What Does This Mean?

March 11, 1522
Dr. Martin Luther
Preacher at Wittenberg

We have heard the things most necessary in Christian life, and what is a necessary result, namely, the doing away with the private mass. For the works which are necessary are those which God has either commanded or forbidden, according to the appointment of the Majesty on high. But no one should be dragged to them by the hair, or kept from them by force, for I can drive no man to heaven with a club. I said this plainly enough and I believe you understood what I said.

We shall now consider the things that are not necessary, but are left to our free choice by God, and which we may do or not do. For instance, whether one should marry or not, or whether monks and nuns should leave the cloisters. These things are matters of choice and must not be forbidden by any one, and if they are forbidden, the forbidding is wrong, since it is contrary to God’s appointment. In the things that we are free to do, such as being married or remaining single, you should act in the following way: If you can restrain yourself without burdening your conscience thereby, do so by all means, but there must be no general law, and every one shall be perfectly free. Any priest, monk or nun who cannot restrain the desires of the flesh, should marry, and thus relieve the burden of conscience. But see to it that you be well-armed and fortified, so that you can stand before God and the world when you are assailed, and especially when the devil attacks you in the hour of death.

It is not enough to say: This man or that man has done the same thing, I followed the example of the crowd, according to the preaching of the provost, or Dr. Carlstadt, or Gabriel, or Michael. Not so, but everyone must stand on his own feet and be prepared to give battle to the devil. You must rest upon a strong and clear text of Scripture if you would stand the test. If you cannot do that, you will never withstand him — the devil will pluck you like a withered leaf.

Therefore the priests who have taken wives, and the nuns who have taken husbands, in order to save their consciences must stand squarely upon a clear text of Scripture, such as this one by St. Paul — although there are many more: “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, (I think Paul uses plain language here!) forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created.” (1 Timothy 4:1) This text the devil will not overthrow nor devour. It will rather overthrow and devour him. Therefore any monk or nun who is too weak to keep the vow of chastity, should conscientiously examine himself. If his heart and conscience are strong, so that he can defend himself with a good conscience, let him marry. Would to God all monks and nuns could hear this sermon and properly understand this matter and would all forsake the cloisters and thus all the cloisters in the world cease to exist — this is my earnest desire. But now they have no understanding of the matter (for no one preaches it to them), and hearing that in other places many are leaving the cloisters, who however are well-prepared for such a step, they would follow their example, but have not yet fortified their consciences and do not know that it is a matter of liberty. This is bad, although it is better that the evil should be outside than inside.

Therefore I say, what God has made free shall remain free, and you must not obey if someone forbids it, even as the pope has done, the Antichrist. He who can do so without harm and for love of his neighbor, may wear a cowl or a tonsure, since it will not injure his faith. Wearing a cowl will not kill him.

Thus, dear friends, it is plain enough, and I believe you ought to understand it and not make liberty a law, saying: This priest has taken a wife, therefore all priests must take wives. Not at all! Or this monk or that nun has left the cloister, therefore they must all come out. Not at all! Or this man has broken images and burned them, therefore all images must be burned — not at all, dear brother! And again, this priest has no wife, therefore no priest dare marry. Not at all! They who cannot retain their chastity should take wives, and for others who can be chaste, it is good that they restrain themselves, as those who live in the spirit and not in the flesh. Neither should they be troubled about the vows they have made, such as the monks’ vows of obedience, chastity and poverty (although they are rich enough).

For we cannot vow anything that is contrary to God’s commands. God has made it a matter of liberty to marry or not to marry, and you are a fool to attempt to turn this liberty into a vow against the ordinance of God? Therefore you must leave liberty alone and not make a compulsion out of it. Your vow is contrary to God’s liberty. Suppose I should vow to strike my father on the mouth, or to steal some one’s property, do you believe God would be pleased with such a vow? And as little as I ought to keep a vow to strike my father on the mouth, so little should I abstain from marriage because I am bound by a vow of chastity, for in both cases God has ordered it otherwise. God has ordained that I should be free to eat fish or flesh, and there should be no commandment concerning them. Therefore all the Carthusians and all monks and nuns forsake the ordinance and liberty which God has given when they believe that if they eat meat they are defiled.

Now let us consider images. It is also true that they are unnecessary, and we are free to have them or not, although it would be much better if we did not have them. I am not partial to them. A great controversy arose on the subject of images between the Roman emperor and the pope. The emperor held that he had the authority to banish the images, but the pope insisted that they should remain, and both were wrong. Much blood was shed, but the pope emerged as victor and the emperor lost.

What was it all about? They wished to make a “must” out of that which is free, and that God cannot tolerate. Do you wish to change what the Majesty on high has ordered? Certainly not! You should not do any such thing. You read in the Law, Exodus 20:4, “You will not make any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” There you take your stand. That is your ground. Now let’s see! When our adversaries say: The first commandment aims at this, that we should worship one God alone and not any image, even as it is said immediately following, “Thou will not bow down to them nor serve them,” and declare that the worship of images is forbidden and not the making of them, they disturb and unsettle our foundation for us. And if you reply: The text says, “Thou will not make any images,” They answer: It also says, “You will not worship them.”

In the face of such uncertainty who would be so bold as to destroy the images? Not I. But let us go farther. They say: Did not Noah, (Romans 8:20) Abraham, (Genesis 22:9) and Jacob (Genesis 35:1) build altars? And who will deny that? We must admit it. Again, did not Moses erect a brazen serpent, as we read in his fourth book? (Numbers 21:9) How can you say Moses forbids the making of images when he himself makes one? It seems to me, such a serpent is an image, too. How shall we answer that? Again, do we not read that two birds were erected on the mercy-seat, the very place where God willed that He should be worshiped? (Exodus 37:7) Here we must admit, that we may make images and have images, but we must not worship them, and when they are worshiped, they should be put away and destroyed, just as King Hezekiah smashed into pieces the serpent erected by Moses. (2 Kings 18:4)

And who will be so bold as to say, when called to respond: They worship the images. They will answer: Do you dare to accuse us of worshiping the images? I do not believe that they will acknowledge it. To be sure it is true, but we cannot make them admit it. Remember how they acted when I condemned works without faith. They said: Do you believe that we have no faith, or that our works are performed without faith? I can do nothing more than put my flute back in its pocket. Give them a hair’s breadth, and they take a hundred miles.

Therefore it should have been preached that images were nothing and that God is not served by building them, and they would have fallen of themselves. That is what I did. That is what Paul did in Athens, when he went into their churches and saw all their idols. He did not strike at any of them, but stood in the marketplace and said, “Men of Athens, you are all idolatrous.” (Acts 17:22) He preached against their idols, but he overthrew none by force.

Yet you would rush in, create an uproar, break down the altars and overthrow the images? Do you really believe you can abolish the images in this way? No, you will only set them up more firmly. Even if you overthrew the images in this place, do you think you have overthrown those in Nuremberg and the rest of the world? Not at all. St. Paul, as we read in the Book of Acts, sat in a ship on whose prow were painted or carved the Twin Brothers. (Acts 28:11) He went on board and did not bother about it at all; neither did he break them off. Why must Luke describe the Twins at this place? Without doubt he wanted to show that outward things could do no harm to faith, if only the heart does not cling to them nor put its trust in them. This is what we must preach and teach, and let the Word alone do the work, as I said before. The Word must first capture the hearts of men and enlighten them — we cannot do it. Therefore the apostles gloried in their service, ministry, and not in its effect, execution.

We will let this be enough for today, and pray God for His grace.

Copyright: Public Domain

Translated by A. Steimle. Edited and Language Modernized by Robert E. Smith
From: The Works of Martin Luther. Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1915, 2:387-425.

March 10, 1522
Dr. Martin Luther
Preacher at Wittenberg

Dear Friends: You heard yesterday the characteristics of a Christian, how his whole life is faith and love. Faith is directed toward God, love toward man and one’s neighbor, and consists in such love and service for him as we have received from God without our work and merit. Thus there are two things. The one, which is the most necessary, and which must be done in one way and no other, the other, which is a matter of choice and not of necessity, which may be kept or not, without endangering faith or incurring hell.

In both, love must deal with our neighbor in the same manner as God has dealt with us. It must walk the straight road, straying neither to the left nor to the right. In the things which are “musts” and are matters of necessity, such as believing in Christ, love nevertheless never uses force or undue constraint. Thus the mass is an evil thing, and God is displeased with it, because it is performed as a sacrifice and work of merit. Therefore it must be abolished. Here there is no room for question, just as little as if you should ask whether you should pray to God. Here we are entirely agreed. The private mass must be abolished, as I have said in my writings. And I heartily wish it would be abolished everywhere and only the evangelical mass for all the people be retained.

Yet Christian love should not employ harshness here nor force the matter. It should be preached and taught with tongue and pen, that to hold mass in such a manner is a sin, but no one should be dragged away from it by force. The matter should be left to God. His word should do the work alone, without our work. Why? Because it is not in my power to fashion the hearts of men as the potter molds the clay, and to do with them as I please. I can get no farther than to men’s ears. Their hearts I cannot reach. And since I cannot pour faith into their hearts, I cannot, nor should I, force any one to have faith. That is God’s work alone, Who causes faith to live in the heart.

Therefore we should give free course to the Word, and not add our works to it. We have the jus verbi, but not the executio. We should preach the Word, but the consequences must be left to God’s own good pleasure.

Now if I should rush in and abolish the mass by force, there are many who would be compelled to consent to it and yet not know their own minds, but say: “I do not know if it is right or wrong, I do not know where I stand, I was compelled by force to submit to the majority.” And this forcing and commanding results in a mere mockery, an external show, a fool’s play, man-made ordinances, sham-saints and hypocrites. For where the heart is not good, I care nothing at all for the work. We must first win the hearts of the people. And that is done when I teach only the Word of God, preach the Gospel and say: “Dear lords or pastors, desist from holding the mass, it is not right, you are sinning when you do it. I cannot refrain from telling you this.” But I would not make it an ordinance for them, nor urge a general law. He who would follow me could do so, and he who refused would remain without. In the latter case the Word would sink into the heart and perform its work. Thus he would become convinced and acknowledge his error, and fall away from the mass.

Tomorrow another would do the same, and thus God would accomplish more with His Word than if you and I would forge into one all power and authority. For if you have won the heart, you have won the whole man — and the mass must finally fall of its own weight and come to an end. And if the hearts and minds of all men are united in the purpose — abolish the mass. But if all are not heart and soul for its abolishment — leave it in God’s hands, I beg you, otherwise the result will not be good. Not, indeed, that I would again set up the mass. I let it lie in God’s name. Faith must not be chained and imprisoned, nor bound by an ordinance to any work. This is the principle by which you must be governed. For I am sure you will not be able to carry out your plans, and if you should carry them out with such general laws, then I will retract all the things that I have written and preached, and I will not support you.

Therefore I ask you plainly: What harm can the mass do to you? You have your faith, pure and strong, toward God, and the mass cannot hurt you.

Love, therefore, demands that you have compassion on the weak, as all the apostles had. Once, when Paul came to Athens, (Acts 17:26) a mighty city, he found in the temple many altars, and he went from one to the other and looked at them all, but did not touch any one of them even with his foot. But he stood in the midst of the marketplace and said they were all idolatrous works, and begged the people to forsake them. Yet he did not destroy one of them by force. When the word took hold of their hearts, they forsook their idols of their own accord, and in consequence idolatry fell of itself. Now, if I had seen that they held mass, I would have preached and admonished them concerning it. Had they heeded my admonition, they would have been won. If not, I would nevertheless not have torn them from it by the hair or employed any force, but simply allowed the Word to act, while I prayed for them. For the Word created heaven and earth and all things. The Word must do this thing, and not we poor sinners.

In conclusion: I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I have opposed the indulgences and all the papists, but never by force. I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word. Otherwise I did nothing. And then while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and with Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy, that never a prince or emperor inflicted such damage upon it. I did nothing. The Word did it all. Had I desired to cause trouble, I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany. Yes, I could have started such a little game at Worms that even the emperor would not have been safe. But what would it have been? A fool’s play. I did nothing. I left it to the Word.

What do you suppose is Satan’s thought when an effort is made to do things by violence? He sits back in hell and thinks: How fine a game these fools will play for me! But it brings him distress when we only spread the Word, and let it alone do the work. For it is almighty and takes captive the hearts, and if the hearts are captured the evil work will fall of itself.

Let me cite and instance. In the past there were sects, too, Jewish and Gentile Christians, differed on the Law of Moses in respect to circumcision. The former wanted keep it, the latter did not. Then came Paul and preached that you might be practiced or not, and that it did not matter one way or the other. They shouldn’t make a “must” of it, but leave it to the choice of the individual. Whether to keep it or not, does not matter.

Later came Jerome, who would have made a “must” out of it, and wanted laws and ordinances to prohibit it. Then came St. Augustine, who held to the opinion of St. Paul: it might be kept or not, as one wished. St. Jerome had missed the meaning of St. Paul by a hundred miles. The two doctors bumped heads rather hard over the proposition. But when St. Augustine died, St. Jerome accomplished his purpose. After that came the popes. They would add something of their own, and they, too, made laws. Thus out of the making of one law grew a thousand laws, until they have completely buried us under laws. And so it will be here. One law will soon make two; two will increase to three, and so forth.

Let this be enough at this time concerning the things that are necessary, and let us beware lest we lead astray those of weak conscience.

Copyright: Public Domain

Translated by A. Steimle. Edited and Language Modernized by Robert E. Smith
From: The Works of Martin Luther. Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1915, 2:387-425.

Invocavit Sunday
March 9, 1522
Dr. Martin Luther
Preacher at Wittenberg

The challenge of death comes to us all, and no one can die for another. Everyone must fight his own battle with death by himself, alone. We can shout into one another’s ears, but everyone must be prepared finally to meet death alone. I will not be with you then, nor you with me. Therefore everyone must know for himself the chief things in Christianity, and be armed with them. These are the same things which you, my beloved, have long ago heard from me.

In the first place, we must know that we are the children of wrath, and all our works, intentions and thoughts are worth nothing at all. To prove this point we must have a clear, strong text, and although there are many such passages in the Bible I will not overwhelm you with them, but ask you to note just this one, “We are all the children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:3) And pray, do not boast in reply: “I built an altar, I gave a foundation for masses,” etc.

Secondly, That God has sent us His only-begotten Son that we may believe in Him, (John 3:16) and whosoever will put his trust in Him, should be free from sin and a child of God, as John declares in the first chapter, “He gave them power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.” (John 1:12) Here we should all be thoroughly at home in the Bible and be ready with many passages to confront the devil. In respect to these two points nothing seems to be lacking or amiss, but they have been rightly preached to you. I would be very sorry if it were otherwise. No, I am well aware and I dare say, that you are more learned in this matter than I, and that there are not only one, two, three, or four, but perhaps ten or more, who have this wisdom and enlightenment.

Thirdly, There must also be love, and through love we must do to one another as God has done to us through faith. For without love faith is nothing, as St. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 13:1, “If I could speak with the tongues of angels, and of the highest things in faith, and have not love, I am nothing.” And haven’t you failed here badly, dear friends? I see no signs of love among you, and I observe that you have not been grateful to God for His rich gifts and treasures.

Let us beware lest Wittenberg become Capernaum. (Matthew 11:23) I notice that you have a great deal to say of the doctrine which is preached to you, of faith and of love. This is not surprising. A donkey can almost chant the lessons, and why shouldn’t you be able to repeat the doctrines and formulas? Dear friends, the kingdom of God — and we are that kingdom — consists not in speech or in words, (1 Corinthians 4:20) but in deeds — in works and exercises. God does not want hearers and repeaters of words, (James 1:22) but doers and followers who exercise the faith that works by love. For a faith without love is not enough — rather it is not faith at all, but a counterfeit of faith, just as a face seen in a mirror is not a real face, but merely the reflection of a face. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Fourthly, We need patience, too. For whoever has faith, trusts in God and shows love to his neighbor, practicing it day by day, has to suffer persecution. For the devil never sleeps, and continually molests. But patience works and produces hope, (Romans 5:4) which freely yields itself to God and finds comfort in Him. Thus faith, by much affliction and persecution, ever increases, and is strengthened day by day. And the heart which by God’s grace has received such virtues must ever be active and freely expend itself for the benefit and service of the brethren, even as it has received from God.

And here, dear friends, one must not insist upon his rights, but must see what may be useful and helpful to his brother, as St. Paul says, Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are useful.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) We are not all equally strong in faith. Some of you have a stronger faith than I. Therefore we must not look upon ourselves, or our strength, or our rank, but upon our neighbor, for God has said through Moses, “I have borne and nourished thee, even as a mother her child.” (Compare with Deuteronomy 1:31) How does a mother nourish her child? First, she feeds it with milk, then oatmeal, then eggs and soft food. If she weaned it and at once gave it the ordinary, coarse food, the child would never thrive. So we should also deal with our brother, have patience with him for a time, suffer his weakness and help him bear it. We should give him milk for food, too, (1 Peter 2:2) as was done with us, until he grows strong, too, and thus we do not travel to heaven alone, but bring the brethren, who are not now on our side, with us. If all mothers were to abandon their children, where would we have been? Dear brother, if you have suckled long enough, do not at once cut off the breast, but let your brother be nourished also. I would not have gone so far as you have done, if I had been here. What you did was good, but you have gone too fast. For there are also brothers and sisters on the other side who belong to us, and must still be won.

Let me illustrate. The sun has two properties, light and heat. No king has power enough to bend or guide the light of the sun. It remains straight in the place where it shines. But the heat may be turned and guided, and yet is ever about the sun. Thus the faith must always remain pure and immovable in the heart, never wavering. But love moves and is guided, so that our neighbors may grasp it or follow us. There are some who can run, others must walk, still others can hardly crawl. (1 Corinthians 8:7-13) Therefore we must not look upon our own, but upon our brother’s powers, so that if he is weak in faith, and attempts to follow the strong, he may not be destroyed of the devil. Therefore, dear brethren, obey me. I have never been a destroyer, and I was also the very first whom God called to this work. Neither can I run away, but must remain as long as it pleases God. I was the first, too, to whom God revealed it, to preach His Word to you. Moreover, I am sure that you have the pure Word of God.

Let us, therefore, take up this matter with fear and humility, cast ourselves at one another’s feet, join hands with each other, and help one another. I will do my part, which is no more than my duty, for I love you even as I love my own soul. (Ephesians 6:12) For here we battle not against pope or bishop, but against the devil, and do you imagine he is asleep? He doesn’t sleep, but sees the true light rising, and to keep it from shining into his eyes he would make a flank attack — and he will succeed, if we are not on our guard. I know him well, and I hope, too, that with the help of God I am his master. But if we yield him but an inch, we must soon look to it how we may be rid of him. Therefore all those have erred, who have consented and helped to abolish the mass — in itself a good undertaking, but not accomplished in an orderly way. You say it was right according to the Scriptures. I agree, but what becomes of order? For it was done recklessly, with no regard to proper order and with offense to your neighbor. If, beforehand, you had called upon God in earnest prayer, and had obtained the aid of the authorities, one could be certain that it had come from God. I, too, would have taken steps toward the same end if it had been a good thing to do. And if the mass were not so evil a thing, I would introduce it again. For I cannot defend your action, as I have just said. To the papists and the blockheads I could defend it, for I could say: How do you know whether it was done with good or bad intention, since the work in itself was really a good work? But I can find nothing to reply to the devil. For if on their deathbeds the devil reminds those who began this affair of texts like these, “Every plant, which My father hath not planted, shall be rooted up,” (Matthew 15:13) or “I have not sent them, yet they ran,” (Jeremiah 23:21) how will they be able to withstand it? He will cast them into hell. But I have a weapon to brandish in the devil’s face, so that the wide world will become too small for him. I know that in spite of my reluctance I was regularly called by the Council to preach in this place. And I would that you should have the same assurance as I. You could so easily have consulted me about the matter.

I was not so far away that you could not reach me with a letter, especially since I did not interfere with you in any way. Did you want to begin something, and then leave me to shoulder the responsibility? That is more than I can undertake, and I will not do it. Here one can see that you do not have the Spirit, in spite of your deep knowledge of the Scriptures. Take note of these two things, “must” and “free.” The “must” is that which necessity requires, and which must ever be unyielding, as, for instance, is the faith, which I shall never permit any one to take away from me, but which I must always keep in my heart and freely confess before every one. But “free” is that in which I have choice, and may use or not, yet in such a way that it profit my brother and not me. Now do not make a “must” out of what is “free,” as you have done, so that you may not be called to account for those who were led astray by your exercise of liberty without love. For if you entice any one to eat meat on Friday, and he is troubled about it on his deathbed, and thinks, Woe is me, for I have eaten meat and I am lost! God will call you to account for that soul. I would like to begin many things, in which but few would follow me. But what is the use? I know that those who have begun this thing, and when push comes to shove, cannot maintain themselves, and will be the first to retreat. How would it be, if I brought the people to the point of attack, and though I had been the foremost to exhort others, I would then flee, and not face death with courage? How the poor people would be deceived!

Let us, therefore, feed others also with the milk which we received, until they, too, become strong in the faith. For there are many who are otherwise in accord with us and who would also gladly accept this one thing, but they do not yet fully understand it — all such we drive aware. Therefore, let us show love to our neighbors, or our work will not endure. We must have patience with them for a time, and not cast out the weak in the faith. Much more should we regulate what we do and do not do according to the demands of love, provided no injury is done to our faith. If we do not earnestly pray to God, and act cautiously in this matter, it seems to me that all the misery which we have begun to cause the papists will fall upon us. Therefore I could no longer remain away, but was compelled to come and say these things to you.

This is enough about the mass. Tomorrow we speak about images.

Copyright: Public Domain

Translated by A. Steimle. Edited and Language Modernized by Robert E. Smith
From: The Works of Martin Luther. Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1915, 2:387-425.

On the first Sunday in Lent, March 9, 1522, Luther began a daily sermon series in the pulpit of the Wittenberg city church, known as the Invocavit Sermons after the Latin name for the Sunday. Luther criticized the people of Wittenberg for not allowing love for their neighbor guide how they reformed the church. The weak need to be taught slowly and patiently so they desire the change and are not forced to do so before they were ready.

The reformer discussed the issues in the light of two sets of definitions. When something is necessary to sustain faith, then it must be done. Faith needs to be firm and immovable. When it is not, Christian love must control our actions for the sake of weak brothers and sisters in Christ. Love is flexible and does not insist on its own rights. 

In addition there are things which must be done and other things which we are free to do. For example, God forbids the making of images in some places in Scripture and in other places commands that they be made. So we are free to make them, providing they are done for God-pleasing reasons. What we should worry about is when we make them to worship them or donate them because we think we’re doing it as a good work.

The sermon series greatly moved those who heard it. The town immediately settled down. Luther was now their preacher.

©2022 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

The two treatises of early 1522 became very popular and were well-read during Luther’s lifetime and afterwards. However, they did little to calm the unrest brewing in Germany, however. To complicate matters, men from the Saxon town of Zwickau came to town, claiming to be profits, whom God spoke to directly. They taught many doctrines that would be eventually adopted by the Anabaptist movement, including that infant baptisms were not baptisms at all. Philip Melanchthon confronted them, but was at a loss as to how to answer them.

In mid-February, the Wittenberg town council begged him to return. And so he did, emerging permanently from his retreat on 6 March 1522, five hundred years aggo today. While he was on the road, he wrote to the Elector to warn him of that development. The Elector was worried he wouldn’t be able to protect Luther. Wittenberg was just fifty miles from the Saxon territory of Duke George, a supporter of the papacy — more or less. He would not hesitate to burn Luther at the stake as a heretic.

When Luther arrived home, he spent the next few days conferring with his allies. He decided for the time being not to resume his professorship, but for the next two years preached regularly in the city church (St. Mary’s) and worked on his Bible translation. He began his time as “Preacher in Wittenberg,” on the first sunday in Lent, known as Invocavit Sunday, March 9, 1522. He continued to preach for seven days, concluding on the second Sunday in Lent.

©2022 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

I only entertain beggars on Thursday morning, first thing in the mornings. We have a preschool on our property and it’s imperative that the folks seeking handouts don’t get the impression that they are welcome to visit anytime and speak to anyone. I ask our staff and volunteers to firmly invite anyone seeking aid to come again on Thursday. I invite them to hang me out to dry by saying something like, “Pastor won’t let us speak to anyone or give anything out. You have to come talk to him first thing on Thursday morning,” implying that I’m a big meanie.

Another time, I may talk about tactics used by beggars. Today, I wanted to share a particular story for a different reason. I had a visitor in my office just before Christmas with a fantastic story. She came at around 11:15, just late enough to be inconvenient. That’s usually on purpose. I invited her into my office to sit and talk.

I make a habit of asking an open-ended question or two and letting folks talk themselves out. I make the time to sit and listen as long as necessary. Sometimes, I’m convinced that I can help in some way, and I do. Sometimes, I’m convinced my help will not be helpful, and I don’t. This often becomes clear quite soon. But, I like to give folks a chance to speak their mind.

This woman was one who didn’t like dead air in conversation. Silence is strong tool in listening to folks sharing their stories. True stories tend to become more consistent within themselves as they’re repeated to fill uncomfortable silence. Lies and distortions tend to get convoluted and details confused with repetition. Her story quickly fell into the later category.

The woman was a fairly well-spoken, clean, well-kempt lady in her late 40s – early 50s with clean clothes, a recently purchase vehicle with temporary tags, and newly done nails. She was dying for four forms of end-stage cancer, had recently move to La Grange from the coast, was homeschooling a special needs child, and unable to find work despite help wanted signs in most windows around town. When she seemed to understand I may not be buying her story, she started to speak a different language.

No she wasn’t exhibiting glossolalia (speaking in tongues). She started to incorporate Christian sounding phrases. I’m going to call this style of speaking Christianish. It doesn’t quite sound Christian, because it isn’t. Now, I’m sure Christians may speak this way from time to time. But, Christianish seeks to convince the hearer that I’m a Christian just like you think I ought to be.

Suddenly, She and her previously unmentioned husband left the coast because they prayed on it. And, having prayed, “God told me to leave, shake the dust off our sandals, because there was nothing for us there. His Spirit had provided all He could.”

She had noticed me noticing her vehicle and wove that artfully into skein of her yarn. “That truck is the perfect vehicle for us. We found it over a month ago. But, the owner wanted too much. So, we prayed on it and claimed it in prayer. God gave us peace over it. The owner called two days ago to accept our offer. It’s a God thing.”

Concerning her apparent good health, she said, “I don’t know how I’m still alive. It must be for my kid. God said He would put a hedge of protection around me. I have a special needs child. He’s slow and he’s got ADD, ADHD, and PTSD. I don’t trust those schools with him, so I keep him at home. He loves Jesus and reads his bible. When, I was pregnant with him, God told be he was going to be special gift. He said this boy was going to be a man after Gods own heart. And, He has a great plan for him.”

When she caught me taking in the quality of her nails, she offered, “Yeah, just had my nails done yesterday. I don’t spend this kind of money on myself. But, a friend gave me money as a birthday gift for me to get these nails. The gift covered most of it. And, I felt like I had to honor her. She’s blessed to be a blessing.”

For the sake of time and space, I’ve distilled this 45 minute conversation down to a few sound bites. Any of the phrases above might be used by Christians. They are not the kind of language we Lutherans would use. The collection represents influences of spiritual enthusiasm, name-it-and-claim-it, prophetic anointing, and others not cited here.

The enthusiasts expect direct revelation from the spirit by feelings, impressions, and actual words of God. These new revelations are treated as equal to or over the Word of God in the Bible. Moreover, the enthusiast sees them as a proof of true Christian faith.

The name-it-and-claim it crowd teaches that the wants of this physical world are just a prayer away. If you pray right, and with adequate faith, God must deliver what you ask. Your lack of faith is the only thing holding you back from forcing God’s hand.

The notion of prophetic anointing requires modern prophecy to be a thing. Then, it encourages mothers to believe themselves to be like Hannah, the mother of Samuel. But, more still, that they are to receive a direct divine promise of their kiddo’s assignment.

Combining these elements of very specific Christian groups together is an odd fit. Along with the unmentioned bits, I was left with a picture of a collector. This woman had gathered Christian expressions and compiled them into a language she could use to convince you that she’s a Christian just like you. Ultimately, it’s just another begging technique like pressing the time on your end to encourage you offer-up “go away” money.

The begging feature here is less important than the way the language works. In isolation, certain expression may sound Christian. But, when the bits don’t fit together and don’t flow from the scriptures, you’re hearing a false Christianity. Maybe it’s a suit for work, a cover for insecurity, or ploy to separate you from your money.

Be wary of the Christianish language.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2022 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

On his visit to Wittenberg in December 1521, Junker Jörg had a chance to speak with and overhear conversations between everyday Germans. What he learned disturbed him greatly. He sensed anger against the Church and her abuses and general unease among common people. He likely read several of the extreme pamphlets, some threatening violence and rebellion.

For months he had been haunted by the possibility that events could get out of hand. The Electoral Saxon Court was also worried. Not entirely successfully, the Elector forbid the changes being made by Luther’s followers and university students for the time being. Yet many of the changes being made by impatient reformers were ideas he himself had advanced. The end to private masses, distribution of both elements in the Lord’s Supper and an end to monastic celibacy were among these reforms. He vowed to write and discourage the former while encouraging the latter.

In the summer of 1521, from the safety of the Wartburg, Luther wrote a treatise De abroganda missa privata Martini Lutheri sententia (The Misuse Of The Mass [AE 36:129ff]) to help those engaged in beginning to reform the Mass. He explained his chief objections and the reasons why he opposed them so that reformers would have good arguments to employ. He argued for the distribution of the Lord’s Supper in both kinds and the end of private masses, said to accumulate merit for souls in purgatory, He concluded that these practices rested on several false doctrines, that the priesthood is a separate and superior class of Christians and that their work is primarily about sacrifice. Instead, all Christians are priests, the work of the priesthood is preaching, not sacrifice and that the mass itself is not a sacrifice at all, but a promise given by Christ to be received in faith. He sent the work to George Spalatin, Elector Frederick’s secretary, who decided not to publish it. In the meantime, Luther worked from notes to prepare a German version, Uom Missbrauch der Messen When Luther found out the book hadn’t been published, he demanded the publication of Misuse of the Mass under threat to write something more inflammatory. Both versions were first published in January of 1522.  

He also sent Spalatin a book to urge his followers not to resort to insurrection. The work, Treue Vermahnung zu allen Christen (A Sincere Admonition by Martin Luther to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion) appeared in early 1522. In the book, Luther argued that insurrection was forbidden by God. He had given authority to punish and compel reform to the government and it must remain with them. It is the role of the common man to point out where reform is needed, pray for it and urge their rulers to enact it and not to participate in abuses. They ought to trust God to act on their behalf. In the conclusion to this work, Luther asks that his followers not call themselves Lutheran. “What is Luther? After all, the teaching is not mine. Neither was I crucified for anyone.… How then should I—poor stinking maggot-fodder that I am—come to have men call the children of Christ by my wretched name?” (Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: Shaping and Defining the Reformation, 1521–1532, trans. James L. Schaaf (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1994), 32.)

©2022 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

The Lutheran church is often maligned for her lack of friendliness. We are well aware of the issue. We even assign greeters to welcome folks as they come into the building. Just like the back pew preference, I suppose we’re not alone in Christendom in this either. But, is there a possibility that there’s another underlying issue?

I’ve concluded over the years that some of our chilly interaction is caused by fear. Not some introverted fear of interaction itself, but a fear of being exposed or causing great pearl clutching offense. Both, I suspect, originate from the same source.

We’re afraid to greet a strange face, because they might be an infrequent, long-time member. We fear offending them and chasing them off. We also fear being exposed as a newbie, regardless of how many years are under our belts, in the face of a generational member, who deserves more credit than us.

To the second concern, impostor syndrome is a real thing. In most of the rest of our lives, it’s sort of an irrational fear. But in Christianity, it’s legitimate. We come to confess our sins, hear the absolution, hear the word of God, and receive his gifts of forgiveness of sins life and salvation. We do it often, constantly reminding ourselves that we don’t belong or deserve these gifts. Baptized into Christ, we are imposters no more. We are grafted into the body of Christ. We are members of the one body, the one family of faith.

The fear of offense is also legitimate. But, we should not be paralyzed by it. The misidentified delinquent member may get mad, but they lack standing in the case. They are the ones who’ve hidden their faces from the congregation. They are the ones who’ve absented themselves from the place where God promised to deliver his blessings to His people.

Think of it this way: Attendance is membership. Membership is not a listing on the membership roll caused by a protracted failure to clean-up the rolls, not a ancient familial connection, not a community presence, not a huge donation in the recent or distant past. “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian” you’ll often hear.

That’s true but consider this. “Just a like a fish doesn’t have to be in water to be a fish. What happens to that fish when you take it out of the water for too long?” (Tyler Edwards, “Do You Really Have To Go To Church Every Sunday,” Relevant Magazine, 2017). God gives us His church to keep us in the faith and guard us against the Devil, the world, and our sinful flesh.

Our fear can block us from serving those returning folks and, more importantly missing new visitors among us. By simply not engaging, we won’t be exposed or hurt somebody’s feelings. At what cost? How many folks have visited among us without a word from the person sharing their pew, seated behind, or seated in front of them? How many people did we miss getting to know and folding into this body of faith?

You Are the Church! A simple word of greeting from one individual to another can make all the difference in the world to that person you don’t know yet. “Hi, my name is Esmerelda, and you are?” “Can I show you how to use that bulletin?” “We’re on page 167.” Even the simplest things can make their scary visit more comfortable. It can’t be done by formatting of the bulletin, welcome banners, or uncomfortable announcements. It can be done by each of us offering a word greeting or assistance.

That’s also true of the long delinquent member too. They may have forgotten what comes next, or never learned in the first place. If you don’t know them, they prob’ly don’t know you either. We’re here for the same reason. We come to the house of the Lord to hear and receive that forgiveness bought for us by the death of Jesus.

Let us attend to the house of the Lord.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2022 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Pastor Brent Keller was recently installed as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, Iowa and St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor, Iowa. His bio has been updated at: https://whatdoesthismean.blog/meet-rev-brent-keller/

Yes, of course God still speaks to us. He speaks directly to us each week, when we hear His Word. When your pastor says, “in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I forgive you all of your sins.” We are to hear the words as if Jesus Himself spoke them to us just now. The Divine Service on Sunday morning is all about the Lord speaking to us.

But, that’s not really the question, is it?

Your Aunt Beatrice, who now calls herself, Sister Mooncloud, means something entirely different. She or Uncle Stinging-rain say that God speaks directly to them. They’ve told you that they are more in touch with the Spirit of the Almighty in some way.

The method doesn’t matter. What matters is content.

A prophet is simply one who hears and reports the Word of the Lord. A true prophet cannot speak falsely. Moses warned the people of Israel, and us, too, that false prophets are coming, and here’s how you will know. “And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

Always, the prophet must speak truth. If Uncle Stinging-rain or Auntie Mooncloud say a thing purporting to be the voice of God, it must come true as they have said. If the Senate doesn’t overturn the election, the comet doesn’t strike the earth, Mom and Dad don’t die at the appointed time, or the market doesn’t have a cataclysmic reaction, then the prophesy and the prophet are false.

Even the remedy given by the Lord through Mosses reflects a curious disdain. “You need not be afraid of him.” The proscribed reaction here isn’t fisticuffs, scourging, or stoning. It’s indifference. Have no fear, de-escalate, disengage.

All prophesy must point to Jesus and Him crucified for our sins. You and I may not always readily see it. But, it is the case to be sure. On the road to Emmaus, two of the followers of Jesus received clear teaching on their seven mile walk from Jesus himself after the resurrection. “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Acts 2:25-27)

“But, Pastor Kaspar, what about St. Peter’s Pentecost sermon concerning visions? Doesn’t that indicate a renewed prophesy?” That’s a fine question. When Peter and the disciples spoke in tongues, speaking all the languages of the people present, He did preach about prophecy. But, what does he actually say?

“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; … before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know — this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:16-17, 20b-24)

Jesus taught on the Emmaus road: all prophecy is of Him. Peter also preached the same from the prophecy of St. Joel, chapter two. The prophet spoke of Jesus. The day of prophesy is the day of salvation. It’s the day of Jesus. For you, that day is today.

The writer of Hebrews puts a fine point on it too. “In many and various ways, God spoke to His people of old by the prophets. But now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2a) We have prophecy. But, the whole of it points to Jesus and his work saving us.

And St. Peter teaches us in His second epistle, chapter one, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty … And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:16, 18-20)

We have the interpretation: the saving work of Jesus for us. Now, also we have the lens through which prophecy is revealed to us. We have Jesus and the scripture attesting to Him. Anything else is false prophecy. Fear not, dear Christians, ignore those words.

Let us prophesy of Jesus alone, and the work He has done.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2022 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights a nd permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.