Letters On The Page

As we are now happily within the Twelve Days of Christmas, I am pleased to share this snippet by John Donne that I have borrowed from Alan Jacobs blog:  https://buttondown.email/ayjay/archive/christmas-epiphany/ John Donne, from a sermon preached at St. Paul’s Cathedral on  Christmas Day 1626 : The life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die Martyrs, but Christ was born a Martyr. He found a Golgotha (where he was crucified) even in Bethlehem, where he was born; For, to his tenderness then, the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after; and the Manger as uneasy at first, as his Cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday, are but the evening and morning of one and the same day. And as even his birth, is his death, so every action and passage that manifests Christ to us, is his birth; for,  Epiphany  is manifestation; And therefore, though the Church doe now call Twelfth-day Epiphany, because...

 The Point Magazine is published three times a year in print. They have essays covering all manner of topics in between issues.  The Point is subscription based but they do allow anyone to read up to three essays per month.   When I first learned of The Point, I was amused that the chief writers at its inception came out of the University of Chicago and were making reference to a chunk of land in Hyde Park that sticks out into Lake Michigan.   One of my ongoing concerns is education and the need for a fixed canon. And, for the need to read whole books and think deeply about them to help form our critical thinking abilities.  I did not think about these things until after I was done with my various degrees.  The author reflects on the issues regarding the literary canon. What I particularly liked was that he brought Roosevelt Montas' book into the essay.  He offers critical applause to the book and shows how Rescuing Socrates can be valuable. ...

One of my Saturday morning delights is opening up the week's summary of essays and interesting tid bits from the Front Porch Republic. Click here for the website:  https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/ As it is Christmas Eve, here is an interesting thing to think about regarding Christ's birth and the difference between then and modern day America.  Jeffrey Bilbro assembled this little thought piece.  In his delightful book  The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs , Joel Salatin invites us to imagine whether Christ would have been born in the “stable,” or factory house, of our industrial American food system: Matthew Sleeth, founder of Blessed Earth, asks a profound question: “Would Jesus be born in a factory house?” He was born in a stable. Undoubtedly this stable had several kinds of animals in it and was fairly small. Some have even suggested it may have been a bit of a cave. Or it may have been the ground floor of a house. I have no idea, but knowing the Hebrews and the time...

 2022-12-21 Commemoration of St. Thomas, Apostle- Isaiah 42:1-25, Rev 9:1-12 In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  God speaking through Isaiah issues a wonderful promise: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” That promise is of a Savior who is coming.  Isaiah 42 contains the first of four suffering servant songs found in Isaiah. The others may be found in chapters 49, 50, and 52-53.  These texts are linked to Jesus. In fact, Isaiah 42:1-4 is quoted in Matthew 12. In between the miracles of healing a man with a withered hand and casting out a demon, Matthew lets us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the one Isaiah spoke of.  Jesus is the chosen servant. He does the Father’s work in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He is opposed, oppressed, ridiculed, rejected, scorned and even smited on the cross. But, despite the herculean efforts of the enemies...

 2022-12-19 Vespers - Commemoration of Adam and Eve - Isaiah 40:1-17 & Revelation 7:1-17 As we commemorate the first man and woman today, we recognize that Adam and Eve were endowed with great gifts from God. Adam is created in the image of God. And from Adam came Eve. Adam is given dominion over all the earth. A tremendous responsibility of stewardship is entrusted to him.  When they succumbed to the temptation to be like God, and fell into sin, their sin impacts us all to this day.  When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command, they inaugurated a cycle of life and death that we have no choice but to participate in.   Creation is constantly changing. There is nothing steady.  The seasons come and go.  The sleep and inactivity of winter leads into the new birth of spring which is followed by a summer of growth which is then followed by a time of harvest and a slow dying as all of creation returns to its winter death waiting for the new life to ...

In the past week, I started reading Tracy Lee Simmons' remarkable Climbing Parnassus . When I grew tired of reading, I watched a couple of his lectures available on YouTube.   I enjoyed and learned from both. Here is one I also searched for any additional books he has written.  The only item I could find was a pamphlet entitled "What is Civilization?" published by Memoria Press.  I will start that soon enough.  Tracy worked for 20 years as an associate editor of National Review.  He wrote many articles and reviews for NR and other periodicals. But, alas! to date, no additional books that I can find.  When "What is Civilization?" came yesterday, I also received additional items. Unsolicited but appreciated nonetheless. One of which is this amusing helpful book mark.

 2022-12-18     Fourth Sunday in Advent - Isaiah 7:10-17   Romans 1:1-7    Matthew 1:18-25 In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen About this time of year, Marie and I receive letters that begin with “To our family and friends.” These letters are a general letter put in with Christmas cards that tell the news of the years events. Because family and friends are about across two countries, this is the one time we learn of births, deaths, new employments, and other changes. And, then at the end of the letter, we have the name of the person or family sending the letter.  In the ancient world, the common practice was to begin the letter with the name of the sender, then quickly name the person the letter is intended for.  It can be as brief as: Pastor Zell to Pastor Seyboldt. After the letter writer’s name, there may be a title or a distinguishing mark of some kind that is important for the reader to know right away.   T...

 2022-12-14 Revelation 2:1-29  In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  As I read through the lesson for Revelation I was reminded of Psalm 139. Here are the first seven verses.   O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? Psalm 139 is very personal.  Written by King David. He confesses that God knows his most secret thoughts and actions. While he may be able to hide his conduct, attitudes and thoughts from other people, David knows that he cannot hide from God.   David is convince...

 2022-12-12 Isaiah 29:1-14 Jude In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. On a day to day basis, we see and hear many warnings. The little speed monitors along the road tell speeders to slow down; a traffic sign warns us that cross traffic does not stop; on the bottle and in the commercials, medicines bring warnings about potential side-effects; in the media we are regularly warned of climate change; and, if you are a certain age, you might receive messages electronically or via the Post Office to watch your cholesterol or for warning signs of heart attack, or undue stress.  Scripture is also full of warnings too. We certainly received a few tonight. In Isaiah, we are warned of God’s displeasure at Judah’s half-hearted response to himself. Worship lack earnestness.  The lips say one thing; their hearts says another. Because of Judah’s lack of faithfulness and fidelity - God’s judgment will be unleashed.  God’s displeasure and offense at Judah’s be...

 2022-12-11 Advent 3      Isaiah 35:1-10      James 5:7-11      Matthew 11:2-15 In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  Marie, Thomas, and I used to live amongst farmers, so whenever a scripture reference is explicitly made about farmers, my ears perk up.  So, I took note when I read James 5.  7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  Farming, like many other vocations, does require an enormous amount of patience, as well as discipline and skill.  But, as I read verse 7, I said to the Lord and my Bible, “they may be patient, but that does not mean that they are quiet while they wait.”  I remember the many conversations I had with farmers in the course of our five and half years there.  There was a lot of worry and anxiety about the...

2022-12-7 Evening Prayer - Isaiah 24:1-13 1 John 1:1-2:14 Commemoration of Ambrose of Milan In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  One of the most striking aspects of the texts in today’s daily lectionary is that they articulate extremes.  Isaiah 24 is a description of desolation upon the whole earth. In First John, John makes use of the opposites of Light/Darkness, Truth/Lies, Love/Hate, as he describes the life of Christian discipleship.  There is no gray here.  The matters are black and white. Obedience or disobedience. There is no middle way. Isaiah 24 describes the physical effects of God’s judgment upon the whole earth. God speaks to us in His Word both Law and Gospel.  The purpose of the Law is to move us into repentance.  God’s law in general serves as a guide to keep all humanity behaving humanely with one another. God’s law also serves as a mirror to show us our sin.  When we cross over the boundaries that God provides for...

  2022-12-5 Isaiah 11:1-12:6      2 Peter 2:1-22  In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  Like many of you, I am often amazed by how current the ancient Scriptures are. We feel that with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Biblical writers are talking about our current age, not just their own. I observe that in his sermons on 2 Peter 2, Martin Luther thought the same thing.  Luther declared that the Apostle Peter must have been talking about the false doctrines and  corruption of the Pope and many of the clergy in his own time. And, five hundred years later, I am sitting in my study, translating what the Apostle Peter is saying into 21st century issues.   In our own day, we can easily find preaching that bases your salvation on how moral of a life you lead. There is such a focus on doing good, that at the end of the day, that is all that matters to God and men. I have heard church people say such works-righteous th...

 Letter from the Pastor Dear Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church, If you use the Internet, you are aware that Substack is a thing.  Substack is a way to distribute an electronic newsletter. I receive several of these including Granola written by Gracie Olmstead.  In November-December, she is leading a book study on Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.  A couple of years ago, after reading yet another reference to Walden, I decided to finally (finally!) read the book.  I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. So, when Gracie announced her book selection, I was eager for a re-read.   When Gracie leads us through one of her projects, she begins with an essay that raises issues, concerns, and questions.  She often includes links to other essays or books. Her first essay brought a link to Lauren Groff’s essay “Wild Apples” published in the blog for The Paris Review. “Wild Apples” is excerpted from a book edited by Andrew Blauner called Now Comes Good Sailing: Wri...

 A Letter from the Pastor Dear Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church, I recently finished reading William Zinsser’s The Writer Who Stayed (2012).  This delightful collection of brief essays is culled from his Zinsser on Friday writings on the website for The American Scholar. Mr. Zinsser was given free rein on his subject matter, so these essays range from personal recollections of childhood, family, military service in Italy, the writing craft, to observations of our interactions with technology, to remembrances of writers and musicians. He regularly refers to notes and articles that he came across in his office. As he was aware of his advancing years, I had the sense that he may have been cleaning out his office and going through some version of downsizing.   In the essay Singing Along with Mitch: Miller revived an American Tradition; Mr. Zinsser reflects on the good work of Mitch Miller when he learned of his death at the age of 99.  Mr. Miller was the proprietor of the...

 2022-12-04 Advent 2 Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:1-13 Matthew 3:1-12 In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  Why are people going to the wilderness to listen to preaching, confess their sins, and receive a washing for repentance? This story is so familiar to us that we may very well miss the fact that all of this is happening in the wrong place. Good people of faith are supposed to go to the temple.   In the temple, there are worship services that include preaching, teaching, and the reading of Scripture.  Priests are on hand to receive your confession.  Communal and individual repentance is a part of the Jewish faith at this point.  Priests are on hand to lead you through that process. So, if people have all of this at the temple, why go out to the wilderness? Perhaps it is because the faith and it’s practice is too regular and staid? Perhaps the people sense that what the Torah and the prophets proclaim is somehow getting lost i...