Yesterday's shooting at a Texas church is the third mass casualty event in just over a month. Such tragedies call forth our prayers to God who, in Christ, graciously promises to hear us. And so let us pray! Let us remember all who died, all who suffer loss, and those who respond in the aftermath. This is the work of the church which is Salt and Light to the world. May God ...

Once again I assert that we should read Scripture, especially Paul'ssermons, liturgically and sacramentally. What does such reading looklike?Below is my own translation of vss 1 through 11, this Sunday's epistlefor the 1 year series.1 Paul and Timothy worshipers of Christ Jesus to all the holy ones inChrist Jesus, who are in Philippi with (their) bishops and deacons.Commen...

What you will read here is what I intend to cover in The History Practice And Theology Of Christian Worship - Part 1. The course which begins on All Saints Day 2017 will continue into spring of 2018. The course will be held from 9:00 AM till 10:00 AM each Sunday here at CLC. The text book, besides the Scriptures, Lutheran Confessions, and church history, will be the Luthe...

Lutherans should remember that as necessary and inevitable as the Reformation was, it was also tragic. Tragic in that it created an ugly divorce within the church, and that's always terrible, even if unavoidable.Had cooler heads prevailed the church may well have reformed, and that would have been good in every way. But that isn't want happened. As a result there are now d...

Reformation Vespers was attended by 22 people who fed on the Word of God, and offered their prayers, praise and thanksgiving, to mark this once in a life time occasion. Rev. Michael Wallace, pastor of Gethesame Lutheran Church in Lakewood, graciously served as Lector. Following the Service people met in the community room for a time of fellowship. It seems that no one was...

The Reformation is not dead. At age 500 (October 31, 2017) it is, however, ailing. It's not the first time. In the past, attempts were made on its life, and it often lay wounded. But by God's grace the Reformation continues. It affirms all that is good in the history, theology and practice of the church of the ages. While at the same time serving as the counter weight to a...

The church, which is perfectly united in the Body of Christ is, outwardly, divided. We are aware of the schism that the Reformation brought about, but there was also an earlier Great Schism, that we should all be familiar with. That is the division that occurred between the Latin Church and the Greek Church in 1054 AD. As a result of it, and the Protestant Reformation, th...

Just tonight I discovered the youtube video called "Treasures Of The Reformation" narrated by our LCMS President Rev. Matthew Harrison, and posted just 2 days ago. It's a brief, but very nice treatment of Luther and the Reformation, and I recommend it to you all. It comes in two volumes, each about 20 minutes long, and can be appreciated by children as well as adults. Cl...

Last Sunday on the way out of church I was greeted by a 5 year old boy who has been in church perhaps 5 times. As we shook hands he said: Pastor, God forgives me. That's the power of liturgy! Liturgy is not designed to be catechetical, but constitutes the factual worship of God instead. That said,there is no more powerful teacher of the faith than liturgy. When you consi...

October 31, 2017 is the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. On that day in 1517 Martin Luther posted 95 Theses which he proposed to discuss with his fellow academics at the University of Wittenberg where he was a professor. He attached them to the church door which was the town bulletin board. It's the place where people came to hear about the happenings of the day. The...