Herrenhuter readings for Sunday, the 14th April 2013

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

eyeTurn my eyes away from worthless things! (Psalm 119:37 NIV)

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41 NIV)

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LÖHE ON JOHN 20:22-23

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

KeywsAnd with that Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Joh 20:22-23 NIV)

How is the trumpet to sound a note without air and how should the guitar string twang without the plucking finger? How can the holy office of the ministry (heilige Amt) and the message of peace come together if the Holy Spirit does not join them? This ministry, which is to give the Spirit has to have the Spirit first before it can share it.

Our Lord gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples with the breath of his mouth with the aim of spreading out his message of peace. These words: “Receive the Holy Spirit” are not to be separated from the following: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Remission of sins is granting peace, just as retention of sins means ongoing strife and confirming the conflict. His message of peace is to reach the world as a power of God, which overcomes the world and saves it.

The Lord foresaw that millions and multimillions would not receive this message of peace. Therefore he installed the office of the ministry – this service of pastoral care – through which he would in a very specific and personal way grant peace individually and grant divine grace to the single sorry soul. The power of the keys forgiving sins follows up the faith that has been initiated by the divine word of God in sermons, catechesis and evangelism. The Lord also knew long ago that many, many would only offer him lip service and worship him half-heartedly, while remaining in their favorite sins and continuing on the broad way into destruction giving others a bad example. Therefore he gave his disciples the power and authority to retain the sins of those unrepentant sinners – and instructed them even to do this faithfully. Wherever you have remission of sins, there the retention of sins is just the other side of the coin. Its part and parcel of this office of the keys. The first is not appreciated really, if the second is not practiced. Did the Lord want to bring peace to some, he would have to keep it from others.

Holy Lord and God! By your grace grant that we do not have to suffer the retention of our sins. Grant us the profound forgiveness of all our sins and prepare our bodies as your living temples so that our joy may abound and be fulfilled. Amen.

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Saturday after the first Sunday after Easter: Quasimodogeniti. It is found on Pg. 172 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 Saturday,the 13th April 2013

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Kelch des HeilsLove the LORD, all his saints!  (Psalm 31:23 NIV)

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1. Corinthians 13:6 NIV)

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Lutheran Order of service in isiZulu/seTswana

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

db_41-feed_my_sheep11“Jesus Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!” The Lutheran Order of Service for the second Sunday after Easter (Misericordias Domini) is available here in isiZulu and seTswana. Today it comes with a sermon written in isiZulu (wz1323130414 Miserikordiya Domini) by late Revered Aaron Ntuli (Enhlanhleni KwaZulu/Natal) based on the gospel of Saint John chapter 21 verses 15-19 and translated into seTswana (wt1323130414 Miserikordia Domini) by my father Rev. E.A.W.Weber DD (Welbedacht, KZN).

We thank the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for supporting the distribution of hard-copies of these orders of worship and sermons throughout Southern Africa. If you also want a copy please do not hesitate to subscribe by writing to EAWWeber@bundunet.co.za.

I pray you have a very blessed Eastertide and have time to meditate on the watchword of our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the gospel of St. John in the 10th chapter: “I am the good shepherd. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life.” (Joh 10:11.27f NIV)

The liturgical colour is white and the Church rejoices with Hallelujahs, the Magnificat and the Gloria in exelsis.

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LÖHE ON PSALM 119:129

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

KircheYour statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. (Psalm 119:129 NIV)

What I have told you, dear brothers and sisters, is but a poor word and weak presentation of a magnificent and rich epistle. To read God’s word is sweet and to grasp in faith is lovely. However to comment the divine trumpet melodies of God’s message in human frailty and poverty makes truly humble. Just take God’s divine witness in word and sacrament, take hold of it and hold on to it, confess, preach and teach that – let it work in you creatively – and if the world becomes a strange and foreign place to you, if conflict and suffering arise against you, then don’t be afraid. Move forward confidently, take your cross and burden willingly until Jesus Christ let’s you triumph victoriously in that final peace to which you have been called and which will last forever and no war or hardship will ever break.

Help o Lord and God, who lives and works amongst us through the witness of your dear son Jesus Christ. Your threefold voice enter our ears and hearts and your wonderful power strengthen, complete, uplift and empower us in the true and saving faith, which recreates us anew and triumphs over all tribulation and hardship in this world. Amen.  

Let no joy or pain draw me away from you o Lord. Grant faithfulness unto the grave. You alone hold me in your hands and whom you grant this, receives it by grace. Your grace, which saves from death is not for sale nor can it be inherited through works.

I am in conflict and opposition – o Lord Jesus Christ help me poor and weak. I cling to your grace alone. You can strengthen and keep me even in temptation that it doesn’t upset me. You will preserve me in all danger. I know you are faithful.  (Paul Speratus, 1484-1554)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Friday after the first Sunday after Easter: Quasimodogeniti. It is found on Pg. 171 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 Friday, the 12th April 2013

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

missionThe Lord says: “I will send some of those who are saved to the nations and islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.” (Isaiah 66:19)

Our Lord Jesus Christ says: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

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Another chapter in Roodepoort mission station – a final one?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Roodepoort.pngWell, the Church of Roodepoort near Ventersdorp (NW) has been pulled down and “returned to dust”. It was vacant for more than a decade now and it had fallen into disrepair after the congregation  moved on. A lot has been said about this and some things have been written too. The quotation “returned to dust” is from Psalm 90 – which continues to emphasize that our days here on earth are numbered and that our lives are but short and troubled. I am comforted, that the Word of God that was preached in this Church is still preached elsewhere and that the baptismal waters flowing in that font have fulfilled their saving purposes according to God’s command and promise – and that they continue to flow when and where it pleases the triune God – even if not longer flowing in Roodepoort.

 

In this our beloved Lutheran Church in Southern Church was constituted in 1967 on the 1st of April and the honourable Bishop G.Schulz DD was elected and inducted into office a day later by the eldest serving pastor Rev. Absalom Sibiya from the Eastern Transvaal. More than 26 years later the honourable Bishop D. P. Tswaedi DD was inducted into office in December 1993. I thank and praise God for everything he did in this Church for us and our salvation and I commit all else to him and his gracious mercies, which are new every morning. Just as Psalm 90 confidently pleads in its conclusion: “May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendour to their children. May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us– yes, establish the work of our hands.” (16-17).  Here is the newspaper excerpt from the local NW-Beeld: Media_24_Sentraal-NW-NWNews002-Noordwes-JHB-2

 

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LÖHE ON 1.JOHN 5:10

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

St. John in PatmosAnyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. (1.John 5:10 NIV)

The world does not accept the divine witness about Jesus Christ. It’s children despise the divine word, that comes from heaven and do not let it penetrate their hearts and minds. They don’t comprehend, how somebody can trust this testimony let alone be convinced and enthusiastic about it.

The world does however like all that, which is in opposition to God’s divine revelation and will. If God’s kingdom makes inroads into this world by overcoming and conquering it, then the world is well aware of this and starts to fear and panic just as Herod and the entire city did when the message of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem got around to it. The world realizes the beginning of the end, its own demise and final destruction drawing near. It is already feeling the burning pangs of the fire, which are going to destroy and swallow it finally – even as it sees the first sparks fly. That is why the world and all those belonging to it are not just waiting patiently for this to happen, but rather does all in its power to not only extinguish the sparks, but also to build up its defenses and armaments to resist the divine onslaught. This battle has off course run its course. It’s not about some sparks anymore, but rather all about the last and final stand. That’s what the apostle John experienced, when he entered the mission field of Asia minor after Saint Paul’s was martyred in Rome. Now Saint John was called to step in as bishop of these vacant congregations. The pagan society persecuted these small pockets of Christians most severely like wolves let loose on a herd of sheep. It was as St. Paul had predicted, that after his passing angry and hungry wolves would fall into the Church ferociously. Misleading teachers, deniers of Christ’s divinity, masters of illusion and disseminators of false intelligence, half truths and blatant lies stood up in the congregation to distract the Christians from the revealed truth and finally to pull them away from their living Lord and savior Jesus Christ. It was in this time and temptation that Saint John, the Bishop of the 7 Churches in Asia Minor, received the divine call to lead this persecuted bunch through all the mean and treacherous assaults of evil to victory in Christ their Lord.

O Lord Jesus Christ! All the shame and slander, vice and lies, idolatry and impunity this world bears gladly and willingly. However it does not want to hear your holy word or get along with us, who follow you. Therefore together with the one, holy Christian Church in all places we call on your most holy name against your and our enemies. Preserve us in and by your holy word and keep all, who belong to you, in your trust and care. Amen.

 The truth and honor, o Jesus pure it’s yours and yours alone for sure; therefore o Lord protect and keep, those, you’ve rescued from the deep. (Nikolaus Selnecker, 1530-1592)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Thursday after the first Sunday after Easter: Quasimodogeniti. It is found on Pg. 170 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 Thursday, the 11th April 2013

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA“I am troubled; O Lord, come to my aid!” (Isaiah 38:14 NIV)

He, who has the Son has life; (1.John 5:12 NIV)

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LÖHE ON 1.JOHN 5:4-5

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

IX crucifiedEveryone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1. John 5:4-5 NIV)

Dear brothers and sisters, I can not imagine a better context and frame of reference than that created by the main ideas of our reading. Initially we see the threefold witness of the Father concerning his son. The Lord bows himself low towards this poor old earth and also to the lost sheep of humanity. They on their part answer this fatherly testimonial with a hearty confession: “I believe”. It’s like the normal liturgical procedure we practice in the divine service. There the godly witness is read from the lectern in Epistle and Gospel, whereupon the congregation answers with the holy Christian creed. It is as if the Father bows low to us his children down below and we hug him around his neck und show our passionate devotion and adoration of him, who has loved us so dearly. Our faith, trust and belief depends entirely on God’s witness and testimony – and through this on God himself – and thus faith transforms the inner person, changes and creates him anew – 2nd birth – so that the person is reborn to the new creation in Jesus Christ.

You are our crowned head, whom our souls trust. Let us behold our election in your wounds and incorporate us through them with you.

That’s a most marvelous thing, which may first seems small to children, but is far too big for mighty men even. It’s praised down here and beyond the crystal waters.

First our friend calls our souls to rest and then to eat and later to be productive. That’s how he trains us to grow in faithful knighthood. Do it hopefully, but never stopping in contemplation of it, but rather moving on in faith.

And should ever we rejoice in our works of mercy, then quickly shame arises too, because there’s not more than to thank and praise that we have a merciful and gracious savior in Jesus Christ + (Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, 1700-1760)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Wednesday after the first Sunday after Easter: Quasimodogeniti. It is found on Pg. 169 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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