There are any number of ways in which the various committees on which we serve or positions we may hold make valuable contributions to the organizations of which we are a part. I am absolutely certain of that. At the same time, while holding positions and serving on committees may be valuable, that is not necessarily the same as accomplishing things. I know that may initially sound odd, but we probably all know – and have perhaps served on – committees that don’t get much done. And we have all seen – and perhaps been invited into – positions that are largely routine or representational. Building things, accomplishing things,...

One of the comments to this week’s Dear Partner in Preaching, on “Practicing Advent,” raised a great question: is inviting people to practice sharing their faith law and, if so, where is the Gospel? I ask this kind of question myself all the time. But to help you ask and answer it with me, I’ll offer a little bit of background. I am a Lutheran preacher. And when it comes to preaching, the most important thing for Lutherans is to distinguish rightly between law and gospel. (Actually, it’s not only Lutherans who focus on this distinction, but we certainly talk about it a lot!) In short, law stands for all those things that come to us...