The Word Remains: Regarding Nature
“The world is beautiful. I’ve said that to myself a thousand times as I walk through the greening meadows in the spring and listen to the song of the lark. But we Christians must be mindful not to speak of the beauty of nature with such expression, with such rapture, as if indifferent to the obvious groaning and sighing all around, of which our text speaks (Rom. 8:18-23). Just look at the animals with their mute, joyless, pleading eyes; isn’t their sighing evident? The stark mountains and the naked cliffs, which are scattered out under the sky like old bones, weep with the anxious expectation of rebirth.”
-Wilhelm Löhe in The Word Remains (p. 61)
*It is worth noting that Löhe lived from 1808 to 1872, during the time of Romanticism, which was characterized by an emphasis on emotion and a glorification of nature.
Announcing….our book cover artist!
While brainstorming ideas for the new book cover for He Remembers the Barren, Second Edition by Katie Schuermann, we knew that we wanted artwork that would tell the story of suffering and grief but also of hope and comfort in Christ. To bring this idea to fruition, we decided to tap into the artistic talent and theological insight of Edward Riojas, an artist who excels in bringing rich symbolism into the finest details. What Riojas is creating for us promises to be tender and honest and Christological, beautifully echoing the poignant and expressive words we find in Katie Schuermann’s writing.
We look forward to revealing the cover to you this spring! In the meantime, we encourage you to like Riojas’ Facebook page and browse his website to learn more about his artwork and the giclee prints he offers. Also be sure to read his latest blog post, “What Colors Confess,” which explores the theological nuance of color choice when painting our Lord and other sacred artwork.
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Bio from his website: Edward Riojas has been creating artwork professionally for 35 years — maybe more. He received a fine art degree, then worked a three-year stint in advertising before spending nearly 31 years in the newspaper industry.
Riojas has built a reputation in the secular and sacred realms as a masterful illustrator and fine artist. His sacred, representational style has been likened to the Northern Renaissance, but Riojas can also throw a goofy curve ball when it comes to illustration. Today, his work is found in sanctuaries, institutions, private collections and markets throughout the U.S. and across the globe.
An Excerpt from Quinquagesima Sunday
“We mourn for our sins. We have been selfish, greedy, impatient, angry, lustful, and full of pride. We have hurt ourselves and our loved ones. We have failed to serve and love our neighbors. Let us repent and set our faces toward Jerusalem. Ash Wednesday looms close. We prepare for the journey. For we know that we have been too attached to this world, too afraid to leave behind the pleasures of the flesh. We are desperately in need of a Savior.
But for all that, let us not sorrow for the love of God that has sent the Son to be handed over to the Gentiles, to be mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, flogged, and crucified. In that, rather, let us give thanks and rejoice. Let us be like the cured blind man, following to
Jerusalem, glorifying God, knowing that leaving behind our sins is like leaving behind blindness. What do you want? To be free of sin, O Lord.”
-David H. Petersen in Thy Kingdom Come: Lent and Easter Sermons
Emmanuel Press to release second edition of Katie Schuermann’s He Remembers the Barren
We are excited to announce a partnership with Katie Schuermann to publish the second edition of her breakthrough debut, He Remembers the Barren. First published in 2011, He Remembers the Barren is a tender conversation with women in the church who wrestle with the issue of barrenness in marriage. Schuermann offers encouragement and support to those struggling with infertility, gently addressing issues such as control of our bodies, family planning, adoption, and the source of conception, all while reminding the reader of her clear vocation in Christ and pointing her to the ultimate source of fruitfulness, vitality, and comfort: our Triune God. This book is not only for barren women but also for anyone seeking insight into suffering and hope; Schuermann focuses on our identity in Christ, told through the lens of barrenness.
As the author notes, “Eight years have passed since I first began writing He Remembers the Barren, and the time is ripe for a second edition. I have grown in my knowledge and understanding of the topic of barrenness, both through personal experience and study, and I would like my confession of the theology of the cross in the book to proclaim more clearly how our heavenly Father disciplines us, His dear children, through the gift of suffering in this life. I also feel compelled to better and further address the topics of adoption and the ethical issues surrounding in vitro fertilization and other such procedures utilized in the field of infertility medicine.”
While much of the original book’s content will remain, the reader can expect revisions throughout as well as new chapters and a Q & A appendix helpful for those who desire children and for their loved ones who wish to serve and comfort them. The second edition will also contain questions for discussion and contemplation, providing for both individual and group study. New cover artwork will capture the grief and suffering of barrenness but also the hope and comfort found in Christ.
We anticipate the release date to be early this summer. More details to come!
To learn more about the author, visit www.katieschuermann.com.
Lang on Traditional Rites and Ceremonies
“The danger of the traditional rites and ceremonies degenerating into formalism and even superstition has shown itself here and there in all ages. But the same danger is manifested in the use of nontraditional rites and ceremonies of the so-called informal churches. Because of that danger, some people have denounced all rites and ceremonies. But such denunciations solve nothing. First of all, it is impossible to live without some kind of rites and ceremonies, and secondly, the history of the church shows that the solution is not in trying to discard the traditional ceremonies, but in revitalizing them by constantly teaching their meaning and value.”
-Paul H.D. Lang in Ceremony and Celebration
Symposia Sale: All books up to 25% off
In honor of the annual Symposia at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne next week, all of our books are on sale through Saturday, January 21! And if you’re planning to come, please note that there will not be an Emmanuel Press table at the Symposia next week, but you can place your order online and pick it up while you’re in town. (We’ll reimburse shipping.)
Explore our website by using the tabs above or the “word cloud” on the right sidebar. In addition, here are brief descriptions of each book:
*The Brotherhood Prayer Book (and CD) includes services for the day (Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vepsers, and Compline), the entire Psalter, daily and seasonal propers, and a Beichtspiegel unique to the BPB.
*Paul H.D. Lang’s Ceremony & Celebration gives a confessional apology for why the Lutheran Church is a liturgical church. It instructs in every aspect of the service, such as liturgical actions, liturgical space, and the church year. It explains why we do what we do.
*The Conduct of the Service describes what to do in the chancel, such as where to stand and how to move so that the emphasis remains on Christ and not on the liturgist.
*Prof. John Pless’s Didache uses the Bible, Luther’s Small Catechism, and the hymnal to instruct in a basic pattern of catechesis which expounds upon doctrine, liturgy, and vocation.
*An Explanation of the Common Service is an excellent supplement to Ceremony & Celebration in that it explains the actual words, or the rite, of the Divine Service. Read a review here.
*Liber Hymnorum: The Latin Hymns of the Lutheran Church is a collection of hymns taken exclusively from Lutheran hymnals and chant-books of the Reformation and post-Reformation era. It is two hymnals in one, the first half being English, the second Latin, exactly mirroring the first half in contents and numbering.
*The prayers in Wilhelm Loehe’s Seed Grains of Prayer contain collects for all occasions and are particularly good for personal devotion.
*Thy Kingdom Come and God With Us by Pr. David Petersen are books of sermons which are invaluable for homiletical ideas and for the devotional reading of good Law & Gospel sermons. In particular, Thy Kingdom Come offers over sixty sermons spanning Pre-Lent, all forty days of Lent, and the Sundays after Easter. Many customers find it to be an excellent daily devotion during Lent.
*What an Altar Guild Should Know gives details about church services, rubrics, altar care, sacred vessels, and other topics related to liturgical worship. However, anyone who is interested in liturgical worship will appreciate Lang’s keen theological insight into why reverence and beauty and the externals of worship matter.
In The Word Remains, Wilhelm Löhe gives insight into the confessional Lutheran understanding of the church year, the Word of God, and matters related to the Christian life.
Our newest Christmas card
The Adoration of the Shepherds is an 18th-century oil painting by German artist C.W.E. Dietrich. Originally painted in color, our black and white version allows the light emanating from the infant Christ to shine within the darkness of the stable. The inside text proclaims: “Shepherds in the field abiding, watching o’er your flocks by night, God with us is now residing, yonder shines the infant light: Come and worship Christ, the newborn King!” (a verse from “Angels from the Realms of Glory”)
Visit our Christmas cards page to have a closer look at all 10 designs! New this year: you can now create a custom assortment of our unique Christmas cards to joyously confess our Savior’s birth.
Welcome, Listeners of Issues, Etc.!
If you’ve found our website after hearing the commercial on Issues, Etc., we want to thank you for stopping by! Feel through to peruse the tabs above to learn more about our history and the books and greeting cards we offer. Several of our cards are pictured here; please visit our Christmas cards page for a closer look at all of the designs.
“The Holy Family” (left), an original painting by Lutheran artist Kelly Klages, is based on a beautiful 19th-century stained glass.
Our newest card, “The Adoration of the Shepherds” (right), is an 18th-century oil painting by German artist C.W.E. Dietrich. Originally painted in color, our black and white version allows the light emanating from the infant Christ to shine within the darkness of the stable.
In “Magnificat” (left), artist Meghan Schultz paired the depiction of Mary and Jesus (from “The Virgin of the Lilies” by 19th-century artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau) with hand-lettered words from the Song of Mary. She also added hand-drawn fleur-de-lis in the corners as a nod to Bouguereau’s French heritage and the lilies in his original piece, symbolic of Mary. The text inside features a verse from the beloved hymn, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.”
“Illumination” (left) is another original painting from Kelly Klages featuring the style of an illuminated manuscript with its decorated initial and elaborate border.
The artwork from “Nativity” (right) comes from the
Imperial Cathedral of Speyer, Germany. These Nazarene-style frescos were painted in the cathedral’s interior walls in the mid-1800s by Johann von Schraudolph at the behest of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The city of Speyer is significant in Reformation history; adherents of the Reformation were first called Protestants when they protested the Holy Roman Empire’s ban against Martin Luther and his teachings at an Imperial Diet in Speyer in 1529.
Thank you for visiting, and be sure to visit our Christmas cards page for a look at all of the cards and more details about the artwork.
Seed-Grains of Prayer: Longings for a Quiet and Peaceable Life
“Dear Lord, how miserably unreasonable it is that while the kingdoms of this world flourish and are sustained by the prayers of Thy Church, yet, at the same time, these do oppress and recklessly tread under foot Thy poor Church by whose prayers, faithfully offered, they are helped. For it is the Church alone, O God, whom Thou hast commanded to exercise care and diligence to pray for all in authority, as St. Paul has counseled (1 Timothy 2); and Thou hast so commanded because man needs peace, order, discipline, and safety to spread Thy Word, and by the Word to gather the Church. Grant, therefore, beloved Father, that under our government we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, as may be well pleasing to Thee. Amen.”
Wilhelm Loehe in Seed Grains of Prayer, #242
What resources are there to learn Gregorian chant?
More from our interview with editor and translator Matthew Carver: “Basic instruction in Gregorian chant was not in view in this volume for a couple reasons: there are already great resources for it, and Liber Hymnorum was envisioned as a sort of supplement to other Lutheran chant resources already in use. That being said, anyone who knows how to read modern notation can use the music in the English section as a basis for learning all the Latin hymns and chants without knowledge of Gregorian chant, since they are (with few exceptions) largely the same, despite their different looks. So to keep down the size and price of the volume while simultaneously providing as many of these hymns and chants as possible, I’ve left instruction in Gregorian chant to others.
“First, if you have The Brotherhood Prayer Book and its accompanying CD, you already have a good introduction to Gregorian chant that will give you all you need to sing from the Latin section of Liber Hymnorum. (A Liber Hymnorum CD is also in the works!) There are several online resources, too, such as “An Idiot’s Guide to Square Notes” and the Corpus Christi Watershed site, which includes instruction and audio examples in How to Read and Sing Gregorian Chant. There is an active group on Facebook called “Gregorian Chant is for Everyone” as well as a group devoted to The Brotherhood Prayer Book (“Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood”), where questions concerning chant can be answered. In short, there is little to keep people from learning to sing from Gregorian notation—in fact, once you get the basics from one of these resources, you find it really is simpler, more flexible, and more forgiving than standard modern notation!
“As far as Latin pronunciation is concerned, we’ve normalized the old Reformation-period spelling so that it can be pronounced according to the classical method or the Roman or German ecclesiastical (church Latin) method, though for the sake of rhyme the latter is preferred. Some instructions in pronouncing churchly Latin can be found here, and there is a good comparative table in the Wikipedia article “Latin regional pronunciation.” Students of Latin may find it best to use the accent familiar to them from their curriculum. In any case, when singing with others, it is wise to agree on the method of pronunciation beforehand!”