Herrenhuter readings for Tuesday, the 9th February 2016

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

 

The Psalmist sings: “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psa 145:15-16 NIV)

Our Lord Jesus Christ preaches: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Mat 6:26 NIV)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: In this mornings reading we read a portion of the Old Testament prayer, which even today is used by many to address the triune God before they enjoy the gifts which he has granted them to eat this day. This psalm acknowledges that all good and perfect gifts come from God our heavenly Father. It is he who lets it rain over good and evil and let’s grass grow for the beast of the fields and seeds for the birds of the skies. God himself grants seasons and times for things to be planted, grow and bring forth fruit plentifully. It is he, who opens his hands feeding countless across the globe day in, day out. It is he, who satisfies the desires of all the living. Without him we creatures remain restless, empty and hungry, but in him we find peace, rest and the fulfilment of all of our desires and deepest needs. If we have him, we don’t ask for heaven or earth, because man does not live from bread alone, but rather from every Word spoken by our heavenly Father, the one God, who together with the Son and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns now and forever.

We sinful human beings often crave the creation more than the creator. It’s like forgetting the daily light of the sun and worshipping the reflections of the moon at night. We forget the real thing and search and follow instead the images and copies instead. That’s a calamity and most dreadful malady. That’s the source of all our worries and misguided concerns and wrong priorities. God himself wants to overcome this our lack of trust and deep seated disbelief. So he sent us his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who became one of us, our very own brother, living without a home to call his own and without even a place to put down his head. Still he overcame the hunger and thirst of 40 days and 40 nights by relying entirely on the goodness of his loving & caring Father in heaven. Not resorting to shortcuts or own ways out, but rather waiting for God’s good time and due season. He was obedient to the very end. Doing the will of the Father to the last iota. Missing out nothing. Fulfilling each and every requirement. And still he found enough to feed thousands in the desert. He shared divine abundance, delving into God’s richness fishing countless fish out of the deep seas, turning water into wine and granting living water to those, who would listen and hear him. His invitation stands: “Come to me all of you, who are wearisome and heavily burdened. I’ll give you rest! Come to me all you who are thirsty and hungry. I’ll quench your thirst. I’ll satisfy your hunger and desire – and give you peace!”

So: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Mat 6:26 NIV) Of course you are – you and your children. Did he not feed the Egyptians & Joseph’s people in the time of terrible drought and famine in those ancient days? Did he not feed Elijah with those ravens in the wilderness and the widow and her frail son with oil in the jar and flour in the pot, which never ceased to yield? Isn’t that all written to strengthen your faith and encourage you in dire straits?

So we pray confidently to our heavenly Father for daily bread with the assurance of being heard by him  because his dear son, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ himself taught us to pray: Give us our daily bread! And Martin Luther explains what this means, namely: “God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” He goes on to explain what is meant by daily bread: “Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as meat, drink, clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” Therefore don’t worry and be happy. Your Lord, your God cares for you better than any father on earth could ever do. Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

  1. Sing to the Lord of harvest,
    Sing songs of love and praise;
    With joyful hearts and voices
    Your alleluias raise.
    By him the rolling seasons
    In fruitful order move;
    Sing to the Lord of harvest
    A joyous song of love.
  2. God makes the clouds rain goodness,
    The deserts bloom and spring,
    The hills leap up in gladness,
    The valleys laugh and sing.
    God fills them with his fullness,
    All thing with large increase;
    He crowns the year with blessing,
    With plenty and with peace.
  3. Bring to this sacred altar
    The gifts his goodness gave,
    The golden sheaves of harvest,
    The souls Christ died to save.
    Your hearts lay down before him
    When at his feet you fall,
    And with your lives adore him
    Who gave his life for all.

Hymn # 493  Lutheran Worship Author: Johann Steurlein
Tune: Wie lieblich ist der Maien 1st Published in: 1581

 

 

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Monday, the 8th February 2016

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

The people went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people. (1Ki 8:66 KJV)

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2Co 4:15 ESV)

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

In this mornings reading we read of how the holy arc of God was brought into the temple of Jerusalem after king Solomon had completed its construction and dedication. It must have been a wonderful celebration. Something to behold and tell your children and grandchildren about. The main reason for rejoicing and the peoples gladness was that God was so good to them. This was their comfort and strength, their life’s foundation, rock solid and battlement and fortress. It gave their lives meaning and substance, purpose and calling. It was the fulfilment of their being and sojourn on earth.

God had created them beautifully and most wonderfully. He had taken care of them in the most difficult and trying of situations, kept them safe and sound, preserved them and their children through good and bad spells. He had saved them countless times too. He was there for them always and his goodness spilt over for his people that the cup overflowed. God’s goodness and mercy followed them all the days of their lives. He had granted them good governance, peace and goodwill, abundance of fruits of the earth – even in the desert. He himself had been with them always – day and night. Listening to their calls, heeding their pleas and answering their prayers even before they pronounced them. It was true. Their hearts had come to rest in the goodness and peace of the Lord. With him they had come to the very essence and being of life, goodness and light. That’s why they were joyful and glad at heart.

As we start the new week, we remember God’s goodness and mercy, which he lets us taste daily and without fail. His goodness and mercy is new every morning and his grace never departs from us, but shines over us like the moon at night and the sun during daytime. Even if the clouds hide this from our eyes, we know it is there – invisible – but as sure and true and good as ever. That is why we sing his praises even as we go about the work of the new week and get started to go about the chores of our daily life. God is with us, what shall we fear? He has promised to take good care of us no matter what happens. Therefore we are confident and glad, full of trust and happiness. Remembering how God did great things for his people throughout the ages and never let them out of his sight or care. So he will continue to rule and reign for our sakes and benefit, that we continue to prosper and flourish as his people – now and always.

Was it not just yesterday that we tasted how good God is to us? We heard of his unfailing love for us and all his people; how he gave his only begotten Son Jesus Christ for us while we were still enemies and sinners and hopeless cases. Still God so loved the world – and us too! – that he gave this his very own and most dearly beloved Son for us into death, so that all who trust in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Yes, the triune God again confirmed his forgiving actions of ages long gone by again forgiving us all our sins and healing our diseases. He does so unfailingly – using his gracious means and in his very good and best timing for us and our salvation. He leads us to green pastures and lets us rest at the quite waters too. Even if we go through the valley of death, we fear no ill, for he is with us. His rod and staff comfort us. So we go home and to work encouraged by his goodness and favour. He will fail us never. He anoints us with precious oil. He sets our table even in the sight of our enemies and crafty foes. Still goodness and mercy will follow us all our lives. For he is with us and if he is there and for us, what could harm us? He is our living God and to him be all glory now and always. Thank the Lord for he is good and his mercy endures forever. That’s for sure. Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

  1. Now thank we all our God,
    with heart and hands and voices,
    who wondrous things hath done,
    in whom his world rejoices;
    who from our mother’s arms
    hath blessed us on our way
    with countless gifts of love,
    and still is ours today.

    2. O may this bounteous God
    through all our life be near us,
    with ever-joyful hearts
    and blessèd peace to cheer us;
    and keep us in his grace,
    and guide us when perplexed,
    and free us from all ills
    in this world and the next.

    3. All praise and thanks to God
    the Father now be given,
    the Son, and Holy Ghost,
    supreme in highest heaven,
    the one eternal God,
    whom earth and heaven adore;
    for thus it was, is now,
    and shall be evermore. 

Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), 1636 translated by  Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), 1858

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Saturday, the 6th February 2106

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

King David said to Solomon his son: „Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.“ (1 Chronicles 28:20 KJV)

The holy apostel St. Paul writes to his student and bishop St.Timothy: „Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.“ (2.Timothy 2:7) 

Dear friends of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ + The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always + Amen. 

In this mornings reading from the first book of Chronicles we hear King David talking with his son the crown prince Solomon. These were Israel’s finest and men according to the heart of God. Chosen, called and installed by the holy Trinity to rule and reign his people once Saul had failed in this very same calling. David himself had favoured Solomon before others, older than him, but not god-fearing and wise as Solomon himself – or was it just because he was the son of his dearly beloved and most highly esteemed Bathsheba? Although David did many great and wonderful things during his reign, it was left to this his special son and successor on the throne of Israel & Judah that the task and mission fell to build the Lord’s temple. What a wonderful task! What a beautiful mission! What a grand undertaking! God wanted to live amongst his people and after the years of sojourning in a tent throughout the desert stretches he had chosen to take abode in the very city of David, in the delightful Jerusalem, God’s very own and special mercy seat on earth – and king Solomon was to build it. That much was given! For God himself was behind this work. It was his plan and decree. So it was just a matter of time and these promises would be seen fulfilled. Yes it was as king David said: „The Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.“ Therefore Solomon can be strong and of good courage. He can just do it without fear or dismay.

Yesterday we watched another part of the film „Luther“ and we saw Pope Leo X standing before a replica of St.Peter’s papal basilica in Rome even if for us who don’t recognise the Pope as the true vicar of Christ and only a bishop amongst others and thus this is for us but the cathedral of the bishop of Rome. Well, be that as it may, Pope Leo X wanted to build the church. Expand, grow and glorify it and make it stand out way beyond all others in this world. So he construed a number of monetary schemes and fundraising fancies to get this spectacular work done. We know, what a thorn in the flesh Luther’s protests and attacks against the financial shenanigans of the likes of Tetzel, Albrecht von Mainz and the rest of this mercenary priests must have been in his side. Still, how misguided were these endeavours. The Church is not in bricks and mortar. The Church is God’s people called, gathered, preserved by the very treasure of the Church, his most efficacious gospel – the divine means of working, sharing, effecting and putting into life his godly grace through his holy Word preached, taught, learnt and heard and most precious Testaments in the most holy Baptism & His very Body and Blood, tasted, eaten and digested for the forgiveness of sins and the preservation to the new and blessed life everlasting. 

The temple in Jerusalem lies in ruins. There are but foundation stones left. It’s the wailing wall, were pious, orthodox, hard-core and other Jews continue to mourn the destruction of this Solomonic temple and pray for the return of the Messiah, whom they are waiting for and who has already be born amongst them in the very town of David, in Bethlehem – the house of the living bread called Jesus Christ – the very Son of David, who grew up in Nazareth and who tore apart the curtain in the temple separating God from mankind and gave free access to the very holy of holies through his very own suffering, death and dying there in Jerusalem and then outside the city on the mount of Calvary – together with sinners, robbers and other godless folk. He who said, tear down this very own temple and in just three (3) days I will build a new temple. He was talking about the temple of his very own body, which was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea to rise again on that glorious Easter – the very third day – and to build his one, holy and Christian Church starting in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the very ends of the earth. Oh, what wisdom and richness of the glory of the living God. How wonderful are his ways and merciful his devices and schemes! This Church and body of Christ is no longer just here and there on this or that mountain or reserve, but rather wherever the gifts of his Holy Spirit reign through his true word of Law and Gospel, there the triune God himself works faith in those, who hear it – as through means and instruments – where and when he wills and decrees. His word doesn’t come back empty. He does, what he desires and what he has promised.

So today St.Peter’s papal basilica or better cathedral of the bishop in Rome stands high and mighty and glorious for all to see. Thousands assemble there weekly from across the globe and yet, and yet I fear that they are but mislead by pomp and finery and spectacular procedures, traditions and ritual. I fear that it is just too impressive to disregard and not attach the hearts unto. I fear that it but blocks out the true treasures of the Church in the forgiveness of sins and the pronunciation of peace to those, who trust solely in the Lord and not also in their own holiness, works or achievements. See, it is harder that a rich man is saved than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The gospel is for those poor and feeble in spirit – not the rich and mighty, who go empty away! The tax collector, who prays: Kyrie eleison + Christ have mercy upon us + Kyrie eleison + Just as those in that distant Zulu kraal in Umsinga or the bushman sunshade in the outposts of the Kalahari at the very end of the world, where the pastor, missionary or evangelist visits the blind, hurting, poor and miserable shut-ins, who are just too old and weak  and far-off to come to church, but receive the very gifts of God in the laying on of hands, the small piece of bread, the little sip of wine, the few words of the readings and sermon for which we pray in the prayers of our Lord and the church in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. The Lord of the Church promises: „Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of you!“

It is this very Lord Jesus Christ, who promised his disciples: „Behold – all power in heaven and on earth has been given to me! Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. Teaching them all that I have entrusted you with. Baptise them in the holy Trinity. And behold – I am with you – until the very ends of the world!“  See – it is still true as King David said to Solomon – so it is with you today too for the Lord God, even my own living, allmighty, gracious and good God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work in his service that he wants you to do. Therefore be strong and of good courage dear friend and brother of Christ. You can do it without fear or dismay.

In this sense remember that the holy apostel St. Paul writes to his own student and bishop of Christ’s church St.Timothy: „Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.“ (2.Timothy 2:7)  Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always + Amen.

  1. Preserve your Word, O Savior,
    To us this latter day,
    And let your kingdom flourish;
    Enlarge your Church, we pray.
    Oh, keep our faith from failing;
    Keep hope’s bright star aglow.
    Let nothing from truth turn us
    While living here below.
  2. Preserve, O Lord, your honor,
    The bold blasphemer smite;
    Convince, convert, enlighten
    The souls in error’s night.
    Reveal your will, dear Savior,
    To all who dwell below,
    Great light of all the living,
    That all your name may know.
  3. Preserve, O Lord, your Zion,
    Bought dearly with your blood;
    Protect what you have chosen
    Against the hellish flood.
    Be always our defender
    When dangers gather round;
    When all the earth is crumbling,
    Safe may your Church be found.
  4. Preserve your Word and preaching.
    The truth that makes us whole,
    The mirror of your glory,
    The power that saves the soul.
    Oh, may this living water,
    This dew of heavenly grace,
    Sustain us while here living
    Until we see your face.
  5. Preserve in wave and tempest
    Your storm-tossed little flock;
    Assailed by wind and weather,
    May it endure each shock.
    Stand at the helm, our pilot,
    And set the course aright;
    Then we will reach the harbor
    In your eternal light.

Hymn # 337 from Lutheran Worship authored by Andreas Gryphius 1616-1664 and translated by William J. Schaefer and melody composed by Felix Mendelsohn.

 

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sunday Estomihi (Last Sunday before Lent)

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

Then our Lord Jesus Christ took unto him the twelve, and said unto them: „Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.“ (Luke 18:31)

„Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. I trust in the Lord. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.“ (Ps.31:2.3a.6.8-9)

The readings for the last Sunday before Lent (Estomihi) are:

  • Old Testament: Amos 5:21-24
  • The Epistle: 1.Corinthians 13:1-13
  • The Gospel: St. Mark 8:31-38

The liturgical colour is green.

The hymn for this week before Lent is from the Lutheran Hymnal 409

  1. Let us ever walk with Jesus,
    Follow His example pure,
    Flee the world, which would deceive us
    And to sin our souls allure.
    Ever in His footsteps treading,
    Body here, yet soul above,
    Full of faith and hope and love,
    Let us do the Father’s bidding.
    Faithful Lord, abide with me;
    Savior, lead, I follow Thee.
  2. Let us suffer here with Jesus,
    To His image, e’er conform;
    Heaven’s glory soon will please us,
    Sunshine follow on the storm.
    Though we sow in tears of sorrow,
    We shall reap with heavenly joy;
    And the fears that now annoy
    Shall be laughter on the morrow.
    Christ, I suffer here with Thee;
    There, oh, share Thy joy with me!
  3. Let us also die with Jesus.
    His death from the second death,
    From our soul’s destruction, frees us,
    Quickens us with life’s glad breath.
    Let us mortify, while living,
    Flesh and blood and die to sin;
    And the grave that shuts us in
    Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
    Jesus, here I die to Thee
    There to live eternally.
  4. Let us gladly live with Jesus;
    Since He’s risen from the dead,
    Death and grave must soon release us.
    Jesus, Thou art now our Head,
    We are truly Thine own members;
    Where Thou livest, there live we.
    Take and own us constantly,
    Faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
    Jesus, here I live to Thee,
    Also there eternally.

Hymn #409 from The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: John 11:16 Author: Sigismund von Birken, 1653 translated by: J. Adam Rimbach, 1900 Tune of the original titled: “Lasset uns mit Jesu ziehen” composer: Georg G. Boltze, 1788

May you have a very blessed week and time to meditate on the watchword for this second week before Lent: But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:15 KJV)

We pray with this collect: O God, who sees that we put not our trust in anything that we do, mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity;  through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (LH 61)

Posted in Lectionary etc, Lent, Lutheran Order of service, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Friday, the 5th February 2016

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” (2Ch 19:7 NIV)

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. (Mat 9:10 NIV)

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

In this mornings reading we read a very clear admonition from the Lord our God as recorded in the 2nd book of Chronicles. It follows on the personal message God gave through Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani to the king of Judah Jehoshaphat: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is on you.” God tells the king what is wrong and that this is not just going to pass by. Rather his wrath is going to be over the king and ruler of Judah. It’s not as if God is just there to sign off the will and doing of the high and mighty. Rather they are accountable to him and subject to his laws and rules and commandments. To whom much is given, of him much will be demanded. God will not let the king get away with wrongdoing, but rather he is bound by God’s holy will like everybody else and even more so, because so much more has been entrusted to him. This obviously has repercussions in the life of the king too. The seer points out that the king was helping the wicked and loving those, who hated the Lord. That’s also not going to get by the Lord’s standards and holy benchmarks. Rather the king should be persecuting the wicked, punishing the wrongdoers and not pulling together with them in the wrong direction. The sword of justice has been given to the rulers, judges and enforcers of the law so that they protect the innocent and righteous even if they are weak and helpless especially against lawless tyrants, robbers and thieves big and small, murders, adulterers, liars  and other harmful outlaws. Blessed are those people, who are ruled by law abiding rulers and kings; where these laws are in line with the will of God and not contrary to the 10 commandments. Woe to those, where that is not the case.

Think of the murderer, who kills his wife, but comes of scot-free because he’s friends with the judge. Or think of the architect and builder, who doesn’t deliver safe bridges or malls, but earns exorbitant sums because he has bribed the officials and is not persecuted, because he has friends in high places. It’s bad for those, who are hurt and who suffer damages.  It’s not just another way of doing business. It’s bad and earns the wrath of God. Therefore: “Let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” (2Ch 19:7 NIV) Don’t do crime, wrong or evil. It doesn’t pay. In the long run, God is going to sort that out.

On the other side, we hear of Jesus eating with tax-collectors and sinners. They were people, who had transgressed the law. That was common knowledge. Every tax-collector was like that. It was proverbial. They were like the brand name for sinners. Just like prostitutes. Scum of the earth really. Now Jesus of Nazareth eats with them. He draws them back out of the precipice of sinful separation from God and the abyss of lawlessness and opposition to God’s ways. He gives them another chance at a normal life in the communion of God’s people – no longer outcasts and no longer hopeless cases, but rather forgiven and on the way to healing too: He as true God and man forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases! He grants a fresh start, makes things new. The old is forgotten and left behind. See and behold it is better now through God’s doing in Jesus Christ.

That’s how he deals with the high and lowly. Remember how he forgave king David after his snowballing rampage of sinfulness? He does so with the women caught in adultery, with Zacchaeus, with the robber on the cross. It is his mercy and goodness that calls us to repentance and forgiveness. He wants to forgive and heal. So today if you hear his voice, don’t harden your heart, but give ear to his calling and trust his good and faithful promises. Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

  1. Jesus sinners will receive;
    May they all this saying ponder
    Who in sin’s delusions live
    And from God and heaven wander!
    Here is hope for all who grieve:
    Jesus sinners will receive.
  2. We deserve but grief and shame,
    Yet his words, rich grace revealing,
    Pardon, peace, and life proclaim.
    Here our ills have perfect healing;
    We with humble hearts believe
    Jesus sinners will receive.
  3. When their sheep have lost their way,
    Faithful shepherds go to seek them;
    Jesus watches all who stray,
    Faithfully to find and take them
    In his arms that they may live
    Jesus sinners will receive.
  4. Come, O sinners, one and all,
    Come, accept his invitation;
    Come, obey his gracious call,
    Come and take his free salvation!
    Firmly in these words believe:
    Jesus sinners will receive.
  5. Jesus sinners will receive.
    Even me he has forgiven;
    And when I this earth must leave,
    I shall find an open heaven.
    Dying, still to him I cleave
    Jesus sinners will receive.

Hymn # 229 from Lutheran Worship
Author: Johann Ulrich
Tune: Meinen Jesum Lass Ich Nicht
1st Published in: 1718

 

 

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sermon during Matins: Joshua 24

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

This morning’s sermon I held at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane in the chapel of St.Timothy on Joshua can be read here: Jos24,1-2a.13-16.22-26 2016.2.4 and heard here: 

 

 

Posted in LTS in Tshwane, Matins in the morning, Sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Wednesday, the 3rd February 2016

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

The major prophet Isaiah asks: “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (Isa 14:27 KJV)

The holy apostle St. Paul: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31 KJV)

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

In this mornings reading we have several rhetorical questions. Both prophet and apostle expect the answer to theirs as nobody and nothing. God is in control and he sees his purpose attained. There is nobody and nothing that can hinder, alter or stop him from achieving his goal. His masterplan is in place and he is going about it most steadily and surely to make it happen. There’s no annihilation or annulment in sight. Rather if he speaks it is there and if he ordains it, it happens. Right now he is in the process of fulfilling all his promises, getting his will done and promoting his mission across the globe. There is no turning back for him. Nobody is going to throw him back either. He is accomplishing his mission in glory. That is firstly his judgement over all the world, but also and predominantly the other and most appropriate work, namely the godly salvation, restoration and preservation of his people, the holy Christians saints all over the world, both high and low, rich and poor, free or slave – of all nations, languages, races and kinds. He has raised his arms in glorious victory, blessing the accursed, lifting up the downcast, promoting the destitute, healing the sick, restoring the homeless, edifying the hopeless and faithless, forgiving sinners, raising the dead and just doing miracles and wonders of salvation and vivification. His arms are already raised in triumph. Heaven and earth are his and he’s got all in his hand, caring for us as a mother for her child, comforting, nurturing and flourishing. His thoughts concerning us are ones of goodwill and peace, mercy and grace, love and caring – and nobody and nothing is going to change, hinder or end this ever. For if God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing and nobody. You can be at rest, at peace and just so content for the living God in heaven is your father, brother and most Holy Spirit too.

This is reason enough for us that we should laud and praise, thank and serve him every single day of our lives with all that we are and have – in faithfulness and joy, with passion and dedication – not as a means to an end, but rather for himself and for what he has done for us. There is nothing and nobody that we ought to love, fear or trust more than him. He is all and everything. To him be honour and glory now and always.

Obviously we are just too poor, weak and dismal to realize that properly. The things of this world blind us. False perceptions put us off. Of course we fail him dismally and fall short of the glory and high calling God has put us into through his creation, salvation and sanctification – and still he invites us to see and taste, hear and grasp, how kind he is, how loving and caring, how great his gracious favour and forgiving magnanimity and fatherly generosity and benevolence. He lets it be preached, taught, handed out, tasted, heard and felt so that we trust and believe his gracious promises. His holy words of forgiveness and redemption overcome our weakness, our lack of faith and dismal failures at loving and caring and flourishing in him.  It is like the warm summer rains on the parched fields – it brings forth fruit galore and all year round. He does it and nobody is going to stop him either. We are his and he is going to finish and complete the good work he has started in us – despite all the devils within and without. Therefore you can rest assured and praise and thank and serve God with joy and confidence wherever he has put you, keeping you as his now and always so that you will one day see clearly, what he has already begun most graciously and will finish most gloriously. To him  be all honour, praise and adoration.  Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

1 All glory be to God on high,
Who hath our race befriended!
To us no harm shall now come nigh,
The strife at last is ended.
God showeth His good will to men,
And peace shall reign on earth again;
O thank Him for His goodness!

2 We praise, we worship Thee, we trust,
And give Thee thanks forever,
O Father, that Thy rule is just
And wise, and changes never.
Thy boundless pow’r o’er all things reigns,
Done is whate’er Thy will ordains:
Well for us that Thou rulest.

3 O Jesus Christ, Thou only Son
Of God, Thy heav’nly Father,
Who didst for all our sins atone
And Thy lost sheep dost gather.
Thou Lamb of God, to Thee on high
From out our depths we sinners cry,
Have mercy on us, Jesus!

4 O Holy Ghost, Thou precious Gift,
Thou Comforter unfailing,
O’er Satan’s snares our souls uplift
And let thy pow’r availing
Avert our woes and calm our dread.
For us the Saviour’s blood was shed;
We trust in Thee to save us.

Nicolaus Decius 1485-1546 (Allein Gott in der Hoeh’ sei Ehr…)

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Tuesday, the 2nd February 2016

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah. (Psa 76:8-9 KJV)

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1Pe 3:12 KJV)

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

In this mornings reading from the Psalms we hear of God’s judgement from the heavens and over all the earth. It is the one sure thing coming and which we are all going to face up to this judgement of the living Lord and supreme judge over all the living and the dead. There have been some impressive judgements before over individuals like when the prophet Nathan pronounced the judgement of the living God over king David centuries ago or when the triune God himself came down on earth to carry out his condemnation of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now these judgements were handed down as examples that nobody get’s away  with evil and in the end God’s righteous judgment will set the record straight, so that even those, who died because they were wronged here will finally receive justification and salvation yonder in the last judgement of the grand judge Jesus Christ. That is why the evil should repent and no longer carry on with their iniquity, but those who have been mistreated, discriminated and wronged should take courage, not give up hope, but rather wait with confidence and joy for the return of Jesus Christ, their Lord and saviour, who will fix all and grant a happy ending to that which we have mismanaged and corrupted all along.

The prophets of old like Isaiah often call upon the heavens and the earth to stand witness over the coming judgement of the Lord. The final judgement will no longer be private and hidden from sight, but will be out in the open and for all to see and witness. Yes, everbody will then be subjected to the righteous judgement of the triune God. All knees will bow before him and every tongue will confess that he is the Lord of lords and King of kings. His verdict is just, final and endures for ever. That is why the evil should tremble and the wronged should take courage and lift up their heads, because their salvation is drawing near.

In our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ this final and last judgment of the one and only God has been foreshadowed and carried out already. No surprises there. He was handed over into the hands of men for us and our salvation, so that everybody who believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. Whoever believes in him has been judged righteous and has passed from this life into the next. The old has passed, see new has become.

As long as it is still day, the message of this coming judgement by the living God is proclaimed and with it the saving truth that Jesus Christ is the only way to survive his righteous condemnation by receiving his forgiveness and assurance of his divine favour. It is the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ himself mandated and entrusted his Church to proclaim throughout the nations and to the very ends of the world, because he would have everybody be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

1 Christ is surely coming bringing his reward,
Alpha and Omega, First and Last and Lord:
Root and stem of David, brilliant Morning Star:
meet your Judge and Saviour, nations near and far;
meet your Judge and Saviour, nations near and far!

2 See the holy city! There they enter in,
All by Christ made holy, washed from every sin:
thirsty ones, desiring all he loves to give,
come for living water, freely drink, and live;
come for living water, freely drink, and live!

3 Grace be with God's people! Praise his holy name!
Father, Son, and Spirit, evermore the same.
Hear the certain promise from the eternal home:
'Surely I come quickly!' Come, Lord Jesus, come;
'Surely I come quickly!' Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Christopher M. Idle, 1938
Posted in Herrenhuter Readings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Herrenhuter readings for Monday, the 1st February 2016

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

The holy prophet Moses writes: “I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. (Deu 9:26 KJV)

The holy apostle St. Paul writes to the Philippians: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phi 1:6 KJV)

Dear friends of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always +

In this mornings reading the holy prophet Moses writes, how he prayed to the living Lord, the triune God for God’s people and chosen inheritance. The prophet recalls God’s gracious redemption and powerful deliverance and merciful guidance of Israel from slavery in Egypt through all the trials and temptations in the desert and all the way into the promised land beyond the Jordan river. This was God’s might miracle and wonder by which he initially established Israel as his chosen people and as inheritors of his promises and most precious testaments. Just as he had done with the archfathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and even with Joseph and his brothers. It was God’s omniscient choosing and almighty doing that he picked these small and insignificant people and made them into a great nation and holy example to all others. The triune God had taken these forefathers and people before all others so that it would be obvious that it was not their doing or achievement or success, but rather without any merit or worthiness on their side, but rather he had done this out of pure fatherly goodness and merciful favour. This divine goodness and mercy did not only determine their election and initial constitution, but continued to determine the living God’s dealings with his people. Just as they were constitutive for their coming into being, so also did they define and govern their daily lives. In this ongoing life Israel’s being depended entirely on God’s grace and mercy too. It was not as if they had been kick-started into a holy calling and were then left to their own devices. That would have meant the end of them, because they couldn’t even stay one day or even hour without God’s staying grace and mercy. Their all and everything depended on God’s upkeep and staying power. His forgiveness and redeeming love and kindness. And so the prophet Moses appeals to this divine goodness and mercy to prevent the demise and destruction and end of God’s people. Off course this negative ending is what they deserved. That’s what they had earned over and over again with their sinful attitude, dismal behaviour and ungodly opposition. Accourding to God’s holy will and law, they had merited his lasting wrath and punishment. Moses knows that. He does not argue on that one, but rather appeals to God’s readiness to forgive, be merciful and save, redeem and justify on account of God’s very own graciousness and fatherly favour.

How much more do we have the assurance of God’s gracious mercy now that we have the even greater redemption and salvation of Jesus Christ to fall back on too? The triune God did not only keep Israel throughout the ages by his readiness to forgive their sinfulness and redeem all their transgressions and iniquities so that they were returned mercifully and graciously out of Egypt, Babylon and Ninive, but he also gathered his people from the ends of the world to gather around the throne of the lamb, who was sacrificed for the sins of the world there on Golgotha and as a redemptive propitiation for all our sins and those of the world too. This great work of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has been accomplished. It’s our objective justification in the sight of God. This has been subjectively applied to us in the holy baptism through water and the Holy Spirit, through the absolution of all our sins, by the forgiveness of our unholiness, our redemption and restoration to the holy family of God the holy Christian Church. Being confident of this very fact we together with the holy apostle St.Paul can hold on to the conviction and confession: “He who has begun this good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phi 1:6) Amen.

The peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you always + Amen.

1 I trust, O Lord, Your holy name;
O let me not be put to shame
Nor let me be confounded.
My faith, O Lord,
Be in Your Word
Forever firmly grounded.

2 Bow down Your gracious ear to me
And hear my cry, my prayer, my plea;
Make haste for my protection,
For woes and fear
Surround me here.
Help me in my affliction.

3 You are my strength, my shield, my rock,
My fortress that withstands each shock,
My help, my life, my tower.
My battle sword,
Almighty Lord–
Who can resist Your power?

4 With You, O Lord, I cast my lot;
O faithful God, for sake me not,
To You my soul commending.
Lord, be my stay,
And lead the way
Now and when life is ending.

5 All honor, praise, and majesty
To Father, Son, and Spirit be,
Our God forever glorious,
In whose rich grace
We run our race
till we depart victorious.

Adam Reusner, 1496-1575 translated by Catherine Winkworth (In Dich hab ich gehoffet Herr…)

Posted in Herrenhuter Readings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Concerning the joy of your salvation

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Wilhelm Weber

In today’s readings from the “Treasury of Daily Prayer” there is a longer quote from Anselm of Canterbury’s MEDITATION IV [154]:  “Concerning the Redemption of Mankind.”

Here it is quoted at length for your reading, contemplation and edification:    “O CHRISTIAN soul, soul raised up from a grievous death, soul redeemed and delivered from a miserable slavery by the blood of God, arouse thy mind from sleep, bethink thee of thy resurrection, remember thy redemption and deliverance. Consider where and what is the strength of thy salvation, [155] occupy thyself in meditating thereon, delight thyself in the contemplation thereof; put away thy daintiness, force thyself, give thy mind thereto; taste of the goodness of thy Redeemer, kindle within thyself the love of thy Saviour. With thy mind eat of the honeycomb of His words, with thine understanding suck out their sweetness, for they are sweeter than honey; [156] by loving them and rejoicing therein feed thou upon them, for they are savoury and wholesome withal. Rejoice in that eating, be glad in that sucking out of the sweetness, make merry in that feeding upon them. Where then and what is the power and might of thy salvation? Surely it is Christ that hath raised thee up. He, the good Samaritan, hath healed thee; He, thy good Friend, with His own life hath redeemed and delivered thee; even Christ, I say, and none else. Therefore it is Christ that is the strength of thy salvation. Where is this strength that is Christ? He hath horns coming out of His hands; and there was the hiding of His power. [157] Horns He hath in His hands, because His hands are fastened to the arms of the Cross. But what power is there in this great weakness? what loftiness in that great lowliness? what that is honourable in that great humiliation? Verily it is therefore a hiding of His power; it is hidden, because it is in weakness; concealed, because in lowliness; secret, because in humiliation. O hidden power! that a Man, hanging upon the Cross should hang up thereon that eternal death which oppressed mankind, that a Man bound to a tree should unbind the world which was made fast to death everlasting! O concealed loftiness! that a Man condemned with robbers should save men who were condemned with devils, that a Man stretched upon the Cross should draw all things unto Himself! [158] O secret might! that one Soul yielded in torment should draw souls innumerable out of hell, that a Man should endure the death of the body, and destroy thereby the death of souls! Wherefore, O good Lord, O gracious Redeemer, wherefore didst Thou veil so great power in so great lowliness? Was it that Thou mightest thereby deceive the devil, who by deceiving man did cast him out of paradise? But of a surety the Truth deceiveth none. He who knoweth not, who believeth not the truth, deceiveth himself; and whoso seeth the truth and hateth it or despiseth it, deceiveth himself; the truth deceiveth none. Was it therefore that the devil might deceive himself? But as the Truth deceiveth none, so neither doth it go about to make any deceive himself, though, when it permitteth it, it be said to do it. For Thou didst not take upon Thyself the nature of man, to hide Thyself from those who knew Thee, but to reveal Thyself to those that knew Thee not. Thou didst call Thyself very God and very Man, and didst show Thyself such by Thy works. The thing was secret of its own nature, it was not of said purpose made secret: it was not so done as to be hid, but so as to be accomplished in due course; not to deceive any, but to be done as it ought to be done. And if it be called secret, that signified! no more than that it was not revealed to all. For although the Truth reveal not itself to all, to none doth it deny itself. Therefore, O Lord, Thou didst do thus, neither to deceive any, nor to cause any to deceive himself, but, that Thou mightest do what was to be done as it ought to be done, Thou didst throughout abide in the truth. Let him therefore that deceiveth himself in Thy truth, complain not of Thee, but of his own unfaithfulness to truth. Shall we say that the devil had any just claim against God or against men, on account whereof God must first thus deal with him on man’s behalf, before He may put forth openly His mighty power, so that by unjustly slaying a just man, he might justly lose the power which he had over the unjust? But surely God owed the devil nothing but the punishment of his sins; neither did man owe him anything except to overcome sin in his turn, so that as man once through committing sin suffered himself to be easily overcome by the devil, so man should overcome the devil in the very straits of death, by keeping even therein his righteousness unimpaired. But even this too man owed not to the devil but to God only. For the sin which he committed was not against the devil, but against God; neither did man belong to the devil, but man and the devil alike belonged to God. And in that the devil afflicted men, this he did not out of zeal for righteousness, but out of zeal for wickedness; not by the command of God, but by His permission only; because it was required by the justice, not of the devil, but of God. There was therefore nothing in the devil, by reason whereof God ought to have hidden or deferred the operation of His mighty power for the salvation of man. [159] Was there then any necessity that constrained the Most High so to humble Himself, and the Almighty to accomplish a work with so great labour? Nay, all necessity and impossibility is dependent upon His will. For whatsoever He willeth, must of necessity be; and what He willeth not, it is impossible should be. Therefore of His free will alone, and because His will is ever good, out of mere goodness did He do this. For God wrought thus, not that He might in this manner, and no other accomplish the salvation of men; but it was the nature of man that required it in this manner to make satisfaction to God. God had no need to suffer things so troublesome, but man had need thus to be reconciled to God. God had no need of this humiliation, but man had need of being thus delivered out of the depths of hell. Now the divine nature neither needed humiliation or toil, nor was capable thereof. But human nature must suffer all this, that it might be restored to that state for which it was created; yet neither human nature nor aught that was less than God could be sufficient to this work. For man is not restored to that state for which he was made, if he be not advanced to be like unto the angels, in whom is no sin; and this cannot be, except he have received remission of all sins, which may not be done, unless full satisfaction have been made for them. Now this satisfaction can only be made, if the sinner, or someone on his behalf, offer of his own to God something which is not due to God, but which surpasseth whatsoever is not God. For if sin consisteth in the dishonouring of God, and if man ought not to dishonour God, even if it were necessary that everything which is not God should perish, then the unchangeable truth and manifest reason of the thing requireth that whatsoever sinneth should render to God, for the honour whereof it hath robbed Him, something greater than that at the cost whereof he was bound not to dishonour Him. But because human nature by itself had nothing so great to offer, and yet without such satisfaction made could not be reconciled, lest the justice of God should leave within His kingdom a sin for which no satisfaction could be made, the goodness of God came to the aid of His justice, and the Son of God took the nature of man upon Him in His own person, so that in that one person there should be a God-man, who should have a sacrifice to offer, exceeding in value not only everything that is not God, but also every debt that sinners ought to pay to God, and so, owing nothing Himself, should give this in payment for others, who had not wherewith to pay that which they owed. For the life of the man who is God is more precious than everything that is not God; and surpasseth every debt which sinners owe for the satisfaction of God. For if the putting to death of this Man exceedeth all sins which can be conceived, howsoever many and great they be, so they touch not the person of God, it is manifest that the goodness of His life is greater than the evil of all sins which touch not the person of God. That life this Man who had not incurred the debt of death, because He had no sin, offered freely of His own to the honour of the Father, since He suffered it to be taken from Him for righteousness sake, to give an example to all that the righteousness of God should not be abandoned by us even unto that death, which they must at some time incur as a debt due from them; since He who had not incurred that death, and might without abandoning righteousness have escaped it, yet when it was brought upon Him suffered it freely for righteousness sake. Thus in that Man human nature offered to God freely and not as of debt what was its own, that it might redeem itself in the persons of others in whom it had not that which was due as a debt to offer. In all this the divine nature was not abased, but the human was exalted; the divine was not minished but the human in mercy sustained. Neither did human nature in that Man suffer anything through any necessity, but through free will alone. Neither was it overcome by any violence, but of its own accord, out of goodness unconstrained, it endured to God’s honour and the profit of other men those things which the evil will of others brought upon it not through the compulsion of any obligation, but through the appointment of a wisdom that had power to accomplish its purposes. For the Father did not by His commandment compel that Man to die, but that which He knew would be pleasing to the Father and profitable to men, that of His own free will He performed: for the Father could not compel Him to do that which He had no right to exact of Him; neither could this great act of honour but be pleasing to the Father, which His Son freely offered to Him. Thus therefore He rendered unto the Father a free obedience, in willing freely to do that which He knew would be pleasing to the Father. But because the Father bestowed upon Him this good will, though it were free, yet is it rightly said that [160] He received it as the commandment of the Father. [161] In this manner therefore He was obedient to the Father even unto death; [162] and as the Father gave Him commandment, even so He did: [163] and He drank the cup which His Father had given unto Him. [164] This is the perfect and free obedience of human nature, when it freely submitteth its own free will to God’s will, and hath then of its own accord carried out in deed that good purpose which God hath not exacted but accepted. Thus this Man redeemeth all others, in that He reckoneth that which He hath freely given to God, as the debt which they owed to God. And by this price man is not only once redeemed from his faults but, so often as he returneth to God in worthy penitence, he is received; yet this worthy penitence is not promised to the sinner. As to that which was done on the Cross, by His Cross hath our Christ redeemed us. They therefore who desire to approach unto this grace with a worthy affection are saved; but they who despise it, because they pay not the debt which they owe, are condemned. [165] Behold, O Christian soul, this is the power of thy salvation, this the cause of thy liberty, this the price of thy redemption. Thou wast a captive and in this wise wast thou redeemed. Thou wast a slave, and thus wast thou made free; an exile and thus brought home; lost and thus found; dead and thus raised up. Upon this, O man, let thy heart feed, this let it inwardly digest, sucking out the sweetness and relishing the goodness thereof, at such times as thy mouth receiveth the flesh and blood of Him, thy Redeemer. Make this thy daily bread and sustenance in this life, and thy provision for the way, [166] for by this and by this alone shalt thou both abide in Christ and Christ in thee, and in the life to come shall He be thy full joy.” For more go to his devotions under: Anselm of Canterbury 

Posted in Lectionary etc, sermonette or devotion, Theologie, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment