Luther neither removed the Apocrypha from the Bible nor discouraged its use. Rather, he received and preserved the ancient distinction inherited from the fathers: the Apocrypha is valuable, edifying, and worthy of reading, but it is not Holy Scripture and therefore cannot serve as the foundation of Christian doctrine.
The confessors at Augsburg remind us that every generation of Christians is called to bear witness to the gospel amid the challenges and pressures of its own age. As they confessed Christ before emperors and kingdoms, so the Church continues to confess Him before the world today.
When Jesus washes you with baptismal water, you can rest assured that the Lion of Judah is on the move.

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Faith, for Peter, is not suspended in religious abstraction. It is tied to something that happened in time and space.
This year, we wanted to ensure you have all the resources you need to learn about and reflect on the revelation of Christ.
Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?
Repentance is not limited to a season.
The “Chalking of the Door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany and God’s blessing of our lives and home.
This is an edited excerpt from Addendum A, “The Church Year,” On Any Given Sunday: The Story of Christ in the Divine Service, written by Michael Berg (1517 Publishing, 2023), pgs. 113-120.
At the Transfiguration, we say farewell to alleluia and hello to the horrific reality of our lost condition.
What does professional wrestling and preaching have in common?
What (if anything) makes a sermon distinctive?
When you see the year ending, thank the Lord, because he had led you into this cycle of years.
Jesus stands before the disciples as the bridge between heaven and earth, and between Old Testament and New Testament.
Hidden beneath the sinner is a glorious saint. Jesus has declared it to be so in your baptism.