Tips for Easter Preaching – Year Round
Five ways to preach the resurrection, and not just at Easter
Steven Ozment to lecture on Luther and Cranach
The third Reformation500 annual speaker series at Concordia Seminary will feature Steven Ozment, McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History at Harvard University. This year the Reformation500 event will be held on Friday afternoon, April 25 at 4:00 pm in Werner Auditorium on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Professor Ozment is well known to ..
Blood Moon Lunacy
As if you didn’t have enough to worry about with your taxes due on April 15…
Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology Appears
Oxford University Press has published (April 2014) The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology, in its series of “Handbooks” to aid study of a wide variety of subjects. Editors of this Handbook include Irene Dingel, co-director of the Leibniz-Institut für Europäische Geschichte (heading its Department of Western Church History) in Mainz, Germany, and professor of ..
Easter Sunday • Acts 10:34–43 • April 20, 2014
By Joel P. Okamoto In this pericope, Peter portrays Christ’s resurrection as God’s vindication of his identity and his work. In the resurrection, God gives assurance that Jesus is Lord and the judge of the living and the dead. The resurrection also gives assurance that through his name sins are remitted (cf. Lk 5:20–25). The Jews who rejected ..
Innocent Suffering: A Lenten Thought
In the piety of Lenten self-reflection, the confession of our sin holds a prominent place. Especially for Lutherans who recognize that, as simul iustus et peccator, our confession of sin is comprehensive. The words of Isaiah 64 quickly become our own: “we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like ..
Luther, Laity, and … Lego
A review of the Lego Movie as embodiment of Reformation theology…
Palm Sunday • Isaiah 50:4–9a • April 13, 2014
This sermon was prepared for Grace Lutheran Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri. It makes use of various pictures of Jesus’ face from the church and school. The approach combines verses from the text with the pictures. The goal is to give visual support to the sermon at key moments while also adding meaning to the pictures see ..
The rise and fall (and rise again?) of American denominations
Read more from the original source: The rise and fall (and rise again?) of American denominations
Lent 5 • Ezekiel 37:1–14 • April 6, 2014
By Andrew H. Bartelt On this Sunday before Passion Week, both Ezekiel 37 and John 11 (the gospel reading) anticipate Easter; even if not there yet we know where we are headed. Within the context of Ezekiel, the end has already come with the fall of Jerusalem reported in 33:21. The prophet’s own speech is raised from ..
Lent 4 • Isaiah 42:14–21 • March 30, 2014
By Robert Kolb Introductory thoughts The final verse of the pericope governs our use of it and its context in chapter 42. The Lord takes pleasure (חפצ)—he gets a kick out of—placing his instruction, the script of the conversation he wishes to have with his human creatures (תורה), before them. He does so in accord with his righteousness. ..
Caring for Youth who Care about Creation
Lutheran youth really care about the environment. What does this mean for the Lutheran church?
DAYS OF THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION – May 7-8, 2014
Two days of homiletical and exegetical reflection. Presenters include: John Nunes, David Schmitt, and Jim Voelz
Lent 3 • Exodus 17:1–7 • March 23, 2014
By Benjamin Haupt Throughout the second book of Moses, the Lord is listening intently to his people, and he yearns for them likewise to listen to him. He is their God; they are his people. In Exodus 2:23–25, when the people of Israel groan to the Lord because of their harsh treatment, the Lord hears ..
Lent 2 • Genesis 12:1–9 • March 16, 2014
By Arthur F. Graudin Preliminary Comments Three small word combinations in the Hebrew provided direction for this sermon study: 1. lek-leka (v. 1). lek is an imperative followed by leka a preposition with the second person masculine singular pronoun. “Go, as far as you are concerned” is a suggested translation. 2. weheyeh berakah (v. 2). ..
I don’t know what I’m giving up for Lent…yet
The rest is here: I don’t know what I’m giving up for Lent…yet