PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS

Category: Translations

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Invocavit (Lent 1)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Invocavit (Lent 1)

    The following is a translation of Chemnitz’s homily outline for Invocavit (Lent 1), found in his Postilla (Vol. I, pg. 449–50). Chemnitz uses a combination of all three synoptic accounts for the Temptation of our Lord (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13).

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline:

    “That we may handle this teaching in an orderly manner and grasp it so that each can make use of it and use it in a Christian manner, so we will divide it thus into these parts:

    1. Firstly, we will see powerful and glorious the account is described, how the Lord Christ, after He was proclaimed by God at the Jordan that He was the Messiah, thus has stepped into His office (Ampt), how both of the high great prophets, Moses, who gave the Law, and Elijah, who was a chief of all prophets, began their ministry for Him, so that everyone from this ought to see that although He walked around in poor form (armen Gestalt), He was nonetheless the great prophet which Moses had promised from God’s command (Deuteronomy 18[:15–18]).
    2. Second, how the devil himself has tempted Christ, and thus held the chief dispute (Häuptstreit) with Him.
    3. Third, how from this all Christians ought to learn that just as the devil has tempted our Head, the Lord Christ, so also he will tempt us, His members, and dares to bring us into his own kingdom again.
    4. Fourth, how the devil undertakes his task when he wants to tempt a Christian, what He uses for means and ways, how this is described here in a threefold way so that each can clearly recognize and notice when the devil shows himself to him with one or more of these temptations.
    5. Fifth, how we, according to the example of Christ ought to withstand the devil, and what we must have in our hand for defense (Wehre) and weapons (Waffen) so that we can defend ourselves against this vile and powerful fiend. And how this ought to be our comfort (Trost), that if we are too weak for the prince of this world, that He who crushed His head [Genesis 3:15] will then fight for us [Romans 16:20], and how He has overcome him and obtained the victory against him, as this account says.

    Concerning these five parts we will now deal with this gospel, that we all through God’s grace may make use of this account for teaching (Lehre), for warning (Warnung), and for comfort (Trost).”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Estomihi (Quinquagesima, Baptism of our Lord)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Estomihi (Quinquagesima, Baptism of our Lord)

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily outline found in his postil for Estomihi, or Quinquagesima(Postilla, Volume I, pgs. 426–427). At Chemnitz’s time it was common for churches to observe the Baptism of our Lord on the final Sunday before Lent, which connects the Baptism of our Lord to His temptation (the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent). Chemnitz cites all three versions of the Baptism of our Lord found in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22). The Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) still follows this tradition. In the ELS lectionary, the assigned Old Testament reading is Isaiah 42:1–7 and the Epistle is 1 Peter 3:18–22.

    Chemnitz’s Outline:

    “We will now thus explain this glorious and beautiful account that we may set forth these points:

    1. First, as this account reports, in what manner and in which form our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was ordained and anointed to the office (Ampt) of Messiah, so that we can be certain of this when we recognize and accept Him as the Messiah, confess Him and hold to Him, that we therefore make no error, but rather receive in Him God’s grace and help, eternal life, and salvation.
    2. Second, what office (Ampt) Christ has, that He is anointed as the High Priest, King, and Prophet, and how He holds this office in heaven, and what counts there.
    3. Third, because Christ is proclaimed here as the only Messiah, and all men are commanded that they recognize Him as such, and ought to hear Him, so here we have this point, which is of the upmost importance for us, that we can know what we ought to hold concerning the doctrine of Christ (Lehre Christi) and everything that we find therein, namely, that it is the doctrine to which God the Father Himself has directed us, and in which the Holy Spirit is present, and He wants to be thereby efficacious so that heaven may be opened to us through it, and the way to eternal life may be prepared and readied.
    4. Fourth, next to the Word, we also have the most revered sacraments, to which we are directed and bound just as much as to the Word [i.e. Acts 2:42]. This account also teaches us further as to what we ought to hold concerning these sacraments, and what they count before God in heaven; but particularly, what concerns the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which is chiefly dealt with here, what we ought to know about it, and what Christ has brought into our baptism through His baptism, and what He has confirmed [i.e., Matthew 3:15].
    5. Fifth and Last, how the holy Divine majesty has revealed Himself here, how we ought to recognize Him rightly according to His essence and will, to the end that we also ought to be certain of this, each for himself, that God wants to be gracious to us and is heartily pleased with us for the sake of Christ [i.e, Matthew 3:17].

    On these five points, we will now set forth the explanation of this beautiful and comforting account. The almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant us His Holy Spirit, grace, and blessing that we may not only understand this in a historical manner, but rather also may make use of it in a Christian manner through God’s grace.”

  • Brief Excerpt from Chemnitz’s Homily for Sexagesima

    This original text for this excerpt may be found in Chemnitz’s Postilla, Vol. I, pgs. 406–407.

    “Here it belongs to the office of a true preacher and Seelsorger, that when he sees how the world perseveres so feebly in contempt of the Word and the Sacraments, he then ought to follow the example of the Lord Christ and remember that his office is that of a plowman of God, as St. Paul says [1 Corinthians 9:10?], who must plow the hard unfruitful field and root out thorns and thistles so that the seed can gain room to grow. As St. Peter also says in 2 Peter 3[:1–7], when he considers the scoffers, who laugh at everything that God’s Word says and ridicule it, and walk according to their own lusts, allowing themselves to think that all threats that happen in God’s Word have nothing to do with them, that they do not have to fear that another [life] will follow after this life, in which each must give an account of all their actions and omissions. Therefore, they do whatever they want, not asking what is said in the sermon (Predigt) from God’s Word: When he thinks of them, he places this serious and fatherly admonition and says, “You, therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also be led away with the error of the wicked; and fall out of your own fortress (Festung),” that is, out of the salvation that is otherwise made so firm and certain for you. [2 Peter 3:17]”

  • Martin Chemnitz’s Sermon Outline for Sexagesima

    Martin Chemnitz’s Sermon Outline for Sexagesima

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s sermon outline found in his postil for Sexagesima (Postilla, Volume I, pgs. 399–400). The Gospel reading is Luke 8:4–18. Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions.

    Division of the Sermon (pgs. 399–400)

    “This is the summary and content of this parable, which the Lord Christ himself has shown such understanding for us. Now, that we may thereby learn something useful from it, we will summarize it in these five points:

    1. First, how the Lord comes to this parable, and how he thereby reminds us into which great misery we have fallen through the Fall of our first parents, and what God the Almighty does with us, so that He might restore us from such misery and corruption of our [human] nature, and bring us again to righteousness; how to this end He uses the noble seed of His Word, thereby sowing it into our hearts, and making good again whatever was corrupted in them; and from where the Word has such power.
    2. Second, how everyone who considers himself to be saved should let this be a warning to him, that he should not despise the Word through which God solely accomplishes this, because the Lord says here, that He will strike the despisers of the Word with blindness, and because they will not receive the truth, He will never let them come to it. Therefore, how preachers ought to diligently admonish their hearers that they guard themselves against the despising of the Word, and each one remember that He is not to stop up his ears to God’s Word, but rather “gladly hear and learn it.” [cf. Luther’s Explanation of the Third Commandment in the Small Catechism]
    3. Third, if we are now not despisers [of God’s Word], that we are are then to further learn how we ought to rightly prepare ourselves to hear the Word of God in order that we may hear it with fruit, and what we ought to guard ourselves against lest the seed be thereby hindered so that it not come into fruition.
    4. Fourth, how we ought to apply ourselves diligently that we might be a good field (Acker) and bring forth good fruit, and everything that belongs to it: that one must hear the Word, grasp it in his heart, understand it, retain it in his heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.
    5. And then finally, how each one should take the parable for himself, go through it, and examine himself, how he finds himself, by what he is struck, so that he might use it for his benefit, and thus conduct himself so that he does not let God work on him in vain, since He intends good for us from the heart.

    If we thus make use with the parable in such a way and make use of it for ourselves, then we can use it usefully and fruitfully, and therefore we will deal with these points in an orderly manner.”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany (Septuagesima)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany (Septuagesima)

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily outline found in his postil for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany (Postilla, Volume I, pg. 362, 363, 395). The assigned Gospel reading is Matthew 20:1–16. I’ve added additional scriptural references in square brackets where it may be useful to the reader.

    Summary of the Parable (pg. 362)

    “What now concerns the parable of today’s Gospel [Matthew 20:1–16], it is thereby directed to hear it with your love that the Lord Christ deals with this necessary and high teaching:

    1. How our Lord God has gathered here on earth a holy Christian Church for himself, in which God pleasures, as a man has pleasure in his vineyard or garden;
    2. How God also demands and call those whom he wants to have in this His garden, just as a father of a house hires people to work in His vineyard;
    3. How He tells them what they ought to do in the garden, what they ought to carry out for work therein, that God has also thus prescribed for us what He wants from us, how we ought thereby employ ourselves with all diligence, that we do it that God thereby can take pleasure in it;
    4. How when we are ready to allow ourselves to become sour with the work, we nevertheless must recognize that we have not done as we ought well done, so that we thereby do not build on our merits and works, but rather look only to God’s grace, what God wants to bestow on us out of good favor;
    5. And that we take care not to ruin what we have with God, and invite His disgrace (Ungnade) and disfavor (Unhuld) upon us, and what more teachings, admonitions, and warnings there are which we all find properly in this parable.”

    Division of the Sermon (pg. 363)

    That we may now handle this teaching in an orderly manner, rightly understand it, and make use of it in true Christian fear of God, we will thus divide it that we will hear a report in this sermon of the these parts:

    1. First, how common the parable of the vineyard and field or garden is in Scripture; and how therein everything is to be understood; how God deals with His Christian Church here on earth in this world; how He transplants us men, we who are vain weeds, and works on us that we may again become a good plant; and how wrathfully angry he is if we stand in His garden without fruit, or bear wicked and unlovely fruit, and threatens us with temporal and eternal punishment, so that He may win us and bring us to obedience, that we better ourselves now, because the day is still called today, so that we not be thrown hereafter as dry wood and unfruitful trees into eternal hellish fires, for which reason He then admonishes and exhorts us daily to do better.
    2. Second, we will also see how we ought to learn to grasp the high article concerning the eternal providence of God (which is currently being disputed so quickly and subtly, even dangerously) thoroughly in the simplest possible way from the parable; so that everyone can make use of this doctrine as a warning and consolation, and may know, whether he is also destined (aussersehen) for eternal salvation, and whereupon we ought see that we can be completely certain, and each one in particular, of such consolation; how as everyone should see to it that when he is called that he does not turn back, but enters into the vineyard with true repentance, right faith, and new life, and therein truly work, so he can be certain that he is also called and chosen by God.
    3. Third, How God does not call us into the vineyard in a single way, but rather in different ways, earlier for the one, later for the other, as it pleases him, appointing to this one this work, to the other another work; how one ought to be careful therein, that no one becomes bored of his work, but rather carries it out obediently, however difficult it may also seem to him.
    4. Fourth, how it is to be understood, as the parable says, that the Father of the house wants that we should work diligently in His vineyard, to bear the heat and the burden of the day, and yet at the same time not to build upon our merit and thereafter look for the wage, but rather only look for God’s grace and goodness.
    5. Finally, how we ought to pay attention to the use of this parable.

    These five points we will now deal shortly in today’s Gospel. May the beloved God grant that it bless us for our good through the assistance of the Holy Spirit.”

    Conclusion of the Sermon (pg. 395)

    Will work on getting this done on Saturday (02/15/2025).

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline and Summary for the Purification of Mary, or Candlemas

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline and Summary for the Purification of Mary, or Candlemas

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily outline found in his postil for the Purification of Mary, or Candlemas (Postilla, Volume III, pg. 38). While Lutheran Service Book only calls for Luke 2:22–32 and leaves verses 33–40 as optional, Chemnitz includes the entire reading. In addition, I have included other Scripture citations in brackets for ease of use.

    “In this homily we will take the three accounts of today’s feast day, which have now been reported and belong to this feast, one after the other, and briefly handle each one as much as serves for instruction (Lehr), admonition/remembrance (Erinnerung), and comfort (Trost):

    1. And thus, first, we will hear what had been ordered in the Old Testament with regard to postpartum Jewish women (Kindbetterin oder Sechswöcherin der Jüdischen Weiber) [see Leviticus 12:1–8] and why God had made the same order at that time, but how far it concerns us now and how we ought to use it at the present time.
    2. Second, we will hear of the Law of the firstborn [See Exodus 13:1, 11–16], where this had come from, and why our Lord God has reserved and dedicated the firstborn of men and cattle to Himself, what this signifies, or would we ought to remember or learn from it, and how we can make use of it for our comfort.
    3. Third, we will hear the beautiful glorious account of old Simeon which is told in the Gospel, how it was so mightily done, not indeed for the world, but for God, when the old respectable Simeon, who was a learned and holy man, and was a prophet, comes in and takes the little child Jesus into his arms from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and makes such a glorious confession of His person and office; and that he is an example that ought to gladden the heart of a pious Christian and be a guide to everyone as to how he ought to lead his life in this world, that, when his last hour has come, he may then depart with a cheerful heart and conscience and go to Christ.”

    Likewise, here is Chemnitz’s concluding summary (Postilla, Volume III, pg. 50):

    1. “First, what had been ordered with regard to postpartum women, to what end God had founded and commanded this order, and how all Christian God-fearing honorable mothers ought to today ought to make use of them in a right and Christian manner.
    2. Second, where the Law of the Firstborn came from, what it signifies that God reserves and dedicates the firstborn of cattle and men, what can be marked as a glorious reminder/admonition (Erinnerungen) and teaching, and how we can make use of this in all matters (Anliegen).
    3. Third, the spiritual history of old Simeon, and how this story was so excellent before God’s eyes, that Simeon so clearly and lovingly testifies of this little child, and comforts himself so highly in his heart, and thereby rejoices that this greeting (Salutare) mightily redeems him and bring him out from all the bitterness and danger of death and hell, and can and will move and transport him into the unending joy of heaven.

    Afterwards, how we ought to follow such an example of this blessed Christian man, and also trust and build on this one Savior and Redeemer, who has taken away the power of death and brought life, immortality and light, with a joyful undaunted heart in life and death and in true saving faith and confidence in finally departing and falling asleep in blessedness, and in His light beholding the eternal light. To this end, the highly praised Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one true God in eternity, help us all. Amen.”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Summary for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

    Chemnitz’s Homily Summary for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily summary found at the end of his postil for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Postilla, Volume II, pg. 316).

    “We have now heard the teaching of these two accounts of today’s Gospel.

    1. First, we ought to learn to pray rightly in all our needs and bring them to God our heavenly Father in Christ that we may be graciously heard by Him.
    2. Second, thereafter, what kind of faith must have in order to trust Christ with certainty, that He can and is able to do all things and that He will accept us, not for the sake of our merit and worthiness, but rather according to His grace, and give us what is useful, blessed, and good for us in body and soul, for this life and for eternal life.

    May God our heavenly Father grant this to us in His grace, for the sake of His beloved Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, through His Holy Spirit. Amen.”

  • Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Summary for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

    Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Summary for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily summary found at the end of his postil for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Postilla, Volume II, pg. 296) I have added Scriptural references in brackets for easy of use.

    “So now, this is the summary of the teaching which we ought to hold on to from this sermon:

    1. First, as far as the history is concerned, [we ought to know] how it goes one after another, how after the Lord Christ entered His office (Ampt) at thirty years old, was baptized by John, and was publicly called (außgeruffen) by God His Heavenly Father form heaven that He was the Messiah, and that all the world should hold and recognize Him as such [Matthew 3:13–17]. Soon afterward, He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, whereafter forty days [Matthew 4:1–11], He returned to John and once more received from Him the testimony that He was the Lamb of God who would offer Himself for the sins of the entire world [John 1:29–42]. From this testimony, five of John’s hearers were moved to follow Jesus, with whom he went down to Galilee and was invited to a wedding at Cana, where He performed His very first miracle (Wünderwerck) and made water into wine [John 2:1–11]. Thereby, He wanted to prove that He was not only a great prophet, but rather was the only-begotten Son of God. This miracle He had performed before He came to Jerusalem the following Easter, that He might make an appearance through it and His teaching; and how, for the very first, He gave His mother so much to understand, that she ought not interfere in the least with His office (Ampt) and prescribe Him what He ought to do.
    2. Second, because the Lord did this His first miracle at a wedding (Hochzeit), the doctrine of the estate of marriage is to be dealt with in the congregation of God as a chief doctrine in this Gospel, and that we can first confront the heretics who bring in this devil’s doctrine (as Paul calls it in 1 Timothy 4[:1–5]), namely, that the estate of marriage is a fleshly estate which is forbidden to Christians. We have good reason [to believe] that the estate of marriage is a holy and God-pleasing estate, which God the Father instituted [Genesis 2:18–25], God the Son has confirmed [Matthew 19:1–6], and the Holy Spirit has spoken blessing over (Psalm 128). Then, how one ought to take hold of this estate in all the fear of God, live in it, and how married couples ought to behave toward one another [Ephesians 5:22–33], both in love and sorrow (in Lieb und Leid). Then, when the dear cross comes in, how one should grasp on [to the marriage estate] in patience, keep quiet for God, and take up prayer into his hands, and thereby seek help and comfort from God. However, when God tests us and does not help so quickly, when He allows the cross to become more difficult at first and it appears as if He does not want to help us at all, how we should then restrain ourselves and take a stand, fight with God in true faith and certain confidence in His Word and promise, and should not let ourselves be pulled away until He finally hears us.

    These are the two points which we ought to hold on to from this Gospel. May the beloved God inscribe this teaching in our hearts, that, by God’s grace, we may grasp it well, hold on to it, and use it in a Christian manner. Amen.”