Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” When we hear this from Jesus, as we do this weekend, we should perk up.  When we hear this from Jesus we are hearing about this Kingdom that we are part of even now.  

Faith is not just a future reality, but a reality that we live here and now.  There may be elements of this Kingdom that have yet come to pass in its fullness, but make no mistake, these things are true for us now. 

How about you?  Do you live in such a way that this Kingdom that you are part of now is real and true?  What does that look like?  When we hear these parables from Jesus we must see them as true for us now and as something that is to be revealed in all its fullness when Jesus returns in His Glory.  

This changes how the day feels.  This changes how this season of your life feels.  Perhaps it is a comfort.  It can also be a challenge.  No one sermon or no one Bible study can give you the whole council of God.  Instead the fullness of the council of God is given to us in bit sized consumable bits that feed and nourish our faith for a lifetime.  

This is why we need our brothers and sisters in the faith to learn and grow with.  As we are comforted by this Kingdom that is present through them, we are also challenged being part of this Kingdom together.  

I thank God for doing this Kingdom life together with you as a fellow brother in the faith.  I am also humbled to serve you as an under shepherd of the Good Shepherd, a pastor here at Shepherd of the Hills.  God be praised for the Kingdom of God alive and well here at this congregation.  

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

From spending time exploring and learning in Wittenberg, to tropical trekking in Ruidoso for Vacation Bible School, I have been blessed to be bathed in God’s Word these last several weeks.  It is an infectious and incredible joy to hear God’s Word.

One of the things I was reminded of most when Rebecca and I were on our retreat in Germany was the remedy to spiritual lethargy is leaning in and being present to hear more of God’s Word. The temptation is to say, “I don’t feel like hearing God’s Word,” “I don’t feel like praying,” “I don’t feel like going to church.” 

This is when we need to push ourselves even more to do these very things.  It is only in these very things that we encounter God’s comfort and promises.  It is in these things that he restores our joy and energy for hearing and loving the Word of God.  The promise is that losing our joy for the Word of God is seasonal.  He will restore His joy for you.  He sustains the joy of hearing the Word. He gives us promises and gifts that do just that.  We must show up to receive them.  

If you are enjoying a season of great joy in the Word and a spiritual vitality, God be praised.  May you be sustained in this joy through all of life’s situations.  If you are persevering through a season of spiritual lethargy, where joy and vitality for God’s good gifts are absent, Lord have mercy.  Come and receive the Word.  Sing the deep and profound hymns that teach and catechize our souls.  Take the Lord’s Supper knowing that the promises of God which He attaches to this sacrament are true for you.  It might feel like you are just “going through the motions”, but fear not.  It is in these very motions that God will also restore your joy.  

Come.  Gather.  Receive. Be satisfied.  I’ll see you all in service where I promise to deliver to you those things that God has given me to share:  His Word and His Sacraments.  In this we find great joy.  

Please continue to pray for our work this week at VBS as we surround ourselves and these kids with the joyful Word of the Lord.  God be praised!

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

I’m excited for Vacation Bible School!  July 6-10th we will host “Tropical Trek” where Jesus Comes to Seek and Save.  We will learn how Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10)! As we traverse fun and exciting places, like a dormant volcano and island caves, we’ll discover how God finds us and helps us in every challenge we face. 

VBS needs your help.  Always be praying for the Lord’s work among us here at SHLC.  Nothing we do is absent of His hand.  God be praised!

Second, VBS is part of sharing the Gospel with families, not just children.  If you desire to serve the families of our communities please consider volunteering with VBS this year.  If you are not sure where you fit in please talk to Rebecca (314-420-9423).  If you can’t or are not able to volunteer please consider a donation to help cover the costs of this week.  

Finally, we are a congregation that has been and is poised to be even more impactful for families in Ruidoso and the surrounding area.  Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Family and youth ministry is not about programing but walking with a multi-generational community of faith helping one another grow in the faith.  VBS is one of our few “programs” that we provide to the community.  The community needs us.  SO…be bold and invite families with young children to come and receive.  Most kids of VBS of years past have come because you personally invited them.  God be praised. 

I can’t wait to spend the week being silly and having fun, all while sharing Jesus’ love with our volunteers, young adults and kids.  Thank God for VBS and SHLC for all the wonderful ways families will be blessed.  

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

A time of change.  The one constant in the life of the church is the faithfulness of God and His Word.  Everything else for us may or may not change.  My dad always joked as a firefighter that firefighters hate two things:  the way things are and change.  I think this may be true for many people, not just firefighters.  

We always desire things to change, especially for the better.  Here is the problem, we all have different expectations of what “change for the better” actually means.  Which leads us to our default position, that if we can’t guarantee a change for the better, its better that nothing changes. 

Well…turns out we don’t get a choice.  Change comes to us.  It is part of our reality. 

As a congregation we have somethings that will not change.  We will remain faithful to God’s Word.  We will emphasize the context of our community as that Word is shared.  We will hold fast to this Word and continue to wrestle with it.  

As a congregation we have somethings that will always change.  The people that are called to be here will always be shifting and changing.  We say goodbye to friends and members of the church as their seasons of life call them to other places.  We say hello to new friends and members as they are called to be part of this family of faith for a time.  Each one of these partings and greetings will by necessity change the congregation.  This is a good and natural thing for us to enjoy.  With each goodbye we celebrate faithfulness and how these families and individuals have helped shape who we are.  With each hello we rejoice in God’s providence and how God will shape us for the future.  

I’m thankful.  Some of you who are reading this are current participating members of the church here in Ruidoso.  You are the life blood of this community.  You provide leadership, guidance and input into how we as a congregation live out the mission of Christ here and now.  Some of you who are reading this are friends and members who have had to say goodbye to this place as your regular community of faith but still are loved and love this place enough to want to stay connected and maybe even see where you are as an extension of Shepherd of the Hills as you continue to faithfully provide for SHLC and still hear the Word of the Lord given in this place through YouTube. God be praised.  You are not forgotten and your impact on this community is still felt.  For you have helped shape who we are now.  Some of you are reading this and still feel in the category of “being new”.  I praise God, for you are already shaping who we are becoming as a community.  I’m excited as your pastor to see how God will use you through His Word to help shape this community.

I am privileged to spend this season of my life with you as your pastor and shepherd.  Thank you for the ways that you have helped shape me and the ways that I continue to learn from you.  I pray to God the Father that we all together as pastor and people in the power of the Holy Spirit will look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith to ground and continue to establish us as His church.  This is what gives us comfort in the midst of much that changes around us. 

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust 

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

This is the season of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  We live in the age of the church, an age of grace.  What a privilege it is to live in such an age.  All we are and all that we will be and all that we believe hinges on this new paradigm that we live in.  This now and forever is a time where the creator of all things, who became part of that creation has now been raised from the dead.  

Have you ever challenged this?  Have you ever wrestled with this?  We all look for comfort and contentment, but perhaps I can push back just a little on that comfort in order that you might have greater confidence.  

Where and how do you wrestle with such a great proclamation that Jesus has risen from the dead and lives to this day?  You wrestle and challenge in the Word, with brothers and sisters in the faith, under the guidance of a faithful shepherd, your pastor.  

This Easter season, let us not take for granted the good news that Jesus is risen.  Instead let us study together.  I am confident that when we go about this good work in a God pleasing way our efforts will be rewarded with greater assurance and certainty provided by the Holy Spirit through the Word and our good reason.  

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

What a peaceful joy this Lenten season is.  I recognize that depending on what is currently going on in your life that this spring season can feel less than peaceful.  However, this is why we take special time away from the chaos of this world to retreat to the fellowship hall and sanctuary to receive a peace the world cannot give.  

We have three more mid-week Lenten services tomorrow, March 11th, and March 18th and 25th.  I encourage you to come and retreat, both on Wednesdays but also on Sundays.  Hear God’s Word.  It is a word that breaths life and peace.  It is a word that challenges and confronts.  It is a word that we need.  I look forward to partaking in this encouraging word with you as we prepare to celebrate together on Holy Week.  

Holy Week services are as follows.  

— 6:30 PM Maundy Thursday (The celebration of Jesus serving his disciples and us in the washing of feet and the institution of the Lord’s Supper)

— 6:30 PM Good Friday (The celebration and remembrance of that act which is our salvation and hope…the crucifixion of our Lord.)

— 7:00 PM Saturday Easter Vigil at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell (ILC is hosting the vigil and I will be preaching.)

— 7:15 AM Easter Sunrise Service (We tell of the Resurrection of our Lord in the quiet hours of the morning, singing and celebrating in the outdoor pavilion.)

—10:30 AM Sunday Divine Service of the Resurrection (We receive the proclamation that Jesus has defeated sin, death and the devil.  We sing and celebrate with the fanfare of the heavenly host the good news that we know that our Redeemer lives!)

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

Below is an excerpt from Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Services. This is given for your educational purposes so that we may all better understand this season of Lent that we enter into together. 

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust

“Lent is the Church’s deliberate return to the significance of Holy Baptism.  The season of Lent derives its name from the Old English word for spring, “lencten,” probably due to the lengthening of the daylight hours at this time of the year in the northern hemisphere. For the Church, as well, Lent is a spring season of awakening from the darkness and death of sin to the life and light of Christ in the Gospel. It calls for that newness of life that emerges and grows in the Christian by way of repentance and faith in Christ. Though it is hidden beneath the dust and dirt of Adam, the seed that is sown by the preaching of the Word of Christ germinates and begins to emerge, seeking the waters of Holy Baptism and the sunshine of the Holy Gospel, and even now anticipating the good fruits that are born by the life-giving tree of the cross.”

“Lent is a penitential season especially because and insofar as it is a catechetical season. Lenten catechesis might well include, as it often has, a focus on one or more of the Six Chief Parts of the Small Catechism. However, it is catechetical in a much deeper and broader sense than that. Lent is catechetical in the sense and to the extent that it is guided and governed by the preaching and Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the cross and resurrection of Christ Jesus.”

“For catechumens in preparation for Holy Baptism, and for all the baptized faithful, the entire season of Lent is undertaken in view of the great exodus of Christ that He accomplishes in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). His Church shares that exodus with Him by way of Holy Baptism, as St. Paul and St. Peter both indicate (1 Corinthians 10:1–5; Romans 6:3–8; 1 Peter 3:18–22).”

“The daily drowning of contrition and repentance, which characterizes the entire Christian life of discipleship, is deliberately intensified during Lent unto a renewal of faith and life in Christ. This repentance is not achieved by human wisdom, reason, strength, or effort. It is worked in man by God the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Law and the Gospel. It is the Law that crucifies the old Adam and the Gospel that raises up the new man in us. The preaching of the cross and Passion during Lent is neither an emotional appeal nor a motivational spiel. It is the preaching of repentance unto faith in the forgiveness of sins, and thus to the newness of life that is in Christ.”

“Lent accentuates the discipline of the Christian faith and life, the ongoing challenge of spiritual warfare with the old evil foe, and the necessary works of love and mercy that characterize the life that Christ now lives in us. It thus typifies the pilgrimage of life, our ongoing journey through the wilderness on our way to the promised land. To that end, it fixes our eyes on Christ Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right “hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Not only has He left an example for us that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21), but He is Himself our great champion against Satan, our great Redeemer from sin, death, and hell, who overcame the assaults of the devil and gave His life as a ransom for many that with cleansed hearts we might be prepared joyfully to celebrate the paschal feast in sincerity and truth. (Proper Preface for Lent, LSB Altar Book 230)”

“Although the season of Lent is penitential in its catechesis and in its focus on the significance of Holy Baptism, it should not be approached or treated as though it were forty days of Holy Week. It is better to understand Lent as a time of preparation for the observances of Holy Week and Easter.”

Excerpt From

Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Services

Concordia Publishing House

https://books.apple.com/us/book/lutheran-service-book-companion-to-the-services/id6443006306

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