Dear friends in Christ,
We conclude our survey of Church History from the book of Professor E.A.W. Krauss from our St. Louis seminary of a century ago as we conclude our study of the life of C.F.W. Walther, founding father of our Missouri Synod. Over the years we have read all 800 pages of it.
This month as we celebrate All Saints’ Day and Thanksgiving we are reminded to give our Lord thanks for our faithful confessors of the faith, for our fathers in the faith. Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith [Heb 13:7 (ESV)].
44.1 [part 8--conclusion]—
Dr. Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther
Walther then departed this life in that faith and confession. From all the obituaries that were written at his death, only one is noted. It is neither from the circles of the Synodical Conference nor from the circle of his ecclesiastical opponents in America.
Luthardt’s Allgemeine evang.=luth. Kirchenzeitung says in the 22 June 1887 issue:
“With him, one of the greats in Christ’s Church has departed. He was not only an epoch making personality in America’s church history and the prominent leader of Lutherans and one who brought them together, but his work was also felt as a mighty stimulus in the Lutheran Church in all regions of the world. The success of his work is almost without comparison in the later history of our church and distinguishes him not only as a man of great abilities, excellent gifts, strong diligence and unusual energy but also lets him be regarded as a God-given personality whom the Lord sends His Church when He wants to lead her …in a particular way.
“Of course, he did not have what the modern world thinks really makes a great theologian. He did not want to bring new thoughts, set up any new theological system, or form any new schools. He did not have any of that humble sounding boast which says that we Christians should never think that we have the truth but must always be about seeking it. He certainly did not have an inner uncertainty and ambiguity. He became unshakably certain of the truth from God’s Word. For him the Lutheran Confession was not an ideal that he was taught and which he then placed as a motto on his shield and mindlessly held to in a useless stubbornness like a school teacher does. Instead, in difficult battles, in desperate situations, often near despair, he had found the anchor and ground of all hope, the source of all joy, and the light of truth in this Confession. It had become his heart beat, the pulse of his whole life. His entire person stood in this faith and it gave him his tremendous energy, the unshakeable certainty and clarity by which his amazing scholarship and a clear dialectically trained mind accomplished great services. He wanted to know nothing about “open questions”; he thought were merely the excuse of a heart that was disobedient to the word of God. Everything that merely even remotely opposed the central article of our Lutheran Confession on justification…found in him a relentless, destructive adversary. Just as in his theology he wanted to know nothing about open questions, so also in his practice he wanted to know nothing about agreeing with the world or with false doctrine…. He always followed his conscience, no matter what following it would seemingly destroy. And he saw that “straight ahead” is always the best way to the goal. Few have seen such brilliant successes like he saw. He taught all of us that the shrewdest diplomacy in the Church is the greatest foolishness.
“His character was a peculiar mixture of gentleness and toughness. Those who only knew him from his writings had no idea that his friendly affection was charming and that his touching humility and modesty won hearts. This happy humorist, this caring friend, ‘this courteous, distinguished Saxon,’ as his rough Low German bosom friend Wyneken often jokingly called him, this childlike happy mind, this deep, warm eye was the same one that was seen consumed with rage as he defended his Gospel and drove away the opponent with powerful heavy blows. He had some of Luther’s character in him so that, like Melanchton said of Luther, It could be said of him: ‘that in every discourse he showed himself, by his words, to be most charming, friendly and pleasant, not at all rude, impetuous and stubborn or quarrelsome but yet full of earnestness and bravery.’
“As a preacher he distinguished himself by warm affection and consistent, captivating, stirring strength. He clothed his deep thoughts in clear, logical development. He gave thorough doctrinal instruction, yet everything had its practical point. Both his sermon books—his Gospel sermons going through eight editions in eleven years and distributed in 23,000 copies, as well as being translated into Norwegian—show him as a theologian who, from his mature experience and diligent study, gives the congregation what he himself experienced and upon which his life rests. For him the center of his preaching as well as all his speaking and writing is the Lutheran doctrine of justification. He recognized in Lutheranism the continuation of the Apostolic Church. Therefore his goal was to bring the Lutheran Church back to its starting-point: the doctrine of the Reformation drawn from of the Word of God. As teacher, professor and leader of his synod, as well in often intense dispute with sects and fanatics, he firmly and vigorously maintained and defended this view point.… The American conditions demanded such a man, and they also formed such a man who in Germany could only have become what he had become in the church with great difficulty. He was reforming, building, and inspiring not only in the Missouri Synod and the Synodical Conference, but he even had his students in the most distant regions …
“And as the ecclesiastical circles are shaken by this man’s departure, we also find in the American daily press, even in the most radical sort, obituaries honoring the great German. Certainly never was a clergyman in America brought to his grave with such public acknowledgment as honor as was Walther.”
But more valuable than an exalting obituary from an opponent’s mouth, is when a servant of Christ, like Walther, can say with Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4. 7, 8)The remembrance of such a witness remains a blessing.
So far Professor Krauss
THE PASTOR MAY BE GONE BUT THE WORK OF THE CHURCH GOES ON.
Especially During Our Vacancy Your Church Needs You.
We need you for the newsletter editor, the weekly bulletin, stopping in on occasion and checking on the church/ getting the mail, loading and running the tablet during worship, updating our Web site and Facebook pages, etc.
Please contact Tom or Mike and let them know how you will help during our vacancy.
YOUR CHURCH STILL NEEDS YOU TO BE FAITHFUL IN GIVING YOUR OFFERINGS
YOU STILL NEED TO BE IN CHURCH EACH SUNDAY TO HEAR OUR LORD’S WORD AND TO RECEIVE HIS GIFTS.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER DOES NOT HAVE A CALENDAR*
OUR CRACK RESEARCH DEPARTMENT TO THE RESCUE—in case you are working on a crossword puzzle: Black Market= A vast informal economy driven by human relationships, dense networks of social connections through which people trade resources and create value.
REMEMBER THE TIME CHANGE ON 03 NOVEMBER: The tradition of using Roman numerals on timepieces was established by the early clocks on church towers. During the Crusades, the Church drew the line from the infiltration of heathen Islamic learning by banning the adoption of Arabic numerals on its clocks. To this day, most 'classic' clocks and watches have Roman numerals. [Source: Watch Around Nr. 008 Autumn 2009-Winter 2010]
FOR ALL SAINTS’ DAY—01 NOVEMBER
WHY ALL SAINTS’ DAY? WHY REMEMBER AND HONOR THE SAINTS?
“It is also taught among us that saints should be kept in remembrance so that our faith may be strengthened when we see what grace they received and how they were sustained in faith. Moreover, their good works are to be an example for us, each of us in his own calling.”
[Augsburg Confession XXI]
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Whoever does not honor [the saints], therefore, disparages Christ who is in them and belittles the grace of God through which they have turned out so well.
–Urbanus Rhegius, Confessor at Smalcald: Preaching the Reformation, p. 93.
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SHOULD WE PRAY TO THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN?
[John Tauler died in 1361. He was a mystic whose writings had a great influence on Luther, who wrote about him: “If you want to read a pure, thorough work about God, get yourselves the sermons of John Tauler, of the Dominicans” and again: “I follow the teaching of Tauler and his book and teach that men should rely upon nothing else but Jesus Christ alone, not on the merit of prayers and works, because we are saved not by our works but by the mercy of God.”]
A more recent scholar notes about Johannes Tauler: “In his sermon for the second Sunday in Lent there is a passage somewhat in disparagement of the invocation of Saints. A good soul, he says, once prayed to the Saints; but they were so lost in God that they did not heed her. Then she betook herself humbly to God direct, and straightway she was lifted far about all media into the loving abyss of the Godhead.”
Tauler, Johannes . The Works of Johannes Tauler: Meditations on the Life and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Following of Christ, The Inner Way: Being Thirty-Six Sermons ... (3 Books With Active Table of Contents) (Kindle Locations 8588-8591). Kindle Edition.
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You must not be greatly troubled about many things, but you should care for the main thing—preparing yourself for death. --St. Ambrose of Optina
Abraham Calov [1612-86] was a chief promoter of confessional Lutheran orthodoxy against its adversaries of the day so
what did he chose for the text of his funeral sermon?
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:7-13 (ESV)
He tells us in his Latin Bible commentary—the words of the letter of the angel to the church in Philadelphia, Revelation 3. 7-13. The faithful theologian tell us in the following words: “It is said about the letter which, at command of the Son of God, was written to the angel, that is, the bishop of Philadelphia. I selected this letter several years ago, so that when the Son of God—o come, Lord Jesus, come for blessed redemption, come!—calls me out of the Church Militant it will be proclaimed during the funeral sermon at my funeral. Not because I consider myself like that angel [bishop] and worthy of such high praise and such a great reward— for I daily consider and lament my unworthiness—but rather because I humbly and with true reliance of the heart implore God, the Father of all grace, in the name of Jesus, to make me worthy in Christ Jesus; and by the power of the Holy Spirit to make me firmly and steadfastly hold on to what I have and to conquer through faith [see verses 11, 12]. And because with fervent prayers, I call upon my Lord Jesus Christ, who is my only confidence and hope, that on account of His most holy obedience until death, yes, His death on the cross, He would make me here an immoveable pillar in the spiritual temple of my God, and one day in the heavenly Jerusalem, a pillar who will never go out, and that He would write on me the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem and His new name. Amen, my Jesus, Amen!”
THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
What we must always remember when we go to the Lord’s Supper is that we commune with Christ and that wherever Christ is, there is heaven. And this communion includes all the saints who have died and risen in Christ: Moses, Elijah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Ruth, Peter, James, John, our grandparents and great-grandparents—perhaps even our spouses and our children—and all the saints now living all over the world, and those still to come. After someone dies, it is good to think of them at the Lord’s Supper, knowing that as we commune here below at the table of the Lamb and sing His songs, we do join them since they are simultaneously communing at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that knows no end, and singing the songs of the Lamb with angels and archangels. In Christ, in that great mystery of our union with Him, we are joined to all who are joined to Him.
Dr. Arthur Just, Heaven on Earth—The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service, pg. 212-213
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LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE—SAINTS NOW
For Christians, life is a pilgrimage from Baptism to death, which is the entrance into eternity. When Christians put on Christ in Baptism, we begin our journey to a destination of full communion with Christ in heaven. In the baptismal font, Christ’s story becomes our story. As we journey through life, we live under the cross where, through daily repentance and forgiveness, we die and rise with Christ in our baptismal lives. We are continually living in Christ as we hear His Holy Word and feed upon His holy food, which will sustain us on the way. In Word and Sacrament, we hear the story of the world. That story is not some inert fact. The very telling of the world’s story in Word and Sacrament brings us right into the story and changes us. Our pilgrimage leads us inevitably to physical death, which is an entrance to full communion with Christ in his heavenly home. The goal of the journey is to live in Christ’s presence forever and to feast at His table for eternity. The Christian pilgrimage is an incarnational life in Christ because from the moment we are baptized we are joined to him and to His life, for He dwells in us and we dwell in Him.
–Arthur A. Just, Jr. Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service, (St. Louis: CPH, 2008), pg. 9-10
DEVOTIONAL READING—GOD’S GRACIOUS WORKING IN THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS
“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." (Genesis 15:1)
When God addresses Abraham in these words and commands him not to be afraid, these words are not without a reason. Elated and victorious a little while ago, Abraham was now surrounded by new dangers, cares, and terrors. …
This is the usual way of training saintly and godly men. For this reason Psalm 4:3 states that God rules His saints in a wonderful manner. Encouraged now by his miraculous victory, Abraham feels such a joy of spirit and such a boundless sense of security with regard to God's goodness that he says in his heart: “I shall never be shaken.” But immediately everything is reversed. …
Why or how does God rule in this manner? Why does He not make this joy complete and lasting for His saints? I do not know, except for the fact that I observe this pattern and common example in all the saints, even in Christ Himself, their Head, who sometimes rejoices in spirit and joyfully gives thanks to God in the Holy Spirit.
Afterward He is again troubled in spirit, prays for protection, and laments that He has been forsaken in the hour of death, as one can see in Psalm 8:5 and in Psalm 22:1. Therefore one should learn this example and this pattern of the saints, yes, this method by which God governs His saints. Devotion is adapted from Day by Day in Genesis: 365 Devotional Readings from Martin Luther, April 7, © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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NOVEMBER BRINGS US TO THE END OF THE CHURCH YEAR
THE END OF THE CHURCH YEAR ALSO FOCUSES ON JESUS’ SECOND COMING AND JUDGMENT
Since indeed God considers it just… to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 (ESV)
God will bring eternal punishment on all who do not believe. The Greek words depict a terrible image. In contrast to that which many confessions teach, the bodies in hell are not annihilated; there is no end of suffering. Instead it will be like a painful auto accident that is continually happening. It will be like a sickness which causes ghastly harm but never completely destroys. It will remove every reason to live but give no end of existence. Even as believers this Day may terrify us as we think of our own sins.
But Jesus does not want us to have dread of the Last Day because it is the day in which we find rest. So that we could have that rest He took on the greatest dread and anguish—for us, in the Garden of Gethsemane and soon after that, on the cross. On the Day of the Final Judgment, when Jesus returns in great glory, He will give us this great and eternal rest. Then we will rest from our labors. The time of suffering will be past. Scorn, ridicule and persecution will be past. Yes, then is the time that we will have an eternal holiday—a lasting rest—with the Lord and with our fellow believers.
“Hence, all fear and sadness! For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in. Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within. Yea, whate’er I here must bear, Thou art still my purest Pleasure, Jesus, priceless Treasure!” Lord Jesus, come again soon. Amen. [TLH #347,6]
[Pr. Michael Soucek in God Is For Us, 29 November 2017]
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
GOD’S THANKSGIVING JOY: God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness. – St. Gregory Nazianzus
PRAYER ON THANKSGIVING
—Blessed be my God! For although I am unworthy of any benefits, Your noble bounty and infinite goodness never cease to do good even to the ungrateful and to those who are turned away far from You. Turn us unto You, that we may be thankful, humble, and devout; for You are our salvation, our courage, and our strength. Amen.
REMEMBERING LEADS TO THANKSGIVING
Then take care lest you forget the LORD. (Deuteronomy 6:12)
Take care lest “your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” [Deuteronomy 8:14 (ESV)]. This is a constantly recurring admonition to the next generation. Not only at that time was there the danger of people forgetting and suppressing their own history or repeating old errors by overestimating their own abilities. The people of Israel spent over 400 years in slavery in Egypt. After that came 40 years in the wilderness. Now the Promised Land was so near they could touch it—verdant landscapes wherever the eye looked.
And then through His servant Moses God gives the people a little foretaste of what they could expect in the new land: large, beautiful cities, houses full of goods, springs, vineyards and olive trees, a solid place to stay, security, more than enough for daily life, no more worries about what tomorrow would bring. But also not lacking was the reminder of where all this comes from: how much of all this did you work for with your own hands? How much did you earn yourself? Nothing! And so watch yourself so that you do not forget the Lord. It is all His grace, His gift that He let fall into your lap. And so always remember that all this comes from Him, that you would have nothing without Him.
It also does us good to receive this reminder with thanksgiving: for the LORD your God in your midst is a zealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15). And in His zeal God does not only want to bring you safely through this life. He also wants to save you eternally. “Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,” –in grace He redeemed your life from destruction. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2,3)
Lord Jesus, please forgive me my forgetfulness. Let me be more thankful because I live by Your goodness. Amen. By Pr. Andreas Drechsler in God Is For Us, 24 January 2018
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FROM OUR MISSOURI SYNOD’S STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT:
St. Paul wrote to the Church of Christ in Corinth: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). God loves a cheerful giver. But who is a cheerful giver?
View from the driveway of our Synodical HQ looking out toward the strip mall across the street |
Abel was. By faith, Abel gave the firstborn of his flock, and it was acceptable in God’s sight. Abraham was. By faith, Abraham prepared cakes and a tender choice calf for God and entertained angels unaware. So also were David and Solomon. By faith, David would not make a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing, so he paid Araunah his due. By faith, Solomon built a house for God, where his name would dwell and thereby where He would dwell to be Israel’s God and they His people.
What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of all those who gave not simply for the joy of giving but for the joy of knowing the One to whom they gave.
So also our Lord, who for the joy set before Him, gave everything, yes, even His life, enduring the cross and scorning its shame. He gave to the shedding of His blood, willingly and resolutely setting His face toward Jerusalem to die for the life of the world. Though He was rich in every way, He became poor, so that by His poverty we might be rich beyond measure.
So then, let us – like Abel and Abraham, like David and Solomon, and even like our Lord Jesus Christ – give cheerfully to God for the work of His kingdom in our midst. Like them, let us decide in our heart – for the joy set before us – the joy of knowing the One to whom we give is the One who gives us all good things.
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www.lcmsfoundation.org 800-325-7912 Ext 1684
Harvest and Inheritance
Gathering is a natural activity often accomplished without much thought to the effort. The ‘grasp reflex’ of humans is alive and well. The evidence of harvest is obvious, whether gathered for others or for self.
Reaping, on the other hand is more of a consequence, not easily gathered. For sure, what a person sows, they reap. What is important in sowing to obtain joy, meaning or blessing?
Inheritance is something that another person gives to, or for, another. For some, it’s a birthright. For others, it’s heirlooms with special meaning. For many, it’s a natural inclination of familial love. God’s Word informs us that ‘God Himself is our inheritance’.
A plentiful harvest is a reoccurring reminder of God’s desire to give yields that produces sustenance among the living. Around the world, it’s a material ingathering that is enjoyed by the righteous and the wicked alike. Harvest reminds us of the spiritual legacy as well!
In collecting harvests from labor, Christian stewards return a portion to the One who provides all for use and enjoyment. Believers give their first-fruits to God as evidence of a 1st Commandment faith. When earthly life is complete, this giving can return a portion of the substance of a Christian steward’s harvest, so the Lord’s work is strengthened. A joyful tradition during biblical ages, it continues as a tradition in ours.
Truly an undeserved heritage is given in God’s yields! St. Peter wrote under inspiration, “Jesus Christ has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1Peter 1:3b-4
The gift of eternal life has been endowed on the Cross as an inheritance waiting for all who are called by the Holy Spirt. Consider reflecting such inheritance in your own plans.
Contact Robert Wirth, LCMS Foundation Gift Planner @ robert.wirth@lfnd.org or 716-863-4427 for more information. You can discover that your congregation has a trusted charitable guide available to encourage you to plan and direct your passion to give to family and beloved ministries, so others might know that your own heart is reformed and wholly devoted to God.
FROM OUR PARNTERS AT CPH
Portals of Prayer has been a favorite devotional of generations of CPH readers, a timeless daily source of strength and comfort since 1937. In addition to the Portals of Prayer quarterly print publication, we also offer it as a digital app. A new resource we're introducing this fall is the Portals of Prayer Devotional Bible, which weaves more than 700 devotions into the entire ESV translation of Scripture. Learn more at cph.org/portalsbible
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