Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Although there are diverse orders in the ecclesiastical ministry, nevertheless the power of ministry in the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments and the power of jurisdiction, which consists of the use of the Keys, belong to all ministers equally. Consequently, the Word preached, the Sacraments distributed, and the absolution pronounced by him who has been legitimately called to the ecclesiastical ministry—even if he is in the lowest rank of the ministry—are just as valid and effectual as if they had been preached, distributed, and pronounced by the greatest bishop, prophet, or apostle.—Blessed Johann Gerhard, The Ministry II, p. 20.