Is God a narcissist?

and the story of the first Lutheran martyrs.

1/ God’s Clothing (Psalm 104)

2/ JOHANN VAN DEN ESSCHEN and HEINRICH VOS: The First Lutheran Martyrs

Pr Gernander reminded me that this month is the 500th anniversary of the first Lutheran martyrs. Here’s their story.

One day in 1523, Professor Luther stopped teaching his class in Wittenberg for a moment to receive news from a messenger. “He began to cry silently,” one of his students said later. The news concerned two young monks.

Click here for the whole story.

3/ Contempt of the World

ALSO from Pr Gernander, this beautiful quote from Dr Marquart:

I am just finishing Anatomy of an Explosion by Kurt Marquart (my grandpa’s copy, underlined, I had not read it previously), and at the end - p. 139 - he says this, which I think tracks with some things you have been saying recently:

“But without contempt of the world we cannot love, much less proclaim, the eternal things of God.”

4/ What-Not: The Podcast w/ Pr Packer

Pastor Packer and I are teaming up to answer your questions. Let me know what you think of this new format.

• What is a confessional Lutheran?

• How do we know the difference between the devil’s accusations and the Holy Spirit’s conviction?

• Is God narcissistic?

YouTube:

This should have shown up in your podcast feed as well. If not, click here: https://wolfmueller.co/what-not-the-podcast/

5/ On the Absolution

Here’s Melanchthon teaching about the great gift of the absolution. This is a wonderful passage for careful reflection and meditation.

[39] The power of the keys administers and offers the Gospel through absolution, which is the true voice of the Gospel. In speaking of faith, therefore, we also include absolution since “faith comes from what is heard,” as Paul says (Rom. 10:17). Hearing the Gospel and hearing absolution strengthens and consoles the conscience.

[40] Because God truly quickens through the Word, the keys truly forgive sin before him, according to the statement (Luke 10:16), “He who hears you, hears me.” Therefore we must believe the voice of the one absolving no less than we would believe a voice coming from heaven.

[41] Absolution may properly be called a sacrament of penitence, as even the more learned of the scholastics say.

[42] Meanwhile this faith is nourished in many ways, amid temptations, through the proclamation of the Gospel and the use of the sacraments. These are signs of the new testament, that is, signs of the forgiveness of sins. Therefore they offer the forgiveness of sins, as the words in the Lord’s Supper clearly state, “This is my body which is given for you. This cup is the new testament” (Luke 22:19, 20). So faith is conceived and confirmed through absolution, through the hearing of the Gospel, so that it may not succumb in its struggles against the terrors of sin and death.

[43] This understanding of penitence is plain and clear, it adds to the honor of the power of the keys and the sacraments, it illumines the blessing of Christ, and it teaches us to make use of Christ as our mediator and propitiator.

6/ The Small Catechism: Free to Use

The guys over in England published a really nice translation of Luther’s Small Catechism in 2016. They published it under a creative commons license, which means you can use it freely. This is a wonderful gift to the church.

Find the text here:

https://thesmallcatechism.org/

7/ Galatians Study in Spanish

Our missionaries down in Puerto Rico a producing a lot of great theological content in Spanish. If you know Spanish (or are trying to learn, check out this study.) And share this YouTube channel with your Spanish-speaking friends and family. Really cool!

8/ Still Learning to Pray

(Martin Luther on Genesis 30)

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Please add your own theological recommendations in the comments.

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Remember to go to your pastor's Bible Class this week and, read old theology books. (If you don't have a pastor or congregation, click here. If you don't have old theology books, click here.) 

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Thank you, again, for your time and attention, and for your prayers. Please keep in touch. 

Lord's Blessings, Pastor Wolfmueller

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

www.wolfmueller.co

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