Now Available: A Pocket-Sized BPB Text Edition
After numerous requests for a smaller text edition of The Brotherhood Prayer Book, we are pleased to debut a pocket-sized, 6″ x 4″ x 5/8″ version. At a mere 7 ounces, this book contains the same liturgies, canticles, Psalms, and propers as the previous text edition, but in a more convenient size, allowing you to carry it wherever you go. For only $15.00, the new Brotherhood Prayer Book: Text Edition offers 370 pages of prayer offices centered around the Gregorian Psalter.
Free Shipping for Thy Kingdom Come
On the heels of our special promotion of free shipping for select greeting cards (which goes through the end of today!), we are now offering a week of free shipping for our latest book, Thy Kingdom Come by David H. Petersen. This offer is valid from now through Saturday, March 2.
Read a description of the book here, and also take a look at the Table of Contents, Scripture index, and an excerpt from the Forward by Pr. Todd Wilken. There are also many excerpts available on this website in previous posts. Use the search tool at the top right-hand side, or click on the Thy Kingdom Come tag at the bottom of this post to find all related posts. Also be sure to check out what others are saying about this book in the Reviews tab.
To place an order, please email it and your address to emmanuelpress@gmail.com since we don’t have a spot to enter promotional codes in our Paypal checkout. Once you email us your order, we’ll email you a Paypal invoice for online payment. This free shipping promotion cannot be combined with an order of other books or greeting cards. It is only available to customers in the continental U.S.
Special Promotion: Free Shipping with the Purchase of Any Ten Cards
Almost two years ago, we created our first greeting cards using beautiful frescos and stained glass pictures from Germany. Since then, we have expanded our offerings to include original artwork from artist Edward Riojas. We have received a lot of wonderful feedback from customers, such as those who appreciate using the Vocation notecard as a unique confirmation card since the inside verse refers to fulfilling one’s calling and depicts Christ as a young man, serving his parents. Then there are others who are glad to have a baptism/baptism birthday card with a clear confession of rebirth by water and the Spirit: “Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Your Spirit now shall live within.”
From now through Saturday, February 23, we are offering free shipping with the purchase of any 10 of the following greeting cards: Crucifixion, Benediction, Vocation, A Mighty Fortress, The Four Evangelists, Eastertide, Holy Baptism, and Heilige Taufe. 
The cards can be ordered in any combination as long as they add up to 10 total (or a multiple of 10). Click on the link for each card to view a larger picture of the artwork as well as the inside text.
To place an order, however, you must email it to us at emmanuelpress@gmail.com since we don’t have a spot to enter promotional codes in our Paypal checkout. Once you email us your order, we’ll email you a Paypal invoice which you can pay with a credit card or bank transfer (a normal kind of transaction). We typically ship orders within 2-3 business days. Also, this free shipping promotion cannot be combined with a book or Christmas card order.
*free shipping offer only available to customers in the continental U.S.
The Brotherhood Prayer Book: Hymn for Invocavit (1st Sunday in Lent)
Audio sample: Listen to Hymn for Invocavit chanted.
O kind Creator, bow Thine ear
To mark the cry, to know the tear
Before Thy throne of mercy spent
In this Thy holy feast of Lent.
Our hearts are open, Lord, to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Pour out on all who seek Thy face
Abundance of Thy pardoning grace.
Our sins are many, this we know;
Spare us, good Lord, Thy mercy show;
And for the honor of Thy name
Our fainting souls to life reclaim.
Give us the self-control that springs
From discipline of outward things,
That fasting inward secretly
The soul may purely dwell with Thee.
We pray Thee, Holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence.
Amen.
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Audi benigne Conditor, Gregory the Great, 6th century, trans. by T.A. Lacey
Found in The Brotherhood Prayer Book and its accompanying CD.
Petersen on Issues, Etc.: Lenten Preaching
Listen to Pr. David Petersen talk about Lenten preaching on Issues, Etc.
Free Download: Solid Declaration Readings as Lent and Easter Bulletin Inserts
Last November, we posted a download of Solid Declaration readings for major feasts and Sundays of the one-year series. Thanks to the efforts of Pr. Erich Fickel, we now offer a free download of these readings formatted as bulletin inserts for each of the following: Ash Wednesday, Lent 1, Lent 2, Lent 3, Lent 4, Lent 5, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday, and Easter Vigil/Sunday combined. Find them here in our Downloads tab.
Scripture Index from Thy Kingdom Come
We have recently added a link to the Scripture index from Thy Kingdom Come here, listing all of the readings for the sixty-seven sermons which span Pre-Lent, all forty days of Lent, the Sundays after Easter, and several Saints’ Days. Although these sermons were written and preached in the context of the historic one-year series, this index allows those who do not use the one-year series to easily find these passages and their parallels. Also be sure to take a look at the Table of Contents for a complete listing of sermons as well as an excerpt of the Forward by Rev. Todd Wilken.
Book Review: He Remembers the Barren
Katie Schuermann recently received the Sabre of Boldness for her courage to speak up for the gift of life, in spite of the hostility she encountered. In light of this honor, we are reposting this review of her wonderful book. This book is not only a valuable resource for those affected by barrenness, but it also offers keen insight to family members, friends, pastors, and “a wider audience of those who have been disappointed, frustrated, or suffered in any situation.”
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Katie Schuermann’s He Remembers the Barren is a tender treatment of a difficult topic. The topic of barrenness is not one that is much discussed in our culture nor, tragically, in our church. This honest, candid insight into the subject is a much appreciated glimpse into the struggles and questions that surround the subject. In this book, the reader will encounter the anger, helplessness, envy, sorrow, and lament that surround those who live with barrenness. The reader also encounters the pure promises of God in the Gospel and the joy that springs from faith that our heavenly Father truly hears the cries of His children and answers their cries with the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. It is the honesty of these explorations of temporal sorrow and eternal joy, earthly disappointment and heavenly hope that is most striking in this book. Mrs. Schuermann does not attempt to sugarcoat the bitterness of barrenness. She does not exhort those who suffer to paint on an artificial smile and to act as if their sorrow is nothing. Rather, she encourages her readers to lament without falling into self-pity, to be honest with God about their pain, and to look to the promises that He has given in His Son. He Remembers the Barren recognizes barrenness for what it is – an effect of sin rampant in this fallen world – and then looks to the Savior as the answer.
In a most refreshing way, He Remembers the Barren never turns the Gospel into mere wish fulfillment. Faith is not made into a means to the end of restoring fertility. Throughout the book, the Gospel remains the proclamation of sins forgiven in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is in this clear confession of the Gospel that the book brings comfort to those who suffer. This proclamation is what gives the book its true theological strength. It redirects the reader not to seek identity in medical diagnoses or categories of personal desire, but rather firmly roots the reader’s identity in their baptismal adoption as a redeemed heir of Christ. He Remembers the Barren holds up the Gospel as the answer to the heartache of barrenness. It answers our suffering with the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, who grants forgiveness, eternal life, and a family without number in His Church.
The simple writing style of the book makes it accessible to both clergy and laity. While it includes open, direct discussions of the ethics that surround barrenness and fertility, it does not weigh itself down with jargon or unnecessary verbosity. In its discussions of these ethical questions, it remains compassionate and points any who may have troubled consciences over past decisions to the forgiveness of Christ. The book maintains a conversational tone throughout, including anecdotes, stories, and examples of how barrenness affects people from all walks of life. Each chapter ends with a reading from Scripture, a collect, and a stanza of a hymn, all of which give material for devotions and meditation. This again draws the reader’s focus solely to the promises made to them in Christ crucified by their heavenly Father.
The usefulness of this book extends beyond those who are directly affected by barrenness. Mrs. Schuermann identifies the core cause of the frustration and anger that comes with barrenness as a desire for control. This insight addresses the central problem of being a fallen mortal descendant of Adam and Eve: the desire for control over and against what God has chosen to give. In this way, this book speaks to a wider audience of those who have been disappointed, frustrated, or suffered in any situation. It speaks to those who suffer loss and sorrow over broken plans and hopes. It calls out the desire to control even God and His gifts for the sin that it is. It then extends the Gospel to heal those with seared consciences.
As pointed out in its pages, it is often impossible for those who are not suffering from barrenness to know what is in the minds of those who are. Through its candid discussion of the topic, a window into these thoughts is given. This is especially useful for those who have family or friends who suffer under this particular cross. It helps give understanding to those who might want to help “fix” their loved one out of genuine concern without knowing how it affects them. It is also an insight for those who provide pastoral counsel to those who feel the despair and hopelessness that this burden can bring. He Remembers the Barren gives words to the silent struggles and fears that a pastor may not even be aware of when he is providing pastoral care. This makes it a valuable tool for pastors and parishioners alike, who will find in it help with navigating the confusion and difficulty that surrounds this topic.
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Schuermann, Katie. He Remembers the Barren. Fort Wayne, IN: Lutheran Legacy, 2011. 116 pages. Review by Rev. Tony Oliphant
Thy Kingdom Come: An Excerpt from the Confession of St. Peter
“This confession is not his own. Peter is not so good a theologian as that. No one is. The clever theologians come up with Elijah. That is where cleverness is. In confession, there is no art, no poetry, no cleverness. The best guesses of men are always off because they somehow always come back to us.
“Peter’s confession is not revealed by flesh and blood, even his own flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven. Peter’s confession, as confession always is, is a gift.”
-David H. Petersen, author of Thy Kingdom Come
A Review of Thy Kingdom Come on Brothers of John the Steadfast
Thanks to Rev. John Frahm III for posting his review of Thy Kingdom Come by David H. Petersen:
“I’ve received my copy of a new book of sermons by Rev. David Petersen of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The book is a new publication from Emmanuel Press. It is a nice sized paperback volume with a classic painting of the crucifixion on the cover. The kingdom of God comes by itself without our prayer, but it is clear as we learn from the preaching of the Word of God, it comes thereby to us for the delivery of forgiveness, life and salvation.
We have in this selection of Pastor Petersen’s sermons during Lent and Easter (historic one-year lectionary) a glimpse both into the art of preaching and of pastoral care through such preaching. It is clear that these sermons are applications of the Word of God in its full counsel for the sake of the congregation, the feeding of the sheep, and their repentance toward trust in Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pastor Petersen gets himself out of the way to be a mouthpiece of the Lord’s gracious voice. His sermons are concise in a way that reminds one of Peter Chrysologous, the Doctor of Homilies. In this respect, I commend this book of sermons for pastors to hone the art of purposeful and exegetically grounded preaching. I have much I can learn from David Petersen in this way. He is a seasoned pastor and spiritual father to the congregation. Redeemer in Fort Wayne is often noted to be one of the ‘most liturgical’ congregations in the Missouri Synod. But it is clearly the case that Redeemer enjoys the gift of good preaching as well as reverent Divine Services. It is helpful for pastors to read the sermons of other faithful pastors to break free their own style and usual vocabulary to express the unchanging faith. Pastor Petersen gives much in the way of a model for both new and experienced pastors who want to deliver a sound proclamation of Christ into our postmodern context.
For the laity, sermons are most always good devotional material to read (such as those of Luther or Johann Gerhard, or more recently those of Norman Nagel). I would certainly commend Thy Kingdom Come as reading for Lutheran laity who wish to have additional good devotional reading to supplement their prayers and reading of Scripture or perhaps in the context of using the daily office at home (Matins, Vespers et al). While Pastor Petersen’s sermons are meaty and substantive, they are also very accessible, and most of them are brief enough for a brief gathering of the family for prayer and catechesis.
In short, I commend this volume to both pastors and laity as another good addition to the Lutheran bookcase at home or in the pastor’s study, or the church library for that matter. For Petersen, clearly our theology informs his preaching, but he does not preach about it. He proclaims Christ with our dogma and sound exegesis forming the grammar and syntax of his homilies. This is an excellent application of the fact that the power of the Holy Spirit is truly shown in the Word of Christ Himself. The power of the sermon is in the divine monergism of the Christ who speaks through His holy office. Additionally, the Foreword by Rev. Todd Wilken and Introduction by Rev. Michael Frese also are helpful in thinking of the art of preaching. This too is good grist for thought for both those who speak and those who listen. ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.'”