Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church - Reno, NV

06/16/2026

06/12/2026

What do you ask God for? Have you ever asked for a large amount of money or the opportunity to go on a fancy vacation? Those would be nice to have, but they aren’t necessities. Have you ever asked for enough food to keep your family alive or enough money to keep the heat on in your house? Those are considered basic human needs for most of us. Have you ever asked him for a pastor to come and talk to you? That’s not something most people would even want!

Jesus says we should want a pastor to talk to us about him. He told his followers to ask that the Lord would “send out workers into his harvest field.” And he answered that prayer by telling his disciples to preach about what he was doing to save people.

Jesus saved you by living and dying for you. And he saves you through the message of his work for you. But we all need someone to tell us that good news. Jesus considers that to be a basic necessity, so he tells you to ask him for someone to talk to you about him.

“Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” - Jesus’s words in Matthew 9:38

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06/05/2026

Did Jesus come to help good people? You might think that Jesus likes the people who always do the right thing. Maybe you think you are one of those good people, so Jesus came to help you. Maybe you think you are not a good person, so Jesus did not come for you.

If you think Jesus came to help good people, you are wrong. Jesus said that he did not come to help good people. He came to save sinners. He lived a lowly life in place of people who could not live perfectly. He died on the cross to pay for the sins of real sinners. You and I aren’t good people; we’re sinful and imperfect. But we’re exactly the people Jesus came to help!

Jesus said that there are no good people. We don’t need to pretend to be perfect. We can be honest about our sins. God knows who we are, anyway. Our family and friends know what kind of people we are, too. We need Jesus to save us. He came to help us.

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Jesus’s words in Matthew 9:12-13

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05/29/2026

The Bible doesn’t just say that God is holy. It says that when the holy angels sing about him, they sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.” Why is he three times holy? Is it because he is so much holier than anybody else? He is holier, but that’s not the reason he is “holy, holy, holy.” If that were the reason, they would probably say that he is seven times or ten times holy. Why is he specifically three times holy? Are there three Gods? No, God is called “the Lord.” Then why does the number 3 come up often when the Bible talks about God?

The Bible explains that the one true God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So God the Father is holy, God the Son is holy, and God the Holy Spirit is holy. He is three times holy, because God is three-in-one. He is the God who created you, who redeemed you, and who has called you to be holy. Therefore you can join the holy angels is praising the “holy, holy, holy” Lord.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

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05/08/2026

It’s hard to meet famous people. Many other people want to meet them. How can you get them to listen to you? You can try to approach them on your own. But they won’t stop to hear you. The way to meet famous people is for someone who knows them to introduce you to them. With the right connection, you may be able to talk to the person you want to meet.

The most important person for you to meet is God. He is your Maker and Savior. If you don’t meet him during your life, you will meet him when you die. But you can’t meet him on your own. It’s not that he’s too busy. It’s that we don’t get to approach the almighty Lord on our own terms, and we could never know him apart from Jesus. So God the Father sent his Son Jesus to introduce himself to us. And Jesus makes us worthy to speak to the Father.

Do you need to meet God? Then get to know Jesus through the Bible.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

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