Prayer does not begin with us; it does not begin with our longings and desires or even with the truest and best intentions of the human heart. Prayer begins with the hearing of God’s gracious words of life and salvation spoken to us in the Gospel of His Son. Just as faith comes by the … Continue reading
Understanding the Historic (One-Year) Lectionary
The lectionary is a set of readings that establish the various seasons of the Christian Church Year. The Historic Lectionary follows a one-year cycle that retains the traditional order of Epistle and Gospel readings used by Lutherans before the adoption of the newer three-year lectionaries. This lectionary is “historic” in that it has been used … Continue reading
Is Lent Lutheran?
“During the forty days of Lent, God’s baptized people cleanse their hearts through the discipline of Lent: repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.”….. This is in no way Lutheran!!!!!!!!!!! We are saved by God’s GRACE not WORKS of discipline. We cannot cleanse our own hearts. You are correct. Lent is not about our giving up something … Continue reading
A Love Letter to My Wife
It seems that maybe more than most of the thirty-nine before it, I’m thinking about my upcoming fortieth wedding anniversary. This might be spurred by the heightened assault on marriage in our society. Or by a number of weddings seen lately-especially by work colleagues, and children of friends. It could also be because of the … Continue reading
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The ruminations of a Lutheran cleric on liturgy and the Divine Service, Lutheran culture, sermons, devotional writing, tidbits from some of the projects I am working on, pictures of the grandchildren, and bits of life lived out as a child of God praying “Come, Lord Jesus.”
The Discipline of Lent
As we approach the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday is March 1st this year), I am beginning to mention the history of Lent and referring to it as a season of repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love (almsgiving). I’m also starting to hear the old-saw response from some Lutherans. Here’s a note from Bill … Continue reading
