Category: Ask the Pastor
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Tell me about the creeds? (part 2)
Why do we have more than one creed? Last month we discussed how the Apostles’ Creed is a baptismal creed. It was used to instruct new converts in the essentials of the faith. This month, we will consider the Nicene Creed. I consider it the jewel of the creeds. Technically, the Creed we say is…
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Tell me about the creeds? (part 1)
I notice that we use both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Why do we have more than one creed? Where do they come from? As Lutherans we actually have three creeds. Currently, we rotate between the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. The third creed is the Athanasian Creed, which is found in the…
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What do we mean by the word ‘catholic’ in the creed?
The word ‘catholic’ comes from the Greek phrase ‘kata holos’, meaning “according to the whole.” In about 110 AD, Ignatius wrote, “Where Christ is, there is the catholic Church.” In 381, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed used it to describe the church as “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” In the fifth century, Vincent of Lérins defined catholic…
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Beyond the Small Catechism
Question I remember learning the Small Catechism when in confirmation class. Is there a large version? If so, how can I get it? Answer Yes, Martin Luther wrote a Large Catechism as well. We will find it, and all the other Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord. The Book of Concord is a collection…
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Why does the pastor commune himself first?
In answering this question, Pastor Kaspar notes, “The pastor serves in the stead and by the command of Christ Jesus and is a sinner in need of forgiveness, just like the people he serves. When he hears the confession and absolution, he both delivers and receives those words. The pastor preaches to edify the people…