Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cadillac, Michigan, originally began holding services in a town twenty-five miles south of Cadillac. In 1994 Pastor Mark Bernthal… Read More »Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church— Cadillac, Michigan
I remember the summer I was a tour-bus driver in Glacier National Park. Drivers were taught park history, information, and geological features. It wasn’t any surprise to me that the “geological features” section was full of terms, time frames, and explanations from evolutionary geology. It got old in a hurry. How absolutely refreshing one evening, in the quiet of my room, to open up to Genesis 1 and read the Lord’s simple, straightforward account of the miraculous creation of the heavens and the earth!
In the beginning God created. God said, and it was so.
The heavens, the earth, light, firmament (atmosphere), seas, dry land, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, fish, fowl, cattle, creeping things, beasts. And He made man, male and female. Everything was very good!
How easy to follow! How simple! The beauties, intricacies, and mysteries of the world, all created by God in six days. Even a child can grasp it!Read More »Refreshingly Uncomplicated
(II Kings 22-23; II Chronicles 34-35) D own through the centuries, rulers of nations have had either a positive or negative influence on the subjects… Read More »Josiah, The Boy-King
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). In 1931 a layman, William Arndt,… Read More »Our Savior’s Evangelical Lutheran Church— Jamestown, North Dakota
In the introduction to his Sunday sermon, a pastor referred to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city and house divided against itself will not stand.” After the service, he was approached by a visitor who said, “When you began your sermon by talking about how ‘a house divided will not stand,’ I thought your message was going to be political.” She was thinking of the political divisions in our country and expecting that the pastor would use his Sunday sermon to address them.
Why is it that our pastors do not use the pulpit, or the church bulletin, to promote a political point of view?
We may find this woman’s expectations about a Sunday sermon troubling, but we probably are not surprised at them. We know that many preachers use their pulpits for political messages. They endorse candidates, comment on legislation, and freely give their opinions about foreign policy.
Why is it that our pastors do not use the pulpit, or the church bulletin, to promote a political point of view? It is because behind these practices lies the idea that the mission of the church is the transformation of human society by means of social reform. But the Bible from beginning to end tells us that the problems of this world, age-old problems such as poverty, war, disease, and injustice, will never be eradicated; we are not to look for a golden age in this world because the world’s problems have their roots in human nature. Read More »Let’s Talk about God’s Program
Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church of Red Wing, Minnesota, began as an independent Lutheran congregation, existing for two years before the formation of the Church of… Read More »Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church—Red Wing, Minnesota
Do you understand?
The Athanasian Creed says, in part, “So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.”
Three Persons, each separate and distinct from the other two, each in and of Himself entirely God, and yet not three Gods, but one. Do you understand how that can be? Neither do I. I don’t understand it, but I believe it. I believe it because God has clearly revealed this truth about Himself.Read More »One+One+One=One
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, “This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.’” ‘So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them’” (Numbers 6:22-27).
We hear those words every Sunday. This is not just the wish of your pastor; God instructed Aaron to use these words to bless His people. When His servants pronounce this benediction, something wonderful happens: God’s name is placed upon you. Remember, when you see the word Lord with all capital letters, that represents God’s personal name. The popular English pronunciation is Jehovah, but most Hebrew scholars believe it was something more like Yahweh.
God gave this benediction to Moses after the people had shown their rebelliousness and worshiped the golden calf. God still wanted to bless His people. That is amazing grace!
Jehovah places His name upon you and identifies you as His own, so that you receive Him and have His promise, “I will bless them.”
There are three parts to this blessing, each coming from Jehovah, the Lord. These blessings can be summed up with the words “protection,” “grace,” and “peace.”Read More »Jehovah Blesses You!
A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE CLC (FIFTH IN A SERIES) Snapshots of Congregations from Around the Church of the Lutheran Confession Mount Zion Evangelical… Read More »Mount Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church— Madison Heights, Michigan
An expression I remember from my childhood is Emma go ‘het. It didn’t make much sense, but I knew what it meant. Forward with zeal and determination! I suppose the words were a rendering of a German-English phrase Immer go ahead! Always forward!
The Jewish festival of Pentecost was named Shavuot in Hebrew—meaning weeks. It fell seven weeks, or a “week of weeks,” after the Passover Sabbath. The festival, by count, was on the 50th day after the Passover Sabbath (Leviticus 23:15-16). The Feast of Weeks marked the end of the grain harvest and was the time to offer the first fruits (Leviticus 23:20). The name Shavuot later became Pentecost—Greek for fiftieth.
On the first Christian Pentecost, the one after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the promise Jesus had given to His disciples was fulfilled. He had said, before ascending, “Tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49), and “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, was poured out upon the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit had already brought the disciples to faith in Christ. Now the Holy Spirit was giving them special blessings to proclaim the saving Name of Jesus—courage, zeal, wisdom, understanding of the Scriptures, ability to speak other languages, power to work miracles—all to further their witness that the crucified and risen Jesus was the Savior from sin.Read More »The Christian Pentecost
