Something from ... Rev. Normal Nagel on God's Word

Rev. Normal Nagel served as a pastor and professor in Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  A book was published of his sermons, covering the years from 1949 - 1999.  I never met Rev. Nagel, but I have heard about his prowess as a preacher and teacher.  I had received a copy of the book, "Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel" when Pastor Gregory Gibbons invited me to purge his library upon his retirement.  Having heard about Rev. Nagel's preaching, this was an easy one to pick out.

Below is a quotation from a sermon for the 5th Sunday of Easter, preached in Cambridge, England in 1967.  The whole sermon would be worth quoting, but I will limit it to a few paragraphs regarding the Word of God and the confidence it gives us, especially when it is connected to the sacraments.

Here is something from Rev. Norman Nagel.

"The greatest gifts are all given by the Word of God.  The Word of God not only tells what these gifts are but also conveys them.  When the word of forgiveness is spoken to you, forgiveness is given to you.  When the Benediction is spoken to you, the blessing of God is given to you.  In the sacraments, the Word is joined with extra means of conveying the gifts.  It is then as if God takes your hand and presses His gift into it with the assurance, 'Now you have really got it.  Without a shadow of doubt, it is surely yours.'

"Jesus would be nothing for us if the Word of truth did not tell of Him and gives Him to us.  A silent movie of Calvary would be nothing more thana tragic piece of newsreel.  The soundtrack of God's Word tells us what is going on there, what is achieved, and gives it to us with the words 'for you.'" (p 134, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel.  Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO. (c) 2004.)