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“From Feast to Feast to Feast” (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-21)Today is the Feast of Pentecost, a major festival in the Christian church year. Today we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit, whom our ascended Lord Jesus Christ poured out on his church, as we read about in the second chapter of Acts. That was the beginning of the worldwide spread of the gospel, and you and I are here today as Christians because of what began on that first Pentecost. Actually, though, that was not the first Pentecost. For the Christian Feast of Pentecost has its roots in the...

"A homosexual couple has taken the Swedish tax authority (Skatteverket) to court for registering their marriage in Canada as a partnership. Lars Gårdfeldt and Lars Arnell, who are both priests in the Swedish church, allege discrimination. "The tax authorities can make an exception for a marriage where one party is under-age but not for homosexuals," said Lars Gårdfeldt to Svenska Dagbladet. Skatteverket confirms that it does make exceptions to Swedish law with regard to under-age couples legally married overseas. But only for marriages involving a man and woman."

“He Cares for You” (John 17:1-5; 1 Peter 5:6-7)“He Cares for You.” Yes, he does, God cares for you very much. St. Peter tells you this when he encourages you to be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” So that’s what we want to do today. We will cast all our anxieties on God, and we will hear how, and how much, our God cares for us. What are your anxieties, and what is God’s care that deals with those anxieties? Those are the questions we’ll be asking. The first and greatest anxiety that people...

“Ascension Day, the Forgotten Festival” (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)Welcome to the Forgotten Festival! Today is Ascension Day--or to put it more fully, the Festival of the Ascension of Our Lord. But there is reason to call it, as I say, the “Forgotten” Festival. Even though Ascension Day is classed in the church year as a major festival, and thus a day for to church to gather for the Divine Service of Word and Sacrament, the sad fact is that in recent decades many congregations and many Christians have forgotten all about celebrating this important festival. It used to be that...

United Methodists declared Monday a "banner day" as they approved a full communion agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The new relationship between the two major Protestant denominations is not a merger but a recognition of each other's ministry and mission. Full communion recognizes that each church has "the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith" expressed in the Scriptures and confessed in historic creeds and the core teachings of each denomination. The two churches also recognize the authenticity of each other's baptism and eucharist and the full interchangeability of all ordained ministers. "It's not merger," said Bishop Melvin...

“The Hope That Is In You . . . Comes Out You” (1 Peter 3:13-22)During this Easter season, we are hearing a lot about hope. A few weeks ago the Epistle reading from 1 Peter 1 told us that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Last week’s sermon said that we in the church are “Living in Camp Hope,” that we have hope for an eternal future because our Lord Christ has gone to prepare a place for us. Hope--the hope that we have in...

“Living in Camp Hope” (John 14:1-14)Yesterday our Men’s Club held a big fundraiser for Camp Hope. Camp Hope is a place where disabled veterans can come and find a little “R & R,” rest and relaxation, or you could say, rest and recuperation, rehabilitation, and recreation. Camp Hope is a place where these men can find healing, help, and hope. Hope. These disabled veterans need hope. These men go off to war healthy and whole and vigorous, and they come back wounded--physically, to be sure, but often mentally and emotionally wounded also. Now they have the rest of their lives...

When about 75 people gathered outside the international headquarters of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod this week, it was a rare display of public dissension among the members of a relatively quiet Christian denomination. . . . When the church pulled the plug on its KFUO-AM program, "Issues, Etc.," and fired its host and producer, the show's fans turned up the volume. . . . The show had a conservative, traditionalist theological bent. . . . Many of the protesters said the current administration is too focused on recent evangelical megachurch growth models instead of on traditional Lutheran doctrine. . ....

Dear sexuality task force, First I must compliment you, the Human Sexuality Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, on a well-documented and thorough study of the sexuality issue. You have put much work into a very difficult subject, and at the present I’m not sure what more you could do given your stated assignment and the lay of the land. I felt that you tried to be open to all views, but I do have some critical comments that I hope will help bring this topic to light from a different perspective. First I have to comment...

The Holy Father addressed representatives of other Christian communities during an ecumenical encounter at St. Joseph's Church, New York, 18 April 2008. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, My heart abounds with gratitude to Almighty God - "the Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph 4:6) - for this blessed opportunity to gather with you this evening in prayer. I thank Bishop Dennis Sullivan for his cordial welcome, and I warmly greet all those in attendance representing Christian communities throughout the United States. May the peace of our Lord and Savior be...

Kirkwood — About 75 protesters gathered Monday outside the world headquarters of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, many holding signs that asked simply, "Why?" The question was directed at church leaders who, during Holy Week last month, pulled the plug on a popular radio program on the denomination's KFUO-AM station called "Issues, Etc." The host, the Rev. Todd Wilken, and producer, Jeff Schwarz, were fired without warning, and all reference to the show was taken off KFUO's website. Fans were left confused and angry. ... In the vacated time slot, the church has launched a new program called "The Afternoon Show,"...

“Suffering Sheep and Their Good Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:19-25)This day is known in the church as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The readings from Psalm 23 and John 10, the Collect of the Day, the hymns--all these carry the theme of the Lord as our Good Shepherd. The images that come to our mind on Good Shepherd Sunday usually are very peaceful and pleasant ones. We think of sheep safely grazing in green pastures, being led beside still waters. We picture Jesus carrying a lamb in his arms or a sheep across his shoulders. This is all well and good. The shepherd...

“Redeemed: From What? With What? So What?” (1 Peter 1:17-25)First of all I want to say that, from what I’ve seen of it over the last couple of years, the English Standard Version overall is a very good translation. But as with any translation, you come across a place here and there where you wish they would have translated it a little different. Today is such a case, in our Epistle from 1 Peter 1. In verse 18 the ESV has, “knowing that you were ransomed.” All the other major English translations--the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version,...

read the original story here: Zion Lutheran begins 40 days campaign Sunday (LCMS)

WASHINGTON, March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pope Benedict XVI will lead an ecumenical prayer service April 18, at St. Joseph's Church in the Yorkville area of Manhattan. Participants at the service will include 250 national and local Protestant and Orthodox Church leaders. St. Joseph's Church was built in the 19th century by the immigrant German community that settled in the area and today serves a diverse population. A Sunday Mass is still celebrated in German. The pope will address the group after a reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (4:1-6) and before the congregation prays the Lord's Prayer. At the...

“On the Road and at the Table” (Luke 24:13-35)Many of you I’m sure have seen this painting before. The original German title is “Gang nach Emmaus,” the “Walk to Emmaus,” by 19th century Swiss artist, Robert Zünd. It’s a picture of Christ and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Of course it’s based on the Holy Gospel for today. It’s a lovely painting. And what a wonderful walk it must have been! To have Jesus there at your side as you walk along! You feel like you’d like to put yourself into the picture, so you could just...

Several U.S. mainline Protestant denominations are about to face their latest showdowns on one of the most vexing issues since slavery: whether to break from biblical morality as traditionally understood to allow clergy with homosexual partners and to sanction blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. "Mainline" groups (predominantly white, with early American roots, and affiliated with the National Council of Churches) contain vocal, well-organized liberal and evangelical combatants. The resulting dispute "certainly has taken a big toll," says Jack Haberer of Presbyterian Outlook, an independent magazine that airs varied views. "For some, it's the total compromise of all things moral. For...

Program's End Provokes Differing Views on Lutherans' Direction ... More importantly, I wish to address the unfortunate comments in the column that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is deeply divided and that it is pushing "church marketing" over the historic confessions of the evangelical Lutheran Church. The Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick As a former guest on "Issues, Etc." and as a listener to the show I was very unhappy that it was cancelled. I can't help but conclude that the cancellation was somehow related to the deep divisions that exist in our denomination and that are referred to in the...

I was baptized through the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod, and I have been an active member of the church body ever since. As a Lutheran, I’ve never thought of myself as “Protestant�, nor have I ever embraced the kind of extreme sola-scripturism that has been much in evidence in responses to Frank’s announcement. I always recognized that the Scriptures are themselves the foundation of, and very much a part of, a divine Tradition. Although I believed that only the Scriptures were infallible, I nonetheless assigned great weight to the ‘rule of faith’ established by the continuous tradition of teaching...

...when the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod canceled its popular, nationally syndicated radio program "Issues, Etc.," listeners were baffled. Billed as "talk radio for the thinking Christian," the show was known for its lively discussions analyzing cultural influences on the American church. It seemed like precisely the thing that the Missouri Synod, a 2.4-million-member denomination whose system of belief is firmly grounded in Scripture and an intellectually rigorous theology, would enthusiastically support. Despite the show's popularity, low cost and loyal donor base, Mr. Wilken and Jeff Schwarz, the producer of "Issues, Etc.," were dismissed without explanation on Tuesday of Holy Week. Within...

“Believing Is Better Than Seeing” (John 20:19-31; 1 Peter 1:3-9)The disciples were pretty lucky, weren’t they? I mean, getting to see Jesus in the flesh, to travel around with him, to see him perform his miracles, to actually see him risen from the dead, to see him with their own eyes. What could be better than that? No wonder they had such a strong faith! Too bad we can’t have that kind of faith in our day. Just look at the advantage they had! Easter day, that evening, Jesus himself comes to them, shows them his hands and his side....

A pastor whose disappearance from a small town in upstate New York triggered a search by police and the FBI was found earlier today — inside an Ohio strip club. Police said that when the Rev. Craig S. Rhodenizer, 46, was confronted by an officer, he began crying and said he couldn't remember anything about the 36 hours he was missing. But dancers at the club remembered Rhodenizer. They told investigators that Rhodenizer spent two hours drinking, soliciting dances and making threatening comments. He also said he wanted to take the dancers back to his motel, according to the police...

Usually radio hosts have to offend sacred moral sensibilities to be thrown off the air. Opie and Anthony were fired after they encouraged a couple to have sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Don Imus lost his job after using racist and sexist epithets against the Rutgers University women's basketball team. But when the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod canceled its popular, nationally syndicated radio program "Issues, Etc.," listeners were baffled. Billed as "talk radio for the thinking Christian," the show was known for its lively discussions analyzing cultural influences on the American church. It seemed like precisely the thing that the Missouri...

A task force drafting a statement on sexuality for the nation's largest Lutheran group said Thursday that the church should continue defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. However, the panel did not condemn same-gender relationships. The committee expressed regret that historic Lutheran teachings have been used to hurt gays and lesbians, and acknowledged that some congregations already accept same-sex couples. The report released by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is part of the denomination's yearslong effort to bridge internal differences over the Bible and homosexuality.

“He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!” (Matthew 28:1-10)Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus...

“The Big ‘Why’ Question” (Matthew 27:45-46)Why? The question is as profound as it is short. Why? Who, what, when, and where--those are usually easy to answer. But “why,” that is the big question. That’s the case today with our Gospel reading. Who? Jesus of Nazareth, a Roman governor and soldiers, the Jewish religious leaders. What? Jesus is beaten, mocked, and crucified. When? On this day we call Good Friday, close to 2000 years ago. Where? A place called Golgotha, just outside Jerusalem. But then the question, “why,” that’s a little harder to answer. Why did things happen as they did?...

“There Will Be Blood” (Exod. 24:3-11; Heb. 9:11-22; Matt. 26:17-30)“There Will Be Blood.” When God saves a people and takes them for his own, there will be blood. There always has been. There had been blood on the night of the Passover, the exodus from Egypt, when the Lord God brought his people Israel out of bondage. On that night, death was coming to every household in Egypt. But the Lord provided a way of escape. “Tell the people, Moses, to take a lamb without blemish or spot, slay it, and take the blood of the lamb and spread it...

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod's Board of Communications suddenly pulled the plug today on our friends @ Issues, Etc. Both Rev. Todd Wilkens and his producer Jeff Schwarz, were both let go without advance notice.

More than once during these talks I referred to Luther and what always occurred to me as his destructive influence. I pointed out that even in such an admirable book as Rohan Butler's “The Roots of National Socialism” the spiritual origins of Nazism and Luther's influence had not been given the necessary importance. Then I was asked if I would be prepared to elaborate to them—about a dozen of the very senior boys, that is—my own views on Luther and Lutheranism. I agreed—with the proviso that they would be my own views and nothing else. Admittedly, I had read more...

“In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb” (Matthew 21:1-11; 26:1 – 27:66)“In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb.” Have you heard that saying before? It’s used in reference to the month of March. The idea is that usually March comes in “like a lion”--the weather to begin the month is harsh and cold--and then at the other end, March goes out “like a lamb”--the weather is fair and mild. This year March started out with a few days of lamb-like weather, then the lion roared into our area, and now we’re sort of in-between. What’s in between a...

Former Synod Treasurer Charged with Theft of $1 Million On March 13, 2008, Barry R. Herr, former treasurer of the Lower Susquehanna Synod, was arraigned and charged with 36 counts of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (electronic transfer of funds) and one count of Theft by Deception in the amount of $1,004,732. Each charge is a felony of the third degree. This comes as a result of months of investigation into the misappropriation of funds that were under the oversight and entrusted to the care of Mr. Herr as synodical treasurer. This shocking and tragic event saddens us all...

“‘Follow Me’: The Cross and the Crown of Discipleship”“‘Follow Me’: The Cross of Discipleship” (Matt. 10:38-39; 16:24-25)“Take up your cross and follow me.” “Follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.” This is the twofold word our Lord has for us this evening, under the theme, “The Cross and the Crown of Discipleship.” Originally, the plan was to consider these as two different messages, “The Cross” last week and “The Crown” tonight, but the snowstorm caused us to combine the two into one. And that’s OK, because there is no “Crown” without the “Cross,” and there is no “Cross”...

A task force drafting a statement on sexuality for the nation's largest Lutheran group said Thursday that the church should continue defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. However, the panel did not condemn same-gender relationships. The committee expressed regret that historic Lutheran teachings have been used to hurt gays and lesbians, and acknowledged that some congregations already accept same-sex couples. The report released by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is part of the denomination's yearslong effort to bridge internal differences over the Bible and homosexuality. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a separate, smaller group, is...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Rumors that the Vatican is set to rehabilitate Martin Luther, the 16th-century leader of the Protestant Reformation, are groundless, said the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi. News reports in early March alleged that Pope Benedict XVI was dedicating a planned September symposium with former doctoral students to re-evaluating Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy. The story "does not have any foundation, insofar as no rehabilitation of Luther is foreseen," Father Lombardi told the Italian news agency ANSA March 8. Vatican officials said the topic of the pope's annual summer gathering of former students...

“Raising the Dead, Arousing Faith, and Rousing the Opposition” (John 11:1-53)Our text today is the account of the raising of Lazarus, from John chapter 11. In this chapter Jesus does three things: He raises the dead. He arouses faith. And he rouses the opposition. Three things, and what he does, he does for you. The most obvious thing Jesus does is to raise a dead man. Think about that. Jesus raises a dead man. Who has ever heard of such a thing? The man’s name was Lazarus. He was a friend of Jesus and his disciples. His sisters you’ve heard...

The Times March 6, 2008 That Martin Luther? He Wasn’t So Bad, Says Pope Richard Owen in Rome Pope Benedict XVI is to rehabilitate Martin Luther, arguing that he did not intend to split Christianity but only to purge the Church of corrupt practices. Pope Benedict will issue his findings on Luther (1483-1546) in September after discussing him at his annual seminar of 40 fellow theologians — known as the Ratzinger Schülerkreis — at Castelgandolfo, the papal summer residence. According to Vatican insiders the Pope will argue that Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy, was not a heretic....

“Jesus Opens Your Eyes--and Tongue” (John 9:1-41)Today’s Gospel is the story of the man born blind, John chapter 9. That’s the thing about John’s gospel, the chapters are very identifiable. The woman at the well, John 4. The raising of Lazarus, John 11. Very memorable, these chapters in John. Often they involve Jesus in a one-on-one conversation with a person he meets or helps: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and so on. And often there is some misperception: Nicodemus doesn’t understand about being “born again,” the Samaritan woman doesn’t understand “living water.” They’re just thinking in merely earthly categories, while Jesus...

February 28, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, "Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable ... do the work of an evangelist ... " (2 Timothy 4:2a, 5b) "Bishop Hanson, what is your number one priority for the ELCA?" The question was addressed to me recently with great clarity and a desire for specificity. My answer? That we be an evangelizing church. The questioner nodded with what I took to be a gesture of agreement and walked away. I am curious how my questioner would have responded to his own question. And I am...

“‘Follow Me’: The Candidates for Discipleship” (Matthew 9:9-13)“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him. “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but...

“The Man at the Well” (John 4:5-30, 39-42)It’s natural to want to be accepted. We want people to accept us for who we are. But from time to time we all experience a gnawing, nagging sense that we are not accepted, a sense of alienation--from others, from God, maybe even from ourselves. We want to be accepted. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we see some things in our character and behavior that are really unacceptable. “I want to be accepted, but if people really knew me for who I am, why should they accept me?” It’s like Groucho Marx...

“‘Follow Me’: The Cost of Discipleship” (Matthew 8:18-22)“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.’”...

“‘Follow Me’: The Call to Discipleship” (Matthew 4:18-22)Today we begin a series of five messages based on the “Follow me” sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. We were going to start this series this past Wednesday night, but the ice kept that from happening. So we begin today, and then we’re back on schedule for this coming Wednesday. “‘Follow Me’: Jesus Calls Us to Discipleship” is our series theme. Note: Calls “us.” For as we hear Jesus calling disciples in the first century, he is also speaking to us in the twenty-first century, saying to us even now,...

“What Kind of a Son Are You?” (Matthew 4:1-11)“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” So came the Father’s voice at Jesus’ baptism. And again later, at Jesus’ transfiguration, as we heard last week. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Yes, Jesus is the Son of God. And we know also from the rest of the New Testament that Jesus is the Son of God in a unique sense, a one-of-a-kind sense, in his very being. As we confess in the creeds, Jesus Christ is God’s “only Son,” “the only-begotten Son...

“Renewed in Practicing Your Righteousness” (Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21)Every year the church has a season of renewal, and it’s called Lent. Today, Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent, the first of forty days. During this time of year, the sun is getting stronger, the days are getting longer. That’s how Lent got its name, by the way. This is when the days “lengthen,” and so it’s called the “Lenten” season. And just as Lent begins in the dead of winter and presses forward into spring, so the Lord will bring his people from deadness to life, from coldness to...

Draft of Proposed ELCA Social Statement on Sexuality Available March 13 08-008-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The draft of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) proposed social statement on human sexuality will be available March 13. The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality met here Jan. 25-26 to complete its work on the draft and give final instructions to its writing team. The task force received a final report on responses for "Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk about Human Sexuality" -- part three of the "Journey Together Faithfully" study materials for members of the ELCA...

“Every Picture Tells a Story” (Matthew 17:1-9)Today is the Transfiguration of Our Lord. “Trans-fig-uration?” you say. “What’s that?” That’s a word you don’t use every day. And that’s OK. Because this was an event you don’t see every day, either. And one, if you did see it, you would never forget. That’s why Peter, writing many years later, remembered it so vividly. He says of Christ: “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with...

“See the Light, Be the Light” (Matt. 4:12-25; 5:14-16)This year, because Easter will be falling on March 23, the earliest date in any of our lifetimes, we are having the shortest possible Epiphany season we can have. As a result, some of the Gospel readings we would normally hear on the Sundays after the Epiphany are being cut out. One of those readings would be from Matthew 5, and I’ve printed a few verses of it in your bulletin for today. Matthew 5:14-16, where Jesus tells his disciples: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a...

You only have a few more hours to call Jen Nagel Jen. After her ordination at 2 p.m. today, you have to start calling her the Rev. Nagel -- unless you're a member of the national board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in which case you probably don't want to call her at all. Nagel is being ordained despite being committed to a same-sex relationship. The national ELCA doesn't approve of the ordination of gay ministers. But an exemption in the bylaws was passed at the national convention in August allowing local synods to not object to...

“Three Evangelism Pointers: Point, Invite, and Find” (John 1:29-42a)The Epiphany season traditionally is a time for emphasizing the church’s work of evangelism and missions. Why is that? Well, think of the event celebrated on the Epiphany festival: Wise men from the east, being led by a star to find the Christ child--in other words, the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Or think of the word, “Epiphany”; it means “manifestation,” “appearing,” literally, a “shining forth.” In the Gospel readings during the Epiphany season, we see Jesus shining forth into a sin-darkened world. And now, in our day, the church...

<p>Elizabeth English is a mother of two, a partner in a four-year relationship, a social worker. On Saturday, she will add one more title: Catholic priest.</p> <p>English is a member of a small, independent Catholic church that does not recognize papal authority and ordains women to the priesthood.</p>