Comforting Thoughts from Fr. Peters

on our baptismal identity.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

In the community of the Church, as it is realized in the Supper, we are dealing with a spiritual and physical state of affairs between Christ and believers that affects the whole man according to soul and body, and the whole Christ according to His divine and human natures. This community is only realized if it is actually the case that the whole Christ is really present according to both his divine and human natures, that there is a genuine oral eating of the true body and blood of the Lord, that his corporeality miraculously enters into ours, and that the Sacrament has an effect on both body and soul. -- Hermann Sasse, *The Lonely Way* vol. 1 p. 424

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Indeed, in the Lord's Supper the essence of the Gospel is proclaimed - that Christ was delivered unto death in our behalf, and His own Blood was shed for the remission of our sins. -- Chytraeus, *On Sacrifice* p. 130

Patristic Quote of the Day

So that no one may lack confidence in the divine forgiveness, our Lord like a very kind father consoles us through the words of the Prophet: 'I desire not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live,' and again: 'The wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, in what day soever he shall turn from his wickedness.' Still, even though His mercy is so great toward all men, it is profitable for us not to delay in turning to the Lord, and not to heap up sin upon sin. -- St. Caesarius of Arles, Homily 65

Lectio Divina

Jeremiah 23 and 33 are an interesting study in contrasts. For in the former, it is the Branch who is named "The LORD our Righteousness" but in the latter it is the people - Judah, Jerusalem - which bear this name. And in today's NT reading, Pilate is warned by his wife: "Have nothing to do with that righteous man." A curious name for Him. But that is what He is: the Righteous Man, the One who alone is just of all peoples of the earth, who renders to His Father that which is His Father's due by an unfailing fear, love, and trust. And so He IS the Righteousness of His people, as St. Paul would say: "whom God made unto us righteousness." He and He alone is our boast, our holiness, our very life.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Only as we continually repent can we live. -- Hermann Sasse, *The Lonely Way* Vol. 1:71

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Once the wood of the curse, [the cross] has now become, after the Promised Blessing for all people offered Himself upon it, a tree of blessing, an altar of sacrifice for the atonement, and a sweet-smelling aroma to God. Today, the cross is still a terror - but only to hell. It shines upon its ruin as a sign of victory over sin, death, and Satan. -- C. F. W. Walther, *Treasury* p. 922

Patristic Quote of the Day

Beloved brethren, whenever someone happens to fall into some serious sin or fault, as human weakness does, he should neither despair because God is just nor be presumptuous because He is merciful. He should fear His justice in order to obtain mercy, and he should have confidence in His mercy in such a way that he dreads His justice. -- St. Caesarius of Arles, *Homily 64*

Nothing

gets me so psyched for Advent/Christmas season as listening to the Praetorius' Mass for Christmas Morning. Glorious. Simply glorious. So many favorites in it: Christum, Wir Sollen Loben Schon; Jesaja Dem Propheten; In Dulci Jubilo (Alpha est et O!)...not to mention the chanting of the collect, the readings, the Our Father and the Verba. All a bit of heaven on earth.

On EWTN

today, the Mass began with FRANZMANN'S "In Adam We Have All Been One." Sweet! I love it when Roman Catholics sing Lutheran doctrine - especially that on original sin!!!

For Control of the Tongue

We pray You, O Lord,
to keep our tongues from evil
and our lips from speaking deceit,
that as Your holy angels
continuously sing praises
to You in heaven,
so may we at all times
glorify You on earth;
through Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord. LSB Altar Book p. 451

On Keeping Holy Advent

For us Western Christians, the Advent fast is fast approaching (our Eastern fellow Christians already have begun it). But how shall we approach this holy time so that it produces spiritual benefit for us?

First, it requires time. Here's where the busyness of our lives does us such a great disservice. We hurry ourselves to the grave. Don't think of the extra services in Church as "one more thing" added to your already insanely busy schedule. Instead, see them for what they are: oases of peace that will allow you time for prayer and reflection on the coming of our Savior into the flesh, His coming in the Sacrament, and His coming in glory. Make every effort not to miss a single one of the Sunday or Wednesday liturgies. We were not made for busyness; we were made for communion with the Blessed Trinity!

Second, it requires time. Here's where the busyness of our lives does us such a great disservice. We hurry ourselves to the grave. Instead of thinking of extra time in the Word and in prayer as "one more thing" added to your already insanely busy schedule, see it for what it is: a daily oasis of peace that can prepare you for the joyful celebration of the incarnation. Make every effort not to miss a single day of prayer in the Treasury and seek to expand your prayer time with the addition of one extra office. If you already pray Matins daily, add Noontime Prayer or Vespers or Compline. If you pray Matins and Vespers daily, add Noontime Prayer or Compline. You might want to add the praying of the Litany to your devotions at the dinner table. And if you can, set aside time to sing together as a family the great hymns of our Church for this season. We were not made for busyness; we were made for communion with the Blessed Trinity!

Third - you guessed it! - it requires time. Here's where the busyness of our lives does us such a great disservice. We hurry ourselves to the grave. Spend some time with an honest confrontation of God's Law, examining your life. Use a tool such as the Preparation for Confession and Absolution According to the Ten Commandments (pp. 1460ff) in the Treasury. Recognize your sinfulness and then go to your pastor, confess the sins revealed by God's law and receive the Holy Absolution. We were not made for busyness; we were made for communion with the Blessed Trinity.

Starck writes: "During the holy season of Advent, [believing Christians] meditate on the love of their heavenly Father, who spared not His only Son but sent Him into the world to suffer and die, and thus acquire salvation for all people. They consider the ardent love of Jesus, who was clothed with our flesh and blood in order that He might bring us to heaven and give us unending happiness. They give praise for the grace of the Holy Spirit, who has placed the gifts lavished on our human race before the souls of believers, who has made them their own, and who causes them to recognize these gifts in such a vivid and effectual manner that they seem to have been given this very day. Accordingly, they make this holy season a time of devotion and prayer, and begin and end it with hearing and meditating on the Word of God, with singing festival hymns, and with a quiet and godly way of living." (pp. 49, 50)

More to fit into your busy schedule? Yes. More moments of peace, of quiet, time for tears of repentance, time for joy in the presence of God. Moments to lay aside the worldly cares that too easily weigh down our hearts and glorify Him who took on flesh to redeem you and who will appear again in glory to bring you home; to be ever more conformed to His image; to let His Word and Sacrament do their healing work in your life. Welcome, holy Advent! We rejoice at your approach:

Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!
"Christ is near," we hear it say.
"Cast away the works of darkness,
All you children of the day!"

Startled at the solemn warning
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, its sun, all tears dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

See, the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heav'n.
Let us haste with tears of sorrow,
One and all, to be forgiv'n.

So, when next He comes in glory
And the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with His mercy
And with words of love draw near.

Honor, glory, might, dominion
To the Father and the Son
With the everliving Spirit
While eternal ages run!
LSB 345

P.S. On the FAST, do check out the information on the December Ember Days in Treasury, page 21 and the section in the The Lutheran Study Bible on fasting, page 189 for concrete guidance on the how of a fast.

On the Discipline of Daily Prayer

What I suspect is an under-utilized part of our wonderful Treasury of Daily Prayer, is the Daily Prayer for the Christian, beginning on page 1306. The person who offers these intercessions regularly will soon realize what a blessing they are, for they teach us to remember before God the needs of all sorts and conditions of men. By the time the weekly round is finished, you'll have prayed for:

* the proper observance of the Lord's Day
* the unity, preservation and spread of the Church
* your pastor
* the spread of the Gospel throughout the world
* the troubled and sorrowful
* women with child
* the needy
* the persecuted
* strength and opportunities to confess Christ's name
* the needs of the dying
* deliverance from eternal death
* forgiveness for arrogance
* a hunger for the true Body and Blood of the Savior
* growth in the fruit of the Spirit
* a right use of the Sacrament
* the power of the Passion to comfort us and to snuff out our evil desires
* forgiveness for inner blindness, disbelief, doubt, feeble-mindedness, impatience, evil desires and other sins
* power to hate our sin
* preparation to join in the eternal liturgy sung before God's throne
* the appearing of Christ in glory

And I left out a ton of other stuff. One prayer is assigned for each day, and you soon slip into the rhythm of the Church's prayers:

Sunday - Resurrection
Monday - general intercessions
Tuesday - the persecuted church
Wednesday - the dying
Thursday - the Eucharist
Friday - the Passion of Christ
Saturday - Confession and preparation for Sunday's liturgy

If you've not added these wonderful prayers to your daily round in the use of the Treasury, a good time to grow in your prayer life is soon coming: the Advent Fast. Join with your brothers and sisters in Christ in praying them. You'll be blessed!

Was Heisst Lutherisch?

Sasse wrote a fine book on the topic, but Fr. Peters answers in a far more succinct way that is just as challenging. Check it out: What is a Lutheran?

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Theology is interpretation of God's Word, and not the exercise of human wit in the fields of the divine mysteries. -- Herman Sasse, *Scripture and the Church* p. 316.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

The fact that even those who believe in Holy Scripture err in articles of faith is not because God's Word is unclear and misleading, but simply because those believers too often follow their own reason, their conceive, their heart, their prejudices, or the authority of man instead of the clear Word of God. -- C. F. W. Walther, *God Grant It!* p. 894.

Patristic Quote of the Day

It is certain, dearly beloved, that if we always consider God's benefits toward us, which He conferred without any preceding merits on our part, sin will not have dominion over us, or, if it does overtake us, it will be corrected at once by repentance. Truly, who could conceive, much less express in words, the great goodness of our God toward us? He made us when we did not exist, He later restored us to life when we had perished. He suffered death, He delivered us by His precious Blood, He descended into hell, He snatched us from the jaws of eternal death, and He promised us eternal rewards. -- St. Caesarius of Arles, *Homily 57*

Carlo Was Right...

...Hoegaarden is a quite fine beer. I think I need to stock up!

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Lutheran doctrine is not identical with the doctrine of Luther. -- Hermann Sasse, *Here We Stand* p. 78

Patristic Quote of the Day

It is a source of great joy to me, dearly beloved, and I thank God that you come to church with pious devotion on the holy feasts. Although we rejoice at your devotion through God's goodness, there are many more whose ruin causes us sorrow. I am speaking of those who desire to quarrel rather than to pray when they come to church. -- St. Caesarius of Arles, Homily 55