Letters On The Page

This is truly a remarkable speech! https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks

  The Feast of All Saints   Revelation 7:9-17   1 John 3:1-3   Matthew 5:1-12 In the 1980 novel Godric , Frederick Buechner retold the life story of Godric of Finchale. Godric is a 12th century English holy man. Godric was recognized as a saint, a holy man, because he renounced his former life, lived as a hermit by the river, and sought to purify his ambition of pride with severe ascetic practices that included extended fasts and meditating in ice cold winter streams. His holiness was such that he was often visited.  People were drawn to his ascetic spiritual practices, his vivid sense of the presence of God, and his wise sayings.  I remember reading this book years ago. Buechner is a gifted novelist. He captures well the milieu of twelfth century England and Godric’s efforts at holiness.  What drew people to Godric, and to men and women like him, was their efforts at living a spiritual life that looked wild on the margin of society. We shou...

  Blest Be the Tie That Binds https://in.lcms.org/blest-be-the-tie-that-binds/ With the Commemoration of the 16th-Century Reformation on All Hallows’ Eve this Saturday, and the Feast of All Saints this coming Sunday, my thoughts have certainly been drawn toward that great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded in the Holy Communion of All Saints within the one Mystical Body of our Savior, Christ Jesus, in heaven and on earth. The example of those who have gone before us in the faith and confession of Christ is a blessed encouragement and a strengthening of our own journey through the wilderness of this vale of tears with our hearts firmly fixed on the hope of the Resurrection. Along with those broad considerations of the entire Body and Bride of Christ, there have also been more than a few things to focus my attention especially on the pastoral fellowship that we who are called and ordained to the Office of the Holy Ministry share in that sacred Vocation. At the pastors’ c...

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 Matthew 22:34-46 If I ever have the opportunity to provide a summary heading for Matthew 22, I will rename it: Welcome friends to the chapter of questions. There are five distinct sections in Matthew 22. Four of the five involve a question – “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Then, there is the Sadducees lead up to their question by presenting a disastrous scenario of a woman who is bereft of seven husbands. The question – “In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven men, whose wife will she be.”  Then there are the questions in the Gospel for today: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Then, there are the conversation stopper three questions that Jesus asks, “What do you think about the Christ?” “Whose son is he?” “If, then, David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” As an educator of spiritual writings, history, and religious practices, I know that questions are...

Link to Post Courtesy, Decorum, and Etiquette Although I did not know it until quite recently, this past year (2025) was the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. I guess that would make her a year older than our nation. She died in 1817, at the age of 41, which makes her significant literary contributions all the more remarkable. Her six completed novels are universally recognized as foundational and timeless classics of English literature, introducing a number of notable developments, such as free indirect discourse, deep psychological realism, and sharp social satire, turning away from the melodrama of 18th-century novels and dwelling on everyday domestic life. For all of these reasons and more, Jane Austen’s books have remained in continuous publication since 1833, being studied worldwide by academic institutions and enjoyed by countless general readers. Anyway, my wife and daughters and daughters-in-law, as well as many friends over the years, have often commented on their lov...

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost 21   Isaiah 45:1-7   1 Thessalonians 1:1-10   Matthew 22:15-22 In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the reading from Isaiah 45, did any of you raise a questioning eyebrow when you saw the word “anointed” connected to the name of “Cyrus?” It is a surprising connection. In the Old Testament, the word “anointed” is someone that is designated by God for a special, unique purpose. When Saul and David were selected to be the first and second kings of Israel, their selection was announced and confirmed by the anointing of oil by the priest Samuel. God compelled Samuel, a recognized man of God to anoint them.  One of the titles that we use to speak of Jesus, the Son of God, is the word Messiah. Messiah literally means “anointed one.” A messiah is a man that is chosen by God for a specific purpose. The specific purpose always involves leadership of one kind or another. Saul and David are selected to be kin...