Pentecost Eve
Joel 3:1–5
Romans 8:12–17
John 14:15–21
Hymn of Invocation
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Hymn of the Day
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Hymn of Departure
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Alternative Hymns
A multitude comes from the east and the west (LSB 510)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lord, support us all day long (LSB 884)
O blessed Light, O Trinity (LSB 890)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
O light whose splendor thrills and gladdens (LSB 891)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Our Father, by whose name (LSB 863)
The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended (LSB 886)
The Lord, my God, be praised (LSB 794)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
The Day of Pentecost
Genesis 11:1–9
Acts 2:1–21
John 14:23–31
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
Gradual Hymn
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Post-Communion Hymn
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Processional Out
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Alternative Hymns
As rebels, Lord, who foolishly have wandered (LSB 612)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498/499)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
In Adam we have all been one (LSB 569)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Now thank we all our God (LSB 895)
Now that the daylight fills the sky (LSB 870)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
Oh, that I had a thousand voices (LSB 811)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise (LSB 917)
Sing praise to God, the highest good (LSB 819)
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Your heart, O God, is grieved, we know (LSB 945)
Pentecost Monday
Isaiah 57:15–21
Acts 10:34a, 42–48
John 3:16–21
Processional Hymn
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Baptized into Your name most holy (LSB 590)
Processional Out
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Christ the eternal Lord (LSB 829)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loves me dearly (LSB 392)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord (LSB 935)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
Pentecost Tuesday
Isaiah 32:14–20
Acts 8:14–17
John 10:1–10
Processional Hymn
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Processional Out
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
Alternative Hymns
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus (LSB 729)
I trust, O Lord, Your holy name (LSB 734)
In Adam we have all been one (LSB 569)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O God, forsake me not (LSB 731)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Savior, like a shepherd lead us (LSB 711)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Voices raised to You we offer (LSB 795)
The Holy Trinity
Isaiah 6:1–7
Romans 11:33–36
John 3:1–15 (16–17)
Processional Hymn
To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord (LSB 406)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Offertory Hymn
O blessed, holy Trinity (LSB 876)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty (LSB 507)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Processional Out
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Alternative Hymns
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Come, Thou almighty King (LSB 905)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
In God, my faithful God (LSB 745)
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lift high the cross (LSB 837)
Now thank we all our God (LSB 895)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow (LSB 805)
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
14 May 2009
Preaching and the Sacrament
To say that the Holy Communion is the heart and center of the Holy Scriptures and of the Christian faith and life, is not to say that the Holy Communion is the only thing proclaimed in the Scriptures or the only thing pertinent to faith and life. It is rather to say, precisely, that the Holy Communion is the beating heart that gives life to the whole body (both the body of the Church and the body of the Christian), and the center of that life which is lived in faith and love toward God and in fervent love toward the neighbor.
To confess the Sacrament of the Altar as the culmination of God's Word to us in Christ Jesus, is not to denigrate the preaching of the Word; nor does it devalue the foundational importance of Holy Baptism. It is through and from Holy Baptism that one comes to the Table of the Lord in the righteousness and holiness of Christ Jesus. The one belongs to the other, and each derives its authority and power from the same Cross and Resurrection of the same Lord Jesus Christ. So, too, it is the preaching of the Word that brings the baptized faithful to the eating and drinking of the Word-made-Flesh in the worthiness of Christ Jesus, which is to say, in repentant faith. The Body and Blood of Christ ought not be given or received apart from the faithful preaching and ongoing catechesis of His Word. It is to His disciples that He gives His Body and pours out His Blood; and disciples of this Lord are made and preserved through one Holy Baptism in His Name and by ongoing catechesis in His Word. Therefore, the centrality of the Holy Communion makes all the more important the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the Name of Jesus.
By the same token, preaching is best undertaken with a view toward the Holy Communion. In the same way that the Holy Scriptures are rightly understood as centered and culminating in the giving and receiving, the eating and drinking of the Word-made-Flesh, so is the right preaching of the Word of Christ evangelically ordered to and from Holy Baptism, and thence to and from His Sacrament of the Altar. Again, not as though the Holy Communion were the only thing, but because it is the heart and center of everything that matters, of life with God in Christ Jesus.
The preaching of the Gospel, therefore, brings those who have not been baptized to be baptized; it returns those who have been baptized to their Baptism through contrition and repentance and faith in the forgiveness of sins; and it brings the baptized faithful to receive the Body and Blood of Christ their Savior in the Holy Communion. That is what every evangelical sermon and every preaching of Christ is doing, even if it occurs outside of the Divine Service. The Church, and each Christian, proceeds in faith from the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and is always living toward the receiving of His Body and Blood in that same neverending Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Faith looks forward to that Meal, longs for that Meal, and lifts up the heart toward that Meal, whether it shall again be received from the Lord's Altar on earth or in the Resurrection, in the closer proximity of the Lamb in His Kingdom. Thus, faith listens for that Voice of the Shepherd which calls the baptized faithful to the Wedding Hall, to the Supper of the Bridegroom.
At the northern Indiana spring pastors' conference earlier this week, Pastor Fabrizius pointed to the way the early fathers of the Church understood the Feast of Wisdom in Proverbs 9 to be the Lord's Supper. Why? Better to ask, How could they understand it otherwise? And how or why should they have preached it otherwise? The whole point is that Wisdom has built His House and prepared His Feast, and He calls the nations to come and receive it, to eat and to drink it. So that is what the preachers of Wisdom do. The fathers understood that, because such preaching of the Word was handed down as a heritage of the Church along with the administration of the Supper itself. That very traditio, that handing over of both preaching and the Sacrament together, is exactly St. Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 11. Preaching and the Supper are given and received together: from the Father to the world, from the Christ to His disciples and Apostles, from the Apostles to the bishops and pastors who follow them, and to the whole Church on earth, and from the pastors to the people of their congregations, from one generation to the next.
So it goes, and it is easy to perceive that point when the Lord's Supper is celebrated every Lord's Day. Then even the daily prayer offices are understood to flow forth in the rhythm of the week from the First Day to the Eighth Day, from one Divine Service to the next. Certainly the preaching at the Divine Service is shaped by the fact that, liturgically and ritually, it is leading from the font and the lectern to the Altar and the Meal.
Where the Sacrament has been dethroned from its central height at each Divine Service, and where it has not been allowed to function as the beating heart of the Church's life, there preaching has also suffered accordingly. That is so, even where preaching has been treated as the main thing and given an overabundance of attention; even where it has gone on and on. Preaching, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, is rightly regarded and received when it is understood to be the means by which the Word-made-Flesh is given to the world in the grace and mercy of God the Lord. Where it is approached apart from that gracious self-giving of the incarnate Word, then preaching itself can or does become idolatrous.
Preaching that has been disconnected from the Holy Communion, both in proximity and in its purpose, becomes didactic at the expense of the kerygma; or, what is worse, it becomes legalistic and moralistic, instead of evangelical; or, what is even worse, it becomes comedic entertainment, a proclamation of the preacher's personality, rather than the proclamation of Christ and the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His Name.
Preaching that calls the baptized faithful to eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ, the Feast of Wisdom, given and poured out for the forgiveness of sins, can hardly help but focus upon the Gospel and emphasize the Gospel. If the preacher understands that his whole purpose and the point of his preaching is that sinners, in repentant faith, should be fed and forgiven at the Table with Jesus, then all of his preaching, of both the Law and the Gospel, shall always be returning to that gracious gift and blessing, and always culminating there in that blessed Meal of Salvation. Such preaching is the Voice of Christ, which calls lost and wandering sheep from all the nations, and gathers them into one flock under that one Good Shepherd who has set His Table for them and pours out His Chalice, which is the New Testament in His Blood, for the free and full forgiveness of all their sins forever.
To confess the Sacrament of the Altar as the culmination of God's Word to us in Christ Jesus, is not to denigrate the preaching of the Word; nor does it devalue the foundational importance of Holy Baptism. It is through and from Holy Baptism that one comes to the Table of the Lord in the righteousness and holiness of Christ Jesus. The one belongs to the other, and each derives its authority and power from the same Cross and Resurrection of the same Lord Jesus Christ. So, too, it is the preaching of the Word that brings the baptized faithful to the eating and drinking of the Word-made-Flesh in the worthiness of Christ Jesus, which is to say, in repentant faith. The Body and Blood of Christ ought not be given or received apart from the faithful preaching and ongoing catechesis of His Word. It is to His disciples that He gives His Body and pours out His Blood; and disciples of this Lord are made and preserved through one Holy Baptism in His Name and by ongoing catechesis in His Word. Therefore, the centrality of the Holy Communion makes all the more important the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the Name of Jesus.
By the same token, preaching is best undertaken with a view toward the Holy Communion. In the same way that the Holy Scriptures are rightly understood as centered and culminating in the giving and receiving, the eating and drinking of the Word-made-Flesh, so is the right preaching of the Word of Christ evangelically ordered to and from Holy Baptism, and thence to and from His Sacrament of the Altar. Again, not as though the Holy Communion were the only thing, but because it is the heart and center of everything that matters, of life with God in Christ Jesus.
The preaching of the Gospel, therefore, brings those who have not been baptized to be baptized; it returns those who have been baptized to their Baptism through contrition and repentance and faith in the forgiveness of sins; and it brings the baptized faithful to receive the Body and Blood of Christ their Savior in the Holy Communion. That is what every evangelical sermon and every preaching of Christ is doing, even if it occurs outside of the Divine Service. The Church, and each Christian, proceeds in faith from the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and is always living toward the receiving of His Body and Blood in that same neverending Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Faith looks forward to that Meal, longs for that Meal, and lifts up the heart toward that Meal, whether it shall again be received from the Lord's Altar on earth or in the Resurrection, in the closer proximity of the Lamb in His Kingdom. Thus, faith listens for that Voice of the Shepherd which calls the baptized faithful to the Wedding Hall, to the Supper of the Bridegroom.
At the northern Indiana spring pastors' conference earlier this week, Pastor Fabrizius pointed to the way the early fathers of the Church understood the Feast of Wisdom in Proverbs 9 to be the Lord's Supper. Why? Better to ask, How could they understand it otherwise? And how or why should they have preached it otherwise? The whole point is that Wisdom has built His House and prepared His Feast, and He calls the nations to come and receive it, to eat and to drink it. So that is what the preachers of Wisdom do. The fathers understood that, because such preaching of the Word was handed down as a heritage of the Church along with the administration of the Supper itself. That very traditio, that handing over of both preaching and the Sacrament together, is exactly St. Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 11. Preaching and the Supper are given and received together: from the Father to the world, from the Christ to His disciples and Apostles, from the Apostles to the bishops and pastors who follow them, and to the whole Church on earth, and from the pastors to the people of their congregations, from one generation to the next.
So it goes, and it is easy to perceive that point when the Lord's Supper is celebrated every Lord's Day. Then even the daily prayer offices are understood to flow forth in the rhythm of the week from the First Day to the Eighth Day, from one Divine Service to the next. Certainly the preaching at the Divine Service is shaped by the fact that, liturgically and ritually, it is leading from the font and the lectern to the Altar and the Meal.
Where the Sacrament has been dethroned from its central height at each Divine Service, and where it has not been allowed to function as the beating heart of the Church's life, there preaching has also suffered accordingly. That is so, even where preaching has been treated as the main thing and given an overabundance of attention; even where it has gone on and on. Preaching, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, is rightly regarded and received when it is understood to be the means by which the Word-made-Flesh is given to the world in the grace and mercy of God the Lord. Where it is approached apart from that gracious self-giving of the incarnate Word, then preaching itself can or does become idolatrous.
Preaching that has been disconnected from the Holy Communion, both in proximity and in its purpose, becomes didactic at the expense of the kerygma; or, what is worse, it becomes legalistic and moralistic, instead of evangelical; or, what is even worse, it becomes comedic entertainment, a proclamation of the preacher's personality, rather than the proclamation of Christ and the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His Name.
Preaching that calls the baptized faithful to eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ, the Feast of Wisdom, given and poured out for the forgiveness of sins, can hardly help but focus upon the Gospel and emphasize the Gospel. If the preacher understands that his whole purpose and the point of his preaching is that sinners, in repentant faith, should be fed and forgiven at the Table with Jesus, then all of his preaching, of both the Law and the Gospel, shall always be returning to that gracious gift and blessing, and always culminating there in that blessed Meal of Salvation. Such preaching is the Voice of Christ, which calls lost and wandering sheep from all the nations, and gathers them into one flock under that one Good Shepherd who has set His Table for them and pours out His Chalice, which is the New Testament in His Blood, for the free and full forgiveness of all their sins forever.
The Heart of the Holy Scriptures
If it is true that the Son of God gives His own holy Body and pours out His own precious Blood for us Christians to eat and to drink, then everything about the Christian faith and life is effected by that fact. Or, better to say, everything is governed by that fact, and everything moves to and from that constituting heart and center of real human life with God. How could we possibly think otherwise, unless we do not believe what we confess about the Sacrament?
Here there is the Incarnate God, His Atonement, the fruits of His Cross and Passion, and His Gospel of forgiveness unto life and salvation. Not that the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the sacrifice of the Cross happen in the Sacrament of the Altar, but the content and consequences of those sacred Mysteries are bestowed in this Sacrament; their holy purpose is achieved, their divine goal is accomplished, and their saving benefit is fulfilled in us. This is the very thing that God has desired for us in love, that we should receive Him and His Life into ourselves, into our human flesh and blood, and so abide in Him bodily forever.
When the Lord our God created man in His own Image and Likeness, it was in view of the incarnate Son, Christ Jesus. When He formed man out of the dust of the ground, it was in view of the bodily Resurrection of Christ Jesus from death and the grave. When He fed man in Paradise, and in particular when He planted the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, it was in view of the Cross and its life-giving fruits.
God feeds man from the beginning, and that is how He shares Himself, His Life and His Love with man. So too, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom comprises the consummation of all things, the fulfillment of creation and the realization of God's great salvation. The Lord brings us into His house, bids us to recline at His Table, and there He serves us from His own hand with His own Body and Blood.
Everywhere in the Holy Scriptures, God is feeding His people, and in this He is always moving them toward that Meal which is the gift of Himself in the flesh. The fruit of the trees in the garden. The meat of the animals following the Flood. The Passover Lamb. The manna and the quail. The flesh and the fruits of sacrifices, provided as food for the priests and for the people. The milk and honey of the Promised Land. It is all leading to the Body and Blood of the Christ. For Wisdom has built His house and prepared His Feast. The Good Shepherd has spread His Table with the choicest of meats and the finest of wines from an overflowing Chalice of salvation. The loaves and fishes are multiplied to feed the nations, and the Son of Man eats and drinks with sinners.
So, too, the Lord opens the Scriptures to us. He opens our ears, our hearts and minds to comprehend them as all concerning Himself, His Cross and Resurrection. And He catechizes us in this way to bring us to the Breaking of the Bread, wherein He reveals and gives Himself to us. Then our eyes are also opened to recognize Him there, by faith, that we might receive Him with thanksgiving in body and soul. It is to the Holy Communion that the Holy Scriptures lead us. There they culminate and find their fulfillment in the Body and Blood of Christ, the Lord.
If the Holy Scriptures are all about Christ Jesus, as He Himself testifies in St. Luke 24, then they are all about the Supper in which this Crucified and Risen One feeds us with His Body and gives us to drink of His Blood. For He is the Word of God, of whom the Holy Scriptures are but the written testimony. The Sacrament of the Altar is the same Word of God, who has become Flesh, who is given and poured out for us. This is not a tangent but the realized very-goodness of God's Creation, the working out of His Redemption, the gift and bestowal of His Sanctification upon us. Here is the heart of the matter and the center of everything. It is to this flesh and blood of Christ that His Word brings us in love, that we might be forgiven, reconciled to God, redeemed in body and soul, and sanctified in our own flesh and blood unto the life everlasting. Not as a means to some other end, but a bodily participation in that divine life which has no end; a bodily participation, by grace, in that divine nature which Christ, the incarnate Son, eternally shares with His Father and the Holy Spirit.
The proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel is the particularly bright light by which all of Holy Scripture is understood. The path enlighted by that distinction leads us to the Altar, where we are fed with the fruits of our redemption, the Body and Blood of the Lamb who is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is upon that Lamb, given and poured out for us Christians to eat and to drink, that the Lamp of the Scriptures shines brightest and best. For His flesh and blood are the beating heart of the Word, by which our flesh and blood are enlivened.
Here there is the Incarnate God, His Atonement, the fruits of His Cross and Passion, and His Gospel of forgiveness unto life and salvation. Not that the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the sacrifice of the Cross happen in the Sacrament of the Altar, but the content and consequences of those sacred Mysteries are bestowed in this Sacrament; their holy purpose is achieved, their divine goal is accomplished, and their saving benefit is fulfilled in us. This is the very thing that God has desired for us in love, that we should receive Him and His Life into ourselves, into our human flesh and blood, and so abide in Him bodily forever.
When the Lord our God created man in His own Image and Likeness, it was in view of the incarnate Son, Christ Jesus. When He formed man out of the dust of the ground, it was in view of the bodily Resurrection of Christ Jesus from death and the grave. When He fed man in Paradise, and in particular when He planted the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, it was in view of the Cross and its life-giving fruits.
God feeds man from the beginning, and that is how He shares Himself, His Life and His Love with man. So too, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom comprises the consummation of all things, the fulfillment of creation and the realization of God's great salvation. The Lord brings us into His house, bids us to recline at His Table, and there He serves us from His own hand with His own Body and Blood.
Everywhere in the Holy Scriptures, God is feeding His people, and in this He is always moving them toward that Meal which is the gift of Himself in the flesh. The fruit of the trees in the garden. The meat of the animals following the Flood. The Passover Lamb. The manna and the quail. The flesh and the fruits of sacrifices, provided as food for the priests and for the people. The milk and honey of the Promised Land. It is all leading to the Body and Blood of the Christ. For Wisdom has built His house and prepared His Feast. The Good Shepherd has spread His Table with the choicest of meats and the finest of wines from an overflowing Chalice of salvation. The loaves and fishes are multiplied to feed the nations, and the Son of Man eats and drinks with sinners.
So, too, the Lord opens the Scriptures to us. He opens our ears, our hearts and minds to comprehend them as all concerning Himself, His Cross and Resurrection. And He catechizes us in this way to bring us to the Breaking of the Bread, wherein He reveals and gives Himself to us. Then our eyes are also opened to recognize Him there, by faith, that we might receive Him with thanksgiving in body and soul. It is to the Holy Communion that the Holy Scriptures lead us. There they culminate and find their fulfillment in the Body and Blood of Christ, the Lord.
If the Holy Scriptures are all about Christ Jesus, as He Himself testifies in St. Luke 24, then they are all about the Supper in which this Crucified and Risen One feeds us with His Body and gives us to drink of His Blood. For He is the Word of God, of whom the Holy Scriptures are but the written testimony. The Sacrament of the Altar is the same Word of God, who has become Flesh, who is given and poured out for us. This is not a tangent but the realized very-goodness of God's Creation, the working out of His Redemption, the gift and bestowal of His Sanctification upon us. Here is the heart of the matter and the center of everything. It is to this flesh and blood of Christ that His Word brings us in love, that we might be forgiven, reconciled to God, redeemed in body and soul, and sanctified in our own flesh and blood unto the life everlasting. Not as a means to some other end, but a bodily participation in that divine life which has no end; a bodily participation, by grace, in that divine nature which Christ, the incarnate Son, eternally shares with His Father and the Holy Spirit.
The proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel is the particularly bright light by which all of Holy Scripture is understood. The path enlighted by that distinction leads us to the Altar, where we are fed with the fruits of our redemption, the Body and Blood of the Lamb who is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is upon that Lamb, given and poured out for us Christians to eat and to drink, that the Lamp of the Scriptures shines brightest and best. For His flesh and blood are the beating heart of the Word, by which our flesh and blood are enlivened.
09 May 2009
Branches of the True Vine
The Lord has planted His people as a choice Vine, that they might share in His Life, and live in Him, bearing good fruits. So do you live by faith in Him, receiving His Life in yourself; and you bear fruits in love, sharing His Life with others.
But the soil has been cursed, because of man's sin. The ground from which you are taken is stained with blood. Plants do not grow easily or well. The grass withers and fades, and all flesh dies. Thorns and thistles choke the Vine. The earth is polluted, the sun beclouded, and the rain insufficient. The vineyard produces more foliage than fruit, and the fruit that it does produce is wild and sour (idolatrous and selfish).
The Father therefore cares for the Vine and cultivates the vineyard by pruning the branches and removing those that bear no fruit, casting them into the fire. This He does, in order that the Vine itself may live in faith and love.
But who, or what, or where is the Vine itself, which is able to live and survive the curse of sin and death? Who, or what, or where is the Vine that is able to thrive and give life to the vineyard?
Christ is the true Vine, the planting of His Father, who dies the death of sin and is buried like a seed into the dust of the ground, in order to redeem and sanctify the soil, the earth, the whole creation. He is the One who rises from death to life, a vital and productive Vine. He abides in faith and love, and He it is who bears much fruit: to the glory of the Father, and to your benefit.
The Cross He has suffered, upon which He died, has become the Tree of Life for all the nations. Because His death has atoned for the sins of the world; His blood has not stained but cleansed the ground; and His Resurrection is the firstfruits of the New Creation.
Now, then, you are grafted into Him, into His Body, and you live in Him as a branch of the true Vine. Abide in Him, therefore, as He abides in you, and so bear good fruit; for apart from Him, you are dead. The good fruit that you bear — the fruit of faith and love — is the produce of that life which you receive and have and live in Him, as He Himself is your Life.
It is by His Word, by the hearing of His Word, that you abide in Him and live; as by and with His Word, by the preaching of His Word, He abides in and with you.
It is by the washing of the water with His Word that you are grafted into Him in Holy Baptism. And by His Word, by His preaching of repentance and forgiveness, you are daily returned to the significance of your Baptism, and "watered" with the life-giving rain of God the Holy Spirit.
You are already clean by the Word that He has spoken, but so does He daily "wash your feet" and "water your soil" with His Word.
He prunes you with His Law, not to hut or destroy you, but in order to open you up to His gifts of Life; that you might be nurtured and sustained by His grace. For His Word of the Gospel, which is the forgiveness of your sins, fills you with the vitality, the life and health and strength, of His own Resurrection from the dead.
With that same Word of the Gospel, He feeds you with the fruits of His Cross: His Body, crucified and risen; and with the fruits of this true Vine: His holy, precious Blood, poured out for you.
By this Word, and by these fruits of Christ, the true Vine, you are enlivened in both soul and body. And as He thus gives you life with God in Himself, so do His fruits produce fruits in you after their own kind. Not only in your heart and mind, but in your flesh and blood, your hands and feet and lips and tongue. So does He bring forth in you the fruits of faith and love toward God, with which you worship Him in Spirit and Truth. And fruits of love toward one another, and toward all your neighbors in the world, within your own vocations and stations in life.
His Word produces these fruits in you, by granting you His Life and love and faithfulness; by forgiving you all of your sins; and by lighting your path in the way you should go.
That pathway is one of faith and love, one of grace and mercy, compassion and kindness. Above all, it is the path of forgiveness, even as God in Christ forgives you. Thus, you proceed along that pathway, bearing the Cross to the glory of God, in the confidence of Christ and His Resurrection from the dead. Abiding in Him, you live.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
But the soil has been cursed, because of man's sin. The ground from which you are taken is stained with blood. Plants do not grow easily or well. The grass withers and fades, and all flesh dies. Thorns and thistles choke the Vine. The earth is polluted, the sun beclouded, and the rain insufficient. The vineyard produces more foliage than fruit, and the fruit that it does produce is wild and sour (idolatrous and selfish).
The Father therefore cares for the Vine and cultivates the vineyard by pruning the branches and removing those that bear no fruit, casting them into the fire. This He does, in order that the Vine itself may live in faith and love.
But who, or what, or where is the Vine itself, which is able to live and survive the curse of sin and death? Who, or what, or where is the Vine that is able to thrive and give life to the vineyard?
Christ is the true Vine, the planting of His Father, who dies the death of sin and is buried like a seed into the dust of the ground, in order to redeem and sanctify the soil, the earth, the whole creation. He is the One who rises from death to life, a vital and productive Vine. He abides in faith and love, and He it is who bears much fruit: to the glory of the Father, and to your benefit.
The Cross He has suffered, upon which He died, has become the Tree of Life for all the nations. Because His death has atoned for the sins of the world; His blood has not stained but cleansed the ground; and His Resurrection is the firstfruits of the New Creation.
Now, then, you are grafted into Him, into His Body, and you live in Him as a branch of the true Vine. Abide in Him, therefore, as He abides in you, and so bear good fruit; for apart from Him, you are dead. The good fruit that you bear — the fruit of faith and love — is the produce of that life which you receive and have and live in Him, as He Himself is your Life.
It is by His Word, by the hearing of His Word, that you abide in Him and live; as by and with His Word, by the preaching of His Word, He abides in and with you.
It is by the washing of the water with His Word that you are grafted into Him in Holy Baptism. And by His Word, by His preaching of repentance and forgiveness, you are daily returned to the significance of your Baptism, and "watered" with the life-giving rain of God the Holy Spirit.
You are already clean by the Word that He has spoken, but so does He daily "wash your feet" and "water your soil" with His Word.
He prunes you with His Law, not to hut or destroy you, but in order to open you up to His gifts of Life; that you might be nurtured and sustained by His grace. For His Word of the Gospel, which is the forgiveness of your sins, fills you with the vitality, the life and health and strength, of His own Resurrection from the dead.
With that same Word of the Gospel, He feeds you with the fruits of His Cross: His Body, crucified and risen; and with the fruits of this true Vine: His holy, precious Blood, poured out for you.
By this Word, and by these fruits of Christ, the true Vine, you are enlivened in both soul and body. And as He thus gives you life with God in Himself, so do His fruits produce fruits in you after their own kind. Not only in your heart and mind, but in your flesh and blood, your hands and feet and lips and tongue. So does He bring forth in you the fruits of faith and love toward God, with which you worship Him in Spirit and Truth. And fruits of love toward one another, and toward all your neighbors in the world, within your own vocations and stations in life.
His Word produces these fruits in you, by granting you His Life and love and faithfulness; by forgiving you all of your sins; and by lighting your path in the way you should go.
That pathway is one of faith and love, one of grace and mercy, compassion and kindness. Above all, it is the path of forgiveness, even as God in Christ forgives you. Thus, you proceed along that pathway, bearing the Cross to the glory of God, in the confidence of Christ and His Resurrection from the dead. Abiding in Him, you live.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
06 May 2009
Hymns for the Octave of Pentecost Series B
Pentecost Eve
Exodus 19:1–9
Romans 8:12–17 (22–27)
John 14:8–21
Hymn of Invocation
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymn of Departure
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, support us all day long (LSB 884)
O blessed Light, O Trinity (LSB 890)
O Christ, who art the Light and Day (LSB 882)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O light whose splendor thrills and gladdens (LSB 891)
The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended (LSB 886)
The Lord, my God, be praised (LSB 794)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
The Day of Pentecost
Ezekiel 37:1–14
Acts 2:1–21
John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
Gradual Hymn
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503) (Catechetical)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Post-Communion Hymn
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Processional Out
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Alternative Hymns
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498/499)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
In Adam we have all been one (LSB 569)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
Now thank we all our God (LSB 895)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
Oh, that I had a thousand voices (LSB 811)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise (LSB 917)
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Pentecost Monday
Isaiah 57:15–21
Acts 10:34a, 42–48
John 3:16–21
Processional Hymn
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Baptized into Your name most holy (LSB 590)
Processional Out
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loves me dearly (LSB 392)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
Pentecost Tuesday
Isaiah 32:14–20
Acts 8:14–17
John 10:1–10
Processional Hymn
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
Processional Out
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus (LSB 729)
I trust, O Lord, Your holy name (LSB 734)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O God, forsake me not (LSB 731)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Savior, like a shepherd lead us (LSB 711)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Voices raised to You we offer (LSB 795)
The Holy Trinity
Isaiah 6:1–8
Acts 2:14a, 22–36
John 3:1–17
Processional Hymn
To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord (LSB 406)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Offertory Hymn
O blessed, holy Trinity (LSB 876)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty (LSB 507)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Processional Out
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Alternative Hymns
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Come, Thou almighty King (LSB 905)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lift high the cross (LSB 837)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Exodus 19:1–9
Romans 8:12–17 (22–27)
John 14:8–21
Hymn of Invocation
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymn of Departure
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, support us all day long (LSB 884)
O blessed Light, O Trinity (LSB 890)
O Christ, who art the Light and Day (LSB 882)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O light whose splendor thrills and gladdens (LSB 891)
The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended (LSB 886)
The Lord, my God, be praised (LSB 794)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
The Day of Pentecost
Ezekiel 37:1–14
Acts 2:1–21
John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
Gradual Hymn
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503) (Catechetical)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Post-Communion Hymn
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Processional Out
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Alternative Hymns
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498/499)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
In Adam we have all been one (LSB 569)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
Now thank we all our God (LSB 895)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
Oh, that I had a thousand voices (LSB 811)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise (LSB 917)
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Pentecost Monday
Isaiah 57:15–21
Acts 10:34a, 42–48
John 3:16–21
Processional Hymn
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Baptized into Your name most holy (LSB 590)
Processional Out
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loves me dearly (LSB 392)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
Pentecost Tuesday
Isaiah 32:14–20
Acts 8:14–17
John 10:1–10
Processional Hymn
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
Sequence
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
Processional Out
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Holy Spirit, light divine (LSB 496)
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus (LSB 729)
I trust, O Lord, Your holy name (LSB 734)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O God, forsake me not (LSB 731)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Savior, like a shepherd lead us (LSB 711)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Voices raised to You we offer (LSB 795)
The Holy Trinity
Isaiah 6:1–8
Acts 2:14a, 22–36
John 3:1–17
Processional Hymn
To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord (LSB 406)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Offertory Hymn
O blessed, holy Trinity (LSB 876)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty (LSB 507)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Processional Out
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Alternative Hymns
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Come, Thou almighty King (LSB 905)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lift high the cross (LSB 837)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
05 May 2009
Liturgical Nazis Online
Since I haven't put in a plug for it yet, I should call attention to a new blog that I'm privileged to share with a handful of my favorite friends and colleagues. If you haven't already, you should check it out, if for no other reason than the beautiful chalice depicted at the head of the page.
We're not really "Nazis," by the way, but if I you can't poke a little fun at yourself, someone else will beat you to it.
We're not really "Nazis," by the way, but if I you can't poke a little fun at yourself, someone else will beat you to it.
04 May 2009
Legalism, Licentiousness, and Love
Legalism destroys the freedom of faith, by denying the Gospel of Christ.
Licentiousness abuses freedom at the expense of the Gospel and faith, by denying the righteousness of Christ.
Love tempers freedom and uses it well, by faith in Christ and His Gospel.
Licentiousness abuses freedom at the expense of the Gospel and faith, by denying the righteousness of Christ.
Love tempers freedom and uses it well, by faith in Christ and His Gospel.
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