The Magazine

Witness, Mercy, Life Together: A Threefold Key to Our Future

This month, Pastor Harrison offers some practical and hopeful ways for the church to begin to move forward in Christ-centered unity. For more on pastors preaching the Gospel, congregations showing mercy to their neighbors, and the church living together under Christ’s forgiveness, read on.

Finding Strength in the Holy Communion

Often times, it’s easy for those of us who are lifelong Lutherans to take aspects of our church life for granted. But for a new Lutheran, joining a church that confesses Christ’s bodily presence in the Lord’s Supper is comforting, reassuring, and just plain exciting!

Heads and tails above the rest

Having read your monthly journal for a number of years now, I wanted to express my gratitude for your work. The last two months especially have been heads and tails above the rest! The writing is well done, and the choice of topics and presentation address many of the concerns of my congregations here in

Providing solace from society

It has been my recent experience that many churches, including Lutheran churches, appear to be emphasizing contemporary technology. This takes the form of screens, amplified instruments (usually guitars), and monitor stations. In some churches, the architecture accommodates the monitor station, which is plainly visible. Often the amplified music is loud. The lyrics may not always

Caring for Caregivers

by Dr. Leslie (Jack) Fyans My mother lives in a nursing home in another state and is becoming more erratic in how she reacts to staff there. My siblings and I get calls asking us to “convince” Mom to cooperate when they have to take her to the hospital or to have a procedure. Our

Where Does God Come From?

Dr. Jerald C. Joersz My seven-year-old grandson asked me where God came from. I could not tell him. I hope you can. Dear reader’s grandson, I have a grandson about your age. His name is Joey. Like you, he is a very smart and curious person. He asks hard questions, some that even adults do

Christmas Presence

by Rev. Steven B. Borst When we were children, Christmas was about presents. The beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree—trimmed with ribbon, bows, and name tags—captivated our imagination. As Christmas Day drew near, the anticipation became almost unbearable as we dreamed about what those pretty packages might actually produce. Now that we are older, Christmas

LIFE TOGETHER: Confession or Witness?

In this month’s letter, President Harrison concludes his series of three articles on the “Witness, Mercy, Life Together” emphasis for the church and the world. To find out more about these themes, check out www.lcms.org/emphasis.

Your Light Has Come!

After the joy and happiness of Christmas are over, it’s easy to feel a post-holiday letdown. But Dr. Lessing has the cure for your winter blahs: Jesus’ death and resurrection . . . for you!

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