Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church - Reno, NV

10/02/2026

One of my sons makes fine baskets. He dyes the reed beautiful custom colors. He weaves the reed into a variety of shapes. He adds creative flourishes like leather lashing and metal handles. Sometimes people think his baskets are so attractive that they buy and display them as decorations. But they are not just attractive. People who buy them to carry and store items find that the baskets are useful.

Baskets are my son’s handiwork. People are God’s handiwork. While it is true that God is the creator who gives all people their abilities, Christians are God’s handiwork in an additional way. Through faith in Jesus, God creates people who do good works. Not only does he give Christians useful talents. He also has prepared opportunities for us to use those talents for the benefit of the people he puts into our lives.

God hasn’t made you just to look attractive while you sit on display. God has created you to be useful for the benefit of others. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

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09/28/2026

09/26/2026

Join us for a FREE day of games, food, and giveaways for the whole family at the Shepherd of the Mountains Community Fall Fest! The event will be held at 955 W Peckham Lane in Reno, NV on Saturday, October 3 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Enjoy bounce houses, lawn games, fall stories, and raffle prizes on the lawn at Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church. Our grillmasters will serve hotdogs and brats alongside chips, soda, and water. No RSVP is required. We hope to see you there!

📆: Saturday, October 3 | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
📍: Shepherd of the Mountains
955 W Peckham Lane | Reno, NV

09/25/2026

In the Old Testament ceremonial law, God commanded people to offer sacrifices. Those sacrifices didn’t pay for sins, but they taught people about the sacrifice that Jesus would offer to pay for their sins. Through faith in this promised Savior, their sins were forgiven.

King David lived during the time when animal sacrifices were offered. But David understood that, even though those sacrifices were important, they didn’t earn forgiveness. For people to be forgiven, they needed contrite hearts, meaning they needed to be sorry for their sins.

God doesn’t want us to offer animal sacrifices today. But he does want us to offer the sacrifice that David offered when he recognized his sins. He said, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Having a contrite heart means we sacrifice the pride and arrogance that make us think we don’t need forgiveness. When we admit we’ve sinned and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus, our sins are forgiven. This and every Sunday, we confess our sins and receive his forgiveness in church.

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09/18/2026

Earlier this week, a friend said to me, “I can’t figure out why you and your family have been so kind to me. I don’t deserve your kindness.” I wasn’t sure how to respond at first.

I could have said, “You are kind to us, too.” But that could have made it sound like we will only be kind to him as long as he is kind to us. I could have said, “That is just the kind of people we are.” But the truth is that I’m not always as kind as I should be, because I’m sinful. How should I have responded?

I wasn’t sure how to respond until God reminded me of this Bible verse: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) We didn’t deserve any kindness from God. He saved us from our sins even though we didn’t deserve it. That is just who he is. Here’s what I will tell that friend next time I talk to him: Christians are kind to everyone, because the Lord has been kind to us.

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09/16/2026

We had a great turnout for our outdoor service and picnic. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped serve!

Join us at Shepherd of the Mountains this Sunday to continue our sermon series: "Walk In Love". We’ll focus on the compassion God has for us and the compassion we have for each other. The Sunday service begins at 9:00 a.m.

09/11/2026

“Please bear with me.” If someone asks you to “bear with” him or her, what does that person need? He or she needs your patience. People say it when they explain something complicated, and they don’t want you to stop listening. Or when they want you to wait until they’re done with what they’re doing, so they can give you their attention.

We need to bear with each other, otherwise we won’t be able to work with each other and accomplish things together. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need to be patient, because we would do everything quickly and correctly. But we need to bear with each other, because people can be slow and make mistakes. And when people spend time and work together, they will inevitably sin against each other.

God is perfect. So you would expect that it would be hard for him to bear with us sinners. But he is patient with us. He hasn’t stopped listening. His attention is available to you. He forgives you.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

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