“How do Lutherans feel about Jesus’ ministry of healing and casting out of demons?” I answered, “That scares most of us and we ignore it as much as possible.” | more »
Theology
Such spontaneous outbursts may make us uncomfortable in the extreme. We don't know how we should respond. | more »
Must you choose either faith or science, or are they different disciplines that can strengthen each other? | more »
My community based on the book of Ruth exists only in my imagination. Were it to be translated into a reality, it would be like any other faith community: imperfect. | more »
What you’re saying doesn’t apply to me. I’m not sick. I’m not a sinner. | more »
Jesus had a tendency to work a miracle and then tell the healed ones to keep quiet about it. | more »
Whether we rejoice or mourn, some things — and the experience of God’s presence or absence is most surely among them — are simply beyond us. | more »
What of us? Are we ready to let the fresh air of the Holy Spirit blow through our house and change our lives? | more »
The one who was out was now in; the one who was low was made high; the one who was nobody became somebody. | more »
It is Mary’s story that most reminds me of the bravely awkward teenagers of today. | more »
Eventually it came out that this is a big issue for our students who are struggling with what it means to be a “witness” for Jesus in a diverse world. | more »
If you’re trying to go somewhere, get from here to there, a straightforward, readable map is exactly what you need. | more »
We tread here as one at the border of the thing itself, transfixed: One seeking
but a moment within the deeper mystery.
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The church is called to talk to anyone who is seeking to know and understand God’s love. That call is to all of us. | more »
This is no time to run and hide. It isn’t time to be caught asleep or medicating ourselves with escapist self-indulgence. | more »
It is not important that we get the world to come to the church. Our calling is to bring the thirsty and the water of life together. | more »
When sin is forgiven, conflict resolved and broken relationships restored, it is God — not us — who makes all things new. | more »
The story of what God is doing in the world through Jesus and his followers can’t be contained in one book, or two, or 102 or more. | more »
Jesus calls us to “agape,” self-sacrificial love. This is love that has to do with how we act toward one another, not how we feel about each other. | more »
“Those who are still afraid of men have no fear of God and those who have fear of God have ceased to be afraid of men.” | more »
What’s a working preacher to do? | more »
We are left with a God who seems to love both saints and sinners, which means we are both comforted and confronted in the aftermath of tragedy in Boston. | more »
The hearing of the Shepherd’s voice is not the difficult part in all this. Just hearing the voice is not enough. | more »
The signs of resurrection and new life were at first so small, it was easy to miss them — and to dismiss them. | more »
“God’s work. Our hands.” is not just a tag line or even a mission statement. It is, instead, the story of God’s reforming work in the world. | more »
Like those first disciples surprised by the empty tomb, we can instead get lost in that past moment of time. | more »
Some who saw the risen Christ still doubted, while others, who have never seen him, believe fervently. | more »
One of the persistent questions we ask when we approach the Passion story is “why?” | more »
Proclaiming the good news should go beyond sanctuary walls to reach those who don't yet believe. | more »
But we were all afraid of following Jesus at one time or another. We just didn't take such drastic measures as Judas did. | more »
Mary discovered that things had changed, the tomb was empty, the body was missing, and angels were lurking about. She had come upon the greatest “but God” moment of them all. | more »
The recent election of Pope Francis has been an inspiration for a new beginning that he has already stirred among many people. | more »
The image of the real Jesus has been obscured by time and cultural shifts and “preacherly” reinterpretation. | more »
March’s Old Testament readings are leading us on a journey together into the heart of an ancient sage who is both prophet and poet. | more »
There are a couple of reasons for the stunned reaction on the part of the group, one that is spoken of in the text and one that is not. | more »
In these sermons, Luther spoke on the values of Christianity — love, patience, charity and freedom. Here is but a sampling of what he had to say in those Lenten sermons. | more »
When absolution is pronounced, it is pronounced on behalf of God. It draws us out of the echo chamber of our own inner feelings and into relationship. | more »
These stories remind us to never give up when we feel lost in the universe for God is always out there looking for us. | more »
I keep thinking that because we are made in the image of God we stamp God’s presence on the world like a typewriter stamps an image on a piece of paper. | more »
He had given up fast food for Lent but ate at Burger King and got food poisoning. I told him his worst sin was blaming God for fast food. | more »
Jesus was able to face down Herod the fox because he had faith in the God of promise. | more »
But maybe I’m more like Peter than I care to admit. I like my comfort zone. I like to revel in great experiences. | more »
We let our secrets tumble out, and fall on the mercy of God. It is the beginning of our Lenten disciplines. | more »
Who we think we are shapes how we think we are entitled or obliged to behave. | more »
The goal should go beyond merely raising enough money to pay the bills. | more »
Around the globe, Christians will likely remember these early events as reported in Luke 2:22-40. In fact, it is one of the most ancient feasts of the Christian church. | more »
Just because you teach spiritual truth through the use of a story doesn’t mean the story isn’t factual. It just means that sometimes the facts are beside the point. | more »
It is good to identify people in the community who exhibit qualities of wisdom. They seem to be attuned to lasting patterns of meaningful life and purpose. | more »
In the end, it is simply this: The call is from God. This call to speak as Jeremiah did — loving the people enough to call them to account. | more »
John Bunyan was honored, but his teachings are now ignored. Is this the way it is with the church today, remembering Jesus but forgetting his message? | more »
Look other members of Christ’s body in the eye and realize the unity to be found in him, says Martin Marty. | more »
God cares about our reputations, both the way others talk about us and the way we think and talk about ourselves. | more »
Our identity as Christian people flows directly out of Jesus’ identity as the Christ of God, what we are called to do follows directly on what Jesus was called to. | more »
Jesus took good things from the past and transformed them, changed them, into other good things for the future. | more »
The unchained gospel is as scary to us as an unchained Django was to virtually everyone he came across. | more »
Epiphany is one of my favorite church festivals. It evokes an assorted set of memories. | more »
Too often too many of us act as though we have been baptized with John’s baptism only, redeemed from the past, but not empowered for the future. | more »
I find myself thinking of those wise men, those magi, those kings and I find myself wondering about what stirred in their hearts to compel them to risk so much. | more »
Simeon is asking to die. He is ready. He is willing, perhaps even eager. | more »
“Christ must above all things become our own and we become his, before we can do good works.” | more »
The Easter vigil is where we await the resurrection, where God brings life out of death. But Christmas Eve is a different sort of vigil. | more »
Today we get Jesus in the temple and it’s a good story, an important story for today because Luke is trying to tell us who this Jesus really was. | more »
When we give ourselves over to the miracle that is God’s love in the world, we find ourselves with a story to tell and a song to sing. | more »
Have there been times when you sought forgiveness out of fear of judgment and reprisal and other times when you sought it with a heart filled with God? How were the results different? You might also want to read: True... | more »
Christians whose hearts have been broken and filled with God’s love and spirit do not have to decide to bear fruit worthy of repentance. It just happens. | more »
Where is, as Delmer Chilton writes, “that place where we wrestle with our demons and look deeply into the face of God and discover our mission, our calling?” You might also want to read: Wilderness nourishment Repent! Where is our... | more »
There is no place on earth to find the peace we are looking for. There is no place on earth the peace of God in Christ cannot find us. | more »
Weather conversation helps us sort out memories and pass on stories that help us to pass on history. We have parables around us all of the time. | more »
Instead of speculating about suffering or damnation, perhaps we should hold fast to Christ’s promise that he returns out of love for us. | more »
Advent is the season of waiting. Sometimes waiting patiently; other times waiting quite impatiently. | more »
In what ways are the elements of the present world and Jesus’ kingdom “not of this world” combined in your daily life? You might also want to read: Citizens of two kingdoms What’s your plan? Mustard seed faith... | more »
We are called to look past the daily to see the eternal; to stare into the face of the truly human to perceive there the image of the truly divine. | more »
Perhaps the best way to nurture prayer in a congregation is to simply stop and pray. Stop talking about prayer and begin praying at every opportunity. | more »
Jesus is inviting us to stand up to our enemies, to not hit back, but not run away, neither fight nor flight. | more »
The Scripture readings today talk about the art of having faith in a world gone mad, of seeing God's hand in the wild whirlwind of life around us. | more »
These two stories are not only about widows, they are about putting your complete trust in God as well. | more »
You’re Lutheran, you say? What is that? What does that mean? | more »
The Christ of the past is not dead; he is not even past. He lives, and because he lives, all the saints live also. | more »
Worse than steamed broccoli without cheese sauce or the thing that lived under our beds as children. Mention works and people might just flash-mob confess. | more »
People don’t know our language. And they are not running out to get a religious Rosetta Stone course in order to learn it. | more »
But Jesus isn't giving just one more thing for the rich young man to do. Jesus is giving the man something impossible for him to do. | more »
There is a new resource available to help pastors walk parents and sponsors through the various parts of baptism. | more »
All three of our Scripture lessons make reference to the offense of the cross, the suffering and death of Jesus offered as a sacrifice and a ransom for our souls. | more »
Praying periodically throughout the day reorients us and corrects our worldly trajectories. | more »
The rich young ruler's whole world view, his entire way of looking at how the world works, has been turned upside down and inside out. | more »
As we look around the world for God, God is often difficult to see, difficult to pin down. | more »
We like to fantasize about pews packed with believers in total agreement. That's not going to happen until the second coming of Christ. | more »
Whatever (or whomever) you have at the core of your heart exerts huge influence over your choices. | more »
For you and me, the kind of taking away or cutting off that Jesus speaks of is one that leads not to less but to more. | more »
We all have good intentions. We all want to be better people than we are. What’s stopping us? What is our downfall? | more »
Then Jesus did a monumentally important thing in the history of the church. There, on the spot, he invented the children's sermon. | more »
If you were given a chance to sit down with Martin Luther for five minutes, what would you ask him? Would you ask about his theology or, perhaps, his personal life? What question would he ask you? You might also... | more »
May Holy Cross Day agitate you into remembering that God loves you. | more »
Giving our lives to Christ is neither glorious nor spectacular. It’s done in little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. | more »
The further Jesus goes in his ministry the deeper his understanding of his mission becomes. | more »
The goal of the law is to remind us that we have a human being inside, in our hearts, in our souls, in our center of being. | more »
Choose this day. Decide. As Bob Dylan said in the song, “You gotta serve somebody.” Who’s it going to be? | more »
I know first-hand what an unexpected pregnancy does to a family — at least to my family — at least to me. | more »
How are we to understand this? What are we to make of such language? What is John trying to tell us with all these “bread” stories? | more »
We must listen carefully and hear God say to us, “Arise and eat. I know who you are and what you’ve done and failed to do and I love you anyway.” | more »
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Bruce Roberts: “It is discouraging to be a discussant in The LivingLutheran” | more »
Rogan: “When this discussion turns to the making the belief in” | more »
Bruce Roberts: “Dear Tim, Well I was/am a boy scout; an Eagle.” | more »
Ken: “Correction to the above--I don't know how that space got” | more »
Peter: “It sounds like there are two main changes you propose” | more »