We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.
Confession isn’t a detour in the liturgy. It’s the doorway.
American religion did not become optional because the gospel failed. It became optional because religion slowly redefined itself around usefulness.

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What I was missing—what so many are missing—is a Church that doesn’t just speak about Christ, but delivers him.
The Psalm now is this: as Christ suffered and then was exalted, so we are also in him.
In the upside-down wisdom of God, the place of the cross becomes the place of life, absolution, and triumph.
By the end of this prayer of wrestling, David finally has the strength to claim victory over his lying enemies.
Ambrose's preaching continues to ring out in churches around the world, especially during Advent when we sing his magnificent, proclamatory hymn, "Savior of the Nations, Come."
The crucified and risen Christ comes to renew, restore, and build up.
No matter how many times we hear this good news, it never stops being good news.
To preach Christ and him crucified is to keep the message simple and accessible.
Let your soul grieve, yes, but don’t let it be eaten alive by worry.
John inspired me to see each sermon as an apologetic opportunity.
With so many TV preachers, pastors, and Bible teachers claiming to be authoritative voices for God himself, how do you know who to listen to?
This is an excerpt from “Confession and Absolution” by John T. Pless in Common Places in Theology: A Curated Collection of Essays from Lutheran Quarterly, edited by Mark Mattes, (1517 Publishing 2023).