The Smalcald Articles
“THIS WE BELIEVE” In ongoing observation of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, we are presenting a brief overview of those confessional documents that… Read More »The Smalcald Articles
Lutheran Spokesman
Faith Lutheran Church New Ulm MN
A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE CLC Snapshots of congregations from around the Church of the Lutheran Confession. “Now faith is the substance of things… Read More »Faith Lutheran Church New Ulm MN
A Trip to Knuckles
NOTES FROM THE FIELD In this series, thoseinvolved with CLC foreign missions profile one aspect of our overseas endeavors. My first full day in Nairobi,… Read More »A Trip to Knuckles
Update on India
MISSION NEWSLETTER Every other month our CLC Board of Missions updates us with recent news from various mission fields. Persecution in India has been on… Read More »Update on India
“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS July 2019
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006
Date Hymns Reading Comments
Jul 1 TLH 191; WS 727 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Get rid of what is sinful so that it does not corrupt everything around it.
Jul 2 TLH 424; LSB 600 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 Those who continue in sexual immorality without repentance are rejecting the Lord Jesus Who bought them with His own blood.
Jul 3 TLH 246 (LSB 507) Leviticus 10:1-11 The deaths of Nadab and Abihu reminded Israel of the need for holiness before the Lord.
Jul 4 TLH 623; WS 791 1 Corinthians 7:1-14 The apostle Paul reiterates God’s intent for the marriage relationship. God wants husbands and wives to stay together until parted by death.
Jul 5 TLH 418; LSB 847 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Sometimes just being permitted to do something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do it.
Jul 6 TLH 415 (LSB 510) 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 The apostle disciplined himself carefully so as not to lead others or himself away from the prize in Christ Jesus.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS July 2019
The Mystery of Marital Love
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband
is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church. . . .
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for
her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. . . .
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
(Ephesians 5:22-23,26,32)
If you were asked to give a definition for the word love, how would you answer? I suppose it depends on the kind of love you’re thinking about. There are different forms of love. If you’re a parent you might define love as the feeling of deep affection you have for your child (“I love my son to death”). If you’re engaged, you might define it as the romantic attachment you have for your sweetheart (“It was love at first sight”). If you’re a football enthusiast it may mean the great interest and pleasure you have in watching your team play (“I love the Seahawks”).
If you are a Bible student, you may be aware that Greek, the original language of the New Testament, has several distinct words for love. The Greek word eros doesn’t occur in the Bible; it is used in reference to the love of sexual attraction. Philia is the love shared by friends. Then there’s agape (uh-GAHP-ay), the highest and most important form of love. A key characteristic of agape is the willingness to put the welfare/happiness/comfort of others before your own. Agape has been defined as love that decides to do what is in someone else’s best interests no matter what, even when that person doesn’t deserve it.Read More »The Mystery of Marital Love
A Six-Step Engagement Plan
Life is full of choices—some of little consequence, and some that can change the entire course of your future. There is perhaps no other decision that has more far-reaching implications than selecting a spouse. Here are some time-tested scriptural principles, as well as practical advice on how to go about making this choice in a way that will bring the Lord’s best blessing.
First, keep in mind what marriage itself is. At its heart, marriage is the unconditional promise between one man and one woman to be husband and wife, faithful to each other so long as they both shall live. In Jesus’ day, “betrothal” was just such a public and unconditional promise, although the man and woman did not live together as husband and wife until after the actual marriage ceremony. That’s why the Bible refers to Mary and Joseph both as being betrothed (Matthew 1:18) and also as being married (Matthew 1:20) prior to their wedding day.Read More »A Six-Step Engagement Plan
WS 791 or LSB 859 “Lord, When You Came as Welcome Guest”
If there is an institution in the world needing our prayers more than the institution of marriage, I can hardly think what it could be. Among the households of my children’s schoolmates, I often feel as if ours is in a distinct minority—a man and a woman married to each other and living in the same house along with their three children—children who have never experienced anything other than that arrangement. Satan attacks marriages every hour of every day, and without the Lord’s gracious intervention they would all fail on account of our sinful behavior.
F. Samuel Janzow (1913-2001) also felt the importance of praying on behalf of marriages when he wrote the hymn we consider this month. Janzow was a professor of English and Theology at Concordia University, Chicago (River Forest), and each poetic verse here asks the great Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, for a particular blessing on married couples.Read More »WS 791 or LSB 859 “Lord, When You Came as Welcome Guest”
Heavenly Moon Signs
The inspired psalmist wrote that “the heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1) From Genesis 1 we know that God created two great heavenly… Read More »Heavenly Moon Signs
Being Inside or Outside of the “In-Crowds”
“For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore… Read More »Being Inside or Outside of the “In-Crowds”