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John 11: Lazarus, Arise!
Two sisters, whom Jesus loves, send word and beg Him to hurry their way. Lazarus grows ill and soon may breathe his last. Despite the urgency, time still runs in its continual coursings. Swift, the sickness rushes in, so slow is the Lord of mercy. So things appear to this family, awash in their anxiety. Runners rush to bring Jesus their message, unaware… [more]
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Bread of Life
Bread is a daily delight, a culinary pleasure awaiting each bite. A basic part of our everyday nourishment, its goodness fills our bellies and warms our hearts. Oven-fresh bread takes hold of our senses, capturing us and stirring our hunger. Toasted for breakfast, our mornings may, likewise, include flaky pastries. Bread lingers to bring joy at lunch,… [more]
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Ephesians 5:8-14: From Shadowed Unbelief into the Clarity of Truth
“What is truth?” someone scorned Jesus hours before His crucifixion. Our Lord recognized the Roman Governor came to “bear witness to the truth,” but further taught, “everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37-38). Pilate doesn’t care. Cynical and annoying, he ponders the possibility and power to unearth actual truthfulness… [more]
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Light Shining in the Darkness
God’s first creation is light. God spoke and light, at once, shone into the black empty void (Genesis 1:2). After, He separated the light from the darkness, marking days and creating time. After Adam’s fall, sin shattered this peace in a rebellion against God, who brought this world into existence. Bereft of sparkle and life, the universe now broods… [more]
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Romans 5:1-8: Requiescat in Pace
The grass is soft and unstirring, a soundless bed of sorrowful green. Etched on headstones in this old cemetery is “RIP,” an homage to the Latin phrase, “requiescat in pace.” In English, we use matching initials, chiseled in stone, to express the same sentiment: “rest in peace.” Words we write, speaking of the dead, each grave with its own… [more]
News

Promised Treasures
Here is our pastor's newsletter article for February 2023, which tells of our Lenten … [Read More...]

Thanksgiving Eve Service
Our annual Thanksgiving Eve Service is Wednesday, November 23th at 7:00 PM–a time to … [Read More...]

The Story of Esther
Our pastor's newsletter article for October, 2022. In history’s long arc, the exilers of … [Read More...]
Sermons

John 11: Lazarus, Arise!
Two sisters, whom Jesus loves, send word and beg Him to hurry their way. Lazarus grows ill … [More...]

Bread of Life
Bread is a daily delight, a culinary pleasure awaiting each bite. A basic part of our … [More...]

Ephesians 5:8-14: From Shadowed Unbelief into the Clarity of Truth
“What is truth?” someone scorned Jesus hours before His crucifixion. Our Lord recognized … [More...]
Articles

Family Dysfunction
By Pr. Rich Futrell The family is the basic building block of society, where we experience and learn how to love, trust, and respect another. Yet, where do we first suffer pain, hurt, and betrayal? In the same location—our families! For a home, a place aglow with affection and security, likewise, troubles with defect and dysfunction. The Old Testament swarms with such examples. Try to find a … [More...]

Certainty Amid our Uncertainties
Here is our pastor's article for our church newsletter for November 2021. Rich, poor, man or woman, major and minor setbacks befall each and all. How can they not, since we are crestfallen creatures living in a sin-corrupted world? Whenever these certitudes come, events force us to pick up the pieces and start afresh. Otherwise, we withdraw from life. Of course, we might also lie to ourselves … [More...]

Eyes and Ears, Old and New
“Whatever we ask of you, teacher, we want you to do” (Mark 10:35). So, Jesus must again reorient His twelve toward a kingdom opened by His suffering, which He described as drinking from a cup (Matthew 20:22). In God’s kingdom, greatness comes in lowliness, where God gives His grace to the humble. Almost every Apostle of Jesus will, one day, “drink the cup” of martyrdom, beginning with James. Until … [More...]

Lest the Darkness Define Us
Imperfect copies of imperfect copies are we. The fall into sin introduced not only death but also physical decay and disease. Every Sunday, we admit as much in our Confession of Sin, “We are by nature sinful” (LSB 151, 167). All this means we are in a death spiral. Like “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans … [More...]
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