For the Life of the World - Volume 27, Number 4

CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, FORT WAYNE

For the Life of the World W I N T E R

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Luther’s Order of Baptism, 1523 Cameron A. MacKenzie

The Formula Missae: Amputating the Dragon’s Tail Jon S. Bruss

Let Me Sing You a Song Paul J. Grime Winter 2023

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PRESIDENT

Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

FROM THE

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hange is hard. Change is uncomfortable. And often change takes time. Several of the articles in this issue of For the Life of the World point out that while the Reformation kicked off with Luther posting his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517, not much seemed to have changed practically until 1523 when Luther offered a revised order of service. This practical application of Reformational theology reached down into the very life and experience of God’s people and effected real change. Some of Luther’s colleagues were frustrated with the pace of reform. That remains true today. Yet positive, theologically informed, and lasting change typically does not happen overnight. Luther and his colleagues used those intervening years to hone and defend their theology while they preached and taught on the key theological issues.

At the LCMS convention this past summer I spoke briefly on the history and future of theological education in the LCMS. (The full presentation can be found in the Proceedings of the 2023 LCMS Convention, 107–109). In it I pointed out that while we tend to view our seminaries as static, the historical record shows that over the course of their histories our seminaries have been incredibly dynamic and responsive to changing contexts and the needs of the church in the fulfillment of its mission.

How can we have both an unchanging vision and mission and yet be responsive? Here’s how I tried to capture it: This creates a healthy tension for confessional Lutherans. We believe that there is the faith—the fides quae, the faith once delivered to the saints. This faith is captured in

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phrases like Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura. The Scriptures teach and the Lutheran Symbols confess this one, true, catholic, and apostolic faith—and as such, this faith is as true and unchanging as the God who revealed it in the Scripture. The faith does not change. At the same time, we all know that the church today exists in dynamic circumstances.

The theological/religious questions of today are framed differently than those voiced by Luther in the sixteenth century, just as the questions Luther framed differed from those of Augustine in the fourth and fifth centuries. This means that we must constantly strive— as did Augustine, Luther, and the faithful over the ages—to apply the unchanging message of the Gospel to these differently framed questions,

because the spiritual need of people does not change: Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins.

The formation of the Lutheran church as we know it today did not happen in a clean and direct manner. We like things to be clean and linear. But, as one saying states it: “To retain respect for laws and sausages, one must not watch them in the making.” We are all sinners and make lots of mistakes along the way. Luther was certainly aware of this, and history demonstrates it. And yet, in the midst of such human weakness, Jesus uses us to accomplish His purposes.

We at CTSFW are proud of our history and legacy as practical and steadfast. And we are excited for the future as we aim to be responsive to the needs of the time yet faithful in the face of a faithless culture. We are thankful for your support in this work.

May our Lord bless you and your labors on His behalf this Christmas and into the New Year.

In Christ,

Lawrence R. Rast Jr. President Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

For the Life of the World

CONTENTS

Volume Twenty-Seven, Number Four

CTSFW Wall Calendars Now Available

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oncordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), mailed its 2024 wall calendar to CTSFW alumni and congregations of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod at the end of November. A limited number of additional copies are available to individuals and congregations.

Special features include: @ Three-Year and One-Year Lectionary @ Church Season Colors (Advent to Advent) @ Feasts and Festivals @ CTSFW Campus Events @ CTSFW Academic Calendar

To request your calendar(s), please contact Colleen Bartzsch at (260) 452-2150 or Colleen.Bartzsch@ctsfw.edu. There is an $8.25 mailing charge for quantities of two to 10 calendars.

For the Life of the World PUBLISHER Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. President PUBLISHER ASSISTANT Carrie M. O’Donnell

PRODUCTION MANAGER Colleen M. Bartzsch

EDITOR Kristine S. Bruss

ART DIRECTOR Steve J. Blakey

For the Life of the World is published by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the editor of For the Life of the World by email at FLOW@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-3153. Copyright 2023. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Berne, Indiana.

For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

F E A T U R E S 4 Luther’s Order of Baptism, 1523

Cameron A. MacKenzie Martin Luther rejoiced that God had preserved baptism through all the preceding centuries and by it had offered salvation to countless numbers of people. The problem was, however, that few of them knew it. Luther’s little baptism book of 1523 was his first effort at putting the rite of baptism—the words and prayers by which a pastor baptizes somebody—into German, the language of his people. It was a giant step forward in teaching them about the importance of baptism.

7 The Formula Missae: Amputating the Dragon’s Tail

Jon S. Bruss As a meritorious sacrifice from human to God, the mass was, according to Martin Luther, the very dragon’s tail [Trachenschwanz] that had swept Christendom clean of Christ’s gifts and left nothing but a trail of poison. Reform of the mass required teaching—through the Word, not by force—and good, patient teaching takes time.

10 Let Me Sing You a Song

Paul J. Grime More than five years before publishing the Small Catechism, Martin Luther recognized that music combined with words would work admirably to implant his Reformation insights into the hearts of God’s people.

And what better way to do so than by borrowing the methods of the Meistersingers and writing ballads that told the news of God’s love in Christ Jesus?

Also in this Issue: Presidential Search Underway . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Faculty News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Faculty Profile: Robert Roethemeyer . . . . . . . 16 Christ Academy Anniversary Tour . . . . . . . . . . 20 Seminary Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Heeding the Call: Let Down Your Nets . . . . . . . 26 Events Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Bible Study: Faith of the Martyrs . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

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Luther’s

Order of

Baptism

1523

Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

Cameron A. MacKenzie

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For the Life of the World

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While Luther was absent, others in Wittenberg, notably Andreas Karlstadt, Luther’s colleague at the university, tried to make changes but did so in such a rapid and radical fashion that he confused and frightened the people. The elector was alarmed, and riots broke out.

When Luther returned, his first order of business was to restore peace largely by going back to the ways people were used to. But he continued to preach and teach God’s Word, and by 1523, he was ready to start changing things. One of his first efforts was a new order of baptism.

Already in 1520, Luther had subjected the medieval sacramental system to a thorough review on the basis of Scripture. Luther’s criticism was severe. In addition to the two sacraments that God had established, the institutional church had invented others and corrupted all of them at the expense the Gospel. This was the heart and soul of the Christian religion: the forgiveness of sins freely offered to all on account of the saving work of Jesus and received through faith alone. But it was hard to find in the rites and ceremonies of the medieval church.

Luther rejoiced that God had preserved baptism through all the preceding centuries and by it had offered salvation to countless numbers of people.

The problem was, however, that few of them knew it. They had been told that baptism was just the beginning. They had to do a lot more if they wanted to be saved. No, Luther thundered, Jesus

Winter 2023

had promised, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).

That was God’s Word. It was true not just when you were a baby, but through all of life, including its very end. Baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21). That you can believe.

But first you have to know it.

Luther’s little baptism book of 1523 was his first effort at putting the rite of baptism—the words and prayers by which a pastor baptizes somebody—into German, the language of his people.

It was a giant step forward in teaching them about the importance of baptism.1 On the one hand, Luther’s Order of Baptism is quite conservative in its contents. With one notable exception, it is simply a translation of a medieval rite in use at that time (the Magdeburg Agenda of 1497). This means that it includes extraneous ceremonies from the Middle Ages that Luther would later remove as unnecessary and misleading.

These included blowing three times under the child’s eyes at the beginning of the rite; putting salt into his mouth while calling it “the salt of wisdom,” an aid to eternal life; and anointing him with oil before and after the baptism. By retaining all the medieval elements in his first attempt at reforming the sacrament, Luther was making sure that people would still accept it as authentic. The officiating clergyman dressed the same and performed all the actions they were used to. It was a real baptism.

On the other hand, people were now hearing the words that accompanied

Photo 69462911 © Meinzahn | Dreamstime.com

lthough the Reformation began in the fall of 1517, not much reforming took place before 1523. Until the Diet of Worms, there was hope that the authorities in church and state would make the changes needed to bring church practice into line with the Biblical doctrine that Luther was teaching. But those hopes came to an end along with the diet in May 1521. Not only had the pope excommunicated Luther in January, but now the emperor declared him an outlaw.

Then, to keep him safe and out of the way, his protector, Elector Frederick the Wise, had Luther hidden away in the Wartburg castle, where he stayed until March 1522.

In 1520, Luther had subjected the medieval sacramental system to a thorough review on the basis of Scripture. Luther’s criticism was severe.

In addition to the two sacraments that God had established, the institutional church had invented others and corrupted all of them at the expense the Gospel. This was the heart and soul of the Christian religion: the forgiveness of sins freely offered to all on account of the saving work of Jesus and received through faith alone.

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Luther rejoiced that God had preserved baptism through all the preceding centuries and by it had offered salvation to countless numbers of people. The problem was, however, that few of them knew it. They had been told that baptism was just the beginning. They had to do a lot more if they wanted to be saved. No, Luther thundered, Jesus had promised, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). That was God’s Word. It was true not just when you were a baby, but through all of life, including its very end. Baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21). That you can believe.

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the actions in their own language. They could now understand the baptism as well as see it. It is difficult to overemphasize the significance of this change. In the Middle Ages, priests performed the sacraments in Latin. Their language as well as their vestments and their actions separated them from people.

It was almost as if they were sacred magicians who employed unknown words and unusual gestures to produce supernatural effects for the participants in their rites.

But Luther changed all this. By using the language of the people, the Reformer made it possible for them to understand what was going on as well as to comprehend the prayers the pastor was saying. It was no longer magic but communication—God to them in His Word and they to Him in their prayers.

Besides translating the medieval service, Luther did modify a few things.

He even added a prayer of his own composition, the “Flood Prayer.” It takes its name from its opening lines that recall Noah’s Flood, a terrifying act of judgment upon the unbelieving world but also a comforting demonstration of God’s mercy upon believing Noah and his family, saved from destruction in the ark. Luther also refers to Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, like the Flood connected to baptism in the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 10:1–2 and 1 Peter 3:20–21). The baptism of Jesus, when our Lord stood with sinners and showed his willingness to take away the sin of the world, was for Luther a reason for confidence in our own baptism.

That’s in the prayer too. On account of Jesus’ Word and work, baptism washes away sin and brings new life. Hence the petition for the one being baptized that his sins would be drowned, that he would remain secure in the ark of Christendom, and that he would with all believers at all times serve God with enthusiasm and joy.

The Anglicans borrowed Luther’s Flood Prayer for their Book of Common

Prayer in 1549, as did the Swiss Reformers in modified form for their first efforts at reforming baptism in 1523. It is still a part of the Order of Holy Baptism in the Lutheran Service Book2 that we use today.

Many other elements of Luther’s 1523 Order of Baptism also remain in our contemporary service. Besides the general order and shape of the baptismal liturgy and much of what was said in Luther’s rite, worshippers today would also recognize: 1) the sign of the cross upon forehead and heart; 2) the Lord’s Prayer; 3) the reading of Mark 10:13– 16; 4) godparents; 5) the interrogatory form of the baptismal vows and creed; and 6) the presentation of a baptismal candle. Of course, as previously indicated, Luther was using elements from the medieval baptismal liturgy.

But it’s also worth remembering that Luther never used something merely because it was old, but only if it could serve the Gospel.

Luther included an epilogue in his “Baptismal Booklet” that explained how to use the new liturgy and why. He also reminded his readers of what was so important about baptism in the first place, “God himself calls baptism a new birth by which we are being freed from all the devil’s tyranny, loosed from sin, death, and hell, and become children of life, heirs of all the gifts of God, God’s own children, and brethren of Christ,”3 and that is still true 500 years later!

1 See Luther’s Works, v. 53: Liturgy and Hymns, ed. Ulrich S. Leupold (Phil.: Fortress Press, 1965), 96-103.

2 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Commission on Worship, Lutheran Service Book (CPH, 2006), 268-69.

3 LW 53:103.

Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie (Cameron.MacKenzie@ctsfw.edu) is the Forrest E. and Francis H. Ellis Professor of German Reformation Studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

For the Life of the World

T H E

F O R M U L A

M I S S A E :

Amputating the Dragon’s Tail

Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

Jon S. Bruss

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n 1537 Luther traced nearly every abuse in the papacy— every false teaching and practice—to the mass. As a meritorious sacrifice from human to God, the mass was, according to Luther, the very dragon’s tail [Trachenschwanz] that had swept Christendom clean of Christ’s gifts and left nothing but a trail of poison: purgatory and meritorious masses for the dead, vigils, pilgrimages, alms, monastic orders, relics, and indulgences (Smalcald Articles II II 11-24).

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Those who have never laid eyes on the Formula Missae will at first be startled by two things. First, as its name indicates, it is in Latin. The second striking thing about the Formula Missae is how different its layout appears from a modern printed liturgy. It is not so much what we moderns think of as an “order of service” as it is a series of instructions, with rationale, on what to do when, with the words to be spoken at certain times either understood or inserted within the description.

The Formula Missae is also altogether conservative. It retains practically the entire ordo—the order—of the mass inherited from the medieval world, along with the medieval propers (Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Gospel) for Sundays and the chief Christic festivals.

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Luther had, of course, been onto these abuses for nearly two decades by then, starting with the 1517 “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgencesˮ (aka Ninety-Five Theses). From that point on, with an almost preternatural literary and homiletical output, he went on the offensive and sounded the alarm against that trail of poison, including dozens of sermons and treatises on the Trachenschwanz itself, the mass. But as for reform of the mass, Luther remained pastorally patient. “Let the word do it,” we can hear him say.

In early 1522, however, his hand was forced. Luther was holed up at the Wartburg castle. Back in Wittenberg, Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, a more radical university colleague, had begun to implement reforms he thought in keeping with the movement. From Luther’s perspective, Karlstadt moved too fast and trampled the conscience of the people. This was particularly the case in Karlstadt’s “reform” of the mass: he reduced the mass to a bare-bones affair and forced the people to receive the sacrament in both kinds—both the body and the blood of Christ—to which they had been unaccustomed from time immemorial.

Karlstadt’s imposition of the reform of the mass on Wittenberg had to be pulled back, at least temporarily. Luther was able to roll back Karlstadt’s reform upon his return in March 1522, but the need to correct the mass remained clear in view of the abuses under the papacy.

For Luther that reform required teaching. If anything was to be, it would have to be done through teaching, through the word, not by force— and good, patient teaching takes time. Luther had another concern, as well: new masses had begun to proliferate across Germany. With those two concerns in mind, Luther wrote, I have been hesitant and fearful, partly because of the weak in faith, who cannot suddenly exchange an old and accustomed order of worship for a new and unusual one, and more so because of the fickle and fastidious spirits who rush in like unclean swine without faith or reason, and who delight only in novelty and tire of it as quickly, when it has worn off. Such people are a nuisance even in other affairs, but in spiritual matters, they are absolutely unbearable. (An Order of Mass and Communion for the Church at Wittenberg [1523], LW 53:19) Luther’s misgivings here have nothing to do with confidence in what God’s word teaches about the mass or in his ability to conceive a reform of the mass that would bring it in line with God’s word. His concern is entirely the stability of the church and the faith of believers.

It took a full ten months of regular Sunday and weekday preaching and teaching before Luther took the first practical step toward reform of the mass. In January 1523, communion in both kinds was reintroduced in the churches of Wittenberg, though it remained unrequired for the sake of the conscience of the weak. Luther patiently continued to encourage the weak. By September/October of 1523 the people had been sufficiently instructed. Anyone still refusing was not weak, but stubbornly set against Christ’s institution. From then on the church in Wittenberg practiced only communion in both kinds.

Throughout this period, the liturgy of the mass remained unreformed.

It was not until Christmas Day 1523 that the Wittenberg Christians first experienced the reformed mass Luther had envisioned, the Formula Missae et Communionis pro Ecclesia Vuittembergensi—Formula of the Mass and Communion for the Church at Wittenberg (hereafter just Formula Missae; in English at LW 53:19-40; in Latin at WA 12:205220). Luther had completed his work on the mass sometime before December 4 of that year, when he sent the Zwickau reformer Nicholas Hausmann a copy.

For the Life of the World

Those who have never laid eyes on the Formula Missae will at first be startled by two things. First, as its name indicates, it is in Latin. The use of Latin for mass (and matins and vespers) persisted in some Lutheran cities, particularly in congregations with Latin schools, well into the nineteenth century. The second striking thing about the Formula Missae is how different its layout appears from a modern printed liturgy. It is not so much what we moderns think of as an “order of service” as it is a series of instructions, with rationale, on what to do when, with the words to be spoken at certain times either understood or inserted within the description.

The Formula Missae is also altogether conservative. It retains practically the entire ordo—the order—of the mass inherited from the medieval world, along with the medieval propers (Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Gospel) for Sundays and the chief Christic festivals. The ordo begins with the Introit and continues with the Kyrie and the “Angelic Hymn,” i.e., the Gloria in Excelsis. The Collect and Epistle are next, followed by the Gradual, the Gospel, the Nicene Creed, and Sermon.

Much is recognizable, too, in what we could call the Service of the Sacrament, which begins with the familiar Salutation, Preface, and Proper Preface. The Sanctus, Our Father, and Agnus Dei are included, as well, except that they follow the Words of Institution.

But what is absent from the Service of the Sacrament is more telling: gone is the Offertory, “that utter abomination.” Why? “From here on almost everything smacks and savors of sacrifice.” For that reason, too, Luther removed the silent prayers of the priest within the canon of the mass. These prayers represented a double offense: not only did they emphasize sacrifice, they also diminished the glory of Christ the Mediator by invoking the saints. Whether the average Wittenberg parishioner would have noticed the absence of these prayers is unclear—they were, after all, prayed silently.

But one element of those silent prayers was brought to speech. In the medieval ordo they had been the setting of the Words of Institution—the Verba. To Luther’s mind, that got the directionality wrong: the Verba are not for God the Father, they are for sinners; they are not man’s pledge to God, but God’s promise to men. They are the gospel, and the gospel is to have voice. To reverse the directionality, Luther removed the Verba from the prayers of the canon by specifying “a brief pause after the [proper] preface.” To restore them to their glorious proclamatory role, Luther instructed that they not be just spoken aloud, but “recited in the same tone in which the Our Father is chanted so that those present may be able to hear them” (emphasis added).

The Sanctus, Our Father, and Agnus Dei are then sung, in that order.

Hymns and chants may be used during the distribution—in both kinds.

After the distribution comes a post-communion collect. The ordo ends not with the medieval “Ite, missa estˮ (“Go. It is the dismissal”), but with the Salutation, Benedicamus, and a biblical Benediction, either Numbers 6:24–27 or Psalm 67:6–7.

Looking back on Wittenberg liturgical practice since Christmas of 1523, Philip Melanchthon wrote, “The mass is retained among us and celebrated with highest reverence” (AC XXIV 1–2 Lat.)—a reverence predicated upon the restoration of Christ’s institution: communion in both kinds and, above all, the restoration of the blessed Sacrament as gift, the forgiveness of sins in Christ.

The dragon’s tail had been hacked off.

Dr. Jon S. Bruss (Jon.Bruss@ctsfw.edu) is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

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Let Me

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Sing You a

For the Life of the World

Song

Paul J. Grime

More than five years before publishing the Small Catechism, Luther recognized in particular that music combined with words would work admirably to implant his Reformation insights into the hearts of God’s people.

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Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

ow do you get your news today? Network television?

Radio? Newspaper? Internet? Or perhaps these days you prefer to avoid the news altogether! Imagine a time when none of those media were available. News traveled slowly, and the number of news items that reached the average person was rather few.

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At the dawn of the Reformation, a unique method for dissemination of the news came into fashion. Guilds of singers (known as Meistersingers, that is, master singers) composed simple songs, akin to a ballad, as a way of disseminating news. Standing on street corners, they would “sing” the news for a few pennies. Taking advantage of the printing press, the songs were also printed on single sheets of paper called broadsheets that tavern owners and others could post on the wall as a way of spreading newsworthy events.

Just imagine the business Martin Luther drummed up for those Meistersingers when he posted his Ninety-Five Theses! After all, folks loved gossip and political intrigue as much then as they do now. Many of their songs naturally supported Luther’s action. Not surprisingly, in Roman Catholic territories, songs opposed to Luther were also heard.

While Luther was a well-trained theologian whose full-length treatises could go toe-to-toe with the best theologians of his day, he nevertheless had a pastoral heart that led him to translate those deep theological truths into simple expressions of the Christian faith. Think, for example, of his explanations in the Small Catechism.

With just a few short phrases, he could get to the heart of each of the commandments or, in the case of the

Creed, unpack the inscrutable mystery of the triune God. The Gospel in Song It was this desire for clear and direct teaching of the faith that led Luther on his journey of writing hymns. More than five years before publishing the Small Catechism, Luther recognized in particular that music combined with words would work admirably to implant his Reformation insights into the hearts of God’s people. And what better way to do so than by borrowing the methods of those Meistersingers and writing ballads that told the news of God’s love in Christ Jesus. Consider the first stanza from what is perhaps Luther’s most significant hymn, “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” (Lutheran Service Book 556): Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice, With exultation springing, And with united heart and voice And holy rapture singing, Proclaim the wonders God has done, How His right arm the vict’ry won.

What price our ransom cost Him! You can almost imagine someone standing on the street corner belting out this invitation to join in singing: “Proclaim the wonders God has done!”

But note that this proclamation is more than just a lone Meistersinger reporting the news. The invitation goes out for 11

He turned to me a father’s heart; He did not choose the easy part But gave His dearest treasure.

The thought is similar to an expression Luther would pen a few years later when writing the Large Catechism as he spoke of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus at the end of his explanation of the Apostles’ Creed: “We could never come to recognize the Father’s favor and grace were it not for the LORD Christ, who is a mirror of the Father’s heart.”1 The words are simple; the meaning profound.

There isn’t sufficient space to examine the rest of the hymn. As you do so for yourself, however, note the vivid language Luther uses, especially as he describes Jesus. He is the Father’s “dearest treasure” (st. 4), the “bright jewel of [His] crown” (st. 5), “our brother” (st. 6). Luther could never tire of proclaiming the great things God had done, all through His Son.

Singing of Death . . . and Life While it’s not possible to point with certainty to the impetus that led Luther to write those first hymns in the fall of 1523 and winter of 1524, we can make a good guess. On July 1, 1523—exactly 500 years ago this past summer—two monks who had adopted the Reformation teaching of Luther were burned at the stake in Brussels.

Imagine how hard that news must have been for Luther to hear. He, after all, was the one who had first espoused those teachings. He was the one who was excommunicated from the church and banned from the empire. He was the one who effectively had a bounty on his head.

It turns out there was a ready vehicle at Luther’s disposal to tell the story of those monks’ martyrdom, namely, a sub-genre of the news songs of the Meistersingers known as execution ballads. When a notorious criminal was put to death, that news was also broadcast far and wide in song. This was Luther’s chance: tell the story of those young lads’ deaths, but in the process proclaim the Gospel and give thanks to God for their faithful witness as death stared them in the face.

And so began the birth of the Lutheran chorale. In less than a year, the first Lutheran hymnals would roll off the press. Five hundred years later we continue to be the beneficiaries of that amazing legacy as we continue to lift up our voices to sing of Jesus Christ!

1 Large Catechism II 65; Kolb-Wengert, 440.

Dr. Paul J. Grime (Paul.Grime@ctsfw.edu) is Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions; Vice President of Spiritual Formation; Dean of the Chapel; and Co-Director of the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

“one and all” to speak this joyful message. And that is exactly what the remaining nine stanzas of the hymn do as they recount the story of God’s saving deeds in Christ.

The story commences, however, with an abrupt detour. How can we tell the story of God’s love, after all, without first acknowledging our need for His mercy? As we sing stanzas 2 and 3 it almost feels as though Luther has grabbed us by the neck and dragged us into the confessional booth with him.

The language is gripping: bound in Satan’s chains, death brooding over us, tormented by sin, our life a living hell.

(See text bottom right.)

With sin thus confessed, Luther’s pastoral heart quickly leads us to the comfort of the Gospel. From eternity, we learn, God has prepared an eternal home for us. In perhaps the most significant phrases of the entire hymn, Luther gets right to the heart of the matter:

Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay; Death brooded darkly o’er me.

Sin was my torment night and day; In sin my mother bore me.

But daily deeper still I fell; My life became a living hell, So firmly sin possessed me.

My own good works all came to naught, No grace or merit gaining; Free will against God’s judgment fought, Dead to all good remaining.

My fears increased till sheer despair Left only death to be my share; The pangs of hell I suffered.

While it’s not possible to point with certainty to the impetus that led Luther to write those first hymns in the fall of 1523 and winter of 1524, we can make a good guess. On July 1, 1523—exactly 500 years ago this past summer— two monks who had adopted the Reformation teaching of Luther were burned at the stake in Brussels. Imagine how hard that news must have been for Luther to hear. He, after all, was the one who had first espoused those teachings.

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For the Life of the World

Presidential Search Underway Rast stepping down after thirteen years

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search for Concordia Theological Seminary’s seventeenth president is now underway, with nominations for the position due December 31, 2023.

The search was initiated after CTSFW President Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. announced his decision to retire from the presidency at the end of the 2023–2024 academic year. Rast shared his decision, approved by the Board of Regents, with the Seminary community in Kramer Chapel September 28.

The decision, Rast said, will bring big changes, but he expressed confidence in the future of CTSFW. “A seminary is not one person. It is a community, and I am absolutely convinced that God has called us together in this time, in this place, so that we can continue to move our institution—our community—from strength to strength. You are a huge part of that,” he told those gathered.

“God is good, and He will continue to bless this place. God is faithful, and He is with us always. As we continue this

journey together, I ask for your prayers— prayers for me, personally and for my family, and especially for our Seminary, which we serve so joyously. Thank you, my dear brothers and sisters.”

Board Chairman Dr. Scott Murray followed Rast with remarks of his

own, lauding him for his “wonderful leadership as president of this institution.” Noting several highlights of Rast’s tenure, Murray said, “We now are at full tuition support, which I know many of you sitting out there have appreciated greatly. He has completed more than one major capital campaign successfully, and he is leaving the seminary administration in extremely good condition for his successor.”

After Rast concludes his service as president, he will take a one-year sabbatical to complete some writing projects, then return full-time to the faculty as a professor of historical theology.

Nominations for the next CTSFW president may be submitted by LCMS congregations, the CTSFW Board of Regents, and the CTSFW faculty, as noted in the bylaws of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (2019, 3.10.5.6.2 [a]).

For information and updates on the search, visit ctsfw.edu/presidential-search.

Search Committee Board of Regents Rev. Dr. William Cwirla, Secretary Dr. Korey Maas, Vice Chairman Mr. Timothy Sheldon Dr. Beverly Yahnke

CTSFW Faculty

Electors

Dr. Paul Grime, Chair Dr. Don Wiley Dr. Roland Ziegler Dr. Carl Beckwith

Seminary Board of Regents (one vote as a body) District President on the Board of Regents (one vote) Chair of the LCMS Board of Directors (one vote) Synod President or Designee (one vote)

Search Timeline November 1

February

May 18

Call for Nominations Published

Nominees Posted in Synod Publications

Election of CTSFW President

2023

Winter 2023

2024 December 31

May

Nominations Deadline

Slate of Candidates Finalized 13

Faculty News Teaching Trips to Tanzania

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n October 27-28, Dr. Naomichi Masaki participated in the Reformation Lay Leaders Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saasabi, Greater Accra, along with Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, Executive Director of the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR). Masaki and Lehenbauer addressed the modern ecumenical movement and church fellowship as well as the charismatic movement, the royal priesthood, and women in the church. Other trip highlights included speaking on a Lutheran Hour program at Lutheran Media Center with Dr. Lehenbauer and ELCG’s President/Bishop John Donkoh, visiting ELCG’s head office, and participating in the Reformation Service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tema.

“Very enjoyable and fruitful time was spent,” said Masaki. “We thank ELCG, OIM-Africa, CTCR, and CTSFW for making this trip possible. We rejoice in the partnership in the Gospel. SDG!

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CTSFW team traveled to Tanzania November 13–24 to teach the fourth cohort of the Concordia Pastoral and Diaconal Training Program (CPDTP), which CTSFW offers at the request of the South East of Lake Victoria Diocese (SELVD) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).

Dr. Paul Grime, Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions and Dean of the Chapel, taught “Liturgics” and “Catechetics” to pastoral students while Deaconess Amy Rast, Associate Director of Deaconess Formation Programs, led “Theology and History of the Deaconess Vocation” and “Deaconess Counseling and Practice” with deaconess students. Fellow traveler Dr. Deb Grime, a retired physician, visited the diocese’s medical clinics in Shinyanga and Mwadui, where she learned of plans to expand their services.

Dr. John Nordling, Professor of Exegetical Theology, also worked with the fourth cohort of the CPDTP in Tanzania a few months earlier, August 21–September 1, at the Bishop Emmanuel Makala Training Center, Negezi, Tanzania. Nordling taught Matthew during the first week of his trip and Galatians in the second week to forty-four students, including thirty-seven pastoral students and seven diaconal students.

Lutheran Leaders Gather at CTSFW

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articipants in the Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP) of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) met Nov 6–17 at CTSFW for two classes: “World Lutheranism & Ecumenical Movement,” taught by former ILC General Secretary Dr. Albert Collver, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Troy, Illinois, and “Lutheran Hermeneutics,” taught by CTSFW Provost Dr. Charles Gieschen. The eight Lutheran leaders from South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Ethiopia engaged in “serious study of much needed and significant subjects for their ecclesial leadership back home,” said LLDP Director Dr. Naomichi Masaki. The timing of the sessions made it possible for them to attend events of the Good Shepherd Institute conference. They also spoke at a Bible class and attended the Divine Service at St. John Lutheran Church in Bingen.

For the Life of the World

Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

D Schulz Appointed General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council

r. Todd Peperkorn, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions and Director of Vicarage and Internships, was the featured speaker at the Fall Fling, a campus ministry event held November 11–12 at College Hill Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Peperkorn’s presentation, “One Loaf: How Christ Keeps Us Together When Everything Is Falling Apart,” focused on ways in which Christ draws us together as the people of God in the face of assaults from the devil, the world, and our flesh that work to separate us from God and each other.

D

r. Klaus Detlev Schulz, Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, has been appointed to serve as General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). He succeeds Dr. Timothy C. J. Quill, professor emeritus at CTSFW, who decided to step down after four years in the position.

“I am honored to have been asked to serve as General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council,” Dr. Schulz said. “Today, the task of promoting and nurturing confessional Lutheran identity worldwide is as important as it has ever been, and I am proud to do my part in that endeavor alongside the member churches of the ILC.” Schulz was installed October 14 in Wittenberg, Germany, at a special Matins service celebrating the ILC’s 30th anniversary as a council. ILC Chairman Juhana Pohjola, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, served as liturgist and presided over the installation of Dr. Schulz, while Dr. Quill served as preacher.

“I am wholly grateful that the Lord has gifted Dr. Detlev Schulz to the ILC as General Secretary,” said Dr. Quill after Schulz’s appointment. “His theological depth and commitment to confessional Lutheran theology is complemented by his extensive international experience. His relaxed and unassuming manner with people of all stations has made him a true pastor, missionary, and professor—and now also, ILC General Secretary. He is ideally suited to meet the complex ecumenical demands and challenges on the international scale that this role brings with it.”

As General Secretary of the ILC, Schulz will support confessional Lutheranism among member churches of the ILC and promote it among the churches that hold associate membership or observer status in the ILC; meet with church leaders around the world who are interested in hearing more about confessional Lutheranism; attend regional conferences of ILC member churches; and assume responsibility in organizing the World Assembly Conference of the ILC in 2025.

As he attends to these new duties, Schulz will continue serving at CTSFW in his roles as professor, Dean of Graduate Studies, and Director of the PhD in Missiology program.

With contributions from Mathew Block, Communications Manager of the International Lutheran Council. For more details about Schulz’s appointment and installation, visit ilc-online.org.

Winter 2023

C

TSFW hosted the seventh biennial Lutheranism and the Classics Conference September 27–28, under the theme “Humor.”

Dr. John Nordling, Professor of Exegetical Theology and conference organizer, served as the banquet speaker, presenting “Jesus Could Be Hilarious.”

Several other members of the faculty, including Dr. Cameron MacKenzie, Dr. Jon Bruss, and Dr. Benjamin Mayes, also presented papers. Topics covered during the two-day conference included “Modern Memers as the New Pamphleteers,” “Erasmus vs. Luther: Who’s Laughing Now?” and “Did Luther Really Say He Was a Nominalist Seriously?” The conference closed with Latin Vespers and a blessing for safe travels.

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Faculty Profile: Rev. Robert

R

ev. Robert Roethemeyer was born in Sutherland, Nebraska, surrounded by Pacman-shaped irrigated fields of corn on a tabletop landscape at the edge of the Sandhills, and grew up in North Platte.

“That’s where I lived the first eighteen years of my life,” said Roethemeyer, who serves as Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Vice President of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation, and the Wakefield-Kroemer Director of Library and Information Services at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW).

Though his dad worked for the Union Pacific, railroading was never in the cards for Roethemeyer. Today he “wears a lot of different hats” for CTSFW, but his first “hat” worn was a cowboy and farmhand. Most of his childhood summers were spent in the country, on the farm belonging to his mother’s relatives near Sutherland and their ranch stretching across more than 12,000 acres in Hayes County.

He spent a lot of time on horseback driving cattle to pasturelands around the homeplace. “During the summertime we also had a thousand head of calves to corral, vaccinate, brand, and earmark. I was involved in all of that,” Roethemeyer said.

He loved working with the cattle, so much so that he planned to become 16

a veterinarian. Best laid plans. God had a different plan.

The state of Nebraska did not have a veterinary school. There was an agreement between the University of Nebraska, Kansas State, and the University of Colorado for veterinary classes, but that would have taken Roethemeyer out of state. He figured he’d work it out somehow.

Again, God had a different plan.

Roethemeyer developed allergies to animals.

“I began questioning whether veterinary medicine would be a very good fit for me,” he said. He decided to move from veterinary medicine to human medicine.

And again, God had a different plan.

His pastor, Rev. Harlan Harnapp, had a conversation with him before he headed off to the University of Nebraska. “He said, ‘You’ve looked at being a doctor of animals, you’ve looked at being a doctor of people, but I would really like you to give strong consideration to being a doctor of souls, because that has eternal consequences,’” Roethemeyer recalled.

Roethemeyer considered it, but then enrolled in pre-med at Nebraska.

Harnapp didn’t give up on Roethemeyer. During Roethemeyer’s sophomore year, Harnapp arranged for him to attend the Institute on the Ministry, which is comparable to CTSFW’s Prayerfully Consider Visit.

“That for me was the watershed,” Roethemeyer said. “I turned away from the pre-med path and asked myself what I needed to do to prepare for seminary.”

He became an English major.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with his BA in English, he enrolled at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL).

Roethemeyer deferred candidacy to pursue a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree, during which time he served as a graduate reference assistant in the library at CSL. He had never worked at a library before, but he was good at it. Roethemeyer’s work drew the attention of Dr. David Daniel, Professor of Historical Theology and Director of Library Services. Roethemeyer recalled Daniel telling him, “If I were you, I would be looking at library science programs. We need the next generation of theological librarians in this church, and you have all the aptitude.”

God’s plan revealed.

For the Life of the World

Roethemeyer

Glen A. Werling

Roethemeyer talked with his wife, Kay, and set his sights on library school. In the summer of 1987, he began studying library science at The University of Missouri-Columbia.

As he closed in on finishing his program, he learned that he would be called as Coordinator of Public Services in the CSL library.

“It was extraordinarily unusual for someone just graduating to be called to the seminary,” Roethemeyer said.

He served for nine years.

In 1996, CTSFW’s President Dr. Dean Wenthe and Academic Dean Dr. William Weinrich spoke with Roethemeyer about taking over the operation of CTSFW’s library. The Association of Theological Schools had ruled the CTSFW library “inadequate.” Roethemeyer spent a couple days that December evaluating the CTSFW library.

He was appalled. God’s plan. This is where he was needed most.

The first task Roethemeyer set about tackling was changing the library’s reputation from “service with an attitude” to “an attitude of service,” which he accomplished in about six months. The next task was even more daunting—expanding the library beyond its “inadequate” label and making it a premier theological library.

Winter 2023

“Finding a solution and then funding that solution occupied me from my arrival here in 1997 until 2020,” Roethemeyer said.

Twenty-seven years later, the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer Library stands out as the premier facility Roethemeyer envisioned. “It has very much defined a generation of time in my ministry here, bringing this to a God-pleasing end,” Roethemeyer said.

Roethemeyer’s impact extends beyond the walls of Kroemer Library. At CTSFW, he has played a central role in strategic planning, assessment, and accreditation activities. He has been actively involved in the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI), now serving as chair of its Board of Directors, and he has worked to build up theological libraries at seminaries worldwide through the Chemnitz Library Initiative.

“We’ve had one project after the other,” Roethemeyer said. “Ninety minutes of my day today was spent on our monthly meeting for the creation of the new seminary in Tanzania. We are amassing a library for it now downstairs using our student workers and the gifts that are coming in.”

Now in his thirty-sixth year as a theological librarian, Roethemeyer has never served as a parish pastor, but his

impact on the men who have become parish pastors has been immeasurable.

Roethemeyer did receive a call from a Nebraska congregation that seemed to be the perfect fit, back when he was working at the CSL library.

After prayerfully considering the call, Roethemeyer replied to the call committee that he could name a number of people who perfectly fit the needs of the congregation, but he couldn’t think of one other person who could do the work he was doing on the path the Lord had set him on.

“It was another one of those moments when the path became clear. Maybe my role was not going to be on the front lines in a church, but I was going to have an important role in the preparatory work of the church,” Roethemeyer said.

And because Roethemeyer followed God’s plan, he will impact generations of CTSFW students to come.

Glen A. Werling (Glen.Werling@ ctsfw.edu) is the Communications and Social Media Specialist at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne Turn the page to see Professor Roethemeyerʼs guidelines for book donations to the Seminary.

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7 ,/23,:724 2</7/6,2< ! For the Life of the World

Lenten Preaching Workshop January 15, 2024

Who Is . . . Jesus?

Join CTSFW Professor Dr. Jeffrey Pulse and fellow brothers in Christ at the annual Lenten Preching Workshop. Using texts from the Old Testament, Dr. Pulse will focus on the Christological nature of the Old Testament, showing how important historical characters reveal Jesus as we journey to the cross.

For more information or to register online scan the QR code or visit our website at ctsfw.edu/LPW.

Kantorei Lenten Tour By the Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

March 2–8, 2024 The Kantorei will visit churches in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas, with a concluding Lenten Evening Prayer service at Kramer Chapel.

For a complete itinerary visit our event page at ctsfw.edu/Events.

Sunday, March 17 at 4:00 p.m.

Lenten Evening Prayer Service

Concordia Theological Seminary’s Kramer Chapel 6600 N. Clinton St. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, director (260) 452-2204 Rev. Dr. Ryan Tietz, preacher ctsfw.edu

Winter 2023

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Christ Academy Celebrating 25 Years … in Germany!

C

oncordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), is marking the 25th anniversary of Christ Academy, its vocational discernment program for youth, with a trip to Germany, the birthplace of the Reformation. The Lands of Luther Tour, July 9–19, 2024, is open to everyone, especially Christ Academy alumni (over 2,000 strong) and friends of Christ Academy.

“Being able to celebrate where Christ Academy has come from and where the program is going is the essence of this trip, especially at such a significant milestone,” said the Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt, Assistant Vice President of Admission and Christ Academy Director at CTSFW. “Christ Academy has been blessed to serve the Church by providing quality programs year after year, raising up the next generation of pastors, deaconesses, and lay leaders. The program has become a staple of the Seminary community as we bring young people to our campus and form them for service to the Church and world.”

The Lands of Luther Tour will be co-hosted by Wietfeldt and Dr. Todd Peperkorn, Assistant Professor of Pastoral

Rev. Wietfeldt

Dr. Peperkorn

Ministry and Mission and Director of Vicarage and Internship at CTSFW. “What an incredible opportunity to learn our history as Lutherans!” said Peperkorn. “There’s nothing like seeing history come alive, walking in the places where Luther, Melanchthon, and the other Reformers walked, and putting a context to all of these places and names we read about.”

Tour participants will follow in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther, visiting important cities in the Reformation story including Wittenberg, where Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church; Erfurt, where Luther went to school and became a monk; the Wartburg Castle, where he lived in disguise and translated the New Testament into German; Eisleben, where he was born and died; and other Reformation sites. In addition to the Luther sites, participants will enjoy some of the magnificent scenery of the Rhine River Valley and visit Dresden, famous for its china and fine art, and Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach is buried.

“Dr. Peperkorn and I are really looking forward to this trip to connect with Christ Academy alumni, their friends and family, and those who want to support the program in the future,” said Wietfeldt.

To learn more about the tour, visit ctsfw.edu/LandsOfLuther24.

A tour packet with a registration form is available on the tour webpage.

Registration is open for Christ Academy High School, June 16–29, 2024. Both Timothy School and Phoebe School filled up quickly last year. Secure your spot today!

Timothy School (for young men): CTSFW.edu/cats Phoebe School (for young women): CTSFW.edu/caps The second Christ Academy Family Institute will be held June 13–15, 2024. For details, visit CTSFW.edu/Family-Institute.

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For the Life of the World

STEPS OF PAUL TOUR

12 Days in the Steps of Paul to Greece & Turkey June 10–21, 2024

Hosts: Dr. and Mrs. Charles Gieschen For more information visit ctsfw.edu/GreeceTour24

THE HOLY LAND TOUR 10 Days in the Steps of Jesus November 11–25, 2024 Hosts: Dr. and Mrs. Ryan Tietz

For more information visit ctsfw.edu/HolyLandTour24

For more information contact Deac. Katherine Rittner: CTSFWTours@ctsfw.edu (260) 452-2119 Fall 2023

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Seminary Snapshots ————————————————————————

Christ Academy Confirmation September 22–23 A student is hard at work at the fall Christ Academy Confirmation Retreat, which brought together forty-four students from eight congregations for a weekend of catechesis, worship, and Lutheran community. The next Confirmation Retreat at the Seminary will be held February 9–11, 2024.

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Fieldwork Assignment Day September 26 The Rev. Andrew Yeager, pastor at St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, Preble, Indiana, talks with first-year pastoral ministry student Aaron Wade at lunch after the annual field work assignment meeting. CTSFW students serve for two years at their assigned field work congregation before their vicarage or deaconess internship year.

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Donation Day October 10 Seminary student Jim Martin, a fourth-year pastoral ministry student, helps unload a donation on the morning of Donation Day, an annual Seminary Guild event benefiting the CTSFW Food and Clothing Co-op. More than fifty women from Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) chapters were on the CTSFW campus to show their churches’ support of the seminary.

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For the Life of the World

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Christ Academy: College October 27–29 Dr. Charles Gieschen, CTSFW Provost, talks with a participant at breakfast on the first morning of Christ Academy College, a three-day vocational discernment retreat for college-age students. The seventy-one students at Christ Academy spent their weekend attending multiple classes, worship services, and presentations.

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Highland Games October 27 The student-led Highland Games were held behind Wambsganss Gymnasium in conjunction with CTSFW’s weekly Friday Gemütlichkeit. The event featured traditional feats of strength such as tug-of-war, caber tossing, and stone putting.

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Luther Hostel November 1–3 Attendees at Luther Hostel spent three days on campus delving into “The Christian Spiritual Life: Worship, Scripture, Prayer and the Fruits of Faith.” The retreat included presentations from CTSFW faculty on dogmatics, liturgics, theologia, catechetics, and 1 Corinthians. The next Luther Hostel will be held November 6–8, 2024.

Winter 2023

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International Food Festival November 3 Marius-Sergiu Trifa, a first-year pastoral ministry student from Bucharest, Romania, provides samples of the food he prepared for the International Food Festival, held in the Student Commons. The crowd favorite food at the festival was Japanese fried chicken, prepared by MDiv student Koh Yamamoto. Table decoration honors went to Sri Lanka, represented by MA student Rev. Devanesan Subramaniam.

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Good Shepherd Institute Hymn Festival | November 6 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in downtown Fort Wayne was packed for a Lutheran hymn festival during the 24th Annual Good Shepherd Institute conference. CTSFW’s Schola Cantorum was part of a 100-member choir directed by Jonathan Busarow, Executive Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir; CTSFW Kantor Kevin Hildebrand served as organist. Next year’s Good Shepherd Institute, scheduled for Nov. 10–12, 2024, will focus on the 500th anniversary of the first Lutheran hymnal.

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Joint Board of Regents Meeting | November 10 Members of the Boards of Regents from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, met in Fort Wayne for their annual joint meeting. The boards heard several presentations from Synod staff members on topics related to seminary education, then worked together to identify significant trends, priorities, and opportunities to collaborate.

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For the Life of the World

DIVE DEEPER INTO PASTORAL MINISTRY Enhance your practice with a Doctor of Ministry degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

DOXOLOGY participants qualify for a reduced tuition rate for some DMin coursework, and military chaplains may receive transfer credit into the DMin program for some graduate or professional chaplain courses.*

n Continue your education with other pastors in a hybrid online/ residential format with one of the most affordable tuition rates in the country. n Apply your knowledge in your unique ministry context.

Scan the QR code or visit ctsfw.edu/DMin for additional information.

Winter 2023

n Benefit from intensive study weeks in our Christ-centered, confessional Lutheran community without ever missing a Sunday in the parish.

INQUIRE TODAY about enrolling in 2024. * Contact the DMin Director, Gifford Grobien, at (260) 452-2143 for more details on how your DOXOLOGY experience can contribute to an advanced degree.

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Heeding the Call: Let Down Your Nets David L. Witt

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Phil 4:4

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The account of Christ’s own preaching and calling of disciples in Luke, chapter 4, is worth reflecting on when thinking about pastoral formation. You might recall that Jesus was in Capernaum, teaching, casting out demons, and healing illnesses.

Word of Him went out around the region, and the people, understandably, wanted Him to stay. “But He said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).

Jesus soon began calling men to join Him in this work.

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and 26

Photo © Denis Kelly | Dreamstime.com

s we celebrate the Advent of our Lord, the very incarnation of the Word, we rejoice. We also rejoice that the first quarter of the academic year at the seminary has ended and another has begun. The students have settled in and are continuing their theological formation to become pastors. It is with continued prayers and support that we are able to maintain and send out those whom Christ Himself has called.

help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

(Luke 5:1–11)

Peter benefitted from a miracle of an unbelievably huge catch of fish that day.

However, the theological significance of this episode lies not in that net bursting with fish but rather in Peter’s call, from God, to bear Christ’s presence into the world. You see, Jesus’ preaching came first; everything else that happens in the passage is the result of His Word. This miracle is about the church and how the church comes into existence through preaching. The sea is the world, the fish are the people, the net is the preaching of the Gospel, and the boat is the church.

It is through the continual hearing of the Word and the sharing of the Word that the true church grows.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is not content to be silent. He sends the Holy Spirit so that you, too, might hear the preaching of His Word. He wants you to hear His promises. He wants you to believe in Him. He wants His name and His sacrifice to echo in your ears and in your hearts because He loves you. We rejoice in the calling of Saint Peter because, as we see in this calling of future pastors, Jesus still loves us. He not only died for your sins on the cross, but He calls Peter and His apostles and His pastors so that you would know it, believe it, rejoice in it, and have eternal life in His name.

At CTSFW we rejoice in your continued support through prayers and gifts that make it possible to form and send those whom Christ Himself has called and ordained to teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. We look forward to continuing the Lord’s work and assisting donors to help secure the future with new pastors.

The Rev. David L. Witt (David.

Witt@ctsfw.edu) serves as an Advancement Officer at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

For the Life of the World

2022-2023 Campus Improvements

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ver the past year, the Seminary has undertaken several substantial renovation projects, made possible through the generous support of our donors. Among the renovations:

@ Wyneken 1, which most recently housed Admission offices and Public Safety, has become the Dennis “Denny” Becker Boardroom. The room is outfitted with a large central conference table and a hospitality space, with significant technology integrated into the room. @ Loehe 1, formerly two rooms containing rare books and the distance learning lab, has been remodeled to accommodate large classes and group meetings. The room includes small movable tables that can easily be reconfigured for a variety of tasks. (See board meeting photo on page 24.) @ The space between Loehe and Wyneken has a new ADAcompliant ramp as well as a new gathering space, the Loehe Plaza. This attractive space, rimmed by large stones and new plantings, will be ideal for between-class conversations, outdoor lunches, and even small receptions. @ Seventy new trees have been planted near Wambsganns Gymnasium, in keeping with the original vision of renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley. The new rows of London Planes might strike a chord with those who remember the willows that used to be there, before being destroyed by a tornado in 2001.

The upgraded spaces have been well received. “I am so pleased to see areas of campus that were not particularly inviting or useful turned into spaces that are both welcoming to visitors and functional for students,” said Lance Hoffman, Chief Operating Officer at CTSFW.

Call for Entries

Good Shepherd Institute Art Exhibit

T

he year 1524 marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of the first Lutheran collection of hymns, which will be the focus of the 2024 Good Shepherd Institute (GSI) Conference at CTSFW next November. The biennial GSI art exhibit, which will be held in conjunction with that conference, will also draw inspiration from those hymns under the theme, “Singing of Jesus Christ.”

Artists are invited to submit entries for the show that draw their inspiration from one of the following four hymns, all of which appeared in the 1524 collection: Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice In the Very Midst of Life

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Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth

Artists may choose to focus on as much or as little of the hymn as they’d like; the only requirement is that one of the hymns serve as an obvious source of inspiration.

The “Singing of Jesus Christ” exhibit will run from October 31, 2024, through January 31, 2025, in the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer Library at CTSFW. Entries are due July 10, 2024.

For more details about submitting an entry, visit the exhibit webpage at ctsfw.edu/gsi-art-exhibit.

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EVENTS SCHEDULE JANUARY 2024 Lenten Preaching Workshop (see ad on page 19) Monday, January 15, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/LPW

Symposia Series (see ad on back cover) January 16–19

Information: ctsfw.edu/Symposia

For more or current information, visit ctsfw.edu/Events or call (260) 452-2100. Events are subject to change.

Services and lectures will be livestreamed at ctsfw.edu/DailyChapel or facebook.com/ctsfw.

Easter Evening Prayer with the Schola Cantorum and Kantorei

Sunday, April 14, 4:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Vicarage and Deaconess Internship Assignment Service

Tuesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Candidate Call Service

Epiphany Evening Prayer with the Kantorei

Wednesday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Tuesday, January 16, 5:00 p.m.

Kramer Chapel

MAY

Hymn Festival with the Schola Cantorum

Wednesday, May 15

Wednesday, January 17, 5:00 p.m.

Kramer Chapel

Vespers and Organ Recital

Thursday, January 18, 5:00 p.m.

Kramer Chapel

CTSFW Golf Outing (see ad on opposite page) Information: ctsfw.edu/alumni-golf-outing or (260) 452-2204

Alumni Reunion (see ad on opposite page) May 16–17

Information: ctsfw.edu/alumni-reunion or (260) 452-2204

FEBRUARY

Baccalaureate

Christ Academy: Confirmation Retreat

Commencement Organ Recital

February 9–11

Information: ctsfw.edu/Confirmation Register: ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155

Seminary Guild Meeting

Tuesday, February 13, 1:00 p.m.

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

MARCH

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m.

Friday, May 17, 2:00 p.m.

Commencement Ceremony Friday, May 17, 4:00 p.m.

JUNE Organist Workshop: Beginner Level June 3–7

Seminary Guild Meeting

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/BeginningOrgan Contact: LeeAnna.Rondot@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-2204

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

Organist Workshop: Intermediate & Advanced Level

Tuesday, March 12, 1:00 p.m.

Prayerfully Consider Visit

June 10–14

March 14–16

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/IntermediateOrgan Contact: LeeAnna.Rondot@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-2204

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/PCV Contact: Admission@ctsfw.edu or (800) 481-2155

Christ Academy: Family Institute

Lenten Vespers with the Kantorei

June 13–15

Sunday, March 17, 4:00 p.m. in Kramer Chapel

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/Family-Institute or (800) 481-2155

APRIL

Christ Academy: High School

Seminary Guild Spring Luncheon Tuesday, April 9, 12:00 p.m.

Information: ctsfw.edu/SemGuild or (260) 485-0209

June 16–29

Information and registration: ctsfw.edu/TimothySchool (boys) or ctsfw.edu/PhoebeSchool (girls) or (800) 481-2155

Christ Academy 25th Anniversary Reunion June 27–29

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Information and registration: (800) 481-2155 For the Life of the World

E AT ED TH VE SA

Alumni Reunion All classes are invited.

We will celebrate class years that end in 4 and 9.

May 15–17, 2024 Retreat, relax, and reconnect with fellow classmates on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

More details coming soon!

Questions? Contact LeeAnna Rondot at LeeAnna.Rondot@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-2204.

To register or for more information scan the QR code or visit us at ctsfw.edu/alumni-reunion.

Come Golf with Us in May! Proceeds benefit the CTSFW Community

CTSFW Golf Outing Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Location

Schedule 10:00 a.m.

Registration Warm-up

Cost

11:00 a.m.

Lunch

11:45 a.m.

Tee Off

5:30 p.m.

Awards

Cherry Hill Golf Course Fort Wayne, IN (includes lunch, 18 holes, and beverages)

$85 per player $65 for alumni, clergy, and students

For more information visit ctsfw.edu/alumni-golf-outing or scan the QR code. To register, contact LeeAnna Rondot at LeeAnna.Rondot@ctsfw.edu or (260) 452-2204.

Winter 2023

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Photo: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Erik M. Lunsford

IN THE WORD

Faith of the Martyrs William S. C. Johnson

O

n July 1, 1523, two young Augustinian monks, Hendrik Voes and Jan van Essen, were led into the marketplace in Brussels and burned at the stake for the crime of believing in Lutheran doctrine.

While they became the first martyrs of the Lutheran Reformation, they stand in a long line of brothers and sisters who have suffered and died for their Christian faith, a line that continues even today.

While we often think of martyrs as people who have died for the Christian faith, the original Greek word, μαρτυρέω, means “To bear witness.” In the early Church, the association of martyrdom with witnessing is directly assumed. Tertullian wrote in the second century, “The blood of the witness (martyrs) is the seed of the Church.” From early on, the Church has known martyrdom is often a part of bearing witness to our faith.

I. Being a Christian has a cost God’s grace and mercy are gifts, freely given to us on account of Christ’s sacrifice for us. We are saved by grace and never by works. Sometimes, though, holding to that faith can cost us socially, economically, or even physically. What are some ways that your faith has cost you? Have you lost relationships and opportunities or even suffered physical loss as a result of faith in Christ? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 30

Read Matthew 5:2–12. How were the prophets treated in their day? How is that “blessed”? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ How does Jesus command that we react when we are persecuted? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Read John 15:18–27. Notice that Jesus doesn’t describe persecution as a possibility for the Church, but a certainty. How does this change how you might react to persecution when it does happen? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ What are some ways that you perceive persecution happening in the world around you today? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ II. This is nothing new: The story of Stephen Read Acts 6:8—7:60. Stephen is regarded as the first recorded martyr of the Christian faith. In this text, he has been brought to stand before the Sanhedrin, false witnesses were brought against him, and the council demanded that he answer the charges against him.

How do you think Stephen felt at that moment? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ For the Life of the World

While we often think of martyrs as people who have died for the Christian faith, the original Greek word, μαρτυρέω, means “To bear witness.” In the early Church, the association of martyrdom with witnessing is directly assumed. Tertullian wrote in the second century, “The blood of the witness (martyrs) is the seed of the Church.” From early on, the Church has known martyrdom is often a part of bearing witness to our faith.

Stephen’s answer in chapter 7 traces an important thread through the history of God’s people. The promise given to Abraham is the same promise fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ. What other historical events does Stephen connect with the coming of Christ? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

His return in glory, the persecution of God’s faithful people will increase, and “many will fall away.” While it can be hard to say what we might do in those circumstances ourselves, what are some helpful things we can do now to prepare ourselves to give an answer, much like Stephen did? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Notice in verses 51–53 that Stephen sees his testimony as connected to the mistreatment of the prophets in the Old Testament. What are some ways the Church has suffered since the time of the Apostles? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Read Revelation 6:9–11. This section of Revelation describes circumstances like war, violence, injustice, death, and persecution that have existed for generations. The central message of Revelation is not that these things will happen eventually or even that they’re happening now. We all know that. The message of hope is that there will come a day when these things stop happening. How does it change your perspective on martyrdom when you know that the long line of those who have suffered for their faith will eventually come to its end? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Consider some of the stories of martyrs available in the Christian Cyclopedia online (scan code).

Some things don’t change, and the persecution of God’s people for speaking His Word is a constant throughout history. Which of these histories do you find particularly compelling? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ What can the Church today learn from their example? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Read Acts 8:1–4. Saul stood and gave approval to the coldblooded murder of the first recorded Christian martyr. Two chapters later in Acts, Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and went on to become one of the pivotal leaders, witnesses, and authors of the New Testament era. How do you think Stephen’s testimony and martyrdom affected Saul? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

How does it change things to know there will come a time when the last drop of blood is spilled? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Read Revelation 21:1–4. At the end of all things, when this creation is unmade, and a new heaven and earth are made whole, the persecution of the Church will, at last, be at its end.

How does this perspective change the ways we react to the people who persecute us today? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, You have always provided Your people with faithful witnesses willing to live, suffer, and die for the sake of Your Word. We thank You for the example of those martyrs who have gone before us in the faith. We pray that You will be with those around the world who continue to suffer for the faith. Strengthen them to be faithful in whatever trials they face, that they might endure to the end and receive the crown of life appointed for all who believe in Your Son. Grant that we too may be able to stand in our day of trial, that we might join their ranks as faithful witnesses to Your Son.

III. The end of the story Read Matthew 24:3–14. Again, persecution is not optional for the people of God. In fact, Christ promises us here that, before

The Rev. William S. C. Johnson (William.Johnson@ ctsfw.edu) serves as Chief Information Officer at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Winter 2023

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For the Life of the World

NON-PROFIT MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID BERNE, IN 46711 PERMIT #43

Concordia Theological Seminary 6600 N. Clinton St. @ Fort Wayne, IN 46825-4996

Symposia Series 2024 39th Annual Symposium on Exegetical Theology Courage and Encouragement: Exhortation from the Prophets and Apostles January 16–17, 2024

47th Annual Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions Seminex at the Half-Century January 17–19, 2024

For more information or to register online scan the QR code or go to ctsfw.edu/Symposia. Deadline for registration is January 12, 2024.

Symposia Livestream Registration 32

For those who wish to participate online, we offer a livestream option.

To register for Symposia Live, please visit ctsfw.edu/symposia-live.

For the Life of the World