Mondays with Martin Easter Sermon 1 Via Luther (1525), taken from volume II:215-221 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI). It was originally published in 1906 in English by Lutherans in All Lands Press (Minneapolis, MN), as The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11. The [...]

Holbein’s painting, “Christ Taken Down From the Cross,” inspired this description taken from Fyoder Doestoevsky’s The Idiot. A copy of the painting hanging in Rogozhin’s house is first mentioned in an exchange between him and Prince Myshkin over its effect on their faith. The impression the original made on Dostoyevsky’s is more fully told in the Foreword. [...]

Weekends with Bach Via J.S. Bach, BWV 3, “Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid” BWV 3 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid Second Sunday after Epiphany. Poet unknown. 1. Martin Moller, verse 1 of the hymn, 1587, after Bernard of Clairvaux, “Jesu dulcis memoria” (Wackernagel, I, #38); 2. verse 2 with interpolated recitative; 3-5. based freely on [...]

American poet Robert Frost, lauded for his depictions of New England rural life, his poetic use of American colloquial speech, and his realistic portrayals of ordinary people, was born this day in 1874. While he is not generally regarded to be a Christian poet, it appears some of the elements of his being pulled back [...]

Franz Friday Via Pieper’s “What is Christianity?” …it is the mission of the Church to assist men in acquiring a good conscience toward God and thus to insure to them the greatest happiness in this world. The Christian Church should serve men in such a way that under all circumstances – even in sickness, poverty, [...]

Thursdays with Iwand Via Iwand, The Righteousness of Faith According to Martin Luther Since Luther is for us such an important teacher of the faith, we cannot leave him within the confines of denominationalism. Both friends and foes who see him thus do not do justice either to his intentions or to his teachings. Luther [...]

Wednesday with Augustine Via Augustine’s “Against the Donatists” Chapter 10.—13. But they think within themselves that they show very great subtlety in asking whether the baptism of Christ in the party of Donatus makes men sons or not; so that, if we allow that it does make them sons, they may assert that theirs is [...]

Here is the handout from Bob and Cathy Mattson for Palm Sunday. 10 Palm Sunday – Luke SUNDAY OF THE PASSION Almighty God, you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take our flesh upon him and to suffer death on the cross. Grant that we may share in his obedience to your will [...]

Tuesdays with Forde Via On Being a Theologian of the Cross, pp. 59-61 Thesis 16. The person who believes that he can obtain grace by doing what is in him adds sin to sin so that he becomes doubly guilty. But all of this is no doubt devastating to the theologian of glory. If we [...]

A brief description of Luther’s liturgical reforms, with a side by side comparison of the mass in Latin and German. And a couple of additional resources to follow. “In 1523 Martin Luther reformed the late medieval liturgy of the Mass. He called it Formula Missae or the Latin Mass. Luther used the purity of the [...]

Mondays with Martin Via Luther’s Church Postil, taken from volume VII:169-180 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI). It was originally published in 1909 in English by The Luther Press (Minneapolis, MN), as Luther’s Epistle Sermons, vol. 2. The original title of this sermon appears below. The pagination [...]

Weekends with Bach Johann Sebastian Bach, famed German Lutheran musician and composer, was born on this day (March 21) in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany (d. July 28 1750). Learn more about his life and works at the JS Bach Home Page Here is Bach’s Oster-Oratorium, BWV 249, performed by Collegium Vocale, Gent, with Philippe Herreweghe [...]

Weekends with Bach BWV 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Poet unknown; Movements 1, 3, 5, 7: Salomo Franck, Evangelische Sonn- und Fest-Tages-Andachten (Weimar and Jena, 1717); Facs: Neumann T, p. 291. 6. Martin Jahn, verse 6 of “Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne,” 1661 (Fischer-Tümpel, V, #497); [...]

Franz Friday Via Pieper’s Dogmatics Vol. 3 The usual distinction between an immediate and a mediate call (vocatio immediata et mediata) is Scriptural. Also Luther has it and substantiates it copiously (St L. XI:1910ff.). The Prophets and Apostles also Paul (Acts 22:21), were called immediately. Paul lays great stress on his immediate call in the [...]

Thursdays with Iwand Via Hans Iwand, Righteousness of God According to Luther Why is God’s giving of the law necessary? Is God really revealed in the law as much as He revealed in the gospel. Or, is what we call God’s law something different from what we call political, social or natural order in the [...]

Via PowerLine “In a number of places around the world, it is open season on Christians. We read of Christians burned out of their homes and slaughtered in Pakistan. Most recently, at least 500 Christians were murdered in Nigeria. The attackers in all cases are Muslims, inspired by the warlike message of their Prophet. AFP [...]

Here is the handout, from Bob and Cathy Mattson, for the Fifth Sunday in Lent. 10 Lent 5th Sunday John FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT Almighty God, our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the world. Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow [...]

Wednesdays with Augustine Via Augustine’s Anti-Pelagian Writings Chapter 2.—Why Heretical Writings Must Be Answered. For the new heretics, enemies of the grace of God which is given by Jesus Christ our Lord to small and great, although they are already shown more openly to need to be avoided by a manifest disapprobation, still do not [...]

Tuesdays with Forde Via On Being a Theologian of the Cross, pp. 56-58 Thesis 15. Nor could free will remain in a state of innocence, much less do good, in an active capacity, but only in its passive capacity. Although it may appear to be an obscure point, thesis 15 indicates clearly the kind of [...]

Via Issues Etc., originally printed in The Lutheran Witness, vol. 117, no. 7, 1998. Martin Luther on Preaching: Promises and Problems of the Sermon as a Source of Reformation History and as an Instrument of the Reformation by Patrick Ferry The effort to disseminate the tenets of the Reformation to the common folk was no [...]

Mondays with Martin Eight Sermons by Dr. Martin Luther Preached at Wittenberg in Lent, Treating Briefly of the Mass, Images, Both Kinds in the Sacrament, Eating of Meats, Private Confession, etc. THE FIRST SERMON INVOCAVIT SUNDAY THE challenge of death comes to us all, and no one can die for another. Every one must fight [...]

As noted in an anonymous comment at Lutheran CORE, The ELCA congregational report says that this little church is on a 5.5 million property, and has very little debt. Do you suppose that influenced the synod council? The members of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Fort Pierce, Fla., voted unanimously in two required votes to [...]

“Child Abuse Scandal Reaches Catholic Church, Pope” by The Associated Press The Associated Press – March 13, 2010 “It often starts as a voice in the wilderness, but can swell into an entire nation’s demand for truth. From Ireland to Germany, Europe’s many victims of child abuse in the Roman Catholic church are finally breaking [...]

Weekends with Bach Via J.S. Bach Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit Actus Tragicus A Funeral (possibly of Bach’s uncle, Tobias Lämmerhirt, d. 10 August 1707). Poet unknown. 2a. Adaptation of Acts 17:28; 2b. Ps. 90:12; 2c. Is. 38:1; 2d. Ecclus. 14:17 and Rev. 22:20 with instrumental [...]

One of the few writings that have survived from the corpus of Melito (d. 190), overseer of the church in Sardis, is a sermon on Exodus 12 typologically connecting the Jewish Passover to the passion and crucifixion of Christ. In addition, Melito addresses the issue of Jewish-Christian relations, and the manner in which the Passover [...]

Today (March 12) is the 203rd birthday of German Lutheran pastor and hymn writer Paul Gerhardt, born in 1607 at Graefenhaynichen, between Halle and Wittenberg (d. May 27 1676). Gerhardt is widely regarded as one of the greatest hymn writers in the German language, whose influence is still shown by inclusion of his music in [...]