The focus of our meditation during Lawrencetide is Sanctification and Holy Absolution.
God calls His people to offer their sacrifices with thanksgiving, to keep their vows to Him with faith, and to pray to Him in their time of need. To put it simply, “What do we do?” and “What do we receive?” as we gather to worship here in the Lord’s house? After all my years in the ministry, this is still one of my favorite questions: What are we doing here?
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Tag: Pastor von Hindenburg
‘Let all the earth fear the Lord’
Well, what do you think? Is it a good idea to lead with the LAW? Of Him all the inhabitants of the world should be in dread.
I guess one could say that it does grab one’s attention. But if that was all we heard it would leave us living a life of fear and trepidation. One can justify having these words as the antiphon, if, as we have discussed especially during this year of the Psalm, it points to the theme of the Divine Service. But this can only be true when it is guaranteed that these words will be expounded on and not just left hanging for people to figure out what they mean…and especially, what they mean to you….For more, click on the title above.
Cast me not away
I ask you to join with me in prayer….Really, actually Please, I want you to join me as we pray together the words of the antiphon. (You can find that on inside of your bulletin.) These words also serve as the theme of our worship service:
O Lord God heavenly Father – (together) Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Amen. …For more, click on the title above.
Who is your Shepherd?
This can be a dangerous thing to do in a sermon—especially right at the beginning—but I’m going to ask you to close your eyes and visualize this scene: A shepherd is standing on a hillside surrounded by his flock. They are laying or grazing on green grass and in the distance is a shimmering lake….the water as still as a mirror, reflecting the bright light of the sky. …For more, click on the title above.
Do we need more evidence?
Can these bones live?
Ezekiel is brought to a massive bone heap—dry bones scattered from one end to the other of the valley. Lest we forget, they were people once. They lived and breathed, they laughed and loved and played, they fought and died.
Now all that is left of them are these bones – dry and brittle. Not yet turned to dust, but well on the way. And the big question put to the prophet by the Lord: “Can these bones live?” …For more, click on the title above.
Let Jesus into your life
As a young boy one of the great thrills of my life was going fishing with my dad. For awhile we lived on the shore of Lake St. Claire in Michigan, and we could go fishing a lot. Every year, when my dad’s vacation time came around, we would pack up the car and hook up the boat and head for the cold waters of northern Minnesota. …For more, click on the title above.
He is risen indeed!
Christ is Risen! (He is risen indeed. Alleluia!)
Imagine standing in the darkness just before dawn. The air is still, the world is quiet, and the horizon is only a faint outline. Then, slowly, the first light breaks through—and everything changes. This is something that happens all over this beautiful world, but somehow, in the grandeur of the shadow of the mountains, this seems especially vibrant.
That’s what Easter morning is like. The darkness of Good Friday gives way to the light of resurrection. The silence of the tomb is shattered by the angel’s announcement: “He is not here, for He has risen.” …For more, click on the title above.
If only…
Jesus has been tried and wrongly convicted—but convicted none the less—and of the most unacceptable, offensive crime. Not for the murder of a child, not for molestation, or rape, nor for any number of outlandish, despicable crimes that we can only imagine—but for blasphemy—the denial of God Himself or the claim to be God or to be God’s Son, and for that, he must die….For more, click on the title above.
What kind of Jesus do you want?
If nobody has told you or if you missed all the signs: Today is Palm Sunday.
I remember the Palm Sundays of my youth. I used to sing in the little kid’s choir. My brother sang in the older kids’ choir. He wasn’t that much older than me. (I said 2 years; he insisted it was 27 months.) I think, even back then, they knew it would be best to keep us separated. My mom sang in the adult choir. My dad sang in the pew….For more, click on the title above.