Holy Scripture

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

December 27, 2009

Readings for St. John’s Day: Rev. 1:1-6; 1 Jn 1:1—2:2; Jn. 21:20-25 Beloved, today is St. John’s Day, the beloved disciple of Jesus and the man inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Fourth Gospel, as well as three epistles in our New Testament and the Book of Revelation. On Christmas Day, we heard [...]

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On reading the Scriptures

September 12, 2009

If any one, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find in them an account of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the new calling. -Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter XXVI

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Trinity 12

August 30, 2009

When Jesus takes aside the man who is deaf and has an impediment in his speech, He takes aside all of humanity. Which means, when Jesus confronts the man who is deaf and has an impediment in his speech, Jesus confronts us. For you and I have several problems: like the man in today’s Gospel, [...]

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LCMS President Kieschnick responds to ELCA decision affirming homosexual clergy

August 27, 2009

The two largest Lutheran church bodies in the United States are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with 4.8 million members and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) with 2.4 million members. On Friday, Aug. 21, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to open the ministry of the ELCA to gay [...]

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Transfiguration

February 7, 2009

I’m posting this rather late; Transfiguration this year was on February 1.   Myth. Fable. Fraud. Such is the verdict that so-called intellectuals issue regarding the birth, miracles, and resurrection of Jesus. Certainly the Transfiguration would fall under the same condemnation. Jesus’ face shining like the sun? His clothes as white as the light? Moses [...]

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Pastor Weedon, Confessor

February 7, 2009

For many reasons, I love and admire Pastor Weedon from afar. His quotations from patristic and Lutheran fathers are daily spiritual nourishment for me, and his sermons are faithful works of pastoral wisdom. His writing here, however, sums up for me why I have remained, and Deo volente will remain, a Lutheran.

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Quirinius conundrum [updated]

December 23, 2008

Sometimes living 10 miles from church really stinks. It would be nice to skateboard over there and check out Just’s Luke commentary, see what Fr. Brown has to say, and look at the CPH lectionary book. I think that the Luke 2 gospel for Christmas Eve gives Luke 2.2 as saying something like, “This registration [...]

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Meditation on Psalm 16

November 12, 2008

Continuing our midweek series on the Psalms… +  +  + INJ +  +  + The foolish man says, “I am god, and all the good I have comes from me.” But the wise man is taught by the sixteenth Psalm to say, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.” Men run [...]

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The Festival of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

September 21, 2008

Text: Matthew 9.9-13   A pastor was out walking one day, and he saw a man named Mohammed sitting at an Al Qaeda recruiting ofice, and he said to Mohammed, “Follow me.” So he arose and followed the pastor. Now it happened, as the pastor was having dinner at Mohammed’s house, that behold, many other [...]

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Scaer on "Two Matthews"

September 20, 2008

Tomorrow is St. Matthew’s day, and one has to rejoice in the delicious sarcasm of my former professor, Dr. David P. Scaer: Out of deference to critical scholarship, but without accepting all its conclusions, we are compelled to identify two “Matthews”: one, the disciple of Jesus, the apostle; and the other, the evangelist, who they [...]

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