Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Several years ago, every Sunday morning as I wound my way for an hour from Waco to Lone Oak, Kadie and Scooter would both nod off as we drove along Hwy 84. To break up the lonliness, I would run through the AM dial listening to various preachers. Listening to these disembodied voices has always been a favorite amusement of mine. I recall nearly driving off the road one morning in laughter as a preacher referred to Pilgrim’s Progress by Paul Bunyan.

One morning I came across a narrative sermon that reduced me almost to tears as I heard a simple, evocative, presentation of the Gospel in an elegant way. That was my first exposure to Walter Wangerin, a Lutheran minister who preached on a show called Lutheran Vespers for years. Although he has written prolifically, I have not particularly enjoyed his written words. But his sermons are remarkable.

Last year he was diagnosed with cancer and has been keeping a journal (blog?) about his experiences. They remind me very much of Lewis’ A Grief Observed. I commend them to you for your reading. He is currently the writer-in-residence at Valparaiso University and his website is located here. To read about his battle with cancer, read his archives entitled “For Your Information.” The archives are located here.

I assume that most of you are unfamiliar with him and I only located him by chance. I did find a chapel address he delivered at Valpo on May 22 that is wonderful and available in MP3 format here.

I believe that you will benefit from it.