Category: President’s Ponderings
The Christmas Exchange
by Timothy Teuscher Friends, co-workers, classmates exchanging gifts at Christmas parties and at various get-togethers over the holidays. Family members gathered around a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning to exchange gifts. Stores crowded with people on Boxing Day exchanging those…
A Strange Blessing for the Saints
by Timothy Teuscher The appointed Gospel reading for All Saints’ Day, November 1, includes the opening words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount called ‘The Beatitudes,’ in which He speaks of the blessedness, the spiritual well-being, of saints—of what it means to be saints,…
It’s Been a Wash
by David Haberstock This last year has been a wash. It’s been a wash of worry and anxiety. Worry over the virus, over finances, over kids falling behind socially and mentally as a result of online schooling and other disruptions. Worry about churches: whether…
Hidden Value
by Thomas Kruesel When I graduated from seminary and moved to my first congregation, my family had two pressing needs. First, a second vehicle. Second, money. As you can imagine, the second need influenced the decision-making process in meeting the first need. After much…
COVID-19 and Masks
by Timothy Teuscher “The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other side.” This rather blunt, earthly statement by Martin Luther is a fitting assessment of some of the comments…
Comforted by Christ’s Descent Into Hell
by Timothy Teuscher Week after week and year after year we confess in the Divine Service these words from the second article of the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell.” But what do those familiar words mean? What comfort do we find in this…