Hymn 206 “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense”
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (Fourth IN A SERIES) Easter What terrified thoughts and emotions might well torture the mind and grip the… Read More »Hymn 206 “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense”
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (Fourth IN A SERIES) Easter What terrified thoughts and emotions might well torture the mind and grip the… Read More »Hymn 206 “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense”
A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE CLC Snapshots of Congregations from Around the Church of the Lutheran Confession Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the… Read More »Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church Cheyenne, Wyoming
It’s natural to seek a certain level of comfort. I’m talking about getting and being comfortable. People want to be comfortable in their clothing, in their homes, and in their lives. If we become uncomfortable, then we try to make a change of clothing, or the body position that doesn’t feel right, or the circumstances that we face.
How does this tendency square with the Lord’s outlook in Isaiah 66:2? “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” We can notice definite times when we should never be comfortable. We can’t afford to be comfortable with any of our sins, especially not with an attitude or habit that the Bible identifies as sinful. Each one will have to take stock of his own heart, attitudes, and actions. For example, are we comfortable in looking down on other people? Are we comfortable in letting unacceptable language tumble out of the mouth without a second thought? Are we comfortable in a routine of attending worship, only to sit there inattentive and hear little of what is said? Are we comfortable with a carefree or careless attitude toward the responsibilities that we have as family members or employees or fellow Christians?
There is a real danger in getting comfortable with sin. Regardless of what the sin may be, if we get used to it, we are making friends with a deadly enemy. If we become comfortable with our sin, we let it attach like an anchor that could sink us spiritually. If we get comfortable with our sin, the devil has an open door to chip away at our faith in the hope that it erodes down to impenitence
and unbelief.
Let’s agree on a healthy attitude of being uncomfortable with our sins. In such a state we are then the person described in Isaiah 66, the person who is “poor and of a contrite spirit.” That means that you’re not only aware of your sin, but also broken by its guilt and in desperate need of God’s forgiveness. That person then is the one on whom God looks favorably, to whom He brings His unfailing love, mercy, and comfort. Yes, God will bring His comfort to the spiritually uncomfortable.Read More »When It’s Time to be Uncomfortable
Sin.
The Cross.
Darkness.
Sorrow.
Anguish.
Scourging.
Blood.
Crucifixion.
Death.
Asignificant number of modern American churches do not dwell on these themes—during Lent or at any other time. Instead, they try to avoid them. Such biblical elements are considered too negative for their members to hear, too much of a “downer.” Read More »Hymn 143 “O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken”
Snapshots of Congregations from Around the Church of the Lutheran Confession “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My… Read More »Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Loveland, Colorado
It is both arrogant and perverse to peer out into God’s universe looking for evidence that He does not exist, for the heavens declare His glory and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1), even to those who do not have His Word, or who reject it.Read More »We are Not Alone
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Read More »A High Priest Like Melchizedek
American-German Theologian & Professor
(17 February 1842 – 9 January 1913)
One can say that what C.F.W. Walther was for dogmatics (the study of Bible doctrine) for the Lutheran church in North America, George Stoeckhardt was for exegesis (the translation and explanation of the Holy Scriptures). After coming to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1878, Stoeckhardt was originally a part-time lecturer in exegesis at Concordia Seminary and then for the last twenty-five years of his life he was a full-time professor at the seminary.Read More »George Stoeckhardt
New Year Last August, a Yahoo News headline asked, “What Causes Plane Crashes?” My immediate reaction was “Gravity?” Can you think of anything else as… Read More »Hymn 123 “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past”
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was organized on March 9, 1962, by Christians desiring a church that faithfully taught the Word of God and practiced… Read More »Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Hecla, South Dakota