By Pastor Rich Futrell All congregations and pastors in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pledge to uphold and follow the Lutheran Confessions. That’s a basic requirement of membership. And that’s also what separates us from all other Christian churches. At my ordination vows, I, as your pastor, vowed to “perform the duties of [my] office in […]
Revelation, Lesson 7: Chapter 5
July 25, 2012 by
Heavenly Worship, Part 2 From the beginning, when we first see God give His people instructions on worship, we find worship to be liturgical (following prescribed patterns, not free form of one’s own choosing). After giving His people the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), God told them to how to build an altar (Ex. 20:24-26). Then, […]
Revelation, Lesson 6: Heavenly Worship, Part 1
July 19, 2012 by
Chapters 4-5: Heavenly Worship, Part 1 We now find the Spirit giving John a glimpse of heavenly worship. The “things that are,” which he sees, include many worship scenes. John sees the throne room, depicting a reality that is both present and eternal. He sees an array of heavenly beings (angels) and saints worshiping the […]
Revelation, Lesson 4: Chapter 1, “What You Have Seen”
June 24, 2012 by
The First Vision Read Revelation 1:9-11 – Why was John on Patmos? – What does John being “in the Spirit” and receiving what he does “on the Lord’s day” tell about the content of Revelation? Read Revelation 1:12-16 When John turned around, he saw what Daniel and Ezekiel had seen in their visions. […]
Pastor Will Weedon to Head LC-MS’ Commission on Worship
February 28, 2012 by
by Pr. Charles Lehmann Every time the Verba are spoken by one of the Lord’s pastors over the bread and wine, heaven comes down to earth. Angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven sing before the Lamb who was slain but is alive forevermore. The saints in heaven and on earth join together in […]
The Didache, Lesson 8: Tradition and Confession
February 18, 2012 by
Following Tradition 4:12 Hate hypocrisy and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord. The Didache’s warning, in its context, is that we should guard against every sin and not be inconsistent (hypocritical). Specifically, this ties in with protecting and not losing what our Lord has commanded, which the next verse states explicitly. Deuteronomy 4:2: […]
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 […]
Challenges for Lutheranism Today (and so also for the LWML)
October 17, 2011 by
This is the October Bible study for our LWML (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League), which focuses on the challenges that exist for the Lutheran Church today. ———- On September 10, 2011, LC-MS President, Matt Harrison, spoke to the Lutheran Church of Nigeria on this topic: “Lutheranism: Challenges, Problems, and Opportunities.” President Harrison listed five areas of […]
Multisensory Worship, Pt 2
January 25, 2011 by
Continued Thoughts on Multisensory Worship By Pr. Rich Futrell Last month we began to look at how God has always used all of our senses during worship. This month, we continue in this exploration. Anything that engages one or more of our five senses during worship has one primary purpose: to proclaim the Gospel in […]
Multisensory Worship, Part 1
January 25, 2011 by
This is the first of two articles I wrote for the congregational newsletter on the multisensoryness of worship. Multisensory Worship, Part 1 By Pr. Rich Futrell In Matthew 15:8, Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” When Jesus said that, He wasn’t setting up an either-or […]
