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Psalms for Holy Week
By Mary Abrahamson In the Christian church, seven Psalms have historically been classified as the Penitential Psalms. These psalms focus on our sin and our need for a Savior. Some show how a particular sin or sinful lifestyle can eat at us. Others meditate more generally on sinful nature or sin in the world. On repentance and salvation, too, some are more specific and others more general. These Psalms have been used in a variety of liturgical devotional ways throughout the history of Christianity. Some traditions use them during all of Lent; others use one Psalm a day during Holy week. The Eastern church uses them in specific liturgical rites…
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Incarnation: A Meditation
By Mary Abrahamson Furthermore it is necessary for everlasting salvation that one also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; And man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching his manhood. Who, although he is God and Man, yet He is not two…
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Homesick
By Mary Abrahamson When I was young I pined for a home. A place to be from. Before I graduated high school my family and I had lived in five different houses. This was not a ton, but still quite a bit a change. New friends, new neighbors, new ways of organizing possessions. I remember telling my mom once that I was NEVER going to marry a pastor. “Pastors don’t have homes and I want a home. I want my kids to have a place to look back on as home, and have sentimental memories about. And I want them to know where everything is and who all…
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How Do I Handle My Guilt Over Choosing Public Schools?
By Mary Abrahamson “Dear Sisters of Katie Luther, We have made the difficult choice of having our children in public school rather than the local Lutheran school. Though we catechize regularly in our home, we feel inundated with warnings not to trust our children to secular teaching. Despite all the time, energy, and prayer we put into this decision, I am still wracked with incredible guilt. Help?” Dear sister, my most basic answer for almost any maternal guilt is this: think long term. Your primary vocation is to educate your children unto Salvation. This does not happen overnight, nor is there any one way that is more sanctified than others. There are…
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Prayer
By Mary Abrahamson Today at work I was unexpectedly asked to join two of my coworkers in praying with them. A man who just started working at our facility a week ago has a son who experienced a medical emergency last week, and his condition is ongoing. So this man, a brand new employee, understandably has his mind and even sometimes his whole self, elsewhere than his new job. What a situation! Imagine the combined worry of your son’s health and the tenuous nature of a new job! Because my coworkers are both Christian people, they wanted to pray together for this man and his son. And because they knew…
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Why buy the cow? Thoughts on marriage
By Mary Abrahamson In talking to an older mom awhile back, discussing the trend among young people to delay marriage, my friend said, “Why by the cow when you can get the milk for free?” I understood, of course, her metaphor. She was expressing that with extra-marital sexual activity dominating our cultural norm, there was no compelling impetus for a young person to assume the commitment and responsibilities that come with marriage. This line of thought appeals to our sinful condition. And to our humanity, in a sense. We are biologically inclined to want to engage in sexual behaviors. This is a natural and good thing, in its…
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Are you a Good Christian?
By Mary Abrahamson First let’s answer what makes a person Christian? Well, that’s an easy answer. Belief in one’s total sin and depravity, and further belief that Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death cleanses one from all that sin. Somehow though, when we apply the adjective, Christian, to life or another noun, or when we put an adjective such as good or true in front of the noun, Christian, it’s easy to mix up the Law and the Gospel. Or to confuse Sanctification and Moral Living. We hear quite often phrases like Christian living or Christian life or Christian home, good Christian, true Christian, etc. These conjure up images…
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Comfort, yes, comfort My people; tell her that her iniquity is pardoned!
By Mary Abrahamson “Comfort, comfort ye my people, Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God. “Comfort those who sit in darkness, Mourning ‘neath their sorrow’s load. Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover, And her warfare now is over. Yea, her sins our God will pardon, Blotting out each dark misdeed; All that well deserved His anger He no more will see or heed. She hath suffered many a day; Now her griefs have passed away. God will change her pining sadness Into ever-springing gladness. Hark the herald’s voice is crying In the desert far and near, Bidding all…
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The Many Interwoven Seasons of Womanhood
By Mary Abrahamson Often when we talk about seasons of life, we talk about things like young adulthood, which might include college or single life. Adulthood might include being a wife or mother or being single. It might include being a homemaker and/or having a paying career outside the home. And then perhaps later our children might leave our next empty, but give us grandchildren. And finally retirement. Old age. Perhaps assisted living or full nursing care. And the deathbed. The seasons I’m going to describe are less linear and more universal. My seasons are the kind that occur constantly and repeat throughout our lives regardless of the particular work…
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Teaching Children with the Hymnody
By Mary Abrahamson Hymns hold within their lyrics and poetry the truths of Scripture. God, we praise You! God, we bless You! God, we name You sovereign Lord! Mighty King whom angels worship, Father, by Your church adored: All creation shows Your glory, Heav’n and earth draw near Your throne, Singing “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts, and God alone!” ELH 42 Text God, we praise You! God, we bless You! by Christopher Idle©1982 Jubilate Group (admin. Hope Publishing Company). Used by permission. Some hymn are prayers directly to God, and as such, vary as widely as our prayers. We praise God: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King…
