Luther

Theology quiz

August 26, 2010

What do you think about the following statement? True or false? Those things which have been commanded [by God] are necessary as the fruits of righteousness, even if they are not necessary for righteousness itself which comes alone from faith. For it is not the freedom of the Gospel to be able to omit the [...]

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Luther on the spiritual bond of the tongue

August 19, 2010

Christ heals the deaf mute (Mk. 7.31-37, Gospel for Trinity XII), loosing the bond of his tongue. Luther in his lectures on Genesis explains the spiritual bond on our tongues which keeps us from confessing sin: Thus these brothers of Joseph are not only troubled about the sin of which they were conscious—although they took [...]

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Pentecost sermon

May 25, 2010

Employing technology is not morally or spiritually neutral. Scientific advancements bring new problems, as the tools we use end up using us, changing us. The invention of the automobile, the airplane, the telephone, and now mobile technologies have changed how and where people live, how we see the world and interact with each other. You’ve [...]

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Luther: Our Stumblings Show Us the True Source of Our Holiness

May 18, 2010

In Luther’s commentary on John 14, he asserts that all Christians are holy and will indeed follow Christ’s Word. But the flesh doubts that we can indeed be holy, because we know how we have fallen. Luther answers that problem with the following beautiful and practical statement: To be sure, the Holy Spirit sometimes lets [...]

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All Christians Are Members of a Holy Order

May 17, 2010

Luther on John 14: A Christian, however, can glory truthfully and with good reason, and he can say: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, who makes me and all believers holy. Therefore I am a member of a holy order, not that of St. Francis but that of Christ, who makes me holy through His [...]

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Singing and sadness

February 27, 2010

I was looking for this Luther quote the other day and couldn’t find it. Entirely unrelated, I was just reading in The Lutheran Study Bible on Job 36 and Serendipity! When sadness comes to you and threatens to gain the upper hand, then say: Come, I must play our Lord Christ a song on the [...]

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When do you genuflect in the Creed?

January 20, 2010

Not everyone genuflects (or, alternatively, bows) at the same place in the Creed. My practice has followed what Dr. David Scaer insisted was correct, that of genuflecting at the et homo factus est. Others genuflect/bow earlier, I suspect so that they can stand at the crucifixus (I stand at the et resurrexit), which is sometimes [...]

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Christmas II

January 6, 2010

From Sunday, January 3, 2010 – The Second Sunday after Christmas Gospel: St. Matthew 2:13-23 There’s always a bit of a letdown after the holidays. The Bible stories that come after Christmas are no exception. From glad tidings of great joy to all people, we move to King Herod wishing to murder the infant Jesus. [...]

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Ring them bells

December 31, 2009

[youtube]KObI70kf8hA[/youtube] We are ever fighting hyper-American pietists and iconoclasts who would rob us of our Christian freedom. Lately, this has manifested itself in a certain spirit who accused good Pastor William Weedon of papism for ringing bells during the consecration (a practice that Immanuel also embraces). (Pastor Beane’s defense of Pastor Weedon is worth reading.) [...]

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The Savior will help me when all have forsaken me

December 26, 2009

Another gem from Luther, this time from his 1530 sermon on the Afternoon of Christmas Day, on the comfort of the Christ Child in the face of death and despair: In my sin, my death, I must take leave of all created things. No, sun, moon, stars, all creatures, physicians, emperors, kings, wise men and [...]

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