September 17, 2020 Good Day in our Lord, Good Brothers, I apologize for intruding into what I know is for you an already very full day…. I served as a District President and Church Exec for 16 years and know the challenges… but I feel it both vital and valuable to introduce the enclosed materials…
Read more
Editor’s Note: The following document is Pastor Patten’s reply to the LCMS’s CTCR critique of his essay, “Recognizing the Body of Christ.” The Commission on Theology and Church Relations produced its critique in early 2020. A revised version of Pastor Patten’s essay appears in the Fall 2020 issue of the Journal, as does the CTCR’s…
Read more
Theology of Glory or Theology of the Cross? Rev. Howard Patten Editor’s Note: Howard Patten has served the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the larger church for sixty years as a mission developer, a chaplain in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a pastor to multi-cultural congregations, a district executive for mission and evangelism, a district president,…
Read more
Editor’s Note: The following document is the official response of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod to an essay that Pr. Howard Patten published in the Daystar Journal in September 2019. A slightly revised version of that essay, “Recognizing the Body of Christ,” has been uploaded to the Fall…
Read more
Rev. Edward A. Scott Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Hobe Sound, Florida As we face unprecedented circumstances in our daily lives, I am reminded that unprecedented circumstances are a part of every generation. We can always find people and situations where lessons were learned that can help us today. Nearly 1800 years ago, Cyprian,…
Read more
Rev. Edward A. Scott Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Hobe Sound, Florida As we face unprecedented circumstances in our daily lives, I am reminded that unprecedented circumstances are a part of every generation. We can always find people and situations where lessons were learned that can help us today. Nearly 1800 years ago, Cyprian,…
Read more
Rev. Edward A. Scott Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Hobe Sound, Florida As we face unprecedented circumstances in our daily lives, I am reminded that unprecedented circumstances are a part of every generation. We can always find people and situations where lessons were learned that can help us today. Nearly 1800 years ago, Cyprian,…
Read more
Rev. Dr. Eric Moeller Text: Matt. 15:21-28 11th Sunday after Pentecost Trinity Lutheran Church, Portland, OR August 16, 2020 This is such a difficult text, so easily misunderstood. Why doesn´t Jesus answer the woman right away? Is he cold and hard towards her? Why does he say such seemingly harsh things in the face of…
Read more
during the closure of the Balcony Gallery at Peace Lutheran Church, Salem, Oregon Rev. Joel Nickel The current viral pandemic requires personal safety, masking, and observing the directions of public health authorities. In the meantime while our church art gallery is closed, we have a chance to meditate and think about the intersection of art…
Read more
Rev. Dale Krueger Editor’s Note: It is fitting that this sermon by Rev. Dale Krueger, an emeritus LCMS pastor who lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is paired with Dr. Edmund Schlink’s classic essay, “Christ and the Church.” Pastor Krueger studied with Professor Schlink in Heidelberg in the 1957-58 academic year. Pastor Krueger lived in the Ecumenical…
Read more