Nunc Dimittis

What a great way to end 2007 and prepare for 2008 -- I'm learning something new. That seems to be a daily occurrence lately. For many decades I said the Nunc Dimittis at church and had no idea what it was or where came from. It came after communion. I just said it.

Part of the message during the service this Sunday was a reading in Luke 2:33-38.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

From the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod: https://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/Worship/litgloss.pdf

Nunc Dimittis (noonk di-MIT-iss)

Latin for "now dismiss." These are the words spoken by Simeon as he held the 40-day-old Jesus in his arms (Luke 2:25—35). One of the New Testament canticles, it was traditionally used in the daily service of Compline and as an alternate to the Magnificat in Vespers. In the Lutheran Church it is also appointed for use following the distribution of the Lord’s Supper.

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunc_dimittis

Happy Baptism Day Jill

I wanted to wish our daughter Jill a Happy Baptism Day. Jill was baptized on December 30, 1979 at New Home Lutheran Church in Mitchell, SD. We celebrated today by lighting her baptism candle and eating cake. And we sang Happy Baptism Day to the tune of Happy Birthday.

http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/wa_baptism.pdf

The Lutheran Difference -- Holy Spirit

I will be co-leading a new study for women in January. The study is the Holy Spirit from the Lutheran Difference series. (http://www.cph.org/). It is helpful to understand what the Lutheran Church teaches regarding the Holy Spirit as there are many different understandings amongst denominations. It can be confusing. From the study:

"As Lutherans interact with other Christians, they often struggle to explain their beliefs and practices. Although many Lutherans have learned the “what” of Lutheran doctrines, they do not always understand the “why.” Based on God's Word as faithfully reflected in the Lutheran Confessions, this study will help you to state clearly what you believe."

Contents

• About This Series
• Student Introduction
• An Overview of Christian Denominations
• Lutheran Facts
• The Spirit Speaks
• The Spirit of God
• Life-giving Spirit
• The Spirit of Holiness
• Baptized in the Spirit
• The Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit
• Leader Guide Introduction
• Answers
• Appendix of Lutheran Teaching
• Glossary

Study includes leader guide, glossary of terms, comparison sections showing the beliefs of various denominations and church bodies, and an appendix of orthodox Lutheran teaching.

Behold, Lord .....

"Behold, Lord, here is an empty cask that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me, and fill me with fire that my love may flower out over my neighbor. I do not have a firm, strong faith; I doubt at times and cannot fully trust God. O Lord, help me; increase my faith and trust for me. In You is locked the treasure of all my possessions. I am poor; You are rich and You come to have mercy upon the poor. I am a sinner; You are righteous. I pour forth a stream of sin; but in You are all fullness and righteousness."

Martin Luther

Revelation, A LifeLight Bible Study

I will starting a new Bible next week called Revelation and it is part of the LifeLight series. It is written by Lutherans and published by Concordia. (http://www.cph.org/) The topics are:

• Understanding the Book of Revelation Rev 1:1-8
• The Triumphant Christ Speaks to His Church Rev 1:9-3:22
• Our Victorious Lord Leads through Trouble to Triumph Rev 4-7
• The World Shaken, God's Kingdom Stands Firm Rev 8-11
• Christ's Victory over Satan and His Hosts Rev 12-14
• Praise for God and Armgeddon for the World Rev 15-16
• The Agony of the Wicked and the Ecstasy of the Saved Rev 17-19
• The Millennium and the Doom of Satan Rev 20
• Our Victorious Lord Reigns Forever Rev 21-22
  
  

Luke 2:10-11

From the Word of God ....

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (New King James)

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (King James)

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (NIV)

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (English Standard Version)

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! (New Living Translation)

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2007

It's that special day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Our celebration began last night when we went to church to sing Christmas carols, listen to the Christmas story from Luke and receive the Sacrament. These are my children -- Alex and Jill. Jill used to get pj's for Christmas, but now it's just Alex. This year it was camouflage pj's.

At 6:30 a.m. I put our traditional Christmas casserole in the oven and started lighting the Christmas tree lights (we have 3 trees) and candles through the house. At 6:45 a.m. my son Alex (age 10) came downstairs very excited. Even though he knows Santa isn't real and it's all about Jesus, he still gets excited for the presents.

At 8 a.m. everyone came downstairs to began the day in earnest. First, it's coffee and mimosas. We settled on the sofa to watch a video called "The Story of the Birth of Jesus" from Tommy Nelson. Then the gift opening began and took less than 20 minutes. As everyone enjoyed their gifts we gobbled down the Christmas casserole.

The gifts are opened, coffee is gone, our stomachs are full, the wrapping paper is in the garbage. The last event of the morning is cake. We always make a birthday cake for Jesus in a heart shaped pan. This year Alex chose confetti cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

Merry Christmas!

The Nativity -- Our Family

For the last few years we have had our family picture taken at our church's Christmas Extravaganza. However we didn't make it this year. So here are the pictures from past years.

Winter Solstice

http://www.winbuzz.com/

It's December 22, 2007 and the Winter Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year and it's a new moon also. That means no moonlight. Many cultures have celebrated or continue to celebrate this day in a variety of ways.

Some examples are: The Dōngzhì Festival or The Winter Solstice Festival(Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; "The Extreme of Winter") is an important festival celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the dongzhi solar term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; i.e., on the first day of the dongzhi solar term.

Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Scandinavian Norse mythology and Germanic pagans.

Yaldā also known as Shab-e Cheleh is celebrated on the eve of the first day of the winter (21th December) in the Iranian calendar, which falls on the Winter Solstice. It celebrates the birth of Sun god Mithra.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Solstice_Celebrations

Christmas Nail for You

This is the third year that I have made Christmas Nails for friends and family. The Christmas Nail is a vivid reminder of what God's Gift to man really was and is. I saw a similar ornament, but decided it would be more meaningful if I created my own.

So I brought large spikes at the hardware stores for about 14¢ each and tied a small message with a red ribbon on each spike. The Christmas Nail is designed to sit quietly in the tree as a reminder. It could easily be something you leave out year round as a powerful reminder.

Last Minute Gift Idea

Only 3 days until Christmas. If you need a great gift idea -- I have one! Concordia Publishing House (http://www.cph.org/) has a wonderful devotional based on the writing of Martin Luther. It's called Through Faith Alone.


Today's devotion (December 21):

The Glory of the Lord

An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified.

Luke 2:9

******

First of all, the event described in this passage wasn't merely one person telling another some good news. But an angel came from heaven and announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds. No human being knew anything about it. Second, notice that Christ was born at midnight. This shows that the world was dark at his coming and human reason on its own can't recognize Christ. Heaven must reveal it. Third, the bright light, which surrounded the shepherds, shows that something completely different than the light of reason is needed.

Luke says, "The glory of the Lord filled the area with light." He calls this light the glory of the Lord. Why? He does this to emphasize the mystery and show us the nature of the gospel. It is a heavenly light that teaches Christ alone.

This light from heaven shines around us through the apostles and their followers who now preach the gospel. The angel in this story is like all of the preachers of the gospel, and the shepherds are like all listeners. Accordingly, the gospel comes from heaven and doesn't tolerate any other teachings added to it, for human teaching is earthly light and human glory. It lifts up human glory and praise and makes people arrogantly rely on their own efforts. But the gospel teaches everyone to trust in Christ. So rely completely on God's kindness and goodness. Glorify Christ and be bold in him.

How well do you know your geography?

I attended the National Geography Bee at my son's school today. He was one of the representatives for the 5th grade. Unfortunately the students confirmed what seems to be the norm in America. Students don't know their geography! I suspect the students' parents don't know their geography either.

Test yourself: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/

I've placed this link on the right side of my blog so readers can test themselves anytime they visit my blog.

The Everlasting Angel and the Mountains of Fire

I'm reading a new book that we will be giving to our 10 year old son for Christmas. It's called The Everlasting Angel and the Mountains of Fire written by Peter M. Kurowski and Elizabeth R. Scheperle.

It is a historical fiction book aimed at young teens, but adults would enjoy it also. The story is about the Angel of the Lord (The Everlasting Angel) in the Old Testament. The story follows Zarak has he journeys through real Old Testament events and places. There are many characters that you'll recognize like Sarah, Abraham and Hagar and others who are fictional like Zarak, Mo and Gunk. The story is a blend of truth, humor, and suspense.

I heard an interview by Pastor Tom Baker of one of the authors on Law and Gospel http://www.kfuoam.org/LG_Nov_06.htm. It's a wonderful interview.

The book can be ordered at http://www.lawgospel.com/cgi-bin/order.aspx.

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

We attended Carols by Candlelight at Our Shepherd Lutheran in Birmingham, MI last night. Our son attends Our Shepherd Lutheran School. (http://www.ourshepherd.net/)

Even though it was snowy and cold, the church was filled. We listened to many different choirs sing Christmas carols and hymns for 2 hours by candlelight. It was delightful.

We sang many stanzas of Martin Luther's From Heaven Above to Earth I Come. I have not heard or sung that hymn since about 2000.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/r/fromheav.htm

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

1. "From heaven above to earth I come
To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

2. "To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

3. "This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself your Savior be
From all your sins to set you free.

4. "He will on you the gifts bestow
Prepared by God for all below,
That in His kingdom, bright and fair,
You may with us His glory share.

5. "These are the tokens ye shall mark:
The swaddling-clothes and manger dark;
There ye shall find the Infant laid
By whom the heavens and earth were made."

6. Now let us all with gladsome cheer
Go with the shepherds and draw near
To see the precious gift of God,
Who hath His own dear Son bestowed.

7. Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
What is it in yon manger lies?
Who is this child, so young and fair?
The blessed Christ-child lieth there.

8. Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest,
Through whom the sinful world is blest!
Thou com'st to share my misery;
What thanks shall I return to Thee?

9. Ah, Lord, who hast created all,
How weak art Thou, how poor and small,
That Thou dost choose Thine infant bed
Where humble cattle lately fed!

10. Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
It yet were far too poor to be
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.

11. For velvets soft and silken stuff
Thou hast but hay and straw so rough,
Whereon Thou, King, so rich and great,
As 'twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.

12. And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee
To make this truth quite plain to me,
That all the world's wealth, honor, might,
Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.

13. Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

14. My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle-song:

15. Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto us His Son hath given!
While angels sing with pious mirth
A glad new year to all the earth.

Notes: #85 in _The Handbook to The Lutheran Hymnal_
Text: Luke 2: 1-18
Author: Martin Luther, 1535
Tune: Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1855, alt.
1st published in: "Geistliche Lieder" Leipzig, 1539

Sound Doctrine -- Essential

This pastor is Southern Baptist, but he is right on target with so much of what he has to say.

That's Your Opinion.....

St Lucia Day

December 13 is St. Lucia Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lucy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lucy%27s_Day

Luther's Rose

The Luther Rose

Prince John Frederick, who was the protector of Martin Luther, commissioned a seal for Luther which he would wear as a ring. Luther wrote this letter to Lazarus Spengler of Nuremburg, who was designing the ring.

Grace and peace in Christ, Honored and Dear Lord and Friend,

Since you wish to know whether they have designed my seal the way I wanted it, I will tell you how I originally planned my coat-of-arms as a symbol of my theology.

The first thing should be a cross, black, on a heart retaining the natural red color, to remind me that it is faith in the Crucified One that saves us. A person can only become righteous when he believes with his whole heart. And though this is a black cross, mortifying the flesh and purposely inflicting pain, it does not change the color of the heart or destroy its nature. It does not kill, but instead it preserves life: for the just shall live by faith, that is, faith in the Crucified One.

This heart should be set in the middle of a white rose, to show that this faith yields joy, peace, and comfort such as the world cannot give. This rose is white instead of red, because white is the color of spirits and angels.

This white rose is placed on a field of heavenly blue, because such spiritual joy and faith are a beginning of heavenly joys to come, which even now are possessed by faith and understood in hope, although they cannot yet be seen by the human eye.

Encircling this field is a ring of gold, to signify that the bliss of heaven endures forever and is more precious than all earthly pleasures and possessions, even as gold is the most precious of metals.

May Christ our dear Lord be with your spirit until it is safe in Heaven.

Amen

Doctrine is Life and I'm the Mom

Gottesdienst

Gottesdienst

Any German speakers? What does this word mean? Gottesdienst translates as God's Service. It's a word I've only learned recently, but it has a long history. The more I am learning about it, the more appealing it is becoming. It brings to mind the concept of AWE vs WOW. (http://maryellynatthecross.blogspot.com/2007/11/awe.html)

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Service

The term "Divine Service" is somewhat unique to Lutheranism, and it reflects the theology of justification held by Lutherans. The term comes from the German word Gottesdienst (God service), and is significant because it reflects the Lutheran belief that the main actor in the Divine Service is God himself and not man. The connotation of the term is that the Word and Sacrament (the two parts of the Divine Service) are gifts that God gives to his people, and therefore Lutherans emphasize God's work rather than that of man. The term Mass was used by early Lutherans but such use has dwindled since then. Also, Lutherans have historically used the term to distinguish the Divine Service with Protestant Worship, where often the focus is on the worshipper bringing praise and thanksgiving to God.

This is a great website from a church that teaches about liturgy and the Small Catechism.

http://www.trinitynotl.ca/liturgy.html

If You Love Christ Then You'll Love Doctrine

A Gift of God

I'm rereading The Fire and the Staff by Klemet Preus. This book examines Lutheran theology in practice. Here are some thoughts on doctrine.

Doctrine seems to be a 8 letter word -- a double 4 letter word for many. Everyone has doctrine. There is ONE doctrine with many facets. Facets are articles of faith such as baptism, the Lord's Supper, predestination, good works and the list goes on.

Doctrine is and must be pure. True and pure doctrine is based on the Word of Christ and it is certain. In fact, Paul turned the world completely upside down with his doctrine and so did Martin Luther. They both had complete certainty about their beliefs.

A thought to ponder and treasure in your heart:

Doctrine is a gift of God.

A couple of quotes from Martin Luther regarding doctrine from Luther's Works:

"Doctrine must be one eternal and round golden circle, in which there is no crack; if even the tiniest crack appears, the circle is no longer perfect."

"With the utmost rigor we demand that all the articles of Christian doctrine, both large and small -- although we do not regard any of them as small -- be kept pure and certain. This is supremely necessary. For this doctrine is one our only light, which illumines and directs us and shows you the way to heaven."

Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the Japanese. The attacking planes came as a complete surprise. The planes arrived in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan. 2,403 died, 188 planes were destroyed 8 battleships were damaged or destroyed.

There is an interactive map and timeline at

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/.

Other websites:
http://pearlharborattacked.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/pearl/

Bible Studies and Doctrine -- does it matter?

Does doctrine matter when a church chooses Bible Studies?

I think it does. After all, doesn't doctrine drive what is in the Bible Study? For example, wouldn't a Baptist understand the Bible verse in Revelation about door knocking differently than a Lutheran? I sure hope so! And what do the various denominations understand about how faith is created or what do they believe about Holy Communion and Holy Baptism or the end times. Does it matter -- it sure does!!!

One of the Bible studies that I have seen at a Lutheran church is Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer. I have not taken the course and mostly likely will not. I'm more interested in what the Lutheran Church teaches, not the Southern Baptists or the Charismatics or the non-denominations or anyone else. This study is available through Lifeway Christian Resources which is Southern Baptist in orientation. Sounds good sort of, but here's information about what Priscilla Shirer believes: (http://www.goingbeyond.com/statement.asp)

We believe that such salvation with its forgiveness of sins, its impartation of a new nature, and its hope of eternal life, is entirely apart from good works, baptism, church membership or man's effort and is of pure grace.

We believe that a true believer is eternally secure, that he cannot lose his salvation, but that sin may interrupt the joy of his fellowship with God and bring the loving discipline of his heavenly Father. We believe that all who receive Christ become joint heirs with Him, and at death, their spirits depart to be with Christ in conscious blessedness. We believe that at rapture, their bodies will be raised to the likeness of the body of His glory and dwell forever in divine presence.

We believe that it is the goal of every Christian to become a disciple of Christ by growing toward spiritual maturity through the knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God and submission to the Holy Spirit, who indwells and seals all believers at the moment of salvation. Believers must seek the fullness of the Spirit since it is His influence that will bring about victorious Christian living on earth.

A well-informed Lutheran should have huge problems with 'once saved, always saved' as starters. Guess baptism isn't a means of grace. I suspect that 'receive Christ' means making a decision. What about the rapture? There's a problem there. Growing towards spiritual maturity -- what's that mean? What the heck is 'seek the fullness of the Spirit'?

So my question to any Lutheran church using this study is:

Shouldn't we be teaching members about how Lutherans discern the voice of God? Although the answer is pretty clear -- God speaks very plainly and clearly through the means He has established --- the Scriptures and in the Lord's Supper and in Holy Baptism.

Historic Trinity

The Women of Wittenberg visited Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit. The church as been in existence since 1850. We experienced what a real Lutheran church looks and feels like. This was a place to experience AWE. The sanctuary was amazing with the stained glass, the pews, the pipe organ, and the carvings. The best place to find out more about Historic Trinity is to visit or at the very least go the website:

http://www.historictrinity.org/

Happy St. Nicholas Day

December 6 is St. Nicholas Day. We celebrate St Nicholas Day by opening a present and filling a stocking with gold chocolate coins. We read books about St Nicholas. The Saint Who Became Santa Claus by Evelyn Bence (I can't find it online). Another great book is The Real Santa Claus: Legends of Saint Nicholas by Mariana Mayer .

This is a tradition we started when Alex was 3 years. I want Alex to know who St Nicholas is and how he turned into Santa Claus over time. Santa Claus is fun, but I think too much emphasis is placed on gifts, Santa Claus and busyness during December. We want Alex to know that Christmas is not all about Santa Claus, but about the celebration of the birth of Christ.

There is lots of information on the Internet about St Nicholas. My favorite website is http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23.

This is the Russian Winter Icon of St. Nicholas.

Advent Hymns

I posted these hymns last year, but basically didn't keep up with the postings. So I'm bringing it to the present. These are two of my favorite Advent Hymns. A funny thing happened to me. I was raised in a church that had an organ and we sang mostly hymns. I NEVER realized how powerful the words of the hymns. That is until now.

Have a listen and sing along! (use the Back button on your browser to return to the blog.)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Unknown author in the 12th Century, translated by John M. Neale (1818-1866) Tune, French Processional, 15th Century http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomocom.htm

Fling Wide the Door
Georg Weissel, 1590-1635
trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Gracia Grindal, 1978.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/w/fwdtdoor.htm

To Have Historic Liturgy or Not to Have It

That's a big question in my mind right now. We attended the Lutheran church that is affiliated with our son's school this morning. It is a traditional liturgicalLutheran church. We have been attending a praise and worship style church which doesn't use the full historic liturgy for about 7 years. I have enjoyed the music and messages at my current church, but it felt very comfortable to be in a traditional Lutheran church again. I have been reading about liturgy and I am finally understanding what happens in a traditional liturgy. Having been away from liturgy for a season and having matured in my understanding of life I find tremendous comfort in saying familiar words.

Everything I am finding in my reading and listening says that God primarily gives to me and then I respond. In fact in many LCMS churches worship is called the Divine Service -- God serving me through His Word and the Lord's Supper. I found this great illustration from a church in Canada. (http://www.goodshepherd.nb.ca/liturgy/)

First Sunday in Advent

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent -- December 2, 2007 for this year. It's snowing outside, but by morning it will be a rainy, sloppy mess. The Christmas lights are up outside. We've started decorating the house. Both trees are up and the lights are on. The ornaments are still waiting to be hung. The Nativity is on the fireplace hearth, but Baby Jesus won't appear until Christmas.

After the trees and lights are done, the first thing that happens at our house is the Advent Calendar goes on the wall. We have a wooden Advent calendar. At the top is the Nativity scene and on the bottom are small doors with wooden ornaments inside. Each day Alex opens a door and places an ornament in the Nativity scene.