When Jesus speaks His divine peace to His disciples, He shows them His wounds He received on the cross. For Jesus, the crucified One, is now risen from the dead. He is the Messiah–and His wounds prove it. But Thomas denied what he hadn’t experienced. Instead, Thomas demanded a religious experience of his own choosing […]
Easter: John 20:11-16
April 8, 2012 by
It doesn’t matter how many times you face it, it never feels natural. It never feels right. Death always feels wrong. Something inside us doesn’t accept that we will never again hear that voice, see that face, touch that hand, or experience that laughter. The grief counselors can talk until they are blue in the […]
Good (God’s) Friday: Isaiah 53:1-6
April 6, 2012 by
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. For, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. Amen. Crucifixes make us uncomfortable–and well they should. We squirm before them. And this is even apart from any lingering, anti-Roman Catholic bias we still may have. It is simply painful to look at our Lord […]
Maundy Thursday: Exodus 24:3-11
April 5, 2012 by
Did they even realize or have a clue what they had agreed to do? “We will do everything the LORD has said.” We don’t even have to think about all the Lord had commanded to realize the futility of that response. All we have to do is remember the two chief commandments: Love the Lord […]
Our King Comes In Humility: Zechariah 9:9-10
April 1, 2012 by
Suppose the President of the United States was coming to town. You then set up chairs at the side of the road and wait to see him. A short while later, the traffic begins to thin out on the road. You hear the thumping sound of helicopter blades overhead. Ten minutes later, the road is […]
The Didache, Lesson 14, The Apostles and Prophets, Part 1
March 31, 2012 by
Lesson 14: (Chapter 11:1-6) After going over the epicenter of the New Covenant, the Lord’s Supper, the Didache, tackles a most-practical issue in its day. It deals with those who would visit, claiming to be an apostle, prophet, or pastor (remember this was still early enough when the Apostles were still alive). Knowing the Truth […]
Holy Week at Shepherd of the Hills
March 29, 2012 by
April 1st begins Holy Week. Our Holy Week services start with our Palm-Sunday service, which is at our regular Divine-Service time of 9:30 AM. The sermon text will be based on the Old Testament reading from Zechariah 9:9-10. On Thursday, April 5th, is our Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 PM, which will focus on the epicenter […]
The Deforming of Christianity
March 29, 2012 by
This is our pastor’s article for the April 13th, 2012 edition of the Stone County Gazette. The Deforming of Christianity By Pr. Rich Futrell Recently at a Christian bookstore, I saw shelf after shelf with books on every topic and fad that has passed through modern Christianity. Books were there on how to be a […]
The Wound of Abandonment: Matthew 27:45-48
March 28, 2012 by
How many are the wounds that we have inflicted on our Savior during His Passion, His suffering and death! Together, we have pondered the wounds of betrayal, apathy, denial, and mockery. We have seen ourselves, our own lives, reflected in Judas, the sleepy three, Peter, and the soldiers. Yet of the wounds that our Lord […]
Paintings Soon to Adorn SOTHLC’s Chancel
March 27, 2012 by
On August 19th, we plan to unveil two paintings for our chancel. The paintings will be one of the Hodegetria and the other, the Pantokrator. Because these paintings were first used in the Church when Greek was still the predominant language, these paintings still have their Greek-language names. More than simply being attractive, “churchy” art, the paintings are […]
