“Let us all with gladsome voice praise the God of heaven, Who, to bid our hearts rejoice, His own Son hath given.” Christmas is the season we praise and thank our heavenly Father for the promised and wondrous gift of the Messiah, Christ-child. The giving and receiving of Christmas presents...
O Come, O Come Immanuel “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 The ancient and prominent Advent hymn bids God to fulfill His promise and come to us in His incarnate...
In a number of Paul’s epistles he says that he gives thanks to God for the people of the church to whom he is writing. The specific reasons vary a little, but the core reason is the same. He is thankful to God for the faith that He has given...
This year, especially this Fall, we are celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the nailing of Luther’s 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. Many see this as the beginning of the Reformation that unfolded and evolved over the next several decades. The Reformation was not about a new...
Have you ever had “one of those days?” Everything seems to go bad . . . and then it gets worse! I had one of those evil days not too long ago that just seemed to draw the energy right out of me! I’m sure most of you can identify...
As I write this “Pastor’s Article” for the newsletter, I am doing so from a different perspective than usual. I’m sitting at home with my left leg bandaged up from surgery three days ago, under the influence of pain medication (which makes me sleepy but doesn’t take too much of...
What is church membership? For that matter, what is the church? The church has been described in many different ways, varying in accuracy. The Apostle Paul speaks of the church as the “body of Christ.” The members of the church in this metaphor are the various parts of the body:...
This past Sunday, a week after Easter, we returned to our annual visit with the “Doubting Thomas” and the other disciples in the Gospel Lesson for the day. You know it well, I’m sure. Thomas said that he would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead without visible proof...
There are many symbols around the Easter celebration from Easter eggs and hot cross buns to Easter lilies and Spring flowers, and even the Easter bunny. Some are very helpful in the celebration of the new life in our risen Lord Jesus, while others may be a little confusing (like...
As Jesus was literally making His way to the Mount of Olives where He would be betrayed and handed over to be crucified, He prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe through their message – US! He prayed that they (us) be one, just as the Father...