Come, Oh, Come, Thou Quickening Spirit A Pentecost Hymn #226 in The Lutheran Hymnal The Orders of Morning Service in The Lutheran Hymnal begin with this direction: “A hymn of invocation of the Holy Ghost or another hymn shall be sung.” As we begin our Sunday worship together, we invoke the Holy Spirit. We pray… Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

“That We Might Have Hope” (Rom. 15:4) Deuteronomy Chapters One Through Thirty-four Moses, Prophet Of God The word prophet is most commonly used of someone who is thought to be able to foretell the future. For example, Nostradamus, a French astrologer of the sixteenth century, has been called a prophet because his book of obscure… LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT Read More

“That We Might have Hope” (Rom. 15:4) Exodus Chapters Nineteen Through Twenty-four– THE VOICE OF GOD When you go to church on a Sunday morning, do you feel a shiver of terror as you pass through the door into the sanctuary and sit down in pew? This is an almost silly question. Of course we… LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT Read More

“That We Might Have Hope” (Rom. 15:4) Exodus Chapters One And Two GOD’S LITTLE FLOCK IN THE WORLD “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The Church in the world is the “little flock.” It has always been so. In the Old Testament it… LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT 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… LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT 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… Does God Need Our Offerings? Read More

The Importance Of Fathers I complained to my wife that I couldn’t find any Father’s Day cards that I liked. Most of them were overly sentimental and gushy, sounding too much like a son’s or daughter’s desperate attempts to make up for a year’s (or more) inattention. They didn’t do a good job of expressing… Father’s Day Read More

What is your most precious possession? It is not hard to imagine the range of answers one would get to such a question. Some might name a treasured family heirloom, others a precious object they searched for and saved for. Those who are more thoughtful might say their spouse or children. Those more materialistic might… Holy Communion — An Endless Supply Of Forgiveness Read More

A mother wrote to her state senator complaining about laws that allow women as young as eighteen to perform as dancers in bars. She had sent her daughter to Houston to go to college. To make extra money, the daughter got a job dancing in a bar. The money in this line of work was… Free Indeed Read More

“Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor” (Prov. 14:9). There is much mocking of sin these days. It is the subject of jokes for stand-up comedians. Sins are spoken of as things thoroughly delightful, as though the greatest pleasures in life are to be found in those things that God has… Gems From Proverbs Read More

When a Hollywood actor was asked why he had married and divorced several times, he replied that he could not imagine spending his entire life with only one partner. How could he know that there was not someone else more interesting, more fun, or better suited to him? Behind the thoughts of this actor is… KEEP FOCUSED ON THE LIFE TO COME Read More

Lamb of God, Pure and Holy A Lenten Hymn #146 in The Lutheran Hymnal Our Lord warns against the use of vain repetitions in prayer, saying that such practices are typical of the heathen. We have an example of this kind of prayer in the Bible, when the prophets of Baal cried to their god… Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

“Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.” (Luke 23:26) In the early centuries after Christ, there was a sect that denied the true humanity of Jesus.… His Yoke Is Easy, His Burden Light Read More

“That We Might Have Hope” (Rom. 15:4) Joshua Chapters Ten Through Twenty-four Joshua’s Victories And Last Days On any list of successful generals of ancient times, you would be sure to find certain familiar names such as Alexander the Great, perhaps, and Julius Caesar. But there is one name that you probably would not find… LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT 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… A Father’s Day Meditation– Read More

As this article is being written the United States is in the final month of the campaign for the general elections that are to take place on November 7. By the time you read this, the elections may well be over and the contests decided–including the one for President of the United States. No matter… Our Hope Is In The Lord Read More

In lieu of a “Hymn of the Month” this month, a contributor to that series was invited to help us take note of a special anniversary–Ed. Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750 The abilities and talents that God gives to His children vary greatly, not only in kind but also in measure. To one He gives much;… “To God Alone the Glory” 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.… Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns 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… Appreciating Our Lutheran Hymns Read More

“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14) ” ” The history of Israel that is recorded in the Old Testament is unlike the history of any other nation in that it does not glorify the nation. Rather it shows Israel as a nation favored and… . . . And Pour Contempt on All My Pride Read More