The gospel for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost fills us with great courage! And that is something we can all use right now. Read it, and meditate on it, and be consoled and calmed by it. (Matthew 14:22-33) 22 And immediately he ordered the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd; 23 and when he had dismissed t...

When I heard the snap of the trap under the kitchen sink, this is what I found.Naturally, being a pastor, I instantly saw the theological lesson herein. It may be a bit vivid (nothing worse than you see on TV), but a picture is worth a thousand words. St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:11, " ... so that we might not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not unaware of his d...

The church's "tradition" is anamnesis, that is to say the celebration of the kerygma of the gospel of salvation by Eucharistic remembrance. What Christians call "the" liturgy is the blessed "format" which is, if you like, the delivery system. But it is not only that. To use another picture, think of soup served inside of a bread bowl. Both the "dish" and meal are edible. ...

Few Christians today are aware of C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis). He was born on November 29, 1898, but his death on 11/22/63 was overshadowed by the JFK assassination. Lewis was an Irish born scholar, novelist, theologian and Christian apologist, who had a gift of making complicated things simple. Of cutting through all the string, and getting to the prize. Below yo...

Beloved in Christ may God open our eyes to see what is before them! May we understand what it means to gather as "the Great Congregation" (Ps. 22:25). May we apprehend the utter, unique and overwhelming power of Divine Goodness that is unleashed in all the earth as we commune with our Lord Christ, on his Holy Day, in his Father's Holy House. Christ is "all in all". He...

This lection from Isaiah is the Old Testament reading for Pentecost 6 (Series A)....

Solomon, inspired by the Spirit of God, said 3,000 years ago that there is, "Atime to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak." (Eccl. 3:7) The last several months have proved themselves "a time to tear". Some have torn, and we have all been torn. But we will not engage in either the politics or the science of viruses. Only in the Christian re...

The epistle for Pentecost 4 (Series A) is Romans 7:1-13 which I see in a new light. I translate it thus: "You likewise, my brothers, have died to the Law through the body of Christ so that you might belong to Another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God!" Lutherans almost always think of the word nomos / law in terms of the Deca...

While we are talking about the gift of discernmentlet me mention two more items. First please wipe the idea of white guilt out of your brain. You, whoever you are, have real guilt for real sins against God and for which you stand under his judgment. Sins which you yourself must pay for, unless you are baptized into the payment that Christ made for you on the cross. Then y...

Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember your generosity and constantly do your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way or life. Save us from violence, discord and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Grant that we, who came from many nations with...