I published this a few years ago, but the video is broken. Here’s a working one. If you haven’t been to confession lately, go. It’s a great blessing, all for the joy of forgiveness.
Tagged: Confession, Private Confession, Video
Russell Moore tackles this question from a reader: Dear Dr. Moore, Not long ago, my doctor prescribed me as having a (relatively) mild form of depression. He put me on an anti-depressant. I hate the side effects, and I don’t like the way it makes me feel, but maybe I’ll get used to it. My biggest struggle is whether it is right to be on these at all. If I have the Holy Spirit, why do I need this drug? Is it ethical for a Christian to take drugs like this? Dazed and Confused Click here to read his very sensible answer. Here are some of my own thoughts on the topic: If you struggle with depression, it’s okay. You’re not alone. Here’s what…
Tagged: Anti-depressants, Confession, depression, Physicians, Russell Moore
January 15, 2012 Messiah Lutheran Church, Keller, Texas John 1:43-51 For audio of the early service sermon (slightly different version of the sermon below), click here Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Follow Me.” What Jesus says to Phillip, He says also to you: When you were baptized, “Follow Me”; whenever you hear God’s Word, “Follow Me”; when you rise up each morning, “Follow Me.” That sounds like Law – and the Law always condemns. Yet these words carry no condemnation. For there is no greater gift than to be brought by baptism into the company of the disciples of Jesus. Following Him is to follow in the way that leads to life, to be promised…
Tagged: Angels, Baptism, Confession, Esau, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Jacob's ladder, Messiah (Keller, Nathanael, Parochial Schools, TX)
Parishioner Mollie sent me this video – I guess it’s a part of a competition for videos on confession. I really like it.
Tagged: Confession
My friend Matthew Franke sent this to me:
Tagged: Confession, Video
How do you begin the process of helping a person heal from pornography addiction? Rom. 12 – discerning what is good, what is the will of God. There is no one program or procedure that fits all cases. We have given resources, and a given problem, but each individual case needs discernment. Pastoral rule of thumb: don’t go digging for dirt. Deal with issues as they present themselves. Ask the addicted person: What do you think would be best, what would help you most? Don’t just give an absolution, but also pray for them, pray for God’s help for them. Not just with them, but for them, regularly, intercessory prayer. Give them a blessing, tailored for them, that empowers them for their battle. When…
Tagged: Addiction, Confession, John Kleinig, Lord's Supper, Pornography, Sexuality
Christ heals the deaf mute (Mk. 7.31-37, Gospel for Trinity XII), loosing the bond of his tongue. Luther in his lectures on Genesis explains the spiritual bond on our tongues which keeps us from confessing sin: Thus these brothers of Joseph are not only troubled about the sin of which they were conscious—although they took pains to cover and conceal it—but they were also afraid of all their words and deeds, and they imagined that there was new guilt in every action or thought. Yet in such great disquiet and confusion they are dumb and do not confess their sin. This was true of Adam in Paradise, when he was almost dead from fear of the voice and wrath of God. Nevertheless, he does…
Tagged: Confession, Luther, Repentance, Trinity 12
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis is pure genius. And for another laugh today, check this out.
Tagged: Confession, Pearls Before Swine, Penance
I have had two parishioners work for Rep. Mark Souder from northeast Indiana, who today announced his resignation from the United States Congress over an affair with a female staffer. I was shocked at this, because I’ve met Rep. Souder and he seemed genuinely like a good man. When I visited his office for a reception after the January 2005 presidential inauguration, he engaged me in a theological conversation, and I was impressed by his knowledge and sincerity. Souder’s statement has a Davidic quality: “I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff,” Souder said in a statement Tuesday. “I am so shamed to have hurt those I love.” “I have sinned.”…
Tagged: Confession, Mark Souder, Politics
A parishioner recently returned from vacation with a service folder from an LCMS church. Here was the prayer of confession: O Lord, Most High, though You have called us through Your Son and made us to be a people for Your own possession and given us Your own Spirit, we confess to You that we have faltered as Your witnesses to the ends of the earth. Fix our gaze on the heart of Your will to give us the power and the desire to spread the Good News of salvation to all the world. The only sin being confessed here is faltering as the Lord’s witnesses! This is bordering on missiolatry: God’s Law, especially the Ten Commandments, is nowhere to be found; and the…
Tagged: Confession