In the family of God, we never run out of people to love.…
The Lutheran Witness
Interpreting the contemporary world from a Lutheran Christian perspective
There’s no theology like snow theology
Snow falls, and the ugliness of an unsightly landscape disappears. Dirt, decay, dilapidation — all are erased by two or three inches of newly fallen s…
The people that in darkness sat
As we “sit in darkness” together during these dark, cold days of winter, the words of a favorite Epiphany hymn bring us comfort and hope.…
What’s it like being president of Synod?
Like every other pastor, the Synod president must deal with a variety of situations, trying faithfully and kindly to apply the Word of God in every in…
Lutheran Witness: February 2019
Who is your neighbor? And what does it mean to “love your neighbor as yourself”? This February, The Lutheran Witness is exploring what it looks like w…
Notes from a not-so-crazy cat lady
Freddy the cat reminds his owner daily of God’s providence, faithfulness and love for her as she adjusts to life in as a missionary in the Domin…
Theodore Naether: Planting the seeds of LCMS missions
The faithful labors of the LCMS’s first overseas missionary foreshadowed the tireless service and devotion to the Gospel that would characterize thous…
Unlikely Savior, unlikely saints
Of all the Gentiles, the Magi would have been some of the most unlikely converts and worshipers. Yet even so, they came and worshiped the Savior.…
Let’s be who we are
From LCMS President Matthew Harrison: “We cannot and must not lose our fundamental, biblical, confessional and (above all) Gospel bearings.̶…
Lutheran Witness: January 2019
What will readers find in LW’s January issue on missions and evangelism? Faith. Conviction. Perseverance. Courage. Hope. Marching orders.…
The miracle truce of Christmas
On Christmas Eve 1914, World War I had been raging for months and 800,000 men had already been wounded or killed. Then something truly remarkable happ…
When Jesus ruins Christmas
Up against the glorious reality of Christ’s Incarnation, the “holly jolly” fluff surrounding our cultural celebration of Christmas t…
The Christmas squid
Its body is a rectangle of Styrofoam. Out of one end, a toothpick protrudes; out of the other spring several red and green pipe cleaners.…
He was a good man
“He was a good man.” It’s a common refrain at funerals. But what are we really saying with these words? What does it mean to call a man &#…
Advent is not a drag
Advent isn’t a drag. It’s a time when believers show the world that there’s oil in our flasks and that our faith isn’t pointless.…
A meditation for Christmas
Cradle to cross, Jesus humbled Himself, serving to the point of death and giving His life as a ransom for many. At Christmas and always, we cling to H…