A blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy
Then they brought little children to Jesus, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
Read MoreSt. Luke 8:4-15, the Gospel for tomorrow (Sexagesima Sunday), depicts a sower scattering seed. Jesus notes that some cannot understand or accept the word He is sowing. St. Chrysostom offers an interesting perspective on the surprising good that can follow from the righteous living alongside the wicked:
Read MoreThis thought occurred to me: Never, when we are at prayer, is there ever the remotest thought of praying with levity or jocularity. Never is humor added as if to maintain the attention of people who might be silently praying along. Never in the prayers of the church, or for that matter, in personal prayers, is humor thought to be a helpful ingredient.
Read More"Rest in Power" has become a trendy slogan for Leftists in response to when someone, usually a celebrity, politician, or someone politically useful, dies. This is, of course, a parody of the ancient Christian prayer and confession "May (he or she) rest in peace" (requiescat in pace) that is said when a believer dies.
Read MoreThe Feast of Candlemas (the Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of Mary) is always set on February 2nd. It is a First Class Feast of our Lord.
Read MoreThe primary purpose of our acolyte corp is to enhance the worship service with order and dignity. Acolytes are servants who provide a real service to the congregation. They do benefit from being acolytes but those benefits are secondary. It is not what drives them. Their guiding principle is to be reverent and to serve as examples to the congregation. The secondary purposes of our acolyte corp are to train men for the Ministry, to encourage and catechize the boys of the congregation in the faith, and to provide comradery among them.
Read MoreIn this unbelievable trial it was Abraham’s sole consolation that he knew he had a command from God. He surely would not have fled from the plague or from many thousands of Turks, because his heart held fast to this confidence: ‘I believe in God Almighty.’ But what are 10,000 Turks in comparison with Almighty God? Therefore he does not delay at this point, but he immediately takes hold of the command and is ready to carry out the sacrifice. We should learn to understand this power of the Word of God — this power which the Holy Spirit is wont to exalt so much that He makes it greater than every creature, hell, death, and the good and bad angels.
Read MoreThe search feature for the Gottesblog has been made more accessible.
Read MoreConcordia Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario has done the Church a great service by publishing a new, expanded edition of Rev. Kurt Reinhardt’s poetry entitled My Light and My Salvation. My Lighty and My Salvation, expanded edition
Read MoreThis sermon was preached at a prayer service on January 20, 2021 by Fr. Roberto Rojas of Zion Lutheran Church in Winter Garden, Florida.
Read MoreC. F. W. Walther was the first president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the President of Concordia Seminary, and the pastor of a number of parishes in St. Louis. The following is from an editorial he wrote for the predecessor of our periodical The Lutheran Witness:
Read MoreWe are all desperate to be done with Covid, but we must proceed with caution. To that end, Dr. Gifford Grobien has compiled his research on the two currently FDA approved vaccines and agreed to let us share it here.
Read More“People shouldn’t call for demons unless they really mean what they say.” In The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis’s final volume in The Chronicles of Narnia, the enemies of Narnia promote a false teaching that Aslan, the great Lion and true King of Narnia, is the same as Tash, the wicked vulture-like god of the Calormenes. It eventually becomes clear that they have no problem equating the two beings because they believe in neither of them. But then, invoked by these enemies of truth, Tash shows up:
Read MoreThere is a reason why Homer’s “Trojan Horse” has become a metaphor in nearly every language. Nearly every invasion of diabolical, revolutionary ideas comes by invitation rather than by frontal assault.
Read MoreNote: this essay appeared in Gottesdienst (the print journal) in the Michaelmas 2020 issue. Today would have been my son’s sixteenth birthday, and so I would like to share this with our readers today.
Read MoreThe first Sunday that follows the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord always causes a slight struggle within me. The struggle is this. What should be observed on that Sunday: The First Sunday after Epiphany or The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord?
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