Philippians 3,17-21. 23. Sunday after Trinity (Reformation Sunday)

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Philippians 3,17-21  5416

23. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  068 

The Commemoration of the Reformation

Marcellus, captain, Martyr in Spain, ✠ 298 

30. Oktober 2016 

1. О Lord God, Heavenly Father: we thank You that You have hitherto granted us peace and graciously spared us from war and foreign dominion: We pray, graciously let us continue to live in Your fear according to Your will, giving no cause for wars or other punishment; govern and direct our magistrates, so that they may not hinder the obedience due to You, but maintain righteousness, so that we may enjoy happiness and blessing under their government, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, world without end.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 23. Sn. n. Trinitatis) 

2. Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. 

3. There have been times in the Church’s history where divergent beliefs have existed side-by-side until an official and orthodox position could be confessed by the Church. One example of this concerned the nature of Christ: was He unbegotten God from all eternity or was He the first creation of God the Father? This doctrine was finally decided in 325 at the Council of Nicaea which gave us the Nicene Creed we confessed earlier this morning; the specific phrases in that Creed teach that Jesus is the unbegotten God from all eternity and no mere created being. 

4. Medieval Christianity had had another example of such divergence as two different views on the gospel existed side by side. One view said: the gospel is a free gift given to us through Word and Sacrament. The other view saddled that gospel with an ever-increasing penitential system of works meant to assure one of forgiveness. So there was nothing out of the ordinary when Luther called for an academic, theological debate on the topic of indulgences in 1517, for the penitential system was not an established confession of the Church, but a tradition that had been around for several hundred years, and therefore it was open for debate among theologians. Indulgences and the penance system did not become official doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church until the Council of Trent concluded in 1563 (the Council opened in 1545). Thus, the Western Church by 1517 was a Church with two different gospels: one gospel was the sinner was justified by faith alone; and the other gospel was the sinner was justified by works manifested in the penitential system. Luther’s anxiety in 1517 was that he did not believe that he was justified (Olivier 96). Luther was not alone in this angst as many before him and in his day felt that same distress. 

5. Luther’s cure was the Holy Scriptures and the gospel proclaimed in them. He wrote in 1522: „The gospel is a brief discourse about Christ, that He is the Son of God and became a man for us, that He died and rose, that He is established as a Lord over all things“ (Luther’s Works 35,118). Luther said that this gospel is the true treasure of the Church (95 Theses § 62), but in Luther’s day this gospel was hidden. Peasant Hans and his wife Greta were bombarded with Christian artwork and preaching that portrayed Jesus as an angry God on the verge of smiting, slaying and punishing for the slightest violation of the commandments. Since they could not go to Jesus for relief, the Christians of Medieval Europe had to pursue other avenues to find grace, and these things involved actions they had to perform in order to merit God’s salvation. Luther, however, refused to let the pure gospel be hidden in the shadows of such penitential actions. 

6. Luther elevated the gospel upon the Church’s mountaintop. The first peak is the Sermon, and the second peak is the Sacrament of the Altar (Richard 23). From these twin peaks shines the light of the gospel. The Sermon proclaims Christ our Light who has redeemed us; the Sacrament gives us the forgiveness Jesus Himself  merited for us upon the cross. Therefore, The Service of Evening Prayer in our hymnal exhorts us to chant: 

℣ Jesus Christ is the | Light of the world: * [John 8,12] 

℟ the Light no darkness can | o - ver - come. [John 1,5] 

℣ Stay with us, Lord, for it is | eve - ning * 

℟ and the day is almost | o - ver. [Luke 24,29] 

℣ Let Your Light scatter the | dark - ness: * [1. Corinthians 4,5] 

℟ and il - | lu - mine Your Church [2. Corinthians 4,6] (LSB 243-44).

7. The light of Christ and His gospel is summarized in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: »The righteous shall live by his faith« (Habakkuk 2,4; Romans 1,17). Jesus comforts us with the gospel and it’s absolute certainty. The gospel proclaims that we are forgiven, loved and redeemed by God. The threats of the law have been silenced. The condemnation of the law has been commuted. Jesus is our Substitute. He took our place under the law, lived it perfectly, suffered its condemnation for us in our place and rose from the grave in glorious victory. The gospel for terrified sinners who are burdened by the law or seeking a way to live a better life in Jesus is: Christ has done it all for us and He gives us His righteousness. Christ has found us and has restored our fortunes: this is the pure gospel, and thus this is the proclamation in the Sermon and the Sacrament. You are saved. You are righteous. You are sanctified. Christ has made it so. You hear it with your ears and receive it with your mouth. Believe it, for the gospel is the power of God the Son working in your life through the Scripture and Sacrament. The gospel is yours by grace and it is free all on account of Christ. 

8. Saint Paul assures us in his epistle: »Our citizenship is in heaven, and from heaven we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.« The cornerstone of the Lutheran Reformation is: we are freely justified before God for Christ’s sake through faith (AC 4), for this is the heart and soul of the gospel. The gospel is the promise of absolute certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißheit) that God the Father looks upon us with His love and favor. This promise overrules any negative word spoken by the devil, the world or our sinful flesh. God’s word in Jesus is His final word, and it is a word of redemption. You can be certain of it, for Christ alone (solus Christus) is your righteousness.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou are worthy to be praised for all Your works; help us to proclaim You as the gospel of the world so that all may hear and believe in the certainty of salvation that You have merited for the world.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Church, pages 149-150. Copyright © 1997 Repristination Press.

Löhe, Wilhelm. ,,A Sermon on the Sunday of the Holy Trinity.  Nick Prosch, tr. LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Luther, Martin. Luther s Works, Vol. 26:  Lectures on Galatians, 1535 Chapters 1-4. (Jaroslav Pelikan, Ed). Copyright © 1963 Concordia Publishing House. 

Luther, Martin. (1999, c1957). Luther s Works, Vol. 31: Career of the Reformer I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Copyright © 1957 Fortress Press.

Nessan, Craig L. ,,Löhe in America: Two Historical Trajectories in the Missouri Synod and Iowa Synods.  LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Olivier, Daniel. Luther’s Faith. Copyright © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. 

Pauli, Sergej. Ein kleiner Unterricht, was man in den Evangelien suchen und erwarten soll. NIMM UND LIES, Veröffentlicht am 1. März 20014 — Kommentare 1 http://www.nimm-lies.de/ein-kleiner-unterricht-was-man-in-den-evangelien-suchen-und-erwarten-soll/7942/comment-page-1 Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 31. October 2008 in Oberursel, Germany on Galatians 5,1-6. Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2009. 

Richard, James William. Christian Worship: It’s Principles and Forms. Copyright © 1892 Lutheran Publication Society. 

Wenz, Armin. ,,Ministry and Pastoral Theology of Löhe and Vilmar.  LOGIA Vol. XVI, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2007). Copyright © 2007 The Luther Academy.

Philippians 3,17-21. 23. Sunday after Trinity (Reformation Sunday)

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Philippians 3,17-21  5416

23. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  068 

The Commemoration of the Reformation

Marcellus, captain, Martyr in Spain, ✠ 298 

30. Oktober 2016 

1. О Lord God, Heavenly Father: we thank You that You have hitherto granted us peace and graciously spared us from war and foreign dominion: We pray, graciously let us continue to live in Your fear according to Your will, giving no cause for wars or other punishment; govern and direct our magistrates, so that they may not hinder the obedience due to You, but maintain righteousness, so that we may enjoy happiness and blessing under their government, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, world without end.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 23. Sn. n. Trinitatis) 

2. Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. 

3. There have been times in the Church’s history where divergent beliefs have existed side-by-side until an official and orthodox position could be confessed by the Church. One example of this concerned the nature of Christ: was He unbegotten God from all eternity or was He the first creation of God the Father? This doctrine was finally decided in 325 at the Council of Nicaea which gave us the Nicene Creed we confessed earlier this morning; the specific phrases in that Creed teach that Jesus is the unbegotten God from all eternity and no mere created being. 

4. Medieval Christianity had had another example of such divergence as two different views on the gospel existed side by side. One view said: the gospel is a free gift given to us through Word and Sacrament. The other view saddled that gospel with an ever-increasing penitential system of works meant to assure one of forgiveness. So there was nothing out of the ordinary when Luther called for an academic, theological debate on the topic of indulgences in 1517, for the penitential system was not an established confession of the Church, but a tradition that had been around for several hundred years, and therefore it was open for debate among theologians. Indulgences and the penance system did not become official doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church until the Council of Trent concluded in 1563 (the Council opened in 1545). Thus, the Western Church by 1517 was a Church with two different gospels: one gospel was the sinner was justified by faith alone; and the other gospel was the sinner was justified by works manifested in the penitential system. Luther’s anxiety in 1517 was that he did not believe that he was justified (Olivier 96). Luther was not alone in this angst as many before him and in his day felt that same distress. 

5. Luther’s cure was the Holy Scriptures and the gospel proclaimed in them. He wrote in 1522: „The gospel is a brief discourse about Christ, that He is the Son of God and became a man for us, that He died and rose, that He is established as a Lord over all things“ (Luther’s Works 35,118). Luther said that this gospel is the true treasure of the Church (95 Theses § 62), but in Luther’s day this gospel was hidden. Peasant Hans and his wife Greta were bombarded with Christian artwork and preaching that portrayed Jesus as an angry God on the verge of smiting, slaying and punishing for the slightest violation of the commandments. Since they could not go to Jesus for relief, the Christians of Medieval Europe had to pursue other avenues to find grace, and these things involved actions they had to perform in order to merit God’s salvation. Luther, however, refused to let the pure gospel be hidden in the shadows of such penitential actions. 

6. Luther elevated the gospel upon the Church’s mountaintop. The first peak is the Sermon, and the second peak is the Sacrament of the Altar (Richard 23). From these twin peaks shines the light of the gospel. The Sermon proclaims Christ our Light who has redeemed us; the Sacrament gives us the forgiveness Jesus Himself  merited for us upon the cross. Therefore, The Service of Evening Prayer in our hymnal exhorts us to chant: 

℣ Jesus Christ is the | Light of the world: * [John 8,12] 

℟ the Light no darkness can | o - ver - come. [John 1,5] 

℣ Stay with us, Lord, for it is | eve - ning * 

℟ and the day is almost | o - ver. [Luke 24,29] 

℣ Let Your Light scatter the | dark - ness: * [1. Corinthians 4,5] 

℟ and il - | lu - mine Your Church [2. Corinthians 4,6] (LSB 243-44).

7. The light of Christ and His gospel is summarized in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: »The righteous shall live by his faith« (Habakkuk 2,4; Romans 1,17). Jesus comforts us with the gospel and it’s absolute certainty. The gospel proclaims that we are forgiven, loved and redeemed by God. The threats of the law have been silenced. The condemnation of the law has been commuted. Jesus is our Substitute. He took our place under the law, lived it perfectly, suffered its condemnation for us in our place and rose from the grave in glorious victory. The gospel for terrified sinners who are burdened by the law or seeking a way to live a better life in Jesus is: Christ has done it all for us and He gives us His righteousness. Christ has found us and has restored our fortunes: this is the pure gospel, and thus this is the proclamation in the Sermon and the Sacrament. You are saved. You are righteous. You are sanctified. Christ has made it so. You hear it with your ears and receive it with your mouth. Believe it, for the gospel is the power of God the Son working in your life through the Scripture and Sacrament. The gospel is yours by grace and it is free all on account of Christ. 

8. Saint Paul assures us in his epistle: »Our citizenship is in heaven, and from heaven we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.« The cornerstone of the Lutheran Reformation is: we are freely justified before God for Christ’s sake through faith (AC 4), for this is the heart and soul of the gospel. The gospel is the promise of absolute certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißheit) that God the Father looks upon us with His love and favor. This promise overrules any negative word spoken by the devil, the world or our sinful flesh. God’s word in Jesus is His final word, and it is a word of redemption. You can be certain of it, for Christ alone (solus Christus) is your righteousness.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou are worthy to be praised for all Your works; help us to proclaim You as the gospel of the world so that all may hear and believe in the certainty of salvation that You have merited for the world.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Church, pages 149-150. Copyright © 1997 Repristination Press.

Löhe, Wilhelm. ,,A Sermon on the Sunday of the Holy Trinity.  Nick Prosch, tr. LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Luther, Martin. Luther s Works, Vol. 26:  Lectures on Galatians, 1535 Chapters 1-4. (Jaroslav Pelikan, Ed). Copyright © 1963 Concordia Publishing House. 

Luther, Martin. (1999, c1957). Luther s Works, Vol. 31: Career of the Reformer I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Copyright © 1957 Fortress Press.

Nessan, Craig L. ,,Löhe in America: Two Historical Trajectories in the Missouri Synod and Iowa Synods.  LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Olivier, Daniel. Luther’s Faith. Copyright © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. 

Pauli, Sergej. Ein kleiner Unterricht, was man in den Evangelien suchen und erwarten soll. NIMM UND LIES, Veröffentlicht am 1. März 20014 — Kommentare 1 http://www.nimm-lies.de/ein-kleiner-unterricht-was-man-in-den-evangelien-suchen-und-erwarten-soll/7942/comment-page-1 Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 31. October 2008 in Oberursel, Germany on Galatians 5,1-6. Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2009. 

Richard, James William. Christian Worship: It’s Principles and Forms. Copyright © 1892 Lutheran Publication Society. 

Wenz, Armin. ,,Ministry and Pastoral Theology of Löhe and Vilmar.  LOGIA Vol. XVI, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2007). Copyright © 2007 The Luther Academy.

Philippians 3,17-21. 23. Sunday after Trinity (Reformation Sunday)

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Philippians 3,17-21  5416

23. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  068 

The Commemoration of the Reformation

Marcellus, captain, Martyr in Spain, ✠ 298 

30. Oktober 2016 

1. О Lord God, Heavenly Father: we thank You that You have hitherto granted us peace and graciously spared us from war and foreign dominion: We pray, graciously let us continue to live in Your fear according to Your will, giving no cause for wars or other punishment; govern and direct our magistrates, so that they may not hinder the obedience due to You, but maintain righteousness, so that we may enjoy happiness and blessing under their government, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, world without end.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 23. Sn. n. Trinitatis) 

2. Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. 

3. There have been times in the Church’s history where divergent beliefs have existed side-by-side until an official and orthodox position could be confessed by the Church. One example of this concerned the nature of Christ: was He unbegotten God from all eternity or was He the first creation of God the Father? This doctrine was finally decided in 325 at the Council of Nicaea which gave us the Nicene Creed we confessed earlier this morning; the specific phrases in that Creed teach that Jesus is the unbegotten God from all eternity and no mere created being. 

4. Medieval Christianity had had another example of such divergence as two different views on the gospel existed side by side. One view said: the gospel is a free gift given to us through Word and Sacrament. The other view saddled that gospel with an ever-increasing penitential system of works meant to assure one of forgiveness. So there was nothing out of the ordinary when Luther called for an academic, theological debate on the topic of indulgences in 1517, for the penitential system was not an established confession of the Church, but a tradition that had been around for several hundred years, and therefore it was open for debate among theologians. Indulgences and the penance system did not become official doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church until the Council of Trent concluded in 1563 (the Council opened in 1545). Thus, the Western Church by 1517 was a Church with two different gospels: one gospel was the sinner was justified by faith alone; and the other gospel was the sinner was justified by works manifested in the penitential system. Luther’s anxiety in 1517 was that he did not believe that he was justified (Olivier 96). Luther was not alone in this angst as many before him and in his day felt that same distress. 

5. Luther’s cure was the Holy Scriptures and the gospel proclaimed in them. He wrote in 1522: „The gospel is a brief discourse about Christ, that He is the Son of God and became a man for us, that He died and rose, that He is established as a Lord over all things“ (Luther’s Works 35,118). Luther said that this gospel is the true treasure of the Church (95 Theses § 62), but in Luther’s day this gospel was hidden. Peasant Hans and his wife Greta were bombarded with Christian artwork and preaching that portrayed Jesus as an angry God on the verge of smiting, slaying and punishing for the slightest violation of the commandments. Since they could not go to Jesus for relief, the Christians of Medieval Europe had to pursue other avenues to find grace, and these things involved actions they had to perform in order to merit God’s salvation. Luther, however, refused to let the pure gospel be hidden in the shadows of such penitential actions. 

6. Luther elevated the gospel upon the Church’s mountaintop. The first peak is the Sermon, and the second peak is the Sacrament of the Altar (Richard 23). From these twin peaks shines the light of the gospel. The Sermon proclaims Christ our Light who has redeemed us; the Sacrament gives us the forgiveness Jesus Himself  merited for us upon the cross. Therefore, The Service of Evening Prayer in our hymnal exhorts us to chant: 

℣ Jesus Christ is the | Light of the world: * [John 8,12] 

℟ the Light no darkness can | o - ver - come. [John 1,5] 

℣ Stay with us, Lord, for it is | eve - ning * 

℟ and the day is almost | o - ver. [Luke 24,29] 

℣ Let Your Light scatter the | dark - ness: * [1. Corinthians 4,5] 

℟ and il - | lu - mine Your Church [2. Corinthians 4,6] (LSB 243-44).

7. The light of Christ and His gospel is summarized in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: »The righteous shall live by his faith« (Habakkuk 2,4; Romans 1,17). Jesus comforts us with the gospel and it’s absolute certainty. The gospel proclaims that we are forgiven, loved and redeemed by God. The threats of the law have been silenced. The condemnation of the law has been commuted. Jesus is our Substitute. He took our place under the law, lived it perfectly, suffered its condemnation for us in our place and rose from the grave in glorious victory. The gospel for terrified sinners who are burdened by the law or seeking a way to live a better life in Jesus is: Christ has done it all for us and He gives us His righteousness. Christ has found us and has restored our fortunes: this is the pure gospel, and thus this is the proclamation in the Sermon and the Sacrament. You are saved. You are righteous. You are sanctified. Christ has made it so. You hear it with your ears and receive it with your mouth. Believe it, for the gospel is the power of God the Son working in your life through the Scripture and Sacrament. The gospel is yours by grace and it is free all on account of Christ. 

8. Saint Paul assures us in his epistle: »Our citizenship is in heaven, and from heaven we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.« The cornerstone of the Lutheran Reformation is: we are freely justified before God for Christ’s sake through faith (AC 4), for this is the heart and soul of the gospel. The gospel is the promise of absolute certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißheit) that God the Father looks upon us with His love and favor. This promise overrules any negative word spoken by the devil, the world or our sinful flesh. God’s word in Jesus is His final word, and it is a word of redemption. You can be certain of it, for Christ alone (solus Christus) is your righteousness.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou are worthy to be praised for all Your works; help us to proclaim You as the gospel of the world so that all may hear and believe in the certainty of salvation that You have merited for the world.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Church, pages 149-150. Copyright © 1997 Repristination Press.

Löhe, Wilhelm. ,,A Sermon on the Sunday of the Holy Trinity.  Nick Prosch, tr. LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Luther, Martin. Luther s Works, Vol. 26:  Lectures on Galatians, 1535 Chapters 1-4. (Jaroslav Pelikan, Ed). Copyright © 1963 Concordia Publishing House. 

Luther, Martin. (1999, c1957). Luther s Works, Vol. 31: Career of the Reformer I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Copyright © 1957 Fortress Press.

Nessan, Craig L. ,,Löhe in America: Two Historical Trajectories in the Missouri Synod and Iowa Synods.  LOGIA Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2008). Copyright © 2008 The Luther Academy. 

Olivier, Daniel. Luther’s Faith. Copyright © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. 

Pauli, Sergej. Ein kleiner Unterricht, was man in den Evangelien suchen und erwarten soll. NIMM UND LIES, Veröffentlicht am 1. März 20014 — Kommentare 1 http://www.nimm-lies.de/ein-kleiner-unterricht-was-man-in-den-evangelien-suchen-und-erwarten-soll/7942/comment-page-1 Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 31. October 2008 in Oberursel, Germany on Galatians 5,1-6. Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2009. 

Richard, James William. Christian Worship: It’s Principles and Forms. Copyright © 1892 Lutheran Publication Society. 

Wenz, Armin. ,,Ministry and Pastoral Theology of Löhe and Vilmar.  LOGIA Vol. XVI, No. 3 (Holy Trinity 2007). Copyright © 2007 The Luther Academy.

Philippians 1,3-11. 22. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Philippians 1,3-11 5316

22. Sn. n. Trinitatis  067

 James the brother of Jesus. Bishop of Jerusalem. Martyr 62

Severin, Bishop of Cologne, Germany. ✠ 403

23. Oktober 2016 

1. О Almighty, Everlasting God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when You contend with us; but with all our hearts we thank You, that You have taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Your dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray that You graciously sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Your Holy Spirit, so that we may live according to Your will, in neighborly love, service and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, so that we may not incur Your wrath, but always find in You a Gracious Father.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for 22. Sn. n. Trinitatis). 

2. Finally I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

3. The Apostle Paul tells us this morning that »God the Father who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.« The sound apostolic teaching that Paul once again proclaims to us is that Christ is the center of our theology. Our Heavenly Father began His good work in us through His Son and He will complete that work in us likewise through His Son. God began that work in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus; to be sure, God was working long before those two dove-tailing events, but Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the foundational blocks of the good work the Holy Spirit does in us. Christ crucified paid for our sin; Christ resurrected promises our own resurrection on the last day, and it is at that last day that God will complete the good work He has begun in us through His Son. 

4. By His death and resurrection, Christ made us righteous, and »He will sustain us to the end, so that we will be guiltless in the day of His parousia« (1. Corinthians 1,8), for the good work He has begun in us is everlasting life in His fellowship, and whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life (John 3,15). 

5. As we await the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit works in us to perfect the good work that we shall become on the last day. Love shall abound more and more.  Knowledge and discernment shall help us to approve what is excellent. Purity and blamelessness shall well up from us (Philippians 1,10). These good fruits are all fruits springing up from faith and created by the gospel through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. 

6. Saint Paul also reminds us: »we do not have a righteousness of our own that comes from the law, but a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith so that we may know Him and the power of Christ’s resurrection« (Philippians 3,9-10). This righteousness that comes through Christ is the pure, true gospel of the Church. No other religion has this gospel that is grounded on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus. The one holy catholic and apostolic Church alone has the word of salvation. Paul furthermore declares: »Righteousness will be reckoned to those who believe in God the Father who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, our Jesus who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ« (Romans 4,24-5,1).

7. As we await the day of our Lord: »Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Holy Spirit. Do not despise preaching, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole body, soul and spirit be kept blameless at the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you« (1. Thessalonians 5,16-24.28).  Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, You heal those brokenhearted by their sin; bind up our wounds so that we may live peacefully knowing that You are not angry at us but that You are accepting of us.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  

All quotations from the Book of Concord are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12. Edition © 1998 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.  

Ephesians 6,10-17. 21. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Ephesians 6,10-17  5216

21. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  066  

Gallus, Abbot of St. Gallen, Switzerland, ✠ 646 

16. Oktober 2016 

1. О Almighty and Everlasting God, who by Your Son has promised us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness and everlasting life: We beseech You, do by Your Holy Spirit quicken our hearts so that we in daily prayer may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing His promise, obtain that for which we pray, and at last be saved through Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 21. Sn. n. Trinitatis) 

2. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

3. In the Apostle Paul’s day there was no better equipped and trained soldier than the Roman legionnaire. Their tactics and skills were honed with daily training and combat experiences. Perhaps the closest comparison today would be an US Marine regiment or a special operations team like the Navy Seals or Army Rangers. Paul uses the equipment of a Roman legionnaire to explain that Christians are likewise equipped and ready for battle against the devil and his forces. Paul concludes his analogy with faith, salvation and the Bible which he allegorically describes as a shield, helmet and sword. 

4. »In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.« The infamous Roman scutum (shield) was a 3-foot tall curved, rectangular shield. A common Roman tactic was for legionnaires to form up as a rectangle with the front line extending their shields ahead, each row behind lifted their shields above their heads and the soldiers who formed the outside held their shields to their left or right, respectively. This formation had several different names, but one common name was The Turtle. The legionnaires could advance on the enemy and deflect stones, arrows and spears that might be hurled against them. 

5. I think most people read this verse and immediately think of faith individually: Jesus and me. While this is certainly true, and faith deployed like a shield does gives good protection, I suspect Paul also envisions faith collectively. A Roman legionnaire was adept at fighting one-on-one, but what made Roman legions so effective was their ability to fight as a group with a specific tactic for any given situation. As The Turtle advanced, if one soldier went down another soldier from the rear would immediately step into that space with his shield and plug the vulnerable opening. Christians are more effective defending against the assaults of the devil together, covering each other and defending one another from whichever flank the devil fires his arrows at. Paul constantly exhorts Christians to uplift and help each other so that working together in faith on Jesus we steadily advance against the attacks of the devil. 

6. »Take the helmet of salvation.« The legionnaire’s cassis (helmet) was usually the Imperial Gallic style which had two cheek pieces and a „lobster“ tail in the rear to protect the neck. 

7. »Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.« I wonder how many people envision legionnaires wielding long two-handed swords like Medieval knights. Legionnaires did not use such broad swords but rather the gladius, with a 45–68 cm (18 - 27 in) long blade (24-33 inches total from tip to pommel); this  short sword (much like a dagger) was well-suited for close-in stabbing, hacking and thrusting. Paul’s use of imagery here gives insight as to how Christians should use the Bible. The way some Christian theologians use the Scriptures you’d think they were truly wielding it as a large two-handed sword as they swing wildly in a circle attempting to prove their theological point. A gladius is a more precise weapon meant to penetrate armor quickly and easily. The Epistle to theHebrews tells us: »For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart« (Hebrews 4,12). Holy Scripture is our offensive weapon against the devil and our adversaries in this world. All doctrinal and moral arguments are made from the Scriptures. False teaching and heresy are combatted with the Scriptures. Aberrant worldly moral behavior is attacked with the Bible. The Word of God is an effective weapon because it can overcome all reason and arguments, changing the very heart and mind of those who oppose its teachings. 

8. In the years ahead the Church will be facing an adversary that is more bold and determined than in centuries past. The rulers and authorities of this present darkness mean to challenge and defeat sound Christian doctrine and virtue. It is a fight we must engage in both individually and corporately by bearing the banner of Christ crucified as a Christian and as the Church. Faith and salvation are our defensive armor; the Bible is our offensive weapon. 

9. The Apostle Paul warned us: »Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is approaching when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths« (2. Timothy 4,2-4). Holy Scripture counters this attitude and focuses our attention back on Christ. The preached word is centered upon the gospel of Christ crucified for sinners. The preached word tells us of God’s mercy, love and forgiveness that He shows to us through the vicarious sacrifice of His Only Son. The preached word also applies the word to specific situations. At times it is the law so as to reveal sin and convict sinners. At other times it is the gospel so as to comfort sinners with the promise of forgiveness. The Scriptures also tell us about God’s attributes, how Christians live and comfort us when trials and tribulations assault us. 

10. Thus »be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might«. He has given you the Holy Spirit who has armed you with armor and sword by which you can live as Chritians in this world fighting against the devil and all his schemes by which he seeks to deceive the downtrodden. You have the gospel, which is the powerful word of God, that turns despair into joy and defeat into victory for the gospel proclaims the victory of Christ over sin, death and the devil.   Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Steadfast Love and Justice of the Heavenly Father; may our preaching be as hymns of joy that provide the comfort of Your gospel unto all the world.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.