The Three Cs

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Dt 8:3) Today was always my father's favorite day of the year. I am not so sure Dad loved turkey, and he wasn't much of an eater, but I am sure he loved his family. Few people love their families as much as my father loved his. And so he loved Thanksgiving Day, because that meant he certainly would get to spend more time with his family, that he would get to laugh with his family, and share again with his family.  Dad had a huge family, so thankfulness overflowed in his life. He had only one sister, Helen. And he had only three children: Me, Patty, and Michael. But he had so many more brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. I am not sure I can count them all, because if you knew Dad, you were part of his family, too. That is t...

I have been reading Pastoral Meanderings for some years. Yesterday, Pastor Peters  wrote a post that hit home . I would not be surprised if he was on the money with his comparison of our two U.S. seminaries Concordia Fort Wayne, which I attend, and Concordia St. Louis, which I had been urged by at least one pastor to attend. Pastor Peters' review certainly was part of the discussion my wife and I had before we settled (rather quickly I might add) on Fort Wayne. And I do appreciate his answer, that yes, and yes, our seminarians should be trained to meet the congregation where it is at, and to guide, teach, shepherd them to where they should be as Lutherans, centered in the Word, proclaiming the Gospel that beckons to them. As a first-year seminarian at CFW, I am still befuddled by why we separate the two schools into the traditional, stodgy, hymnal camp (yes, we are the ones who use the hymnal, as one member of my home congregation asked me before I came), and into the mode...

The setting of the Gospel of Saint Matthew is unlike the other three Gospels: It resounds with the proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew moves quickly through the birth and infancy narratives of chapters one and two into the adult ministry of Jesus. But along the way Matthew sets the stage by showing how prophecies from Isaiah, Malachi, Zechariah, Hosea, and Jeremiah, in particular, effectively link Jesus to the Torah (Matt. 1:1-17), the virgin birth (Isa. 7:23) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and as a survivor of a slaughter of innocents (Jer. 31:15) who comes out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1). As chapter three opens, John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-80) has begun his ministry as the one calling in the desert to turn the hearts of the fathers. Textual Notes 1 Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις -- The expression “in those days” rings throughout prophetic scripture, serving as an important marker that something big is about to happen: Elijah has arrived to “...

The pericope for Lord’s Supper in the Gospel of Matthew is in the midst of a paradox. The fruit of salvation offered in a cup is sandwiched by two of the worst kinds of sin. On one hand, Jesus will be betrayed by someone who doesn’t believe in him (Mt 26:14-16, 24), and on the other he will be denied by someone who does (Mt 26:30-35). Jesus will warn us that it would be better we hadn’t been born than to betray Him (Mt 26:24), and he has already said that if we deny him, he will deny us (Mt 10:33). All the while, forgiveness is in the offering. As readers hit this foundational passage to the sacrament of Holy Communion, the ministry of Jesus is coming to a close. Matthew has presented the Messiah in an orderly fashion, not linearly like Mark and Luke, through five discourses — the sermon on the mount, the ten miracles, the establishment of the apostolic ministry, the kingdom parables, the life of the church, and the prophecy of the end times — and he has gone into great detail conn...

As Lutherans, most of us relish and rejoice in the thought of joining all the saints in singing our hymns of praise every Lord’s Day. What is good for Grandma and Grandpa, the saying goes, is good for us; therefore, there is no room for contemporary music in our divine services. Well, you might not know this, but some Sundays our ancient liturgy has a rather contemporary flair. Amid the Kyries, Alleluias, and Prefaces we have used for centuries, many congregations will enjoy singing what has become one of our most loved contemporary hymns of praise, This is the Feast , also known as Worthy is Christ.  When people hear the word contemporary, they most certainly think of the Hillsongs, Third Days, and Casting Crowns of the music business. But the word contemporary quite literally means “belonging to or occurring in the present.” And that’s exactly how This is the Feast fits into our Lutheran Service Book today, and the worship books of many other denominations for that matter. ...

If you can believe it, worship is greatly misunderstood in most of our churches today. Amid a wave of exuberance rolling through the American megachurch today, with preachers regaling tales of joy, hope, and prosperity, and with bands of “contemporary” Christians singing how it’s not about them but about how they want their listeners to “Shout to the Lord,” it’s clear that the true understanding of what it means to worship, that is to pay “reverent homage and honor” to God, is being drowned. Reverent homage, one modern definition of worship, is not what you can give to God, what you will give for God, what you must give to God. We don’t necessarily find adoration, honor, and reverence, in a sea of raised hands that bend and sway in the breezes of deceitful schemes telling us that if we don’t worship this way, we aren’t filled with the spirit. True worship isn’t found the moment you sense some kind of inner divining rod tingling the spine. If you can believe it, in the most basic sense,...

This was one of the most unique assignments I have been given since coming to Concordia Theological Seminary. I was tasked with outlining the Salvation History of the Old Testament in 800 words or less, while hitting all of the major points, and introducing you and me into the story. I did miss one major event: the exile. But here is my entry ... in 800 words, on the nose. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life, and through that life, through that light ... He will send his messengers to herald His coming and to turn the hearts of all who long for the life we lost.  The genesis of John coupled with the conclusion of Malachi, which buttress in their own way, is a wonderful starting point to begin a conversation about where we are in Salvation History. Here, we see the past meeting the future. Here, we see that from the beginning, the Old Testament isn’t mere history; it isn’t just law; it really isn’t old; and it certain...