Lutheran Essentials meets in the undercroft of the church on Wednesdays at 7pm. You can reach the undercroft by going around to the back parking lot of the church and descending the staircase to the kitchen. Knock on the door if it is closed and some one will let you in. You can also join us remotely via our livestream. We are currently studying the Epitome of the Formula of Concord. We are handing out copies of the Book of Concord and the Lutheran Service Book for free.
We will open class with Psalm 131 and our catechism lesson which is the Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. We will finish up our introduction to the Formula of Concord by reading the Preface to the Christian book of Concord. We will discuss the immediate context of the publication of the Book of Concord and why the Lutheran princes felt that a single confession of faith was needed for their territories. We will then sing the hymn “Built on the Rock” (LSB 645).
We will then move on to Epitome of the Formula of Concord proper by reading the first section on The Summary Content, Rule, and Norm. We will talk about how Scripture is the sole norm of all doctrine with the Book of Concord being the normed norm of doctrine. We will also discuss the thesis and antithesis form that the Formula uses to settle the disputes it addresses. We will close with the hymn “I Know My Faith is Founded” (LSB 587).
As always new people are always welcome to this study at any point during the class. Please talk to the Pastor, Elders or Paul Edmon if you have any questions.
