For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
American-German Theologian & Professor
(17 February 1842 – 9 January 1913)
One can say that what C.F.W. Walther was for dogmatics (the study of Bible doctrine) for the Lutheran church in North America, George Stoeckhardt was for exegesis (the translation and explanation of the Holy Scriptures). After coming to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1878, Stoeckhardt was originally a part-time lecturer in exegesis at Concordia Seminary and then for the last twenty-five years of his life he was a full-time professor at the seminary.
New Year Last August, a Yahoo News headline asked, “What Causes Plane Crashes?” My immediate reaction was “Gravity?” Can you think of anything else as reliable as gravity? Gravity is so universal in our experience…
It is certainly true that without miracles there can be no Christian Church, no saving faith, no redemption, no life. Foundational are the miracles of incarnation, resurrection and sanctification. Following these are a host of…
During the past ten years I have made nine trips overseas to work with our brethren in India and Africa. In the course of those years, I have had people ask me why I feel…
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was organized on March 9, 1962, by Christians desiring a church that faithfully taught the Word of God and practiced confessional Lutheranism. Hecla is a small town in northeastern South…
In 2010 a man from Liberia was baptized as an adult and, professing his Christian faith according to what we believe and teach from the Bible, was received into membership at Grace Lutheran Church in…
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006
Date Verse Reading Comments
Jan 2 TLH 123:1-4 Psalm 90:1-6 We have to admit that we are nothing next to God. What grace that He takes notice
of us at all!
Jan 3 TLH 123:5-6 Psalm 90:7-10 Even those sins we are not aware of are seen by the eyes of our God.
Jan 4 TLH 123:7-8 Psalm 90:11-17 The Lord’s forgiveness, compassion, and unfailing love shall bless us all our days.
Jan 5 TLH 134 John 3:1-4 Jesus revealed Himself as the One sent from God, and the miraculous signs confirmed it.
Jan 6 TLH 127; John 3:5-15 Salvation comes through Spirit-worked faith in Jesus.
LSB 401
“‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
(Revelation 22:20).
John was in exile, banished to the island of Patmos where he was isolated from the people he loved and prevented from preaching the Word of God to them.
Many of those whom he calls “my little children” were suffering terrible persecution. Some were fed to wild animals or slaughtered by gladiators, others were burned as human torches or crucified. Still others lost homes and businesses and wandered as fugitives, despised by all.
In such terrible times, one longs for and prays for deliverance. As the Children of Israel prayed for God’s deliverance from their cruel slavery in Egypt, so also John pleads with Christ, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
We are in a season that involves a great deal of preparation. We prepare our homes and our church buildings with decorations for Christmas. In northern climates, the local hardware stores offer “winter survival [or preparedness] kits.” Such kits are suggested for a driver who might become stranded in his car during a blizzard.
Such preparations are external. The “winter survival kit” includes blankets to protect our bodies from the bone-chilling cold. Our Christmas decorations are hung to make our homes and church buildings appear more beautiful.
