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WEEKLY EVENTS

Greetings in Christ’s Holy Name!

Wednesday: Our regular Services including: Matins @ 8:15, Confession and Absolution @ 10am, Midweek Holy Communion @ 1:30pm, and Vespers @ 5:30pm.

Thursday: Outreach Meeting @ 6pm and Church Council Meeting @ 7pm.

This Sunday: We will transfer St. Mary’s Day on Monday to Sunday. In addition to remembering the miracle of the Incarnation, we will get a little “Christmas in August”. 

Looking Ahead: August 18 @ 7pm, Choir Practice. August 20 @ 8am – Men’s Prayer Breakfast, and 9am Church Cleanup!

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Some statements from our Confessions regarding Christ’s divine nature and his Mother, Mary

According to the second, the temporal, human birth Christ was also given the eternal dominion of God, yet temporarily and not from eternity. For the human nature of Christ was not from eternity as His divine nature was. It is computed that Jesus, Mary’s Son, is 1543 years old this year. But from the moment when deity and humanity were united in one Person, the Man, Mary’s Son, is and is called almighty, eternal God, who has eternal dominion, who has created all things and preserves them “through the communication of attributes” … , because He is one Person with the Godhead and is also very God. Christ refers to this in Matthew 11:27: “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father,” and in Matthew 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” To which “Me”? “To Me, Jesus of Nazareth, Mary’s incarnate Son. I had this from My Father from eternity, before I became man, but when I became man, it was imparted to Me in time according to My human nature, and I kept it concealed until My resurrection and ascent into heaven, when it was to be manifested and glorified.” Thus St. Paul declares in Romans 1:4, He was glorified, or “designated Son of God in power.” John speaks of this as being “glorified” in chapter 7:39. [LW 15:293–94]

Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 595.

27 Granted, the blessed Mary prays for the Church. Does she receive souls in death? Does she conquer death? Does she make alive? What does Christ do if the blessed Mary does these things? Although she is most worthy of the most plentiful honors, yet she does not want to be made equal to Christ. Instead she wants us to consider and follow her example. 28 The very subject reveals that in public opinion the blessed Virgin has taken over Christ’s place. People have invoked her, have trusted in her mercy, and through her have wished to appease Christ, as though He were not an Atoning Sacrifice, but only a dreadful judge and avenger. 29 We believe, however, we must not trust that the saints’ merits are applied to us, that because of these God is reconciled to us, regards us just, or saves us. For we receive forgiveness of sins only by Christ’s merits when we believe in Him.

Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 205.

31 The adversaries teach us to place confidence in the invocation of saints, although they have neither God’s Word nor the example of Scripture. They apply the saints’ merits on behalf of others in the same way they apply Christ’s merits, and they transfer to the saints the honor belonging only to Christ. Therefore, we cannot accept their opinions about the worship of the saints, nor the practice of invocation. For we know that confidence is to be placed in Christ’s intercession, because this alone has God’s promise. We know that Christ’s merits alone atone for us. Because of His merits we are regarded righteous when we believe in Him, as the text says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6; see also Romans 9:33; Isaiah 28:16). Neither are we to trust that we are regarded righteous by the merits of the blessed Virgin or of the other saints.

Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 206.

And, here’s Holy Scripture and a piece of Lutheran artwork about another Mary (no relation)…

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

St. Luke: 10:38-42

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