Astonished at His Teaching. Worship: January 28, 2024

In a world where there is nothing new under the sun, we still run to anything that appears to be new. When Jesus taught in the synagogue, the hearers heard a man speak with the authority of the author of the Scriptures. They were surprised and even more surprised when His Word was not simply theoretical but silenced an unclean spirit and relieved the man of this demon. In their amazement, they could not help but tell the story to any who would listen. Yet even as Jesus’ fame spread, so did opposition to His teaching and preaching.

God’s Time and Ours, Worship: January 21, 2024

Ever had those days that felt like weeks or those weeks that felt like days? Those minutes that felt like hours, or the hours that felt like minutes? Time is a fickle thing on this earth, as we are bound by it yet our perspective of it is ever changing. Our Scripture Readings today all deal with time. As God deemed it time for Nineveh to have the opportunity to repent and know His grace, He came to Jonah a second time. In the Epistle, Paul reminds us time is short, and the physical world is passing away. In the Gospel, Jesus would begin His earthly ministry and call His disciples, echoing the words of John the Baptist, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). Though to the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day, we live each day knowing that all time is in His hands. Until He calls His people to glory, we rejoice for the time to gather where His Spirit is, be blessed by His Word of Law and Gospel, rejoice in mercy and forgiveness, and make use of the time given to be witnesses to others.

God Speaks, We Listen. Worship: January 14, 2024

Since the beginning of creation, God has spoken. He spoke into being our universe and our very selves as the crown of His creation; He spoke when seeking out Adam and Eve in a fallen world; He spoke many times and many ways through the prophets; and He spoke by the very words that came from the mouth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. From Him came words of instructing, healing, forgiving, and of invitation to follow Him as we hear today with Philip and Nathanael. The Lord still speaks to us today in His Word, as His Spirit spoke instruction and encouragement of the use of bodies through Paul in his letter to the church of Corinth. Through all He speaks, we are called to listen to that Word to guide and direct, and to hear His continued words of forgiveness, peace, hope, and joy as “in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2).

Look Here! Hear! Worship: January 7, 2024

The Twelve Days of our Christmas celebration have come to an end. But the miraculous birth of the Son of God is only the beginning of the story. For though Jesus came as the fulfillment of all the promises to God’s chosen people Israel, the promise to Abraham was clear that by his seed “all the families of the earth” would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This is the mystery Paul speaks of in Ephesians 3, how “the Gentiles are fellow heirs . . . of the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6). Anything hidden remains a mystery until it is revealed. No one, Jew or Gentile, can come to faith in Christ without the Gospel being revealed. Another word for “reveal” is “epiphany.” So today Matthew uses the word “behold,” showing what may seem a surprise to some. “Behold, wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1). “Behold, the star that they had seen” (Matthew 2:9). Today we say, behold, Christmas is a much bigger thing than many have thought. It encompasses nothing less than all our Lord’s earthly ministry culminating in His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit. It is nothing less than the gift of salvation to all who believe. This epiphany has invaded your darkness through the water and the Word of your Holy Baptism, through the Word of God preached in your hearing, and through the receiving of our Lord’s very body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar to sustain that gift, that epiphany of faith to the end of days. By faith you have made a very good beginning.

In Every Generation. Worship: December 31, 2023

How long is a generation? Keepers of statistics suggest that a generation is between twenty and thirty years and note that at the present time there are six distinct generations living in the United States. The current generations range from our oldest citizens, known as the Greatest Generation through our youngest, given the group name of Generation Z. In the account of the presentation of our Lord in the temple at Jerusalem, we see Jesus as a baby from the youngest generation and we meet Anna the prophetess, well advanced into the most elderly generation, and Simeon, who is often portrayed as an older man. The temple is the place for all generations to experience the presence and blessing of God! The psalmist exults in praise to God: “One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). As we worship, we continue that praise in this generation.

Christmas Eve. Love In Person. Worship: December 24, 2023

Christmas is a celebration of love. Loving thoughts and deeds certainly are part of this holy season as goodwill among people seems more pronounced than at other times of the year. What is the source of that love? It is the love of God that is fully expressed in Christ Jesus, the babe in the manger. For centuries, hymn writers and poets have found meaningful ways of describing that love of God. A poem by English writer Christina Rossetti simply but beautifully shares the Gospel truth that blesses this season. Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Star and angels gave the sign. (LW 46:1) Through the words of gifted hymn writers and poets and the evangelists Luke and Matthew, we hear the angels and we see the star. Once again, the message of God’s love echoes in our world!

We Are Waiting and at Peace. Worship: December 24, 2023

Advent is the season of waiting! Soon and very soon our waiting and planning for Christmas celebrations will come to their close, and we will rejoice in Christ’s coming to save us. Such waiting and planning for Christmas can also guide us as we prepare for Christ’s final advent, His ultimate coming, when He returns on the Last Day. Until that glorious Day, when all portions of God’s plan for our salvation will be accomplished, we are blessed with the peace “which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Such peace is an amazing gift that the Lord gave to the virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, when she received God’s Word from the angel Gabriel and then carried our salvation in her womb, delivering Jesus into the world. “Let it be to me according to your word,” she said (Luke 1:38). May we say the same as we gather this day and, like Mary, receive the peace that God alone can give.

We Are Waiting and Giving Witness. Worship: December 17, 2023

Advent is the season of waiting! As we wait, we have a special job to do. We joyfully get ready for Jesus’ arrival by remembering the ministry of John the Baptist, who came as a witness to Christ, the light of the world. John himself was not the light, nor was he the centerpiece of God’s plan to save the world; no, John’s life was dedicated to preparing the way before the Lord and to get people ready for Jesus coming to the rescue of His people. In many ways, we are invited to be like John. Through our personal witness to Christ in our interpersonal relationships with others, God is working through us so that others will come to know His Son. Our goal is not only to trust in Jesus for ourselves but also to let the world know that He is coming to save them too. And His soon-to-come arrival will be well worth the wait!

A Joyful Homecoming. Worship: December 10, 2023

Advent is the season of waiting! As we await Christ’s coming again in power and glory, we know that the time we are given before that great Day is due to the Lord’s patience. “The Lord . . . is patient toward you,” says Peter (2 Peter 3:9). Why? More time before Christ’s return as King and Judge means more opportunities for us to share the life-giving Gospel with all the world. As people hear the message of Christ, repenting of their sin and turning to Him in faith, more souls will be brought into God’s eternal kingdom. And because He is working His wonders of salvation, we rejoice in Him and receive from Him all He seeks to give!

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT We Are Waiting for His Arrival. Worship: December 3, 2023

Welcome to the season of waiting! Not only is Advent a period of preparation for Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, but this sacred season readies our hearts for Jesus’ ultimate coming: when He, as King of kings and Lord of lords, returns in power and glory on the Last Day, when every knee will bow before Him and every eye will see Him as the One who reigns in sovereign majesty over all things. Until His ultimate revealing on that Day, we wait for Him in confident faith, strengthened by His Word and Meal, trusting His promise to make us guiltless in His sight. With the expectant people of old, may our worship together lead us to say: “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20).