Lutheran Church in Southern Africa

Dithero tsa Tirelano mo Kutlwanong

Thero ka letsatsi la go gopola papolo le loso lwa Morena, e le ka 22. 04. 2011                24/2011

Mo leineng la Modimo o e leng Rara le Morwa le Mowa o o Boitshepo!

 1.         Sefela sa 101 – 94/96

2.         Thapelo: “Kriste, Kwana ya Modimo, yo o ntshang lefatshe dibeng, re tlhomogele pelo! Kriste, Kwana ya Modimo, yo o ntshang lefatshe dibeng, re tlhomogele pelo! Kriste, Kwana ya Modimo, yo o ntshang lefatshe dibeng, o re fe kagiso!” Modimo, Rara yo o mo legodimong, re a leboga, ka o re neile Morwao Jesu Keresete gore ka ene go duelwe molato wa maleo a rona. Re a go leboga, le wena, Jesu Keresete, Morwa Modimo, yo o latlhilweng ka ntlha ya rona, ka o ne wa re swela mo sefapaanong. Morena, o re abele le kajeno Mowa o o Boitshepo wa gago gore fa re utlwa Lefoko la Efangele ya gago, re gogelwe mo tumelong, re bone botshelo jo bo sa khutleng ka loso lwa gago. Amen.

3.         Epistolo ka fa thulaganyong ya 2 e kwadilwe mo go 2 Bakorinthe  5:14b-21;

Efangele ka fa thulaganyong ya 1 e kwadilwe mo go Johane 19:16-30.

4.                                                                                                   A go ipolelwe tumelo ya bokeresete!             5. Sefela sa 98 – 91/110

6..              Thapelo ya mmadi wa thero.

7. Efangele ka fa thulaganyong ya 3 e kwadilwe mo go

Luka 23:33-49, e re: “E rile ba fitlha mo felong fa go bidiwang ‘Logata’, ba mmapolela teng le basenyi bao, mongwe ka fa letsogong le le jang, yo mongwe ka fa go la molema. Jesu a bua a re: ‘Rara, ba itshwarele; gonne ga ba itse se ba se dirang.’ Mme ba kgaogana diaparo tsa gagwe ka go tlhama tengwa. Batho ba eme ba lebile. Mme banna ba lekgotla le legolo ba nna ba mo kgoba ba re: ‘O pholositse ba bangwe, a a ipholose, fa e le ene Keresete, Motlhaolwi wa Modimo.’ Le batlhabani ba mo sotla, ba tla go ene, ba mo tsisetsa motatsa ba re: ‘Fa o le Kgosi ya Bajuta, ipholose.’ Mme ga bo go le sekwalo fa godimo ga gagwe, se se kwadilweng ka ditlhaka tsa Segerika le Seroma le Sehebera se re: ‘Yo ke Kgosi ya Bajuta.’ Mongwe wa basenyi ba ba pegilweng a mo kgala a re: ‘A ga o Keresete ne? Ipholose, le rona o re pholose.’ Yo mongwe a fetola, a mo kgalemela a re: ‘A le wena ga o boife Modimo, etswe o atlhotswe fela jaaka ene? Kana, fa e le rona, go re siametse; gonne re bona tse di tshwanetseng tse re di dirileng; mme yo, ene ga a dira sepe se se sokameng.’ A ba a raya Jesu a re: ‘Morena, o nkgopole motlhang o tsenang mo bogosing jwa gago.’ Jesu a mo raya a re: ‘Ammaaruri ke go raya ke re: Kajeno o tla nna le nna mo Parateiseng.’ Jaanong e ne e setse e ka nna nako ya motshegare; mme ga nna lefifi mo lefatsheng lotlhe go ya nakong ya boraro thapama, letsatsi la fifala; lesire la Tempele la gagoga ka bogare. Foo Jesu a goa ka lentswe le legolo a re: ‘Rara, ke neela mowa wa me mo diatleng tsa gago!’ Ya re a sena go bua jalo, a ntsha mowa. E rile molaodi-wa-lekgolo a bona se se dirafetseng, a galaletsa Modimo a re: ‘Ruri, motho yo e ne e le mosiami.’ Mme batho botlhe ba ba neng ba phuthegetse go bona pono e, ya re ba bona tse di dirafetseng, ba itshôla, ba boa. Botlhe ba ba itsanyeng nae, le basadi ba ba neng ba mo setse morago ba tswa Galelea, ba ne ba emetse kgakala, ba lebile dilo tseo.” Amen.

8. Thero: Phuthego e e rategang ya Morena wa rona Jesu Keresete, kajeno re gopola letsatsi la papolo le loso lwa Morena wa rona Jesu Keresete. Barategi mo Moreneng, re gopola kajeno gore go diragaditswe tse di builweng ke Modimo ka molomo wa baporofeti, re bona Jesu e tlhatlogela kwa Jerusalema mmogo le barutwa ba gagwe, a re: “Tsotlhe tse di kwadilweng ka ga Morwa Motho ke baporofeti di tla diragala, gonne o tla neelwa baheitane, a sotlwa, a direlwa maswe, a kgwelwa mathe. Ba tla mo seola, ba mmolaya. Mme o tla tsoga ka letsatsi la boraro.” Phuthego, Lefoko leo le ne le sa tlhaloganngwe ke barutwa ba ga Jesu, Lefoko leo la fitlhega mo go bone, ba ne ba sa tlhaloganye se ba se boleletsweng.

Bomorwa-Rre, go ntse jang kajeno mo go rona? A rona re tlhaloganya tse Lefoko la Modimo le di re bolelelang? A re tlhaloganya kgang e kgolo e e diragetseng ka Jesu? Phuthego, fa re leba, re a lemoga gore le kajeno go sa ntse go na le ba le bantsi ba ba sa di tlhaloganyeng, ba ba sa tlhaloganyeng tse re di diragaditsweng ke Jesu Keresete. A re lebeng mo go tsona tsa kwa re agileng teng. Ba bantsi ga ba na sepe le loso lwa ga Jesu, ba gopola fela gore ba bonye matsatsi a go ikhutsa mo tirong, ba bonye matsatsi a go lekolelana, a go nyadisa, a go dira ditiro tse di laolwang ka dingwao, le a go ja le go nwa.

Badumedi, a go se nne jalo mo go rona, mo go rona ba re itseng kgang e e kalo, e re e diretsweng ke Morena wa rona Jesu Keresete. A re kgobakaneng kajeno mo tirelong-Modimo, re felegetse Jesu mo tseleng ya gagwe ya go ya kwa Golegotha, re mo gopole, re mmone mo dipogong tsa gagwe, le mo losong lwa gagwe, re eme ka fa tlase ga sefapaano, re mmone yo o neng a bapolelwa mo sefapaanong ka ntlha ya maleo a rona.

Phuthego, ke re: Rotlhe re itse tiragalo ya dipogo le loso lwa Morena wa rona Jesu Keresete, jaaka e bolelwa mo diefangeleng di le nne, jaaka e bileng ya bolelwa mo Lefokong la Efangele ya thero ya rona ya kajeno. Ee, Jesu e rile a sena go latlhwa, le go atlholelwa loso, batlhabani ba Baroma ba ne ba mo kgarametsa, a ntse a belega sefapaano sa gagwe, a ya le sona mo felong fa go bidiwang “Logata”, kwa Golegotha gore ba mmapolele mo go sona. Efangele e re: “E rile ba fitlha mo felong fa go bidiwang “Logata”, ba mmapolela teng le basenyi bao, mongwe ka fa letsogong le le jang, yo mongwe ka fa go la molema.”

Phuthego, re bona Morena Jesu a lepelega fa gare ga basenyi le dinokwane, o ka re jaaka senokwane se segolo, mme ene o ne a sa dira sepe se se bosula, mme a sikara tsotlhe tseo ka ntlha ya bosula jwa rona, ee, ke fa go diragetse tse di boletsweng ke Modimo ka molomo wa moporofeti, le ka seatla sa gagwe, tse di reng: “A otlwa mo go isang losong ka ntlha ya boikepo jwa morafe wa me. Ba ne ba mo naya lebitla mo baikeping, le fa a sa dira tshiamololo epe; le fa go se tsietso mo molomong wa gagwe; mme ya re a swa, a nna le mohumi,” Jes. 53:8b-9.

Phuthego, a re lebeng. Jesu ke yoo, a lepelega mo sefapaanong, madi a gagwe a tswa mo diatleng, mo dinaong, mo tlhogong, mo mmeleng otlhe wa gagwe, o tletse dintho. Tse tsotlhe tseo o ineetse mo go tsona gore a diragatse thato ya ga Rraagwe, re mo utlwa a rapelela dira le babolayi ba gagwe, a re: “Rara, ba itshwarele, gonne ga ba itse se ba se dirang!” Ke nnete batho bale, ba ne ba sa itse se ba se dirileng, le e seng go itse gore ba bapotse Morwa Modimo, ba latlha Modimo ka nosi, ba bapotse Morena, Mopholosi wa bone.

Phuthego, Jesu ke yoo, a lepelega mo sefapaanong, a boga botlhoko le khutso ka ntlha ya rona! Go setse fela gore go goroge loso, batho ba eme, ba leba tsotlhe tseo di diragetseng. Fela jalo le baperesiti ba bagolo le bagolwane ba tswa kwa Jerusalema, ba ya kwa Golegotha gore ba itumedisediwe ka gore mmaba wa bone a bolawe tota. Re a ba utlwa ba sotla Jesu, ga twe: “Banna ba lekgotla le legolo ba nna ba mo kgoba, ba re: ‘O pholositse ba bangwe, a a ipholose, fa e le ene Keresete, Motlhaolwi wa Modimo.’” Le batlhabani ba ba mmapotseng ba mo sotla ba re: O Kgosi ya Bajuta. Ipholose! Fela jalo mongwe wa basenyi ba ba neng ba bapolwa mmogo le Jesu, le ene a kgala Jesu, a re: “A ga o Keresete ne? Ipholose, le rona o re pholose.” Phuthego, re a bona gore baba botlhe ba ga Jesu ba ne ba kgobakanela kwa Golegotha gore dipogo tsa gagwe di okediwe, mme mo go ene yo o neng a tlhabolegela mo go ene, Jesu o ne a mmolelela, a re:”Ammaaruri ke go raya ke re: Kajeno o tla nna le nna mo Parateiseng.”

Phuthego, ka ura ya lesome le bobedi motshegare ga diragala kgakgamatso, letsatsi la fifala, ga nna lefifi mo lefatsheng lotlhe go ya nakong ya boraro thapama. Ka nako eo ya diura tse tharo go ne go le lefifi le mo pelong ya ga Jesu. Letsatsi le lona le ne le sa rate go bona se se botlhoko sele se se diragaletseng Morwa Modimo.

Fela jalo lesire la Tempele la gagoga ka bogare. Barategi, lesire le setse le tlositswe ka loso le tsogo ya ga Jesu. Tirelo-Modimo ya Testamente e kgologolo e setse e dirafaditswe. Jesu o setse a tsenye mo felong ga boitshepo jwa maitshepo ga legodimo, e seng ka madi a ditshedi, mme ka madi a gagwe. Barategi, rotlhe re na le tshiamelo ya go atamela mo Modimong ka ntlha ya ga Jesu.

“Rara, ke neela mowa wa me mo diatleng tsa gago!” Jesu a goa jalo ka Lefoko le legolo. “Ya re a sena go bua jalo, a swa.” “Rara, mo diatleng tsa gago ke neela mowa wa me.” Phuthego, mafoko ao a supa phenyo, mafoko ao a builwe ke Seganka se se fentseng. Mafoko ao a builwe ke Morwa Modimo, a neela mowa wa gagwe mo diatleng tsa ga Rraagwe, a sena go diragatsa thato ya ga Rraagwe, a swa gore rona re se swe, re tshele, re itshwarelwe maleo, re pholosiwe, re nne le botshelo jo bo sa khutleng mo go ene mo legodimong.

A Modimo, Rara yo o mo legodimong, a re thuse rona ba re phuthegetseng mo tirelong eno ya Modimo kajeno, a re abele Mowa o o Boitshepo wa gagwe, re bone, re dumele tse re di baakanyeditsweng ke Jesu ka dipogo le loso lwa gagwe, gape re di fetisetse mo go ba bangwe ba ba sa ntseng ba le mo lefifing gore le bone ba utlwe gore Jesu ke Mopholosi wa batho botlhe, ke Mogolodi wa bone botlhe, ka a sikare maleo a batho botlhe, a sikare le a bone, a swela botlhe, a swela le bone. Fa ba tlhabologa mo maleong, ka go tlhabologela mo go ene, le go dumela mo go ene, le go kolobediwa mo leineng la gagwe, le bone ba pholosiwe, ba nne le botshelo jo bo sa khutleng jaanong le mo legodimong. Ke ona molaetsa o re o utlwang kajeno ka letsatsi la go gopola papolo le loso lwa Morena. Ke molaetsa wa thuano le tetlano le Modimo ka loso le tsogo ya ga Morwaaona Jesu Keresete. A go lebogwe Mopholosi yo wa rona, jaanong, le ka bosakhutleng. Amen.

9.         Thapelo: Morena, Modimo, Rara yo o mo legodimong, re a leboga, re lebogela Lefoko le le boitshepo la gago le re tswang go le utlwa kajeno. Re a leboga, ka o neetse Morwao yo o tsetsweng a le esi mo losong ka ntlha ya maleo a rona, re a go leboga, wena Jesu Keresete, Kwana ya Modimo yo o sikareng maleo a lefatshe, ka o diragaditse tiro e kgolo ya go re pholosa, o re abele le kajeno Mowa o o Boitshepo wa gago gore re atamele sešwa mo sefapaanong sa gago, re amogele tse re di diretsweng ke wena ka dipogo le loso lwa gago, re di amogele ka tumelo, re pholoswe ka thata ya loso le tsogo ya gago. Amen.

Thapelo ya Morena: Rara wa rona yo o mo legodimong …

10.       Sefela sa 128 – 116/121

A kagiso ya Modimo e e fetang tlhaloganyo yotlhe e boloke dipelo tsa rona le maikutlo a rona mo go Keresete Jesu, Morena, Morepholosi. Amen.

Thero eno e kwadilwe ke F. J. Mtshali, ka ngwaga wa 2004

Kgatiso le go rongwa ga dithero tseo go tshegediwa ke kopano e e bidiwang The Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

Behold the Lamb of God, who carries the sins of the world +

He, who gave water to the people of Israel in the desert, who turned water into wine at Cana and who promised that whoever would believe in him, would never thirst, but be like a spring from whom waters of eternal life would sprout forth, he is hanging on the cross and is dying of thirst. Oh, what misery and suffering and affliction + the people turn his merciful miracles and loving wonders against him: “He could help others, but can’t help himself.” They not only flog him until his skin is shredded and torn, they also press the crown of thorns into his head, beat nails into his hands and feet that his blood pours forth and finally when he’s dead they pierce his side and blood and water gushes forth – the holy and most precious blood of the holy Christ shed for the propitiation of our sins and the sins of the entire world, so that he would be Lord of all and also my Lord! It’s his life blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins – guiltless, innocent, pure and holy. Nobody could find fault with him, but they falsely accused him and preferred the murderer Barabbas to go free and for Jesus to be crucified like a criminal and hardened transgressor of the law. This was to fulfil what was written by the prophet Isaiah: “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53:5)

Already in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus had pleaded prostrate before his father in heaven, that the cup of wrath would go by him. However again and again he added: “Not my, but your will be done!”  Instead of letting him off, the father made him go all the way and drain the cup of vengeance, drink the dregs, bitter and all. Jesus did so willingly, obedient to death, yes to death on the cross. He doesn’t think of himself, but rather pleads for the people rallying against him: “Father, forgive them for they don’t know, what they are doing!”  and has words of hope and salvation for the criminal crucified with him: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise!” And even when he is deserted by his closest friends and disciples, he still cares for them: “Dear mother – here is your son” and “Behold your mother!”  Abandoned he suffers the most terrible isolation so that he cries out in unfathomable anguish: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This suffering was very real and we should never mistake it for an easy way out, a farce or just a cheap bluff and token suffering. No, Jesus suffered through the very abyss of God’s ferocious vengeance and pent-up rage over all our ungodliness, rebellion and lack of trust and faith and love from the very beginning of human sinful transgression of the divine will, regiment and ordinance. He suffered vicariously in our stead the terrible thirst for life, for divine comfort and godly presence, which is the fate of all without God. Crucified he loses his blood, his life. Dehydration and suffocation lead to his prolonged, agonizing und humiliating death. He suffered naked, so that our thirst might be quenched with God’s mercy, loving care and gracious presence + that our sinfulness might by covered with his righteousness and forgiven for his sake. And he accomplished this. He completed it successfully. He was victorious. That’s why he can call out: “It is done! It is finished!”

He now let’s us drink his holy and most precious blood from the cup of the New Testament. The cup which overflows with forgiveness, grace, mercy, love and goodness. God himself pours out himself with everything he has so that we might drink and absorb him and thus have divine, eternal and blissful life of salvation. Yes, his cup overflows and from him we receive grace upon grace. “Drink of it all of you. This was shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. May it bless and keep you in the true faith in Jesus Christ to life everlasting. Depart in peace +” Amen.

“On my heart imprint Your image, Blessed Jesus, King of grace, That life’s riches, cares and pleasures Never may Your work erase; Let the clear inscription be: Jesus crucified for me, Is my life, my hope’s foundation, And my glory and salvation!” [Thomas Hansen Kingo tr.Peer O. Strömme 1856-1921]

Behold: The Lamb of God, that carries the sins of the world +

"If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.  He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.  1 

Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together. 2 

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 3 

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 4 

even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." 5 

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." 6 

I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 7 

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  8 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 9 

to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  10 
______________ 

1Lev 1:3,4; 2Gen 22:8; 3Joh 1:29; 4Heb 10:10; 5Mat 20:28; 6Joh 10:18; 7Hos 14:4; 8Gal 2:20; 92Co 5:21; 10Eph 1:6;

Lutheran Church in Southern Africa

Izintshumayelo zokuSebenzelana ekuZwaneni

Intshumayelo ngosuku lokukhumbula ukubethelwa nokufa kweNkosi, ka 22. 04. 2011              24/2011

Egameni likaNkulunkulu onguYise, neNdodana, noMoya oNgcwele

1.         Iculo 91/83

 2.         Umkhuleko: Kristu, Mvana kaNkulunkulu ethwala izono zezwe, sihawukele! Kristu, Mvana kaNkulunkulu ethwala izono zezwe, sihawukele! Kristu, Mvana kaNkulunkulu ethwala izono zezwe, siphe ukuthula kwakho! Nkulunkulu. Baba osezulwini. siyabonga, ngoba wasipha iNdodana yakho uJesu Kristu, ukuba ngayo kuhlawulwe icala lezono zethu. Siyakubonga nawe, Jesu Kristu, Ndodana kaNkulunkulu, wena owalahlwa ngenxa yezono zethu, waze wasifela esiphambanweni. Nkosi, siphe nanamuhla uMoya wakho oNgcwele, ukuba nxa silizwa izwi levangeli lakho, siholelwe ekukholweni nguwe, kuze kuthi ngokufa kwakho sizuze ukuphila okuphakade. Amen.

3.  Iphistola ngohlelo lwesibili lilotshiwe ku 2 kwabaseKorinte 5:14-21;

Ivangeli ngohlelo lokuqala lilotshiwe ku Johane 19:16:30.

4. Isivumo senkolo: Ngiyakholwa nguNkulunkulu uYise …

5. Iculo 92/84

6. Umkhuleko wakhe ofundayo intshumayelo

7. Ivangeli ngohlelo lwesithathu lilotshiwe

kuLuka 23:33-49, lithi: “Sebefikile endaweni ethiwa iKhanda bambethela khona nazo izelelesi, esinye ngakwesokunene nesinye ngakwesokhohlo. Kepha uJesu wathi: Baba, bathethelele, ngokuba abakwazi abakwenzayo. Babelana izingubo zakhe, benzelana inkatho. Abantu bema, babukela; nababusi bamkholodela bathi: Wasindisa abanye; kazisindise yena, uma enguKristu okhethiweyo kaNkulunkulu. Namabutho ambhinqa, eza kuye, amnika uviniga, ethi: Uma uyinkosi yabaJuda, zisindise. Kwakukhona nombhalo phezu kwakhe othi: LO YINKOSI YABAJUDA. Njalo esinye sezelelesi ebeziphanyekiwe samhlambalaza sathi: Wena awusiye uKristu na? Zisindise kanye nathi. Sase siphendula esinye, sasithethisa sathi: Nawe awumesabi uNkulunkulu, ingani ukulokhukulahlwa nawe na? thina kambe ngokufaneleyo, ngokuba samukela okulingene nesikwenzile; kepha lo akenzanga-lutho olubi. Sase sithi: Jesu, ngikhumbule, nxa usufiké embusweni wakho. Wathi kuso: Ngiqinisile ngithi kuwe: Namuhla uzakuba-nami eParadisi. Kungaba-yihora lesithupha kwase kuba-mnyama emhlabeni wonke, kwaze kwaba-yihora lesishiyagalolunye; kwafiphala ilanga, isihenqo sethempeli sadabuka phakathi. UJesu wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: Baba, ezandleni zakho ngiyawubeka umoya wami. Eseshilo lokho wafa. Induna yekhulu iboné okwenzekileyo yamdumisa uNkulunkulu, yathi: Nempela lowomuntu ubengolungileyo. Zonke izixuku ezazibuthanele ukubukela lokho sezibonile okwenzekileyo, zabuyela emuva, zishaya izifuba zazo (zabamba imilomo yazo). Bonke abazana naye nabesifazane ababemlandela bevela eGalile bema kude, bebuka lezozinto.” Amen.

8. Intshumayelo: Bandla elithandekayo leNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, namuhla siyakhumbula usuku lokufa kweNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu. Bathandekayo eNkosini, namuhla siyakhumbula ukuthi, kugcwalisekile okwakhulunywa nguNkulunkulu ngomlomo wabaprofethi, sifumana uJesu ekhuphukela eJerusalema kanye nabafundi bakhe ethi: Bhekani, sikhuphukela eJerusalema; konke okulotshwé ngabaprofethi ngeNdodana yomuntu kuyakugcwaliseka, ngokuba izakukhashelwa kwabezizwe, iklolodelwe, idunyazwe, ikhafulelwe ngamathe, bayishaye, bayibulale; kepha ngosuku lwesithathu izakuvuka. Bandla, lelozwi aliqondakalanga kubafundi bakaJesu, lelozwi lalifihlakele kubo abakuqondanga obekushiwo.

Bafowethu, kunjani kithi namuhla na? Siyakuqonda yini lokhu izwi likaNkulunkulu elikushoyo na? Siyayiqonda yini lendaba enkulu kangaka eyenzekile ngoJesu na? Bandla, uma sibheka siyabona ukuthi nanamuhla basebaningi abangakuqondi lokhu, okwenzekile ngoJesu Kristu. Ake sibheke khona lapha endaweni yakithi, baningi abangenandaba nokufa kukaJesu, kuphela bathi sitholile izinsuku zokuphumula emsebenzini, sitholile izinsuku  zokuvakashelana, nezokwenza umshado, nemisebenzi, sitholile izinsuku zokudla nokuphuza.

Makholwa, makungabi njalo kithi, thina esiyaziyo lendaba engaka, eyenzekile ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, ngabe sibuthene namuhla sonke enkonzweni, simphelekezele uJesu endleleni yakhe yokuya eGolgotha, simbone ekuhluphekeni kwakhe, simbone nasekufeni kwakhe, sime phansi kwesiphambano, simbheke lo owalenga esiphambanweni ngenxa yezono zethu.

Bandla, ngithi sonke siyayazi indaba yokuhlushwa nokufa kweNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, njengalokhu ilandwa emavangelini omane, nanjengalokhu ilandwa ezwini levangeli lentshumayelo yethu yanamuhla. Yebo, uJesu usulahliwe yicala, amabutho ayamqhuba, uthwele isiphambano, uya naso endaweni yekhanda, eGolgotha ukuba abethelwe kuso, sizwa ukuthi: Sebefikile endaweni ethiwa iKhanda bambethele khona kanye nezelelesi ezimbili, esinye ngakwesokunene nesinye ngakwesokhohlo.

Bandla, siyayibona iNkosi uJesu, ilenga phakathi kwezelelesi nezigebengu, kungathi iyisigebengu esikhulu, kodwa engenzanga lutho olubi, kodwa ithwala konke lokhu ngenxa yobubi bethu, yebo, sekuyagcwaliseka okwashiwo nguNkulunkulu ngomlomo womprofethi uIsaya ukuthi: Yabalwa kanye nezelelesi, babeka ithuna layo kanye nababi ekufeni yayinabenza okubi, noma ingenzanga indluzula, kungekho nankohliso emlonyeni wayo, Isaya 53:9.

Bandla, ake sibheke, nangu uJesu, uyalenga esiphambanweni, wopha igazi ezandleni, nasezinyaweni, nasekhanda, umzimba wakhe wonke ugcwele imivimbo, kodwa konke lokhu uyakwamukela, ukuze ayifeze intando kaYise, siyamuzwa ezikhulekela izitha zakhe ukuthi: Baba, bathethelele, ngokuba abakwazi abakwenzayo. Yebo, lababantu babengakwazi abakwenzayo, babengazi ukuthi babethela iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, balahla uNkulunkulu uqobo, babethela iNkosi enguMsindisi wabo. Yebo bandla, iNkosi uJesu iyalenga esiphambanweni, ihlutshuliwe izambatho zayo, amabutho abelana ngazo, enzelana inkatho ngazo, sekuzagcwaliseka okushiwo yisiprofetho ngenhlupheko nenkazimulo zolungileyo, iHubo 22:18.

Bathandekayo, nangu uJesu, uyalenga esiphambanweni, uzwa ubuhlungu nesiqalekiso, ngenxa yethu, sekusele ukuba kufike ukufa, abantu bemile bayabukela konke lokhu okwenziwayo, kunjalo nabapristi abakhulu namalunga, baphumile eJerusalema baya eGolgotha, ukuze beneliseke ukuthi isitha sabo sifile ngempela, siyabezwa bemklolodela uJesu bethi: Wasindisa abanye, kazisindise yena, uma enguKristu okhethiweyo kaNkulunkulu. Kanjalo namabutho ayembethela ambhinqa athi: UyiNkosi yabaJuda, zisindise. Kanjalo nesinye sezelelesi esasiphanyekwa naye samhlambalaza sathi: Wena awusiye uKristu na? Zisindise kanye nathi. Bandla, siyabona ukuthi zonke izitha zikaJesu, ziyamhlanganyela, ukuze inhlupheko yakhe ibe yinkulu. Kodwa kuye ophendukela kuye, uthi: Ngiqinisile ngithi kuwe, namuhla uzakuba nami eParadise.

Bandla, ngehora leshumi nambili emini, kwenzeka isimangaliso, ilanga lafiphala, kwabamnyama emhlabeni wonke, kwaze kwaba yihora lesithathu ntambama, ngalamahora amathathu kwabamnyama nasenhliziyweni kaJesu, nelanga alifunanga ukubona lokhu okwenziwayo ngeNdodana kaNkulunkulu.

Kunjalo nesihenqo sethempeli sadabuka phakathi. Bathandekayo, isihenqo sesisusiwe, ngokufa nangokuvuka kukaJesu, inkonzo zeTestamente elidala isiphelisiwe, uJesu usungenile endaweni engcwelengcwele yasezulwini engaphethe igazi lezilwane, kodwa ephethe elakhe igazi. Bathandekayo, sonke sesinalelungelo lokusondela kuNkulunkulu ngenxa kaJesu.

Baba ezandleni zakho ngiyawubeka umoya wami, kusho uJesu ememeza ngezwi elikhulu, eseshilo lokho, wafa. Baba, ezandleni zakho ngiyawubeka umoya wami. Bandla, lawamazwi akhomba ukunqoba, lawamazwi ashiwo yiqhawe elabe selinqobile, lawamazwi ashiwo yiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, isiwubeka umphefumulo wayo esandleni sikaYise, isiyifezile intando kaYise, yafa ukuba thina singafi, kodwa iphile, sithethelelwe izono, sisindiswe, sibe nokuphila okuphakade kuyo ezulwini.

UNkulunkulu uBaba wethu osezulwini, makasisize thina sonke esibuthene kulenkonzo namuhla, asiphe uMoya wakhe oNgcwele, sikubone lokho esikwenzelwe nguJesu, ngokuhlupheka nokufa kwakhe. Futhi sikwedlulisele nakwabanye abasesebumnyameni, ukuba nabo bezwe ukuthi uJesu unguMsindisi wabantu bonke, unguMhlengi wabo futhi, wathwala izono zabantu bonke, wazithwala nezabo futhi, wafela bonke, nabo wabafela futhi, uma nabo bephenduka ezonweni zabo, bekholwa nguye loMsindisi, babhapathizwe egameni lakhe, nabo bazosindiswa babe nokuphila okuphakade ezulwini. Yiwo umbiko esiwuzwayo namuhla ngosuku lokubethelwa nokufa kweNkosi wokuthi uNkulunkulu ubuyisene nathi ngokufa nangokuvuka kweNdodana yakhe uJesu Kristu. Makabongwe loMsindisi wethu, manje, kuze kube phakade. Amen.

9.         Umkhuleko: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu, Baba wethu osezulwini siyabonga, sibonga izwi lakho elingcwele esesilizwile nanamuhla. Sibonga ukuthi wanikela ngeNdodana yakho eyodwa ekufeni ngenxa yezono zethu, siyabonga kakhulu nawe Jesu Kristu, Mvana kaNkulunkulu ethwala izono zezwe, ukuthi usuwufezile umsebenzi wakho omkhulu wokusisindisa, siphe nanamuhla uMoya wakho oNgcwele, ukuba sisondele ngokusha phansi kwesiphambano sakho, samukele konke lokhu usenzele khona ngokuhlupheka nangokufa kwakho, sikwamukele ngokukholwa, size sisindiswe ngawo amandla okufa nokuvuka kwakho. Amen.

Umkhuleko weNkosi: Baba wethu osezulwini …

10.       Iculo 98/90

Ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu odlula ukuqonda konke makulondoloze izinhliziyo zethu nemicabango yethu kuKristu  Jesu, iNkosi noMsindisi wethu. Amen.

Lentshumayelo ilotshiwe ngomnyaka ka-2004 ngu-F. J. Mtshali.

Ukucindezelwa nokuthunywa kwalezintshumayelo kuyasekelwa yinhlangno ethiwa: Lutheran Heritage Foundation

IziNdaba eziFingqiweyo zekerike ngokobuLuthere

March 2011 ngesiZulu

Nansi imisho eminye kaC. F. W. Walther ehunyushelwe esiZulwini:

Isifundo samashumi amabili nanye:

Ngokweshumi nesikhombisa izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kufundiswa ukuthi amasakramente anamandla okusindisa ngomsebenzi owenziweyo.

Isifundo samashumi amabili nambili:

Ngokweshumi nesishiyagalombili izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukuthintwa-thintwa ngezwi nje nokuphenduka kungahlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kuxutshaniswa ukuhluleka (ukungafuni ukukholwa), nokungavunyelwa ukukholwa.

Isifundo samashumi amabili nantathu:

Ngokweshumi nesishiyagalolunye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kuqhutshwa abangakazalwa kabusha ngakho okubizwa ngumthetho, nangokusongela kwawo, nangezithembiso zawo ukuba balunge, bayeke izono, benze imisebenzi emihle; uma kuqhutshwa abazelwe kabusha ngendlela yomthetho ukwenza imisebenzi emihle, esikhundleni sokubaluleka ngendlela yevangeli ukuyenza.

Isifundo samashumi amabili nane:

Ngokwamashumi amabili izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kukhulunywa ngesono esingathethelelwa sokuhlambalaza uMoya oNgcwele ngendlela yokuthi asikwazi ukuthethelelwa ngenxa yobukhulu baso.

Isifundo samashumi amabili nanhlanu:

Ngokwamashumi amabili nanye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kungabusi ivangeli ekufundiseni kwethu, uma kungafundiswa ivangeli kakhulu kunomthetho.

Niyacela ukwaziswa ukuthi nisathanda ukuthunyelwa izintshumayelo, na?

Ngezinyanga ezizayo kuyadingeka ukuba umhleli wezintshumayelo acele ukuba ngokulungisa ibhajethi lomnyaka ozayo kumiselwe ngokusha imali ya go qhuba ukuthuma izintshumayelo. Ngeminyaka edlule zathunywa ngesipho esikhulu esathunywa ngumfelogazi lomfundisi owayethanda ukuba umsebenzi wokuthuma izintshumayelo uqhubeke. Lemali iyaphela lonyaka. Ngakho kuyadingeka ukuba abeLutheran Heritage Foundation bacelwe ukuba bahlukanisele lomsebenzi imali, uma kuhlelwa ibhajethi lomnyaka ozayo. Kodwa angithandi ukuyicela, ngingakezwa ukuthi ababezamukela basathanda ukuthunyelwa zona. Futhi kuzosiza labo abamelwe ukunquma ukuba umsebenzi onjalo wabelwe imali, uma bazi ukuthi kukhona abathanda ukuthunyelwa izintshumayelo. Ngakho lokhu ngiyacela ukuba ningibhalele ngokufushane ukuthi: Qha-ke, siyathanda impela ukuzamukela ngonyaka ozayo. Kwasiza ngomnyaka ka-2004, mhla ngacela ngencwadi enjalo. Nencwadi engayithola ngomnyaka ka-2008 yagquguzela abeLutheran Heritage Fundation ukuba bathande ukusekela lomsebenzi ngezipho. Lencwadi yalotshwa ngamalunga ebandla elingaziwe yimi, ayamukele lezintshumyaelo ngomnini wepulazi owake wacela kimi ukuthunyelwa izintshumayelo, yena wazidlulisela kulelibandlana elihlangana njalo kubo. Babhala bathi: “Siyakubingelela egameni leNkosi ethu uJesu Kristu. Sithanda ukudlulisa okukhulu ukubonga ngokuthi usiphe amaphepha okushumayela. Siyasizakala kakhulu ngawo, ikakhhulu kubantu abasha abasafunda ukushumayela. INkosi ikubusise, ungadinwa, Sengathi ungahlala uqhubeka ngalo ngokusithumelela. INkosi ibe nawe” Lencwadi yangigqugquzela ukuba ngingayeki ukucela abafundsi ukubhala izintshumayelo, njengalokhu kwenzekile ngaleminyaka emithathu. Ngalesosikhathi lencwadi yasekela isicelo sami ukuba abeLutheran Heritage Foundation baqhubeke ukusiza kulomsebenzi omuhle ngemali. Yikho okwenza ukuba ngicele ukuba ningibhalele ukuba ngizwe ukuthi nisathanda ukuthunyelwa lezizintshumayelo.  Ngaphezu kwalokhu ngithatha ithuba ukuchaza okungcane maqondana nezintshumayelo. Makwaziwe ukuthi ngisacelela isonto nesonto intshumayelo entsha. Uma ingathunywa ngesikathi, ngimelwe ukuyibhala ngokwami, noma ngimelwe ukuthata esekhishiwe ngeminyaka edlule.

Futhi okwezimali

Izwi likaNkulunkulu lithi; “Ngokuba lokho akuhlwanyelayo umuntu, lokho wokuvuna.” Lelizwi liqondene kanjalo nasodabeni lokuzama ululungisa izindaba eziqondene nokwezimali ebandleni, noma ekerikeni. Nakhona kuyadingeka ukuba sikhumbule iseluleko esithi: Izwi lizohlukaniswa kahle, uma amakholwa eqhutshwa ngevangeli ukugqugquzelwa ukwenza okudingeka ukuba kwenziwe ebandleni nasekerikeni. Uma kubonakala ukuthi kukhona okungahambi kahle ebandleni akusizi lutho ukuthukuthelela amakholwa angenzi umsebenzi wawo ngothando olufanele abantwana bakaNkulunkulu. Phambi komkhosi wokukhumbula ukuzalwa kweNkosi konke kwachithwa kithi emasimini. Ummbila wabubeka kahle, Izithamelalanga seziqalile ukuqhakaza. Kodwa ngomgqibela phambi kwesonto 3 esikhathini seAdvente isichotho sa qeda konke, kwakungasali lutho emasimini. Umlimi wenzeni? Washiya konke nje, na? Wathukuthelela isichotho kuphela na? Qha, ngomsombuluko waqala ukufuna imbewu entsha, waqala ukutshala ngokusha. Emva kwamaviki amane konke kubukeka kahle futhi, ummbila nezithamelalanga. Zazingahlobisi indawo ngomkhosi waokukhumbula ukuzalwa kweNkosi. Sesiyathemba ukuthi zizoqhakaza kahle futhi, nokuhlobisa indawo ngomkhosi wokukhumbula ukuvuka kweNkosi.

Kuyisibonelo esihle, ngoba nasebandleni kukhona okuningi okuchithekayo ukuba kuveli izithelo zokukholwa nothando. Ake silingise umnini wepulazi, noma isichotho senzondo, noma esokuvilapha saqeda konke, kungavelanga izithelo, noma sizamile ukugqugquzela abebandla ngezeluleko zevangeli, singadinwa ukuqhubeka ukutshala izwi likaNkulunkulu ngokusha. Noma kungachithwanga yisichotho, kungavelanga izithelo kahle emasimini, abalimi bazama ukutshala ngokusha emnyakeni omusha. Abasho ukuthi ngomnyaka odlule kwakungaveli lutho, akusizi ukutshala ngehlobo elisha. Ngevangeli siyezwa ukuthi: “Nkosi, wuyeke nangalomnyaka, ngize ngivukuze inhlabathi emaceleni awo, ngiwuthelele umquba; mhlawumbe ungaze uthele ngozayo!  Luk. 13:8-9. Noma uma amasimu ethela kahle, abalimi abenzi njengesiwula esizwa ngaso evangelini esathi:Phumula, udle, uphuze, ujabule! Ngehlobo elisha bazolima futhi, nokutshala ukuba bathole futhi ngomnyaka ozayo.

Ngithi sekuhloliwe emabandleni, abafundisi nabaphathi bezikhwama sebehlanganisile, nokubikela emabandleni okwatholakala ngomnyaka odlule. Lapho kubonakale khona ukuthi izizebenzi zezwi zazingatholi kahle izondlo zazo, nemisebenzi eminye ebandleni  yayingaqhubeki kahle. Kwasweleka imali ululungisa amafasitela endleini yokusonta noma endlini yesisebenzi sebandla. Ningadinwa emsebenzini, tshaleni ngokusha kulonmyaka, “nivukuze umhlabathi, niwuthele umquba.” Nethembe isithembiso esithi: “Ohlwanyelela uMoya, uyakuvuna …. kuMoya,” Gal. 6:8. Nasemabandleni lapho konke kwahamba kahle okwezimali ngomnyaka odllule, ningasho njengesiwula lesiya, esathi: Phumula nje! Kodwa qhubekani ukwenza umsebenzi omuhle wokutshala imbewu yezwi, nani nithele umquba ukuba kuvele izithelo nasemnyakeni omusha. Nansi intshumayelo eyaphathwa enkonzweni yokusihlwa phakathi kweviki ngomhla ka 19. 1. 2011  ebandleni laseJalimane ekhombisayo kahle ukuthi umfundisi uyazama kanjani ukuvuselela ibandla lakubo ukuqhubeka ukusekela umsebenzi webandla. Kuyabonakala ukuthi kuyibandla elikhuthele namaqondana nokwezimali, nokho umfundisi akasho ukuthi ibandla liyazi, akudingeki ukuba umlilo ubaswe ngokusha, qha, wabaza impela ukuba kuhlokozwe umlilo owothando uvuthwe ngempela kubo. Washumayela ngezwi elilotshiwe kuMath. 17:24-27, wathi: Namuhla kusihlwa emva kwenkozno umkhandlu webandla uzokhuluma ngendaba yokuhlola ukuthi saphumelela kanjani ngomnyaka odlule ukufeze esasizimisela ngomnyaka ddlule maqodana ngebhajethi lebandla. Sifuna ukubona ukuthi kwangena malini nomnyaka odlule, nokuhlola ukuthi siphumelele ukukhokha konke okwadingeka na?

Yebo, kwenzeka kanjani ukuba abebandla lakithi, nabo abasivakashela ezinkonzweni baphumelela ukuveza imali kangaka ekhomba inani lezinkulungwane ezingamakhulu athile ukuba siphumelele ukuqhuba umsebenzi webandla lakithi, njengalokhu kwenzeka kahle kangaka? Kwaziwe ukuthi kukhona isimiso esakhiweni sebandla lakithi esithi ngokwezwi likaNkulunkulu amalungu ebandla lakithi a boshiwe ukukhipha imali emisiwe, nezipho nezabelo namakoleke ngokwentando yabo elingene ngokwesilinganiso sakho abanakho. Ngamazwi kuyezwakala inkinga ehlangane nendaba yemali ekerikeni. Amalungu ebandla aboshiwe ukuveza isabalo ngokwentando yawo. Kusho ukuthini lokhu. Kuthiwani aboshiwe noma akhipha ngokwentando yawo?

Bodadewethu, bafowethu, ezwini lantshumayelo sihlangana nengxoxo enjalo namuhla kulenkonzo yokusihlwa. Umvangeli uMathewu uyasixoxela ukuthi umphostoli uPetru wabonana nabantu eKaperenauwme ababenomsebenzi ukuqoqa imali yethempeli laseJerusalema eyamiswa ukuba abaJuda bonke abahlale ezweni lakubo bayikhiphe. Lemali yaqhuba okwenzekile ethempeli. Imali leyo yaqoqwa ngomnyaka nangomnyaka esikhathini phambi komkhosi wephasika. Abaqoqi balemali babeyiqoqa ezindaweni zakubo. Lemali yamadenariyu amabili yakhishwa ungathi ngabo bonke. Abapristi namaRabi ayekhululiwe kulesisimiso. Kanjalo kuyakhanya ukuthi abaqoqi bemali yethempeli babebuzelani uPetrus ngokusho ukuthi: Umfundisi wenu akayitheli imali yethempeli na? UPetru waphendula nje, ngaphandle kokubuza uJesu, wathi: Uyayithela.UJesu akali ukusekela inkonzo yethempeli laseJerusalema. Akasikhiphi kulenkonzo ngokusho ukuthi uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, noma ngokusho ukuthi unguRabi, akaboshwanga ukukhipha intela yethempeli.

Ngenkululeko enkulu uJesu ukhipha imali yethempeli. Isizathu uyasichaza ngokukhuluma noPetru ngokusho ukuthi. Ongumntwana kaNkulunkulu akakhonzi uNkulunkulu ngokucindezelwa, kodwa ukhululekile, kodwa akasebenzisi lenkululeko ukuzisiza, nokuzifunela amalungelo ngenkululeko yakhe. Akasebenzisi inkululeko yakhe ngokukhubekisa abanye, noma ukuzikhipha phakathi kwabanye ahlanganisiwe nabo ebandleni noma emzini.

Yiso isibonelo sethu. Nathi njengoba singabebandla elinamandla ukubiza emalungwini ethu ukuba bakhipha imali yebandla, kodwa asisebenzisie amandla ukucindezela abebandla ukukhokha imali ngokwesimiso sebandla, futhi asiceli usizo kuhulumeni ukubaphaqa abebandla lakithi ukukhokha imali yebandla ngokwesimiso salo. Angifuni ukulahla lamabandla acindezela ababenalda lakubo ukuba bakhipha imali yebandla ngokwemithetho yabo, Nokho akukuhle ukusebenzisa imitheshwana njengamanye amabandla, kodwa siyethemba ukuthi abebandla lakithi bangabantwana bakaNkulunkulu abakhululiwe ukukhokha imali ezosekela umsebenzi embusweni kaNkulunkulu. Kuhle ukwethemba ukuthi abantwana bakaNkulunkulu ebandleni lakithi bazosebenzisa inkululeko yabo ngothando olukhulu. Abayikuncitsha ibandla, nomsebenzi weNkosi ngokucabanga ukuthi asiyikucindezelwa ebandleni lakithi, bazosiza ngothando ngokuthanda omakhelwane, abafowethu nabo odadewethu ebandleni. Ngalenkululeko esikhululiwe ngayo ngokwamukelwa nguNkulunkulu embhapathizweni nasesidlweni seNkosi kuhle ukuba sikhulume ngayo, singayifihli, sigqugquzelane ebandleni lakithi ukuba bonke basebenzise inkululeko yabo ngokwenza imisebenzi emihle, sithele izithelo ezinhle, siphumelele ukondla izisebenzi zezwi, siphumelele ukwenza nemisebenzi eminye emelwe ukwenziwa ebandleni. Ake sikhumbule njalo ukuthi embusweni kaNkulunkulu asihlangani neziboshwa esiboshiwe ngemithetho ezwe elithile, kodwa sonke singabendlu kaNkulunkulu, singabantwana baNkosi yamakhosi, abangadingi ukucindezelwa ukwenza umsebenzi wasekhaya, kodwa abawenza ngentokozo enkulu. Yikho okuqondene nemali ekhishelwa ibandla. (Intshumayelo yaqhubeka ukuthinta nentela emelwe ukukhokhwa ezweni, kodwa kuqnunwa la ngokuswela indawo. Nokho kuhle ukuzwa eNkosini uqobo ukuthi noma singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu abakhululekile, sisaphila ezweni, sisephansi kwemithetho yezwe lakithi. Nakhona asivunyelwa ukusebenzisa inkululeko ngokweqa imithetho nangokukhohlisa abanye.)

Umkhosi waseSalem

ongumkhosi wesifundamfundisi omkhlu sesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseMpumalnga uzogujwa ngomhla ka 29 May kulomnyaka.

OkweFELSiSA

Umfundisi uJosef Henning we”English Lutheran Fellowship,” Randburg, wamukele ukubizelwa ebandleni leLutheran Church-Missouri Synod laseNew York, yena nabendlu yakhe bahambile ngomkhla ka 12. 1. 2011 ukuya khona. Umfundisi uHarry Niebuhr uceliwe ukubambela ngakhona, baze bathole umfundisi omusha. Umvivinywa uMartin Paul owaphumelela ngokuhlohlwa kwakhe ngomhla ka 11. 3. 2011 eOberursel ubekiwe khona ukuqhubeka ngokuqeqeshwa kwakhe. Umbhishobhi uDr. Dieter Reinstorf wamukela ukubizelwa ebandleni likaImanuwele laseThawini, wangeniswa khona esikhundleni sokuba ngumfundisi webandla yiphini lakhe umfundisi uDieter Schnackenberg waseLüneburg, ngomhla ka 9. 1. 2011. Umfundisi uDr. Walter Winterle wangeniswa ebandleni laseKapa ngumbhishobhi uReinstorf ngomhla ka 6. 1. 2011. Umbhishobhi uReinstorf wayemenywa ukuba khona ebandleni likaImanuwele laseDiepkloof emqinisweni wabantwana abangu-25. Ngiyamukela ukuthi kwaziwe ukuthi ibandla lomfundisi uGeorge Mabe laseDiepkloof lamukelwe eFELSiSA.

For my brothers in the ministry of the Lord +

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 1 

My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 2 

For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 3 

The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 4 

but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. 5 

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.  6 

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  7 

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  8 

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  9 

I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.  The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.  10 
______________ 

1  Phi 4:1; 2  Job 23:11; 3  Psa 37:28; 4  Psa 121:7; 5   Heb 10:38,39; 6   1Jo 2:19; 7   Joh 8:31; 8   Mat 24:13; 9  1Co 16:13; 10 Rev 3:11,5;

Christe, du Schöpfer aller Welt
Theodor Kliefoth 1875

”]Christe, du Schöpfer aller Welt,
du König, der die Gläub’gen hält,
weil unser Bitten dir gefällt,
nimm unser Loblied an, o Held

Kein Maß hat deine Gnad gekannt,
hat in Geduld mit starker Hand
durch Leid am Kreuz gelöst das Band,
das Adams Sünde um uns wand.

Vor dem die Sterne neigen sich,
du kamst ins Fleisch demütiglich,
darin zu leiden williglich;
in Todesschmerz dein Leib erblich.

Die Hand gebunden ausgestreckt,
zu lösen, was in Banden steckt,
hast du mit Gnad den Zorn bedeckt,
den Menschenschuld in Gott erweckt.

Du hangst am Kreuze sterbend hier,
und doch erbebt die Erd vor dir,
der Geist der Kraft geht aus von dir,
die stolze Welt erblaßt vor dir.

Jetzt um dein Siegerangesicht
des ewgen Vaters Glanz sich flicht
jetzt mit des Geistes Kraft und Licht,
o König du, verlaß uns nicht.

1. Ich grüße dich am Kreuzesstamm, du hochgelobtes Gotteslamm,

mit andachtsvollem Herzen.
Hier hängst du zwar in lauter Not
und bist gehorsam bis zum Tod,
vergehst in tausend Schmerzen;
doch sieht mein Glaube wohl an dir,
daß Gottes Majestät und Zier
in diesem Leibe wohne
und daß du hier so würdig seist,
daß man dich Herr und König heißt,
als auf dem Ehrenthrone.

2. Ich folge dir durch Tod und Leid,
o Herzog meiner Seligkeit,
nichts soll mich von dir trennen.
Du gehst den engen Weg voran;
dein Kreuzestod macht offne Bahn
den Seelen, die dich kennen.
Ach Jesu, deine höchste Treu
macht, daß mir nichts unmöglich sei,
da du für mich gestorben;
ich scheue nicht den bittern Tod
und bin gewiß in aller Not:
»Wer glaubt, ist unverdorben.”

Valentin Ernst Löscher,1722

We know Luther’s personal aversion to use his name as tag for God’s holy Church. Bayer points out that already in 1522 in Luther’s ‘earnest Admonition to All Christians, to Keep Themselves from Rebellion and Insurrection,’ (2008, 8) he argued thus:

“In the first place, I ask that men make no reference to my name; let them call themselves Christians, not Lutherans. What is Luther? After all, the teaching is not mine [John 7:16]. Neither was I crucified for anyone [I Cor. 1:13]. St. Paul, in I Corinthians 3, 37 would not allow the Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian. How then should I—poor stinking maggot-fodder that I am—come to have men call the children of Christ by my wretched name? Not so, my dear friends; let us abolish all party names and call ourselves Christians, after him whose teaching we hold. The papists deservedly have a party name, because they are not content with the teaching and name of Christ, but want to be papist as well. Let them be papist then, since the pope is their master. I neither am nor want to be anyone’s master. I hold, together with the universal church, the one universal teaching of Christ, who is our only master [Matt. 23:8].” (1999, c1962 70)

However Hopf balances this with Luther affirmation of the responsibility and even necessity to stand up for the gospel described with his surname for the very gospel’s sake (1967, 16f):

Finally, I see that I must add a good word of admonition to those whom Satan has now begun to persecute. For there are some among them who think that when they are attacked they can escape the danger by saying: I do not hold with Luther or with anyone else, but only with the holy gospel and the holy church, or with the Roman church. For saying so they think they will be left in peace. Yet in their hearts they regard my teaching as the teaching of the gospel and stand by it. In reality this kind of statement does not help them, and it is in effect a denial of Christ. Therefore, I beg such people to be very careful.

True, by any consideration of body or soul you should never say: I am Lutheran, or Papist. For neither of them died for you, or is your master. Christ alone died for you, he alone is your master, and you should confess yourself a Christian. But if you are convinced that Luther’s teaching is in accord with the gospel and that the pope’s is not, then you should not discard Luther so completely, lest with him you discard also his teaching, which you nevertheless recognize as Christ’s teaching. You should rather say: Whether Luther is a rascal or a saint I do not care; his teaching is not his, but Christ’s.

For you will observe that the tyrants are not out merely to destroy Luther, but to wipe out the teaching. It is on account of the teaching that they attack you and ask you whether you are Lutheran. Here you must be sure not to speak with slippery or evasive words but frankly to confess Christ, no matter who did the preaching—Luther, or Tom, Dick, or Harry. The person you can forget; but the teaching you must confess. Paul also writes thus to Timothy in II Tim. 1[:8]: “Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake.” If it had been enough here for Timothy to confess the gospel, Paul would not have commanded him not to be ashamed also of Paul—not of Paul as a person but of Paul as a prisoner for the sake of the gospel. Now if Timothy had said, I do not hold with Paul or with Peter, but with Christ, when he knew that Peter and Paul were teaching Christ, then he would actually thereby have denied Christ himself. For Christ says in Matt. 10, 30 concerning those who preach him: “He who receives you receives me, and he who rejects you rejects me.” Why this? Because holding thus with his messengers, those who bring his word, is the same as holding with Christ himself and with his word. (1999, c1959, 265)

At its core the question: “What is it about you Lutherans?” does not focus as much on what we think about Martin Luther and his biography – although that too is not irrelevant – but rather what does Luther stand for. It boils down to those issues Lutherans think, write and say about the divine trinity, humanity and people’s salvation, the Church, the means of grace, church and civil order etc. We can look for those answers in Luther’s table talk – or in his wide ranging correspondence – his lectures – sermons – programmatic papers – personal confessions and finally his testament. It’s a broad perspective. It narrows down considerably if we take the Lutheran standard of the Book of Concord, which posits the confessional writings collected there as norma normata – i.e. Luther’s Catechisms and the Smalcald Articles. Those make up part of the characteristic essentials of Lutheran Confessionals besides the Augsburg Confession with its Apology, the Tractatus on the primacy of the pope plus the Formula of Concord. That Book of Concord is the benchmark for Lutheran Confessionalism. It sets the standard for best practices in Lutheran preaching, teaching and  living.

In light of our Lord’s examination of his disciples: “Who do you say I am?” [cf. Mt.16,15], St. Peter admonishes his readers: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1Pe 3:15 ESV). How much more does this hold for us as Lutheran teachers and bishops, pastors and missionaries, who are called and ordained in the Church to be ambassadors of his reconciliation [cf. 2.Cor.5,18-20] and are to teach everything he has entrusted to us [cf. Mt.28,20], that we fully understand, know and do, what Luther lists as basic elements of a pastoral service in his “Instruction to the visitors in Saxony”, namely “how one teaches, believes, loves, how one lives a Christian life, how to care for the poor, how one comforts the weak, or punishes the unruly, and whatever else belongs to such an office.” (1999, c1958, 270)

Therefore confessional Lutherans are those people, who with one accord teach and hold, that mode, structure (Elert 1958) and form of life in thought, word and deed, which abides both in theory and practice [de iure et de facto] or better still “in name and in fact” [nomine et re] (Kolb, The sheep and the voice of the shepherd. The ecclesiology of the Lutheran Confessional Writings 2010, 332) by the authoritative benchmark set by the Book of Concord [1580] as the true and normative exposition of God’s word which was inspired by the Holy Spirit and recorded in that same spirit by the apostles and prophets of old in both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible.

Robert Kolb from St.Louis points out that:

Lutherans look to their confessions of faith for the bedrock of their theology, its foundation for meeting the questions and needs of their day – but not for a finished and final edifice. Therefore, the Book of Concord contains relatively few prescriptions for the details of living out the life of the church… (2010, 325)

and a bit down his article he continues

In the end, searching the Book of Concord for specific proof passages to guide the twenty-first century church in solving pressing problems will lead to frustration in many instances and occasionally to an abuse of the historical intent of its authors. (337)

Yet, confessional Lutherans are agreed that it makes good sense to learn, digest and apply the “Wittenberg way of doing things” or as Kolb formulates “the Wittenberg theological method” (2005) cf (Bayer, Theology the Lutheran way 2007 ), i.e. how their namesake, his colleagues and fellow reformers, worked, suffered and was carried through their life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in holy Scriptures. He – like all saints of the Church – “may be remembered in order that we imitate their [his] faith and good works, according to our calling” (Kolb, R. et al 2000, 59,1). Even more so, they hold that the Lutheran confessions contained in the Book of Concord have give the true and authoritative Christian response and judgment at vital junctions in the life of the Church, which guide, bind and empower it on its theological way forward.

Confessional Lutherans hold that their existence is under similar compulsion and persuasion (cf. 1. Cor.9,16) as expressed by Luther at the diet of Worms in 1521, when he was pressurized to revoke the evangelical standpoint by the emperor Charles V before the German nobility:

Unless I am convicted [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen. (http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lyman/english233/Luther-Diet_of_Worms.htm)

The papal bull “Decet romanum pontificem” by pope Leo X excommunicates Luther from the community of faithful believers on the 3^rd January 1521. This excommunication has not been revoked up to date and affects you and me as confessional Lutherans too. This demonstrates that even our sincerest and most heartfelt confessions don’t go unchallenged, but are rather severely contested even if not always by such high and mighty authorities in human realms. That makes theological decisions, ecclesial conflicts and dogmatic conclusions/judgements inevitable and even unavoidable, even though they  weigh so heavily on us up to the point of tearing up families, tribes, nations and even continents as it did between the Arian heretics and the orthodox Nicene Fathers in the 4^th century, then again between East and West around the turn of the 1st millennium, when Rome and Constantinople excommunicated each other and lastly when the one, holy Roman German Empire  broke apart in and after the Reformation. Lastly not even the pope could hold this disparate entity together despite all the efforts of the misguided emperor. Their time was gone and their authority was no more. It was as W.B. Yeats describes in “The second coming” and is quoted by Achebe: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” (1958)

We all live our life coram Deo and in eschatological responsibility – and that is the highest, absolute and final authority. Him we owe our life and our everything. That is why Luther continues to confess the truth – be it like at Worms in the early days of the reformation, be it in the middle of his life, when he wrote in his “Confession concerning the Holy Supper” [1528] even before the Catechisms were published:

I see that schisms and errors are increasing proportionately with the passage of time, and that there is no end to the rage and fury of Satan. Hence lest any persons during my lifetime or after my death appeal to me or misuse my writings to confirm their error, as the sacramentarian and baptist fanatics are already beginning to do, I desire with this treatise to confess my faith before God and all the world, point by point. I am determined to abide by it until my death and (so help me God!) in this faith to depart from this world and to appear before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence if any one shall say after my death, “If Luther were living now, he would teach and hold this or that article differently, for he did not consider it sufficiently,” etc., let me say once and for all that by the grace of God I have most diligently traced all these articles through the Scriptures, have examined them again and again in the light thereof, and have wanted to defend all of them as certainly as I have now defended the sacrament of the altar. I am not drunk or irresponsible. I know what I am saying, and I well realize what this will mean for me before the Last Judgment at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let no one make this out to be a joke or idle talk; I am in dead earnest, since by the grace of God I have learned to know a great deal about Satan. If he can twist and pervert the Word of God and the Scriptures, what will he not be able to do with my or someone else’s words? (Luther, LW Vol.37: Word & Sacrament III 1999, c1961, 360)

This confessional and eschatological seriousness does not disappear in Luther. We note it again, when he’s once more contemplating his end due to severe illness and is tasked to write a Lutheran testament for the envisioned and never realised free Church Council in Mantua. He does so with his “Smalcald Articles”:

I would indeed very much like to see a true council, in order to assist with a variety of matters and to aid many people. Not that we need it, for through God’s grace our churches are now enlightened and supplied with the pure Word and right use of the sacraments, an understanding of the various walks of life, and true works. Therefore we do not ask for a council for our sakes. In such matters, we cannot hope for or expect any improvement from the council. Rather, we see in bishoprics everywhere so many parishes empty and deserted that our hearts are ready to break. And yet, neither bishops nor cathedral canons ask how the poor people live or die—people for whom Christ died. And should not these people hear this same Christ speak to them as the true shepherd with his sheep? It horrifies and frightens me that Christ might cause a council of angels to descend upon Germany and totally destroy us all, like Sodom and Gomorrah, because we mock him so blasphemously with the council.

In addition to such necessary concerns of the church, there are also countless important matters in worldly affairs that need improvement. There is disunity among the princes and the estates. Greed and usury have burst in like a great flood and have attained a semblance of legality. Wantonness, lewdness, extravagant dress, gluttony, gambling, conspicuous consumption with all kinds of vice and wickedness, disobedience—of subjects, servants, laborers—extortion by all the artisans and the peasants (who can list everything?) have so gained the upper hand that a person could not set things right again with ten councils and twenty imperial diets. If participants in the council were to deal with the chief concerns in the spiritual and secular estates that are opposed to God, then their hands would be so full that they would forget all about the child’s games and fool’s play of long robes, great tonsures, broad cinctures, bishop’s and cardinal’s hats, crosiers, and similar clowning around. … I, therefore, have provided only a few articles, because in any case we already have received from God so many mandates to carry out in the church, in the government, and in the home that we can never fulfill them. What is the point, what is the use of making so many decretals and regulations in the council, especially if no one honors or observes the chief things commanded by God? It is as if God had to honor our buffoonery while in return we trample his solemn commands underfoot. In fact, our sins burden us and prevent God from being gracious to us, because we do not even repent and moreover want to defend every abomination.

O dear Lord Jesus Christ, hold a council of your own and redeem your people through your glorious return! The pope and his people are lost. They do not want you. Help us who are poor and miserable, who sigh to you and earnestly seek you, according to the grace you have given us through your Holy Spirit, who with you and the Father lives and reigns, forever praised. Amen. (Kolb, R. et al 2000, 299)

A conscience taken captive and bound by God’s word is not free in a libertarian or pluralistic sense, but rather is compelled to think, speak and act subject to the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit in his revealed word of Holy Scripture. He works faithful conversion, renewal and conviction through this verbal instrument and means of grace so that the faithful believer is brought to the living Christ and remains in, with and under him in true faith, hope and love as he lives in this world, even while not being part of it. That is the evangelistic goal of Christian missions – and not primarily democratization, political empowerment, social liberalization, economic development, westernization or even globalization – even if these may be positive side-effects welcomed by some. Faithful Christians do not only take care of theology as an utopian ideology, but are engaged also in the “countless important matters in worldly affairs that need improvement”. Yes, the “participants in the council [members of the Church/Christians] are to deal with the chief concerns in the spiritual and secular estates.” Therefore Christians and the Christian Church are not isolated in some detached ivory tower, but are rather called, placed and instituted to serve the people in the country, province, municipality, city, town and village in whatever calling, challenge, situation and context God has placed them.

In this calling to live in this world as faithful Christians and confessional Lutherans does not leave us without failure, suffering and hateful sin. That is part of our human heritage from the sinful beginning. However together with all Christians, the faithful believer is kept with and in Christ through the daily forgiveness of sins. Obviously we poor, miserable sinners are sorely tempted to cut the salvific lifeline instrumentalized for our benefit by the Holy Spirit in his evangelical means of grace as we again and again are tempted to liberate ourselves: “Look – no hands!” – only to fall back on to the never-ending goodness of the Lord, who pulls us mercifully from the stormy waves.  In view of our susceptibility we pray: “God help me!” We know that even while standing, we are bound to fall [again]. Yet we are confident that he hears our prayer. As Luther encourages us in the explanation of his Large Catechism:

But the efficacy of prayer consists in our learning also to say Amen to it—that is, not to doubt that our prayer is surely heard and will be answered. This word is nothing else than an unquestioning word of faith on the part of the one who does not pray as a matter of luck but knows that God does not lie because he has promised to grant it. Where there is no faith like this, there also can be no true prayer. (Kolb, R. et al 2000, 456, 119f)

In that vein we gladly learn and faithfully comply: “Yes, yes, it shall be so” (LSB 2006, 325) for “thus it cannot happen that the prayer is not answered.”cf. (Bayer 2008, 348) 

Confessional Lutherans believe, hold and teach that the source and cause of all God pleasing theology, true and saving faith plus holy and sanctified living is the holy word of God. That is why all other philosophies, ideologies, cultures, traditions, religions, myths and so-called scientific thought patters remain subject to this higher criticism of ultimate truth. This holds true not only in the secular realm, but also in the ecclesial holy of holies, because not only was and is the most illustrious Pope, but are the inclusive global community of Bishops and even the most reverend church or congregational councils, synods and ecumenical convocations are wretchedly fallible and have disastrously erred publicly as Luther is finally pushed to conclude for the first time during the argument in Leipzig against Dr. Eck in the early days of the evangelical reformation. He writes to his superior Spalatin in 1519:

In rebuttal I brought up the Greek Christians during the past thousand years, and also the ancient church fathers, who had not been under the authority of the Roman pontiff, although I did not deny the primacy of honor due the pope. Finally we also debated the authority of a council. I publicly acknowledged that some articles had been wrongly condemned [by the Council of Constance], articles which had been taught in plain and clear words by Paul, Augustine, and even Christ himself… Then I proved by the words of the council itself that not all the articles which it condemned were actually heretical and erroneous. (1999, c1957, 322)

Yet, we confessional Lutherans confess with great consensus that the Book of Concord is not one of these dismal church failures, but rather one of those glorious glimpses of heavenly light shining mercifully in the darkness of our world bringing divine forgiveness, grace and peace to lost sinners and thus effecting their salvation and granting them a new life. It – and especially its first and main Article of Justification – are not to be condemned as the Council of Trent did for instance in canon 12 on Justification: “Si quis dixerit, fidem uistificantem nihil aliud esse quam fiduciam divinae misericordiae peccata remittentis propter Christum, vel eam fiduciam solam esse, qua iustificamur: anathema sit.” (Denziger 1976, 379). This condemnation has finally be revoked in JDDJ 1998 in so far as it originally did not authentically describe the Lutheran position i.e. supposedly it represented a rather sad “misunderstanding” and was thus solved by an updated “hermeneutics”. Well, very concrete and real issues were side-stepped and not solved by this inter-denominational consensus as the LCMS points out in its response to this documentation between Rome and Geneva:

three types of differences that remain: differences of language, of theological elaboration, and of emphasis in the understanding of justification. But here an important question arises about JDDJ’s own claims. How can there be a genuine consensus on basic truths if the language, the elaborations, and the emphases differ?  (St.Louis 1999)

In contrast to praising this theological conundrum as partial success and even victory, confessional Lutherans hold that the precious diadem and divine crown jewel of our faith in the Justification of sinners by grace alone as formulated in Augsburg 1530 is still to be commended, confessed and propagated unequivocally, explicitly and boldly as the true exposition of the holy word of God. This Lutheran creed and Christian confession remains the common foundation, the all permeating life source of truth  that confessional Lutherans thrive on with magnificent unanimity – even if not uncontested as the opposition from Trent and the ongoing confusion from LWF/Rome shows. It is the universally valid, but also decisive/divisive standpoint, to which they were called by grace alone:

“Speaking of this summary of our Christian teaching in this way only indicates that there is a unanimously and commonly held, reliable form for teaching to which all our churches commonly pledge themselves. The extent to which all other writings are to be approved and accepted shall be judged and evaluated on the basis of and according to this form, for it is taken from God’s Word.” (Kolb, R. et al 2000, 529,10)

This confident and joyful conviction of confessional Lutherans is bound and caught up in the knowledge that we stand not so much accountable before human authorities and trials, but rather before the living God himself (cf. 1.Cor.4,1-5), who judges without fail and prejudice and will do so, when we like everybody will face at the end of time at the final judgment. His measure will be everything that he taught, entrusted to and mandated his disciples (cf. Mt.28,20). His word in law and gospel, in prescription and promise, in demand and gift, accusation and forgiveness, in blame and grace is the true treasure of the one, holy Christian Church as Luther writes in the 62^nd Thesis: “The true treasure  of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” (1999, c1957 31) That is what keeps the faithful here on earth both humble and confident, contrite and trusting, subdued, but also exuberant in this life, but also there and then beyond  death’s final grip. We realize with the dying Luther that we are truly beggars (Bayer 1999, 280-301), but beggars, who have been saved, accepted and divinely familiarized and who will finally reach our eternal destination being at home with our heavenly father, seeing what we have believed by his surpassing  grace and never ending goodness. This eschatological dimension of our existence ultimately relativizes daily experience, pressures, conflicts and temptations. (Peters 2009, 20.37) That is why we don’t despair even though we face the somber bottom line as emphasized in Luther’s introductory paragraph to his Lenten sermons held in response to the raving masses of Bilderstürmer/Iconoclasts in Wittenberg, which recalled him out political refuge and exile on the Wartburg:

“The summons of death comes to us all, and no one can die for another. Every one must fight his own battle with death by himself, alone. We can shout into another’s ears, but every one must himself be prepared for the time of death, for I will not be with you then, nor you with me. Therefore every one must himself know and be armed with the chief things which concern a Christian.” (1999, c1959 , 70)

See, it is at the open grave, facing death that Christians are called to profess their living faith as the apostle Paul teaches us:

Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1.Cor.15,54-58 ESV)

The result of this unshaken confessional stance faithfully facing death does not lead into a passive detachment to utopia, but rather to an very active abundance in the Lord’s work, because he lives and rules and we too are to live in his way of doing things, which are not in vain, but bring forth eternal fruit (cf. Joh.4,35-38).  It is this overpowering reality of facing the living God and depending solely on the work and merit of Jesus Christ to survive this divine confrontation, that makes Luther and also confessional Lutherans bold in the face of human trial and earthly affliction:

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. (LSB 2006, 656,3)

Luther’s Catechisms are living proof to this overwhelming confidence in the power of Jesus Christ’s gospel to save us from death – us and our children and their children too.

That’s why Lutherans taught their offspring earnestly to know as much as every Christian should know to achieve eternal life and salvation. That’s why even common Lutheran laborers and handymen from rural areas like Hermannsburg and Neuendettelsau went out of their comfort zone to preach this basic Christian gospel to far-off nations – be it to the aborigines in Australia, the Batak in Indonesia, the Gala in Ethiopia, the Lapps in Finnland, the Delaware Indians out West, the AmaZulu in Zululand and the BaTswana on the Transvaal High- and Lowveldt right up to the Limpopo. That is why Luther’s Catechisms are translated into many, many languages. The faith in God’s goodness, grace and mercy, which he has shown, given and preserved for us in creation, salvation and sanctification creates confessing confidence and opens a way forward even across cultural, national, racial and confessional borders and into those unknown areas, where this true and pure faith is not yet known, professed or proclaimed. However crossing this border of faith with the gospel of Christ has never put to shame, but has brought forth fruits of faith – sometimes little, sometimes more – but always it has been God’s miracle of his effective word creating faith out of nothing.

Hermann Sasse for one answered this pertinent question in a remarkable fashion in the noteworthy booklet: “Was heißt Lutherisch?” (1936), which was later translated by Tappert into English: “Here we stand” (1979). Together with his colleague, friend and brother in the ministry Friedrich Wilhelm Hopf, Sasse stood in line with that neo-confessional reawakening of the mid-nineteenth century, in which pastors like Johann Gottfried Scheibel [Breslau]; the brothers Ludwig and Theodor Harms [Hermannsburg]; Wilhelm Löhe [Neuendettelsau]; Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther [St.Louis] and August, Friedrich, Christian Vilmar [Marburg] stood for some of the most influential theologians for the later generation of confessional Lutherans in Southern Africa.

At the mission school of Bleckmar (Bergen) Lutheran theologians and missionaries were schooled by Hopf and others in the theology of confessional Lutherans. In my estimation this post-war schooling played no small part in the confessionalization of the two sister churches in Southern Africa – the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa and the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa.

This confessional stance was propagated in their joint-venture, the confessional cooperation called “Mission of Evangelical Lutheran Free Churches”. The theological course of both these churches and their mission operation was in line with the confessional course outlined by both Hopf and Sasse in their various publications: Missionsblatt; Lutherische Blätter; Briefe an Lutherische Pastoren etc. These young confessional Churches had either a bishop – Rev. Georg Schulz DD – or a president – Rev. Günter Scharlach – who served them influentially for almost a quarter century, where previously Rev. Christoph Johannes jr had served as Superintendent of the joint mission for nearly half a century. There is no doubt in my mind, that they together with their pastors and missionaries, evangelists and teachers harmoniously towed the confessional line penned down in cooperation with their colleague and teacher in the teamwork effort of the “Festschrift” for the 75^th anniversary of the Bleckmar Mission (Hopf, Lutherische Kirche treibt Lutherische Mission 1967) – just a bit into the 2^nd half of the 20^th Century.

The “other” Lutherans, who in the course of the past century joined in ELCSA, did so under the unionistic conditions of their mother churches, who were part of the evangelical Church in Germany [EKD]. Already in 1953 the confessional Lutherans explained in a joint-declaration signed both in Bleckmar and in Itshelejuba that cooperation with these “other” Lutherans was only imaginable as “goal and fruit of [doctrinal] negotiations, but not preempting their outcomes” (Hopf, Erklärung zur Frage nach der Zusammenarbeit lutherischer Missionen in Südafrika 1967, 166). That is very much the tone set for the constitution of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, which was formally adopted in 1967 and stated positive and negative conditions for church unity and fellowship:

1.3  By virtue of being bound by Scripture and Confessions, the LCSA is aware of the                unity of faith with the Church of the Apostles and orthodox Christians of all            times. The LCSA is therefore in fellowship with the Lutheran Churches in the whole world, in so far as these churches abide by the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions and act accordingly.

1.3.1               There is no church fellowship with congregations and churches which stand on a different foundation or, who on their part, have fellowship with those that accept teachings contrary to Scripture. (Africa 2010)

This basic confessional foundation of the Church is determinative. That is why the founders of the LCSA rejected the suggested name: “Lutheran Bantu Church of the Republic South Africa”, which would have erected tribal, racial and national barrier and rather elected to be called “Lutheran Church in Southern Africa” – emphasizing the essential confessional character of this ecclesial body, which ideally was without racial, ethnic or national apartheid and was in confessional unity with the one, holy Christian Church of the Apostles and orthodox Christians of all times and around the world “in so far as these churches abide by the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions and act accordingly.”

However the question remains even as we are well into the 21^st Century: What do we do about this foundation? Is it our way of faith and life? Does that determine our existence as Church, congregations and Christians? Or does this only describe our history, which was partly determined by foreign colonization and dominance by outsiders? Do we and our congregations believe, confess and teach this even today? What answer do we offer as we face the very similar challenge Laurence L. White addresses in his paper on “offering a good confession” (1997, 10), which he describes as proclaiming the gospel of salvation, defending the truth of God’s word and to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. What does that mean for us and our people in our context? To put it bluntly, it can’t be done with a pileup of some confessional writings from the past in some vault or storage cabinet. It surely must be more than just a repetition of sentences, paragraphs or constitutions voiced long ago and far away. Therefore it’s can’t just be about repristination as a restoration of an original cultural condition or traditional position reigning in German congregations of rural and pre-modern Bavaria, Lower-Saxony or even Prussia can it?

Closer to the biblical truth and appropriate Lutheran confession would be a way of faithfully living in God’s word and promise, being kept graciously by faith in Christ’s lord- and fellowship, and being forgiven, called, gathered and sent forth by the Holy Spirit’s guidance in his most holy liturgy and service of word and sacrament to serve as light to the gentiles and salt of this world, bringing forth fruit patiently in post-modern, pluralistic and very diverse and multi-cultural Southern Africa.

Christian Weber adds another dimension, when he develops the confessional missionary perspectives in the Congo and elsewhere against reigning pessimism in the ecclesial missions by putting them in the perspective of “plain discipleship on Jesus’ way of suffering” (Weber 2009, 79) clarifying that this confessional endeavor of  ecclesial missions in Jesus’ name can’t be oriented on success or even prosperity [horribile dictum] , but must rather be focused entirely on being faithful and obedient stewards of the good and gracious gifts of their Lord.

Perhaps it is typical to answer a question about today’s Church with reference to a glorious past long gone. What has Luther to do with us in Africa – or South Africa other than that we share his name? Is the Church called “Lutheran” really characterized by Luther’s gospel outlook? Do we confess before princes and kings as proclaimed in Ps.119,46 (Kolb, R. et al 2000, 31) and as the reformers did in Augsburg, while Luther was living outlawed [“vogelfrei”] on the Coburg?

Allow me to mention but a few sticky points for discussion – not necessarily in order of importance – and their relevance in light of the 10 commandments of our God :

1. African Renaissance as a revival of traditional religion: “Africa can only resume its proper role via a return to the ways of the ancestors” [Mbeki] – Compare also the ideology or better still traditional religion behind “Freedom Park”, which has a worship area for the ancestors.
2. Political or civil religion as a revival of hero worship: “Oliver Tambo was crucified for us” – “Nelson Mandela is our Jesus” – “Shembe is the way”
3. The genocide in Zimbabwe (Gukurahundi massacres); Xenophobia in South Africa; Discrimination of the San-people in Botswana;
4. Gender issues, rape, sexual discrimination, prostitution and human trafficking
5. Fraud, corruption, and mismanagement amongst South African leaders;
6. Poverty, land-claims and –distribution; unemployment; water and electricity;
7. Legalization of abortion and same-gender marriages.

Where are our words and their supportive actions? We must realize that we are but a small voice in the wilderness. No doubt about that. We are but a few thousand so-called confessional Lutherans in Southern Africa. LCSA counted 25, 000 members in 1992. In 2010 this number has dropped to about 5, 000. The FELSiSA has somewhere between 2-3, 000 members. So together these make up not even 10,000 people of a population of 45 million or less than 0,02%. We are beggars that is true. However is that reason enough to remain silent with regards to political injustice and blatant crimes against the people of Southern Africa?

Well, the publication of the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa is called “Bekennende Kirche” [Confessing Church]. Do these confessions reach the ears of the public forum, the market place, never mind the ungodly, heretics or enemies of the Church? These questions are not only rhetorical, but in my view of some importance. Are we able to address issues of faith on the basis of our common faith that the bible is the truth, the truth and nothing but the truth as the confessors of the Solid Declaration and the Epitome both under the cover of the Formula of Concord managed to do and thus unite over 5, 000 pastors in subscribing to this mandatory truth? And do we abide in word and deed by the teachings of the Lutheran Church as we promised at our ordination or have we accepted the hermeneutical principle of Leuenberg that denominational and theological practices and teachings, that were previously considered to be divisive of Church unity are only various modes, paradigms and thought systems of a larger unity and ecclesial harmony, which is no longer divided as before, but unites the faithful at a higher [?] level by synthesizing thesis and anti-thesis in a truly enlightened fashion? Well, Erasmus and other reformed peace mongers celebrate their renewed victory, whereas the confessors of 1580, who had toiled for years to promote true gospel unity are again repelled – and again by people calling themselves “evangelical”, and are at heart irenic, but still not Lutheran.

Do we manage to speak out as confessional Lutherans in our own midst even if it comes to infant baptism, the real presence of Christ in his Sacrament of the Altar, the efficacy of absolution in his name, the office of the ministry only rite vocatus or do we rather keep silent and thus promoting a precarious peace in our congregations and churches? To me it seems as if our own people sing the praises of Pentecostals, Prosperity adherents or other heretical sects and use their methods/intonations/mannerisms just a bit too willingly, but are just a wee bit too bashful about being Lutheran, never mind confessional Lutheran.

It is time again to join in with Philipp Spitta: „Es gilt ein frei Geständnis in dieser unsrer Zeit, ein offenes Bekenntnis bei allem Widerstreit, trotz aller Feinde Toben, trotz allem Heidentum zu preisen und zu loben das Evangelium.“ (EG 1994, 136,4), which freely translated means: “It’s time for free confession in this our present age, an open declaration opposing evils rage, against grim provocation and pagan sick illusion to praise and laud the gospel – that saving truth with Christ’s own seal.”

Works Cited

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Denziger, H & Schoenmetzer, A. Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum. Freiburg i.B. et al: Herder, 1976.

EG. Evangelisches Gesangbuch. Ausgabe fuer die Ev.Luth. Kirchen in Bayern & Thueringen. Munich: Verlag Evangelischer Presseverband fuer Bayern e.V., 1994.

Elert, W. Morphologie des Luthertums I & II . Munich: C.H. Beck Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1958.

“Erklaerung zur Frage nach der Zusammenarbeit lutherischer Missionen in Suedafrika.” In Lutherische Kirche treibt Lutherische Mission. Festschrift zum 75 jaehrigen Jubilaeum der Bleckmarer Mission, by F.W. Hopf, 165-166. Bleckmar ueber Soltau, Hannover: Mission Evangelisch-Lutherischer Freikirchen, 1967.

“Erklärung zur Frage nach der Zusammenarbeit lutherischer Missionen in Südafrika.” In Lutherische Kirche treibt Lutherische Mission. Festschrift zum 75 jaehrigen Jubilaeum der Bleckmarer Mission, by F.W. Hopf, 165-166. Bleckmar ueber Soltau, Hannover: Mission Evangelisch-Lutherischer Freikirchen, 1967.

Hopf, F.W. “Lutherische Kirche treibt Lutherische Mission.” In Lutherische Kirche treibt Lutherische Mission. Festschrift zum 75 jaehrigen Jubilaeum der Bleckmarer Mission 1892 14.Juni 1967, by F.W. Hopf, 13-47. Bleckmar ueber Soltau [Hannover]: Mission Evangelisch-Lutherischer Freikirchen, 1967.

Kolb, R. Bound Choice, Election, and Wittenberg Theological Method. From Martin Luther to the Formula of Concord. Grand Rapids et al: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 2005.

Kolb, R. “The sheep and the voice of the shepherd. The ecclesiology of the Lutheran Confessional Writings.” Concordia Journal, 2010: 324-341.

Kolb, R. et al. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.

LCSA. Constitution. Pretoria: Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, 2010.

LSB. Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006.

Luther, M. http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lyman/english233/Luther-Diet_of_Worms.htm. 2011.

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—. LW Vol.40: Church and Ministry II. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999, c1958.

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St.Louis, Systematic Departments of the CTS Ft.Wayne and the CS. Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification in Confessional Lutheran Perspective. An evaluation of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic “JDDJ”. St. Louis: LCMS, 1999.

Weber, C. “Loehe im Kongo… gegen den Pessimismus.” In Wilhelm Loehe. Erbe und Vision. , by D Ed. Blaufuss, 67-79. Guetersloh: Guetersloher Verlagshaus, 2009.

Wenz, G. Theologie der Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch lutherischen Kirche Bd.1. Berlin u.a.: Walter de Gruyter, 1996.

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Abendandacht: Silberhochzeit : Hans und Renate, 9. 4. 2011:; Ps 106, 1; H 4,16 2dem landeskirchlichen Hannoverschen Gesangbuch und dem EKG steht, und leider auch nicht ins ELKG und das FELSiSAgesangbuch aufgenommen worden ist: Ihr Höllengeistern packet euch! Hier habt ihr nichts zu schaffen; dies Haus gehört in Jesu Reich; lasst es nur sicher schlafen. Der Engel starke Wacht hat es in guter acht, ihr Heer und Lager hält ihm Schutz; drum sei auch allen Teufeln Trutz.1 Diesen Schutz hat uns der Herr in seiner Güte, Gnade und Barmherzigkeit versprochen, dass wir mit unseren Kindern fröhlich singen können: Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh, dass mein Schatz ist das A und O, der Anfang und das Ende. Er wird mich doch zu seinem Preis aufnehmen in das Paradeis; des klopf ich in die Hände. Amen, Amen, komm, du schöne Freudenkrone, bleib nicht lange; deiner wart ich mit Verlangen. Und das alles aus lauter väterlicher, göttlicher Güte und Barmherzigkeit ohn all unser Verdienst und Würdigkeit.Da will ich nun noch an etwas erinnern, was Gott in seiner Güte, Barmherzigkeit und Freundlichkeit in ganz besonderer Weise an unserem Silberhochzeitspaar bewirkt hat. Er hat ihnen nicht nur die Herzen zur Glaubensgewissheit erweckt, er hat auch ihre Hände in Bewegung gesetzt zu tätiger Mitarbeit in der eigenen Gemeinde, nun auch in der Seminargemeinde und auch am Seminar. Außerdem darf nicht vergessen werden und soll hier ausdrücklich genannt werden, dass ihr Haus so weit offen war und noch ist, dass sich in ihrem Haus in all den Jahren jüngere Geschwister, auch die älteren, und nun auch Neffen und Nichten so richtig wohl und aufgehoben gefühlt haben und willkommen und wie zu Hause wissen. Das war schon so, als sie in ihrem kleinen Gartenflat anfingen, dann in Sinoville, Capital Park, Hatfield und jetzt noch immer in Weawind Park. Bei all diesem Liebesdienst wissen sie sich als gute lutherische Katechismuschristen in guter lutherischer Überzeugung verpflichtet, auch den Schluss der Auslegung des ersten Artikels zu beherzigen: Des alles ich ihm zu danken, zu loben und dafür zu dienen und gehorsam zu sein schuldig bin. Ach, danket, danket Gott mit mir! Gebt unserm Gott die Ehre!Lasst uns beten in Erinnerung an die Ermahnung aus Hebräer vier! Herr Gott, lieber himmlischer Vater, wir danken dir, dass wir überall und zu allen Gelegenheiten mit Zuversicht zu dem Thron deiner Gnade hinzutreten sollen, damit wir Barmherzigkeit empfangen und bei dir Gnade finden. Wir danken dir für dieses Fest, und vor allem für Hans und Renates 25jähriges Eheglück und ihre 25jährige gegenseitige Liebe, Treue und Anerkennung, für ihren rührigen Einsatz und Dienst in Gemeinde und Kirche für ihr Haus, das für jüngere Geschwister, Neffen und Nichten hier in Pretoria ein zu Hause war und noch ist, das für Besuch der Eltern, Freunde und Verwandte offen ist. Nun bitten wir dich aufgrund Deines Befehls und aufgrund Deiner Verheißung: Erhalte ihnen und allen Eheleuten ihr Eheglück und gegenseitige Liebe, Treue und Anerkennung; erhalte ihnen den Eifer zum frohen Einsatz und Dienen in Gemeinde, Kirche und Mission und die Freudigkeit wie bisher, mit so viel Liebe und Selbstverständlich ihr Haus offen zu halten für Verwandte, Freunde und vor allem für ihre Neffen und Nichten. Erhöre uns um Deiner Gnade, Barmherzigkeit und Güte willen, die du uns um Jesu Christi willen verheißen hast. Amen.Vater unser im Himmel, geheiligt werde dein Name, dein Reich komme, dein Wille geschehe wie im Himmel so auf Erden. Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute. Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, wie auch wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlös uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit. Amen. Wir singen zum Schluss den ersten, den wichtigsten vierten, und letzten Vers aus Nun lasst uns Gott dem herren ….Nun lasst uns Gott dem Herren Dank sagen und ihn ehren für alle seine Gaben, die wir empfangen haben. – Ein Arzt ist uns gegeben, der selber ist das Leben; Christus, für uns gestorben, der hat das Heil erworben. – Erhalt uns in der Wahrheit, gib ewigliche Freiheit, zu preisen deinen Namen durch Jesus Christus Amen.Es segne und behüte uns der allmächtige und barmherzige Gott, der Vater, der Sohn und der heilige Geist. Amen.1 LKG und Singendes betendes Zion