Firm Ground or Sinking Sand?

In Martin Luther’s Introduction to Romans, Luther stated that saving faith is, “a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing….

What kind of God do you want? Or to put it a different way, what kind of God do you believe in? John the Baptist was expecting one kind of God. A God who will bring punishment. John talked extensively to the crowds about what God is like and what God is going to do…

Jesus said this to Nicodemus the Pharisee, I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I…

Last Sunday we heard the story of Jesus coming to Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t live in Jerusalem, but he spent the final week of his life in the capital city of Israel. It was customary to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover during the time of Jesus. Passover is the primary covenant between…

Where in the world is Pastor Ben this week? Some of you heard a little bit about the summer camp that I am the director of in the announcements last Sunday at Bethel Lutheran Church. I am the co-director of a camp called Leadership Lab (as in laboratory). It is a one week camp that…

During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in trouble. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. Prussia was one of the few countries to resist Napoleon Bonaparte’s quest to overtake all of Europe and beyond. King Frederick William III felt the…