A blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy
Jesus called the first apostles by means of a three-year intensive, immersive, residential formation. Many of these men were second career students, such as Andrew, Peter, James and John who left their fishing businesses. Our Lord said, “Follow Me,” and they did. They did not look back from the plow, or seek out a shorter, more convenient and easier path into the ministry.
Read MoreWe have now reached the conclusion of a long and sustained inquiry; nine months of research and many tens of thousands of words devoted to a single controversial question. Over the course of our series, we have traced the history of the church’s teaching on this topic and have seen that, for the greater part of that history, her judgment regarding usury was neither tentative nor obscure, but clear and consistent.
So the questions that remain are altogether practical: What are we to do with these findings? How should they be applied? And what conclusions follow for contemporary economic life?
Read MoreRejoice with me, brothers! I have had my best game ever of Hipster Megachurch Pastor Bingo!
Read MoreI recently saw a clip from another such “relevant” LCMS pastor online. George Orwell famously coined the term “two minutes hate.” Well this was “one minute embarrassment.” It was so cringe, that I cannot bear to share the clip with you, or say the guy’s name - even though it was made public.
Read MoreIf there is one communion hymn that virtually everyone in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod knows in some way, it is “I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table.” You might have grown up singing it in a large stone church with clouds of incense, in a little wooden Gothic church in the middle of a cornfield, or in a drywall box at the unspeakably early “traditional” service before the praise band rolls in to take on the late service. You might have even sung it with a praise band. But if you grew up in the LCMS, you almost undoubtedly know it. The repetition of “Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood / Be for my soul the highest good” on every verse certainly helps to cement it in the mind and heart from an early age. I certainly remember singing all fifteen stanzas (on red hymnal Sundays) in my youth.
Read MoreAudio file . . .
Read MoreYes, we live in a culture that is indeed “uncomfortable with feasting.” And the “obesity rate” actually proves it. For that is not “feasting,” but rather “gluttony.” And the confusion dates all the way back to when our Lord was mocked as a “glutton and drunkard” for simply doing what we in South Louisiana do at Mardi Gras: proper feasting.
Read MoreAs usual, although our new video has already been getting some positive reviews and feedback and thanks, we do get criticized for being too this or that. There’s a comment on the blog post you can read for yourself.
Read MoreIn is no surprise that when we stopped praying the Lenten collects, we soon lost the ability to think and speak about fasting in a biblical way. The old maxim has proven true, once again: Lex orandi, lex credendi.
Read MoreToday is the last day of feasting before the Lenten fast. It is known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French). Some Christians are not comfortable with feasting, and are eager to get on with the rigors of Lent. But Jesus calls us to both repent and to fast, but also calls us to rejoice and to feast.
Read MoreThe imposition of ashes is a classic example of an adiaphoron. There is no biblical mandate for, or biblical prohibition against, this rite. Ashes, of course, are biblical. Dust is the substance of Adam’s creation. Reminding our Old Adam that we are dust, and to dust we shall return is biblical. The use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance are biblical. So the rite has biblical overtones, but it is not a mandate (just as Ash Wednesday and Lent itself - not to mention the entire church calendar - are all adiaphora).
Read MoreSeveral weeks after the General Convention of 1869, the following report on its proceedings appeared in print (Der Lutheraner XXVI [1 October 1869], 21): “In six full sessions, the first five theses on lending at interest were discussed in a thorough manner. Unfortunately, there was a lack of time to bring the deliberations concerning the fifth thesis entirely to a conclusion, although in the end only a few raised further objections against it, and each of them was willing to allow himself to be further instructed from God’s Word.”
Read MoreThe palm branches we receive on Palm Sunday are in no way mere props for the Palm Sunday liturgy but are in fact tangible aids to the Christian life of faith and devotion. They are rich in meaning, and hence can feed one's meditation when gazing upon them or passing by where they are displayed in the home or dorm.
Read MoreOne of the great joys of having a Lutheran school is being able to proclaim the Word of God to the students in chapel every day. This can be a difficult thing to navigate, especially as the age and maturity of the students can range so drastically, even in elementary school!
Read MoreIn secular Greek, at the time of the New Testament, the word ekklessia meant an assembly or a gathering. In the New Testament it is used a jargon word that for those who are gathered by God as His people. See, in particular, Acts 2:47, 5:11. 7:38, 8:1, and 9:31. We often translate ekklesia into English as “church, but in English the word “church” is more than just people.
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