Laymen with Issues, Etc

This is more good news for confessional Lutherans in America.


http://laymenetc.typepad.com/

Pirate Christian Radio

Yes siree --- Pastor Wilken and Jeff are returning to the airwaves. Check it out! Pastor Wilken will give you the details!

http://www.piratechristianradio.com/

Holy Trinity Sunday

Albrecht Durer. The Adoration of the Holy Trinity.

1511. Oil on panel.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.

I'm a day late...but it's still worthy to post about Holy Trinity Sunday. Yesterday was Holy Trinity Sunday. It's the Sunday after Pentecost.

"This Sunday in the Church Year is called The Holy Trinity. This is the one major celebration in the year that has its focus in a doctrine or teaching. The word "Trinity" cannot be found in the Bible, neither can "Triune." Nonetheless, the teaching or revelation from God is there, and people needed to call it something. The name has also been chosen for a Sunday and more than one congregation.

What is most interesting about all of this is that this particular doctrine or teaching is one of the most complex and difficult in all Christian theology. I always say that is fitting and should not surprise us at all. It helps us to avoid thinking we could ever fully understand God. Anyone who writes a book entitled, "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About God," is either self-deceived or trying to deceive us. We struggle enough with what God has revealed about Himself; there is so, so much more that we could not begin to comprehend."

From www.lcms.org

Prince Caspian

We went to see Prince Caspian today. I loved it. It was basically true to the book -- a few changes to make for movie excitement. Read the book and then go. The book gives you more detail. The movie is filled with battle scenes, but that is how it must be. The movie has a PG rating which means the battles are more fantasy than gory realism.

Pentecost

Girolamo da Cremona active:1450 - 1485 Northern Italy

It's the 50th day of Easter -- Pentecost

"The word "Pentecost" is derived from the Greek word for "fifty."

The Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, occurred 50 days after Jesus' resurrection and 10 days after His ascension.

The day celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the disciples following Jesus' ascension.

On the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week, the Jews celebrated a festival of thanksgiving for the harvest. It was known by a number of different names:

• Feast of Weeks (Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10)
• Feast of Harvest (Ex. 23:16)
• Day of First fruits (Num. 28:26)

The "Feast of Weeks" was the second-most important festival for the Jews. (The most important was Passover.) This explains why so many people from all over the Roman empire were in Jerusalem on the day when the Holy Spirit was sent (see Acts 2:8-11).

The Day of Pentecost is seen as the culmination of the Easter season.

In many calendars, the day is listed as "Whitsunday." This comes from the phrase "White Sunday," and refers to practice of the newly baptized appearing in their white, baptismal garments on that day.

The color of the day is red, symbolizing the tongues of fire that appeared on the apostles.

In the early church, Jesus' ascension and the sending of the Spirit were celebrated together.

By the seventh century, Pentecost had become such an important festival that the whole week following was set aside to observe it. Law courts were not in session, and most work was forbidden. By the 12th century this was limited to only three days. In most European countries the Monday after Pentecost is still observed as a holiday."

Taken from the LCMS website

Ascension Day

Ascension of Christ 1510 1520

Garofalo

Today is Ascension Day for those who follow the church calendar.

What is Ascension Day? It is a moveable feast of the Christian Church that comes 40 days after Easter (Acts 1). Ascension Day marks the day when Jesus Christ ascended up into Heaven. This year it's on May 1st.