And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11 ESV) Can you recall any Baptisms that were memorable? Perhaps […] Read More
Category: Devotions
Myguess would be that most, if not all, of us have a creche or manger scene that we display in our homes. These may range from simple hand-carved figures, to extremely expensive Fontanini’s, to light-up plastic yard models. Now, before we begin, I want to assure you that my purpose for this message is not […] Read More
DEVOTION – SECOND COMING Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who […] Read More
DEVOTION—PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS I hope that your time in school was a wonderful, enriching experience. But few things are more exciting for any student than the first days of summer vacation. Perhaps as an adult you have continued to keep the tradition of having certain times off every year. While I hope that you have […] Read More
DEVOTION—FACE-TO-FACE FELLOWSHIP In the beginning, the Lord punctuated His series of creative “Let there be’s” with this simple principle: “It is not good that man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) But it was only shortly after that when mankind sprinted headlong into isolation. The result of the first sin was that Adam and Eve hid […] Read More
DEVOTION—THE PUBLIC MINISTRY In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, “Hans and Franz” wanted to “pump you up!” Two comedians were mimicking body builder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wearing stuffed sweatsuits, weightlifting belts and gloves, Hans and Franz complained about “flabby arms” and weak bodies. In their comedy routine, they talked about wanting to “pump […] Read More
CONVENTION PREVIEW God’s plans are not always our plans. The Church of the Lutheran Confession’s planned 2020 Convention was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the called workers and delegates will meet this year on June 24-27 at Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In Acts 15 the Holy Spirit records a […] Read More
DEVOTION—DIVERSITY OF GIFTS Love him or hate him, larger-than-life radio personality Rush Limbaugh had some interesting catch phrases, one of which forms the title of this article. It is more correct than most people might think. We have all been given talents and abilities from God. He does expect us to use them to His […] Read More
DEVOTION—RESURRECTION LIVING The story was told by one of my former teachers of a time when the lower grade classroom of Messiah Lutheran School in Hales Corners was working on an art project. I was in second grade at the time, and my classmate, Gretchen, already having finished her project, walked up to my desk […] Read More
DEVOTION—LORD’S SUPPER A “Why is this night different from all others?” If you had grown up in a Jewish household, you would probably know the significance of this question. Each year, at each Passover, one of the children at the table would have asked this question of the head of the Passover meal. On the night […] Read More