Confessional address

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Job ridiculedThis mornings confessional address on the prescribed text from Job 2,1-10: 

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Löhe on Ephesians 3:17

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Smiling Family Posing in FieldI pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, may be rooted and established in love. (Eph 3:17 NIV)

The apostle prays to the Lord to be gracious to the Ephesians and that he may help them to comprehend the divine love that reaches all people and stretches across the globe and is made manifest in the edification and expansion of the Church. He prays further that Christ may dwell in them and that they may be rooted in his inexpressible love and goodness. To reach this stage of edification and sanctification Christians must haven open hearts for Christ and willingly be his temple and holy dwelling place. The Lord must enter in and take over ownership there. To experience this indwelling of Christ you progress to a high level of spirituality and sanctification. Christ must rule in us, so that we truly become spiritually orientated and focused in the true sense. This teaching of church edification and expansion, concerning the width and breadth, the height and depth of Christ’s revealed mercy is not just plain milk for infants, but rather strong stuff for mature Christians. If people don’t understand this, then its most often due to an ignorance concerning the high issues of Church matters and spirituals things. For those however who begin to grasp these ecclesial issues, will start praising the power and glory of him, who works in us far beyond our asking and understanding to make us realize a bit of his most blessed missional deeds working towards the salvation of humanity. All tribes and nations are blessed in Jesus Christ by the building and outreach of his most holy and blessed Church. All eons and eras are full of his honor and glory because he is completing and fulfilling the wonderful creation and expansion of his Church from eternity to eternity. He is edifying his elect from all people and times  with his divine perfection.

Dear heavenly Father! Grant us seeing eyes, that we would recognize the glory of your kingdom and become strong in the inner being by your Holy Spirit. Turn our mind and senses from the vain and passing to rather be focused on your most holy and lasting word. Empower us for all good work and create in us, whatever pleases you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (H. Greiner)

All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell; Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed; Without our aid He did us make; We are His folk, He doth us feed, And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise; Approach with joy His courts unto; Praise, laud, and bless His Name always, For it is seemly so to do.

For why? the Lord our God is good; His mercy is for ever sure; His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost, The God Whom Heaven and earth adore, From men and from the angel host Be praise and glory evermore. (William Kethe 1593)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Wednesday after the sixteenth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 330 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.

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Herrenhuter readings for Wednesday, the 18th September 2013

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

16.-kingfisher-600x900LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. (Isa 33:2 NIV)

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1Th 5:8 NIV)

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Baptizatus sum + 17. 9. 1961 +

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Ventersdorp TaufsteinBaptized into Your Name Most Holy
By: Johann J. Rambach

Baptized into your name most holy, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I claim a place, though weak and lowly, Among your saints, your chosen host. Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Your Spirit now shall live within.

My loving Father, here you take me  to be hence forth your child and heir; My faithful Savior, here you make me The fruit of all your sorrows share; O Holy Ghost, you comfort me When threatening clouds around I see.

O faithful God, you fail me never;  Your promise surely will endure. O cast me not away forever if words and deeds become impure. Have mercy when I come defiled; Forgive, lift up, restore your child.

All that I am and love most dearly, Receive it all, O Lord, from me. Let me confess my faith sincerely, help me your faithful child to be! Let nothing that I am or own Serve any will but yours alone.

Hymn # 224 from Lutheran Worship
Author: Kornelius Heinrich
Tune: O Dass Ich Tausend Zungen Hatte
1st Published in: 1734

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Löhe on Ephesians 3:16

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

missional_churchI pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. (Eph 3:16 NIV)

Now that our salvation is firmly grounded in Jesus Christ and has been shared with us through his holy Word and Sacrament, everything in the Church is now focused on its holy mission of spreading out this word and sacrament throughout the world. To participate in God’s mission the inner being of the Christians is to be motivated and put into sanctified action. This inner being – the life in the Holy Spirit – must be strong and focused. The normal civil life turns more and more to promote the mission of the Church and its edification and outreach. That is what the Apostle is praying for if he asks God for this strengthening of the inner being with the power of the Holy Spirit for the Ephesian Congregation. We might want to say much more about this prayer, but one thing is certain that just as we are poor and minor in the bigger plan of things, this prayer is so wonderful and glorious that we can only hope and pray that all apostles and Saints in heaven and on earth would pray like that for us too and that we’d join them in this prayer too. We, who go on so distracted in our daily trot and are often so lukewarm and tardy in our Christian calling, we are in such desperate need to be introduced into the great mystery of God’s Church expanding over the entire world and initiated into the glorious mission of the triune God as he is gathering his precious elect from the ends of the world into his paradise and eternal kingdom – the one holy Christian Church.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun  does its successive journeys run;  his kingdom spread from shore to shore,  till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To Jesus endless prayer be made,  and endless praises crown his head; his name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song; and infant voices shall proclaim  their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns; all prisoners leap and loose their chains; the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring honors peculiar to our King; angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen! (Isaac Watts, 1674-1748)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Tuesday after the sixteenth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 329 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.

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Herrenhuter readings for Tuesday, the 17th September 2013

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

working together on the road“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” (Zep 3:9 NIV)

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe… (Heb 12:28 NIV)

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Löhe on Ephesians 3:14-15

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Paul prayingFor this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. (Eph 3:14-15 NIV)

The apostle prayerfully turns to the heavenly Father. He seeks and expects  help and success from him only. Are the Ephesians not to cool off in their joyful trust towards God, and is the edification and flourishing of the Church in this world to remain their main concern and priority, then they must comprehend the unending mercy of the triune God. That is why the love of Christ, which surpasses all else by far – and the encompassing profundity of the divine treasures must continually be revealed and expounded to them. The apostle pleads that the Christians in Ephesus will attain a high, innermost and blessed level of insight and confidence in the divine love and providence. That is why he bows down before God, kneels before the Father of Jesus Christ – who has given name, example and model to every fatherhood, family and all children in heaven and earth. He’s considering all fatherhood, all families and descendants on earth in his prayer. It reminds him of the holy Christian Church too. He thinks of those families already completed and fulfilled at home in heaven. He does not forget those still on earth. He sees them incorporated into the building of the divine Church and body of Christ. And he calls on the Lord of the Church, that he be merciful and gracious to the Church in Ephesus. Because he would have them profound insight into the wide and deep riches of God’s treasures that’s why he calls on the Father of all that he is to act and deal with them according to his glorious wealth of grace and mercy and so bless the Ephesian congregation by giving ear to his prayer. In that case the Ephesian Christians would not tire of St. Paul’s suffering either.

Almighty, heavenly Father! We thank your most holy name that you revealed the fullness of your divine riches and your profound love for us in your Son Jesus Christ through your holy apostles. We plead you from the bottom of our heart, rule us through your Holy Spirit, that we would follow their apostolic teachings, faith and patience most faithfully and persist therein until the end. Through Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved Son our Lord. Amen.

Speak, O Lord, your servant listens, Let your Word to me come near; Newborn life and spirit give me, Let each promise still my fear. Death’s dread power, its inward strife, Wars against your Word of life; Fill me, Lord, with love’s strong fervor That I cling to your forever!

Oh, what blessing to be near you And to listen to Your voice; Let me ever love and hear You, Let Your Word be now my choice! Many hardened sinners, Lord, Flee in terror at Your Word, But to me, who know my burden, Show me now our Word of pardon! (Anna Sophia von Hessen-Darmstadt 1638-1683 tr George A.T. Rygh 1860-1942

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Monday after the sixteenth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 328 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.

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Herrenhuter readings for Monday, the 16th September 2013

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

praying-in-church[1]Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. (Isa 46:12-13 NIV)

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (Luk 18:7 NIV)

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Löhe on Ephesians 3:13

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

St Paul iconI ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. (Eph 3:13 NIV)

A suffering and sick person is pitied by most and therefore receiver of sympathy and compassion. People care for such ill people and do all sorts of good for him. However if the illness persists and healing takes longer than just a few days or weeks, then the compassion cools off dramatically. Sympathy dissipates.  Caregivers get tired of caring and look for all sorts of excuses to get by without helping further. That obviously deepens the plight of the suffering, his need gets worse and the pain gets more and more unbearable. This is experienced all too often. That is very sad and justly deserves reprimanding and severe chiding. Summarized its all because we get tired of caring and having compassion. This might have been the predicament of the apostle that he alludes to here. He was imprisoned. At first there is a lot of concern and heartfelt consolation in letters and kind gifts. However rather too soon the congregations get used to this stressful situation. They take his imprisonment for granted and his suffering as a matter of course.  That is why St. Paul reminds the Ephesians of the sufferings “for them” and that they serve for “your glory”. How would they have gotten by faithfully if he as their teacher had failed and fallen from faith? With him their faith was confirmed and with him they would have fallen. His faithfulness bore their peace and steadfastness. How could they thus forsake him and be discouraged in his suffering?

Heavenly Father! As evening falls grant us mercifully to stand in your presence. Fill us with your strength, love and discipline for the coming week. Bow us faithfully to abide in your holy will even if it leads us into difficult and struggling pathways. Take away those unbearable burdens which we can’t handle. Confirm us in your grace and faithfulness. Let your eternal truth lift up our hearts and strengthen our trust, hope and faith in you. Amen. (Arper-Zillessen)  

I would trust in Thy protecting, Wholly rest upon Thine arm, Follow wholly Thy directing, O my only Guard from harm, Meet me now with Thy salvation In Thy Church’s ordered way; Let me feel Thy confirmation In Thy truth and fear today.

So that, might and firmness gaining, Hope in danger, joy in grief, Now and evermore remaining In the one and true belief, Resting in my Savior’s merit, Strengthened with Thy Spirit’s strength, With Thy saints I may inherit All My Father’s joy at length. (John M. Neale, 1842)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for the sixteenth Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 327 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.

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Herrenhuter readings for Sunday, the 15th September 2013

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

listenIf my people would only listen to me (Psa 81:13 NIV)

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you– even Jesus. (Act 3:19-20 NIV)

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