Preachrblog

Rev. Matt Harrison, whose name is being mentioned by many as a candidate for LCMS president in 2010 , has written a paper which describes what is ailing our synod but also suggests a plan of how to fix it. It's all the buzz of the Lutheran blogosphere right now, and you should read it too :

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Pentecost 26 November 9, 2008 “Encouraging Words about the End” History has an end. There will be a last day, this is very clear in Holy Scripture. The universe will not go on, at least not like this, forever. There is a day, somewhere in the future, that God has planned, in which Christ will come again to earth, and bring all things to fulfillment. It is now, in November, near the end of the church calendar year, that we especially think about the end times. Like many people today, the ancient Christians in the city of Thessalonica had questions and worries about that day. They had some misconceptions too. So St. Paul writes to them, to clear up the picture, to explain why that day is a good day for us Christians – to give them hope. “Encourage each other with these words” he says. And so Christians have encouraged each other with those words throughout the ages, and so today shall we. Perhaps it's worth reviewing some basic teachings about the end,...

Here's the best comment I've read yet on the election, from Pastor Petersen at Cyberstones: http://www.redeemer-fortwayne.org/blog.php?msg=10033 Tuesday's Winner Prophesied Here is what will happen . . . the Church will win. The Lord will provide. All things will work together for good. The Lord's man will win the election tomorrow. It will be for the good of those who love God. That is not to say that the winner will be good. I don't think that is an option in our system. But what will be good is the will of the Lord that He will work for His Church. Think on the good the Lord did through Caesar, through Leo X, through Napolean and Hitler and Sadaam Hussein. Sure, I'd prefer restful days of peace. But the reality is that restful days of peace are dangerous. They lull us into complacency. The Church militant does not have the option of resting or suing for peace or finding a compromise. She fights until she is relieved of her burden. And when she is too weak to ...

Revelation 7:2-17 All Saints Day (observed) November 2, 2008 “An Image of All the Saints” What does heaven look like? Take a moment and picture it. Maybe you have clouds and angels playing harps in your head. Maybe rainbows and green valleys, or something like a golf course. Maybe you just thought of Lambeau Field. St. John was exiled to the prison island of Patmos for being a Christian. There, as an old man, he had a marvelous vision – and he wrote down what he say. We call that writing, “The Book of Revelation”. And while Revelation is filled will all sorts of the images John saw, some of them even quite scary, we also see here some of the clearest pictures of heaven in all of scripture. One striking thing about heaven, pictured in Revelation, is that it's not so much a place as a people. Or, should we say, a situation – between God and his people. John doesn't so much describe the surrounding environment – that's not what's important. But what is important is who is ...

I participated in an Issues Etc... pastor's roundtable, or, triangle-table, or really, L-shaped table.... The topic was the 7th Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal". You can download and listen to the podcast here for free.