Catechesis

It's a question that Jesus asked His own disciples: “Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” This question gets asked in another way in the beloved Christmas hymn, “What Child is This?” It's a hymn that reminds us as we celebrate Jesus' birth that He was born to die for our sins. For your Christmas meditation, here are some thoughts on the words of this wonderful hymn. 

Rev. William Cwirla

"Did God say, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'" A subtle, subversive question. A devilish question. What did God say? You may eat the fruit of all trees of the garden except one. Eat of that one and you will die. That's what God said, and the serpent wants to get between Eve and the Word.

Rev. Matthew Harrison

My dad loved to go to the early service—always the early service, and the earlier the better. He would have loved to have Easter sunrise service every Sunday of the year! But it was a different story for my brother and me. Church? Forget it. I’d rather sleep in since my brother and I liked to stay up as late as we possibly could on Saturday night.

by Rev. Marcus T. Zill

Now, kids, don’t try this analogy out at home.  Just take my word on this one, okay? 

A flashlight is not very helpful if you hold it before your face and simply stare into the beam of light. In fact, if you use a flashlight like that you might just end up blind. 

A flashlight functions not by drawing you to gaze at the light bulb in it, but by throwing light on an object which you need to see. Ultimately, seeing that object is the whole point. 

It’s kind of like that with work of the Holy Spirit. We do not gaze directly on the Holy Spirit but instead the Spirit causes His light to shine through His Word so that we see it’s object - Jesus Christ. That is why the Holy Spirit is often called "the shy member of the Holy Trinity." He’s there. He’s at work. He’s just not about drawing attention to Himself.

Rev. Brent Kuhlman

There he is!  He’s just hanging there.  He refused to come down. Stayed to the bitter end.  Breathed his last and said:  “It is finished”(John 19:30). The veil in the temple split in two from top to bottom.  The earth quaked.  The rocks split.  Dead people came out of their tombs (Matthew 27:51-52).  Do you see him?  Jesus of Nazareth!  Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven Jesus of Nazareth!  Yes, that’s right, he’s hanging there. His body hangs limp.   Dead.  Graveyard dead on a Friday afternoon we now call “Good!” 

by The Rev. Brent Kuhlman

Go ahead.  Try to bore a way up to heaven.  Peek your head through the clouds.  See if you can find the Lord seated on a red-velvety cushioned throne.  I’ve got news for you.  You won’t find Him way up there!  Why?  Because the Lord has come way down here!   

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Hallelujah! Booyah! Jesus died for our sins but then came back to life, rose again on the third day. The Easter season is a celebration of our Lord's triumph over sin and death. It is a time to hear that we can poke death in the eye! Death can't hurt us! Oh, it can kill us, but it can't keep us down. Because it couldn't keep Jesus down into Whom you have been baptized. His resurrection means your resurrection on the Last Day. Now we laugh at Death and mock it as St. Paul does, "Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?"  

by The Rev. William Cwirla 

Why the Liturgy?  First a definition and a disclaimer.  By “liturgy” I mean the western catholic mass form as it has been handed down by way of the Lutheran Reformation consisting of the five fixed canticles - Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.  Pardon the Greek and Latin, but it sounds cool and we still use ‘em.  “Liturgy” also includes the assigned Scripture texts for the Sundays, feast days, and seasons.  Most of what I will say about the liturgy of the Divine Service will pertain to “liturgical worship” in general. 

by Seminarian Jeff Dock

“A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, The guilts of sinners bearing. And, laden with the the sins of earth, None else the burden sharing.”

In the Old Testament, God the Father had appointed that an innocent lamb be the animal marked as the sin bearer. Only an animal such as this was pure enough to have sin placed upon it. These lambs all point to Christ who bears the sin of the world. It doesn’t seem fair. Cute cuddly lambs get sacrificed. The innocent Son of God has the sins of the world placed upon Him. He (without complaint) is beaten, wounded, mocked, and finally crucified. What made such a sacrifice necessary?

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser, one of the bits of information you may have gleaned is this: skipping meals does NOT help weight loss.  Long-term fasting is not going to make you healthy.  Changing which foods, or the serving size can make a difference, but skipping meals altogether actually has the opposite of its desired outcome. 

by The Rev. William Cwirla

Epiphany. The Gentiles' Christmas. The word "epiphany" means "appearing," as in the appearing of a deity, the appearing of God. We celebrate the visit of the magi, those mysterious Persian astrologers who traveled the eastern caravan routes following a star.

Isaiah anticipated this event. "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn...Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord." So did Balaam, the prophet hired to curse Israel who could only bless: "A star will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel." Stars and kings go together.

Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

by The Rev. William Cwirla

Advent is a fasting season.  Fasting is a “fine outward discipline,” according to the Small Catechism.  While it does not commend us before God nor is it to be seen by others (Mt 6:16), fasting is a valuable spiritual and physical discipline to train our appetites and bring them into conformity with our will. 

by the Rev. William Cwirla

The church year in the West begins with with a preparatory season called “Advent.”  The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “appearing” or “coming,” referring to the appearing of a great king or even a god.  In Christian usage, it refers to the appearing of Jesus Christ in two ways - His first appearing as the Child born of the Virgin Mary and His second appearing in glory on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead.  You see, Advent isn’t only about getting ready for Christmas; it’s also about getting ready for Jesus’ final appearing in glory only the Last Day.

by The Rev. William Weedon

God commands a word of comfort to His people: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” A word of comfort, pardon, grace, and huge gift. And yet this word from God is often met with skepticism. Can He mean me? Surely not. Not after all I’ve done. Such a word of comfort and grace cannot be meant for the likes of one whose sin is like mine.

Our Lord works through His Word and means. By means of flesh, the Son of God was able to bleed and die for our sins. By means of water, God puts His name on us. By means of a pastor's voice, Christ absolves us of our sins. By means of bread and wine, Jesus gives us His body and blood. Of all the means by which the Lord does things, those are the most important! Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, is truly our daily bread!

by The Rev. Jonathan Naumann

Yes, that annual season we call Advent is on the way this month beginning on St. Andrew’s Day (November 30th) this year.

But by saying “Advent is Coming” I am not referring to the calendar as much as the meaning of the term. “Advent” (from the Latin) means “coming”.

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

Many people don’t enjoy doctor visits. Some even avoid them. In spite of that, the time spent in hearing the doctor’s advice and receiving his treatment can be soothing, healing, and even life-saving.

October 18 is our annual appointment with Dr. Luke. Pastor Rich Heinz welcomes you to keep that appointment and join Theophilus in getting to know the Beloved Physician.

by The Rev. Paul L. Beisel

Teenage readers of Higher Things may not remember a time before chanted services, especially if your pastor graduated from the seminary within the last 15 years.  Even the youngest of us pastors and parents, on the other hand, can recall a time when fully chanted services were almost non-existent in Lutheran churches. Chanted psalms and prayers were virtually unheard of. That’s not to say that there was no singing. The congregation sang hymns and liturgical responses, but in the majority of congregations the pastor spoke all of his parts, in part because only the responses were set to music in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941).

by The Rev. Dr. Steven Hein

Have you ever wondered if you might have sinned so much, or in such a way, that God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus would no longer apply to you? If you have, what have you turned to for confident answers? It is not uncommon for Christians who have been battling nagging sins that trouble to wonder of they might be running out of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Is there an end to God’s forgiveness? Can a Christian sin so persistently that God would loose his patience and withhold his forgiveness? Can we reach a point when our sinning becomes unforgivable? Indeed, is there such a thing as an unforgivable sin? Anxious sinners who see alarming sins sticking to their lives, desperately want to know the answers to these questions. Do you know someone like this? Are you one of them?

by The Rev. Dr. Rick Stuckwisch

The Feast of Holy Cross Day (14 September) is a relatively recent addition to the church calendar for most Lutherans. It was introduced to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with Lutheran Worship in 1982. Perhaps it remains unfamiliar to many Lutherans in our day. Nevertheless, Holy Cross Day is actually a rather ancient observance in the history of the Christian Church, and there were some Lutherans who retained its observance in the centuries following the Reformation.

by Aaron Fenker

Within our current age and culture – as it might be with every age – the end and meaning of human existence is defined within ourselves, but waves, earthquakes, and hurricanes come and disrupt the world’s perceived order of things – boats are rocked, towers fall down, and houses are blown away. All these things show that creation itself is groaning, waiting, and crying out, “The end is near!”

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

Have you ever asked, “Why do we sing all these different hymns during church?” I have. Wouldn't the service go much faster if we just started with the Invocation instead of singing all of the verses of some hymn before it? Do we really need a Hymn of the Day, doesn't that just take up more time? I guess communion hymns are okay, they give us something to do while everyone else is receiving communion. Does Pastor really need to make the service even longer by having a closing hymn? What's the point?

by Seminarian Mark Pierson

“Darwin loves you.” “God is too big for just one religion.” “What Would Buddha Do?” Even if you haven’t seen these bumper stickers, surely you’ve run into some anti-Christian expressions. They’re everywhere! From the lips of celebrities like Tom Cruise, to the best-selling Da Vinci Code, to angry atheists like Richard Dawkins, to silly youtube conspiracy videos, it appears biblical Christianity has its fair share of enemies these days. So what are we Lutherans to do about it?

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

What a week!  Saturday night (really Sunday morning, Beijing time) ended a week of often staying up until 1:30 a.m. watching our incredible swim team – and particularly Michael Phelps.  Nightly we would see his sisters and mother, faithfully and devotedly in the stands, cheering and savoring his amazing feat!  But one thing—one person—was noticeably absent: Michael’s father.

by the Rev. Rich Heinz

There is a Latin saying in the Church: Lex orandi, lex credendi – literally, the law of prayer is the law of belief. In plain English, this means that what we pray and how we pray contributes to the form and practice of our faith. Likewise, our faith shapes the content and pattern of our prayers.

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

This world isn't very peaceful is it? You are always hearing about hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, flooding and other natural disasters. The news is plagued with stories of tragic accidents, homicides, suicides, rape, or the constant slandering of public officials. Just viewing the world from the outside can show that it is not a peaceful place. In fact, all the evil may even lead one to become extremely depressed

by the Rev. Paul L. Beisel

The Mississippi River isn’t exactly what you would call “clean.” Its waters are murky, muddy, and filled with all kinds of things that are just better left to the imagination. It’s not the kind of river that invites swimming or eating its fish. This summer we really got to see these murky, muddy waters up close and personal as water levels rose far above normal flood stage. We also got our first taste of sand-bagging, as we desperately tried to keep the flood water from overtaking our town’s water pump. Fortunately for us, we live up on a bluff, far out of the danger zone. But we know plenty of people whose homes and fields were destroyed. One thing is for sure, wherever the water went it left behind an appetizing(!) trail of silt, dead fish, and driftwood.

by The Rev. Richard Heinz

The highlight for today? Pastor Borghardt’s plenary catechetical sessions were fabulous! The “vote for the best T-shirt” contest has been fun. Presenting my “breakaway” catechetical session was great. The prayer offices (Matins, Vespers, and Evening Prayer) have been thrilling! And how chills-down-your-spine exciting when your prayers really do rise before Him as incense! The sweet aroma of prayer greeted worshipers as they entered the church.

by The Rev. John M. Dreyer

"Why make the sign of the cross, isn't that Roman Catholic?" was a common expression I heard when I was in the parish. I responded first by mentioning that Luther's Catechism teaches us to make the sign of the cross. "The catechism doesn't teach that," they say.

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

Thirty-four years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Franzmann pondered these words from the historic Epistle for the Resurrection of Our Lord. As the Lord blessed his imagination, talent, and eloquence, Dr. Franzmann’s pen issued forth a text with beauty and strength – one that begets many “Alleluias” and “Amens!”

by Stan Lemon

The book of Deuteronomy is a sort of sermon on the Law, delivered by Moses to explain the theology behind the Law. It’s often misunderstood as a simple reiteration or repetition, but that misses the fact that Moses is dealing with the Commandments in much greater detail in Deuteronomy. This Sunday, some churches heard Deuteronomy 11 read in the Divine Service. The reading picks up with second half of the chapter after Moses introduces the 1st Commandment, “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge…”

by Stan Lemon

The word Corpus is Latin for “body” and Christi if you couldn’t tell is “of Christ”. Today, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday is the Festival of the Body of Christ. You may not have heard of it before and you probably won’t find it in your hymnal either, but I assure you today is the Festival of the Body of Christ.

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

Pentecost. It is the Israelite Festival of Weeks – a “week” of weeks since the Passover. Pentecost is when God was thanked for the gift of processed grain. Yet now it took on a whole new meaning. Just over a week earlier, Jesus had ascended. He had promised to send the “Helper” – the “Counselor”/“Comforter” – the Holy Spirit. Indeed, He would process the “grain” that He harvested through the ministry of the apostles!

by The Rev. Dr. Rick Stuckwisch

Hats off to St. Boniface of Mainz, the eighth-century missionary bishop and martyr, who is commemorated today. It was on the 5th of June in the Year of Our Lord 754 that St. Boniface and his companions were attacked and killed by a band of hostile pagans in what is now the Netherlands. He was pushing 80 years old at that point, but he was still out there on the mission field, preaching the Gospel, teaching the Word of God, and bringing the Church to new frontiers. 

by The Rev. George Borghardt III

My little church had a wonderful organist play for our services during Holy Week. He was amazing! I had never heard our little organ make such wonderful sounds. The walls shook, the people sang with more zeal, it was truly amazing. It was the same organ, but it in the hands of this wonderful musician, it was heavenly.

by Aaron Fenker

Jubilate comes from the Latin Introit for today - "Make a joyful noise." Earlier in the Church Year we had other joy-filled Sundays: Advent 3 - Gaudete, and Lent 4 - Laetare. The joy on those Sundays was for something yet to come (Christmas and Good Friday/Easter), but now, in the heart of the Easter Season, our joy is made complete.

by The Rev. Brent W. Kuhlman

“ Whoa there Peter! Better try that again! After all, we Americans are told time and time again by the popular TV, radio, and book pastors that Holy Baptism is a nothing! That Holy Baptism is only for the adults! “The Bible says! The Bible says!” is their never-ending mantra. And yet here you are Peter saying just the opposite. And it’s right here in the Bible.

by The Rev. Randy Asburry

Holy Thursday brought a small burst of joy. As we finished Lent and entered the Holy Three Days, we heard the readings of the Passover, the Lord's Supper, and Jesus washing the grimy feet of His disciples.  Good Friday drew our focus to the blessed Cross on which our Savior, the Son of God and perfect Man, suffered and died for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. But what shall we do with today, "Holy Saturday," the seventh day of Holy Week?

by  The Rev. Randy  Asburry

I had never sung this hymn before this week. But now that my Kantor has been introducing it to us, I can't imagine preparing for Holy Week or going through Holy Week without it. The hymn is "No Tramp of Soldiers' Marching Feet" - #444 in Lutheran Service Book.

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

If you live in the Northern states, you know firsthand that we have gotten a lot of snow this winter. Chances are at your school or work place, or just when you are out and about, you have probably heard quite a few people wish that the snow would just melt already and that spring would come. The majority of the time when people think of snow they think of negative things; it’s cold, it’s terrible to drive in, you have to shovel it, and you have to brush it off your car. We want snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then we want to be done with it. But rarely do we ever think of good things about snow.

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

The season of Lent is usually associated with "giving something up", or not eating meat on Fridays. One year I gave up television for Lent. I figured I spent too much time just sitting around and channel surfing. So I figured I would deny myself that pleasure (and waste of time) and use that time for better things...like surfing the web! Then I went to school with my daughters one day. One of their fellow kindergartners asked me, "Pastor why did you ground yourself from TV?" Good question!

by The Rev. Richard Heinz

A few years ago, a dear friend of our family moved to Delaware, Ohio. She shares our love of tea. To make a long story short, she and her daughter discovered a little cottage where afternoon tea was served.

by The Rev. William Weedon

If Lent is the journey to Easter; if Easter is the return to the new life given to us in our Baptism; then Gesimatide is the preparation for that journey of return to our Baptism. The Church knows in her wisdom that we cannot be like Bilbo Baggins, simply shoved out the door for our journey without our kerchief or any plans or preparations. So for three weeks the Church seeks to ready her children to begin the slow and sometimes painful pilgrimage back to the very fountain of their life in Christ: back to Baptism and to the life in and from Christ Himself.

by The Rev. Jonathan Naumann

As we recently contemplated during Christmastime, the Gospel of St. John says, “[Christ] was in the world, . . . the world did not recognize Him” (John 1:10). Unfortunately, even when Jesus walked the earth in human form, many people failed to “see God”. Also today, it is a sad reality that many people do not understand God’s plan of salvation properly.

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

Ichabod? That seems like a funny name to bring up right now. Most often that name makes us think of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman. But the name is recorded in 1 Samuel 4:21. Eli the Priest was judge over Israel. His two sons had died and the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant. Eli fell over and died from the news. Eli's daughter-in-law went into labor at the news, and gave birth to a son as she died. She named the baby Ichabod, which in Hebrew means, "Where is the Glory?"

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

The commercial begins with a racing, horse-drawn coach. The white horses gallop toward the home where the children are sleeping, while parents are online, discovering that there is an affordable vacation package for them. The excitement rushes through your veins as you begin to think, “Maybe there is a great bargain for me, too!” and you check out the Disney website.

by The Rev. George Borghardt

“Sola” means “alone.” Solus Christus. Sola gratia. Sola fide. Sola scriptura. Christ alone, Grace alone. Faith alone. Scripture alone.  But no sola ever goes alone. Together they sum up the teachings of the Reformation.

by The Rev. Jacob Sutton

The Festival of St. Michael and All Angels gives a unique opportunity to properly teach the doctrine of the Church concerning God’s holy angels. September 29th is the date of the dedication in the fifth century of a small basilica outside of Rome dedicated to Michael, the first in Italy. From earliest Christian history, many churches were dedicated in Michael’s honor since he is the only archangel named in Scripture.

by The Rev. Peter Burfeind

What is the Assumption of Mary? What is the Dormition of the Mother of God? Both basically describe the same event. Tradition has it that at the end of Mary’s life, all the apostles were transported from various places in the world to her side. Only Thomas was not present. Thomas arrived after her burial, and he asked to bid her farewell at her grave. When the apostles and Thomas arrived at the grave, Mary’s body was gone. The apostles believed that she was "assumed" bodily into heaven. Mary, it was taught, participated in the bodily resurrection ahead of schedule. The rest of us will be resurrected bodily at Jesus’ second coming, but Mary was granted this gift of early resurrection.

by The Rev. Christopher Truelsen

Whatever grade of school you have finished, evolution is everywhere. When it comes to the conflict between biblical teaching and the teaching about secular evolution, many times evolution wins the argument. Why? People believe in science because they think they can rely only on what they can see, observe, and test.

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

 When it comes to sacred music there are two options. The first we can sing about how Jesus is worthy of OUR worship. The law in how WE lift his name and sing his praises. Then there is the second option, the better option: The option where the Gospel is present.

by the Rev. Allen Braun

“I baptize you in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  So begins our life in Christ. It is fitting, then, that the Divine Service also begins in that same NAME, since the Divine Service is the center of our Life in Christ.

by The Rev. Dan Feusse

In the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed you confess that the Holy Spirit is the “Lord and Giver of Life.” That is the work of the Holy Spirit - to give life. It is on Pentecost that the work of the Holy Spirit is given special attention by the Church. But have you ever stopped to consider what was going on in Jerusalem on that first Pentecost?

by The Rev. Kantor Richard Resch

Unfortunately, in Christendom the church choir is often seen as a democracy, but for Lutherans - this cannot be! And if this is not understood by all up front, a degree of chaos could be the weekly result. Why?

by The Rev. Dan Feusse

In the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, you confess these things about Jesus: that He was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. You confess that on the Third Day He rose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.