The Lutheran Handbook On Marriage

"Following Jesus is hard enough without having to navigate the rocky terrain of church culture all by yourself. The Lutheran Handbook is the indispensable companion for anyone trying to become a well-informed church-goer and have a chuckle now and then. Timeless biblical truths stand alongside everyday life situations that everyone meets, with step-by-step instructions that make the going easy" -- BACK COVER.

The Lutheran Handbook has engaged countless Christians in their everyday faith with a distinctive blend of seriousness and humor. Now The Lutheran Handbook for Pastors does the same for pastors! This book captures all the essential information any pastor needs close at hand to prevail in any circumstance and have a good chuckle along the way: How to Support and Empower the Church Council without Becoming a Dictator or a Wallflower, Luther's Five Biggest Pastoral Dilemmas and How He Handled Them, Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Parishioner, How to Recover from Christmas and Easter Overload, How to Preach a Stewardship Sermon without Sounding Like You Are Begging for a Raise, How to Keep Both Your Job and Your Family, How to Use Your Family Members as Sermon Illustrations without Alienating Them or Boring the Congregation, How to Retire from Ministry Gracefully, ...plus dozens of other illustrations, diagrams, and essential tips! Book jacket.

An invitation into the marriage liturgy, written to those planning for a wedding or the renewal of marriage vows.

Introducing readers to the contemporary field of sacramental theology, this volume covers the biblical and historical foundations, a survey of the state of the discipline, and a collection of constructive essays representing major themes, practices and approaches to sacraments and sacramentality in the contemporary world. The volume starts with a set of foundational essays that offer broad introduction to the field of sacramental theology from contemporary scholars, analysing a number of historical figures in order to illumine and inform contemporary sacramental theology. The second part of the volume is dedicated to a series of essays on sacramentality, and includes attention to elements of space, time, ritual action, music, and word, all as aspects of what Christians have termed “sacramental” reality. The third set of essays includes attention to each of the seven practices that have most commonly been termed “sacraments” in Christian traditions: baptism; eucharist/Lord's Supper; confirmation; confession, forgiveness and reconciliation; marriage; ordination; and anointing. The final part of this volume features scholars who are working on sacraments in conversation with contemporary academic disciplines: critical race theory, queer theory, comparative theology, and disability studies.

Offers advice on designing one's own wedding ceremony, describes sample ceremonies from various Protestant denominations, and lists pertinent Scripture selections