Posted on by Kurt Bodling

praying the 10 Commandments

[The 10 Commandments] "are intended to help the heart come to itself and grow zealous in prayer. Take care, however, not to undertake all of this or so much that one becomes weary in spirit. Likewise, a good prayer should not be lengthy or drawn out, but frequent and ardent. It is enough to consider one section or half a section which kindles a fire in the heart. This the Spirit will grant us and continually instruct us in when, by God’s word, our hearts have been cleared and freed of outside thoughts and concerns.

“Nothing can be said here about the part of faith and Holy Scriptures [in prayer] because there would be no end to what could be said. With practice one can take the Ten Commandments on one day, a psalm or chapter of Holy Scripture the next day, and use them as flint and steel to kindle a flame in the heart.”

Luther, Martin. “A Simple Way to Pray” (1535) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 209)

Comment: Prayers shouldn’t be wordy, wearisome affairs. Make them short. Let them set your heart on fire. And (although he doesn’t use the Latin phrase) use lectio divina. Why don’t more Lutheran pastors know this and teach this? Because they haven’t read it and been taught it, I suppose. When I was in seminary, other concerns were at the forefront.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

the gifts of the magi

“Many exegetes have thought about these three gifts, some explaining them in one way, the others in another, but generally they are agreed that they represent three difficult confessions. Of these explanations we will choose those which seem best to us at present. The sacrifice of gold, it is said, signifies their confession that Christ is a king, the frankincense, that he is priest, the myrrh, that he died and was buried. These three aspects, it is said, apply to the humanity of Christ, but in such a way, that he is God and that all this happened to his humanity because of his divinity.” (p. 278)

Luther, Martin. “The Gospel for the Festival of the Epiphany, Matthew 2:1-12” from his Christmas Postil, Luther’s Works Vol. 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, p. 278.

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how the magi found Jesus

“These magi were carefully prevented from finding Christ by their own efforts or with the aid of men. They found him solely because of the prophet, written word, and the star that shone from heaven in order that all natural knowledge and all human reason might be rejected and every enlightenment repudiated except that which comes through the Spirit and grace. For human reason boasts and claims arrogantly to teach truth and show the proper way, just as the blind men in the universities, of whom we spoke earlier, at present claim to be able to do. Here is determined for all time that Christ, who is the truth that brings salvation, will not permit himself to be taught or found through the teachings or aid of men. The Scriptures alone and the light of God must show him.”

Luther, Martin. “The Gospel for the Festival of the Epiphany, Matthew 2:1-12” from his Christmas Postil (1522) Luther’s Works Vol. 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 194.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

why the magi didn’t go to Bethlehem first of all

The 3 magi went first to Jerusalem rather than directly to Bethlehem. Martin Luther had thoughts on why that was:

“Here we ask why Christ did not lead these magi up to Bethlehem with the star, but instead permitted his birth, which was now known, to be searched for in Scripture. He did this to teach us to cling to Scripture and not to follow our own presumptuous ideas or any human teaching. For it was not his desire to give us his Scripture in vain. It is in Scripture and nowhere else, that he permits himself to be found. He who despises Scripture and sets it aside, will never find him.”

Luther, Martin. “The Gospel for the Festival of the Epiphany, Matthew 2:1-12” from his Christmas Postil (1522) Luther’s Works Vol. 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 171.

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God is present everywhere

“For Luther God exists literally as a vibrant and vigorous force in every creature, also in inanimate creatures, in fire, in water, in a leaf, in a stone. Luther rejects the childishly anthropomorphizing picture of the Creator, who, after creating the world, now sits enthroned in heaven far away from it; he rejects the God of naive preachers, the God who so tormented Jakob Boehme, for example. Mysticism never expressed the idea of God’s immanence in the world more forcefully than Luther did.”

Heinrich Bornkamm. Luther’s World of Thought. Translated by Martin H. Bertram. St. Louis: Concordia, 1958, page 113.

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the mind’s place in prayer

“As I have said before, I do not want anyone to feel bound by my words or thoughts. I only want to offer an example for those who may wish to follow it; let anyone improve it who is able to do so and let him meditate either upon all commandments at one time or on as many as he may desire. For the mind, once it is seriously occupied with a matter, be it good or evil, can ponder more in one moment than the tongue can recite in ten hours or the pen write in ten days. There is something quick, subtle, and mighty about the mind and soul.”

Luther, Martin. “A Simple Way to Pray” (1535) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 207.

comment: Luther on meditation, strongly advocating it, clearly declaring its benefits. And NOT wanting people to feel bound by his words, he basically says ‘this is the way I pray, but you should pray however works for you.’ I find his words here refreshing.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

satisfaction

“It is not for us to make satisfaction for our sins, for Christ alone has made satisfaction for our sins. This part of penance belongs to the forgiveness of sins and faith–we know and believe that our sins are forgiven us on account of Christ.”

Luther, Martin. “Instructions for the Visitors of Parish Pastors in Electoral Saxony” (1528) Luther’s Works Vol. 40. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1958, p. 297.

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the poor in Bethlehem and here

“There are many who become inflamed with unreal devotion when they hear of such poverty of the Christ-child. They are almost filled with wrath against the citizens of Bethlehem; they condemn their blindness and ingratitude and are of the opinion, that had they been there, they would have rendered outstanding service to the Lord and his mother and they would not have stood for such miserable treatment. But they do not look around themselves to see how many of their immediate neighbors there are who could use their help and whom they are neglecting and leaving exactly as they are. … It is a plain lie and deception for you to think you would have done a lot of good for Christ, if you do not do it for these people. Had you been in Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as did the others.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for Christmas Eve.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 26.

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Christmas angels

“Disregard the fantastic notions of the worldly-wise teachers concerning them; here the angels are pictured so well that they cannot be pictured any better. Even their hearts and thoughts may be discovered here. In the first place, by joyfully proclaiming in their song the honor of God, they indicate that they are full of light and fire. They recognize that all things are God’s and only God’s; they do not attribute anything to themselves, but with great fervor they bring honor to whom it belongs. Hence, if you wish to think of a humble, pure, obedient, joyful heart that praises God, then think of the angels.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for Christmas Eve.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, pages 29-30.

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the shepherds again

“Love of one’s neighbor and renunciation of self. The shepherds demonstrate this by leaving their sheep and by proceeding, not to the high and mighty lords in Jerusalem, not to the town councillors at Bethlehem, but to the lowly people in the stable. They present themselves to the lowly and are ready and willing to serve and to do what was expected of them. Had they not had faith, they would not have left their property lying around, especially as the angels had not commanded them to do so. For they did this out of their own free will and following their own counsel, as the text says. They talked about it among themselves and they came in haste, even though the angel did not command, admonish, or advise them to do so. All he did was to indicate what they would find; he left it up to their free will whether they wanted to go and look. Love operates in exactly the same manner.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for the Early Christmas Service.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 35.