For when death overcame him and slew him, without however having any claim or cause against him, and he willingly and innocently permitted himself to be slain, death became indebted to him, having done him wrong and having sinned against him and having handled all things inattentively, so that Christ has an honest claim against it. The wrong which death perpetrated against him is so great that death is unable to pay or to atone for it. And so death must be under Christ and in his power forever. Thus death is overcome in Christ and strangled. But since Christ did this not for himself, but for us, and since he has made us a present of this overcoming of death in baptism, consequently all believers in Christ must be masters over death; death must be their subject, indeed, their criminal whom they may judge and execute, exactly as they do when they die and on the Last Day. Through the gift of Christ death has become guilty against all to whom Christ has presented this gift! -- Blessed Martin Luther, Sermon for the Circumcision AE 52:156
31 December 2009
Death Has Become Guilty
For when death overcame him and slew him, without however having any claim or cause against him, and he willingly and innocently permitted himself to be slain, death became indebted to him, having done him wrong and having sinned against him and having handled all things inattentively, so that Christ has an honest claim against it. The wrong which death perpetrated against him is so great that death is unable to pay or to atone for it. And so death must be under Christ and in his power forever. Thus death is overcome in Christ and strangled. But since Christ did this not for himself, but for us, and since he has made us a present of this overcoming of death in baptism, consequently all believers in Christ must be masters over death; death must be their subject, indeed, their criminal whom they may judge and execute, exactly as they do when they die and on the Last Day. Through the gift of Christ death has become guilty against all to whom Christ has presented this gift! -- Blessed Martin Luther, Sermon for the Circumcision AE 52:156
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4 comments:
Pastor Weedon,
Thanks for posting this! It is quite timely, personally, as my daughter, Clare Adele, will be baptized by my bishop at Divine Service tomorrow morning.
In your kindness, please pray for his safe arrival, and for a joyful time to be had as we confess Christ, the sufficient sacrifice for our sins, through water, word, bread, and wine.
Rob+
I was so surprised to see this picture on your blog...I have "known" this family through their mother's blog for years. So funny to see two blogs I have long followed converge.
Dear Angela,
It was an act of Google. :) I merely queried a picture of Baptism and it was among the first to show up and I thought it was beautiful. So I nabbed it!
The family is Latin Catholic, and their Baptism is the only one beside my daughter's where I've seen reference to the pre-Baptism exorcism. 'Tis quite similar to Luther's rite, until you get to the prayer to the Blessed Virgin.
http://sean.gleeson.us/2006/03/25/trixies-baptism
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