WORSHIP
Listening for the Song of Angels, Christmas Eve Worship
“Glory to God in the highest!” The expression of praise by the heavenly host on the night when Jesus was born into our world has echoed through the ages. As we gather for this most special day, we find joy in repeating the words of God’s heavenly messengers. The angels proclaimed a message of peace and good will. The Word made flesh—the baby Jesus born to bring the light of redemption to a people on earth lost in darkness. This was the reason the angels were singing. This is why we join the angels in song as we rejoice in the glory of Christmas!
Sermon did not get recorded for Dec. 24 due to technical difficulties. Please check back for next Sunday's sermon.
The Arrival of Joy, Decemeber 17th Worship
This Sunday the candle we light on our Advent wreath is pink. Pink is a color of joy. This Third Sunday in Advent is referred to as “The Sunday of Joy.” Many of the joys of life come and go. The joy of knowing our Savior sent from heaven can be the most constant and consistent joy that we know. Only in Jesus, the coming Savior, can we rejoice in good times and bad times, busy times and quiet times, sick times and healthy times. In Christ, we have reason to call ourselves to rejoice always!
Sermon did not get recorded for Dec. 17 due to technical difficulties. Please check back for next Sunday's sermon.
God Our Comfort, December 10th Worship
Every Advent we hear this call to slow down, to be patient in the face of a frantic world, and to focus on the peace that comes from the Word made flesh for us and our salvation. There is good reason to do so. Our lives are destined by God for eternal things, made possible by the death and resurrection of Christ. Today we hear God speak to the deepest part of our soul: “Comfort, take Comfort,” He says. This day we can celebrate that God has given us every reason to take comfort and peace in the promised Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sermon did not get recorded for Dec. 10. Please check back for next Sunday's sermon.
The King Comes, December 3rd Worship
Isaiah the prophet expresses the longing we have for God when he wrote, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!” In the season of Advent we join the prophet in his plea. With confidence we are preparing to receive the King of all creation. We know that He has come once and will fulfill His promise to return again to complete our salvation and deliverance. We watch and wait with expectation.
Christ the King Reigns, November 26th 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.
The Lord of Ultimate Things, November 19 Worship
As we come to the last few Sundays in the church we also appropriately come to a time of the year in which the light of day is fleeting and rare. In our worship at this time we call out to our gracious God to brighten our lives as only He can. He is Lord of the ultimate things and He can bring light to even the smallest and seemingly insignificant aspects of our lives. By what He did Jesus Christ tore open the heavens that God’s gracious light may come into this darkened world. Jesus tells us a story about how God has entrusted us with the care of things and people, and as we do this God’s light can be more clearly seen, and the brightness of the coming new heaven and earth becomes more obvious
The Lord Come Down from Heaven, Novemeber 12 Worship
God is infinite and eternal. He has no beginning and no end. That means that wherever and whenever you meet God you know there is more. He always has something else, another move, one more chapter. As we go through the ordinary things that fill our lives we might assume that the rest will be just the same as before. But God is infinitely creative and eternally generous. He is always beginning something new. As the church year winds down we are reminded to keep watching and expecting anytime, anywhere. We celebrate that we will see God in all of His glory, infinite and eternal.
For All the Saints, November 5th Worship
All Saint’s Day could bring some pressure. Being a saint sounds like a lot to live up to. 500 years ago when Martin Luther felt this he left everything behind and joined a monastery. The monks Luther joined prayed and worshipped God around the clock, seven days a week. But it did not make Martin feel like a saint. The harder he tried the more he sensed his lack of righteousness. When he started looking into the Bible for answers he found a different story. Holiness is God’s gift to bestow on us. Jesus came among us to bring holiness into our midst. In Jesus anyone can be holy, not just monks, everyone, even us find we are made into Saints because of what Jesus did for us.
500th Anniversary of the Reformation, October 29th Worship
“It’s still all about Jesus.” It was all about Jesus when the Lord God first promised a Savior to Adam, Eve, and their descendants. It was all about Jesus with every foretelling of the coming Christ by Old Testament prophets. It was all about Jesus at the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb. It was all about Jesus as the apostle Paul penned, “We hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28). It was all about Jesus when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517. It’s still all about Jesus today as we receive the Means of Grace—Word and Sacrament. It will be all about Jesus when He returns in glory on the Last Day. As we observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we celebrate that it always has been, and always will be, all about Jesus!
Jesus, "Man of Integrity, Teaching the Way of God" October 22nd Worship
There is a mystery at the center of everything, and we all can sense it. When the mystery was revealed his name was Jesus. As we ready ourselves to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation we are reminded that it is easy to lose sight of this simple insight: it is really all about Jesus. They called him, “a man of integrity, teaching the way of God in accordance with the truth.” They were trying to flatter him and prompt him to say something that would get him in trouble. But Jesus just kept coming up with amazing answers creating clarity. The great secret is revealed: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.