“The Lord’s Prayer in the Lord’s Passion” is the theme of the Lenten devotion that Steadfast Lutherans has put together this year. The following sermon addresses the Conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer. For further reflection, read The Large Catechism, III. … Continue reading
Many Christians unfortunately believe a certain strange doctrine at the deathbeds of their loved ones. Perhaps this doctrine already has a name, though if it does I’m not aware of it. I shall call it Optative Semi-Universalism (OSU for short). … Continue reading
“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 34:11). Do you fear the Lord? “Why would I fear the Lord?” someone might say. “The Lord says that he is ‘a God merciful … Continue reading
Very beautiful is the statement of Augustine in which he says of his mother Monica that she bound her soul with the chain of faith to that sacrifice which is dispensed in the Lord’s Supper so that neither lion nor … Continue reading
Adam did battle with Satan in the Garden Paradise and lost. It was a no-contest, really. By the time round two came around, Eden had been a distant memory and Satan had home-field advantage. The desert wilderness couldn’t have been … Continue reading
In Junior Confirmation, we read through the Old Testament. We didn’t get very far before I was having trouble. In Genesis 5, we hit “the begats.” “The begats” is a listing of the generations from Adam to Noah. They were … Continue reading
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss … Continue reading
If something is wrong, it is not hate speech to say so. Problem is, it’s getting harder and harder to agree on what “wrong” is. If the great evil of Postmodernism has its way—the loss of the objective—we will eventually … Continue reading
We live in a highly individualistic age, an age which fancies itself tolerant. The sad description of Israel under the Judges could equally well be said about our selfish generation. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone … Continue reading
Don’t get me wrong. Deathbed conversions do happen. And when they do we rejoice and thank God the Holy Spirit for having worked such a miracle on the cusp of eternity. Please do not think I am denying the reality … Continue reading
(Luther, “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector”) Sometimes the most simple and obvious things are also the most profound. We often go to great lengths to find comfort, to improve our situation in life, to find peace. … Continue reading
We live in a culture of death. Everybody hides it. They hide their destruction of life beneath the pleasures of sex. They hide the murder of their loved ones beneath the supposed mercy of ending pain. They hide the murder … Continue reading