Consider…
Feed: Stand Firm
Posted on: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 4:00 AM
Author: Scott Diekmann
Subject: How Shall so Anomalous a Situation Be Brought to an End?
Quoting from J. Gresham Machen's book Christianity and Liberalism, p. 151:
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
FW: How Shall so Anomalous a Situation Be Brought to an End?
FW: “Ifs” Kill!
Tchividjian…
Feed: Tullian Tchividjian
Posted on: Monday, April 16, 2012 8:27 PM
Author: Tullian Tchividjian
Subject: "Ifs" Kill!
For example, in Psalm 40:8 we read: "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Here the law is synonymous with God's revealed will. A Christian seeking to express their love for God and neighbor delights in those passages that declare what God's will is. When, however, Paul tells Christians that they are no longer under the law (Rom. 6:14) he obviously means more by law than the revealed will of God. He's talking there about Christians being free from the curse of the law–not needing to depend on adherence to the law to establish our relationship to God: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4). So, it's not as simple as you might think. For short hand, I think it's helpful to say that law is anything in the Bible that says "do", while gospel is anything in the Bible that says "done"; law equals imperative and gospel equals indicative. However, when you begin to parse things out more precisely, you discover some important nuances that should significantly help the conversation forward so that people who are basically saying the same thing aren't speaking different languages and talking right past one another. In an attempt to be a little more precise, here are some thoughts (big shout-out to my friend Jono Linebaugh who has helped me tremendously in thinking these things through).
Compare this to a couple examples of New Testament imperatives. First, consider Galatians 5.1. After four chapters of passionate insistence that justification is by faith apart from works of the law, Paul issues a couple of strong imperatives: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore stand firm (imperative) and do not be subject (imperative) again to the yoke of slavery." Are these commandments with conditions? No! Are these imperatives equal to Paul's description of the law? No! The command here is precisely to not return to the law; it is an imperative to stand firm in freedom from the law. Let's say you're a pastor and a college student comes to you for advice. He's worn out because of the amount of things he's involved in. He's in a fraternity, playing basketball, running track, waiting tables, and taking 16 hours of credit. The pressure he feels from his family to "do it all" and "make something of himself" is making him crazy and wearing him down. After explaining his situation to you, you look at him and explain the gospel–that because Jesus paid it all we are free from the need to do it all. Our identity, worth, and value is not anchored in what we can accomplish but in what Jesus accomplished for us. Then you issue an imperative: "Now, quit track and drop one class." Does he hear this as bad news or good news? Good news, of course. This very idea of knowing he can let something go brings him much needed relief–he can smell freedom. Like Galatians 5:1, the directive you issue to the student is a directive to not submit to the slavery of a command with a condition (law): "if you do more and try harder, you will make something of yourself and therefore find life." This is good news! Or take another example, John 8.11. Once the accusers of the adulterous women left, Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you. Depart. From now on, sin no more." Does this final imperative disqualify the words of mercy? Is this a commandment with a condition? No! Otherwise Jesus would have instead said, "If you go and sin no more, then neither will I condemn you." But Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." The command is not a condition. "Neither do I condemn you" is categorical and unconditional, it comes with no strings attached. "Neither do I condemn you" creates an unconditional context within which "go and sin no more" is not an "if." The only "if" the gospel knows is this: "if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 John 2.1). The reason Paul says that Christ is the end of this law is that in the gospel God unconditionally gives the righteousness that the law demands conditionally. So Christ kicks the law out of the conscience by overcoming the voice of condemnation produced by the condition of the law. As I said in my previous post, the conditional voice that says "Do this and live" gets out-volumed by the unconditional voice that says "It is finished."
For Martin Luther, it is within this unconditional context created by the gospel–the reality he called "living by faith"–that the law understood as God's good commands can be returned to its proper place. Freed from the burden and bondage of attempting to use the law to establish our righteousness before God, Christians are free to look to commandments, and "imperatives, not as conditions, but as descriptions and directions as they seek to serve their neighbor. The law, in other words, norms neighbor love–it shows us what to do and how to do it. Once a person is liberated from the commonsense delusion that keeping the rules makes us right with God, and in faith believes the counter-intuitive reality that being made righteous by God's forgiving and resurrecting word precedes and produces loving action (defined as serving our neighbor), then the justified person is unlocked to love–which is the fulfillment of the law. |
Monday, April 16, 2012
FW: Hodiernae festum lucis
Cantemus…
Feed: HYMNOGLYPT
Posted on: Monday, April 16, 2012 6:01 AM
Author: Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes)
Subject: Hodiernae festum lucis
Here is my translation of the Sequence hymn for the Feast of the Lance and Arms of Christ. While not expressly met in Reformation cantionals, the regional German feast was historically celebrated as a vespertine mass on the Friday after Quasi modo geniti, paying due honor to the Lord's passion recently commemorated in Holy Week and recognizing the instruments of the Lord's Passion by which He built His church. The tune is from another Sequence, Hodiernae Lux Diei. Here it is with harmony from the New Office Hymn-Book, except that one stanza of the music is missing (one might simply repeat a section, such as the 3rd, since stanzas 3 and 4 have a similar voice; or else re-introduce the 2nd between the 3rd and 4th). A common tune that may be substituted is Johann König's "Alles ist an Gottes Segen."
1. Hodiernae festum lucis |
Friday, April 13, 2012
FW: Giving Luther a hit record
Lovett…
Feed: Cranach: The Blog of Veith
Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2012 4:01 AM
Author: Gene Veith
Subject: Giving Luther a hit record
A while back ago we blogged about that YouTube video of Lyle Lovett and other members of his LCMS congregation reciting the Nicene Creed. Someone observed that on his latest album, Release Me
All of this gave Aaron Lewis a bright idea:
I think it's not very likely that the readership of this blog, however massive and well-connected, could pull that off, but, hey, I'm willing to try. And we can all at the very least buy the track for 99 cents at Amazon or for $1.29 at iTunes, thus bidding up its prominence. (Go to one of those sites to sample the recording.) Though I myself, a big fan of Lovett and his alt country repristination of Western Swing, want the whole album
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, he does a straight-up recording of Luther's hymn "
FW: Steadfast in Worship — Why Vestments?
Consider…
Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2012 9:59 AM
Author: Pastor Josh Osbun
Subject: Steadfast in Worship — Why Vestments?
Cope, chasuble dalmatic, tunicle, stole, maniple, amice, tippet, cincture, alb, cassock, surplice, clerical collar, mitre, and biretta–and those are just the pieces that I could think of off the top of my head. And just as there is a plethora of liturgical vestments which a pastor might wear in a given situation, there is an even greater range of styles and designs for each piece. The possibilities are seemingly limitless. But why? Why do we have all of this? Why are there so many pieces? What's the point? Vestments are nothing new to the Church. They have existed at least since Exodus 39. "From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses…They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses" (Exodus 39:1, 27-29 ESV). Pastor Osbun's ordination included one chasuble, two copes, two dalmatics, three maniples, a bunch of stoles, some albs, and some cassocks and surplices to boot. No mitre, though. Imagine that. The Lord prescribed the following vestments to be worn by the priests serving in His tabernacle: coats (like a chasuble), turbans and caps (like a mitre or biretta), linen undergarments (like an alb or a cassock and surplice), and sashes (like a stole), all of which are to be embroidered (like adorning them with symbols). When the priest entered into the tabernacle, into the Holy Place, and into the Holy of Holies, he was clothed according to specific instructions from the Lord. That is, the man was covered in garments that had been specifically appointed for use in the Lord's house and in the Lord's service. They covered the man, drawing attention away from him; they indicated to others that he was doing something holy; and they taught the people through symbols and imagery. (The section in Exodus 39 about the breastplate contains quite a bit of this type of detail.) And that's the basic purpose of it all: to cover the man and set him apart for a holy purpose. The Lord works through means. Apart from the means of His Son Jesus Christ, all of those means are tainted by sin: bread and wine, water, husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, and men placed into the Office of the Holy Ministry. And so as a way of turning attention away from the sinful man standing in the stead and by the command of Christ and as a way of pointing toward the holiness of what he is doing in Christ's place, the man covers himself. He wears sacred garments that obscure himself and indicate that he is doing some sacred. To be sure, these garments are not to be for show. They are also to be for promoting piety and reverence both in the man wearing them and in the people seeing them. Now, that doesn't mean that they cannot be beautiful. I can only imagine how wonderful that breastplate must have looked! But anytime that they are designed and worn for the sake of adoring the man wearing them and not the Man whose office is being filled, then they have crossed the line from the sacred into the profane. Anytime that they are intended to promote an organization or an agenda other than the Church of Christ, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel, and the right administration of the sacraments, they are no longer serving their intended purpose, but seek to introduce non-Christological themes into Christ's service. If you have not seen it before, there is a website that reveals quite a number of these horrendous abominations to sacred space. (Incidentally, it is okay for pastors to post pictures of themselves wearing their vestments, just the same as it is okay to post pictures of liturgical art, videos of choirs singing, or texts of sermons.) To be sure, I am not contending that vestments are commanded for our usage in the Word of God. I am contending, however, that vestments are commended for our usage in the Word of God, just as they are in the Lutheran Confessions. Article XXIV of the Apology even says to us, "And the usual public ceremonies are observed, the series of lessons, of prayers, vestments, and other like things." They are good, salutary tools to use. They cover the man while teaching about the faith. The colors, the symbols, the designs, even the vestments themselves proclaim something about what is going on in the service that day. Vestments serve to distinguish between the common, unholy things of our everyday lives and to cover the man in garments that have been specifically appointed for use in the Lord's house and in the Lord's service. All of this, of course, serves to bring us into the holiness of the true Temple of God, which is none other than the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. |
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
FW: Dates and times estimated...
Consider…
Feed: Pastoral Meanderings
Posted on: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 5:00 AM
Author: noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Peters)
Subject: Dates and times estimated...
I am not sure what to make of this. It is certainly interesting -- although it will not silence every critic or answer every question. Someone emailed me the link before Easter but I never got to it. Better late than never. The author is some blogger called The Catholic Knight. Take it or leave it but it is very interesting. I have posted the info here without further comment: In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33) there was 'the greatest eclipse of the sun' and that 'it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.' - Phlegon, 137 AD Phlegon identifies the year and the exact time of day. In addition, he writes of an earthquake accompanying the darkness, which is specifically recorded in Matthew's Gospel. Now when he was crucified darkness came over all the world; the sun was altogether hidden, and the sky appeared dark while it was yet day, so that the stars were seen, though still they had their luster obscured, wherefore, I suppose your excellency is not unaware that in all the world they lighted their lamps from the sixth hour until evening. And the moon, which was like blood, did not shine all night long, although it was at the full, and the stars and Orion made lamentation over the Jews because of the transgression committed by them. - Pontius Pilate, 33 AD We may never know what caused the solar eclipse-like event that lasted three hours, but we can speculate. Assuming that God uses natural events in unexpected ways to accomplish most of his miracles, then using what we know about natural phenomena, we can make a good guess. Eclipses are caused when the shadow of something is cast on the earth. Under normal circumstances, its the shadow of the moon cast upon the earth, as the moon passes between the earth and the sun, blotting out the sun's light for a few minutes. So based on what we know causes eclipses, we can speculate that something fairly large passed between the earth and the sun on the date and time in question, and we know that it could not have been the moon. Also the duration of the event (3 hours) would seem to indicate that the trajectory of the object was such that it kept the shadow on relatively the same place (the Mediterranean world) for about three hours. One possibility would be a very large asteroid (or even planetoid) on a near collision course with the earth. If the trajectory were so that the large celestial object (several dozen miles in diameter at least) were coming directly from the angle of the sun, passing by the earth at an incredibly close range, it might create a shadow large enough to eclipse the sun wherever it was cast on the earth's surface. Furthermore, such a near miss with such a large object would certainly capture the object in the earth's gravitational well, causing the object to be flung around the earth at a totally different trajectory then when it came in. If the object were to have it's own gravitational pull, and something that size probably would, then it might have caused disturbances on the earth as it passed by in the form of natural disasters, such as earthquakes for example. Granted this is all just speculation, but I am unaware of any other natural occurrence that could cause an eclipse-like event lasting three hours, coupled with earthquakes, like the one described by so many sources from antiquity. I should like to see more study into this possibility done by people more well versed in astronomy and astrophysics than myself. |
FW: Steadfast Dads — Family Worship
Dads…
Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 8:00 AM
Author: Pastor Rolf Preus
Subject: Steadfast Dads — Family Worship
What marks the church as the church marks the Christian home as well. We know that a home is a Christian home when the word of Christ marks it. There can be no hard and fast rules about family worship since every family is different and schedules vary from time to time and place to place. Stake out a time and jealously guard it. Then you will have time for family devotions. The Christian father is the pastor of his own home. It is the father's duty to lead the family in prayer. This is a simple, but profound, responsibility. Boys need to see their fathers exercise leadership in this area. This is how they learn that worship is a manly thing to do. Little boys are generally taught mostly by women in public and parochial schools, Sunday schools, and so forth. There is nothing wrong with that. But it is vital that a Christian father not abdicate his responsibility to teach God's word personally to his children. It may seem like a daunting task if you were not raised in a home where the father led family devotions. Keeping three things in mind may help. First, establish a time for devotions and stick to it. Second, read from the Word of God and discuss it. Third, sing good hymns with your family. Establish a time and stick to it. A good time is at the end of the dinner hour. Devotions can last as little as five minutes or as long as twenty. It depends. If the phone rings when you are eating dinner or having family devotions, whoever answers the phone should tell whomever is calling that so and so can't come to the phone right now because a) we're eating dinner or b)we're having devotions. If you don't permit outside interruptions the word will get around and you won't get as many of them. If you permit folks to interrupt your dinner or your family devotions they will do so. Stay firm on the rule and you will find the dinner / devotion time the best time of your day. Read from the Word of God and discuss it. When the children are little, you can read a book like A Child's Garden of Bible Stories. As they grow older, you may choose more advanced material. An American Translation of the Bible by William F. Beck is good for children at age ten and older. The father should ordinarily do the reading. Ask the children, beginning with the oldest, simple questions about the reading. Sing good hymns with your family. Children love to sing and they want to learn what grownups know. Don't waste your time singing kiddy songs. Good hymns teach the faith. Singing is a wonderful way of learning and focusing the mind. Learn how to sing the Lord's Prayer and pray it at the conclusion of your devotions. What is normal? If talking about God and what he says is normal in your home your children will know what is most valuable in life. Seeking first the kingdom of God means seeking to know what God says and sharing it with those you love. That's why we spend time in God's Word with our children. God gives us the righteousness of his Son as our robe of righteousness. That's a more precious gift than anything we can give our children. God gives this gift, not just in the Divine Service on Sunday mornings, but when his family is gathered around his Word at home. Seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness means bringing church to our children at home. |
Bringing your children to church is your first duty. Bringing church to your children is your second duty. The Holy Christian Church is identified by her marks: the pure preaching of the gospel and the right administration of the sacraments of Christ. The church is where the gospel is proclaimed according to a pure understanding of it and where the sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. We don't identify the church by the faith of her individual members. That's because God alone can see anyone's faith. We identify the Christian Church by her marks.