Letters On The Page

Due to the weather event, we only had church at St. Luke, Rensselaer. The Internet was down so we were not able to record the Divine Service. Here is the sermon for Sunday.  First Sunday of Adven t  Isaiah 2:1-5        Romans 3:8-14          Matthew 24:36-44 O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  Some years ago while Marie and I hosted the Pastor and spouse Christmas get together for our little cluster of clergy in Southeast Indiana, it started to snow. By the time the party concluded a couple of inches had fallen on the ground. Not much more was expected.    One of the pastors told a story when he looked at the snow as he was putting on his coat. A few years back, he and his wife had been at a party where it started to snow. Everyone knew th...

I regularly use the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.  I just looked up Congeries which means aggregation, collection. Accompanying the definition is this interesting nugget of linguistic trivia.  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congeries   What do "epitome," "circus," "tribunal," and "congeries" have in common? All are part of a relatively small collection of English nouns that made the transition from Latin to English unaltered in both spelling and meaning. "Congeries" joined this group in our language in the early 1600s. Latin  congeries  comes from the Latin verb  congerere,  which means "to carry or bring together" and which is also the source of our word  congest.  In English, "congeries" stands out because it is a singular word with a plural appearance - and its plural is also spelled "congeries."

Thank you for sharing Christ’s light Dear friends in Christ, You may have recently received a brochure in the mail that outlines the myriad ways your church is sharing the light of Christ with a dark world. As we wait with Advent expectation for the light of the world to come, I want to thank you for your fervent prayers and faithful support for the work of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) over the past year, which have helped us shine the light of Christ both here in the United States and around the world. That support has helped bring Christ’s light to those who suffer after natural disasters; to places around the world that desperately need to hear the Reformation message of salvation by grace through faith; and to many corners of our own country where new churches are being planted, young people are being brought up in the true faith and Lutherans are standing up for the sanctity of life. Your prayerful support  will mean that the LCMS can continue to share the mercy ...

 

  Video of Divine Service    The last Sunday of the Church Year   Malachi 3:13-18        Colossians 1:13-20                Luke 23:27-43 O Lord, your Word is lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  How different is the focus of the Last Sunday of the Church Year from the cultural conversation this time of year. Our National Day of Thanksgiving is on Thursday with its family and friend get-togethers.  There is plenty of conversation afoot about who is bringing what and where. Then, there is next week’s storm brewing just as air travel is starting to normalize after the federal government shut down. Will travelers and those waiting for them, be met with yet another round of delays and cancellations? Advent begins next Sunday, but our c...

Wednesday of the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost   Collect of the Day:   O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church, especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.    The Epistle for this 23 rd  Wednesday after Pentecost is from Philippians, the first chapter. (Philippians 1:3-11) 3  I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,  4  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,  5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  7  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my hea...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer 23rd Sunday after  Pentecost   Malachi 4:1-6  2 Thessalonians 3:1-13  Luke 21:5-36   O Lord, your Word is lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.    Malachi was written in the 5 th  century BC during the same time as the books of Nehemiah and Ezra.    With only four chapters, it is a brief book. Malachi stands in contrast to other books of the prophets because all the other prophetic books contain poetry to convey God’s Word. Malachi has no poetry. Instead, Malachi uses a question-and-answer format to convey God’s message.    Six times in four chapters, a question is posed and then a brief explanation occurs.      We are familiar with the Q & A format, aren’t we?    We have a question about something, and we are either given a piece of pap...

Wednesday of Pentecost 22                                                            November 12, 2025   Collect of the Day : O Lord, keep your household, the Church, in continual godliness that through Your protection she may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve You in good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.     The Epistle reading for this 22 nd  Wednesday after Pentecost is from Ephesians, the sixth chapter . (Ephesians 6:10-17) 10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  11  Put on the whole ar...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer 22nd Sunday after Pentecost   Exodus 3:1-15   2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17   Luke 20:27-40 O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.   Jesus becomes incarnate to save us through his death on the cross. Before he enters his trial of suffering and death on the cross, He demonstrates that he comes to correct inaccurate interpretations of Scripture and confront false doctrine. As a result, when we read through the gospels we cannot help but notice that Jesus seems to be in conflict with a lot of people who should be his friends and allies. The source of the conflict is that they have unwittingly, maybe intentionally, gone astray. So, Jesus, speaking on the authority of our heavenly Father, provides the correct interpretation of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit has so generously provide...