Christmas Day Worship, Sunday Dec. 25th, 9:30am

As we gather on this sacred Christmas Day our minds are filled with new things. Christmas might bring new gifts and new strength to relationships with family and friends. Christmas creates a point of connection to all the gifts Almighty God has for you. Today in our Christmas worship we connect the manger at Bethlehem to the empty tomb at Jerusalem as we take communion and ponder the meaning of this miracle child being the eternal Savior King. The whole story of our salvation in Jesus is packed into this one day. It is as if someone gave you a gift in a great big box and every time you pull something out of the box you see that there is even more down there in the bottom. There is such great reason for joy in Jesus. Christmas reminds us that we have an eternity of gifts and blessings to look forward to because of the Christ Child born this sacred day.

Our God, Emmanuel is with Us, December 18th Worship

On this Fourth Sunday in Advent, we draw closer to the sign we are awaiting---the sign of the Word made flesh, our Emmanuel (God with us).  Long ago the prophet spoke of this, that God himself would come to be with us. As this promise was about to be fulfilled we hear the angel tell Joseph to name his new son “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This is what we prepare to celebrate: God has come to be with us, and we know his name is Jesus.

Our God Comes in Glory, December 11th Worship

John the Baptist was a strong and confident man, loudly proclaiming that the Savior of the world had come. But then John was thrown in prison. Challenged and tested by that circumstance John asked for reassurance that indeed Jesus was the one they had been waiting for. Jesus sent John a message of hope and confidence that echoed back the words of Isaiah the Prophet spoken 800 years earlier. In our journey of faith we too will often need to hear some message of hope from God. Even now, here today God speaks. Isaiah proclaims, “Our God comes in glory, He comes to save you”.

God Fulfills His Word, December 4th Worship

One man stands at the cross roads of God’s Word. John the Baptist strides between what we know as the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the past God had made extraordinary promises. “Now,” said John, “God is fulfilling His promises.” John reminds us that those who hope for God will indeed see Him, and even now, God is not far from us. In the spirit of Advent we sing for Him: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.”

The King Is Coming! November 27th Worship

What do we do when an important guest is coming over to visit? We clean the house, prepare the dinner menu, put on nice clothes, and do many other things in anticipation. Beginning a new Church Year is also a time of getting ready. We prepare ourselves to welcome the King—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh to His people. The most important preparation we are called to is a readiness of our hearts and minds. This Advent season is a time of preparation—to prepare ourselves to welcome Him who came humbly as a king by earthly standards, but is the eternal King of heaven and earth. We welcome Him with repentant hearts and an expectant spirit. Even now today God comes to us in Word and Sacrament by His Holy Spirit.

King Triumphant, November 20th Worship

Christ Jesus is King of King and Lord of Lords; that is what we celebrate on this Last Sunday of the church year. Already at His crucifixion Jesus could be called a conquering king for His victory over death. What we believe is that as time continues to move forward we are getting closer to the complete and ultimate recognition of Christ’s Kingship. We can live this day with hope and expectation because Christ is the King of all eternity.

In God We Trust, November 13th Worship

As the end of the Church Year draws near, we can take heart that God will finish what He started. God has promised to orchestrate the events that shape history to a good end. Throughout the church year we celebrate that God himself appeared and Jesus won our salvation from sin, death, and the devil. In these last days of the church year we hear Jesus tell us that hard things may come but in this God is completing the fulfillment of His Word and oath. No matter what comes we can live in a sense of expectation: “Stand up,” He says, “and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” In God we trust.

Saints by the Grace of God, November 6th Worship

When we think of saints, we likely picture well-known disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout the years. Familiar names from the pages of Scripture come to mind such as Peter, John, and Paul—the type of people we name churches after. Perhaps this is rightly so. After all, the Lord worked in the lives of these individuals in powerful ways. On All Saints’ Day, however, we also give thanks to God for “unsung saints.” We remember faithful Christian men and women whose names may not be known to the world but are known to us. We remember the names of mothers and fathers, friends and family, and fellow congregation members who bore witness to Christ as their hope and guide. We rejoice that they are now in the presence of the crucified and risen Savior who has makes us His Saints by grace.

Great is the Lord in the City of Our God, Reformation Worship Oct. 30th

499 years ago a man named Martin Luther was able to see what others had lost sight of, that by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we are saved forever by the grace of God. Martin Luther realized that each and every one of us can find this for ourselves in the pages of God’s Word. In the sacred Scriptures something amazing happens. We get to see a great city, a fortress, a tall, strong citadel. Here we meet God. Here we celebrate with angels that, as Psalm 48 says, “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.”

The Kingdom of God Belongs to Such as These, October 23rd Worship

Sometimes we might rebuke someone by saying, “You are being childish.” Children are far from perfect. We are all fundamentally broken and sinful from birth. But at the same time Jesus sees something universally beautiful in the innocence of children. Children are entirely dependent on their caregivers. Jesus declares this to be characteristic of all who will receive the Kingdom of God. Our trust in God enables Him to bless us in infinite and eternal ways.