Throughout the Old Testament—and especially in the Books of 1 and 2 Kings—God works through prophets to call Israel and her kings back to Him and rebuke their unbelief. The following excerpts from The Lutheran Bible Companion feature one of these instances: the encounters of Ahab and Elijah.
Like most parents, when I pick up my son from preschool, I ask, “What did you learn today?” His answers vary from a shrug to telling me something weird one of his classmates did that day...
Often, listening to music is a passive activity. Parents absentmindedly turn on music playlists while cleaning, or drivers may flip to the local music station while on their commute. In...
A typical family in ancient Rome was strikingly similar to a typical family in our time. Families often didn’t have more than three children. A whole family would have fit nicely in a...
Accent the Offertory with grace and joy using Offertory Mosaics, the latest addition to the long-standing Mosaics series by Jacob B. Weber. Six organ preludes provide fresh settings, with...
As a pastor, within the space of the same year, I once conducted the wedding of a young couple as well as the funeral of their stillborn child. I was called to minister to them with God’s...
The little children in our schools and ministries are so very precious to God. He calls them by name just as He calls us. It is a blessing to be a part of God’s family and share the Good...
As the church moves through Holy Week and toward the glorious resurrection of Christ on Easter, we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Read this excerpt from Luther’s Works,...
Confirmation comes around each year as students confirm the faith into which they were baptized and promise to cling to that faith by God's grace until death. This celebration is filled...
My mother-in-law loves to tell this story of her youngest child on the bus. It goes something like this. My sister-in-law rode the bus to get to school every day. Because of how rowdy...
In the Letter of James, we see most clearly how constant and severe the struggle for renewal of strength and purpose must have been among the first Christians. The high qualities of this...
"Everything happens for a reason!" It’s one of those phrases people say when they don’t know what to say. When we say it about a positive situation, it’s usually a lighthearted...
Growing up I loved celebrating Easter. The special early morning service, the brass ensemble (which I later was able to be part of once I learned how to play trumpet), the Easter...
Beginning in the 2000s, Concordia Publishing House committed to the publication of Johann Gerhard’s monumental Theological Commonplaces. This effort would become the most extensive work...
A trusted craftsman at leading engaging congregational singing, Jeffrey Blersch is at it again with a brand-new series of hymn introductions and harmonizations. In this series, ten hymns...
The Easter season is full of stories of sorrow, hope, and joy that can capture any child’s imagination. This season, consider reading books to help your child explore Holy Week and the...
Stress is real. You feel it. I feel it. Life applies pressure to us. Sometimes, the tension feels uncomfortable but manageable. Other times, the pressure is so great we feel like we’re...
In Holy Week, we think about the events leading up to the most important events in history—the death and resurrection of Jesus. Churches often have special worship services throughout the...
The Wittenberg Old Latin School is one of the city’s heralded institutions for secondary education. It laid the groundwork for Western education and shaped the lives of countless students...
We mark the celebratory Easter season with sparkling white paraments, blooming lilies, the long-awaited liturgical return to alleluias, and especially the exuberance of Resurrection Day...
I was playing with my boys when one of their toys broke. My oldest said, “That’s okay—just order another one on Amazon,” and he handed me my phone! That’s when I realized I needed to...
