Pastor Truog graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 1983 with a Master’s of Divinity and a Sacred Theology Masters.  He served at Hope Lutheran in Aurora, Illinois from 1983-1987.  His next church was Cross Lutheran in Yorkville, Illinois where he served from 1987-2011.  In 2011 he accepted the Call to Christ Our Savior Lutheran in Loudon, Tennessee.

   “My greatest joy in ministry is seeing the “light bulb” go on for someone when the Holy Spirit enables them to grasp the free gift of God’s grace for salvation.  At Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church we have an opportunity to nurture and share this gift of God with people from all over the country who have chosen to retire in East Tennessee as well as with those who have had the privilege of living here all their lives.  We are a congregation that stands squarely on the Bible as the very Word of God.  We are known for our friendliness and our desire to serve our community.  We welcome you to get to know us and to discover a place to worship, a place to learn, and a place to serve with your Christian brothers and sisters at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.”

Pastor's Message

REST FOR GOD’S SAINTS

As I was contemplating this newsletter article and writing about All Saints Day and rest for God’s saints, I received an email that I subscribe to called “Perspectives” by Dr. Jerry Kieschnick (former president of the LCMS). I was thinking about the rest God gives to our loved ones who have departed in the faith, but I think this article speaks to rest that you and I, as God’s saints right here, right now, can really use. So here it is:

What Keeps You Awake at Night?
Though I almost never have trouble falling asleep at bedtime, occasionally I wake up in the middle of the night. Wide awake. Just can't go back to sleep. The alarm on my side of the bed is not to blame. The culprit is the stuff that’s on my mind.
What kind of stuff keeps you awake or awakens you in the middle of the night? Here are a few possibilities that come to mind:

· Feelings of grief at the loss of a loved one, whether sudden and unexpected or following lengthy illness, prolonged medical treatment, and unbearable pain.

· Feelings of sadness at the sometimes seemingly helpless and hopeless plight of people who have lost loved ones, possessions, homes, vehicles, businesses, anything or everything of value and importance in their life resulting from hurricane, flood, tornado, fire, or other natural or accidental cause.

· Feelings of fear and anxiety following diagnosis of a serious disease or terminal illness, whether personal or in the life of a beloved spouse, child, grandchild, other family member or friend.

· Feelings of pain and discomfort from a surgical procedure, accidental injury, or prolonged medical treatment, especially chemotherapy or radiation.

· Feelings of concern or worry about struggling children, grandchildren, family members or friends, and the personal impact of inflation, unemployment, financial setback, unmanageable personal indebtedness, or unimaginable national debt.

· Feelings of helplessness and uncertainty about the future of our nation and world as wars rage on in Israel and Ukraine, as mass shooters and attempted assassins rear their demonic heads, and as imperfect or even incompetent political opponents turn our heads and hearts to fervent prayer.

· Feelings of frustration, disappointment, even anger, when people or organizations who make promis-es fail to keep them, especially if those unkept promises produce a negative public impact.

When one or more of these intrusions keeps me awake at night or awakens me much earlier than I would like, I try very hard to remember these biblical prescriptions and promises:

· “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6
· “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

The hymn writer says it well: “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” (LSB 770)

Pastor Brian                                                 

  Pastor Rhoads graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis  with a Master’s of Divinity degree in 2008. He has served as Associate Pastor at Christ Our Savior since his graduation. Before entering the seminary, he served as a Director of Christian Education at LCMS churches in Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

  Pastor Rhoads enjoys teaching the faith and providing opportunities for people to live out their faith in daily life. “My greatest joy in ministry is helping people grow in their knowledge and appreciation of the grace of God as revealed in the Bible.” In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and hiking the many trails in our area.

Pastor's Message

A Blue Christmas
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mt. 3:3b)

Most of the month of December is spent in the season of Advent. The word “advent” means the arrival of something or someone of significance. Each year, the church spends four weeks preparing for the advent of the most important person who ever lived—Jesus Christ. Long ago, John the Bap-tizer called the people of his day to prepare for the advent of the Messiah, or Christ, with the words printed above. Long before him, the prophet Isaiah told the people of God to prepare for the advent of the Lord.

The liturgical color for the season of Advent is blue. Blue represents our sure and certain hope of heaven, which we associate with the advent of Jesus. Jesus left the glories of heaven when He came to earth on that first Christmas day. As a result of his arrival, we have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus. As we consider both his first and last advent, it is fitting for us to spend this month preparing for a “blue Christmas”.

Of course, I realize “blue Christmas” has another connotation. Even though one song tells us this is the hap-happiest time of the year, many people are anything but happy. They are preparing for a blue, blue Christmas. Some are overwhelmed with all the preparations of the season. Oth-ers are burdened by past mistakes, present circumstances, or future prospects. Still others will be spending a blue Christmas without a loved one.

The good news is that Jesus came for people with the blues. Christmas is a time to celebrate the coming of Christ, but it’s also a time to repent. A blue Christmas recognizes that our “blues” is the reason Christ came. Our tendency to rely on good works, our inability to meet God’s demands, our own hopelessness brought Christ to earth the first time. His life, death and resurrection bring the forgiveness of sin. Everlasting life points us to the joyous hope of His return.

This month, prepare the way for the Lord and have a blue Christmas by rejoicing in the fact that Jesus has come for you!

Pastor Mark

Here’s an interesting comparison by Rev. Dr. James Baneck of the LCMS that might answer that question. The lambs and sheep our Savior sent Peter to feed and tend were not the wooly kind residing on a beautiful hillside. There are, however, rich parallels between shepherding sheep and shepherding God's people.

James Rebanks watches over real four-legged sheep in the United Kingdom. He writes about the parallels in his article, “Are You Hard Enough to Survive as a Shepherd?”
"The romance wears off after a few weeks, believe me, and you will be left standing cold and lonely on a mountain. It is all about endurance. Digging in. Holding on. You will also need to be emotionally. tough … Carrion crows hang over our lambing fields waiting to steal the eyes out of anything sick or dead that cannot resist … You’ll need the patience of a saint, too, because sheep test you to the limit with a million ways to escape, ail, or die … It requires a body of knowledge and skills that shepherds devote decades to learning."

How this applies to our pastors! There is nothing romantic about being a pastor; it is hard work and often lonely. It demands an endurance that comes only from God. Like carrion crows, Satan seeks to devour God’s people. The pastor stands guard. protecting and feeding God’s sheep with Christ in the preached Word and blessed Sacraments. The formation of men for the Holy Ministry begins at Baptism. And while pastoral formation is intensified during seminary, “it requires a body of knowledge and skills that [pastors] devote decades to learning."

Pastors are to be clothed with the humility of Christ, “who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Pastors must be equipped to lead Gods people to the waters of Holy Baptism, where God gives new birth to sinners and opens the kingdom of heaven for them. Pastors are formed to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Pastors feed God’s sheep the Word of God in preaching and teaching and with the body and blood of our Lord at His table. Pastors listen, love and seek the lost.

Looking at all that a Pastor does, how is he prepared for this role at the Seminars’? Can you help with this preparation? Could you sponsor a seminarian? Could you help COS in their sponsoring of eight seminary students? Please help with your gift! ‘For more information, contact John W. Smith. God bless your help.