I knew a student once whose goal it was to enter into the Department of State as an ambassador. In preparation she learned several languages during her undergraduate degree and took courses in political science and international studies. When we were talking about her course work, however, she noted that it was surprising that there…
A Jesus Centered Community of Scripture, Faith, and Grace
Posts by University Lutheran (Page 16)
Last week, one of the big news stories came out of China as people were accusing staff at the Hangzhou Zoo of putting humans in bear costumes instead of displaying real bears. The zoo’s display of Malaysian Sun Bears got some attention after videos of the bears standing upright went viral. Of course the accusations…
Our Sunday morning Bible study from 9:30am to 10:30am chooses their own topics most of the time. Recently we finished up studying the life of Paul the Apostle. Starting this Sunday, we are going to be studying Old Testament Typology and Prophecy — in other words, “Where is Jesus in the Old Testament?” The question…
For the next few Sundays, we are going to visit some of Jesus’ miracles as they are recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew. The question that we can often have when it comes to Jesus’ miracles is “great, that’s kind of neat that He did that, but what does that mean for me?” One…
This coming week, I (Pastor Jay) will be at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod National Convention. This is a gathering of representatives from the near 6,000 congregations within our church body, representing about 1.75 million members. Each Circuit (a unit of approximately 7 nearby churches) elects one lay person (non-churchworker) and one pastor, each from…
This Saturday will mark my 16th year in pastoral ministry. In many ways it has flown past. I can still remember the first days of being here. I remember visiting the church building with Liz for the first time before my ordination. I remember settling into the office. I remember working out the kinks of…
This week Ai Bao, a panda in a South Korean zoo/theme park, gave birth to twin baby panda cubs. If you look at the pictures however, you may wonder if something weird happened with the two girls. They are largely hairless, pink-skinned, skinny little things. Not exactly what you would think of when you think…
Martin Luther is credited as saying that besides theology, music is the greatest artful expression of mankind. I happen to agree, however, I have a confession – most of the time my thoughts are elsewhere during the hymns that we sing together. I think this comes from being told at an early age that I…
What benefits do you receive when you take the Sacrament of the Altar? Flies. That is how a fellow pastor taught his confirmation students. “Flies” is a mnemonic device that stands for “Forgiveness” “LIfe” and “Salvation” (F-Li-S). Those are the things that Martin Luther wrote in his Small Catechism about what we receive when we…
The other day someone asked me when the practice of confession began in the Church. Obviously in Matthew 18 and John 20, Jesus alludes to His disciples and/or the Church forgiving sins. Even before that, in the Jewish celebration of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, there is a moment for one to consider their…