From the heart

"Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart." ~Martin Luther

Buck Up

"If one has never suffered,
one cannot understand
what hope is."
~Martin Luther
(See also Romans 5:3-5 & 2 Corinthians 1:4)

Happy Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517 (495 years ago, this week)
Dr. Martin Luther, a Theology professor at the University of Wittenburg, in Germany posted 95 Theses on the Castle Church door- challenging Christians to discuss and debate what he believed to be errors and corruption in the church of the time.
Especially the sale of "indulgences," documents promising to keep people out of Hell and/or Purgatory. Profits of the sales of these indulgences often went to line the pockets of rich Bishops, cardinals and the Pope and probably helped pay for opulent palaces, chapels and Renaissance decorations in Rome.

Luther's hope was to reform the Church, not to start a new one.
His main teachings were based on Romans 3:22 "...righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe," and Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

Whatever his own faults or those of "Lutherans" who came after him, Luther's legacy is one that focuses Christians on that fact that we are saved by Grace alone (the free gift of what Jesus did on our behalf and in our stead on the cross), Faith alone- not by anything we have to do or try to refrain from doing, but only by trusting in what Jesus did- and we know these truths thanks to Scripture alone, not by philosophers or teachers or some new revelations given only to some magical and infallible representative of God- like the Pope, or like the Mormon's Prophet or any human leader- but only from God's Word itself, the Bible.  2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Reading some really 'OLD-school!'

GEEKING OUT; last night I was reading the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope compiled by theologians in Smalcald, Germany in 1537 and it totally reinforced for me democratic philosophies about bottom-up structures, empowerment of the populace, and an aversion to tyranny. Amazing how conservative/orthodox 16th century theology is a good model for liberal/progressive 21st century politics.

Not to mention servant-leadership, egalitarianism or the separation of church-and-state!

It amazes me that Lutherans can purport to agree with this stuff from the Reformation and then seem to support so much of the ideology and behavior espoused by today's Republican candidates and pundits that's pretty much antithetical to what Martin Luther and his colleagues found in Scripture and wrote and taught. 

Antithetical and in my opinion, short-sighted and irresponsible.

But it does not surprise me that Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. was impressed enough to change he and his son's names after learning about the reformer's on a trip to Europe.

God's people Occupy His church

Oct.31, 1517, Wittenburg University (Hamlet's Alma Mater) Theology professor, and pastor Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church hoping to provoke discussion & debate about what he saw as abuses and excesses in the church. He encouraged believers to see for themselves in the Bible that we are saved only by God's grace through faith in Jesus alone.

"Fat cats" were telling people that you had to buy your way into Heaven. Then they used that money to build Renaissance cathedrals and to live in power and opulence themselves. But Luther knew that God wanted a personal relationship with each of us, regardless of our social station or our wealth. It is not how good we are or who we are, it is what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Seriously, a friend of mine recently started a"hash tag" on twitter & facebook, #OccupyChurch
I LOVED her idea. When you think about it cell phones & social media are probably  world-changing technology, just like Gutenberg's press was back in the 16th century. And at least in my opinion, the American Plutocracy (Wall Street banks,  multi-billionaire political donors and activists like the Koch brothers, conservative think tanks, multinational corporations and oil companies, not to mention FOX News) are a lot like the Roman papacy and the Holy Roman Empire's social and political hierarchy was back in the 1500's. Entrenched institutions bent on acquiring power and wealth and protecting it's own interests at the expense of the masses.

Of course, this time we also have the Arab Spring revolutions going on around us too. Islamic peoples have woken up to the fact that it's not Western Christians who've been oppressing them, so much as their own political despots.

Tyranny comes in many forms, but generally it happens when too much power or too much money is concentrated among too few, whether it be corrupt church leaders as we came out of the dark ages, Middle Eastern dictators, the mercantilism practiced by the British empire on her colonies, or the so called 1% in America today.

My friend wonders why are so many occupied with the pursuit of riches and fame? She admonishes us that according to Proverbs 11:4, "Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."

I think that #redletterchristians need to capitalize on the growth of the #OWS movement and remind Christians that our faith is not about comfort and affluence or mega-churches with coffee bars, nor is it about political dominance and imposing our morality or our political will on others- it is about sharing the love and sacrifice, the compassion and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. It is by His work on the cross, not by where we were born, the color of our skin, the thickness of our wallets, nor by our political affiliation that we are saved.

Join the discussion and share your ideas about #occupychurch, make it as active as any #occupy-name of your city here

"I have sometimes thought there could be no stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments even the most rational and manly than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent Advocates in the cause of Christ, & I wish you may give in your Evidence in this way. Such instances have seldom occurred, therefore they would be more striking and would be instead of a "Cloud of Witnesses."~ James Madison, Letter to William Bradford (September 1773

Sin Boldly!

"If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign."~Martin Luther

Professors at Concordia, Seward taught us that there must always be a balance of Law and Gospel in religious teaching and writing, but they also advised us that if you are going to err, err on the side of the Gospel. I hope and pray, as liberal as some of my politics, as un-researched as some of my theology and as stream-of-consciousness and extemporaneous as most of my writing tends to be, I still hope that above all, readers see Jesus as loving and accepting, forgiving and inclusive. As many pastors pray at the beginning of their sermons, may the words of my mouth (keyboard) and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in God's sight.

Empty Vessel Prayer

"Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled.
My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith;
at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether.
O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you."

~Martin Luther

Lighten up, Lutherans

I've never seen a happy or friendly looking portrait of Martin Luther. But if you've read much Luther, you realize what a great sense of humor he had. My wife and I wanted to make something for our pastor for Christmas this year. As much as I thought that he'd appreciate one of those "suffer the little children to come unto me" pictures of Jesus- I just couldn't bring myself to do it, they're SO many of them. And I don't know whether I could capture either Jesus or a bunch of children successfully. I'm not saying that they should re-make the 2003 movie "Luther" and replace Joseph Fiennes with Jack Black in the role of Luther or anything, but I don't see why he can't be portrayed as a jovial and approachable paternal or even grandfatherly type. Why must he always be so stern and sober?

"You have as much laughter as you have faith" ~Martin Luther

"If you are not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there." ~Martin Luther

"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." ~Martin Luther

"He who sits  in heaven laughs" Psalm 2:4

Reformation Art

I really likes how the glaze turned out on the interior of this pot. It looks like a heart. I think what happened is that the bottle's directions recommended two different temperatures for firing it in the kiln, and I opted for the higher of the two, and unfortunately that lead to most of the glaze turning out black, except where it pooled. Fortunately, that looks really pretty, so what the heck!

It struck me that it looks a lot like Luther's coat of arms (see right), maybe that's because it's October, so Reformation is coming up. It also looks like a heart radiating fire, kind of fitting with this blog's theme. And it sort of reminds me of the "Sacred Heart" icon, or maybe like the House of Blues logo.

Explanation of Luther's Seal:

A Black cross remind me that faith in the Crucified saves us. He died so that I can live.

Red Heart that cross does not kill, but keeps alive. My heart belongs to Jesus.

White Rose to show that faith causes joy, consolation and peace.

Sky Blue, as Luther said, "such joy of faith in the spirit is but an earnest yearning and beginning of heavenly joy to come, as anticipated and held by hope"

Gold Ring to signify that such bliss in heaven is endless, and more precious than all temporal joys and material treasures.

Luther on war

"War is the greatest plague that can affect humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it."

~Martin Luther

John Edwards '08 Blog

Join the Campaign to Change America / John Edwards '08 Blog:

Is it time for a new Martin Luther?
By John Edwards "486 years ago come April 16th Martin Luther appeared in Worms to be offered the opportunity to recant his statements (“The 95 Theses”) regarding the power of the Pope to sell dispensation (Indulgences) for earthly sins to the living and the families of the dead.

What do you mean 'dispensation'? Early in the sixteenth century the Church discovered a new business opportunity-why limit yourself to offering forgiveness to the marketplace of the living, when you could “grow the brand”, as it were, and offer the same services to the deceased for sins they committed during life?

How can you make money from the dead? Easily, if you convince their living descendants that forgiveness in the “afterlife” (the ability to move from Purgatory to Heaven, for example) depends on a steady stream of payments from the living. And thus the “Indulgences” industry was born.

How far had the Catholic Church strayed from Christian principles? In 1536 William Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake (taking no chances, apparently) for translating the Bible into English-versions of the Bible not translated by the Church were listed in the Church’s “Index of Banned Books”, and violation of the rule was a capital offense.

He declined. With that act, resistance "

The actions of Martin Luther are the basis for the formation of the Protestant Church (“Lutheran” of course, being derived from his name).

So here we are, 486 years later, and the wheel seems to have turned full circle.

It is not difficult today to find examples of those who would teach hate as enlightenment, or those who would assert the gathering of wealth is serving a higher purpose.

It is easy to find those who call themselves Christian, but who would ignore the missive “...If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (John 3:16-18).

There are even those who suggest that a final battle will cause the death of the Unbelievers, and bring, in a final show of God’s love, the Second Coming-and that we should do all we can to encourage the process.

With all this in mind, I humbly offer a few New Theses for today.

--Hate is not a tool for spreading understanding.

--Revenge is not a means to achieve righteousness.

--Taking away from the poor because you need the money to kill others will not get you into Heaven.

--If your religion is guided by voices from Heaven, be careful of voices from Earth.

--I don’t care who you are, if you think you understand the One and only Truth about anything metaphysical-you don’t.

--As regards a Second Coming: be careful what you wish for-you may get it.

This is a community.
Let’s all be Martin Luther today.

Do you have a thesis of your own?
Add it to the list-think of it as your own Easter egg to the rest of us.

Ted's take: Wow! When will all of the supposed "conservative-Christians" cease to listen to Bill O'Rielly, Rush Limbaugh, or Jerry Fawell and James Dobson and start listening to Jesus Christ? "Love your enemy, blessed are the peacemakers, go and sell everything and give it to the poor."

Being from South Carolina, I just assumed that Edwards was a Southern Baptist, but this blog entry of his has me thinking he knows his Luther. Click here to read the original post on his blog- he includes a outstanding quote from (Martin Luther in 1545).

Learn more about Edward's personal beliefs at Beliefnet by clicking here.

One of my favorite parts of Barack Obama's book is when he wondered, as a Constitutional Law professor at the University of Chicago, whether or not the Theology professors were as frustrated as he was- that their students didn't bother reading Scripture (or in his case the Constitution) but hat tiny bits memorized out of context that they used to support their preconceived positions. That's the opposite of sound practice, which is exegesis- learning from Scripture what your position ought to be.

Me ka pule,
Ted

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions

"The Blog of Concord" is an ongoing roundtable discussion of the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord.

I think that this is a terrific resource for anyone studying for Confirmation or if you're in a Lutheran Doctrines class at a Lutheran college.

The Book of Concord is a collection of confessions, including the Augsburg Confession and the Smalcald Articles in which Luther and other church reformers defended and explained their positions against accusations of heresy from Rome. Awesome stuff, than God for the doctrines and ideas expressed in it. And yes, you could say that it is what makes us Lutheran, just be careful to worship Jesus and rely on the Bible, don't make the mistake of worshiping out Lutheran heritage and assuming that the Book of Concord is inerrant, divinely-inspired Word of God on an equal level with the Bible. That would be treating it like the Book of Mormon or the Koran, calling it a second scripture, and that would be blaspheme and heresy. We Lutherans have to be careful that we don't become the same thing that our predecessors were preaching against- No offense to you Catholic readers, but "Suma Theologica" isn't God's pure Word either. Sola Fidelis, Solo Gratia, Sola Scriptura- faith alone, grace alone, SCRIPTURE alone was the motto of Luther and the other signers of the confessions.

Luther’s coffee cup prayer

Behold, Lord

An empty vessel that needs to be filled.

My Lord, fill it

I am weak in the faith; Strengthen me.

I am cold in love; Warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor…

O Lord, help me.

Strengthen my faith and trust in you…

With me, there is an abundance of sin; in You is the fullness of righteousness.

Therefore I will remain with You,

Whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.

Mallory's Milieu - LUTHERAN MUSIC

Mallory's Milieu - LUTHERAN MUSIC
Here are a couple of Garrison Keillor routines and "Lost and Found's" Lutheran answer to Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song"

Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart.
- Martin Luther