A Lesson From A Texas Immigrant

Saturday after the Epiphany of our Lord
January 9, 2009

The Lord be with you

Rev. Paul T. McCain posted the following on his facebook page. I like it enough to post it on this blog.

Thanks to Rev. Matthew Harrison for this great post. Johann Kilian (1811-1884) was a Wendish Lutheran who opposed the Prussian Union (the force uniting of Lutheran and Reformed congregations into one church by the Prussian King in 1817). Kilian preached at the dedication of an independent Lutheran church building in Prussian Lusatia in 1848 on being Lutheran. He suffered constant harassment as a genuine Lutheran, and finally emigrated with 500 Wends to Texas in 1853. The congregation at Klitten, Germany, where this address was given, is still a member congregation of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany. He officiated with Pastor Gessner, who had been imprisoned for five years for his refusal to accept the union of Lutherans and Reformed. Kilian was a great Lutheran, and founder of confessional Lutheranism in Texas. LCMS Lutheranism in Texas can trace its history directly back to Kilian and others like him. Texas Lutherans do well to remember and follow the example of their father in the faith. Here is how Kilian explained why the Book of Concord is so important for Lutherans.

Our Evangelical Lutheran church has such a unique written rule in the Catechisms of Luther, the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and in the Formula of Concord. These confessions further explain the faith against erring superstition and unbelief, against which it must be defended. These confessions teach us how those who are called Lutheran understand Biblical truth. They show us in which parts Lutheran doctrine agrees with other parts of the church and in which not. Now when we set our public confessions, and also Luther’s writings, over against not only Catholic and Reformed errors, but also other errors, in doing so we in no way place our Catechism and the other Lutheran writings above the Bible. We only place them over other human writings on the faith and explications of the Bible. The Lutheran writings are to us more thorough, more correct than other human written descriptions of the faith. Our intent is only to understand and explain the Bible as those have understood it and explained it, in unity with the ancient apostolic church, and with Luther, against all Catholic superstition, and the unbelief of the Reformed and others as a man publicly bore witness and through their certain and powerful confessions, regarding Catholic, Reformed and other errors, they have separated themselves as a strong and united army. We do not judge the Bible according to this witness and according to their writings. We only judge various human expositions of the Bible, indeed even our own thoughts. And so we desire to remain disciples of the thousands who have left for us in our confessions such a beautiful pattern of churchly and doctrinal unity. We simply desire to understand, teach and learn the Bible according to the Catechism of Luther, the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, and according to the Formula of Concord. Each teacher explains biblical passages according to something and someone, if not according to a certain ordained doctrine, then according to his own reason, and if not according to someone else, then according to himself. It is a great act of arrogance to teach only according to one’s own ideas. So we Lutherans have been given the humility to realize that we are not alone wise, as though we do not need the instruction of our old Lutheran fathers any more. So we interpret the Bible according to our Catechism and according to Luther and the Lutheran confessors. In doing so, we do not place their writings above the Scriptures. We only place the confessions over the self-proclaimed Meisters [selbstklugen Meister], who are of the opinion, that they do not err, and are more informed than Dr. Luther when they teach what pleases them, along with their favorite theories. (Trans. Matthew Harrison)

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

(The photograph is of Rev. Kilian and his daughter.)

Christmas Day?

Thursday after the Epiphany of Our Lord
January 7, 2009

The Lord be with you

Over the centuries the year has been divided up in many ways. We tend to think of twelve months as natural, but some calendars have had fewer months, and other calendars have had more. When a month begins and ends has also varied, as well as how many days a month has. Even weeks have been composed of differing numbers of days.

In some Orthodox Church bodies, they do not use the calendar most of us in the West use. Instead they use the old Julian calendar, without the modification made by Pope Gregory the Great (he is the one who added the ¼ day to each year). On the old Julian calendar, December 25 falls on this day, making it Christmas for them today. This will be the case until the year 2100.

So, to anyone who reads this blog, who might belong to one of these Orthodox bodies, Merry Christmas. For those of us who use the more conventional calendar used in the West, we can let this be a reminder that the Incarnation of our Lord is something to celebrate all year long.

The photograph is of a Russian Orthodox Christmas service.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

The Epiphany of Our Lord

The Epiphany of Our Lord
January 6, 2010

The Lord be with you

With the festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord, Christmas is officially over. Epiphany commemorates no specific event but presents an idea that assumes concrete form only through the facts of our Lord’s life. The idea of Epiphany is that the Christ who was born in Bethlehem is recognized by the world as God. At Christmas, God appears as man, and at Epiphany, this man appears before the world as God. That Christ became man needed no proof. But that this man, this helpless child, is God needed proof. The manifestations of the Trinity, the signs and wonders performed by this man, and all His miracles have the purpose of providing to men that Jesus is God. Lately, especially in the Western Church, the story of the Magi has been associated with this feast day. As Gentiles who were brought to faith in Jesus Christ, the Magi represent all believers from the Gentile world. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek and means “manifest.” That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, God in the Flesh, is made manifest. Other lessons associated with this season include the Baptism of our Lord, Christ changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and the Transfiguration.

Don’t forget that an Epiphany service is being offered by the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Greenville. A soup supper begins at 6:00 PM and the service begins at 7:00.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

The Blind Side

Okay, as long as I’ve done one, I may as well tell you about another movie that is more than worth seeing, The Blind Side. This is another BOATS. It is the story of Michael Orr, who is one of the best (many would say the best) left side tackles in professional football. For those who don’t know, the left tackle protects the “blind side” of the quarterback. But this is not a movie about professional football. It is the story of how a black boy with no real future that mere humans could see, and a white Christian family came together, changing the lives of all. Watch the trailer, then watch the movie.

Invictus

Kitty and I went to the movies yesterday and saw the movie Invictus. It is a "BOATS" (Based On A True Story). In 1992 South Africa was allowed to compete for the World Cup of Rugby after ending apartheid. Nelson Mandela was the first president elected and he became president of a badly divided country. Not only were the whites filled with fear and most blacks bent on some form or retribution, but the blacks were also badly divided by tribalism. Mandela turned to the mostly white national Rugby team, one viewed by most blacks as a symbol of apartheid, to help unite the country by winning the World Cup. This is that compelling story. Both Kitty and I truly enjoyed the movie and we can recommend it for all members of the family. Watch the trailer below and you will probably want to see the movie as well. It is playing at the Spartan 16.

J. K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor

Commemoration of J.K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor
Ninth Day of Christmas
January 2, 2010

The Lord be with you

On liturgical calendars used in most Lutheran Churches of America, today is set aside to remember Wilhelm Loehe. 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, New Guinea, Ukraine, and Australia. A number of the men he sent to the United States became founders of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. Through his 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. January 2 has been selected to commemorate him as that is the anniversary of his death. Most “saint’s days” fall on the day the saint was born into heaven.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Old Christmas Cards

The Circumcision and Name of Our Lord
New Year’s Day
January 1, 2010

The Lord be with you

What do you do with all those Christmas Cards? Some may just throw them in the trash, others may recycle, but in the end all those cards from family, friends, and business acquaintances disappear. Soon they can become a distant memory. But there is an idea that many Christians use that keeps them alive all year long and is a blessing to each and every one who sent you a card.

Write down the name of each person who sent you a Christmas Card, then use that list in your daily prayer life. Did you get ninety cards? Then three names a day will mean you have prayed for everyone who sent you a card each month, and twelve times in a year. In less than five minutes a day you can ask God’s blessings on each and everyone who sent you a card many times throughout the year.

Be a blessing in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert