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Issue 18

Abschied

by Aaron Jensen and Andrew Hussman

In a short, farewell editorial, Aaron Jensen and Andrew Hussman say goodbye and thank you as they graduate from Martin Luther College and head to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

Gold Nugget No. 3: Confirmation Address

by C.F.W. Walter
translated by Aaron Jensen

Walther gave this confirmation address in 1844. In it he reminds both those confirmands and all of us how we must remain faithful until the end.

Gold Nugget No. 4: Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday

by C.F.W. Walter
translated by Aaron Jensen

The final sermon contained in the Gold Nugget collection was first preached by Walther in 1850 on Good Shepherd Sunday (historically called Misericordias Domini). Walther here applies Jesus' words about himself as the Good Shepherd as the model which all who shepherd his flock should follow and the standard by which they should be judged.

The Third Sermon: On the Preparation for Receiving the Lord’s Supper

by Johannes Brenz
translated by Andrew Hussman

In this third and final sermon on the Lord’s Supper, Johannes Brenz discusses how we should prepare ourselves to receive the Lord’s Supper. He explains how contrition, confession, and satisfaction, terms which have been misused by the Roman Catholic Church, can be properly used to help us prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper.

Sermon for Easter Monday

by Adolf Hoenecke
translated by Andrew Ewings and Aaron Voss

This translation was completed in connection with the 2010 American German Lutheran Writers elective. In it Hoenecke discusses the amazing contrast between how that first Easter day began and ended for the Emmaus disciples.

Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday

by Johannes Brenz
translated by Andrew Hussman

This sermon on the Good Shepherd, taken from Ernst Bizer’s Predigten des Johannes Brenz, was delivered by Johannes Brenz on the second Sunday after Easter in 1539. Brenz explains what Christ means by calling himself the Good Shepherd, who the thieves are, and how we are like sheep. He also uses the example of a shepherd to provide some valuable applications for those who hold positions of responsibility at home, in the church, and in the secular world.

Sermon for the Festival of Ascension

by Adolf Hoenecke
translated by Benjamin Reichel

Ben, currently completing his first year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, translated this sermon in connection with the American German Lutheran Writers elective in 2009. This translation was also selected as the scholarship-winning translation for that year. It is published for the first time now so as to appear in an issue close to the Festival of the Ascension, on which occassion Hoenecke first preached it.

Sermon Outlines for the Festival of Ascension

by Adolf Hoenecke
translated by Benjamin Foxen

Homiletical helps from Adolf Hoenecke.

The Sacraments

by Balthasar Mentzer
translated by David Strucely

This is an excerpt from Mentzer’s Herrliches Catolisches Haendbuchlein. The following chapters, chapters sixteen and seventeen, concern the two Sacraments.

Jesus, Good and Faithful Shepherd

by Sigmund von Birken
translated by Aaron Jensen

Sigmund von Birken (1626-1681) was a famous German poet. He wrote many hymns, only a few of which are still used today including “Jesus, I Will Ponder Now” (CW 98) and “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” (CW 452). This hymn, set to the melody “Jesu, Meines Lebens Leben” (CW 114), is a confident prayer to Christ our Good Shepherd.

Balthasar Mentzer

by David Strucely

During the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy, many theologians arose who academically and dogmatically defined Lutheranism. Some of these men had a great impact, while others made only a small contribution. One of these lesser known theologians is Balthasar Mentzer. He lived during a critical time in the Lutheran Church. Although the previous generation had been responsible for uniting Lutheranism through the Book of Concord, it was the responsibility of Mentzer’s generation to defend Lutheranism and also explain its doctrinal standing. Mentzer, in particular, is known for his polemics defending Lutheranism.