Peter W. Marty
Marty, a pastor of
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa, lectures and writes frequently on faith matters.
Articles by Peter W. Marty:
- Flashes of envy
It grows out of resentment — there is a begrudging quality to it
- The wind-down
One way or another, worshipers take the church experience with them
- That interesting meal
The feast no money can buy, no person can fully comprehend
- Passing the peace
It involves taking honest interest in eyes, life of one we're greeting
- Loving others on our knees
Despite feelings, words can fail us; Spirit will stand in for you
- The offering experience
Offerings glorify God - you get to view your life as a blessing and gift
- The sermon
Often just an earful of talk about God; folks want encounter with God
- Into our ears
Luther pushed for oral experience of word of God in worship
- Moved to sing
The greater delight is in pleasing God through our unity of voice
- Getting situated
Entering church, finding your place are part of the wonder of worship
- The windup
Decision to get up, going to church becomes more complex, still basic
- Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
It could be that Emmaus serves as a symbolic place for our faith lives
- Changing course
Love can break chains of dogged certainty, soften calcified heart
- An incognito Lord
Destiny of all rests on how we attend to voices at bottom of human pile
- Host and guest
Both delight in the significance and profound humanity of each other
- Getting what we never deserve
Prodigal son parable really about dad's character, unconditional love
- A face that shines
God's otherwise unseen presence, glory were mirrored in the face of Moses
- To be a guide
This is a beautiful story that breathes all kinds of life
- Stockpiling life
We never seem to have enough and prospect of shortfall frightens us silly
- Climbing down
With blessing of salvation, Zacchaeus completely refocuses his life
- A God bent on relationship
Storyline of Bible is one of a radically different kind of faith
- The art of trusting
Christians fasten their trust onto the biblical promises of God
- Part mystery, part mess
Unity over uniformity in the church
- Inhaling the Spirit
We receive the Spirit as a gift — it is not found, obtained or possessed
- Walking through our fears
Response will ask to behold one thing above all else—the gift of faith
- The world of sin
If it helps, think of sin as the cause and sins as the effect
- The sweet spot of vocations
Calling is grounded in knowing that origin, destiny reside in God
- Digesting Scripture
It's one thing to know what it says, another to grasp the meaning
- Praise in an awe-deficient world
Worship is a weekly opportunity to practice not being God
- The world of grace
Never earned, it always arrives as a gift from someone on the outside
- A gift from heaven
A meal, whether at home or the one from God, is all about relationship
- Precious and loved
Baptism introduces us to a God who actually wants us
- Simultaneously two people
We concentrate on one at the expense of the other to our own peril
- An appreciation for doubt
Wonder, glory of mystery get swept aside by self-righteousness
- Column to focus on faithful living
Look beyond set of beliefs to our everyday experiences
- Advent waiting
It's not just about us. This season let's come to God.
