In the Bible we are told how Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, came to Elisha the prophet to be healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5). Elisha did not even come out of his house to meet Naaman but sent a servant with a set of simple directions. Naaman was to go to the… Read More »Simple Words—Great Gifts Read More

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING Jesus ended His Sermon on the Mount with an illustration involving two men who built houses; one built on rock, the other on sand. The house built on rock withstood the onslaught of rain, flood, and winds and remained standing, while the one built on sand was destroyed.… Read More »TLH 245, LSB 571 “God Loved the World So That He Gave” Read More

For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship… Read More »The Son Exalted Above the Angels Read More

When a well-known figure in organized crime died, the newspaper story on his death mentioned that during his life he had been quite generous in his gifts to his family’s church. He surely was not the first nor the last thief to salve his conscience by giving to a church or charity a small part… Read More »Does God Need Our Offerings? Read More

The creation account gives surprisingly little attention to the stars. It tells us that on the fourth day God made lights and placed them in the sky, but it calls our attention mostly to the sun and the moon. The stars almost seem to be just mentioned: “He made the stars also.” Yet the stars,… Read More »WS 717 “Bright and Glorious Is the Sky” Read More

Flung to the Heedless Winds A Reformation Hymn #259 in The Lutheran Hymnal In the early days of the New Testament church Stephen was put to death, being falsely accused of blasphemy by a group of men who could not refute his teaching of Jesus as the promised Messiah. He became the first Christian martyr.… Read More »Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

“That We Might have Hope” (Rom. 15:4) Genesis Chapters Forty-Two Through Forty-Five The Problem Of Guilt The problem of guilt is a recurring theme in literature. A character in a novel commits a crime and seems to get away with it. The police have their suspicions but are unable to prove anything. The criminal at… Read More »LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT Read More

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING In the Old Testament, the kings of Israel were anointed to their office. We read of how Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon as king by pouring oil on his head (1 Kings 1:34, 39). This ceremony of anointing publicly identified Solomon as the one… Read More »TLH 59, LSB 398 “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” Read More

In the introduction to his Sunday sermon, a pastor referred to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city and house divided against itself will not stand.” After the service, he was approached by a visitor who said, “When you began your sermon by… Read More »Let’s Talk about God’s Program Read More

When Sinners See Their Lost Condition An Advent Hymn #65 in The Lutheran Hymnal When John the Baptist appeared to prepare the way for Jesus, he said: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). Jesus likewise began His preaching with the same admonition (Mt. 4:17). The people needed to have their… Read More »Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things… Read More »A Window to the Unseen World Read More

Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty A Hymn for the Opening of the Service #1 in The Lutheran Hymnal Above this first of the hymns in our hymnal stands the heading “Adoration,” a category that includes hymns on the subject of worship itself. Such hymns are useful, especially for opening a worship service, for they… Read More »Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is… Read More »The Finger of God Read More

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather… Read More »LOOK TO THE SOURCE Read More

Lutheran theologian A.L. Graebner wrote of Christ’s ascension into heaven that it was “the glorious termination of His visible conversation with His church on earth” (Outlines of Doctrinal Theology). Writing in 1898, he was using the word conversation in the older sense of interaction. During His time in this world, especially during His three-year public ministry,… Read More »The Ongoing Conversation Read More

O Jesus, King Of Glory An Epiphany Hymn #130 in The Lutheran Hymnal Many fine hymns have been written during times of great trial, for such times turn us to the Lord’s Word for comfort and strength, with the result that we grow in knowledge and faith. It is not surprising that hymnwriters have been… Read More »Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

The year 1999 brings us close to the end of both a century and a millennium. The approach of the year 2000 has caused much excitement, with people expecting great changes in our world. Some are hoping for great new things to happen in the next millennium. Others are forecasting fearful things. But as we… Read More »He Shall Reign Forever And Ever! Read More

YOUR WORD IS TRUTH The ancient scribes who hand-copied the Old Testament Scriptures showed great reverence for the Word by the strict rules that they followed in their work. For example, they focused on one letter at a time, lest their eyes confuse similiar words; they even counted the letters in each book that they… Read More »“Holy Father . . . Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (Jesus in John 17:17) Read More

HUMBLE FATHERS “He’s the proud father of a new baby girl.” This is the sort of thing we often say of the father when a baby is born. And it is not a bad thing to say about the father of a newborn when by it we mean that he has great joy in his… Read More »A Father’s Day Meditation– Read More

In a newspaper column a woman wrote about a Christmas gift she had received from a friend. She made light of the gift, telling of how she had played catch with it and misused it in other ways, since she disliked it and had no intention of using it. The author was trying to be… Read More »The Importance of Gratitude Read More