by Rev. Larry Vogel I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know Me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the Lord, and there is no

by Adriane Dorr A food shortage, lack of water, starving Somalian refugees and hungry Kenyan Lutherans: Each of these hardships, caused by the current drought in East Africa, is cause for the Rev. Walter Obare Omwanza, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to pray. But Obare and the members of the

Thank you, Dr. Jerald Joersz, for addressingthe question on the certainty of God’s forgiveness in the November issue of The Lutheran Witness. I appreciated how you directed them to God’s Word and Sacrament and not to their feelings as the place to find theassurance of God’s grace. However, I alsowouldhaveencouragedthem totake advantage ofprivate Confession and

by Rev. Tim Pauls I’m all for hearty praise, good feelings and new insight in worship, but if these are lacking, it doesn’t mean the service is a bust. I offer the hypothetical of a parishioner who is fighting cancer. Given his illness and the withering effects of chemotherapy, he’s low on energy of all

My parents were married for 10 years and were sad that they were still childless. When they heard in 1930 that the orphanage in Fort Dodge, Iowa (“The Least of These,” November 2011), was opening, my grandmother and my mother went to visit that day and actually came home with a darling baby boy! There

Help your child understand the incarnation–that God took on flesh as a baby in a manger.

Did God have to become man to save us? by Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). No more sublime words have ever been written. God has become man in Christ! But why? “Why did God become man?” This question has echoed through the centuries in response

by Rev. Dr. Jerald C. Joersz Gambling is a popular thing today, and more casinos are going up all around us. Why doesn’t our church take a stand against gambling? The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has, in fact, addressed concerns about this issue. For example, at its 1998 convention, our church adopted a resolution calling attention

by Rev. Dr. Greg Wismar One of the best known songs of the holiday season is the perennial favorite, “The 12 Days of Christmas,” which has the 12 drummers drumming and the seven swans a-swimming and, of course, the partridge in the pear tree, among other things. Each year estimates are made as to how