Faith Alone and Grace Alone in Wittenberg

The Lord has given many opportunities to share the Gospel with those who know English since I have been here.  Today was the first of eight opportunities I get to share the Gospel in a worship setting with those visiting Wittenberg.  Among the worshippers today were a couple from Scottland and one from Denmark.  The Scottish couple shared how faith and grace are no longer embraced by the majority of the people living in Scottland today.  They very much appreciated the pure preaching of God's Word.  The young man from Denmark is growing in his faith and has been very interested in the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther.  He has a masters in religion and wants to know more about what Luther teaches concerning the faith.  What a wonderful opportunity for witness today.  

Where's Pastor?  

Yesterday, I was in front of the Town Church of St. Mary's here in Wittenberg.  It's also been simply called Town Church or City Church.  So, if you guessed any of those answers, you'd be correct. This is not only the oldest building in Wittenberg, but it is also referred to as the mother church of the Reformation.  According to reformation scholars, Luther preached more than 2,000 sermons here. The interior of the church contains the reformation altar which has a four-paneled altar peice that stands above the altar that tells the story of the foundation of our worship and history of the reformation.  It was crafted around 1547.  The panel on the upper left portays Phillip Melancthon as John the Baptist with the artist portraying himself as aiding him.  The center panel shows the Last Supper with Jesus and the twelve apostles.  The panel on the right depicts confession.  And finally the bottom panel showing Christ crucified in the middle also reveals Martin Luther preaching the Word of God and what Christ's death means for us. There is so much more to share concerning these panels rich with the history of the reformation which I will share when I return.  Here are a few more pics of Town Church of St. Mary's.

Where's Pastor today?  

Luther Quotes of the Day

Today I preached on Faith alone and Grace alone.  Here are a couple of very personal quotes from Luther about faith and grace.

"I say with the full conficence of your heart that Christ came for your sake, in order to free you from the Law...and...if you are able to say yes to this, you have what is called faith, and this faith does everything...but this faith does not gow by our own powers.  On the contrary the Holy Spirit is present and writes it on the heart."

"For almost twenty years and I still feel the old clinging dirt of wanting to deal with God tehat I may contribue something, so that He will have to give me His grace in exchange for my holiness.  And still I cannot get into my head that I should surrender myself completely to sheer grace." 

First Stop -- Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany

 After traveling one full day and coming up one bag short, we finally arrived at our destination safely!  We began at Fort Myers, FL, flew to Charlotte, NC and then on to Dublin Ireland and Berlin Germany where we caught a ICE (super fast InterCity Express) train to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Why is the town officially named Lutherstadt Wittenberg today?  The word Lutherstadt simply translates into the English as "Luther city." That name was officially added to signify that the protestant reformer Martin Luther played an important role here.  There are other towns that identify with Luther througout Germany adding the word Lutherstadt to their name.  

Ordained Lutheran Pastors like myself have been invited by the Wittenberg English Ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with tourists who visit this historic place from around the world.  The Viking cruise line docks at Wittenberg on the Elbe River throughout the week (May through October) to allow their passengers to spend time exploring the people and history of this reformation city.  One of my jobs is to literally walk around historic Wittenberg inviting these tourists to come and spend time in devotion, metitation and worship sharing the rich heritage of Lutheran worship. These special services are offered Tuesday through Saturday at the two Lutheran Churches where Dr. Luther served as Pastor. 

Check out my blog again tomorrow and I will share with you some pretty incredible sites and history about Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation that went on right here in Wittenberg.  Time to get caught up on some much welcomed sleep.    

Luther Quote of the Day:

"Now the church is not wood and stone, but the company of people who believe in Christ."  

WHERE'S PASTOR CURTIS?  Each day I write on my blog, I will share with you a significant person, place or thing concerning our rich Lutheran reformation history.  Check out these pics and guess where Pastor is on his first day back to Wittenberg. PLEASE, no WEM pastors respond. Have fun guessing.

On Your Mark! Get Set! Go!

Today we are on cloud nine and other clouds as we fly to our final destination.  It's interesting that our airline's current slogan is "Let Good Take Flight."  God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.  We always pray that the goodness of the Lord is with us in the air and on the ground. Even though we are taking off this afternoon, the Lord willing we will arrive at our destination tomorrow morning. Please keep us in your prayers.   

A blessed and safe Memorial Day!  Today we honor and give thanks for the many men and women who sacrificed life and limb for our sakes and for the freedom and peace we enjoy here in the United States.  We also give thanks and support those currently serving in our military to secure the freedoms we enjoy and pray that our Lord will protect them from all harm and danger.  Thanks to all who have served and are serving in our military here at home and around the world. 

I'll be back again tomorrow with the first "Where's Pastor?" image or two or more.  Here we go!

Luther Quotes Today

"Let the wife make her husband glad to come home and let him make her sorry to see him leave."              "To have peace and love in a marriage is a gift that is next to the knowledge of the Gospel."

Two More Days Before Take Off!

My wife and I had a very busy week getting ready for this sabbatical. After two weddings, one being our middle daughter's, a week and a half visit from our daughter and Nebraska grandkids, High School and Sunday School recognition Sunday, which included the baptism of one of our Early Childhood Center's alumna, we were finally ready to tackle last minute details at home.   We are certainly blessed that the Lord has surrounded me with many wonderful church leaders and staff who will continue to lead the faithful and dedicated members, small groups and ministries to use their gifts to praise and serve the Lord and others while we are away.  Many things that needed to be done on our to-do list at home before we go have now been accomplished.  Our two youngest adult children will be holding down the fort while we are away.  My wife and I were contacted today by our greeters (deputies) in Wittenberg through email and they are as excited to meet us as we are to meet them.  They too had some last minute details to take care of with us before our journey begins.  Excitement fills our hearts and minds as we finish packing our bags and checking our flights.  Only a couple more days before we fly from southwest Florida and arrive at our destination--Wittenberg, Germany.

The answer to yesterday's Luther Trivia is 6 children!

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day!  The excitement is building as the beginning of the sabbatical journey draws closer.  With just a little over two weeks left to plan and prepare, my wife and I are finishing up last minute details.  My hope is that you will join me on this adventure of a lifetime as together we grow in understanding more about our Lutheran heritage in Germany and as we witness the Lord's work being done in Romania.  Along the way, there will be pictures posted of popular sites.  You will be asked to guess "Where's Pastor?" just by what you see in the image.  We're looking forward to having you join us on our trip.  Peace be with you.

Luther Trivia

Do you know how many children Martin and Katie Luther were blessed with?