Dear friends in Christ,
We continue our survey of Church History from the book of Professor E.A.W. Krauss from our St. Louis seminary of a century ago.
This month we conclude Professor Krauss’ look at Count Ludwig of Zinzendorf and the Unity of Brethren. He notes the huge number of “hymns” Zinzendorf wrote and the fact that most of them were horrible. However, one of the hymns that he wrote was decent enough to be included in our hymnal, #371 “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness.” As much good as he Zinzendorf and the Unity of Brethren did—like mission work—there was also much that was bad. As many abuses and such as there were, there was also some things that were good. The lesson for us? As Christians we always have to be on guard when it comes to doctrine and faith.
41. ZINZENDORF AND THE UNITY OF BRETHREN [part 3]
The well-known theologian, Johann Albrecht Bengel wrote a book with the title: Summary Of The So-Called ‘Unity of Brethren’ In Which The Doctrine And Everything Is Examined To Distinguish Between The Good And The Bad. It was reprinted in 1858. It is very worthwhile reading because it discusses what was offensive about the Unity of Brethren. Only a few are emphasized here (these are in addition to the indifferentism which was already mentioned):
1. The sensual way and manner Christ’s death was constantly being treated, praised, discussed and—how it smelled. The talk is always of blood and more blood; of wounds and more wounds; of nail holes, of the pierced side, of the Lamb, and the ghastly smell of the Lamb. The hymnal of the Herrnhuters and its supplements contain numerous, in fact, countless, hymns of this sort. When these are sung, Christ’s sufferings become a love play:
When in my little corner I
Embrace and kiss my little Lamb
The five wounds are mine.
I place myself in the hole of the spear,
Sometimes in the length, sometimes in the width,
As if it were mine alone.
For my little bed is the loin,
And the hands and the feet
I use as my pillow.
Or in another hymn:
My most dear little Lamb
A little heart gently bound
Smells and kisses Your little corpse,
Yet at the side
My heart struggles.
I still see it as the mercenary stabbed
That dearest side,
The little hole in the side.
Praise God for this pierced side,
You, mercenary, I thank you.
I licked it on all sides
It tasted like rock salt to me.
Here my soul
Has gone into the little hole in the side.
Now consider, this sweet disgusting rhyme was sung by the congregation in the church or in the hall of the brothers! Singing this way about the suffering and death of Christ had become more common for the Herrnhuter. The hymns of Paul Gerhardt were no longer devotional enough for them [For example, over 20 hymns in TLH including #142, 81, 58, 569]. In their foolishness they had to change and make a mess of them.
2. The equally sensual and misleading way with which the idea of the family as father, mother and child was carried over to the three Persons of the Godhead. “We are here” –Zinzendorf had once blathered in a speech held in a meadow—“we are here a gathering, a synagogue of the Savior, our Special Father; for God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is not our direct Father. That is a false doctrine and one of the main errors (!!) of Christianity. What a person in the world calls a grandfather, father-in-law, that is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He plainly calls the preachers of God the Father professors of Satan. He often calls Christ “the Husband” and the Holy Spirit “the Mother.” –“Why should we,” he says, “look around for another way to characterize the divine Persons, when we have the one, given by the guidance of Holy Scripture (!)—the human family? Jesus is our dear husband, His Father is our dear Father-in-law, the Holy Spirit is our dear mother, and that settles it. This idea of the family is recognized among us as the oldest, simplest and closest in custom since there is no one closer than father, mother and husband.” –Yes, the “motherhood of the Holy Spirit” was formally accepted by a meeting of the Brethren; it was—and probably is still sung—:
I love my dear papa
I love my dear mama
And Brother little Lamb.
3. The way in which relationships, procreation and marriage were freely discussed and sung about was not only carnal and misleading, but also vulgar and shameless. According to Holy Scripture Christ is the Bridegroom of our soul and the marriage between man and woman is an image of the love that binds the Lord with His believers [Eph. 5. 22-33]. In contrast to this, according to Herrnhut doctrine and custom, at every physical wedding Jesus is “the Husband;” the bridegroom is only His representative, His “Vice-Christ,” His agent. According to this view, wedding nights in Herrnhut were celebrated in a blue room that was specially prepared. What was sung during the nuptials as Zinzendorf prescribed it, in the next room, is too lewd to be repeated. Lust was concealed under godliness and became twice and three times disgusting. As a futile excuse, Zinzendorf pointed to the frankness with which the Old Testament speaks about sexual relations. But this frankness is neither shameless nor does it arouse lust. In the end, it is not surprising that among the Herrnhut stock (one cannot say treasury) of songs, there is so much trifle and trash. “The blessed Count,” improvised most of these songs stanza by stanza during the service and dictated to the congregation, and “a capable subject” then put them on paper while they were being sung. They, were immediately published, and at first disseminated on individual pages and sheets. Only later were gathered and attached to the existing main work in 12 supplements. “The blessed Count" even had his hearers, who were mostly craftsmen, sing much scholarly Latin, Greek and Hebrew! Here are only a few samples:
You holy Trinity,
We will in this time of grace
Believe in Your offices,
Creator, Potter, Mother, Father,
Governor Mahanaim
Behaarez Vashamajim. (#1941, st. 8)
Or #2175, stanzas 2, 3 and 6:
He is a born Jehovah
And on account of His throne
Is sanctio pragmatica
Of the Father of this Son,
That He reigns at the same time with Him
While no one follows
In the divine house.
So is the main Trinity
From which the human community
Deduces its deep mystery
In its marriage union,
Wherever the husband, the wife, the child
In the moment are a foundation
Because they become a trinity.
The Godhead lives in and of itself
In undivided goods
In no perceptible lack
(To our mortal minds),
Nor intersected atomum,
Nor punctum mathematicum
Divisible according to their unity.
Now such “pearls” are, of course, no longer in the new editions of the Liturgical Hymns of the Evangelical Unity of Brethren that periodically comes out in Gnadau.
The Herrnhuters lived either in communities (about 20, in addition to Herrnhut there were others including Berthelsdord, Niesky {where they had a secondary school}, Gnadenfrei, Gnadenfeld, Gnadau, Ebersdorf, Neudietendorf, in Russia there was Sarepta, in America there was Bethlehem) or in societies or in the dispersion (diaspora). Herrnhutism, of course, had its strongest influence in the communities. The congregation was divided into groups by age and gender. Each group had an elder, an assistant and a group servant. There was a group of the older boys, of the older girls, of the single brothers, of the single sisters, a group of the married, a group of widows and a group of widowers. The congregation was only to be made up of the “awakened.” Even lukewarmness incurred church discipline, which was carried out by admonition, by exclusion from the love feast, from Holy Communion, and then finally from the congregation. At the head of each community was its Conference of Elders.
Only Bishops had the privilege of ordaining the “spiritual of the Moravian corp.” There were also presbyters, deacons (also deaconesses) and attendants. The “General Conference of Elders” ruled over everything. It was made up of nine members and, since 1800, had its seat in Berthelsdorf. Legislation was made during the synods, which were called every ten years. It organized into self into departments of helpers, missions and administrative. Every community sent to the synod two deputies, one from their Conference of Elders (who is a cleric) and one freely chosen by the congregation. At the close of the synod was the new election to the General Conference of Elders.
Regarding the worship, the Herrnhuters’ place of edification was called “hall of brethren.” Everywhere it had the same simple form. Besides the general Christian festivals, they celebrated the death day of John Huss. The Pedilavium or foot washing fell into disuse. The custom of deciding by casting lots greatly diminished. At the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the deacons distributed the bread so that all could put it into their mouths at the same moment. Then the chalice was passed. The love feast was mainly held in the evening and seemed to be similar to an edifying tea party with singing and cake.
It is beyond dispute that the Herrnhuters developed their most noble strengths in the area of missions. They ventured into inhospitable Greenland. They have about 100 mission stations, a huge number for a body that in 1886 numbered 147 communities. In its 17 mission provinces included 81,258 native members.
K. Hase rightly says: “A life of beauty and freedom is not to be sought in these circles. In Herrnhut the people live like trees on the cliffs. Their faith is broad and vague; their life narrow; their church discipline often an overeager troubling and applauding one another” (III, 2, 99).
Herrnhut, from the house on is a sort of Protestant monasticism with a communal economic foundation. Because of competition, it has made many changes and associations in trade and commerce, which have had a secularizing effect.
In the age of unbelief and rationalism, Herrnhut was a refuge of living faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless in the present age it has begun to tolerate among itself denial of fundamental Christian doctrines.
Zinzendorf, though, had once sung:
Herrnhut shall not stand longer
Than the works of your hand
Enter unhindered;
And love is the bond!
Until we finish and await,
To become a good salt of the earth
Usefully scattered about.
So far Professor Krauss
Good Afternoon Ladies,
I want to thank out of you would have up set up communion and kitchen work. We are coming to the end of making quilts; we are running out of batting and money to buy more. It has been great making these together. Thank you, Tom, for your help. We have about 3 weeks left to work on them. We think we are going to try making kits, more to come on this.
We have confirmation coming up Palm Sunday, March 20th. Our next meeting is April 10th. Please mark your calendars.
I pray everyone has a greet month and God Bless.
Carol, Pres
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day—
St. Patrick is reported to have driven all the snakes out of Ireland. Luther reminds us, though, that even the snake can help teach us the faith.
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1.18
The whole person must crawl into the Gospel and all together become come, shedding the old skin, like a snake does. When its skin gets old it seeks out a narrow hole in the rocks. It crawls through it removes its own skin, leaving it outside the hole. A person must place him/herself into the Gospel and God’s Word and confidently follow its promise. He will not deceive. In this way a person removes his old skin, leaves outside his light, his conceit, his will, his love, his desire, his speaking, his works and so becomes a completely different, new person, who sees everything different than before, acts differently, judges differently, thinks differently, desires differently, speaks differently, loves differently, has different delights, works and lives his life differently than before.
ANOTHER DEVOTION FOR LENT BASED ON A VERSE FROM ST. JAMES
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. [James 1:15]
Many words arouse strong emotions. When, for example, the talk is about war, pain, or sadness it is clear to many: these are bad things. What do people feel at the concept of “sin”? Many do not even know any more what is meant by it. And even among Christians this word has little effect because they have heard it so often. It does not change anything that sin is the worst and most dangerous thing there is on earth—worse than war, pain, and sadness. Sin means disobeying God and His will. Sin is rebellion against the Most High. Therefore sin brings death, namely eternal suffering distant from God, in hell.
How come no person can succeed in living free from sin even when he firmly intends to do so? Why do we so often not notice when we violate God’s will? Because we enjoy serving sin. Behind this is God’s opponent and enemy of humanity, the devil. He whispers to us: “Take or do what seems appealing to you, even if God has said something different. Strive only for that what gives you wealth, what emphasizes you and what gratifies your wants.” He is able to make it that you feel good about sinning.
Yet God is not deceived. He knows our problem of sin and at the same time He loves us and wants to help us. With Jesus on the cross we see what terrible consequences sin has. Yet you must know: there the sinless Son of God took upon Himself the sin of all people. He suffered in your place so that you can be free of sin. Only believe it, then you find forgiveness and peace with God. Then you may forever live in God’s presence.
Lord, give me strength to live according to Your will, because You love me. Amen.
[Pr. Andreas Heyn, in God Is For Us, 06 November 2015]
The Robber Is Now a Prophet
I could have wished to pass over the story, so often has it been related to you. But the robber is before my eyes, even forcing me. And no marvel; for he forced even the gates of paradise, turning his robber’s skill to his own preservation. There we behold standing on the Cross the Lamb between two wolves. But the one of them continued in his former mind, the other repented. “Remember me,” he said, “when You come in Your kingdom.”
Oh! The power of Jesus. The robber is now a prophet, and this is his message from the cross: “Remember me, Lord, when You come in Your kingdom.” Why, what emblems of royalty do you see, poor robber? Buffetings, spitting, nails, the cross of wood, the scoffs of the Jews, and the lance of the soldier now bared for its work. “Yes, but,” he says, “I see not these things that appear. I see angels standing around, I see the sun hiding its face, the veil of the temple rent, the earth shaking, the dead preparing to flee.” And Jesus, that receives all, even those who come at the eleventh hour to prophesy in His name, and gives them all their penny. As being alike workers, says to him “Amen.” [St. John of Damascus, c. 655-c.750]
[Quoted in: The Lord Will Answer: A Daily Prayer Catechism, CPH, 2004, pg.142]
FROM OUR CRACK RESEARCH DEPARTMENT—BACKGROUND TO THE HYMN O Sacred Head Now Wounded
In this Lenten season we will be singing the traditional O Sacred Head Now Wounded [#172] composed by St. Bernard [1090-1153]. St. Bernard's composition is fully titled Rhythmica Oratio ad unum quodlibet Membrorum Christi Patientis et a Cruce Pendentis, or A Rhythmical Prayer to any one of the Members of Christ, Suffering and Hanging on the Cross. O Sacred Head Now Wounded is a free paraphrase by Lutheran hymnist Paul Gerhardt [1607-1676] of the section about the Head of Our Lord. In The Lutheran Hymnal, there are fifteen stanzas as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church whose Gather Comprehensive Hymnbook cuts it off after only three. The poem has sections on Our Lord's Feet, Knees, Hands, Side, Breast, Heart, and the Head as our Lord was hanging on the cross. The following are the first verses of each section in Latin and English. The full composition has 74 verses.
Ad Pedes To the Sacred Feet [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, Mundi, Salutare: Cries my heart unto my Savious (sic.)
Salve, Salve, Jesu chare; Hail! my Lord and my Redeemer!
Cruci tuae me aptare Bind me to Thy Cross forever
Vellem vere, Tu scis quare Eager, willing, Thou knowest wherefore;
Da mihi tui copiam. O let me Thy abundance share.
Ad Genus To the Sacred Knees [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, Jesu, rex sanctorum, Hail, Thou King of all the Saints
Spes votiva peccatorum, Promised Hope of Sinners, too,
Crucis ligno tamquam reus Criminal they judged thee then
Pendens homo verus Deus. Very God, though truly man.
Caducis nutans genibus. Thy trembling knees afflict me Lord.
Ad Manus To the Sacred Hands [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, Jesu, Pastor bone, Hail! Kind Shepherd, smitten cruelly
Fatigatus in agone, Worn and wearied in the struggle
Qui per lignum es distractus, Holy Hands spread out in mercy
Et ad lignum es compactus, I salute thee,--torn asunder
Expansis sanctis manibus And fastened to th' ungentle wood.
Ad Latus To His Sacred Side [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, Jesu, summe bonus Noblest gift Thou art my Saviour
Ad parcandum nimis pronus; Sparing us beyond all measure
Membra tua macilanta Roughly stretched upon the Cross
Quam accerbe sunt distenta Tortured by a twofold thirst
In ramo crucis torrida! In every member spent and worn.
Ad Pectus To His Sacred Breast [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, salus mea deus God of Love! My Saviour, hail!
Jesu dulcis amor meus: Sweeter than all words can tell!
Salve, pectus reverendum, Sacred Breast, revered, adored.
Cum tremore contingendum Trembling, I embrace Thee, Lord
Amoria domicilium Thou art a fair Abode of Love
Ad Cor To His Sacred Heart [Fourteen stanzas total]
Summi Regis cor, aveto, Royal Heart of Christ, my King
Te saluto corde laeto To Thy Heart mine own must sing;
Te complecti me delectat, Thy embrace hath me delighted
Et hoc meum cor affectat, At Thy Voice my Soul has melted,
Ut ad Te loquar, animes. O let me tell thee of my love.
Ad Faciem To His Sacred Head [Ten stanzas total]
Salve, caput cruentatum, Wounded Head of Christ my King
Totum spinin coronatum, Wearing Crown of twisted thorn.
Conquassatum, vulneratum, Hurt and struck with ruthless reed
Arundine verberatum, Cruelly left unpurified
Faci aputis illita. Eternal God, made scorn of man!
[Verses taken from a paper "offered to the faculty of Villanova College in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts," Rosemont, Pa, May 15, 1935. Signed by a certain Mother St. Bernard, S.H.C.J.]
Whatever happened to weekly celebration of the Sacrament? A Lutheran liturgical scholar comments: “For two hundred years, or nearly half the time from the Reformation to the present, the normal Sunday service in Lutheran lands was the purified Mass…with its twin peaks of Sermon and Sacrament. There were weekly celebrations and the people in general received the Sacrament much more frequently than before. The ravages of war, the example of Calvinism, the later subjective practices of Pietistic groups in a domestic type of worship, and the unbelief of rationalism, however, finally broke the genuine Lutheran tradition.” [Luther Reed, The Lutheran Liturgy, Muhlenberg Press, Philadelphia, PA 1947; pg. 244]
NEW NOVEL ENCOURAGES ENGAGEMENT WITH AMERICAN LUTHERAN HERITAGE
EXODUS OF THE EIGHT HUNDRED, by INGEROSE PAUST
The first English translation, part of which was done by Pastor Grabenhofer, of a popular German historical novel by Ingerose Paust is finally in print.
Produced by Concordia University Press, the publishing arm of Concordia University Texas, the work details with gripping drama and exciting adventure the emigration of the Lutheran Saxons in 1838 and their arrival and settlement in St. Louis and Perry County in 1839.
First written in 1974 during the years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) by well-known German author, Ingrerose Paust (b.1926), the book was so well-received in Germany that it went through five printings in the former East, and later in a unified, Germany. Paust at 86 today is the author of over 30 novels and volumes of short-stories, many of which lifted up a Christian message during the years of the GDR’s suppression of religion. For her heroic truth-telling during that era, Concordia University Texas awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1997.
The narrative is set within a well-researched background of the social, religious and political context of mid-nineteenth century Germany and follows the desperate desire of Lutherans who felt persecuted to find a setting in the new world where they could practice their faith in freedom. False directions and misguided leadership led to disasters that cost the emigrants lives, money and honor. However, the author provides a stirring account of the faith and commitment which took the settlers to new levels of hope and which finally resulted in the church body which today remembers their courage.
Although this story is well-documented in scholarly books and articles, this is the only current work of historical fiction that places the narrative in the hands of general readers. President Matthew Harrison, LCMS president, provides a glowing testimony of its power. “When one stands surveying the little village of Bräunsdorf, upon the gently rolling hills of Saxony, where Walther served until leaving that place, or on similar topography in Perry County, or if one looks at the St. Louis waterfront of the Mississippi, which greeted the Stephanites early in 1839, one can barely imagine this human story of a hope thoroughly dashed by human weakness and failure. A marvelous account. It’s gripping.”
Ingerose Paust lives in Burgstädt, Saxony, near all the cities and villages described in the story. It was her privilege to discover hitherto unknown documents about the Saxon emigration in the attic of a parsonage in Niederfrohna. Now English-speaking readers will have a chance to learn what German readers have known for decades.
Copies of the book may be obtained by sending a check for $18 plus $2.50 for postage/shipping made out to Concordia University Press at Concordia University Press, 12400 Concordia University Drive, Austin, Texas 78726.
The Web site for ordering information is: http://www.concordia.edu/about/university-related-organizations/concordia-university-press/publications/
On April 15, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., U.S. Central Time, Book Talk on St. Louis Station KFUO will interview Dr. David Zersen, Managing Editor of Concordia University Press, concerning a new publication, Exodus of the Eight Hundred, by Ingerose Paust. It will be a live broadcast available worldwide wherever the internet can be accessed by smart phone or computer. KFUO is the longest continually-operating Christian radio station in the United States. To receive the transmission, insert http://www.kfuoam.org/on-demand in the browser, then click "Listen Now" at Windows Media. Click kfuo-am.asx in the box at the bottom of the screen, the audio box with the musical note will appear, and you will hear the program.
Faith Lutheran Voter’s Meeting was held 01 February 2016.
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March 2016 LCMS Stewardship Newsletter Article
Lent is a season of repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin, while we turn toward God for the forgiveness of sins. During Lent, we hear the Word of God and consider our lives in light of it. We confess our failures, and receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, and then commit ourselves to do better.
What does God say about giving to the Church? The Bible tells us. Our giving should be first fruits giving (Genesis 4:4; Proverbs 3:9). Our giving should be regular, on the first day of week, which has the Divine Service in mind (1 Corinthians 6:1–2). Our giving should be proportional: according to our income (1 Corinthians 16:1–2), according to what we have been given (2 Corinthians 8:12; Luke 12:48), our giving should be given with a spirit of eagerness and enthusiasm (2 Corinthians 9:2), generosity and liberality (2 Corinthians 8:20), cheerfully without compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7). Our giving should be directed to those who teach us (Galatians 6:6–7) because a laborer is worthy of his hire, and we all know the going rate of such laborers in our communities (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:18).
Now consider your own giving in light of the Bible’s teaching. Are you giving of your first fruits, taking it out of your paycheck first, or does God get what’s left over? Are you giving voluntarily and cheerfully? Are you giving proportionally and generously? Are you giving with eagerness and enthusiasm? Are you giving to your local congregation, sharing all good things with the one who teaches you? If your answer to any of these is “No,” then repent. Turn away from your sin and toward God for forgiveness. Confess your failure. Receive absolution. And commit to do better. We know that the Spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. We believe, and we pray that God, through Word and Sacrament, would help our unbelief, our lack of trust in His ability to provide.
And this is precisely what God promises. This is what St. Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth: ““The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may about in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:6–15).
St. Paul tells us that the Lord of all will both supply and increase what you need to give to the church for its work in and for the world. He tells us that this work that God is doing in us will enrich and bless us in every way and through this it will produce thanksgiving to God. Everyone benefits. We will be blessed in our giving, and it will produce thanksgiving to God in those who receive it.
Giving to the church is not a burden, just like all of God’s teaching (1 John 5:2–4). They are not a burden because of He who gives it: the God who loves us and gave His only Son to die so that we may live. He loved us in that He sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons. . . . So we are no longer slaves, but sons, and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:4–5, 7). We are heirs. We receive the full rights of sons, a status that Christ our Lord achieved for us by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
So we strive to do what He asks because we are His children. And when we don’t, we repent. We confess our sins. We receive absolution. We desire to do better, praying that God would work in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
LAW AND GOSPEL on your Lutheran Radio Station Worldwide KFUO.org. Learn about two completely different Biblical teachings on your Lutheran Radio Station Worldwide KFUO.org. Law and Gospel uses the theological distinctions between Law and Gospel not only to apply the Bible, but also to understand our relationship to God’s entire plan of salvation in Christ.
Monday-Friday @ 9:30am Central Time. Archived at KFUO.org. Follow us on Facebook.com/KFUOradio.
LCMS FOUNDATION March 2016: Newsletter Article
Provisions, Protection and Providence
Christians seek to follow God’s will in their lives. We aren’t promised earthly provisions or protection; yet God’s providence is assured to us through faith.
The Magnificat captures in one breath Mary’s song of all that God had done for her and us. Her song oozes with the spirit of humility, gratitude and trust.
Our Lord’s mother, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on (regarded) the humble (low) estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation…” Luke 1:46-50ff
Martin Luther notes that “Mary observes the proper order in putting God’s ‘regard’ (looking on her) in the first and highest place rather than first saying ‘All generations will call me blessed, because He has done great things for me.’ “
God’s good things are merely gifts which last for a season; but His grace and ‘regard’ are the inheritance which lasts forever, as St. Paul says in Romans 6:23; ‘The grace of God is eternal life.”
In giving us gifts God gives only what is His, but in His grace and His ‘regard of us’ He gives His very self. In the gifts, we touch His hand; but in His gracious ‘regard’ we receive His heart, spirit, mind and will.”
According to Luther, “God would not have us put our trust in His goods and gifts, spiritual or temporal (provision and protection) however great they be, but in His grace and in Himself (providence), yet without despising the gifts.”
Will you give your children the “whole inheritance”, as Abraham did to Isaac? For more information, contact Robert Wirth, LCMS Foundation Gift Planner @ robert.wirth@lfnd.org or 716-863-4427.
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