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  Word and Work Session 77

  Dale Meyer and James Marriott

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks Advent music with Director of Music Arts Dr. James F. Marriott, who also serves as the Kreft Chair for Music Arts. The two men discuss how hymns can enrich a person’s spiritual life and how we know who Jesus is and how Christians can live as His disciples in the world. “The theology of hymns is so rich,” Marriott says. “The poetry, it sticks with you.” In the audio version of the program, hear a Preachers Studio sermon discussion between Professor of Practical Theology Dr. David Schmitt and Dr. Roosevelt Gray, director of LCMS Black Ministry. Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 78

  Dale Meyer and James Marriott

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Director of Music Arts Dr. James F. Marriott, who also serves as the Kreft Chair for Music Arts, about the importance of devotions and how to make hymns a part of a personal devotional practice. When selecting hymns “context matters,” Marriott says. “And then of course, the text. You would want [them] to be theologically grounded. While no hymn or song can say everything, you do want [them] to be contributing as much to faith formation as [they] can.” In the audio version of the program, hear a sampling of hymns that can be used as part of a devotional or Bible study. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 79

  Dale Meyer, Travis Scholl, Erika Bennett, Jake Wampfler, and Heather Choate Davis

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer holds a virtual discussion with a few of the organizers of the second annual Faith and Film Festival, which is set for Jan. 28-29, 2021. Registration is $20 and the deadline to register is Jan. 15. Geared toward people interested in film and theology, the festival serves as an opportunity for participants to explore Christian themes in movies and develop eyes to see film in new ways. The festival is being held as on online event in 2021 because of the pandemic. During this episode, Meyer talks with Dr. Travis Scholl, managing editor of Seminary Publications; Erika Bennett, director of Continuing Education; Rev. Jake Wampfler, associate pastor of Shepherd of the Desert in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Heather Choate Davis, an L.A.-based author. “This a time of great revitalization for the church,” Meyer says. “The Lord is bringing good out of this [pandemic]. The church is really being revitalized in many, many ways. The Faith and Film Festival is testimony to the Spirit working to engage the faith of Jesus, the person of Jesus the way our culture is today.” Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 80

  Dale Meyer and Heather Choate Davis

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Heather Choate Davis, an L.A.-based author who released her first album of songs in 2020 called the “Life in the Key of God.” Davis — who didn’t play music for 58 years — learned piano, composition, music theory, choral training and notation software over a year’s time and wrote the music and lyrics for the 10 songs on the album, which were performed by others. “I’ve always been a writer. … but never music. I didn’t play instruments, I didn’t sing in a choir, I couldn’t read music. I didn’t know anything and all of a sudden I started hearing songs,” Davis says. “It’s been a really remarkable journey.” The album is available from most streaming services. Read more about Davis and the album here. Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 81

  Dale Meyer and Michael Coppersmith

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer holds a virtual chat about prayer with Rev. Michael Coppersmith of Georgetown, Texas. Coppersmith leads the Prayer Warriors ministry, which is a group of people around the country who pray for the Seminary, its students, its faculty and staff, and its mission. “I like to think of prayer as an intimate conversation with God that’s based on the Word of God and led by the Holy Spirit,” Coppersmith says. “So much of true prayer really flows out of a life of being in the Word. The more you are in the Word, the more the Spirit of God working through the Word influences you and leads you in praying and conversing with God.” In the audio version, listen to a sermon from Coppersmith given at Mission Liberty Hill Lutheran Church in Liberty Hill, Texas. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 82

  Dale Meyer and Darrell Zimmerman

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Dr. Darrell Zimmerman, executive director of Grace Place Wellness, about the ins and outs of ministry. Zimmerman is the author of Reclaiming the Joy of Ministry. “There’s this tremendous irony of [pastors] proclaiming the grace of Christ and His undeserved love and favor that is for all people and then being very critical toward themselves,” Zimmerman says. Some pastors are “great dispensers of grace but not so good at being receivers of grace.” In the book, Zimmerman guides readers through a detailed analysis of the hazards of ministry life and helps them discover new possibilities for a long, joyful and fruitful career in ministry. Learn more about the book at Reclaiming the Joy of Ministry. In the audio version, listen to an online presentation by Zimmerman. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 83

  Dale Meyer and David Schmitt

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Dr. David Schmitt, the Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Professor of Homiletics and Literature, professor of Practical Theology and chairman of the Department of Practical Theology at the Seminary. The two men delve into the topic of the Lenten season in today’s world. “Devotion is a deepening of a attention to the practice of the teachings of the faith that everybody else believes,” Schmitt says. “The devotional life is the way in which the Spirit works in the community of the faith to draw various people to various teachings. The whole community benefits from this.” In the audio version, listen to a chapel service from Schmitt. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 84

  Dale Meyer and Thomas Egger

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer introduces President-elect Dr. Thomas J. Egger, who has been a Seminary faculty member since 2005. Egger will become the Seminary’s 11th president March 15, 2021. The two men talk about Egger’s background, his thoughts on being called as president and his hopes for the Seminary. “The heritage of this institution and what’s been placed into my hands is its own beauty and good,” Egger says. “I aspire to simply further and strengthen the work that’s been done here the last 182 years.” In the audio version, listen to a recent chapel service from Egger. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 85

  Dale Meyer and Douglas Rutt

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer chats with Provost Dr. Douglas L. Rutt. The two men delve into the topics of mission and theological education. Rutt previously served as a missionary in Guatemala and also with Lutheran Hour Ministries. In the audio version, listen to a recent chapel service from Rutt. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 86

  Dale Meyer and Gary Thies

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Gary Thies, founder of Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa. Mission Central is the largest mission network that provides support to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Office of International and National Mission. The organization raises millions of dollars every year to send and keep LCMS missionaries in the mission field. “I wasn’t trained by anybody but the Lord Jesus,” Thies says. “But somebody has got to wake people up. My calling is to wake people up. The majority of people on Sunday morning are dead asleep. We’ve got to wake people up to let them know the church is full of missionaries.” Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 87

  Dale Meyer and Leopoldo A. Sánchez

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Dr. Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., who is the Werner R.H. Krause and Elizabeth Ringger Krause Professor of Hispanic Ministries, director of the Center for Hispanic Studies and interim chairman of the Multiethnic Symposium at Concordia Seminary. Sanchez highlights the field of systematic theology, his study and work on the Holy Spirit, and the May 4-5, 2021, Multiethnic Symposium, which is being held online with the theme “The Rest and the West: What the West Can Learn from Global South Christianity.” “We really focus on engaging the world with the Gospel,” Sánchez says. “This year’s symposium is about learning from Christians in the Global South.” The largest Lutheran churches are in now in Africa, Madagascar and Ethiopia, and the largest Lutheran university is in Brazil, he notes. There are 1,000 Lutheran Baptisms a day in Ethiopia. “There must be something we can learn,” he says. In the audio version, hear a recent chapel service from Sánchez. Learn more at Concordia Theology

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  Word and Work Session 88

  Dale Meyer and Bruce Durazzi

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Dr. Bruce Durazzi, the special collections librarian in the Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library at Concordia Seminary. The men talk about the library’s many resources including its rare book collection of 8,000 volumes, one of which is J.S. Bach’s personal Bible. Durazzi tells the story of how the Bach Bible ended up at the Seminary and shares a few details about some historic books, including one on a Martin Luther sermon that printed in Wittenberg, Germany, in the 1500s. Durazzi says the book’s printing, most likely, was overseen by Luther himself. “We are Lutheran leaven because these kinds of scholarship and resources get out into the broader Christian community on behalf of the Gospel,” Meyer says. Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 89

  Dale Meyer and Osmar Lehenbauer

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Rev. Osmar Lehenbauer, a retired pastor and former president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod New England District. Lehenbauer served as pastor of Meyer’s home congregation, Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chicago Heights. He ordained Meyer; married him and wife, Diane; and preached the funeral of Meyer’s father. “I can honestly say, ‘You are one of my heroes,’” Meyer says. The two men talk in great depth about the importance of families in the great mission of the church. On Lehenbauer’s father’s side of the family, there are more than 30 pastors. Many more members of his family are church workers. “In passing down the faith from generation to generation, a lot of times, the way to do it is right in front of us,” Meyer says. “At the dining room table. Watching TV. It’s the family.” Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 90

  Dale Meyer, Glenn Nielsen, Mason Vieth, and Nathaniel Brown

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Director of Placement Dr. Glenn Nielsen to get a peek behind the process of assigning students to their first pastoral or diaconal calls. Meyer also talks with two concluding seminarians, Mason Vieth and Nathaniel Brown, about their feelings as Call Day 2021 approaches April 28 and about their Seminary experience. Both students share a few words of encouragement to those considering pastoral ministry. “I would encourage that person to come onto campus … and to visit some of the classes, talk with some of the profs,” Brown says. “And another thing I would recommend is … read your Bible and continue praying.” Vieth adds: “It is the Lord’s church. He’s got it under control no matter what happens. The Lord works through broken people to minister to His church. Don’t ever think you are too broken or don’t have enough skills.” Vieth also encourages prospective students to talk with those around him to see what they think about him becoming a pastor. Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 91

  Dale Meyer and Daniel Aleshire

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks all things seminaries and theological education with Dr. Daniel Aleshire, former executive director of the Association of Theological Schools, one of the Seminary’s accrediting agencies. Aleshire is the author of the new book, “Beyond Profession: The Next Future of Theological Education.” The two men talk about the history of theological schools in the United States and what the future looks like for them. “Pastors need more education now than they ever have,” Aleshire says. “The job is harder. The task is more complex. There is complexity within congregations as well as within the culture about religion. But there is less time and money to get an indefinite amount of education.” He also notes the continuing education aspects of theological education. “Theological education can’t be a one and done anymore,” Aleshire says. “Too much is changing over time. What prepared you to begin in ministry is not going to prepare you for 10 years into ministry or 20 years into ministry.” Learn more at Concordia Theology.

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  Word and Work Session 92

  Dale Meyer and Rich Buswell

  In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks with Rich Buswell, senior artist and designer with Lynchburg Stained Glass of Lynchburg, Va. Lynchburg is installing new stained glass windows in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Work on the windows began in 2017. The windows are being installed throughout the entirety of the chapel — chancel, transept, nave and narthex — thanks to a generous gift from the Eugene E. and Nell S. Fincke Memorial Trust. The theme of the windows is the Te Deum Laudamus (Latin: Holy God, We Praise Your Name), a historic text of praise to God. “The content in all of these windows is rich, theologically, biblically rich,” Meyer says. “These windows are making a generational impact upon the Seminary, especially upon the generations of students, professors and staff who are going to sit in that chapel. Thanks to you, the donors, and everyone who has worked on this project. Through the church the beauty will go on.” All of the windows, except those on the north side of the chapel, have been installed. Work is progressing on the final design for those windows. Read more about the stained glass project at Chapel Stained Glass. Learn more at Concordia Theology.