Set free
From The Presiding Bishop

Set free

A colleague of mine once pointed out that Martin Luther wrote far more about freedom than he did about reform or reformation. Liberation in Christ through faith was the freedom…
Uncertain times
From The Presiding Bishop

Uncertain times

Between 1527 and 1529, Martin Luther wrote and composed his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” He based the text of this hymn on Psalm 46: “God is…
God’s beautiful dark works
From The Presiding Bishop

God’s beautiful dark works

Perhaps one of the best-known verses in the New Testament is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes…
Witnesses to the transcendent
From The Presiding Bishop

Witnesses to the transcendent

An amazing thing happened in March. Churches were closed but more people came to church. Millions of us were complying with shelter-in-place and physical distancing recommendations from the Centers for…
United in baptism
From The Presiding Bishop

United in baptism

There is an Irish saying: “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” I am writing this at the end of March. I don’t know what…
Freed to serve
From The Presiding Bishop

Freed to serve

Lutherans have an appreciation for the complexity of life. It’s a certain willingness to meet the world and then go deeper into what is immediately present. It is the ability…
Take and eat
From The Presiding Bishop

Take and eat

At the end of the book of Acts there is the story of Paul’s journey to Rome. Paul had taken many journeys that were arduous and dangerous, but this last…
We are broken
From The Presiding Bishop

We are broken

In 1526 the reformers embarked on a program of visiting the parishes in Electoral Saxony. It’s known as the Saxon Visitation. As would later be stated in the Augsburg Confession,…
Midnight stillness
From The Presiding Bishop

Midnight stillness

On Christmas Eve, there always comes a time when everything is finally still. Once all the preparations and decorations, extra choir rehearsals and Christmas pageants, shopping and holiday parties have…
Season of doubt
From The Presiding Bishop

Season of doubt

When serving as a parish pastor, I would sometimes be asked if it was possible to be a faithful Christian and also doubt. Could one be a disciple and also…
We are to be bold
From The Presiding Bishop

We are to be bold

This church had a meeting in August. We gathered in Milwaukee for the 2019 Churchwide Assembly. We were filled with anticipation and excitement—what would unfold during the assembly? How would…