“Joy and the Christmas Burglar”: A sermon for Christmas Eve

First, a note to thank all those who wrote in with feedback on Steve Kuhl’s “Simple Version” synopsis of the distinction between Law and Gospel. I’ve passed all of your feedback along to Steve. Second, an apology for not getting Steve’s “Fuller Version” out to you last week. It will come next week. Until then, please do keep …

A Stab at Describing the Law/Gospel Distinction

Colleagues, First came America’s Thanksgiving—a Thursday holiday, for those of you in other lands—and then a week more filled than usual with demands of the regular calling. So again you saw a gap in posts. Your editors, grappling with the fullness of life on the one hand and their limitations on the other, have been mulling on the …

Homily on the anniversary of an ordination

Today we bring you a homily preached this past summer by Ed Schroeder on the occasion of a fortieth anniversary of ordination. In it, Ed makes reference to several visual aids, including a picture made by his wife Marie, a photograph of which is included below (and as an attachment to this e-mail). In a separate note to …

Luther on the Ten Virgins—and the Surprising Source for This

Colleagues, This may look at first glance like one of the scantier posts you’ve ever gotten from Thursday Theology, but really, it’s not. That’s because the meat is tucked away in a link you’ll get to shortly. Be sure to click on it. It will be your food for the week, thrown together by master chef Martin Luther …

Something Greater Than Justice.” A Post-Ferguson Reflection

Colleagues, Richard E. Mueller, senior pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Florissant, Missouri, stepped into his pulpit on the last Sunday in August understanding that the week’s events in the now notorious Ferguson, one suburb to the south, required his attention. What he said that morning got to us via a back channel, and we …

More Musings on ‘Justification’

Colleagues, Two weeks ago we sent you a scattershot post about Richard Dawkins, Romans 3 in English translation, and the God’s Word version of Bible. One of those items garnered a response. It plunged the undersigned into some further musings. Here they are. Peace and Joy, Jerry Burce, for the editorial team In our October 9 note about Romans …

Original Sin

This week we bring you an essay from the files of Ed Schroeder, written by Ed under circumstances lost to time, but offered up here as a short meditation on the connection, as Ed puts it, between the “spoke” of sin and the “hub” of Christian theology. Peace and Joy, Carol Braun, for the editorial team Original Sin …