In the Divine Service, right after corporate confession and before the Absolution is declared, the pastor says, "I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you. And in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I...
The Ten Commandments command us to live a righteous life, a life in faith toward God and fervent love toward our neighbor. This command never goes away. It doesn't stop once we are baptized, nor does it's demand depart from us whenever we go to church. God demands perfect righteousness. The...
Psalm 56 prays, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, Whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4). This is a nice sounding prayer, a prayer in which we as baptized children of God seek refuge in God in every time of fear...
The 7th Commandment says, "You shall not steal." What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income." In the Large Catechism, Luther has...
President Harrison closes one of the chapters in his book on joy with a Walther quote which says, "Remember when you become ministers, you become helpers of the Christian's joy." (Little Book on Joy 123). Your pastor is called by Jesus and placed into the Office of the Holy Minister to...
The Gospel according to St. John says, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). When we look at man outside of Christ, he is not pure and righteous, but sinful and dark...
If you've ever seen the movie, Rocky IV, you know that in it there is a scene where Rocky hesitates to throw in the towel during a fight in which his friend, Apollo Creed, dies at the gloves of Ivan Drago. Creed is getting annihilated by Drago and Rocky wants to throw in the towel, but Creed...
Today is the commemoration of St. Johann Sebastian Bach, Kantor and 5th Evangelist (1685-1750). Bach is not only one of the most famous musicians of all time, but also and more importantly he was a faithful Lutheran who wrote beautiful music to glorify and magnify the Word of God. This is the...
The 6th Commandment says, "You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other." Luther gave this a deeper meaning in the Large Catechism when he...
The Psalmist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1). The Word of God also says, "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine...