17 February 2011
Old Lutheran Quote of the Day
Whatever they [pastors] advise as they preach the Word, may they be diligent in this matter in their own lives, so that they do not labor in vain to arouse others. Whatever good works Your ministers encourage in others, may they first be zealous in these works by the fervor of the Spirit. May they first proclaim by their works whatever actions they exhort by their words. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, *Meditations on Divine Mercy* p. 136.
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5 comments:
In plain English the pastor must
preach his sermon to himself before
he proclaims it to his parish.
If he falls asleep reading his own
sermon to himself, then pity the
people in the pews when they hear it.
The pew never rises higher than the
pulpit when it comes to living the
Christian lifestyle on a daily basis.
I love this little book by Johann Gerhard. It reveals its riches over and over no matter how many times one plumbs them.
Christine
One of the problems among our
pastorate in the LCMS is not enough
of them are good theologians.
All pastors need to be in the Word
on a daily basis and study the Word
of God in the original languages.
If they are not Hebrew scholars they
can read the Old Testament in the
Septuagint and of course the New
Testament in Greek. May the Lord
give us truly Ministers of His Word.
The pew never rises higher than the pulpit when it comes to living the Christian lifestyle on a daily basis.
I couldn't disagree with you more. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life. Amen, to this fine old Lutheran quote of the day, and thanks be to God for his faithful and most learned teachers.
"the pew never rises higher than the
pulpit" means that the content of
sermons can advance or retard the
spiritual growth of the listener.
The Holy Spirit's work is made more
difficult when the preacher is
unprepared and lazy as he enters
the pulpit. Lack of Law/Gospel and
Christ-centered sermons can drag
a congregation down to the point of
members leaving the parish.
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