tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2507309940202666772024-03-19T08:11:46.038-04:00Armed with the Chief ThingsMichael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-52431114719512594372012-11-15T01:45:00.000-05:002012-11-26T20:18:04.068-05:00Background: Theologians, they don't know nothing<div style="text-align: center;">
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Theologians, they don't know nothing</div>
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About my soul, oh they don't know</div>
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They kill my heart with little things</div>
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And my life with change</div>
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Oh in so many ways</div>
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I find more missing every day</div>
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<small>- "Theologians," by Wilco</small></div>
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As brilliant and well read as Martin Luther was, the heart of his theology and ministry did not emerge from books but from encounters with the living God, the forces of evil, and the people of his day. It wasn't theologians who made Luther a great Reformer, it was what happened in his own soul.<br />
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Martin Luther's life story is the stuff of history and hagiography, of family squabbles and personal angst, of theological wrangling and political maneuvering. This brief overview takes us from the beginning of Luther's life to his exile at Wartburg in 1521.<br />
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<b>1483-1505</b>. Born into a middle class German family at the end of the Middle Ages, young Martin was privileged to attend school, his father hopeful that he would have a prosperous career in law. However, legal studies did not suit him. On his way back home from Erfurt after visiting his family, Luther was caught in a thunderstorm and cried out to St. Anne that he would become a monk if his life were spared. Within weeks, he found himself wearing the cowl of a friar in the Augustinian order, known for its strict discipline.<br />
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<b>1505-1517</b>. As an Augustinian, Luther became a priest and then studied for and achieved his doctorate. An assigned trip to Rome sowed seeds of disillusionment in him as he witnessed the city's immorality, corruption, and the work of incompetent and boorish priests there in the shadow of early construction work at St. Peter's Basilica. In 1512 he took up an assignment in Wittenberg, where he made his home until his death thirty five years later. Luther taught theology, and for the next several years lectured on the Biblical books of Genesis, Psalms, Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. In addition, he preached in the town church and served as a pastor to the townsfolk of Wittenberg.<br />
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During this time as a professor he was growing in his understanding of Scripture and developing evangelical theological perspectives, while as a pastor he was hearing the confessions and spiritual burdens of his parishioners. His studies led him to believe that theological education should stress Biblical studies rather than scholasticism. His priestly experiences led him to question the way the Church was tending God's sheep.<br />
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Roland Bainton describes the religious situation, highlighting one egregious example Luther faced in Wittenberg:<br />
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As a parish priest in a village church he was responsible for the spiritual welfare of his flock. They were procuring indulgences as he had once done himself. Rome was not the only place in which such favors were available, for the popes delegated to many churches in Christendom the privilege of dispensing indulgences, and the Castle Church at Wittenberg was the recipient of a very unusual concession granting full remission of all sins. The day selected for the proclamation was the first of November, the day of All Saints, whose merits provided the ground of the indulgences and whose relics were then on display. Frederick the Wise, the elector of Saxony, Luther's prince, was a man of simple and sincere piety who had devoted a lifetime to making Wittenberg the Rome of Germany as a depository of sacred relics.... </blockquote>
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Those who viewed these relics on the designated day and made the stipulated contributions might receive from the pope indulgences for the reduction of purgatory, either for themselves or others, to the extent of 1,902,202 years and 270 days. These were the treasures made available on the day of All Saints. </blockquote>
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- Bainton, <i>Here I Stand</i>, p. 53</span></div>
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Luther preached against such practices in 1516. The next year, an even greater controversy arose as Albrecht of Brandenburg, who aspired to the archbishopric of Mainz, sought to win the pope's favor by administrating the sale of indulgences throughout Germany in an effort to raise money for the building of the new St. Peter's. (He was also willing to promote the sale of indulgences because he would receive half the proceeds.) A theatrical Dominican vendor named Johann Tetzel spearheaded the sales efforts. Angered, Martin Luther fervently opposed these practices and believed they should be discussed publicly, and so he posted his <i>Ninety Five Theses</i> as a call for academic debate.<br />
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In this context, within Luther's own heart and mind was growing a fuller and more precise grasp on the gospel. Though there is no certain date for what is known as his "tower experience," it may have occurred in this period around 1517-18. This was an epiphany of spiritual insight, an evangelical awakening that led Luther to comprehend and celebrate that God's righteousness in the gospel is not that standard by which he condemns us, but rather his gift to those who trust in Christ alone. It became the foundation of the reformer's work from that point on.<br />
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<b>1517-1521</b>. Luther would need a firm place to stand, for the next few years were tumultuous. His words and writings were being distributed far and wide, catching the attention of Rome. An inquisition was begun, and in 1518 Luther received notice that he was to appear in Rome on charges of heresy. Elector Frederick was able to have the location changed to Germany, and Luther was examined by Cardinal Cajetan, the papal legate, who urged the monk to recant some of his views. Later that year, Luther articulated his teachings at a meeting of the Augustinian order (The Heidelberg Disputation). This meeting led Johann Eck, a scholastic theologian, to challenge Luther to participate in a debate at the University of Leipzig, which was known for its support of traditional Catholic positions. The Leipzig Debate took place in 1519.<br />
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Then Martin Luther wrote several important Reformation tracts: <i>A Treatise on Good Works, Address to the Christian Nobility, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, </i>and<i> The Freedom of the Christian</i>. These provocative writings set forth Luther's teaching in clear contrast to Rome. As a result, Pope issued his Bull <i>Exsurge Domine</i> and Luther's books were burned in Rome. When Luther received the Bull, he in turn burned it in Wittenberg. That led to his excommunication and a call to the Diet of Worms (a theological trial) in 1521.<br />
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Luther's famous refusal to recant at Worms led to an edict that cut him off from the Church, called for his arrest, and warned anyone who might protect him. By the time this edict was issued, Luther had been spirited away and safely hidden at Wartburg Castle, where he spent almost a year in exile from Wittenberg.<br />
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<b>Martin Luther had opened a new door for the gospel to do its work in the Church and in the world</b>. In so doing, he had attracted quite a following. A movement committed to reforming the Church had begun to form, with great enthusiasm.<br />
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What would those who embraced his teachings do now: with their most prominent leader condemned, forced into hiding, and perhaps (as far as some of them knew) dead, defeated by the powers who ruled the day?<br />
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<br />Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-10959500292754152492012-11-15T01:40:00.000-05:002012-11-26T20:22:17.640-05:00Prelude: Stuck inside of MobileBut deep inside my heart<br />
I know I can't escape<br />
Oh Mama, can this really be the end--<br />
To be stuck inside of Mobile<br />
With the Memphis blues again?<br />
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<small>- "Stuck inside of Mobile," by Bob Dylan</small>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wartburg Castle</td></tr>
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The year 1521 found Martin Luther "stuck inside of <i>Wartburg</i> with the <i>Wittenberg</i> blues."<br />
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After taking a dramatic stand for the gospel at the Diet of Worms, Luther left for Wittenberg on Friday, April 26, guarded by twenty horsemen. That weekend while <i>en route</i> he visited a relative, wrote a few letters, and preached. In one of the letters, to his friend Lucas Cranach, he confided that he was going to be hidden for his safety in an undisclosed location. On Monday, a party of bowmen on horseback, sent out from Frederick the Wise, accosted Luther's group and "kidnapped" the reformer. They took a circuitous route to throw off any possible pursuers and eventually arrived at the castle of Wartburg, overlooking the walled city of Eisenach.<br />
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There, in a small, modest room, with only the company of his guards, Martin Luther found himself in exile. It would be his home away from home for nearly a year.<br />
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Despite a deep spirit of melancholy, incessant loneliness, idleness and physical discomfort from bouts with constipation (<i>"My arse has gone bad,"</i> he wrote to a friend), Luther's stay at the castle proved remarkably productive. He produced hearty polemical writings such as his response to James Latomus from the University of Louvain, who had written an attack on Luther's teaching in 1520. Luther refined his positions on the practices of the Church as well. He wrote a treatise on monastic vows. He wrote about confession and whether the pope had the power to regulate it. He wrote about the "misuse of the mass." In written arguments and by letter, he railed against practices surrounding relics and indulgences being promoted by Albrecht of Mainz.<br />
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He also did what he could to continue his <i>pastoral</i> work, which he considered essential. Luther produced a collection of sermons to be published in German, his <i>"Church Postil."</i> He intended for ministers to read these to their congregations on the various Sundays of the liturgical year. The eloquent yet simple sermons are among Luther's most beloved writings and they give clear testimony to his heart as a pastor: that people might come to know the preciousness of faith in Christ as he had. In light of its use of the German language, its focus on Christ and evangelical teaching, and its introduction to the Gospels setting forth his view of the gospel and gospel preaching, Martin Brecht notes: <i>"In a certain sense the postil was the prelude to the even greater work of the Wartburg period, the translation of the New Testament"</i> (Brecht, <i>Martin Luther 1521-1532,</i> Loc. 375).<br />
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It only took Luther eleven weeks to produce the first draft of his shining achievement at the Wartburg: his German New Testament. Upon his return to Wittenberg in March 1522 he began revising it with the counsel of other scholars and tools unavailable to him while in confinement. It was printed in September 1522. Martin Brecht describes its character:<br />
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Through his work in producing polemic and devotional literature in the preceding years, Luther's command of the German language had improved extraordinarily, and his interest in nuanced rendering of biblical expressions may have been of great help to him. The Bible spoke clearly and directly to Luther in the situations of his own life, and he did what he could to transmit that to others. He conceived of the gospel more as an oral message than as a literary text, and this was why his translation took on a spoken character that is picked up by the ear. This led him to select forceful words, succinct expressions, and simple declarative sentences. </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - Brecht, <i>Martin Luther 1521-1532,</i> Loc. 877)</span></blockquote>
Even in the scholarly work of translation, Luther's pastoral impulses reigned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wittenberg, 1536</td></tr>
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<b>Meanwhile, in Wittenberg...</b><br />
While all this work was being accomplished in quiet solitude at the Wartburg, sounds of contention and disorder began emanating from Wittenberg. To this point, Luther's controversial stances had not changed the actual practices of the people much. However, the teachings had opened a door. It wasn't long before others came barging through it.<br />
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Three who took leadership in his absence were especially prominent.<br />
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<li>His colleague, <i>Andreas Karlstadt</i>, from whom Martin had received his doctorate, and who had enthusiastically embraced Luther's evangelical teachings, began preaching and actively agitating for actual reforms. Karlstadt began asserting, for example, not only that people should be given the wine as well as the bread in communion, but that people were <i>sinning</i> if they only received the bread. </li>
<li>Beginning in September, private masses were held in the home of another of Luther's compatriots, <i>Philip Melanchthon,</i> in which both the bread and chalice were given. </li>
<li>Another colleague, <i>Gabriel Zwilling</i>, also took to the pulpit and likewise railed against the common practices of private masses, venerating the host, and forbidding the cup to the laity. At one point, masses ceased in the Augustinian monastery while tense discussions were held to work matters out.</li>
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However, alterations to the mass, pivotal as they were, were only one aspect of the dramatic changes Wittenbergers sought. Bainton tersely lists what was happening in the town during that portentous year:<br />
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Then during his absence in 1521 and 1522 one innovation followed another with disconcerting rapidity. Priests married, monks married, nuns married. Nuns and monks even married each other. The tonsured permitted their hair to grow. The wine in the mass was given to the laity, and they were suffered to take the elements into their own hands. Priests celebrated the sacrament without vestments, in plain clothes. Portions of the mass were recited in the German tongue. Masses for the dead were discontinued. Vigils ceased, vespers were altered, images were smashed. Meat was eaten on fast days. Endowments were withdrawn by patrons. The enrollment in universities declined because students were no longer supported by ecclesiastical stipends. All this could not escape the eye of Hans and Gretel. Doctrine might go over their heads, but liturgy was part of their daily religious life. They realized now that the reformation meant something..." </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Bainton, <i>Here I Stand</i>, p. 153</span></blockquote>
Though Martin Luther was not present, and could not go to Wittenberg to deal with the increasingly chaotic situation, he was kept informed of developments. Some of the treatises and letters he wrote addressed what was happening, but their dissemination was delayed or had little immediate effect. In December 1521, Luther disguised himself as a knight and made a clandestine visit to Wittenberg to see what was taking place with his own eyes. He returned to Wartburg with a mixture of feelings: happy about some reforms, unhappy about the violence, concerned as a pastor about how and why some were preaching and embracing changes, and furious that writings he had sent to Wittenberg to address various situations had not been published and distributed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karlstadt and the Iconoclast, Linnig</td></tr>
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On Christmas Day, the entire town of Wittenberg turned out at Castle Church. In spite of Elector Frederick's order on Dec. 19 that no changes should be made in the mass, it had been announced that this would be a simple, evangelical and reformed service. And so it was. Karlstadt officiated in a plain black robe without vestments. He told the people they need not have confessed their sins or fasted in order to partake of the Supper; faith alone was required. He conducted the first part of the service in Latin, then changed to German to introduce the sacrament. He omitted all parts in which the mass was called a sacrifice. The people took the bread and the chalice in their own hands. A host was even dropped on the floor and picked up again.<br />
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This "first reformed mass" had been preceded on Christmas Eve by rioting in the streets of Wittenberg when Karlstadt's service was announced. It was followed the day after Christmas by Karlstadt's public engagement to be married. Public agitation and violent protests against images in the churches and priests had been going on for weeks. In addition to these developments, a group of "prophets" from the town of Zwickau near the Bohemian border, influenced by Thomas M<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">ü</span>ntzer, had arrived in town, claiming personal revelations, asserting little need for the Bible, speaking against the practice of infant baptism, and promoting visions of the future. Though they were dealt with and never caused any serious problems in Wittenberg at the time, they added a potential element of "wild fire" to the mix that was troubling.<br />
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The church was being restructured. In late January, the Wittenberg town council approved a new church constitution that incorporated many elements of reform. It included a plan to remove altars and images from the churches, all the way down to crucifixes. This led to more iconoclastic violence. A prohibition on taking up public collections and begging was put in place, which had a dramatic effect on monks and students in particular, and which prompted more of them to leave their institutions.<br />
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Then in February, Elector Frederick stepped in. He stopped Karlstadt and Zwilling from preaching, virtually annulled the new church constitution, and scaled back the innovations in the mass. Martin Luther began corresponding with him anew, and discussions about Luther's return to Wittenberg commenced. Frederick was in a difficult position. Luther was a wanted man, but the town needed its leader. The empire had stated its commitment to stopping him, but the reformer assured Frederick that he served a great Protector. Luther wrote a statement for the Diet at Nuremburg designed to convince the powers that the Elector was not responsible for his return. He prepared to go home.<br />
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<b>The turning point in Martin Luther's career had arrived</b>. He had been at the forefront of restoring an emphasis on Christ and the gospel in the life of the Church. Having opened that door, strong winds of change blowing through it were not only bringing new life, but also causing destruction. Furthermore, unwise people were fanning the dangerous wild fires being spread by those winds. The whole town of Wittenberg was threatened.<br />
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Now it was time for the professor and polemicist to focus on being a pastor. And that is what Martin Luther did when he returned to town in March 1522. For the next two years, he identified himself in his writings as <i>"The Ecclesiast"</i> -- a servant to the church at Wittenberg (Brecht, <i>Martin Luther 1521-1532,</i> Loc. 978).Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-55116506581832443202012-11-15T01:35:00.000-05:002012-11-26T20:25:08.140-05:00Sermon 1: You better start swimmin'Come gather ’round people wherever you roam<br />
And admit that the waters around you have grown<br />
And accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone<br />
If your time to you is worth savin’<br />
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone<br />
For the times they are a-changin’<br />
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<small>- "The Times They Are A'Changin'" by Bob Dylan</small></div>
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Here let us beware lest Wittenberg become Capernaum. I notice that you have a great deal to say of the doctrine of faith and love which is preached to you, and this is no wonder; an ass can almost intone the lessons, and why should you not be able to repeat the doctrines and formulas? Dear friends, the kingdom of God -- and we are that kingdom -- does not consist in talk or words, but in activity, in deeds, in works and exercises. God does not want hearers and repeaters of words, but followers and doers, and this occurs in faith through love. </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- First Invocavit Sermon</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<b>Martin Luther had come home to Wittenberg</b>. Some had thought him surely dead, his work ended and now in the hands of others like Karlstadt and Zwilling. Many had participated in the enthusiasms of the past year: experiencing changes in the mass, destroying altars and religious images, welcoming as married neighbors monks and priests and nuns who had left the cloisters for a life in the world. A new found sense of freedom and self-determination had swept over the town. "We'll show them we're real Christians!" many proclaimed, as they flaunted their liberty in Christ by openly defying the traditions of the past. Still, there were many who were not so sure. It was unclear who was in charge and what the future would hold. The town was a mess of unresolved matters. Then word began spreading: the reformer was alive, and back home in Wittenberg! He would address the congregation on Invocavit Sunday (the first Sunday in Lent), March 9.<br />
<br />
Luther's return did not happen in a vacuum. In previous posts, we discussed the general background of Luther's career and the events of 1521-22 while Luther was confined at Wartburg Castle after the Diet of Worms. But there is another context to think about, as we prepare to learn from Luther's first Invocavit sermon. For many in Wittenberg, Luther was not primarily an academic, theologian, polemicist writer, or renowned leader of a movement. He was their priest, their pastor, the one who preached to them, gave them communion, heard their confessions, and provided them with helpful spiritual counsel and practical advice. When he railed against Rome, it was often because he saw the spiritual bondage and distress corrupt Church practices were imposing upon the ordinary men and women of his community. For his part, Luther saw the pastoral role as a fundamental part of what God had called him to do. Martin Luther was a pastor: with a pastor's heart, a pastor's aims, and a pastor's concerns.<br />
<br />
Not only did he preach regularly and often in the church at Wittenberg, he also provided a wealth of materials for his parishioners to help them deal with the genuine spiritual struggles in their lives, which he had learned about through personal interaction with people. Before 1522 and the Invocavit Sermons we will consider here, Luther had already written such booklets and tracts for lay people as: <i>A Meditation on Christ's Passion</i> (1519), <i>An Exposition of the Lord's Prayer for Simple Laymen </i>(1519), <i>On Rogationtide Prayer and Procession</i> (1519), <i>A Sermon on Preparing to Die</i> (1519), <i>Fourteen Consolations for Those Who Labor and Are Burdened</i>, (1520), <i>Sermon on the Worthy Reception of the Sacrament</i> (1521), and <i>Comfort When Facing Grave Temptations</i>, (1521). By 1520 he had already produced a precursor to his later catechisms in <i>A Short Form of the Ten Commandments, </i><i>the Apostles' Creed, and </i><i>the Lord's Prayer </i>so that the ordinary church people of Wittenberg might receive basic instruction in the faith. His sermons were published and distributed as well.<br />
<br />
Timothy J. Wengert has considered the import of viewing Luther in this pastoral context:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What does it mean for us to call Luther a pastor? First and foremost, of course, we are talking about pastoral acts: baptizing, celebrating the Lord's Supper, absolving sin (publicly or privately), visiting and comforting the sick and dying, instructing the young and ignorant, and -- above all else -- preaching. However in Luther's view pastoral actions are not effective <i>ex opere operato</i> (by mere performance of the rite) but <u>involve delivering real promises to desperate people in need of consolation and faith</u>. Thus, for Luther, the pastorate is by definition always a matter of distinguishing law and gospel (that is, terrifying the comfortable and comforting the terrified). Moreover, this distinguishing takes place under the shadow of the cross: the Word itself, the pastor who delivers it, and the ones who receive it are weak and live by grace alone. At the same time, pastoral acts arise for Luther out of God's gracious declaration justifying the ungodly, a Word received by faith alone. Furthermore, this declared righteousness must always stand over against the external righteousness of this world (justice) to which pastors also call their flocks, members who also live on earth as forgiven sinners. Thus, <u>Luther conceived pastoral admonition and care (Seelsorge; literally, care of souls) as defining all aspects of pastoral ministry</u>, rather than as a separate specialty of the pastor tied to therapy and personal well-being and separated from Word and sacrament.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Wengert, <i>The Pastoral Luther</i>, p. 3f
(emphasis mine)</span></blockquote>
<br />
Martin Luther had little concern for the theoretical. Starting with his own life in relation to God and the neighbor, he reached out with pastoral concern to others living in relation to God and the neighbor. This fundamental perspective guided all he did and wrote. Martin Luther was a pastor.<br />
<br />
<b>Invocavit Sermon 1</b><br />
Therefore, it was <i>Pastor</i> Luther who mounted the pulpit to preach to his Wittenberg flock on March 9, 1522. His sermon was not from the lectionary texts for the day. This was the first in a series of special exhortations that he would preach for eight straight days. The situation was so fragile in Wittenberg and the issues so great, that the preacher had asked the congregation to come daily to hear what he had to say upon his return.<br />
<br />
As a wise friend, he began by stressing the things they had in common before moving toward some of his hard and critical points. We can outline the sermon like this:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Introduction: Since each must face death, each must be armed with the chief things that concern us as Christians.</li>
<li>The chief things which concern us as Christians:</li>
<ul>
<li>We are all children of wrath.</li>
<li>God sent his Son to make us his children through faith.</li>
<li>We must also have love and love one another as God has loved us.</li>
<li>We also need patience, for those who have faith and love will be persecuted, and we must persevere in loving and serving one another.</li>
</ul>
<li>We must therefore not insist upon our own rights, but do what is loving toward our brethren.</li>
<ul>
<li>Illustration of the sun: we cannot bend its light but we can direct its heat; so we maintain firm faith, but practice love according to the needs of our neighbor</li>
<li>Application to the situation in Wittenberg: the abolition of the mass was a good thing but it was not done in a good way -- the way of love.</li>
</ul>
<li>We must take note of two things: "must" and "free," and learn to distinguish them.</li>
<li>Conclusion: "Therefore, let us show love to our neighbors; if we do not do this, our work will not endure."</li>
</ul>
<br />
As Luther stepped into the pulpit, it was clear that life had changed and times were a-changin' for the Christians in Wittenberg. They had been baptized into the gospel and they must now learn to swim in its healing waters. They had heard the "faith" part correctly, Pastor Luther affirmed. However, they hadn't yet grasped the "love" part. If they overcame the devil by trusting Christ and experiencing the freedom he brings, they had since given the devil an opportunity by misusing that very freedom. <i>"For it </i>[abolishing the mass] <i>was done in wantonness, with no regard for proper order and with offense to your neighbor,"</i> Luther charged.<br />
<br />
In particular, they had failed to distinguish between matters that are "musts" and matters that are "free." The gospel itself is non-negotiable; faith in Christ must be kept and asserted and defended. However, their pastor reminded them, they had choices in how to handle some of the practices they were so intent on changing. They must think about how they should proceed for the sake of others who had not yet come to the same convictions a number of them had developed. Life in the gospel is not just about the freedom faith brings. It is about faith working through love. Freedom means being free to love and serve the neighbor.<br />
<br />
Luther ended the sermon with a personal and pastoral word:<i> "Therefore I could no longer remain away, but was compelled to come and say these things to you."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Pastor Martin was back.<br />
<br />
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<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>The quality of a pastor's relationship with the congregation is an essential component of preaching</b>. Luther had gained trust and credibility by working among these people for many years. Now, at a time of crisis, he was able to gain a hearing, even though he needed to say some hard words. The Word always comes to God's people as an embodied, personal word. I will earn the congregation's trust as I practice faith and love among the people.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>The gospel is the heart and soul of every sermon and every pastoral interaction</b>. God's grace in Christ, the response of faith, and the freedom we have to love form the central message of everything I as a pastor proclaim from the pulpit and everything I share with my people in other settings.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Pastors will be wise to fill pastoral communication with an emphasis on things held in common</b>. Crafting my messages to include our oneness in the gospel, our common experiences as a congregation, our shared language, our participation in a common mission, etc. makes the point that "we are in this together" and that I as a pastor am "with" and "for" the members of the congregation in whatever circumstances the church is facing.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Pastors are to care for the whole church</b>. The various people in a congregation are at different places along the road of faith. As a pastor, I am called to serve them all, and to encourage them all to serve one another. As we do, we must always keep in mind our different positions and different faith-challenges as well as our commonalities. No one runs too far ahead; no one gets left behind.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-5940396264033266252012-11-15T01:30:00.000-05:002012-11-15T01:30:02.387-05:00Sermon 2: Something's gotta giveWhen an irresistible force such as you<br />
Meets an old immovable object like me<br />
You can bet as sure as you live<br />
Something's gotta give, something's gotta give<br />
Something's gotta give<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>-"Something's Gotta Give," by Johnny Mercer</small></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFLUrG7D6lik7ShgyuaT-kt9B9aKMq5dmsDfWzkQ62Crz7lWAKE7NtwsNgrvgJ6fnil8O6eSGM1-XnuOoH7BRiYulTR9IjtFESL2CSHnWwQmdUlgTlOdEhXfEQAB7hvwaETk4dFBTpD4/s1600/stadtkirche-inside-wittenberg-de.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFLUrG7D6lik7ShgyuaT-kt9B9aKMq5dmsDfWzkQ62Crz7lWAKE7NtwsNgrvgJ6fnil8O6eSGM1-XnuOoH7BRiYulTR9IjtFESL2CSHnWwQmdUlgTlOdEhXfEQAB7hvwaETk4dFBTpD4/s320/stadtkirche-inside-wittenberg-de.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castle Church, Wittenberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>Second Invocavit Sermon</small></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Despite our contemporary fascination with images and visual media of all types, we in today's society still believe strongly in the power of words. Take the recent elections in the United States. In the presidential race alone, a recent report shows that President Obama spent $396 million dollars on political advertising, while the challenger Governor Mitt Romney spent $472 million (source: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/track-presidential-campaign-ads-2012/">Washington Post</a>). Though such ads may use visual media outlets such as television, they are designed to make arguments using memorable and effective <i>words</i> to persuade people to choose one candidate over against the other. It is simply mind-boggling how much money political organizations are willing to spend to "get their message across." We believe in the power of words.<br />
<br />
When Martin Luther stood in the pulpit in March of 1522 and preached to the people of Wittenberg in an attempt to stem the tide of unrest and confusion that had grown during his forced absence at Wartburg, his tool of choice was verbal communication -- specifically <i>preaching the living Word of God</i>. It is hard for people who live in the 21st century, with all of our sophisticated technology and communication tools, to imagine how Luther and his friends could trust that a series of brief spoken sermons, preached over an eight day period (without even so much as amplification!), could get the attention of an entire community and produce immediate change. And yet this is what happened.<br />
<br />
In his second Invocavit sermon, given Monday, March 10, 1522, Pastor Luther states his trust in the living and powerful Word of God to accomplish God's work, and encourages his congregation to have the same faith. In his absence in 1521-22, many had rushed ahead to make changes without considering their sisters and brothers who were not yet ready for change, who had not had enough instruction, whose consciences were still weak and hesitant about a variety of religious practices. They had forced change when, in Luther's view, they should have allowed change to happen naturally over time as people grew in understanding through sound teaching.<br />
<br />
Here is an outline of his message:<br />
<ul>
<li>Introduction: Summary of sermon one: the Christian life is faith and love, there are two types of matters: "musts" and "free" things. Both must be handled with love.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In all things, we must not attempt to change things by <i>force</i>, but rather trust that when we teach and preach God's Word, it will change hearts, and then things will change.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Examples of trusting in the Word to change the hearts of the weak and unconvinced:</li>
<ul>
<li>Paul and the apostles</li>
<li>Luther himself</li>
<li>The negative example of laws regarding circumcision and how <i>"out of the making of one law grew a thousand laws"</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Conclusion: <i>"Let us beware lest we lead astray those of weak conscience."</i></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
According to Luther, we can change <i>things</i>, but we do not have the power to change <i>people</i>. If people are not ready for the changing of things, we must take that into account and do our best to love them and be patient with them. It will do no good compelling or forcing people to change. We must first win their hearts by teaching what is sound with love and generosity toward all, trusting that <i>"when you have won the heart, you have won the [person]."</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As the pastor put it that day:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...it should be left to God, and his Word should be allowed to work alone, without our work or interference. Why? Because it is not in my power or hand to fashion the hearts of men as the potter molds the clay and fashion them at my pleasure. I can get no farther than their ears; their hearts I cannot reach. And since I cannot pour faith into their hearts, I cannot, nor should I, force any one to have faith. That is God's work alone, who causes faith to live in the heart. Therefore we should give free course to the Word and not add our works to it. We have the <i>jus verbi</i> [right to speak] but not the <i>executio</i> [power to accomplish]. We should preach the Word, but the results must be left solely to God's good pleasure.</blockquote>
When we faithfully teach God's Word with love and patience, ultimately somethin's gotta give.<br />
<br />
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<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Preaching and pastoral ministry is, at its core, a work of faith</b>. In the final analysis, I the pastor do not depend upon my talents, skills, personality traits, education, erudition, my strategies and schemes, or my ability to control people and situations to accomplish God's work. I ultimately rely upon Another working in and through me to provide spiritual care and nourishment to my sisters and brothers in the congregation.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Pastors must maintain an imagination that promotes patience and faithful attention</b>. Perhaps it would always be better, even in our high-tech age, to think of pastoral work in terms of <i>pre</i>-technological images like farming and keeping flocks. Organic metaphors of life beginning, growing, developing, and reproducing remind us that there are processes we cannot rush and ultimately cannot control -- only cultivate and tend.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>If words are so important, it is the pastor's lifelong task to always be growing in the ability to think and speak well</b>. For Luther, God's Word was preeminently the word <i>spoken</i> and used by the Holy Spirit to lead us to Christ. One need not be overly eloquent or a rhetorician to speak powerfully; however, one must understand and clearly communicate sound teaching in a loving and gracious manner. Pastors must not let other parish duties crowd out time for serious study and thinking, prayer and contemplation, and the development of communication skills. These are essential aspects of our craft.</li>
</ul>
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Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-63972753095095920122012-11-15T01:25:00.000-05:002012-11-15T01:25:00.597-05:00Sermon 3: When you're not strongPlease swallow your pride<br />
If I have things<br />
You need to borrow<br />
For no one can fill<br />
Those of your needs<br />
That you won't let show<br />
<br />
You just call on me brother when you need a hand<br />
We all need somebody to lean on<br />
<br />
...Lean on me, when you're not strong<br />
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>- "Lean on Me," by Bill Withers</small></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...see to it that you can stand before God and the world when you are assailed, especially when the devil attacks you in the hour of death. It is not enough to say: this man or that man did it, I followed the crowd, according to the preaching of the dean, Dr. Karlstadt, or Gabriel, or Michael. Not so; every one must stand on his own feet and be prepared to give battle to the devil. You must rest upon a strong and clear text of Scripture if you would stand the test. If you cannot do that, you will never withstand -- the devil will pluck you like a parched leaf. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>- Third Invocavit Sermon</small></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
The people of Wittenberg were running, not leaning. In haste, many of them had followed the voices of those who were urging them to make wholesale and immediate changes in their religious practices. They were stirred up, enthusiastic, ready to throw out bathwater, baby, tub, and all. It was time for the pastor to talk to them about a few specifics.<br />
<br />
In Martin Luther's first two Invocavit sermons, the main practical issue he mentioned was the mass and how some had made changes in it without considering their sisters and brothers who were not yet ready for change. However, he did not deal directly with the subject, nor did he venture very far into the other specific changes that were being advocated and sometimes forced upon the church in Wittenberg.<br />
<br />
In his introduction to these messages, A. Steimle records some of the innovations that were being promoted, especially by leaders like Andreas Karlstadt:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Carlstadt, moderate at first in his conduct, nevertheless had sown the seeds, in his teaching, which resulted in the bountiful harvest of disorder. Without Luther's clearness of vision and aptness of speech, he likewise failed to discern the pitfalls which Luther so carefully avoided. "In my opinion, he who partakes only of the bread, sins." " In all things of divine appointment, the divine law must be taught and observed, even if it cause offence." ' "The Gregorian chant keeps the spirit away from God. . . . Organs belong to theatrical exhibitions and princes' palaces." "That we have images in churches is wrong and contrary to the first commandment. To have carved and painted idols standing on the altar is even more harmful and devilish." For his Scripture proof in other places, too, particularly concerning vows, Carlstadt drew largely from the Old Testament. On Christmas Day, 1521, he preached a sermon in which he opposed going to confession before receiving communion. Attired in his street garb he then proceeded to celebrate an "evangelical" mass by giving communion in both kinds to the people, placing the elements directly into their hands. Many of the communicants had not previously confessed, nor observed the prescribed rule of fasting. From a denial of any distinction between clergy and laity, Carlstadt finally progressed to a condemnation of all scholarship and learning as unnecessary to an understanding of the Divine Word, since it is given directly from above. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Jacobs and Spaeth, <i>Works of Martin Luther</i>, p. 390</span></div>
</blockquote>
In his third sermon of the week, Pastor Luther began to address some specific practices: (1) the marriages of priests and nuns, and (2) images in the church. As he spoke, he chided the congregation for blindly following the lead of those who were stirring them up to make changes hastily and for turning the liberty of Christ into new laws that all must obey. Simply because God has given priests freedom to marry, he said, this does mean we now proclaim that all priests <i>must</i> marry! With regard to images, while Luther affirmed that it might be better if we did not have them at all, he nevertheless said they exist and some are able to use them without worshiping them and thus breaking the commandment. His counsel was therefore that we should not make a new law banning them completely. Each Christian needed to think through these matters carefully, and not just follow what some charismatic leader had said.<br />
<br />
Luther was challenging the members of his congregation to take personal responsibility for their own views and their own actions. As a good pastor, he wasn't interested in producing followers who simply mimic what they see in their leaders. He wanted people to become mature in Christ. He longed that each one might know and understand the gospel and its implications, making informed decisions about Christian conduct in a spirit of wisdom and love. Furthermore, he saw in their actions the human tendency to erect our own laws to control behavior rather than live in the freedom of Christ.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
God has made it a matter of liberty to marry or not to marry, and you, you fool, undertake to turn this liberty into a vow contrary to the ordinance of God! Therefore you must let it remain a liberty and not make a compulsion out of it; for your vow is contrary to God's liberty.... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...And you rush, create an uproar, break down altars, and overthrow images! Do you really believe you can abolish the altars in this way? No, you will only set them up more firmly.</blockquote>
As Martin Luther concluded his message on that Tuesday, he urged his fellow Christians once more to rely upon God's Word to do its work, and not to run ahead of it. Focus on the <i>ministry</i> and not its <i>effects</i>, he encouraged them; be faithful to hear the truth and let the Word and Spirit change hearts, minds, and actions.<br />
<br />
As a pastor, he wanted them to be strong; he wanted each one to be able to stand on his or her own two feet. And he showed them the way -- it's only by leaning on the Word that we can do that.<br />
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<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Pastors must beware of identifying specific programs with the will of God for everyone</b>. We too live in a day of religious enthusiasm. Mass media makes it possible for religious teachers to spread their programs and emphases far and wide, creating "fads" that various groups take as "gospel." Innovators abound, constantly seeking to provide something new to excite people around the "next big thing." While there is a place for creativity and fresh approaches, we must beware lest we create disciples of ourselves rather than of Christ, substituting our own bright ideas for the gospel.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Helping people become mature in Christ is the pastor's job</b>. My duty as a minister is not to please everyone, not to "run the church" well, not to put on entertaining programs, not to satisfy a multiplicity of expectations. In Col. 1:28-29 (JB Phillips), Paul models our task for us: <i>"So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. This is what I am working at all the time, with all the strength that God gives me."</i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Proclaim and teach freedom in Christ!</b> Gospel preaching sets people free. It does not lead them into new forms of law-keeping. This is hard for a pastor. In today's church, we are usually responsible for an organization. In order to keep it running, we must have the cooperation of our people. In order to keep their cooperation, it is easy to try and control members by setting up various rules and expectations and holding them accountable. Luther does not take that approach at all. He says simply, in the gospel you are free to follow Christ. Luther trusts in the Word's power to change hearts and lives. He encourages them to stand strong, on their own two feet, in gospel liberty. What trust! What love!</li>
</ul>
<br />Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-49560272231671312632012-11-15T01:20:00.000-05:002012-11-15T01:20:00.735-05:00Sermon 4: Need you to be patientI'm this apple, this happening stone<br />
When I'm alone<br />
Oh but my blessings get so blurred<br />
At the sound of your words<br />
I'm gonna need you to be patient with me
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<small>- "Please Be Patient with Me," by Wilco</small></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluttony, from The Seven Deadly Sins, Bosch</td></tr>
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...there are some who are still weak in faith, who ought to be instructed, and who would gladly believe as we do. But their ignorance prevents them, and if this were preached to them, as it was to us, they would be one with us. Toward such well-meaning people we must assume an entirely different attitude from that which we assume toward the stubborn. We must bear patiently with these people and not use our liberty; since it brings no peril or harm to body or soul; in fact, it is rather salutary, and we are doing our brothers and sisters a great service besides. But if we use our liberty unnecessarily, and deliberately cause offense to our neighbor, we drive away the very one who in time would come to our faith. </blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>- Fourth Invocavit Sermon</small></div>
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C.S. Lewis once wrote about his culture's sexual corruption by making a contrast with the way they handled their desires for food:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act—that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food?</blockquote>
Lewis obviously lived before cable and satellite TV! Nowadays food channels are all the rage, and people watch cooking shows and shows about restaurants and eating habits of every kind. Gluttony is the new lust. It may be that something has gone seriously wrong with our appetite for food in the 21st century.<br />
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In Martin Luther's day, the Church exercised a measure of control over what people ate and when. Various fasts and feasts were part of the ordinary calendar that Christian people followed each year. In his fourth Invocavit sermon, Luther takes up the matter of dietary rules, and says the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. You have liberty to eat or abstain according to the needs of your own health. </blockquote>
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2. If anyone (such as the pope) compels you to eat certain things by law, you are free to abstain. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
3. We must be patient with those who are still weak in faith and who feel bound by such laws. We must not flaunt our liberty in ways that will cause them distress.</blockquote>
God has more important commands than the ones he gives about external matters such as using images or eating or abstaining from certain kinds of foods. God commands that we should be helpful to our neighbors. This supersedes whatever scruples we might have about ritual matters.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thus we, too, should order our lives and use our liberty at the proper time, so that Christian liberty may suffer no injury, and no offense be given to our weak brothers and sisters who are still without the knowledge of this liberty.</blockquote>
Patience. Patience. Patience.<br />
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<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>All you need is love</b>. By this time, Luther is starting to sound a bit repetitive. Over and over again, like a Beatles' song, he pushes the refrain: <i>"Love, love, love, all you need is love..."</i> If we pastors could only learn that, in the final analysis, "love" is indeed the only command, a summary of everything the gospel is designed to bring forth from our lives and our congregations. Do you have a question about whether or not some practice should be taken up or maintained? In and of itself, the practice is nothing. The question is: <i>will it promote love?</i> Will it benefit the neighbor? As a pastor, I should be asking this question early and often.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Love is discerning and gives what is needed to benefit the neighbor</b>. In this sermon, Luther distinguishes between the way we help the "weak" and the way we deal with the "stubborn." I would venture to say that, for most pastors, helping the weak is easier and more regularly practiced. Generally in such situations, the pastor gets to have some measure of control, the pastor gets to be the giver, and the pastor walks away with a sense of satisfaction that someone has been helped. Dealing with the stubborn is not so easy. The stubborn resist any authority the pastor presumes to have. They may challenge the idea that the pastor has anything to offer them. The pastor may have to say and hear hard words and walk away with unresolved conflict and hurt feelings. Still, love is willing to rebuke as well as affirm, put up with resistance as well as receptivity, and persevere through disagreement and pain. Love remains <i>for</i> the best interests of the neighbor, no matter how the neighbor responds. Love remains willing to be <i>with</i> the neighbor through thick and thin.</li>
</ul>
Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-45434191660049776082012-11-15T01:15:00.001-05:002012-11-15T01:15:00.414-05:00Sermon 5: Up to our necks in it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes</div>
Turn and face the strange<br />
Ch-ch-changes<br />
Don't tell them to grow up and out of it<br />
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes<br />
Turn and face the strange<br />
Ch-ch-changes<br />
Where's your shame?<br />
You've left us up to our necks in it<br />
Time may change me<br />
But you can't trace time
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- "Changes," by David Bowie</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was glad to know when some one wrote me, that some people here had begun to receive the sacrament in both kinds. You should have allowed it to remain thus and not forced it into a law. But now you go at it pell mell, and headlong force everyone to it. Dear friends, you will not succeed in that way. For if you desire to be regarded as better Christians than others just because you take the sacrament into your hands and also receive it in both kinds, you are bad Christians as far as I am concerned. In this way even a sow could be a Christian, for she has a big enough snout to receive the sacrament outwardly. We must deal soberly with such high things. Dear friends, this dare be no mockery, and if you are going to follow me, stop it. If you are not going to follow me, however, then no one need drive me away from you -- I will leave you unasked, and I shall regret that I ever preached so much as one sermon in this place. The other things could be passed by, but this cannot be overlooked; for you have gone so far that people are saying: At Wittenberg there are very good Christians, for they take the sacrament in their hands and grasp the cup, and then they go to their brandy and swill themselves full. So the weak and well-meaning people, who would come to us if they had received as much instruction as we have, are driven away.'</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Fifth Invocavit Sermon</span></div>
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</small></blockquote>
Sermon five marked a turning point in Martin Luther's messages to his parishioners in Wittenberg. In it he began talking specifically to them about one of the innovations in the mass that had been so controversial -- the way the congregants received communion. The Eucharist was the highest sacred rite in the Church's worship and therefore any changes in the way it was observed was of no little concern. For the first time, Luther showed the limits of his patience, rebuking the people for their hasty embrace of new ways, flaunting their liberty in Christ, and failing to consider the consequences for themselves and their neighbors.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...Luther "lets it all out" in this sermon. He blasts supposed scriptural support (via the devil); he charges his audience with their greatest offense; he claims the most serious harm done. And all along the problems could have been avoided, he avers, had the Wittenbergers used the alternative -- preaching. Luther's humiliating insults are stronger in this sermon -- "even a sow" -- than in the First Sermon ("an ass can almost intone"). His claims of being hurt -- his thought of leaving and his feelings of regret -- are more focused. Luther emotionally exhausts himself and his audience in this sermon. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Leroux, <i>Luther's Rhetoric</i>, p. 107</span></blockquote>
Here is an outline of how Luther approached the congregation's embrace of the innovations that Karlstadt and others had introduced in the fifth Invocavit sermon:
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<ul>
<li><i>"Let us now consider how we must observe the blessed sacrament."</i></li>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li>Foolish laws that Luther had preached against</li>
<li>The people's foolish belief that they <i>must</i> handle the sacrament</li>
<li>Why this was foolish: they had no firm Scriptural ground, they caused offense</li>
<li>Summary: <i>"Therefore no new practices should be introduced, unless the gospel has first been thoroughly preached and understood."</i></li>
</ul>
<li><i><i>"Now let us speak of the two kinds"</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (receiving both the bread and the wine).</span></i></li>
<ul>
<li>We should receive both kinds, but this must not be made compulsory.</li>
<li>When made compulsory it becomes an outward work and hypocrisy for many.</li>
<li>When the Word is preached and people come to understand first, then it comes from their hearts.</li>
<li>The outward act of taking the sacrament properly does not make us good Christians.</li>
</ul>
<li>Concluding rebuke: </li>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"But if there is any one who is so smart that he must touch the sacrament with his hands, let him have it brought home to his house and there let him handle it to his heart's content. But in public let him abstain, since that will bring him no harm and the offense will be avoided which is caused to our brothers, sisters, and neighbors, who are now so angry with us that they are ready to kill us. I may say that of all my enemies who have opposed me up to this time none have brought me so much grief as you."</i></blockquote>
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<b>
PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Pastor = protector</b>. One hears in Luther his frustration that he had not been present to help the church deal with the past year's troubles. He took seriously his role as shepherd, guide, and protector and was clearly upset that others had led his flock into dangerous territory. And although rebuke is a tricky matter, a tool to be used only by a skilled craftsperson with great care, Luther had surely earned credibility, having just emerged from a year in hiding and with his life still under a death sentence! By their actions, the Wittenbergers had played right into the devil's hands, confirming the worst fears of the enemies of reformation, and threatening the entire cause. This was not a petty personal tantrum. This was a measured reprimand from a military officer to troops that had endangered the mission and their fellow soldiers. Now that the pastor was back, he would do his best to make sure the campaign was waged more effectively by all concerned. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Promote quiet Christianity</b>. Our world today is so loud and everyone is trying to shout louder and do more spectacular things to attract attention. The Church can get caught up in this. But Luther rebukes the people for thinking they will show they are good Christians by making a big show of their liberty: <i>"No, my dear friends, the kingdom of God does not consist in outward things, which can be touched or perceived, but in faith."</i> Christ's parables of the mustard seed, the yeast, and the seed that falls into the ground and dies suggest that Luther was right. As a pastor I must not presume that the effectiveness of my ministry or our church lies in outward measures of "success" or "growth." <i>"Quietly and soberly [the Word] does its work,"</i> said Luther. The same God who hid himself in a cradle, on the dusty roads of Palestine, and on a criminal's cross hides himself in the quiet, unobtrusive acts of faith and love that ordinary people do.</li>
</ul>
Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-37098102535201650092012-11-15T01:10:00.001-05:002012-11-26T20:27:10.506-05:00Sermon 6: Ain't no use jivin'Broken lines, broken strings<br />
Broken threads, broken springs<br />
Broken idols, broken heads<br />
People sleeping in broken beds<br />
Ain't no use jivin', ain't no use jokin'<br />
Everything is broken<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- "Everything Is Broken," by Bob Dylan</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luther giving Holy Communion</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This food demands a hungering and longing man, for it delights to enter a hungry soul, which is constantly battling with its sins and eager to be rid of them. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"He who is not thus prepared should abstain for a while from this sacrament, for this food will not enter a sated and full heart, and if it comes to such a heart, it is harmful. Therefore, if we think upon and feel within us such distress of conscience and the fear of a timid heart, we shall come with all humbleness and reverence and not run to it brashly and hastily, without all fear and humility. So we do not always find that we are fit; today I have the grace and am fit for it, but not tomorrow. Indeed, it may be that for six months I may have no desire or fitness for it.... </blockquote>
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"...For this bread is a comfort for the sorrowing, a healing for the sick, a life for the dying, a food for all the hungry, and a rich treasure for all the poor and needy." </blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Sixth Invocavit Sermon</span></div>
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Having scolded the people of Wittenberg for rushing after new outward practices in the Lord's Supper as the sign of their freedom in Christ, in sermon six Luther turns to the heart of the matter: how <i>should</i> Christians conduct themselves at the Table?<br />
<br />
First, Luther said, it is not simply a matter of eating and drinking, but there must be <i>faith</i> which makes the reception worthy. <i>"Christianity consists wholly in faith,"</i> affirmed the reformer.<br />
<br />
This faith, he went on, must be the faith that Christ has taken our sins and reconciled us to God. A person with such faith can appear at the sacrament without fear.<br />
<br />
If this is what coming to the Lord's Table is all about, he then argued, no human being has the right to make a universal law that everyone <i>must</i> partake of communion on a certain day because that person would have no way of knowing if faith is alive in each heart or not.<br />
<br />
Those who have this faith are those who have felt <i>"terrified and trembling"</i> in heart because of not knowing where they stand with God. This creates a hunger to have someone stand before God on our behalf, one who can deal with our sins. <i>"This food demands a hungering and longing man, for it delights to enter a hungry soul, which is constantly battling with its sins and eager to be rid of them."</i><br />
<br />
Luther then suggested that people who are not thus prepared should abstain from the sacrament, even perhaps for as long as six months.<br />
<br />
He concluded the sermon with a description of why the Lord's Supper was given. It is designed to comfort the sorrowing, heal the sick, give life to the dying, feed the hungry, and provide rich treasures to the poor. If we do not know ourselves in such a needy condition, why then come?<br />
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Ain't no use trying to jive God. He knows our hearts.<br />
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<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>A pastor is called to help people deal directly with God</b>. Pastor Luther is ultimately not concerned about whether people follow him, or Karlstadt, or Melanchthon, or any other person. His own experience and study of Scripture had shown him that each individual must face the issues of sin, forgiveness, and assurance. The Lord's Table is one of those settings in which these concerns become clear for people. It would be good for pastors to regularly clarify the importance of individual faith, even as we seek to build up congregational identity in our churches.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Be careful of becoming overly subjective</b>. On the other hand, there is a way in which the things Luther talks about in this sermon can lead to an unhealthy subjectivity among our people. Luther's words can be misread to appear as though they are saying we must constantly feel a sense of deep guilt and shame about our sins before we are worthy to come to the Lord's Table. If we take this too far, we can have people depending on their own feelings and experiences rather than the objective Word of Christ and Sacrament. Luther is not so much urging that each worshiper must have a particular emotional experience here. That would be a work. Instead, he is clarifying the very meaning of the sacrament. It is bread for the hungry and drink for the thirsty. Those who do not grasp their need should not come. Why would they want to?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Tearing down and building up</b>. It is significant that this sermon comes right after Pastor Luther gave the congregation a tongue lashing about their enthusiasm for external practices. Immediately after wounding them, he provides healing instruction. After tearing down their false ideas, he quickly rebuilds an evangelical vision and understanding of what the Lord's Supper is all about. He doesn't leave them lying low in the dust. He goes directly from rebuke to edification. </li>
</ul>
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<br />Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-359567858971963022012-11-15T01:05:00.001-05:002012-11-15T01:05:00.850-05:00Sermon 7: Love and love aloneI know now<br />
Only one thing<br />
Really matters in these days<br />
One thing<br />
True love<br />
Love and love alone<br />
True love<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">- "Jump Up Behind Me," by James Taylor
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6QcwgKzWbjFjffo5sSIR_n7_iuHEyc_rSUZ7KGbAdghsn9_w_VtyY6I1JaIg94GcsHkmyqVJeS8P6CqMlAb-Yk5tJIY3nhBhIU2mI65l7vq0puIdxUQ1IKu2YtQlGkjJghU0pd8qRc0/s1600/Castle+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6QcwgKzWbjFjffo5sSIR_n7_iuHEyc_rSUZ7KGbAdghsn9_w_VtyY6I1JaIg94GcsHkmyqVJeS8P6CqMlAb-Yk5tJIY3nhBhIU2mI65l7vq0puIdxUQ1IKu2YtQlGkjJghU0pd8qRc0/s400/Castle+Church.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castle Church, Wittenberg</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Love, I say, is a fruit of this sacrament. But this I do not yet perceive among you here in Wittenberg, even though you have had much preaching and, after all, you ought to have carried this out in practice. This is the chief thing, which is the only business of a Christian man. But nobody wants to be in this, though you want to practice all sorts of unnecessary things, which are of no account. If you do not want to show yourselves Christians by your love, then leave the other things undone too..." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Seventh Invocavit Sermon</span></div>
</blockquote>
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Short and sweet -- that's Martin Luther's seventh Invocavit sermon.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I told you yesterday that we must come to the Lord's Table by faith. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Today we speak of how we must leave the table -- with love. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Love is the fruit of the Sacrament. Love is the business of a Christian.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But you have not done this. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>You have instead focused on all sorts of unnecessary things. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>All I care about, all I speak about, all I write about urges you to have faith and practice love. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>However, you haven't been listening. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I pray to God you will begin.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdWG98ez_-kQM1UBSjobRVhZdqGnHAywd8fUhZADhbNoXY-SQF-MLcOXmGhF0F_l5wSO6dp3MGFC3_7VtLCyHvLrDdmb-rKqYNtK6f7NYHglo7_TCi5D3bX_Zt1-eZQyAIjZUPRltiYc/s1600/lutherpreach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdWG98ez_-kQM1UBSjobRVhZdqGnHAywd8fUhZADhbNoXY-SQF-MLcOXmGhF0F_l5wSO6dp3MGFC3_7VtLCyHvLrDdmb-rKqYNtK6f7NYHglo7_TCi5D3bX_Zt1-eZQyAIjZUPRltiYc/s320/lutherpreach.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Keep it simple</b>. Profound theological truth doesn't need to be communicated with complicated arguments and big words. Take the Gospel of John, or for that matter, Luther's seventh Invocavit sermon. Pastor, stick with gospel preaching: Trust Christ. Love one another. It really, really is as simple as that.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Rebuke briefly</b>. If you have hard things to say, say them and then let the matter go. Pastor Luther does not go on and on, railing endlessly against their sins and shortcomings. He makes his point, commends them to God, and that's it. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Recognize your listener's limits</b>. This is the penultimate sermon in a series of eight. Day after day, for seven days the people have been coming to the sanctuary to hear Pastor Luther preach. It has been a long week. The congregation has been given a lot to think about. They are tired and saturated with teaching. An entire week of messages! Luther's wisdom in making this sermon concise, simple, and pointed should be evident.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-66785975711671155292012-11-15T01:00:00.001-05:002012-11-15T09:58:05.945-05:00Sermon 8: You need some loving careWhen you're down and troubled<br />
And you need some loving care<br />
And nothing, nothing is going right<br />
Close your eyes and think of me<br />
And soon I will be there<br />
To brighten up even your darkest night<br />
<br />
You just call out my name<br />
And you know wherever I am<br />
I'll come running to see you again<br />
Winter, spring, summer or fall<br />
All you have to do is call<br />
And I'll be there<br />
You've got a friend<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- "You've Got a Friend," by Carole King
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Etrx_vGGOEjdjBOsA38ONA0O2FxJ5VKHI9t-c41byr2DHoiCPrDwvUAR84UufEAGBKoTJb870RWDt5u2torvcp-1TgX-TUVDjDqnhmzgiXFrlXaHiEx3yZD3Rxr91WRk9KDNwkMyA4/s1600/Luther+statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_Etrx_vGGOEjdjBOsA38ONA0O2FxJ5VKHI9t-c41byr2DHoiCPrDwvUAR84UufEAGBKoTJb870RWDt5u2torvcp-1TgX-TUVDjDqnhmzgiXFrlXaHiEx3yZD3Rxr91WRk9KDNwkMyA4/s400/Luther+statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Nevertheless I will allow no man to take private confession away from me, and I would not give it up for all the treasures in the world, since I know what comfort and strength it has given me. No one knows what it can do for him except one who has struggled often and long with the devil. Yea, the devil would have slain me long ago, if the confession had not sustained me. For there are many doubtful matters which a man cannot resolve or find the answer to by himself, and so he takes his brother aside and tells him his trouble. What harm is there if he humbles himself a little before his neighbor, puts himself to shame, looks for a word of comfort from him, accepts it, and believes it, as if he were hearing it from God himself..." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Eighth Invocavit Sermon</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<i>"Now we have heard of all the things which ought to be considered here, except confession. Of this we shall speak now."</i><br />
<br />
So began the final sermon in a series of eight messages Martin Luther delivered upon his return to Wittenberg in 1522. After a year of exile, hidden safely in Wartburg Castle after his refusal to recant at the Diet of Worms, he had come back to his home town. The place had been wracked by strife during his absence. Various leaders in the Christian community had taken his teachings and used them to promote changes and innovations in the religious practices of the church at Wittenberg. This had led to confusion, upheaval, even violence. Luther grew so concerned about the developing situation that he made the decision to leave Wartburg and return home, even though he risked his life by doing so.<br />
<br />
Pastor Luther's final sermon is not what we might consider today to be a concluding message in a series, one that might summarize what has been preached to that point and appeal for the congregation to make decisions based on all they have heard. Instead, it takes up one final subject and offers clear, positive teaching that would bring comfort and help to the congregation.<br />
<br />
This shows that Luther wisely realized that whatever was going to happen in Wittenberg would be an <i>ongoing process</i>. One week might stop the bleeding, but the work of healing and promoting ongoing health would take time and a lot more teaching and pastoral work.<br />
<br />
The subject of confession was another one that had come into play in the previous year. Karlstadt in particular had downplayed its importance and had not required parishioners to make confession before taking the Sacrament in his masses. Luther, on the other hand, wanted to reform the practice of confession, but not eliminate it or downplay its importance. <i>"Thus you see,"</i> he said in this sermon, <i>"that confession must not be despised, but that it is a comforting thing."</i> He considered it one of the weapons in our arsenal against the world, the flesh, and the devil. He had found it to be so in his own life, and wished that all of his congregants could find comfort in its proper practice. <i>"We must not allow any of our weapons to be taken away."</i><br />
<br />
Martin Luther's sermon series had ended. For eight days he had spoken clearly and pointedly, urging his friends in Wittenberg to patiently let the gospel work to bring about changes in the Church organically and naturally. Their faith had brought them freedom. Now their freedom must be used faithfully and with love toward others. They must not give the devil an opportunity to bring disrepute upon the reforming movement.<br />
<br />
As for Pastor Luther, the end of this sermon series was the beginning of a process of ongoing instruction and pastoral care that would reinforce his gospel-centered message of faith working through love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2Ci_DvL74KbcikpJQXHk3ofZyK3hDfCouHNixoNxwBuUDvAkWryikEFLv60KNMB3mpkMxh61l4ovdj-atcTZpBZH5MZVX6eq0k0skYkJ4F0alOCyJtEvTm2d9475vEe4PPXtoMhYqTE/s1600/lutherpreach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2Ci_DvL74KbcikpJQXHk3ofZyK3hDfCouHNixoNxwBuUDvAkWryikEFLv60KNMB3mpkMxh61l4ovdj-atcTZpBZH5MZVX6eq0k0skYkJ4F0alOCyJtEvTm2d9475vEe4PPXtoMhYqTE/s320/lutherpreach.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
<b>PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Stay in it for the long haul</b>. Today's society and many of the churches promote a kind of instant transformation. Those who approach the spiritual life from this perspective often focus on the power of the Holy Spirit and the mechanism of personal decision to bring about dramatic instantaneous change. Highly emotional services with music and preaching that lead to a crisis moment of invitation are believed to be the proper settings for "changed lives." Contrast that with Pastor Luther's decidedly low key but faithful and pastoral teaching of the Scriptures day after day. When the eight days were complete, there was ongoing pastoral attention given to the flock at Wittenberg. Growth took place in a community continually immersed in Word and Sacrament, with consistent pastoral care and encouragement over time. Pastor, take the long view and stay in it for the long haul. A harvest awaits.</li>
</ul>
Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250730994020266677.post-40225923165910840542012-11-15T00:55:00.000-05:002012-11-26T20:28:45.736-05:00The Road Ahead: Let me know the wayThe wild and windy night<br />
That the rain washed away<br />
Has left a pool of tears<br />
Crying for the day<br />
Why leave me standing here?<br />
Let me know the way<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<small>- "The Long and Winding Road," Lennon/McCartney</small>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Cjje7isJ4dO4Zy7za-NGOIiOO_DBQrnT0PzsRTkf0GaMvxDKiYhyGKVCKR4QnnYpLdQTKqTCs63NIq294YZ35qX7Wpv8FPteHe4YrBkInDTv_9A3vDVC67HTPgZ1FJhasdaZjAnzUcY/s1600/wittenberg-elbe-M14-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Cjje7isJ4dO4Zy7za-NGOIiOO_DBQrnT0PzsRTkf0GaMvxDKiYhyGKVCKR4QnnYpLdQTKqTCs63NIq294YZ35qX7Wpv8FPteHe4YrBkInDTv_9A3vDVC67HTPgZ1FJhasdaZjAnzUcY/s400/wittenberg-elbe-M14-.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wittenberg on the Elbe, 1856</td></tr>
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<br />
What next? How did Martin Luther the pastor follow up the Invocavit sermons?<br />
<br />
First of all, it must be noted that the eight-day sermon series had its intended effect. By all reports, a spirit of order and tranquility was restored almost immediately. Karlstadt and Zwilling took assignments in other parishes. "On 30 March, Melanchthon tersely reported to Spalatin, 'Everything here has been well restored by Doctor Martinus.'" (Brecht, <i>Martin Luther 1521-1532</i>, Loc. 1048)<br />
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Certainly this was due to Luther's physical presence in Wittenberg as well as the power of the words he spoke. As their pastor for many years, he had earned their trust, and the added credibility of his own suffering for the sake of the gospel must have deeply impressed his fellow believers. And so we see once more that it is not merely the Word but the Word incarnated in a pastor who exercises faith and expresses love that makes the difference.<br />
<br />
Luther went right to work after the Invocavit messages to carry on that pastoral task. For example, Luther immersed himself in preaching, offering two series simultaneously: from the OT (Genesis) and from the NT (Matthew). From May to December 1522, he also offered a teaching series on Peter's first epistle.<br />
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<div>
In April, he published a pamphlet, <i>Receiving Both Kinds in the Sacrament </i>which followed up directly on the issues he raised in the Invocavit sermons. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In May, his <i>Personal Prayer Book </i>was published, a book he considered a key to fundamental reformation in the lives of his parishioners and in the church. It became such a success that thirty-five editions of it were published over his lifetime. It was another step toward what Luther himself considered his most important works: the <i>Catechisms</i>.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Over the next few months, in addition to his daily and weekly efforts in Wittenberg, he exercised a more apostolic ministry, traveling to surrounding areas, preaching in congregations, developing partnerships with other towns, churches, and leaders, and seeking to fill pulpits with evangelical pastors. During this time he was developing his thinking about how ministers should be called and installed to serve in churches.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
During 1522, Luther also thought much about reforming the mass. At various festivals such as Corpus Christi and All Soul's he criticized traditional practices and suggested changes. It would have to wait until the next year until Luther's considerations came to fruition in his <i>Formula of the Mass</i> (Latin). At the end of that year he also developed a plan to produce hymns in German for the congregation in worship.</div>
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<div>
In September, Luther's masterful German New Testament was published. Now the power of the Word could be multiplied, as people in Wittenberg and throughout the region could hold it in their hands and hearts.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Richard Marius summarizes the aftermath of Luther's return to Wittenberg:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In Wittenberg, whatever else might happen, the Catholic Church was gone, new, moderate practices were installed, worship and preaching went on, children were born and baptized, marriages were celebrated, people died and had to be buried, and the other rites of Christian passage had to be observed. Willy-nilly Luther found himself presiding over an institution, and Wittenberg became his world...</blockquote>
<div>
The world where he took up the work of teacher, apostle, author, and most of all, pastor.</div>
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Michael Mercerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936525547740110077noreply@blogger.com0