The Son of Man is Coming in the Clouds with Power and Glory, November 17 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.” “The Son of Man is coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

God of the Living, November 10 Worship

Today might just be another day, but on this day we can celebrate that God is taking us to the day when we will join with all who have hoped for the gracious blessing of eternity in heaven. In this hope we celebrate that God is with us even now. God came to Moses in a burning bush and told him, “take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” God said to Moses, my name is “I am who I am.” The name Yahweh means “pure being.” Jesus tells us, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” That gives us a lot to celebrate today and for an eternity of days.

All Saints Sunday, November 3 Worship

What does it mean to be called a saint? We can still live in the here and now where everything can become routine and predictable and yet a saint knows there is something holy and sacred about the whole of life. Saints know that everything is a gift from God. Saints learn to depend on God, and count on his goodness, mercy, love and compassion. Saints do not give up, always believing and hoping in God’s amazing and ingenious ways. Saints take heart in the great reversal of Jesus, who left His grave alive again to show us, that for His saints, God has an eternal life in heaven.

Reformation Sunday Worship October 27

Five hundred years ago Martin Luther knew that he needed the strong fortress of God. He struggled and studied and prayed, but still the security he sought eluded him. Finally he realized that God had made it very simple. Our salvation was won for us by Jesus Christ. It is not about what we need to do, it’s all about what God has done. God has made a strong and eternal fortress for us. Not sin, or the devil, or even death can knock down the walls of the strong fortress God has built around us in Christ Jesus.   

Confident in God, October 20 Worship

Jacob wrestled with an angelic messenger from God. Jesus tells us a story about a woman who persistently petitions an unjust judge until he finally grants her justice. We can be confident that God is ultimately good and just. Our loving Father always hears our prayers. Though His answers may not always be what we want or expect we can forever be confident that God is always good.

Lord Almighty over All the In Between, October 13th Worship

God is faithful to us even in those ordinary times and places where it might not seem that much of anything is happening. Those may even be the times when God is most faithful: those days when we are on a long slow journey. Many of our days are not especially dramatic, things are not beginning nor are they ending. We might be traveling so slowly it is hardly possible to notice. But those might be the days when God is holding us most strongly, keeping us on course. God, who is eternal and has no beginning and no end is perfectly comfortable being present with us in all the places in between. Paul tells Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.” God had to keep things on course over 28 generations in order to make the connection from King David to Jesus Resurrection. He is indeed Lord over all the in between.   

A Living Faith in Our Living God, October 6th Worship

We are blessed by God to lead a faithful life. His Spirit, His Word, and His Love is what makes our life of faith possible. How would it change this day of your life to remember that God wants your faith to be a lively part of it? You might look for a different way to interpret the unfolding events. You could talk with a friend and listen for some new insight. Jesus knew that he needed to both challenge and console His disciples in order to give them a living faith that is constant and true. God wants us to have faith for the ups and the downs and everything in between. We celebrate the gift of a living faith.  

The Rich Abundance of God, September 29 Worship

  Jesus tells a parable of a rich man, whose name we never know, and a poor man, whose name is Lazarus. The rich man had it all while Lazarus had nothing but crumbs. As they both die on the same night this is all reversed. The rich man is in anguish and Lazarus is right next to Abraham in honor. The rich man begs for mercy, but it is too late; a great chasm has been fixed that no one can cross. The rich man begs that his five living brothers might be warned; he is told that even if someone should rise from the dead, they will not be convinced. The name "Lazarus" means, "God is my help."  The parable reveals that God wants us to have His eternal and infinite riches forever. As Jesus has triumphed over all things we celebrate that we are rich in God's most priceless treasure now and forever.

Our Generous God, September 22 Worship

Some of the parable stories that Jesus tells are so rich with meaning they can apply to many things. Jesus tells us a story about a master who has a reputation for generosity. When his unjust steward discounts everyone’s bills, he doesn’t assert his legal right to reverse the steward’s actions; instead, he stays consistent with his reputation and generously forgives the debts. As we rejoice in the generosity of God we also hear another layer to Jesus’ story. God calls us to use wisely and well whatever He entrusts to us. Today and for eternity we get to celebrate our generous God.

Rejoice With Me, September 15 Worship

God sets new things before us. He is a consistent renewing Spirit for us. Our readings today speak to us of God’s ability to lead us back, or help us to find what was lost. Paul writes in 1st Timothy about the dramatic turn His life took by the grace and mercy of God. Jesus tells us a couple of short little stories to help us imagine the transforming nature of God’s care and compassion for us. Once we have found this, we like the woman who finds a valuable coin that had been lost, will exclaim, “Rejoice with me.”