This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "Theology"
The Horror! The Horror!
At the Oklahoma District LCMS Convention last week I was privileged to be an assisting minister at the opening worship service. I read the Old Testament reading and assisted with communion distribution. We had three “stations” and used the “drive-by” style for the sake of time, numbers and logistics. Not my favorite way to give the gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, but that’s the way it was done. I held the cup containing the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Angry Faces
I hadn’t run for six years or more, and even back then it was short-lived. It really had been more than ten years since I’d logged any appreciable miles. I’d moved to other exercise and enjoyed it and didn’t look back until two weeks ago. My cholesterol was high again, my weight was not budging and Marjorie wanted to shed some pounds too. We decided to run together, using the Couch-to-5K program. All was good the first two runs. On my third run my knees felt like fire. Surely it was just normal joint pain from new movement, so I ignored it, finished the run and showered. But the next morning my knees were still killing me. And the next. And the next. Eventually I self-diagnose and MCL injury, based on … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Holy Week is Every Week
Ah, Holy Week. When you’re in or around a church Holy Week works its magic on you. No, it’s not in peaceful divine rays of blessing on your shoulders. Its magic is not in beatific visions of heaven. The magic of Holy Week is that it makes us cranky and stressed and sinful. Yet it is still Holy. Part of Holy Week for us in the church is simply stress. We have many extra worship services, more music, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Ceremonies and Their Purpose
Here is an excellent post by Fr. Larry Beane (yes, a Lutheran “Father”–believe it) about our worship “style” or “height” be it High Church or Low Church. There are really too many passages worthy of being a pull quote, but here’s one: Ceremonies are not about looking pretty, but rather about communicating well and with excellence. Ultimately, it’s all about charity, humility, and love. A man who loves his wife will “take pains” in the way he acts around her, treats her, and speaks to her. Christ took great pains for us on the cross. And we “take pains” to confess this truth with clarity and in love. In the final analysis, it is all about God’s grace. My congregation has grown in ceremonies over the years I have been here, from a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Specific and Particular
I am called to particulars. I serve and minister to particulars. A pastor is called to such-and-such congregation and those actual, living, breathing people there in the pews and walking in the doors. There are no generic congregations, and there are no generic Christians, and there is no such thing as generic people. God’s Law is proclaimed and applied to that person, sitting right there, and the death of Christ is for this person’s salvation, sitting right there. This is how God works–He gives His eternal Word, but not in a vacuum. He gives it to this or that person, each one. This is the way God works. He became man–but not men, or humanity: Jesus is a guy. A dude. With a Mom, holy and virgin, but Mom nonetheless. God … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Darkness of the Human Heart
Susan Powell went missing on December 7, 2009 after her husband left the home for a sub-zero, spur of the moment camping trip in the middle of the night, only to return later the same day. Joshua Powell was under investigation for her disappearance and presumed murder. He lost custody of his two children in September 2011 after his father was arrested for child pornography and voyeurism charges. He had been living with his son and grandchildren. On February 12, 2012, Joshua separated his children from a social worker during a supervised visit, locked them in his home and then engineered a gas explosion. Later investigation suggests he took a hatchet to his own children before carbon monoxide poisoning killed him and the children. How can such things happen? You can blame demon possession, I suppose. … Read entire article »
Fasting Fast Approaching
I haven’t been good about fasting for the past….well, let’s just say a while. But with Lent approaching fast, the fast is fast approaching. Here is a link to a document I prepared for my congregation. It includes Scripture and the Confessions on the value and command to fast, articles from the Lutheran Witness and the LCMS website, as well as (simplified) guidelines for how and when to fast as we do in the western tradition. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sermon Writing Advice
This is inside baseball, folks, so your mileage may vary. Whatever lectionary (sequence of readings for Sundays) you use, you’ll end up with three readings and propers (introit, gradual, etc) for the Sunday. Often they work together, with a common theme bridging all the propers together. This is very common in the One Year lectionary, especially with the collect, introit and Gospel. But don’t assume they all go together the same way, or that you have to connect them. Look, especially in the Three Year lectionary, there is the feature of a lectio continua (or really a lectio semi-continua) –a series of readings from one book, not necessarily coordinated with the Gospel. And in the One Year you don’t have a one-for-one correspondence either. When you preach, look at the propers and other … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
A Generation Gone
I find it sad when I meet the children of faithful members and I ask them where they live and they say, “Oh, I live here in Enid.” Then I find out they are going to a church of another denomination. As a parent I know that we only have so much influence on our children. But I look at my congregation and see an entire generation missing from our pews. Seriously. There are exceptions, to be sure. But I wonder what happened then, and what happens now, and what I can do as a parent and pastor to prevent that in the future. Any ideas? … Read entire article »
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Hymns, Part II: The Advent Version
I love Advent hymns. Probably more than Christmas carols and hymns. Definitely more than Lenten hymns. Easter hymns would give them a run for their money, however. I’m not sure why I love them so much. Perhaps because they are not overused and overdone like Christmas carols are. Perhaps they evoke the Christmas spirit without evoking muzak, Elvis and Kenny G versions heard at stuffy shopping malls. Maybe they are just pretty. But, to toot the same … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
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