From one church to another, 1 Clement draws from Scripture to address division and instruct the faithful in matters of Christian combat, which is never in opposition to love. Plus, what if you don’t live near a faithful church? Good question. Pr. Bramwell has an answer.
St. Mark Lutheran Church posts Rev. Bramwell’s sermons online for the sake of the members of our congregation who are unable to gather with us due to illness, work, etc. This resource is not intended to discourage anyone from gathering in person around God’s Word and Sacraments. Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:25 make it clear that God’s Divine Service is meant to be experienced physically with other Christians.
We give thanks to God that these sermons are a blessing to you and pray that if you’re in Humboldt County, you will join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM as God wills. (See the map below for directions.) If you’re not within driving distance of Ferndale CA, we encourage you to use the Church Locator at LCMS.org to find a church near you so you can gather in person with the communion of saints in your area.
There are so many denominations today, and so many of them contradict each other. What’s the source of this division? Pastor Bramwell leans on Francis Pieper and C.F.W Walther to articulate the answer. Spoiler alert. It’s all about the Bible.
The Ferndale Fortitude (Vol. 2 No. 6, October 10, 2022)
Was Christopher Columbus a bad guy? How about Ferndale’s forefathers? Were they bad guys? If we say yes to the one, we’re saying yes to the others. In November 2019 the Times-Standard reported that “the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will no longer recognize Columbus Day but instead observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day…” The reporter said, “Columbus, the Italian explorer… has been celebrated far less in recent years as the history of his genocidal massacre of indigenous peoples has come to light.” (article link)
This is the revisionist history sweeping the country. It’s the same lie used to twist the arm of communities until they cry uncle and tear down statues and rename streets.
Was Columbus a bad guy? Is he guilty of genocide? No. The fabricated claim flies in the face of the Christian’s own words and actions as confirmed by his contemporaries. Commenting on the reason for his first voyage, Columbus wrote that he wanted to bring Christ to people deceived by paganism, and that this was at the repeated request of Indian princes.
I had given [a report] to your Highnesses about the lands of India and about a prince who is called “Grand Khan,”… and his predecessors had sent to Rome to ask for men learned in our Holy Faith in order that they might instruct him in it . . . and thus so many peoples were lost, falling into idolatry and accepting false and harmful religions; and Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, lovers and promoters of the Holy Christian Faith . . . thought of sending me . . . to see how their conversion to our Holy Faith might be undertaken.(Read more on Columbus)
It wasn’t India’s people who were blessed by his efforts, but the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Did he massacre them? Quite the opposite. When he met them, he said, “I recognized that they were people who would be better freed [from error] and converted to our Holy Faith by love than by force.”
Sounds like a horrible human being, right?
Bishop Bartolome de Las Casas, a contemporary of Columbus who recorded the atrocities of other Europeans said, “[Columbus] was extremely zealous for the honor and glory of God; with deep longing he yearned for the evangelization of these peoples and for the planking and flourishing everywhere of people’s faith in Jesus Christ.”
Christopher Columbus was, as his name declares, a Christ-bearer. So why did our County Supervisors go along with those who call him a monster? Because the world hates Christ (John 15:18). Actors like Gov. Newsom, who have influenced the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, prefer celebrating “cultures and populations that existed long before European contact.” In Newsom’s words, “Instead of commemorating conquest today, we recognize resilience.” This is to say, instead of commemorating those motivated by Christ’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20), we want to restore paganism.
But how does this relate to Ferndale’s forefathers? Columbus is said to have “opened the door” for Christian European settlers. That is precisely who settled Ferndale, isn’t it? As Jan Young wrote years ago for a Chamber of Commerce publication, they played “a vital role in both the town’s growth and the development of its dairy industry: Danes, Irish, Swiss, Italian-Swiss, Italians, Germans, and Portuguese,” (Jan Young, Ferndale Today and Yesterday).
The demonization of Christopher Columbus is the demonization of Ferndale’s settlers. Ms. Young continues: “Because of its somewhat isolated position from the rest of the county, Ferndale developed an active social and cultural life of its own. Much of its social life centered around its churches,” (Jan Young, Ferndale Today and Yesterday).
No and no.
Since recognizing resiliency is the order of the day, one wonders how resilient Ferndale’s original culture is. Will it be able to withstand the conquest of the county and the state as they work to undo the very identity of our village? Will popular lies distort the truth of who founded our beloved town—Christians? Or do we have the faith-formed fortitude of our forefathers? I think we do. Perhaps you don’t. What are you going to do about it?
May I suggest you do what our forefathers did and follow the lead of Christopher Columbus? He said, “I am only a most unworthy sinner, but ever since I have cried out for grace and mercy from the Lord, they have covered me completely. I have found the most delightful comfort in making it my whole aim in life to enjoy his marvelous presence.”
St. Paul wrote that there is _________ body and ________ Spirit and that you were called to the _________ hope that belongs to your call—________ Lord, _______ faith, _________ baptism, _________ God and Father of all.
What are we at risk of forgetting because we live in a pluralistic society?
Today, it’s being taught that Christopher Columbus committed genocide. Is that how Washington Irving spoke of him? Does his personal journal entry from October 12, 1492, communicate hate or love toward the Taino people?
Irving’s description and Columbus’ journal entry reveal a Christian man who lived according to Ephesians 4:1-2. Can the same be said of you as you’re currently living?
Will you join Pastor in repentance, trusting in the grace of our One Lord?
In to what have you been baptized?
St. Mark Lutheran Church posts Rev. Bramwell’s sermons online for the sake of the members of our congregation who are unable to gather with us due to illness, work, etc. This resource is not intended to discourage anyone from gathering in person around God’s Word and Sacraments. Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:25 make it clear that God’s Divine Service is meant to be experienced physically with other Christians.
We give thanks to God that these sermons are a blessing to you and pray that if you’re in Humboldt County, you will join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM as God wills. (See the map below for directions.) If you’re not within driving distance of Ferndale CA, we encourage you to use the Church Locator at LCMS.org to find a church near you so you can gather in person with the communion of saints in your area.
Is alcoholism a disease? As we go to Scripture for our answer, we’ll consult the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, grab a couple of volumes of Luther’s Works, pull in the thoughts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and discover the tactic of Screwtape’s demonic colleague, Guzzle.
St. Mark Lutheran Church posts Rev. Bramwell’s sermons online for the sake of the members of our congregation who are unable to gather with us due to illness, work, etc. This resource is not intended to discourage anyone from gathering in person around God’s Word and Sacraments. Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:25 make it clear that God’s Divine Service is meant to be experienced physically with other Christians.
We give thanks to God that these sermons are a blessing to you and pray that if you’re in Humboldt County, you will join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM as God wills. (See the map below for directions.) If you’re not within driving distance of Ferndale CA, we encourage you to use the Church Locator at LCMS.org to find a church near you so you can gather in person with the communion of saints in your area.
The video version of Pastor Bramwell’s October letter to St. Mark. Following Christ comes with persecution, and clinging to the cross does mean letting go of relationships and possessions. But it is not merely loss. In fact, it is the beginning of GREAT gain! Jesus promises that we will receive a hundredfold what we lose in this life and that receiving it occurs already in this time. Each Christian is a part of the fulfillment of that blessing.
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Governor Gavin Newsom is blaspheming the name of our Lord. He has paid for billboards that read, “Need an abortion? California is ready to help. Learn more at abortion.ca.gov. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.’ Mark 12:31 Paid for by Newsom for California Governor 2022.” (pic below)
Yes, you read that correctly. The man California residents elected to serve as their governor is misquoting Jesus, giving the impression that our Lord and Savior is pro-abortion. This is nothing less than blasphemy.
God forbids the murder of children. Deuteronomy 18:10 or Leviticus 18:21, or 2 Kings 17:17. etc.
Jesus, as the Creator of man, does not condone the murder of man. In fact, Gov, Newsom’s very office was established by God to protect and avenge those who are murdered. Romans 13:4, “For [the governor] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
Gov. Newsom’s message reveals who he is currently serving. As Jesus says in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” May our Governor repent of his lies. He has revealed to us all that he is not bearing God’s sword as God wills, but has turned the sword against those he has been charged with protecting against wrongdoers. Instead of protecting children, he is guilty of aiding and abetting their murder.
David describes the beginning of life in Psalm 139:13-14. “For You [God] formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Newsom is actively assisting in the destruction of what God has made and now he is using the words of our Lord to do it. He is guilty of blasphemy. As we heard in this week’s Epistle lesson, “God is not mocked,” (Galatians 6:7). These billboards are temptations to sin, and Christ does not stand for that. As he said,
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Matthew 18:6
If you would like to learn more about the Biblical response to abortion we have a helpful pamphlet in the narthex.
St. Mark Lutheran Church 