As secular society observes Halloween and Christians prepare for All Saints’ Day, this excerpt from Luther’s sermon on Luke 24:36–47 (included in his Church Postil) on ghosts or “wandering spirits” seems appropriate. Luther believed in apparitions—but as a trick of the devil intended to subvert the faith of Christians. Read on for the reformer’s perspective and for his call to fight such apparitions not with sharpened stakes or garlic but with the only trustworthy weapons at the disposal of God’s saints: God’s Word and faith.

With all the press that comes with being a pastor, it can be hard to focus on your ultimate calling: proclaiming the Word of God. That’s why Martin Luther’s “Sacristy Prayer” has been encouraging your brothers in the ministry for generations—both as you prepare to write sermons and as you stand to deliver those sermons.

 In this excerpt from Luther’s sermon on Luke 24:13–35 included in his Church Postil, the reformer reflects on the “sermon” that the risen Christ preached to the two disciples as they traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus. With Christians throughout history, Luther here ponders what Christ may have told the disciples, as He “interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is Jesus’ gift to His Church. He wants us to extend our hand to receive it. We disrespect Him, our Lord and Savior, when we turn away from His gift of love. It’s kind of like going to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. If we don’t show up, she is sure to ask us why we weren’t there: “I prepared the meal for you, but you didn’t come.” It’s Grandma’s meal, prepared just for us, and we turned away from it.

The following excerpt is taken from Dr. James Voelz’s commentary on Mark 1:1–8:26, part of Concordia Publishing House’s Concordia Commentary series.

A prolific writer, professor, and pastor, Johann Gerhard (1582–1637) is regarded as one of the greatest theologians and thinkers of his time. Meditations on Divine Mercy is a collection of prayers written by Johann Gerhard. In addition to Gerhard’s prayers, the book also includes a chapter on the purpose and benefits of prayer, as well as an explanation of the blessing and historic aspects of daily meditation.

In this selection from his sermon on 1 Corinthians 5:6–8, Luther encourages all Christians to resist temptation. Can we do this by ourselves? Certainly not. But God gives His Holy Spirit to us Christians as we interact with His Word and participate in the Sacraments to strengthen our faith and aid us in resisting the devil’s lures.

In this excerpt from a sermon on Luke 24:36–47, Luther addresses Confession and Absolution as an ongoing feature of the life of God’s people, one that, cleansed of the false theology of the papacy, has tremendous spiritual benefit.

The following is an excerpt from Lutheran Bible Companion. This selection is from the “The General Epistles” in volume two.

Concordia Publishing House is pleased to announce the release of its twenty-sixth volume in the Concordia Commentary series: Galatians, by Dr. A. Andrew Das. What follows is Dr. Das’s commentary on Galatians 3:28 and 29.