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In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jeremiah was not real fond of his lectionary.  God had given him the unenviable task of calling the city of Jerusalem to repentance for their unbelief, their evil sacrifices to Baal, and their lackadaisicalness if not outright hostility toward the God of Israel, their God, who had redeemed them from the hand of Pharaoh, who had given them a name, a land and a city to call their own.  The reason they lived in Jerusalem, the city of peace, is because their heavenly Father had delivered it to them with a mighty hand.

So God had put His Word into Jeremiah’s mouth to speak to the people, to warn them of their coming destruction, and to call them to repentance and faith in the one God who would save them.  Just moments before our text, God had placed Jeremiah at the Potsherd Gate outside the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, told him to carry a potsherd with him, and that he was to preach against the city for their idolatry.  God renamed it the Valley of Slaughter, for it is there that the people of Judah would fall, some to death, others to captivity in Babylon.

No, Jeremiah was not fond of this lectionary, but he preached it nonetheless.  This perfect law of God, through which their only hope of survival lay, this perfect law of God was not going to be received well.  Not this time, and it was a part of the pattern of life for Jeremiah, the weeping prophet.  Jeremiah preaches in season and out of season, and breaks the pot in their sight, signaling the beginning of their destruction.

This is not how to win friends and influence people.  The weeper does not want this message, but he sends it.  That is part and parcel of the ministry, after all. Our Lord Himself wept over Jerusalem, crying out to her that this warfare was folly, that He would redeem them of their sins, that God would place a heart of flesh into their heart of stone, and that He would keep them alive in the time of destruction.

But, much like Jeremiah, our Lord is taken outside the gate.  Jeremiah was beaten, scourged for the Word of God which He had spoken and enacted against the people.  Jesus is taken outside the gate, scourged, beaten and murdered.  The high priest’s man goes after Jeremiah for his message of doom.  The high priest himself attacks our Lord.  The high priest’s man goes after Jeremiah for what he thought was a false word from God.  The high priest goes after our Lord Jesus for claiming to be the Son, the very Word of God made flesh.  Where Jeremiah is bound in stocks of wood, our Lord is nailed to the wood of the cross.  Jeremiah is a shadow of the one to come, the prophet like Moses, Jesus Himself.

When Jeremiah is beaten and imprisoned by Pashhur, the chief overseer of the Temple, Jeremiah changes the man’s name.  He says to Him, “The LORD does not call your name  Pashhur, but Terror On Every Side.  4 For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you  a terror to yourself and to all your friends.”  Jeremiah knows that this man will end in derision, confusion and death, as will all who steadfastly reject his gracious invitation.

But here the comparison takes a different turn.  Jeremiah knows this man’s fate, along with all of Jerusalem.  Our Lord, too, knows their fate and ours.  But where Jeremiah changes Pashhur’s name to “Terror on Every Side”, our Lord, for them and for you, gives you a new name, a different name.  The name He gives to you is son.  For you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus, according to His word.  St. Paul reminds us:

“So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:24-29 ESV)

The Law was your guardian and tutor, to teach you the will of God, until Christ. Christ has come, and though He was murdered outside the gate, He rose again.  Though we have abandoned Him just as the people of Judah in Jeremiah’s day, He has not abandoned us.  He gives you a new name.  That name has washed you and made you white in His blood.

“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.” (Psalms 91:5-8 ESV)

Jeremiah did not like the lectionary which God had given to him, but he delivered it nonetheless.  Even Jeremiah, in his crosses, could see the coming dawn of eternal life.  So weep and rejoice with the prophet, Jeremiah.  Weep that your sins are great, that you deserve the terror of the night like Pashhur and all Judah.  But rejoice, for though you deserve it, you do not bear it.  The terror of this day is but a shadow.  The joy of tomorrow lasts to all eternity.  Believe it for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Jeremiah 20:1-6
Kramer Chapel
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
June 26, 2008 (Jeremiah)
Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

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There have been some misnomers out there that describe deaconesses as “nuns” or “mini-pastors.” This blog post hopes to develop a primer discussion of what a deaconess is and what she is not, and leave you to understand the important distinctions of both. In relation to what deaconesses are alongside any other offices, this will hopefully offer development of a healthy attitude, not only about deaconesses, but the Word of God demonstrated in these instruments of Christ’s mercy.

A DEACONESS IS NOT A NUN:

• A Deaconess reaches out into the community and congregation to the lost and suffering. She has no vows or oaths that she must take, apart from being in agreement and faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions (because it agrees with Scripture).

• A Deaconess is able to be married and carry on deaconess service. Again, no vows of celibacy or monasticism are required or encouraged. Likewise, a deaconess is not required or encouraged to be married, either, if she does not desire these things; so long as she acts in accordance with Scripture in propriety and obedience to the Sixth Commandment (which goes for all people, not just deaconesses!)

• A Deaconess knows the richness of our Lutheran theology, and is able to articulate and act, in mercy, on our confession of faith with grace and wisdom for the edification of the Church, especially to the ones who she has been charged to serve.

A DEACONESS IS NOT A PASTOR:

• The deaconess is consecrated (set apart for godly service), not ordained. Her service begins at the nave and door of the Church. While she does not preach or administer the Lord’s Supper, she can certainly prepare the Altar for the Sacrament prior to the Divine Service, but does not participate in the distribution of it.

• The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod upholds and respects God’s Biblical order of Creation. Woman was created as helper of man (Gen. 2:18). Deaconesses exemplify this and other expressions of God’s Word (Eph 5:25, 1 Timothy 3:12). This is to be understood as the inerrant Word of God truly freeing both men and women to be exactly who they are, in Christ Jesus, as the ultimate focus.

• Diaconal emphasis of service is on care, teaching and reaching out to women, children, and elderly

This primer hopefully brings clarity to some otherwise confused or misleading views. The most important aspect of deaconess service is giving all glory to God, and pointing others to our Savior, Jesus Christ. A deaconess serves as a “buffer”-many times between the world and the Altar and Font, where Jesus promises to be. While all children of God are called to bear witness to the Gospel and show where God is located, a deaconess is a leader and resource to those she serves, helping and encouraging all to works of mercy and compassion. Glory be to God for sending all laborers into His Harvest!

We will, by God’s mercy, shape and build you as a servant and laborer in God’s Kingdom and prepare you for a consecrated life of ministry in the LCMS.  Our mission statements sums it up: Concordia Theological Seminary exists to form servants in Jesus Christ who will teach the faithful, reach the lost and care for all. This is what CTS is all about, the formation of pastors, deaconesses and laity for service in the church.  I’ll extend this topic into a total of three separate posts: teach, reach and care.

Teach. If our curriculum were a tree, the roots would be Jesus Christ and the trunk would be the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Sacrament.  I’ll talk about the role of the Eucharist momentarily.

As a student at CTS, you will become immersed in the texts of the Old and New Testaments.  Every seminarian studies, in their original languages, all four Gospels, all five books of Moses (Gen-Deut), the epistles of Paul, the major OT prophets and the Psalms.  Every student takes a Greeks Readings course for six of the nine on campus quarters.  That’s the minimum.

We believe that it is extremely important for the pastors of the church to have competency in reading the Greek and Hebrew texts of God’s Word.  This is possibly more important today than it has been in over a thousand years.  The society in which our graduates will be placed is more pluralistic and religiously diverse than America has ever been.  We are also more drenched in communication technologies.  This adds up to a  very confused and confusing mess.  False teachings abound.  People need and often hunger for someone to give them good spiritual food to eat.  We must be able to speak the Truth clearly, winsomely, and with precision.  Lives depend on it.

Add an in depth examination of the Lutheran Confessions, Liturgics and hymnody, pastoral practice, preaching, etc.  Not only are there specific courses in each of these fields, but our faculty strives to bring a wholistic approach to the classroom.  In other words, it is not beneficial to teach the Gospel of Luke, for instance, without talking about how to preach these texts, how they’ve been understood by historical heros of the church, how they appear in the liturgical life of the church, their significance for counseling and outreach.  We practice an intentionally inter-disciplinary form of instruction.  So when you study the Psalms, to take another example, you will have two professors.  One will teach you the Hebrew constructions and the interpretation of the texts while the other will tie that in with the liturgical and devotional use of the psalter.

Central to everything is our chapel.  This is because we understand that our students, as their primary identity, are children of God.  They must receive the Lord’s gracious gifts in scripture, preaching, Eucharist, prayer and song.  Their own heart are nourished by the presence of Christ in our midst.  That much is fundamental.  Otherwise, we become a stagnant academy of abstract ideas and theories.  God is not a “subject” to be autopsied by our skilled technicians.  He is a living person who relates to us by His Son.

These emphases of our curriculum form a person into a well equipped teacher and preacher.

Praise be to God that Pastors and deaconesses will be reaching all corners of the United States (and world) this summer to proclaim the Gospel and serve, as they embark on their new vicarages and internships, placements and Divine Calls. Please keep them in your prayers. They will need all the support they can get as they adjust to unfamiliar settings, people and cultures.

The Deaconess Program at Concordia Theological Seminary is enjoying the remaining weeks of Spring quarter, rounding out its established success of five years at Fort Wayne. Joyfully, we can report that there were 10 women eligible for internships this spring, and all 10 were filled by congregations and institutions. These internships will allow them to learn and better prepare for professional service post graduation, as certified Deaconesses in the LCMS. Further, in CTS tradition, we greatly anticipates the Placement Service for many of this year’s class of interns next Thursday, May 15th, in Kramer Chapel. However, like some seminarians, not every deaconess intern may receive a placement at the ceremonial time. These placements take time and work to cultivate as we educate congregations about the need that these church workers can serve.

One of the delights of my internship this year has been exactly that; educating the Church at large about diaconia and the richness a deaconess can add to the life of it. I don’t think there has been a single person that I have spoken to about deaconess service that didn’t understand its value, and hoped to see more deaconesses serving in their churches someday.

Of course, there are logistical realities when deliberating over calling any church worker. But the first step to creating these opportunities begins with prayer. There is no magic involved. It is simply talking with God and asking for His wisdom in what direction your church should go. Asking your pastor and council members to discuss new church worker possibilities also prepares the way for careful deliberation. But God’s timing, the resources, and right people to be involved in the decision making- not to mention the right person to be called upon to serve- is key in making it all happen. This is how God works and He always answers our prayers. No matter what the outcome, God provides for the needs of His church.

I often think about the Israelites deliverance out of Egypt in the book of Exodus in terms of how God uses people for His glory and our redemption. It was through Moses, who God chose to act on His behalf; but also Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:4), who helped lead Israel to the Promised Land. This is the very same endeavor of the church today. There will always be needs in the church, and pastors simply cannot and should not shoulder it in entirety. Sharing the responsibility that God has commanded us to do (Gal 5:2), is truly a blessing to all. A deaconess’s goal, just as a pastor’s, is to lead people from their wandering. Outside of the liturgical setting, she points them to the Promised Land [heaven], Jesus Christ, and where He is found in His Word with His Sacraments through teaching the faith, acts of mercy and spiritual care.

If you or your congregation is considering a deaconess, continue to pray about it. Further inquiries can be directed to 260.452.2178, or melissa.degroot@ctsfw.edu.

So, you have survived Greek. You have even mastered the 300 uses of “kai”. Now, you think to yourself, “Self, why should I learn Hebrew? After all, there is a perfectly good Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint (LXX).” On the surface this looks like good thinking, or at least a clear demonstration of survival skills! However, the LXX comes with its own set of difficulties and agendas. Personally, I like to use the LXX as a way to give more insight into the Hebrew Masoretic Text, or, more often, as a way to tap into the thinking of those Second Temple Jews in Alexandria, Egypt. The LXX comes from @270 BCE and it comes with baggage. It was originally translated in order to help the Jews in this Greek city gain more respect and standing in their culture. Of course, they were not above slightly “tweaking” the text now and again just to help make their case stronger. Need a modern day example? Read the newspaper! Another difficulty comes from the transferring of an eastern based language into a western based language. Not only is Hebrew structured differently than Greek, the Hebrews even think differently. Ask the Greek professors here at the Seminary about us Hebrew guys and our thought processes! Even the other Greek translators recognized this problem as they have provided us with revisions and recensions of this LXX text. Each one in its own way is an attempt to provide a better rendering of the Hebrew.

I realize that the Early Church Fathers used the LXX and that many of the quotes of the Old Testament in the New Testament are from the LXX, but my question to you is, “Why eat hamburger when steak is right in front of you?”

Prof. Jeffrey Pulse, Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology, CTS