On Sunday, June 24th, we will celebrate the Nativity (birth) of St. John the Baptizer. St. John the Baptizer, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, was born into a priestly family. An angel of the Lord announced his forthcoming birth to his father (Luke 1:5-23), and shortly after his birth, his aged father sang a […]
Revelation, Lesson 3: Prologue
June 16, 2012 by
Prologue Read Revelation 1:1-3 – In what way does the information from the visions in Revelation come to us? Is it primarily literal or by way of signs? (vs. 1) – What is the sequence of how the information comes to us in Revelation? – In verse 3, we see a sequence of […]
1st John, Lesson 1
June 14, 2012 by
Introductions Author: The earliest Church traditions we have about the authorship of 1st John is that the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, is the author. Even more, 1st John is so similar to the Gospel of John in language, style, and theology that few have ever disputed that both books have the same author. […]
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1: Looking On What You Cannot See
June 11, 2012 by
Visiting Seminarian Mark Hunsaker’s Sermon: A few years ago, my youngest daughter Ally came to me with a very important request. She said: “Daddy, I want to see Jesus.” I would think any dad would love to have his child pose such a request and I was no different. Just as the buttons were about […]
James, Lesson 6 (Chapter 5): Warning, Patience, and Prayer
June 7, 2012 by
Warning to the Rich Scripture is clear that wealth isn’t something we are to place out trust in. Of course, this is contrary to the way of the world. Nonetheless, for the Christian, he is to trust in God. For example, King Solomon warns, “The one who trusts in riches, this man will fall, but […]
Holy Trinity: John 3:1-17
June 3, 2012 by
Paradox: That’s an underlying reality for the Feast of the Holy Trinity. For the Holy Trinity is the paradox of all paradoxes. And what is a paradox? It’s a seeming contradiction that may still be true. Would you like an example of a paradox? How about this? “And the catholic faith is this: We worship […]
Revelation, Lesson 2: Numbers and Symbols
June 2, 2012 by
The Poetic Structure and Numbers of Revelation Poetic Forms that Convey Meaning Because the book of Revelation is largely written using Hebraic poetic forms, we can’t fully understand Revelation unless we recognize and understand those poetic forms. Since thinking in such poetic forms is not part of our North-American cultural literacy, we have to gain […]
James, Lesson 5: Church in Conflict (Chapter 4)
May 30, 2012 by
The Problem James chapter four discusses a subject that is as relevant for us today as it was in the first century: quarrels and fights in the Church. St. James ended chapter three by telling his readers, “The harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace” (3:18). Then, “what is the […]
Seminarian Mark Hunsaker to visit on June 10th
May 27, 2012 by
Our LWML-adopted seminarian, Mark Hunsaker, will be here on June 10th. He is a student at our LC-MS St. Louis Seminary, but is also a “local boy,” who calls Republic, MO his home. When here, he will be teaching Sunday School, preaching, and assisting with the Sacrament. Let us all give him a hearty, Shepherd-of-the-Hills welcome!
Pentecost: Acts 2:1-21
May 27, 2012 by
This past week in our liturgical, Church calendar, we’ve been in limbo. We’ve been existing between two realities. We celebrated our Lord’s ascension into heaven. But since the Ascension, we’ve been waiting. We’ve been waiting for this day. Like the Apostles of old, we’ve been listening to our Lord’s instructions to “wait in Jerusalem until […]
