Eight years ago my wife and I were expecting our second child. We went in for a gender scan at 18 weeks and they couldn’t find a heartbeat. To say that we were gutted is an understatement. Some may not see the death of a child in the womb as equivalent to the death of …
Tag: jesus
A Prayer for the Church
Below is the litany I'm praying this week from the daily devotional I use, and have shared before, published in 1965 by Concordia Publishing House titled, The Daily Office. I am inviting you to pray it with me on this anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Litany for the Holy Christian Church O …
What Should We Speak?
One of the reasons I appreciate engaging in historical research, particularly related to the early to mid-twentieth century, is because it reminds me that today is not harder to live in—it only seems that way. To be fair, today is a hard time in which to live for a variety of reasons, not the least …
Love is Prior
This coming Sunday we are planning on having a couple of deaths and resurrections otherwise known as baptisms. As I read the scriptures I see baptism not as something I or others do to show our commitment to God so much as it is God’s way of making disciples of all nations, God’s way of …
The Stupid Standard
Today my alma mater, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, is holding its commencement exercises. I love a good commencement exercise. I enjoy the pomp and circumstance, the academic regalia, the nods to the institution and traditions of which those graduates become an everlasting part. At the seminary in particular my heart warms hearing “Thy Strong …
Looking in the Mirror
For at least the past five years one quote from a now sainted theologian has rattled around in my head. “Too often,” said Anthony Thiselton, “we attack or defend before we have genuinely understood.”1 He spoke that in an address he gave in the mid-80s as he took up a post as Principal of St. …
Weary of All Trumpeting…
I am the kind of pastor that doesn’t shy away from picking hymns that are, by any reasonable standard, hard to sing. This coming Sunday will feature my favorite Reformation hymn “O God, O Lord, of Heaven and Earth.” If you know, you know. If you don’t, go listen to it. Hard to sing is …
People
The congregation I serve is about a mile from a naval air station. A fairly decent portion of the people who commune with me on a Sunday have connections to that naval base either because they are or were active duty there, engage in or retired from contract work there, or have a friend or …
Today is a day…
I suppose there is no end to the number of emotions people are experiencing this morning. Some are celebrating, they are glad and joyous because the candidate they supported has won. Others are mourning, they are sad and fearful because the candidate they supported has lost. Me? I’m neither celebrating nor in mourning, neither happy …
So We Preach
In 1947, Martin Franzmann wrote this piece celebrating the anniversary of the founding of my church body, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). I share it today to commemorate it again, this is still the church where we should lay down no conditions. So We PreachMartin Hans Franzmann “The power of God unto salvation to everyone …
an occasional theologian 