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Comfort for Those Tending to the Lord’s Littlest Sheep, Part 1
Part I: The Why of Taking our Children to Church Full of frustration and embarrassment I am driving away. Away from the staring faces, away from the haughty looks, away from the very place I should love to be. I cannot hold back the tears and my lips are quivering. My head is swirling with thoughts. “Why do I even go to church? I never even hear the sermon! Surely they remember what their toddlers were like? It can’t just be my child. I cannot believe my son just lapped the sanctuary during the prayers!” Yes, it’s quite true. I have had on any given Sunday a child lap the…
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5 Things That Do Not Offer Salvation
Spend much time at all among Lutherans and you’re likely to eventually hear the phrase “proper distinction of Law and Gospel”. This is something we cherish — the preaching of God’s Law along with the soothing words of His Gospel predominating. Yet, we aren’t a perfect lot, and sometimes we can find ourselves drifting away from this right balance, falling to one side of the sword edge or the other — diving into a Gospel reductionist mindset (where we downplay the importance and necessity of the Law) or wandering into Law-Law-Law territory. While both deviations are equally possible, it is the latter that has me up at 4am writing, rather than attempting to catch…
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Book Of Concord, Sunday Edition!
Continuing from yesterday, we have more awesomeness from the Confessions. Article XV (VIII): Of Human Traditions in the Church. 13] However, what need is there of a long discussion? No tradition was instituted by the holy Fathers with the design that it should merit the remission of sins, or righteousness, but they have been instituted for the sake, of good order in the Church and 14] for the sake, of tranquillity. And when any one wishes to institute certain works to merit the remission of sins, or righteousness, how will he know that these works please God since he has not the testimony of God’s Word? How, without God’s command…
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Book of Concord for Saturday
if you’re like me, you just don’t have enough time spent reading our Confessions. It’s OK- we’re here for you. What better time than the present to read some great theology? Saturdays and Sundays at SKL we’re going to post some goodies from the Confessions for you. Dig in. Enjoy. Article XV (VIII): Of Human Traditions in the Church. 1] In the Fifteenth Article they receive the first part, in which we say that such ecclesiastical rites are to be observed as can be observed without sin, and are of profit in the Church for tranquillity and good order. They altogether condemn the second part, in which we say that…
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3 Tips for Resolving Conflict in the Church Family
As with any family, our church families may be riddled with tension, drama and hurt-feelings. Whether it’s a disagreement over the VBS curriculum, general butting heads in a board meeting, or merely some incompatible personalities within the congregation, conflict may arise. Navigating these situations within the church can be challenging for a multitude of reasons, but these are challenges worth facing for the sake of our neighbors. Here are 3 tips that may help: 1. Pray Our initial reaction may be to complain and vent, to seek those who understand our hurt feelings and can commiserate. I’m not saying venting is necessarily wrong, as friends can help us see things more…
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For Tired Mothers of Small Children
When my first baby was new and small and I was deep in sleep deprivation there was a piece of advice that made me cringe every time I heard it. I could almost feel it coming based on the sweet facial expression of the person and my recoil was strong before all the words were even out. This feeling strongly carried through toddlerhood and the babyhood of my next baby. Can you guess what the words were? It was a variation of the, “You’ll miss these days! They go too fast!” It was not helpful or encouraging when I was exhausted and dealing with a child tantrumming over something neither…
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Special Needs Parenting
One of the most difficult tasks of parenting any child is discipline. This difficulty is magnified when parenting a child with special needs. How do you strike the proper balance between correction and mercy, especially with a child who may not understand their actions or the need for correction? In church we refer to this as the proper distinction between Law and Gospel, even though as parents, on a day to day basis, we don’t always think about it in those terms. The Law, of course, shows us our sin, while the Gospel shows us Jesus. We deal with this constantly in our homes, from the littlest matters to the…
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Every Life is Worth Celebrating
Shock. Disbelief. Denial. Anger. Shame. Worry. Loneliness. These may be common feelings at the news of an unplanned pregnancy, especially one that comes from less than ideal circumstances. For the pregnant woman who finds herself unmarried, in the middle of a divorce, still in school, younger, older, unemployed, or any number of other scenarios, it can feel incredibly lonely and bring a great deal of stress and worry. How do you tell the father, your friends, your family? How do you face a world that tells you the best option is to kill the unplanned baby rather than bring it into a less-than-perfect situation? How do you face the church…
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To my online sisters
The internet has allowed us to connect, often deeply and personally, even if we will never meet face to face. The internet allows us to knit together family built not on blood or kinship but on shared doctrine and desire for families that resemble ours. It can be hard to find that in our local communities so having distance fade away when you sign on is a wonderful boon we’ve received from technology. The internet also allows the exchange of ideas. I don’t need to wait months for the delivery of a series of letters on a new book. News travels fast and gossip travels faster. I have personally opened…
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Welcoming Adopted Kids into Our Churches
Psalm 127 tells us, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.” Welcoming a new child into our church family is often an exciting and much anticipated event. While most families are blessed with biological children, other families are created through adoption, or a combination of biological and adopted children. Unfortunately, there is often confusion about how best to welcome adoptive families into our midst and support them through the adoption process. With a little thoughtfulness and preparation, however, your congregation can be a source of love, comfort and strength to an adoptive family. First of all, supporting the adoptive family begins before the child is ever placed in their…
