death

Funerals are for the dead

August 24, 2010

I disagree with the common saying, “Funerals are not for the dead, but for the living.” An important function of a funeral – a Christian one, at least – is the reverent disposition of the body. I think everyone deserves a funeral. God cares about the body, and we should too.

Read the full article →

Pour Mama down the Drain

July 10, 2010

It’s the logical continuation of a society that allows cremation, but I’m hard-pressed to think of anything more horrid than this: Undertakers in Belgium plan to eschew traditional burials and cremations and start dissolving corpses instead. The move is intended to tackle a lack of burial space and environmental concerns as 573lbs of carbon dioxide [...]

Read the full article →

The Pastor’s Prayer before a Funeral

May 15, 2010

O Lord, grant me a full awareness of the powerful reality of death. Help me in this hour to speak the right word concerning the pilgrimage of [NAME] and to bear witness to Your power over life and death, the severity of Your judgment, and the abundance of Your mercy in our crucified and risen [...]

Read the full article →

Clergy Record

December 15, 2009

I’ve been wondering this for 11 years: Every time someone dies, the funeral home gives me a “Clergy Record,” with the deceased’s name, address, and basic details like when they were born, when they died, when the funeral is/was, and so forth. Guilt and a sense of respect for the dead keeps me from throwing [...]

Read the full article →

Thanksgiving Matins sermon

November 26, 2009

God made man from the earth. Our very first father, Adam, was made from the clay, but he came alive when God breathed into Adam the breath of life. And not only was Adam made from the earth, he depended on the earth for his life. The food that he had to eat came from [...]

Read the full article →

Thrivent Gnosticism

November 18, 2009

We’re getting new carpet in the church offices, and as a result, all books had to be moved out. This has given us an opportunity to sort through some things and throw a lot of junk out. One piece of junk came in the form of a book from Thrivent called A Time to Mourn, [...]

Read the full article →

All Saints Day

November 7, 2009

Sermon from last Sunday, November 1, 2009. Text: Matthew 5:1-12 Death puts everything into perspective. Death reveals that all of our accumulated treasures on earth are worthless, all of our medicine cannot heal, everything done outside of God’s Word and will was a waste. All Saints Day is about the dead. It is about the [...]

Read the full article →

Funeral Sermon: +Ralph Behrens

November 7, 2009

Texts: John 10:27-30; 1 John 3:1-2 I deviated somewhat from this manuscript in the actual sermon. Lola; Jackie, Julie, Jean; brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be difficult to overstate the influence of Ralph Behrens. His service at Immanuel impacted [...]

Read the full article →

Trinity 16 sermon

October 3, 2009

From Sept. 27, 2009 Gospel: Luke 7:11-17 The American religion tends to equate faith with success, prosperity, and health. If you lead a good life, good things will come to you. One slogan puts it this way: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” The first part is true. But God’s [...]

Read the full article →

Psalm 31

September 10, 2009

The actual sermon preached on Ps. 31 ended up being quite a bit different from this, but here was my manuscript for the sermon at last night’s Evening Prayer: The center of tonight’s Psalm is found in the words, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.” In Luke’s Gospel, these are the final words of [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries