The Apocrypha and the Apostolic Fathers Lesson 2 By Pr. Rich Futrell Jan 9, 2011 Recap Last week, we saw how Jesus called one book of the Apocrypha “scripture” and how Jesus celebrated a festival in the Jewish liturgical church-year calendar that is only mentioned in the Apocrypha. We also saw how the New Testament […]
Christmas 2: Jesus’ Flight to Egypt
January 2, 2011 by
Intro It all happened so quickly: The trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the angels, and the shepherds. Then after a year or so, the Magi visit. Like the shepherds before them, they fall to the ground to worship the infant Jesus, the Lord of all creation, the promised Messiah. But as we […]
Introduction to the Apocrypha
January 1, 2011 by
In our Adult Sunday School class, we’ve started a short study on the Apocrypha. Here is the first lesson. A Look into the Apocrypha (Deuterocanon, Anagignoskomena) Lesson 1: Introduction By Pr. Rich Futrell Jan 2, 2011 Meaning Apocrypha: “That which is hidden.” During 16th-century controversies about the biblical canon, the word acquired a negative connotation, […]
Eve of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus
December 31, 2010 by
Intro Circumcision is not a pleasant experience. It is cutting off a piece of flesh from a male’s penis. That doesn’t sound like something smart to do. It sounds painful. It sounds foolish. But then, God says much that may sound foolish to our ears. God told Abraham to leave his country and go […]
St. Stephen, Deacon, Martyr
December 26, 2010 by
Intro We have an old 13th-Century Christmas carol, later paraphrased in the 1850s, called “Good King Wenceslaus.” King Wenceslaus was a real person. In the 10th century, he was the Duke of Bohemia. He was also a devout Christian. One morning, on his way to the Divine Service, a band of ruffians, led by his […]
The Nativity of our Lord
December 25, 2010 by
Intro Today, we celebrate the birth of life. For that is who Christ Jesus is. He’s not simply the holiest among those who think themselves as holy. He’s not simply a man of historical renown. Such understatements fail to recognize Christ Jesus as Life. They don’t recognize Him as Life eternal. Jesus is the […]
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2010 by
Intro This evening, we leave the world behind, and we travel together on a long journey. It is a journey that leads beyond Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and gift giving. This journey leads us to the quiet, sleepy town of Bethlehem. We stand with the shepherds, huddled around the manger. We stand, straining our […]
Baptism in the Early Church: Part 1
December 17, 2010 by
Baptism and the Early Church: The “How” and the “Who” A paper presented to the Springfield Pastors’ Circuit of the Missouri District, Jan 12, 2010 By Pr. Rich Futrell This paper takes a brief look into the early Christian church practices on baptism. The historical era looked into will be after the period covered in St. Luke’s […]
The Story of the Real Santa Claus
December 2, 2010 by
The Real Santa Claus by Pr. Rich Futrell The Feast of St. Nicholas is December 6th. When we remember such a saint of old, we are simply being Christians. Hebrews 13:7 tells us: “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s Word to you.” These leaders aren’t just our current pastors, but the faithful pastors of all […]
Confessing Christ to Someone Near Death
December 1, 2010 by
Someone in my parish asked, “Pastor, how do I confess Jesus Christ to someone dying in hospice?” This is what I shared. With someone in hospice, there’s no need to dance around the subject of death. Most likely, the person knows something is seriously wrong with him and that he is dying. See this as an opportunity […]
