Letters On The Page

The congregations of St. James, Logansport; St. James, Reynolds; St. Matthew, Delphi; Trinity, Goodland; St. John's, Rensselaer; and St. Luke Rensselaer; gathered at the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Monticello, IN to keep Vigil for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Pictured are (L-R) Pastor Andrew Keller, Pastor Paul Norris, Pastor Jeff Zell, Pastor Scott Woodhouse, and Pastor Dave Mueller.

Empty Tomb   Video of Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Easter - Job 19:23-27; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; John 20:1-18 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.  Our last hymn today is “I know that my Redeemer Lives!” The hymn’s opening line is from Job’s confession about the coming resurrection of Christ and his own resurrection. On Good Friday, we heard Isaiah’s prophecy in chapters 52 and 53 about the coming suffering servant. The church believes that this is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and the suffering He endures for our sakes in His suffering and death on the cross. In the reading from Job, we have a clear Old Testament confession of belief that Job will be resurrected and that he will stand before God with his own physical body. Job prepares us to receive the Good News that Jesus rises from the dead after three days. Isaiah and Job are two examples among many others that point to God’s promise of the ...

The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour hosted the Vigil of Easter this year. We were joined by the congregations of St. John's, Rensselaer; St. Luke, Rensselaer; Trinity, Goodland; St. James, Reynolds; and St. James, Logansport. I was blessed to serve at the Altar with the pastors of these congregations. May the Lord continue to bless all of our ministries in the coming days and years! Here is my brief homily for the Vigil. Easter Vigil  O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.  Not long ago I read the Odyssey. Book 14 relays how, after many challenges and delays, Odysseus finally lands on his homeland of Ithaca. Aware that he has been gone a long time and that he is walking into circumstances that are not as he left Ithaca to fight the Trojans, he comes disguised. His first human encounter is with his loyal swineherd Eumaeus. Eumaeus does not recognize him. He says to Odysseus.  Come, old soldier, t...

Good Friday Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Good Friday    Isaiah 52:13-53:12    Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9        John 19:17-30 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  As a way to further our reflection and devotion to Jesus on this Holy Friday, I want to read an extended poem that asks and answers the question of why Jesus dies on a cross for our sakes. Jesus is without sin. He is the perfect God-Man. He commits no crime. He has only accomplished good in our world. He has simply taught God’s Word, healed the sick, cast out demons, fed thousands, and loved those around him. He has treated the righteous and unrighteous with dignity and generosity. Yet, he dies a terrible death reserved for criminals and slaves. Why does He do it? Why does He let Himself be arrested and abused and nailed to a cross? The answer is that He is committed to us. Adam, Eve...

Palm Sunday 2025 - Caleb Parrish and Easton Wilhite confirm their faith Thank you to Pastor Dave Mueller who began teaching Catechism to these young men during the interim and then continued to share in the teaching after I arrived at St. Luke in January 2024. Congratulations Caleb and Easton!

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Maundy Thursday        Jeremiah 31:31-34    Hebrews 10:15-25    Luke 22:7-20 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.  The other day I was asked what the word “Maundy” is. Because this word only gets used once a year it is good to say out loud what it refers to. The word was first used in connection with the Thursday before Easter in the 15 th  century. Maundy is middle English. It derives from the Latin word “Mandatum” which means “command.” It is taken from Jesus’ words in the Vulgate from John 13:34 “mandatum novum do vobis.” “I give to you a new commandment.” The full verse says, “I give to you a new commandment that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” While Maundy is associated with the ceremony of the foot washing, the word itself re...