One of the finest and most powerful presentations of the Gospel I’ve ever seen or heard.

We pray:

O Lord God, the light of the minds that know You, the life of the souls that love You, and the strength of the hearts that serve You, give us strength to follow the example of Your servant Augustine of Hippo, so that knowing You we may truly love You and loving You we may fully serve You—for to serve You is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Today we remember, honor and commemorate St. Augustine, a giant among all our church fathers, noted preacher, catechist, theologian and leader of the Church. When one reads Augustine’s many writings, one knows that here is a deep and vastly reflective intellect at work. His work was formative particularly for the Western Church, and very influential on Lutheranism, via Martin Luther who was in the order of Augustinian monks. I particularly love reading Augustine’s sermons in a fresh new translation that came out in the 1990 in the series Augustine for the 21st Century. His writings and thought is so complex and rich, he simply defies classification. Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists all try to claim him as one of their own. The painting of Augustine is the earliest known portrait of him, dating from the sixth century. It is a fresco in Rome.

I encourage you to listen to the sample posted on this web site, of an audio book on Augustine. It is a great introduction to Augustine and his conversion, in his own words.

Augustine was one of the greatest of the Latin church fathers and a significant influence in the formation of Western Christianity, including Lutheranism. Born in A.D. 354 in North Africa, Augustine’s early life was distinguished by exceptional advancement as a teacher of rhetoric. In his book Confessions he describes his life before his conversion to Christianity, when he was drawn into the moral laxity of the day and fathered an illegitimate son. Through the devotion of his sainted mother Monica and the preaching of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (339–97), Augustine was converted to the Christian faith. During the great Pelagian controversies of the 5th century, Augustine emphasized the unilateral grace of God in the salvation of mankind. Bishop and theologian at Hippo in North Africa from A.D. 395 until his death in 430, Augustine was a man of great intelligence, a fierce defender of the orthodox faith, and a prolific writer. In addition to the book Confessions, Augustine’s book City of God had a great impact upon the church throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

What follows is a lengthy biographical summary of his life and work from the Catholic Cyclopedia.

Read more…

One of the Missouri Synod’s new Vice-Presidents, Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, offers these great observations in one of his “Memorial Moments” — daily devotions he offers, which you can receive here.

Pastors are dropping out of the ministry of the church and choosing secular vocations at an accelerating rate. Why? On 7 August, the New York Times ran an op-ed piece entitled “Congregations Gone Wild,” and I don’t think the author, G. Jeffrey MacDonald, meant it in a good way . He pointed out that Christian congregations are increasingly demanding that their pastors dumb down the message, preaching merely to entertain or to make their congregants feel good. He recounted his own experience, when as a parish pastor about ten years ago the advisory committee of his congregation told him to keep his sermons to 10 minutes, tell funny stories, and leave people feeling great about themselves.

Lots of congregations are making similar demands on their pastors these days. The problem is that these demands run completely counter to the prophetic role to which the Bible calls our pastors. The Lord called on the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel and said, “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me” (Ez 33:7). Sometimes the warning the pastors give rubs the people who hear it the wrong way. They don’t appreciate having their wickedness pointed out to them. Some years ago, I conducted a funeral for a young mother in my congregation who had died quite suddenly. I preached about her sin and the great grace of God given to her in Christ Jesus, who forgave her sins and called her to everlasting life with Him. Many of the young professional people in that funeral service were angry because I called their friend or colleague a sinner. Her husband came to me afterward and recounted this to me saying: “Way to go, Pastor, you preached what I wanted you to preach and what we all needed to hear.” I could not ignore death and sin because its results were so obvious in the casket that stood in the middle of church. Many people went away from the service that day profoundly angry, but angry because what I said about this young woman was also attributable to them; they were sinners and they too would die.

Increasingly, this inconvenient truth is being denied, rejected, dimmed, muted, and finally rejected. Instead we desire to be entertained. MacDonald rightly pointed out that “churchgoers increasingly want pastors to soothe and entertain them. It’s apparent in the theater-style seating and giant projection screens in churches.” Pastors are increasingly presented with the dilemma of reducing the sharpness of their preaching, such as calling people to repentance, or to look upon the cross for their salvation, so that if they do not they will be looking for other work. They have become entertainers or dispensers of soothing spiritual Kool-Aid; the mind-numbing soma of the modern religious institution. And the excuse is: “It gets people in the church who wouldn’t be here otherwise.” But the problem is that if the message has become unbiblical is it really the church of which Christ says the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, or has it become merely a smarmy religious club?

If our pastors are dancing to the devil’s tune, they will have to dance rather hard, like those old fashioned dance contests that awarded the prize to the last couple left standing. It becomes a double whammy; those who must dance for their dinner will never be able to stop and then they will continue to dance for their father forever. Let Christ do everything by preaching His gospel. It is so much easier. And it actually works too.

From Martin Luther
“The workers of the Law are very rightly called ‘martyrs of the devil,’ if I may use the common expression, because they procure hell by greater labor and trouble than that by which the martyrs of Christ gain heaven. They are worn out by a double contrition: while they are in this life, performing many great works, they torture themselves uselessly; and when they die, they receive eternal damnation and punishment as their reward. Thus they are most miserable martyrs both in the present life and in the future life, and their slavery is eternal.

“It is not so with believers, who have afflictions only in this life, while they have peace in Christ, because they believe that He has defeated the world. Therefore we must stand fast in the freedom Christ has acquired for us by His death, and we must be diligently on our guard not to be enticed once more into a yoke of slavery. This is what is happening today to the fanatical spirits: falling away from faith and freedom, they have condemned themselves here in time to slavery, and in eternity they will again be oppressed by slavery. The majority and greater part of the papists have today degenerated into nothing better than Epicureans, who, as they are accustomed, use the liberty of the flesh and sing securely: ‘Eat, drink, and play, for after death there is no pleasure.’ But truly they are slaves of the devil,who holds them captive to his will. Therefore the eternal slavery of hell awaits them.”

The young Jedi YouTuber, Pastor Fisk, has a nicely done explanation of what makes the Book of Concord such a wonderful book. Check out his, as always, entertaining and unique take on it:

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So, Google goes live with their new phone service, and in 24 hours….over one million calls! Here’s an interesting story about it.

We pray:

O Lord, You strengthened Your patient servant Monica through spiritual discipline to persevere in offering her love, her prayers, and her tears for the conversion of her husband and of Augustine, their son. Deepen our devotion to bring others, even our own family, to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Today we honor and remember St. Monica, beloved and blessed mother of St. Augustine. Her experiences as a wife of a man who was a harsh pagan, but who was converted eventually due in large measure to her loving patience with him, are immortalized for us by St. Augustine himself, chiefly in his deeply introspective work of spiritual autobiography, Confessions. Her ardent and continuing prayers for her son and her constant love and support for him saw him move from paganism, to heretical Christianity, while living outside marriage with a woman who fathered him a child, to eventual orthodox Christianity and service as a bishop. Here is The LCMS biographical note about her.

A native of North Africa, Monica (A.D. 333–387) was the devoted mother of Saint Augustine. Throughout her life she sought the spiritual welfare of her children, especially that of her brilliant son, Augustine. Widowed at a young age, she devoted herself to her family, praying many years for Augustine’s conversion. When Augustine left North Africa to go to Italy, she followed him to Rome and then to Milan. There she had the joy of witnessing her son’s conversion to the Christian faith. Weakened by her travels, Monica died at Ostia, Italy on the journey she had hoped would take her back to her native Africa. On some church year calendars, Monica is remembered on May 4.

Here is a longer biographical note about her from “Lives of Saints”, Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.

Read more…

Robert Gagnon, author of what has proven to be the most devastatingly thorough critique of the so-called “scholarship” that homosexual advocates have used to try to change the Christian Faith on these issues, and others, has an excellent article, titled “Ed Schroeder Parodies the Lutheran Faith.” Available here

FYI…more on Gagnon:

He is the author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001; 520 pgs.); co-author (with Dan O. Via) of Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003; 125 pgs.); and, as a service to the church, provides a large amount of free material on the web dealing with Scripture and homosexuality. In addition, he has published scholarly articles on biblical studies in Journal of Biblical Literature, New Testament Studies, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Novum Testamentum, Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Horizons in Biblical Theology, and The Christian Century.

Mr. Brian Yamabe, a fellow LCMS Lutheran, put up a post on his blog “Vocation in the Valley: Life Under the Cross” yesterday that I found very helpful and well put. Whenever I mention the Apple iPhone app marketplace, I get, understandably, a number of inquiries from Android uses asking if/when we will be releasing Android-friendly apps. Some ask nicely, some make blanket accusations, some get downright angry and say some pretty silly things. Well, Mr. Yamabe is a professional in the field and his blog post explaining why the Apple app market is, at this point, the place to be, offers very helpful insights. Let me assure you that CPH is monitoring all these developments very, very closely. We have a full time staff in our Emerging Products department who stays abreast of all the latest technological developments. We have not slammed the door shut on Android, but at this point, for the reasons Mr. Yamabe identifies below, we are devoting our work to the Apple app marketplace.We will continue to monitor the Android market and if/when we can devote resources to Android app development, we certainly will.

Here is his post:

Is Android Un-Lutheran?

If you do not follow Matthew Carver’s blog, you are really missing out on a lot of great translations of classic treasures of Lutheran hymnody. Today, for example, this one came across my RSS reader. Check it out. Notice the richness of the Christ-centered, Law and Gospel, deeply Biblically based text.

Lässet Gottes Sohn sich taufen?
from HYMNOGLYPT by Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes)

Here is my translation of the Epiphany hymn, “Lässet Gottes Sohn sich taufen?” (S. von Birken). Many thanks to Armin Wenz for pointing out and providing the words. The appointed melody is “Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele.”

ART THOU baptized, God most holy?
Art Thou bathed in Jordan thus?
Though in sin we sank so lowly,
Thou the Clean One cleansest us.
All earth’s waters as a flood
Thou wouldst purple with Thy blood
Making robes of royal station
For the heirs of Thy salvation.

2. Now this flood for us is given
By the Clean One pow’r to cleanse;
All the wounds by Adam riven
Now this fount of life amends.
Jesus, oh! to Thee I look;
Thou the Jordan, Thine the brook
Which upon my soul hath showered,
Washed me, and all filth devoured.

3. Wide the heavens opened o’er me,
Even as they did o’er Thee,
When Thy Word and water bore me
To God’s cov’nant family:
“This is My beloved child,
With whom I am reconciled.
In whom I take all My pleasure.”—
This is mine in fullest measure.

4. From above the Dove, descending,
Also to my cleansing came,
Thus the Holy Ghost attending,
Did my soul for heaven claim,
As Thy crimson ink, Thy blood
Reconciled me to my God,—
With Thy friends a place awarded—
In Thy book my name recorded.

5. Lamb of God, then didst Thou bind me
To Thy service as Thy knight;
Of Thy very wool consigned me
Warrior’s robes of purest white.
This fair garment, O my groom!
Is my bride-gift from Thy loom;
That my soul, to Thee united,
May be Thine, as Thou hast plighted.

6. Though Thy hellish competition
Ever still doth me pursue,
Makes my fall His constant mission,
Coaxing me to be untrue.
Oh! if once he tempted Thee,
Will he stay away from me?
Nay, at peace he’ll leave me never:
With the head the limbs go ever.

7. When in grief I seem to lose Thee,
Satan says, “Art thou God’s child?
Why then doth He thus abuse thee?
When have fathers e’er beguiled,
Giving stones instead of bread?
Hath He left thee then for dead?
If His pow’r hath not deserted,
Have this stone to bread converted!”

8. Soon would Satan, thus deceiving,
Turn to pride my trust in Thee,
Of Thy help my soul bereaving;
Make me thrall to vanity,
To the world would lure my soul,
Glory, lust, and wealth extol,
Till I sell Thee for the famine
Of his empty lies and Mammon.

9. Dearest Jesus! Make me stronger,
That, as Thou hast done, I too
May the devil crush and conquer;
With resolve my faith endue.
Let Thy Word my weapon be,
And Thine angels be with me.
Though I suffer, let him sever
Me from my dear Jesus never.

Translation © Matthew Carver, 2010.

Read the extended entry for the German text. Read more…

You can view, online, several CPH catalogs, one for children’s ministry resources, another for bible study materials and another for curriculum. View them here.

A good video making an important point. There will be the temptation among people  who are swayed by emotional arguments to think that the homosexuality issue in the Church is just about homosexuality and does not involve anything else. Check it out:

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (b. 1696, Venezia, d. 1770, Madrid)

We pray:
Almighty God, Your Son Jesus Christ chose Bartholomew to be an apostle to preach the blessed Gospel. Grant that Your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

All praise for him whose candor Through all his doubt You saw When Philip at the fig tree Disclosed You in the Law. Discern beneath our surface, O Lord, what we can be, That by Your truth made guileless, Your glory we may see… for You have mightily governed and protected Your holy Church, in which the blessed Apostles and Evangelists proclaimed Your divine and saving Gospel. Therefore with Patriarchs and Prophets, Apostles and Evangelists, with Your servant Bartholomew, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Your glorious name, world without end. Amen.

God’s Word for the Festival of St. Bartholomew
Old Testament: Prov. 3:1-8
Epistle: 2 Cor. 4:7-10
Gospel: Luke 22:24-30

Information about Bartholomew
One of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned sixth in the three Gospel lists (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14), and seventh in the list of Acts (1:13).

The name (Bartholomaios) means “son of Talmai” (or Tholmai) which was an ancient Hebrew name, borne, e.g. by the King of Gessur whose daughter was a wife of David (2 Samuel 3:3). It shows, at least, that Bartholomew was of Hebrew descent; it may have been his genuine proper name or simply added to distinguish him as the son of Talmai. Outside the instances referred to, no other mention of the name occurs in the New Testament.

Nothing further is known of him for certain. Many scholars, however, identify him with Nathaniel (John 1:45-51; 21:2). The reasons for this are that Bartholomew is not the proper name of the Apostle; that the name never occurs in the Fourth Gospel, while Nathaniel is not mentioned in the synoptics; that Bartholomew’s name is coupled with Philip’s in the lists of Matthew and Luke, and found next to it in Mark, which agrees well with the fact shown by St. John that Philip was an old friend of Nathaniel’s and brought him to Jesus; that the call of Nathaniel, mentioned with the call of several Apostles, seems to mark him for the apostolate, especially since the rather full and beautiful narrative leads one to expect some important development; that Nathaniel was of Galilee where Jesus found most, if not all, of the Twelve; finally, that on the occasion of the appearance of the risen Savior on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, Nathaniel is found present, together with several Apostles who are named and two unnamed Disciples who were, almost certainly, likewise Apostles (the word “apostle” not occurring in the Fourth Gospel and “disciple” of Jesus ordinarily meaning Apostle) and so, presumably, was one of the Twelve. This chain of circumstantial evidence is ingenious and pretty strong; the weak link is that, after all, Nathaniel may have been another personage in whom, for some reason, the author of the Fourth Gospel may have been particularly interested, as he was in Nicodemus, who is likewise not named in the synoptics.

No mention of St. Bartholomew occurs in ecclesiastical literature before Eusebius, who mentions that Pantaenus, the master of Origen, while evangelizing India, was told that the Apostle had preached there before him and had given to his converts the Gospel of St. Matthew written in Hebrew, which was still treasured by the Church. “India” was a name covering a very wide area, including even Arabia Felix. Other traditions represent St. Bartholomew as preaching in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Armenia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, and on the shores of the Black Sea; one legend, it is interesting to note, identifies him with Nathaniel.

The manner of his death, said to have occurred at Albanopolis in Armenia, is equally uncertain; according to some, he was beheaded, according to others, flayed alive and crucified, head downward, by order of Astyages, for having converted his brother, Polymius, King of Armenia. On account of this latter legend, he is often represented in art (e.g. in Michelangelo’s Last Judgment) as flayed and holding in his hand his own skin. His relics are thought by some to be preserved in the church of St. Bartholomew-in-the-Island, at Rome. His feast is celebrated on 24 August. An apocryphal gospel of Bartholomew existed in the early ages.

People who get the willies about the subject of typology may not like this, I think it is pretty well done. What do you think?