1. The Heart of the Lutheran Witness to the Faith
Dr. Kathryn Kleinhans
McCoy Family Distinguished Chair in Lutheran Heritage and Mission
Wartburg College, Waverly, IA

2. Luther’s “Aha!” – Romans 1:17
“At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ ” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which he makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.”
Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings, LW 34:337
Outline: Justification by grace (gift) through faith
God’s action
For you

3. A Brief Instruction on What to Look For and Expect in the Gospels
“The chief article and foundation of the gospel is that before you take Christ as an example, you accept and recognize him as a gift, as a present that God has given you and that is your own. This means that when you see or hear of Christ doing or suffering something, you do not doubt that Christ himself, with his deeds and suffering, belongs to you. On this you may depend as surely as if you had done it yourself; indeed as if you were Christ himself.”
LW 35:119 (1522)
Title! Expectation, not neutrality

4. Law and Gospel Word(s) of God Law Gospel
What we need to do What God in Christ
has already done for us
Command, imperative Promise
Brief Instruction: Don’t turn Christ into a new Moses
LW 35:123 Christ … called his teaching not Scripture but gospel, meaning good news or a proclamation that is spread not by pen but by word of mouth. So we go on and make the gospel into a law book, a teaching of commandments, changing Christ into a Moses, the One who would help us into simply an instructor.

5. Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, 1530

6. The center holds the whole together

7. Vocation The priesthood of all believers
All work done responsibly for the sake of others is a calling

8. Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice (ELW 594)
1 Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice, with exultation springing, and, with united heart and voice and holy rapture singing, proclaim the wonders God has done, proclaim the vict’ry God has won, how precious was our ransom!

9. God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage (ELW 509)
God’s word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever; to spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way; in death it is our stay. Lord, grant while time shall last your church may hold it fast throughout all generations.