It’s lonely being a Lutheran. Of this, one of the last, true 20th-century Lutheran theologians in Germany, Hermann Sasse, wrote: As Luther once went the lonely way between Rome and Spiritualism, so the Lutheran Church today stands alone between the world powers of Roman Catholicism on the one hand and modern Protestantism on the other. […]
Reformation Sunday: Romans 3:19-28: Saved by Grace through Faith, Apart from the Works of the Law
October 27, 2013 by
Exodus, Lesson 15: Civil Ordinances Protecting Life and Limb
October 26, 2013 by
It has only been a few months since Yahweh rescued Israel from their slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 3:12, He had promised to bring Israel to Mt. Sinai and again reveal Himself–this time to the entire nation. Sinai was the mountain of God, the place where He put in place His [Old] Covenant with its […]
Exodus, Lesson 14: God’s Words as It Relates to Others and Proper Worship
October 26, 2013 by
Still looking into God’s Ten Words (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 10:4) to His people, we continue to understand what to means to live as God’s people toward those around us. Read Exodus 20:15 – What is God protecting in this verse? Genesis 2:15-16: The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden […]
Hosea, Lesson 6: The Lord’s Love for Israel
October 23, 2013 by
God and Hosea have both, almost exhaustively, called Israel to repent. But Israel’s response has been only outward at best with still an unchanged heart. And so, both God and Hosea have more to say. We begin by hearing from Hosea. Read Hosea 10:1-2 In these verses, the Hebrew is not clear whether Hosea is […]
Dealing with Life and Death in a Fallen, Uncertain World
October 23, 2013 by
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for SOTHLC’s November, 2013 newsletter. Last month, Sheri and I took our 21 year old dog, Samson, to the vet to be put to sleep. It was heart breaking. Yet, we felt compelled, as his health had declined so badly that his life was one of constant burden and […]
Genesis, Chapters 1-2: To Renew Us, Jesus Becomes One of Us
October 21, 2013 by
If we were to view human history in broad, sweeping strokes, we would find a long-simmering war between the religion of mother earth and the religion of Father God. And what is this religion of mother earth? It’s putting your trust (which is, faith) in some part of creation instead of God, the Creator. Long […]
Hosea, Lesson 5: Reaping the Whirlwind
October 16, 2013 by
We have learned that Israel half-heartedly repented. The repentance was not real repentance but only of outward show—and even the outward show of repentance was not convincing. And so the harsh words for Israel continue. Read Hosea 8:1-3 Hosea used a word to describe a bird overhead, ready to eat Israel. The word can either […]
Matthew 22:1-14: The King’s Feast For You
October 16, 2013 by
Today, we no longer know what true feasting entails. For few of us ever go hungry and, for many of us, we overeat more than we should. We see such excess in others, even ourselves. Our tight pants and honest looks in the mirror testify to this truth and betray our sinful gluttony. Some from […]
Exodus, Lesson 13: God Words as It Relates to Others
October 12, 2013 by
Still looking into God’s Ten Words (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 10:4) to His people, we continue to understand what to means to live as God’s people toward those around us. Read Exodus 20:14 We now take an extended look into this word from God as our culture, in many ways, revolves around one’s view of sexuality […]
Hosea, Lesson 4: Unfaithful Kings, Unfaithful People
October 12, 2013 by
In the last lesson, we made our way through Hosea chapter 5. Through poetry, Hosea described what would happen to the Northern Kingdom if they did not “return to [God’s] place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek [his] face” (Hosea 5:15). Today, we hear Israel’s answer. Read Hosea 6:1-3 – How do these verses […]
