Plague, Pestilence: Preaching and Prayer (Part 1) (Walther's sermon))

  The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported on the "crisis on people's mental health" caused by the current pandemic.  It was stated that "Children are likely to be experiencing worry, anxiety and fear, and this can include the types of fears that are very similar to those experienced by adults, such as a fear of dying, a fear of their relatives dying, or a fear of what it means to receive medical treatment." (emphasis mine)  Of course the WHO is not a Christian organization and so any advice they offer to alleviate this crisis of "mental health" is essentially worthless for man's condition of "worry, anxiety, and fear", a "fear of dying".  But for Christians, it is another story.

“That you not reckon yourself innocent” — Preaching

      It has come to my attention through another website (LutheranMuseum.com, March 29, 2020) that C.F.W. Walther preached a sermon during a period of plague in the 1800s, possibly the cholera.  That website was properly addressing the current pandemic of the Coronavirus (or COVID-19) and actually sent its readers to a post of mine from April 12, 2014 listing a selection of Walther's sermons.  I would also like to draw attention, again, to this sermon of Walther, his "Sermon for a Day of Repentance on Jeremiah 30:11" (1849), as published in Pastor Joel Baseley's Occasional Sermons and Addresses, (Mark V Publications, Lulu $28.50)  The editor of the other website made this comment:

"I think you will find plenty of Law in this sermon.  But Rev. Walther does not disappoint us.  It closes with some wonderful words that talk about how our dependence on a God who sent His Son to die and rise for us gives us hope even in the times of pandemic."

Surely one of the instances of "plenty of Law" was Walther's emphasis (p. 83 / 167) on God's meaning in a time of misfortune:

“It is specifically declared in our text [Jeremiah 30:11], where it says of the people of God who were taken into the Babylonian captivity: ‘I will chastize you to some degree, that you not reckon yourself innocent.’”

The reader may notice that Walther (and translator Baseley) is using Luther's German Bible translation text which is a little different from our English Bible translations.  (I will take Luther's translation.)  Christians may think that because they have led a good life or even because they are believers that they are worthy to be spared from God's punishments.  But Walther impresses on them that this is not true, that Christians are just as guilty before God as unbelievers.  Walther's preaching has been judged elsewhere as over-emphasizing the Law, "extremely harsh, blunt Law preaching".  But that comes from those who seem not to see that this is only because Walther preached a pure, unconditional Gospel, a Lutheran Gospel.  Walther properly distinguished Law from Gospel. 

Prayer

      Although the last paragraph of Walther's sermon is not formally a prayer, yet it can be easily read as one, and so I would republish it here.  In it we hear what the other website editor spoke about, Walther's "wonderful words" that "gives us hope even in the times of pandemic":

“Well then, my precious people, let us not allow God’s gracious knocking at the door of our church to be wasted. Let us not only acknowledge our guilt and take to heart our sorrow over it, but let us also now, even that much more diligently seek and hold fast to God’s grace. God has decided to save us and that is why he has so purely and richly granted us his saving Gospel. Oh, now let us not stubbornly hinder his saving verdict through our lack of repentance and faith. Let us throw ourselves into the arms of our Savior and never squirm out of them again. Let us not free ourselves from him either through worldly wealth, joy and honor, nor be scared away from him by the vast number and enormity of our sins. Then, out of the graves of our loved ones who have fallen asleep this year, a sweet savor of life to life shall arise. To those households among us whom God has sent the angel of death will follow a proclamation of peace and the new church year will be a year of grace, of blessing and of healing. So help us God, through our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.”

With you, dear Pastor Walther, I say: Amen, Amen!  (In the next Part 2, F.E. Pasche's devotion)

= = = = = = = = = = = =  TABLE OF CONTENTS  = = = = = = = = = = = =
Part 1 - Plague, Pestilence: Preaching and Prayer (Walther)
Part 2 - Pasche's Daily Bread devotion
Part 3 - Starck's Prayer Book, Pieper edition
Part 4 - Sihler's sermon "Benefits of Sickness"
Part 5 - Gerhard's Consolation for Pestilence; Prayer
Part 6 - Walther on Communion for dying (Cholera); Prayer of Repentance and Confession)
Part 7 -