God has always provided means by which the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the world. From the stone tablets which Moses brought down from the mountain, to scrolls, to bound books, the Word of God has been recorded and passed from generation to generation. Is this ability to communicate across generations part of being created in…
Saint Paul wrote to Timothy, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” [2 Timothy 4:2 ESV] Paul also reminded the elders in Ephesus, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to…
Saint Paul wrote, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3b ESV) Meanwhile, Saint Peter wrote, “… always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter…
This Luther quote is printed in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, page 867, published by Concordia Publishing House, Saint Louis. It truly summarizes the grace of God found in Christ Jesus. I hope you enjoy it. ========== May you ever cherish and treasure this thought. Christ is made a servant of sin, yea, a bearer…
Earlier today, October 25, 2019, a former colleague of mine sent a e-mail to a group of people who used to work at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He noted that the Unix operating system turned 50 years old this month. This operating system, more than any other advance in computer science since John Von Neumann invented…
Saint Paul wrote: “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” [Philippians 1:22-23] We are home from our 50th high…
Saint Peter, in Acts chapter 2, preached what might be considered the first Lutheran sermon. He properly distinguished law and Gospel, first showing the gathered crowd their sin, then proclaiming salvation by grace through faith for the sake of Christ. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter…
While driving to Idaho on CAP chaplain business, I was listening to a recording of a book by Saint Ambrose (340-397), once the bishop of Milan. Among the topics he discussed — the recording was almost 10 hours long — was telling the truth as a virtue. This also leads to transparency. There are religions…
A few years ago, while serving another congregation, a parishioner asked, “Why can’t we sing fun songs? Why can’t we change the liturgy to make it more interesting?” Shortly thereafter said parishioner transferred to another congregation which used contemporary worship and changed the liturgy each week. What would we lose if we were to give…
Why should we have a blog on a church website? What purpose does it serve? These are good questions, questions with a different answer for every webmaster or pastor. Good Shepherd Leadville is unique in that it is the only liturgical Lutheran Church for a radius of at least 50 miles, if not more. It…