Below are pictures from the 2008 convocation.  If anyone would like individual or full sized pictures please contact the webmaster at admin@chytraeus.com or by phone.

Sermon from Matins by Pastor Jones — Coming soon.

Pastor Cwirla

Title:  "These are the Holy Ten Commands - What does God say about all these commandments?"

Summary:  What does God say concerning His commandments?  How do they apply to our daily lives as the baptized children of God?  This presentation will consider the Ten Commandments in overview, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding and applying all the commandments with the first commandment at the heart and center.  The various ways in which the Law of God impacts our life, both as commandment and gift, will be discussed as well the Law's ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.


Biography:  Pr. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, CA.  He is a graduate of the University of Chicago (BS - Chemistry), the University of California-Berkeley (MS - Chemistry), and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis (MDiv, STM).  He serves on the board of directors for Higher Things, a Lutheran youth organization specializing in youth conferences and retreats, and is its vice president.  Pr. Cwirla served on the liturgy committee of the Lutheran Service Book.  As a conference speaker, Pr. Cwirla has spoken on a variety of topics including biblical hermeneutics, the art and craft of preaching, sexual ethics and the Christian, science and the Christian faith, the holy sacraments, and the divine liturgy.  He lives in Hacienda Heights with his wife Karen.

1st Presentation by Pastor Cwirla — download here¹ (.mp3 audio)

Pastor Payne

Title: "The Commandments as Vocation"

Summary: We know that we are not saved by the Commandments and that Christ has fulfilled them for us, so just what are we to do with them? This presentation explores the Commandments as vocation - the life that God has called us to as His children. We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. We are called to live humble lives of service. But how do we do that? What do the Commandments teach us about our life in Christ?

Biography:  Pr. Matthew A. Payne has been in parish ministry for 18 years, having graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 1989. His undergraduate work was in Speech/Communication Studies. He has served as a campus pastor, an adjunct professor of theology at Concordia Irvine, and recently as a presenter at a campus ministry Fall Study Weekend at the University of Minnesota.  He is currently the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Covina. He will be speaking on: “The Commandments as Vocation.”

2nd Presentation by Pastor Payne — download here¹ (.mp3 audio)

Pastor Rhode

Title: “Rediscovering The Greatest Treasure: How The Church Lost The Ten Commandments And Found Them Again.”

Summary: Many Christians are unaware of the fascinating historical circumstances that have shaped the Church’s understanding and use of the Ten Commandments. In the ancient church, the Ten Commandments were foundational for Christian catechesis and theologians had to fight vigorously to maintain a proper Christian understanding of them. Centuries later, the Commandments would come to be eclipsed by the moral system of Gregory the Great, known commonly as “The Seven Deadly Sins”. It was not until the advent of Martin Luther that the church was able to fully rediscover the Christian use of those Ten Commandments that Luther himself calls “the greatest treasure God has given us.” This presentation will explore the historical forces that brought the Commandments into Luther’s catechisms and, subsequently, back into the lives of Christians.

Biography: Pastor Jeremy Rhode previously served Faith Lutheran Church of Capistrano Beach, CA as a Vicar and now serves Faith as a Pastor. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado (BA-Psych) and a recent graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne (M-Div). Pastor Rhode currently has the distinguished honor of serving as an LWML Zone Counselor. A sampling of his sermons and other Gospel presentations can be found at www.faith-lcms.org  He currently resides in San Clemente, CA and is engaged to Julianna West.

3rd Presentation by Pastor Rhode — download here¹ (.mp3 audio)

Q&A session with the presenters — download here¹ (.mp3 audio)

Sermon from the Divine Service by Pastor Smith — download here² (.pdf)

² Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view.  Download Acrobat Reader here.