NEWS

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2021

AS WE GATHER
In the beginning, “when all was still”, was the Light. The Light became flesh and dwelt among us in the stillness of the night. In tonight’s Candle Light Service, we celebrate the incarnation of the Light, who shines from the beginning till eternity. As the Gospel of Light is read, let us focus on the candles that are lit, and remember that we, too, are lit by the true Light. And as we sing the Hymn of Light, let us celebrate with a quiet joy that is different from the exuberance of Easter. Let us give praise to Him who shines on us all the days of our lives.

BIBLE READINGS:

Isaiah 9:2-7 (NIV)

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

John 1:1-14 (NIV)

BLESSING

May God, who has called you out of darkness to be servants of light, grant you the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, and the peace of the Christ Child. Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT

December 19, 2021

AS WE GATHER
Christmas is coming! But the coming of the promised Messiah does not just signify a baby being born in a stable; it reveals the Son of God coming to a broken, sinful world to save each of us from our own sinful nature. He comes to rule His people with loving justice; He comes to sacrifice Himself for us; He comes to fulfill all God’s promises to us.

BIBLE READINGS

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Micah 5:2–5
(Little Bethlehem shall be the birthplace of the promised ruler of Israel.)

EPISTLE READING: Hebrews 10:5–10 (Jesus came to earth to do His Father’s will.)

HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 1:39–45
(Elizabeth greets Mary and the unborn Jesus, and Mary rejoices in God, her Savior.)

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT

December 12, 2021

AS WE GATHER
Today we rejoice. Zephaniah the prophet calls for rejoicing because the Lord is in the midst of His people. In Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi, he repeatedly encourages the Church to rejoice, because the Lord’s coming is at hand. Our Lord came to us once, He will return, and even now is with us in Word and Sacrament. So rejoice!

BIBLE READINGS

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Zephaniah 3:14–20 (Rejoice; the Lord is in your midst. He will rejoice over you.)

EPISTLE READING: Philippians 4:4–7
(Rejoice for the Lord is at hand.)

HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 7:18–28
(The promised Messiah has indeed come.)

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT

December 5, 2021

AS WE GATHER
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These words of greeting from the pen of the apostle Paul are so familiar to us that we may miss what they convey. Grace: God’s riches at Christ’s expense; the favor of the Lord God for sinners like us; the unrelenting, unstoppable love of Jesus revealed in places like the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb. Peace: wholeness and completeness that is simultaneously out of this world yet fully in this world; union with the Father through the forgiveness earned by His Son! As we continue our Advent journey today, our gracious God comes to us through His Means of Grace to deliver His perfect peace.

BIBLE READINGS

FIRST READING: Malachi 3:1–7b
(The Lord sends His messenger to His people.)

EPISTLE READING: Philippians 1:2–11 (We thank Jesus for our partnership in the Gospel.)

HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 3:1–14
(John preaches repentance for the forgiveness of sins.)

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

November 28, 2021

AS WE GATHER
While the secular calendar won’t switch to 2022 for another month, the Church Year begins anew today. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. One Advent tradition is to mark the four Sundays in Advent with four words that encompass what Jesus brings as He comes into the world to be our Immanuel—God with us. These four words are hope, peace, joy, and love. Today we focus on hope. There is a lot of suffering in the world, but hope exists in Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and return.

BIBLE READINGS:

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Jeremiah 33:14–16
(A righteous Branch will spring up for David.)

EPISTLE READING : 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13
(“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love.”)

HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 19:28–40 (Jesus’ triumphal entry)

LAST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR—
PROPER 29

November 21, 2021

AS WE GATHER
Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Next week we will turn our attention to Advent and preparations for the celebration of Christ’s incarnation. But as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s first coming, we also anticipate His second coming. Christ’s return in glory is the focus of this service. Jesus calls on His followers to stay awake and remain prepared for His coming. He warns that no one knows the day or the hour of His return. But He promises He is returning and returning soon.

BIBLE READINGS

FIRST READING: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

EPISTLE READING: Revelations 1:4b-8

HOLY GOSPEL:   Mark 13:24–37 

Glory Everlasting

November 14, 2021

AS WE GATHER
As the Church Year is approaching its close, we turn our focus to the last things. The very last thing that we confess in the Apostles’ Creed is that we believe in the life everlasting. In Revelation, John describes the heavenly city of God and tells us that the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Brilliant brightness has always been associated with the seeing of God, from the time when Moses had to veil his face because it reflected the dazzling presence of the almighty Lord. As we come into His presence for worship, we have a partial sense of that glory as we await that time beyond time, when we shall experience it fully in the life everlasting in His heavenly kingdom.

Bible Readings:

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Daniel 12:1–3
(Those who are named in the Book of Life will be delivered.)

EPISTLE READING: Hebrews 10:11–25
(The Lord will not remember the sins of the faithful anymore.)

HOLY GOSPEL READING: Mark 13:1–13
(The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.)

God’s Blessed and Beloved Children

November 7, 2021

AS WE GATHER
This Sunday we observe the feast of All Saints’ Day. While many congregations use this service to remember those saints who have departed this life in faith, we do well to remember that “saint” is simply another word for “believer” or “follower of Jesus.” All of those who gather to confess Jesus as Lord are indeed already saints. The Gospel for today is a section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes. Jesus begins this sermon by recounting the present reality of those who have faith: they are blessed. Even when it looks as though the faithful are the opposite of blessed, they are indeed blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They are a part of the reign and rule of God. All saints, including you, are a part of the reign and rule of God; therefore, you are blessed.

Bible Readings

FIRST READING: Revelation 7: 9–17

EPISTLE READING: 1 John 3:1–3

HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 5:1–12

Abide in Jesus ~ October 31, 2021

AS WE GATHER: We are rightly proud of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, of our Lutheran Confession, and especially the Augustinian monk whose name became attached to this confession and church, Martin Luther. Reformation Day marks the day in 1517 that Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. “The eternal gospel” (Revelation 14:6) issued from the very first stroke of the pen when he wrote, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” So this day we celebrate the entire life of believers by proclaiming the eternal gospel of repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. In the Lutheran liturgy, we have preserved for us from the time of Luther the one place God wants to be worshiped, namely, in Christ.

Bible Readings:

OLD TESTAMENT READING: Revelation 14:6–7
(“Fear God and give Him glory.”)

EPISTLE READING: Romans 3:19–28
(All have sinned; all are justified by His grace.)

HOLY GOSPEL: John 8:31–36
(Listen to Jesus and be set free.)