Friedrich Wyneken is one of the founding fathers of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, along with C.F.W. Walther and Wilhelm Sihler. Born in 1810 in Germany, he came to Baltimore in 1838 and shortly thereafter accepted a call to be the pastor of congregations in Friedheim and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Supported by Wilhelm Loehe’s mission society, Wyneken served as an itinerant missionary in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, particularly among Native Americans. Together with Loehe and Sihler, he founded Concordia Theological Seminary in 1846 in Fort Wayne, Ind. He later served as the second president of the LCMS during a period of significant growth (1850-64). His leadership strongly influenced the confessional character of the LCMS and its commitment to an authentic Lutheran witness.

Here’s an excerpt from a sermon by Wyneken:

Is His love like a burden or has His yoke become too heavy? Do you want to once again depend on the world and your own righteousness? You say: “Oh no, no, but my heart is weak and doubtful, and sin is mighty!” Do not despair. There will be enough temptations, trials and sin, yeah, you may be overcome by your body’s weakness. But you are not depending on your own heart but on your Jesus who saves you from your sins, gives you renewed mercy in Word and Sacrament; forgiveness of sin surrounds you like the air, yeah it is spread out around you like the sky. He is faithful, the one who has called you. He will do it for you. You just hold on to His Word and Sacrament; do not forsake prayer. Death might meet up with you whenever and wherever it wants, it will only lead you into the eternally new year, into the right peace and bliss. And even while you are in the throes of death, this beautiful name will lighten your way and bring you safely across: J E S U S!

from a sermon by Pastor Friedrich Wyneken based on Luke 2:21
January 1, 1868
Concordia Lutheran Church
Saint Louis, Missouri

Translated by M.C. Harrison

“I have grown use to giving up on the idea that there is any quality in my heart at all, call it either faith or love. In their place I put Christ and say: ‘He is my Righteousness’ “ (St. L. XXI a:1669).

God of love, through the anointing of Holy Baptism, Your Son gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. Guide our children and young people throughout their lives to follow their Shepherd’s call that in fear and faith they may grow in love for You and for others. Give diligence and courage to Christian teachers and the schools of Your Church, so that Your lambs may continue to know Your Son’s voice and grow in useful knowledge.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Source: LCMS “Let Us Pray”

Over the weekend a friend noted he is observing the anniversary of his ordination and said that he wishes he felt just as optimistic and idealistic as he did on the day he was ordained. I offered a couple of platitudes and words of encouragement, but felt I didn’t do the situation justice. I know I did not. Then today in the Treasury of Daily Prayer I noted that we are commemorating the prophet Elijah. And I immediately thought of my friend, who, like many pastors—no make that, most—no, scratch that—make that all pastors—feels discouraged, pessimistic, cynical and disheartened, from time to time. Pastors, you know what I’m talking about. But not only pastors, all Christians feel these things.

If anyone tells a pastor that he will simply always be the model of optimism, never down-in-the-dumps, and never feeling worn out, exhausted, and as if the whole world is against him, well, they obviously have never met our friend, Elijah. Here was a man who had a direct and personal encounter with the living God, receiving more personal attention from God, in a miraculous manner, than most any human being, before or since. He was a great worker of miracles. Surely, with such a calling, such an “ordination,” if you will, Elijah would never after be discouraged, disheartened or cast down in spirit. But, of course, he was.

Here was a man who was now in fear for his life, chased after by a wicked queen whom he had disrespected with his preaching. [God's Word has a way of doing that, you know, no matter how kindly we speak it]. He went up against angry prophets of Baal. He was stuck in the wilderness. He was on the point of starvation. So discouraged was Elijah that he basically said, “Lord, I give up. I’ve had it. There is no more point in going on. Nobody listens to me. Nobody listens to you. There are no more people left worth preaching to. Lord, just let me die. Please. Let me die.” Then Elijah gets angry, “Listen, Lord, I’ve done everything you’ve told me to do. I keep preaching to these ungrateful, unfaithful people. They don’t change. I’m sick and tired of them. I’m sick and tired of the mission and the ministry you’ve given me. What more do you want me to do? They don’t listen to me. They don’t listen to you. I’ve had it Lord!”

And it was at this very moment that Lord revealed Himself again to Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-12), through the still small voice which assured Elijah of several realities: (1) The Lord is in charge, not Elijah; (2) There are faithful men and women left; (3) Elijah’s job is not to “fix” everything, but to keep on being faithful to his calling: teach, preach and never give up! The Lord speaks to Elijah and comforts him. And he does the same for us all in the still small voice that we hear today when we receive the Word of Christ in the Gospel. It is not going to split mountains, we won’t be comforted that way. It’s not going to come in an “earthquake” experience. No, the Lord’s still small voice comes to us today, as it came to Elijah, assuring and comforting, strengthening and equipping. “Listen, Pastor, the ministry is mine, not your’s. I’ve given you a part of it, for a while. I’ve called you to this task. It is my Word you are preaching and teaching and speaking. You teach. You preach. You encourage. Then, leave results in my hand. You know what I’ve already told you in my Word. It never returns to me without having accomplished the task for which I have sent it, through you.”

I love the line where the Lord finds Elijah hiding out in the cave and says, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13). Is perhaps the Lord asking you the same question? “What are you doing here?” Consider this. What are you doing focused on the negatives in your life? What are you doing fearful and trembling in a cave of your own choosing, perhaps your own making? The Lord let Elijah have a time out and then sent put Elijah back on his feet and sent him back out, assuring Elijah of his faithfulness and mercy. And the Lord does the same for you. He speaks to you still in the still small voice of the good news of Christ: “Remember, I’ve called you. I’ve put my name on you in Baptism. I’ve forgiven all your sins. Every single one. Even those you are ashamed to speak aloud. I know them. I forgive them.” The Lord feeds us, not with ravens, but with the feeding by which we receive the Bread of Life, the very same body and blood given and shed on the cross, is put into our mouths by our Lord. Good words put into our ears. Good water splashed on us. Good food given.

This message applies, of course, to all Christians when they face struggles and difficulties in life. But those who are not pastors, who are reading this, would you please make it a point of offering a word of encouragement to your pastor? Send him a hand written note. Tell him what his ministry means to you and your family. Assure your pastor you are praying for him, and then actually do it: pray for him. The Lord will use you to offer encouragement to your pastor.

I’m very happy, finally, to report out to you what we have been working on with our friends at LOGOS for a while. We have transitioned to a new relationship with LOGOS by which now, and going forward, all CPH resources in the LOGOS format will be available, and only available, directly from LOGOS via digital download from their web site. The advantages to our customers are many: instant access to LOGOS formatted CPH resources, easier maintenance and upgrading and updating, etc. LOGOS, as they have in the past, provides all technical support for any CPH resource in LOGOS format. That means, call them for support, not us. They are extremely helpful. The other big plus is that now LOGOS formatted CPH resources are part of the LOGOS universe of resources and will be accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, literally around the world, using LOGOS and looking for Lutheran resources. So, I invite you to head on over to our LOGOS page, on LOGOS.COM. Click here on the image below. We will be adding additional resources and more existing resources will continue to be populated on the LOGOS web site. Bookmark our LOGOS page and stay tuned. If you are not familiar with what LOGOS is, please visit their web site. It is, in my opinion, the best digital search and research platform available for Christian resources.

Not even in this respect, namely, in so far as it is a gift of the Holy Ghost, does faith justify, but simply inasmuch as it stands in relation to Christ (quatenus habet se correlative ad Christum). Here the principal question is not whence, or what sort of work, faith is or in what respect it surpasses other works, since faith does not justify per se (on its own account) or by any intrinsic value (virtute aliqua intrinseca).” (Erl. 58, p. 353.)

Francis Pieper, vol. 2, Christian Dogmatics, electronic ed., 440 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999).

Note: This is an important concept that we lose when we begin to regard “Faith” to be that one good work we do in order to be saved. Even Faith is a pure gift from God, a gracious gift, a loving, merciful gift from a loving, merciful God who eagerly desires our salvation. Dead men do not raise themselves. Dead men can not “believe” their way into God’s grace. Even faith is pure gift, from God!

Father, Your Son conquered death, and He leads and shepherds His sheep so that all may dwell in Your house forever. Keep us, (together with those who mourn the death of __________ ), mindful of Your presence here in the valley of the shadow of death, and give Your promised comfort of dwelling in Your house forever.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Source: LCMS “Let Us Pray”

Today we honor and commemorate St. Athanasius of Alexandria, the great champion of the orthodox teaching of Christ. Athanasius was born in Alexandria in Egypt in A.D. 295. He served as a church leader in a time of great controversy and ecclesiastical disagreements. At the Council of Nicaea in 325, he defended Christian orthodoxy against the proponents of the Arian heresy, which denied the full divinity of Jesus Christ. During his 45-year tenure as bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius wrote numerous works that defended the orthodox teaching. His enemies had him exiled five times; on two occasions he was almost murdered. Yet Athanasius remained steadfast and ended his days restored fully to his church responsibilities. The Athanasian Creed, though not composed by Athanasius, is named in his honor because it confesses the doctrinal orthodoxy he championed throughout his life. Source. For a more complete biographical article on Athanasius, read on. Read more…

My son, John, has expressed an interest in becoming a pastor and the other day, after he heard me preach, he asked, “Dad, do you get nervous and scared when you have to preach?” It was an interesting question and if there was ever a time when the phrase “it gave me pause” applies, this was that time. I thought for a moment and said, “No, John, honestly, I don’t get nervous or scared anymore, I just get excited and happy. But it wasn’t always that way.”

At one time, I was absolutely terrified at the thought of public speaking. Like many people, I was scared out of my mind at the thought of public speaking. Routinely, studies indicate people are as afraid to get up in front of other people and speak as are afraid of death. I saved my required public speaking class in college for my last quarter, of my last year. During that class I received a revelation that has stuck with me since then. If you are not feeling that “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, you aren’t going to do well. Our professor said, “You better always feel that little tickle and twinge in your stomach, if you don’t, that’s when you should be afraid.” Let me explain. That “fluttery” feeling that many people think are “nerves” is actually the feeling of adrenalin pumping into your bloodstream, and if you don’t feel that, you are not going to be “up” to preach. What I do fear now when I have to preach, or speak publicly, is not feeling that excited “let’s go!” feeling. It’s the same feeling I always had when I got up to bat. Let’s go! Let’s do this! That’s an ok feeling to have.

I think a lot of pastors remain “nervous” and “uptight” because their focus is too much on themselves, and not enough on what they are preaching about. When your focus is so much on “doing it right” rather than what you are doing, you will always come off as stiff, formal, aloof and insincere, and, forgive me, but you are just going to be boring. When a pastor is working hard to make sure he has “covered the bases” in a sermon, and hit all the right notes, the sermon feels rote and formulaic. If you have to think too much about playing the piano, you won’t play it well. Similarly for preaching.

Here are some things for aspiring preachers to keep in mind:

(1) Be yourself. Learn from other preachers, but be yourself. Develop your own voice. Nothing is more grating than hearing a young pastor preaching who sounds just like his favorite seminary professor. And, to be honest, what works for your favorite seminary professor, in all likelihood, isn’t going to work for you. Just because your favorite professor used nouns as verbs, and verbs as nouns, and spoke in incomplete phrases and sentences, doesn’t mean you should.

(2) Be prepared. I do not mean you have to feel that unless you have spent thirty hours each week in excruciating study of every possible meaning and nuance of the verb forms in the text, you have no business in the pulpit. No, you’ll learn that good sermons are not seminary exegetical lectures or “musings on every possible meaning of the text.” But, on the other hand, if you have not given good quality “think time” to your sermon, it will show. You will end up saying the same thing, the same way, Sunday after Sunday. You’ll get bored with your sermons. And if you are bored, the congregation will be too. Some pastors try to excuse their boring sermons by claiming that people are just bored with the Word of God. That’s far too facile an explanation.

(3) Be passionate. No, you should not imitate the Pentecostal tongue-speaker down the road at Family Friendly Church of Happy People, but, if you think the “gold standard” for preaching is the guy you saw at seminary standing in the pulpit reading his sermon in a dry, monotone, well, good luck with that. Sometimes, after I have heard a sermon, I want to shake the preacher and say, “For the love of God, man, why are you talking about the most important things in the world, the most serious of matters, matters of life and matters of death, and the greatest and most glorious good news that there ever in a way that reminds me of a person reading stereo instructions 1?” Everyone has their own style, to be sure. Some people are naturally more dynamic and effusive than others, but if you can’t must a bit of passion when you preach, then, that’s a problem to be overcome.

(4) Be clear. Simple is good. If you can’t communicate your message without relying on a lot of jargon, terms and complicated outlines, you aren’t getting the job done. You are not preaching to impress the most learned in your parish. You are preaching to be understood. If you do not have a clear outline for what you are saying, you will ramble and people won’t be able to follow you. Have a point. Make it. And then stop. Start slow, rise higher, strike fire, retire.

(5) Be real. Don’t assume a “pulpit voice” or “stained glass voice.” I understand back in the days when there was no possible way to amplify a voice, other than to raise it, how and why our pastors developed a booming pulpit voice. And let me say this: If the little old lady in the back row with a hearing problem, can’t hear you clearly, then for her sake and others, speak up! Don’t stand there and mumble and speak softly. But on the other hand, if you sound entirely different in the pulpit than when you speak in real life, you will come off like a fake. If you don’t naturally pronounce the Almighty’s name as “Gawwwd” in real life, then don’t do so in the pulpit. Get the picture?

(6) Be practical. Your hearers deserve messages that are down to earth and practical, not esoteric exercises in lofty rhetoric and literary devices. This is not to say you have to be a slob with the language to do a good job, but if your sermons are out of reach of most of the people in your congregation, then ratchet it back a few notches. Don’t be a slob, but don’t be a snob. You are not there to impress people with your clever turns of phrase and rhetorical flourishes. You are not trying to win a debate contest, or a drama contest. You are preaching, and nothing attracts people to church more than good, clear, practical sermons that speak to where people are in their daily lives and experiences. That’s not my idea, that’s what our Lutheran Confessions say. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ Himself is the model preacher in this regard.

(7) Be a speaker, not a reader. I know this is a sore point among many pastors, but if you are reading your sermon manuscript in the pulpit, you are not communicating as effectively and as clearly as you do when you are actually talking to your congregation. A manuscript read in the pulpit is a barrier between the pastor and the congregation. They are hearing you read an essay, not preach a sermon. Notes and outlines? Sure, but a sermon is a sermon, not a written essay. Afraid to “go without a manuscript”? Work to get over it. Practice more. Break the manuscript habit. Leave your manuscript in the sacristy, take a brief outline into the pulpit and go for it. If there is something so profound in your sermon that you are afraid you will forget it in the pulpit, then if you do forget it, it wasn’t worth remembering . You’ll remember to say what you most need and want to say. You’ll learn how. Don’t develop a dependency on the crutch of having a manuscript in the pulpit.

(8) Be a pastor, not an entertainer. I’ve seen way too many pastors working hard to get a chuckle out the congregation, telling insipid little stories that have nothing to do with the point of the text, and trying to amuse, titillate or entertain “the crowd.” And it works. Let’s admit it. It works. You can pull the heartstrings of the little old ladies and cause the men to clear their throats. You can go for the cheap and easy emotional reaction, but our calling is to be pastors, not entertainers, to be preachers, not comedians, to be messengers, not manipulators. I’m saddened when I see pastors going for the cheap laugh. Pastors proclaim Law and Gospel. Pastors point to Christ. If your sermon is talking more about yourself, than about Jesus, then please, don’t preach. Don’t underestimate how much your people come to hear a Word from God, not a word from you, or about your family, or about children, or your dog, or the latest interesting movie you’ve seen, or book you’ve read, or what your professor in seminary said when you were there. When I hear a pastor gushing on about himself in the pulpit I find it hard not to shout out, “Oh, would you please just shut up about yourself and tell me about Jesus?!?” Seriously, I don’t want to hear about your seminary experience. I want to hear about Jesus. I want to hear what the Bible readings are all about, and how they apply to my life and what a difference they make. I want to hear about God, not about you. I want to hear about my sin and about my Savior, not you. No offense, Rev. Pastor, but Church is about Jesus Christ, not about you.

What advice would you have, either as a preacher, or a hearer, for an aspiring preacher?

Yes, you read that correctly. Read the whole story here, here’s a snippet:

As coming out parties go, this was a big one.

As the American Atheists convention here wound down in March, a woman with short dark hair and a dark suit took the stage.

Show Caption Details

Standing under the projection of a large capital “A,” she told the crowd of several hundred that she was a pastor who, for the last several months, had been questioning her beliefs online under the pseudonym “Lynn.”

Then she took a deep breath and said, “My name is Teresa. And I am an atheist.” As the room exploded with cheers, Teresa MacBain wiped away tears.

MacBain, 44, is the latest “graduate” of The Clergy Project, an online support network for pastors who, like her, have lost their faith and found atheism.

The goal of the project is not to pull pastors from the pulpit, but to provide those who have already lost their faith with a safe place to anonymously discuss what comes next. The hope is they will, like MacBain, eventually feel strong enough to put their families, friends and careers on the line and announce their atheism.

That is what my Antinomians, too, are doing today, who are preaching beautifully and (as I cannot but think) with real sincerity about Christ’s grace, about the forgiveness of sin and whatever else can be said about the doctrine of redemption. But they flee as if it were the very devil the consequence that they should tell the people about the third article, of sanctification, that is, of new life in Christ. They think one should not frighten or trouble the people, but rather always preach comfortingly about grace and the forgiveness of sins in Christ, and under no circumstance use these or similar words, “Listen! You want to be a Christian and at the same time remain an adulterer, a whoremonger, a drunken swine, arrogant, covetous, a usurer, envious, vindictive, malicious, etc.!” Instead they say, “Listen! Though you are an adultery, a wordmonger, a miser, or other kind of sinner, if you but believe, you are saved, and you need not fear the law. Christ has fulfilled it all! . . . They may be fine Easter preachers, but they are very poor Pentecost preachers, for they do not preach… “about the sanctification by the Holy Spirit,” but solely about the redemption of Jesus Christ, although Christ (whom they extol so highly, and rightly so) is Christ, that is, He has purchased redemption from sin and death so that the Holy Spirit might transform us out of the old Adam into new men . . . Christ did not earn only gratia, grace, for us, but also donum, “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” so that we might have not only forgiveness of, but also cessation of, sin. Now he who does not abstain fro sin, but persists in his evil life, must have a different Christ, that of the Antinomians; the real Christ is not there, even if all the angels would cry, “Christ! Christ!” He must be damned with this, his new Christ.

(Martin Luther, On the Council and the Church, Luther’s Works, 41:113-114).

Lord of all, You sent Your Son as the Good Shepherd, to seek and to save all lost and wandering sheep. Send Your Son’s voice throughout the world to reach those who have gone astray, including those in prison and those misled by false teaching. Encourage and defend Your missionaries and their families.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Source: LCMS “Let Us Pray”

Scripture Readings

Psalm 36:5-12
Isaiah 30:18-21
Ephesians 2:19-22
John 14:1-14

We Pray

Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

About Philip and James

People frequently confuse Philip the Apostle with Philip the Deacon, whose story is included in the Acts of the Apostles. See Acts 6:1-6; 8:5-40; and Acts 21:7-9 for accounts from his life. This Philip’s commemoration is on 6 June. Philip the Apostle appears in the Synoptic Gospels and in Acts only as a name on the list of the Twelve, but he appears in several incidents in the Gospel according to John.

He was one of the first men Jesus called to be a disciple (John 1:43-44), and promptly brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus as well (v 45). When some Greeks (or Greek-speaking Jews) wished to speak with Jesus, they began by approaching Philip, who took Andrew and went to Jesus. This led Jesus to His declaration, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (12:20-33). At the Last Supper, he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” ( see 14:1-14)”

Before feeding the Five Thousand (John 6:1-15), Jesus turned to Philip and asked Him, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”

Some scholars think it might be significant that Jesus asked Philip rather than one of the others. Luke 9:10 says that the Feeding of the Five Thousand took place near Bethsaida, and John 1:44 shows Philip coming from Bethsaida. If they were in Philip’s home area, it would seem natural to ask him for directions. (As an aside, we note that Peter and Andrew also came from Bethsaida, but appear to have moved to Capernaum.)

James the son of Alphaeus (sometimes spelled “Alpheus”) appears on lists of the Twelve Apostles, usually in the ninth place, but is never mentioned otherwise. He is called James the Less, or James Minor, or James the Younger. (See Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) Thus, we know nothing of him from the New Testament except that he was one of Jesus’ original disciples and one of the Apostles. However, because of other Jameses being mentioned in the New Testament, we get the impression that he is everywhere. This isn’t because of James the Less, but because he shared his name with several others — after all, it was one of the most common names among the Jews.

Why was James such a popular name in Israel? It was the given name of the original Israel: The English James is a variant of the name Jacob. While we may think of them as unrelated, the distinction grew after Bible times. In Hebrew, the name is Ya’akov. In Greek, it is Iakobos. In Latin, two forms developed, Jacobus and Jacomus. The former gives us the English Jacob and the Spanish Diego and Iago. The latter grew into the English James, the Scottish Hamish, the Spanish Jaime, and so on.

That ends what we hear of Saints Philip and James in the New Testament and we don’t get much additional help from extrabiblical tradition. One story says that Philip preached in Phrygia and died in Hierapolis, and that his remains were brought to Rome and buried in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, where an ancient inscription indicates that this church was formerly dedicated to Philip and James.

Source: Aardvark Alley.