Welcome Home!
I am rejoicing at the news that Rev. Charles McClean, a member of Immanuel, has been reinstated to the clergy roster of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Congratulations, Fr. McClean! Related posts:Sadness and Folly

Thrivent Gnosticism
We’re getting new carpet in the church offices, and as a result, all books had to be moved out. This has given us an opportunity to sort through some things and throw a lot of junk out. One piece of junk came in the form of a book from Thrivent called A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance: Help for the Losses in Life. We have a small stack of these; Kassie asked me to look at it to see if it passed doctrinal muster to give away to people in need or put in the church library. My first question: what does it teach about the resurrection? The first page I turned to said this about how to explain death to children: When we are born, God gives us a body to use for

Tempus fugit: “Take this hymn and shove it!”
One year ago on Esgetology: Take this hymn and shove it! I have no patience for hymns that have nothing Christian about them. Take this stinker from LSB (#789) by Albert F. Bayly: Read the rest here.

Trinity 23 sermon
Trinity 23 texts: Proverbs 8:11-22; Philippians 3:17-21; Matthew 22:15-22 Bianca Ehling was baptized at this Divine Service. It’s early in the week – just a day after Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The crowds hail Jesus as their king. All Jerusalem is abuzz. “Messiah has come!” It is time, the Pharisees deci

Hockey fans more courteous than church-goers?
The Elders at Immanuel have asked me to write a pamphlet on etiquette in church. I’m tempted to just post pictures of signs I’ve seen along with written and oral notices at concerts, plays, etc. about being respectful, turning off your cell phones, etc. We can add “hockey games” to the list of places where courtesy is highly valued. (”Wait, isn’t that the sport that allows fighting?” my dear Kassie will chime in as soon as she reads this. See, sweetie, I saved you the trouble!) You see, at the Verizon Center, where the Washington Capitals play, the ushers stand at the entrances with little stop signs that say, “Stop while th