Christ Crucified and the Perfect Tense of Corinthians
The following is an excerpt from my Master’s thesis on first Corinthians 1: 17-25. This will be a quick discussion on the phrase “Christ crucified” found in verse 23. I will follow with a closing word. _____________________ This phrase serves as the content of the proclamation of foolishness, back in verse 21. The term Christ crucified is a perfect passive participle, and it is functioning as an adjectival- substantive participle, meaning the one who was crucified. The perfect participle carries the force of,” … describing an event that, completed in the past …,” and “… has results existing in the present time”…
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – October 16, 2022
These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are prepared by several leaders in the ELCA and reflect current world and national events. You are encouraged to adapt and add other concerns for your local context, including staying informed of events and concerns in your synod. Intercession prompts: For the victims and families of the mass shooting at a daycare center in Thailand… For peace amid the escalating conflict between Palestine and Israel… For the victims and rescue workers in the aftermath of a landslide in Venezuela… For the…
Situation Report: Hurricane Ian
Situation: On Sept. 27, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba, causing severe flooding and an island-wide power outage. The next day, it hit Florida as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. A dangerous storm surge, coastal flooding and strong winds damaged buildings and infrastructure, making rescue efforts more difficult. In total, at least 137 people died, with 126 of those deaths in Florida. St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL Response: Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is coordinating a response with the Florida-Bahamas Synod. The synod is providing small relief grants to impacted families and will continue…
Don’t Be a Socinian: On the Trinity and Scripture
When philosophical analytic becomes the mode and method of particular theologians and exegetes, historically what we end up with is something like a Socinianism. In the following Richard Muller explicates, a bit, on what a Socinianism entails. In his context he is, of course, engaging with how the Socinians related to the Post Reformed orthodox; particularly in regard to the Socinians’ penchant to reject the Trinity on the grounds of being biblically fiducial over-against, as they would see it, slavishly bound to catholic Church teaching. I want to highlight this movement, once again, in this post, because Socinianism is never…
Situation Report: Pakistan Flooding
Situation: Since June 2022, Pakistan has experienced historic monsoon weather, with rainfall leading to torrential flooding. The flooding is causing a widespread humanitarian crisis, with people losing homes, crops and livestock. Millions of people are displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance, such as food, temporary shelter, health services and other supplies. A makeshift shelter in Pakistan. Photo: Community World Service Asia Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is contributing to an appeal from ACT Alliance to address the monsoon flooding in Pakistan. The implementing partner, Community World Service Asia (CWSA) will provide cash assistance so impacted…
October 9, 2022–Borderlands
Kris Litman-Koon, Mount Pleasant, SC Warm-up Question What determines the borders of the space where you are now gathered? For instance, if you are in a room, the answer would be the walls. What about beyond that? What determines the borders of the property on which you are located? The municipality? Borderlands Many physical places serve as a transition between two other spaces. In locations where outdoor temperatures can be frigid, some homes have a vestibule, which is an enclosed entryway that serves as a buffer between the warm interior and the cold exterior. (In South Carolina, with its moderately…
The Father’s Loving Discipline
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore,…
Attention to U.S. Hunger at White House Conference
When the ELCA signed a request of President Biden to host a White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health, the group of organizations stated: “We can end hunger in America, and a public commitment to a White House Conference, with ending hunger as a key priority, is an essential step in accomplishing this goal” (March 14, 2022 Letter). The conference sponsored by the White House on September 28 became the second of its kind in over half a century. Tackling hunger, nutrition and health in America was the theme, accompanied by the announced Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on…
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession – October 9, 2022
These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are prepared by several leaders in the ELCA and reflect current world and national events. You are encouraged to adapt and add other concerns for your local context, including staying informed of events and concerns in your synod. Intercession prompts: For an end to the continued violence and war in Ukraine… For those recovering in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona, including our siblings in the Florida-Bahamas Synod and the Caribbean Synod… For the ministries of American Indian and Alaska…
Valley of the Shadow of Death: Please Keep Me in Prayer
I have really been going through it. I won’t disclose exactly the source of it all (not sinful or anything), but I have a load of anxiety pulsating through my body even as I type this. The Lord is working, and things are getting better; but I would desperately ask that you hold me up in prayer as you remember me. I literally felt as if I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, as near as last night. I’m still in that valley, but hopefully mostly through it, and on the upward bound. Stress and anxiety…