All that we can boast of of ourselves is blindness, self-love, self-pity, pomposity, hatred, and indifference toward our neighbor, especially when we are so deluded to think that they have wronged us and we cannot even entertain the part we play in it, or maybe that we've misunderstood why they did what they did. A fake version of love that makes such grand promises but can't even manage to guard its tongue from speaking evil or from judging or prejudging another person. That's all we can boast of in ourselves, you and me. That's it. But you Christians, you do not boast of yourselves.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Resolved, That St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC) hereby reaffirms the biblical distinction between man and woman as taught in Holy Scripture, particularly as this distinction pertains to the exercise of ecclesial authority within the assembled Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the Congregation reaffirms the practice of male-only suffrage in the Voters’ Assembly, not as an expression of constitutional preference, but as an application of the teaching of Holy Scripture regarding authority and order in the Church; and be it further

Resolved, that this reaffirmation is not intended to diminish, restrict, or disparage the faithful service of women within the Congregation, but rather to uphold good order in the Church while encouraging and honoring the many ways in which women participate in the life of the Congregation through their God-given vocations, including prayer, works of mercy, counsel, support of the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments, and the faithful exercise of feminine virtues within the household of God.

The season of pre-Lent reminds us that we are not at home in this world. Scripture teaches that Christians live as exiles, citizens of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Christ’s parable of the sower warns that only God’s Word creates, sustains, and preserves faith. Where that Word is removed, life and fruit disappear. But where it is heard, received, and clung to, God bears fruit in patience.

Our Lord Jesus revealed His glory on the mountain to Peter, James, and John so that when they saw these things, they would know who was enduring the suffering and shame and why He was enduring it—so that they would know that it was not just a man. It was not just their dear friend. It was not just their beloved Teacher of three or so years. This was their God. This was their Creator. This was “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.

Our Lord, in His first sign as our Bridegroom, comes to a wedding and honors it with His presence. He takes these jars that were set apart for ritual purification according to the old marriage and fills them with the best wine. And in doing so He shows us that He has come to establish a new marriage, a new covenant in which His Bride will be gathered from both Jew and Gentile according to a better promise that will purify them once and for all.

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

The Law is and remains one and the same Law. The difference, as far as obedience is concerned, is only in the person, whether you are an unbelieving slave or a believing son.

Ephesians 5:25–33 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself.”

There are terrible consequences when sinful human beings attempt to usurp the place of God in this life. Terrible consequences. The worst outcomes imaginable take place, even at times flowing from godly desires and the best of intentions.

Even at those times, terrible things happen when we attempt to rule as king in place of the Lord Jesus.

The truth witnessed to most clearly in the story of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents is that mankind—you and I, these murdered children, their grieving parents, all earthly rulers, including King Herod—are not in control of our own life or this life in general. We are not in control.

That is what these children give witness to concerning the truth of Christ. We do not rule. We are not king.

The one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is Ruler of all things. He governs every circumstance in this life, even the evil acts of men and the natural disasters that take place. But even the evil acts of men such as Herod cannot keep God from working all things according to His ultimate good and gracious will.

Ephesians 5:22–24 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

Ephesians 5:33 “…let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Christmas is not limited to a single day. From Christmas Day through Epiphany, the Church keeps the Twelve Days of Christmas as a season of continued celebration and reflection, lingering over what God has done for us in the birth of His Son. During these days, Christians rejoice that God has come near in human flesh, bringing forgiveness, life, and peace that do not fade once the decorations come down. Christmas proclaims not a passing feeling, but a lasting reality: God has entered our world to save sinners.

The following questions and answers come from a children’s Christmas service by the 19th-century Lutheran pastor and teacher Friedrich Lochner. In simple and memorable form, they confess what Christmas is truly about: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, promised from the beginning, born of the Virgin Mary, and given for the salvation of all people. As you read, take these questions and answers to heart. Here you will find not sentimental comfort, but real peace—the peace God makes by sending His Son in human flesh to redeem us, silence the accuser, and restore us to life with Him.

The manger is our paradise, not because it looks peaceful or gives us some sentimental feeling of old times, but because the Word, the eternal Son of God, was made flesh and is lying there for us. He is lying there in a feeding trough as the Bread from heaven, which God the Father gives for the life of the world.

This is not pretend. This is not just an appearance. The Son of God takes on real human flesh and blood. He does this to bridge the chasm sin created between God and man, not by ignoring sin, but by bearing it. Here, in the Child of the manger, peace is made—peace that endures when Satan accuses, when the world terrifies, and when affliction presses in.

John the Baptist’s preaching can be heard in every Advent: when Christ first came in lowliness, when He comes now through His Word and Sacraments, and when He will come again in glory. The same words prepare us for all three.

In a corrupt age, the Christian household remains consecrated to the Word and prayer—set apart by the Holy Spirit for the day when Christ will gather His holy people to Himself forever.

When you are in your own prison—of doubt, affliction, or suffering—you need to ask the Lord as John the Baptist did: “Are You the Coming One, or should we look for another?” And His answer still comes the same way: through His Word.

Time is one of the most precious earthly gifts God entrusts to us. To neglect our vocations through distraction or busyness is not merely inefficient—it deprives our neighbor, especially our children, of what God intends them to receive.

When something terrible happens in this life, you need to remember it is your Lord peeking through the lattice at you, saying, “It will not be long now.” When you see these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

When we sing “Lord, have mercy,” we are not only confessing our need. We are confessing who Jesus is: the Son of David, God in human flesh, who comes to His people in mercy now and will come again in glory.

Time reveals the heart’s allegiance. What we give our time to, we worship. Christ alone must enter and dwell in the heart as Lord, driving out every rival that demands our attention and trust.

The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean?
We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.