Catechism truths from Matthew: The keys and confession
If the hymn “Amazing Grace” were written about Matthew, it would end, “I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was out but now I’m in.” Matthew's experience The Jewish…
Catechism truths from Matthew: The Lord’s Prayer
To be a good listener, it’s good to practice reflective listening. You listen intently to another person’s words to understand their meaning. You then respond by paraphrasing the message in…
Remembering a rite
Imagine a Lutheran pastor beginning a baptism service by blowing three times under the child’s eyes and then commanding the unclean spirit in the child to depart and make room…
Catechism truths from Matthew: The Ten Commandments
At the end of the 13th century, King Edward I of England invaded Scotland. The Scots yearned for a leader to restore their kingdom. They found one in William Wallace,…
The gospel in song
Luther’s first congregational hymn puts the gospel right where it belongs: in the mouths of God’s people. Not everyone rejoiced when Luther’s first congregational hymn “Dear Christians, One and All,…
Q&A: How should I help my child struggling with same-sex attraction?
My child is struggling with same-sex attraction. What should I do? Treat same-sex attraction as a sin, not as THE sin. One of the devil’s tricks is to convince us…
Worth our very lives
The first Lutheran martyrs confirmed that Luther’s doctrine was in fact Christ’s doctrine, worth dying for, and set a courageous example for all Christians who followed them. Jesus once said,…
A heritage of Word and song
Can you imagine a pastor not being able to recite the words of the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostles’ Creed? What would you think of people who identified themselves as…
Catechism truths from Matthew: Apostles’ Creed
Imagine you are one of three thousand in Jerusalem at Pentecost who repent, are baptized, and are gathered by the Spirit into the Christian church—the messianic kingdom of Jesus. An…