The LCMS

Teach Us To Pray

Our Lord bids us to pray, but where do we start? by Gregg Hein It is bedtime. My younger children–ages 10, 8 and 5–have just finished jostling for position to brush and spit and complete the rest of the routine. The obligatory debate about whose room we’ll be praying in tonight is set-tled by my

Q and A

by Rev. Dr. Jerald C. Joersz Q: In both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, we confess that Jesus “rose again” from the dead. English versions of the Bible also say in a few passages that Jesus rose again (e.g., Mark 8:31 and 1 Thess. 4:14). Doesn’t this imply that Jesus rose a second time? Why not

Blossoms All Around

by Rev. Dr. Greg Wismar “The flowers in church today are given to the glory of God by . . .” For most churches, having a weekly display of flowers in the chancel is a virtual expectation. Hard-working flower committees (or altar guilds or chancel societies, depending on local custom) see to it that appropriately

Shedding Some Light

A teacher by any other name . . .  My brother Jerry and I were both Lutheran school principals. When I retired, I often substitute-taught at his school. I was teaching in a second-grade class when a little girl said, “That’s weird.” “What’s weird?” I asked. “It’s you and your brother,” she replied. “Well, it’s

The Gift of Prayer

Knowing how and what to pray can be difficult, but God has taken great pains to help us learn to pray.

Pastoral formation

Thank you for the strong affirmation of the importance of residential education in the cause of ministerial formation, which remains at the heart of both our seminaries and which we will abandon to our peril (February). But it should also be noted that such high value does come with a significant cost, and that this

Prayer of Thanksgiving

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. by Rev. Joshua Hayes The Scriptures model for us a certain kind of prayer called a Prayer of Thanksgiving. Myriad examples can be found throughout God’s Word (Luke 10:21; John 11:4142; Eph. 1:314; Phil. 4:46). A Prayer of

10 Minutes with . . . Ann Stillman (Web-exclusive story)

by Jeni Miller Lutherans make quite a fuss about Law and Gospel.  And for good reason, since distinguishing Law and Gospel is the crux of how we read Scripture and relate to one another as Christians. Attorney Ann Stillman may be well-versed in law, but she still packs plenty of Gospel punch in her everyday

Two Kinds of Authority

The Bible says to obey political authority, but what happens when the government commands evil?

Safe Passage

by James R. Gimbel Grandma Timm died April 13, 1987. It was a shock, but then death somehow always is. Yet, in another way, it came as no surprise, for she had suffered for a long time, and there had been many close calls before. Her frail body had gone through a lot. I shall

The Cost of Conscience

The cost can be heavy for those who have a conscience. As confessing Lutherans, are we willing to bear that cost?

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