Dear Flock of God gathered at Trinity, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.” ~Psalm 28:7-9 As much as we might wish
A Brief History of Lent: The practice of fasting before celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord emerges very early in the Church. During the first three centuries after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the period of fasting before Easter was limited to a few days (in fact 40 hours, based on the time our Lord was to have lain in the tomb). The Lenten fast was originally related to the
Why We Give Our Offerings I’ve always been bewildered and saddened by how poorly many Lutherans understand and practice stewardship. Adding to that disappointment is the regret that I have contributed to this misunderstanding by not preaching and teaching more clearly on the subject. Jesus talked about money and possessions more than any other topic. His teachings focused on trusting in God rather than in your possessions and on desiring the eternal treasures rather than
Confessing the Faith QUESTION: Our pastor pours water over the head of the person being baptized. I’ve had people tell me that all the people of the Bible, including Jesus, were baptized using the immersion method. Why doesn’t our church follow the way Jesus was baptized by John? ANSWER: On the basis of the evidence provided in the New Testament, it is not possible to prove that the term “baptize” always referred to baptism by
“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” was a saying on a trivet that hung on the kitchen wall at my grandmother’s house. I suffer from that speed disease, much to my consternation. This piece from Pr. Cwirla addresses that issue and I hope that you find it as insightful and helpful as I did. ~ Pastor Christensen The Grace of Slowness Pr. William M. Cwirla, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Hacienda Heights, CA I