Worship

Click on name of any Sunday to see the Order of Service.

Past services (which include the audio of the sermon in the service) are found at the bottom of the page.

1^st Advent Midweek Service ................................December 2, 2020

Jesus, the Seed of Jesse’s Tree

Advent means “coming.” As the largest of trees begin with a seed, so it is with God’s promise to save the world from sin and death. Salvation is coming. After the fall, God promised that the fruit of Adam and Eve would one day be wounded, yet He would crush the head of sin and death. From that seed of a promise sprouted numerous signposts of the Coming One: the promise to Abraham and Sarah, the crossing of the Red Sea, the prophets declaring that out of the stump of Jesse would sprout a Savior. The seed of salvation, promised long ago, was born into the world in Jesus, His first advent. And now, during this Advent season, we await with joyful hope His second advent. Jesus, the Seed, has been planted in a tomb and sprouted forth to new life, filling us with hope as we wait, watch, and prepare for Jesus’ second advent.

2^nd Sunday in Advent ............................................... December 6, 2020

You Are Prepared through Repentance for the Coming of the Lord

"The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1) begins when John the Baptist appears and comes "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mark 1:4). As the prophet Isaiah had written, John is the messenger of the Lord, sent before His face to prepare His way. To this day, the ministry of the forerunner continues in the preaching of the Law and the Gospel and in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. By these ways and means, "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Is. 40:5), and the Good Shepherd "will gather the lambs in his arms" (Is. 40:11). He speaks "tenderly to Jerusalem," and He comforts His people by pardoning their iniquity (Is. 40:1-2). What is more, He promises "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). Repent, therefore, and humble yourself as you wait for His coming in peace (2 Peter 3:14), because He "is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

2^nd Advent Midweek Service ...........................December 9, 2020

Jesus, the Root of Jesse's Tree

Advent is a time to reflect on Jesus’ coming at Christmas. It is a time to look with hope toward His coming again at the restoration of all creation. It is a time to recognize Jesus’ coming to us now in His Word, Baptism, and Holy Communion. In a world that often feels ungrounded and rootless, we find during Advent deep and abiding hope in Jesus as the root of our life and faith. As the roots of a tree nourish it, keep it grounded, and cause it to grow, so Jesus, the root of Jesse’s tree, nourishes us, grounds us, and causes us to grow in faith. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, we pause midweek to be grounded and rooted in Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

3^rd Sunday in Advent ............................................... December 13, 2020

The Coming of the Christ Brings True Rejoicing in His Forgiveness

When he preaches repentance, John the Baptist points us to Christ Jesus. John was sent by God "as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him" (John 1:7). He baptizes with water in order to "make straight the way of the Lord," who shall redeem His people from their sins (John 1:23). That Lord Jesus "who comes after" John now stands among us and makes Himself known to us (John 1:26-27). He has been anointed by the Holy Spirit "to bring good news to the poor" and "to bind up the brokenhearted" (Is. 61:1). By the washing of the water with His Word and Spirit, He clothes His Church with "the garments of salvation" and adorns her with His own righteousness "as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Is. 61:10). Therefore, we "rejoice always" in the Lord, "pray without ceasing" and "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:16-18). For "the God of peace," who has called you by the Gospel, will surely "sanctify you completely," so that "your whole spirit and soul and body" will "be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

3^rd Advent Midweek Service ........................... December 16, 2020

Jesus, the Pruner of Jesse's Tree

Advent is a time of preparation for Christ’s coming – just the anticipation of celebrating His first coming at Christmas but also His return at the end of days. In that preparation, we examine our lives against His Word and will, and in repentance, we prune out those things that are contrary. Tonight we trace God’s Family Tree through the time of David the king and then the time of Isaiah the prophet. God’s Family Tree grew for all to see in a superpower of a kingdom under David, but later it had to be cut down, as Isaiah prophesied. God’s Family Tree grew and flourished, and many could rest in its shade, but then it became diseased and had to be cut down. But, as we will see, what looks like a drastic cutting down to us is merely God’s way of pruning His own Family Tree to deliver the Savior He promised for centuries.

4^th Sunday in Advent .............................................. December 20, 2020

The Lord Builds a House for David: Jesus Christ Who Comes in the Flesh

When King David "lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies," he piously supposed that he would build a house for God (2 Sam. 7:1_2). But the Lord would turn it around: He would establish a house for David and an everlasting throne. This He has done not only for David, but also for all His people, in the Son of David, Jesus Christ, "conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary" (Apostles' Creed). That holy child, the incarnate "Son of the Most High," receives "the throne of his father David" and begins to reign "over the house of Jacob forever" (Luke 1:32-33). Having given Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, His body is the true and eternal temple of God in which His people have their own place of peace and rest. That is "the mystery that was kept secret for long ages" but is now "made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God" in order that we may have faith and life in Christ (Rom. 16:25-26).

4^th Advent Midweek Service ........................... December 23, 2020

Jesus, the Life of Jesse's Tree

As the celebration of Christ’s birth draws near, it is good to remember that the Advent season is about life. God entered this world, which is marred by death, as a vulnerable baby, brimming with the hope of new life. This Christ Child grew up to be the resurrection and the life, so that in the midst of the darkness of death, we have hope for life now and into eternity. Our Advent calling is to let the life we now have in Christ shine forth into the dark places of our world, so that those who dwell in the land of deep darkness may know the light and life of Jesus.

Children's Christmas Eve Program ................ December 24, 2020

The Word of the Lord Is Fulfilled in the Flesh of Jesus

Though Ahaz would not ask, the Lord gives a sign to the House of David - "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Is. 7:14). With this promise, He signifies that salvation is by His grace alone. It is no work or achievement of man, but the Lord's own work and His free gift. The promise is fulfilled as the Son of God is conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, and the sign is received in faith by the House of David in the person of Joseph (Matt. 1:20_24). "Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary" (Nicene Creed), God is with us (Immanuel) in the flesh of Jesus, Mary's Son. Joseph believes that Word of God and so demonstrates a marvelous example in his immediate and quiet obedience, taking Mary to be his wife and caring for her in faith and love. He loves her because the love of God is manifest in this, that "the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world," to be "the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10_14).

Christmas Eve Midnight ........................................ December 24, 2020

The Light of Christ Shines Forth in the Darkness

Heaven and earth rejoice this night because the glory of the holy Triune God is manifested in the human birth of "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). In Him, the Father's grace, mercy and peace rest upon the world. The silence of death is broken by this "good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). And all we who have gone astray like lost and wandering sheep, who have "walked in the darkness" of doubt and fear and sinful unbelief, behold "a great light" in the nativity of Christ (Is. 9:2). In Him "the grace of God has appeared" (Titus 2:11). For this child of Mary who is born for us, this dear Son of God who is given to us, bears the burden of our sin and death in His own body to the cross. He thereby establishes a government of peace, "with justice and with righteousness," which shall have no end; not by any work of man, but "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" (Is. 9:7).

Christmas Day .............................................................. December 25, 2020

The Living and Life-Giving Word of God Dwells Among Us in the Flesh

The Lord sends out His ministers of the Gospel to make disciples "of all the nations," so that "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." For the Lord has "bared his holy arm" in the incarnate Christ (Is. 52:7, 10). The child in the manger, born of the Virgin Mary, is the very Word of God, the only begotten Son of the Father, "whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world" (Heb. 1:2). As "all things were made through him" (John 1:3), so are all things redeemed and made new in Him. In His body of flesh and blood, we behold "the radiance of the glory of God" (Heb. 1:3), "glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He dwells among us in peace, that we might have life and light and salvation in Him. For by His Word of the Gospel, we are born again as the children of God, bearing His name and sharing His eternal life.

Past Services

1^st Sunday in Advent ................................................November 29, 2020

The Lord Jesus Comes in Meekness and Humility to Save Us

Although we pray that God "would rend the heavens and come down" (Is. 64:1), that He would take vengeance against our enemies, we ourselves "have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Is. 64:6). We have continued in our sins for "a long time, and shall we be saved?" (Is. 64:5). Yet the Lord does not punish us in anger. He comes in voluntary meekness and humility to save us by His grace. Just as He once came into Jerusalem to sacrifice Himself for us upon the cross (Mark 11:4_8), He still comes to His Church with the fruits of His Passion. By His ministry of the Gospel, we are "enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge," and so He will "sustain you to the end" (1 Cor. 1:5, 8). Although "heaven and earth will pass away," His words "will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). As He sends disciples to call us to Himself in the fellowship of His Church, so will He "send out the angels" to gather us and all of His elect "from the ends of the earth" to Himself in heaven forever (Mark 13:27).

Thanksgiving (Obs.) ...................................................November 25, 2020

We Praise God for Sustaining Life in and through His Word

The nation resounds with thanksgiving for the earth’s bountiful harvest, crops of wheat and grains, all beneath the canopy of God’s almighty care. But “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). The Church is the vessel through which the Word of God penetrates the world with its Law and Gospel. It is this divine Word that proclaims Jesus as the sole source of life, health and wholeness. It is Jesus who heals lepers with His Word: “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:11–19). Of the 10 cleansed, only one expresses thanksgiving back to Jesus. But true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith. Jesus bids this one Samaritan to “rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” So also, we are sent from the Divine Service, bolstered in our faith by baptismal and Eucharist blessing to be thankful in our circumstances of plenty and hunger, abundance and need (Phil. 4:6–20).

Last Sunday of the Church Year .....................November 22, 2020

By the Cross of Christ, We Enter the Kingdom of Our God and Father

When the crucified and risen Lord Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead, "he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:32). "To those on his right," who have been crucified and raised with Him through repentance and faith in His Gospel, He will grant the blessed kingdom of His Father (Matt. 25:34). Having been justified by His grace, they live unto righteousness in Him (Matt. 25:35-40). But "those on his left," who trust in themselves and despise their neighbor, will depart "into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). Until that day, the Lord searches for His sheep "as a shepherd seeks out his flock" (Ezek. 34:11-12). Through His preaching of repentance, He disciplines the proud sheep and goats, "the fat and the strong," but through the preaching of forgiveness He rescues the lost, binds up the injured, strengthens the weak and feeds "the lean sheep" (Ezek. 34:16, 20). In this way, He destroys the power of death in the children of Adam by His cross, so that "in Christ shall all be made alive" by His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-26).

24th Sunday after Pentecost ..............................November 15, 2020

God's Gift of Forgiveness Engenders Our Forgiveness of Others

The Day of the Lord is "near and hastening fast," and it will be "a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation" (Zeph. 1:14, 15). The Lord will search out and punish "the men who are complacent" concerning His Word, "who fill their master's house with violence and fraud" (Zeph. 1:9, 12). Then all their works and efforts will be for nothing: "Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them" (Zeph. 1:13). But those who fear, love and trust in the Lord are "good and faithful" stewards of His property (Matt. 25:21). They live by faith in His free gift of forgiveness, and they multiply His goods in the loving forgiveness of their neighbor, and "the master of those servants" settles His accounts with them by the gracious reckoning of His Gospel (Matt. 25:19). Likewise, "God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9). Therefore, let us also "put on the breastplate of faith and love" in our dealings with one another (1 Thess. 5:8).

23rd Sunday after Pentecost ...........................November 8, 2020

The Gospel Prepares Us for Our Heavenly Bridegroom's Coming

The Day of the Lord is "darkness, and not light" (Amos 5:18, 20) for all who trust in their own righteousness and piety. The Lord will not accept their "burnt offerings and grain offerings," nor will He look upon their "peace offerings" (Amos 5:22). Instead, He desires a heart of faith that trusts in Him, which lets "justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24) in love for the neighbor. In order for the "lamps" of our lives to burn brightly with such love, we must be filled with the "oil" of forgiveness through faith in our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:1-4). Therefore, as we await His coming, wisdom directs us "to the dealers" (Matt. 25:9), that is, to the ministers of His Gospel. Thus we wait upon the Lord, and we "encourage one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:18). Waking or sleeping, we are prepared to meet Him when He comes "with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God," and "we will always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

Feast of All Saints ...........................................................November 1, 2020

Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

"A great multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages," cry out "salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne" (Rev. 7:9-17). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we too, "shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:1-3). Joined with the throng of angels and a myriad of saints, we shall "serve him day and night in his temple" (Rev. 7:9-17). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits, and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure, and the persecuted are all blessed and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1-12).

Reformation Sunday ...................................................... October 25, 2020

The Son of God Has Set Us Free from Sin and Death by His Grace

"Wisdom is justified by her deeds" (Matt. 11:19), and the true Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus the incarnate Son, justifies us by His deeds. He prepares His way by the preaching of repentance, but He has suffered the violence of the Law and voluntarily handed Himself over to violent men, that we might eat and drink with Him in His Kingdom and "remain in the house forever" (John 8:35). For He is "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matt. 11:19), and He has rescued us by His grace from the slavery of sin and death. By the proclamation of His eternal Gospel "to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people" (Rev. 14:6), "the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law" (Rom. 3:21), "that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). And by hearing the Gospel of Christ Jesus, "whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith" (Rom. 3:25), "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).

Feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist ........................... October 18, 2020

The Lord bids us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2). The fields look more like deserts, filled with jackals (Isa. 35:6-7), and the Lord sends His laborers out as lambs in the midst of wolves. But Christ's Word of "Peace" heals the sick and brings the very kingdom of God near to those who hear it (Is 35:5; Luke 10:3-9). St. Luke, the beloved physician (Col. 4:14), did the work of an evangelist. He diligently prepared both a Gospel, the history of Christ's work in the flesh before His ascension, and the Acts of the Apostles, the history of His continued work among His Church. Luke and his Scriptures are a gift from this Ascended Lord (Eph. 4:8-12), written for Theophilus and for all who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:5-8). Tradition suggests that Luke was one of the seventy-two sent out ahead of Jesus, two by two. Luke proved himself to be a faithful companion throughout St. Paul's missionary journeys, through many trials and crosses, and even to Rome, where he alone was with Paul.

19th Sunday after Pentecost .................................... October 11, 2020

Clothed in the Righteousness of Christ, We Partake of His Wedding Feast

By His cross and resurrection, the Lord has swallowed up death forever, and by His Gospel He "will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth" (Is. 25:8). Therefore, "let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Is. 25:9). On the mountain of the Lord of hosts - in His Church on earth, as in the kingdom of heaven - He has made "for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine" (Is. 25:6). It is the royal "wedding feast" of the Son of God, "and everything is ready" (Matt. 22:1, 4). Thus, His servants are sent into the highways and byways to invite and gather as many as they find, "both good and bad," to fill the wedding hall with guests (Matt. 22:8-10). In Holy Baptism, He clothes them all in the "wedding garment" of His own perfect righteousness (Matt. 22:11). Therefore, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God," and "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil. 4:4-6).

18th Sunday after Pentecost ...................................... October 4, 2020

The True Vine Redeems the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts

"The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel" (Is. 5:7), which He planted "on a very fertile hill" (Is. 5:1). He did everything for His vineyard, not only clearing it of stones and planting it with "choice vines," but also building the "watchtower" of His prophets and hewing out the "wine vat" of His priesthood in its midst (Is. 5:2). But when "he looked for it to yield grapes," there were only "wild grapes" of bloodshed and unrighteousness (Is. 5:2, 7). The Lord Jesus likewise described the unfaithfulness of those who were called to care for His vineyard (Matt. 21:33-35). But in this He also describes His cross and Passion (Matt. 21:38-39), by which He has redeemed the vineyard for Himself. He is the true Vine, planted by death into the ground, and in His resurrection He brings forth "the fruits in their seasons" (Matt. 21:41). Among those good grapes of the true Vine is the apostle Paul. Once a zealous persecutor of the Church, he "suffered the loss of all things" in order to "gain Christ and be found in him," to "know him and the power of his resurrection" (Phil. 3:8-10).