“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them” (Psalm 145:18-19) Wouldn’t it be nice if we could pick up the telephone and talk to the President of the… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Year/Month: 2013/02
On the day when the world celebrates “love” with flowers, cards, candy, and various other trinkets, what part does it play in the Christian life? Actually, the love celebrated on Valentine’s Day by the world is not the love that the Christ-believer celebrates every day. Valentine’s Day is a day in which sensuality, materialism, and… Read More »Month Archive Read More
What Wondrous Love Is This—Words: Attributed to Alexander Means. This hymn is often sung during the Lenten season throughout the Church of the Lutheran Confession and the world. It’s found in our Worship Supplement 2000 hymnal (#723), and the melody with its haunting modal or “mountain minor” character surely enhances its powerful words (verses 1… Read More »Month Archive Read More
“Tradition…tradition!” Some of you may be humming or singing the catchy tune from Fiddler on the Roof by now. As good Lutherans, we know it isn’t only the Jewish faith that is rife with tradition. Our Lutheran heritage too has handed down many customs and traditions over the centuries. But if someone were to… Read More »Month Archive Read More
The author C. S. Lewis once said that he did not care to read newspapers. He felt that accounts of what was happening far from home distracted him from what was happening close to home. He believed that he needed to pay more attention to friends and neighbors whom he could help or befriend and… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Introduction & Part One of a Series Let us first give some introductory comments, starting with the basic fact that “A creed is a statement (written or spoken) of what a person believes.” (p. 89, Luther’s Catechism, Sydow ed.) The Apostles’ Creed is one of the three ecumenical (general or universal) creeds of the Christian… Read More »Month Archive Read More
(Fifth of eight installments) As we study the Scriptures, we soon learn that there is another very special evil that is always threatening to spoil the beauty and joy of Christian fellowship. In fact, it is this evil that first spoiled the relationship between God and our first parents in Paradise. What is this evil? It… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Words cannot express the horror experienced in the Connecticut city where a young man murdered his mother at home, then entered the kindergarten classroom in a local school, shooting to death twenty children and six others on the school staff. After the rampage, the killer killed himself. A number of Scriptures come to mind, including:… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Family, friends, and former colleagues of James C. Pelzl gathered on November 19, 2012, at Messiah Lutheran Church of Eau Claire, Wis., to praise the Lord Jesus for bringing this unique person into the world (June 28, 1926), for taking James into His family via the rebirth of Holy Baptism, for fostering his growth in… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Adelgunde Frieda Schaller (second child of Pastor John Pieper and Lydia nee’ Hoenecke), born on July 23, 1911, in Yellow Medicine County, Echo, Minn., was blessed with one-hundred-and-one years, three months, and twenty-four days on planet Earth before Jesus took her to Himself on November 16, 2012. Family and friends gathered at Messiah Lutheran Church,… Read More »Month Archive Read More