Northwoods Seelsorger

Recently I heard comments second-hand from come of my members that they were not coming to church (or coming regularly) because they “get nothing out of the sermon.” This elicited some discussion in a meeting at the church. I was frustrated because it was impossible to either address or amend something without specifics. What was lacking that caused them to “get nothing out of the sermon”? No one could put their finger on it exactly. Predictably I went home with a mixture of frustration and self-critical despondency. The only concrete point mentioned was in regard to my delivery, namely that I use a manuscript. Was I too bound to the text making my delivery come off as wooden? Was I failing to make it interesting with nice modern illustrations? Was I too “deep” and losing people? Or was I simply just to general and dry? I don’t know. Then I ran across a discussion on preaching over on McCain’s blog entitled “True and False Christ.” You should check it out with the comme...

A blessed St. Andrew's Day to all of you! Unfortunately, unless you are Scottish, you may not take much notice of this day (Andrew is traditionally the patron saint of Scotland.) The role this minor feast plays most often is simply as a marker of where to begin the season of Advent. The first Sunday of the new season thus being the one closest to St. Andrew's Day. However, as the Augsburg Confession reads: "Our churches teach that the history of the saints may be set before us so that we may follow the example of their faith and good works, according to their calling." (AC, XXI, 1 - McCain ed.) As Lutherans we should take notice of all the saints that we might be encouraged by their example, seeing the living Christ working through them. Andrew has the honor of being the first disciple called by our Lord, and also as being the first missionary (he led his brother Peter to Christ.) In Greek he has been known as protoclete , "first called." A native of B...

I recently returned to a study group in my area after a long hiatus. They are now beginning a study of Dr. John R. Stephenson's book The Lord's Supper in the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series (Vol. XII, 1999, 2003). The volumes in this series, which now includes books on Baptism ( Scaer ), Church and Ministry ( Marquart ), Eschatology (Stephenson), and Christology ( Scaer ), are well worth the purchase. The authors are among the truly outstanding in our church today. While I have just begun my study of Stephenson's book, my comments are only a few. We barely reached the second chapter yesterday. Some notable quotes for me included the following: Luther (in ref. to Zwingli's teaching on the Supper): "But he [the devil] will keep on and attack still other articles of faith, as he already declares with flashing eyes that baptism, original sin, and Christ are nothing." Also: "Through these fanatics, however, the devil prepares the way fo...

I discovered the Christian Denomination Selector over on Pr. Peterson's blog ( CyberStones ), and decided to take it for myself. It asks you a series of questions on doctrine and practice and then ranks a series of denominations that may best suit your confession. My results were: #1 - LCMS #2 - ELS #3 - EO #4 - RC It appears that I was virtually the same as Peterson. As he pointed out later in his comments, the weight you attach to the importance of the given question (low, med. high) probably has a lot to do with your eventual results. Someone also noted that such polls reflect what a church body teaches "on paper," or its formal confession, not what is actually practice. True enough. Nevertheless it is nice to see that according to this little poll I'm a fit for where I am.....for now.....I think..... Take the poll yourself. It takes only a few minutes. Give it a minute to load. The questions will probably appear below your initial screen after all t...

On November 13 & 14 the Missouri Synod sponsored its first ever conference for emergency services chaplains at the Crowne Plaza, west of St. Louis. The 80+ chaplains represented included police (local and state), sheriff dept., FBI, fire, EMS, and other agencies from throughout the US. As soon as I heard about it I signed up, eager to not only be included in something new, but also hoping to make sure that there was representation from more than just one segment of the synod. I knew going in that no conference would be all that I might hope it to be. Having been to many conferences in synod the last few years, I am getting wearied by the repetition of seemingly endless PowerPoint presentations and video advertisements for synod's programs. But this one seemed different, and having just entered into chaplaincy work in the last three years or so, this seemed a great opportunity to get some much needed training and insight. In some ways it helped. In other ways, as the author...

Recently in the Baptist Press (Oct. 27, 2006), Gregory Wills compared the seeming paucity of church discipline in his denomination to the "canary in the coal mine." By this reference he was intending to indicate that the lack of discipline of erring Baptists is a sign of its virtual death as a church. Certainly those of us in the LCMS would agree with Mr. Wills that there is a corresponding paucity of churchly discipline within our own ranks as well. As a parish pastor living and working on the rough edge of ministry, I would freely admit to the frustration of unaddressed and ignored sin within the parish. It is no mystery that many who come to the Table on the Lord's Day may be in true danger of not having adequately examined themselves and may thus be eating and drinking to their own judgment. I believe that while we have been strong in defending the fellowship of the altar as to doctrinal unity, the integrity of Christian practice is an area truly lacking in...

I originally tried my hand at blogging with an account at lutheransonline.com, a server hosted by Thrivent. While truly user-friendly, it was a bit heavy on advertisements, and this format appealed to me more. The articles I wished to share are still at www.lutheransonline.com/studentoftheword, if you wish to check it out. As I enjoy writing and sharing my thoughts, it seemed natural to enter again into the world of blogging. I write as a Lutheran pastor, sharing concerns about my church and the world in which I live. Hopefully my ruminations there recorded will be helpful to others. It will take a while to become disciplined in writing, so I hope that in time this will become a truly active blog. To all who stumble hereupon - The Lord be with you!