Pastors

In Mark 9:30-37, Jesus’ disciples demonstrate concern over who is the greatest. The issue of rank among the twelve takes on new meaning as we consider the context of the passage.

This blog post is an excerpt from the Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 1: Introduction and Old Testament. 

This blog post is adapted from Gerhard’s Theological Commonplace On the End of the World and On Hell, or Eternal Death, specifically Gerhard’s notes on the practical pastoral benefits...

Mark’s Gospel is one of immediacy. Without the account of John the Baptist’s birth or that of Jesus Christ, Mark moves immediately to Jesus calling the disciples, healing, casting out...

This blog post is adapted from Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 1: Introduction and Old Testament.  One of the first matters to require attention is the real import of Ruth’s...

This blog post is adapted from Luther’s Works, Volume 61: Theological and Polemical Works. These notations made by Martin Luther regarding the Bible passages used by his opponents to...

One of the challenges that pastors face as they prepare sermons is what to do with texts that are heavy on Law and light on Gospel. As I look at the four assigned lectionary texts for...

This blog post is adapted from Male & Female: Embracing Your Role in God’s Design.  The order of creation and the unique relationship between head and helper in marriage intersects...

Relief had finally come. God created Adam and Eve perfectly. But their wicked transgressions brought sin into the world, taking the Lord’s unblemished creation into destruction. Adam...

The pandemic caused church attendance to hit an unprecedented low for a couple of months last year. My father, who is an LCMS pastor, and I were sitting around one afternoon in March...

This blog post is an excerpt from the Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 1: Introduction and Old Testament.  By breaking the seemingly innocuous command to “make no covenant with the...

One of the most overlooked books in the Bible is that of the prophet Haggai. Still, this brief book holds a relatable experience to our current context this summer in the United...

In Mark 4, Jesus and the disciples are on a boat in the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arises. Crippled with fear, the disciples wake their sleeping Savior. Jesus takes this...

After God had graciously formed Jacob’s descendants into His covenant people and named them as His own, He provided them a choice for the future: “If you will … then I will … ”...

This blog post is adapted from The Formula of Concord: The Epitome and Solid Declaration. Read below to learn about the development of the Formula of Concord in Lutheran history.

From Ascension to Trinity Sunday, the three-year lectionary treats us to four straight readings from the first two chapters of Acts. Before Jesus ascends into the heavens, He directs...

Incarnation and spiritual life bring unity to Ezekiel 37, Psalm 139, Acts 2, John 15, and John 16. In his description of the Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel writes, “And I will lay sinews...