This is an article by Pr. Burnell Eckardt, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Kewanee, Illinois. Looking back on how his congregation dealt with the flu epidemic of 1918, he reflects on the reality of the Ebola virus having made its way on to our shores. Although everything he writes does not apply to […]
Isaiah, chapter 45: God Hides Himself
October 19, 2014 by
150 years before his birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold of him, told us his name, and the tasks that God had chosen for him to do. His name was Cyrus. Cyrus was the only Gentile whom God spoke of as “His anointed.” Using a Hebraic expression, “the right hand,” God said that He had grasped […]
The Relation between the Tree of Life and the Sacraments
October 16, 2014 by
The Two Trees Note: In this lesson, the translations from Genesis are your pastor’s. He has done this, hoping you can you get a better “feel” of the poetic language in the Hebrew text. Genesis 2:9: And YHWH, God, made sprout from the soil every tree that was pleasing to the eye and good for […]
Acts: Lesson 17: Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (with Silas, Timothy, and Luke)
October 15, 2014 by
After James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, presided over the Church’s first council, Paul decided to visit the congregations in Asia Minor to “see how they are.” But after having a disagreement with Barnabas about John Mark (who would later be the writer of the Gospel of Mark), Paul and Barnabas choose not to travel together. […]
Infant Communion and the CTCR’s Response
October 13, 2014 by
This is a theological paper that our pastor originally presented at his circuit winkel in November 2011. It looks at infant communion from the Scriptures and also from within the history of the Church. To open or save the PDF document, click on the link below. Infant and Early Communion (with Appendix) On September 13, 2014, the Lutheran […]
What role do emotions have in the Christian Life?
September 28, 2014 by
This topic goes back to an article I wrote about why we sing what we sing in church. In that article, I mentioned one hymn that wrongly points us to our subjective experiences as a way to “know” God. I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses; and the […]
Sermon for the Wedding of Richard Bell and Diane Sancken
September 27, 2014 by
Our pastor had the joy of joining Rick Bell and Diane Sancken in holy matrimony at Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Missouri. They are members of an LC-MS congregation in northern Illinois and received all their marriage counseling there. Then, wanting to be married amid the beauty of the local area, the actual marriage rite took […]
Acts, Lesson 16: The Church’s First Council
September 24, 2014 by
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch (in Syria, not Pisidia) and remained there “no little time with the disciples.” Judaizers in the Church Read Acts 15:1 What were some in the Church insisting concerning Gentile believers? Read Genesis 17:9-14 Leviticus 12:3: [The Lord told Moses,] “On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby’s […]
Dealing with Our Culture’s Sexual Standards
September 23, 2014 by
This is our pastor’s article for our October, 2014 newsletter. Dealing with Our Culture’s Sexual Standards By Pr. Rich Futrell An older person may feel out of step because he has spent much of his life living in another culture–the culture that once was. Think back to when you were a child. Do you […]
