Whenever possible, artwork has always adorned the chancels of Christian churches. Since the beginning, the Church has never sought after stark and stern places of worship. Even in the Old Testament, beautiful artwork and engravings adorned God’s holy Temple, according to His own specifications. This longing to have beautiful art within God’s house continued even into […]
Jesus Feeds Us: Mark 8:1-9
August 7, 2011 by
When we think about Jesus feeding the multitude, in this case, a crowd of 4,000, we normally pay little attention to the setting. We stand amazed by what Jesus did. He multiplied a minute amount of bread and fish to feed an enormous crowd. But that’s just the obvious part. If you look at the […]
The Ten Words: Exodus 20:1-17
July 31, 2011 by
If you remember your confirmation instruction, you may remember the three purposes of God’s Law. God’s Law serves as a curb, a mirror, and a guide. The curbing part of the Law helps restrain our sinful behavior. The mirror of the Law shows us that we can’t fully do what God expects of us. The […]
Blessings at Reeds Springs, MO
July 30, 2011 by
This year at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, we have chosen to help support Blessings in Reeds Springs, Missouri. Blessings is a need-based boutique run by Craig and Gina Foster. They want to provide many needed items for the home and family based on one’s ability to pay. They are friendly folks who do […]
Fishers of Men
July 24, 2011 by
What a strange miracle: a miracle of catching many fish. That was a miracle tailor-made for fishermen. And that’s who Jesus’ first disciples were; they were fishermen. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all partners in a fishing business. One day, Jesus was teaching a crowd that converged at the Sea of Galilee. Running out […]
Issues Etc.
July 20, 2011 by
As part of our National Missions Budget, we at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church have chosen to support Issues Etc. Issues Etc. is a cool, informative radio talk show with a two-fold focus. First, they defend and teach the truths rediscovered at the Lutheran Reformation: Grace, Faith, Scripture, and Christ alone. Second, they challenge–in […]
Genesis 50:15-21: Evil Turned to Good
July 17, 2011 by
If anyone thought that he could be a god in the place of God, Joseph might have thought that. After all, he was second in command of Egypt, the powerful empire of his day. The only authority higher than Joseph was Pharaoh himself. And Pharaoh thought that he was divine. So it might be that […]
Church is not Optional: Luke 14:15-24, Hebrews 10:22-39
July 3, 2011 by
The parable in today’s Gospel reading is one confrontation in a sea of confrontations by Jesus with the Pharisees. But Jesus told today’s particular parable when He was eating dinner at the house of a “prominent Pharisee” (Luke 14:1). So, the dinner story line in today’s parable was meant to hit home, as the Pharisees […]
Why the Lutheran Church is a Liturgical Church
July 1, 2011 by
In our discussions with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s, we made this statement about who we are as Lutherans: “The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence” (AC 24, 1). The “Mass” is a Divine Service with the Lord’s Supper. What we were saying is that our worship services […]
