Shrouded in legend, Bishop Nicholas of Myra (270-343) evolved over the centuries into the patron saint of children (in the West) and sailors (in the East). According to one Roman Catholic source, this devolution—my word, not that of my source—of a fourth-century saint revered for acts of mercy and charity into the King of consumerism […]
Here are some comments to help the reader understand how I arrived at the scripture readings and hymns chosen for this part of the catechetical sermon series. Sermons on Confession and the Keys The Scripture readings for the sermons on Confession and the Keys were primarily chosen from the passages listed in each part of […]
Here are some comments to help the readers understand how I arrived at my selection of the scripture readings and hymns for this part of the catechetical sermon series. Baptismal Sermons For each of the baptismal sermons I included in the readings the scriptural texts Luther used in his Catechism (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-16; Titus […]
Preaching on the Catechism is not necessarily the norm in Lutheranism today. However, preaching on the Catechism is strongly encouraged by Luther. In his German Mass, Luther stated the desire for regular catechetical preaching to train the young in the Christian faith. [LW 53, 64-69, 78-80, 86-87] Luther wrote that preaching the “Catechism is doctrine […]
We are pleased to announce the start of a new series, Preaching on the Catechism. In September, when I attended the Go First! Ministry Conference sponsored by the Minnesota South District, I was curious about the workshop titled “Catechetical Preaching.” After attending the session led by Pastor Armand Boehme, I shared a bit of the […]
I’m nostalgic for 2017, a year filled with special commemorations of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 Thesis and the reforms of the church launched by that event. While most people today (October 31) are fixated on costumes for their kids, Halloween candy to give out, or creepy lawn decorations, I’m musing about Luther’s 1520 […]
Last week I concluded with words from Ambrose that the goal of the catechumenate is “inebriation” in Christ. Arriving at that inebriation requires a well thought process on the part of the catechist. As William Harmless notes in Augustine and the Catechumenate, Augustine received just such a question from a catechist, Deogratias (what a baptismal […]
I (Kent) am preparing to teach a graduate level course entitled, “Baptism and Conversion.” Central to the course’s deliberation is the process of conversion facilitated by the catechumenate, both ancient and modern. As a lens into the ancient process, we are reading Willaim Harmless, S.J., classic research into the catechumenate of Augustine in Hippo, Augustine […]
Earlier this week Concordia University, St. Paul hosted a book event to celebrate the publication of Journey to Jesus as a resource for the church. I had the “opportunity to thank publicly a host of people who helped bring this book to birth,” from my co-author, Kent Burreson—who had a vision for conducting research on […]
It started in May 2024 with an email from Pastor Adam Gless, a former student of Kent’s, inviting us “to come and visit Salem,” in order to provide “material for your research and presentation.” Pastors Gless and Martin, who serve at a bilingual congregation, had heard that Kent and I were giving a plenary address […]