I did not grow up in a Lutheran church. Lent was only known to me through my Roman Catholic friends who did not eat meat on Fridays. The season of Lent was reintroduced to me through my journey into Lutheranism, and I have come to deeply appreciate...
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) For whatever reason, Zacchaeus was seeking to see Jesus. And in an ironic turn of events, it is actually Jesus who seeks after Zacchaeus. He spots him up a Sycamore tree and...
With Christmas season behind us, the hints of spring are already in the air. The sun is noticeably setting later in the day as we “sprung” our clocks forward this last weekend. The season of Lent is just now underway. As the year is picking up steam, the...
On Ash Wednesday, millions of Christians around the world will attend a service where these words are spoken over them, “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return” while ashes are marked on their forehead in the sign of a cross. The words spoken...
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). Have you ever put on clothes thinking they were clean only...
“And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Exodus 20:1-2 Shortly after rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh, God spoke these words as he gathered...
We just finished studying the Commandments in our 7th and 8th grade class. The Third Commandment states, “You shall keep the Sabbath Day holy.” Martin Luther’s explanation of what is at the heart of this commandment is as follow: “We are to fear and love God, so that we...
Our church calendar has come to an end, so now we look to a new year. The church year begins with a preparatory season called “Advent.” The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “appearing” or “coming,” referring to the appearing of a...
“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33) “Wives, submit to your husbands…Husbands, love your wives.” Here we have the apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired instruction for a God honoring Christ-centered marriage: submission...
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 136:1 Prayer is faith talking. Faith can’t help but want to talk to God. It’s what faith does; it prays. Those of faith look to God trusting who he is and what...