Chain the Catechism: A topical study through the Lutheran confessions

1. Chain the Catechism: A topical study through the Lutheran confessions Table of Duties Bishops, Pastors, Preachers, Hearers: Certain passages of Scripture for various holy orders and positions, admonishing them about their duties and responsibilities • Memorization Verses:

2. Sing it! 1. A blessing on our pastor's head, Lord God, we fervently implore; On him this day a blessing shed, For life, for death, for evermore. 2. For all that Thou in him hast wrought, For all that Thou by him hast done, Our warmest, purest thanks be brought, Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son. 3. To Thee be give his flower of youth, To Thee his manhood's fruit he gave, The herald of life-giving truth, Dead souls from deathless death to save. 4. Forsake him not in his old age, But while his Master's Cross he bears, Faith be his staff on pilgrimage, A crown of glory his grey hairs. 5. With holier zeal his heart enlarge, Though strength decay, and sight grow dim, That we, the people of his charge, May glorify Thy grace in him. 6. So, when his warfare here shall cease, By suffering perfected in love, His ransom'd soul shall join in peace The Church of the first-born above.

3. He is a Shepherd, We are the sheep • In His Stead: • See clearly • Clearly Seen • Keeps constant watch • Speaks lovingly • What else? • Sheep: • Can’t survive alone • wander • Overgrazed, polluted pastures • Sickly w/o saltlicks • Drink polluted water • Drown in swift stream • Eyes cleaned from flies • Shelter • “cast” back up • wolves

4. Open Prayer: Also, use verses from Psalm 119 to pray for Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers around the world. PRAYER • Above Reproach • Humble • Sound • Honor • Obedience P raiseR epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

5. Sing it! • Tell me the story of Jesus,Write on my heart every word;Tell me the story most precious,Sweetest that ever was heard.Tell how the angels in chorus,Sang as they welcomed His birth,“Glory to God in the highest!Peace and good tidings to earth.” • Refrain:Tell me the story of Jesus,Write on my heart every word;Tell me the story most precious,Sweetest that ever was heard. • Fasting alone in the desert,Tell of the days that are past,How for our sins He was tempted,Yet was triumphant at last.Tell of the years of His labor,Tell of the sorrow He bore;He was despised and afflicted,Homeless, rejected and poor. • Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,Writhing in anguish and pain;Tell of the grave where they laid Him,Tell how He liveth again.Love in that story so tender,Clearer than ever I see;Stay, let me weep while you whisper,“Love paid the ransom for me.”

6. What makes a good speech? • With a partner, discuss the question: “What makes a good speech?” • Think of examples from life or from movies/books • Consider: • Audience • Tone • Subject • Intent • Share out!

7. Discussion In fact, we do not enjoy listening to any preacher unless he is gifted with a good and clear voice. If you look more at the pastor than at God; if you do not see God’s person but merely gape to see whether the pastor is learned and skilled . . . then you have already become half a Jacob. For a poor speaker may speak the Word of God just as well as he who is endowed with eloquence. A father speaks the Word of God as well as God does, and your neighbor speaks it as well as the angel Gabriel. There is no difference between the Word when uttered by a schoolboy and when uttered by the angel Gabriel; they vary only in rhetorical ability. It matters not that dishes are made of different material. . . . The same food may be prepared in silver as in dishes of tin. Venison, properly seasoned and prepared, tastes just as good in a wooden dish as in one of silver. . People, however, do not recognize the person of God but only stare at the person of man. This is like a tired and hungry man who would refuse to eat unless the food is served on a silver platter. Such is the attitude that motivates many preachers today. Many, on the other hand, are forced to quit their office, are driven out and expelled. That is done by those who do not know this gift, who assume that it is a mere man speaking to them, although, as a matter of fact, it is even more than an angel, namely, your dear God.

8. Vocation: Servants of God • Paulovdoulovqeou(Ti. 1:1) • We recognize and fulfill our service to God: • When we serve the Gospel of Christ crucified • When we serve others in spiritual and physical needs • When we serve the church through worship and giving • When we serve our families through teaching and love • When we serve our supervisors through workmanship, decency, respect, transparency and consistency • “ ‘Servant of God’ is a magnificent and outstanding title. The words ‘servant of God’ should be pondered carefully, for such a person has an office assigned by God.... He is not a servant of the Law; nor is he a servant of men as far as the assurance and certainty of his doctrine are concerned; nor is he a servant intent on imposing the slavery of the Law. Thus whoever is faithful in his own function is a servant of God” (LW 29.4) • Reed: Read Mk. 10: 42-45 • Who are we connecting to when we Serve God? How does it contrast with the world?

9. Vocation of Preacher • eiv o eteqhnegwkhruc kai apostolovalhqeianlegw, ouyeudomaididaskaloveqnwn en pistei kai alhqeia.(1 Tim. 2:7) • Sub-vocation of the Pastoral office that requires: • Researching, learning, and spiritually devoting oneself to scripture continually • Planning and preparing the heralded gospel • Dynamically speaking a clear message of the gospel • Imploring true confession, worship, and understanding of Law/Gospel. • Karol: 1 Cor. 2:1-8 • What isn’t preaching? How is it different than other speeches we here?

10. Homiletics: An Overview • kai egenetoen twomilein) autouv kai suzhteinkai autovIhsouveggisavsuneporeuetoautoiv(Lk 24:15) • A Homily (Homileo) is the act of communing, conversing, and discussing important thoughts with the intent of drawing nearer in love and understanding. • Christian Homiletics should strive to: • Be clear for the hearer: • Central theme, explicated from specific texts, not simply repetitive, but expounding the theme into unique sub-points • Be interesting for the hearer: • Consider the homily’s voice, implore with humility, reveals a deep concern for the hearer, • is not immediate, one-sided, monotonous, or without intrigue, storytelling • Is not simply Doctrine, but doctrine in action, LAW/GOSPEL • Be accurate for the hearer: • Quotes, stories, research, exegesis, is scrutinized, proofed, and defended • Scriptures are properly handled, are not dumped for generalities or to fit a formula • Are weaved together into a seamless narrative of God’s redemption towards humanity • Mark: Lk 10:25-37 • How does Jesus respond to the lawyer? Why is this effective? • What is the voice in these passages? What is the ultimate goal? • What portrait of God in Christ is developed in the parable?

11. Preaching and Creativity • Importance of preaching is the heralded word of God, not on the presentation • God blesses even the least eloquent speakers, indeed using people of weakness to underscore this purpose (Ex. 3:11-12) • However, this is not an excuse to purposely sabotage the gospel by downplaying the humanity of the hearer ( • Homiletics can include aspects of the following: • Purposeful and/or ironic divergence from theme or structure (prodigal son) • Use of realia (objects, pictures, sound, and even activities) sparingly (log in your eye) • Use of poetic sentence structure, syntax, imagery words, clear narrative intent (I am the way, the truth, the life) • Filtering Doctrinal NOUNS into direct VERBS (God so loved…) • Susan: Luke 14:1-6 • How does Jesus engage his hearers? • How does Jesus connect the verbs of the events with the verbs in his analogy? Miracle with everyday life?

12. Vocation of Hearer • John 10:1-6 allotriw de ou mhakolouqhsousin • Hearers are to actively engage the preacher by: • Scrutinizing truth from error • Recognize structure, message, and reasoning • Own knowledge and absorb into one’s identity • Apply knowledge in language and action • In this text there are two thoughts worthy of note: the liberty of faith, and the power to judge. You know that our soul-murderers have proposed to us that what the councils and the learned doctors decide and decree, that we should accept, and not judge for ourselves whether it is right or not. They have become so certain of the infallibility of the councils and doctors that they have now established the edict, publicly seen, that if we do not accept what they say, we are put under the ban. Now, let us take a spear in hand and make a hole in their shield; yea, their resolutions shall be a spider's web. And you should, moreover, use upon them the spear which until now they have used upon us, and hold before them its point.

13. Communion • • Above Reproach • • Humble • • Sound • • Honor • • Obedience • •______________________________ • SS Above Reproach • M Humble • T Sound • W Honor • Th Obedience

14. SS Above Reproach • Certain passages of scripture for various holy orders and positions, admonishing them about their duties and responsibilities. • We believe: A pastor should hold firmly to sound doctrine, have a mature faith, and live with his family according to God’s Word. • The overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 1 Tim. 3:2–4 • •

15. M Humble • He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 1 Tim. 3:6 • •

16. T Sound • He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:9 • Pray: Lord God, You were revealed in the preaching of Jesus at the seashore, in the city and highway, in the home and upper room, in synagogue and temple, in mountain and wilderness, to sick and despondent, to sinner and outcast, to soldier and ruler, to alien and pilgrim, to rich and poor. You have commanded us to preach Your Gospel to the nations, to shout it from the housetops, to speak it in the light, to bring Your peace to all, to announce the coming of Your kingdom. Therefore, we pray to You, use our ministers of the Word to speak judgment and to proclaim forgiveness of sins for the salvation of many. Amen. • •

17. W Honor • The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 1 Cor. 9:14 • Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Gal. 6:6–7 • The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 1 Tim. 5:17–18 • Pray: Lord God, heavenly, merciful Father, You have commanded us to ask, to seek, and to knock and have promised to hear us if we call upon You in the name of Your Son. On this Your promise we rely, and we pray that You would send the servant of Your Word into Your harvest. Stand by him, to bless his office and ministry, to open the ears of the believers for the blessed course of Your Word that Your name may be praised, Your kingdom be increased, and Your church grow. Amen. (Luther) • •

18. Th Obedience • We ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 1 Thess. 5:12–13 • Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Heb. 13:17 • Pray:Incline Your ear to our prayer, O God of Jacob. Hear the voice of our supplications and help us. Preserve unto us your holy Word that it may be joyfully and boldly proclaimed in its purity, guard us in the right use of the Sacrament in accord with the institution of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Restrain all who would destroy us and turn them to Yourself. Be our God and our children’s God, now and hereafter. Hear my prayer, O Father, for the sake of Your dear Son, O blessed Savior, O Holy Spirit, comforter divine. Amen. (Joachim Embden, 1595-1650) • •

19. Sing it! Two little eyes to look to God Two little ears to hear his word Two little feet to walk his ways Two little lips to sing his praise Two little hands to do his will and one little heart to love him still

20. Conclusion

21. Next Time…(6/15) • Civil Government and Citizens