The Small Catechism includes a table prayer called “Asking a Blessing.” It uses Psalm 145:15-16. I wrote a little hymn as a way of singing the prayer. To the tune of LSB 687. Lord, to You we lift our eyes, And in love You satisfy All our needs from day to day. Bless this food […]
“…one pearl of great value” (Matt. 13:46). Years ago I did the funeral for a woman named Margaret. I used the Parable of the Pearl for the reason that the Greek word for “pearl” is “margaret.” You too are Margaret, the pearl of great value. A beautiful explanation of this parable says that the merchant […]
“For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). Let’s talk oxymorons. What exactly is an oxymoron? Professor Warren Blumenfeld, an authority on the subject, defined it as “contradictory expressions that make absolute sense.” Think of it as a pocket-sized paradox. But better and more fun to give examples: clearly misunderstood devout […]
My first name is Matthew, after St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Holt, Michigan, my father’s first and only congregation that he pastored for twenty years. Although Lutheran Service Book has a stanza for Matthew, I wanted to write another. It is based on Matthew 9:9-13 and 28:16-20. We praise You, Lord, for Matthew, The tax […]
“…on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2). We should think more about Sunday. For starters, we Christians need to remember that Sunday is not part of the weekend. It is rather the first day of the new week. Then, and this is the most important thing, we need to remember that Sunday is […]
Today is the fortieth day after Easter, and the celebration of Christ’s ascension into heaven. “And they…returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). Twice in his Gospel, Luke has the words “great joy.” The first time is Christmas: “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of […]