Over the past years of my personal study of the Lutheran Confessions, I have noticed something that I think I have often experienced pastors overlooking and also myself overlooked as a pastor, more specifically as a preacher. It is overwhelming in our confessions how often when “sin” is referred to, it is meaning “Sin” or Original/Inherited Sin.  I think this truth often goes overlooked in our preaching.  I have heard many a pastors (specifically us young ones) hammer hard away with the Law preaching against actual sins mainly.  This is like treating the symptoms rather than the disease.  A common   More…

This question came in from a loyal BJS reader: I was dismayed to see that the Association of Downtown Lutheran Churches (http://www.downtownlutheranchurches.org) has both LCMS and ELCA congregations. They are having a conference this weekend at First Lutheran Church of Pasadena, California. Speakers in John Nunes, Greg Seltz and Lee Settgast from the LCMS, a couple of guys from Fuller Seminary and ELCA Southwest Synod Bishop Nelson. I don’t know why the Fuller guys or the ELCA bishop was invited. Bishop Nelson is pictured at http://www.matthewchurch.com/pages/prideparade.html participating in a Gay Pride Parade in West Hollywood in 2009 and he apparently participated   More…

Found on Witness, Mercy, Life Together blog: LCMS President Rev. Matthew C. Harrison explains what we know about the safety of LCMS members and the extent of damage to LCMS congregations and schools as a result of recent storms in the South.

President Harrison’s “Emphasis for the Church” is summed up in three terms, “Witness, Mercy, Life Together” (Martyria, Diakonia, Koinonia are the related Greek terms). The President’s Office has set up a blog, wmlt.org, to carry forward the theme of “Witness, Mercy, Life Together: In Christ, for the Church and the World.” I’m going to be referring to this threefold emphasis in my preaching over the coming weeks, as I start a sermon series on the Book of Acts. So I thought it would be good to have a hymn to accompany the series. I’m aware that there are already a   More…

The Löhe Theological Conference III was announced on the CTSFW website. We’ve added it to Lutheran Calendar. Thanks to a BJS reader and CyberBrethren for bringing this to our attention. Note: you can add The Lutheran Calendar to your website by adding an RSS widget and using URL http://feeds.feedburner.com/BJScalendar for the link. The Löhe Theological Conference III Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne will host the International Löhe Society Theological Conference III July 26-30, 2011. Prof. John T. Pless of the Fort Wayne faculty is the English language co-president of the International Löhe Society. The International Löhe Society meets triennially   More…

One of BJS’s goals is supporting New Media and its use in church or associated organizations. Time Out has produced their first Hymn Video, and here’s a description found on Necessary Roughness describing how it was done written by Dan Engle. This is a bit different than what most people would do, as he’s using vocalists from three separate locations plus the organ track at a fourth location, and combining them using audio editors. It has been a month in the planning and making, but Time Out’s first Hymn Video has been released, coinciding with Episode 115 of the podcast.   More…

Evidently, there is a young pop artists with a succesful song and video called “Friday.” (You can view it here.) My fellow pastor, Stephen Schumacher, passed on to me the parady of it by a local “evangelical” congregation inviting people to Easter services. (You can view it here.) If you need a few brain dead moments, give a listen to it and tell us what you think this says about the state of the church these days.

The group Confessional Lutherans for Christ’s Commission (CLCC) is sponsoring a two-day conference in Minneapolis next week just prior to the Association of Confessional Lutherans conference at the same venue – the Ramada Inn – Mall of America. The CLCC conference is on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4. More details on the conference can be viewed here. The Rev. Dr. Timothy Rossow, Director of the Brothers of John the Steadfast and Administrative Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church and School - Naperville, Illinois, will be speaking on the importance of reducing the size of parish structure. Here is the thesis of his presentation.   More…

People who are trying to communicate with the Minnesota South District of the LCMS about the plan to sell off University Lutheran Chapel are being more or less shut down at every turn. One pastor wrote to the District President and got a reply that said something about how everything should be handled in “decent and good order.” So he ruminated on that and listed 8 things that constitute “decency and good order” in the district. Here are the first four: A task force was formed to discuss these matters in September 2010. The Board of Directors of MN-S apparently   More…

The new LCMS.ORG is now live: BJS reader “Carl Vehse” wrote this: So where did everything go?!? Like the triennial convention proceedings and workbooks, copies of the minutes from the BOD and CCM, old CTCR documents, old and new Handbooks? As you explore the site, you might comment here on how to find things such as the above, or anything else that you can’t find .. perhaps others will be helped by your exploring the site.

Each year our parish (Bethany - Naperville, Illinois) marks the Easter Vigil. It is an abbreviated service, about an hour and a half, not the entire night in vigil. It starts with a procession from a bonfire outside the church and into the dark sanctuary with each member and the men’s choir carrying candles. We also initiate the new paschal candle and as is traditional, confirm the adult catechumens. We offer this example in support of BJS’s goal of promoting the historic liturgy. You may want to look into adding this to your Holy Week spiritual exercise. (We have several other video   More…

Found on Witness, Mercy, Life Together blog; this video is well worth a listen.     Partners in the Gospel Rev. Seltz and LCMS President Harrison Meet Face-to-Face The President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Speaker of The Lutheran Hour radio program are two of the most influential positions throughout the Christian world. The two new men who have moved into these positions within the past year, Rev. Matthew Harrison and Rev. Greg Seltz, got together at the world headquarters of Lutheran Hour Ministries in early March to welcome each other to their new positions, share stories about their   More…

It is raining here in Chicago as I write this, during the first hour of our Lord’s suffering on the cross. I am not sure which is more appropriate to mark His death, a gloomy, rainy day to match the mood of the law or a stark, azure blue-sky day where you just can’t miss him being lifted up on that tree, standing out in dramatic silhouette. Since childhood the phrase “stricken, smitten and afflicted” as always rung in my brain and also in my conscience. Nothing summarizes the mood of this day, neither stark sun nor pelting rain, any   More…

One of the first postings I wrote on BJS had to do with the ongoing pulpit shortage in the LCMS (other Lutherans are suffering from it as well).  It seems like this year’s seminary placement will reflect the same problem again.  I think if I remember it right, the placement of 2008 had something like 32 men unplaced on call night, and the 2010 placement was very similar (I think 2009 placed everyone, correct me if I am wrong).  This year may even be worse. On top of this, there are still a number of ordained men (larger number than   More…

Thanks to BJS reader “A Vicar” for sending this to us for posting. This is in reaction to the “consternation” regarding the publicity of President Meyer’s email to students and staff posted here.   Email from President Dale Meyer: Last Tuesday President Harrison e-mailed a letter to our Board of Regents. This afternoon he asked that I share it with faculty, staff and students, which I am herewith doing. The letter is attached. Dale A. Meyer     April 19,2011 Tuesday of Holy Week, A.D. 2011 Dear Regents of Concordia Seminary, Grace and peace. Earlier today (4/18), I phoned Dale   More…