The India Evangelical Lutheran Church

29/09/2024

08/08/2023

We preach Christ crucified!

22/07/2023

The doctrine of justification, on which the church stands or falls, is what it means to be Lutheran.

23/06/2023

The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, having received 52.32% of the votes cast, is the president-elect of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) for a fifth term of office, 2023–2026. May the Lord richly endue him with strength for continued service and make him a blessing to the Synod and to the Church. Election details here: https://thelc.ms/3JnlAuI

20/04/2023

Today the church commemorates Johannes Bugenhagen, Pastor. Bugenhagen was born in Pomerania in 1485. At Martin Luther’s recommendation, Bugenhagen became the pastor of Wittenberg in 1523. He was Luther’s pastor and confessor. Bugenhagen was one of the greatest scholars of the Reformation era and helped to translate the New Testament into Low German. He also wrote a commentary on the Psalms. He helped to organize the Lutheran Church in northern Germany and Denmark. He became superintendent of the Church in Saxony in 1539. He cared for Katharina Luther and the Luther children after Luther’s death, and himself died in Wittenberg in 1558. “Christ has conquered death for us. Why, then, are we afraid? The death of the body is for us a beginning of life eternal through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has become for us a noble, precious sacrifice.” (Johannes Bugenhagen on the death of Luther, p. 1289).

Let us pray: “Almighty and everlasting God, Your Son called the twelve to be His apostles and sent out the seventy-two to preach and to heal. You continue to send out faithful pastors to feed the people of God with the holy food of the Gospel and the Sacraments. We give you thanks for providing Martin Luther with a faithful pastor and confessor in Johannes Bugenhagen and for his care of Luther’s widow and children. May we all be blessed to have such pastors to take care of our needs in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Description adapted from and prayer quoted from, “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” 1289-1290.

Image: Lucas Cranach the Elder, “Portrait of Johannes Bugenhagen”, 1530. Public Domain.

06/03/2023

God wants His Word to be learned especially in our homes. Where should we begin?

04/03/2023

We preach Christ crucified to all who will hear. Because he died for the sins of the whole world.

04/01/2023

"This past month, I have had opportunities to connect with other Lutherans here in Latvia. I mentioned last month that there are very few second-generation Christians here. And yet, young people do gather together for youth group at local congregations. One such church invited me to come and join the youth for an evening of talking about social media and how we, as Christians, can utilize this tool while also being aware of its difficulties and dangers.
It was a great evening of playing games and the kids laughing at my (still-poor) Latvian language skills (all but one of them spoke English). It was enlightening to see the similarities and talk about the differences between American and Latvian teens. The discussion ended with a discussion about how we all search for identity, but, for us as Christians, our identities are given to us by Christ in baptism, and I was able to reinforce for them the very real identity they have as Christians. Praise be to God!" writes Rev. Dr. Quintin Cundiff, serving in Latvia. Learn more: lcms.org/cundiff

About the photo: St. Paul Lutheran Youth Group putting their best foot forward, especially on social media.

04/01/2023

Eight days after His birth, in accordance with Jewish custom, Jesus was given His name and circumcised. The Church commemorates this today and names this day "The Circumcision and Name of Jesus." In both His circumcision and His naming, “His destiny of atonement is revealed.” (p. 1078) His name is that given by the angel because “He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) In His circumcision, Jesus sheds His blood for the first time for us. “In the circumcision of Jesus, all people are circumcised once and for all, because He represents all humanity.” (p. 1078) Through Him we are given the benefits of circumcision as described in the Old Testament: forgiveness of sins, justification and “incorporation into the people of God.” (p. 1078) In the New Testament, St. Paul speaks of its counterpart, Holy Baptism as “the circumcision of Christ.” (Colossians 2:11)

Let us Pray: “Lord God, You made Your beloved Son, our Savior, subject to the Law and caused Him to shed His blood on our behalf. Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit that our hearts may be made pure from all sins; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Description adapted and prayer quoted from "The Treasury of Daily Prayer," p. 1078.

Painting: “Presentation of Jesus in the Temple” from the Circle of Giovanni Bellini (circa 1430–1516). Public domain.