Home, Sweet Home

My mom was such a home-body. She honestly was happiest at home, and I very much inherited THAT trait. Being a near recluse comes as easily to me as it did to her. But in her home, she always surrounded herself with her humble little treasures. I kept many of them, things that are worth next to nothing to anyone else, I suppose, but that carry precious memories to me of her and of her stories. The longer we have lived in this house, the more we have worked to make it truly our own, and worked on bringing OUT our little treasures (memory joggers). This summer we added the artwork over the mantel, the drapes, the carpet (and a matching runner in the entry). The treasure is not visible in this picture: a lap robe from my dad’s parents (for buggy or sleigh), draped over the banister. As I look around at the little familiar bits, I have a fantasy. It may be silly, but I continually imagine to myself what it would be like to welcome mom and daddy for a visit. Sigh. For now it has to remain a pleasant fancy, but I look forward to the day we’ll be together in that home of which every earthly home is but a teasing taste.

July Workout Summary

This month brought 4,400 pushups; 528 pull ups; and 528 kettle bell swings (45 lbs.). When I think of my poor mother-in-law, confined at the last to a wheel chair; or my own mom’s life-long struggle with walking due to polio, I never want to take movement and strength for granted. So, thank you, Lord, for the gift of motion and the ability to lift and carry! Thank you, for the awesome feeling when one is done a workout! Thank you for benefits of disciplining the flesh and forcing it to do what it would rather not do, and the little ways that prepares us to do Your will in greater matters! And most of all, thank you for the time this affords to listen to your Word! (Sometime this month started at the beginning again and today I’m somewhere in Deuteronomy 4.) 

Gerhard and Walther

The Holy Spirit permeates Himself into our prayers so that He covers up our ignorance and forgetfulness and asks of God that which is beneficial for us.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:310.

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us that true Christians continue to be tempted by all kinds of evil thoughts and desires. However, they have within them a new spirit, a new divine power, a new holy impulse that sets itself unceasingly against the desire to sin.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 613.

Patristic Quote of the Day

Feelings cannot exist in anything but a living soul. These events show that just as Jesus had a human body he had a human soul. We read about the diversity of his feelings in the reports of the Evangelists: Jesus was astonished, was angered, was grieved, was elated, and similar emotive responses without number.—St. Augustine, Against the Apollinarians, 80.

Catechesis: Justification

If faith receives forgiveness of sins because of love, forgiveness of sins will always be uncertain, because we never love as much as we ought to. Indeed, we do not love unless are hearts are firmly convinced that forgiveness of sins has been granted to us.—Ap IV:110.

Gerhard and Walther

Our faithful Savior, Christ Jesus, has through His perfect obedience won for us—among other blessings—the hearing of our prayers.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:306.

It is impossible for a person to become a Christian without the Word of God, and it is just as impossible for him to remain in faith without it. For this reason, St. Peter calls Scripture the imperishable seed from which one is born again, and also the pure milk by which newborn children are enabled to grow to a saving knowledge and true faith.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 609.

Patristic Quote of the Day

The souls of some are like an old garment, as old wineskin—not yet renewed by faith. Not yet renovated in the grace of the Spirit, they remain weak and earthly. All their affections are turned toward this life, fluttering after worldly show, loving a glory that is ephemeral. If such a soul should incidentally hear that if he becomes a Christian he would immediately become like a servant, as if he ha a manacle on his foot, he would recoil with indignity and horror from the word as preached.—St. John Chrysostom, Concerning the Statues, Homily 16

Catechesis: Justification

[Augustine] “In a justified person, there is no right work by which he who does that work may live. But justification is received by faith.” Here Augustine clearly says that the Justifier is reconciled by faith and that justification is received by faith.—Ap IV:106.

Gerhard and Walther

Not only is God the Lord fatherly-minded toward us, but He also has most assuredly promised in His Word that He wants to hear us when we cry out to Him.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:304. 

The Church of God on earth has always been a fighting one. It has always been oppressed and persecuted, both by those in the world and by those in the Church itself who spread false doctrine. These false prophets secure followers and then cause separations in the Church…. If the Church ceases to fight, it will not survive for long.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, pp. 606, 607.

Patristic Quote of the Day

In their ministry of forgiveness of sin, pastors do not exercise some independent power. For not in their own name but in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit do they forgive sins. They ask, the Godhead forgives. The service is enabled by humans, but the gift comes from the Power on high.—St. Ambrose, The Holy Spirit, 3:18

Catechesis: Justification

Romans 5:1 says, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” This means we have consciences that are peaceful and joyful before God.—Ap. IV:91

And a few thoughts on the gift of humiliation…

…so at our Making the Case Conference, we had several wonderful worship opportunities scheduled, the first of which was Compline after hearing from Dr. Rast and the first part of Dr. George’s presentation. It is a lovely liturgy that I know like the back of my hand. We often prayed it and without any accompaniment at all. There is one tricky part for me, though, where, after the responsory (in F), the preces begin (in G). A single step. Not hard, but it always sounds odd to my ear.   

So I asked for the tone from Dr. Wente, who was preparing to give it to me, but allowing some silence before we moved into prayer, and impatient Weedon jumped the gun and missed. Not by a little. 

So yes, right in the middle of the most beautiful and peaceful prayer office, TRAIN WRECK by yours truly. This was followed by an equally disastrous start to the Nunc Dimittis, that only swerved back into something approximating the right key just before the people came in. 

So here is Synod’s former worship director totally and completely flubbing the liturgy in front of a huge crowd of folks. Well, good. Glory to God for all things, including liturgical flubs! Not that it is good to have a liturgy poorly executed (no, that is distracting), but it is good for the soul to experience a bit of public humiliation.

And I am convinced that the key when this happens—and yes, it has happened to me before; not this particular gaff, but gaffs in other spots—is that I am to remember that I, a poor, miserable sinner, am WORSHIPPING not PERFORMING; and so it’s never about Weedon. And when Weedon’s screw up gets in the way, and draws attention to Weedon, it’s good to get out of the way as fast as you can by simply moving on and in outward demeanor, staying focused upon the Lord. 

When someone thanked me particularly for the worship, and I referenced apologetically the gaff in Compline, his response made my day. “And all the pastors breathed a sigh of relief. Weedon can do that TOO.” Indeed he can. And in spades.

Thank you, Lord, for the moments of humiliation by which You “humble pride of heart to save us.” (Akathist of Thanksgiving). 

Catechesis: Justification

[Christ] is the Mediator forever, and not merely in the beginning of justification. —Ap. V:195

The Law always accuses us, even in good works.—Ap. V:198

[The Church Fathers] all declare with one mouth that, even though we have good works, yet in these very works we need mercy.—Ap V:202

We should not be regarded as teaching anything new in this matter. The Church Fathers have clearly handed down the doctrine that we need mercy even in good works.—Ap. V:204

Gerhard and Walther

Just as a every priest in the Old Testament was ordained to bring forth gifts and offering, so also all true Christians are ordained to daily bring the spiritual offering of prayer to God the Lord. What kind of priest would he be that did not want to make offerings?—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:299.

Wherever false teachers have arisen, they have always lacked one thing. They have not proclaimed Christ alone, how He was made by God to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. But where this article of faith has been preached correctly, all soul-destroying errors have retreated like the fog before the sun. If an individual’s preaching shows people how they can come to Christ, remain with Him, suffer with Him, and die blessed through Him, they are listening to a true prophet.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 605.

Patristic Quote of the Day

For this is truly perfection: never to stop growing toward what is better and never placing any limit on perfection.—St. Gregory of Nyssa, On Perfection. 

Catechesis: Justification

Citing St. Augustine: “We conclude that a person is not justified by the precepts of a good life, but by faith in Jesus Christ.”—Ap IV:87.

Gerhard and Walther

Prayer is so highly regarded by God that the entire worship service and all the glory that we are obliged to render to God the Lord sometimes is understood to mean “by prayer.” That’s why prayer is the foremost exercise of worship and a brief summary of all Christian virtue.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:298

Heretics in the church have always appealed to Scripture. Even the prince of darkness, when he wanted to tempt the Son of God, said, “For it is written.”…Therefore, if the Scripture is held out to someone, he should be careful. By testing the offered doctrine against Scripture, he will soon discover whether an individual is to be believed.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 602. 

Patristic Quote of the Day

Let us forget the whole past and, like citizens in a new world, let us reform our lives, and let us consider in our every word and deed the dignity of Him who dwells within us.—St. John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions 4.16

Catechesis: Justification

This is how God wants to become known and worshipped, namely, that we receive blessings from him, and indeed, that we receive them on account of his mercy and not on account of our merits. This is the richest consolation in all afflictions.—Ap IV:60.

Happy birthday to this sweetie!

Evangeline Grace turns 3 today, not only the Day of St. James the Elder, but also the day Cindi’s grandmother, Nana, was born in 1914.