If Advent is the pregnancy before the delivery at Christmas, then we’ve just about come full term. In only a few days, we will celebrate our Lord’s birth, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yes, indeed, it’s nearly Christmas! Even after all these years, these centuries, what wonder and surprise Christmas still brings. But what […]
Confessional Address for Advent 4: Luke 1:26-45
December 18, 2011 by
Few passages in Scripture astound as much as Elizabeth’s words to her younger cousin, Mary. Exclaiming loudly, she does with Mary what her unborn child, John the Baptizer, would later do for Jesus. She proclaims the coming of the Lord. Elizabeth’s prophetic words begin with, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit […]
Forgotten, Unknown, or Ignored New Testament Bible Passages
December 17, 2011 by
This Sunday, we are having a “onesie” Bible study for adult Sunday School. Since we are having no Sunday School on Christmas day, and we are starting a new study on January 1st, a one-study lesson seemed the way to go. In this lesson, we look at a few Bible passages many of our Protestant […]
New Radio Ads
December 15, 2011 by
At Shepherd of the Hills, one way we have chosen to let others know about our congregation is through radio advertising. We have chosen to air our ads on KOMC, 100.1 FM, a local Branson radio station, which are now airing at various times throughout the day on Wednesdays. To hear an ad, click on […]
St. Lucia: Revelation 7:14-17
December 14, 2011 by
Then [one of the elders in heaven] told me, “These are the ones coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God and worship him night and day in his Temple. The one […]
SOTHL Breaks Ground for a New Multipurpose Building
December 11, 2011 by
On November 20th, 2011, after our Divine Service, we had a groundbreaking ceremony for our new multipurpose building. Pr. Jeff Sippy, from Redeemer Lutheran in Springfield, was here to help participate in the festivities (wearing the stole). Our pastor, Rich Futrell (wearing the chasuble) is following the groundbreaking ceremony from the Lutheran Agenda and our […]
John 1:6-8, 19-28: A Voice, Mouth, and Finger
December 11, 2011 by
What made John the Baptizer such a powerful witness? Well, you can’t be much of a witness if you don’t know what you’re witnessing about or what you’re supposed to do. John didn’t have that problem. He knew he was witnessing about the Messiah prophesied from of old. He knew that he was “sent from […]
Worship: A Matter of Preference?
December 8, 2011 by
This is our pastor’s latest article for the Stone County Gazette, the local paper for Kimberling City. The article is woefully short because of length restrictions. But it does get to the gist of the matter about how we worship. ——— Today, we think that personal preference shapes our worship of God. If I like […]
St. Nicholas, Bishop: Matthew 5:14-19
December 7, 2011 by
Matthew 5:14-19 [Jesus said,] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be concealed. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, […]
2 Peter 3:8-14: Be spotless, blameless, and at peace with God
December 4, 2011 by
This is a confessional address, which is much shorter than a typical sermon. The service today was a confessional service in preparation to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in His holy Supper. Following the service was our Altar Guild’s “Hanging of the Greens” ceremony. ————- About 200 years after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, a man […]
