Rockrohr notes...

It’s been a while since I have posted to our website. I have been busy pastoring Zion Lutheran, a great congregation! Come back again soon for Family, Christianity, Missions, Sermons and more…

Luther’s thoughts from a Holy Week sermon: Jesus Christ loves and forgives us. He bears our weaknesses; so we also bear one another’s weaknesses.

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Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6.2

Luther: Not the least part of love or self-surrender is for me to be able to give away my self-conceit or arrogance. I can no doubt give my neighbor temporal good and bodily service with my painstaking toil. I can also serve him with instruction and intercession, for example, by visiting and consoling when he is sick or sad. I can feed when he is hungry, free from imprisonment, and such like. But the greatest of all the services I can render my neighbor is bearing his weakness.

We will always fall short of the mark here. We will never attain to the perfection of Christ in this regard. He is the pure, bright Sun in which there is no mist . Our light is just like a glimmering stalk of straw in comparison with this Sun. Christ is a glowing oven full of fire and perfect love. But He is still satisfied with our little candle, if we provide some sort of evidence of letting our love shine forth.

Take a look at the Gospel record and see how Christ dealt with His disciples. He bore with them when they were guilty of foolish conduct, and even when they, at times, went astray. In their service, His wisdom yielded to their folly. He did not condemn them, but bore their weakness with long-suffering patience. “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand“, He tells them on one occasion. (John 13.7) Through such love He gives up His righteousness, judgement, might, wrath, punishment, and the rights he has over us and our sins. He could condemn us because of our folly. But He does no more than to say, “You are in the wrong; you do not know anything; do not, however, reject me, but trust me” .

And so I say that it is no small example of love to be able to bear with our neighbor when he is weak in faith and love.

SL.XI.597,26

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, fill our hearts at all times with such love for our neighbor that we understand his weaknesses and needs and continue to bear with him, for your name’s sake. Amen.

[From page 158 of Luther for the Busy Man, translated by Dr. P.D. Paul, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide, South Australia, 1974.]

Since Deborah is wearing her MOM (Mother of a Marine) shirt for USA Day at Concordia Lutheran High School in Ft Wayne, to help celebrate I have reposted photos of Jim’s 2011 summer at U.S. Marine Officer Candidate School. (Be sure to see captions!)

And the post from Jim’s 2016 deployment, very cool photos and video!

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Carl preached the sermon for David’s home-going service. The audio file of the sermon can be heard by clicking here. Or heard/downloaded at Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s website, or on the sermons page. 

The written sermon in pdf format is available by clicking here.

Carl

Excerpt from Martin Luther’s sermon on Matthew 8:23-27:

When I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

The Gospel (of the stilling of the tempest) consoles and emboldens us in two ways. When we encounter persecution for the sake of God’s Word, we may say, “Christ is in the ship, and therefore the sea and the wind rage and the waves fall on the ship and try to sink us. But let them rage! God’s purposes stand fast: the wind and the sea owe Him obedience. Persecution will last no longer than He wills it. Even if persecutions come upon us, they must still be subject to Him. He is Lord of all things, and hence nothing can really harm us. O that He would help us, so that we do not become faint-hearted in unbelief! Amen.”

 
The fact that the men marveled and praised the Lord because wind and sea were subject to Him, indicates that the Gospel, God’s Word, spreads further and further and becomes stronger through persecution. Faith also increases under such conditions.

 
This seems very strange when we compare this situation with secular benefits. These decline when misfortune strikes and opposition is encountered; they increase under good fortune and peaceful conditions. Christ’s kingdom is strengthened in tribulation and declines under peace and comfortable conditions as St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: “My power is made perfect in weakness”. 2 Corinthians 12.9.   [SL,XI.504, 16-17]

Prayer: Lord God, our loving heavenly Father, make true the assurances of help and support which you have so often given us in your Word so that in every need we cling to these assurances in and through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

[From page 82 of Luther for the Busy Man, translated by Dr. P.D. Paul, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide, South Australia, 1974.]

Dad went home to be with Jesus on Wednesday, January 25th. The funeral service is at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in West Bend, Wisconsin on January 31 at 11 am. 

Full obituary at this link.

Carl

The “Africa Mission Work” tab on our website rockrohr.net has been updated to include more information of Carl and Deborah’s work in South Africa and Ethiopia. Besides a brief synopsis, each page includes links to newsletter issues of that time. Photo essays, such as on the Ghana mission work page, will be added to each page later. Carl

Congrats to Cadets Football for 56-14 State Championship Victory. 8 records broken, 4 records tied. For example: 614 total offensive yards breaks old 3A Division Championship Game record of 465 yards. Go Cadets!

There are many good articles online about the win, click here for one:

Concordia Lutheran Wins First-Ever Football State Title

 Link to Article in Ft. Wayne New Sentinel

Congrats to Cadets Football for the 62-27 win for the Regional Championship! Carl