Strength and Peace In Psalm 29:11 David says, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” Two things are promised the people of God in this verse, strength and peace, and both are very much what people of God need. We do need to note that these two things are promised specifically to those who are the people of God. We also need to note that itRead More

A 15th-century Bohemian reformer who set the stage for the world-changing reforms of Martin Luther. – Jan Hus – Born: circa 1373 – Died: July 6, 1415 This month’s Face of the Reformation is about a man who lived more than 150 years before Martin Luther. His name was Jan Hus. Jan Hus was born in a part of what is now the Czech Republic. It was called Bohemia. Jan’s family was not wealthy, butRead More

Freedom As I reflect on the 4th of July, one thing keeps popping up in my mind and that’s the value of freedom. We love freedom in this country. We love it so much we plaster it everywhere, on our cars, on t-shirts, even on our own bodies. Freedom is also a value we have as Christians as we are free in Christ. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firmRead More

The Word of the Lord: John 8:11 “Go and sin no more.” Are You Without Sin? This woman of whom John tells us certainly never forgot Jesus words: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Just a little while earlier the adulteress was certain that she was going to be stoned to death. But now every one of her accusers had left, and she only saw Jesus.  The woman had fallen intoRead More

Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Prayers The apostle Paul tells Christians to pray on a regular basis. None of the faithful’s prayers will ever go unheard. The door to the Almighty’s presence is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. God does this for each individual Christian. The Lord desires his children to come to him personally and to tell him all our needs; we need God’s helpRead More

The Word of the Lord: Matthew 9:2-8: Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart son: your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘your sins are forgiven’ orRead More

The Word of the Lord: (Luke 14:16-21) Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I haveRead More

On June 4, the Church celebrated Pentecost Sunday.  But what is that?  Why is it important? Here is an article from Dr. Gerhard Bode from Concordia Theological Seminary who explains the significance of this day.  This was taken from The Lutheran Witness (link). The Gift of The Holy Spirit by Dr. Gerhard Bode The miracle of Pentecost is not merely a past historical event. The Spirit’s wondrous activity goes on in the Church today. WhatRead More

Shepherd One of the best known and beloved psalms is Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm. There we learn that the Lord is our shepherd. And since He is our shepherd, we will not want. We will not suffer want because the Lord, our shepherd, will lead us to green pastures and beside still waters. In other words, the Lord, our shepherd, will provide for all that we need in both body and soul. Yet, weRead More

The Catholic Church As you have read about people who are important in the Reformation history, you have read the name “Frederick the Wise.” Before you read more about Frederick, however, a little history lesson is important to understand. At the time that Luther lived in Germany, much of the world was controlled by the Catholic church and was called “The Holy Roman Empire.” The ruler of the Empire at that time was Charles V.Read More