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Greetings from the Token Lutheran

[caption id=”” align=”alignleft” width=”228” caption=”A Painting that Preaches Christ: Cranach's Altar Painting in the St. Peter and Paul Church; Weimar, Germany”][/caption]Hello and greetings everyone. I thought I should introduce myself. Joe . . . . Continue Reading »

Giant Rats to the Rescue

According to the Centers for Disease Control , approximately sixty-seventy million landmines are scattered in approximately seventy countries across the globe. Each year an estimated 24,000 people, mostly civilians, are killed or injured because of these landmines and other unexploded ordinance. . . . . Continue Reading »

O Holy Night (6)- Here Come the Wise Men

This is the sixth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,Here come the wise men From Orient land.These two lines again point to the star over Bethlehem. But there is a subtle difference to its . . . . Continue Reading »

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People

There is perhaps no biblical passage that more breathes the spirit of Advent than Isaiah 40:1-8, which, after the destruction predicted earlier in the book, suddenly and unexpectedly promises comfort to the people of Israel, who have gone through generations of exile in Babylon. So unexpected is . . . . Continue Reading »

Let ‘Em Have X-Mas

Years of being away from home during the Christmas season have taught me to appreciate the continuity of traditions that are shared across America. I’ve learned to appreciate Christmas lights hung hastily along roof ledges, grade school pageants, watching It’s a Wonderful Life on TV , . . . . Continue Reading »

We Are All Syncretists Now

Although religious syncretism is as old as religion itself, it’s always depressing to be reminded of its prevalence . Going to church this Sunday? Look around. The chances are that one in five of the people there find “spiritual energy” in mountains or trees, and one in six . . . . Continue Reading »

Sensitive Christians and Christmas

It’s the lovely time of year where people of all faiths, denominations and economic status levels do their absolute best to reduce the Yuletide season down to the most innocuous, commercially viable standard of celebration. These actions are, in turn,  responded to by loud proclamations . . . . Continue Reading »

Not that kind of girl anymore

My point, so far, is that God’s wrath is coming, and Jesus — whose birth we celebrate at Christmas — is the savior from that wrath. It’s a point a lot of people got because that’s what a savior is — and it’s a point I have made here before, so you were . . . . Continue Reading »

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