by Rev. Michael Schuermann The seventh article in the Formula of Concord deals chiefly with the controversy stirred up within the churches of the Lutheran confession by the Sacramentarians. According to the Christian Cyclopedia (link: http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=s&word=SACRAMENTARIAN), the term “Sacramentarian” was “applied by Martin Luther to Hulrich Zwingli, Johannes Oecolampadius, and others (cf. St. L. ed.,… Read More >
A Kingdom of the Word and Faith, Part II
by Rev. A. Brian Flamme The devil hates and attacks the kingdom of grace. He stands in opposition with his weapons of the flesh, sin, and death. Therefore, Jesus wants us to pray that the kingdom that he purchased by his blood and resurrected life, that he extends to the ends of the earth by… Read More >
A Kingdom of the Word and Faith, Part I
by Rev. A. Brian Flamme Praying for a kingdom seems a bit strange for citizens of the 21st century. We’re used to parliaments, congresses, representatives, and presidents. In our minds kings and kingdoms seem more at home in the distant past and fairy tales. Even in countries with a royal family and aristocracy, they exist… Read More >
Luther’s Letters
by Rev. Matthew Zickler Those who have read Luther’s public writings might have a certain perception of what they would expect his other works to look like. In these public writings, Luther took on such opponents as the pope, the Anabaptists and Zwingli among others. In these works, Luther often gets the reputation for being… Read More >
Bible Study with Luther: Galatians 5:16-26
by Rev. Jesse Burns St. Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free (5:1).” Because of the forgiveness of sins, received from Christ Jesus, the Christian is declared righteous before God. One does not need to look to works of the law in order to have a clear conscience before God. Through faith in… Read More >
Lutheran Advent Traditions
by Dcs. Betsy Karkan At a time when much of the world is frantically gift shopping, putting up Christmas lawn decorations and anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus, Christians around the world are observing the liturgical season of Advent. From the Latin word for “coming”, Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation for the… Read More >
“The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us”
by Mr. Jonathan A. Swett The uplifting expression of faith and joy at Christ’s second coming in “The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us” (LSB 514) by Johann Walter and Michael Praetorius reminds us that there is meaningful history in so many of our great Lutheran hymns. You may recall that Walter is affectionately known as… Read More >
Christian Freedom
by Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mumme How free can one be? According to Martin Luther, human beings can be fully free toward God and toward one another. This freedom means a rightly ordered existence, lived outside of oneself, with God and others. “[A] Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and his neighbor. …… Read More >
Albrecht Dürer’s Four Horsemen
by Dcs. Carolyn Brinkley Powerful, intriguing, and terrifying! The Four Horseman woodcut is from Albrecht Dürer’s Apocalypse series published in Nuremberg in 1511. The scene evokes a feeling of unstoppable devastation. It is almost as if the surging horses will leap from the printed page and the viewer will be caught in their path of… Read More >
Bible Study with Luther: Galatians 5:7-15
by Rev. Paul Doellinger Instead of preaching the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation by grace through faith in Christ, apart from works of the Law (Gal. 3:16), the false teachers in Galatia were peddling a religion of works based on the Law. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul is deeply concerned that the church… Read More >