Löhe devotional for 10. January

Perhaps those involved in the events surrounding February 19, 1974 should have read more Löhe and less Elert. 

The following is from the blog "Wilhelm's space" http://kwaweber.org/2014/01/10/lohe-on-2-timothy-316/

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2Ti 3:16 NAS)

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament  are like the starry skies at night. Whoever lifts up his eyes from the dark earth up to the bright stars above sees the shiniest first – the big ones and those in the milky way. Yet as the eye is accustomed to the sight, it begins to see more and more. Finally even the dark blue of the night seems to be interwoven with light and shining brightness. So it also for the reader of the holy Bible. At first you perceive the strong and catchy verses, which are obviously clear and impressive at first sight. Yet as you continue reading more and more verses light up until you don’t just get the flow of the story, but rather comprehend the perfect harmony, which makes up the whole entirety.

So it’s not just a wise crack to get over the difficulties of some parts, if it is suggested to let the light and insight of the clear and main parts, which make up the rule of faith and guide all exegesis, light up the obscure and darker passages.

Holy Scripture has always proven itself as comprehensible and clear. All supposed obscurity and darkness is not so much its own drawback, but rather rests in the eyes and heart of the reader. All misconceptions, contradictions and heresies projected into God’s Word – and even the most drastic lie, that God’s Holy Spirit did not reveal his truth aptly and comprehensibly in the holy Bible – are not to be blamed against God and his Holy Spirit, but rather fair and square at the doorstep of our human blindness and sinful rebellion, which impede our insight into God’s will and prompt us to disobey his clear commandments and doubt his gracious promises. The holy Word of God suffers the same predicament as the Son of God himself: For the faithful it is faithful and true, for the holy it is holy and sanctified, with the pure it is pure and salvific; yet with the wrongful it is wrong and for the children of darkness it is utter darkness and obscurity. Praise be to God, the Lord, who is the living source of goodness and in whose light we see the light + Amen.

Lord, our God! We thank you for your most holy Word, which shows us the way to you and can save us eternally. Grant that we respect, honour and love your holy Word in such a way, that we trust and believe it, gladly hear, read and learn it and thus be guided from one truth to the other until we see you from face to face, hear you yourself and thus come to the blessed peace you have promised us. Amen.  

God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure. Throughout all generations. (Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig, 1783-1872 tr Ole G. Belsheim, 1861-1925)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for the 10th January during the high holiday of Epiphany. It is found on Pg. 51 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.

A paragraph from Löhe on Matthew 9 for Trinity 24

With all the snow we've been getting lately, I have had more time to devote to translating. I undertook a project several years ago to translate from German the sermons of Wilhelm Löhe on the Holy Gospels. I completed that project over a year ago, minus two Trinity sermons that rarely occur in the long season of Trinity. Honestly, I was worn out translating Löhe and needed a break. I had intended to finish the last two sermons at some point, so I am thankful for the rejuvenation and opportunity to tackle those last two sermons now.

One is now finished, and the other is near completion. Thankfully, Löhe's last few sermons in the Trinity season are briefer than his others.

Here's a sample from the last sermon I'm translating. The Gospel Reading is Matthew 9,18-26 for the 24. Sunday after Trinity. Löhe preached this in 1859.

1. (489) 1. So there were still some good people among evil Capernaum. The nobleman, who comes to Christ in Cana to gain his son's recovery — the paralytic, proved the Lord's power to heal and thus also forgive sins, — in today's Gospel of the chief teacher, the ruler of the synagogue and the woman with the issue of blood were found in Capernaum. Like many others, the heart beat for the Lord in "His city!" Yet it was enough for the Lord and we hear once again from His mouth a mighty woe spoken against Capernaum on account of their spiritual resistance, for they were opposed to His miracles and sermons! To whom much is given, of him much is required! The more seeds sown, the more bountiful harvest is expected! For what is much for one, is little for someone else, and and as the case may be God gives gifts, as the case may be He expects sacrifice! But nevertheless, the souls adhering to them believed the Lord in Capernaum, and they have been praying and sighing to God in addition to the Divine forbearance is the reason why the temporal punishment of God does not befall Capernaum, which had once befell upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and in other ways come across Tyre and Sidon. After all, the meek are considering ​​Jesus' judgment and woe right rightly upon Capernaum, which may be something not unlike a huge debt, even if they cannot be completely proven from the Gospel. A debt so blatant that it brings the Lamb of God to utter woe and measure such great threats from the wrath of Almighty God have challenged that a strong arm belonged to withhold God's abolished arm. But this strong arm — I find it in the faith and prayers of those mentioned above and indicated by the small flock of Jesus, and it has urged me to point out the strength of their faith and prayer, because I can prove to you a spoken example of the fact that sometimes only a few in a village and a city intercede for God's patience and long-suffering, perhaps  an unknown supplicant thanks the Lord, and may He also grant our congregation such a crowd faithful intercessors and protect us in mercy!