In his treatise, Against the Heavenly Prophets, Luther asserted that it is essential to know that God comes to us both outwardly and inwardly. Outwardly God comes to us in the proclaimed Gospel and the blessed sacrament. Inwardly He comes to us through the Holy Spirit and faith. Both are given...
"A joyful heart is good medicine," so says Proverbs 17:22. What does it mean to have a joyful heart? Well, the rest of verse 22 says, "but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." A joyful heart is the opposite of a crushed spirit. A crushed spirit is a despairing soul, one who has no...
For our Liturgy reflection today we are looking at the Creed, specifically the Nicene Creed and why we confess it during the Divine Service. There are three ecumenical or universal creeds, the Apostle's, The Nicene, and the Athanasian Creed. However, the creed that is associated with the Divine...
We are going to start a new series today based on the Catechism. Both the Small and the Large Catechisms of Dr. Martin Luther, of blessed and holy memory, are not to be read once and then tossed to the side, but rather should be [art of our daily diet when it comes to the Word of God and...
Jesus spoke to His apostles saying, " These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). These are the concluding words that He spoke in His little sermon that begins by preaching, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the...
Jesus spoke to His apostles saying, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27). Now, when we hear the word peace we think of something like peace of mind, a calm...
One of the greatest things that brings me joy, and I pray it brings you joy as well, are the words of Holy Absolution. Luther speaks about this in the Small Catechism concerning the Office of the Keys saying, "What do you believe according to these words? I believe that when the called ministers...
No one likes being disciplined. No child wakes up wanting to get a spanking, nor does a teenager want cellphone privileges taken away. No young adult wants to get fired, and the veteran at work doesn't desire to get yelled at for making the same mistakes over and over again. In short, no one...
In the Words of Institution, our Lord Jesus The Christ says, "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). What does Jesus mean by this? Does He mean...
Every Sunday in the liturgy, we are blessed to have what is called a lectionary, or a set of readings for every Sunday and Feast Day in the Church Year. There are specific readings for certain days like Easter, Christmas Eve, Pentecost, Trinity VII, and Epiphany II. Why does the church do this?...