The Lord’s Prayer An Antidote for Anxiety
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.…
The Lord’s Prayer An Antidote for Anxiety
“This is most certainly true!”
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,…
The Beauty and Joy of Christian Fellowship
(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…
Another Mass Murder
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…
In memory of James Charles Pelzl
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…
In memory of Adelgunde Frieda Schaller
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…
Draw Comfort from Your Lord’s Unbreakable Promises!
“Change and decay in all around I see.” So wrote Henry Lyte in his well-known hymn “Abide with Me” (TLH #552:2).
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10, NIV)
Jesus’s Baptism
Seeing Our Lord’s Glory
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)
We have now entered the season of Epiphany.Epiphany means “to show forth or manifest.” It is a time in the church year when we see our Savior as the One in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
We want to see Jesus as the almighty Savior-God who came with all power to save our lost and fallen world. During the Advent and Christmas seasons we witnessed our Savior through the eyes of faith as the lowly Christ-Child born in a stable and laid in a manger—seemingly helpless. But now it is time to see our Savior as the eternally blessed God who came with all power to save sinful mankind through His holy life and innocent death in our place.
An Epiphany Psalm
God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously,
The Beauty and Joy of Christian Fellowship
(Fourth of eight) We have indicated in previous articles that it is possible for believers in Christ to experience already now the beauty and joy of Christian fellowship.