"Jesus' Mission Statement" (Episode 205) Featuring Pastor Brian Thomas
Pastor Thomas Teaches On Mark 1:29-39
Contributors
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas is the pastor of Grace Lutheran in San Diego, CA. He is the author of "Wittenberg vs. Geneva" and "Draw Me Unto Thee: A Lenten Prayerbook." As a former naval officer, he loves serving our sailors and marines in the local San Diego region.
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Thy Kingdom Come: Waiting for Heaven in an Age of Instant Gratification
Through the means of grace, Christ grants us a share in all the blessings of this ancient hope.
Knock! Knock! Who's There?
For a long time, well-intentioned pastors and college evangelists have applied Jesus’ words from Revelation 3:20 to the unconverted.
Saxon Visitation Articles of 1592
The articles were used to catechize churches in Lutheran doctrine through a series of pastoral visitations.
Font to Table: Need for the Creeds - Why Do We Recite Them?
The creeds provide a means of unified confession that is biblically sound, transcending denominational lines of demarcation.
Font to Table: Why Does the Pastor Wear That?
The minister’s clothing represents his office of service, derived from the ministry of Christ, and never himself.
Font to Table: What is Lent?
The post-Reformation observance of Lent is both commemorative and penitential
Font to Table: The Deeper Meaning Behind Baptismal Fonts
The majority of churches still use the traditional eight-sided font. The question I’d like to explore in this post is, “Why?”
Font to Table: Why Do So Many Churches Have Red Doors?
The red door was fair warning to pursuers that they could proceed no further.
On the Weekly Road to Emmaus
It can be argued that this scene sets a pattern for Christian activity on the first day of the week from that time until the present.
In Celebration of True Liberty
The reason the U.S. is blessed by God is that we are essentially a “good” nation. And this is the root of Bob’s problem (and that of all civil religion).
Woe is Me: A Different Kind of Spiritual Experience
That’s where a true encounter with God leaves you. Unable to point the finger at anyone else, all you can do is fall on your face, confess your sin, be absolved, and join the angels in singing, “Holy, holy, holy.”
Christ’s Fifth Word From the Cross: “I Thirst.”
Jesus’ death was a direct fulfillment of the will of His Father as promised in the Scriptures.
Ashes to Alleluias: Welcome to the Lenten Season
God has given us a way out of our plight of “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” It is the way of the cross.
Let the Little Children Come to Me: A Sanctuary for Children
“In a culture that promotes self-interest, children in church learn that something much bigger and more important than themselves is going on in their midst."
Baptized with Fire?
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.
Between Rome and the Fanatics
Luther accepted Augustine’s view of the church as a mixed body.
A Reformation Question: Can the Finite Bear the Infinite?
This emphasis in Luther also applied to his understanding of the sacraments, and particularly comes out in his writings on the Lord’s Supper in his Large Catechism.
The Alien Fashion Sense of Jesus
The redeemed are dressed in white robes.
What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 6: Good News)
Many Christians (including preachers) have succumbed to the idea that good preaching must be about practical living, and so most sermons are geared to scratch this pragmatic itch.
What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 5: The Role of Music in the Church)
Music is an inherent part of our humanity as image-bearers of God. And like all gifts, it is meant for the good of the receiver.
What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 4: The Dialect of Worship)
We are continuing our summer series on a theology of worship through the lens of language. Before moving forward, let me highlight a few points by way of review.
What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 3: The Syntax of Worship)
Like any language, the liturgy has syntax—a structure that provides order and intelligibly communicates meaning through all that is said.