A careful study of the book of Acts will reveal that the Spirit prevented centralized authority among the Apostles and their successors. At best, regional authorities are established and as need arises, councils are convened. Sound familiar?

Thesis VIII — The preaching office is the highest office in the Church, from which flow all other offices in the Church.

The call was not complicated. It was simple: “Follow me.” No explanation, no conditions, no delay. And Matthew rose and followed. That is how Christ works. He does not wait for the righteous to come to Him. He comes to the unrighteous. He does not gather the clean, but the dirty. He does not call the healthy, but the sick. He calls sinners. And when He calls, His Word creates what it commands.

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” James Madison, Federalist No. 51, 1788.

Big kudos to Reznor and Ross for the deep Carlos queues and nods to Daft Punk on the TRON: Ares soundtrack. Even a bit of Vangelis for fun.

GM. The world is going crazy as usual this fine Saturday, so: —Go for a walk —Talk with a struggling friend —Drink some good coffee —Pray your needs to God —Work with purpose in your vocation —Do not lose heart —Cultivate something beautiful —Laugh —Remember: God is good

“Better that right counsels be known to enemies than that the evil secrets of tyrants should be concealed from the citizens. They who can treat secretly of the affairs of a nation have it absolutely under their authority; and as they plot against the enemy in time of war, so do they against the citizens in time of peace.” ― Baruch Spinoza

Sunday’s OT and Epistle—Proverbs 4:10-23; Galatians 5:16-24 https://youtube.com/live/quGYC2hh4CE

Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out of My Mouth? In this episode, we read Gerhard Forde’s monograph on Luther’s treatise on The Bondage of the Will. We discuss scriptural exegesis, its internal and external clarity, how modern readers interpret texts, and why we often misread the Bible, as well as why we frequently fail to understand biblical texts that are overt and explicit in their clarity. This, and a conversation about Erasmus’s word study method, Luther’s assertions, living words, and the vibrating, dangerous energy of Scripture.

You can’t be a global citizen unless you’re under a global sovereign.

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil—Matthew 4:1-11 https://youtube.com/live/YH9W58vNEIY

This is Jesus: the Spirit-anointed Servant, chosen and beloved of the Father, who does not conquer by shouting, does not redeem by politicking, does not establish His kingdom by power plays. He redeems by mercy. He conquers by weakness. He saves by suffering.

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

"The Servant who conquers not by quarreling, but by redeeming" Wednesday of Trinity 13 2025 — St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

This is Jesus: the Spirit-anointed Servant, chosen and beloved of the Father, who does not conquer by shouting, does not redeem by politicking, doe...

Joseph Flees from Adultery—Genesis 39:1-21 (22-23)

This is a fantastic listen for those directly or indirectly involved in education:

Cain Murders His Brother Abel—Genesis 4:1-12 (13-15) https://youtube.com/live/hCXqx5brUTk

Holy Cross Day (obs): John 12:20-33

“In [totalitarianism] shortages of material goods, even of necessities, were not a drawback but a great advantage for the rulers. These shortages were not accidental to the terror, but one of its most powerful instruments. Not only did shortages keep people’s minds strictly on bread and sausage, and divert their energies to procuring them so that there was no time or inclination left over for subversion, but the shortages meant that people could be brought to inform, spy and betray each other very cheaply. . .” Theodore Dalrymple, The Wilder Shores of Marx: Journeys in a Vanishing World

Public figures who lie to the general public should expect to be publicly shamed.

Thesis VII — The holy preaching office is the authority, conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of the priesthood and of all churchly authority, to exercise the rights of the spiritual priesthood in public office on behalf of the congregation.

You don’t love God. You don’t love your neighbor. But Jesus does. Jesus loves His Father completely, and Jesus loves His neighbor completely. And then He dies for every failure of yours. He dies for the times you looked away. He dies for the grudges you still carry. He dies for the names you called people in your heart. He dies for your selfishness, your coldness, your Cain-heart. And in exchange, He gives you His heart. His Spirit. His love. Paul says in Romans 5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” You don’t love by nature. You love by gift. And the gift is Jesus.