1. What greater legacy could you claim than that of Mark? Listen to the Word. Learn from Jesus.
  2. Past, present, and future are tied together in Christ.
  3. This is an excerpt from the introduction of “Common Places in Christian Theology: A Curated Collection of Essays from Lutheran Quarterly,” edited by Mark Mattes (1517 Publishing, 2023).
  4. Even if the numbers are bad, the news about Jesus crucified for sinners and raised to new life hasn’t become any less good.
  5. The sign of the cross, according to the earliest centuries of Christians, is “the sign of the Lord,” and every baptized Christian was “marked” with it.
  6. Take courage, you who were lost: Jesus comes to seek and save that which is lost. Ye sick, return to health: Christ comes to heal the contrite of heart with the balm of his mercy. Rejoice, all you who desire great things: the Son of God comes down to you that he may make you the co-heirs of his kingdom.
  7. When and how did the church start this season of anticipation?
  8. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of him who works.
  9. Through water, blood, and word, the Spirit never stops pointing us to Christ, and even more, giving us Christ.
  10. Even though All Saints is a day for remembering the dead, it is not a day of mourning.
  11. The reason that God’s commandments are not burdensome is that Jesus has fulfilled them.