This is our pastor’s latest “From the Pulpit” article for the Stone County Gazette. Do you know one of the saddest events in the Bible? It was when many followers of Jesus rejected Him because He wasn’t the Savior they wanted. It’s in John 6. Jesus had just fed a crowd of 5,000, and […]
Luke 16:19-31: The Rich Man and Lazarus
June 2, 2013 by
Today, we hear Jesus tell us a parable. Yet, this parable is but the end of a long string of instruction that Jesus gives, so we would unclench the tight-fisted grip we have on our money. He starts with the parable of the unjust money manager who used his money shrewdly to make friends before […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 4: It’s Now a Real War
May 29, 2013 by
In the last lesson, we heard Mattathias tell Judas to become the military leader of the revolt against the Seleucids. The transition went smoothly and Judas began to lead. Read 1 Maccabees 3:1-9 1st Maccabees then breaks out into poetry again, but this time to praise Judas. He extended the honor of his people, […]
Romans 11:33-36: The Mystery of the Holy Trinity
May 26, 2013 by
How mysterious and strange is our God. Often, He makes little sense to us, and His ways often run afoul of our common sense. Think of Christ’s Incarnation. Think of baptism, that God the Holy Spirit uses water and the Word to plant the seed of faith into our hearts and bring us into His […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 3: The Revolt Begins with Mattathias
May 22, 2013 by
To learn about Mattathias, we need to learn about Joarib. Joarib (spelled Jehoiarib in 1st Chronicles) was part of the 24 priestly divisions that served at the First Temple, which Solomon had built (1 Chronicles 24:7). After the Babylonian exile, Joarib (no doubt from the Joarib priestly division) was a priest who was one of […]
Thinking About the Hymns We Sing
May 21, 2013 by
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for June. Hymns are strange. It’s not that hymns are strange writings put to music but that many of the hymns we like and are used to singing all differ. I didn’t grow up as a Lutheran. I converted to Lutheranism in the autumn of 1988. So, most […]
Acts 2:1-21: Living in Pentecost
May 19, 2013 by
Pentecost was a feast that God told the Israelites to celebrate. The Jews celebrated Pentecost 50 days after Passover; that’s why it had the name “Pentecost.” That Old-Covenant feast was a joyous day, which, over time, became an entire week of celebration. The people thanked God and presented to Him the first-fruits of the wheat […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 2: Events Leading Up to the Maccabean Revolt
May 15, 2013 by
Historical Backdrop: 1:1-9 Read 1 Maccabees 1:1-9 These verses give the background, as a review to the reader, for the events that will follow. This book was written for Jews, and so it should not surprise us when it uses Old-Testament terminology. For instance, “Kittim” points back to the capital of Cyprus (Genesis 10:4 and […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 1: Introduction
May 8, 2013 by
Why the Apocrypha When we consider studying a book from what we call the Apocrypha, why should we do so? After all, when we look at our Bible translations, those books are missing from our English-language Bibles and have been so for about 200 years. Are those books part of the Bible? If so, then […]
John 16:23-30: Praying as We Ought
May 5, 2013 by
God put on the robe of human flesh, being born from the womb of Virgin Mary. As God, He knew all; as a human, He had to learn, grow, and develop. As a man, God, in the person of Jesus the Messiah, made Himself a sacrifice for our sin–for us and our salvation. He ascended […]
