A View From The Back Row I had gotten used to being in the front row at graduations at our Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire. Privilege. Responsibility. That has changed, and I think I’ll like the view from the back row just as well. Across the field of waving heads I noted on stage… Read More »ILC Graduation, May 1997 — Read More

On August 27 Immanuel Lutheran College and High School opened for business. It’s the business of serving our Savior-God, of course. He has His agenda, too, of providing the wherewithal. One hundred and seventy-five students are enrolled; dormitories are filled to overflowing, and classrooms, too. Faculty now numbers thirteen full-time and two part-time teachers. At… Read More »Opening of the 2001-2002 school year at ILC Read More

The key word was “transitions”; the Scriptural guidance was couched in Revelation 1:8. From the back row it seemed to me that the closing concert and the commencement exercises were right on track. The ILC Fieldhouse was jam-packed, as usual; the closing concert was uplifting, as customary; even the ambient heat and humidity escalated normally.… Read More »ILC Graduation, May 19, 2001 Read More

Luke 18:9-14 The Pharisee and the Publican Sometimes we enjoy this parable more than we should, for we are tempted to feel superior to the bloated Pharisee and suffer little compassion over his spiritual cancer. Our Savior did not create the parable in order for us to despise the braggart or admire the humble IRS… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More

New Professor At ILC We wish to introduce you now to Prof. Steve Sippert, latest addition to the faculty of Immanuel Lutheran College, Eau Claire, Wisconsin as the Lord’s gift to His church. The Rev. Sippert came to ILC from the pastoral ministry of our Savior’s congregation in Jamestown, North Dakota; prior to that he… Read More »Professor Steven Sippert– Read More

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” — Luke 12:48 YOU ARE WELL EQUIPPED! The captain of the supertaker Exxon Valdez was responsible to get his cargo of millions of gallons of crude safely from… Read More »An ILC Chapel Talk– Read More

Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man And Lazarus Here our Savior gives us a view beyond the grave. He reveals that bodily death is but introduction to eternity; that the very person separated from the body arrives at either a) Abraham’s side, where he “is comforted,” or b) hell, where he is “in torment,” desiring pity… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More

May 20, 2000 President John Pfeiffer’s commencement address (entitled “With All Your Might,” based on Ecclesiastes 9:10; see page of this issue) struck the keynote for the entire repertoire of our school’s closing events. On Friday’s “Class Day” the usual awards were bestowed on those who had done their mightiest in sports, extra-curriculars, and academics.… Read More »Commencement At Immanuel Lutheran College Read More

Luke 15:1-10 The Lost Sheep And Lost Coin The lost (but found) sheep and the lost (but found) coin teach us to value God’s attitude. As the scene of the text (vv. 1-3) opens, a motley group of non-church-goers “drew near to Jesus to hear Him.” Right from the beginning we note that nothing characterizes… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More

The Devil #2 The Power Of The Devil Last month’s article on the Devil had some bad news: The Devil is real; he’s against God; he’s our enemy. The good news is that Satan is LESS than God. Though he has impressive powers, God’s powers are superior. Though he is vigorous and resourceful, God has… Read More »As Revealed By Scripture– Read More

Induction of Four New Professors Opening ceremonies at Immanuel Lutheran College on August 26 reminded me of Jesus’ question to His disciples: “When I sent you . . . lacked ye anything?” And they said: “Nothing” (Lk 22:35). Four new faculty members inducted by Chairman Vance Fossum; organ accompaniment by John Reim; group singing; address… Read More »ILC School Opening — Read More

Have you at any time wished that you could relive a day of your life and do it differently? People express such a wish after a costly mistake; they fantasize erasing guilt by the magic of a rerun. Yet who is to say that such magic would produce a successful or happy experience? That takes… Read More »A Clean Slate Read More

The Devil #4 The Devil Works To Deceive Deception is the operative word here, then the concept behind the word, then the malignant spirit behind that. Speaking of the Devil, as we are, today’s theme centers on his infernal successes by deception of humans. Being a liar from the beginning and the procreator of deceptivity… Read More »As Revealed By Scripture– Read More

— Matthew 28:20 “I Am With You Always . . .” Today as the fortieth day after Easter we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord and Savior. In the final verse of the last chapter of Matthew’s account, we hear the parting words of Jesus which ring in our ears and hearts even as this… Read More »“And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” Read More

Matthew 21:28-32 The two sons with attitude problems In this parable Jesus addresses one problem, and one problem only; it’s attitude. The chief priests and the elders of the people (v.23)–probably all of them Pharisees (v.45)–had a warped attitude toward themselves, God, John, Jesus, the tax collectors and harlots, and the Kingdom of God. The… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More

Through The Gospel We Have Victory Over The Devil It is not a well-kept secret among Christians that Satan is outmatched by the Son of God, Jesus the Savior. Though Satan can outmaneuver a weak child of God, and does so to our constant dismay, he never caught Jesus off-guard. Every contest between them ends… Read More »As Revealed By Scripture– The Devil #6 Read More

From my viewpoint in the back row (again), I was pleased to hear how quickly the milling crowd shelved its social skills when school President John Pfeiffer invited our attention to the opening service at Immanuel Lutheran College (ILC), which included the installation for the new professor, Paul Sullivan. It was a good beginning. Good… Read More »‘A Good Beginning . . . ‘ Read More

One of these days a new computer icon will replace the Help resource; with a flutter of cyber wings this electronic genie will encourage the keyboard novice to at least give Angel a try. Television moguls have already exploited angels for entertainment, and script writers have created brash/coy, flamboyant/humble, or wise/confused angel personalities, as the… Read More »God’s Angels Defend, Guard, And Protect Read More

Matthew 13:1-23 The Sower And the Seed Just by way of introduction: as you read this text you note that vv. 3-9 give the parable; vv. 10-17 give instruction embedded in a riddle; and vv. 18-23 give what Jesus really meant by the parable. Some of this is pretty scary–not as scary as the Jesus’… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46 Kingdom Truths We have discovered that the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is plumb full of kingdom-of-heaven parables. Anyone interested in God’s things can here acquire a better grasp of kingdom truths, for such was Jesus’ intent in this girdle of parables that produces a midriff bulge in Matthew’s Gospel. The Mustard… Read More »Parables Of The Master Read More