Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Last month I started going through the four promises that we make in forgiveness. The promises came from a pamphlet that I found on a pamphlet in my office called “Peacemaking Principles.” Those principles, to remind you are: 1) I will not dwell on this incident, 2) I will … More The Four Promises of Forgiveness, Part II

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, What does forgiveness mean? As a church, we talk a lot about forgiveness. We don’t always define it. What is forgiveness? What is God saying when He says that He forgives us? What are we saying when we tell someone “I forgive you”? Does someone have to say “I’m … More The Four Promises of Forgiveness Part 1

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’m going to use this month to do a little bit of a shameless plug. This Advent we’re going to be taking a look at the Epistle readings that we hear every Sunday, and look at them under the theme: Getting Ready for the Day. We all spend time … More Getting Ready for the Day

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The Church breathes. In and out. Gathering in, and then sending out. This is the constant pattern of the Church and this is her life. We are always coming in, and then going out. We gather in as we gather for the Divine Service, whether that be in a … More The Church Breathes

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Sailors use the light of a lighthouse to guide them to find safe passage along treacherous shores, or as means to guide their ship to a safe harbour. Sometimes bars or clubs will use spotlights to guide people living in the big city to a big party or event. … More Epiphany

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Why do we go to church? Why do we go to church when the hairs are all grey, or not there at all, and the children are few and far between? Why do we go to church when there are more empty pews than full, the voices for singing … More Why Do We Go To Church?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We’ve come to the last part of the Small Catechism, the Sacrament of the Altar. Baptism begins a struggle, a struggle against sin and our sinful natures. It is a struggle that is fought by a daily return to Baptism through Confession and Absolution. It is a struggle that … More The Small Catechism: The Lord’s Supper

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “Concerning confession they teach that private absolution should be retained in the churches…” (AC, XI) Contrary to popular belief, Lutherans do have private confession and absolution. It’s not a Roman Catholic thing, but a catholic thing, meaning that it is part of the universal church of all times and … More Confession

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Last month we spoke about how Martin Luther formed his catechism so that after laying down the law and gospel in the Ten Commandments and Apostles’ Creed, he moved on the Lord’s Prayer to discuss how God’s children come to their heavenly Father. This month we begin to talk … More Baptism

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, It is fitting that this newsletter comes out on Trinity Sunday as we move our attention to the Apostles’ Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest creed in the history of the church, coming from some time around the second century. It used to be understood as the “Old … More Trinity At Work for You