A Theological Approach to Unity SID

I'm off on my way to a deaconess conference in Argentina. However, I thought I'd share with you a wonderful presentation on a theological approach to unity by my dear friend Rev. Herbert Mueller, District President of the Southern Illinois District. Enjoy!

- Pastor H.

A Little Book on Joy

Some months back I began writing "A Little Book on Joy." Should I finish it?

Blessings, Matt H

1. Joy’s Perspective

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing. Isaiah 55:12 (KJV)

One secret of “Living a good news life in a bad news world” is in some large measure a matter of perspective somewhere between “head in the clouds” and “feet in the mud.”

The dull voice abruptly broke the monotony of a monotonous flight. We would soon encounter the chaotic bustle of the Nairobi airport. I had lost track of time since leaving Johannesburg. But instead of the usual droning (“We’ll be at our destination three hours late etc., etc.; Sorry for the inconvenience, etc., etc., so just sit back, relax etc., etc., and enjoy the remainder of this interminable flight in this rickety pile of riveted aluminum…”) the pilot surprised us all. “Folks I’m going to dip the right wing of the aircraft so you can enjoy a rare sight.” As the plane listed I was surprised then immediately mesmerized by joy at one of the most spectacular sites I’ve ever behold. It was like a white ice mountain in a sea of billowing cotton. There some 20,000 feet below, was the enormous snow covered crater of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was miles wide, glistening and piercing majestically and proudly through a thick blanket of East African cloud cover. I felt dwarfed by it’s shear grandeur, even thousands of feet overhead. Would I ever see such a spectacular site again in my life?

A year or two later the sun shone bright across the Savanna on the road from Nairobi to Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. The first half of the drive is a rare Kenyan pleasure. The road is in quite good repair. The roads overall are so bad in Kenya they joke that “only the drunks drive straight.” The windows were all down, keeping the temperature in the vehicle at a low slow sweat. The odd baboon attracted our faint and quaint attention. As I tried to doze my head bounced to the right. I half-opened my eyes and scanned the horizon to the south. I had never seen it from the ground but recognized the mountain immediately. I bolted upright, surprised by the shear joy of the spectacle. Rising alone on the horizon, not a cloud in the sky, there it was again, Kilimanjaro! And what a surprise! “For ye shall go out with joy… the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing.” I had no idea we’d see it on this trip. We must have been fifty miles north of the mountain. The breadth is overwhelming. It bothers the Kenyans to this day that Queen Victoria should have had the audacity to “give” what was not hers to her relative, the German Kaiser, thus forever favoring Tanzania and denying Kenya of her greatest natural wonder.

On the return we decided to drive deep into and through Masai country to trek up the mountain itself. Visibility was considerably lessened by a low pressure system. We hoped the clouds would clear, but it was not to be so. One of the grandest peaks in the world would not reveal herself. I had seen her greatest majesty, her gleaming white crater, without even intending to do so. Inspection with out expectation. I had beheld her grandeur from foothill to highest snow covered crag, quite without any merit or worthiness in me. Now I desired to see her up close, and for the first time had actually acted to do so. But she lay impenetrably hidden. We drove onward as the plain ascended. We trekked onto the very mountain itself, only to be thwarted. The clouds lay low and heavy all about, spitting rain at us intermittently as if laughing us to scorn. All I remember is the dirt road, the rain and mud, and thick forest and rickety villages. As darkness loomed the end of the day beckoned north. I was disappointed, yes… but I’d been on the mountain itself. And because I had beheld the mountain in its starkest beauty, the rain dampened but hardly snuffed out my smoldering joy. I was “singing” non-the-less.

So it is with joy, at least joy as a gift of the Spirit. There’s no forcing it, no coercing it, no measuring it, no cooking it up. Whenever that happens, joy quickly is faked and feigned and in fact, extinguished. “One should be warned to push aside reason and heresy because they always want to count and measure things.” (Luther, Festival Sermons I.137) There’s no calculating when and precisely how it shall strike or when it will be felt and to what extent. I am certainly not going to offer the reader anything like a “joy-O-meter” in this little book, or “Ten Sure Fire Ways to Put Joy Into Your Life.” Nonetheless, where there is Jesus there is joy, and a lot of it in the Bible. There is joy in the most profound truth of God’s word (the gospel of Christ) and the simplest grandeur of the tiniest particle of creation. But joy at its best is like the kingdom of God, it “comes indeed without our prayer, of itself.”

We ourselves have no constant or even enduring view from, or into the heavens in this life. But we are given a fabulous glimpse into heaven itself in the bible. When the clouds break and the heavenly rays reveal the peaks, we behold joy. And there is an attitude of joy in life which can and does encompass it all, even in the face of severe trial or death. “Even Job on his dunghill was not deserted by the Lord.” Ambrose (ACCS VI.296) In fact, there is a kind of joy so profound, so enduring, that it can only be known and felt in one way. Its weaker shadows must be completely dashed and lost. Here’s the secret: If we seek joy for its own sake we will not find it. If we seek Jesus we shall be engulfed and inundated by it, and quite by surprise.

The bible is a book about Jesus, more than that, the bible actually delivers Jesus to us in divine words which are “living and mighty and active, sharper than any two edge sword.” It is more than possible for us to “Live a Good News Life in a Bad News World,” it’s God’s great pleasure and desire for us to do so. But if it is to be a life which knows true joy, it shall be joy in perspective. The bible occasionally “dips a wing” for us, and we see beams of beatific-heavenly joy, something like seeing Kilimanjaro from 20,000 feet. Once in a while we’ll get the picture of the whole, or as much of the whole as can be seen at once from earth. But most of the time we’ll view life from the perspective of a trek in the mud, or as ants atop a “dunghill.” By faith we know the mountain’s there, and by the same faith we may share its joy.

More than anything, I’d like this little book to be a bit of “joy in the mud” for the reader, a little book on the perspectives of joy I have found along the way, much to my great surprise and delight, muddy feet and all.

District Convention in Northern Minnesota

Spent the past three days at Maddens Resort near Brainard, Minnesota. I had the distinct pleasure of keynoting the LCMS District Convention. They were the nicest 350 or so folks I've met at once in quite a while. It was a great honor to be there. Would love to be there when the Walleye are running...

The lake reminded me of many a trip to Many Point Lake, at Ponsford, Minnesota, when I was a kid. We vacationed there every summer (a six hour drive north of my home town, Sioux City, Iowa - I found the photo of Many Point on the "Whaley's Resort" home page).

Minnesota got me thinking about the more important things of life... Anyone out there have an old wood/canvas canoe I could take off your hands?

Pastor H

Luther on the Hidden Holiness of the Church

"Therfore we correctly confess in the Creed that we believe a holy church. For it is invisible, dwelling in the Spirit, in an 'unapproachable' place (I Tim. 6:16); therefore its holiness cannot be seen. God conceals and covers it with weaknesses, sins, errors, and various offense and forms of the cross in such a way that it is not evident to the sense anywhere. Those who are ignorant of this are immediately offended when they see the weaknesses and sins of those hwo have been baptized, have the Word, and believe; and they conclude that such people do not belong to the church... Anyone who thinks this way turns the article of the Creed, "I believe a holy church,' upside down; he replaces 'I believe' with 'I see'" (LW 27.84-85).

Martin Luther

Mercy in a World Coming Unglued

Wrote this not long after the market crash last fall. MH

‘In him we live and move and have our being…’ he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17

We live in tumultuous times. I’m 46, and don’t believe seen anything quite so disconcerting. 9/11 was troubling beyond anything my generation had seen. I was but a young boy when Saigon fell, so I was blissfully unaware of the depth of turmoil in the country in the Vietnam era. I can not begin to imagine what the Great Depression or WWII must have been like. My grandfather (born 1899) recounted to me before he died that more than once he had put his last dime in the collection plate at church in the 1930’s. Today we have but a tiny glimpse of the insecurity our mothers and fathers lived with for years. The collapse of the economy in the midst of such intense and fundamental political division in the country is profoundly troubling. We live in a time of migration of peoples, shifting demographics, and mounting social upheaval. The global economy and our inability to cope with it have shifted factories and manufacturing jobs to Mexico and overseas. The U.S. labor force (many of my aunts and uncles were laborers of one sort or another) is in deep transition. My brother-in-law works for GM in Detroit and recently told me that he doubts very much if there will be any manufacturing jobs at all in Michigan in 15 years.

As a church, we struggle to come to grips with our culture, and face internal discensus about the limits of churchly freedom and cultural adaptation in “seeking and saving the lost.” Where is the “sweet spot” between cultural insensitivity and cultural accommodation and compromise? Our seminary professors wonder aloud if there will be seminaries at all in the future (There must be). The collapse of the market has deep ramifications for the church, its pension plans, foundations, restricted funds, health care plans and much more. No one knows for sure what the effects on the local congregations will be at this point. The agricultural economy have been strong, but where will prices go? Will the ethanol boom continue now that oil prices are falling? So many questions.

Yet midst it all, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Francis Pieper (1852-1931) commented (his unpublished “Luther Hour” lectures – a tradition since Walther’s days lecturing on Law and Gospel) in the midst of tumultuous times, that “the world continues to exist,” simply for the sake of the preaching of the gospel” and the church. “The gates of hell shall not prevail…” The Lord’s ways are hidden. In putting to death he makes alive. But finally, what we see transpiring about us at this very moment of chaos, is for the benefit of the church. May we be the first to repent of our sins, and ever more become the community which our Lord would have us be at this moment, for the sake of His mission, and mercy toward those in need in these last chaotic days.

Matt Harrison

President Pfotenhauer on the 50th Anniversary of the Missouri Synod: "A Passing Rain shower?"

Here's a document which will be one of about seventy-five in my upcoming collection of essays, sermons and addresses of the first five German-born presidents of the LCMS (Walther, Wyneken, Schwan, Pieper, Pfotenhauer). Look for "At Home in the House of My Fathers" to be out soon!

Matt H

Admonition to Fear and Hope at the 50th Anniversary of Synod

District Address

Minnesota Dakota District 1897

Friedrich Pfotenhauer 

Translated by Matthew Harrison

Pfotenhauer is the great student of Walther. Walther’s law/gospel emphasis rings in this address. The use of Luther’s comment on the gospel as a “passing rain shower” will come up again in a later address to the general synod in convention. This address speaks its message of law and grace, directly to us, today. MH

We lift our eyes to the hills. From where does our help come? Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. [Psalm 121:1-2]

Venerable and beloved Fathers and Brothers in the Lord!

This year is a very significant one for our entire beloved Missouri Synod. For fifty years now the our faithful God has graciously given us his word pure and clear, and rained down on us streams of love. It is quite proper for us to pause at such an important milestone of our churchly life, and for our hearts to be moved by the thoughts which God’s word provides at such an opportunity. Our congregations, scattered here and there in our vast fatherland, have already celebrated this event on Jubilate Sunday. On that day with burning hearts they thanked God for all the goodness and faithfulness which he has shown to them without merit, and they prayed: “Stay with us Lord, for it is evening and the day is far spent.” [Luke 24:29] May this festival not have taken place in any congregation without leaving a trace, but may the preached word everywhere work the peaceable fruit of righteousness, that our aging Missouri Synod not grow cold in love for the Savior, to whom we all give thanks!

And this year each congregation shall not only thank God for the goodness of the Lord shown to it, but it is right and proper that our congregations also together, as they are united at synod sessions through representatives, to reflect on the fact that the Lord has done great things to us. This is why together this coming Sunday we will conduct a divine service of celebration [Jubelgottesdienst]. It makes sense that what I have to say now at the beginning of our dealings will be said in view of the year of celebration in which we live. Allow me then to address you with a few words on the fear and hope which should move us during this fiftieth anniversary of our Synod.

Fear and hope. Both are found together in a Christian heart. The scriptures describe a true Christian as a person who fears that he might lose again the heavenly treasures, the grace of God in Christ Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. But he also certainly hopes and joyously believes that he will attain his blessed goal and not be put to shame.

So then, our Synod also in its jubilee year should be concerned that it not forfeit the glorious gifts of grace: pure doctrine, the pleasure of God, the governance of the Holy Spirit, the inheritance of the saints in the light, and suffer a great fall. Woe to us, if in this year we look at our greatness as in a mirror and cast a disparaging glance at those to whom not so much has been given! Woe to us, if we would proudly say, “We stand and grow, we blossom and prosper! Who will hinder us? No, my brothers, our jubilee first demands of us not pride and arrogance, but fear.

Let me point out for you a few reasons why we should be fearful.

1. Because God’s word admonishes us to be fearful. Psalm 2:1l says, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” I Peter 1:17 states, “Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.”

2. We have cause to fear because we see from the history of the church that the word of God has not remained in one place longer than a human lifetime. It invariably goes under when those who brought it to light have died. Luther made the famous comment: “The word is like a passing rain shower, which does not remain clear and pure at one place beyond one man’s generation; but so long as those remained who brought it to light, it has stood and been received. When they were gone, the light was also gone.” (XII, 385) The first half of the statement of our German prophet has been fulfilled in our Synod. The word of God increased mightily, so long as a Walther, a Wyneken and others worked. Now, nearly all the fathers are gone. A completely new generation has risen up. How will the second half of Luther’s statement be fulfilled? Will the light now come to an end among us? When we encounter the proof of experience from church history – which as a rule does not deceive – our jubilee must give us cause for anxiety and apprehension.

3. We should rightfully fear when we look upon the course of events we see in the times in which we live. These are the last times. It is an evil and dangerous time. It is more difficult to persevere and be saved than in days past. The Lord himself says of our times: “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” [Matthew 24:11-12] “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [Luke 18:8] We should not take this in the sense that all who are called will be saved, or that the apostasy in our time will only be insignificant. The all-seeing eyes of the Savior observe many who run well for a time, but then deny the faith. Their love grows cold and they come to a horrible end. And he tells us this in his word so that we go about our lives with fear.

4. Finally, we have cause to celebrate our synodical jubilee with fear and trembling, when we glance at the present condition of our synod. It is true, we still have the very precious treasure, the pure word of God. As a rule it still governs our congregations, but it can not be denied that we are no longer what our fathers were. Indeed, the symptoms of the decline are evident and increasing among us. I will only point out a few. The holy zeal to study and grow in God’s word has declined markedly among both preachers and hearers. The boundary between us and the world is no longer drawn so sharply. Our manner of life is not always prudent. Terrible scandals, also on the part of our pastors, are on the increase. While we are richer in earthly things than our fathers, we are weaker in faith and Christian love. This becomes evident in our district in the way we [fail to] support our schools. Our district now numbers as many souls as the entire Missouri Synod had in 1863. But while at that time our Synod already had 100 school teachers, our district only has 27. At that time our congregations, in spite of their poverty, installed a teacher as soon as they established a school. Now, despite our wealth, it is said among us: “We can not yet support a teacher.” So the children are educated partly by the pastor and partly by the public state school. The congregations become more and more used to this lamentable situation and regard it as completely correct. The introduction of an ordered school in such congregations is not taken seriously. But what will come of our church if we neglect the chief matter and fail to have compassion on our young folk? True, beloved brothers, when we consider all this, then we must rightly be gripped with fear. Indeed, we must tremble and completely despair in our power and our capabilities. And I say, “good.” It is good for us to despair of ourselves, recognize our wretchedness and humble ourselves before God, but then lift our eyes to the hills, from whence comes our help [Psalm 121:1]. Good for us when the fear which we sense during our jubilee, becomes our task master driving us to Christ. We flee to him and he teaches us joyously to have hope.

Yes, in Christ, but also only in Christ, we dare to hope. We should hope. And we will hope that the Lord not cast us off, but rather hold our beloved Synod in his grace, and be with us as he was with our fathers. Here we naturally are not thinking about our external organization and our churchly institutions – that may all pass away, we shall not regard these things as our great concern – rather what we hope from God is that he preserve our congregations and each and every one of us from apostasy, and preserve us in the faith until the end.

Allow me to mention a few reasons that we may dare to hope confidently.

First, I remind you of the powerful promises of grace which stand written so that we may have hope. I Corinthians 1:8-9: “God will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 5:10: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” These are all solid and certain promises and not wavering resolutions. We cling to these promises and in them we grab hold of eternal life with certainty.

Furthermore, it is certainly true that according to the history of the church the Word of God does not stay in one place longer than a human lifetime. But it is even more certain that God does not bind himself to history, rather says in his word: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Romans 9:15. God can indeed allow the passing rain shower [Platzregen] to last over us longer than a human lifespan, and bring us back to our first love.

Finally, during our jubilee we recall how much goodness and faithfulness the Lord has shown to our synod these fifty years, and we draw from this the confidence that the Lord will not turn from us. It is certainly correct to apply the gracious leading which has been experienced in the past as consolation for the future. The scriptures themselves say: “Experience produces hope.” [Romans 5:4] And the saints of the Old Testament often recounted the history of their fathers, when they were in need of power and strength for their own lives of faith. And they prayed joyously, “Lord, have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.” [Psalm 80:14-15]

Well then, beloved brothers, we shall celebrate our jubilee with fear and in hope. With fear, since we see our selves, we see the world and the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” [I Peter 5:8] We celebrate with hope because we look to the Lord. And because the Lord is more powerful than the world, hope will more and more overcome fear. And so we will be preserved as much from fleshly security as form doubt, which is more terrible than death. To be sure, for us a glance into the future is frightening, but we shall not waver. We hope that Lord is gracious. We will also joyously fulfill our course and with our fathers celebrate the eternal jubilee year in the church triumphant. We pray confidently, I Kings 8:57-58, “The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his laws, which he commanded our fathers.” Amen.

Minnie-Me Book of Concord

Paul McCain and CPH have put out several mule-choking editions of the Book of Concord in the past year or two. They are beautiful. They are packed with info and illustrations. But I must admit, I've been loathe to walk away from my old Tappert Edition. I received that old standard edition as a gift in 1983. I well remember the day. The now sainted Reverend Rick Suggit was visiting my old home congregation, Redeemer Sioux City, for the baptism of the child of a mutual friend in February 1983. Rick and I had grown quite close through our mutual participation in the rather vibrant youth ministry of that congregation and the Iowa District West in the early 80's. We had both been heavily influenced toward the seminary by Rev. Alan Boeck (now in Portage Wisconsin). I was a religious studies (and football!) major at Morningside College in Sioux City, and had determined I should go to the seminary. In my later high school and college years I had also been strongly influenced by Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and evangelical groups at the college. I nearly left Lutheranism at one point, but my confirmation instruction (the Word of God) would not let go of me. One part of the Small Catechism which I had memorized particularly well as a child, stayed with me through all: "I can not by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ, or come to him." I began to withdraw from these evangelical groups, becoming increasingly uneasy about all the emphasis upon personal experience, feeling Jesus in one's heart as the primary indication of faith, personal decision for Christ, and disdain for infant baptism, etc. I had been parroting evangelical friends, giving personal testimony about how I was living a victorious life in Christ, etc. I recall at one point arguing against the order of confession and absolution in the liturgy. At one particular low point I recall feeling compelled to try to convert (to pietism!) my LCMS grandfather (a charter member of his congregation). I recall clearly being upset when the faithful pastors leading a youth event in Iowa West, declined to commune the Assemblies of God friends we had invited to join us at the event. I was deeply perturbed. Worse still, I had - without my realizing it - come to believe that the Lord's Supper was merely a symbol of Christ's absent body and blood. It was all horrid subjectivity. My education at Morningside under the tutelage of several classical Protestant Liberals, who were deeply decent and honorable men, helped convince me that I was no liberal. But now I was slowly coming realize, I was no evangelical either. I was beginning to long for something more and I began to find it in the very church where I was raised.

I'll never forget it. Rick pulled a strange red book out of his brief case. He said, "Matt, I know you have no idea what this book is, but I want to give it to you. This is what you're looking for. I can't believe what I'm learning at the seminary." The journey into understanding what it means to be a confessional Lutheran was beginning in earnest. That Tappert Edition has accompanied me to this very moment. I read it cover to cover at the seminary, and it has been a constant companion since. Nearly every page is marked with three or four different highlighters and underlined in several different colors of ink. Along the way I've spent a great deal of time in the old Concordia Triglotta (the German, Latin and English edition of the Book of Concord published by the LCMS in 1917 for the anniversary of the Reformation). I've worked through large portions of Die Bekenntnisschriften, the critical German edition of the Book of Concord. But Tappert has always been there. It represents for me a journey into the freedom, the joy, the profound gift of the full, objective gospel and sacraments confessed by our church. I've got a psychological attachment to that book which is hard to put into words.

But now comes along the CPH baby version of the Book of Concord, the updated English of the old Triglotta. A friend visited India recently. She had told me she knew a book-binder who did wonderful leather binding in India, very cheaply. I've been wanting to get my old Greek New Testament rebound, but didn't want to chance that until I saw what kind of work they did. On a lark I sent the new CPH "Readers Edition of the Book of Concord - Pocket Edition" along with her. She returned it to me, beautifully leather bound (for two bucks!) last week. It's such a nice small book (ya... still 1000 pages). It seemed so un-intimidating, so totally readable (unlike the mule-choking editions). I picked it up. And I began to read. I can hardly put it down. The translation is so lucid, so easy to understand. It's so easy to underline (I always use a credit card for a rule). Something strange and wonderful has happened when reading the long-winded Apology of the Augsburg Confession: I can't wait to turn the page. I've marked up 300 pages already. How refreshing! How consoling! Oh the concern of the confessions for poor, troubled consciences! And what magnificent emphasis upon law and and gospel, and the necessity of works of mercy! Oh the sweet gospel! What fun to read again Melanchthon's pointed wit! "Who has taught these asses such logic?" (Ap. XXII.25). Oh if we would just let the Apology be heard our worship "wars" could be solved.

In any case, the "Minne-Me" Book of Concord feels great in my hand (the leather helps) and has invited me to read again. Praise the Lord.

Therefore, we easily look down on the terrors of the world, and we will bear with a strong spirit all suffering for Christ's glory and the Chruch's benefits. Who would not joyfully die in the confession of these articles, that we receive the forgiveness of sins through faith freely for Christ's sake. Apology XX.83

Matt Harrison

It's Time Audio

Here's a link to the audio version of my paper, "It's TIme" on LCMS Unity and Mission. You can listen to the paper, or download the MP3 file.


Blessings! Matt H

My Latest Favorite Passage of the Lutheran Confessions

Here is a profound passage on love and divisions in the church. MH


"In all families and in all states unity should be nourished by mutual offices, and peace cannot be maintained unless people overlook and forgive certain mistakes among themselves. In a similar way, Paul commands that there should be love in the church in order that it may preserve unity, bear with the harsher manners of brethren if there is need, and overlook certain less serious mistakes. This must happen or the church will fly apart into various schisms and hostilities and factions and heresies will arrise from the schisms."

Apology of the Augsburg Confession V.111
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions
Pocket Edition, CPH, p. 149

Flood Photos from North Dakota

Rev. Bernhard Seter, Board Chair of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, is right in the middle of the North Dakota flooding. He sent some photos today. Lord have mercy.

Matt H

Walther Round Table Calls Attention to Approaching Bicentennial

A couple of weeks ago, Concordia Historical Institute and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, hosted the XXI Walther Round Table. There is now a story about this on the Synod Website.

-Pastor H.

Walther Round Table Calls Attention to Approaching Bicentennial

April 9, 2009

Reflecting on the life and ministry of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s first president is the focus of scholars, pastors, and professors who meet annually as part of the Walther Round Table at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. But participants who gathered for the 21st conference on April 1 also looked ahead to the 2011 bicentennial of C.F.W. Walther’s birth.

"Walther is simply the most significant Lutheran leader of the 19th century, and his influence has continued in an almost unprecedented way," said Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care and a Walther Round Table member. "It is my hope that the anniversary will cause renewed interest in his life and work, and will bring into English the mountains of Walther writings, sermons, and lectures that remain untranslated and virtually unknown. There is a renaissance of interest in the history of Lutheranism right now, and more and more capable individuals are translating original documents."

Participants devoted a portion of the conference to brainstorming about the approaching Walther bicentennial. Dr. Thomas Manteufel, Walther Round Table chairman, said round table members will take the lead in planning the celebration. "This is a special observance that is very important for our Synod and for American Lutheranism," said Dr. Manteufel, Concordia Seminary associate professor of systematic theology. "An observance such as this takes time to develop and put into place."

Rev. Marvin Huggins, Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) interim director, and Charles Schaum, Concordia Publishing House associate editor, are round table members who also will play roles in the bicentennial observance, Dr. Manteufel said.

The round table included Walther presentations by Harrison; Dr. Will Schumacher, Concordia Seminary mission associate professor of historical theology; and Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, LCMS WR-HC executive pastoral assistant.

Several new Walther-related publications already are in the works, including a book by Harrison that will highlight the writings of the first five German-born LCMS presidents. Harrison plans to self-publish At Home in the House of My Fathers later this year. "These texts reveal many surprises about the Synod fathers, including their very human struggles and frustrations, but, above all, their fidelity to the Gospel and to the mission of the church," Harrison said.

The Walther Round Table was begun in 1989 by the late CHI Director Dr. August Sueflow as an opportunity to discuss and better understand Walther’s legacy and his continuing influence on American Lutheranism.

Luther on the Resurrection

"It is a sore trial when we die so wretchedly. Man howls, cries, and moans; he sees before him not life but the form of death. When faced with such trial, we must cling to God's Word in faith and conceive comforting and joy-filled thoughts of life to counteract the face of death; and bear in mind the grave is not really a grave but a beautiful, fragrant garden in which are planted beautiful and fragrant cloves and roses, which during the summer are to thrive and bloom on and on. For just as the Lord Christ's grave had to become vacant and not stink but become lovely, glorious, and beautiful, so also must the grave of the Christians become vacant and not stink. These are the Christians' thoughts, art and wisdom."

Luther

Easter Eve

March 31, 1532

His Crucifixion - My Joy

"We need to study the passion of Christ, in order that we might remember that it happened for our good and for our eternal benefit. I must have regard for his bloody sweat, his agony, and his crucifixion and say, 'That is my strength, my life, my joy.' All this happened for our sakes and for our benefit. We must believe this and thank him from the bottom of our hearts. Whoever does that and views the suffering of Christ in this way is a Christian."

Luther

Good Friday, 1533

Preached at home in the Luther Hall

House Postils 1.474

Luther Maudy Thursday Sermon

"That is the service we render God in the New Testament - like the service of the Jews in the Old Testament - that when we receive the Sacrament, we proclaim with heart and mouth that Christ has shouldered our guilt and expunged our sins through the sacrifice of his Body and Blood. We ought to celebrate our Passover by extolling and praising the man who bears the name of Jesus Christ for his great, boundless redemption and for the everlasting kingdom and priesthood which he has won and granted us through his Body and Blood. And this is what he grants to us, and as a sure sign, pledge, and seal, he gives us his Body to eat and his Blood to drink in the sacrament."

Luther's House Postils, vol. 1.462

Preached at St. Mary's, Wittenberg

Maundy Thursday

April 2, 1534

"Love one another..."

"We aren't what we were..."

Here's an excerpt from an address by then District President (later Synod President) Pfotenhauer on the 50th anniversary of the Synod. The full address will be published in "At Home in the House of My Fathers." Coming soon. It's as appropriate and applicable today, in fact, much more so, than when it was delivered well over a hundred years ago. 

Matt H.

Admonition to Fear and Hope at the 50^th Anniversary of Synod

District Address

 Minnesota Dakota District 1897

Friedrich Pfotenhauer[1]

Translated by Matthew Harrison

...So then, our Synod also in its jubilee year should be concerned that it not forfeit the glorious gifts of grace: pure doctrine, the pleasure of God, the governance of the Holy Spirit, the inheritance of the saints in the light, and suffer a great fall. Woe to us, if in this year we look at our greatness as in a mirror and cast a disparaging glance at those to whom not so much has been given! Woe to us, if we would proudly say, “We stand and grow, we blossom and prosper! Who will hinder us? No, my brothers, our jubilee first demands of us not pride and arrogance, but fear.

 

Let me point out for you a few reasons why we should be fearful.

 

1. Because God’s word admonishes us to be fearful. Psalm 2:1l says, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” I Peter 1:17 states, “Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.”  

 

2. We have cause to fear because we see from the history of the church that the word of God has not remained in one place longer than a human lifetime. It invariably goes under when those who brought it to light have died. Luther made the famous comment: “The word is like a passing rain shower, which does not remain clear and pure at one place beyond one man’s generation; but so long as those remained who brought it to light, it has stood and been received. When they were gone, the light was also gone.” (XII, 385) The first half of the statement of our German prophet has been fulfilled in our Synod. The word of God increased mightily, so long as a Walther, a Wyneken and others worked. Now, nearly all the fathers are gone. A completely new generation has risen up. How will the second half of Luther’s statement be fulfilled? Will the light now come to an end among us? When we encounter the proof of experience from church history – which as a rule does not deceive – our jubilee must give us cause for anxiety and apprehension.

 

3. We should rightfully fear when we look upon the course of events we see in the times in which we live. These are the last times. It is an evil and dangerous time. It is more difficult to persevere and be saved than in days past. The Lord himself says of our times: “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” [Matthew 24:11-12] “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [Luke 18:8] We should not take this in the sense that all who are called will be saved, or that the apostasy in our time will only be insignificant. The all-seeing eyes of the Savior observe many who run well for a time, but then deny the faith. Their love grows cold and they come to a horrible end. And he tells us this in his word so that we go about our lives with fear.

 

4. Finally, we have cause to celebrate our synodical jubilee with fear and trembling, when we glance at the present condition of our synod. It is true, we still have the very precious treasure, the pure word of God. As a rule it still governs our congregations, but it can not be denied that we are no longer what our fathers were. Indeed, the symptoms of the decline are evident and increasing among us. I will only point out a few. The holy zeal to study and grow in God’s word has declined markedly among both preachers and hearers. The boundary between us and the world is no longer drawn so sharply. Our manner of life is not always prudent. Terrible scandals, also on the part of our pastors, are on the increase. While we are richer in earthly things than our fathers, we are weaker in faith and Christian love. This becomes evident in our district in the way we [fail to] support our schools. Our district now numbers as many souls as the entire Missouri Synod had in 1863. But while at that time our Synod already had 100 school teachers, our district only has 27. At that time our congregations, in spite of their poverty, installed a teacher as soon as they established a school. Now, despite our wealth, it is said among us: “We can not yet support a teacher.” So the children are educated partly by the pastor and partly by the public state school. The congregations become more and more used to this lamentable situation and regard it as completely correct. The introduction of an ordered school in such congregations is not taken seriously. But what will come of our church if we neglect the chief matter and fail to have compassion on our young folk? True, beloved brothers, when we consider all this, then we must rightly be gripped with fear. Indeed, we must tremble and completely despair in our power and our capabilities. And I say, “good.”  It is good for us to despair of ourselves, recognize our wretchedness and humble ourselves before God, but then lift our eyes to the hills, from whence comes our help [Psalm 121:1]. Good for us when the fear which we sense during our jubilee, becomes our task master driving us to Christ. We flee to him and he teaches us joyously to have hope.

 

Yes, in Christ, but also only in Christ, we dare to hope. We should hope. And we will hope that the Lord not cast us off, but rather hold our beloved Synod in his grace, and be with us as he was with our fathers. Here we naturally are not thinking about our external organization and our churchly institutions – that may all pass away, we shall not regard these things as our great concern – rather what we hope from God is that he preserve our congregations and each and every one of us from apostasy, and preserve us in the faith until the end.  Pfotenhauer

---

[1] Elfter Synodal=Bericht des Minnesota= und Dakota=Districts der deutschen evang.=lutherischen Synode von Missouri, Ohio und anderen Staaten, versammelt zu Willow Creek, Minn., vom 16 bis 22 Juni 1897. St. Louis, Mo. Concordia Publishing House 1897, pp. 7-11. 

Second Edition!

The second (significantly expanded) edition of "Women Pastors?" is now available from CPH. While observing the ongoing debate regarding this issue in Australia in 2000, I lamented the fact there there was really no significant collection of essays on the topic available from CPH. John Pless and I made the proposal, and collected what we believe are some of the most significant essays on the topic from the past half century in Lutheranism. It took longer than we expected for the book to come out, but it did, and now you have it.

Weinrich's essay on many significant women who have served the church remarkably since the beginning (but not as pastors), is a wonderful affirmation of the service of Christian women. The first edition was the fastest selling professional book in recent CPH history. 

Matt Harrison

Sasse on Joy

We need this joy now more than ever. The world needs it, and Christendom needs it. If ever this joyful news was necessary for the world, then [it is] in our century of great wars and mass death. But how should we, servants of the gospel, announce this joy to the world, if we ourselves do not have it? What is missing in the churches of Christendom today is the measure of joy which the old church possessed. We all stand in great danger of having the fearful seriousness of our time, the concerns in the church and in the parsonage, even the concerns about the church which are commanded to us, not allow the great joy to arise, or kill it. This is especially true of those among us who work in “dead” congregations, who perhaps must preach in empty churches, and upon whom too much work has been placed. But it is true there, too, where the congregations are rich, sometimes too rich, where the ecclesiastical life seems to bloom and the Christian faith is in no way attacked from the outside. There it is worldly joy, the secularized substitute for the true joy of the gospel, which threatens to destroy Christ’s joy. 

The Church’s Time of Rejoicing, Hermann Sasse

 

Joy

I've been studying the bible on the broad topic of Joy... 

The Father’s Joy

 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Matthew 15:21-24.

 

The text might be rendered more dynamically, “and running, the father almost bowled over his son, bear-hugged him for joy, and kissed him over and over again.” Before the son had managed a word of penance, the father turned and shouted! He’s home! Let’s celebrate. Prepare the feast!” That’s who the Father is. Jesus could hardly have illustrated more concretely the contrast between the religion of His Father and that of the Pharisees who were grumbling at him, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” The cornerstone of Pharisaic religion was “joy through compliance.” There is no running father in Pharisaeism. They meant well. The disobedience of their fathers and mothers brought captivity and occupation to Israel, and they were determined to comply with the law to the very “jot” and “tittle,” and beyond.  But they were so certain of their self-chosen path to restoration that they preferred the cold embrace and kiss of the law, to the joyous embrace of the Father of mercies, and Joy Incarnate in Jesus – the God who runs to embrace sinners. They preferred sacrifice to mercy. Compliance religion of law finally ends in a narrow, smug, twisted and self-absorbed “joy” in no one but the self and its self-chosen strictures. By contrast, the religion of the Lord broadens things, beginning with the human heart. “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” (Psalm 119:32; KJV) The father does not run in the religion of the law. In the religion of Jesus, he sprints! 

Matt Harrison

"Pastors should not complain about their congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God."

Only those who give thanks for little things receive the great things as well… How can God entrust great things to those who will not gratefully receive the little things from Gods hand? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian community in which we have been placed, even when there are no great experiences, no noticeable riches, but much weakness, difficulty, and little faith – and if, on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so miserable and so insignificant and does not at all live up to our expectations – then we hinder God from letting our community grow according to the measure and riches that are there for us all in Jesus Christ. That also applies in a special way to the complaints often heard from pastors and zealous parishioners about their congregations. Pastors should not complain about their congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. Congregations have not been entrusted to them in order that they should become accusers of their congregations before God and their fellow human beings. When pastors lose faith in a Christian community in which they have been placed and begin to make accusations against it, they had better examine themselves first to see whether the underlying problem is not their own idealized image, which should be shattered by God. And if they find that to be true, let them thank God for leading them into this predicament. But if they find that it is not true, let them nevertheless guard against ever becoming an accuser of those whom God has gathered together. Instead, let them accuse themselves for their unbelief, let them ask for an understanding of their own failure and their particular sin, and pray that they may not wrong other Christians. Let such pastors, recognizing their own guilt, make intersession for those charged to their care. Let them do what they have been instructed to do and thank God.

 

Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Fortress) p. 38.

 

Loehe:"Walther has correctly presented the opinion of Luther."

Here's an interesting paragraph from Loehe's letter to Iowa Synod founder Grossmann. The whole letter is most intriguing, and has been translated for inclusion in the soon to be published volume: At Home in the House of My Fathers. There will be a lot of intriguing material from the first five presidents of the Missouri Synod, Loehe, Brohm, Sihler and more... Should be about 700 pp. worth. Most of the contents have never been available in English. The following is Loehe's comment on Walther's Church and Office/Ministry (1852).

Matt H

"I can pretty well say for certain that Walther in his book has correctly presented the opinion of Luther and those theologians who follow him on this point. I have nothing to contest in the book on this account. The Waltherian work in the book is nothing remarkable. He has said nothing that has not also been said by others. But it is a very good and contemporary summary, a worthwhile contribution to instruct oneself on the current questions. The excerpts are not as plentiful as I might have imagined, but they are more than adequate to demonstrate Walther’s agreement, or much rather the agreement of his book, with Luther."

Loehe to Grossmann, July 1, 1853

The Greatest Episcopalian in the History of the Missouri Synod

You've no doubt never heard of Episcopalian Missionary Bishop, Jackson Kemper. He served what is today Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis when Martin Stephan and his followers began arriving in St. Louis in January of 1839. Stephan, the Dresden Lutheran preacher, come bishop, had been ousted from office in Germany under a cloud of public scrutiny over his actions as a confessional Lutheran, and his odd personal habits involving late night meetings. He was never formally convicted of wrong-doing in Germany, but he and his followers (including a young CFW Walther) left Germany under an avalanche of ridicule. Negative attitudes to this rather intense group of conservative Lutherans preceded them to St. Louis. When they arrived the local German community was resolutely opposed to their presence. The local German congregation (Holy Ghost, today UCC) was particularly opposed and inhospitable. The German press was hostile. 

But there was a member of the ecclesiastical community in St. Louis who welcomed this rather odd group which soon faced grave crisis and embarrassment over the ouster of their erstwhile "Bishop" Stephan. His name was Jackson Kemper (1789-1870), Episcopalian Missionary Bishop, who served in St. Louis for nine years. Kemper's father had served under George Washington in the Revolution. The church building was just to the north of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis (directly west of the Arch). The Saxons, by the way, were repulsed by the slave market which was held on the very steps of the Courthouse! The Dred Scott decision was largely litigated at this very building. Click HERE for the horrid history of slavery in St. Louis. Forster gives the account:

... it is apparent that there was no lack of religious activity in St. Louis when the Saxons arrived. On the contrary, the competition was already rather keen, notwithstanding a widespread spirit of unionism that embraced all denominations except the Roman Catholics and, after 1839, the Lutherans. Therefore, Marbach [the lawyer who later debated Walther on church and ministry in Perry County, and returned to Germany], who was appointed to make the arrangements for the Saxons' first service in St. Louis, did not face an easy task. The German congregation, for instance, which might have been expected to be the most obliging to the immigrants, adopted a hostile attitude. Not to be discouraged, Marbach approached also the Episcopal congregation in St. Louis and petitioned for the use of its new church, dedicated as recently as February 17, 1839, and probably the finest Protestant house of worship in the city. The request was granted by the vestry and announced to his congregation by Bishop Kemper in an oft-quoted statement that constituted one of the most cordial welcomes extended to the Saxons anywhere... Two circumstances should not go unmentioned in connection with this action of the Episcopalians. First, the kindness of the congregation, while commendable even under favorable conditions, was especially noteworthy in view of the fact that at this time the Saxons were by no means enjoying an untarnished reputation. The derogatory comments of and in the Anzeiger had begun, and, as just mentioned, Holy Ghost Congregation [today UCC], composed of their own compatriots from overseas, had no use for these conservatives, nor any thought of extending a similar courtesy as was sough from the English congregation. Secondly, the benefactions of Christ Church were coupled with a remarkable patience. For approximately three and one-half years, until the immigrants had succeeded in erecting their own place of worship, the use of Christ Church was extended to them by this same congregation, often at the cost of serious inconvenience to the latter." 

Stephan preached on March 3, 1839 for the first time in some 16 months (since his ouster in Dresden), to the some 700 Saxon immigrants, and many visitors. The Saxon story soon turned tragic. But Kemper remained a friend and a Christian gentleman. The Missouri Synod owes much to this Episcopalian and his very kind congregation! 

Forster, Zion on the Mississippi, pp. 322-23. 

Iowa?! Gay Marriage Legal

Welcome to the future. 

Walther Round Table XXI

The Walther Round Table XXI took place on 1 April 2009. The Round Table is an annual conference which meets for the purpose of discussion and more informal understanding of the life and work of CFW Walther and his continuing influence in the context of American Lutheranism. Begun in 1989 by the late Dr August Suelflow, director of Concordia Historic Institute, the Round Table has featured many stimulating presentations by scholars and researchers and have been held on the campus of Concordia St Louis. The present chairman is Dr Thomas Manteufel.

The bicentennial of Walther's birth is 2011.

WALTHER ROUND TABLE XXI
April 1, 2009

8:30 am Opening Devotion; Welcome from CHI, Reports, Updates

9:40-10:45 am Chapel


10:45-11:45m A Walther Travelogue Presented by Matthew Harrison

11:45 am-1:00 pm Lunch

1:-00-2:00 pm “Understanding Our Roots” presented by Dr. Will. Schumacher

2:00-2:30 pm Brainstorming for the Walther Bicentennial Celebration (2011)

2:30-2:30 pm “Walther and the Dogmaticians” Presented by Dr. Al Collver

Closing Devotion: “Dr. Walther and the Tabernacle of God” (Recording of a Chapel Sermon by Dr. Norman Nagel)

I Agree.

"If the Lutheran Church has a future, it will be as the Lutheran Church. It will not be as imitation Baptists, Presbyterians, or anything else. If people are to become, remain, and rejoice in being Lutheran, it is because they understand the distinctively Lutheran way of being Christian. Being Lutheran is an evangelical catholic and catholic evangelical way of being in unity with the entire Church of Christ. The present state of American Lutheranism is not just "not satisfactory." It is a sickness unto death. The alternative is not beating the drums to revive flagging spirits, nor is it to move evangelism a few notches up on the bureaucratic agenda.   The alternative is renewal -- theological, pastoral, sacramental, catechetical. The alternative is to be something that others might have some reason to join."

Richard John Neuhaus, 1986 (quoted in Forum Letter March 09)