The First of Many. Worship: January 19, 2025

The miracle of water turned into wine is a surprising one. It is marked by the fact that this is the choicest of wines, that the sheer amount of wine was embarrassingly extravagant, and that the full benefit of this miracle was limited to the servants who did what Jesus said, Mary, and the disciples who were with Jesus. It is the mark of what is to come. Jesus’ whole ministry is one of goodness beyond compare, of extravagant mercy beyond what we deserve or even dare ask, and of grace hidden in ordinary things like words, water, bread, and wine. This is then a precursor of what is to come, the first of many manifestations of His mercy and the rich and overflowing provision of His grace to supply salvation to a world that otherwise knows no joy.

THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD Soaked and Bloody: Our Lord and You. Worship: January 6, 2025

Have you ever received a surprise present, one that was out of your own price  range to get? That, in a nutshell, describes Epiphany. The Wise Men came to give presents, and instead received one their wealth could not have bought. We are included in this. We are baptized for the forgiveness of sins by His blood on the cross that covers our sins, once for all. That water and blood give us the greatest—and most expensive—gift in the world. Here we see Jesus revealed, manifested, in a star, in the coming of the Magi and the gifts they bring.

Remember. Worship: December 29, 2024

 Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget? 

To “forget” is the opposite of the biblical word we hear today: “remember.” But in Scripture, to remember means much more than merely recalling a past event as something that has no real, lasting effect on today; rather, the opposite is true. For instance, God remembers His promises by acting to fulfill them in each believer. For us, to remember means to bring a past promise or act to take effect in the present. Today we hear how the newborn Jesus, as the firstborn of Mary, was presented in the temple according to God’s law, a command to remember the Lord’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Every firstborn was to be a reminder that the Lord still delivers His people from the slavery of sin and death. So to remember that it is still Christmas is to believe that the Christ Child who came to free us comes now to each believer. Remember, that is, believe that Christ was born for you to save you. Remember, that is, believe that the forgiveness He won for us on the cross is actually given to us in the Sacrament of the Altar when, as He commanded, we do in remembrance of Him.  

The Song of the Angels. Christmas Eve Worship: December 24, 2024

One of the great pleasures of the Advent and Christmas season is the singing of hymns and carols associated with the nativity of our Lord. Many of the texts of these well-loved songs were written specifically for services in the Christmas season; others were not. “Silent Night, Holy Night” (LSB 363) was written to be first sung at a Christmas Eve service in Austria in 1818, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (LSB 361) was initially included as part of a children’s Christmas program at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia in 1868. But another well-loved hymn associated with Christmas was not originally a Christmas song. “Joy to the World” (LSB 387) was written as a paraphrase of the second half of Psalm 98 by the English hymnwriter Isaac Watts in 1719. When the text was printed as part of a collection of Psalms in English verse, he gave the song the heading “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” Our celebration of the coming to earth of Jesus as our Messiah and Lord gives us a great “resounding joy” that lasts all through our years as we await the fullness of His kingdom yet to come! 

Preparing for the Promise Fulfilled. Worship: December 22, 2024

 The Advent season of preparing for the promised Savior to be born as one of us soon reaches its climax. Though in our homes and lives we may be wondering if we have done all we have needed to get ready for our own celebrations, we give thanks that at the center of our coming Christmas observations the Lord has prepared all we need. In this last Sunday of Advent and in the days ahead of anticipated Christmas joy, may we find peace in the preparations done freely for us out of grace, mercy, and perfect love centered on the Savior we soon welcome, who was born for us and all the world. 

Rejoice in the Lord Always! Worship: December 15, 2024

Are you feeling the joy? At this point in the month of December, studies show that many people are not feeling joy. Many people are feeling overwhelmed as they approach Christmas, feeling stressors that include not having enough money, missing loved ones, and anticipating family conflict. No matter how we come to our time of worship today, even if stressed, distracted, and frazzled, what great timing to hear what God speaks to us in this season and each day. From all our Readings today, we hear of joy! It is a joy not based on our own momentary perspectives of how things should go, but rather a joy from God’s eternal perspective for our sake and what has freely been done for us. As our Advent season continues, may our true joy be found in the one for whom we prepare—Christ, who was born for us and who is with us and for us and is today in our midst as He comes to us in the means of grace. 

Preparing the Way. Worship: December 8, 2024

In this month of December, we find ourselves getting ready and preparing for many things, such as gatherings with family and friends, gifts to get and give to others, traditional treats to be made, and decorations for the season. The foremost preparation, of course, is for our Savior’s birth. Today we are reminded of another time of preparation that would be after Jesus’ birth and prior to His earthly ministry—that of John the Baptist, who would prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In our busy times of preparing to celebrate this season, today we draw our focus on and give thanks for the one who would raise valleys, level mountains, and make straight the paths for Him.

Preparing for the Savior. Worship: December 1, 2024

Though a full month remains before we turn our calendars to 2025, today we can wish a “happy new year” in the life of the church. The Advent season begins a new church year and is a time of preparation, as the Latin “Adventus” means an arrival or coming of someone. More than preparing for the coming of just anyone, here we prepare for our Savior. As we get hearts and minds ready for the Christmas crescendo to come celebrating Christ’s humble birth, we also remain prepared in this season and always as He promises to come again.  

Christ the King. Worship: November 24, 2024

 The Last Sunday of the Church Year is about the last things, the day of judgment when Jesus Christ “will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,” Christ, “whose kingdom will have no end” (Nicene Creed). The last Sunday is therefore known as the Sunday of fulfillment, when all the plans and promises of God’s salvation break forth in the resurrection of all flesh and eternal life in the new heavens and earth. This year we hear the Readings appointed for what some churches call Christ the King Sunday. 

With the vision of the prophet Daniel, we are given a fascinating “apocalyptic” revelation. As such, we are cautioned against overinterpreting the symbolism of the four beasts, fiery flames, burning wheels, and the like. The clear point is that God Himself is Lord, king, and ruler over all the nations of the earth. The four nations of Daniel chapter 7 are progressively more evil than the ones before: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Not all earthly kingdoms or nations are evil, of course. Yet evil and the devil’s madness appear here and there everywhere. Christ is the king not only over all the ancient nations of the world but also over our own! With great and glad celebration, therefore, we gather to rejoice over our assurance that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, rules ultimately over all things, always for our good, our healing, our salvation, and our destiny in the day of resurrection. 

In Christ We Will Endure. Worship: November 17, 2024

Photo: Aimee Munson 2024. Ellingston Newfoundland

The ending of a liturgical year speaks of the end of all things. Our Lord spoke plainly about the end of the world. There are signs the end is coming. Jesus’ teaching seems to elicit only question marks on our part. “When?” “What?” “How?” The signs He speaks of include false teachers in the church, wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes as “but the beginning of the birth pains” (Mark 13:8). The Jewish people of Jesus’ time on earth would be alarmed at His prediction of the destruction of the temple as it would mean the end of their faith and hope in God. The world is to see, however, that the loving, saving God is closer than ever in the new temple of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again for the life of the world. As the beloved hymn says, our “hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” No merit of our own can prepare us “when darkness veils, . . . in every high and stormy gale, . . . in the raging flood; when every earthly prop gives way.” No matter what comes we are “clothed in His righteousness alone, redeemed to stand before His throne! On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand” (LSB 575/576).