St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Hymn Writer and Theologian

Today the Christian Church gives thanks for our brother, Bernard of Clairvaux, who beautified the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with wonderful hymns such as this:


From our Synod's Website:
Bernard of Clairvaux, Hymnwriter and Theologian
A leader in Christian Europe in the first half of the 11th century A.D., Bernard is honored in his native France and around the world. Born into a noble family in Burgundy in 1090, Bernard left the affluence of his heritage and entered the monastery of Citeaux at the age of 22. After two years he was sent to start a new monastic house at Clairvaux. His work there was blessed in many ways. The monastery at Clairvaux grew in mission and service, eventually establishing some 68 daughter houses. Bernard is remembered for his charity and political abilities, but especially for his preaching and hymn composition. The hymn texts “O Jesus, King Most Wonderful” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” are part of the heritage of the faith left by Saint Bernard.


And from Issues, etc. :

Johann Gerhard on Prayer

Today the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod commemorates Johann Gerhard. If you have never experienced the beauty and depth of the truly Evangelical piety of our dear Gerhard, you must check out Meditations of Divine Mercy, translated by Rev. Matthew Harrison.

Gerhard has some of the most moving and beautiful words I have ever read about prayer:

Pious prayer offered in faith is familiar conversation with God. It is the salutary remedy to all the difficulties of life. It is the key to heaven and the door to paradise. It shows us how much we depend on God. It is a shield for our defense and a faithful messenger of the ambassador. It is refreshment in the heat of misfortune; it is medicine during illness. It is a winch, drawing us to heaven, and a vessel that draws water from the font of divine kindness. It is a sword against the devil and a defense against misfortune. It is a wind that blows away evil and brings earthly benefits. It is a nurse that nurtures virtue and gives free access to God. It is a spiritual feast and a heavenly delicacy. It is a consolation for the dejected and a delight for the holy. It
grants knowledge of the secret things of God and acquires His gifts. It upholds
the world and rescues people. It is a joy for the heart and a jubilation for the
mind. It follows God's gift of grace, and it leads ahead into glory. It is a
garden of happiness and a tree full of delights. It calms the conscience and
increases thankfulness. It sends demons running and draws angels close. It is a
soothing remedy for the misfortunes of this life and the sweet smell of the
sacrifice of thanksgiving. It is a foretaste of the life to come and sweetens
the bitterness of death.

You can imagine the beauty, poetry, depth of piety and faithfulness of the
prayers the rest of this little gem of a prayer book contains!

From our Synod's Website:

Johann Gerhard (1582–1637) was a great Lutheran theologian in the tradition of Martin Luther (1483–1546) and Martin Chemnitz (1522–86) and the most influential of the 17th-century dogmaticians. His monumental Loci Theologici (23 large volumes) is still considered by many to be a definitive statement of Lutheran orthodoxy. Gerhard was born in Quedlinburg, Germany. At the age of 15 he was stricken with a life-threatening illness. This experience, along with guidance from his pastor, Johann Arndt, marked a turning point in his life. He devoted the rest of his life to theology. He became a professor at the University of Jena and served many years as the Superintendent of Heldberg. Gerhard was a man of deep evangelical piety and love for Jesus. He wrote numerous books on exegesis, theology, devotional literature, history, and polemics. His sermons continue to be widely published and read.

And from Issues, etc. :

St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Today the church catholic gives thanks for the life, service, and faithful martyrdom of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.

From Foxe's Book of Martyrs*:

Now let us enter the story of that most constant and courageous martyr of
Christ, St. Lawrence, whose words and works deserve to be as fresh and green in
Christian hearts, as is the flourishing laurel-tree...Let us draw near to the
fire of martyred Lawrence, that our cold hearts may be warmed thereby. The
merciless tyrant, understanding him to be not only a minister of the sacraments,
but a distributor also of the Church riches, promised to himself a double
prey,by the apprehension of one soul.... With furious face and cruel
countenance, the greedy wolf demanded where this Lawrence had bestowed the
substance of the Church: who, craving three day's respite, promised to declare
where the treasure might be had. In the meantime, he caused a good number of
poor Christians to be congregated. So, when the day of his answer was come, the
persecutor strictly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Lawrence,
stretching out his arms over the poor, said: "These are the precious treasure of
the church; these are the treasure indeed, in whom the faith of Christ reigneth,
in whom Jesus Christ hath His mansion-place. What more precious jewels can
Christ have, than those in whom He hath promised to dwell? For so it is written,
'I was hungry and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink; I
was harbourless and ye lodged me.' And again; 'Look, what ye have done to the
least of these, the same have ye done to me.' What greater riches can Christ our
Master possess, than the poor people, in whom He loveth to be seen?"

And from the Missouri Synod's website:

Laurence, Deacon and Martyr

Early in the third century A.D., Laurence, most likely born in Spain, made his way to Rome. There he was appointed chief of the seven deacons and was given the responsibility to manage church property and finances. The emperor at the time, who thought that the church had valuable things worth confiscating, ordered Laurence to produce the “treasures of the church.” Laurence brought before the emperor the poor whose lives had been touched by Christian charity. He was then jailed and eventually executed in the year 258 by being roasted on a gridiron. His martyrdom left a deep impression on the young church. Almost immediately, the date of His death, August 10, became a permanent fixture on the early commemorative calendar of the Church.

From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

Almighty God, You called Lawrence to be a deacon in Your Church to serve Your saints with deeds of love, and you gave him the crown of martyrdom. Give us the same charity of heart that we may fulfill Your love by defending and supporting the poor, that by loving them we may love You with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

*edited by W. Grinton Berry, reprinted by Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House Company, Spire edition published 1998.

His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways

In preparation for this Sunday's sermon (Pentecost 19/St. Matthew), I found these words from Bo Giertz especially powerful and important. I'm sure St. Matthew, tax-collector and sinner, would have been brought to near tears when he first heard his blessed Lord tell the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. What comfort he must have always found in that teaching.

By nature we are all Pharisees. That is, we tend to be legalistic
self-righteous snobs. We know when we shine brightly, and we like to
remember our shining moments. We think people ought to recognize us for
these shining moments and are offended if they don't. We think it's unfair
if others, who have done much less, are given preference over us. And
since God is to be the final judge, we feel that He, if anyone, should judge us
fairly, according to our merits and skillfulness.

But God doesn't do that. For our sakes, it's good that He doesn't do
that. If He did, judgment wouldn't be in our favor at all.

Bo Giertz, To Live with Christ, CPH, 2008.
From Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1-16.

The Grammar of Devotional Living

I have the great opportunity to teach three classes at West Michigan Lutheran High School in Kentwood. The class is on the Lutheran Confessions, but, since I am just "subbing" I was told I could teach on whatever topic I wanted to. Lutheran Devotional living is a very near and dear topic to me. I have found such great comfort in truly Lutheran devotional living, that is, centered around the good gifts of Word and Sacrament and focused on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow I am going to introduce the kids to the idea that the Liturgy serves as a grammar for devotional living and the language of devotion. I remember when I was their age I could not for the life of me understand why the liturgy was so important, but, through my own study, I have come to value it as the grammatical framework for how we interact and speak to God. The Liturgy teaches us how to pray using God's own Word. It teaches us to deny ourselves and take up the cross. It teaches us to set our minds on things above and to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Like any grammatical system, the Liturgy is not something you can look at once and learn. It takes time and effort, but it is well worth it. In addition to teaching us the framework of worship and prayer, it has the unique characteristic of all languages in that it binds all the people who speak it. Our historic Liturgies give us that linguistic connection with all the other saints who have learned to speak this biblical language. So, when we say we in the Eucharistic liturgy that we say with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven the Sanctus, we are truly in holy conversation with the invisible and eternal Church; and the Liturgy is the grammar of the Church's language.

To me, these ideas are all very new, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of them. I pray that all my readers and especially all Lutherans, would strive to learn this beautiful heavenly language of the Liturgy, that we may always speak with the Holy Church through all ages.

More Than We Can Imagine*

Paul is absolutely correct when he says that God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). In contrast, our prayers tend to be weak and insignificant. Joseph didn't dare ask for what he finally received. His heart was like a bruised reed and a smolderding wick. His groaning was like smoke that rises straight to heaven. His heart was a real incencse burner! The sweet aroma that comes from a humble, groaning heart pleases God. Though Joseph may have felt like he was dying, his groaning didn't cause any real harm.

Hang on. God will remain faithful. Don't despair. Cling to the truth the psalmist proclaims: "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). The Lord won't extinguish a smoldering wick but instead will make it glow brightly. He won't break the bruised reed but instead will strengthen it (Isaiah 42:3).

God wants to give us more than we ask for, not just fulfill our weak prayers. Joseph asked for nothing more than to be rescued, released from prison, and returned to his father. God in heaven let him pray for a long time. In effect, God was saying, "You don't know what you are asking [Matthew 20:22]. I will give you more than all you ask or imagine [Ephesians 3:20]. That's why you have to wait a little longer. I want more of the smoke that rises straight to heaven." But later, Joseph received what he never could have imagined. He never would have had the confidence or courage to ask for it. We must recognize that God's wisdom, grace, mercy, and power are most certainly with us, as they were with Joseph. However, God usually doesn't give them to us in the way we ask for them.

*Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional, Martin Luther, Gen. Ed. James C. Galvin

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, copyright 2005

St. James the Elder

This coming Sunday, the Good Shepherd saints will give thanks for the faithfulness of one of the Sons of Thunder, St. James the Elder. You remember James, in one gospel we see his mother asking for her sons glory in the coming kingdom, in another gospel we see James and John asking for glory in the coming kingdom. Again, we see these sons of Zebedee seeking glory rather than suffering when they ask to call down punishment on the inhabitants of Samaria.

In the midst of all this glory seeking we are interupted by the epistle from Romans 8:28-39.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And then, as so often happens, I am reading along for fun, not even thinking about sermon preparation, and God hands me a jewel to adorn His Gospel. This quote from The Hammer of God we see the beauty of the theology of the cross:

“You see, atonement comes only through suffering. Through suffering our Savior opened the gates of Heaven, through suffering his apostles carried the Gospel out in the world--rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer. It is a great favor to bear testimony to Christ by suffering in His fellowship. I believe Scripture calls it bearing in the body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Usually we suffer only for our own sins. But sometimes we are given the favor of suffering for the sins of others. That is part of the mystery of the Atonement: when one is joined to Christ, one is given the task of lifting a portion from a certain sinner and suffering in his stead, so that he does not have to carry alone all the bitterness of his deeds.”
The Hammer of God, pg. 312

Another Fairy Tale

St. Paul tells us in I Thessalonians5:17 to "pray without ceasing."
Perhaps this fairy tale from the Grimm Brothers collection can shed some light on why we should do that.

The Fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese, on which he smiled and said, "I come at the nick of time, you are sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one afte the other." The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail and beg piteously for their lives. But the Fox would listen to nothing, and said, "There is no mercy to be had! You must die."

At length one of them took heart and said, "If we poor geese are to yield up our vigorous young lives, show us the only possible favor and allow us one more prayer, that we may not die in our sins, and then we will place ourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself the fattest." "Yes," said the Fox, "that is a reasonable, and a pious request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done." Then the first began a good long prayer, forever saying, "Ga! Ga!" and as she would make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began also, "Ga! Ga!" The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were all cackling together.

When they have done praying, the story shall be continued further, but at present they are still praying, and they show no sign of stopping.

The Crumbs on the Table*

A countryman one day said to his little puppies, "Come into the parlor and enjoy yourselves, and pick up the bread-crumbs on the table; your mistress has gone out to pay some visits." Then the little dogs said, "No, no, we will not go. If the mistress gets to know it, she will beat us." The countryman said, "She will know nothing about it. Do come; after all, she never gives you anything good." Then the little dogs again said, "Nay, nay, we must let it alone, we must not go." But the countryman let them have no peace until at last they went, and got on the table, and ate up the bread-crumbs with all their might. But at that very moment the mistress came, and seized the stick in great haste, and beat them and treated them very badly. And when they were outside the house, the little dogs said to the countryman, "Do, do, do, do, do you see what happened?" Then the countryman laughed and said, "Didn't, didn't, didn't you expect it?" So they just had to run away.

Now, the way I understand this fairy-tale in regards to the Christian faith is that the countryman is Satan, the deceiver and accuser. The pups are Christians who struggle against the flesh. The mistress is the Law that demands perfection. The devil comes to us and tries to get us to do what we know to be wrong. When we don't listen, he doesn't simply leave us alone, but tries to assure us that we won't get caught in our transgressions. When our mistress, the Law, sees what we have done, she beats us very badly. We may try to push our blame off on Satan, but he only mocks us.

What is missing in this story is Christ. Christians may well become dismayed when presented with the devil's schemes and temptations, and, when presented with the sterness of the Law, some are tempted to run away. But for us who know Christ, we know that in all things and in all circumstances we can turn to Him for mercy, we can turn to Him to silence the deceitful "countryman."

*Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Fairy Tales, Ann Arbor Media Group, pgs. 129-30

The First and Primary Cause

When a field has brought good, rich crops to perfect maturity, no one would logically say that the farmer made those fruits. Everyone would acknowledge that the crops had been produced by God. In the same way, our own perfection isn't brought about by inactivity and idleness, but by some activity on our part. Yet we aren't credited with its perfection. God is. He is the first and primary cause of the work. Take, for example, a ship that has overcome the dangers of the sea through hard working sailors, the aid of navigation, a pilot's zeal and carefulness, favorable breezes, and the careful observation of the signs of the stars. No one in his right mind would attribute the vessel's safety to anything else than the mercy of God when, after being tossed by the waves, and wearied by the billows, it has at last reached the harbor. Not even any of the sailors or the pilot would venture to say, "I have saved the ship," but would refer entirely to the mercy of God. This isn't because these men feel that they haven't contributed skill or labor to save the ship, but the vessel's safety was entrusted by God. Similarly, in the race of life, we must work diligently and passionately.
(From Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers, pg 175- Origen, First Principles 3.1)

The Dissidence of Life's Harmony

From the American Edition of Luther's Works, vol. 6, pg. 92, editied in Faith Alone by James C. Galvin.

People who are unfamiliar with the principles of musical harmony have trouble appreciating how the various sounds produced by an organ or harp can result in such beautiful music. In this life, we hear the sounds, not the symphony. It appears to us that God is asleep and the devil is wide-awake and ruling everything. Human reason concludes that neither God nor people are in control of the world, but that everything on earth happens by chance. Human wisdom can't comprehend the infinite, heavenly truth that God is in charge and allows many more things in this world to succeed than fail. God's kindness is more widespread that the devil's cruelty. But human reason makes us uncertain because we experience so much disorder and injustice. We feel uncertain because we don't see by the same light the angels do. We can't understand how right and wrong, life and death, light and darkness all harmonize.

Our Hidden Lives

This morning in Men's Bible Study we were talking about looking to the cross for all good things. There are trials and tribulations in our lives, and while I will not presume to know the mind of God or His reasoning, one of the blessings of trials and tribulations for Christians is that it can point us back to our sufficiency in Christ.

This afternoon while reading Luther, I came across this very beautiful description of our hidden lives. While we are redeemed and share presently in the glory of our resurrected and ascended Lord, that reality is often hidden.

Luther says: But faith must close its eyes and refuse to pass judgment on what it sees or feels in the world. You won't become aware of eternal life until Christ raises you from the dead. Meanwhile, your eternal life is hidden in death. It's covered up and out of sight. But you have forgiveness. If you feel the weight of sin crushing you, you can still say, "My sins are forgiven." When your sins hunt you down, bite at you, and terrify you, you can look to Christ, put your feeble faith in Him, and hold on tightly.*

It seems at times that telling people to just look to Christ isn't enough. Our sinful nature wants to take the reigns from God. That is where so many church bodies and pastors get into trouble. When you get to a point where Christ's sacrificial and atoning death, His justifying resurrection and glorious ascension and mediation are no longer enough you may as well hand your soul to the devil. Faith closes its eyes to everything but Christ and Him crucified. There we have our sufficiency.

*Luther's Works AE 23:74

Why is Creation important?

In my morning devotion I read from Walther in CPH's God Grant It.
This morning I was struck by this beautiful and pregnant line about the reason for Creation:

God did not need creatures. He is an ocean of eternal love that overflowed in the creation of countless beings to whom He revealed His love and with whom He shared His goodness.*

Wow! That is awesome! Our existence is not then some cosmic accident (which I never would buy) but an overflowing of God's eternal love. That love's source is the ultimately in the cross of Jesus Christ, where the life-giving blood of the lamb was poured out for us.

Now, this is a great thought to start out my day!

O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise!

A fitting prayer

From my evening devotional from Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers, Hilary of Poitiers* has the fitting prayer for the Pastor and his flock:

O Lord God Almighty, I know that I owe You the devotion of all my words and thoughts as my main duty. The greatest reward of speech You have given me is the opportunity to serve by preaching You and displaying You as You are to a blind and rebellious world. For You are our Father and Father of God the Only-begotten Son. But I am only expressing my own desires. I must also pray for Your help and compassion. Then Your Spirit's breath will fill the sails of faith and confession which I have spread out, and a favorable wind will move me forward on my voyage of instruction. We can trust the promise of Christ who said, "Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you." In whatever we lack, we will pray for the things we need. We will be untiring and energetic as we study Your prophets and apostles. We will knock to enter every gate of hidden knowledge. But You are the One who answers these prayers, who gives us the things we seek, who opens the door we beat on.

Amen and Amen.

* Hilary of Poitiers (c. 315-367) is best known for his stands against the Arian sect in his two treatises, On the Trinity and On the Synods. His early years were devoted to the study of pagan philosophy and rhetoric before he was converted to the Christian faith. Around 350, he was appointed as bishop of Poitiers despite having a wife. His six years as bishop were spent refuting the Arians and upholding the teachings of Athanasius. Under the emperor Constantius he was banished to Phyrgia in Asia Minor, where he composed his treatises. Hilary returned to Poitiers and spent the rest of his life defending the Christian faith from heretical teachings. The passage in this blog post is from On the Trinity 1.37, from Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers, pg.169 & 374.

Wisdom: Equalizer of Men

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.
-Proverbs 22:1-2

Wealth and faith have always had a rocky relationship. For years the Church has proudly touted the cause of poverty. For many it was and is a means through which they could live out their faith. Self-inflicted poverty has become a way some have tried to earn their salvation. In more recent years, the heresy has arisen that if your faith is strong enough, you will be blessed with temporal health and wealth. Both of these ways have lead to a denial of the Gospel and have driven many to despair their salvation.

But this Proverb presents both ways. A good reputation, righteous living, and favor with God is more valuable than any riches. However, both the rich and the poor are made by God. And from God comes all good things.

True Wisdom is found in the balance of all things in Christ. If your wealth takes your eyes off of His atoning sacrifice, forsake it! If your poverty turns you from the comfort He has given, it is evil. If your wealth is recognized as one of God’s good gifts and is used for His glory and in thanksgiving it is a blessing. If your poverty is seen as a builder of faith and cheerfully borne as your cross, then it is a beautiful witness to the world.

In the end, both riches and poverty neither avail nor curse. It is God who is the Maker of all things. If you put your trust in the free gift of salvation won through the cross of Jesus Christ, you are blessed indeed.

+ + +
Wealth and poverty, blessing and bane, all things are given by You in Your divine Wisdom, Good Father. Giver of faith, work in us that faith which blesses You in all things, for we know that in all things You, who love us and sent Your Son to die for us, have promised to work for our good. Forgive us our faithlessness when we come across difficult times. Forgive us our forgetfulness when we encounter Your temporal blessings. Fill us with the joy of Your eternal blessings in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end.
Amen.
+ + +

Wisdom: From the LORD

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.
-Proverbs 21:30

From where does wisdom come? The Lord. From where does understanding come? The Lord. From where does counsel come? The Lord.
There are certainly false forms of seeming wisdom, there are faulty and incomplete understandings, there are bad counsels. These we often think of as true wisdom. But that true Wisdom only comes from the Lord.

A good indicator of whether wisdom, understanding or counsel are true and good is to see what side it is on. If it is against the Lord, it is sheer foolishness. If it is for the Lord, it is truly wise.

Seek out true Wisdom. Receive right Understanding. Find good Counsel. It is in the Lord and given freely in Christ Jesus.

+ + +
Psalm 16
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Amen.
+ + +

Wisdom: Pure Hearts

Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"?
-Proverbs 20:9

The key to this Proverb is the subject of the verb. I cannot say that I have made my heart pure. If the responsibility is mine, then I will never be clean from my sin. But we can see in this Proverb a flip side. It’s like a rhetorical question, asked not to receive and answer, but to make the hearer think.

Who truly can say “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? If it is not me or you, is there anyone who can say this? Is there even one who is pure and sinless?

Yes, there is One who was without sin, One whose heart was pure. This One is Jesus Christ. We see in this Proverb a tension in question form: If I cannot say that I have made my heart pure, who can? If my heart is not pure, can I ever be clean from my sin?

We go back to the subject of the verb again. If you say that you have made your heart pure, then you deceive yourself and the truth is not in you. You will never be clean from your sin. If you cry out to the One who hears, if you seek your purity in and from Him, then you will be clean from all your sins.

And why is that? Why should Christ, who is holy and sinless turn to us and cleanse us from our sins? Because He loves us. God loves us and that is the sole reason that He sent His Son. It is “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21

+ + +
Psalm 51:1-15

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Amen.
+ + +

More from Walther on the Ascension

"What a glorious work, rich in comfort and joy, is Christ's ascension for all who believe in Him! It turned everything that had previously bound our soul into our prisoner. By our nature, we are all prisoners and servants of sin so we must do what sin wants. But by Christ's ascension, sin is now our prisoner and it must do what we want. It can still tempt us, but even this must turn out for the best for us. For if there were no longer any temptations to sin, our faith would soon grow cold, prayer would become lukewarm, and the Word would be considered and studied lazily. Sin must serve to double our zeal against it and to grasp Christ and His grace all the more firmly so it may be said even of sin, 'For those who love God all things work together for good'"(Romans 8:28).

Wisdom: The Buck Stops Here

When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.
-Proverbs 19:3

We like to pass the buck, to lay the blame on others, to find a scapegoat. Ultimately, we will lay the blame at God’s feet. If He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, then certainly He could have kept us from ruin. He could have done something and didn’t, so our sinful hearts say our self-inflicted ruin is not our fault, but His. This attitude is as old as our first parents, Adam and Eve.

The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."
Genesis 3:12

See where the blame is placed, everywhere but where is belongs. And think about your own life. When bad things happen because of our own folly and sinfulness, who do we seek out to blame? It is against the LORD, the most Holy and perfect One, Maker of heaven and earth that we in our foolishness rage against.

We all do stupid and foolish things. Often times those things we do in folly bring about harsh and devastating consequences. And the whole time God is there. He is not there ruining us. He is there with His good gifts: forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. He has set His King on Zion, on the holy hill. No matter how our hearts rage against Him, no matter how unfairly we blame Him, He still is there, the same yesterday, today and forever. Those who take refuge in His Wisdom that is Christ are blessed.

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Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill."
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Amen.
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Wisdom: The Body of Believers

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.
- Proverbs 18:1

Who doesn’t like a little alone time? Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, to have some peace and quiet. It’s important to take some time alone with your own thoughts. But can this good gift of solitary silence be misused? Can it become a dangerous idol that tears us away from the One True God?

In our culture and society there has always been a romantic view of the solitary figure. Americans like to think of themselves as self-sufficient islands anchored to the ever changing and developing surrounding culture. This attitude is especially true in Christianity.

You’ve heard the excuse, and maybe have even used it yourself. “I am closer to God when I’m out on my fishing boat.” “I’m closer to God when I’m working in my garden.” These are just a couple of a thousand different excuses that basically say the same thing: It’s just me and Jesus!

This same excuse is also used when people come up against the Biblical teaching of closed communion. The outrage is evident in people’s arguments. “How dare you tell me I can’t commune! This is something that is between me and Jesus!”

But, does Wisdom support that individual idealism? Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire…This is not rugged individualism but rather self-indulgent immaturity. This attitude flies in the face of the communion of saints. This attitude tears apart the body of Christ found in His Church. This attitude breaks out against all sound judgment.

Why is it wise to be in communion and fellowship with other believers? And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

There are certainly times in which solitary meditation on the Word of God and in prayer are helpful. However, our faith is NOT a private, individual matter. If we isolate ourselves from the Body of Believers we will soon perish. If we isolate ourselves from the congregation and the pastor, we will soon find ourselves swept away in the current of the self-centered, individualistic waters of destruction.

We who have been baptized in the waters in the name of the Holy Trinity have been gathered together by the Holy Spirit. It is in that gathering that we are strengthened with the Word and Sacraments, which assures us above and beyond what we can ever know on our own. That is, that we are forgiven of all of our sins in and through Jesus Christ.

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I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true.*
Amen.
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*Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959).

The book of concord :

The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran church

(The Small Catechism: II, 6).

Philadelphia: Fortress Press.