“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed… Jesus, Our Brother— Made Perfect Through Sufferings Read More

Fellow Worshippers of God’s Perfect Christmas Gift—  The cover of a recent Sunday newsmagazine said, “There’s still time to find the perfect present for Christmas.” And then it was said, “Check inside for last minute gifts.” The word “perfect” has lately become a favorite adjective of many people. At home I heard one of my… The PERFECT Present Read More

Dear brethren: With Jacob at the brook Jabbok I say: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac…I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I… THANK YOU! Read More

By Pastor Paul Fleischer, July 1989 An acquaintance regularly passes along to us The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We peruse its contents, since we are not unconcerned about what is being said (written) and done in “mainstream” Lutheranism. The contents of the magazine are indicative to us of… The ELCA and Bankrupt Lutheranism Read More

Not long after retiring and relocating to another city, this writer had a backyard “over the fence” (literally) get-acquainted visit with a next-door neighbor. Upon my mentioning that I was a retired Lutheran minister, the friendly chat quickly turned to the subject of religion. And when I noted that I was a long-time member of… The ELCA and ‘Easy’ Lutheranism* Read More

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace….”  (Hebrews… “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday…” Read More

FROM A CONFIRMATION SERMON  The Word of God that deserves special attention on this Confirmation Day is: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). In the early days of the Christian Church “Jesus is… May Each of Us Ever Confess: “Jesus is Lord”! Read More

A few months back we saw a bumper sticker which read: “WE ALL LIVE DOWNSTREAM.” It got us to thinking about how many and broad are its applications to life. What does it make YOU think about? Here are some of our thoughts. Intentionally or not, the sticker teaches the significance of history. Living downstream… We All Live Downstream Read More

It’s surely true as various billboards around town are proclaiming these days: “Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.” A “Wyoming Marriage and Family News” flyer that recently came across our desk lists the following “7 tips for Dads.” Each tip had a lengthy paragraph on the thought.… Father’s Day Read More

 STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS “…Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (9:27-28) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,… “BETTER” LIVING THROUGH CHRIST Read More

Beloved members of this Christian Congregation, When I was installed as your pastor in April 2002, this congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary. As now I retire after nigh fifty years of service in the public ministry (1964-2014), some parting thoughts. We can only begin with the confession that a review of the past reveals many… Not a Boast but a Cause for Rejoicing Read More

The national (liberal/progressive) narrative increasingly bad-mouths “old-fashioned traditional” man/woman marriage as being stodgy and dull—while promoting the new relationship excitement between people of the same sex “uniting” in marriage. Just this week we learn that Chevrolet is using the Olympic games to promote a pro-gay platform, thus “helping drive the crusade to normalize two men… MARRIAGE PERSPECTIVES (Bible/Christian style) Read More

Not long ago we read of a recently published book which claims that reports of Christian martyrdom under the Roman Empire were all fabricated. According to a review of The Myth of Persecution in WORLD magazine (June 1, 2013), the book’s author, a Notre Dame professor, theorizes that “the ancient narrative of Christians tortured and… The Hammer Blows of Matthew Chapter 10 Read More

BACKGROUND: What follows is a recent letter to the editor of the daily newspaper in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Our response is intended to give God-pleasing direction to others who, with us, do not appreciate shots taken at the Bible from a “shooter” who purports to be a Christian pastor. We chose to use the public forum… A “Letter to the Editor” Read More

The Reformer on “Judging” God-pleasing Judging: “You must understand this in such a way that it does not take away the right of the man in the public ministry of preaching to judge matters of doctrine as well as of life. Indeed, it is incumbent on him in his office to rebuke publicly whatever does… “Judge Not…” — and the Lutheran Reformation Read More

Pastor Paul F. Larsen August 24, 1932 – August 2, 2013 The Scripture passage “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9) comes to mind when one contemplates the many “steps” a child of God takes over the course of four-score years—such as the eventful 80-years-plus of our long-time… In memory of Pastor Paul F. Larsen Read More

In the process of laying out the August issue of the Lutheran Spokesman, including the article which mentions the selfish behavior of ravens, we came upon a quote in which the Reformer Dr. Martin Luther uses the ravens’ cousins, the crows, to make a spiritual point. Recall the times of Luther (b.1483-d.1546). In preparation for… Of Ravens, Crows, and Pastoral Concern Read More

Recently this writer, a pastor, caught some self-described “non-denominational Christians” off guard. In connection with a pre-marriage counseling class, we remarked to the couple: “More and more religious people are becoming Nones.” “Really?!” “Yes, but the word is spelled n-o-n-e-s.” “Oh!” came the retort—and everyone snickered. A brief discussion followed on the roles which organized… “Spiritual Nones”—Some Thoughts Read More

“We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice.” This statement on a local church sign speaks a spiritually dangerous half-truth. The implication that everything the Bible teaches is to be preached and taught is, of course, correct. In His Great Commission the Savior says, “…teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I… Catchy One-liners Can be Dangerous Read More

Words cannot express the horror experienced in the Connecticut city where a young man murdered his mother at home, then entered the kindergarten classroom in a local school, shooting to death twenty children and six others on the school staff. After the rampage, the killer killed himself. A number of Scriptures come to mind, including:… Another Mass Murder Read More