Clear as
New dictionaries and old words
I hate it (love it) when that happens. Reflections on Romans 12
In this faculty roundtable, Dr. William Schumacher, Dr. Gerhard Bode, and Dr. Tom Egger discuss LC-MS founder C.F.W. Walther and his impact 200 years after his birth
This semi-regular video series features preachers discussing the art of preaching with students, faculty, and pastors within the context of a specific sermon they have just preached in chapel at Concordia Seminary
So, what are we to make of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “The Response,” the Houston prayer service he helped organize and at which he spoke? Does the fact that he now appears to be joining the field for th
By Bruce M. Hartung Edward Blair suggested that Matthew’s understanding of salvation centered on “knowing, believing, being, and doing.”1 I have found that center point to be very helpful in meditating on, studying, and preaching on Matthean texts. Expounding on this, Blair states, “The disciple must be inwardly good, not externally correct . . . ..
By Kent Burreson What have you come here to see? (Mt 11:7–9). This is one of the questions Jesus puts to the crowds at this turning point in Matthew’s Gospel as opposition to Jesus grows. Perhaps more appropriately, on Reformation Sunday the question should be: “What did you come here to do?” This alternate Gospel reading ..
By Thomas Egger At the Jerusalem temple (Mt 21:23), as the great feast approaches, a high-profile religious confrontation takes place. Jesus has entered the city amidst shouts of “Hosanna,” hailed by the throngs as the son of David (21:1–9). Now the religious leaders lock horns with Jesus, challenging his authority, attempting to trap him in his ..
By David Schmitt Textual Study: At the heart of this text lies an aphorism (v. 21), the saying of Jesus that the Pharisees had hoped to use to entrap him (v.15), but through which he entrapped them in their answer (“Caesar’s”) and in their fear of the crowd that marveled at him (v. 22). Preaching ..
Romans 11, Bible Translations, and Preaching Israel
By Timothy Dost The Parable of the Great Banquet This text can be challenging because it not only presents the issues of the place of God’s work and our own works in the lives of believers, and the right and wrong ways of attempting to enter the kingdom, but also because the text has been frequently ..
By William Carr Context Matthew 21 begins with the “Palm Sunday” entry to Jerusalem. For the moment, Jesus is “riding high,” even if on a lowly donkey and its colt. Who is this guy? Here’s the “buzz”: “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (21:10). The chapter ends with an emphasis on the ..
New thoughts from Rick Marrs as he writes his new book “Making Christian Counseling More Christ-Centered.” Here, he discusses law-gospel distinctions, cognitive behavioral therapy, and depression
By Gerhard Bode Why the Question about Jesus’s Authority? The events in this account from Matthew 21 take place on the Monday before Jesus’s crucifixion. The context of this pericope is important to note, especially since the text includes the first in a series of challenges by Jewish leaders in Jerusalem to Jesus’s authority. One ..
By David I. Lewis Introduction: Today’s Gospel reading contains a parable that is unique to Matthew’s Gospel, the so-called parable of the workers in the vineyard. A title that better reflects the pragmatics of this parable might be, “Jesus’s parable of warning to his disciples against focusing upon the rewards for discipleship and then making sinful ..
By Dale A. Meyer “In this Christian church, he…” Though not our usual style, this text invites an expository approach. The familiar subsections of this reading could lead you to preach a sermon narrowly focused on one aspect of repentance, but neglect the depth of care that Jesus shows for sinners throughout the whole lesson. This ..