Article: Lutheran Ecclesiology - Jonathan Mumme

Jonathan Mumme's article in the St Andrew's Encyclopedia of Theology is Lutheran Ecclesiology.  

The article covers

Introduction

Late medieval ecclesiological thought

The ecclesiology of the reformers and the confessions

            General characteristics

            Symbolical expression (the Lutheran Confessions)

            Productive theological pairings

                    Invisible and visible

                    Faith and the means of grace

                    Church and marks of the church

                    Ministry (Amt) and congregation (Gemeinde)

                    Internality and externality as ecclesiological diagnostic

Historical unfolding

                   Orthodoxy and Enlightenment

                   The long nineteenth century

                   Recent and contemporary

                   Polities and particular ecclesial trajectories

                          Germany

                          Nordic countries

                          America

                          Amalgamations

                  Lutheran approaches to general ecclesiological concerns

                          Israel and eschatology

                          The church and the state

Current state of play

                 Federations, communions, and associations

                 Ecumenism and post-ecumenism

                 Directions toward the future

Lutheran Ecclesiology by Jonathan Mumme is available at St Andrews Encyclopedia of Theology 

Book: Called to Witness - doing missional theology

One of the leading voices in the missional church conversation, Darrell Guder here lays out basic theological issues that must be addressed for the church to serve God faithfully as Christ's witnessing people. 

Guder argues that there are major consequences for every classical theological locus if the fundamental claims of the missional church discussion are acknowledged. 

In Called to Witness he delves into these consequences, saying that we need to keep doing missional theology until it is possible to leave off the "missional scaffolding" because, after all, mission defines the very essence and calling of the church.

Chapters 

1. Reconstructing Theology: Mission and the Task of Theology
2. The Missional Challenge: De-Centering Christendom
3. The Missional Calling: The Apostolic Vocation of the Church
4. Why the Term “Missional”?
5. The Witness of God: The Trinitarian Foundation for Missional Theology
6. The Witness of God’s Word: Reading Scripture Missionally
7. The Witness of God’s People: The Royal Priesthood
8. The Witness of the Marks of the Church: The Nicene Creed
9. Integrating Theological Formation for Apostolic Vocation
10. The End of Missional Theology

Available on Amazon

Book: The Great Sending- God's heart beating through you

Will Sohns goes right to the heart—the heart of the missional problem—and offers a powerful solution. 

God’s Sending is a call to join Him in something beyond self, beyond a congregation, and beyond a denomination. God is calling us to much more. His Great Sending is His heartbeat for the world that He wants beating in and through you. 

Readers will learn to re-arrange their understanding of Scripture and life around God’s Mission…no longer arranging God’s Mission around their self-centered lives. 

Each chapter in this collection of writings from renowned authors connects God’s heart to your own through a deep dive into Scripture. The Great Sending will begin new conversations in the church around the Great Sending (Missio Dei) and lead laity, congregations, and pastors to let God change the direction of local churches that are collapsing under protectionism and self-preservation. 

The Great Sending is about opening up to God’s heart for the world. Let this book challenge you and call you to see God’s Mission and move your life to join God in the Mission.

chapters

1. Christ in the heart of the great sending
2. Engaging Disciples in the great sending
3. The great Christ sending
4. The great sending essentials
5. The great sending in the multiplication of Acts
6. The great sending in nature and culture
7. Nailing 12 missional theses in the great sending
8. Missional Resources 
9. A missio dei catechism

The Great Sending is available on Amazon

Confirmation Curriculum - Lutheran House of Study

The Lutheran House of Study has developed a free online Lutheran Confirmation Course to assist congregations and members in preparing for people to be confirmed as members of their Lutheran congregation

The curriculum covers:

• Luther's Small Catechism
• The Bible and key bible lessons

The resources available include:

• interactive digital lessons (modules)
• custom-made videos
• quizzes
• drag/drop tasks
• discussion questions
• scripture passages
• prayers. 

To discover more about the Lutheran Confirmation Course visit 

https://lutherhouseofstudy.org/confirmation/

Hymn: Soul adorn yourself with gladness

The hymn originally called "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele" was written by German poet Johann Franck wrote the hymn following the devastating Thirty Years' War in Germany. Despite the grief, destruction, and personal tragedies that surrounded him, Franck penned a text designed to uplift the faithful by placing their focus on God. The hymn draws heavily from the Parable of the Wedding Banquet and imagery from Psalm 43, urging the individual to leave behind earthly sorrows and approach the Lord's Table with joy.  So the hymn is often sung as a Holy Communion Hymn

Catherine Winkworth translated the hymn into English

The hymn is known as

• Soul adorn yourself with gladness
• Soul adorn thyself with gladness
• Deck thyself my soul with gladness

Text and sheet music

https://hymnary.org/text/soul_adorn_yourself_with_gladness

Video versions