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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You’re not normally an eaves-dropper, and you don’t make it a habit of sticking your nose in other people’s business. But some conversations beg to be overheard. Transfiguration is like that.
It is the sort of joy that is brought about by the mutual consolation of the saints when they encourage one another through hard times.
For the past twenty years that I've been a Christian, I've not found any evidence in my reading of Judges 13-16 that qualifies Samson for the "book of faith" (Hebrews 11).
As a bass player, when I listen to music, I listen for what the bassist is doing. But, when I listen to music in my 2004 Honda Civic I have a problem: only one of the four speakers works.
Our meditation listens to the King of Kings when He says; it is finished.
Out of His mind indeed, as He took our place between murderers and received the insults and torture of humanity.
Instead of burning them up with unquenchable fire, He comes in solidarity, to be God with us and God for us. Jesus is baptized into our life, so that He could gift us His life.
The text says there was no room for them. And this should give us cause for a little head-scratching.
Christ has come, does come, and will come. He has set you free from the prison of sin and death.
If this opening verse offers to us both door and doorkeeper, then the doorkeeper stands with the door held securely shut.
This rather unique human being is God grounded in our humanity. The man Jesus.
Last night was one of those nights when I had an unscheduled 3:00 a.m. Life Assessment session.