The entrance and exit for our words—hearing and speaking. Into our ears, words enter; out of our mouths, they leave. For our vocal cords to form coherent sounds, our eardrums […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 18: Lutheranism’s Love Affair with Sirach
September 7, 2017 by
Intro For this first lesson on Sirach, we are breaking protocol. When your pastor started preparing this lesson, he found an extensive use of Sirach in the history of the […]
Church History, Lesson 8: The Last of the Apostles’ Students, Ignatius and Polycarp
August 30, 2017 by
Intro Ignatius Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 AD) was the 3rd Bishop of Antioch. Late in Emperor Trajan’s reign (98-117 AD), he was arrested for being a Christian, chosen because of […]
Genesis 4:1-15: Sin is Crouching at Your Door
August 27, 2017 by
In the store you are picking up a couple of items and close by a child is throwing a tantrum. Angry words, screaming, the stomping of feet, echoes in every […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 17: The Wisdom of Solomon, Part 3
August 26, 2017 by
Intro We earlier learned Jesus is Wisdom incarnate. The Church understood the Apocrypha book of Wisdom to foretell Christ’s coming (“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel). Today, we continue exploring what […]
Church History, Lesson 7: The Beginning of the Rise of Rome
August 25, 2017 by
Introduction History teaches us the Apostle Peter was the first recognized Bishop of Rome, though Paul did precede him as acting bishop while under house arrest. The sources are […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 16: The Wisdom of Solomon, Part 2
August 25, 2017 by
Intro Last week, we stopped at the end of chapter 6. Today, we pick up, exploring select verses of Wisdom. Wisdom Described and the Christ to Come Remember, “wisdom” […]
Luke 19:41-48: The Thresher, the Threshing Floor, and the Temple
August 25, 2017 by
A threshing floor is a violent place, of division and separation. A farmer takes the cultivated harvest and casts the grain stalks on to a compacted floor. Sinewy muscles stretch […]
Church History, Lesson 5: The Didache, Pt. 2
August 25, 2017 by
Baptism The Didache now moves into what brings someone into the community (communion) of Christ: Baptism. 7:1 As for baptism, baptize in this way: After explaining all these things, baptize […]
