Author: Julie Raffa

October 2018 Revised

The Pilgrim Herald

Beware the Leaven of the Modern Pharisees
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7:15

Greeting in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ! I pray all is going well with you and your family as you are getting back into the swing of balancing work and school. It is good to have everyone returning from their busy summers and to see the children in Confirmation classes and Sunday school, this is going to be an amazing year as we continue learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus and grow in the Christian faith.
When I last wrote (August Newsletter) I shared with you an article written by Rev. Paul Beisel in which he warns against “Trojan horses” in our spiritual or faith life. Rev. Beisel does a nice job of addressing some common places where false doctrine can creep into our life unexpectantly. The article looked at some common pitfalls in devotional books, music, and worship. After the article was published some members asked that I strive to dig deeper into the topic. To do that I would like to remind you of Rev. Beisel’s second full sentence, “As Christians, we need to beware of spiritual “Trojan horses” and take care not to be like the Trojans, unwittingly bringing the Enemy or his deadly teachings into our midst through seemingly innocent vehicles.”
This warning echoes Jesus warning to his disciples, Matthew 16:6-12, 6Jesus said them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”… 11How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” 12Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
St. Paul continues this refrain as he warns Timothy that in the later days, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
These are only a few examples of text in the Bible that call us to be careful about the teachers and doctrines that they teach. In fact, you are a member of a congregation in The LC-MS and your congregation and pastors, and all rostered church workers have made a vow to the “Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school.” (article VI . 4 Condition of Membership, Handbook of Synod) This standard for our Synod is to maintain doctrinal unity in our churches, for the sake of the hearers. We don’t want any broken and wounded sinner coming to our services and not hear the pure Gospel, the forgiveness of their sins solely by grace through faith on account of Jesus the Christ death and resurrection. I guess one could ask if our Synod’s standard for public teaching is the exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in our churches and schools, why wouldn’t the Christians who are members of those churches strive to do the same thing? After all St. Paul warns, Galatians 5:9, 9A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
So, the questions that must be asked of the Lutheran believer is, “why would you willingly use, buy, or support that which isn’t pure?” “Why are we so often tempted to judge faithfulness to God’s Word based on popularity?”
Didn’t Paul warn us that those who reject sound/pure doctrine/teaching will gather for themselves teachers to suit their own passions? Our sinful flesh wants what it wants, and what it wants the most is not to be put to death, it will put up with rules, discipline, and just about anything except death. Our sinful nature just loves comparing its self to its neighbor, it will even feel really bad, as long as it doesn’t have to die. But Jesus is in the killing and making alive business, and the Church is charged to proclaim both Law and Gospel, not just one or the other or worse moralism.
I’ll give you some examples of what I mean, in the August issue of The Lutheran Witness, there is a review of Dave Ramsey’s course Financial Peace University (FPU) while Ramsey has much practical advice for personal finances, and while other financial planners might disagree with some of his methods for managing your finances, where Ramsey falls short is his consistent misuse of the Word of God. Ramsey techniques are not dependent on using the Word of God, but since he does we need to be on our guard against false teachings. “Ramsey boldly proclaims that FPU presents ‘God’s ways’ of handling money, a method for ‘being biblical in finances.’ Charitably, Lutherans would interpret this as an overstatement that tests the limits of accuracy.” Ramsey not only overstates but often takes Bible passages out of context to make his points.
Another example is the TV speaker Joyce Meyer, she is a speaker in the Word-Faith movement and is a former LC-MS member. Meyer has publicly stated, “All I was ever taught to say was ‘I, a poor, miserable sinner.’ I am not poor, I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell.” (Joyce Meyer, From the Cross to the Throne tape, Life Christian Center in Saint Louis, Mo., date unknown) Making the Bible a liar. As the Scriptures teach we are sinful from the time of our conception (Psalm 51:5), that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and God says in Psalm 14:2-3, 2The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3they have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
The Bible is repeatedly reminding us to watch out for false teachers as Peter does in 2 Peter 2:1-2 1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Please understand, I’m not telling you that you can’t read, listen, or watch anything that I haven’t approved. What I am doing is warning you of the harm that can be caused by using your devotional time to consume errors. Law without Gospel will either drive you to despair or self-righteousness. The Gospel without the Law preached first will leave you wondering why you need the Gospel at all. When the Word of God is taken out of context, the Christian is left with false hope. All three of these are tools of Satan to drive you away from Jesus. You deserve better! You deserve to hear the Word of God taught in truth and purity not muddled with a dash of heresy or pinch of false teaching. Isn’t that what the Reformation, that we continue this month was all about? Getting rid of false teaching, and false hope for true teaching and true hope in our true Savior Jesus the Christ alone. Romans 1:16-17, 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
God bless, Rev. Joseph M. Fisher (Heb. 12:1-2)

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Pilgrim News

The Processional Cross — History & Meaning
The following is an article I wrote for the March 2018 Pilgrim Herald. At the request of our Board of Elders, it is being published again in preparation for a short survey concerning the congregation's feelings about the implementation of a processional cross at Pilgrim. The survey will be included in an upcoming bulletin and its results will be discussed at the Voter’s Meeting on October 21st. — Pastor Raffa

By now I am sure you have heard certain rumblings in the church about the possession and possible implementation of a processional cross. Or you haven’t. Either way, we need to take a giant step backward and relax. We are not going to simply hoist upon the saints of Pilgrim something that is foreign to them and so cause offense to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even worse, fracture our fellowship. To do so, would be completely misguided, and most assuredly horrible pastoral practice. Whenever there are liturgical rites, ceremonies, and sacred items that fall into the category of “Christian freedom” we must proceed carefully and with teaching and instruction—with catechesis. And the sole goal not being implementation, but the edification of God’s holy people.
Community parades, high school graduations, and weddings. At these events, processions are familiar. But in our day, most are unfamiliar with a procession within the context of the church, even less processing with a cross or crucifix. However, processing behind a cross or crucifix is an ancient practice. In O.T. times the people of Israel would process to the temple, chanting psalms as they went. This is why some of the Psalms are categorized as “psalms of ascent.”
Simply put, a processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in procession. The designs and style may vary, but normally it is a crucifix large enough for the congregation to see it during procession. It is carried at the front of the procession by a crucifer with the figure of the crucified Christ facing the direction the procession is moving. This symbolizes, among other things, that Christians are followers of Christ.
The Altar Guild Manuel by Lee Maxwell offers this explanation concerning processional crucifixes. “Common in many Lutheran churches is the processional cross. A cross (preferably a crucifix) is mounted on a staff and carried. As the name implies, this cross is used in processions. It may be carried in an entrance procession at the beginning of the service, the Gospel procession…or, if customary, to the gravesite in the service for the Burial of the Dead. When it is not being carried during the service, the processional cross rests in a stand in the chancel or in a bracket mounted on the chancel wall. If the service is being conducted in which there are no processions, the preferred place is for the processional cross to be placed in the sacristy (unless, of course, the processional cross also serves as the altar or chancel cross” (Maxwell, The Altar Guild Manuel, CPH, pg. 44. 2008).
Some history is in order. The use of the processional cross in the Christian assembly dates back several centuries. The first evidence of the cross in a Christian procession is found in Constantinople. In about 385 John Chrysostom, outraged by the boisterous night-time parading of the Arians, organized torchlight processions for orthodox believers. Crowds of chanting Christians carried silver crosses to which lighted wax tapers had been attached. You can just imagine the effect. In the end the emperor forbade the Arians any further public display. The poetic perception of the early church fathers found beautiful expression in the processional hymns of Venantius Fortunatus, two of which are in our Lutheran Service Book. “Sing My Tongue the Glorious Battle,” (454) and “The Royal Banners Forward Go” (455).
In the 8th century, the Venerable Bede (an English monk) wrote a work entitled, “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.” In this work, Bede tells that when St. Augustine of England, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and his companions landed in England in 596, they processed into the presence of King Ethelbert with a “silver cross for their banner.” Throughout Augustine’s and then Bede’s lifetimes the practice spread throughout Europe and the processional cross began to be used throughout Christendom. It could be simple or ornate. The popularity of using processional crucifixes more often than simple crosses especially grew in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is often held by archeologists and church historians that the processional cross was likely the origin of what we now commonly refer to as the “altar cross.”
In essence the processional cross is a movable symbol of Christ. It reminds us, in the words of the psalmist, that Christ, “will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (121:8). We are Christ’s body and as His body we follow in His footsteps. The cross is at once the sign of our victory in Christ over all the powers of sin and death, and the reminder that our lives are lived in sacrifice and love toward our neighbor. As the cross passes through our midst in procession we are reminded of the upside-down nature of our life in the Kingdom of God. Where the poor are set on thrones and the hungry are filled. Where the lions sleep with lambs and babies play near cobra’s dens. Where the humility of God is made flesh in Christ and embraces the contradiction of suffering and death. The cross is the perfect symbol for the children of God, for God is the God of reversals. The cross once a symbol of death is for us a symbol of life and love, hope and freedom. With Christ all our crosses and dying have been reversed and made into gateways to new life and resurrection. Thus, we joyfully follow Christ our Lord, He leading us, and we, His body, following. And so, we process in hopeful expectation around the cross, the wisdom and power of God’s marvelous “foolishness.”
An Addendum of Definitions:
Crucifier—A person (normally a young man) appointed to carry the church’s processional cross or crucifix. The term itself comes from the Latin crux (cross) and ferre (to bear, carry). It thus literally means, “cross bearer.”
Crucifix—Literally, “one fixed to a cross.” From the Latin, cruci fixus. It is an image of Jesus on the cross, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for “body.”)
Altar Cross (Crucifix)—is a cross placed upon the altar, and is the principal ornament of the altar. This cross is intended to serve as reminder to the people and the pastor of the nature of the Lord’s Supper, that it is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Specifically, it is placed directly in between the candlesticks in such a way that it is conveniently seen by the people.

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The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Annual Fall Clean–Up Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 13th from 8:00 am. - 12:00 pm. The following is a list of projects that the congregation’s help is needed to complete.
Outside:
Yard and garden clean-up
Tree and shrub trimming and pruning
Re-paint safety yellow on sidewalk edge
Indoor:
Wall washing,
Cleaning
Minor repairs
Change screens/storm windows
Auction: Thanks to all who have donated items for this year’s silent auction. There are many great items from which to choose and bidding is still open! You may place your bids until 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 14th. Proceeds help support Pilgrim’s General Budget.
LWML / Ladies Guild will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, October 16th at noon. All women are welcome; bring a bag lunch and join us! Coffee and dessert will be provided by our hostesses.
Thanksgiving Potluck: Join your Pilgrim Family for a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal at noon on November 22nd. The turkey, ham and beverages will be provided; you are asked to bring your favorite side dish and/or dessert to share.
Pilgrim’s Food Pantry is available to anyone in need of it. It is located on the lower level next to the ping-pong table and may be accessed any time the church is open. The following are needed at this time; please donate as you are able.
Paper Products
Laundry Detergent
These items are not covered by Assistance for Families. Thank you for your continued support of our Food Pantry.
Thanks to all who attended Missionary David Preus’ presentation on the work being done in the Dominican Republic. It was an enjoyable and edifying evening and over $800 dollars was donated to continue this work. If you are interested in making a donation, see the narthex bulletin board for details.
Circuit Forum is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 14th at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Port Washington. The pastoral and lay delegates to the 2019 Synod Convention, and their alternates, will be selected. All confirmed members of SWD Circuit 10 churches are eligible to attend.
Reformation Concert & Hog Roast:
If you have never attended this annual event at St. John’s, Port Washington, you are missing out on a one-of-a-kind event! This year’s event is on October 14th. The celebration begins at 3:00 p.m. with dramatic readings and Reformation music and concludes with a delicious meal from which no one leaves hungry. This is a free event, however free-will offerings are greatly appreciated. Seating is limited, so reserve your place today! RSVP to Jaime Rismeyer at Jaime@stjohns-port.com or (262) 284-2131.
Living Word Lutheran High School’s 18th Annual Dinner Auction “Fiesta” will be held on Saturday, November 3rd. Tickets are $60 per person or $2,000 for a table of 8. Proceeds to benefit Phase II Roof Project & Tuition Grants. Dinner Reservations are being taken until October 19th. Auction Donations accepted until October 5th.
Concordia Seminary Choir Tour: Laudamus is a select choir of seminarians from Concordia Seminary, St Louis. Each year, the choir schedules tours throughout the country, singing an eclectic program, which proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the church’s song from many different genres. This year Laudamus will give two free performances in our area: October 15th at 7:00 p.m. Concert at First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cedarburg and October 16th at 9:30 a.m. at the Chapel Service at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon.
Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) has announced that the Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler of St. Louis, Missouri, has accepted a call to serve as Speaker of The Lutheran Hour radio program. He will officially begin on October 1st and will broadcast his first sermon on Reformation Sunday. The Lutheran Hour airs weekly on more than 1,800 radio stations and the American Forces Network; it is broadcast locally on WIBD 1470 AM on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m.

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Treasurer's report Membership Report

Financial Statement Ending August 31, 2018
August Income:	25,059.00
August Expenses:	23,788.78
Year-to-Date Income:	201,067.60
Year-to-Date Expenses:	208,570.60
Designated Funds Savings Account:
Amazon Balance:	180.93
Tuition Assistance:	0.00
General Savings Funds:	2,400.00
Accrued Interest:	73.28
	Total: 2,654.21
Endowment Fund:	123,761.73
Fred Leffin, Treasurer

Transferred In:
Eunice Disson from Peace LCMS, Sussex, WI
Tiffany Wollner and her daughters, Azalea and Aliza, from Grace LCMS, Elkhart Lake, WI
Transferred Out:
Gertrude Rabe to St. Johns LCMS, Mayville, WI
Released from Membership:
Richard & Deborah Brathovde to Faith Evangel- cal Lutheran Church (WELS), Tallahassee, FL

Board of education report

Bible Study Classes are ongoing. There are six students in 8th grade Catechism Class. A Walther League has been start for youth in grades 8th—12th. The group meets the second Sunday of month, 5:30—8:00 p.m. Dinner is provided. Six youth attended the first meeting.

Board Reports

At this time, there are no reports available for publication from the Trustees or Elders.

Church council report

Church Council met on September 10th with Jerome Sommer, Mary Lehtimaki, Suzanne Stadelmayer, Judy Frank, David Boehlke, Fred Leffin, and Jim Behrens in attendance. Both Pastors were at other meetings.
Minutes from June 10th were approved as written.
Jerry had correspondence for Convention overtures for 2019; due March 2, 2019.
Received a check from AT&T for $240 from “Your Cause” program.
Voter’s Meeting: The nest Voter’s Meeting will be held on October 21st at 1:00 p.m. The following offices are open for Election. If you are interested in holding one of the offices, contact a Pastor or a Church Council member.
Financial Secretary
Elder
Trustee
Board of Christian Education
Endowment Committee
The Pilgrim Constitution & By-Laws states all confirmed members are eligible to attend and cast a vote.

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Walther League

Pilgrim’s new Walther League (Youth Group) met for the first time on September 9th for dinner, discussion, fellowship, and prayer. Our group included six of our high school youth, one elder, and our two pastors; it was a wonderful evening. As part of our meetings, we are reading Daniel Preus’ book: Why I Am A Lutheran: Jesus At The Center. It is a brilliant book and the entire congregation would find it edifying. Below is a review of it which was published in August 2015 on the blog: A Lutheran Layman (http://www.lutheranlayman.com).
The next meeting of Walther League will be on Sunday, October 21st; we will begin with dinner at 5:30 p.m. The evening will conclude at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Ifeel like every single time I finish reading something that's distinctly Lutheran I end up thinking to myself, "Boy, I sure wish I had read something like that years ago!" ... Case in point, I just finished reading a wonderful little book that every Lutheran should own as part of their library…
It's called "Why I Am A Lutheran: Jesus At The Center" and it's written by Daniel Preus and it contains these exceptional words on the inside cover of the book's dust jacket, which sets the stage quite nicely if you ask me!
"I am a Lutheran for the same reason I am a Christian. It is not by choice but by grace. The teachings of the Lutheran Church place Jesus at the center because the teachings of the Scriptures place Jesus at the center. No other confession demonstrates such fidelity to the truths of God's Word. No other confession so glorifies Christ by placing Him at the center of all it confesses and teaches. Being a Lutheran is truly all about Jesus."
It's such simple, straight-forward, and Christ-exulting words like that which makes this book worth every single penny… One of my favorite chapters is "A Matter of Mountains" where Preus discusses the importance of Mount Sinai (the Law), Mount Calvary (the Gospel), and Mount Zion (the present and future hope we believers collectively rejoice over due to Jesus Christ), because "if we never come to to Mount Calvary, we can never live on Mount Zion" (p. 61). I also loved how he observed and wrote that so much of contemporary Christianity denies the Scriptural view of Sinai, Calvary, and Zion. "These heresies not only elevate the ability of human beings vastly above what they are able to do -- namely, nothing -- but also rob God of His glory by minimizing or even eliminating the work of the Holy Spirit in the act of conversion. The Holy Spirit does not come to us in response to an act of our will. He is given to us as a gift of God's grace. We do not grasp the Holy Spirit. God gives us the Spirit." p. 67
For an ex-Evangelical like me, however, who is only recently coming to appreciate the "Means of Grace" (a.k.a. the preaching of God's Word; Baptism; Lord's Supper), I would have to say that Preus' explanation of the Lord's Sacraments is both edifying and thorough, but it's done in such a conversational way that you don't get lost in the weeds so-to-speak…
Once again, I have to say that this is what I've come to crave the most from Lutheran preaching and teaching -- Jesus, Jesus, and more Jesus! You'd think that Christians from any denomination would be focused on Christ, but I'm here to tell you that that's just not so these days. A lot of people will give lip service to Jesus or tack on an "In Jesus' Name!" for good measure at the end of a prayer or sermon, but there's just something about a book, a prayer, a sermon, a teaching when it exalts our Lord and Savior as it should that is instantly recognizable as being "something completely different" than anything else that's out there masquerading as the truth... All I know is that for a guy like me who is still a "Newtheran" and who has only a cursory exposure to all of our Confessional writings let alone what they have to say, this little book has helped to give me a firm foundation with Jesus Christ Himself serving as the "Rock" and the "chief cornerstone" of that foundation, and I couldn't be happier.
Friends, this is precisely the kind of book you wish your church's small group would read, study, and discuss. It's just such a breath of fresh air and exactly what many of our churches need to read after allowing so many wolves in sheep's clothing to walk right in the front door and take up residence in our congregations. It really is so do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy today, because you won't regret it.
In a Lutheran layman's terms, Daniel Preus' "Why I Am A Lutheran" reminds us why we go by that name, and it all has to do with God's grace and the fact that it's because Jesus is always at the center of anything and everything we preach, teach, and confess.
NOTE from the author: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just a regular Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend...I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism almost 2 years ago now.

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Lutheran News

Clergy Appreciation Month: From the LCMS and Focus on the Family: “Often pastors and their families feel isolated and burnt out and often wonder if what they are doing is making a difference.” Pastors are in a unique position: if they do their job right (that is fulfill their ordination vows), they are not likely to be popular or have an abundance of friends; they are not going to make everyone happy. In fact, they are more likely to eat alone at the church potluck, make enemies, and make people angry. The reason for all this is simply sin. Pastors have the responsibility to call sinners to repent. Although this call to repentance is done out of love, so that confession and absolution may result, it is not often received that way. As we all know, when confronted with our sin we are most often defensive and angry. While we should be angry with ourselves for our sin, we instead direct our anger outward at the person who dared point it out to us: our pastor. This is a difficult reality to face everyday: call a sinner to repent which may result in anger and the parishioner leaving the church or ignore it, keep them in church and hope they will simply stop committing the sin on their own. Its takes courage to continue facing this day after day and pastors need our prayers for their continued strength and courage. While pastors need our prayers and words of encouragement every day, October is set aside to remind pastors that their work is appreciated and to remind us to pray for our pastors.
Lutheran Women Missionary League (LWML): The first Sunday of October is set aside for the observation of the work done by the LWML. Beginning in the 1850s, women of the LCMS started local auxiliaries to meet the needs of people—mending clothes for seminarians, equipping hospitals, establishing schools, developing convalescent and retirement homes, assisting orphanages and residences for people with disabilities, gathering clothing, furniture and food for indigents, and funding mission endeavors at home and abroad. The LWML has continued to meet the needs of people throughout the world thanks in large part to their Mite Offerings. Based on the Biblical account of the widow's mite (Luke 21:1–4), the Mite Box is intended for regular contributions of "mites" — offerings above and beyond the support given to congregations and the LCMS. Mite Box contributions amount to millions of dollars that fund district and national mission grants.(www.lwml.org).
The Pilgrim LWML society contributes their mites to these mission grants. They also raise money each year through a cookie sale in December that is sent to support Pastor Micah Wildaur’s mission work in Togo, Africa. Furthermore, they work on various projects each year in support of local charity organizations. This group meets at noon on the third Tuesday of the month for lunch, Bible Study and a brief meeting. All Pilgrim ladies are invited to attend.

Ask the pastors: Why do you bow at random times during the service?

While it may appear to be random, we bow at very specific times during the service. We bow when the name of God: “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is spoken or sung and we bow when we confess the truth of Jesus’ humanity with the words: “and was made man,” in the Nicene Creed.
We bow because it is an outward expression of our confession that we are poor, miserable, sinners, and do not deserve the good things that the Lord gives us. We bow as beggars who plead daily that by His gracious mercy, He would forgive us all our sin in everything that we say and do.
We bow out of respect and reverence when we speak “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” because that is His name, the saving Name He placed upon each of us at our baptism. We may not remember it, but He will always remember that He has named each of us. For before we were our earthly parents’ children, we were His. And by His name, He has promised to take care of us forever.
Lastly, we bow out of obedience to God and trust in His promises. When we bow, we become defenseless and vulnerable to attack. Today these attacks are made with wicked words and laws. In 1521 attacks were made with a sword. Luther’s friend confessed the Lutheran trust in God’s promises when he told Emperor Charles V: “Before I let anyone take from me the Word of God and ask me to deny my God, I will kneel and let them strike off my head.”

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From the fort

“The Sermon Delivers the Goods”

T here is something very special about sermons and, for that matter, about those who speak them–preachers. I say that not because I’m a preacher, for it has nothing to do with me. Rather it is the Office of Preacher that is special. “As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” [St. Paul, Rom. 10:15 quoting Is. 52:7]. Martin Luther called it the greatest of all offices.1
The Gospels tell us that the ministry of John the Baptist and of our Lord were ministries of preaching: the Baptizer (Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) and Jesus (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:14; cf. Luke 4:21), after His baptism and temptation, “began to preach.”
In the message of John and Jesus, God was speaking. The Gospel of John identifies Jesus Himself as the very Word of God, the “Word (Logos) was God” (John 1:1). We learn already from the Old Testament, from Genesis Chapter 1 in fact, that the Word of God is creative–“it does what it says”; 2 God said “Let there be . . .” and there was (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, etc.). When the LORD speaks, things happen (Is. 9:8; 24:3). Later we read that the “Word of the LORD came” to the prophets (Jer. 1:2; Dan. 9:2; Hos. 1:1; Joel 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zep. 1:1; Hag. 1:1, 3; Zech. 1:1, 7; Mal. 1:1).
It is for this reason that Martin Luther gave primacy to the Word of God. In a letter to his friend Nicholas Hausmann, for instance, there is a litany-like repetition: “only with the Word . . . with the Word . . . with the Word . . . only with the Word . . . by the Word.”3 For Luther, the Word of God took various forms; more specifically, the Word of God is Christ, it is Scripture. But, and this may surprise some, it is also the preached Word, the sermon. Therefore, when Luther spoke of the Word of God, he described it in three forms:
1. Christ, the Word (logos?) of God,
2. Scripture, the other “incarnation” of the Word,4
3. Preaching, the living Word.
It is the latter of these that is often either not considered or is doubted in our day. However, this view of the proclaimed Word is central to Luther’s understanding of the Word and of the means of grace in general. This is clear, for instance, in the Schwabach Articles of 1529, one of the background documents to the Augsburg Confession.
To obtain this faith, or to bestow it upon us men God has instituted the ministry, or the oral word, viz., the Gospel, by which He causes this faith and its power, use and fruit to be proclaimed, and through the same, as a means, bestows faith by His Holy Spirit, as and where He will . . .5
“In all its earthly lowliness, the Word brings God to man.”6 That includes the preached Word.
Neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ or believe in him and have him for our Lord except as it is offered to us by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel.7
Luther included the church in the historical work of Christ. That means that the Word proclaimed, used and distributed today is part of the historical work of Christ. The historical acts of Christ’s life and death “are the beginning of a chain reaction which included God’s works among his people today,” the works of which you are instruments.8 Thus the sermon is “nothing less than redemptive history revealed in the Word.”9 In fact, according to Vilmos Vajta, Luther “insisted that the oral proclamation or preaching is the proper form of the Word.”10 The sermon was Christ’s continued “‘advent,’ his coming to every generation of men, the means by which he establishes fellowship with his own.”11
Was it perhaps presumptuous of Luther to claim that the word preached by the preacher was nothing less than the Word of God? Perhaps what we should ask first is: Is that really what Luther said? He answers: “I have often said that the office of preaching is not ours but God’s. But whatever is God’s, that we do not do ourselves; but He does it Himself, through the Word and the office, as His own gift and business.”12 And elsewhere he declared: “Furthermore, Christ Himself is present when I preach.”13 In our confessions we have similar statements: Philip Melanchthon stated that God (the Holy Spirit) is present in this ministry (AC V); the office is carried out by divine authority. Later he spoke of its authority.
It is universally acknowledged, even by our opponents, that this power is shared by divine right by all who preside in the churches, whether they are called pastors, presbyters or bishops (Treatise 61, Kolb/Wengert 340).
To Luther, the sermon is more than talking about the acts of God. It is God’s revelatory activity.14 Hermann Sasse observed “that preaching isn’t a communication of information, but it is a sacramental action in which Christ is at work, God is at work.”15 The ministry, Luther asserted, “is Christ’s continued activity on earth. In the pulpit he speaks through the mouth of the preacher.”16 This office is essential, “for Christ imparts the Word to men, not vertically from above, but rather through the medium of human tongues and voices.”17 This Word of God both forgives and judges. It transforms the “then” into a “now.”18
The title of this article is perhaps misleading, “The Sermon Delivers the Goods.” We should rather say that the sermon delivers (gives the gift of) the “Good News,” the very forgiveness of sins and salvation. What an event, what a blessed Word from God we hear! It is awesome, is it not, that a preacher, a man, stands as an instrument of God Himself to speak God’s own words to us. “For from this we hear what the preaching office is, namely, an office of the Holy Spirit. Even if it is men who preach, baptize, forgive sins, yet the Holy Spirit is preaching and baptizing, whose work and office it is.”19
Notes:
1 AE 40:36 - Concerning the Ministry, Late 1523. Elsewhere: “It is an excellent office and word which he here commits to the disciples, and for this reason one should not consider it a slight thing.” Excerpt from the Sermon on Easter Tuesday, March 30, 1529, Weimar Edition [hereafter, WA], Volume 28, p. 466, trans. by Charles Schultz.
2 Luther: “What God says, He can also do.” WA 54, 257.
3 AE, 48:401.10-23; cf. 402.
4 see Olav Valen-Sendstad, The Word That Can Never Die, trans. by Norman A. Madson, Sr., & Ahlert H. Strand, St. Louis, Concordia, 1966, esp. Chapter 3, “The View of Christ and of Scripture,” 29-53.
5 Article VII, in M. Reu, The Augsburg Confession, A Collection of Sources with an Historical Introduction, Chicago: Wartburg, 1930, *42 (also reprinted in the Concordia Heritage Series).
6 Vilmos Vajta, Luther on Worship an Interpretation, Philadelphia, Muhlenberg, 1958, 69.
7 Luther, WA 30I, 188. Cf. 26, 296, quoted in Vajta, 71.
8 Vajta, 71f.
9 Vajta, 72 with ref. to WA 29, 200.
10 Vajta, 77. He supports this with appeals to Luther’s references that originally the Gospel was not a book but a sermon (WA 10I, 1, 17; 10I, 1, 626; 12, 259) and the church not a Federhaus (Quill house), but a Mundhaus (mouth house) (WA 10I, 1, 627; 10I, 1, 14; 7, 526). This may be a Barthian emphasis, but not in itself a misinterpretation of Luther or of the Scriptures. Vajta at least goes on to indicate that the sermon is not to be elevated about the Scriptures.
11 Vajta, 78.
12 “The Sermon on the Mount,” AE 21:119. A later edition (1534) has “creature” for “business.”
13 Sermon on John 8:28, AE, 23:386f.
14 Vajta, 17.
15 John Kleinig in Interview (Dec 13, 1989).
16 WA, 20,350.
17 Vajta, 113.
18 Vajta, 70.
19 WA, 28, 479, trans. by Charles Schultz.

Revised October 2018 — Page #

This article was originally published by CTS Press in For the Life of the World Volume 6 Number 1, 2002, p. 7-9.
Its author, the Rev. Dr. Ronald R. Feuerhahn has since joined the saints of heaven. He was a Confessional Lutheran Missionary and Pastor in England and Wales for 23 years followed by 22 years of teaching historical theology at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis.

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Communal Prayers

Voice of Faith

For pastors: Savior, You gave pastors the authority on earth to forgive sins. Bless my pastor with faithfulness to Your Word. Cause him to grow in the knowledge of Your Word. Give him courage and strength for his responsibilities. To us, grant that we may always rejoice to receive this forgiveness through Absolution and Your Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Keep us faithful in receiving Your gifts, that by Your grace we may cling to You in faith unto life everlasting. I thank you for (name) and for all faithful pastors and I ask that you grant him joy in the tasks you have given him.
For the women of the LWML: O Lord, we praise You for all faithful women. We thank You for the strong work of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. Use their prayers, studies, mites and efforts to continue to bear witness to Jesus throughout the world.
Assurance of being heard because of Christ: O God, Creator of heaven and earth, You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, that for my sake He might be crucified, die, on the third day rise again, and ascend into heaven, that, being seated at Your right hand, He might hold all things in His own hand and send us His Spirit, that we might wait for His coming to judge both the living and the dead and so receive with Him the eternal kingdom, our inheritance, which You desire to give us through Him. To this end, O Lord God, You have given and instituted for us Baptism and the Sacrament of the body and blood of Your Son, for in His sacraments He has joined Himself with us Christians and revealed Himself to us. If we take hold of Him there, we have certainly found Him. But as for other things which we have not been commanded, let us abandon them, or else we will miss Him by a great distance.
For those on our prayer list: Dear Lord, You are attentive to all the conditions and needs of Your people, O Lord. Visit the homes of the sick with healing, the troubled with peace, the sorrowful with comfort and the dying with hope. We remember especially our family and friends who have asked for our prayers, for as the centurion believed in You, help us to trust in Your good and gracious will for all things needful for this body and this life.
Family and friends requesting our prayers: Kristin Thimming, Gert Sullivan, Cynthia Kemeny, Jennifer Jensen, Jane Rockrohr, Rev. Edwin Suelflow, Audrey Vandlik, Don Meisenheimer, Tracey Leffin-Hedrick, Diane Behrens, Lois & Carl Pritzlaff, June Fry, Thomas Kramlik (Don & Janet Meisenheimer’s great-grandson), Suzanne Stadelmayer, Happy Bartes (friend of Jeff Barger), Natalie Ruppier, Chris Held, Eric Johanen, Paul Grosskreuz, Orville Heckendorf, Brooke Steiner, David & Olivemae Olson, Jeanette Guillaume, Karen Haufmann, Donald & Annetta Teske (Suzanne Stadelmayer’s parents), Nancy Nicholas, Donna Tessar, Scot Meisenheimer, Dorothy Young, Wilma Wilson (Linda Stahl’s mother), Ruth Mertz, Carolyn Bren, Judy Clark, Dorothy Miller, Mark Selzler, Linda Lukas, Marissa Flanders, Linda Schmidt, George Witt, Jenny Vickerman, Donna Sommer, Scott Biskobing, Laverne Gierach, Travis Winkler, Linda Borneman, Rachel Davis, Brian Vonlender, Glenn Schnabel, Inez Schwoch, Richard Reich, Judith Belling, Vanessa Kuehne, Jody Meisenheimer.

Revised October 2018 — Page #

Birthdays

1 Linda Mejchar
Suzy Schober
Rob Selzler
Jamie Mulvey
Tom Benz
Shaun Olson
Michael Schwittau
Jenny Vickerman
Dan Virchow
Robert Baerenwald
Victoria Mulvey
Jamison Mulvey Jr.
Jim Stadelmayer
Sophia Voge
Dave Fellenz
Becky Ruppier
Jeremiah Sullivan
Kevin Hoffman
Michael Loomans
Carolyn McAfee
Megan Ringgenberg
Nicole Kabitzke
Marge Legate
Andrew Tinlin
Barbara Jennrich
Kristin Thimmig
12 Kassie Franke
Kailtyn Loomans
Lauren Oppermann
Dan Schulz
17 Austin Weber
18 Becky Woelfel
19 Eileen Mueller
Ruth Kohler
Roger Kossert
Joseph Heger
Mark Schauland
Cara Schmidt
Elaine Kuenzel
Barbara Soat
24 Elizabeth Gatzow
Dorothy Kroll
Tiffany Wollner
Jamilyn Held
28 Janette Mullins
29 Nancy Torre
30 Karri Johnson

anniversaries

1 Glen & Vicki Schnabel Sr.
Karri & Jeffrey Johnson
2 Neal & Evelyn Schleif
3 Scott & Wendy Franke
8 Bill & Beverly Schepp
Dick & Karen Spiering
10 Jody & Paula Merkel
Joseph & Jolene Gundrum
13 Richard & Caryn Lewandowski
17 John & Carol Heger
Mark & Mary Schauland
Patrick & Connie Glinecki
Orville & Janey Heckendorf
28 Corey & Abby Janssen
Terry & Bonnie Mowery
30 David & Beth Brehm

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church	1 / 4p Chapel @ Jackson Crossing / 6:30p Elders	2 / 2p Chapel @ Auxiliary Court	3 / 9:30a Chapel @ Meadowbrook / 4p Cable BC / 4p Catechism / 6:30p Bible Study / 7p Dartball	4 / 9a Bible Study / 4p Cable Worship / 7p Divine Service / Usher Team: B	5	6 / 1p Knitters
7 / 8 & 10:30a Divine Service / Usher Team: 3&6 / 9:15a Bible Study & Sunday School / 12:30p Bible Study	8 / 5:30p Trustees / 7p Council	9 / 9a Intimidating Blueberries / 7p Festival Choir Practice	10 / 9a Quilters / 4p Cable BC / 4p Catechism / 6:30p Bible Study / 7p Dartball	11 / 9a Bible Study / 4p Cable Worship / 7p Divine Service / Usher Team: A	12	13 / 7:30a Men’s Breakfast / 8a Fall Clean-Up
14 / 8 & 10:30a Divine Service / Usher Team: 5&8 / 9:15a Bible Study & Sunday School / 12:30p Bible Study	15 November Herald Deadline	16 / 12p Ladies Guild / LWML / 2p Chapel @ Auxiliary Court	17 / 9:30a Chapel @ Meadowbrook / 4p Cable BC / 4p Catechism / 6:30p Bible Study / 7p Dartball / 7p Ties that Bind	18 / 9a Bible Study / 4p Cable Worship / 7p Divine Service / Usher Team: B	19	20 / 1p Knitters
21 / 8 & 10:30a Divine Service / Usher Team: 1&2 / 9:15a Bible Study & Sunday School / Auction Ends / 1:00p Voter’s Meeting / 5:30p Walther League	22	23 / 2p Chapel @ Auxiliary Court	24 / 4p Cable BC / 4p Catechism / 6:30p Bible Study / 7p Dartball	25 / 9a Bible Study / 9a Chapel @ Ivy Manor I-III / 4p Cable Worship / 7p Divine Service / Usher Team: A	26	27 / 7:30a Men’s Breakfast
28 / 8 & 10:30a Divine Service / Usher Team: 3&4 / 9:15a Bible Study & Sunday School / 12:30p Bible Study	29	30 / 9a Book Study / 2p Chapel @ Auxiliary Court	31 / 4p Cable BC / 4p Catechism / 6:30p Bible Study / 7p Dartball	October / 2018

Office Closed on Fridays

Fall Pastors Conference — Fond du Lac

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Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive
West Bend, WI 53090

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Phone: 262-334-0375
Email: office@pilgrimlutheran.wb.org
Website: www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org

Weekly Bible Study Opportunities:
Sundays:
9:15 a.m. Book of Proverbs
9:15 a.m. Sunday School for children age 3 through 8th grade
12:30 p.m. Book of Ecclesiastes
Wednesdays:
4:00 p.m. Youth Catechism Classes for students in grades 5th—8th
6:30 p.m. The Lutheran Difference
Thursdays:
9:00 a.m. The Gospel of Luke
Monthly Bible Study Opportunities:
2nd Sunday: 5:30 p.m. Walther League
4th Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. Christ Have Mercy Book Study
Every other Saturday: 7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study
Join Us for Live-Streaming of the Divine Service: Sundays at 8:00 a.m. on our website: www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org

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Inside this Issue:
Pilgrim News & Reports
3-6
Walther League
7
Lutheran News
8
Ask the Pastors
8
From the Fort
9-10
Communal Prayers
11
Birthdays & Anniversaries
12
Calendar
13

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A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Galatians 5:9

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Concordia Bible Institute Fall Seminar
The Psalms: God’s Words to Us; Our Words to God with Dr. Timothy Saleska
October 13, 2018 9:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m. / Cost: $20 Regular Admission
Pharmacy Building PH008—Concordia University Wisconsin
Dr. Timothy E. Saleska is professor of Exegetical Theology and Dean of Ministerial Formation at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Tim has been a faculty member since 1997, having been named Dean of Ministerial Formation in 2011. Tim teaches Hebrew and various Old Testament exegetical courses. Tim’s special area of research is biblical poetry and specifically the Psalms. He is especially interested in how Christians read and meditate on the Psalms and in exploring the history of their interpretation in the Church. Tim has published a downloadable Bible study on the Psalms (available at CPH.org), and his commentary on Psalms 1-50 for the Concordia Commentary Series has been completed and is ready to undergo the final editing. Before joining the Seminary, Tim served as a parish pastor for 15 years at parishes in Ohio.
For more information, please visit www.concordiabible.org.

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The sermon is more than talking about the acts of God. It is God’s revelatory activity.
Preaching isn’t a communication of information, but it is a sacramental action in which Christ is at work, God is at work.

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