP traveled to the Green Bay area to meet with the congregation and DP.

    "As a result, and after consultation with WELS President Mark Schroeder and President Engelbrecht, the pastor made his suspension from ministry more clear by tending a letter of resignation.  That was then reported via the weekly call report.  Although President Schroeder expressed his approval of the plan that was developed for the pastor by the District Presidium that could lead to possible return to pastoral ministry, he felt that the term “suspension” caused both confusion and questions that could be avoided by a standard “resignation”.    The pastor, who thereupon  willfully submitted his resignation, has continued to follow the original plan of discipline/restoration developed for him by the Presidium, recognizing it as a beneficial program for his physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.   Since all too often when a called worker in our synod resigns there is no program put in place that helps him or her to be restored spiritually, emotionally, and physically, it is hoped that the program developed by the Presidium in this case might serve as a model for dealing with such situations that arise in our synod in the future."DP Engelbrecth, who was supported by VP Zank, who replaced Deputy Doug.

    Here is some information about what was going on - yet supported by Engelbrecht..




    Ripped from the HTML Code of SpenerQuest. Higher Things, Christ Hold Fast, Fake Pastor Price Connections

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    Can't all the UOJists get along?
    ELCA is UOJ. LQ is UOJ.
    Higher Things is UOJ.
    Probably Hold Fast is,
    because that is the default position of apostates.
    Women's ordination and ELCA training a problem -
    not for LQ Buddy Jay Webber.
    ---




    Pastor Rolf David Preus (Rolf)
    Senior Member
    Username: Rolf

    Post Number: 8813
    Registered: 5-2001
    Posted on Monday, March 14, 2016 - 3:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    I went to their website and within a minute I ran across theological instruction from a woman and a defrocked former pastor.

    Pastor Rolf David Preus

    Rev. Robert Fischer (Fischer)
    Intermediate Member
    Username: Fischer

    Post Number: 480
    Registered: 12-2004
    Posted on Monday, March 14, 2016 - 5:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    http://www.christholdfast.org/contributors/

    There are actually quite a few women represented, and the defrocked former pastor is Chad Bird (his background is no secret).

    Daniel Gorman (Heinrich)
    Senior Member
    Username: Heinrich

    Post Number: 3103
    Registered: 11-2004
    Posted on Monday, March 14, 2016 - 10:59 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    "Donavon Riley is a Lutheran pastor, conference speaker, author, Online Content Director for Higher Things, serves on the Board of Directors for Christ Hold Fast, and is co-host of the podcasts 'All The Dirt on Church History,' and 'The Higher Things Simul Cast'. He is pastor of Saint John Lutheran Church in Webster, MN. He is the author of the blogs “The First Premise” and "Gnesio Lutheran." A graduate of Concordia Universities in St. Paul, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon, Pastor Riley received his seminary and post-graduate education at ELCA's Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He colloquized into the LC-MS from the ELCA in 2008."
    http://www.christholdfast.org/donavon/

    Daniel Gorman (Heinrich)
    Senior Member
    Username: Heinrich

    Post Number: 3104
    Registered: 11-2004
    Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 - 9:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    "Christ Hold Fast" is part of "1517 the Legacy Project" network. http://info.1517legacy.com/projects/

    Are LCMS ministers/churches in fellowship with religious organizations under the "1517 the Legacy Project" umbrella? If yes, what is the nature of that fellowship?
    Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

    Bryan Prell (Bryn_conwy)
    New member
    Username: Bryn_conwy

    Post Number: 14
    Registered: 6-2014
    Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 9:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    Somewhat accidentally ran across this article; the very end has some direct connection to Pastor Riley:
    http://www.pseudepigraph.us/2016/03/10/daniel-emer y-price-a-wolf-in-christs-pasture/
    Bryan Prell (Bryn_conwy)
    New member
    Username: Bryn_conwy

    Post Number: 14
    Registered: 6-2014
    Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 9:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    Somewhat accidentally ran across this article; the very end has some direct connection to Pastor Riley:
    http://www.pseudepigraph.us/2016/03/10/daniel-emer y-price-a-wolf-in-christs-pasture/
    Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

    Daniel Gorman (Heinrich)
    Senior Member
    Username: Heinrich

    Post Number: 3105
    Registered: 11-2004
    Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 11:48 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post


    PSEUDEPIGRAPHUS blog: “Alternatively, we could all follow the lead of Higher Things’s online content director, the Rev’d Donavon Riley, and take selfies with as many fake Lutheran pastors as possible. Riley is a contributor at “Christ Hold Fast”, and appeared as a speaker at the February conference. The fact that LCMS pastors have been partnering with Price is distressing, to say the least. These pastors avoid the charge of unionism because events like the “Christ Hold Fast” conference don’t match the LCMS definition of ministry. Yet they certainly match the “radical grace” definition of ministry. This allows these pastors to follow the letter of the LCMS law while still giving every appearance to the non-Lutherans in attendance that they support and condone CHF, its conference, and the unionistic mission of Liberate which it carries on. How curiously legalistic.
    The mendacity of Donavon Riley and the rest of Price’s enablers in the LCMS and elsewhere needs to be addressed. It will have to wait, though, for some other time.”

    Daniel Price is a real pastor. He has been called by a congregation of Christians (Of the Power and Primacy of Bishops). Is Daniel Price a real “Lutheran” pastor? No. His church does not confess the Athanasian Creed. His church confesses only the AC of the BOC.

    LCMS pastors are not bound by the letter of LCMS law. They are bound by the BOC which says, “…we will not make or receive a separate or new confession of our faith…” FC,SD, Comprehensive Summary. [GJ - How rich an irony, with the LQ invented UOJ creed.]

    Christ Hold Fast makes a separate or new confession: http://www.christholdfast.org/about/. The Christ Hold Fast confession is not the BOC. Pastor Price’s public confession is not the BOC. Rev. Donavon Riley of Higher Things/LCMS is guilty of unionism (FC,SD, X).

    Reader Asks - How Goes the Publishing at Martin Chemnitz Press?

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    Hint for Mequon graduates -
    This is Martin Chemnitz. He studied under Luther and Melanchthon.
    He was the senior editor of the Formula of Concord
    and the Book of Concord.

    Walther, Stephan, JP Meyer, and Rambach do not trump the Book of Concord.


    The last few weeks have been busy and fun. Someone wanted a study, which became Making Disciples: The Error of Modern Pietism. Most orders are for 5 and 10 copies.

    The Faith of Jesus: Against the Faithless Lutherans has been sent out in multiples all over the US. This book received a lot of attention in Christian News, but not a word since.

    Most of the books have been donated by various people and sent out at the author's price.

    This also generated new interest in the books published at Lulu.com, so gifts given have sent these titles to various people -

    • Thy Strong Word.
    • Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure.
    • Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant.
    • The Story of Jesus in Pictures- now at Create Space-Amazon-Kindle.

    This is the new cover of Creation Gardening, which is being
    written now and illustrated by Norma Boeckler.

    Most books at Lulu will be moved to Create Space - Amazon - Kindle.

    Billy Graham's Lying Grandson Forced into a New Confession of Adultery. Let's See If I Have This Right - Price and Tchividjian Overlap, Christ Hold Fast and Higher Things Overlap. HT Is LCMS and UOJ. Price and Tchividjian Love Tattoos.

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    Tullian Tchividjian is Billy Graham's lying Prodigal Grandson.
    Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, confirmed Thursday that they have fired Tullian Tchvidjian, 43, grandson of evangelical icon Billy Graham, after he revealed a previously unconfessed affair he had with another woman.
    "When we heard the disclosures he made just a few days ago, the session acted within hours to end his employment at the church," Willow Creek's Senior Pastor Kevin Labby told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday morning.
    "The disclosures that he made involved the fact that he had a previously unconfessed inappropriate relationship with another woman. He didn't share specifics with us. He said the person, that's worth saying … there were no specifics," Labby continued. "The session did not feel that specifics were necessary for our purposes right now in making a decision about whether to keep him on staff. So they've terminated his position but they have not distanced themselves from caring for Tullian and calling him to repentance."
    Tchividjian landed a job at Willow Creek Church last September, some two months after he resigned from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida due to an extramarital affair. During that period he filed for divorce from his now ex-wife, Kim, and was deposed of pastoral credentials by the South Florida Presbytery.
    In a statement to The Washington Post last June, Tchividjian said he began his previously confessed affair after he discovered Kim was cheating on him.
    "As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself," he wrote.
    image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/86474/tullian-tchividjian-kim-tchividjian.jpg
    image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/86474/tullian-tchividjian-kim-tchividjian.jpg
    Tullian Tchividjian, Kim Tchividjian(PHOTO: FAMILY PHOTO)
    Tullian Tchividjian (r) and his estranged wife Kim Tchividjian (l) are getting a divorce.
    His recent confession, according to Labby, contradicts that narrative. The Willow Creek senior pastor indicates that Tchividjian's newly confessed affair occurred prior to discovering Kim's infidelity.
    When asked what prompted Tchividjian's confession, Labby said new rumors, which he is not at liberty to discuss, had come to light. Church elders, he said, were also blindsided by the breach of trust that they had placed in Tchividjian.
    "I don't have details on them but it must be pretty strong rumors to prompt a disclosure like that," Labby said.
    "The feeling of the elders was that Tullian had a long period of time to share that with the church and for one reason or another he elected not to. I can't really comment on what motivated him to not come out with that, but one thing that led him to come out with the confession was the knowledge that there were rumors swirling in Florida where he was previously ministering," Labby continued.
    "The session felt that all that we were trying and attempting to do for Tullian had to be predicated on trust. And we understand confession comes over time, people build relationships, they gradually feel more comfortable. But the session was concerned that this was not shared with them and created a kind of faulty understanding in the situation and therefore compromised how we could minister to him," he added. "He is no longer an employee but our desire to care for him continues. How he avails himself to that is just really his choice but we would love to continue to walk with him."

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/tullian-tchvidjian-billy-graham-willow-creek-church-confesses-to-another-affair-159420/#fzkGDhUXbL2KBdwV.99

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/tullian-tchvidjian-billy-graham-willow-creek-church-confesses-to-another-affair-159420/#m27DtTZPiKerSgUb.99


    Price seems to have inherited the previous Tullian parachurch growth,
    with plenty of fat cat donors.

    Tullian is on the far left, Chris Rosebrough next,Price after that.Tullian and Price share a love for tattoos.

    ---


    Tullian Tchividjian fired from Florida church over ‘previously undisclosed failures’


    http://www.religionnews.com/2016/03/17/tullian-tchividjian-out-at-church-as-his-ministry-board-members-quit/

    Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, confirmed Thursday that they have fired Tullian Tchvidjian, 43, grandson of evangelical icon Billy Graham, after he revealed a previously unconfessed affair he had with another woman.
    "When we heard the disclosures he made just a few days ago, the session acted within hours to end his employment at the church," Willow Creek's Senior Pastor Kevin Labby told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday morning.
    "The disclosures that he made involved the fact that he had a previously unconfessed inappropriate relationship with another woman. He didn't share specifics with us. He said the person, that's worth saying … there were no specifics," Labby continued. "The session did not feel that specifics were necessary for our purposes right now in making a decision about whether to keep him on staff. So they've terminated his position but they have not distanced themselves from caring for Tullian and calling him to repentance."
    Tchividjian landed a job at Willow Creek Church last September, some two months after he resigned from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida due to an extramarital affair. During that period he filed for divorce from his now ex-wife, Kim, and was deposed of pastoral credentials by the South Florida Presbytery.
    In a statement to The Washington Post last June, Tchividjian said he began his previously confessed affair after he discovered Kim was cheating on him.
    "As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself," he wrote.
    image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/86474/tullian-tchividjian-kim-tchividjian.jpg
    image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/86474/tullian-tchividjian-kim-tchividjian.jpg
    Tullian Tchividjian, Kim Tchividjian(PHOTO: FAMILY PHOTO)
    Tullian Tchividjian (r) and his estranged wife Kim Tchividjian (l) are getting a divorce.
    His recent confession, according to Labby, contradicts that narrative. The Willow Creek senior pastor indicates that Tchividjian's newly confessed affair occurred prior to discovering Kim's infidelity.
    When asked what prompted Tchividjian's confession, Labby said new rumors, which he is not at liberty to discuss, had come to light. Church elders, he said, were also blindsided by the breach of trust that they had placed in Tchividjian.
    "I don't have details on them but it must be pretty strong rumors to prompt a disclosure like that," Labby said.
    "The feeling of the elders was that Tullian had a long period of time to share that with the church and for one reason or another he elected not to. I can't really comment on what motivated him to not come out with that, but one thing that led him to come out with the confession was the knowledge that there were rumors swirling in Florida where he was previously ministering," Labby continued.
    "The session felt that all that we were trying and attempting to do for Tullian had to be predicated on trust. And we understand confession comes over time, people build relationships, they gradually feel more comfortable. But the session was concerned that this was not shared with them and created a kind of faulty understanding in the situation and therefore compromised how we could minister to him," he added. "He is no longer an employee but our desire to care for him continues. How he avails himself to that is just really his choice but we would love to continue to walk with him."

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/tullian-tchvidjian-billy-graham-willow-creek-church-confesses-to-another-affair-159420/#fzkGDhUXbL2KBdwV.99
    Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, confirmed Thursday that they have fired Tullian Tchvidjian, 43, grandson of evangelical icon Billy Graham, after he revealed a previously unconfessed affair he had with another woman.
    "When we heard the disclosures he made just a few days ago, the session acted within hours to end his employment at the church," Willow Creek's Senior Pastor Kevin Labby told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday morning.
    "The disclosures that he made involved the fact that he had a previously unconfessed inappropriate relationship with another woman. He didn't share specifics with us. He said the person, that's worth saying … there were no specifics," Labby continued. "The session did not feel that specifics were necessary for our purposes right now in making a decision about whether to keep him on staff. So they've terminated his position but they have not distanced themselves from caring for Tullian and calling him to repentance."
    Tchividjian landed a job at Willow Creek Church last September, some two months after he resigned from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida due to an extramarital affair. During that period he filed for divorce from his now ex-wife, Kim, and was deposed of pastoral credentials by the South Florida Presbytery.
    In a statement to The Washington Post last June, Tchividjian said he began his previously confessed affair after he discovered Kim was cheating on him.
    "As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself," he wrote.

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/tullian-tchvidjian-billy-graham-willow-creek-church-confesses-to-another-affair-159420/#fzkGDhUXbL2KBdwV.99
    (RNS) Tullian Tchividjian, who resigned as the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church last year after admitting to an affair, has been fired from his new position at Willow Creek Presbyterian Church in Winter Springs, Fla.

    Tchividjian, grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, came forward to church elders Monday with “some previously undisclosed failures in his life,” said Willow Creek Pastor Kevin Labby. Labby later confirmed those “failures” were “an inappropriate relationship” and declined to comment on specifics.
    More than half the board of Tchividjian’s ministry, the LIBERATE Network, also resigned this week after they were made aware of the relationship.
    “What we were trying to do was all predicated on trust, and the elders felt as though that trust had been compromised,” Labby said Thursday (March 17).
    Tchividjian resigned as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last year after an affair. He since has filed for divorce from his wife.
    He joined Willow Creek in September and originally had been given the title of director of ministry development at Willow Creek, which Labby said was “poorly chosen” and a “mistake” on his part. Really, the pastor said, it was a sabbatical “set up to care for him and his family so he could pursue healing and counseling and rest.” Tchividjian had no ministerial role and worked completely behind the scenes at the church, Labby said.
    The 43-year-old pastor had attended Willow Creek while in seminary, Labby said. Wednesday was Tchividjian’s last day at the church.
    “He’d been going to counseling,” Labby said. “He’d been doing everything we asked of him. It’s really unfortunate.
    “The way he responded to the elders’ decision was so good. He showed such contrition and humility. He didn’t push back. I really think it was something that probably sat there for a long time. It’s just hard to bring everything out.”
    Those elders also asked the pastor to step down from the board of LIBERATE, which Tchividijan created in 2011, because “they didn’t want to blur the line there,” Labby said. Five board members have resigned, too, including two other board members who are part of Willow Creek, he said.
    LIBERATE recently announced it was relaunching as what Labby called a “message”-based ministry, rather than a “messenger”-based ministry, focused around Tchividjian. It is a resource ministry whose mission is “to connect God’s inexhaustible grace to an exhausted world” through multimedia, according to its website.
    George the Lite is president of Higher Things.

    Rain-barrels for Jackson Rose Gardens ICU

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    The rain began to fall yesterday, so I felt a strong compulsion to gather some. My backyard barrels were full, but the logistics problem remained. Most roses are in the front, and hauling water is a little retro for me.

    Rainwater is the ideal cure for plants, because it contains dissolved nitrogen compounds. Last summer I carried rainwater to struggling roses and they recovered fast.

    The challenge in roses is keeping their roots happy. I had a lot of new ones last year, newly planted in the lawn and then mulched. Planting in the lawn, mulching around them - that is a fast way to turn lawn into compost. But there still remains a titanic struggle below, grass rotting, creatures backing away from the heated decomposition, then coming back to feast. They need to be surrounded by a fair amount of of neutral (mulched) territory.

    Roses want space. They are soloists, not team players. When leftover roses went into the back garden and shared space with some other plants, they bloomed but did not do well. The care they got resulted in a healthy crop of weeds, which suppressed growth. Those four were moved around the maple tree, which now has two circles of roses, a total of 18 bushes.

    So I bought two plastic garbage barrels at Walmart and placed them under the eaves to catch the rain. The wheelbarrow is left out to catch rain for soaking new plants.

    Meanwhile, the praying mantis egg cases are on a sunny window sill, waiting for warm and buggy weather so they can hatch. The extra cases were shared with the grandchildren, who now have a place for them at home.

    Giant Allium - garlic family.

    Fall mulching means the cold, soggy weather of early Spring is quite productive. Fall planted bulbs rise first. We had daffodils on Wednesday. Tulips are emerging from the ground. The last round will be gigantic garlic flowers.

    The crepe myrtle bush also responds to pruning,
    the cuttings left as mulch to feed the soil creatures.

    A layer of leaves on the gardens, under trees and bushes, will rot into the ground in early spring. All winter, we had a pyramid of maple leaves under the pampered crepe myrtle bush (near the mailbox). The shape did not seem to change, though its insulation and dampness was promoting the bottom layer being digested by soil creatures. Now the pyramid of leaves is flattened out completely. Soon most of it will be gone, after feeding the soil and the roots of the bush all winter and spring. The biomass beneath will favor the crepe myrtle all summer.

    Chemical gardeners say, "I need NPK on my plants to make them grow. And I have to water them with tapwater, because the chemicals make the plants even thirstier. And I don't want to burn them out with too much fertilizer."

    The Creation gardeners respond, "I need to keep the organic material in my yard and on the soil and gardens. The rain and snow will help the soil creatures rot everything into the soil. That will create a biomass, a living collection of little water bottles and usable organic fertilizer to feed my plant roots all summer."

    Are four rain-barrels two too many? Tis better to have and not need than to need and not have.


    Thanks to all who write and say they like the gardening articles. You can thank ____ from ____, who encouraged me to post about gardening. He laughs about that every time we talk, now that 400 posts are published.

    Sassy's Last Bank Withdrawal at Our Local Branch

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    Sassy made her last withdrawal from our local Iberia Bank branch.

    Every time I made a deposit, she got a dog treat.

    If they were slow, she barked her loudest into the speaker. Everyone in the bank jumped. Rather than being upset, they were tickled by her sass.

    One lady made such a fuss over her that Sassy normally got three treats.

    Luther's Gospel Sermon for Palm Sunday.

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    Luther's Sermon for PALM SUNDAY. Matthew 21:1-9


    Matthew 21:1-9. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any one say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.

    And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried saying, Hosanna to the son of David:

    Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

    This Gospel with its Postil is found on the First Sunday in Advent.

    Following that we wish to speak a little of Christ’s Passion and of the Lord’s Supper, as is becoming in this week.


    St. Matthew the Evangelist, by El Greco

    FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT.


    This sermon is found in the Erlangen Edition, vol. 10, page 1; in the Walch Edition 11, 1; and in the St. Louis Edition 11, 1.

    TEXT:

    Matthew 21:1-9. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

    CONTENTS:

    FAITH, GOOD WORKS AND THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THIS GOSPEL.
    I. CONCERNING FAITH.

    * In every Gospel lesson we are to notice especially two thoughts: the works of Christ as a gift to us and as an example for us, 1.

    I. How This Gospel in General Leads and Awakens Us in Five Ways to Believe.

    1. By its pictures of Christ’s gracious advent.

    2. By the pomp and actions of the disciples.

    3. By the fact there is no armor or warcry, but only singing, etc.

    4. 4 . By Christ’s weeping over Jerusalem.

    5. By quoting the prophets. 6.

    II. How This Gospel in Particular Leads and Stirs Us by Zechariah, to Believe the Passages quoted from 1. By the words, “Tell ye.” 7-9.

    2. By the words, “Daughter of Zion.” 10f.

    * Of faith. a. Of the historic faith, devils and the godless have.

    1. The nature of this faith.

    2. How this faith avails nothing. b. Of the true faith.

    1. The nature of true faith.

    2. The work of true faith.

    3. How this faith is condemned by the Papists and the godless.

    4. This faith gives God true honor and praise.

    3. By the word, “Behold.” 14-15.

    * Of faith. a. Faith is governed not by what it sees and feels, but by what it hears. b. The view of faith and its reflections are contradictory to reason and nature.

    4. By the words, “Thy King.” 16f.

    * Out of Christ man is subject to many chafing tyrannies, but in Christ he is free and safe. 16-18.

    5. By the words, “He cometh.” 19f.

    * Of true piety. a. It is not found in the free will of man to be pious, but God himself must work it. 20-22. b. How it goes when God begins to make men pious.

    * There is no greater wrath than where God withholds his Gospel, and no greater grace than where he gives it.

    * No one can help himself, God alone must help him.

    6. By the words, “Unto thee.” 26-27.

    * Believers have a twofold grace from Christ.

    7. By the word, “Meek.” 28.

    III. An Appendix to This Part Concerning Faith, in Which Some Objections Are Answered.

    A. The objections. 29.

    B. The answers.

    1. In general.

    2. In detail. a. Of the first objection. 31-32. b. Of the second objection. 33-37.

    C. Of the third objection. 38.

    II. CONCERNING GOOD WORKS.

    I. How the doctrine of good works is connected with the doctrine of faith. 39.

    II. How and why good works have no name. 40-41.

    III. The world knows and understands nothing about good works. 42.

    IV. How and why good works are readily distinguished from the great, extensive, numerous and beautiful works. 43-44.

    V. What are truly good works and what are not. 45-48.

    VI. What we are to answer the Papists when they wish to substitute their self-chosen works for good works. 49f.

    VII. Good works are to be learned from the example of Christ. 50-52.

    VIII. A judgment upon the good works of the Papists. 53.

    IX. Good works cannot help us in the face of sin, death and hell. 54.

    X. What we are to answer the Papists when they ascribe the merit of salvation to their good works. 55f.

    * Where there is no love there is no faith. 55-56.

    XI. Man should do good works but not trust in them.

    * The Lesson Story and the Jews’ False Notions Concerning the Messiah.

    1. By what means God seeks to remove their false notion.

    2. In what this false notion consists.

    3. How all the prophets, but especially Zechariah, have powerfully overthrown this false notion. 59-61.

    III. THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THIS GOSPEL The spiritual meaning, 1. Of the procession, or that Christ comes to Jerusalem.

    2. That Christ sends forth two of his disciples as he comes near to Jerusalem.

    3. That Christ comes unto Bethphage.

    4. That Christ commissioned his disciples.

    5. Of the Mount of Olives.

    6. That Christ sends two disciples.

    7. That Christ does not name the exact spot where he sends his disciples.

    8. That Christ calls Jerusalem a village. 69-70.

    9. That the disciples find the ass and colt without hunting for them. 71- 72.

    10. That Christ had them to bring two, an old and a young ass, 73-76.

    11. That Christ told them to loose them.

    12. That Christ told his disciples to bring them to him.

    13. Of the owners of the ass and colt, and the relation of the disciples to these owners. 79-81.

    * As God has promised the Gospel, he has fulfilled it.

    14. That the disciples place Jesus upon the colt. 83-84.

    * Whether Christ rode upon the colt or its mother, or upon both.

    15. That Christ rides upon the the colt and its mother follows. 85-86.

    16. Of their garments the disciples placed under Christ. 87-88.

    17. That the disciples place Jesus upon them.

    18. Of the garments and the branches form the trees, they spread in the way before Christ.

    * How a truly Christian sermon should be outlined.

    19. Of the spreading of their garments in the way.

    20. Of cutting the branches from the trees and spreading them in the way.

    21. That the branches named were palm and olive branches. 94-97.

    * All who are to be saved must be saved by Christian faith.

    22. Of the multitudes that went before him and that followed. 97-98.

    23. Of the Hosanna, that is then sung. 99-100.

    * An opinion on the perversion and misuse of the word Hosanna.

    1. In the preface I said that there are two things to be noted and considered in the Gospel lessons: first, the works of Christ presented to us as a gift and blessing on which our faith is to cling and exercise itself; secondly, the same works offered as an example and model for us to imitate and follow.

    All the Gospel lessons thus throw light first on faith and then on good works. We will therefore consider this Gospel under three heads: speaking first of faith; secondly of good works, and thirdly of the lesson story and its hidden meaning.

    I. CONCERNING FAITH.

    2. This Gospel encourages and demands faith, for it prefigures Christ coming with grace, whom none may receive or accept save he who believes him to be the man, and has the mind, as this Gospel portrays in Christ. Nothing but the mercy, tenderness and kindness of Christ are here shown, and he who so receives and believes on him is saved. He sits not upon a proud steed, an animal of war, nor does he come in great pomp and power, but sitting upon an ass, an animal of peace fit only for burdens and labor and a help to man. He indicates by this that he comes not to frighten man, nor to drive or crush him, but to help him and to carry his burden for him. And although it was the custom of the country to ride on asses and to use horses for war, as the Scriptures often tell us, yet here the object is to show that the entrance of this king shall be meek and lowly.

    Again it also shows the pomp and conduct of the disciples towards Christ who bring the colt to Christ, set him thereon, and spread their garments in the way; also that of the multitude who also spread their garments in the way and cut branches from the trees. They manifested no fear nor terror, but only blessed confidence in him as one for whom they dared to do such things and who would take it kindly and readily consent to it.

    3. Again, he begins his journey and comes to the Mount of Olives to indicate that he comes out of pure mercy. For olive oil in the Scriptures signifies the grace of God that soothes and strengthens the soul as oil soothes and strengthens the body.

    4. Thirdly, there is no armor present, no war-cry, but songs and praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord.

    5. Fourthly, Christ weeps, as Luke 19:41, writes, weeps over Jerusalem because she does not know nor receive such grace; yet he was so grieved at her loss that he did not deal harshly with her.

    6. Fifthly, his goodness and mercy are best shown when he quotes the words of the prophets, Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9, and tenderly invites men to believe and accept Christ, for the fulfilling of which prophecies the events of this Gospel took place and the story was written, as the Evangelist himself testifies. Therefore we must look upon this verse as the chief part of this Gospel, for in it Christ is pictured to us and we are told what we are to believe, and to expect of him, what we are to seek in him, and how we may be benefited by him.

    7. First he says: “Tell ye” the daughter of Zion. This is said to the ministry and a new sermon is given them to preach, namely, nothing but what the words following indicate, a right knowledge of Christ. Whoever preaches anything else is a wolf and deceiver. This is one of the verses in which the Gospel is promised of which Paul writes in Romans 1:2; for the Gospel is a sermon from Christ, as he is here placed before us, calling for faith in him.

    8. I have often said that there are two kinds of faith. First, a faith in which you indeed believe that Christ is such a man as he is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that he is such a man for you, and are in doubt whether you have any part in him and think:

    Yes, he is such a man to others, to Peter, Paul, and the blessed saints; but who knows that he is such to me and that I may expect the same from him and may confide in it, as these saints did?

    9. Behold, this faith is nothing, it does not receive Christ nor enjoy him, neither can it feel any love and affection for him or from him. It is a faith about Christ and not in or of Christ, a faith which the devils also have as well as evil men. For who is it that does not believe that Christ is a gracious king to the saints? This vain and wicked faith is now taught by the pernicious synagogues of Satan. The universities (Paris and her sister schools), together with the monasteries and all Papists, say that this faith is sufficient to make Christians. In this way they virtually deny Christian faith, make heathen and Turks out of Christians, as St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:1 had foretold: “There shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them.”

    10. In the second place he particularly mentions, “The daughter of Zion.” In these words he refers to the other, the true faith. For if he commands that the following words concerning Christ be proclaimed, there must be some one to hear, to receive, and to treasure them in firm faith. He does not say: Tell of the daughter of Zion, as if some one were to believe that she has Christ; but to her you are to say that she is to believe it of herself, and not in any wise doubt that it will be fulfilled as the words declare. That alone can be called Christian faith, which believes without wavering that Christ is the Savior not only to Peter and to the saints but also to you.

    Your salvation does not depend on the fact that you believe Christ to be the Savior of the godly, but that he is a Savior to you and has become your own.

    11. Such a faith will work in you love for Christ and joy in him, and good works will naturally follow. If they do not, faith is surely not present; for where faith is, there the Holy Ghost is and must work love and good works.

    12. This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians, the pope, bishops, priests, monks, and the universities. They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Peter 2:2, where he says of these false teachers: “By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are. If you would be a Christian you must permit these words to be spoken to you and hold fast to them and believe without a doubt that you will experience what they say. You must not consider it arrogance that in this you are like the saints, but rather a necessary humility and despair not of God’s grace but of your own worthiness. Under penalty of the loss of salvation, does God ask for boldness toward his proffered grace. If you do not desire to become holy like the saints, where will you abide? That would be arrogance if you desired to be saved by your own merit and works, as the Papists teach. They call that arrogance which is faith, and that faith which is arrogance; poor, miserable, deluded people!

    13. If you believe in Christ and in his advent, it is the highest praise and thanks to God to be holy. If you recognize, love, and magnify his grace and work in you, and cast aside and condemn self and the works of self, then you are a Christian. We say: “I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” Do you desire to be a part of the holy Christian church and communion of saints, you must also be holy as she is, yet not of yourself but through Christ alone in whom all are holy.

    14. Thirdly he says: “Behold.” With this word he rouses us at once from sleep and unbelief as though he had something great, strange, or remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now would receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith us against reason and nature; for example, how can nature and reason comprehend that such an one should be king of Jerusalem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride upon a borrowed ass? How does such an advent become a great king? But faith is of the nature that it does not judge nor reason by what it sees or feels but by what it hears. It depends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. For this reason Christ was received as a king only by the followers of the word of the prophet, by the believers in Christ, by those who judged and received his kingdom not by sight but by the spirit — these are the true daughters of Zion. For it is not possible for those not to be offended in Christ who walk by sight and feeling and do not adhere firmly to the Word.

    15. Let us receive first and hold fast this picture in which the nature of faith is placed before us. For as the appearance and object of faith as here presented is contrary to nature and reason, so the same ineffectual and unreasonable appearance is to be found in all articles and instances of faith.

    It would be no faith if it appeared and acted as faith acts and as the words indicate. It is faith because it does not appear and deport itself as faith and as the words declare.

    If Christ had entered in splendor like a king of earth, the appearance and the words would have been according to nature and reason and would have seemed to the eye according to the words, but then there would have been no room for faith. He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things.

    16. Fourthly: “Thy king.” Here he distinguishes this king from all other kings. It is thy king, he says, who was promised to you, whose own you are, who alone shall direct you, yet in the spirit and not in the body. It is he for whom you have yearned from the beginning, whom the fathers have desired to see, who will deliver you from all that has hitherto burdened, troubled, and held you captive.

    Oh, this is a comforting word to a believing heart, for without Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers, at whose hands he suffers great misery and fear. These are the devil, the flesh, the world, sin, also the law and eternal death, by all of which the troubled conscience is burdened, is under bondage, and lives in anguish. For where there is sin there is no clear conscience; where there is no clear conscience, there is a life of uncertainty and an unquenchable fear of death and hell in the presence of which no real joy can exist in the heart, as Leviticus 26:36 says: “The sound of a driven leaf shall chase them.”

    17. Where the heart receives the king with a firm faith, it is secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil; for he well knows and in no wise doubts that this king is the Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, and that all things are in his hand. For this reason he became our king and came down to us that he might deliver us from these tyrants and rule over us himself alone. Therefore he who is under this king cannot be harmed either by sin, death, hell, Satan, man or any other creature. As his king lives without sin and is blessed, so must he be kept forever without sin and death in living blessedness.

    18. See, such great things are contained in these seemingly unimportant words: “Behold, thy king.” Such boundless gifts are brought by this poor and despised king. All this reason does not understand, nor nature comprehend, but faith alone does. Therefore he is called thy king; thine, who art vexed and harrassed by sin, Satan, death and hell, the flesh and the world, so that thou mayest be governed and directed in the grace, in the spirit, in life, in heaven, in God.

    With this word, therefore, he demands faith in order that you may be certain that he is such a king to you, has such a kingdom, and has come and is proclaimed for this purpose. If you do not believe this of him, you will never acquire such faith by any work of yours. What you think of him you will have; what you expect of him you will find; and as you believe so shall it be to you. He will still remain what he is, the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether he is believed on or not.

    19. Fifthly: He “cometh.” Without doubt you do not come to him and bring him to you; he is too high and too far from you. With all your effort, work and labor you cannot come to him, lest you boast as though you had received him by your own merit and worthiness. No, dear friend, all merit and worthiness is out of the question, and there is nothing but demerit and unworthiness on your side, nothing but grace and mercy on his. The poor and the rich here come together, as Proverbs 22:2 says.

    20. By this are condemned all those infamous doctrines of free will, which come from the pope, universities and monasteries. For all their teaching consists in that we are to begin and lay the first stone. We should by the power of free will first seek God, come to him, run after him and acquire his grace. Beware, beware of this poison! It is nothing but the doctrine of devils, by which all the world is betrayed. Before you can cry to God and seek him God must come to you and must have found you, as Paul says, Romans 10:14-15: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent?” God must lay the first stone and begin with you, if you are to seek him and pray to him. He is present when you begin to seek.

    If he were not you could not accomplish anything but mere sin, and the greater the sin, the greater and holier the work you will attempt, and you will become a hardened hypocrite.

    21. You ask, how shall we begin to be godly and what shall we do that God may begin his work in us? Answer: Do you not understand, it is not for you to work or to begin to be godly, as little as it is to further and complete it. Everything that you begin is in and remains sin, though it shines ever so brightly; you cannot do anything but sin, do what you will.

    Hence, the teaching of all the schools and monasteries is misleading, when they teach man to begin to pray and do good works, to found something, to give, to sing, to become spiritual and thereby to seek God’s grace.

    22. You say, however: Then I must sin from necessity, if by my free will I work and live without God? and I could not avoid sin, no matter what I would do? Answer: Truly, it is so, that you must remain in sin, do what you will, and that everything is sin you do alone out of your own free will.

    For if out of your own free will you might avoid sin and do that which pleases God, what need would you have of Christ? He would be a fool to shed his blood for your sin, if you yourself were so free and able to do aught that is not sin. From this you learn how the universities and monasteries with their teachings of free will and good works, do nothing else but darken the truth of God so that we know not what Christ is, what we are and what our condition is. They lead the whole world with them into the abyss of hell, and it is indeed time that we eradicate from the earth all chapters and monasteries.

    23. Learn then from this Gospel what takes place when God begins to make us godly, and what the first step is in becoming godly. There is no other beginning than that your king comes to you and begins to work in you. It is done in this way: The Gospel must be the first, this must be preached and heard. In it you hear and learn how all your works count for nothing before God and that everything is sinful that you work and do.

    Your king must first be in you and rule you. Behold, here is the beginning of your salvation; you relinquish your works and despair of yourself, because you hear and see that all you do is sin and amounts to nothing, as the Gospel tells you, and you receive your king in faith, cling to him, implore his grace and find consolation in his mercy alone.

    But when you hear and accept this it is not your power, but God’s grace, that renders the Gospel fruitful in you, so that you believe that you and your works are nothing. For you see how few there are who accept it, so that Christ weeps over Jerusalem and, as now the Papists are doing, not only refuse it, but condemn such doctrine, for they will not have all their works to be sin, they desire to lay the first stone and rage and fume against the Gospel.

    24. Again, it is not by virtue of your power or your merit that the Gospel is preached and your king comes. God must send him out of pure grace.

    Hence, not greater wrath of God exists than where he does not send the Gospel; there is only sin, error and darkness, there man may do what he will. Again, there is no greater grace, than where he sends his Gospel, for there must be grace and mercy in its train, even if not all, perhaps only a few, receive it. Thus the pope’s government is the most terrible wrath of God, so that Peter calls them the children of execration, for they teach no Gospel, but mere human doctrine of their own works as we, alas, see in all the chapters, monasteries and schools.

    25. This is what is meant by “Thy king cometh.” You do not seek him, but he seeks you. You do not find him, he finds you. For the preachers come from him, not from you; their sermons come from him, not from you; your faith comes from him, not from you; everything that faith works in you comes from him, not from you; and where he does not come, you remain outside; and where there is no Gospel there is no God, but only sin and damnation, free will may do, suffer, work and live as it may and can.

    Therefore you should not ask, where to begin to be godly; there is no beginning, except where the king enters and is proclaimed.

    26. Sixthly, he cometh “unto thee.” Thee, thee, what does this mean? Is it not enough that he is your king? If he is yours how can he say, he comes to you? All this is stated by the prophet to present Christ in an endearing way and invite to faith. It is not enough that Christ saves us from the rule and tyranny of sin, death and hell, and becomes our king, but he offers himself to us for our possession, that whatever he is and has may be ours, as St.

    Paul writes, Romans 8:32: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?”

    27. Hence the daughter of Zion has twofold gifts from Christ. The first is faith and the Holy Spirit in the heart, by which she becomes pure and free from sin. The other is Christ himself, that she may glory in the blessings given by Christ, as though everything Christ is and has were her own, and that she may rely upon Christ as upon her own heritage. Of this St. Paul speaks, Romans 8:34: “Christ maketh intercession for us.” If he maketh intercession for us he will receive us and we will receive him as our Lord.

    And 1 Corinthians 1:30: “Christ was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” Of the twofold gifts Isaiah speaks in Isaiah 40:1-2: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of Jehovah’s hand double for all her sins.”

    Behold, this means that he comes to you, for your welfare, as your own; in that he is your king, you receive grace from him into your heart, so that he delivers you from sin and death, and thus becomes your king and you his subject. In coming to you he becomes your own, so that you partake of his treasures, as a bride, by the jewelry the bridegroom puts on her, becomes partner of his possessions. Oh, this is a joyful, comforting form of speech!

    Who would despair and be afraid of death and hell, if he believes in these words and wins Christ as his own?

    28. Seventhly: “Meek.” This word is to be especially noticed, and it comforts the sin-burdened conscience. Sin naturally makes a timid conscience, which fears God and flees, as Adam did in Paradise, and cannot endure the coming of God, the knowing and feeling that God is an enemy of sin and severely punishes it. Hence it flees and is afraid, when God is only mentioned, and is concerned lest he go at it tooth and nail. In order that such delusion and timidity may not pursue us he gives us the comforting promise that this king comes meekly.

    As if he would say: Do not flee and despair for he does not come now as he came to Adam, to Cain, at the flood, at Babel, to Sodom and Gomorrah, nor as he came to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai; he comes not in wrath, does not wish to reckon with you and demand his debt. All wrath is laid aside, nothing but tenderness and kindness remain. He will now deal with you so that your heart will have pleasure, love and confidence in him, that henceforth you will much more abide with him and find refuge in him than you feared him and fled from him before. Behold, he is nothing but meekness to you, he is a different man, he acts as if he were sorry ever to have made you afraid and caused you to flee from his punishment and wrath. He desires to reassure and comfort you and bring you to himself by love and kindness.

    This means to speak consolingly to a sin-burdened conscience, this means to preach Christ rightly and to proclaim his Gospel. How is it possible that such a form of speech should not make a heart glad and drive away all fear of sin, death and hell, and establish a free, secure and good conscience that will henceforth gladly do all and more than is commanded.

    29. The Evangelist, however, altered the words of the prophet slightly. The prophet says in Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” The Evangelist expresses the invitation to joy and exultation briefly in these words: “Tell the daughter of Zion.” Further on he leaves out the words: “just and having salvation.” Again the prophet says, “he is lowly,” the Evangelist, “he is meek.” The prophet says: “upon the colt, the foal of an ass,” he mentions the last word in the plural number; the Evangelist says: “upon the colt, the foal of an ass that is used for daily and burden-bearing labor.” How shall we harmonize these accounts?

    30. First, we must keep in mind that the Evangelists do not quote the prophets word by word, it is enough for them to have the same meaning and to show the fulfillment, directing us to the Scriptures so that we ourselves may read, what they omit, and see for ourselves that nothing was written which is not richly fulfilled. It is natural, also, that he who has the substance and the fulfillment, does not care so much for the words. Thus we often find that the Evangelists quote the prophets somewhat changed, yet it is done without detriment to the understanding and intent of the original.

    31. To invite the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem to joy and gladness the prophet abundantly gives us to understand that the coming of this king is most comforting to every sin-burdened conscience, since he removes all fear and trembling, so that men do not flee from him and look upon him as a severe judge, who will press them with the law, as Moses did, so that they could not have a joyful confidence in God, as the knowledge and realization of sin naturally come from the law. But he would arouse them with this first word to expect from him all grace and goodness. For what other reason should he invite them to rejoice and command them even to shout and be exceeding glad! He tells this command of God to all who are in sorrow and fear of God. He also shows that it is God’s will and full intent, and demands that they entertain joyful confidence in him against the natural fear and alarm. And this is the natural voice of the Gospel which the prophet here begins to preach, as Christ speaks likewise in the Gospel and the apostles always admonish to rejoice in Christ, as we shall hear further on.

    It is also full of meaning that he comes from the Mount of Olives. We shall notice that this grace on account of its greatness might be called a mountain of grace, a grace which is not only a drop or handful, but grace abundant and heaped up like a mountain.

    32. He mentions the people twice while the Evangelist says only once, daughter of Zion. For it is one people, daughter of Zion and daughter of Jerusalem, namely the people of the same city, who believe in Christ and receive him. As I said before, the Evangelist quotes the Scriptures only briefly and invites us to read them ourselves and find out more there for ourselves. That the Evangelist does not invite to joy like the prophet, but simply says: Tell it to the daughter of Zion, he does it to show how the joy and exultation shall be carried on. None should expect bodily but spiritual joy, a joy that can be gathered alone from the Word by the faith of the heart. From a worldly aspect there was nothing joyful in Christ’s entrance, his spiritual advent must be preached and believed; that is, his meekness; this makes man joyful and glad.

    33. That the prophet gives Christ three titles, lowly, just, and having salvation, while the Evangelist has only one, meek, is again done for brevity’s sake, he suggests more than he explains. It seems to me that the Holy Ghost led the apostles and evangelists to abbreviate passages of the Scriptures for the purpose that we might be kept close to the holy Scriptures, and not set a bad example to future exegetes, who make many words outside the Scriptures and thereby draw us secretly from the Scriptures to human doctrines. As to say: If I spread the Scriptures verbatim everyone will follow the example and it will come to pass that we would read more in other books than in the holy writings of the principal book, and there would be no end to the writing of books and we would be carried from one book to another, until, finally, we would get away from the holy Scriptures altogether, as has happened in fact. Hence, with such incomplete quotations he directs us to the original book where they can be found complete, so that there is no need for everyone to make a separate book and leave the first one.

    34. We notice, therefore, that it is the intention of all the apostles and evangelists in the New Testament to direct and drive us to the Old Testament, which they call the Holy Scriptures proper. For the New Testament was to be only the incarnate living Word and not scripture.

    Hence Christ did not write anything himself, but gave the command to preach and extend the Gospel, which lay hidden in the Scriptures, as we shall hear on Epiphany Sunday.

    35. In the Hebrew language the two words meek and lowly do not sound unlike, and mean not a poor man who is wanting in money and property, but who in his heart is humble and wretched, in whom truly no anger nor haughtiness is to be found, but meekness and sympathy. And if we wish to obtain the full meaning of this word, we must take it as Luke uses it, who describes how Christ at his entrance wept and wailed over Jerusalem.

    We interpret therefore the words lowly and meek in the light of Christ’s conduct. How does he appear? His heart is full of sorrow and compassion toward Jerusalem. There is no anger or revenge, but he weeps out of tenderness at their impending doom. None was so bad that he did or wished him harm. His sympathy makes him so kind and full of pity that he thinks not of anger, of haughtiness, of threatening or revenge, but offers boundless compassion and good will. This is what the prophet calls lowly and the Evangelist meek. Blessed he who thus knows Christ in him and believes in him. He cannot be afraid of him, but has a true and comforting confidence in him and entrance to him. He does not try to find fault either, for as he believes, he finds it; these words do not lie nor deceive.

    36. The word “just” does not mean here the justice with which God judges, which is called the severe justice of God. For if Christ came to us with this who could stand before him? Who could receive him, since even the saints cannot endure it? The joy and grace of this entrance would thereby be changed into the greatest fear and terror. But that grace is meant, by which he makes us just or righteous. I wish the word justus, justitia, were not used for the severe judicial justice; for originally it means godly, godliness.

    When we say, he is a pious man, the Scriptures express it, he is justus, justified or just. But the severe justice of God is called in the Scriptures:

    Severity, judgment, tribunal.

    The prophet’s meaning, therefore, is this: Thy king cometh to thee pious or just, i.e., he comes to make you godly through himself and his grace; he knows well that you are not godly. Your piety should consist not in your deeds, but in his grace and gift, so that you are just and godly through him.

    In this sense St. Paul speaks, Romans 3:26: “That he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus.” That is, Christ alone is pious before God and he alone makes us pious. Also, Romans 1:17: “For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith,” that is the godliness of God, namely his grace and mercy, by which he makes us godly before him, is preached in the Gospel. You see in this verse from the prophet that Christ is preached for us unto righteousness, that he comes godly and just, and we become godly and just by faith.

    37. Note this fact carefully, that when you find in the Scriptures the word God’s justice, it is not to be understood of the self-existing, imminent justice of God, as the Papists and many of the fathers held, lest you be frightened; but, according to the usage of Holy Writ, it means the revealed grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ in us by means of which we are considered godly and righteous before him. Hence it is called God’s justice or righteousness effected not by us, but by God through grace, just as God’s work, God’s wisdom, God’s strength, God’s word, God’s mouth, signifies what he works and speaks in us. All this is demonstrated clearly by St. Paul, Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God (which works in us and strengthens us) unto salvation to everyone that believeth. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God,” as it is written in Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous shall live by his faith.” Here you see that he speaks of the righteousness of faith and calls the same the righteousness of God, preached in the Gospel, since the Gospel teaches nothing else but that he who believes has grace and is righteous before God and is saved.

    In the same manner you should understand Psalm 31:1: “Deliver me in thy righteousness,” i.e. by thy grace, which makes me godly and righteous.

    The word Savior or Redeemer compels us to accept this as the meaning of the little word “just.” For if Christ came with his severe justice he would not save anyone, but condemn all, as they are all sinners and unjust. But now he comes to make not only just and righteous, but also blessed, all who receive him, that he alone as the just one and the Savior be offered graciously to all sinners out of unmerited kindness and righteousness.

    38. When the Evangelist calls his steed a burden-bearing and working foal of an ass he describes the animal the prophets mean. He wants to say: The prophecy is fulfilled in this burden-bearing animal. It was not a special animal trained for this purpose, as according to the country’s custom riding animals are trained, and when the prophet speaks of the foal of the ass it is his meaning that it was a colt, but not a colt of a horse.

    II. CONCERNING GOOD WORKS.

    39. We have said enough of faith. We now come to consider good works.

    We receive Christ not only as a gift by faith, but also as an example of love toward our neighbor, whom we are to serve as Christ serves us. Faith brings and gives Christ to you with all his possessions. Love gives you to your neighbor with all your possessions. These two things constitute a true and complete Christian life; then follow suffering and persecution for such faith and love, and out of these grows hope in patience.

    40. You ask, perhaps, what are the good works you are to do to your neighbor? Answer: They have no name. As the good works Christ does to you have no name, so your good works are to have no name.

    41. Whereby do you know them? Answer: They have no name, so that there may be no distinction made and they be not divided, that you might do some and leave others undone. You shall give yourself up to him altogether, with all you have, the same as Christ did not simply pray or fast for you. Prayer and fasting are not the works he did for you, but he gave himself up wholly to you, with praying, fasting, all works and suffering, so that there is nothing in him that is not yours and was not done for you.

    Thus it is not your good work that you give alms or that you pray, but that you offer yourself to your neighbor and serve him, wherever he needs you and every way you can, be it with alms, prayer, work, fasting, counsel, comfort, instruction, admonition, punishment, apologizing, clothing, food, and lastly with suffering and dying for him. Pray, where are now such works to be found in Christendom?

    42. I wish to God I had a voice like a thunderbolt, that I might preach to all the world, and tear the word “good works” out of people’s hearts, mouths, ears, books, or at least give them the right understanding of it. All the world sings, speaks, writes and thinks of good works, everyone wishes to exercise themselves in good works, and yet, good works are done nowhere, no one has the right understanding of good works. Oh, that all such pulpits in all the world were cast into the fire and burned to ashes!

    How they mislead people with their good works! They call good works what God has not commanded, as pilgrimages, fasting, building and decorating their churches in honor of the saints, saying mass, paying for vigils, praying with rosaries, much prattling and bawling in churches, turning nun, monk, priest, using special food, raiment or dwelling, — who can enumerate all the horrible abominations and deceptions? This is the pope’s government and holiness.

    43. If you have ears to hear and a mind to observe, pray, listen and learn for God’s sake what good works are and mean. A good work is good for the reason that it is useful and benefits and helps the one for whom it is done; why else should it be called good! For there is a difference between good works and great, long, numerous, beautiful works. When you throw a big stone a great distance it is a great work, but whom does it benefit? If you can jump, run, fence well, it is a fine work, but whom does it benefit?

    Whom does it help, if you wear a costly coat or build a fine house?

    44. And to come to our Papists’ work, what does it avail if they put silver or gold on the walls, wood and stone in the churches? Who would be made better, if each village had ten bells, as big as those at Erfurt? Whom would it help if all the houses were convents and monasteries as splendid as the temple of Solomon? Who is benefited if you fast for St. Catherine, St.

    Martin or any other saint? Whom does it benefit, if you are shaved half or wholly, if you wear a gray or a black cap? Of what use were it if all people held mass every hour? What benefit is it if in one church, as at Meissen, they sing day and night without interruption? Who is better for it, if every church had more silver, pictures and jewelry than the churches of Halle and Wittenberg? It is folly and deception, men’s lies invented these things and called them good works; they all pretend they serve God thus and pray for the people and their sins, just as if they helped God with their property or as if his saints were in need of our work. Sticks and stones are not as rude and mad as we are. A tree bears fruit, not for itself, but for the good of man and beast, and these fruits are its good works.

    45. Hear then how Christ explains good works, Matthew 7:12: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Do you hear now what are the contents of the whole law and of all the prophets? You are not to do good to God and to his dead saints, they are not in need of it; still less to wood and stone, to which it is of no use, nor is it needed, but to men, to men, to men. Do you not hear? To men you should do everything that you would they should do to you.

    46. I would not have you build me a church or tower or cast bells for me. I would not have you construct for me an organ with fourteen stops and ten rows of flute work. Of this I can neither eat nor drink, support neither wife nor child, keep neither house nor land. You may feast my eyes on these and tickle my ears, but what shall I give to my children? Where are the necessaries of life? O madness, madness! The bishops and lords, who should check it, are the first in such folly, and one blind leader leads the other. Such people remind me of young girls playing with dolls and of boys riding on sticks. Indeed, they are nothing but children and players with dolls, and riders of hobbyhorses.

    47. Keep in mind, that you need not do any work for God nor for the departed saints, but you ask and receive good from him in faith. Christ has done and accomplished everything for you, atoned for your sins, secured grace and life and salvation. Be content with this, only think how he can become more and more your own and strengthen your faith. Hence direct all the good you can do and your whole life to the end that it be good; but it is good only when it is useful to other people and not to yourself. You need it not, since Christ has done and given for you all that you might seek and desire for yourself, here and hereafter, be it forgiveness of sins, merit of salvation or whatever it may be called. If you find a work in you by which you benefit God or his saints or yourself and not your neighbor, know that such a work is not good.

    48. A man is to live, speak, act, hear, suffer and die for the good of his wife and child, the wife for the husband, the children for the parents, the servants for their masters, the masters for their servants, the government for its subjects, the subjects for the government, each one for his fellowman, even for his enemies, so that one is the other’s hand, mouth, eye, foot, even heart and mind. This is a truly Christian and good work, which can and shall be done at all times, in all places, toward all people.

    You notice the Papists’ works in organs, pilgrimages, fasting, etc., are really beautiful, great, numerous, long, wide and heavy works, but there is no good, useful and helpful work among them and the proverb may be applied to them: It is already bad.

    49. But beware of their acute subtleties, when they say: If these works are not good to our neighbor in his body, they do spiritual good to his soul, since they serve God and propitiate him and secure his grace. Here it is time to say: You lie as wide as your mouth. God is to be worshipped not with works, but by faith, faith must do everything that is to be done between God and us. There may be more faith in a miller-boy than in all the Papists, and it may gain more than all priests and monks do with their organs and jugglery, even if they had more organs than these now have pipes. He who has faith can pray for his fellowman, he who has no faith can pray for nothing.

    It is a satanic lie to call such outward pomp spiritually good and useful works. A miller’s maid, if she believes, does more good, accomplishes more, and I would trust her more, if she takes the sack from the horse, than all the priests and monks, if they kill themselves singing day and night and torment themselves to the quick. You great, coarse fools, would you expect to help the people with your faithless life and distribute spiritual goods, when there is on earth no more miserable, needy, godless people than you are? You should be called, not spiritual, but spiritless.

    50. Behold, such good works Christ teaches here by his example. Tell me what does he do to serve himself and to do good to himself? The prophet directs all to the daughter of Zion and says: “He cometh to thee,” and that he comes as a Savior, just and meek, is all for you, to make you just and blessed. None had asked nor bidden him to come; but he came, he comes of his own free will, out of pure love, to do good and to be useful and helpful.

    Now his work is manifold, it embraces all that is necessary to make us just and blessed. But justification and salvation imply that he delivers us from sin, death, hell, and does it not only for his friends, but also for his enemies, yea, for none but his enemies, yet he does it so tenderly, that he weeps over those who oppose such work and will not receive him. Hence he leaves nothing undone to blot out their sin, conquer death and hell and make them just and blessed. He retains nothing for himself, and is content that he already has God and is blessed, — thus he serves only us according to the will of his father who wishes him to do so.

    51. See then how he keeps the law: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them.” Is it not true, everyone heartily wishes that another might step between man and his sin, take it upon himself and blot it out, so that it would no more sting his conscience, and deliver him from death and hell? What does everyone desire more deeply than to be free from death and hell? Who would not be free from sin and have a good, joyful conscience before God? Do we not see how all men have striven for this, with prayer, fastings, pilgrimages, donations, monasteries and priestdom? Who urges them? It is sin, death, hell, from which they would be saved. And if there were a physician at the end of the world, who could help here, all lands would become deserted and every one would hasten to this physician and risk property, body and life to make the journey.

    And if Christ himself, like we, were surrounded by death, sin and hell, he would wish that some one would help him out of it, take his sin away and give him a good conscience. Since he would have others do this for him, he proceeds and does it for others, as the law says, he takes upon himself our sins, goes into death and overcomes for us sin, death and hell, so that henceforth all who believe in him, and call upon his name, shall be justified and saved, be above sin and death, have a good, joyful, secure and intrepid conscience forever, as he says in John 8:51: “If a man keep my word, he shall never see death,” and John 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth on me, shall never die.”

    52. Behold, this is the great joy, to which the prophet invites, when he says: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!” This is the righteousness and the salvation for which the Savior and King comes. These are the good works done for us by which he fulfills the law. Hence the death of the believer in Christ is not death but a sleep, for he neither sees nor tastes death, as is said in Psalm 4:8: “In peace will I both lay me down and sleep, for thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.” Therefore death is also called a sleep in the Scriptures.

    53. But the Papists and their disciples, who would get rid of death, sin and hell by their own works and satisfaction, must remain in them eternally for they undertake to do for themselves what Christ alone did and could do, of whom they should expect it by faith. Therefore they are foolish, deluded people who do works for Christ and his saints, which they should do for their neighbor. Again, what they should expect of Christ by faith they would find in themselves and have gone so far as to spend on stone and wood, on bells and incense what they should spend on their neighbors.

    They go on and do good to God and his saints, fast for them and dedicate to them prayers, and at the same time leave their neighbor as he is, thinking only, let us first help ourselves! Then comes the pope and sells them his letter of indulgence and leads them into heaven, not into God’s heaven, but into the pope’s heaven, which is the abyss of hell. Behold, this is the fruit of unbelief and ignorance of Christ, this is our reward for having left the Gospel in obscurity and setting up human doctrine in its place. I repeat it, I wish all pulpits in the world lay in ashes, and the monasteries, convents, churches, hermitages and chapels, and everything were ashes and powder, because of this shameful misleading of souls.

    54. Now you know what good works are. Think of it and act accordingly.

    As to sin, death and hell, take care that you augment them not, for you cannot do anything here, your good works will avail nothing, you must have some one else to work for you. To Christ himself such works properly belong, you must consent to it that he who comes is the king of Zion, that he alone is the just Savior. In him and through him you will blot out sin and death through faith. Therefore, if anyone teaches you to blot out your own sin by works, beware of him.

    55. When in opposition to this they quote verses of the Bible like Dan. 4:27: “Break off thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor,” and Peter 4:8: “Love covereth a multitude of sins,” and the like, be not deceived, such passages do not mean that the works could blot out or remove sin, for this would rob Christ of his word and advent, and do away with his whole work; but these works are a sure work of faith, which in Christ receives remission of sins and the victory over death. For it is impossible for him who believes in Christ, as a just Savior, not to love and to do good. If, however, he does not do good nor love, it is sure that faith is not present. Therefore man knows by the fruits what kind of a tree it is, and it is proved by love and deed whether Christ is in him and he believes in Christ. As St. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:10: “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble,” that is, if you bravely practice good works you will be sure and cannot doubt that God has called and chosen you.

    56. Thus faith blots out sin in a different manner than love. Faith blots it out of itself, while love or good works prove and demonstrate that faith has done so and is present, as St. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 13:2: “And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Why? Without doubt, because faith is not present where there is no love, they are not separate the one from the other. See to it then that you do not err, and be misled from faith to works.

    57. Good works should be done, but we should not confide in them, instead of in Christ’s work. We should not touch sin, death and hell with our works, but direct them from us to the Savior, to the king of Zion, who rides upon an ass. He who knows how to treat sin, death and hell, will blot out sin, overcome death, and subdue hell. Do you permit him to perform these works while you serve your neighbor, — you will then have a sure testimony of faith in the Savior who overcame death. So love and good works will blot out your sin for you that you may realize it; as faith blots it out before God where you do not realize it. But more of this later.

    THE LESSON STORY AND THE FALSE NOTIONS THE JEWS HELD CONCERNING THE MESSIAH.

    58. In the story of this Gospel we will first direct our attention to the reason why the Evangelist quotes the words of the prophet, in which was described long ago and in clear, beautiful and wonderful words, the bodily, public entrance and advent of our Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Zion or Jerusalem, as the text says. In this the prophet wanted to show and explain to his people and to all the world, who the Messiah is and how and in what manner he would come and manifest himself, and offers a plain and visible sign in this that he says: “Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and riding upon an ass,” etc., so that we would be certain of it, and not dispute about the promised Messiah or Christ, nor wait for another.

    He therewith anticipates the mistaken idea of the Jews, who thought, because there were such glorious things said and written of Christ and his kingdom, he would manifest himself in great worldly pomp and glory, as a king against their enemies, especially the Roman empire, to the power of which they were subject, and would overthrow its power and might, and in their place set up the Jews as lords and princes. They thus expected nothing in the promised Christ but a worldly kingdom and deliverance from bodily captivity. Even today they cling to such dreams and therefore they do not believe in Christ, because they have not seen such bodily relief and worldly power. They were led to this notion, and strengthened in it, by their false priests, preachers and doctors, who perverted the Scriptures concerning Christ and interpreted them according to their own worldly understanding as referring to bodily, worldly things, because they would fain be great earthly lords.

    59. But the dear prophets plainly foretold and faithfully gave warning that we should not think of such an earthly kingdom nor of bodily salvation, but look back and pay attention to the promises of a spiritual kingdom and of a redemption from the pernicious fall of mankind in paradise; of which it is said in Genesis 2:17: “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” The first prophecy of Christ is also against it, Genesis 3:15: “The seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.” Which means, he shall deliver all mankind from the power of the devil and the captivity of sin and eternal death and, instead bring justification before God and eternal life. Hence this prophet calls him “just and having salvation.” This truly is a different salvation than that of bodily freedom, bodily power and glory, the end of which is death, and under which everything must abide eternally.

    They ought to have considered this and rejoiced in it, since the prophets had heartily yearned and prayed for it, and this prophet admonishes to such great joy and gladness. But they and their shameless preachers made a temporal affair out of this misery and unhappiness, as if it were a joke about sin and death or the power of the devil, and considered it the greatest misfortune that they lost their temporal freedom and were made subject to the emperor and required to pay taxes to him.

    60. The Evangelist therefore quotes this saying of the prophet, to punish the blindness and false notions of those who seek bodily and temporal blessings in Christ and his Gospel, and to convince them by the testimony of the prophet, who shows clearly what kind of a king Christ was and what they should seek in him, in that he calls him just and having salvation and yet adds this sign of his coming by which they are to know him: “He cometh to thee meek, and riding upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” As if to say: A poor, miserable, almost beggarly horseman upon a borrowed ass who is kept by the side of its mother not for ostentation but for service.

    With this he desires to lead them away from gazing and waiting for a glorious entrance of a worldly king. And he offers such signs that they might not doubt the Christ, nor take offense at his beggarly appearance. All pomp and splendor are to be left out of sight, and the heart and the eyes directed to the poor rider, who became poor and miserable and made himself of no kingly reputation that they might not seek the things of this world in him but the eternal, as is indicated by the words, “just and having salvation.”

    61. This verse first clearly and effectively does away with the Jewish dream and delusion of a worldly reign of the Messiah and of their temporal freedom. It takes away all cause and support for excuse, if they do not receive Christ, and cuts off all hope and expectation for another, because it clearly and distinctly announces and admonishes that he would come on this wise and that he has fulfilled everything. We Christians thus have against the Jews a firm ground and certain title and conviction from their own Scripture that this Messiah, who thus came to them, is the Christ predicted by the prophets and that no other shall come, and that in the vain hope of another’s coming they forfeit their temporal and eternal salvation.

    III. THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THIS GOSPEL

    62. This has been said about the history of this Gospel. Let us now treat of its hidden or spiritual meaning. Here we are to remember that Christ’s earthly walk and conversation signify his spiritual walk; his bodily walk therefore signifies the Gospel and the faith. As with his bodily feet he walked from one town to another, so by preaching he came into the world.

    Hence this lesson shows distinctly what the Gospel is and how it is to be preached, what it does and effects in the world, and its history is a fine, pleasing picture and image of how the kingdom of Christ is carried on by the office of preaching. We will consider this point by point. “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives.”

    63. All the apostles declare that Christ would become man at the end of the world, and that the Gospel would be the last preaching, as is written in 1 John 2:18: “Little children, it is the last hour, and as ye have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now hath there arisen many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour,” etc. He mentions here the Antichrist. Antichrist in Greek means he who teaches and acts against the true Christ. Again, 1 Corinthians 10:11: “All these things were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.” As the prophets came to man before the first advent of Christ, so the apostles are the last messengers of God, sent before the last advent of Christ at the last day to preach it faithfully. Christ indicates this by not sending out his apostles to fetch the ass, until he drew nigh unto Jerusalem, where he was now to enter. Thus the Gospel is brought into this world by the apostles shortly before the last day, when Christ will enter with his flock into the eternal Jerusalem.

    64. This agrees with the word “Bethphage,” which means, as some say, mouth-house, for St. Paul says in Romans 1:2, that the Gospel was promised afore in the Holy Scriptures, but it was not preached orally and publicly until Christ came and sent out his apostles. Therefore the church is a mouth-house, not a pen-house, for since Christ’s advent that Gospel is preached orally which before was hidden in written books.

    It is the way of the Gospel and of the New Testament that it is to be preached and discussed orally with a living voice. Christ himself wrote nothing, nor did he give command to write, but to preach orally. Thus the apostles were not sent out until Christ came to his mouth-house, that is, until the time had come to preach orally and to bring the Gospel from dead writing and pen-work to the living voice and mouth. From this time the church is rightly called Bethphage, since she has and hears the living voice of the Gospel.

    65. The sending shows that the kingdom of Christ is contained in the public oral office of preaching, which shall not stand still nor remain in one place, as before it was hidden with the Jewish nation alone in the Scriptures and foretold by the prophets for the future, but should go openly, free and untrammeled into all the world.

    66. The Mount of Olives signifies the great mercy and grace of God, that sent forth the apostles and brought the Gospel to us. Olive oil in Holy Writ signifies the grace and mercy of God, by which the soul and the conscience are comforted and healed, as the oil soothes and softens and heals the wounds and defects of the body. And from what was said above, we learn what unspeakable grace it is that we know and have Christ, the justified Savior and king. Therefore he does not send into the level plain, nor upon a deserted, rocky mountain, but unto the Mount of Olives, to show to all the world the mercy which prompted him to such grace. There is not simply a drop or handful of it, as formerly, but because of its great abundance it might be called a mountain. The prophet also calls in Psalm 36:6, such grace God’s mountain and says: “Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God,” that is, great and abundant, rich and overflowing. This he can understand who considers what it means that Christ bears our sin, and conquers death and hell and does everything for us, that is necssary to our salvation. He does not expect us to do anything for it, but to exercise it towards our neighbor, to know thereby whether we have such faith in Christ or not. Hence the Mount of Olives signifies that the Gospel was not preached nor sent until the time of grace came; from this time on the great grace goes out into the world through the apostles. “Then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you.”

    67. These two disciples represent all the apostles and preachers, sent into the world. The evangelical sermon is to consist of two witnesses, as St.

    Paul says in Romans 3:21: “A righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.” Thus we see how the apostles introduce the law and the prophets, who prophesied of Christ, so that it might be fulfilled that Moses spoke in Deuteronomy 17:6 and Christ in Matthew 18:16: “At the mouth of two witnesses or three, every word may be established.”

    68. When he says: “Go into the village over against you”, not mentioning the name, it signifies that the apostles are not sent to one nation alone, as the Jews were separated from the Gentiles and alone bore the name “People of God” and God’s word and promise of the future Messiah were with them alone. But now when Christ comes he sends his preachers into all the world and commands them to go straight forward and preach everywhere to all the heathen, and to teach, reprove, without distinction, whomsoever they meet, however great, and wise and learned and holy, they may be.

    When he calls the great city of Jerusalem a village and does not give her name, he does it for the reason that the name Jerusalem has a holy significance. The kingdom of heaven and salvation are the spiritual Jerusalem, that Christ enters. But the apostles were sent into the world amongst their enemies who have no name.

    69. The Lord here comforts and strengthens the apostles and all ministers, when he calls the great city a village, and adds, she is over against you. As if he would say, like Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of the wolves”, I send you into the world, which is against you, and seems to be something great, for there are kings, princes, the learned, the rich and everything that is great in the world and amounts to anything, this is against you. And as he says in Matthew 10:22: “Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” But never fear, go on, it is hardly a village, do not be moved by great appearances, preach bravely against it and fear no one. For it is not possible that he should preach the gospel truth, who fears the multitude and does not despise all that the world esteems highly. It is here decreed that this village is against the apostles, therefore they should not be surprised if the great, high, rich, wise and holy orders do not accept their word. It must be so, the village must be against them; again, the apostles must despise them and appear before them, for the Lord will have no flatterer as a preacher. He does not say: Go around the village, or to the one side of it: Go in bravely and tell them what they do not like to hear.

    70. How very few there are now who enter the village: that is against them.

    We gladly go into the towns that are on our side. The Lord might have said: Go ye into the village before you. That would have been a pleasing and customary form of speech. But he would indicate this mystery of the ministry, hence he speaks in an unusual way: Go into the village that is over against you. That is: Preach to them that are disposed to prosecute and kill you. You shall merit such thanks and not try to please them, for such is the way of hypocrites and not that of the evangelists. “And straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them unto me.”

    71. This is also offered as consolation to ministers that they should not worry as to who would believe or receive them. For it is decreed, Isaiah 55:11: “My word shall not return unto me void.” And St. Paul says, Colossians 1:6: “The Gospel is in all the world bearing fruit.” It cannot be otherwise than that where the Gospel is preached there will be some, who accept it and believe. This is the meaning of the mystery that the apostles shall find the ass forthwith and the colt, if they only go. As if he would say: Only go and preach, care not who they are that hear you. I will care for that. The world will be against you, but be not afraid, you will find such as will hear and follow you. You do not know them yet, but I know them; you preach, and leave the rest to me.

    72. Behold, in this way he consoles them that they should not cease to preach against the world, though it withstands and contradicts them ever so hard, it shall not be in vain. You find people now who believe we should be silent and cause no stir, because it is impossible to convert the world. It is all in vain, they say; pope, priests, bishops and monks reject it and they will not change their lives, what is the use to preach and storm against them? This is the same as if the apostles had said to Christ: Thou tellest us to go into the village that is over against us; if it is against us, what use is it that we enter there, let us rather stay outside.

    But the Lord refutes this and says: Go ye there and preach, what does it matter if it is against you? You will find there what I say. We should now do likewise. Although the masses storm against the Gospel and there is no hope that they will be better, yet we must preach, there will yet be found those who listen and become converted.

    73. Why does he have them bring two asses or not both young or old ones, since one was enough for him to ride upon? Answer: As the two disciples represent the preachers, so the colt and its mother represent their disciples and hearers. The preachers shall be Christ’s disciples and be sent by him, that is, they should preach nothing but Christ’s doctrine. Nor should they go to preach except they be called, as was the case with the apostles. But the hearers are old and young.

    74. Here we should remember that man in Holy Writ is divided into two parts, in an inner and an outer man. The outer man is called according to his outward, visible, bodily life and conversation; the inner man, according to his heart and conscience. The outer man can be forced to do the good and quit the bad, by law, pain, punishment and shame, or attracted by favor, money, honor and reward. But the inner man cannot be forced to do out of his own free will, what he should do, except the grace of God change the heart and make it willing.

    Hence the Scriptures say all men are liars, no man does good of his own free will, but everyone seeks his own and does nothing out of love for virtue. For if there were no heaven nor hell, no disgrace nor honor, none would do good. If it were as great an honor and prize to commit adultery, as to honor matrimony, you would see adultery committed with much greater pleasure than matrimony is now held sacred. In like manner all other sins would be done with greater zeal than virtues are now practiced, Hence all good conduct without grace is mere glitter and semblance, it touches only the exterior man, without the mind and free will of the inner man being reached.

    75. These are the two asses: The old one is the exterior man; he is bound like this one, with laws and fear of death, of hell, of shame, or with allurements of heaven, of life, of honor. He goes forward with the external appearance of good works and is a pious rogue, but he does it unwillingly and with a heavy heart and a heavy conscience.

    Therefore the apostle calls her “subjugalem,” the yoked animal, who works under a burden and labors hard. It is a miserable, pitiable life that is under compulsion by fear of hell, of death and of shame. Hell, death and shame are his yoke and burden, heavy beyond measure, from which he has a burdened conscience and is secretly an enemy to law and to God. Such people were the Jews, who waited for Christ, and such are all who rely upon their own power to fulfill God’s commands, and merit heaven. They are tied by their consciences to the law, they must, but would rather not, do it. They are carriers of sacks, lazy beasts of burden and yoked rogues.

    76. The colt, the young ass, of which Mark and Luke write, on which never man rode, is the inner man, the heart, the mind, the will, which can never be subject to law, even if he be tied by conscience and feels the law.

    But he has no desire nor love for it until Christ comes and rides on him. As this colt was never ridden by anyone, so man’s heart has never been subject to the good; but, as Moses says, Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21, is evil continually from his youth.

    77. Christ tells them to loose them, that is, he tells them to preach the Gospel in his name, in which is proclaimed grace and remission of sins, and how he fulfilled the law for us. The heart is here freed from the fetters of conscience and things. Thus man is loose not from the law, that he should and joyful, willing and anxious to do and to leave undone all things. Thus man is loose not from the Law, that he should do nothing, but from a joyless, heavy conscience he has from the law, and with which he was the enemy of the law, that threatens him with death and hell. Now he has a clear conscience under Christ, is a friend of the law, neither fears death nor hell, does freely and willingly, what before he did reluctantly. See, in this way the Gospel delivers the heart from all evil, from sin and death, from hell and a bad conscience through faith in Christ.

    78. When he commands them to bring them to him, he speaks against the pope and all sects and deceivers, who lead the souls from Christ to themselves; but the apostles bring them to Christ; they preach and teach nothing but Christ, and not their own doctrine nor human laws. The Gospel alone teaches us to come to Christ and to know Christ rightly. In this the stupid prelates receive a heavy rebuke at their system of bringing souls to themselves, as Paul says in Acts 20:29-30: “I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” But the Gospel converts men to Christ and to none else. Therefore he sends out the Gospel and ordains preachers, that he may draw us all to himself, that we may know him as he says, John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.” “And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.”

    79. St. Paul, in Galatians 4:2, compares the law to guardians and stewards, under whom the young heir is educated in fear and discipline.

    The law forces with threats that we externally abstain from evil works, from fear of death and hell, although the heart does not become good thereby. Here are, as Luke writes, the masters of the ass and its colt, speaking to the apostles: What, do ye loose the colt? Where the Gospel begins to loose the conscience of its own works, it seems to forbid good works and the keeping of the law. It is the common speech of all the teachers of the law, and of the scribes and doctors, to say: If all our works amount to nothing and if the works done under the law are evil, we will never do good. You forbid good works and throw away God’s law; you heretic, you loose the colt and wish to make bad people free. Then they go to work and forbid to loose the colt and the conscience and to bring it to Christ and say, You must do good works, and keep people tied in bondage to the law.

    80. Our text shows how the apostles should act toward such persons. They should say: “The Lord hath need of them,” they should instruct them in the works of the law and the works of grace and should say: We forbid not good works, but we loose the conscience from false good works, not to make them free to do evil deeds, but to come under Christ; their true Master, and under him do truly good works; to this end he needs them and will have them. Of this Paul treats so well in Romans 6, where he teaches that through grace we are free from the law and its works; not so as to do evil, but to do truly good works.

    81. It all amounts to this, that the scribes and masters of the law do not know what good works are; they therefore will not loose the colt, but drive it with unmerciful human works. However, where wholesome instruction is given concerning good works, they let it pass, if they are at all sensible and honest teachers of the law, as they are here represented. The mad tyrants, who are frantic with human laws, are not mentioned in this Gospel. It treats only of the law of God and of the very best teachers of the law. For without grace, even God’s law is a chain and makes burdened consciences and hypocrites whom none can help, until other works are taught, which are not ours, but Christ’s, and are worked in us by grace. Then all constraint and coercion of the law is ended and the colt is loose. “Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion.”

    82. This verse has already been sufficiently explained. The Evangelist introduces it that we may see how Christ has come not for the sake of our merits, but for the sake of God’s truth. For he was prophesied long ago before we, to whom he comes, had a being. God out of pure grace has fulfilled the promises of the Gospel to demonstrate the truth that he keeps his promises in order to stir us confidently to trust in his promise, for he will fulfill it. And this is one of the passages, where the Gospel is promised, of which Paul speaks in Romans 1:2: “Which he promised afore through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ,” etc. We have heard how in this verse the Gospel, Christ and faith are preached most distinctly and consolingly. “And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments, and he sat thereon, (and they set him thereon.)”

    83. These are the ministers who by the Gospel have freed the consciences from the law and its works and led them to the works of grace, who made real saints out of hypocrites, so that Christ henceforth rides upon them.

    84. The question arises here, whether Christ rode upon both animals.

    Matthew speaks as if the disciples put him on both, while Mark, Luke and John mention only the colt. Some think he sat first on the colt and, because it was too wanton and untamed, he then sat on its mother. These are fables and dreams. We take it that he rode only on the colt. He had them both brought to him on account of the spiritual significance above mentioned.

    When Matthew says he sat on them as though he rode on both, it is said after the manner of the Scriptures and the common way of speaking by synecdoche, where a thing is ascribed to the community, the whole people, which applies only to a few of them; for example, Matthew writes: the thieves on the cross reviled him, while only one did it, as Luke tells us, Christ says in Matthew 23:37, that the city of Jerusalem stoned the prophets, while only a few of the city did it. You say, the Turks killed the Christians, although they killed only a few. Thus Christ rode on the asses, though he rode only on the colt, because the two are compared to a community. What happened to one is expressed as if it happened to all.

    85. Now consider the spiritual riding. Christ rides on the colt, its mother follows, that is, when Christ lives through faith in the inner man we are under him and are ruled by him. But the outer man, the ass, goes free, Christ does not ride on her, though she follows in the rear. The outer man, as Paul says, is not willing, he strives against the inner man, nor does he carry Christ, as Galatians 5:17 says: “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary, the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.” Because the colt carries Christ, that is, the Spirit is willing by grace, the ass, that is, the flesh, must be led by the halter, for the Spirit chastises and crucifies the flesh, so that it becomes subject.

    86. This is the reason Christ rides upon the colt and not upon its mother, and yet uses both for his entrance into Jerusalem, for both body and soul must be saved. If, here upon earth, the body is unwilling, not capable of grace and Christ’s leading, it must bear the Spirit, upon which Christ rides, who trains it and leads it along by the power of grace, received through Christ. The colt, ridden by Christ, upon which no one ever rode, is the willing spirit, whom no one before could make willing, tame or ready, save Christ by his grace. However, the sack-carrier, the burden-bearer, the old Adam, is the flesh, which goes riderless without Christ; it must for this reason bear the cross and remain a beast of burden.

    87. What does it signify that the apostles, without command, put their garments on the colt? No doubt again not all the disciples laid on their garments, nor were all their garments put on, perhaps only a coat of one disciple. But it is written for the spiritual meaning, as if all the garments of all the disciples were used. It was a poor saddle and ornaments, but rich in meaning. I think it was the good example of the apostles, by which the Christian church is covered, and adorned, and Christ is praised and honored, namely, their preaching and confession, suffering and death for Christ’s sake, as Christ says of Peter, that he would glorify God by a like death, John 21:19. Paul says in one of his epistles, we shall put on Christ, by which he doubtless wishes to show that good works are the garments of the Christians, by which Christ is honored and glorified before all people. In the epistle Paul says, Romans 13:12: “Let us put on the armor of light.” By this he means to show that good works are garments in which we walk before the people, honorably and well adorned. The examples of the apostles are the best and noblest above all the saints, they instruct us best, and teach Christ most clearly; therefore they should not, like the rest, lie on the road, but on the colt, so that Christ may ride on them and the colt go under them. We should follow these examples, praise Christ with our confession and our life and adorn and honor the doctrine of the Gospel as Titus 2:10 says.

    88. Hear how Paul lays his garments on the colt, 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ,” and Hebrews 13:7: “Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the Word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith.” No saint’s example is as pure in faith as that of the apostles. All the other saints after the apostles have an addition of human doctrine and works.

    Hence Christ sits upon their garments to show that they are true Christian and more faithful examples than others.

    89. That they set him thereon must also signify something. Could he not mount for himself? Why does he act so formal? As I said above, the apostles would not preach themselves, nor ride on the colt themselves.

    Paul says, 2 Corinthians 1:24: “Not that we have lordship over your faith.” And 2 Corinthians 4:5: “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Again, Peter 5:3: “Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you.” They preached to us the pure faith and offered their examples, that Christ might rule in us, and our faith remain undefiled, that we might not receive their word and work as if it were their own, but that we might learn Christ in their words and works. But how is it today? One follows St. Francis, another St. Dominic, the third this, and the fourth that saint; and in none is Christ alone and pure faith sought; for they belong only to the apostles. “And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way.”

    90. The garments are the examples of the patriarchs and prophets, and the histories of the Old Testament. For, as we shall learn, the multitude that went before, signifies the saints before the birth of Christ, by whom the sermon in the New Testament and the way of faith are beautifully adorned and honored. Paul does likewise when he cites Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Peter cites Sarah, and, in Hebrews 11, many patriarchs are named as examples, and by these are confirmed faith and the works of faith in a masterly way. The branches mean the sayings of the prophets, one of which is mentioned in this Gospel, which are not stories nor examples but the prophecy of God. The trees are the books of the prophets. Those who preach from these cut down branches and spread them in the way of Christian faith.

    91. All this teaches the character of an Evangelical sermon, a sermon on the pure faith and the way of life. It must first have the word Christ commands the apostles, saying: Go, loose and bring hither. Then the story and example of the apostles must be added which agree with Christ’s word and work, these are the garments of the apostles. Then must be cited passages from the Old Testament, these are the garments and branches of the multitude. In this way the passages and examples of both Testaments are brought home to the people. Of this Christ speaks in Matthew 13:52: “Every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” This signifies the two lips of the mouth, the two points of a bishop’s hat, the two ribbons on it and some other like figures. But now none of these is kept before the eyes, the devil through the Papists throws sulphur and pitch in the way, himself rides on the colt and banishes Christ.

    92. To spread garments in the way, means that, following the example of the apostles, we should with our confession and our whole life, honor, adorn and grace Christ, by giving up all glory, wisdom and holiness of our own and bowing to Christ in simple faith; also that we turn everything we have, honor, goods, life, power and body to the glory and advancement of the Gospel and relinquish everything for the one thing needful. Kings and lords and the great, powerful and rich should serve Christ with their goods, honor and power; further the Gospel and for its sake abandon everything.

    The holy patriarchs, prophets and pious kings in the Old Testament did so by their examples. But now everything is turned around, especially among the papal multitudes, who usurp all honor and power against Christ and thus suppress the Gospel.

    93. To cut branches from the trees and spread them in the way means also the office of preaching and the testimony of the Scriptures and the prophets concerning Christ. With this the sermon of Christ is to be confirmed and all the preaching directed to the end that Christ may be known and confessed by it. John writes in 12:13 that they took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him. Some add, there must have been olive branches also, because it happened on the Mount of Olives. This is not incredible, although the Gospels do not report it.

    94. There is reason why palm branches and olive branches are mentioned.

    They signify what is to be confessed, preached and believed concerning Christ. It is the nature of the palm tree that when used as a beam, it yields to no weight but rises against the weight. These branches are the words of divine wisdom; the more they are suppressed, the higher they rise. This is true if you firmly believe in those words. There is an invincible power in them, so that they may well be called palm branches, as St. Paul says in Romans 1:16: “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;” and as Christ says, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. Death, sin, hell and all evil must bend before the divine Word, or only rise, when it sets itself against them.

    95. Olive branches are named, because they are words of grace, in which God has promised us mercy. They make the soul meek, gentle, joyful, as the oil does the body. The gracious Word and sweet Gospel is typified in Genesis 8:11, where the dove in the evening brought in her mouth an olive branch with green leaves into the ark, which means, that the Holy Spirit brings the Gospel into the Church at the end of the world by the mouth of the apostles. “And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

    96. For this reason they carried palm trees before kings and lords, when they had gained a victory and celebrated their triumph. Again, the carrying of palm branches was a sign of submission, especially of such as asked for mercy and peace, as was commonly done among ancient people.

    By their pomp before Christ they indicated that they would receive him as their Lord and King, sent by God as a victorious and invincible Savior, showing themselves submissive to him and seeking grace from him. Christ should be preached and made known in all the world, as the victorious and invincible King against sin, death and the power of the devil and all the world for those who are oppressed and tormented, and as a Lord with whom they shall find abundant grace and mercy, as their faithful Priest and Mediator before God.

    The word of the Gospel concerning this King is a word of mercy and grace, which brings us peace and redemption from God, besides invincible power and strength, as St. Paul in Romans 1:16 calls the Gospel “a power of God unto salvation” and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” as Christ says in Matthew 16:18.

    97. Paul says, Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea, forever.” All who will be saved from the beginning to the end of the world, are and must be Christians and must be saved by faith.

    Therefore Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10:3-4: “Our fathers did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink.” And Christ says in John 8:56: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad.”

    98. Hence the multitudes going before signify all Christians and saints before Christ’s birth; those who follow signify all the saints after the birth of Christ. They all believed in and adhered to the one Christ. The former expected him in the future, the latter received him as the one who had come. Hence they all sing the same song and praise and thank God in Christ. Nor may we give anything else but praise and thanks to God, since we receive all from him, be it grace, word, work, Gospel, faith and everything else. The only true Christian service is to praise and give thanks, as Psalm 50:15 says: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

    99. What does “Hosanna to the son of David” signify? Hosanna in <19B825> Psalm 118:25-26, means: “Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah; O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of Jehovah.” This verse was applied to Christ and is a wellwishing as we wish happiness and safety to a new ruler. Thus the people thought Christ should be their worldly king, and they wish him joy and happiness to that end. For Hosanna means: “O, give prosperity;” or: “Beloved, help;” or: “Beloved, save;” or whatever else you might desire to express in such a wish. They add: “To the son of David,” and say: “God give prosperity to the son of David! O God, give prosperity, blessed be,” etc. We would say: O, dear Lord, give happiness and prosperity to this son of David, for his new kingdom! Let him enter in God’s name that he may be blessed and his kingdom prosper.

    100. Mark proves clearly that they meant his kingdom when he writes expressly in Mark 11:10, that they said: “Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest.” When some in the churches, read it “Osanna”, it is not correct, it should be “Hosanna.” They made a woman’s name out of it, and her whom they should call Susanna they call Osanna. Susanna is a woman’s name and means a rose. Finally, after making a farce out of baptism, the bishops baptize bells and altars, which is a great nonsense, and call the bells Osanna. But away with the blind leaders! We should learn here also to sing Hosanna and Hazelihana to the son of David together with those multitudes, that is, joyfully wish happiness and prosperity to the kingdom of Christ, to holy Christendom, that God may put away all human doctrine and let Christ alone be our king, who governs by his Gospel, and permits us to be his colts! God grant it, Amen.

    Procession of Bulbs in Spring

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    Hardy or Fall Bulbs

    They like to freeze over the winter, so they are like the Michiganders who brag about six months of winter so they can ski longer.

    Bulb flowers are fun to watch flower in early spring and into the summer. Some are not true bulbs, but let's avoid that distinction for now. We call those plants that store a lot of energy or even the flower to be in the soil - bulbs.

    Daffodils are trusty, reliable, colorful, and distasteful to critters (who love crocus and other edibles, including tulips.) They come up first, although I might have planted some earlier ones like snowdrops, snowflakes, and crocus for the squirrels to eat or dig up and rebury, giving the gardener a bad reputation for gardening under the influence. Not guilty!

    Daffodils multiply too, another good quality.



    Grape hyacinths are little flowers that multiply. A previous renter planted them, and they keep coming up, even though I have ignored them. Given their attractive and colorful little flowers, which Mrs. Ichabod noticed, I will plant quite a few this fall.



    Real hyacinths are fragrant and expensive. They bloom well the first year, then fade back. I look at my neighbor's and admire them. If I planted them I would plant quite a few for the color and the display. Many plant a few because of the cost, which makes little sense to me.



    Tulips bloom at various times, from the very early to much later. Colors and styles vary enormously. They are edible and fade over time, but I have not had a critter problem with them. Buy the best and really enjoy one color or contrasting colors. Mixed bulbs from bargain counters are not going to be as pleasing, but they are better than nothing at all.

    Giant alliums can inspire fear. I had one girl pose with them years ago -
    she was intimidated by a flower as large as she was.
    Giant allium seem to bloom only in my yard. They are expensive per bulb, but they are garlic (trouble free) and create quite a spectacle in later spring. Smaller versions, purple or white, can be planted too. Every member of the family has a similar flower, but the larger, showier ones make people ask, "What are they?"

    Tender Bulbs, Also Called Spring Bulbs
    Tender bulbs do not like to freeze, so they are planted in the spring rather than the fall.

    Calladiums are a perfect shade plant.
    Ever have a package arrive in the mail, full of plants or seeds, and you wonder, "Did I order these? What are they?" Well, you are a gardener. I ordered calladiums from one place and forgot the name of the supplier until this big package came.

    Calladiums - hard to remember the name, easy to love as a plant. They are tender and need to be dug up in the fall or heavily protected in the winter. I chose the second and we had a warm winter. I am not likely to dig up bulbs and have no good place to store them (frozen garage?), so they have to cope in the soil with a maple leaf blanket over them.

    Great qualities. They are colorful and love to show off in the shade. In fact, they do not like being sun-drenched. I chose them for under the crepe myrtle bush and around the maple tree rose garden. Their low level leaves should keep them from competing with the roses.


    Giant mega-elephant ears. I saw two bulbs on sale. They are ridiculous but fun. I will have to post them on each side of the maple tree rose garden.



    Palm Sunday, 2016. Matthew 21:1-9

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    Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2016


    Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




    The Hymn #160         All Glory, Laud            
    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 # 162                 Ride On                 

    The Messiah Who Raises the Dead


    The Communion Hymn # 42            O Thou Love  
    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 #341               Crown Him with Many Crowns                         

    KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

    Palm Sunday

    Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.



    The Messiah Who Raises the Dead

    KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

    1. In the preface I said that there are two things to be noted and considered in the Gospel lessons: first, the works of Christ presented to us as a gift and blessing on which our faith is to cling and exercise itself; secondly, the same works offered as an example and model for us to imitate and follow.

    Luther's introduction to this Gospel lesson is familiar to those who read his sermons, and they are something to remember for all sermons. The world has long acknowledged that Luther is the best expositor of the Bible, period. So we should, as Lutherans, or as Christians, as Protestants or even as questioning Catholics, pay attention to the best, since the worst are so abundant.

    Nothing strengthens faith more than hearing the Gospel lessons. They often turn on difficulties of our daily life, such as doubt, temptation, and questions about God. If the issues are addressed in the sermon, the listeners are strengthened and encouraged. 

    The great thing about historic worship (now considered antique and useless) is the system of lessons, the liturgy, and the Creeds, plus good hymns that express the Christian faith. All that will supplement the sermon and make up for a sermon that is missing entirely because the yahoo listened to failed pastors in the seminary teaching faculty and decided to coach everyone into success, happiness, and "wealth" as Mark Jeske whispered in a covetous gasp.

    The Gospel of John supplements this account in several ways. Matthew sets up the Biblical prophesies being fulfilled, but John explains the details of Palm Sunday. First of all, Jesus raised Lazarus, a prominent rich man (he had a tomb), from the dead. Lazarus was not only dead, but so far from life that Jesus was warned away from the tomb. Showing His human nature, He wept.

    But then Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, from death to life with the power of His Word. Lazarus arose and came out in his burial clothes. Therefore, Lazarus followed Jesus to Jerusalem, not far away. And the funeral crowd followed him. Word got out and the citizens came out to see this wonder.

    The raising of Lazarus fueled the anxiety of the Jewish and Roman leaders. The hostility was already so great that Thomas feared they would all die in Jerusalem, and little wonder. The Romans were not shy about torturing their opponents to death.

    They plotted against Jesus and Lazarus, the evidence of Jesus' divinity.

    John 12
    Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

    Because of Jesus raising Lazarus, many of the Jews began believing in Jesus. And that is the purpose of the Gospels, the entire Bible, to foster complete trust in God's only-begotten Son, Jesus.

     2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

    The pastoral failures who teach in Lutheran colleges and seminaries think that success means conforming to this world. But Luther saw this verse as going into the opposition and facing it, transforming it with the Word of the Gospel. The Elector had to kidnap Luther to preserve the Reformer's life, after he said, "Here I stand." Thirteen years later, Luther was back in a castle, protected while the Augsburg Confession was being presented - 1530. So strange that a Confession that cost so many their lives is not read or followed by Lutherans today.

    So wise guys will say, "This is not literally go to the village in opposition," and that is true. But the example of Jesus is clear. Jerusalem was against Him before He entered. By raising Lazarus and gathering a crowd, He increased that opposition to the breaking point. Jesus went into the place against Him and changed all of human history with the crucifixion and resurrection. 

    4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 

    Matthew roots the Gospel in Old Testament fulfillment. That is the strength of his Gospel. Many pretended to be the Messiah. The Maccabeean king rode in on a donkey and palm branches were spread before him, but he was not the promised Messiah. Several revolts came after Jesus, and they were led by fake messiahs, as Jesus predicted would happen in Mark 13.  But only One fulfilled all the prophesies.

    Any Berean (student of the Bible) can look over the Old Testament prophets and see how they are fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus. This inspires and strengthens faith.

    8. I have often said that there are two kinds of faith. First, a faith in which you indeed believe that Christ is such a man as he is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that he is such a man for you, and are in doubt whether you have any part in him and think:

    Yes, he is such a man to others, to Peter, Paul, and the blessed saints; but who knows that he is such to me and that I may expect the same from him and may confide in it, as these saints did?


    9. Behold, this faith is nothing, it does not receive Christ nor enjoy him, neither can it feel any love and affection for him or from him. It is a faith about Christ and not in or of Christ, a faith which the devils also have as well as evil men. For who is it that does not believe that Christ is a gracious king to the saints? This vain and wicked faith is now taught by the pernicious synagogues of Satan. The universities (Paris and her sister schools), together with the monasteries and all Papists, say that this faith is sufficient to make Christians. In this way they virtually deny Christian faith, make heathen and Turks out of Christians, as St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:1 had foretold: “There shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them.”

    10. In the second place he particularly mentions, “The daughter of Zion.” In these words he refers to the other, the true faith. For if he commands that the following words concerning Christ be proclaimed, there must be some one to hear, to receive, and to treasure them in firm faith. He does not say: Tell of the daughter of Zion, as if some one were to believe that she has Christ; but to her you are to say that she is to believe it of herself, and not in any wise doubt that it will be fulfilled as the words declare. That alone can be called Christian faith, which believes without wavering that Christ is the Savior not only to Peter and to the saints but also to you.

    Your salvation does not depend on the fact that you believe Christ to be the Savior of the godly, but that he is a Savior to you and has become your own.

    11. Such a faith will work in you love for Christ and joy in him, and good works will naturally follow. If they do not, faith is surely not present; for where faith is, there the Holy Ghost is and must work love and good works.

    12. This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians, the pope, bishops, priests, monks, and the universities. They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Peter 2:2, where he says of these false teachers: “By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are. 

    Faith and good works are the twin themes of the Bible emphasized by Luther in all his sermons, and we should pay attention to these themes.
    1. Faith embraces Christ and His forgiveness of sin, and salvation through Him alone, apart from works or merit. This is the theme of the entire Bible and God's Word works to keep this firmly before us at all times. Those who oppose this are enemies of the Word, no matter how pious they appear. Remember that Jesus' opponents were not atheists but Pharisees who held their holiness through works before everyone and practiced the strictest notions of the Law.
    2. Good works follow from forgiveness and salvation, so lacking good works is a definite sign of no faith, no repentance. A hardened heart cannot receive or appreciate the forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ, because of God's grace. The brutal treatment of pastors and laity by the Lutheran synodical leaders is proof they have no faith. The covering up of crimes is additional proof they lack faith entirely even if they parade themselves like Pharisees and brag endlessly about themselves.
    We see Jesus as an example in this lesson, which is part 3 of the Gospel themes - faith, good works following faith, Jesus as an example to follow. He knew what He was facing, far more terrible than anything we can imagine, since it was not only the beatings and torture, but the abandonment of almost everyone. And yet, He faced the crowds cheering that would soon be jeering.

    6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

    The disciples in faith did as they were told. Although their faith seemed weak and flickering at times, it was the start. We cannot look down on their failings, since we are no different. Our emotions, like fear and anxiety, can make faith fly out the window, so we are just as fragile as the disciples in the storm-tossed boat, even though we are not in a churning inky blackness.

    That is important to realize, since the reality is not so important as our fragile and volatile feelings at the moment. We could say, "The reality was Jesus in the boat with them. No storm could do anything with Him there." But that is the reality for us too. The Word bring Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts through the planting of Gospel and the nurturing from the Means of Grace.

     8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

    The public demonstration of Jesus as the Messiah is so important for all of Passion Week. They saw the proof, the risen Lazarus, who was a forerunning of the Risen Christ. They cheered and believed, if only for a time. We know from Acts that thousands would convert to faith in Him. 

    It was easier to believe in Jesus as the divine Son of God healer. To believed in Him as the crucified Messiah was another step, one already in their hearts through Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.

    94. There is reason why palm branches and olive branches are mentioned.

    They signify what is to be confessed, preached and believed concerning Christ. It is the nature of the palm tree that when used as a beam, it yields to no weight but rises against the weight. These branches are the words of divine wisdom; the more they are suppressed, the higher they rise. This is true if you firmly believe in those words. There is an invincible power in them, so that they may well be called palm branches, as St. Paul says in Romans 1:16: “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;” and as Christ says, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. Death, sin, hell and all evil must bend before the divine Word, or only rise, when it sets itself against them.

    95. Olive branches are named, because they are words of grace, in which God has promised us mercy. They make the soul meek, gentle, joyful, as the oil does the body. The gracious Word and sweet Gospel is typified in Genesis 8:11, where the dove in the evening brought in her mouth an olive branch with green leaves into the ark, which means, that the Holy Spirit brings the Gospel into the Church at the end of the world by the mouth of the apostles. “And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

    96. For this reason they carried palm trees before kings and lords, when they had gained a victory and celebrated their triumph. Again, the carrying of palm branches was a sign of submission, especially of such as asked for mercy and peace, as was commonly done among ancient people.

    By their pomp before Christ they indicated that they would receive him as their Lord and King, sent by God as a victorious and invincible Savior, showing themselves submissive to him and seeking grace from him. Christ should be preached and made known in all the world, as the victorious and invincible King against sin, death and the power of the devil and all the world for those who are oppressed and tormented, and as a Lord with whom they shall find abundant grace and mercy, as their faithful Priest and Mediator before God.

    The word of the Gospel concerning this King is a word of mercy and grace, which brings us peace and redemption from God, besides invincible power and strength, as St. Paul in Romans 1:16 calls the Gospel “a power of God unto salvation” and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” as Christ says in Matthew 16:18.

    97. Paul says, Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea, forever.” All who will be saved from the beginning to the end of the world, are and must be Christians and must be saved by faith.

    Therefore Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10:3-4: “Our fathers did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink.” And Christ says in John 8:56: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad.”

    98. Hence the multitudes going before signify all Christians and saints before Christ’s birth; those who follow signify all the saints after the birth of Christ. They all believed in and adhered to the one Christ. The former expected him in the future, the latter received him as the one who had come. Hence they all sing the same song and praise and thank God in Christ. Nor may we give anything else but praise and thanks to God, since we receive all from him, be it grace, word, work, Gospel, faith and everything else. The only true Christian service is to praise and give thanks, as Psalm 50:15 says: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”



    How To Study New Testament Greek - No Flash Cards - Few Grammar Rules - No English Crutch

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    I tutored Little Ichabod in Greek, a bit later than this photo. First I tutored him in Latin using the Gospel of John. As a result, he tutored the football team in Latin at Michigan Lutheran Seminary (WELS). I tutored him in Greek next, using the Gospel of John. He tutored students for pay at Northwestern College (WELS). They asked him to teach students Greek because they were not getting it from the NWC Greek classes. That ended up being his connection to Walmart, but that is another story.

    WELS spread the story that I did not know Greek. That grapevine slander is pretty hilarious, given that history and Thy Strong Word using Hebrew and Greek exegesis to make the case for the efficacy of the Word. That was the original edition in 2000. WELS could not get students to pass Latin or Greek, but LI could help them through both languages. So where did he learn those teaching methods that worked so well? He had the distinct advantage of his mother's photographic memory and knack for foreign languages. My input was not repeating the mistakes imposed on me by language teachers.

    The traditional American classroom approach is dead wrong, and language teachers have proven it by killing off Latin in public high schools, once a given for college bound students.

    • Vocabulary lists - wrong.
    • Flash cards - wrong, wrong, wrong.
    • Grammatical rules memorized - wrong.
    • Writing words above the text - wrong.
    • Using an interlinear text, English plus the other language - wrong.
    The US government uses immersion, and that is the best way. That is how we teach our children English, now with grammar rules and flash cards, but by immersing them in the language, night and day.

    My late Latin teacher was against having English near the original text because we are all lazy. He was a priest with multiple advanced degrees in languages, plus a PhD. He said, "Keep reading the Latin and one day your brain will switch over and you will no longer be translating but reading it as you would English." That happened to me in Medieval Latin, after some time.

    Bainton learned a new language, 20 in all, by having that new language in the Gospel of John and the Greek text. 

    The Fourth Gospel is ideal because of its simple grammar and repeating words and phrases. 

    Assuming the individual can understand the Greek letters and read the words in Greek.
    1. Read John 1:1 out loud. Translate to English, by translating the obvious words and guessing the rest. Stuck? Open up an English translation, kept some distance, close it, and try it again.
    2. Read John 1:2 out loud. Translate the obvious words and phrases, guess the rest. Check out the sticking points later. No cheating during. No writing in words.
    3. Read John 1:3 out loud. Repeat the above.
    4. Now read John 1:1-3 out loud and translate the entire passage. Everything starts to make sense with repetition.
    5. Keep this up with entire paragraphs. Some tutoring can help but that is not completely necessary. I would go back to John 1 after going through John 1-4. Always read the text out loud and learn to spot the endings and what they mean. That is hard for someone learning Greek without Latin first, but not that hard. 
    6. Saying it is difficult is no different from all those who say, "Roses are hard to grow." They never try. Greek is easy to get started.


    We do not learn one new word out of context, but we can learn many new words in context. That can only come from repeated use of the Greek text and continued study.



    I think of learning the words and phases from reading as similar to quotations plus graphics. When I had only texts, I had trouble finding them, even with my handy Megatron database. Once I put famous quotes with graphics, using Photoshop, I could find my own favorites easily. I asssociated Luther's MBO quotation with Dahli's melting clock painting.


    One reader wrote and said, "Post Luther on roses again." I could find that easily because I remembered the roses graphic. Ditto with Luther, the stone tossed in a pond. I am repeating here because the three rules of learning are:

    1. Repetition
    2. Repetition
    3. Repetition.

    I am not against learning Greek or Latin grammar. I have taught English grammar, but that is very difficult with people who never read. Their eyes glaze over.

    Grammar follows literature. Grammar never creates literature. The best way to learn Greek grammar is to read the Greek New Testament, starting with the easiest texts:

    • John
    • 1 John, 2 John, 3 John
    • The Gospel of Mark
    • Revelation
    • Luke and Matthew
    • Galatians before Romans
    • James and Hebrews

    If the student has a good reading knowledge of Greek, the grammatical fine points will stick. And he will laugh at some rules, which seem like ways to keep Greek NT professors employed.

    The wreckage is from the Joplin tornado,
    50 miles from us.

    Someone Asked about Future Publishing Projects

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    This is Norma Boeckler's garden,
    which is the proposed cover for Creation Gardening.
    Creation Gardening is being written - and photographed - at this time. As various plants emerge and flower, I will photograph them for the book.

    Making Disciples: The Error of Modern Pietism began as a requested essay, which I decided to publish. That dealt with the Great Commission being turned into Law - "Go and manufacture disciples" - and issues involved with bad translations. On a whim I made it into a booklet, and I get that printed by Amazon for only $2 at the author's rate. Having it on Kindle is a plus, since so many (like me) have Kindle libraries, with easy access on any device.

    A Kindle book on the computer can be searched and quoted easily. Thy Strong Word, which is being proofed, is going to be a fraction of the price of a printed copy, when obtained as a Kindle production.

    I ended up with many requests for multiple copies, so the essay was sent out many places and shared with others. That parallels Walmart's spoke-and-wheel distribution system. A Wamart DC is built in the middle of future stores to serve that group for the future. The DC is the wheel and the spokes are the truck routes to each store. In publishing, that works better than trying to get a title into the hands of individuals.

    Because of Making Disciples, I am going to create some more small projects. One planned project is an essay of similar size, 50 pages, on the Scriptures, use of the Word, efficacy of the Word, and how to test translations.

    The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation is bound to be filled with American Lutheran leaders pretending to honor Luther.

    Look at the fake homage paid to the KJV for its anniversary and the hymn-writer Gerhardt for his centennial. How often is the KJV ever mentioned as an option for Lutherans?

    How often are Gerhardt's hymns actually used in Lutheran worship? Luther's? Did he write hymns, besides A Mighty Fortress? And yet, when I quote Luther and Gerhardt in my theology classes, the students respond with exclamations of praise for their spiritual insights and the comfort offered.


    I am open to suggestions for booklet themes. I plan to do more of them because they are easier to write and produce.

    For instance, I could write one booklet on Creation and roses. Our favorite rose, Queen Elizabeth was developed by a Lutheran Creationist.

    Queen Elizabeth rose.
    Her private gardens are toxin free.

    This Just In - From a Reader

    His suggestion is a list of books Lutherans should read. Excellent choice. That would be an annotated bibliography, about why those books would be worthwhile reading.

    There are key books about leading false teachers, the modernists of the 20th century. I will include those, too.

    Boomers Are Skimmers - Definitely Not the Greatest Generation - More Like the Grifter Generation

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    The Baby Boomers have ruined the visible Lutheran Church, whether we look at the monster called ELCA, or the vipers in WELS, the LCMS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie. Stephanite break-off groups are simply more inbred and more evil but fading fast, thank heavens.

    One example is seminary tuition. Once it was almost free, because everyone knew the students were putting off adult income by being in school for an extra four years. The Boomers shifted the burden from their own synods to individual students.

    And get this - in the old days, a minister could continue to work as long as he did not commit obvious crimes or run off with the choir director or church treasurer. In other words, the call was honored and the ministers were respected.

    Readers - everything is a business in this sense - cash flow and expenses. The Lutheran executives must have their palaces from which they rule with studied corruption and unrepentant evil. Every building has built-in costs, overhead. Long ago, such palaces were not needed, and denominations grew. The Augustan Synod was actually managed the desk in the home of the synod president, long ago.

    Get this WELS was run out of an office in the NPH building, with Mischke's wife as the secretary. Now they have  a muli-million dollar palace with a large, expensive, lazy, worthless staff, from the synod president on up.




    All the synods have shifted the cost of seminary to the students and taken away most of the financial support that once subsidized them. Plenty of money is spent on buildings, to make them more glamorous.

    So the students borrow enormous amounts of money, graduate, and hope they have a call to start paying for the loans. The Boomer-Skimmers, who went to school for almost nothing, are really getting paid from those student loans.

    No call? Sorry kid, let the buyer beware.

    Kicked out by a Church Growth DP?  Too bad you did not listen better in seminary. We warned you.



    The Boomer Grifters see the synod as their money to loot and spend on themselves. The royal salaries of the CPH president and faux-editor are part of the cost of every hymnal and book sold there.

    I can print individual copies of my books (print on demand) for $2 - 8. So what is the actual cost of printing another new hymnal on a large scale? Sure there is overhead for getting it going, but they get that money back right away. From that time on, everyone is paying tribute to the overpaid bosses at CPH.

    So-called American missions are another way to use up bundles of money - and another scam of exceptional greed and dishonesty.

    The mission board can destroy a congregation as part of their personal vendetta, then sell off the property which the members paid for. The synod makes money from the interest, has a building maintained for them, and they collect the equity when the property is sold off. Where does the money go? None of your business.

    How much do they receive in foundation and Thrivent grants? None of your business.

    Where do the DPs vacation in the winter. Bug off. They deserve it for being such hard drinkers, I mean, hard workers.

    If you want to share the looting, better not mention the robberies taking place on a daily basis.



    And here is the bottom line, as they like to say, at the end of the day, the new trite saying - They are looting the synods while driving them fullspeed into liquidation.


    Daniel Emery Price Leads the New Stories for the Month, George the Lite of Higher Things Is Close

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    Sassy Makes a Large Withdrawal at the Iberia Bank Near Us, Her Last at the Branch

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    Iberia is staying in town, but they closed their
    branch near us, a majestic building with little traffic.

    Sassy had two favorite tellers at the Iberia Bank drive-through. She learned that a sharp bark into the speaker reminded her staff to include treats for her. I thought one new person would get angry, but he smiled and gave her three different treats, saying, "She is a smart dog."

    Her favorite was a lady we knew from the day we moved in. She was also good for three treats for each stop, every time. She spoke to Sassy and got an enthusiastic response.

    Mary was there when I walked in for the last visit today. The branch closed at 6 PM. We were both sorry to see this happen. I said, "I didn't bring Sassy along because she had the last treat on Saturday."

    Mary said, "Let me check." She grabbed a bank envelope and stuffed it with dog treats.

    Sassy will be glad to hear Iberia thought of her. Everyone wants to give her treats. When we see her favorite Army veteran, he says, "Sassy, you must be out of treats. I will buy you some more." She sings, "Ah woo woo woo," as he pets and praises her.


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