The Dark Side of Christmas Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he...

Waiting in Peace  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33 We live in a nation divided– by everything from demographic categories to personal preferences.  However, there...

Waiting with Joy And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my...

Waiting in Love In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to...

Waiting with Hope For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Romans 8:24-25 The Church Year is like life.  Everyday is not a...

What to Expect When You’re Expecting And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.  Revelation 22:7 Immediately after learning that my wife was pregnant with our first child, we went to the bookstore and purchased the popular book,...

The Second Martin Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,...

Hope for All Saints After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with...

Singing with Luther Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Colossians 3:16 As Lutherans across the globe commemorate the Reformation this weekend, the strains of A Mighty Fortress will...

Luther the Preacher The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.  Isaiah 40:8 On March 6, Martin Luther returned to Wittenberg from his exile at the Wartburg Castle on account of the unrest that had grown during his absence.  Fellow university professor Andreas...