St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church; Columbia PA

09/08/2026

09/07/2026

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09/07/2026

09/06/2026

At Tel el-Araj, archaeologists discovered important remains that have led many scholars to identify the site with the biblical city of Bethsaida. Excavations uncovered a first-century Jewish fishing village, including pottery, coins, fishing weights, and other everyday objects. They also found a Roman bathhouse, suggesting that the settlement later developed into the Roman city of Julias. One of the most significant discoveries was a large Byzantine church with colorful mosaic floors and marble architectural pieces, along with evidence of a monastery. A Greek mosaic inscription found in the church refers to Peter as the chief of the apostles, which is important because Christian tradition connects Bethsaida with Peter and his brother Andrew. These discoveries, especially the evidence of fishing, Roman urban development, and the Byzantine church, provide strong archaeological evidence supporting Tel el-Araj as the location of ancient Bethsaida.

09/06/2026

Long before the Word became flesh, the Word of God was already appearing to his people.

In the Old Testament, the Son appears as the Messenger of the LORD, the Wisdom of God, the Son of Man, the Commander of the LORD's hosts, and the Word of the LORD.

The Hebrew word davar (דָּבָר) usually means "word," but it can also mean "thing" or "matter." That double meaning becomes fascinating when Scripture describes the "word of the LORD" not merely being spoken, but actually appearing and acting.

In Genesis 15, "the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision" (15:1). This Word speaks with Abram, but then does something surprising: "he brought him outside" to look at the stars (15:5). The Word is not merely heard. He is seen, moving and interacting with Abram.

Something similar happens with Samuel. We are told that "the word of the LORD was rare" because "there was no frequent vision" (1 Sam. 3:1). Then Yahweh "came and stood" before Samuel (3:10). The chapter concludes that "the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD" (3:21).

Then consider Jeremiah. "The word of the LORD came" to him (Jer. 1:4), but this Word does more than speak. "The LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth" (1:9). The Word is heard, seen, and even touches Jeremiah.

These passages prepare us for what we read today in Bible in One Year: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14).

John's language did not come out of nowhere. He didn't invent it. John was a faithful student of the Torah and Prophets. He knew that long before the Word became flesh permanently in the incarnation, the Word had already appeared temporarily in human form to many believers in the OT.

As Christians in the Scottish Highlands used to say to David Murray, "Christ enjoyed trying on the clothes of his incarnation."

These OT appearances of the Son were dress rehearsals for Bethlehem.
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For more on the Old Testament appearances of the Son of God, see my book, The Christ Key, https://a.co/d/01NXZ282

09/06/2026

Today we begins a walk through the final major document of the Book of Concord: the Formula of Concord. To understand why it was needed, we must remember that Martin Luther didn’t leave behind a perfectly united Lutheran Church after his death in 1546. Over the following decades, serious controversies arose among Lutherans concerning original sin, free will, justification, good works, Law and Gospel, the Lord’s Supper, Christology, election, and other doctrines. These weren’t arguments over mere terminology. Different groups claimed to represent Luther’s theology and the Augsburg Confession, sometimes while reaching very different conclusions. By the 1570s, Lutheranism in the German territories was badly divided. The Formula of Concord, completed in 1577, sought to resolve those controversies by returning to Scripture and clearly stating what the Lutheran churches taught, and confessed, as well as those they rejected.

This history helps to explain why the Formula wasn’t received everywhere that Lutheranism had taken root. The controversies it addresses were mostly those in the German Lutheran territories. Scandinavian churches had developed under different political and ecclesiastical circumstances, and hadn’t experienced all of the same disputes. As a result, some Scandinavian Lutheran traditions have confessed the earlier Lutheran Confessions without receiving the Formula; not necessarily because they rejected what it taught, but because they didn’t see the German controversies that produced it as requiring the same solution in their churches.

The Formula itself comes in two parts. First is the Epitome, a concise summary stating what is confessed and what is rejected concerning each controversy. Then comes the Solid Declaration, which treats those same articles at greater length and explains the biblical and theological reasoning behind them. We will walk through each article of the Epitome individually, then return to each one through the Solid Declaration.

Christian concord doesn’t mean pretending disagreements don’t exist. True unity comes from confessing the truth together, and that truth exists to direct sinners to Christ.

09/06/2026

Not enough here to know if this is true. However, it is intriguing to think about.

Archaeologists have examined what appears to be the actual sign placed above Jesus during His crucifixion. Known as the Titulus Crucis, the wooden relic carries part of the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” and preserves traces of the same three languages named in John’s Gospel: Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Roman authorities were also known to display a condemned person’s charge during executions, matching exactly what the Gospels describe.

Preserved in Rome for centuries, it remains one of the most extraordinary relics ever connected to the crucifixion.