This is an excerpt from the introduction of Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Christopher Richmann (1517 Publishing, 2026).
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.

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Senkbeil is a pastor’s pastor, a master of the art of pastoral care.
God is a judge, but unlike you, God is just!
Luther’s final thoughts were not meant to bum you out or lead you to despair.
The liturgy ensures that the gospel is never something inward, merely a thought or sentiment of the believer.
"When God has his say, have confidence that his Word and sacraments bestow precisely what he says."
The gospel is best understood in terms of those two most important words: for you.
The gospel gives us faith, hope, and love, all of which proceed from Christ’s death and resurrection.
It's a new year, and you are still the same you: a sinner who is simultaneously perfect in every way because Christ declares it to be so.
The grain of God’s goodness and grace is made known by many trees throughout the Bible.
The love of God is creative, always giving, always reviving.
Longstanding tradition must be bolstered by something outside of ourselves that also lies outside of the traditions of men.
This is the first article in a special three-part Advent series on how Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king.