by Deaconess Betsy Karkan Vocation is perhaps one of the richest, deepest, and most multifaceted doctrines of the Church as well as a gift to those redeemed by Christ! In vocation, the Christian understands the stations and callings in life (as Martin Luther titled them) as gifts that God has given to His children in… Read More >
The Incarnation of Christ
by Rev. James Lee As Lutherans, when we speak about the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, we often concentrate on His passion—His suffering and death—and resurrection. Jesus dying in our stead and rising to life from the grave: these are the center of the Church’s proclamation of justification. Yet, in our focus on… Read More >
Life Sunday
by Katie Schuermann “[W]ith an unusual passion they slaughter their own children like butchers.” Luther’s Works, Volume 17.272 “To date,” Pastor Schmidt preached from the pulpit, “an estimated 58 million children have been aborted in this country.” Claire, sitting in the seventh pew on the lectern side of the nave, rolled her eyes. There… Read More >
Luther’s Translation of the Bible
by Rev. Jason Lane Among his many contributions to the church, Luther also transformed and ennobled the German language through his translation of the Bible. In an open letter On Translating (1530), Luther was well aware of his contribution to the language and to the theological discourse of his day. He even taught his… Read More >
Adiaphora in the Lutheran Confessions
by Rev. Mark Bestul “Adiaphora” – it’s both a loved and “loaded” term these days, isn’t it? It defends from images of strict legalism, while painting images of “every congregation for herself.” The oft-quoted remark of Luther that sinners are like a drunk peasant who falls out of one side of the saddle, then the… Read More >
The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
by Rev. Aaron Moldenhauer Martin Luther stood before the Holy Roman Emperor at the Diet of Worms in 1521. A stack of Luther’s books stood on the table in front of him. The chair of the meeting asked him if he acknowledged that these books were his, and if he wished to confess his books… Read More >
Bible Study with Luther: Galatians 1:6-20
by Rev. Paul Doellinger In his great work The Bondage of the Will, Luther writes, “A man must delight in assertions or he will be no Christian. And by assertion…I mean a constant, adhering, affirming, confessing, maintaining, and an invincible preserving…Nothing is better known or more common among Christians than assertions. Take away assertions and… Read More >
Albrecht Dürer’s “Adoration of the Magi”
by Deaconess Carolyn Brinkley In 1517 when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Albrecht Dürer’s magnificent painting, Adoration of the Magi, hung just inside the church mere feet away. Thirteen years earlier Frederick the Wise had commissioned Dürer to paint the masterpiece for the Schlosskirche altar. The… Read More >
Luther’s Flood Prayer
by Rev. Dr. Mark Birkholz One of my seminary professors would often assign us to write prayers on our exams. It was not a worship class, or a class about prayer. He wisely recognized that if we truly understood our theology and knew how to apply it, then we would be able to take what… Read More >
Charity
by Rev. Matthew Zickler During the Christmas season, the call for charity rings every time we step out of a store into the din of the bells of the Salvation Army. If you’re like me, you feel a pang of guilt every time you walk by those bell ringers and don’t contribute at least a dollar… Read More >