The Magazine

Rev. Glenn Merritt (web exclusive Q&A)

by Kim Plummer Krull One year after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, more than 1 million people remain homeless, and the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country has struggled with a cholera epidemic. But amid huge challenges, LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s (WR-HC) Rev. Glenn F. Merritt says that the Synod’s mercy ministry, with the

To the Reader

by Adriane Dorr I miss Holy Week,” a friend of mine sighed as we left church a few weeks after Easter. I knew what she meant. For many of us, there are particular seasons in the Church Year that stand out in our minds, certain services or commemorations that open God’s Word up to us

Exorcism as Mercy

Most of us equate exorcisms with scary Hollywood movies, but Rev. Geoff Boyle explains how pastors in Madagascar use the rite to cast the demon out and speak Christ in.

Strengthening Single-Parent Families

by Monique Nunes Traditional, two-parents families are, sadly, no longer necessarily the norm. How can the church assist single parents juggling work and children? The reasons really do not matter. The personal pain or historical circumstances that have led to the reality are not a priority. What matters most is this: How can the church

The Language of Christ’s Church

by Rev. Mark Sell I sat behind the lectern of Springs of Life Lutheran Church, trying to figure out where the service began. The pastor sent hand signals across the altar, and I strained to hear the words of the opening hymn. Got it! Sort of. I had no clue what I was singing. Or did

Name That Tune!

by Rev. Dr. Greg Wismar Aberystwyth. Alabare. Angelus. Aurelia. Azmon. All of these words that begin with the letter A can be found in most Lutheran hymnals. Why? Because they are the names of hymn tunes that are sung by Gods people from the pages of their hymnbooks. Just as every text that is used

The Season of Commencement

by Dr. Dennis J. Goff It’s not a season you will find on your church’s liturgical calendar, but it is a season of life that affects many families: graduation. Many young people will be heading out this month to commence their college education. Often times graduation exercises are referred to as “Commencement.”  However, to commence

Focus and timely

The leading editorial of President Matthew Harrison could not have been better focused or more timely. We are lifelong Lutherans–in fact, former medical missionaries in both Asia and Africa–who left the ELCA a year ago to the security and solid confession of Christ that characterizes the LCMS. It was a difficult and wrenching decision for

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