The secret life of the saints in eternity; the secret life of Irma. Their life isn’t secret; we’ve just forgotten what it includes. And when we forget, we shortchange their lives. How is that possible? How can you shorten the life of a saint in eternity? He is beyond, outside, the realms of time, in […]
Hebrews 11:1-2, 39-12:2; Luke 15:1-7: Irma is Now Part of the Great Cloud of Witnesses
March 12, 2016 by
Memorial Service for Irma E. Fey
March 11, 2016 by
The memorial service for Irma Fey will be at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Kimberling City, Missouri. Irma E. Fey, whose maiden name was Keil, was called home to heaven, dying here at the age of 93 on Saturday, December 12, 2015. She was born […]
Our Lord’s Final Words From the Cross: John 19:28-29: Thirst
March 9, 2016 by
Dying on the cross, Jesus cries out, “I thirst!” Next to His other cross-borne words, “I thirst” seems insignificant, unremarkable. Unlike His other statements, which rang out with the weightiness of eternity, what Jesus speaks now seems slight, even mundane. So, why did Jesus speak those words while He dies on the tree? Why did […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 5: Elihu
March 9, 2016 by
Intro Throughout his suffering, Job’s understanding his Redeemer gave him hope. Job knew that his suffering here did not define him. He knew that in His flesh he would see God. The resurrection of the body enabled Job to remain in the faith, even as his fallen body suffered and betrayed him. A Fourth […]
Isaiah 12:1-6: Worshiping the Lord in Spirit and Truth
March 9, 2016 by
How should Christians worship? Many are the wounds over this issue within our lifetimes. Long before that, however, even 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah points us in the right way. Our Old-Testament reading for today comes right before the prophet speaks of the Messiah’s coming and His kingdom of peace and righteousness. People […]
Our Lord’s Final Words From the Cross: Matthew 27:45-59: Abandoned and Forsaken
March 2, 2016 by
Jesus now speaks His word from the cross, not to Mary, not to John, but to God the Father. He cries out in abandonment in the God-forsakenness of our sin. Jesus prays in His native Aramaic: “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” These are words surfacing from the depths of His soul. […]
Luke 13:1-9: Repent or you, too, will perish
February 28, 2016 by
How should you respond to tragedy or disaster? I ask you to consider this, not as an American citizen, but as a Christian. How should you react—as a Christian—to suffering, persecution, or mass murder? One way is to repent. In Old-Testament Hebrew, repent is “shuv”: turn back, turn around. “Metanoia,” rethink, come […]
Our Lord’s Final Words from the Cross: John 19:25-27: Sons and Mother
February 24, 2016 by
Perhaps, you’ve been there. Few events stamp themselves into your memory with such force. To be present when a loved one dies is a powerful experience. When grief grabs you in such a holy moment, it defies description. Your throat constricts, your chest tightens, and breathing becomes a labor. Even when death […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-11: Remember!
February 23, 2016 by
Church was cancelled because of weather on February 14. Not wanting to skip the first Sunday in Lent, we observed that Sunday on Feb 21. However, our pastor was away, preaching for another congregation to help them celebrate an anniversary. This is what our pastor would have preached, were he here. ——— Memories are […]
Our Lord’s Final Words from the Cross: Thirst
February 17, 2016 by
The first one home is a thief. For Jesus told him, “I assure you: Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus spoke those words—not to a devout man, or to a fine, respectable citizen, or to one of His disciples—but to a convicted criminal, found guilty of a capital crime. No doubt, Jesus […]
