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COVID Resources & a Word on Communion

The LCMS has a number of COVID-19 resources on their website at https://www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/health-ministry/pandemic, but in particular we wanted to point out the recent statement by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) on “Communion and Covid-19,” written to “promote and encourage the proper practice of the Lord’s Supper in faithfulness to the teaching and example of Christ.” President Rast serves as CTCR Chairman.

Here’s a long quote from the piece:

“Such churches are able to find various ways to help members to hear the Word of Christ richly. From telephone calls to emails to website messaging to instant messaging to sermon streaming, the Word is being heard and received in the midst of the coronavirus. But what of the Sacrament of the Altar? The forgiveness of sins is not prevented when one cannot commune, for it is delivered by the Gospel as it is read and preached and spoken by the royal priesthood and also in the sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper as well as in Absolution. But it is only in the Lord’s Supper that we eat and drink Christ’s very body and blood. It thereby offers a special assurance that is proper only to it, just as Baptism has its own assurances. The inability to commune is therefore no small matter, but a true hardship!

“We know, however, that the church has known this hardship at other times and not only in our own time. During the early years of colonial America, Lutherans often went weeks or months without the Supper. Congregations without a pastor are often unable to receive the Lord’s Supper in their services because supply pastors are unavailable—sometimes for lengthy time periods. And, in the early 20th century during the great influenza epidemic of 1918–1919, many Missouri Synod churches were not able to meet for any services during a period of time. We are not in uncharted territory.”

The statement then goes into more details about specific unsatisfactory solutions to the unavailability of the Lord’s Supper, which have been tackled in previous CTCR statements. They explain the problems with those solutions, then summarize like so:

“The Lord’s Supper is intended to strengthen faith in God’s forgiving grace, a faith which counts on the Word of Christ’s promise that the bread and wine are His body and blood. To introduce doubts or uncertainty about the Sacrament negates this purpose. We can be thankful that God in His mercy has not given the Lord’s Supper as the only ‘means of grace.’ Instead, he showers us with His grace. The Gospel is not silenced, forgiveness is proclaimed, Baptism will be administered even in emergencies, and Baptism is lived out daily by means of repentance and the new life that God’s Spirit enables us to live in any and all circumstances.”

You can read the statement in full by clicking here. CTCR resources for further study are included at the end of the document.

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Lent Devotion for March 26

Reading: 1 John 1:1–4

Christianity’s critics love to theorize about how Jesus supposedly never existed or was a fraud. On one hand, you have scholars like Albert Schweitzer who claimed that Jesus was not really the divine Son of God but just a deluded, charismatic teacher. On the other hand, you have people who claim that Christianity is an amalgam of pagan beliefs and that Jesus never existed. And on the fringe, you have all manner of theories equating Him with drugs or hallucinations. Critics seem to love saying that Jesus is not who He says He is.

The apostle John, however, begs to differ. The critics are wrong. In this epistle, John tells his recipient that all they have heard about Jesus is true. The Son of God is real—John and the other disciples heard and saw and touched Him—and the eternal life He promises is real, too, and it is for them. And it is just as true and real for you and me. Though we live nearly 1,900 years after John, his message about Jesus is for us, too, and, trusting this, Jesus makes our joy complete in His love, and gives us fellowship with God the Father, forever.

Prayer
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came physically among us and was seen, heard, and touched by His disciples. Help us to always believe and trust that their testimony is true, that we may by faith receive forgiveness and be made righteous through this Gospel; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord,
Present in Thy holy Word—
Grace to imitate Thee now
And be pure, as pure art Thou;
That we might become like Thee
At thy great epiphany
And may praise Thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest. (LSB 394:5)

Nils Niemeier (Sem IV, CSL)

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Open Letter: COVID-19 & Campus Plans

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Seminary’s leadership team met this week to discuss the recent orders and recommendations that have been made by the CDC, Indiana Governor Holcomb, and the federal government. With Governor Holcomb’s recent executive order extending the closure of schools and the continuing escalation of COVID-19 cases, we have decided to extend the online delivery of courses through the remainder of the Spring Quarter.

This decision is not made lightly, but out of love and concern for our students, staff, faculty, and community. It is important that in these days of uncertainty we give our students some continuity and stability. With this decision made, faculty, staff, and students will be able to make plans for the next couple of months.

This also means we are canceling or postponing all on-campus events through mid-May.

PLEASE NOTE, however, that we will be holding our Vicarage & Deaconess Internship Assignment Service along with our Candidate Call Service in a combined service on Wednesday, April 29.

While these services cannot be held in person, we will broadcast in an online format. We are currently working on the logistics. For updates and details as they develop, keep an eye on http://callday.ctsfw.edu, where the service will eventually be streamed live.

Though classes will take place solely online, we remain prayerfully hopeful that we will be able to gather in person for Baccalaureate Service and Commencement Exercises. That decision will be made on May 1 when we, hopefully, will have a better sense of the duration of this outbreak.

While this is not the formation process we planned for our students, especially those who are coming to the end of their time with us, we trust in the God who knows all things and uses them for our good. We persevere with Paul, who faced abuse, exile, and martyrdom, and still wrote these words in Romans 8: 18, 24-28:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us… For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Thank you for your prayers, your support, and your faithful perseverance through this time of frustration, fear, and disruption. We, too, pray for you. Our Lord will see us through this as He has promised.

In Christ’s service,
Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr.
President

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Lent Devotion for March 25

Reading: 2 Peter 3:14–18

“Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish” (v. 14). But how can this be? How are we to be found without spot or blemish? Christians are to make every effort to conform to the character of Christ. However, these efforts certainly do not gain salvation. Our salvation has been won by the Lamb who was truly without spot or blemish. Let us give thanks for this spotless Lamb!

Thank God for His patience. He would be right in judging the whole world now. But He waits; He is patient. He allows more time for others to come to recognize the salvation that has already been won on the cross.

Peter exhorts his hearers to not be influenced by lawless people and to not lose their solid foundation. Indeed, that solid foundation is none other than Jesus Christ. Instead, Peter urges them to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 18). This Lenten season, may we grow to appreciate all that He has done for us. May we fall to our knees and thank Him for having suffered on the cursed tree for our sakes.

Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, we thank You for sending the spotless Lamb for our sake. Help us to conform to Christ. Thank You for being forbearing and allowing others to come to salvation. Open our eyes to Your grace that we may grow to realize and be thankful for the cross for our salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
For me You gave all Your love,
For me You suffered pain;
I find no words, nothing can
Your selflessness explain.
What kind of love is this? What kind of love is this?
You showed Your love, Jesus, there
To me on Calvary.
What kind of love is this? What kind of love is this?
You showed Your love, Jesus, there
To me on Calvary. (LSB 542:2)

Aaron Schultz (Sem II, CTSFW)

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Lent Devotion for March 24

Reading: 2 Peter 3:11–13

Every so often I have this thought: what if someone from outer space was able to look down and view my every action throughout the day—what would they think? Would they see someone faithfully fulfilling their vocations, living in holiness and godliness? No doubt they would see sin; I am not perfect. But hopefully they would see someone about the work of the kingdom of God.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Thy kingdom come.” The Small Catechism says, “What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.”

May you be about the work of the kingdom, living lives of holiness and godliness this day, knowing you have been justified by His grace.

Prayer
Gracious Father, we await the kingdom that is to come. While we wait, strengthen us with Your Holy Spirit through Your Word that we might live lives of holiness and godliness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
I’m looking for the coming of Christ.
I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race,
We shall know the joy of Jesus.
In Him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus. (LSB 411:3)

 

Joseph Highley (Sem IV, CSL)

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Blog Highlight: Liturgy in Plague Time

From one of our former profs: Harold Senkbeil on Liturgy in Plague Time.

“Just a few weeks ago on Ash Wednesday, many of us received the sign of the cross traced in ashes with a verbal reminder of our mortality: ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ But now as pestilence stalks not just foreign lands but our own neighborhoods, the spiritual realities we take for granted most Sundays come crashing into our midst with vivid urgency.”

In this article, he talks about four specific moments in which Christ’s comfort and presence stands out in the liturgy. While many of us are now worshiping at home, watching services online with our friends and family (either in person or across distances) and unable to receive the Body and Blood, we still hear the Word of comfort preached to us, and are given the words to pray and to praise in patience and joy, as they have been given to the generations that came before and the generations that will come after.

Read the article in full here: https://blog.logos.com/2020/03/worship-and-prayer-during-a-pandemic/

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Lent Devotion for March 23

Reading: 2 Peter 3:8–10

The Day of the Lord is coming. We are not ready. The Day of the Lord will come as a thief. Who among us is ever waiting and watchful? Who among us is truly ready? Repent. That is Peter’s message. His message is a call to repentance.

Look to God’s Law and let yourself see. Wretched men are we when we measure ourselves next to God’s holy and most perfect Law. Repent, lest you too pass away with the heavens and be burned up with the heavenly bodies. Confess your sins. Lay your heart bare before the Lord. He is merciful. A broken and contrite heart—these, He will not despise. He does not wish for any to perish, but that our ways be turned toward Him while there is still time.

For this reason, He is patient. Return to the Lord. He is not slow to fulfill His promise. He is patient. So return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, by Your blood and bitter passion, You have destroyed death forever. Create in us repentant and contrite hearts that, confessing our sins, we may obtain those things for which we ask, namely, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn
Oh, how blest it is to know:
Were as scarlet my transgression,
It shall be as white as snow
By Thy blood and bitter passion;
For these words I now believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive. (LSB 609:5)

Thomas Van Hemert (Sem IV, CTSFW)

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Lent Devotion for March 22

Reading: 2 Peter 3:1–7

Unfortunately, it’s not too hard to find stories of believers being mocked for their faith. We live in a society where faith in Jesus Christ is no longer a given. Rather, an actual faith in Christ is the exception not the rule. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center article, among those whom claim to be Christian in the U.S., only 27% believe Christ “Definitely will return.” We live in a world that needs to be “stirred up.” Perhaps you need to be “stirred up.”

Whether you’re ready for it or not, Christ is returning and the destruction of the world is coming. Judgment day is coming; all that is ungodly will be destroyed. I’m not saying go out to the nearest mall with your giant sign reading, “THE END IS NEAR! REPENT!” I am saying the Son draws near. Time is running out. Are there people you need to talk to? Are there scoffers of the faith that you love?

We know the salvation we have in Christ. We know that the story does not end at the destruction of the ungodly. We know that after the destruction, there is a new perfect creation. Share the Gospel so that all might experience the joys of His new creation that is to come!

Prayer
Most holy God, the ultimate creator and destroyer, we pray that You might give us the courage to share the Gospel with the scoffers we meet so that through Your Word the Spirit might create faith in those that mock the faith; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
The One whom angels tended
Comes near, a child, to serve;
Thus God, the judge offended,
Bears all our sins deserve.
The guilty need not cower,
For God has reconciled
Through His redemptive power
All those who trust this child. (LSB 337:2)

Tim Barber (Sem II, CSL)

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Lent Devotion for March 21

Reading: 2 Peter 2:17–22

God’s wondrous blessings to you. Our text for today is a sobering aid that speaks to the dangers and emptiness of false teachings. What can at first glance appear lovely, engaging, and life-renewing often is another shallow teaching to appease the flesh. Sometimes these false teachings are more cleverly disguised, perhaps even offered as a Christian way. Do not be fooled—those who are not slaves to Christ are slaves to their sinful nature, the sinful world, and the devil.

There are millions of ways to sin, but only one way to escape it. That path is “through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 20). The knowledge of our Savior is a wonderful, blessed guide that does not lead to a vain life but instead points us to the One who has fulfilled the whole of the Law for us in His amends for our wretchedness. Our Lord desires that we meditate on His teaching day and night, not straying from it into mires of corruption and sensual passions. May God grant that we would be made wise unto salvation from this holy knowledge.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, You alone are the living wellspring of good teaching. Help us to seek out Your wisdom in avoiding sin and Your blessed Gospel with which you grant us righteousness. Give this to us so that we would dwell in Your righteous ways and lead others there to be eternally sustained through You, O Wellspring of salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
Watch! Let not the wicked world
With its lies defeat you
Lest with bold deceptions hurled
It betray and cheat you.
Watch and see
Lest there be
Faithless friends to charm you,
Who but seek to harm you. (LSB 663:3)

Nate Konkel (Sem II, CTSFW)

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Lent Devotion for March 20

Reading: 2 Peter 2:10b–16

Our reading today has quite the reversal of roles, doesn’t it? Humans are called “irrational animals, creatures of instinct” in verse 12, and then we get to the end of the reading and it is the irrational animal in verse 16 taking on the role of a human: “a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” If you’ll recall in the story of Balaam and his donkey, the donkey prevented Balaam from being destroyed by his godless ways—the animal behaving like a man to save the man behaving like an animal.

Remember the creature you were created to be. Proclaim God’s truth and protect the other creatures that have been given into your care. Who in your life needs to hear a tough word to prevent their destructive ways? Who needs to be filled with life, to hear a Word of grace? Go and do that today.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Creator of all things, You have created us and love us. Give us Your Holy Spirit that we might live as the creatures You have designed us to be, caring for others and loving You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn
To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold
Speak tongues of fire and make us bold
To shine Your Word of saving grace
Into each dark and loveless place. (LSB 585:3)

Joseph Highley (Sem IV, CSL)