Serving with Luther And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:17 As a young pastor, a man came into meet with me because “he needed to talk.”  I was prepared for a discussion of some sort of personal or family hardship.  However, I was refreshed when he said, “I want to serve God, but I don’t know how.”  He, then, began talking about how unrewarding he found his job and that it left him feeling as if his life had no purpose.  I opened up the Small Catechism and proceeded ..read more

Praying with Luther and His Barber Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  Luke 11:1 One of Dr. Luther’s most practical writings was a response to a request from his barber, Master Peter, to provide help in his prayer life.  Peter the Barber, like so many of us, struggled in his prayer life.  Luther’s A Simple Way to Pray is a practical tool to assist every Christian in the habit of daily prayer.  The tool that Luther commends to his friend is the Sma ..read more

Christ’s Love Transforms Timid Hearts As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love…This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  John 15:9, 12 Before our Lord’s Passion, He not only predicted His death and resurrection, but also described how He would preserve His disciples in this world after His ascension.  However, where does Christ find the disciples, but behind the locked doors of a secure upper room.  Our Lord’s resurrection, His sending the promised Holy Spirit, His Word and Sacraments, give us courage to go where He leads. J ..read more

Belief and Hope And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.  Luke 24:25-27 Belief and Hope And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"  And beginning ..read more

Shine Like Stars Do everything without grumbling or arguing,  so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Philippians 2:14-15 Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome.  Every day our Lord sends forth His people to serve in their various vocations and to reflect the light of Christ in our dark world.  This week, thousands of members of Missouri District congregations and students at Lutheran early childhood, elementary, a ..read more

While we can receive called workers throughout the year into the Missouri District, in April our two seminaries host “Call Day” where vicars and deaconess interns get their year-long assignment and students finishing their education receive Call placements. We pray God's blessings on those receiving calls and internship assignments. Services are livestreamed. Below are times of the services. Service Information Assignment of Vicarages & Internships April 23, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. CDT Click Here to Watch the Service Assignment of Calls April 23, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. CDT Click Here to Wat ..read more

The Gospel of John in a Word Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:30-31 Matthew begins his account with Jesus’ genealogy and then proceeds with a linear record of the life and ministry of Jesus. Mark just jumps right in with little explanation and mostly action in his recounting Jesus’ ministry from His baptism until His resurrection.  Luke explains his purpose in writi ..read more

Washed in Blood So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”  And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Matthew 27:24-26 The scene is full of irony.  Pilate pleads for his innocence.  He does not realize that there is only one who is innocent and that is the man standing before Him.  The ..read more

Newer Isn’t Always Better, But this Time It Is Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  Jeremiah 31:31 Old is not necessarily bad, nor is new necessarily good.  When God promises to His people a new covenant, the comfort is not that this covenant is new.  The failure of the old covenant that God has established with His people was not with the covenant, nor God, but with fallen humanity.  We can rejoice that God has established a new covenant with His people that is different than the p ..read more

God’s Workmanship For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 After his beautiful description of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, Paul then describes us as God’s workmanship.  The Greek word here is the word “Poema.”  It is where we get the word poem.  Dear friends in Christ, once we were dead in our trespasses, but now we are alive in Christ.  More than that, we are His poem.  By the Holy Spirit’s work through the Word, God ..read more