John Chrysostom, Preacher - 2012

Commemoration of John Chrysostom, Preacher
January 27, 2012

The Lord be with you

Chrysostom was not John’s last name, not really. It is Greek for “golden-mouthed.” That is what first his parishioners called him, and soon so did everyone else. St. John Chrysostom was a dominant force in the fourth-century Christian Church. Born in Antioch around 347 AD, John was instructed in the Christian faith by his pious mother, Anthusa. After serving in a number of Christian offices, including acolyte and lector, John was ordained a presbyter and given preaching responsibilities. His simple but direct messages found an audience well beyond his hometown. In 395 AD, John Chrysostom was made patriarch of Constantinople. His determination to reform the church court, and city brought him into conflict with established authorities. Eventually he was exiled from his adopted city. Although removed from his parishes and people, he continued writing and preaching until the time of his death in 407 AD. It is reported that his final words were “Glory be to God for all things! Amen.”

The best way I know how to let you know what his preaching and writing were like is to give you a sample.

“He gave Himself a ransom,” he said, how then was He delivered up by the Father? Because it was of His goodness. And what does “ransom” mean? God was about to punish them, but He did not do it. They were about to perish, but in their stead He gave His own Son and sent us as heralds to proclaim the cross. These things are sufficient to attract all and to demonstrate the love of Christ. So truly, so inexpressibly great are the benefits that God has bestowed upon us. He sacrificed Himself for His enemies, who hated and rejected Him. What no one would do for friends, for brothers, for children, that the Lord has done for His servants; a Lord not Himself such a one as His servants, but God for men, for men not deserving. For had they been deserving, had they done His pleasure, it would have been less wonderful. But that He died for such ungrateful, such obstinate creatures, this t is which strikes every mind with amazement. For what men would not do for their fellow men, that has God done for us!

Prayer: O God, You gave to Your servant John Chrysostom grace to proclaim the Gospel with eloquence and power. As bishop of the great congregations of Antioch and Constantinople, he fearlessly bore reproach for the honor of Your name. Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching and fidelity in ministering Your Word that Your people shall be partakers of the divine nature; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor

Worship for Epiphany 4 - 2012

St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor
January 26, 2012

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. For our liturgy we will be using Morning Prayer, which begins on page 235 of the hymnal. Morning Prayer is a non-communion service. This service uses the appointed Psalm instead of the appointed Introit for the Day. It will be Psalm 111. The antiphon will be verse 3. The appointed lessons for the day are: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28. Our opening hymn will be “Within the Father’s House” (LSB 410). The sermon hymn will be “O Bless the Lord, My Soul” (LSB 814). Our closing hymn will be “Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” (LSB 528).The text for the sermon is Mark 1:22, taken from our Gospel lesson. The title is “Greater Than Moses.”

In our Prayers we will be remembering the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) and their president, Rev. J. Samuel, President. We will also be remembering the missionaries Jack and Cathy Carlos, who are serving in Guinea West Africa. They have specifically asked that we pray: that Jack and Cathy will learn the necessary health care education skills to benefit the Maninka people, that they will be able to learn the French and Maninka languages, and that the relationships they build with the Maninka will result in the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. We are also asked to remember their children, Raymond and Hannah, who will remain in the United States attending school. We will remember the persecuted Church in Chiapas, Mexico. We will remember the following congregations: Concordia, Wilmington, DE; St. Paul’s, Columbia, PA; St. John, York, PA; Good Shepherd, York, PA; Holy Lamb, Myrtle Beach, SC. As is our practice, we will again remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help; those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery; and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is of someone playing “O Bless the Lord, My Soul.” No singing or lyrics. This will be our sermon hymn.



Our adult Bible class this coming Sunday should finish Matthew 11, and maybe even make it into Matthew 12. Class begins at 9:00 AM. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

Deuteronomy 18:15-20: In trying to give the Junior Confirmation Class a handle on the different book in the Bible I tell them that Deuteronomy is “five long sermons.” A reading like this one points up just how inadequate a description that is. Here Moses reminds the people of an incident that happened while the people were at Mount Horeb. There the people expressed a desire to have a mediator, a prophet, so they would not have to face God directly. God recognized this as a reasonable request. God promised to send a prophet like Moses, that is to say, a descendant of Abraham. To that prophet the people should listen to as if they were listening to God himself. Throughout the centuries the Israelites/Jews speculated as to who this “prophet” might be. As it turns out, those who identified the “prophet” as the Messiah were correct. Jesus is the fulfillment of this Old Testament prophecy. All the prophets that came between Moses and Jesus were a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Prophet who was like Moses, but greater than he.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13: It has been said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” When it comes to our Christian lives, that is certainly true. For the believer, all must be tempered with Christian love. In this reading, Paul shows how something that is perfectly all right can, given the right circumstances, be sinful. How do we know what to do? The way to answer that question is to ask, “What is the loving thing to do.” Will my actions build a fellow believer up, or might it cause them to stumble in the Faith? It is better to give up your liberty than to cause someone to stumble in the faith.

Mark 1:21-28: Mark is such a fun Gospel to read. Everything happens so fast. In this short reading the English Standard Version of the Bible has the word “immediately” twice and also the phrase “and at once,” meaning the same thing as “immediately.” In this lesson, 1) Jesus goes to church and becomes the guest teacher; 2) the people are astonished at his teaching; 3) Jesus drives out a demon from some poor man; 4) the people are even more amazed and really begin to ask who Jesus is; 5) “and at once” his fame spread everywhere. Who is Jesus? Even the demons know. He is the “Holy One of God.” By the end of Mark’s Gospel, all his readers should know this as well. However we will not have the same fear of the demons, eternal damnation, for Mark wants our knowledge to be the knowledge of faith, which grants eternal life.

Tidbits

• Our prayers are with King Moore, whose wife went to be with the Lord this morning.

• Saturday Kitty and I will be in Irmo representing Lamb of God at our Circuit Forum.

• As usual, our Cub Scout pack will meet on Tuesday and our Junior Confirmation class will meet on Wednesday

• The office will be closed this coming Thursday as Pastor will be at his supervision group meeting for Gardner-Webb.

• On Friday our Cub Scout pack will be visiting a local radio station.

• Thursday, February 2, is The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord. Sunday, February 5 is the commemoration of Jacob (Israel), Patriarch.

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

St. Titus - 2012

St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor
January 26, 2012

The Lord be with you

Today is the festival of St. Titus, Pastor and Confession. Technically this is a memorial day on our liturgical calendar (like the Conversion of St. Paul). Memorial days are not intended to change your regular Sunday morning worship service (like say Christmas or Easter does). Instead, they are remembered in the Church’s prayer. Other propers are often assigned by different denominations, in case you wish to focus even more on the biblical themes the specific event or person presents to us today.

St. Titus, like Timothy with whom he is often associated, was a friend and co-worker of St. Pau8l. Titus was a Gentile, perhaps a native of Antioch, who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem when they brought assistance to the Christians in Judea during a famine (Acts 11:29-30; Galatians 2:1). It is not known if he accompanied Paul on his first or second missionary journeys, but Titus was with him on the third one, when he helped reconcile the Corinthians to Paul (2 Corinthians 7:6-7) and assisted with the collection for the Church in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:3-6). It was probably on the return to Jerusalem that Paul left Titus in Crete (Titus 1:4-5). Afterward he is found working in Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). According to tradition, Titus returned to Crete, where he served as bishop until he died about 96 AD.

Prayer: Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor

Converstion of St. Paul - 2012

January 26, 2012

The Lord be with you

Yesterday, the 25th, was the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on our liturgical calendar. Unfortunately, I did not post anything about it yesterday. So I am going to post something today.

St. Paul’s life-changing experience on the road to Damascus is related three times in the Book of Acts (9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18). As an archenemy of Christians, Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus to arrest and bring believers to Jerusalem for trial. While on the way, he saw a blinding light and heard the words: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are You, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” In Damascus, where Saul was brought after being blinded, a disciple named Ananias was directed by the Lord in a vision to go to Saul to restore his sight: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). After receiving his sight, Saul was baptized and went on to become known as Paul, the great apostle.

Saul, the persecutor of Christians, became Paul, the “fool for Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:16-17). He who had set out to destroy the Church spent his life building and extending it.

For those who like historical details, the day seems to have first been celebrated in “Gaul” (France), but didn’t really start spreading until the 12th century. It never did catch on in Eastern “Orthodox” churches.

Prayer: O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul, you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world; Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor

Worship for Epiphany 3 - 2012

Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday after Epiphany
January 19, 2012

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. For our liturgy we will be using the First Setting of the Divine Service (page 151). (I know we have used the terminology “Divine Service” since the introduction of Lutheran Worship back in 1982, but it still sounds pompous to me. I still prefer “Morning Service,” as the main service was called in The Lutheran Hymnal. Oh well, I guess I just need to get over it.) This is one of the “Cathedral” services in our hymnal. These services (all called “divine” in our hymnal) that come to us from the cathedral services which developed throughout Europe. They are designed with the idea that the laity will be attending (unlike the “monastic” services, like Matins). As such, they are communion services, and we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper Sunday.

The Epiphany season will be reflected in our opening hymn (“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light,” LSB 411), sermon hymn (“O Savior of Our Fallen Race,” LSB 403), and the first of our distribution hymns (“O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright,” LSB 395). Our second distribution hymn is a favorite communion hymn, “Eat This Bread,” LSB 638. Our final distribution hymn (“I Love Your Kingdom, Lord,” LSB 651) and our closing hymn (“Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing,” LSB 737) each reflect the sermon to some degree (as does the sermon hymn, it just also happens to be an Epiphany hymn). .

The appointed lessons for Sunday are: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-35; Mark 1:14-20. We will be using Mark a lot this year for our Gospel lessons. The sermon text is Mark 1:15. The sermon is titled “The Kingdom of God.”

In our prayers Sunday we will remember The Lutheran Church - Hong Kong Synod (LCHKS) along with its President, Rev. Dr. Allan Yung. We will also remember Tony and Constance Booker, missionaries in the Czech Republic. We will remember the persecuted believers in Burma (Myanmar) and our sister congregations: Our Redeemer, Newark, DE; Our Savior, Rehoboth Beach, DE; Christ, Seaford, DE; Peace, Smyrna; DE; Mt. Olive, Irmo, SC. We will also remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. We also will continue to remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is of our opening hymn, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light.” It has the words and some beautiful photographs.



Our adult Bible class meets at 9:00 Sunday morning. This Sunday we will pick up at Matthew 12:33. I’m hoping we will get through verse 42, which includes the sign of Jonah. That is because our Old Testament lesson for Sunday comes from the book of Jonah. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

Jonah 3:1-5, 10: Jonah is a book that is best known for the prophet being swallowed by a great fish, only to be regurgitated three days later. I have no desire to get into the debate about whether or not such a thing happened to Jonah. However, it is true that people, in modern times, have had similar experiences without having a call from God to go preach repentance to some foreign nation. Therefore, there is no reason in nature to discredit the account. Our lesson for Sunday comes immediately after Jonah is vomited out upon dry land. His call to go to Nineveh is renewed. Jonah goes and proclaims God’s message of judgment. The people of Nineveh, an enemy of Israel, repent. Upon repenting God calls off the destruction of the city. To me, one of the biggest themes of Jonah is that God’s grace in Christ Jesus is for all people. Tied to that is our call to go to all nations and make disciples of Christ by baptizing and teaching. So we have two main messages: (1) Christ is for all people and, (2) his Church is his messenger. Of course Jesus uses chapters one and two, in a typological way, as pointing to his death and resurrection. This understanding you would probably not get just by reading Jonah (which is only four chapters long). However, with the insight provided us by our Lord, we also find in this book a very important typological presentation of our Lord’s ultimate sacrifice and victory.

1 Corinthians 7:29-35: Most of this passage is easy enough to understand. We are living in the Last Days (Hebrews 1:1-2). We should, therefore, live with “undivided devotion to the Lord” (35). Paul has some recommendations about how this might be accomplished, but clearly says “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you,” meaning this is not a command from the Lord but just how Paul sees things. All of us who are married can relate to his observations. Married men are (or should be) concerned about the welfare of their wives, and vise versa. This is how the Lord wants it. However it does take time away from other things you might be doing. The tricky part of translating this passage is found in verse 7. The ESV reads “the appointed time has grown very short.” Paul is talking about this present age and how long until the Second Coming. The phrase “grown very short” is two words in Greek. One of them is the word “is.” The other one is in the perfect tense, which is used for something that has been accomplished. While the ESV translation is possible, so is a translation like “has been shortened.” I prefer this second way because it does not imply that Paul was expecting the Second Coming at any moment. What Paul is saying is that we should live realizing that the time we, indeed the world, has is limited. Some have aptly used an analogy to the terminally ill. The person who knows his remaining time is limited has a changed perspective. He sees, hears, and values everything in a new way.

Mark 1:14-20: Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four canonical Gospels. In it everything seems to happen fast. This lesson covers the calling of our Lord’s first disciples. It happens after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (verses 12-13) and the arrest of John the Baptist (the first halve of verse 14). Boom, boom, and Jesus is calling Peter, Andrew, James and John. There is no hint that these men even knew about Jesus before he calls them, yet they leave their work and follow Jesus. This accents the power of Christ’s calling word. What was Jesus doing during these early days? Mark says he was, “proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel’” (14b-15). These verses form the text for Sunday’s sermon.

Tidbits

• Information for the February newsletter is due Sunday. You can put it in Kitty’s box, hand it to her, or e-mail it to her.

• The Evangelism Committee will get together Sunday for lunch and their regular meeting. Part of what they will be planning is our upcoming “Game Day” (February 11). They will also be planning ways to get the word out about our upcoming Lenten services which will feature a look at the Stations of the Cross. Lent, after all, begins Ash Wednesday, February 22.

• Tomorrow is the Commemoration of Sarah. Look for a post about her on this bolg tomorrow. Next week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the Church also has special commemorations (St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor; the Conversion of St. Paul; St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor; John Chrysostom, Preacher). Come to this blog each of these days and you will find a post for each one of them.

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Confession of St. Peter - 2012

Confession of St. Peter
January 18, 2012

The Lord be with you

Today is celebrated on our liturgical calendar as the Confession of St. Peter. Peter’s confession did not arise in the imagination of his heart but was .revealed to him by the Father. The reason this confession is important is seen in Jesus’ response: “You are Peter [Greek Petros], and on this rock [Greek petra] I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). As the people of God in the Old Testament began with the person of Abraham, the rock from which God’s people were hewn (Isaiah 51:1-2), so the people of God in the New Testament would begin with the person of Peter, whose confession is the rock on which Christ would build His Church. But Peter was not alone (the “keys” given to him in Matthew 16:19 were given to all the disciples in Matthew 18:18 and John 20:21-23). As St. Paul tells us, Peter and the other apostles take their place with the prophets as the foundation of the Church, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The confession of Peter, therefore, is the witness of the entire apostolic band and is foundational in the building of Christ’s Church. Thus the Church gives thanks to God for St. Peter and the other apostles who have instructed Christ’s Holy Church in His divine and saving truth.

(Treasury of Daily Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, slightly adapted)

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Worship for Epiphany 2 - 2012

Thursday after the Baptism of Our Lord
January 12, 2012

The Lord be with you

For those who come to this blog regularly, you will know that the worship notes have not been posted for the last two weeks. That is because I have been on vacation. What does a pastor do on vacation? Well, I spent most of my time working on what Lamb of God will be doing this upcoming Lenten season. It was still a vacation because I vacated my home. Sometimes I even do more typical things on my vacation, like sight seeing or visiting friends and family. But I’m back now, and so are the worship notes.

Epiphany was back on Friday, January 6, so we are now in the season of Epiphany. There can be up to nine Sundays in Epiphany. Just how long it is depends on the date of Easter. This year Easter is a little early, April 8. That means that Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent and therefore the end of Epiphany) is also a little early, February 22. So we will have seven Sundays in Epiphany. The first Sunday in Epiphany is always the Baptism of Our Lord and the Last Sunday in Epiphany is always the Transfiguration of Our Lord. This should give you an idea of the focus of the season. This man Jesus is, in reality, God in the flesh.

This coming Sunday is the Second after the Epiphany. For our liturgy we will be using the service of Matins (page 219). This is one of the services we use that uses the appointed Psalm instead of the appointed Introit for the day. This week's appointed Psalm is Psalm 139:1-10. The antiphon is verse 14. Matins is a non-communion service, having been born in the monasteries. The appointed lessons are: 1 Samuel 3:1-20; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51. Our hymns will be “O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright” (LSB 874), “All Christians Who Have Been Baptized” (LSB 596), and “Arise and Shine in Splendor,” (LSB 396). “O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright” is a new hymn for Lamb of God, so we will be singing it a couple of weeks in a row. The sermon is titled “Your Call” and the text is John 1:43.

In our prayers Sunday we will remember the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) (Taiwan ROC) along with its President, Rev. Andrew Miao. We will also remember Tony and Constance Booker, missionaries in the Czech Republic. We will remember the persecuted believers in Brunei and our sister congregations: Concordia, Upper Marlboro, MD; Peace in Christ, Walkersville, MD; Faith, Bear, DE; St John’s, Dover, DE; Island, Hilton Head Island, SC. We will also remember the orphans in Haiti that our youth are seeking to help. Each Sunday at Lamb of God we also remember those who are trapped by the modern practice of slavery, and those who have fallen victim to our cultures acceptance of abortion and advocacy of sexual immorality.

The video below is a gentleman playing “All Christians Who Have Been Baptized” on a trombone. Over the years I’ve dabbled at playing some musical instruments, trumpet, piano, and guitar. All these instruments have something in common. You really can’t be close to your note. You either hit it, or you don’t. With some instruments, like violins or trombones, you can be close but not on the money. I’ve always been a little in awe of such musicians. The trombonist stops his slide at just the right spot. The violinist places his finger in just the right place. It is kind of cool. At any rate, Bob does a good job.



Boy it seems like forever since the last time our adult Bible class met. That is what happens when you have off two Sundays in a row. At any rate, we will meet again this coming Sunday. We are in Matthew 12 and we will pick up either at Matthew 12:9 or 14. I’m sure the class will help me remember. Class begins at 9:00 AM. As always, everyone is invited to come.

Preview of the Lessons

1 Samuel 3:1-20: The book of 1 Samuel deals with a time of transition for Israel. At the beginning of the book Israel is a loose association of tribes where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The main religious and political figures that gave these tribes some unity were called Judges and/or Prophets. By the end of 1 Samuel these tribes have become a kingdom, complete with a king. An interesting way to read the book is to be aware of all the vows/oaths/promises that are made. Ask yourself such questions like: How important are they? How does God view them? Sunday’s reading has the first vow/oath/promise in the book.

The reading for Sunday tells the story of the birth of Samuel, the last great Judge before the rise of Israel as a kingdom. He actually anointed both King Saul and King David. This story has clear overtones of the New Testament births of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus. In each case a woman who could not bear a child, received a child by the promise of the Lord. This is another worthwhile way to read, not only this book but the entire Old Testament. Ask yourself, “How does this relate to the New Testament?”

1 Corinthians 6:12-20: This lesson has two thrusts. The first is Christian Freedom. The second is application. Paul sums it up in verse 12. “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything.” Luther summed it up this way: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject of all, subject to all.” One application of this principle Paul presents deals with food. That may seem odd to us, but it was a big deal in his day. The Jewish Christians had grown up with all kinds of dietary rules. The Gentile Christians didn’t, however they had grown up the idea that eating the meat of animals that had been sacrificed to idols was the same thing as participating in the worship of the idols. Jewish believers had no problem eating such meat, which was cheaper, because idols represented nothing. Gentile believers had no problem eating pork, because they didn’t grow up with the diet restriction of the Jews. Paul says that it is okay to eat anything in and of itself, but it is wrong to eat anything if it causes a fellow believer to stumble. The next application comes with sexual immorality. The problem with this should be more obvious. It is distressing that our culture has so influenced believers in America that sexual immorality not only is not rejected, but some denominations even endorse it. Paul reminds us, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (19-20). Compassionate and moral Christian living flows directly from the sacrifice of Jesus. How we live reflects just how important his sacrifice is to us.

John 1:43-51: This is the account of the call of Philip and Nathanael. Jesus finds Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” On the word of Christ alone, Philip does. Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael is skeptical, to say the least, but Philip manages to bring him. Jesus shares some information with Nathanael, about Nathanael, which would be humanly impossible for Jesus to know. Nathanael confesses faith in Jesus as "the Son of God." Jesus basically says that what Nathanael has witness is small potatoes. He will see something far greater. In somewhat guarded phrasing, Jesus says Nathanael will see the joining of heaven and earth, that is, the redemption of humanity, which is accomplished on the cross. The power of Christ’s word in calling Philip, the knowledge about Nathanael, the knowledge of the future, all point to Jesus as exactly who Nathanael confessed him to be, “the Son of God.” This is the theme of Epiphany.

Tidbits

• The Church Council is scheduled to meet Sunday after the worship service..

• The Greek Club will meet Monday morning at 8:30.

• Monday is also the observation of Martin Luther King Jr, so banks and some other business will be closed. This shows-up a difference between the dates the Church assigns to commemorate someone, and the dates the culture assigns. January 15 was picked for Martin Luther King Jr. because he was born on that date. The Church will typically choose the day the person dies. For this reason the Episcopalians and Methodists, who have included King on their liturgical calendars, have his commemoration on April 4, the anniversary of his death. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also commemorates King, but has adopted the date of his birth, just like our culture.

Well, I pray I’ll see you Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Epiphany

Epiphany
January 6, 2012

The Lord be with you

Today is Epiphany. The lead article for this month’s newsletter is about this day and I will not repeat myself in this post. Instead I’ll add a few different notes, more like Epiphany trivia. You may read the newsletter article by clicking

HERE.

The first two festivals the Early Church recognized and celebrated each year were Easter and Pentecost. These took root in the first century. The first reference we have to Epiphany comes from second century Egypt, making it the third-oldest annual celebration of the Christian Church.

One of the themes associated with this day is the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. This story is recorded only in Matthew. The Excerpta et Collecteana, associated with the Venerable Bede (672/673—735), gives the number of the Magi as three and supplies their names as well as a fanciful description of each and a symbolic interpretation of the gifts they brought.

The Magi were the ones who gave gifts to the Lord. The first is said to have been Melchoir, an old man with white hair and a long beard … who offered gold to the Lord as king. The second, named Gaspar [or Caspar or Kaspar], young and beardless and ruddy-complexioned … honored him as God by his gift of incense, an offering worthy of divinity. The third, black-skinned and heavily bearded, called Balthasar … by his gift of myrrh testified to the Son of Man who was to die.

Down to this very day Bede’s description has influenced the portrayal of the Magi.

Because Matthew’s account of this visit mentions that the Magi “entered the house” where the Holy Family were living, the tradition of blessing homes on Epiphany arose. As a sign of the blessing, three initials representing the traditional names of the Magi (K for Kaspar, M for Melchoir, and B for Balthasar) were marked with chalk over the doors of the blessed house. Each initial was preceded by a cross (+) signifying “holy” or “saint.” The year the home was blessed was divided in half and placed on each side of the initials. So a home blessed this year would have marked in chalk above the door: 20 + K + M + B 12. The letters also became associated with the Latin Christus mansionem benedicat (Christ bless this house).

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor

Commemoration of J.K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor
Ninth Day of Christmas
January 2, 2012

The Lord be with you

Today is the Commemoration of J.K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor. This is another new commemoration on the LC-MS calendar. Although he never left Germany, Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe, born in Fuerth in 1808, had a profound impact on the development of Lutheranism in North America. Serving as pastor in the Bavarian village of Neuendettelsau, he recognized the need for workers in developing lands and assisted in training emergency helpers to be sent as missionary pastors to North America, Brazil, and Australia. A number of the men he sent to the United States became founders of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. (There were three major contributing groups, the Saxons, the Loehe men, and some Lutherans in Texas.) Through Loehe’s financial support, a theological school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a teachers’ institute in Saginaw, Michigan, were established. Loehe was known for his confessional integrity and his interest in liturgy and catechetics. His devotion to works of Christian charity led to the establishment of a deaconess training house and homes for the aged.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Circumcision and Name of Jesus - 2012

The Circumcision and Name of Jesus
The Eighth Day of Christmas
January 1, 2012
(New Years Day)

The Lord be with you

For those who use the Gregorian calendar (all “western” countries that I know of) today marks the beginning of a new year. However, in reference to the Church Year, the new year began with the First Sunday in Advent. Today, eight days after we have celebrated the birth of Jesus, we naturally celebrate his circumcision and naming. In Jewish circles, baby boys were circumcised and given their names on the eighth day, and Jesus was a Jew.

Both our Lord’s circumcision and his name are related, for both tell of his mission as Savior. His circumcision was the first shedding of his blood, a foretaste of the cross where he earned our salvation. The name of Jesus means “Savior” as the angel said: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). In the circumcision of Jesus, all people are circumcised once and for all, because He represents all humanity. In the Old Testament, for the believers who looked to God’s promise to be fulfilled in the Messiah, the benefits of circumcision included the forgiveness of sins, justification, and incorporation into the people of God. In the New Testament, St. Paul speaks of its counterpart, Holy Baptism, as a “circumcision made without hands” and as “the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).

Appropriate prayers for this day include for a deeper devotion to our Lord and a greater reliance on his saving power; for the cleansing of God’s people from sin; for reverence for the holy name of Jesus; for God’s blessing on the new year.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert