tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post8209091712460198507..comments2024-03-24T05:54:23.612-05:00Comments on Weedon's Blog: Homily upon St. Luke's Day (2009)William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-66461434103527078922009-10-19T11:09:37.797-05:002009-10-19T11:09:37.797-05:00Dear Rev. Yount: Thank you for your concern.
I ...Dear Rev. Yount: Thank you for your concern. <br /><br />I suspect that part of the problem lies in the fact that Luther, in this instance, considered the Kingdom as part of the process of sanctification. But Scripture portrays the Kingdom as an environment which God has created for His people. This is obviously the view of St. Paul in the Colossians passage. One of the qualifications for membership is that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Romans 8:9 “…whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”<br /><br />I cannot find any evidence in Scripture that the Holy Spirit or the Kingdom are given to us partially, or over time. That is not to say that the Kingdom does not change over time, until it is fulfilled, or that we do not change until we are perfected in that Kingdom. But while all of this change is taking place, we continue as full members of God’s Kingdom, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us in all of His fullness from the time of our baptism. Is that not the glorious Gospel of the Kingdom our Lord proclaimed? <br /><br />I am not saying that Luther is wrong; I am simply unable to understand him.<br /><br />And with Thy Spirit.<br />Peace and Joy,<br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-23758526919168303502009-10-18T17:15:30.403-05:002009-10-18T17:15:30.403-05:00"Luther’s explanation of the Second Petition,..."Luther’s explanation of the Second Petition, 'we pray that it may come unto us also,' lacks the immediacy of the passage from Colossians."<br /><br />Not really, when you look at the second part of Luther's explanation: "How does God's kingdom come? God's kingdom comes [present tense] when our heavenly Father gives [present tense] us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time<br />and there in eternity [both, not either-or]" (material in brackets added).<br /><br />Given that context, it follows that Luther's statement "we pray in this petition that it may come to us also" can be understood in the sense "we pray that it may continue to come to us, as it has already come to us, and will come to us." It speaks both of our being members of the kingdom now through faith and of our waiting for it to manifest itself on the Last Day when Christ returns in visible glory.<br /><br />Hope that makes what we're actually praying in the Lord's Prayer a little clearer to you, George. The Lord be with you.Rev. Allen Younthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00211830350490559932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-13584456937668854642009-10-18T08:41:46.733-05:002009-10-18T08:41:46.733-05:00We tend to hear the Gospel preached to us, in acco...We tend to hear the Gospel preached to us, in accordance with our Confessions, as ending with the atonement our Lord made for our sins. Some years ago this was called to my attention when I read in John R. W. Stott’s “Baptism and Fullness,” “Certainly we must never conceive ‘salvation’ in purely negative terms, as if it consisted only of our rescue from sin, guilt, wrath and death. We thank God that it is all these things. But it also includes the positive blessing of the Holy Spirit to regenerate, indwell, liberate and transform us.” That, of course, covers our life in the Kingdom. <br /><br />Luther’s explanation of the Second Petition, “we pray that it may come unto us also,” lacks the immediacy of the passage from Colossians.<br />Thank you for your patience.<br />Peace and Joy,<br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-64152881866414025042009-10-18T07:34:49.030-05:002009-10-18T07:34:49.030-05:00Dear Pastor Weedon,
Coming from a Protestant back...Dear Pastor Weedon,<br /><br />Coming from a Protestant background, I, too, was not taught that we are a part of the Kingdom <i>now</i> until I recently joined the Lutheran confession.<br /><br />I have found that there are so many <i>givens</i> in confessional Lutheranism which are sadly lacking in the teaching of Christian brethren outside the doctrine that for you would probably be considered Christianity 101. That in baptism we are given the inheritance of Christ, that we are full partakers of all that is His, including the kingdom of heaven, here on earth, albeit in an imperfect world and only a mere shadow of what is to come, is certainly one of those givens.<br /><br />What are a few other givens? That we are forgiven, not just on the cross as remediation for sin that would have damned us eternally, but are <i>daily</i> forgiven, washed anew by the Spirit and by the gifts of Christ. That Christ is present in all of the Living Word, not just the New Testament, so that all of Scripture is for us to grasp, to cling to, to claim. That Divine Service is for God to come to us, to teach us, heal us, give to us, rather than for us to <i>do something</i> for Him (I grew up in the faith being chastised far too many times that if I were only at church to be fed then I should re-examine my reasons for being there). And, of course, that there is (and always should be) a proper distinction between Law and Gospel, that the Law was not just for the children of Israel, but has relevance for me, today, to teach me of my sin, of the fact that there is nothing, absolutely <i>nothing</i> we can do to mitigate our condition, that the "greatest" of our works are mere dross, so that through the work of the Holy Spirit in the gift of faith we can see the magnificence of the grace and mercy of Christ and His Work on the cross. <br /><br />Thank you for the sweet, sweet Gospel of this message, the precious reminder of the hope we have in Christ, and the encouragement that we are (I am) not alone in our (my) battle against the old Adam within.Myrtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00431258817722884616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-9266759683434950622009-10-17T19:41:40.728-05:002009-10-17T19:41:40.728-05:00That is most interesting, George. I would have as...That is most interesting, George. I would have assumed the opposite in our day and age. Shows you how a preacher who doesn't get to hear much preaching shouldn't assume anything!William Weedonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-38056266617669537422009-10-17T18:28:39.158-05:002009-10-17T18:28:39.158-05:00Please forgive me, but as a layman I am used to he...Please forgive me, but as a layman I am used to hearing of the Kingdom almost exclusively in the future tense. <br /><br />Peace and Joy,<br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-22263821021707141522009-10-17T17:19:12.533-05:002009-10-17T17:19:12.533-05:00Brian,
We'll be singing "Fight the Good ...Brian,<br /><br />We'll be singing "Fight the Good Fight" as Entrance; "O God of God" for HOD; I can't remember the Distribution hymns off hand; we close with "Praise God."<br /><br />George,<br /><br />Now, how can you ask? You know the Apostle's words in Colossians - we have been transferred into the Kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. The Kingdom for which we joyfully wait (i.e., wait its manifestation) is a Kingdom which we are truly a part of even now. We're a colony from that future that our Lord has planted back into time. We're the true future of this world!William Weedonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-54354931913354606262009-10-17T17:13:19.684-05:002009-10-17T17:13:19.684-05:00Dear Rev. Weedon: thank you for a wonderful, edify...Dear Rev. Weedon: thank you for a wonderful, edifying, and encouraging sermon. But, for one who has been saddled with a pedantic spirit that needs to have the obvious made clear, can you give me an unqualified “yes” or “no” answer to the question, “Are we Christians members of God’s Kingdom now?”<br /><br />Peace and Joy,<br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291232.post-68701680074448714672009-10-17T11:54:46.319-05:002009-10-17T11:54:46.319-05:00What hymns are you using tomorrow? We'll be s...What hymns are you using tomorrow? We'll be singing in Leadville Loy's pair on Law & Gospel, Christians Come in Sweetest Measures, Holy God We Praise Thy Name, and Abide O Dearest Jesus?Brian P Westgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15383132438753364755noreply@blogger.com