Northwoods Table Talk

 It has been a minute (that is the modern phrase meaning "quite a long time" - and - I don't get it) since I have written something on this blog. Well, something piqued my interest (got under my skin) enough to finally have something to write. OK, first an admission. I am probably not the one who should sit down and write a piece that extols the correct use of grammar. Why? Well, I may have been an elementary educator who taught English grammar a "minute ago" (back in the 1980s), my current written use of English grammar is done in order to give me cues to reading what I have written as the preached Word in the context of the sermon. So, my writing is not usually academic in any fashion. However, for what I want to address in this short missive, it does not matter.  I have two issues to bring to the fore. Neither of these are theological issues, but they are issues that arise in the church. And (IMOHO), they are issues that need to be addressed. Personally, I do...

 I found this vignette, it was posted without an author's name. If I have stolen it from someone without copyright permission, I beg forgiveness. I reprint it here to begin the conversation about attendance at the Divine Service. I do so, for it is summer. And while something attendance at the Divine Service is something optional at the best of times, in the summer they take a vacation from even that regularity of attendance. This post is meant as encouragement. Here is the vignette. A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.   It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.   The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames aroun...

 Here is the sermon for Exaudi - 7th Sunday of Easter, (June 1, 2025). God’s Work To Make You Stewards of His Gifts   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.   One hour is all we have together, and in our society the sermon is relegated to no more than 22 minutes. It really is too bad. There is so much to consider these three texts – and to consider them together.   It would be nice to have a full hour just to sit and meditate deeply upon Scripture together. It is truly a joy to dig into God’s Word to better understand our life together in Christ.   Our Ezekiel text begins with God declaring that He's going to act for the sake of His Holy Name. He will do this because God’s own people have profaned His name among the nations.   Carefully take note of who has profaned God's Holy name? Not unbelievers – not the nations and people who do not believe in Him! It is God’s own chosen people who have profaned God’s na...

 I was on vacation last Sunday (May 25, 2025 - Rogate Sunday) and did not preach. It was very nice to be an attendee/congregational member/whatever and be solely a recipient of God's gifts and not the servant who was serving as steward of the gifts. I got to observe and remember my baptism as a young lady was baptized. I got to kneel and hear the absolution from the lips of God's servant. I was blessed to hear the preaching of the Word of Christ. And what a joy to kneel at Christ's table as His waiter distributed to me the very precious Body and Blood which was given unto death on Golgotha to free me from sin. But, as I had begun to post here again, I figure that I should put something up here. So, here is a sermon for Rogate - from 2016. I chose this one because I think too many ignore the Old Testament readings and taking the time to consider them in light of our contemporary age, some even stating, "We are New Testament Christians, the Old Testament no longer applie...

  You Are My Son, Today I Have Begotten You! Acts 13:26-33 Cantate – Easter 5 – 05.18.2025 (Please note that I am using alternate texts for this Sunday - I have substituted the texts for the Tuesday after the Resurrection of our Lord. Those texts are:  Daniel 3:8-28 – Acts 13:26-33 – Luke 24:6-49.) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.   Our text is about the middle of what might loosely be called a sermon being preached by the Apostle Paul in the synagogue in Antioch. A synagogue was/is where the Jews gathered for what we would call worship. Scripture was read and some rabbi would deliver a message based upon that text, what we today would call a sermon.   Paul begins his message – at the beginning of this chapter – saying, “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.” He proceeds to call to their memory the history of Israel as God’s chosen people from their Exodus from Egypt to the present. Jesus is the One prom...

  Purpose Of Preaching Luke 24:36-49 Cantate – Easter V – 04.28.’24 (Easter Tuesday Propers)       Luke 24:36-49   As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a  spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate before them.         Then He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with  you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalm...

 It has been quite a while since I have posted anything here.  Why? That is a really good question. But to be fair it is also easy to answer.  First, it takes a lot of work to post something on a blog. You have to make sure it is all spelled correctly, that the grammar is in accordance with the proper rules, and it needs to be set up nicely in an orderly manner. Second, every post should be set up in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Of course, this is problematic for me because I am not a technophile and my idea of what is pleasing to the eye is seriously out of date. Third, as I am in throes of creeping decrepitude and practicing to be a crotchety ol' curmudgeon, it means I almost don't care. Finally, I don't have someone who really has the time as a web designer to clean up what I do desire to post. BUT...someone (okay, more than one) has asked me to come back and post things occasionally.  So, here I am introducing at least something I will be d...

 What do you do in the summer? I am guessing most people like to take some time off! I agree, a laudable goal. And indeed, I did take some time off - even as I hope to be able to take a bit more. BUT... This summer has found me involved in a number of things that were not "summer vacation-y." First, I gathered in St. Louis with a about 150 other folks who were invited to serve Christ's Church by making up one of 13 different floor committees who will organize the resolutions to be brought to the National Convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod later this month. (Yes, I will be there as a pastoral delegate.) I had previously been in St. Louis in January as part of the Committee for Convention Nominations helping to put together the various slates of candidates for the elections to take place. (Yes, it has been a busy year!) After returning home from the Floor Committee weekend of meetings, Pauline and I (12 of us from Zion & St. Peter) were part of a crew of 5...

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today's post is a bit of a rant. I purchased a "readers Bible" a couple years ago. I was intrigued by the advertisement that stated it gets rid of things that often get in the way of reading the Bible smoothy, with the verse numbering removed, the text place into a single column,  into what we understand as paragraphing.  OK, all that is wonderful, but... I was looking at getting another one, because the first one I had gotten was disappointing. I didn't get it because - 1) my wife said, "Do you really need another Bible?" 2) keep reading and see if you can figure it out. I examine it online, and I found something else that I'd like to see removed, personally, something that seems even more invasive to the reading of the text than either verse numbers or whether or not there are 2 columns of text per page. Of what am I speaking? The ridiculous headings that have come to be f...