The Project KINSHIP General Fund
You’re probably familiar with the insurance company whose TV commercials feature the tagline, “Mayhem is everywhere. Are you in good hands?” A man in a… Read More »The Project KINSHIP General Fund
Lutheran Spokesman
Berea Lutheran Church Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
People often ask, “Why the name Berea?” With a large Twin Cities metro area filled with Protestant and Lutheran churches with familiar names, the name… Read More »Berea Lutheran Church Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
Our Future Easter
It’s the service no one wants to miss. After forty days of somber Lenten reflection and repentance, everyone is hungry for the exuberant joy of… Read More »Our Future Easter
“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2019
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006
Date Hymns Reading Comments
Mar 1 WS 795 John 6:25-58 Just as feeding on earthly food gives us earthly life, feeding on Jesus (believing in Him) gives heavenly life.
Mar 2 TLH 431/(LSB 709) Genesis 28:10-22 The Lord strengthened Jacob’s faith by repeating the promise made to Abraham, and Jacob was confident of God’s watchful eye upon him.
Mar 4 TLH 541/(LSB 876) Psalm 20 We trust not in human strength, but in the power and protection of our God.
Mar 5 TLH 295 Mark 7:1-13 The sinful nature seeks to take God’s laws and replace them with our own, attempting to make ourselves the masters of what is right and wrong.
Mar 6TLH 174Psalm 22Although a prayer of David’s in his troubles, it is clear that this Psalm also foreshadows Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2019
Butterflies, Jesus, and You
LEAD STORY – TRANSFIGURATION
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.”
(Mark 9:2 NIV84)
One of the wonders of the created world is the process of metamorphosis. When God called into existence the creatures that swim in the sea and fly in the air (on creation day five), He gave to some the amazing ability to change from one form into another as part of their life cycle. One example is the monarch butterfly, which has four stages in its life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly. A truly remarkable change!
Each year, on the last Epiphany Sunday, the Christian Church recalls the biblical account of the remarkable metamorphosis of Jesus (also known as the “Transfiguration”). One day while He was walking with three disciples on a mountain in Galilee, His lowly appearance was changed. His clothes started to dazzle with whiteness. His face began to shine as bright as the sun.
Jesus’ metamorphosis was, of course, far different from the change that occurs with creatures like the butterfly. For one thing, it happened instantaneously, not gradually. Then, too, Jesus’ metamorphosis did not involve changing into something He wasn’t previously. Rather, it was a revelation of what He already was: God’s all-glorious Son! Whenever Jesus preached a sermon or performed a miracle, people could sense this. “There is something special about Him not visible to our eyes” (Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 8:25). That something “special” was that He was their Messiah in Whom all the fullness of the Deity was living in bodily form (Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:6-8). It’s just that, during the period of His life on earth, He chose (for the most part) to conceal His divine majesty from their view so that He might live in lowliness, serve them in love, and offer His life as a ransom on the cross.Read More »Butterflies, Jesus, and You
“Hat in Hand”
DEVOTION – ASH WEDNESDAY
An office worker named Bill had had just about enough. He was tired of the management’s incompetence. Most of all, he was tired of his immediate supervisor, Mr. Sanders. He had to vent about it somewhere, so he walked over to his co-worker’s desk and said “Sylvia, can you believe that Sanders guy? He never gets the work schedule done on time, and I think he deliberately ignores my requests for time off! A fourth grader could do a better job than he does. What a dimwit!” By this time, Sylvia was looking over Bill’s shoulder with surprised horror. Sure enough, Mr. Sanders was right behind Bill the whole time. The manager spun on his heel, stomped into his office, and slammed the door. What could poor Bill do now? There was only one thing he could do, of course. He humbly went into Mr. Sanders’s office to plead for his job. Though he wasn’t wearing a hat, I guess you could say that Bill went to his boss with his “hat in his hands.” He had no excuses–nothing to offer but a heartfelt apology.Read More »“Hat in Hand”
The Value of Rest and Quietness
GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT
“Don’t just sit there—do something!”
This familiar adage applies in many situations. The crops won’t plant themselves in the spring. The cereal spilled all over the floor isn’t going to clean up itself. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:10)
This axiom, however, does not apply at all to our being saved. Our ego finds that hard to swallow. This goes beyond the commendable inclination to be responsible and clean up after ourselves; it’s also a sinful pride thing. We would like to be able to take at least a little credit for saving ourselves—or perhaps more than just a little.
In the challenges they faced with their enemies, Israel sought security through making alliances with other nations. Maybe swift horses would be the answer!Read More »The Value of Rest and Quietness
True Contentment
STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I… Read More »True Contentment
Is This Worm an “Easter Egg?”
DEVOTION – LENT “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.” (Psalm 22:6) When the term… Read More »Is This Worm an “Easter Egg?”
Rosicrucianism
UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS – ROSICRUCIANISM In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that… Read More »Rosicrucianism