O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open:
Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.
Reading: Numbers 24:15–19
The key and scepter have been traditional symbols of kingly power and authority. In this final oracle, Balaam announces that one will rise up out of Israel, a scepter, an anointed one with kingly authority to crush the forehead of its enemies. Jesus Christ the Messiah, He alone has crushed and still restrains our greatest enemies, sin, death, and the devil. With eyes joyfully fixed upon His coming, we look to our King of kings who unlocks the fetters of sin that keep us tightly chained in darkness and gloom. Only the Key of David brings light and freedom to a dark, captive world that no one can close.
Prayer: O Key of David and scepter of Israel, what You open no one else can close again; what You close no one can open. Come, lead the captives who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and bring them to eternal life for You alone have set us free with Your holy, innocent, precious blood; in Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Hymn LSB 334:3
I lay in fetters, groaning;
You came to set me free.
I stood, my shame bemoaning;
You came to honor me.
A glorious crown you give me,
A treasure safe on high
That will not fail or leave me
As earthly riches fly.
O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage:
Come quickly to deliver us.
Reading: Isaiah 11:1–12
Before Christ, all kings are mute. What’s there to say? What power does a king of this world possess before one who, in an instant, can destroy the earth with a mere word? Who can claim authority over the One who possesses all authority? No king has a word to speak before the Word Himself. And it’s a smart king who shuts up when God speaks, because only the meek and poor receive righteousness. Whoever realizes that we are nothing, and that Christ is everything: upon that person Christ’s own righteousness rests, and our prayer, “deliver us,” is answered.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your Son Jesus Christ is the king above all kings, and yet His crown was of thorns and His throne, a cross. Daily crucify us with Him, that our sinful selves might die and that our new selves might yet be raised to eternal life, receiving heavenly crowns of righteousness that never fade; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hymn LSB 525:5
Crown Him the Lord of heav’n,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the king to whom is giv’n
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For He is king of all.
Deaconess Carolyn Brinkley’s service to the Church is through the Military Project. She has an office here on the CTSFW campus where she writes to chaplains and military personnel from all over the world, answering requests and filling their needs as she’s able. One such project is the “Body and Soul Care Packages,” which go out to the family and friends of the Seminary community who are currently deployed. Every two weeks they receive a package containing such items as a CD with two abbreviated Divine Services, Lutheran Witness, theological materials according to the church year, and even some goodies.
Another of her ongoing projects is “Words of Encouragement.” This Monday, students, staff, and faculty signed notes during coffee hour following chapel, which in this season will send Christmas greetings to deployed LCMS chaplains and military personnel. As Deaconess Brinkley put it in her request to the community for help in signing the cards: “Your notes of appreciation and comfort mean so much to those who defend our freedoms far from home during the holidays. Looking forward to your help with this work of mercy.”
To learn more about the Military Project’s mission and work, go to www.ctsfw.edu/militaryproject. You can also contact Deaconess Brinkley at MilitaryProject@ctsfw.edu.
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.
Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15–20
It is the darkest nights wherein lights are most clearly seen. The darkest rooms are enlightened by the most dim flame. The Light of the World is coming, and the world is dark—and so are you. Yet, the Light is coming, and you shall see Him as He is—a bush burning, yet not consumed; stone tablets with words engraved on them, broken words and intact stones. Here you are, a person darkened by sin. Such is your darkened state, yet He who is the Light fears not the darkness of death, for He has overcome it. He shines in your darkness, and not even your sin nor death can bind the light.
Prayer: Most merciful God, enlighten us by Your Word, and preserve us by Your Sacraments until that day when we stand in Your Light unhindered by sin and death. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Hymn LSB 888:1
O gladsome Light, O Grace
Of God the Father’s face,
Eternal splendor wearing:
Celestial, holy, blest,
Our Savior Jesus Christ,
Joyful in Thine appearing!
O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Reading: Daniel 2:27–45
There is a painting called Age of Augustus, Birth of Christ, commissioned to flatter Emperor Napoleon III of France. Augustus Caesar sits high under olive branches in the temple of Janus, praised by all nations, while the infant Jesus lays in straw below, ignored by almost all. This world in its own wisdom attempts to construct a kingdom of iron and clay that always falls apart, but God who foresees all—who carved the stone, Jesus Christ, from the flesh of the virgin Mary—at the proper time established Christ’s kingdom, the mountain that will last forever.
Prayer: Almighty God, in Your wisdom You build up and tear down rulers and kingdoms, and none can withstand Your mighty ordering. Be merciful to us and direct all things to our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn TLH 26:4
God the Almighty, the great Creator,
Ruler of sky and land and sea,
All things ordained, and sooner or later
They come to pass unfailingly.
His rule is over rich and poor,
His promise ever standeth sure.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Today, we have little understanding of the meaning of names. We usually give children names based on pop culture or for the sake of an important person, be it a saint, a family member, or dear friend. However, names in Scripture reveal something about the person or describe their character. Adam comes from the Hebrew word for dirt, for he was formed out of the dust of the earth. Jesus is a combination of words which mean “God is salvation” or “God saves.” In our text, God reveals his name to be “I AM.” He is the one who exists by Himself. He is defined by being. We are defined as creatures who depend on a creator.
In the same way, the Scriptures give us a rich vocabulary to describe the Savior. He is called Messiah and Christ—both meaning “anointed.” He is Wisdom, the Word, the Son of Man, and the Son of God. He is the Rose of Sharon, the Son of David, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, and I AM. And while these names are beautiful and reveal aspects of our Lord, the most wonderful name of God is that which is placed upon us in our baptism. He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the most complete name given to His beloved children and, by it, we are made heirs to His throne of grace.
Prayer: Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, who has revealed Yourself to Your creation in names and descriptions, and manifest Yourself to us most fully in the incarnation of Your beloved Son, grant that we be given the eyes of faith to see Your salvation and trust in the You, the One who Is, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hymn LSB 334:3
We hail Thee as our Savior Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without Thy grace we waste away
Like flowers that wither and decay.
In Luther’s Large Catechism, we are taught that each of us has four types of fathers: fathers by birth, fathers of the household, fathers of the state, and fathers of our faith. There are many reasons to hold to the traditions of the Church, but one we often forget is keeping the Fourth Commandment. We are to honor our fathers in the faith. This is not a slavish obedience, but a joyful delight in our inheritance.
One such treasure is the use of the Great O Antiphons during the last seven days of Advent. The origin of these antiphons, or short prayers, is unknown. They are well over a thousand years old. They have been used with great regularity since their introduction to heighten the anticipation of the final days of Advent. Each antiphon uses an Old Testament title for the coming Messiah and bids him to come carry out the purpose associated with the title of the day. Beginning on the 3rd, each day will be an exploration of these antiphons, connecting their themes with texts from the Old Testament, the Epistles, and the Gospels.
Prayer: Almighty God, heavenly Father, You have blessed us with a great heritage, following in the lineage of our fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Peter, Paul, and James; Clement, Ambrose, and Augustine; Bernard, Luther, and Chemnitz. Grant that we would treasure the gifts our fathers have given us and that these gifts would ever turn our hearts, minds, and lips toward Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Hymn: LSB 581:5
You are to honor and obey
Your father, mother, every day,
Serve them each way that comes to hand;
You’ll then live long in the land.
Have mercy, Lord!
Over 10,000 sermons, articles, teaching videos, and other resources are available at media.ctsfw.edu. You can search by specific subjects, Scripture passages, or author (faculty, ordained ministers, Lutheran forefathers, etc.).
Students and faculty (including Dr. Walter Maier III in the collar in the middle and Dr. Don Wiley, standing on the very right) listen to CTSFW faculty present their work.
Last Thursday, on November 14, we held the Seminary community’s weekly get-together (called “Gemutlichkeit”) a day early, as many of the students planned to leave for Fall Break as soon as classes finished on Friday. As a part of the last Gemutlichkeit of Fall Quarter, we also held the annual Faculty Author Celebration, sponsored by CPH.
Dr. Ben Mayes, a former editor at CPH before he moved to Fort Wayne in 2016 to serve as Assistant Professor (and now Chairman) of Historical Theology, served as MC for the evening. We recognized 10 faculty members, who were asked to bring their works published within the past 18 months (covering last academic year and the beginning of this year). These books, articles, anthology essays, and pulpit supply resources were displayed on a table in the Student Commons. Chances are a few publications as well as faculty members were missing as the celebration depended on the faculty bringing in their published works, several of whom were not available that evening.
Dr. Ben Mayes presents the publications authored by CTSFW faculty and published within the past 18 months.
Faculty members recognized included Drs. Gieschen, Grobien, Maier III, Masaki, Mayes, Nordling, Pless, David Scaer, Wiley, and Ziegler. They shared their new works, whether they were published by CPH, us (in the CTQ), or by other publishing houses, covering a wide range of items. For example, Dr. Don Wiley had a couple sermons in one of the Concordia Pulpit Supply publications, one of which had originally been written and preached in Spanish for the installation of a pastor in a Spanish-speaking congregation. Dr. Wiley was called to CTSFW to serve in several different roles, one of which is as Director of the Spanish Language Church Worker Formation Program. A native English speaker, he also brought with him proficiency in Spanish; he’s found that it takes about the same amount of time to write a sermon in Spanish versus translating an old English sermon and editing it to sound natural in the second language. He leads an informal “Spanish over Lunch” class on Fridays at noon in the dining hall for those students interested in learning or improving their skills in Spanish.
Many other works were displayed, from books authored solely by our faculty members to CTQ articles and papers published in larger anthologies. Dr. Ziegler, presenting the large volume in which one of his essays would appear, explained that the book had a dual purpose: as a weapon for self-defense. Dr. Masaki (who has projects not only in America but also in Taiwan and Czech publications) also took a moment to introduce several men from Nigeria and South Africa who are in leadership positions in their church bodies, here to attend a leadership program offered at CTSFW. One such man, the Archbishop of Nigeria, had recently published a work on strengthening integrity in church leadership. “The real leadership is in honesty and integrity,” he explained. Added Dr. Masaki: “His hope should be hoped by every seminarian.”
Dr. Roland Ziegler speaks to the Seminary community, describing his recently published work.
Last Wednesday, just before the final Divine Service at chapel for the 2019 Fall Quarter, “Word for the Wee Ones” (the weekly Sunday-school-style class for children of the Seminary community) and one of the homiletics classes met for a shared purpose. Rev. Chris Maronde, associate pastor at St. John in Decatur, IN, and graduate assistant at CTSFW while he studies for his PhD in Theological Studies, teaches a homiletics course for fourth years. Part of this preaching class involves children messages, and while most of the men in the class had been able to give a children’s message at a local LCMS church or school (recording themselves and sending the video to Rev. Maronde for grading), three of these seminarians had not yet had a chance to do so.
Rev. Maronde first thought to have these final three students give a children’s message to his own daughters during their last class period, but then came up with a better plan. He spoke with the director of the Wee Ones program, Mrs. Renée Wiley, of the library staff, as the children’s class takes place at the same time. The children and moms in attendance that day received three short messages and prayers on different days of creation. The seminarians themselves had quite the audience, including their seminarian brothers from the class.
It was also an excellent chance to field test their skills with redirecting the unpredictable responses from their message recipients. “What’s the scariest part about water?” one of the seminarians asked his charges.
“FROGS!” immediately declared a boy sitting in the front.
A typical day at the office, as it will someday be for these future pastors.
