God’s Blessed and Beloved Children

November 7, 2021

AS WE GATHER
This Sunday we observe the feast of All Saints’ Day. While many congregations use this service to remember those saints who have departed this life in faith, we do well to remember that “saint” is simply another word for “believer” or “follower of Jesus.” All of those who gather to confess Jesus as Lord are indeed already saints. The Gospel for today is a section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes. Jesus begins this sermon by recounting the present reality of those who have faith: they are blessed. Even when it looks as though the faithful are the opposite of blessed, they are indeed blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They are a part of the reign and rule of God. All saints, including you, are a part of the reign and rule of God; therefore, you are blessed.

Bible Readings

FIRST READING: Revelation 7: 9–17

EPISTLE READING: 1 John 3:1–3

HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 5:1–12

Abide in Jesus ~ October 31, 2021

AS WE GATHER: We are rightly proud of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, of our Lutheran Confession, and especially the Augustinian monk whose name became attached to this confession and church, Martin Luther. Reformation Day marks the day in 1517 that Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. “The eternal gospel” (Revelation 14:6) issued from the very first stroke of the pen when he wrote, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” So this day we celebrate the entire life of believers by proclaiming the eternal gospel of repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. In the Lutheran liturgy, we have preserved for us from the time of Luther the one place God wants to be worshiped, namely, in Christ.

Bible Readings:

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Revelation 14:6–7
(“Fear God and give Him glory.”)

EPISTLE READING: Romans 3:19–28
(All have sinned; all are justified by His grace.)

HOLY GOSPEL: John 8:31–36
(Listen to Jesus and be set free.)

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Third Sunday after pentecost

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .” Jesus used this phrase many times in His teaching and preaching, with the images of seeds and growth as one of His common metaphors. From the seemingly miraculous action of a tiny seed with tremendous growth, to what the Lord speaks in a beautiful promise of a divine planting and producing He Himself will provide for His people, we are today drawn to the Scriptures, the faith He has planted and grown in us through His Spirit, and the ultimate fulfillment found in Jesus Christ alone. May God grant seed, nurture, growth, and good fruit to each of us as we worship Him today.

READINGS

Old Testament: Ezekiel 17:22–24
(The Lord will provide new life and growth for His people.)

Psalm
Psalm 1

Epistle
2 Corinthians 5:1–10 (Our eternal dwelling)

Gospel: Mark 4:26–34
(Jesus’ parables of the growing seed and the mustard seed)

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.
Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

the holy trinity

The Festival of the Holy Trinity gives us an opportunity to stretch our faith. At its center is a careful delineation of doctrine. At the heart of the liturgy is the Athanasian Creed, which is challenging not only for its length but for its content as well. As he writes to Titus, Paul has special words of encouragement, writing, “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Through the Lessons we hear and the Creed we speak, we faithfully join in expressing the doctrine that is our heritage.

READINGS

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 6:1–8
(The prophet Isaiah is given a vision of the Lord.)

Psalm
Psalm 29

EPISTLE READING: Acts 2:14a, 22–36 (Peter attests to the resurrection of Jesus.)

HOLY GOSPEL: John 3:1–17 (The love of God is shown to the world in Jesus.)

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen

Sunday, May 23, 2021

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

In the Nicene Creed we confess, “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life.” This Third Person of the Trinity whom we celebrate today “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” With the Father and the Son He is both worshiped and glorified. This is God who has spoken by His prophets as today through Ezekiel He declares, “You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:13–14).

This He has done in the hearts of everyone who has heard His saving Word, from Adam and Eve to you. To emphasize the universality of God’s desire, today we recall that post-resurrection Day of Pentecost, when no barriers of language could hinder God’s work.

Jesus tells us that this Spirit He sends is from the Father. The Spirit comes to witness about Jesus and His work of salvation for all. That witness consists of both the truth about sin and about the Savior, Law and Gospel, to bring us to repentance and enliven our faith repeatedly, day by day as we live in His presence and the grace of God.

READINGS

Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:1–14
(The Valley of Dry Bones)

Psalm
Psalm 139″1-12

Epistle: Acts 2:1–21
(The coming of the Holy Spirit)

Gospel: John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15
(The work of the Holy Spirit)

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.
O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy consolation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

This Sunday in the Church Year is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The appointed Psalm for the day is Psalm 23, which is among the most well-known psalms. The Gospel from John 10 records Jesus revealing Himself as the Good Shepherd. While fewer and fewer people are familiar with what it is like to take care of sheep, this metaphor of God’s protection and provision has become a great source of comfort and hope. God grant that you find such blessed comfort as you dwell securely here in the house of the Lord.

READINGS

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

We may have a tendency to think of repentance as a painful thing, as something to dread and avoid at all costs. After all, repentance means admitting we were wrong. It may be embarrassment, guilt, shame, or pride that makes repentance difficult. Yet you have probably experienced the joy of repentance as well, the relief of confessing your sins, the wonder of grace that flows to us in forgiveness. You may be holding on to a dark secret or a stubborn grudge. Bring your heavy burdens to the Lord today. He has forgiven you and has called you His beloved child.

READINGS

First Reading: Acts 3:11–21
(After healing a lame beggar, Peter proclaims repentance and forgiveness to the crowd.)

Psalm
Psalm 4

Epistle Reading: 1 John 3:1–7 (God has loved us and called us His children.)

Gospel Reading: Luke 24:36–49 (Jesus appears to His disciples and sends them out with a message to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations.)

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. O God, through the humiliation of Your Son, You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

Thomas is seldom remembered for anything other than his doubt. In our quest to find relatable biblical characters, we often leave Thomas as a man who needed evidence—proof. We may miss his bold confession: “My Lord and my God!” While the other ten disciples had seen Jesus eight days earlier, none of them confessed as Thomas did. And none of them believed until Jesus appeared to them and spoke His Word to them. Focus today not on Thomas’s doubt but rather on his confession of faith.

READINGS

First Reading: Acts 4:32–35
(Great unity filled the Early Church as the apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of Jesus.)

Psalm
Psalm 148

Epistle: 1 John 1:1–2:2 (God has come near to us with His light and life.)

Gospel: John 20:19–31 (Jesus appears to a troubled Thomas.)

COLLECT

Let us pray. Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.