There is an interesting little phrase in verse 15 of the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. It goes like this: [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15] by abolishing the law of commandments…
This is part two of an eight-part series of posts based on a selection of readings from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There was once a woman who, due to advanced age and some pretty significant health issues, ended up becoming homebound. The pastor of her congregation would come to visit her regularly.…
The schedule of readings that our church follows calls for eight consecutive Sundays of readings from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians this summer. This is part one of a series of posts based on these eight readings from Ephesians. First, a little bit about the letter. It is one of four letters that Paul wrote…
August 10 is the day the church honors St. Lawrence, a saint who lived from 225 to 258 AD. I am interested in this little-known saint for a number of reasons. He was originally from Spain, where some of my family lives, he has a fascinating story related to his martyrdom, and both my son-in-law and…
I was among a group of family members that had driven out to one of the many keys that extend out from southern Florida. It was a beautiful, sunny day, typical of Florida, but a little windy. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant. The restaurant had signs posted that said, “Do not feed…
In the March, 2018 issue of The Lutheran Witness, Dr. Gene Edward Veith shares some information that you have probably already heard – that there has been a decline in religious affiliation in this country – but also some information that you may not have heard – what specific areas of religious affiliation that…
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Prairie City, Missouri, the first church that I served after graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. I was invited to preach at their kickoff celebration on April 22. The theme of the year-long celebration is “God’s Grace From Generation to Generation.” It…
I came across some passages in a dogmatics textbook recently that pretty well summarize the kind of thoughts that really get the juices flowing in my brain. They are taken from pages 18-20 of volume one of Christian Dogmatics, Carl E Braaten and Robert W. Jenson, editors, published in 1984 by Fortress Press, Philadelphia. This…
In honor of this week’s celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, I have compiled a list of my five favorite resurrection appearances. As one scholar points out, if Jesus’ resurrection was something that his disciples made up, they would have scripted the stories better, making themselves appear in a much better light.…
Minnesotans will watch tomorrow’s Super Bowl with a feeling of “what could have been.” Our Minnesota Vikings had a great regular season and were well positioned for the playoffs. With just two wins in the post season we would playing the Super Bowl in our home stadium. Sadly, even with the help of the “Minneapolis…
Mirror Neurons 