In the year 1535, Peter Beskendorf—Martin Luther’s barber and friend—asked him for suggestions concerning prayer. Luther responded with a letter titled, A Simple Way to Pray.
Next week is Valentine’s Day, named for a Christian martyr from the third century. Almost nothing is known about this man except that he was killed for his faith on February 14th, A.D. 269 and buried in Rome.
The words 'covenant' and 'testament' are little-used words in modern English. But the two major divisions of our Bible are called "Old Testament" and "New Testament." We should know why!
The hymn "How Lovely Shines the Morning Star" (hymn #167 in our Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary) is one of the monuments of Lutheran hymns and is called the Queen of Chorales. It was used so extensively at weddings, that the idea really became common that if this hymn were not sung at the wedding, the persons were not properly married.
After confessing our sins and receiving assurance of our forgiveness, the Rite II liturgy in our Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary continues with the Introit, the Kyrie Eleison, and the Gloria in Excelsis. In these steps we enter in to the presence of the Lord for worship, ask for his help in earthly needs, and praise him with the song of the angels.
Some people like to sing in church. Other people don't. Should we ask everyone in worship to sing?
Some people like organ music, some like piano, some like guitar, some like drums. What kind of music should we use in Christian worship and living?
For some of us, the Holy Spirit has been a bit of a background character to the Father and the Son in church. During December, our small Bible study groups thought more deeply about the Holy Spirit and his work. We explored the biblical language, the activities of the Spirit, and how those activities happen in our lives today.
There is a wide gulf between God in his holiness and us in our sinfulness. We put on clean clothes in the morning to come to church, but more importantly we need a clean heart in the presence of the Lord. So at the very beginning of our worship services, we need to lay our sins on Jesus and be assured that God does not condemn us for our sins, but forgives and forgets. We need to “lay down our burdens at the doorway before entering upon the praises of God.”
"Holiness" is a word that is rarely used outside of church. Because it's not used very much, we don't really have a good idea what it means. During November, King of Grace hosted Bible study groups who explored that topic using a great 6-minute video from The Bible Project.
These are the foundational truths of a true confessional Lutheran church.