The Gottesdienst Crowd

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Resurrection of Our Lord (Easter Day), Mark 16:1-8. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil, Matthew 28:1–7. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Good Friday, St. John's Passion. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle reading for Maundy Thursday, 1 Corinthians 11:23–32. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Lent, Matthew 26–27. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In Episode 3 of Saving the Sons of Missouri, Rev. David Ramirez moves from diagnosis to response—offering a candid and pastoral path forward for engaging the rising generation of young men in the LCMS. Building on the cultural, economic, and familial realities outlined earlier, this episode wrestles with how older generations can faithfully respond to the zeal, frustration, and searching of younger men today. Rather than dismissing or fearing that zeal, Rev. Ramirez calls for understanding, repentance, and intentional leadership: removing generational blind spots, making careful distinctions, and guiding young men with wisdom shaped by Scripture. Drawing on biblical examples—from David’s failures as a father to the exhortations of Colossians—he highlights both the dangers of neglect and the opportunity for renewal. The episode also tackles practical questions: how to direct youthful energy without crushing it, how to avoid bitterness on both sides, and how to rebuild strong families and congregations through mentorship, inheritance, and embodied teaching. The goal is not nostalgia, but faithful continuity—passing on the faith, forming leaders, and strengthening the bonds of Christ-centered households. At its heart, this episode is a call to action: to turn hearts between fathers and sons, to cultivate holy zeal, and to seize what may be a providential moment for renewal in the Church. TGC 583 – Saving the Sons of Missouri, Part 1 https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2026/3/2/tgc-583-saving-the-sons-of-missouri-part-1 TGC 585 – Saving the Sons of Missouri, Part 2 https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2026/3/11/tgc-585-saving-the-sons-of-missouri-part-2 Tell the Good News about Jesus Convocation (2025) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAL2mMQkURReJEKYKZtJlMhjZth7bWFAt The Great Awokening https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2022/3/2/tgc-172-the-great-awokening?rq=great%20awokening Aaron Renn's Negative World https://firstthings.com/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism/ ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, John 8:46–59. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In Part 2, Rev. Jason Braaten and Rev. David Ramirez discuss what happens when a society reaches the end of its cultural experiment. After decades of secularization, humanism, and cultural revolution, many younger people—especially young men—are beginning to recognize that the modern project has failed to deliver the promised freedom and happiness. The result is a renewed search for truth, order, and tradition. Drawing on historical parallels such as the religious revival in France following the French Revolution, the conversation explores how periods of intense cultural upheaval often produce two opposite reactions: some people become even more hostile to Christianity, while others return to it with renewed seriousness and conviction. One visible sign of the current reaction is the growing cultural “battle of the sexes,” as younger men and women respond differently to the failures of modern culture. Rather than dismissing these developments, the hosts consider how this moment may present an opportunity for the Church to offer something the modern world cannot: a clear moral vision, stable family life, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. TGC 583 – Saving the Sons of Missouri, Part 1 https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2026/3/2/tgc-583-saving-the-sons-of-missouri-part-1 Tell the Good News about Jesus Convocation (2025) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAL2mMQkURReJEKYKZtJlMhjZth7bWFAt The Great Awokening https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2022/3/2/tgc-172-the-great-awokening?rq=great%20awokening Aaron Renn's Negative World https://firstthings.com/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism/ ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, John 6:1–15. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

What kind of world have our sons inherited—and how different is it from the one their fathers and grandfathers knew? In Part 1 of Saving the Sons of Missouri, Rev. David Ramirez lays out the situation. Before offering solutions, he insists on telling the truth about how radically the religious, cultural, economic, and familial landscape of America—and the Missouri Synod within it—has changed in just a few generations. Drawing on historical data, generational comparisons, and lived experience, this episode traces the shift from a broadly Christian culture to a post-Christian—and increasingly anti-Christian—one. Listeners are walked through the realities faced by those born in 1960, 1980, and 2000, highlighting how changes in church life, worship, catechesis, male and female roles, family structure, and public morality have compounded over time. What once could be assumed now must be taught—and often defended. Rev. Ramirez also explores the wider civil and economic pressures shaping young men today: declining trust, fractured national identity, collapsing pathways to stable family life, and unprecedented generational economic decline. The result is a cohort of young men who are often angry, restless, and searching—not because they are uniquely rebellious, but because the world handed to them is profoundly disordered. This sets the table. The hard questions are named. Only then can faithful and wise responses follow. Tell the Good News about Jesus Convocation (2025) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAL2mMQkURReJEKYKZtJlMhjZth7bWFAt The Great Awokening https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2022/3/2/tgc-172-the-great-awokening?rq=great%20awokening Aaron Renn's Negative World https://firstthings.com/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism/ ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Lent, Luke 11:14–28. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Lent, Matthew 15:21–28. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1–11. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Brux Theologorum examines a theological temptation in the church today: the refusal to acknowledge legitimate implication and inference in biblical interpretation. Drawing its name from a historical figure in the Missouri Synod whose hermeneutical approach narrowed the reach of Scripture, the podcast explores how reducing doctrine to only its “essentially similar” cases can sever the vital connection between doctrine and practice, recast settled teachings as adiaphora, and reshape church life according to subjective criteria rather than the whole counsel of God. We aim to diagnose this tendency — what the guest calls the Brux Theologorum — and to reclaim a robust, confessionally grounded approach to reading Scripture that faithfully honors both explicit commands and their undeniable implications. Links: https://revjosephgreenmyer.substack.com/p/brux-theologorum ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Joseph Greenmyer ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Quinquagesima, Luke 18:31–43. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In this episode, we tackle the contested and often misunderstood question of Christian Nationalism. With two guests offering opposing perspectives—David Ramirez arguing in favor and Peter Burfeind raising concerns—we explore what the term actually means, where it comes from, and whether it can be squared with Lutheran theology. The conversation probes the relationship between Church and state, the limits of political authority, the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and the risks of confusing the Gospel with national identity. Our aim is not heat, but clarity—testing claims carefully, naming real points of disagreement, and helping listeners think more precisely about faith, nation, and Christian witness in the public square. Links: Books/Articles: "The Challenge of History: Luther's Two Kingdoms Theology as a Test Case" by Prof. Cameron MacKenzie http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/mackenziechallengeofhistory.pdf Gnostic America by Pr. Peter Burfiend https://www.amazon.com/Gnostic-America-Contemporary-according-Christianitys/dp/0692260498 Martin Luther and Religious Liberty by Pr. David P. Ramirez https://www.academia.edu/89633865/Martin_Luther_and_Religious_Liberty "Are Rulers to Uphold both Tables of the Law" by Pr. David Ramirez https://cc.lutherclassical.org/summer-2025/are-rulers-to-uphold-both-tables-of-the-law/ Interviews (in chronological order): Christian Nationalism-The Gottesdienst Crowd https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2022/11/2/tgc-232-christian-nationalism Biermann-Ramirez Debate on Christian Nationalism-On The Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIru3RAff28 A Christian Response to Christian Nationalism-Issues, Etc. https://issuesetc.org/2025/10/09/a-christian-response-to-christian-nationalism-pr-peter-burfeind-10-9-25-2822/ ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez Special Guest: Fr. Peter Burfeind ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Sexagesima, Luke 8:4–15. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In this episode, the Gottesdienst Crowd welcomes back Jarryd Allison—former MARSOC officer and current software engineer—for a conversation with David Petersen on pastoral formation, accountability, and courage in the Office of the Ministry. Drawing on the rigor of special operations training, the panel raises necessary questions: If the eternal stakes of the ministry are higher, should the training and evaluation of pastors be more demanding? Why do nearly all seminarians graduate, yet so many pastors leave within the first years of ministry? Together they explore attrition, peer evaluation, ongoing training, lay responsibility, catechesis, and the need for humility, standards, and perseverance—arguing that the Church must recover a serious, formative approach to preparing men for the weight of preaching Christ, teaching the faith, and caring for souls. Previous episode with Jarryd Allison: https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2025/10/29/tgc-561-fit-for-the-call-why-the-man-and-the-office-both-matter ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen Special Guest: Mr. Jarryd Allison ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1–11. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Epiphany, Luke 2:41–52. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Christmas, Luke 2:33–40. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Holy Innocents & the Second Sunday after Christmas, Matthew 2:13–18. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Eve Midnight, Luke 2:1–14. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19–28. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday in Advent, Matthew 11:2–11. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25–36. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday in Advent, Matthew 21:1–9. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 25:1–13. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Sunday of the Fulfillment from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 18:21–35. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, John 4:46–54. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In this episode we sit down with former Marine Special Operations Officer and lifelong LCMS Lutheran, Jarryd Allison, to explore one of the most pressing questions facing the church today: who should be allowed to wear the collar? Drawing on his recent essays “Are Our LCMS Pastors Fit for Purpose and Duty?” and “Does the Man Wearing the Collar Matter?”, Jarryd argues that the pastoral office is not simply another vocation—but a spiritual battlefront—requiring men who are not only doctrinally sound but spiritually, mentally and even physically prepared. We’ll discuss topics including: How low attrition and high graduation rates in seminaries may mask deeper problems of pastoral formation and suitability. What standards Scripture (especially 1 Timothy & Titus) sets for the pastoral office—and why those standards still matter in our age. Why pastoral calling is more than desire—you don’t simply ‘want’ the job of shepherding souls—it must be discerned, proven and tested. How seminaries, congregations, and district leaders might rethink recruitment, formation, and accountability in order to raise up faithful shepherds rather than convenient job-fills. The culture of the church in decline, the risk of sentimentality in wired calls, and the urgent need for pastors who are ready to fight—not just preach. Jarryd brings his unique vantage point—military rigor plus Lutheran theological tradition—to ask tough questions about the pastoral office and the church’s mission in a post-Christian culture. Whether you’re a pastor, aspiring pastor, church board member, or simply a congregation member wondering about the health of church leadership, this conversation promises to challenge, provoke and perhaps inspire renewed commitment to the gospel and the office that ministers it. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Guest: Mr. Jarryd Allison ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of All Saints; Matthew 5:1–12. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle and Gospel reading for The Commemoration of the Reformation; Romans 3:19–28; Matthew 11:12–19. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34-46. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

This is a recording of the sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press. ----more---- Read by: Fr. Matt Moss ----more---- Become a Patron! WE HAVE MERCH! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

In this episode, we discuss the resurgence of the Deus Vult meme. What began as an internet rallying cry has tapped into something deeper: a longing for courage, honor, and transcendence in an age that often mocks those very virtues. We’ll explore how people are reclaiming the image of the knight—not as a relic of the past, but as a symbol of moral clarity and spiritual warfare. What does this say about our cultural moment? Along the way, we’ll hear from literary giants who understood the power of myth and chivalry: “Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.” — G. K. Chesterton And C. S. Lewis reminds us why the knightly ideal still matters: “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” — C. S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry Join us as we trace the Deus Vult phenomenon from meme culture to meaningful cultural critique—examining how the knightly ideal offers a vision of virtue, discipline, and holy purpose in a world seemingly gone mad. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:1–11. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.