Redeemer Lutheran Church Atlanta, Texas LCMS

Redeemer Lutheran Church Atlanta, Texas LCMS Bible Study Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Worship at 10:00 a.m.

05/24/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). This doesn’t just speak of what God has in store for those who die as Christians. It is speaking about life as a believer in Jesus Christ. One cannot naturally comprehend what it means to have the forgiveness of sins, to live as a child of God, to be confident of eternal life and the resurrection of the body on the last day. Being “dead in trespasses and sins” and by nature “the children of wrath” (Ephesians2:1-3), “Natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him” (1 Cor. 2:14).

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (2:10). “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ but by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). Our Lord promised the Holy Spirit “will testify of Me.” The Holy Spirit “will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.” He “will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me” (John 15 and 16). The Holy Spirit also gives power to those He calls to faith to proclaim the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ as Savior of sinful humanity (Acts 1:8).

If you celebrate Christmas, the coming of Christ into our world, if you celebrate Good Friday and Easter as Christ finishing His work of redemption for you—do so giving thanks to the Holy Spirit who brought you this Good News and enabled you to believe and receive the Life He gives. Sunday service time is 11:00 am.

5-23-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

After receiving five and a half inches of rain from Sunday through Saturday, we are pleased to see sunlight. Some of the garden plants are about ready to croak.

For whatever reason, Christians do not seem to be as excited about Pentecost as they do about Christmas and Easter. However, without the special power of the Holy Spirit the Apostles would not have delivered to us the message of Christmas and Easter (Acts 1:8), nor would we believe it without the working of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). So, excited or not, it’s time to recognize from Holy Scripture the gifts the Holy Spirit gives us and receive them with thanksgiving. One of my favorite Pentecost hymns is LSB 496:

Holy Spirit, light divine, Shine upon this heart of mine;

Chase the shades of night away, Turn the darkness into day.

Let me see my Savior’s face, Let me all His beauties trace;

Show those glorious truths to me Which are only known to Thee.

Holy Spirit, power divine, Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;

In Thy mercy pity me, From sin’s bo***ge set me free. AMEN

04/26/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned…because I FEARED THE PEOPLE and obeyed their voice’” (1 Samuel 15:24). These words from the first king of the Israelite nation could be repeated by many pastors who do not tell the truth for fear that the people will not like him, repeated by many politicians who fear getting voted out of office if they do what is right, repeated by many physicians for fear their patients will not return, repeated by the news media for fear of those whose money pays the bills. Fear of people undergirds political correctness. Being afraid of people always leads to sin!

Pray for pastors, politicians, and all leaders that they will be able to say: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid….Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence” (Psalm 27:1,11-12).

The following encouragement is for everyone: “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the LORD” (27:14). Sunday service time is 11:00 a.m.

4-25-21

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am finally reading UNCLE TOM’S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It should be required reading for high school students, but will not be because it is too Christian. Uncle Tom is constantly comforting people with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and when he himself is abused he “commits himself to Him who judges righteously.” The book provides insight into the institution of slavery, how human beings were bought and sold like cattle. Husbands were sold away from their wife and children. A good master may treat his slave kindly, even promising freedom, only to die and the slaves taken to market. Men commonly fathered a child from a slave woman, and his child is a slave. In the slave owning culture Christians were able to rationalize the owning of slaves, and for those whose conscience was bothered they had difficulty breaking out of their culture. The book helps one to understand why a just and holy God chastises such a nation with a civil war.

Today we celebrate GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY, the Gospel Reading being John 10:11-18. The Good Shepherd “lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus added, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” So he foretells of His death and resurrection, to rescue mankind from the “wolves,” sin, death, and Satan. Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, it is He we confess when we say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23). Every facet of that Psalm can be spoken with confidence when we are mindful that He laid down His life for the sheep and took it up again, especially this phrase, “yea though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” Those who are frightened by the Covid 19 pandemic need to think about this. Every day we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Our security is not in vaccinations or a healthy life-style. Jesus is our security. He came that we may have LIFE. Pastor Hill

04/05/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Had the co**se of Jesus Christ been found in Joseph’s tomb where it had been laid after the crucifixion, there would be no Christianity today. If Jesus Christ had not be raised from the dead the Christian’s faith would be in vain, the first preachers were liars, the dying would have no hope, and the first martyrs would have been stupid for giving up their lives for a hoax.

“But now is Christ risen” (1 Corinthians 15). Even though Jesus had foretold His crucifixion and resurrection they counted the words of the first witnesses “like idle tales, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). Only after being given “many infallible proofs, being seen by them during the forty days” (Acts 1:3), did they believe. These infallible proofs including seeing Jesus, touching Him, eating with Him, and listening to Him as He opened the Scriptures and showed them how the Christ must suffer, die, and rise again (Luke 24:39-49; I Corinthians 15; 1 John 1:1). So convinced were they that this Christ was risen from the dead, and that those who believed in Him would also arise from the dead to eternal life, that they willingly gave their lives to bring this message of hope to others. Their witness is that you too might have this “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). Sunday service time is 11:00 a.m.

4-4-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! So the early believers greeted one another, not just on Easter morning, on every first day of the week when they gathered for worship. Instead of gathering for worship on Saturday as did the OT people, our day of rest is the first day of the week. Sabbath means rest. Our REST in Jesus is affirmed by His rising from the dead, rest from the burden of sin, rest from the weariness that comes upon us in this fallen world, and finally the rest for the people of God in heaven. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord that they may rest from their labors from now on” (Revelation 14:13). Our Lord Jesus, especially the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, invites us: “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you REST” (Matthew 11).

We heed that invitation by gathering with our fellow Christians to hear His Word, to receive the Sacrament, learn His Word, meditate on God’s Word, and believe God’s Word. “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3,-5).

Pastor Hill

03/25/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

‘’What is truth?” a question Pontius Pilate put to Jesus. “Political correctness” eviscerates truth of any meaning. Many politicians, who are concerned with being elected or reelected to office, speak only what is favorable to the ears of the people. Pontius Pilate did not have to concern himself with election, but he did need the favor of the people. If out of favor with the people, that would soon mean out of favor with Caesar, and that would mean being out of a job. In the trial Pilate repeatedly declared Jesus to be innocent, but any semblance to truth was sacrificed to the political correct statement: “I am innocent of the blood of this Person” (Matthew 27:24). For Pilate it was politically correct to sentence an innocent Man to be crucified.

Politicians, along with Pontius Pilate, have no corner on sacrificing truth for political correctness. This is why the Scripture says, “All people are liars!” (Psalm 116:11). The ominous judgment follows: “All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

What is the answer to Pilate’s question: “What is truth?” The Bible gives this answer: “God’s Word is Truth” (John 17:17). Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word…you shall know the Truth” (John 8:31-32). He also said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). This is the Truth that counts: “Salvation is found in no other” (Acts 4:12). The marvel is that the crucified Christ died that liars may be forgiven and be transformed into people of Truth. Sunday service time is 11:00 a.m.

3-21-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

Spring is here. Trees are turning green. The Pine trees are emitting their yellow pollen. The daffodils are bloomed out. I perceive that it is time to start gardening.

In the Gospel Reading (Mark 10:25-45) James and John requested that one sit on the right and the other on the left in our Lord’s glory. We are not told whether this was a position of power, prominence, or glory, but we can guess. It gave Jesus the opportunity to say, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” The old sinful nature does not like to hear this. The history of the church is one of bishops vying for power until one gets the title of pope. It was basically the cause for division between the western church and the eastern church. Striving for greatness and power is a display of man’s sinful self.

For a Christian it is incongruent. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom from many.” Wanting power and prominence does not fit as a follower of Him who “took the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:5f). He paid a ransom price to redeem us from such a “futile life” (1 Peter 1”17), first to forgive these sinful ambitions, and then to write in our hearts and minds a desire to serve. He so established the New Covenant (OT Reading, Jeremiah 31:31-34) to write His instructions in our hearts and minds, and to forgive our iniquities and remember our sins no more, a TESTAMENT which we observe each Lord’ Supper. The slogan is correct: “We are saved to serve.” Pastor Hill

03/01/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Peter J. Scaer, Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, gives us something to think about in an article in the CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY. He writes: “If the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection is real (reference to I Cor. 6), then the desecration of the body will be dealt with in the age to come.

“In some ways, I think, our people do understand what is at stake. Their funeral practices point away from bodily afterlife. Caskets and burials have been replaced by urns and cremation. The “celebration of life” substitutes for any talk of the life to come. Strikingly, people no longer talk about death as falling asleep, for it they did, they would be reminded that we will one day wake up and see our Lord face to face. Underlying such practice seems to be a desire that there be no resurrection. As someone said, ‘I was nothing before I came into this world, and will be nothing after I die.’ This might be depressing, but annihilation is the world’s (the unbeliever) greatest hope. For if the body is gone, then judgment day will never come, and things I do today are gloriously inconsequential.”

May this lead you to live, confess, and practice this TRUTH: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). Sunday Service time is 11:00 a.m.

2-28-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

We know the Israelites complained when they did not have any water. Have you ever given thought as to whether Noah complained about too much water? With more than a foot of snow falling on ground that was already saturated, and no more had the snow and ice melted we get another four inches of rain, and more thunder showers are forecast for this evening, one is inclined to complain just a little bit. Though it was minus two degrees less than two weeks ago, today it has been up to 76; the grass is greening out and the daffodils are about to break out in bloom.

The Gospel Reading for today is Mark 8:27-38, which concludes with a word to the crowd and His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Taking up a cross meant being ready to die as a follower of Jesus. If there is no life after death, if there is no resurrection of the dead, this call would be ridiculous. They who give their life as martyrs or in service to proclaim the Gospel would as St. Paul said, “Of all people most to be pitied!” The account of Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ!” was followed by Jesus’ explanation of what that means, “The Son of Man MUST suffer many things of the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and on the third day rise again.” The MUST is an emphasis of our Lord’s reason for coming into the world. If when we were enemies “God reconciled us unto Himself by the death of His Son (Epistle Readiing, Romans 5:1-11), much more we shall be saved by His life. What our Lord had done gives meaning to life, and assurance in the hour of death, and the certainty of the resurrection. This why the disciples could take up a cross and follow Jesus, and it is why we can be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15). Pastor Hill

02/24/2021

Will be streaming our Wednesday Lent service in about 30 minutes.

02/21/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Lies, falsehood, fabrications, prevarications, or by any other name, they are of the devil. “The devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). Those who persist in deceiving, end up being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). One fatal deception is this: “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

When lies become the standard, for political gain, for the love of money, or for revenge upon an enemy, political freedom will die, health of many will suffer, and bo***ge will be inevitable. Worse than that, the victims of lies will be alienated from God, “exchanging the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25), “as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind” (1:28), which ends in hopelessness and despair.

God gave the commandment: “You shall not give false testimony!” To lie is a sin against the one to whom or about whom you lie. Of greater significance is that lying is a sin against God. Repentance begins by owning up to this. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9;2:1). Sunday service time is 11:00 a.m.

2-21-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

God chose to dump the cold air piled up on the north pole on us this past week. The coldest was Tuesday morning with a minus 2 degrees. Included with that was a gift of something more than a foot of snow and temperatures below freezing until Saturday. I was in Lowe’s after church service to purchase a PVC fitting that had broken with the freeze. The PVC fittings department was rather crowded, all having to repair broken pipes. We just don’t plan for this kind of weather here in Texas. Otherwise, chicks, chickens, cattle, sheep, and dog and the two of us survived. Our electric power did not go off, but our county water ceased flowing for a while. We have a well which provides water for all the animals.

The Readings for the First Sunday in Lent relate to testing and temptation. The OT was about God testing Abraham (Genesis 22), the Epistle about temptations arising out of our own desires (lusts), and the Gospel was about the temptations of our Lord those 40 days in the wilderness. The Scripture says “He was tempted in all points even as we are tempted, yet without sin.” In Romans 5 we read “By the one Man’s obedience many shall be made righteous.

The OT Reading foreshadows Christ “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Faith in Christ looks to Him as the sacrificial Lamb to take away our sin. Faith also looks to Him as the one who was perfectly obedient as our substitute. His victory over the temptations of Satan was for our salvation, that His obedience might be counted to us. His victory is also our strength to resist temptation. Without Him Satan would “sift us like wheat.” Christ is also our example. He used the Word of God, quoting it with each temptation. We do well to hear, study, and memorize the Word of God so that when Satan would seduce us or mislead us, we can send him away by quoting the Holy Scripture.

Wednesday we have Lenten Services, 5:00 p.m. at Redeemer-Atlanta, and 7:00 p.m. at Peace-Texarkana. “O Come let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame.” God richest blessings in Christ! Pastor Hill

02/17/2021

Unfortunately we won't be having Ash Wednesday services this year. The road have not improved and we are expecting more snow/sleet. Stay safe and God Bless.

02/14/2021

No livestream today. We are under a winter storm warning and decided to not have church today because the roads are icy. God bless and hope to see you next Sunday.

01/17/2021

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

“God is dead!” was a mantra of the 1960’s, which was a quote of Nietsche of the previous century. People were upset with such talk. God of course cannot die. What Nietsche meant and those who quote him is that the personal God to whom we are accountable has been rejected by the culture. The teaching of evolution has ruled out a personal God. The theory of evolution has become the state and world religion, and sadly many churches and religious leaders have accommodated. The reasoning has been to make a Christianity more scientifically acceptable, as though evolution were a settled science. If it were, God is dead!

When “God is dead” there is no point of reference. Right and wrong are not determined by a Higher Power, but by majority opinion, or by what is socially acceptable. “Everyone does what is right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Religion becomes a “personal matter.” Lying, fraud, cheating is good if it is beneficial to me. Human life, beginning with conception, can be terminated for practical purposes. Our culture is beginning to “live out” the mantra “God is dead,” even if it is repugnant to say it.

Not science, but people “walking according to their own lusts” (2 Peter3:3f) reject the account of God creating the world and God’s dealing with sin in a universal flood (Genesis 1-9). No scientist has ever seen life come from non-life. Everything that can be observed, the reproduction of plants and animals, is just like one can read in Genesis chapter one. The fossils and the earth’s canyons agree with a universal flood. This God is not dead, and it is a call to quit living as if He were, because “His wrath comes upon the children of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). Sunday service time is 11:00 am.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Friday, January 22, is the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision making it legal to perform abortions in every state. Since that time some have calculated that more unborn children have lost their lives than all the people who have died in wars since recorded history. What an atrocity! Likewise consider how many women carry a burden of guilt for ending the life that God formed within their womb! Make no mistake; God will not let us call the unborn child a glob of cells as He directs the sacred writer to say, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14). The feminist movement encourages women to say, “It is my body. If I choose not to carry pregnancy to full term, I have the right to terminate it.” The Epistle Reading for today (1 Cor. 6:12-20) counters this thinking: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

This not only speaks to women. The theme of this reading is “Flee sexual immorality!” one of the basic reasons for abortions. Men share the guilt by so often pressuring the woman to be rid of this “embarrassment” or this “impediment” to my education or career. “Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15) is not only an indictment of ancient Israel. God is speaking to our generation which tolerates the slaying of the unborn.

Yet for those who will acknowledge their sin in humble repentance God in the same chapter offers forgiveness: “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (1:18). Through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53) God invites: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous one His thoughts, and let Him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7). Pastor Hill

Address

Laws Chapel Road FR 2328
Atlanta, TX
75551

Opening Hours

9am - 1:30am

Telephone

(903) 796-9030

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Redeemer Lutheran Church Atlanta, Texas LCMS posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Redeemer Lutheran Church Atlanta, Texas LCMS:

Shortcuts

Share

Category