The Church is not a throwaway society — quite the opposite. In God’s economy there is no person pointless enough to throw away.…
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The Lutheran Witness — Interpreting the contemporary world from a lutheran christian perspective.
Being someone’s someone
It is a fine thing — a very fine thing — to consider those around you as essential contributors to your identity. Not everyone is a spouse. Not everyo…
The most influential book
The answers to life’s biggest questions and challenges aren’t to be found in yet one more new book, but in one very, very old one.…
Easter is coming — no FOOLIN’!
Though the Gospel we preach may be “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,” God’s beloved children are no fools. We know what really h…
The sights and sounds of Holy Week
Even though we know how the story of Christ’s passion ends, the sacred readings, hymns and services of Holy Week keep our longing for Easter fre…
They need us to be Lutheran
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor.1:18). …
The right response to #MeToo? #Repent
The past months have seen allegations of sexual abuse made against some of the most powerful men in America. Many of these men say they’re sorry. Now …
Letting these gifts be blessed
Our marriages and families, and we ourselves, are better for shared mealtimes. So how do we cherish these gifts together on a regular basis?…
What to give up for Lent?
Lent is not so much a time of “giving things up” as it is a time for adding things that increase our awareness of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus.…
“Our help is in the name of the Lord …”
“… who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 124:8). Have you ever stopped to think about what these familiar words mean for you?…
The internet: Good, bad or neutral?
Depending on whom you ask, the internet can be either a mission field ripe for harvest or a minefield of perilous temptation. Which view is correct?…
The ultimate safety net
We can’t safeguard our loved ones from every danger. We’re only human. But there is One who provides ultimate protection — Jesus Christ.…
When you are criticized …
When facing criticism, do you respond with denial? despair? defensiveness? Or do you instead see (and seize) the opportunity to learn and grow?…
Food, clothes and an apartment — for Jesus
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25 that when we serve our neighbor, we are serving Him. Even more, Jesus directs Christians to see God in those we serve.…
Hope for the hopeless in the new year
Our hope is not in the grinding of the gears on the universal clock that takes us from year into new year. Our hope is in the one, true God.…
Keeping Christmas
“Keep Christ in Christmas!” the billboards and yard signs tell us. But what does it mean for us to keep both “Christ” and “Mass” in Christmas?…