Remember That You Are Dust. Worship: February 18, 2026

As we begin another Lenten journey to the cross and to the empty tomb, we will pass the familiar route of Wednesday services, special devotions, and sacrificial acts. It all begins here with ashes, an old and biblical sign of repentance. From the Old Testament to the present, ashes have been an outward sign of inward contrition. While not sacramental, they are not mere ritual either; they bear witness to the internal sorrow over sin with which we come while asking for and expecting forgiveness from God. The mood of this service is somber as we reflect upon the shape of our lives of faith and recall the discipline or piety that accompanies that faith. We are dust and to dust we shall return but even in dust there is hope. The ashes are marked in the sign of that hope: a cross where Christ bore the weight of our sin so that we might be forgiven and restored to Himself.

Brilliant! Worship: February 15, 2026

Image Credit: The Transfiguration of Christ, below him various figures including the Apostles. Master of the Die Italian

After Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) Italian 1530–60

Jesus looks brilliant! As language changes, sometimes the most basic meanings of words change and expand with the times. For generations, the English word brilliant meant simply something that shines or radiates light. The word is thought to be derived from the prized gemstone beryl, which is mentioned in both the Old Testament book of Daniel (10:6) and the book of Revelation (21:20). Jesus’ garments became “white as light,” Matthew writes (17:2), in a way that mirrors Psalm 104, where the psalmist writes of God: “You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a garment” (vv. 1–2). As He stands on the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah, Jesus is shining, radiant, and brilliant. An expanded meaning of the word brilliant is “perfect, amazing, and wonderful.” Jesus on the mountaintop is brilliant as He discusses how He will carry out God’s plan of our salvation with two of the best coaches ever, Moses and Elijah. Jesus does not just look brilliant—He is brilliant!

The Noblest Work. Worship: February 8, 2026

Although the work of composers of church music and writers of hymn texts are often observed and even celebrated, the faithful and thoughtful work of text translators is rarely noted. One of the most gifted translators, whose work brought into English many historical and doctrinally powerful German hymns, was an Englishwoman named Catherine Winkworth. The contributors’ index in Lutheran Service Book (p. 1002) lists forty-six hymns included in the hymnal that she translated from the original German. Her chosen words have both beauty and depth of meaning. In the second stanza of Johann Mentzer’s hymn “Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices” (LSB 811), she phrases the call to all powers to praise God with these simple words: “Your noblest work is to adore.” As we gather for worship and bring our praises in adoration to our gracious God, we are fulfilling our purpose as the crown of His creation. We are called in our worship to be joyfully carrying out the “noblest work.” It doesn’t get any better than that!

Blessed Indeed. Worship: February 1, 2026

Many of the words that we use on a regular basis in our worship have a rich and meaningful history that is often not well known. The word blessed or blessing used in the liturgy and hymns of the church is derived from the Old English word bloedsian, “to make something sacred.” This word, traced further back to an ancient Germanic dialect, originally meant “to make sacred in marking with blood.” That meaningful linkage is well reflected in the eighteenth-century hymn text by English clergyman Joseph Humphreys, which begins: “Blest the children of our God, They are bought with Christ’s own blood; They are ransomed from the grave, Life eternal they will have” (LW 370:1). In his poetic text, Humphreys echoes 1 John, where we read: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1:7). We are blessed though the blood of Jesus to be the children of God! As we pray with hymn writer Humphreys: “With them numbered may we be here and in eternity!” (LW 370:1).

Ordinary Discipleship. Worship: January 25, 2026

The Epiphany season proclaims and celebrates the salvation of God coming into the world as a light shining in a dark place. Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah predicting the dawning of that light into the darkness of unbelief, separation from God, sin, and “the shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16). That light was and is Jesus and His message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17). It may seem like a minor detail that Matthew says Isaiah’s prophetic words were fulfilled when Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth to live “in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali” (v. 13). Yet even this little fact testifies to how real the words of the Old Testament are and how they are fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ.

Likewise, it may at times seem insignificant and even unimportant when the light of the Gospel is preached in our hearing and in our world today. How many of us have heard God’s voice directly saying, “Follow me”? Those who were baptized as infants have no memory of ever being apart from God or His church. The life of faith in God may just seem normal or even routine to us—nothing out of the ordinary. Still, our sins remind us of the temptation to ignore God. Like the Christians in Corinth, we have sinful pride that causes divisions and quarreling among us. And while that’s no different than anywhere else in our world, to be a disciple of Jesus means to be truly different than the world. Repentance means being transformed by love of God and love of neighbor. Today, Jesus truly is saying to you, “Repent” and “Follow Me,” even in the ordinary details of life.

Called Saints. Worship: January 18, 2026

He Qi (Chinese, 1950–), Calling the Disciples, 1999. Oil on canvas.

People often speak about a person’s calling in life. They are describing a unique purpose or vocation according to interests and talents. Often, trying to determine a person’s “calling” or “destiny” is defined by some innate ability or giftedness found within ourselves, something we were born with or somehow born to do.

Today we hear of God calling otherwise ordinary fishermen Andrew and his brother Simon Peter. They were called by God through John the Baptist to follow the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. They were called to be disciples and eventually to be sent on Christ’s mission as apostles. The prophet Isaiah says even the Savior, the servant of the Lord, was called from the womb by God, “that Israel might be gathered to Him,” and called “as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:5–6). Saul of Tarsus was “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus,” and Saul, now named Paul, reminds the church at Corinth and us that we are “called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:1–2). This calling differs from merely surveying interests or abilities within us; it comes to us from outside of ourselves, from the living God, our creator and Redeemer. This calling comes from God to everyone. It is the call of salvation, the divine call that transforms us from sinners into saints. Therefore, this calling depends not on anything within us but solely and totally on the grace and mercy and love of God.

The Spirit-Marked Servant. Worship: January 11, 2026

All people are descendants of the first man, Adam. After the worldwide flood of God’s judgment of sin, Noah and his sons became the progenitors of all mankind. It was of the lineage of Shem (Genesis 11) that the man Abram was born. The descendants of Abram/Abraham were named Hebrews or Jews, after Judah, one of Jacob’s sons; this naming pertained to all of Israel after the Babylonian exile. To this day, they are referred to as God’s “chosen people” after the words of Moses: “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). They were chosen to be the lineage of the Messiah, the deliverer, the Christ. Faithful to His promise, God took on flesh “of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:4) as the incarnate Son of God and Son of Mary of Nazareth.

Today we hear that divine promise in Isaiah 42, identifying Jesus as God’s chosen servant. From the beginning, however, we are told He is not only to be King of the Jews alone but a light to lighten the Gentiles also. The great news is that He is the Savior of and for all people, the descendants not only of Abraham but also of Adam and Noah! By repentance of sin and faith in Christ, worked by the same Spirit that marked Jesus as the chosen one at His Baptism, now all who are baptized into Christ—Jew or Gentile—are the chosen people of God. Praising and thanking God for calling and saving us, we echo the Gospel to all people in the words of the Psalm: “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples!” (Psalm 117:1).

Grace Beyond Us. Worship: January 4, 2026

Brooklyn Museum - Jesus Found in the Temple by: James Tissot

We can’t figure God out. Mary and Joseph must have been completely confused about Jesus’ desire to stay in the temple, but it was obvious to Him. There was a long list of blessings God was able to give to Solomon; fortunately, the king chose the right one. The Epistle tells us what God wants and what He has done for us, regardless of if we have understood His plan. He has chosen us, given us the Holy Spirit, and included us in a gracious inheritance. And it all revolves around our Savior—His birth, suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus did all that was necessary for grace to be poured out on us, thanks be to God. It is all certainly beyond our understanding.

It’s Still Christmas. Worship: December 28, 2025

The stores are processing gift returns, but we dare not return our greatest Christmas gift—our Lord Jesus! God is gracious and forgiving, remembering His promises. He leads us, as we hear He did for the Israelites in the Old Testament Reading. We need no one else, as we are God’s dear children, which Paul reminds us in the Epistle. It is not that we do not have enemies—even Joseph had to figure out what to do—but we have Jesus with us. It is still Christmas.

God Appears - Light in the Darkness. Worship: December 24, 2025

It is at the darkest time of the year that we celebrate that “to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). Tonight we remember “God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). Jesus came into the darkness of our world, as He was born of Mary, to redeem us. God shines a great light on all who live in this land of deep darkness tonight to increase our joy. He is called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). We celebrate the birth of the One who rules with justice and righteousness now and forever.