The Cross is a Sign of Comfort

and how to listen to a sermon

1/ Psalm 118

2/ Despair of Self, Hope in the Lord

(This was part of this morning’s Worldwide Bible Class.)

3/ The Lutheran Institute of Theology

This will be great. I’m glad to be a part of it.

4/ Luther Sees the Book of Genesis as a Handbook on Prayer

Hence in order that you may overcome those difficulties and annoyances, whether in marriage or in the government, take care first of all that you have meditated well on the Word of God, in which the government is richly established, as we see in Rom. 12:8 and 13:1–4. Likewise in marriage, whether one is a manservant or a maidservant, whether a teacher or a pupil, they are sure of their station and the will of God. Just take hold of the Word, and bring forth fruits worthy of the Word, and you will see that affliction and trials follow at once. But prayer follows these. Deliverance follows prayer. The sacrifice of praise follows deliverance. Thus at the same time you will be able to bear your cross and to offer a sacrifice of praise, which the monks neither want nor are able to do. They are interested only in peace, the belly, and pleasure.

This is how Moses describes the life of this saintly father in accordance with this one chief point, namely, that he spent his life in many tribulations. (LW 5:6)

Loads of quotations here: https://wolfmueller.co/genesis-as-a-handbook-of-prayer-excerpts-from-luthers-lectures/

5/ Continuing Ed Class this Summer in Austin

Inviting you all to the continuing ed class hosted by St Paul Austin this summer, July 17-19, taught by Dr Todd Peperkorn. Thursday and Friday will especially be for the pastors, “How to Preach a Sermon.” Saturday will be for everyone, “How to Listen to a Sermon.” Save the dates. More information is coming soon.

6/ The Four Stages of Coming into the Liturgy

Pastor Jared Melius of Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Denver, CO wrote the following email outlining the four stages of coming into the Lutheran Liturgy. Enjoy!

1. Confusion – where am I? what page? am I supposed to be standing or sitting?

2. Boredom – This is the most dangerous phase. At this phase, people begin to conclude that because the liturgy is repetitive, that it is therefore non-spiritual. This conclusion is hardly ever thought out as such. It is just a matter of impressions and feelings. This “feels” dry, dull, non-spiritual. And therefore, it must be from man and not from God.

3. Love of the liturgy itself – If phase 2 didn’t drive people away from the liturgy, it is usually and ironically replaced by the love of the liturgy for the liturgy’s sake. Here people begin to love the “feeling,” the “reverence,” and the connection to history. They have a sense that this is old and therefore good. People in the depths of this phase can spend hours researching whether the Creed should come before the sermon or after, trying to find out which practice is more “ancient.” Truthfully, many pastors get stuck in this phase and endorse liturgical worship because it is older, more reverent, etc. Some of them leave for the Eastern church or the Roman church because they think they can get it more pure there.

4. Love of the content – The liturgy is a conduit for Word of God and the means of grace. There isn’t, in my opinion, a better such conduit on the market. If there were, I myself would adopt it. In this phase, one uses the liturgy for the sake of the Gospel itself, not for the sake of the liturgy itself.

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Please add your own theological recommendations in the comments.

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Christ is Risen! Pastor Wolfmueller

Psalm 27:4

www.wolfmueller.co

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