depression

Singing and sadness

February 27, 2010

I was looking for this Luther quote the other day and couldn’t find it. Entirely unrelated, I was just reading in The Lutheran Study Bible on Job 36 and Serendipity! When sadness comes to you and threatens to gain the upper hand, then say: Come, I must play our Lord Christ a song on the [...]

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Thanksgiving Divine Service sermon

November 26, 2009

Text: St. Luke 17:11-19 When St. Paul describes why God is full of wrath toward mankind, he gives this reason: “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Rom. 1.21). The failure of mankind to give thanks to the Creator is no mere breach of etiquette, no [...]

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Book on Lutheran View of Depression now available

June 21, 2009

LCMS World Relief/Human Care is publishing a book by Pr. Todd Peperkorn on depression. The book is entitled I Trust When Dark My Road. I just ordered a large quantity to give away to all the members of Immanuel; if you’d like to order your own physical copy, click here; the book will be available [...]

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Depression and Natural Sorrow

April 24, 2009

Courier-Journal religion writer Peter Smith explores issues of church and depression raised in a recent issue of Christianity Today. He notes something that I believe to be true: pastors and churches are ignorant regarding clinical depression, which only ends up hurting the people we are called to help. Here’s a sample: Probably the best part [...]

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First Sunday after Epiphany

January 13, 2009

The Gospel reading is the historic one for this Sunday: Luke 2.41-52. In today’s Gospel, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When the feast is over, Joseph and Mary begin the journey home, traveling with a large group of their relatives and friends. They imagine that Jesus is with [...]

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Post-Palin/Biden Debate Diversions

October 3, 2008

Mark Hemingway, in Socialism in the Treasury Chest, observes that if you think the bailout is a good idea, “you may well be an idiot.” R.R. Reno is no idiot, even if he does support the bailout. He’s wrong, but nevertheless has some good things to say about greed over at First Things. Matthew Harrison [...]

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Zoloft as ad-hominem attack

August 22, 2008

If the last acceptable form of bigotry is anti-Catholicism, the second-last is anti-anti-depressants. I’ve observed faithful pastors tossing off one-liners about mega-church pastors being on Zoloft, and it needs to be said: Guys, it’s not funny. Depression is a serious illness that affects both the mind and the body, and those who are afflicted with [...]

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Trinity 1 + Luke 16.19-31

May 25, 2008

Did he get depressed, lying in the dirt? As people passed him by on the road, hurrying to meetings, walking or running for exercise, heading for the store to purchase a present, carrying a bag or basket to market to pick up food for the evening meal, did he get depressed? Perhaps a few people [...]

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When he has tried thy soul with sadness

May 24, 2008

Several years ago, friend and former parishioner Bob Waters gently cautioned me about something I said about depression in a sermon. I have not stopped thinking about what he said, and the issue in general. I have come to very much agree with him. Telling a person suffering from depression to “cheer up” – or [...]

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"I am no longer sad"

May 12, 2008

Somewhere Luther said that the antidote to depression is singing Psalms and hymns. He is completely right. I know of no better preacher of Christ to those in sorrow than Paul Gerhardt, and Lutheran Service Book is rich with his hymnody. I especially love the four additional stanzas we get in “If God Himself Be [...]

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