Hymn Summary: Lent 3

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Lord of Our Life and God of Our Salvation – LSB 659

Lent 3/Oculi (1 year) AND Proper 7 (A) (3 year)

Jesus Christ, the Lord who has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Christ is the one who defeats Satan, the accuser, and helps his saints (Revelation 12:10). Though they are surrounded by foes with unfurled banners, yet the Lord’s banner of love waves over his Church (Song of Solomon 2:4) and preserves her. Though darkness surrounds the believers, his light of the gospel shines through the darkness. Though the Church is assaulted by devils, still the Lord’s armor (Ephesians 6) defends her. This hymn is unusual in that the second stanza of the text is sturdy and loud; the text then tapers off from billows to prayers for peace. He brings his peace to our hearts, to the Church, to the world, and to the fullness of heaven.

Rev. Thomas E. Lock serves as Kantor/Assistant Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Denver, Colorado.

Fallacious Fallacies in Arguing for Women's Ordination

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Fallacious Fallacies in Arguing for Women's Ordination

Jesus is the friend of sinners—all sinners—so pastors should not avoid those whom God’s crushing law sets before them, but continue to grow in what the Word in fact teaches in these matters, courageously set this before a community (perhaps by writing spirited letters to the editor in the local paper), and preach, teach, counsel, and exhort accordingly. God in Christ Jesus will do the rest.

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Ecclesiastical Discipline Necessary to Preserve the Gospel

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Ecclesiastical Discipline Necessary to Preserve the Gospel

Excerpt: No amount of rhetoric can cover over the problem that confronts The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Hermann Sasse wrote, “Just as a man whose kidneys no longer eliminate poisons which have accumulated in the body will die, so the church will die which can no longer eliminate heresy.”3 I, for one, am grateful that President Harrison does not want the LCMS of 2015 to become what the ULCA of the 1920’s became.

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Congress on the Lutheran Confessions

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The Association of Confessional Lutherans and The Luther Academy are in the process of planning the next 

Congress on the Lutheran Confessions 

ACL National Free Conference 26

Luther Academy Lecture Series 22

 

April 15 - 17, 2015

Ramada Mall of America

Bloomington (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota

Congress Theme: 

MARRIAGE, SEX, and GENDER in the LUTHERAN CHURCH TODAY

—IN LIGHT OF THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS—

Topics and Speakers (alphabetical):

Canaan or Israel? The Old Testament’s Doctrine of Marriage in the Pentateuch and the Prophets
— Rev. Steven Briel

Cohabiting Couples in the Congregation: Pastoral Ministry and Church Discipline from a Confessional Lutheran Perspective
— Rev. Jonathan Fisk

Marriage and the Family in the Lutheran Confessions 
— Mr. Tim Goeglein

Women’s Ordination and Congregational Roles Revisited: Can the Confessional Lutheran Synods Hold the Line?
— Rev. Brent Kuhlman

Divorce and Remarriage in the Parish and the Parsonage
— Rev. Brian Saunders

Women’s Ordination: More Than Bible Passages
— Dr. David Scaer

Same-Sex Marriage: The Challenges of its U.S. Legalization for Pastors and Congregations
— Mark Stern, Esq.

Luther: What is Marriage Really? 
— Rev. Paul Strawn

Homosexuals in the Congregation: Pastoral Ministry and Church Discipline from a Confessional Lutheran Perspective 
— Dr. Gary Zieroth

Banquet: Roses and Thorns: Advice Toward a Long and Happy Marriage
— Rev. Rolf Preus 

 

 

Questions, Information: TheACL@TheACL.org

Living in the Light of the Last Day

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Living in the Light of the Last Day

Living in the light, not the shadow of the Last Day, does not mean that all the questions evaporate or the voice of lament is prematurely silenced. We walk in the light that God gives us in his Son, that is, we walk by faith, not sight. We are enabled to confess with the hymn writer “what God ordains is always good” and that there is no poison in the cup my good physician sends me. Amen.

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An Eternal Gospel to Proclaim

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An Eternal Gospel to Proclaim

We are here today to do what Lutherans have done for generations, that is, celebrate the Reformation of the church which a 33 year-old priest ignited on October 31, 1517 when he tacked his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Of course whether you are a Christian or not, you can’t escape the significance of the Reformation. It is an important chapter in Western history; yes, in world history.

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Rudolf Bultmann: A Biography

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Rudolf Bultmann: A Biography

Bultmann is inevitable. He was the theological progenitor of many and the bête-noire of still more. Knowledge of his writings is indispensable for understanding twentieth-century exegesis, whether of the synoptic gospels, John, or Paul. His seminar students included everyone from Ernst Käsemann to Hannah Arendt. He was the sometime friend and constant interlocutor of Heidegger and of Barth. Although a confessional Lutheran may bemoan this fact, he is one of the previous century’s most important theologians.

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Review: Martin Luther: Preacher of the Cross

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Review: Martin Luther: Preacher of the Cross

From the Review: "Pless is faithful to Luther’s theology of preaching and pastoral care of the terrified soul. This little book is essential for every pastor because it is nothing if not practical for a variety of pastoral needs. . . . This book will make you a better theologian and a better preacher because it draws you closer to Luther, the Confession, and our Lord Christ Himself as you study Holy Scripture."

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FiveTwo's Use of Language—What Does This Mean?

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FiveTwo's Use of Language—What Does This Mean?

The Rev. Matthew Harrison, President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has said on more than one occasion that a pastor "wear out his shoes" as he lives among the people that, and the community in which, God has called him to serve. Harrison's point is this: the chief task of the man who answers God's call to the Office of the Holy Ministry is to be with his people, serving them with God's means of grace.

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