Retirement Gift: Professor Mark Kranz has announced his retirement effective at the end of the current academic year. His faithful service to our church and our school will be acknowledged during the ILC Class Day/Graduation festivities on May 17-18. Our custom is to present a monetary gift as a token of our appreciation. CLC members… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Year/Month: 2024/04
Items of interest from various sources of religious news and opinion, in print and on the web. The Pope Thinks Hell Is Empty. It’s become fashionable in recent years—even among some nominal Christians—to question the existence of hell. Pope Francis, for his part, does believe in the existence of hell, as his past statements from… Read More »Month Archive Read More
A mother checks her phone for the tenth time. Previously she had received news that her soldier son had been wounded in battle, but she knows nothing more than that. After many long, agonizing hours, she finally gets a text that reads, “Just a scratch, Mom. Don’t worry. It’s okay!” “It’s okay” can be two of the most… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Every other month our CLC Board of Missions updates us with recent news from various mission fields. In late January/early February, Missionary Todd Ohlmann and Board of Doctrine member Pastor Andrew Schaller, traveled to the Philippines to visit the Lutheran Autonomous Mission to the Philippines (LAMP). The primary purpose of this visit was to review… Read More »Month Archive Read More
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006 Date Hymns Reading Comments April 1 TLH 384 / LSB 559 1 Corinthians 9 Rather than claim the rights that he might rightfully claim, Paul forfeits his rights and makes himself a servant to all people for the… Read More »Month Archive Read More
In this series, those involved with CLC foreign missions profile one aspect of our overseas endeavors. “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) God’s blessings through His Word come powerfully to individuals who study and ponder the Scriptures. There is also a special… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Updates from congregations around the Church of the Lutheran Confession The last few years have seen many changes at Faith in Coloma. God’s grace has been abundantly evident! We’ve experienced growth in the congregation, both from without and within. During COVID we were blessed to have an average of 200 people join us each Sunday… Read More »Month Archive Read More
In this series we are reprinting Spokesman articles by early leaders in the CLC. Pastor James Albrecht is the curator of the series. Rev. Ralph E. Schaller (1919-1989) was a leader in the formation of the CLC. He held pastorates in Mayville and Coloma, Michigan, and later served as a domestic missionary in New Mexico,… Read More »Month Archive Read More
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46) It is no wonder that in Jesus’ parable He used the example of a pearl to demonstrate value. Good pearls were… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Does God have a sense of humor? As one who has told a joke or two, I’d like to know. Does He frown on conversation that goes beyond “yea and nay”? Or does He agree that “laughter is the best medicine”? If He has given us the ability to laugh at things that seem humorous… Read More »Month Archive Read More
“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will… Read More »Month Archive Read More
Ever wonder why we Lutherans use the form of worship we do? In this series we examine the depth and meaning of the various elements of our Lutheran worship service. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that… Read More »Month Archive Read More
When we were young, we believed the impossible. From a man in a red suit delivering our Christmas toys to a fairy leaving a dollar under our pillows, whatever our parents told us was the “gospel truth,” if you will. But then life happened. We grew older, and life experiences made us more skeptical of… Read More »Month Archive Read More
“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.'” (Acts 17:32) Paul was speaking to the Greek philosophers at the Areopagus in Athens. They gladly listened to him because those philosophers loved nothing more than “to tell or to hear some… Read More »Month Archive Read More