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The Confessions do say that you can receive the Sacrament from evil men (Augustana ARTICLE VIII). But why would you want to?

Because I want the tangible presence of Jesus and the benefits that he brings with him. Also, because he said to do this often.


In addition, the evil man may be extremely poor at preaching the gospel, but I am certain to receive God's grace and forgiveness in the sacrament (which I may especially need considering my thoughts towards the preacher after enduring his sermon).

I'd rather find a faithful pastor/congregation.

The Confessions do say that you can receive the Sacrament from evil men (Augustana ARTICLE VIII). But why would you want to?

Mine: Ephesians 2:8-9. Everyone should know that one. 

It looks like Pr. Weeden has deleted his account here since I last visited. He got rid of his Facebook too. That makes me very sad.

I know that most folks don't use the historic lectionary, but in that lectionary today is the reason for the rose candle in the advent wreath, from the opening lines of the lntroit. Some reflections on the day:

https://weedon.blogspot.com/2020/12/gaudete.html

My congregation used the Historic One-Year Lectionary for about twelve years, switching it to it after we adopted the Lutheran Service Book. It was great being able to compare the appointed verses with Luther's Postils, Higher Things' Reflections, and the Walther devotional "God Grant It." Unfortunately, our recent vacancy pastor, and now permanent pastor, uses the Three-Year at his other congregation so we are kind of stuck with it.

I haven't ever been on a vacation except for when my grandparents took my brother and I with them on a trip to the Smoky Mountains when I was around twelve years old. The annual vacation was an alien concept to my family.

I remember visiting my great grandmothers on Easter or Christmas as a kid and we would attend their churches that day (Trinity Altenburg and Trinity Cape Girardeau).

This might also be of interest. It's from the 1881 Church Liturgy of the Missouri Synod, and follows the examination.

I typed this out about fifteen years ago: From the 1941 (Chaplain's) Service Prayer Book of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States

Do You Remember Your Confirmation Vow?

YOUR PROMISE TO GOD.

Do you remember it?

On the day of your Confirmation you made the highest and holiest promise you have ever made or ever will make. When your pastor took your hand, he was standing in the place of God. You were making a promise to the Most High. You renewed your vow once made when in Holy Baptism you entered upon a covenant with God Himself. Never again, as long as you live, will you make a more solemn vow. It was an either-or promise; either you keep it and are blessed in this world and the world to come, or you break it and unless you repent are lost for time and for eternity. It will make or break your life from now on.

It was not a promise made in private or before a single person. Think of all who were listening as you made your vow. Your pastor was listening. He must report to God that you kept or broke it. Your parents and friends were listening, hoping and praying that you would never forget. And above all, invisible but surely present was your Savior Himself, Who died on the cross in order that you might be able to make your Confirmation vow.

Perhaps there will be men and women in your life who will forget a promise you made to them. God never forgets. Even on the Last Day, when heaven and earth shall pass away, He will ask you before His throne on high concerning the vow you made before His altar on earth.

Do you remember that vow?

"Do you as members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, intend to continue steadfast in the confession of this Church, and suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?"

"We do so intend, with the help of God."

"Do you intend faithfully to conform all your life to the rule of the divine Word, to walk as it becometh the Gospel of Christ, and in faith, word and deed to remain true to the Triune God, even unto death?"

"We do so intend, by the grace of God."

God never forgets. Do you remember?

Lord Jesus, without Thee I cannot keep my Confirmation vow. Help me, I pray, to remember and keep it forever. Amen.

My Great Grandma and her sisters still remembered their confirmation verses in their nineties. Maybe Trinity Altenburg made them memorize them back then. I still have two of my great grandparents' leather-bound CPH Kirchengesangbuch from over a hundred years ago, which were their confirmation gifts.

I remember that Concordia Publishing House had a nice-looking set of confirmation certificates, about twenty different cards with a different Bible verse on the cover. My congregation ordered the same set every year for decades so I suppose they were fine as long as there weren't more than twenty confirmands. My certificate card was identical to my Mom's and two uncles, except for the verse. Mine was Ephesians 2:8-9.

I pointed them out to our last pastor a few years ago. He ordered them, crossed out the Bible verses on the front, and inserted his own. So much for tradition.

Most districts have the better part of a year to pray for a vaccine and then actually get it before their conventions. Sorry about the Dakotas.

So will you require the vaccine to be a delegate to a district or synod convention?

This brought back some memories:

"If the study of doctrine is not the number one priority at synodical conventions, then one of two things will happen: Either the convention will be manufacturing laws, or even worse, it will degenerate into an affair of mutual praise, love, assurance, and life insurance."

(Walther, Duties of an Evangelical Lutheran Synod, At Home in the House of my Fathers, 301)

I'm pretty tired of the "DS3 fell from heaven" accusations towards those who prefer traditional liturgy.  Every LCMS church in this circuit, I believe, uses one of the liturgies from the hymnals (TLH, LW, or LSB) each Sunday.  But none -- NONE -- think that such is the only acceptable form of worship.  It is what they have used for years, even generations, and they appreciate the beauties and patterns found therein.  But "fell from heaven"?  No way.  Caricatures like that are less than helpful.  Especially if one wants to at least pretend to have a fair discussion.

Hey, I called the other group equally "Nashville Worship" which is approaching the same level of hyperbole. 

But caricatures are helpful.  They should help each side to see the directional reduction to absurdity.  And that reduction is exactly why I'm pretty sure that if it was brought to a vote, even someone as loving of the liturgy as I am, would side with the Nashville crew.  Simply because the specter of their reduction is much less stress inducing.  Nobody in that camp is going to be on inquisition over having hands in the orans position for prayers or using the wrong incense, even if they might have trouble discerning exactly what this great boyfriend Jesus did that was so great to sing about.

Orans position - I like that recollection from Liturgy 102 at St. Louis.  Right thumb over left, hands not parting the waters or diving into the pool.

Dave Benke

Right thumb over the left, suppressing the "sinister" (latin left). I liked that one.

We are to be liturgically dextrous, adroit.

I don't know if anyone has seen or done this, but I attended a service led by one of our pastors years ago, and he made the sign of the cross with his left hand.  I had actually never seen that. 

So I counseled with him afterward in my gentle bishop's way never to do it again, but to make the sign of the cross with his right hand.  It's important, it's pre-verbal in the Christian tradition, and it's so assumed that it's never about which hand you use, but about which direction you start from in the "shoulder" portion with using your right hand.  He was not happy about that at all.  He stated that he was a lefty, that this was his default hand.

I gave him Tim Schenk's latin lesson.  Then I told him that there is no more left-handed person than I.  I am the lefty's lefty, a right-brained dude of the first water.  But I only make the sign of the cross with the right hand.  And at least when I was around, he went to his right hand. 

What are the thoughts of others on this?  Of course, someone without a right arm or who has suffered a stroke on the right side is exempted. 

At the very least, I think the next President of Concordia Seminary should know and be able to demonstrate the reasons for a right-handed sign of the cross.

Dave Benke

That's up to the individual congregation. Christian freedom. If you were admonishing a pastor for that then you were abusing your position.

I'm pretty tired of the "DS3 fell from heaven" accusations towards those who prefer traditional liturgy.  Every LCMS church in this circuit, I believe, uses one of the liturgies from the hymnals (TLH, LW, or LSB) each Sunday.  But none -- NONE -- think that such is the only acceptable form of worship.  It is what they have used for years, even generations, and they appreciate the beauties and patterns found therein.  But "fell from heaven"?  No way.  Caricatures like that are less than helpful.  Especially if one wants to at least pretend to have a fair discussion.

Hey, I called the other group equally "Nashville Worship" which is approaching the same level of hyperbole. 

But caricatures are helpful.  They should help each side to see the directional reduction to absurdity.  And that reduction is exactly why I'm pretty sure that if it was brought to a vote, even someone as loving of the liturgy as I am, would side with the Nashville crew.  Simply because the specter of their reduction is much less stress inducing.  Nobody in that camp is going to be on inquisition over having hands in the orans position for prayers or using the wrong incense, even if they might have trouble discerning exactly what this great boyfriend Jesus did that was so great to sing about.

Orans position - I like that recollection from Liturgy 102 at St. Louis.  Right thumb over left, hands not parting the waters or diving into the pool.

Dave Benke

Right thumb over the left, suppressing the "sinister" (latin left). I liked that one.

According to 1 Peter 3:8, there are five elements which should characterize a Christian parish.

1. Harmony......Live in harmony with one another and share common goals
2. Sympathy.....Be responsive to the needs of others, a time to weep and a time to rejoice
3. Love............Treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ
4. Compassion..Have a tender heart which cares for others
5. Humility.......Put the interests of others  ahead of one's own interests.

Unity of heart and mind is critical for the Christian community. It comes from a common focus
on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The result is a vibrant relationship of church members
with one another.  These five elements provide the fellowship (koinonia) that is essential for a
healthy congregation. The desired outcome is not uniformity, but unanimity.

Can this become a reality in a  Christian congregation?   What are the obstacles that the Devil,
the World and our Flesh throw out to prevent a healthy parish?

I'm reminded of President Barry's Five-Fold Vision Statement for the LCMS back in the '90s.

Be in the Word.
Remain Faithful.
Care for one another.
Tell the Good News about Jesus.
Live in peace.

Later it was Pres. Harrison's Witness (Martyria), Mercy (Diakonia), Life Together (Koinonia).

I remember the pastor of a large congregation had resigned and the then-District President licensed the vicar (seminarian intern) to administer Holy Communion, which was odd considering there were ten other sister congregations within a short distance where the members could have taken Communion during the vacancy.

The vicar was called to be that congregation's pastor. They then brought in a new vicar the next term for the new pastor to train. 

Whence does the United List derive its power over the voters? Why does everyone vote for them if it is such a manifestly irrational thing to do? And is there anything preventing people from collaborating and harmonizing with the people UL forces down the voters' throats?

There is no power. They have revealed in the past that their members represent conservative Lutherans such as North Illinois Confessional Lutherans, Texas Confessional Lutherans, Balance-Concord, and Lutheran Concerns Association. A member of NICL founded the Steadfast Lutherans website. LCA publishes the Lutheran Clarion.

I don't know much about Texas or Illinois, but the LCA prints on their newsletter "THE LUTHERAN CLARION is published regularly to support issues and causes within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod which build faithfulness to true Confessional Lutheranism and to be a clear voice of Christian concern against actions and causes which conflict with faithfulness to the One True Faith."