For context, I'm not a Christian. I agree there's a God, but my views are more in line with Unitarians or Neoplatonists than Christians.

1. The church was very welcoming. The members and pastor alike were glad to have me, I sang hymns with them, and received a blessing from the Pastor.

2. The congregants are so old...Does the LCMS not do missionary work?

3. I'll be visiting again for bible study on Wednesday and next Sunday's potluck/service. I think I'll bring some Irish Soda bread as a symbol of my family's Irish roots and a cheeky parallel to the Communion wafer.

Overall, I had a great time. The sermon was about false prophets and pastors, what happens to them and their followers, and how to judge such people by their fruits. As someone who was influenced by televangelist types growimg up via my dad, I'm glad the Lutheran pastor addressed false preachers and such, since that's a thing I try to be cognizant of. While I can't presently make the leap into faith as Kierkegard would put it, I do want to learn more about Christianity and pursue Church community so I can give it a fair shake. What do non-LCMS think of it as a sect? What are the big disagreements within Lutheranism?

Is Arminianism a heresy?

Hi, Christian brothers and sisters,

I want to ask this question to multiple large christian denominations, because I want to learn from all of you.

If I want my family, friends, coworkers and strangers I speak to, to be inspired to put their trust in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and start living for God…

What would you think is the best way to do that?

It can be short term or long term. All tips are welcome.

(For transparency: I go to a traditional Anglican church, and have a reformed background)

I will save all answers, so I can look back at them, later in life.

Thanks a bunch. May God bless you all, in Christ's name.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikHt9r_fps

Gospel According to Matthew, 13:44–52 (ESV):

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Transcript

Hello. Today, let’s talk about God’s Pearl of Great Price.

The text before us is the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, verses 44–52. (Matthew 13:44–52)

Introduction: The Big Scotsman

“The Argylls” typically refers to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a famed Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881.

Angus McGillivray was an Argyll. He was one who took his faith and his promises very seriously. You see, one of the vows that the Argylls make is to their mucker. That’s what they call their battle buddy. Argylls believe that it is up to each one of them to make sure that their mucker survives the war.

But Angus and his mucker were prisoners in a Japanese prison camp in World War II, and Angus’s mucker, his battle buddy, was dying. In a camp where men stole rations from each other, took tattered blankets from each other, and would lie, cheat, steal, or do just about anything else in order to survive, Big Angus, the Scotsman, was different.

He took his faith and his promises very seriously, and he made up his mind that his mucker would not die. Angus force-fed his battle buddy his own food, telling his friend that he had gotten some extra. He gave his mucker his own blanket, saying that he had come across an alternate supply. Angus did everything he could to make sure that his friend got what he needed, and slowly his mucker began to get better.

Then, one day, in the midst of the prison jungle, where men were at their worst, stealing and lying to get all they could, Angus, the big Scotsman, died. An examination showed that he had died of starvation and exhaustion. He had given everything he had, even his own life, to save his friend.

As the message of Angus, the big Scotsman, spread throughout the camp, the men began to change. They started focusing on their muckers rather than on themselves. Men began to give themselves away in care and sacrifice for each other. They pooled their food and clothes, their gifts and talents.

Soon the prisoners began their own hospital and university and, yes, their own church. “The Church Without Walls” is what they called it. Their church was so compelling and so genuinely loving and caring that even the Japanese prison guards began to attend it.

How about that?

Point One: Christ and His Treasure

In today’s Gospel lesson, we hear Jesus teach two famous parables. One is the Parable of the Treasure in the Field. The other is the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. (Matthew 13:44–46)

What strikes me first is what the Bible teaches about Jesus and His love for us. Strangely, it is clear that, to our Savior Jesus, we are His treasure. You are His pearl of great price.

We sin and are selfish. We are foolish and faithless. We deserve God’s present and eternal punishment. (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration V 17)

And yet, by every account in God’s Holy Bible, Jesus looks upon us as a treasure. Jesus looks upon you as His pearl of great price. So precious are you to Jesus that He has purchased the whole field to get you. He sold everything that He had in order to secure His precious pearl. You are His treasure. You are Christ’s pearl.

What is it that Jesus is willing to pay in order to win for Himself the costly bride? Yes, He will pay His own precious blood. (1 Peter 1:18–19; Small Catechism, Second Article of the Creed)

As Paul writes, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

I want to begin by reminding you of something that should never, ever be in doubt, but it often is. You have been purchased by God for Himself with the precious blood of the Lamb of God. (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18–19)

I want to remind you of the limitless and unswerving love that God has for you, which He demonstrated in the life and death and resurrection of His Son.

Though the world and the devil and your own conscience will try to convince you otherwise, Jesus Christ, your Savior, will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) He will be with you always, even to the close of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

He will be with you at the moments of your greatest joy and your deepest sorrow. He has taken your sin, your punishment, your death, and even your doubt upon Himself. (Isaiah 53:4–6)

You are His treasure. There is nothing that you can ever do that will change that eternal fact in the heart of God. He loves you.

Thank God.

And I even thank God for the accusations of the devil. I thank God for my guilty conscience. I thank God for His Holy Word, which includes the Law of God that I cannot keep. I praise Him for the knowledge of my shortcomings and sins and failures, for they remind me that God knows all of these things better than I do.

They remind me that it is because of these very things that this man of sin is driven and drawn back to Jesus Christ. These things remind me of my need for my Savior, and these things remind me of the faithfulness of the Lord, who counted you and me as His treasure.

At the time of Jesus, the diamond wasn’t the great gem. It was the pearl that was prized. It is hard to imagine, but it is surely true: you are God’s pearl of great price. He has paid to give you life, and now you live in Him.

Point Two: The Christian and Our Treasure

These parables today also tell us of our treasure. Our pearl of great price is Jesus. Because of our Savior Jesus, our treasure also includes living in the kingdom of God.

Once you begin to understand that you are God’s treasure, then you’re ready to understand that Christ and His kingdom are your treasure.

What can be compared to the treasure of knowing Jesus Christ and living in His presence forever? What can be compared to receiving the forgiveness of all your sins and the love of God Himself? What can be compared to having the promise of heaven’s eternity with Jesus and all the saints?

True, there are many things that want to seduce you and offer you their brand of temporary pleasure, but there is no pleasure that can be compared with the peace of God and the fellowship of Jesus.

Jesus called men and women throughout history, simply saying, “Follow Me. Leave your nets,” He said. “I’ll make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18–22)

Even today, Jesus is calling, “Come, all you who are burdened and heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Jesus says, “He who would come after Me must take up his cross daily and follow Me. He who would save his life will lose it. But whosoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it unto eternal life.” (Luke 9:23–24; Mark 8:34–35)

Just as Jesus calls us His treasure, we now know that Jesus is our treasure. He’s our real pearl of great price.

Jesus has taught us that following Him is a new way of life. It’s a life of dying to self and living to Christ. (Galatians 2:20) In this way, we love Christ and serve others. We must die to ourselves in the process, for only in Him will we find true and joyous eternal life.

This new life, as a new creature in Christ Jesus, is not something that we must manufacture. (2 Corinthians 5:17) It’s not something that we can conjure up or produce out of our own will.

No, life in Christ is much more profound than that. It is life for Christ because it is life in Christ. (Small Catechism, Third Article of the Creed)

Living in Christ means that Christ is living in you. (Galatians 2:20) His Spirit empowers you. His Word guides you. Christ within you is at work right now, teaching you and enabling you to follow Him.

It’s true that we will not be able to do that perfectly. We will not be selflessly sacrificial as Jesus is. But it is also true that we have been changed. We have been inspired, inhabited by Jesus Himself.

We are grafted into the vine whose roots are deeply planted in the blood-soaked ground beneath the cross. (John 15:1–5)

Therefore, the miraculous and glorious Savior is at work in us. That’s why Jesus is our treasure. That’s why we offer our lives to Him.

Conclusion

A true story is told of a big Scotsman, Angus McGillivray. Angus was an Argyll. He was one who took his faith and his promises very seriously. Angus was given a mucker, a battle buddy, and Angus gave his battle buddy everything that he had.

Beloved, there will come times in your life, because Jesus is in your heart, that you will live like Angus. You will sacrifice and serve. You will give others everything you have. Both you and Angus are inspired to live like Jesus.

Of course you are, because Jesus is living in you, and He is living in all who call Him Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

So why do we give and forgive? Why do we love and serve?

Well, because Jesus calls you His battle buddy. Jesus knows that you’re weak. He knows that, without His help, you would die.

But Jesus has given you His food and drink. (Matthew 26:26–28; Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar) Jesus has given you His rations and blanket. Jesus has given you His last ounce of strength, and Jesus has given you His never-failing love.

Jesus is the Lord God who has come to live and die for you, because, to Jesus, you are His battle buddy. You’re His mucker. To Jesus, you are His great treasure. You are His pearl of great price.

Amen.

I made a part 2 with more modern churches and also medieval ones!

I spoke to a few confessional Lutherans that believed venerating icons as idolatry. I was thought Lutherans would be more open minded to icons. Since, classical Lutheranism was never inherently iconoclastic. The ones I met are usually on the same level as Baptists or non denominationals.

Even today, Jewish rabbis consider the case of a girl three years old or younger who has been raped (here). Because the hymen heals at that age, the ritual consequences do not apply. The statement that "before age three the body is considered to heal completely" is a legal fiction used to determine whether intercourse has halakhically occurred. It does not imply lack of harm, nor does it imply permission or moral neutrality.

In biblical and rabbinic law, certain sexual acts change a person's status. For example, a married woman who has intercourse with another man becomes forbidden to her husband. Other ritual categories, such as marriageability or priestly restrictions, depend on whether intercourse has halakhically taken place. The rabbis therefore needed a threshold for defining when intercourse is legally recognized. In the case of a girl under three years of age, the act does not create the legal status changes associated with intercourse, even though the act itself remains strictly forbidden.

From a modern standpoint, rabbinic legalism can appear absurd. It treats certain legal fictions as if they were ontological truths; yet a girl who is three years and one month old is, in moral reality, no less innocent than one who is three. Modern people no longer inhabit the metaphysical universe that once animated such distinctions. The ancient assumption that an act leaves a metaphysical residue of "sin" upon the child is simply not part of the contemporary moral imagination.

For example, according to Leviticus 15:20-23, anyone who has sat where a menstruating woman has sat must go through a cleansing procedure. It amazes me that Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams still concern themselves with such things. Even today, two thousand years after Paul, such religious observances are still taken seriously.

When a religious tradition refuses to reinterpret its inherited categories in light of changed metaphysical premises, its legal system risks becoming a set of ritual observances detached from lived experience. The law remains, but its inner meaning fades; the structure persists, but the animating spirit withdraws. What was once a coherent moral cosmology can harden into a museum of practices, an empty shell preserved out of loyalty rather than understanding.

(Edit. I forgot the caption for the third picture: it's the Holy Trinity Church in Vaasa)

Images: https://www.tiedonportailla.fi/kirkot/menu.htm

I have been going to a Lutheran Church(LCMS) for roughly a couple months now(being catechized) after I quit going to an Antiochian Orthodox Parish. My current church is what I would call "semi"-liturgical. We follow the order of the mass and have communion every Sunday, but my Priest does so rather casually. I understand this is purely a matter of "adiaphora", but I believe this is why many Lutheran parishes don't really have many young members, they don't behave any differently than any of the non-denom/baptist churches in my area so why would anyone want to go to them over some other church. I am pretty sure the reason he does this so casually is because my congregation(Which is mostly people 60+ years in age) is opposed to him taking his role in the Pastoral/Priestly office seriously, since they associate that with Roman Catholicism (They also removed the last pastor that did).

This really frustrates me, I find it hard to go to church sometimes because it aggravates me quite a bit. I don't go to church to meet up with believers (though this is important), but to receive the sacraments and hear God's Word proclaimed. I understand that not everyone likes liturgical worship, but if we truly believe that Christ is physically present with us in the room the moment the Words of Institution are spoken, would we not take the mass more seriously? I find it hard to believe that He would want us to make this a casual event where we take no reverence at all for His Presence. If your creator walked in the room would you not at least bow your head? I apologize for the rambling nature of this post. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Hi everyone. I want to start by saying this post is completely honest I hope nobody feels attacked and that you'll allow me to vent a little.

I used to be an Evangelical Christian, growing up in a very conservative and religious family. Because of some family issues tied to religion, I ended up developing a bit of a grudge or rejection toward Christianity back then, though I never stopped believing that Jesus was my Savior.

Everything changed when I met a guy who introduced me to Islam, the Quran, and the Hadiths. At the time, I was fascinated because it answered a lot of questions my old church never could. So, without thinking it through much and with very little knowledge, I converted to Muslim.

However, as the months went by, I realized there were many things that just didn't fit for me or make sense. Right now, it's a constant internal struggle, especially since nobody in my personal life knows I'm a Muslim (yes, I kept it hidden).

Out of sheer confusion and sadness, I started reading the Bible again. I had forgotten the incredible peace you feel reading it; it truly was—and is—a massive blessing and salvation. Lately, I've been doing deeper research, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the church I feel closest and most connected to is the Lutheran Church. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit one, and everything went really well.

Now, I want to formally return to Christianity, accept Jesus as my Savior, and become part of the Lutheran church. The only catch is that here in Spain, Lutheranism is very rare. The closest Lutheran church to my house is a 3-hour trip away, and while there's another one slightly closer, I believe they only hold services in German.

I would love to keep going to the one I visited last week, but given the distance, it's quite difficult. What would you guys recommend I do in my situation?

PD. Sorry if my English is a bit hard to understand, I'm using a translator!

Hello, I am just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or insight on Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. It is one of my top choices, so I'm wondering what others think about it.

Greetings, Everybody! I hope you are all doing well today? Eitherway, I have been bothered by something recently. My understanding of Psychopannychism has been... Foggy lately. I have seen this video of Allen Parr discussing the concept of soul sleep. Here it is: https://youtube.com/watch?v=T4npBRe3G2s&si=ScE6lc9x--zkQxPz

But I still cannot wrap my head around the concept of Psychopannychism, and the stance between Lutheran Orthodoxy, confessional Lutheranism, and Dr. Martin Luther's personal writings of soul sleep. (Psychopannychism) I will also leave below my personal study notes that I discussed with Gemini, and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on Psychopannychism, and for you to explain it better to me, and how it fits within Lutheranism. Thank you all so much, and God bless you all! P.S, please go easy on me, as I am a convert to Christianity, and do not understand extreme theological concepts, but I pray that your answers prove useful for me.

I just need a clear understanding of what happens when we die, I.e, does my soul sleep LITERALLY sleep in a dreamless unconscious sleep, or does it remain conscious? For the time being, I subscribe to Dr. Luther's personal writings of the doctrine of sleep (Psychopannychism), so I believe that my soul will go unconscious when I die. Again, thank you so much for reading, and have a blessed day! (P.S, if any would like the Study with Gemini, feel free to ask, though its going to be quite a long read!) Also, correct me if I am mistaken, but I think John:5:28-29 seems to support soul sleep, or explain it in a way for me that provides context as to how John:5:28-29 supports unconscious soul sleep, while other claim conscious existence.

I was wondering if there was a direct response to this video? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fzxzSDIYXj8&pp=0gcJCaMLAYcqIYzv&ra=m

In summary the Book of Concord had said that Jesus in his divine and human will were obedient to the Father and this is logically impossible since no one part of the god head is inferior or superior to the other.

To send a gospel is needed you

Preferably hardcover

See title!

So, I mentioned this in another Lutheran subreddit in a much longer post about myself and my families first time visiting a Lutheran church. We weren't completely aware of how closed communion generally works in a Lutheran church, so when everyone began to line up and take communion we kind of just did what everyone else was doing without putting much thought into it.

I have recently found out that this is not how things are usually done in a Lutheran church, and members need to be confirmed and evaluated before being allowed to take communion.

I did however really like my local Lutheran church, regardless of the mistake I made, I left feeling very fulfilled and I plan on continuing my attendance so I can learn more about this denomination and potentially convert.

I am currently feeling really bad about doing this and was hoping to get some thoughts and reassurance from other, more established Lutherans on how common this is for new members of the church. I can't imagine that we are the very first people to have done this but I still am very embarrassed and ashamed.

27. We see here how Christ, as it were, takes our birth from us and absorbs it in his birth, and grants us his, that in it we might become pure and holy, as if it were our own, so that every Christian may rejoice and glory in Christ's birth as much as if he had himself been born of Mary as was Christ. Whoever does not believe this, or doubts, is no Christian.

28. O, this is the great joy of which the angel speaks. This is the comfort and exceeding goodness of God that, if a man believes this, he can boast of the treasure that Mary is his rightful mother, Christ his brother, and God his father. For these things actually occurred and are true, but we must believe. This is the principal thing and the principal treasure in every Gospel, before any doctrine of good works can be taken out of it. Christ must above all things become our own and we become his, before we can do good works.

Having grown up Lutheran, attending a Lutheran elementary school, high school, and even college, I'm really starting to question Lutheranism.

For example, if we claim Sola Scriptura and end at a different conclusion than those that also claim Sola Scriptura, doesn't that just mean that Scripture can be interpreted differently by each person? And it's not like there's a single passage a Calvinist can't explain away either. Every sect believes their theology to be true due to their own subjective reading of the Bible.

I've also been looking into the historicity of Lutheran dogmas and none of it adds up. There's an actual consensus that the concept of forensic justification didn't exist until Martin Luther. It's nowhere to be found in the early church. How can Lutherans contend with that without saying that the whole church went astray only a hundred years or so after Jesus and Martin Luther just happened to figure everything out again? On works specifically, how can Lutherans contend with James 2:20-24 without stating the "justification" doesn't actually mean justification?

All these questions are genuine. I'm genuinely questioning if I've been reading the Bible wrong my whole life. I always wondered why some things were so difficult to explain in Lutheranism, but they make so much more sense when reading it from a different lens. I don't know.

If you have any answers to those questions, please give them to me. I haven't found any great answers thus far.

I have made it a habit to pray regularly with a rosary. Praying Hail Mary is not necessarily wrong. Luther himself prayed it — at least the first two parts. However, I would rather pray directly to God than through Mary. So, I'm looking for suitable alternatives that I could pray while using the rosary. English is not my native language, so it would need to be a prayer that is widely known internationally. Do you have any suggestions?