I have found myself in an interesting position lately. I’ve been preaching at a small, rural Lutheran church about fifteen miles from my home. It is a sweet, traditional congregation, a church that was founded in 1838. For some time now, they have had a semi-retired pastor serving them. They are too small to supportContinue reading “Church Changes”
Category Archives: Sacraments
Epiphany IV: God, everywhere present, filling all things
Epiphany IV God, everywhere present, filling all things Today, words from Fr. Stephen Freeman on the “one-storey universe.” That is, he is talking, from an Orthodox perspective, about the sacramental nature of reality. As the Apostle Paul said in Athens: The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord ofContinue reading “Epiphany IV: God, everywhere present, filling all things”
Epiphany I: Our baptism is always with us
Epiphany I Our baptism is always with us One of the key themes of recent liturgical renewal is the insight that baptism is the root and foundation of the Christian life. In our baptism, we are united to Christ in his death and resurrection (Rom. 6). The Christian life is an ongoing experience of theContinue reading “Epiphany I: Our baptism is always with us”
Sacramental from the beginning
…the mysterious character of all created reality lies in its sacramental nature. • Hans Boersma • • • Many of us have grounded our theology concerning the sacramental nature of life in this world in the Incarnation, when God took on flesh and walked among us in Jesus Christ. The Infinite clothed himself in the finite, and gaveContinue reading “Sacramental from the beginning”
“We keep returning to its rich waters thirsty”
I was baptized as an infant in 1958. My sainted grandmother gave me some books then and in my preschool years about Jesus, heaven, and the twelve disciples. A while back, when my parents moved, my mother found those books and gave them to me again. I remember looking through them with fascination when I wasContinue reading ““We keep returning to its rich waters thirsty””
High-Church vs. Low-Church Sacramentalism
UPDATE: It occurred to me that I ought to clarify something. Below I call myself “unordained.” That is in terms of my denomination only. I am ordained, but not by the ELCA, and they do not recognize the form of my ordination as acceptable for rostered ministry within the denomination. • • • I haveContinue reading “High-Church vs. Low-Church Sacramentalism”
Daniel Grothe: Dripping Wet: Developing a Christian Imagination for Baptism
Note from CM: Our friend Adam Palmer recently introduced me (via email) to Daniel Grothe, who serves at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. After reading his blog, Edging Into The Mysteries, I agreed with Adam that Daniel has good things to say and that he says them well. So, he graciously agreed to shareContinue reading “Daniel Grothe: Dripping Wet: Developing a Christian Imagination for Baptism”
The Great Divide
To the bath and the table, To the prayers and the word, I call every seeking soul. – Inscribed on a church bell in Wisconsin * * * I did a couple of talks at my church recently, discussing my transition from evangelicalism to the Lutheran tradition. As I talked, words from several iMonk commentersContinue reading “The Great Divide”
The Font and the Tiny Casket
Baptism of Our Lord Sunday January 13, 2013 Recently, in my role as a hospice chaplain, I baptized a beautiful little three-month old baby girl, as she was being held in the arms of her mother in their home. The baby was terminally ill, and few days later she went to heaven. When I baptizedContinue reading “The Font and the Tiny Casket”
“A Good Christian Is Always an Infant”
Sacramental Thoughts for Sundays Sunday, October 28, 2012 “A Good Christian is Always an Infant,” from Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, by Heiko Oberman * * * …for Luther this constituted a decisive point. Infant baptism revealed the meaning of baptism. From Luther’s standpoint one could not genuinely preserve baptism while repudiating infantContinue reading ““A Good Christian Is Always an Infant””
The Internet Monk Archives 