The sun is shining

into the office (I've got all the blinds open) and the sky is blue and I could do with about 90 days of this.

What kind of an idiot

puts on his shorts and a hoodie and his vibrams to go for a bike ride when it is barely 50 degrees outside just because the sun is shining brightly? Never mind, don't answer.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The Word of God confronts us with a reality quite at odds with anything we might stir up within ourselves. -- Matthew Harrison, *A Little Book on Joy* p. 50.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

God's own appointments limit us, but do not limit Him. -- C. P. Krauth, *Conservative Reformation* p. 431

Patristic Quote of the Day

Certainly the whole Law depends on two precepts: Thou shall love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind; ...and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two com- mandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. In Christ you have the Entirety. -- St. Augustine, Homily 261

A Friend Recently Posted

on his blog about trying a new method of being productive. I shared that I have become completely sold on the Cindi method, utterly simple (though it took her years to get me to DO it).

Come the start of a week, I review everything that needs to get done that week. I assign each task to a day, and then I save my list. I modify and review it and update it as necessary (new things get added in, or assignments fail to get done and need to be moved). I review the list first thing each day.

But the real joy of the list comes in highlighting an item and selecting: "strikethrough." Productive days get lots of strikethroughs and childish as it sounds, I absolutely love those days when everything gets a line through it. Those are my home-run days.

Today was a good day for it. I started the day with this:

Matins
Proof Bulletin
Materials for Kristi for choir (Psalms for Maundy Thursday; Psalms for Matins on Easter; Chants for Easter DS)
Hymns for April to Carlo
Sermon for Sunday - Oculi
Sermon for Centurion, Fifth Lenten Vespers - "I had seen death before."
Bible Study for Sunday
Prayers for this Sunday
Set up sanctuary for Sunday (bulletins, prayers, sermon on pulpit, hymn board)
Elders Meeting

Everything but Elders Meeting is now scratched off; when I get back from elders I can eliminate that too and look forward to tomorrow, when the only big items on the list are Matins, go the Y, clean house, and prepare for teachers' wine and cheese gathering tomorrow evening here at the parsonage.

Nothing fancy, but I find that it really works to keep me motivated because like a little kid I love to scratch off items that are finished. What do you MEAN you think I'm obsessive compulsive???

P.S. Before someone asks: of course I do NOT finish all my lists each day, let alone each week.

Once again we gathered

for Passion Vespers. Such a beautiful and comforting service in hymns, psalm, canticle and prayer. Tonight was the Gethsemane reading, and Malchus preached the homily. We wrapped up with Responsive Prayer I:

Holy God,
holy and most gracious Father:

have mercy and hear us...

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

When we confront God, he says to us: "I didn't come to kill you; I came to forgive you." -- Matthew Harrison, *A Little Book on Joy* p. 47.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Scripture testifies, in countless places, that all people without exception are sinners and remain so until their death. -- C. F. W. Walther, *God Grant It!* p. 269

Patristic Quote of the Day

As a matter of fact, His bones were real bones; His sinews were real sinews; His wounds were real wounds. Whatever was touched was real; whatever was perceived was true. Man was touched; God was perceived. Flesh was touched; Wisdom was perceived. Weakness was touched; Power was perceived. He is all Truth. -- St. Augustine, Homily 261

One of the Fun Things

I get to do as pastor of St. Paul's is to lead weekly chapel for our preschool. I love these little guys!

Ah, a clean desk...

...at last. That's the way life should be. Isn't it amazing how empowering a cleaned desk is? I love it.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The righteousness of Christ, credited by faith, is transformative. -- Matthew Harrison, *A Little Book on Joy* p. 45

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

As God alone knows what is good and needful, it behooves us to place His will before our will and to prove our obedience in patience. -- Blessed Martin Luther, 1545 (Day by Day, p. 132)

Patristic Quote of the Day

For, just as He ascended into heaven without departing from us, so we, too, are already there with Him although that which He promised us has not yet been accomplished in our body. -- St. Augustine, Homily 263

I had a friend ask

my thoughts this a.m. on the matter of the intercession of the saints as described in Apology XXI:9 as "for the Church universal in general" and how this might or might not preclude their intercessions for specific persons.

I opined that "general" does not of itself preclude the personal. The place to look for this in Scripture is actually 1 Cor. 12:26: "If one member suffers, all suffer together." This does not exclude the glorified in heaven, for even our Lord in His risen glory could say to Saul: "why are you persecuting ME?" To touch His holy Church was to touch Him. Thus, I'd argue, the body as a whole experiences the suffering of the individual member and cries out in intercession. How beautifully did Luther put this in his sermon on John XVII:

"For to everyone who believe, through the word of the Apostles, the promise is given for Christ's sake and by the power of this prayer, that he shall be one body and one loaf with all Christians; that what happens to him as a member for good or ill, shall happen to the whole body for good or ill, and not only one or two saints, but all the prophets, martyrs, apostles, all Christians, both on earth, and with God in heaven, shall suffer and conquer with him, shall fight for him, help, protect, and save him, and shall undertake for him such a gracious exchange that they will all bear his sufferings, want, and afflictions and he partake of all their blessings, comfort, and joy....For who can harm or injure a man who has this confidence, who knows that heaven and earth, and all the angels and the saints will cry to God when the smallest suffering befalls him?"

The emphasis on "in general" I think is due to this: here on earth, we pray especially for those we know and have been bound to by ties of affection; yet the state of the blessed dead is already perfected in love, so that their love for each is as great as their love for any particular human being. This would certainly be reflected in their intercessions so that their prayers would, of that very reality, be general without ceasing to be highly personal.

"Then I will know fully..." and knowing Him fully embraces knowing Him in "the least of these" fully. One body, one loaf.

I *think* the insane month...

...is drawing to a close. I've had writing projects out the kazoo, and (if things go as planned) tomorrow I'll finish up and ship off the very last assignment to CPH. WHEW! Then I plan to clean up the piles of stuff on my desk and scattered throughout my office. I am definitely not taking on any new assignments till Easter is DONE - as in all seven weeks of it!

P.S. Yes, that's why I've not been writing much of my own stuff here; just too much writing elsewhere.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

There's always room for another sinner in church. -- Matthew Harrison, *A Little Book on Joy* p. 50

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

For reconciliation with God and forgiveness of sins is not like color or some other quality which inheres immovably, indivisibly, and inseparably in a subject, so that once it has been accepted there is no longer any need to give it thought. But the perpetual action and daily exercise of faith in this life is to lay hold of Christ more and more, and ever more firmly to abide and continue in Him, lest the remission of sins be lost - but that it may be retained more firmly and surely. Indeed, in the present corruption of our flesh, in the midst of so many kinds of stratagems of the devil and offenses of the world, there is never a moment when it is not necessary for us to seek, lay hold of, and embrace the grace of God, reconciliation, and the remission of sins. -- Blessed Martin Chemnitz, *Examen* II:239

Patristic Quote of the Day

He rose again to give us a token of our resurrection; He ascended in order to protect us from heaven above. Hence, we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ hanging on a cross, now enthroned in heaven. He paid our price when He hung upon the cross; He gathers what He purchased when He sits enthroned in heaven. -- St. Augustine, Homily 263