Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed

Can You Remember Life Before .Com? The 25th Anniversary of the First .Com Domain Name Registration

Paul T. McCain — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:54:28 PDT

Twenty-five years ago the first .com Internet domain name was registered. Read the story here. How has our world changed as a result of the Internet? The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s all there/here/out there/on our computers for us to read, interact with, react to, live with, struggle with, enjoy, reject, be delighted with, be repulsed by, harmed, helped, etc.

How has your life been changed as a result of the Internet? How has the Church been changed?

Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey

Paul T. McCain — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:41:06 PDT

File under: Bringing Disgrace on Christ and His Church/Dumb Things Christians Do

A Little Book on Joy: Take and Read!

Paul T. McCain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:32:00 PDT

Today is Laetare Sunday. Laetare, is the Latin word for “rejoice” and what a perfect time for me to tell you about a truly superb book that I can not possibly recommend to you enough. You will be delighted with it. Pastor Matthew Harrison’s newest book . You can buy a copy here, and you can hear Pastor Harrison talk about his book.

Here is a nice PDF sample from the book, with all the endorsements for it: little-book-of-joy-sampler(2)

Here is the book’s description provided by the book’s seller:

“So many churches, so many pastors and Christians have so little joy today,” my friend observed. “These are difficult times.”

With these words Matthew Harrison embarks on a quest to rediscover the joy of being a Christian, the secret of living a Good News life in a bad news world. In A Little Book on Joy, Harrison takes the reader on a journey…

* from the father’s joy at the prodigal’s return, to the joy of Mary’s Magnificat.
* from the joy of the Holy Spirit and repentance, to the manifold joys of life together in community, marriage, and family.
* from the joy of forgiveness and perfect righteousness in Christ, to the joys of humor, worship, the sanctity of life, and the wonders of creation.
* from the joy of a faithful pastor and cheerful giving, to the joy found in weakness.
* from the joy of the Gospel mission throughout the world, the joy of everyday life and of a genuine and faithful Lutheranism, to the joys in store for us in the life of the world to come.

Study questions follow each chapter making A Little Book on Joy the perfect guide for a Bible study on the topic of Christian joy.

A Bible reading guide for “The Great Ninety Days of Joy after Joy: Daily Texts with Prayers to Gladden the Heart from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost (or any time),” makes this the perfect devotional guide for Lent and Easter, or any time of year.

Pastor Matthew Harrison was baptized in a small rural parish, raised in a large suburban church, was a missionary to native Canadians in Ontario, served as a graduate assistant at the seminary, studied in Australia, vicared in Texas, and served as pastor in rural Iowa and inner city, Fort Wayne, Indiana. After co-founding a nationally recognized neighborhood renewal project in what was the poorest census tract in Indiana, he became the Executive Director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care and has administered nearly $100,000,000 of charitable giving worldwide. He writes, translates, and speaks extensively. He delights in his wife, Kathy, and two boys, Matthew and Mark. He is an avid bluegrass banjo player and luthier, and finds joy in it all.

Laetare: The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Paul T. McCain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:04:22 PDT

The study of how traditions developed surrounding the Church Year is fascinating. This Sunday in Lent is traditionally known as “Laetare” Sunday. Here’s an explanation of how this came to be called the Sunday of Joy, in the middle of Lent. The traditional/classic vestments worn by Lutheran pastors on this Sunday include a beautiful “rose” or “pink” colored chausable. It ain’t my cup of tea, but as my more liturgically attuned friends tell me, real men do wear pink on Laetare Sunday!

The fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent, so called from the first words of the Introit at the Divine Service, “Laetare Jerusalem” — “Rejoice, O Jerusalem”. During the first six or seven centuries the season of Lent commenced on the Sunday following Quinquagesima, and thus comprised only thirty-six fasting days. To these were afterwards added the four days preceding the first Sunday, in order to make up the forty days’ fast, and one of the earliest liturgical notices of these extra days occurs in the special Gospels assigned to them in a Toulon manuscript of 714. Strictly speaking, the Thursday before Laetare Sunday is the middle day of Lent, and it was at one time observed as such, but afterwards the special signs of joy permitted on this day, intended to encourage the faithful in their course through the season of penance, were transferred to the Sunday following. They consist of (like those of Gaudete Sunday in Advent) in the use of flowers on the altar, and of the organ at the Divine Service and Vespers; rose-coloured vestments also allowed instead of purple, and the deacon and subdeacon wear dalmatics, instead of folded chasubles as on the other Sundays of Lent. The contrast between Laetare and the other Sundays is thus emphasized, and is emblematical of the joys of this life, restrained rejoicing mingled with a certain amount of sadness. The station at Rome was on this day made at the church of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, one of the seven chief basilicas.

Here’s an interesting factoid for you Reformation history buffs. On Laetare Sunday the Golden Rose, sent by the popes to Catholic sovereigns, used to be blessed at this time, and for this reason the day was sometimes called “Dominicade Rosa”. Recall, if you will, the Pope gave one to Elector Frederick the Wise as a way to curry favor with him and seek from him the extradition of Martin Luther to lands where he could be tried, and undoubtedly burned at the stake.

Other names applied to Laetare Sunday were Refreshment Sunday, or the Sunday of the Five Loaves, from a miracle recorded in the Gospel; Mid-Lent, mi-carême, or mediana; and Mothering Sunday, in allusion to the Epistle, which indicates our right to be called the sons of God as the source of all our joy, and also because formerly the faithful used to make their offerings in the cathedral or mother-church on this day. This latter name is still kept up in some remote parts of England, though the reason for it has ceased to exist.

The Appointed Scripture Readings for Laetare

Antiphon:
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be | glad with her,*
all you who | love her;
that you may feed and be | satisfied*
with the consolation of her | bosom. (Isaiah 66:10-11)

Exodus 16:2–21
or Isaiah 49:8–13
Galatians 4:21–31
or Acts 2:41–47
John 6:1–15

The Lord Feeds His People

The Lord provided bread from heaven for His people in the wilderness (Ex. 16:2–21). Now He who is Himself the living bread from heaven miraculously provides bread for the five thousand (John 6:1–15). This takes place near the time of the Passover, after a great multitude had followed Jesus across the sea, and when He went up on a mountain. Seen in this way, Jesus is our new and greater Moses, who releases us from the bondage of Mount Sinai and makes us free children of the promise (Gal. 4:21–31). Five loaves become twelve baskets—that is, the five books of Moses find their goal and fulfillment in Christ, whose people continue steadfastly in the doctrine and fellowship of the twelve apostles, and in the breaking and receiving of the bread of life, which is the body of Christ together with His precious blood, and in the prayers (Acts 2:41–47). So it is that God’s people “shall not hunger or thirst” (Is. 49:8–13). For He abundantly provides for us in both body and soul.

Collect for Laetare

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Luther on the Appointed Gospel for the Day, from his Church Postil sermon notes

A sermon by Martin Luther from his Church Postil

[The following sermon is taken from volume II:166-172 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI). It was originally published in 1906 in English by Lutherans in All Lands Press (Minneapolis, MN), as The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11. The original title of this sermon appears below. The pagination from the Baker edition has been maintained for referencing. This e-text was scanned and edited by Richard P. Bucher, it is in the public domain and it may be copied and distributed without restriction.]

The Feeding of the 5000

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I. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND.

I. In today’s Gospel Christ gives us another lesson in faith, that we should not be overanxious about our daily bread and our temporal existence, and stirs us up by means of a miracle; as though to say by his act what he says by his words in Matthew 6,33: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” For here we see, since the people followed Christ for the sake of God’s Word and the signs, and thus sought the Kingdom of God, he did not forsake them but richly fed them. He hereby also shows that, rather than those who seek the Kingdom of God should suffer need, the grass in the desert would become wheat, or a crumb of bread would be turned into a thousand loaves; or a morsel of bread would feed as many people and just as satisfactorily as a thousand loaves; in order that the words in Matthew 4,4 might stand firm, that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” And to confirm these words Christ is the first to be concerned about the people, as to what they should eat, and asks Philip, before they complain or ask him; so that we may indeed let him care for us, remembering that he cares more and sooner for us than we do for ourselves.

2. Secondly, he gives an example of great love, and he does this in many ways. First, in that he lets not only the

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pious, Who followed him because of the signs and the Word, enjoy the food; but also the slaves of appetite, who only eat and drink, and seek in him temporal honor; as follows later when they disputed with him at Capernaum about the food, and he said to them in Jn 6, 26: “Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves,” etc., also because they desired to make him king; thus here also he lets his sun shine on the evil and the good, Mt 5,45. Secondly, in that he bears with the rudeness and weak faith of his disciples in such a friendly manner. For that he tests Philip, who thus comes with his reason, and Andrew speaks so childishly on the subject, all is done to bring to light the imperfections of the disciples, and on the contrary to set forth his love and dealings with them in a more beautiful and loving light, to encourage us to believe in him, and to give us an example to do likewise; as the members of our body and all God’s creatures in their relation to one another teach us. For these are full of love, so that one bears with the other, helps and preserves what God has created.

3. That he now takes the five loaves and gives thanks etc., teaches that nothing is too small and insignificant for him to do for his followers, and he can indeed so bless their pittance that they have an abundance, whereas even the rich have not enough with all their riches; as Ps 34, 11 says: “They that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing; but the rich must suffer hunger.” And Mary in her song of praise says: “The hungry he bath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” Lk 1, 53.

4. Again, that he tells them so faithfully to gather up the fragments, teaches us to be frugal and to preserve and use his gifts, in order that we may not tempt God. For just as it is God’s will that we should believe when we have nothing and be assured that he will provide; so he does not desire to be tempted, nor to allow the blessings be has bestowed to be despised, or lie unused and spoil, while we expect other blessings from heaven by means of

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miracles. Whatever he gives, we should receive and use, and what he does not give, we should believe and expect he will bestow.

II. THE ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION.

5. That Christ by the miraculous feeding of the five thousand has encouraged us: to partake of a spiritual food, and taught that we should seek and expect from him nourishment for the soul, is clearly proved by the whole sixth chapter of John, in which he calls himself the bread from heaven and the true food, and says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.” Jn 6,26-27. In harmony with these words we will explain also this evangelical history in its spiritual meaning and significance.

6. First, there was much hay or grass in the place. The Evangelist could not fail to mention that, although it appears to be unnecessary; however it signifies the Jewish people, who flourished and blossomed like the grass through their outward holiness, wisdom, honor, riches etc., as Isaiah 40, 6-7, says: “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.” From the Jewish people the Word of God went forth and the true food was given to us; for salvation is of the Jews, Jn 4,22. Now, as grass is not food for man, but for cattle; so is all the holiness of the outward Jewish righteousness nothing but food for animals, for fleshly hearts, who know and possess nothing of the Spirit.

7. The very same is taught by the people sitting on the grass; for the true saints despise outward holiness, as Paul does in Phil 3, 8, in that he counted his former righteousness to be filth and even a hindrance. Only com-

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mon and hungry people receive the Word of God and are nourished by it. For here you see that neither Caiaphas nor Annas, neither the Pharisees nor the Scribes follow Christ and see Christ’s signs; but they disregard them, they are grass and feed on grass. This miracle was also performed near the festive time of the Jewish Passover; for the true Easter festival, when Christ should be offered as a sacrifice, was near, when he began to feed them with the Word of God.

8. The five loaves signify the outward, natural word formed by the voice and understood by man’s senses; for the number five signifies outward things pertaining to the five senses of man by which he lives; as also the five and five virgins illustrate in Mt 25, 1. These loaves are in the basket, that is, locked up in the Scriptures. And a lad carries them, that means the servant class and the priesthood among the Jews, who possessed the sayings of God, which were placed in their charge and entrusted to them, Rom 3, 2, although they did not enjoy them. But that Christ took these into his own hands, and they were thereby blessed and increased, signifies that by Christ’s works and deeds, and not by our deeds or reason, are the Scriptures explained, rightly understood and preached. This he gives to his disciples, and the disciples to the people. For Christ takes the Word out of the Scriptures; so all teachers receive it from Christ and give it to the people, by which is confirmed what Matthew 23, 10 says: “For one is your master, even the Christ,” who sits in heaven, and he teaches all only through the mouth and the word of preachers by his Spirit, that is, against false teachers, who, teach their own wisdom.

9. The two fishes are the example and witness of the patriarchs and prophets, who are also in the basket; for by them the Apostles confirm and strengthen their doctrine and the believers like St. Paul does in Rom 4,2-6, where he cites Abraham and David etc. But there are two, because the examples of the saints are full of love, which cannot be alone, as faith can, but must go out in exercise

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to its neighbor. Furthermore the fishes were prepared and cooked; for such examples are indeed put to death by many sufferings and martyrdoms, so that we find nothing carnal in them, and they comfort none by a false faith in his own works, but always point to faith and put to death works and their assurance.

10. The twelve baskets of fragments are all the writings and books the Apostles and Evangelists bequeathed to us; therefore they are twelve, like the Apostles, and these books are nothing but that which remains from and has been developed out of the Old Testament. The fishes are also signified by the number five (Moses’ books); as John 21,25 says: “Even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written” concerning Christ, all which nevertheless was written and proclaimed before in the Old Testament concerning Christ.

11. That Philip gives counsel as how to feed the people with his few shillings, and yet doubts, signifies human teachers who would gladly aid the soul with their teachings; but their conscience feels it helps nothing. For the discussion Christ here holds with his disciples takes place in order that we may see and understand that it is naturally impossible to feed so many people through our own counsel, and that this sign might be the more public. Thus he lets us also disgrace ourselves and labor with human doctrines, that we may see and understand how necessary and precious God’s Word is and how doctrines do not help the least without God’s Word.

12. That Andrew pointed out the lad and the loaves, and yet doubted still more than Philip, signifies the teachers who wish to make the people pious and to quiet them with God’s laws; but their conscience has no satisfaction or peace in them; but only becomes continually worse, until Christ comes with his Word of grace. He is the one, and he alone, who makes satisfaction, delivers from sin and death, gives peace and fulness of joy, and does it all of his own free will, gratuitously, against and above all hope and

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presumption, that we may know that the Gospel is devised and bestowed, not through our own merit, but out of pure grace.

13. Finally, you see in this Gospel that Christ, though he held Gospel poverty in the highest esteem and was not anxious about the morrow, as he teaches in Matthew 6, 34, had still some provisions, as the two hundred shillings, the five loaves and the two fishes; in order that we may learn how such poverty and freedom from care consist not in having nothing at all, as the barefooted fanatics and monks profess, and yet they themselves do not hold to it; but it consists in a free heart and a poor spirit. For even Abraham and Isaac had great possessions, and yet they lived without worry and in poverty, like the best Christians do.

Source for details on the development of Laetare Sunday.

Ever Wonder Why You are Lazy?

Paul T. McCain — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:23:01 PST

A comment directed to pastors, but…applicable to all of us.

“I believe the roots of clerical sloth are theological rather than primarily psychological. We become lazy and slovenly in our work because we have lost the theological rationale for the work.”

William Willimon, Proclamation and Theology, page 72:

File under: “Ouch, truth hurts!”

HT: Reformation 21.

“The Book of Concord should be in every Lutheran home.” Do we still believe this? And if so, what are we doing to make it happen?

Paul T. McCain — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:47:42 PST

The Book of Concord should be in every Lutheran home. For that reason our church should provide a good, inexpensive copy, and pastors should see to it that every home has one. If a person isn’t familiar with this book, he’ll think, “That old book is just for pastors. I don’t have to preach. After working all day, I can’t sit down and study in the evening. If I read my morning and evening devotions, that’s enough.” No, that is not enough! The Lord doesn’t want us to remain children, who are blown to and fro by every wind of doctrine; instead of that, He wants us to grow in knowledge so that we can teach others. (C.F.W. Walther, Essays for the Church, Vol. II, pg. 51).

Concordia Publishing House prepared and published Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions to make available a “good, inexpensive copy” of the Book of Concord available to all Lutheran homes. With over 85,000 copies in print, it has become, far and away, the most popular edition of the Book of Concord ever published. But there are still many Lutheran homes that do not have a copy of the Book of Concord and many Lutherans who still have not heard of it, and have never had a chance to understand it. There is no legitimate excuse for this. Let’s work at getting the Book of Concord in every Lutheran home. Yes, Dr. Walther was right: the Book of Concord should be in every Lutheran home.

What Do Unbelievers Frequently Hear in Seeker-Sensitive Churches?

Paul T. McCain — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:52:47 PST

“If I were an unbeliever and I attended these [seeker-driven /purpose-driven] churches and listened to all their sermons week after week, how would I define the term “Christ Follower”?

Here’s the answer I came up with after reviewing the sermons preached at these seeker-driven / purpose-driven churches over the last 24 months:

Christ Follower: Someone who has made the decision to be an emotionally well adjusted self-actualized risk taking leader who knows his purpose, lives a ‘no regrets’ life of significance, has overcome his fears, enjoys a healthy marriage with better than average sex, is an attentive parent, is celebrating recovery from all his hurts, habits and hang ups, practices Biblical stress relief techniques, is financially free from consumer debt, fosters emotionally healthy relationships with his peers, attends a weekly life group, volunteers regularly at church, tithes off the gross and has taken at least one humanitarian aid trip to a third world nation.

Based upon this summarized definition, I’ve come to the conclusion that the world is full of people who can fit this definition but who’ve never repented of their sins and trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins.”

Attack of the Ugly Babies

Paul T. McCain — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:49:05 PST

Readers of this blog know that one of the hobby-horses I like to ride frequently is the issue of art and our worship spaces. Simply put, there has been a dreadful decline in the beauty which once marked a Lutheran place of worship. No matter how humble, Lutherans traditionally attempted to use as much art as they could possibly afford. Now I notice trends toward making our worship spaces look more like the big-box non-denominational churches we see sprinkled throughout American suburbia. It is not only stodgy confessional Lutherans like me who are feeling angst over these issues. Over on the EVANGEL blog, one of my fellow contributors put up a post well worth our attention, titled The Attack of the Ugly Babies. Here is a snippet to whet your appetite:

“A sermon ‘zinger’ used to encourage church plants instead of resuscitating old churches goes like this: ‘It is easier to have a baby than to raise the dead!’ Jesus, however, did only the latter. Evangelism is a bit more complicated than the sound bite conveys, simply because people are. Whether or not they are consciously aware of it, many non-Christians are seeking a deeper, ecclesial reality in their life, not a gospel that caters to their present one.”

~ Matthew Milliner, “Attack of the Ugly Babies,” Evangel

Can You Give $10? Help Us Send 200,000 Books to Haiti

Paul T. McCain — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:13:34 PST

Saint Louis, MO—Christian companies want to be involved with the ongoing response in Haiti. That value for care and contribution has led Christian publisher, Concordia Publishing House (CPH) to announce a unique program to connect customers with new ways to help. Partnering with LCMS World Relief and Human Care, the non-profit publisher announced today the launch of its Help for Haiti campaign, which will be coordinated out of CPH’s evangelism ministry, Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO).

“With school suspended indefinitely in Haiti, we’ve heard reports from those serving in congregations of parents asking for printed materials for their children, in addition to continued needs for food, water, and basic necessities,” says Gretchen M. Jameson, who directs corporate communications at CPH. “The CGO Help for Haiti plan is going to meet a real need, and that matters to us.”

Concordia Gospel Outreach provides Christ-centered materials to meet specific evangelism needs around the globe. Customers can donate to Help for Haiti now through Easter Week, (April 11, 2010). Every $10 donation received provides 6 copies of the children’s Arch Book, “Jesus Blesses the Children”, translated into French for distribution along with material aid. $4 of every ten dollar donation will be given directly to help fund relief efforts. The company is producing the book with a heavy duty, coated paper that will be better suited to last through the rainy season. The goal is to send 20,000 books.

To donate, visit www.concordiaoutreach.org or call 800.325.3040. Contributions can also be mailed to Concordia Gospel Outreach/Help for Haiti at 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63118.

With its emphasis on Christian books and products, CPH’s signature ministry within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is not immediately linked to disaster relief. “Our role is to provide a publishing ministry,” shares Dr. Bruce G. Kintz, President and CEO for the company. “But we also know that because of the nature of our business, we have daily connections with thousands of customers online and on the phone, who are looking for ways to support disaster relief in Haiti, while also sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. We want to connect these people with a way to help.” When the company learned from workers on the ground in Haiti that there was a need for books and printed materials, it decided the time had come to launch this program.

“We waited to announce our efforts so that our involvement would be of the utmost help, and in no way a hindrance to the work happening on the ground in Haiti,” explains Gretchen M. Jameson, who manages public relations for CPH. “Physical needs had to be met immediately. Working with our partners, we know it is now a more useful time to start distributing these resources along with the extremely important material aid being provided.” The company sent 200 copies of the English-language version of the book along with LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick on an early March visit to Haiti. According to reports received by Kintz, the President was “mobbed” by eager parents and children who viewed the book as a “priceless possession.”

The children’s book, from the best-selling Arch Books line will be given to local youngsters and families and is to be distributed through congregations connected with The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, a sister Synod of the LCMS. Jameson adds, “We want to help with body care and soul care, and this is what we know how to do best.”

Christ-Centered or Just Religious? Three Ways to Tell

Paul T. McCain — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:35:03 PST

1. Your reaction when things fall apart.

Do you catch yourself saying, “God, why is this happening? I’ve done x, y, and z?” Do suffering, difficulty, and obstacles provoke “why?” questions predicated on your goodness or effort? You’ve been working so hard, reading your Bible, going to church, serving others . . . why would God let this happen to you now? If that’s your line of thinking, it reveals you believe God owes you. And that’s religion, not Christ-centered thinking.

2. Your reaction to others.

Do you compare yourself, bad or good, against others? Do you belittle, mock, condescend, even if just internally? Do you resent others’ successes? Do you celebrate others’ failures? Do you really wish people would get their act together, or do you really wish people knew Jesus? Are you frequently annoyed, put out, irritated, embarrassed, or inconvenienced by others? Is it about you, or others? If you, that’s religion, but not Christ-centeredness.

3. Your appraisal of Jesus.

Is he your greatest treasure? That’s the number one indicator of gospel-conformity. You may know right off the bat if this is true or not. For some, it’s true only sentimentally or religiously. You may think it’s true ultimately, but your time, talents, words, emotions, and bank account testify differently. These are all heart issues. Anybody can get the behavior right. The Pharisees certainly did, and most of them went to hell. But this isn’t even about looking Pharisaical or legalistic or churchy. There’s a lot of Christian hipsters out there in coffee shop churches who have no idea they’re just religious, not Christ-centered.

HT: Jared Wilson via Justin Taylor; ed. PTM