Palm Sundays

Hymns for August 10, 2008

2008-08-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

What a Friend we have in Jesus LBW 439

Evening and Morning LBW 465

How Firm a Foundation LBW 507

I Know that My Redeemer Lives LBW 352

About Time is it!

2008-08-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Rules Grammar Change

The Plusses and Minuses of Summer Confirmation

2008-08-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Pastor Norman Hanan strongly recommended doing confirmation classes across the summer, rather than through the school year. He cited increasing difficulty getting regular attendance because of sports practices and other extra-curricular events. It used to be that Wednesday night was "Church night" in most communities. This is no longer the case. In Eden Valley, there were still no evening practices or games on Wednesday nights, but there were on Wednesday afternoons. In years past teachers knew that children would be going to confirmation classes that night so they would not assign homework. Now it is often the case that children go from school to practice, eat a quick (often convenience food) supper and then come to confirmation. One and a half hours later they go home and still have a couple hours of homework to do.

Pr. Hanan's suggestion was to dodge the whole Wednesday night mess of children that are either tired or wired on caffeine and instead get them for the best hours of the day -- morning hours. He did this by having confirmation through the summer.

When we re-launched confirmation here at Concordia we made a few changes. As we had a lot of children in the 10+ age group, we decided to start confirmation classes at 10 (before too much teenage cynicism takes over) We also moved confirmation to a month of summer. We have classes 4 days a week for 4 weeks from 9:30 to noon. A little multiplication shows it to be the same number of contact hours as if I were meeting through the school year.

We begin by praying Matins, two hymns and the catechism (16 sessions * 3 years = 48 recitations) This is enough for many children to have the six chief parts learned by heart in only 3-4 weeks with no outside studying. Even those who miss sessions and are not diligent in the task still readily absorb the material. This saves me from the chore and drudgery of daily quizzes.

About 2/3 way through the morning we take a break for a snack. While the catechumens are snacking we watch 15-20 minutes of a supplemental video. We have used the "What's so Amazing about Grace" video curriculum by Phillip Yancy. We have also used videos about creation and evolution, the BBC video of C. S. Lewis' "The Silver Chair" and others.

If we have time at the end of a session we close with a hymn or the litany.

Each catechumen goes through 3 years of instruction.

Now the downside:

I miss having the weekly contact time with the students. It was helpful for me to know what was going on in their lives. The weekly contact (and required sermon notes) also helped keep their church attendance up better than summer catechesis, but I think I have the opportunity to build even stronger relationships in this "summer intensive" than spread out over the year. This drawback can be compensated for by having active youth group Bible Studies or retreats.

Pr. Kurt Onken, I hear, is trying summer catechesis this year and enjoying it.

Soon I will be posting the guide to our upcoming confirmation questioning.

Hymns for 3 August 2008

2008-07-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Feed Your Children, God Most Holy TLH 659

Lord Jesus Christ, Life-Giving Bread TLH 312

O Lord, We Praise Thee TLH 313

O Living Bread from Heaven TLH 316

Praise the Almighty TLH 26

Hymns for 27 July 2008

2008-07-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Church’s One Foundation TLH 473

Jesus, Priceless Treasure TLH 347

(LWML Ingathering Hymn)

How shall they hear who have not heard LSB 831 (tune: Angelus)

A Mighty Fortress TLH 262

Tablet ignites debate on messiah and resurrection

2008-07-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't dismiss this newest flavor of "junk about Jesus," here are a couple good discussions about the stone tablet pre-dating Jesus that (gasp!) may (or may not) predict a messiah that dies and rises in three days.

Only the secular media could believe that this could "Shake the foundations of Christianity."

Sense of Events: Jesus' resurrection rebutted! Let the pile-on begin!

Hymns for July 20

2008-07-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

O Holy Spirit, Enter In LBW 549

Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word LBW230

The Infant Priest HS (Rockingham Old)

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence LBW198

Crown Him with many crowns LBW 170

Having Issues, etc. back

2008-07-10T12:27:00.001-07:00

... is like sitting down for coffee with old friends for a brilliant, stimulating conversation about theology.

Especially when the guest is an old friend.

I recommend listening to the conversation with Dr. Carl Fickenscher.

I also recommend subscribing to the podcast via iTunes or whatever other means you use.

Hymns for Sunday, July 13, 2008

2008-07-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

LBW 250 Open now Thy Gates of Beauty

LBW 233 Thy Strong Word (Hymn of Praise)

LBW 234 Almighty God Your Word is Cast

LBW 261 On What has Now been Sown

Revelation 7

2008-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Bible Class Podcast

Topic: the worship of the Church Triumphant around the throne of the Lamb.

Click here to listen.

Sermon Podcast

2008-07-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

July 13, 2008

Topic: True comfort can only be found in Christ who takes our yoke on Himself.

Click here to listen.

Hymns for July 6, 2008

2008-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

TLH 281 The Savior Calls; Let Every Ear

TLH 429 Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)

TLH 577 God Bless Our Native Land

TLH 651 Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side (LSB 752)

TLH 306 Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast Prepared

LBW 332 Battle Hymn of the Republic

144,000

2008-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Bible Study Podcast

Sermon Podcast June 29, 2008

2008-07-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

A rare sermon for me -- one with a reasonably good sermon illustration:

The topic is Being killed by the law, buried in baptism, to rise in Christ.

Addressed along the way: why self-help and sanctification cannot help those who have not first been justified.

Paredwka: Dropping the Ball: Take, eat; this is a Goldfish™

2008-06-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

This courtesy of Rev. Benjamin Harju:

Paredwka: Dropping the Ball: Take, eat; this is a Goldfish™

I believe the right word is flabbergasted.

I thought the apocryphal stories about communion being done with Coke and crackers was bad.

Apparently, there is a "Lutheran" congregation who is distributing goldfish crackers to children during the Lord's Supper.

Hymns for June 29, 2008

2008-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear TLH 5

Come unto Me, Ye Weary TLH 276

The Tree of Life HS98 873

If God Himself Be for Me TLH 528

Eternal Father, strong to save LBW 467

Pew Servey: 21% of Atheists belive in God

2008-06-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is astounding:

I do have some possible explainations for this astounding inconsistency.

Either:

1. Simple proof that people taking surveys:
a. are not listening
b. do not care
c. are just trying to mess with the survey

-or-

2. Atheism is such an obviously contradictory belief system
and so clearly opposed to the evidence all around us in creation
and so logically untenable
that even those who claim to be Atheists do not really believe it.

Or in other words -- if Atheism were so obviously true, why are Atheists so argumentative and belligerent to us "poor, ignorant, religious folk."

Synod President Apologizes for Condemnation of Signers of "That They Might be One

2008-06-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Finally, a step in the right direction:

In a statement dated June 6, 2008 President Kieschnick has offered an apology for calling those who signed “That They May Be One” (TTMBO) “divisive and schismatic” in a May 30, 2003 memo. TTMBO was signed by over 600 members of synod and over 1100 lay people from member congregations. TTMBO was written by members of the Northern Illinois Confessional Lutherans (NICL) in response to the participation of a district president in a joint worship service that included many non-Christians.

The members of NICL had been repeatedly requesting a meeting with President Kieschnick for almost five years before one was finally arranged by the new district president Rev. Dan Gilbert. In the meeting President Kieschnick offered his apology for his offensive statement and also apologized for taking almost five years to agree to a meeting. Part of the joint statement offered from the meeting says:

"Upon this realization, along with hearing the assurances of the NICL pastors that their document was meant only for discussion and not for an expression of and requirement for fellowship, President Kieschnick expressed his regret that he did not meet or talk personally with the authors of the document prior to his May 30, 2003 memo. He also noted that doing so could possibly have spared everyone a lot of grief. Then he said simply, "I apologize for that." Immediately one of the NICL pastors replied, "We appreciate that, and we forgive you," and the other NICL pastors expressed their agreement with this statement of forgiveness."

Unfortunately, the 5 year delay of this meeting has allowed much division and animosity to increase that could have been avoided. For example, Jesus First actively campaigned against candidates for office in the synod who signed TTMBO, also saying that they were "divisive and schismatic." Furthermore, some district presidents pursued disciplinary action against signers. Hopefully this statement and apology from the President of the LCMS will begin a healing process that can be followed by others who were hurt by such words and actions.

My hope is that this will begin a broader healing process in our synod. The Missouri Synod grew and prospered by open discussions of theology and practice, even when no agreement was reached in those discussions. Face to face meetings, however, are part of that healing process. Since "That They Might be One" was written to begin this process, perhaps, with the synod President's apology and good example, the discussion can finally begin.

The Case for a Creator

2008-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Lee Strobel's book, The Case for a Creator, lays out the main arguments against and for the world and universe being created and designed. Recently, this book has led to a video production.

ACU has posted this work as a podcast, available for free! I highly recommend it. Download it and load it onto your mp3 player -- or more importantly, your children's iPods.

It is also available for viewing on YouTube.

Hymns for 22 June 2008 (Proper 7)

2008-06-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

5^th Sunday after Pentecost

LBW 104 In the Cross of Christ I Glory

LBW 539 Praise the Almighty

LBW 366 Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)

LBW 474 Children of the Heavenly Father (HS 888)

Sermon Podcast June 8, 2008

2008-06-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

The call of Matthew.

Jesus desires mercy not sacrifice.

How the Pharisees reject mercy.

How we receive mercy of Christ

Oprah's declares, "We are God"

2008-06-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Oprah's creepy religion takes another spin for the worse: now she blasphemes by saying that "We are God." This is called pantheism. It is contradictory to every premise of the Bible. Just like the bumpersticker says, "I know two things. There is a God. You are not Him."

Ironically, this is really a way of denying that God exists at all. If everyone is God, then God is nothing meaningful or special. It is sort of like saying that a park belongs to everyone. If that is true, who owns the park? No one, because no one can say I own the park. If everyone is God that who is God? No one, because no one can say I, the Lord, am God.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Another Missionary Pulled from the field

2008-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of LCMS Missionary Rev. James May baptizing a child for Pentecost:
Rev. May is a missionary to Burkina Faso and Togo, West Africa. (Note in the picture, the young man (semniarian?) is wearing an Old Lutheran T-Shirt.)

Unforutnately, Rev. May writes in his newsletter:

Last Newsletter

I regret to inform you that due to programmatic and business decisions, World Mission has decided to cease employing me as a missionary in West Africa. This decision came as a shock to me and my family as it may also be a surprise to you.

World Mission has been pressuring me to move on and inform you as soon as possible. One reason is that I would be without a paycheck and insurance soon after we have a baby due in July. We hope that by the grace of God we could have another call in place when my salary and benefits terminate at the end of August 2008.

The decision leaves three newly planted churches in Burkina Faso without a theologically trained leader and also the Lutheran Church of Togo without a missionary which they had been awaiting for six years. Please keep all these people involved in your prayers.

chaz-lehmann.livejournal.com notes:

LCMS World Mission policy states that missionaries need to raise 120k per year to support themselves. This missionary has raised 248k in the past 21 months. That's 8k more than necessary in 3 months less time.

The missionary notes that it doesn't even cost 120k to cover his costs in the field.

I have no answer for that, but I agree with Mollie's assessment:

We don’t have money problems. We have priority problems.

Hymns for June 8, 2008

2008-06-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

the 4th Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 5)

LBW 291 Jesus Sinners Will Receive

LBW 536 O God of God, O Light of Light (Hymn of Praise)

LBW 304 Today Your Mercy Calls Us (Sermon Hymn)

LBW 490 Let Me Be Yours Forever

Issues Etc. Resurrected

2008-06-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Rev. Onken:

Looks like Issues, Etc. is on its way back! I just received an email with a link to "Pirate Christian Radio" with an audio soundbite of Todd Wilken announcing the "resurrection" of Issues, Etc. Our congregation will continue to support this radio/internet outreach. If you wish to support it financially, go to this link and send your donation to "Lutheran Public Radio" at the address indicated.

I've already made a donation -- why don't you?