Christmas is a time of celebration that the Savior of the Nations is born! His name is revered throughout the earth as we rejoice in God’s promises fulfilled. Isaiah 9:6–8 is an incredibly well-known verse about Christ’s birth. Read Luther’s commentary on these verses from Luther’s Works, Volume 16: Lectures on Isaiah Chapters 1–39 below.
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God gives us powerful gifts in His Word, ones that can be used to openly share His soul-saving news of salvation for all believers. Read an excerpt from Martin Luther’s preachings...
During my time in full-time church ministry, both as a director of Christian education and now as a pastor, I’ve thought a lot about confirmation—and I’d guess most church workers have...
“I promise” is an everyday expression. People use it to make a special commitment to another person: “I promise to mow the grass tomorrow,” “I promise I will remember our anniversary next...
In this letter, Peter sends greetings to his readers from her “who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen” (1Pt 5:13). This no doubt refers to a church (the Greek word for church is...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Peter, James, John, and Paul wrote letters to individual Christians, churches, regions, and groups of Christians to give encouragement, correct errors, and help Christ’s people better...
I am not entirely sure who invented the idea of the “suppressed binary opposite,” but it is a favorite concept of mine. Essentially, it refers to the thing one is arguing against (binary...
This blog is an excerpt from Responding to Transgenderism in Light of God’s Word by Scott Stiegemeyer. Theological anthropology is one of the most important theological and moral...
I’ve mentioned before that the life of a seminarian’s family (then, after graduation, a pastor’s family) is a rather transient thing by nature. And if the Lord should eventually call that...
Some of the most well-educated people in the world are not Christians. In fact, some of the best minds on the subject of Christianity are not Christians. How can this be? A talented mind...
“When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. … You...
Any director of Christian education, youth pastor, or volunteer will tell you that leading a youth ministry requires a high level of organization—from planning events to coordinating...
Like most Americans, I was raised to believe there should be a separation between church and state. Christian things belonged in one place, separate from the worldly, earthly parts of our...
In a doctrinal note issued on October 7 with the approval of Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Catholic Church set aside the sometimes-used reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, as...
My book Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible is all about building biblical fluency through the practice of curiosity. In the final chapters, I provide examples of what it...
