New Lutheran Quote of the Day

In America the Galesburg Rule became a sort of banner for the apostolic and catholic and Lutheran confession of the Lord's Supper and what went with it:  closed communion.  -- Dr. Norman Nagel, Lutheran Forum, Vol. 25, No. 2, p. 28.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Sin does not belong to the actual nature of man but is its depraved accident, and the poison that adheres intimately to our flesh. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On Christ, p. 89.

Patristic Quote of the Day

And we draw near unto Him for deliverance from hell, for remission of sins, for escape from those in tolerable punishments, for attaining to the Heavens, and to the good things that are there. Let us, I say, fall down before Him both in body and in mind, that He may raise us up when we are down; let us converse with all gentleness and meekness. -- St. John Chrysostom, Homily 51 on St. Matthew

Some of Glenn's Family

present when we blessed the image of St. Paul.  Glen's grandson, Rob, (standing next to Laverne) looks remarkably like his grandfather!

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

In the Didache we see those to whom the Eucharist was open and those to whom it was closed.  There is no evidence that it was ever otherwise from the beginning. -- Dr. Norman Nagel, Lutheran Forum, Vol. 25, No. 2, May 1991 (p. 27).

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Our salvation has been set in His (our Lord's) hands more firmly and more securely than the heavens and the earth that those hands created.  We have been written down on those hands from eternity, and from them no one can snatch us or our salvation. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On Christ, p. 79.

Patristic Quote of the Day

For what purpose does He go up into the mountain? To teach us, that loneliness and retirement is good, when we are to pray to God. With this view, you see, He is continually withdrawing into the wilderness, and there often spends the whole night in prayer, teaching us earnestly to seek such quietness in our prayers, as the time and place may confer. For the wilderness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils. -- St. John Chrysostom, Homily 50 on St. Matthew

A Meditation on the Glory of the Children of God

O how gracious, kind, and merciful You are, O eternal and mighty God!  Not only did You create man in great glory, but when we had fallen, You did once more promise great glory to all who will accept Your grace and obey the promptings of Your Holy Spirit by faith and a holy life.  For such regenerate and sanctified souls may comfort themselves with the reflection that they possess great glory here in time:  sonship with God, the righteousness of Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, peace with You, Your favor, grace, and love to which they may always claim a fearless access by prayer, and from which they can obtain help and mercy in their troubles.

To this glory a still greater glory will be added after this life.  When the soul departs from the body, it is promised admission to the vision of Your countenance, the fellowship of Your saints, and abundance of heavenly joy.  This glory will also be shared by the body after the resurrection, in which it will be transfigured and shine like the sun.

O my God, grant me grace always to have this glory before my eyes, and to consider that while dying, I really begin to live, that in death my misery, but not my life, shall have an end, and that I shall then pass from unrest to rest, from tribulation to joy, from anguish to supreme delight, from sadness and this valley of sorrow to consolation.  -- Starck's Prayer Book, p. 150.

Antiphonal Joy

The Savior, 

renewing the old man, 

comes to Baptism, 

that by water 

He might recover 

the nature which was corrupted, 

wrapping us 

in an incorruptible garment.

--sung before and after Psalm 93

[trans. Matt Carver]

The Forerunner John
exults with the Jordan.
When I baptized the Lord,
The orb of the world exulted,
Remission was made for our sins,
He sanctified the water.
With all things we cry out:
Have mercy on us!

--sung before and after the Benedictus

[Both from the Magdeburg Cathedral Book of 1613]

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The holy ones are the saints, the ones the Lord has made His own, the baptized.  They are holy with a received holiness, those upon whom the light of His grace has shined, the faithful who say "Amen" to the gifts given them.  What cannot be said "Amen" to in this way has no place in the liturgy, "in church." -- Dr. Norman Nagel, Lutheran Forum, Vol. 25, No. 2 (May, 1991), p. 26.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Christ wanted to deposit, in a manner of speaking, all His goods and the fullness of the treasures He acquired into His assumed human nature, according to which He is our brother and kinsman, so that it might be passed on to us and come down to us from the divine nature through the human nature. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On Christ, p. 41.

Patristic Quote of the Day

For although the place be desert, yet He that feeds the world is here. -- St. John Chrysostom, Homily 49 on St. Matthew

Back to Normal - Sort Of

At St. Paul's, we follow the pattern we find in LSB that the Sundays after Epiphany revert to green (pre-Lent too, but that's another story).  The Christmas decorations were up until after services Sunday morning, but when I went to teach Catechism then were all down.  It is really hard to describe the change this brings to the nave.  Our parishioners comment on it every single year.  Hopefully this year the sense of barrenness will be a little alleviated as the windows in the doors between the narthex and the nave (hand-crafted by Pr. Gleason and offered to God's glory and in loving memory of Albert Ernst) go in and are blessed on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany.  The three sets of doors will proclaim the God we worship:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Yes, I'm sure we'll get some pictures up by the week's end.

A Schkade Treat

Last week, my good friend and parishioner, Jonathan Schkade brought by a copy of his latest work, published by our own CPH: Icky Sticky, Hairy Scary Bible Stories - 60 Poems for kids, illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.  If you have a young un around, you'll want this fabulously fun book to read to them.  If you have grandkids, makes a great gift!  Check it out here.

As the cover says:  "The truly weird part?  These stories are all from the Bible, God's own Word.... Best of all - all Bible stories show that God loves us and is willing to sink down into the disgusting muck with us to lift us up and set us free."  Amen and amen!

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

"The holy things for the holy ones."  Thus the deacon calls to the faithful, who are invited to receive the body and blood of our Lord.  They are invited, others are not; closed communion.  A line is drawn:  inside is the joy of the gifts, the holy things, the body and blood of our Lord; outside is the Law, aiming at repentance. -- Dr. Norman Nagel, Lutheran Forum, May, 1991, p. 26.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Through the sin of Adam we were separated from God.  Therefore Christ united a human nature to Himself personally, that in and through it He might bring us back into communion with God. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On Christ, p. 41.

Patristic Quote of the Day

Your house, instead of a theatre, will become to you a church, and the devil will be put to flight, and Christ will enter, and the choir of the angels. For where Christ is, there are the angels too, and where Christ and the angels are, there is Heaven, there is a light more cheerful than this of the sun. -- St. John Chrysostom, Homily 48 on St. Matthew

Baptism of Our Lord

was a great joy last night and this morning.  The Bells of St. Paul and Pat on piano played a beautiful setting of Dix.  We got to baptize August Paul into the holy faith and bless the new image of St. Paul that graces the nave.  Came home and ate breakfast - Cindi made bacon and sausage and eggs, and we had all the kids home, except for Dean.  Then Lauren, Cindi and I helped move Bekah to her new apartment on campus.  It already feels entirely too quiet around here!  Came home, changed the paraments back to green, taught Catechesis and afterwards prepared bulletin for next Sunday to ship to Carlo and Joanie.  I *think* that means the rest of the evening is free - provided the phone does ring! And I could use a quiet evening after last night:  sometime after 3 a.m. we were awakened by a loud thunk and we looked out the window only to see headlights heading STRAIGHT toward the house.  Fortunately, the driver stopped just shy of the clothes line (a matter of feet from our and Bekah's bedrooms).  They got themselves together and drove off.  We went out to examine the damage this morning - half of a bush is gone and there are tracks through the whole yard and the ditch.  It was not a peaceful way to be awakened for Sunday - and, of course, we had trouble getting back to sleep...until just before the alarm went off!

Tis with a bit of sadness

we bid farewell today to Isaiah.  We've had joy of his prophesies since November 27th.  Tomorrow we move into Ezekiel for several weeks and into Romans for the NT readings (bidding farewell to the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke).  It never ceases to amaze me how much of the Gospel Isaiah offers:  the Incarnation and Virgin Birth; the ministry of the Baptist and the Baptism of our Lord; His sacrifice as the sinless Lamb, bearing our sins; His shining victory and the renewal of all things.  I'm so thankful to Treasury for taking us through this round each year.  So many gifts to welcome and rejoice in as they come day by day!

On General Prayer 2

- it's found in the LSB Altar Book, p. 441, or in the old TLH, p. 23,24.  First, its provenance.  It appeared in the Common Service Book and Reed believes it to have been written by Seiss based perhaps on some German antecedents.  Second, its concise and beautiful content.  It thanks the Almighty and Eternal God for his innumerable blessings, counting chief among them the preservation of His saving Word and the sacraments.  It intercedes for the Church and for her mission and asks for strength for all Christians to set their hopes fully on the grace revealed in Christ and for strength to fight the good fight of faith and in the end receive the crown of eternal life.  The Lord's blessing on the nations and our country and the education of our young is sought.  His gracious defense from all sorts of perils is asked, and in a most beautiful phrase his mercy for those in need:  "Be the God and Father of the lonely and forsaken, the helper of the sick and needy, the comforter of the distressed and those who sorrow."  Individual needs may be listed.  Then a prayer for acceptance of our very selves and of the gifts we have brought and presented as our humble service.  A prayer for the Holy Spirit to be given to all who approach the Lord's Table so that all communicants receive in sincere repentance, firm faith and to their abundant blessing.  Finally, since we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, a petition that we might by a true faith and godly life prepare for the world to come and a final plea that when our last hour comes God would support us by His might and receive us to His heavenly kingdom through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  It's all there, so rich, so full, so beautiful.  I'd encourage our pastors to use it often.  The people of God will thank you for it.