The Didache now moves into what brings one into the community (communion) of Christ: Baptism. To understand this New-Covenant act, we need to look at its Old-Covenant predecessor, which baptism […]
The Baptism of Jesus
January 8, 2012 by
The Bible begins with baptism. It starts out, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). Over the ancient and chaotic creation, there […]
John 3:1-15: Born of Water and Spirit
June 19, 2011 by
Our Lutheran father in the faith, Philip Melanchthon, wrote, “The mysteries of God are to be adored, rather than investigated” (Loci Communes, 1521 edition). He is correct. For after confessing […]
Lent 3: Baptism isn’t Magic: Luke 11:24-26
March 27, 2011 by
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, he roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, he then says, ‘I’ll go back to the house […]
Epiphany 3
January 23, 2011 by
Intro Naaman, the Syrian, was the Commander in Chief of the armies of Aram. He was a decorated war hero with many victories under his belt. But he had a […]
Baptism in the Early Church: Part 3
December 17, 2010 by
DID THE EARLY CHURCH BAPTIZE INFANTS? Of the five existing apostolic churches, all currently baptize infants. This leads one to conclude that the apostolic church baptized infants–unless the practice of […]
Baptism in the Early Church: Part 2
December 17, 2010 by
HOW THE EARLY CHURCH BAPTIZED Of the five existing apostolic churches, three baptize by, or prefer, immersion. The Roman Catholic and Syrian Orthodox Churches baptize by affusion. However, the Syrian […]
Baptism in the Early Church: Part 1
December 17, 2010 by
Baptism and the Early Church: The “How” and the “Who” A paper presented to the Springfield Pastors’ Circuit of the Missouri District, Jan 12, 2010 By Pr. Rich Futrell This paper takes […]
Confessing Christ to Someone Near Death
December 1, 2010 by
Someone in my parish asked, “Pastor, how do I confess Jesus Christ to someone dying in hospice?” This is what I shared. With someone in hospice, there’s no need to dance […]
