Martin Luther's Evening Prayer

The Lord gives us an example of how to deal those who do not deal with us in good faith. The priests and elders asked Jesus by what authority He taught and healed.  The Lord asked them about their view of John's baptism, and when they refused to answer, He said no to answering their question. Dr. Zeile's exposition points out that the follower of Christ can and should say "No"...

On the eighth day after His birth Christ was circumcised and received the name "Jesus" (which means "savior"). Thus, New Year's Day is celebrated in many churches as the Name Day of Christ, and fittingly so. But there is deep meaning to the circumcision of the Christ Child: this is the first instance of His shedding blood for sin, and this when He who gave the Law (Torah)...

In Psalm 137 Israel remebers home with sadness and longing, emotions often evoked at funerals. Yet in God there is hope- not immediate gratification, but hope. This message by Dr. Zeile is accompanied by Psalm 130 ("Out of the Depths"), the reading of John 11 (Raising of Lazarus), and the Litany prayed in procession. Send us Fan Mail

Dr. Zeile reads Psalm 39 from the 16th Century Book of Common Prayer, the 17th Century King James Version, and the 18th Century Douai-Rheims translation as revised by Richard Challoner. Send us Fan Mail

This Advent meditation considers the widow Anna who was a figure familiar at many a church, what Barbara Pim called one of the "excellent women" whose faith is constant, and presence at the sanctuary is faithful, whose attitude is humble, and therefore often overlooked. But it was to such that the infant Messiah was revealed. Dr. Zeile's homily is accompanied by portions of the Epip...

This special procession with collects in honor of Saints Peter & Paul are fitting for their June 29 feast day. Send us Fan Mail

After Confession, the Kyrie, Gloria in Excelses, and a reading of Philippians 4, Dr. Zeile preaches on the Lord's appeal to our profit motive when He asks "What profit a man if he gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?" Is this an appeal to our reason, or our selfishness?  The session concludes with the Danish paraphrase of Luther's Mighty Fortress sung in English as &quot...

The order of Compline (Night Prayer) includes this meditation on one of the women ancestors of Christ. Rebekah waited a long time, about 20 years before she gave birth, and then she had twins, Esau and Jacob, the latter of which was to receive the blessing so as to father the nation of Israel, and even more, the Messiah. We often fail to realize that the people of Faith we know as the Patriarchs s...

Some of the laws in the Old Testament seem draconian in our day of religious liberty, including Moses' strictures against idolatry. But the real moral principle behind this civil law which no longer applies to believers is that friends need to support one another in what is right, and this includes holding each other accountable to their faith commitment. Dr. Zeile's discussion of this i...

Jesus observed that the people of His generation (indeed every generation!) were not satisfied with the messengers God sent, neither John the Baptist who was too stern, nor Himself who was too forgiving. We learn from Him to distinguish God's promises from our own delusions. This meditation is preceded by the readings, Revelation 15, Psalm 45, and Romans 3 and Luther's classic hymn, &quo...

We imagine that the world depends on us, and yet it is waiting for us after we have slept. Dr. Zeile's meditation on God's gift of sleep points out how knowing that God is in charge, and that His will for us is good, as demonstrated by Jesus' gift of His life for us, enables us to receive the gift of sleep for renewal and refreshment. Confession and Absolution, and readings from 1 P...

St. Paul urges the Corinthians to give as God has given us, and uses the example of others to encourage them. The miracle is that God makes us glad to give, eager to give and yet we may fail to carry out our good intentions. Dr. Zeile's meditation on the Apostle's teaching is accompanied by the praying of Psalm 8 and the favorite hymn, "We Give Thee but Thine Own," and is follo...

Dr. Zeile discusses what we can learn about prayer from Abraham's example of pleading for Sodom, notably that God condescends to "bargain" with us, and that God may answer in a way that we may not realize, as He did in this case. Two hymns on prayer are included in the program, "I Holy Conversations We Speak to God in Prayer," and the favorite of many, "What a Friend...

Dr. Zeile's message on Elijah' surprising reverse after his victory on Mt. Carmel points out how our highs and lows are related to each other, and how we may be tempted to project our perception on God instead of listening to the small still voice of comfort that assures us that He is still in charge. This meditation includes Psalm 146, the hymn "Forth In Thy Name, O Lord, I Go,&quo...

Isaiah's message is explained by Dr. Zeile as the offer of righteousness which will bless us beyond this life; nevertheless, there are many temporal blessings that come with this gift from God. The service of prayer and preaching includes readings from Romans 11 and Matthew 16, as well the canticle of Isaiah 12, "The Lord God is my Strength and my Song." Send us Fan Mail

Paul's urging to harmony may seem like something we work for and therefore a human accomplishment, but it is really a Divine gift that turns on receiving the Lord's teaching, or doctrine. Dr. Zeile's message is accompanied by a reading from 2 Timothy 3, the hymn "When in Our Music God is Glorified," the Magnificat, and Psalm 150. Send us Fan Mail

This processional from the June 29 celebration of saints Peter and Paul alternates the appropriate collect prayers with stanzas from the hymn "From All Thy Saints in Warfare for All Thy Sainst at Rest"  Send us Fan Mail

Mark 6 contains the memorable account of the storm on the Sea of Galilee which frightened the disciples. Jesus was asleep in the boat, but they awakened Him with the question, "Don't you care that we are perishing?" Dr. Zeile reflects on how God indeed cares and comes to aid us in a crisis, and what the experience may mean for us. The old-time favorite "Jesus Savior, Pilate Me...

Luther's hymn based on Isaiah's call in Chapter 6 begins this program of meditation on God's call to us in the sacrament of Baptism.  Isaiah 42 conveys God's message that He has called us by name, a call that is applied to each of us in Christ's command to baptize. The rite of Baptism renewal follows the Scripture meditation, and the contemporary hymn, "God's Own...

We are waiting for the Lord's Return. We are anxious for His victory to be acknowledged by all our enemies. This is human, but God's plans are best and the Apostle James gives counsel to us trying to live the Christian life in an impatient world. This meditation is preceded by Psalm 146, and followed by the Magifical, Litany, Collect & Benediction and the hymn, "Hark the Glad So...

Peter had denied his Lord three times and imagined he would never be freed from the guilt of sin and the despair of Jesus' death. But the Easter Gospel changed his despair  into hope and with the appearance of the risen Christ at the Sea of Galilee, opportunity for reconciliation and restoration! This message of hope for all who trust in Christ includes a bell choir anthem ("Christ is Ar...

John the Baptist testified of Christ's baptism, that he heard the Voice of the Father and saw the Spirit descend as a dove on the man Jesus.  In our baptism we are linked to Jesus, the water removing our sin and conveying the odor of righteousness to us. Give thanks for the sacrament that links us to the Holy Trinity! This message is preceded by Psalm 25, and the Swedish hymn "Children o...

Few values in our century are as neglected as personal integrity, the kind that treats others by the same standard that we apply to ourselves. We are tempted to change identities, shuck off old promises, leave human problems behind without solving them, and borrow when we cannot repay. The Psalmist could stand before God in his integrity because his was the voice of Christ, the One Righteous Man w...

This meditation on Solomon's insight into the futility of even the most successful life explains how we were created for more than temporal life. In Christ our full potential for life overflowing is realized, but we have to let go of the inferior to grasp the superior gift. The classic Lutheran hymn, "Jesus, Priceless Treasure," fittingly caps this meditation. Send us Fan Mail

Author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), a notorius doubter, remarked, "It is not the things in the Bible I don't understand that trouble me; it is the things in the Bible I DO understand that trouble me." Christ's suggestion that it would be better to cut off one's hand than go to hell may be one such troubling truth.  It is confounding who take the Bible literally, but not se...