Church

Psalm 45

August 12, 2010

This was much better when I preached it. I think. The Hebrew Bible contains introductions to each Psalm that often leave the reader wanting more details. Psalm 45 begins, “To the Director,” presumably a choir director; then, “According to the Lilies,” which could either be some kind of musical instruction, or a particular tune, in [...]

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All glorious is the princess in her chamber

August 12, 2010

I’m working through the Psalter at our Wednesday Evening services; last night we arrived at Psalm 45, which I preached as a wedding hymn for Christ and His bride the church. I just noticed that the Gradual for the Feast of St. Mary (which falls this coming Sunday, August 15) is taken from that same [...]

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LCMS President on unity in doctrine and life (third of three)

July 13, 2010

In the previous quotations, C.F.W. Walther, the first LCMS president, spoke about the dangers of disunity and the blessing of unity. In today’s quotation, Walther speaks about the Devil’s strategy: to sow disunity in the church: Satan knows all too well what kind of power the Church exercises when it is unity. It then not [...]

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LCMS President on unity in doctrine and life (second of three)

July 12, 2010

In the quotation I posted yesterday, C.F.W. Walther (the first LCMS president) talked about the disastrous effects of disunity. Here he speaks about the blessings of unity in the Church: Christian unity always produces a blessing. If the Church is one in doctrine and life, in faith and love, it shares its gifts and knowledge. [...]

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LCMS President on unity in doctrine and life (first of three)

July 11, 2010

The first LCMS President, that is: C.F.W. Walther. Timely as we head into the 2010 Synodical Convention: If Christians do not cultivate unity in doctrine and in life among themselves, they are misled by their flesh and blood, standing by peacefully as divisions arise and discord grows day by day. God did not give His [...]

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The Lord and the Church

June 30, 2010

Jesus is Lord first for His church and then for His servant. Jesus is “my Lord” only because He is “our Lord.” Only as members of the church do we belong to Him. The Lord and the church belong so much together that the one is unthinkable without the other. One cannot speak of the [...]

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The detour of God's Word

January 6, 2010

C.F.W. Walther on the Epiphany (which we celebrate this day): Even more wonderful than the circumstances of this account [of the Wise Men searching for the newborn King] is the fact that God chose to lead the Wise Men to Bethlehem, not exclusively by the star, but also via a detour. The Jewish king, with [...]

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Luther, the Roman Mass, and the Lutheran Liturgy

October 26, 2009

Another gem from Sasse, as we reflect this week on the Reformation: Although in his book on the Babylonian captivity of the church and in the Smalcald Articles, [Luther] unmasked and condemned the idolatry which had crept into the Mass, he admitted that the Roman Mass was still a valid Eucharist. And so he did [...]

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Korby, Löhe, and "Faith-Sharing Moments"

May 28, 2009

There is something disconcerting about the modern emphasis on “faith-sharing moments” as the essence of mission. Faith is so quickly identified as a subjective thing. The exhortation, “Share your faith” may be understood quite differently than, “Share the faith.” The Christian message is always an objective one: the announcement of what Jesus of Nazareth, the [...]

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Prayer for the Church

March 31, 2009

Eternal King, High Lord of heaven: Jesus our Saviour, all the saints sing Your Praise. Hear us poor sinners who call upon You. We have wandered far, in this vale of tears, from our Father’s home. You, who saved Peter from danger, carry us by Your strong arm over the depths of darkness, O Lord. [...]

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