Q&A: I know that we are saved by grace apart from works, but how can it be that easy?
I know that we are saved by grace apart from works, but that seems too easy. How can that be how it works? What is grace? Grace is God’s undeserved…
The book of James: Active in using prayer
From Jesus comes an example of how to pray. On the mountaintops and in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed for strength to do his Father’s will. From Jesus also…
A thought: Come, Lord Jesus!
The last few words of the Bible include the words, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Perhaps the woes and distress we note in our world today encourage us to pray for the…
Now thank we all our God!
In 1617 Martin Rinkart, a Lutheran pastor, returned to his hometown of Eilenburg, Saxony, to serve as archdeacon—just as the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) was about to begin. Since Eilenburg…
Upholding biblical values
Ours is a culture in which values seem to be constantly changing. Invariably, the change is in the wrong direction. The traditional values that have served as the common bond…
What it means to be truly Lutheran: Public ministers of the gospel are called to serve
Priests in the Middle Ages had two primary tasks: Correctly perform the sacraments of the church to earn God’s grace on behalf of the people and listen to confession. The…
What it means to be truly Lutheran: The church is believers in Jesus
In Luther’s days, there were differing views about what the church looked like. The Roman Catholic Church considered the one holy church to be the church of Rome. Others, like…
What it means to be truly Lutheran: God’s different work in two kingdoms
There has always been tension between the church and government. At various times and places in history, the government has tried to wipe out the church. At other times, the…
What it means to be truly Lutheran: Vocation: Serving God and others
Monasticism received a lot of attention from Luther and his fellow reformers. They saw that the church promoted this “religious” way of life as the best way to improve a…