This ancient “tale of two mothers” concerns far more than theological semantics—it is the difference between a God who sends and a God who comes.
12/10/25
This story points us from our unlikely heroes to the even more unlikely, and joyous, good news that Jesus’ birth for us was just as unlikely and unexpected.
12/09/25
Was Jesus ambitious or unambitious? We have to say that the answer is…yes.
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08/21/24
As both law and gospel are proclaimed, judgment and deliverance are miraculously pronounced over the hearer.
08/05/24
Free speech isn't dead yet, and when it comes to the proclamation of the gospel, it never will be.
07/24/24
Despite the fact that this could sound strange to modern ears, Luther has an important reason for saying what he does about the Commandments.
07/19/24
The Christian must always remember that personal piety and liturgical uniformity are by no means the marks of true religion.
07/17/24
We don't associate the word "regret" with anything "good," but God does.
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06/24/24
If your faith is rooted in the gospel of Zion, in the good news of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection on your behalf, you are already a member of the “heavenly Jerusalem”
06/21/24
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).
06/07/24
In our catastrophes - whatever they may be, however large or small they are - we cry out for rescue, deliverance, and salvation.
06/06/24
Like Jacob, sinners approach the Heavenly Father wearing the clothes of their older brother, Jesus.
05/24/24
What we do much less of, even in Christian circles, is recognize just how pervasive sin is, such that it has thoroughly corrupted us.
05/22/24
Now that the Lord of Sabaoth has involved himself, something ends, something is born.
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