Lucas Cranach (The Elder)
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS (FOURTH of four) Lucas Cranach (The Elder) “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ…
Lucas Cranach (The Elder)
The ELCA and ‘Easy’ Lutheranism*
Not long after retiring and relocating to another city, this writer had a backyard “over the fence” (literally) get-acquainted visit with a next-door neighbor. Upon my mentioning that I was a retired Lutheran minister, the…
Look to Jesus When the Assignment is Tough
Professor Paul Schaller • Eau Claire, Wisconsin “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9) When Jesus proposed to…
Announcements
Installations In accord with our usage and order, Joel Fleischer, who was called by Berea Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls, S.Dak. to be its pastor, was installed on September 28, 2014. Pastor John Hein…
No Prayer Barrier
Heavenly Father, hear our prayers and accept our praises for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
What we see and hear this day is a wondrous thing. The fact that this school exists is wondrous. The fact that you are here is wondrous. The fact that there are teachers and staff is wondrous. Most wondrous of all is the fact that this school, its students, faculty, and staff have the Word of God with its gospel of salvation.
A Prayer For Our Pastor
In his retirement Pastor Emeritus Arthur Schulz, Black River Falls, Wis.,
has perused archived copies of Lutheran periodicals for hymns and poems and shared them with our pastors. This hymn—which may be sung to the tune of TLH #483—first appeared in the Lutheran Witness of January 29, 1946. It was written by Adela Kretzmann Weber of Canton, Ohio.
The Reformation Blessing Above All Others
Many blessings of the Reformation of the 1500’s still affect us today.
We could mention having a Bible translation in our native tongue, having many hymns to sing praises to God, putting into practice the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers (that Christ has given every believer—not just to the pope and his priests—the keys to forgive or to retain sins), and parents and pastors using Luther’s Small Catechism to instruct children in the basic Bible teachings.
What is a Lutheran (according to Luther)?
You meet a new colleague and to your surprise you discover she is a Lutheran. You are delighted to find you have this in common.
In the course of time, however, after several discussions you realize your colleague does not believe God created the world in six days, as the Bible says. Then, come to find out, she doesn’t really believe the account of Jesus’ resurrection is to be taken literally. When it really comes down to it, she isn’t even sure there is a literal heaven and is pretty sure there is no such thing as hell.
You finally ask, incredulously, “You call yourself a ‘Lutheran’?”
What Is a ‘Confessional’ Lutheran?
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
(Matthew 7:15)“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you
will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
(1 Timothy 4:16)
Jesus emphasized doctrine in His ministry. He went from city to city teaching about the coming of the Kingdom of God, preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Jesus was very adamant about corrupt and false teachings that were being disseminated among the people. “He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). He possessed the authority of God, for Jesus was and is the Word made flesh. His Word is true, and only by continuing in His Word shall we be set free from sin, death, and the devil (John 8:31-32).
Jesus’ warning concerning the dangers of false teachers and
Are We Losing?
A REFORMATION MESSAGE FROM OUR CLC PRESIDENT The troops are withdrawing and coming home. The Wall Street Journal reports that the remaining US combat forces will leave Afghanistan sometime in 2016, after a bloody fifteen…