The world is always evil, but as age gives way to age, the spirit of the age chooses different evils to emphasize. Today’s preachers of the Church must bring the Word to bear on today’s evils.
Read MoreFilter by Author
- Guest Author 100
- Ben Ball 119
- Larry Beane 526
- Travis Berg 5
- Jason Braaten 225
- Fr. Mark Braden 44
- John Bussman 57
- Heath Curtis 407
- Sean Daenzer 11
- Anthony Dodgers 39
- Burnell Eckardt 432
- Gottesdienst Editorial 18
- Karl Fabrizius 22
- Stefan Gramenz 20
- Adam Koontz 7
- David Petersen 172
- Stephen Preus 5
- The Priestman 1
- Evan Scamman 5
- Jonathan Shaw 12
- John Stephenson 43
- Rick Stuckwisch 84
- William Weedon 47
Filter by Category
- Adiaphora 11
- Advent 4
- Announcements 22
- Bible 12
- Catechesis 9
- Celibacy 1
- Church Fellowship 4
- Culture 27
- Death & Dying 5
- Doctrine & Practice 25
- Donor Drive 3
- Eighth Commandment 1
- Feasts & Festivals 6
- Gender 3
- Historic Lectionary 14
- Hymns 4
- Lifehacks 2
- Liturgy 37
- Luther 5
- Marriage 5
- Ministry 14
- Music 7
- Pastoral care 11
- Polity 13
- Prayer 2
- Preaching 34
- Quote 3
- Rites/Ceremonies 13
- Sabre of Boldness 1
- Saints 8
- Sanctoral Calendar 10
- Satire 3
- Sermon 27
- Synod 21
- Theology 16
Filter by Month
- April 2024 12
- March 2024 18
- February 2024 11
- January 2024 18
- December 2023 19
- November 2023 13
- October 2023 15
- September 2023 23
- August 2023 12
- July 2023 21
- June 2023 13
- May 2023 16
- April 2023 9
- March 2023 14
- February 2023 18
- January 2023 26
- December 2022 17
- November 2022 16
- October 2022 19
- September 2022 21
- August 2022 25
- July 2022 19
- June 2022 24
- May 2022 15
- April 2022 26
- March 2022 29
- February 2022 20
- January 2022 24
- December 2021 23
- November 2021 18
- October 2021 26
- September 2021 20
- August 2021 25
- July 2021 13
- June 2021 24
- May 2021 14
- April 2021 22
- March 2021 15
- February 2021 21
- January 2021 20
- December 2020 26
- November 2020 22
- October 2020 30
- September 2020 17
- August 2020 12
- July 2020 10
- June 2020 17
- May 2020 14
- April 2020 13
- March 2020 24
- February 2020 18
- January 2020 17
- December 2019 16
- November 2019 27
- October 2019 23
- September 2019 32
- August 2019 21
- July 2019 8
- June 2019 13
- May 2019 18
- April 2019 11
- March 2019 17
- February 2019 10
- January 2019 15
- December 2018 26
- November 2018 29
- October 2018 17
- September 2018 25
- August 2018 34
- July 2018 6
- June 2018 1
- May 2018 4
- April 2018 3
- March 2018 3
- February 2018 4
- January 2018 5
- December 2017 3
- November 2017 3
- October 2017 6
- September 2017 1
- August 2017 5
- July 2017 1
- June 2017 4
- April 2017 2
- March 2017 1
- February 2017 7
- January 2017 2
- November 2016 6
- October 2016 3
- September 2016 2
- August 2016 7
- July 2016 8
- June 2016 3
- May 2016 4
- April 2016 2
- March 2016 4
- January 2016 5
- December 2015 5
- November 2015 6
- October 2015 6
- September 2015 3
- August 2015 1
- July 2015 4
- June 2015 4
- May 2015 2
- April 2015 2
- March 2015 4
- February 2015 5
- January 2015 6
- December 2014 3
- November 2014 5
- October 2014 6
- September 2014 5
- August 2014 7
- July 2014 3
- June 2014 7
- May 2014 8
- April 2014 7
- March 2014 9
- February 2014 9
- January 2014 9
- December 2013 11
- November 2013 7
- October 2013 2
- September 2013 2
- August 2013 22
- July 2013 12
- June 2013 16
- May 2013 14
- April 2013 18
- March 2013 29
- February 2013 17
- January 2013 15
- December 2012 30
- November 2012 18
- October 2012 14
- September 2012 24
- August 2012 11
- July 2012 14
- June 2012 11
- May 2012 28
- April 2012 15
- March 2012 46
- February 2012 25
- January 2012 11
- December 2011 10
- November 2011 11
- October 2011 21
- September 2011 12
- August 2011 22
- July 2011 10
- June 2011 3
- May 2011 20
- April 2011 19
- March 2011 21
- February 2011 22
- January 2011 23
- December 2010 31
- November 2010 15
- October 2010 16
- September 2010 12
- August 2010 6
- July 2010 21
- June 2010 5
- May 2010 13
- April 2010 18
- March 2010 8
- February 2010 3
- January 2010 4
- December 2009 3
- November 2009 9
- October 2009 7
- September 2009 15
- August 2009 18
- July 2009 11
- June 2009 8
- May 2009 23
- April 2009 2
Explanation of Closed Communion on Gaudete Sunday
Read More
To be sure, the Creator and creature are different, but – especially at this time of year! – we can rejoice in the fact that we shouldn’t draw such a sharp distinction between God and man that the rest of the Scriptures are at odds with a crude understanding of that bare statement.
Read More
Find yourself sowing in the spirit. Find yourself, receiving His word with joy. Even in the midst of terrible, evil, wicked things. There is still joy. Because Jesus Christ reigns. The church sings, “What God ordains is always good: This truth remains unshaken. Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken. I fear no harm, For with His arm He shall embrace and shield me; So to my God I yield me.” (LSB 760:6)
Read More
The chief article of our doctrine must come to our help, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent into the world by the Father, suffered and died for us and thereby reconciled and moved the Father to grace, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, pleading our cause as our Savior and as our constant Mediator and Intercessor interceding for us who can not of ourselves have or obtain this perfect purity and good conscience. Therefore through Him we can say before God: Although I am not pure and cannot have a good conscience, yet I cleave to Him who possesses perfect purity and good conscience and offers them for me, indeed, gives them to me.
Read More
In this week’s Thinking Out Loud (Trinity Sunday), I had asked Fr. Petersen why John 3 had been the appointed Gospel for The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Not having readily available by memory this history of this feast, we embarked upon some sanctified speculation. An astute listener e-mailed me with the following from Fred Lindemann, in volume three of his The Sermon and the Propers:
Read More
If the leaders will not lead with the truth, why should the people take a stand on the truth?
Read More
Given the current climate that Christians face in this world—a world that has lost its mind—here is a little sanity. It is a good reminder of what the task of the church in general, and her ministers specifically, are charged, yes, commanded, to be, do, and say. “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart (have courage, be bold, speak plainly and forthrightly), for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4—5)? We have overcome the world. Let us act like it!
Read More
After recording the Thinking Out Loud podcast on Sexagesima with Fr. Petersen, I thought I’d put some words to paper as some more food for thought. If it gets the writing juices flowing great. So use it all. Use some. Or use none of it.
Read More
The preacher matters because God chooses to have His Word proclaimed by men who have hearts, minds, souls, and strengths that should be entirely given over to His purposes.
Read More
“It is a very rare blessing for godly priests to have a safe and quiet place where they may teach. It is an extraordinary gift, which the devil, the most malevolent enemy of God and the salvation of man, often obstructs and disturbs. But where there is such harmony that the princes of a land honor, protect, and support ministers for spreading abroad spiritual things, one may truly say that a paradise of the world is there. But if ministers are despised, ridiculed, and treated with contempt, as happened to Isaiah and other Prophets, although they were most excellent and faithful teachers, it is the surest evidence of God’s wrath and of impending disasters; for contempt of so great a blessing as is tendered to men by godly ministers has never gone unpunished.”
Read More
A lawyer, desiring to justify himself, asked our Lord, “And who is my neighbor.” And our Lord, desiring to justify the lawyer, flipped the question around and asked him, “Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Read More
To go along with the new podcast episodes on sermon preparation, I’ve put together some notes (some from my own hand and some from one of Petersen’s sermons on the text) for Trinity 12. Use some, all, or none of it. But maybe it will just get the sermon writing juices flowing.
Read More
When Petersen and I sat down to record his thoughts on fostering a preaching renewal in the pulpits of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, it immediately became clear that this was a project that was going to be done by real pastors in their studies, pastors who are committed to perhaps the most central task of the pastor.
Read More
One of the candidates for synod president released his four-point campaign platform. One of his planks is that we need to “Improve Law Gospel Preaching.”
Read More