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Jeremiah’s promise of the execution of “justice and righteousness in the land” finds ironic fulfillment in the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. It appears utterly contradictory that a king should be crucified with a criminal. This victory appears for all the world as humiliating defeat. Yet through the gate of death Jesus opens the door to paradise.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Luke 23:33-43
The end is near. There is no doubt about it. The warnings are dire. The tone of today’s texts is ominous. But the baptized know how to live in the meantime. The baptized are strengthened for the living of these days in word and sacrament.
Scripture Readings: Malachi 4:1-6; Psalm 98; Luke 21:5-19
In holy baptism God makes saints out of sinners. In holy communion God forgives the sins of all the saints. In worship today we give thanks for all the saints “who from their labors rest.” In the same breath we petition our God for the strength to hear and to heed the admonitions of Jesus in today’s gospel. Sealed by the Spirit and sustained by the Savior’s body and blood, we live with joy as God gives us breath, to the praise of God’s glory.
Scripture Readings: Ephesians 1:11-23; Psalm 149; Luke 6:20-31
Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. “God loves us all, both big and small,” a child’s verse declares. The sins of the world are covered. We are able to stand tall before God our righteous judge because in the person of Jesus “salvation has come to this house”—to our house today. In Christ Jesus God seeks us out to save us.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; Luke 19:1-10
Genuine repentance and pretentious piety stand in stark contrast in the gospel and all around us. All creation stands in need of God’s forgiveness. Keep the faith. God’s people shall be accounted righteous for Jesus’ sake. Our God is merciful to sinners. For this we worship and glorify God forever.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; Psalm 84:1-7; Luke 18:9-14
Pray always. Do not lose heart. This is Christ’s encouragement in the gospel today. Wrestle with the word. Remember your baptism again and again. Come regularly to Christ’s table. Persistence in our every encounter with the divine will be blessed.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; Luke 18:1-8
It’s a miracle! Multiple miracles! The waters of holy baptism have healed us. The body and blood of Jesus in holy communion have made us clean. We have died with Christ and been raised with him. For all this we have returned to offer thanks. From this place we are sent on our way rejoicing to share the good news.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
A little faith goes a long way is Jesus’ point in the gospel. A mustard seed’s-worth of faith has miraculous potential. The patience, tenacity, and endurance required for the life of faith are the blessings received in holy baptism, holy communion, and the word read and proclaimed in this assembly. Anticipate them. Receive them with thanksgiving.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 37:1-9; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10
Consideration of and care for those in need (especially those “at our gate,” visible to us, of whom we are aware) is an essential component of good stewardship. It is in the sharing of wealth that we avoid the snare of wealth. It is the one whom death could not hold—who comes to us risen from the dead — who can free us from the death grip of greed.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31
As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recognize that we are bought with a price. “Christ Jesus, himself human, . . . gave himself a ransom for all.” Apart from the generosity of God we have nothing—we are nothing. By God’s gracious favor we have everything we need.
Scripture Readings: Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113, Luke 16:1-13
The grumbling of the religious leaders in today’s gospel is actually our holy hope: This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. That our God seeks and saves the lost is not only a holy hope, it is our only hope. As the writer of 1 Timothy reminds us, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Thanks be to God.
Scripture Readings: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-10; Luke 15:1-10
Called to contemplate the cost of discipleship, we might be helped by translating Paul’s request to Philemon into our prayer of the day: Refresh my heart in Christ. Strengthened by the company and forgiveness of Christ in holy communion and recalling God’s grace in remembrance of baptism, we can be strengthened in this hour to “choose life”—to choose life in God as our own.
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1, Luke 14:25-33
Invited and inviting—that is the nature of the church. By God’s grace in holy baptism we have a place at Christ’s banquet table. When, by the power of that same Spirit, humility and mutual love continue among us, the church can be more inviting still.
Scripture Readings: Proverbs 25:6-7, Psalm 112, Luke 14:1, 7-14
Remember the sabbath day. Call the sabbath a delight. This is the Lord’s day, and the Lord will do for us what the Lord does: feed us, forgive us, help and heal us. Rejoice at all the wonderful things God is doing.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 10:31-8, Luke 13:1-17
The word of God is a refining fire. Jesus is the great divide in human history. He invites our undivided attention and devotion. Today in worship we are surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses.” In the word and in holy communion we are invited yet again to look to Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 23:23-2, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56
Jesus says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It is God’s promise from the beginning—to Abraham, to the early church, and to the “little flock” of which we are a part in today’s assembly. Faith, God’s baptismal gift, trusts the promises of God. Have no fear.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 15:1-6, Psalm 33:12-22, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12:32-40
Today’s texts offer instruction and encouragement for all who are occasionally overwhelmed by the “unhappy business” of life. Jesus urges us to take care and be on guard against all kinds of greed. We who have died with Christ in holy baptism have also been raised with him and are encouraged to elevate our thinking, seeking the “things that are above.” To that end we seek the sustenance of the Lord’s supper and the encouragement of God’s word.
Scripture Readings: 2:18-23, Psalm 49:1-12, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21
Persistence in prayer is encouraged by Jesus and wins the attention of God when Abraham intercedes for Sodom. The life of the baptized—to be rooted and built up in Christ Jesus—is to be nurtured with prayer. God hears and answers prayer and so strengthens God’s own. “When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.”
Scripture Readings: Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15,16-19; Luke11:1-13
Perhaps the church, at its best, is “all ears.” God urges the faithful, again and again, to “listen up!”—to heed the word that gives life. So it was with Abraham and Sarah, Mary and Martha, and the early church at Colossae. So it is today as we join the assembly to hear the word of God, the word of life.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 18:1-10A, Psalm15 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to reflect God’s mercy in responding to one’s neighbor. That mercy found its most profound expression in the “gospel that has come to you”—namely the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That gospel mercy comes to us again today: at the font, at the table, and from the pulpit. It is very near to you.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 25:1-10; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
God is the source of our nourishment. Jesus’ invitation to “take and eat . . . take and drink” is a repeated one. In Holy Communion, in the word read and proclaimed, in the assembly of the people of God, the dominion of God has come near. Rejoice! Your name is written in heaven.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-9 (4) Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
We have no good apart from God. That makes Jesus ’call to follow him an invitation to freedom. This is freedom to revel in the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, and patience. This is freedom to not be imprisoned by anything that would keep us from the fullness of the life God has given us. This is the path of life.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
This Sunday’s texts portray powerful pictures of our Lord’s inclusion of all peoples, a unity particularly evident in the celebration of holy communion in which we commemorate and participate with all people in the body of Jesus.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 22:19-28; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39
“O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Today we celebrate the holy Trinity. Paul writes that through Jesus we have peace with God, whose love pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, giving us lasting hope. We celebrate the gracious One-in-Three, eternal Three-in-One, as we worship in community; as we share water and word, bread and wine; and as we bring God’s love and hope to our neighbors.
Scripture Readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
On Pentecost, we celebrate that we have been given an Advocate to accompany us. Poured out in wind and fire, water, wine, and bread, the Holy Spirit abides in and among us. We give thanks that God speaks to each of us, no matter our origins, language, or life path. Filled with the Spirit of truth, we go out from worship to proclaim the saving power of Christ’s love and the freedom of God’s grace with all the world..
Scripture Readings: Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:25-27
In today’s readings the risen Christ ascends into heaven and his followers are assured that the Spirit will empower them to be witnesses throughout the earth. The disciples are told to not gaze up into heaven to look for Jesus (Acts 1:11); we find his presence among us as we proclaim the word and share the Easter feast. We too long for the Spirit to enliven our faith and invigorate our mission.
Scripture Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Luke 24:44-53
Visions abound in the readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter. Paul has a vision about what to do. John has a vision of what will be. Jesus provides visions of peace that surpasses human understanding and power beyond human imagination.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:18-31
Easter initiates a new day. It anticipates a new heaven and a new earth. The risen Christ is making all things new. In the mystery of holy baptism God has made new people of us. Today Jesus invites us to see everyone in a new light—through the lens of love.
Scripture Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; John 13:31-35
The gift of new life, of eternal life, is the gift of the risen Christ. It is the promise of Jesus. It was true for Dorcas in Joppa. It was true for those “who have come out of the great ordeal” in the Revelation vision. It is true for us and for all the baptized: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Scripture Readings: Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; John 10:22-30
The disciples make a big splash and eat breakfast with the risen Jesus. Wading in the water (remembering baptism) and eating with Jesus (celebrating holy communion) is our weekly encounter with the risen Christ. And Jesus invites us, again and again, to follow him, bringing the Easter life to others.
Scripture Readings: Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30; John 21:1-14
In spite of all we have heard and all we have seen, it is often hard to believe. Because it is hard to believe, we will invest ourselves in the Easter mystery for fifty days (a week of weeks). Because it is hard to believe, John the evangelist will provide sign after sign celebrating Jesus’ victory over death. Because it is hard to believe, the risen Jesus will return to us again and again in the mystery of Holy Communion, inviting us to touch and taste his presence, and offering us his peace.
Scripture Readings: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 118:14-29 | Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
Our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; John 12:1-8
At the heart of the Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to John, which proclaims Jesus as a triumphant king who reigns from the cross. The ancient title for this day - the trump of the cross - reminds us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ’s life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the tree of life. In the ancient bidding prayer we offer petitions for all the world for whom Christ died.
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42
This evening our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tonight we remember Christ’s last meal with his disciples, but the central focus is his commandment that we live out the promise embodied in this meal. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so we are called to give and receive love in humble service to one another. Formed into a new body in Christ through this holy meal, we are transformed by the mercy we have received and carry it into the world. Departing worship in solemn silence, we anticipate the coming days.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35; Psalm 22
Today we follow Christ from triumphal entry to the cross. We have walked the Lenten pathway these forty days, each of us invited through baptism to “let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” We enter this holy week accompanying Jesus to the cross with both grief and thanksgiving in our hearts, trusting in God’s redeeming love.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:1-11; Luke 19:28-40
Scripture Readings: John 12:1-8
Our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; John 12:1-8
Come, join all at the table.
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 25
The psalm sets the tone this day: “Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away!” Happy are those who have “become the righteousness of God” in the merits of Christ Jesus. Happy are those for whom the forgiveness of God has “rolled away . . . the disgrace” of former times. Happy is the father at the return of his prodigal son. Happy are we that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Rejoice!
Scripture Readings: 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Pr. Wright reviews how the Lutheran Social Services brings Christ to the community.
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 10:12-22
The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God’s invitation to attentiveness: “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” The landowner’s ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener’s readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-31
Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God-initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek God’s face again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”
Scripture Readings: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues, to receive the gifts of God’s grace, to believe with the heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God’s love in Jesus, and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-13
Dust to Dust and ashes to ashes
Witnesses to the glory of God in the face of Jesus reflect that glory in the world. It was true for Moses. It was doubtless true for Peter, James, and John. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see God’s glory in the word and in the supper and who are being “transformed into the same image” by God’s Spirit.
Scripture Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; Luke 9:28-43a
Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Joseph lives it in Egypt. Jesus preaches it in the gospel. The Spirit guides us into merciful lives with the power of forgiveness to reconcile what is fractured and divided. Such merciful living is the baptismal blessing of having put on Christ. It is the gift of the life-giving Spirit. It is a reflection of God’s glory revealed in Christ.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40; Luke 6:27-38
Blessings and curses abound on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. We would do well to listen closely to whom the “blessed ares” and the “woe tos” are directed and to find our place in the crowd among those who desire to touch Jesus. The risen Christ stands among us in the mystery of the holy supper with an invitation to live in him, and offers power to heal us all.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalms 1; Luke 6:17-26
The fifth Sunday after Epiphany continues to highlight unlikely instruments and circumstances appointed to reveal God’s glory. “Who will go for us?” God asks. A person of unclean lips, a former persecutor of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn’t catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is that we are also called.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and wine, to reveal God’s glory where and when God chooses. Take heed, lest the glory of God slip through our midst unnoticed.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
God’s glory is revealed in the reading of scripture. People stand at attention. People weep. People prostrate themselves in prayer. The unity of the church is another reflection of God’s glory. Most gloriously, the promises of God are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Gather round. Listen up. Glimpse the glory of God.
Scripture Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; Luke 4:14-21
The Sundays after Epiphany continue to celebrate the revelation of God’s glory to us as it was made known to the magi and to those on Jordan’s banks at Jesus’ baptism—today using wedding imagery. Our God rejoices over God’s people as those being married rejoice over one another. By the power of the Spirit there are gifts galore for everyone. In Christ Jesus the best wine is saved for last. Taste and see.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Today’s festival rejoices in God’s blessings. We recall and celebrate our adoption as God’s children, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the promised company of almighty God when we “pass through the waters . . . the rivers . . . fire.” On this day the heavens open again for this assembly, and we receive the gift of God’s Beloved, Jesus, in bread and wine.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Within the gospel reading’s profound words lies the simple message that God is revealed in a human person. Though we may try to understand how the Word existed with God from the beginning of time, the wonder we celebrate at Christmas is that the Word continues to dwell among us. Christ comes among us in the gathered assembly, the scriptures, the waters of new birth, and the bread and the wine. Through these ordinary gifts we receive the fullness of God’s grace and truth.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20; John 1:1-18
A service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas, 20221.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 8; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-5, Luke 2:1-20
Christ’s presence in our midst in the wonder of the holy supper is cause for singing. The nearness of the God in prayer, in every circumstance, is cause for rejoicing. The coming of one “more powerful” than John, even with a winnowing fork in hand, is good news—and cause for exultation—for us who are being saved. Great joy is the tone for the third Sunday of Advent.
Scripture Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Forerunners and messengers advance the advent of our God. While John the baptizer’s voice in the wilderness may be the principal focus of the day, Malachi’s prophecy could as easily herald the coming Christ as forerunner of the Lord of hosts. Finally all the baptized are called to participate in the sharing of the gospel. In so doing we prepare the way for the coming of Jesus and assist all people in capturing a vision of the “salvation of God.”
Scripture Readings: Malachi 3:1-4, Baruch 5:1-9, Luke 1:68-79, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6
Advent is about the “coming days.” God’s people have always lived in great expectation, but that expectation finds specific, repeated enunciation in the texts appointed for these four weeks. The ancients anticipated a “righteous Branch to spring up for David.” The Thessalonians awaited “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints.” Jesus’ contemporaries hoped for the time “to stand before the Son of Man.” With them we eagerly await the coming days: another Christmas celebration, a second coming, and the advent of Christ in word and supper.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36
Even after Israel had experienced the vagaries of kings, the people still longed for a true king to set things right. He would have the king’s title of Anointed One (Messiah); he would be the “one like a human being” (Son of Man) given dominion in Daniel’s vision. Jesus is given these titles, even though he is nothing like an earthly king. His authority comes from the truth to which he bears witness, and those who recognize the truth voluntarily listen to him. We look forward to the day he is given dominion, knowing his victory will be the nonviolent victory of love.
Scripture Readings: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Psalm 93, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 18:33-37
November begins with All Saints Day and ends in or near Advent, when we anticipate Christ’s coming again. It is fitting, then, that the readings today tell of the final resurrection and the end time. In the turmoil of hope, fear, and disbelief that these predictions provoke in us, Hebrews sounds a note of confident trust. Christ makes a way for us where there is no way, and we walk it confidently, our hearts and bodies washed in baptismal water, trusting the one who has promised forgiveness. The more we see the last day approaching, the more important it is to meet together to provoke one another to love.
Scripture Readings: Daniel 12:1-3, Psalm 16, Hebrews 10:11-14 [15-18] 19-25, Mark 13:1-8
Of all three years of the lectionary cycle, this year’s All Saints readings have the most tears. Isaiah and Revelation look forward to the day when God will wipe away all tears; in John’s gospel, Jesus weeps along with Mary and all the gathered mourners before he demonstrates his power over death. On All Saints Day we celebrate the victory won for all the faithful dead, but we grieve for our beloved dead as well, knowing that God honors our tears. We bring our grief to the table and find there a foretaste of Isaiah’s feast to come.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44
Paul’s words stand at the heart of the preaching of Martin Luther and other Reformation leaders. No human beings make themselves right with God through works of the law. We are brought into a right relationship with God through the divine activity centered in Christ’s death. This act is a gift of grace that liberates us from sin and empowers our faith in Jesus Christ.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 46, Romans 3:19-28, John 8:31-36
Can we pray the way Bartimaeus prays? People try to hush him up because by addressing Jesus as “Son of David” he is making a politically dangerous claim that Jesus is the rightful king. Could our prayers ever be heard as a threat to unjust powers that be? Bartimaeus won’t give up or go away quietly, but repeats his call for help more loudly. Do we ask so boldly? And are our prayers an honest answer to Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Scripture Readings And Psalm: Jeremiah 31:7-9, Psalm 126, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52
Today’s gospel starts with disciples obsessing over who will be closest to Jesus, leading to Jesus teaching his followers about God’s take on importance and power. Here Jesus makes it explicit that the reversal of values in God’s community is a direct challenge to the values of the dominant culture, where wielding power over others is what makes you great. When we pray “your kingdom come” we are praying for an end to tyranny and oppression. We pray this gathered around the cross, a sign of great shame transformed to be the sign of great honor and service.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 53:4-12, Psalm 91:9-16, Hebrews 5:1-10, Mark 10:35-45
The rich man who comes to ask Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life is a good man, sincere in his asking. Mark’s gospel is alone in saying that Jesus looked on him and loved him. Out of love, not as judgment, Jesus offers him an open door to life: sell all you own and give it to the poor. Our culture bombards us with the message that we will find life by consuming. Our assemblies counter this message with the invitation to find life by divesting for the sake of the other.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Gospel: Mark 10:17-31
Today’s gospel combines a saying that makes many of us uncomfortable with a story we find comforting. Jesus’ saying on divorce is another of his rejections of human legislation in favor of the original intent of God’s law. Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples who are fending off the children should challenge us as well. What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God as a child does?
Scripture Readings: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Psalm 8; Gospel: Mark 10:2-16
Someone who isn’t part of Jesus’ own circle is casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and the disciples want him stopped. They appeal to Jesus, as Joshua did to Moses about the elders who prophesied without official authorization. Like Moses, Jesus refuses to see this as a threat. Jesus welcomes good being done in his name, even when it is not under his control. The circle we form around Jesus’ word must be able to value good being done in ways we wouldn’t do it, by people we can’t keep tabs on.
Scripture Readings: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, Psalm 19:7-14, James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
Today we hear James warn against selfish ambition, while the disciples quarrel over which one of them is the greatest. Jesus tells them the way to be great is to serve. Then, to make it concrete, he puts in front of them a flesh-and-blood child. We are called to welcome the children God puts in front of us, to make room for them in daily interaction, and to give them a place of honor in the assembly.
Scripture Readings: James 3:13–4:3; Psalm 54; Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Three weeks ago we heard Peter’s confession of faith as told in John’s gospel. This week we hear Mark’s version, when Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” In John, the stumbling block is Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh, given for the life of the world. In Mark too the scandal has to do with Jesus’ words about his own coming death, and here Peter himself stumbles over Jesus’ words. But Jesus is anointed (the meaning of messiah) in Mark only on the way to the cross (14:3); so we are anointed in baptism with the sign of the cross.
Scripture Readings: James 3:1-12; 116:1-9; Gospel: Mark 8:27-38
Throughout the Bible we are reminded to stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s gospel. Was he testing her faith in saying Gentiles don’t deserve the goods meant for God’s children? Or was he speaking out of his human worldview, but transcended those limits when she took him by surprise with her reply? Either way, the story tells us that God shows no partiality. Everyone who brings a need to Jesus is received with equal honor as a child and heir.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 69: 1-3, 13-18; Gospel: Mark 7:24-37
“At This Table”, a song sung before Communion:
Jesus protests against about human customs being given to the weight of divine law while the essence of God's law is ignored. True uncleanliness comes not from external things but from the intentions of the human heart. Last week Jesus told us "the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and light". Now James says God has given us birth by the word of truth. We were washed in the word when we were born in the font, return to it every Sunday to ask God to create in us a clean heart, oh, God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Scripture Readings: James 1:17-27; Psalm 15; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
In today’s gospel many people take offense at Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh and drink his blood; even many of Jesus’ disciples peel off. This is the backdrop in John’s gospel for Peter’s confession of faith. “To whom can we go?” asks Peter, in words we sometimes sing just before the gospel is read. “You have the words of eternal life.” In order to take such a stand, as Peter and Joshua did, Paul tells us to arm ourselves with the word of God. We pray in the Spirit that we might be bold ambassadors of the gospel.
Scripture Readings: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34:15-22; John 6:56-69
Wisdom prepares a feast, sets her table and invites all to come and eat her bread and drink her wine. The first chapter of John's gospel owes much to the biblical tradition that imagined Wisdom as existing before anything was created and having a role in the work of creation. John's gospel includes no account of the institution of the Lord's Supper but here we can't help hearing Jesus' words as an invitation to the meal of bread and wine we share.
Scripture Readings: Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:9-14; John 6:51-58
Jesus says that the bread he gives for the life of the world is his flesh, and whoever eats this bread has eternal life now and will be raised on the last day. In 1 Kings we are reminded that on our worst days, God is still with us, perhaps more powerfully than ever before. We live in love. As Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, our purpose in life is giving of ourselves for others as Jesus did.
Scripture Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-15, 18; Psalm 34:1-8; John 6:35, 41-51
Apparently not satisfied by Jesus’ feeding of thousands, some who were there press him for a sign of his power; perhaps it is daily manna they want. As always in John’s gospel when people want a sign, Jesus offers himself. He is the bread come from heaven to give life to the world. He calls us to come to him and believe in him, and through that relationship to know the one who sent him.
Scripture Readings: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Psalm 78:23-29; John 6:24-35
Merry Christmas…in July! Welcome to worship at All Saints Lutheran Church. Today we gather to hear again the promises of God fulfilled in the coming of the Christ Child. Join our festive worship as we sing carols, hear the story of Jesus’ birth, and lift our prayers of hope to God, whose promises never fail.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Luke 2:1-20
Mark’s gospel makes clear how great is the press of the crowd, with its countless needs to be met, on Jesus and his disciples. Yet in today’s gospel Jesus advises his disciples to get away and rest, to take care of themselves. Sometimes we think that when others are in great need we shouldn’t think of ourselves at all; but Jesus also honors the caregivers’ need. We are sent from Christ’s table to care for others and for ourselves.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
John the Baptist speaks truth to power, and Herod has him killed. In Herod’s fear that Jesus is John returned from the dead, we may hear hope for the oppressed: all the prophets killed through the ages are alive in Jesus. We are called to witness to justice in company with them, and to proclaim God’s saving love. We are called to live an abundant life, even in the midst of life’s shadows, a life that is filled with a praising and glorious life.
Scripture Readings: Ephesians 1:3-14; Psalm 85:8-13; Mark 6:14-29
Jesus does great deeds of power and gives his disciples authority over demons. Yet none of this power is unilateral; it all must be received by faith. Jesus asks his disciples to go out without money or supplies, so that they will be dependent on how others receive them. When we are sent from the assembly to witness and to heal, we are asked to be vulnerable, to be dependent on the reception of others. The Spirit always operates in the “between”: between Jesus and his Abba, between Jesus and us, between you and me, between us and those to whom we are sent.
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 2:1-5; Psalm 123; Mark 6:1-13
A woman finds healing by touching Jesus’ cloak, and a girl is restored to life when he takes her by the hand. In both cases a boundary is crossed: in Jesus’ time the hemorrhaging woman was considered ritually unclean, polluting others by her touch, and anyone who touched a corpse also became unclean. In Mark’s gospel Jesus breaks down barriers, from his first meal at a tax collector’s house to his last breath on the cross as the temple curtain is torn in two. We dare to touch Jesus in our “uncleanness” and to live as a community that defines no one as an outsider.
Scripture Readings: Lamentations 3:22-33; Psalm 30, 23-32; Mark 5:21-43
Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! Now we are in the storm, the boat almost swamped; but Jesus is here now, and when we call him, he will calm the storm. Even the wind and waves listen to him as they would to their creator. We also listen to him and are called to believe in the power of God’s word in him, a power greater than all that we fear.
Scripture Readings: Job 38:1-11; Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32; Mark 4:35-41
God sows many seeds of which we are unaware and brings hope to their growth beyond our expectations. Jesus finds the power of God in unexpected seeds even in very tiny ones which may not appear impressive, but which can grow with power beyond our understanding.
Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17; Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15; Mark 4:26-34
A house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus makes this observation in light of charges that he is possessed. He is not possessed by a demon, but is filled with the Holy Spirit. We who have received the Holy Spirit through baptism have been joined to Christ’s death and resurrection and knit together in the body of Christ. Those with whom we sing and pray this day are Jesus’ family. With them we go forth in peace to do the will of God.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 3:1-19; Psalm 130; Mark 3:20-35
When we say God is the triune God, we are saying something about who God is beyond, before, and after the universe: that there is community within God. Our experience of this is reflected in Paul’s words today. When we pray to God as Jesus prayed to his Abba (an everyday, intimate parental address), the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has with the one who sent him.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8; Romans8:12-17; Mark 1:1-12
Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Crossing all boundaries that would separate us, the Spirit brings the wideness of God’s mercy to places we least expect it—to a crowd of strangers of different lands and tongues, to dry bones, to our weak hearts. Jesus promises his disciples that they will be accompanied by the Holy Spirit, and that this Spirit reveals the truth. We celebrate that we too have been visited with this same Spirit. Guided by the truth, we join together in worship, and then disperse to share the fullness of Christ’s love with the world.
Scripture Readings: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
The gospel for Easter’s seventh Sunday is always taken from the long prayer Jesus prays for his followers in John’s gospel on the night before his death, and always includes Jesus’ desire that his followers will be one as he and the Father are one. This oneness is not mere doctrinal agreement or institutional unity, but mutual abiding, interpenetrating life, mutual love, and joy. This oneness is the work of the Spirit whom we have received but also await. Come, Holy Spirit!
Scripture Readings: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; John 17:6-19
This Sunday’s image of the life the risen Christ shares with us is the image of friendship. We are called to serve others as Jesus came to serve; but for John’s gospel, the image of servanthood is too hierarchical, too distant, to capture the essence of life with Christ. Friendship captures the love, the joy, the deep mutuality of the relationship into which Christ invites us. The Greeks believed that true friends are willing to die for each other. This is the mutual love of Christian community commanded by Christ and enabled by the Spirit.
Scripture Readings: 1 John 5:1-6; Psalm 98; John 15:9-17
This Sunday’s image of how the risen Christ shares his life with us is the image of the vine. Christ the vine and we the branches are alive in each other, in the mystery of mutual abiding described in the gospel and the first letter of John. Baptism makes us a part of Christ’s living and life-giving self and makes us alive with Christ’s life. As the vine brings food to the branches, Christ feeds us at his table. We are sent out to bear fruit for the life of the world.
Scripture Readings: 1 John 4:7-2; Psalm 22:25-31; John 15:1-8
The image of the good shepherd shows us how the risen Christ brings us to life. It is the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, one of mutual knowledge and love, that gives the shepherd authority. The shepherd’s willingness to lay down his life for the sheep shows his love. First John illustrates what it means to lay down our lives for one another by the example of sharing our wealth with any sibling in need.
Scripture Readings: 1 John 3:16-24; Psalm 23; John 10:11-18
The gospel for the third Sunday of Easter is always one in which the risen Christ shares food with the disciples, meals that are the Easter template for the meal we share each Sunday. In today’s gospel, Jesus, the Incarnate One, both shares the disciples’ food and shows them the meaning of his suffering, death, and resurrection through the scriptures, the two main elements of our Sunday worship.
Scripture Readings: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his wounded self in the broken bread. From frightened individuals we are transformed into a community of open doors, peace, forgiveness, and material sharing such that no one among us is in need.
Scripture Readings: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; John 20:19-31
Christ is risen! Jesus is alive, and God has swallowed up death forever. With Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, we may feel astonished and confused, unsure of what to make of the empty tomb. But this is why we gather: to proclaim, witness, praise, and affirm the liberating reality of Christ’s death and resurrection. In word and feast, we celebrate God’s unending love, and depart to share this good news with all the world. Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: : 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Mark 16:1-8
Life and death stand side by side as we enter into Good Friday. In John’s passion account, Jesus reveals the power and glory of God, even as he is put on trial and sentenced to death. Standing with the disciples at the foot of the cross, we pray for the whole world in the ancient bidding prayer, as Christ’s death offers life to all. We gather in solemn devotion, but always with the promise that the tree around which we assemble is indeed a tree of life. We depart silently.
Scripture Reading: : Hebrews 10:16-25;John 18:1-19:42
This evening our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tonight we remember Christ’s last meal with his disciples, but the central focus is his commandment that we live out the promise embodied in this meal. In the midst of this night, we will hear from Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus, as co-creators of new life, a life for all people. As we recall Palm Sunday and Jesus emptying himself in service to all, so we are called to give and receive love in humble service to one another. Formed into a new body, a new creation in Christ through this holy meal, we are transformed by the mercy we have received and carry it into the world. Finally, tonight we are introducing a new way of understanding Christ’s deep love for us during the striping of the altar. Following the Contemplative leaders of our time, will hear the promises Jesus gave to us at the closing of tonight’s worship service.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 22:39-45
Join us each throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! This year we are excited to welcome several guest preachers to share reflections on their favorite psalms. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 63
This week, the center of the church’s year, is one of striking contrasts: Jesus rides into Jerusalem surrounded by shouts of glory, only to be left alone to die on the cross, abandoned by even his closest friends, but not all of them, Mary Magdalene remains. Today we are reminded that Jesus has poured himself out to us and all of humanity. This is kenosis, this is a love that is stronger than death. And, now, we raise our hands and our palms in the air as we hear the Gospel for this Palm Sunday.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; John 12:12-16
Join us each throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! This year we are excited to welcome several guest preachers to share reflections on their favorite psalms. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 95
God promises Jeremiah that a “new covenant” will be made in the future: a covenant that will allow all the people to know God by heart. The church sees this promise fulfilled in Christ, who draws all people to himself when he is lifted up on the cross. Our baptismal covenant draws us to God’s heart through Christ and draws God’s love and truth into our hearts. We join together in worship, sharing in word, song, and meal, and leave strengthened to share God’s love with all the world.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12; John 12:20-33
Join us each throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! This year we are excited to welcome several guest preachers to share reflections on their favorite psalms. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 4
The fourth of the Old Testament promises providing a baptismal lens this Lent is the promise God makes to Moses: those who look on the bronze serpent will live. In today’s gospel Jesus says he will be lifted up on the cross like the serpent, so that those who look to him in faith will live. When we receive the sign of the cross in baptism, that cross becomes the sign we can look to in faith for healing, for restored relationship to God, for hope when we are dying.
Scripture Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; John 3:14-21
Join us each throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! This year we are excited to welcome several guest preachers to share reflections on their favorite psalms. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 139
The third covenant in this year’s Lenten readings is the central one of Israel’s history: the gift of the law to those God freed from slavery. The commandments begin with the statement that because God alone has freed us from the powers that oppressed us, we are to let nothing else claim first place in our lives. When Jesus throws the merchants out of the temple, he is defending the worship of God alone and rejecting the ways commerce and profit-making can become our gods. This is a text about a Holy Dismantling of that which was corrupt, unjust, and appalling. In the Older Testament, The Ten Commandments are essential to our baptismal call: centered first in God’s liberating love, we strive to live out justice and mercy in our communities and the world.
Scripture Readings: Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; John 2:13-22
Join us each Wednesday throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! Tonight, Shawna Day will lead us in Psalm 26. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 26
The second covenant in this year’s Lenten readings is the one made with Abraham and Sarah: God’s promise to make them the ancestors of many, with whom God will remain in everlasting covenant. Paul says this promise comes to all who share Abraham’s faith in the God who brings life into being where there was no life. We receive this baptismal promise of resurrection life in faith. Sarah and Abraham receive new names as a sign of the covenant, and we too get new identities in baptism, as we put on Christ.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:23-31; Mark 8:31-38
Join us each Wednesday at 6:00 throughout the season of Lent for Psalms of Hope! Couched within the service of Holden Evening Prayer, we will gather virtually to hear the scriptures, sing songs of praise, and let our prayers rise like incense. This year we are excited to welcome several guest preachers to share reflections on their favorite psalms. Come, let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Psalm 42
On Ash Wednesday the church began its journey toward baptismal immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ. This year, the Sundays in Lent lead us to focus on five covenants God makes in the Hebrew Scriptures and to use them as lenses through which to view baptism. First Peter connects the way God saved Noah’s family in the flood with the way God saves us through the water of baptism. The baptismal covenant is made with us individually, but the new life we are given in baptism is for the sake of the whole world.
Scripture Readings: Mark 1:29-39; Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10
Ash Wednesday is a solemn day of prayer that begins the season of Lent. On this day we confess our sins in a litany of repentance. We will receive the sign of ashes, an ancient symbol that reminds us of our own mortality. We will partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion, God’s mercy and grace which come to us in bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ. Marked with the cross of Christ we make our way through Lent, longing for the baptismal waters of Easter and our spiritual rebirth, caring for our neighbor and living lives of grace centered on the cross.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:1-21; Isaiah 58:1-12
The Sundays after Epiphany began with Jesus’ baptism and end with three disciples’ vision of his transfiguration. In Mark’s story of Jesus’ baptism, apparently only Jesus sees the Spirit descending and hears the words from heaven. But now Jesus’ three closest friends hear the same words naming him God’s Beloved. As believers, Paul writes, we are enabled to see the God-light in Jesus’ face, because the same God who created light in the first place has shone in our hearts to give us that vision. The light of God’s glory in Jesus has enlightened us through baptism and shines in us also for others to see.
Scripture Readings: Mark 9:2-9; 2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6
In Isaiah the one God who sits above the earth and numbers the stars also strengthens the powerless. So in Jesus’ healing work we see the hand of the creator God, lifting up the sick woman to health and service (diakonia). Like Simon’s mother-in-law, we are lifted up and healed to serve. Following Jesus, we strengthen the powerless; like Jesus, we seek to renew our own strength in quiet times of prayer.
Scripture Readings: Mark 1:29-39; Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
Words carry power. For the church these are ways of pointing to the unique authority people sensed in Jesus’ actions and words. We encounter that authority in God’s word, around which we gather, the word that prevails over any lesser spirit that would claim power over us, freeing us to follow Jesus.
Scripture Readings: Mark 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 111
As we continue through the time after Epiphany, stories of the call to discipleship show us the implications of our baptismal calling to show Christ to the world. Jesus begins proclaiming the good news and calling people to repentance right after John the Baptist is arrested for preaching in a similar way. Knowing that John was later executed, we see at the very outset the cost of discipleship. Still, the two sets of brothers leave everything they have known and worked for all their lives to follow Jesus and fish for people.
Scripture Readings: Mark 1:14-20; Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 62:5-12
All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just pastors and deacons but also the youngest child, like Samuel. The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because he comes from Nazareth. But where we come from isn’t important; it’s where—or rather whom—we come to. Jesus refers to Jacob, who had a vision in a place he called “the house of God, and . . . the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). Jesus says he himself is the place where Nathanael will meet God.
Readings: John 1:43-51; 1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Our re-creation in baptism is an image of the Genesis creation, where the Spirit of God moved over the waters. Both Mark’s gospel and the story in Acts make clear that it is the Spirit’s movement that distinguishes Jesus’ baptism from John’s. The Spirit has come upon us as upon Jesus and the Ephesians, calling us God’s beloved children and setting us on Jesus’ mission to re-create the world in the image of God’s vision of justice and peace.
Readings: Mark 1:4-11; Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29
The feast of Epiphany (“manifestation”) is a celebration of God’s glory revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah, that glory is proclaimed for all nations and people. Like the light of the star that guided the magi to Jesus, the light of Christ reveals who we are: children of God who are claimed and washed in the waters of baptism. We are sent out to be beacons of the light of Christ, sharing the good news of God’s love to all people.
Readings: ; Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Matthew 2:1-12
The psalmist calls on the natural world, celestial bodies, fire and earth, creatures, and all humanity, to praise God. The voices of Simeon and 84-year-old Anna join the chorus today, recognizing what God is doing in Jesus. Simeon’s song is often sung after communion, for we have seen God’s salvation in the assembled community and have held Jesus in our hands in the bread. Then, like the prophet Anna, we tell of Jesus to all who look for the healing of the world.
Readings: Isaiah 61:10–62:3, 16; Psalm 148; Luke 2:22-40
Tonight, we gather to Worship. To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever and ever.
Scripture Readings: Luke 1:26-55
God keeps the promise made to David to give him an everlasting throne. The angel tells Mary that God will give David’s throne to her son Jesus. She is perplexed by Gabriel’s greeting and by the news of her coming pregnancy, but she is able still to say, “Count me in.” We who know that Jesus is called king only as he is executed still find it a mystery hard to fathom, but with Mary today we hear the news of what God is up to and say, “Count us in.”
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:46b-55; Luke 1:26-38
Tonight, we gather to Wonder. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:1-3; 10-11
“Rejoice always,” begins the reading from 1 Thessalonians. Isaiah and the psalmist make clear that God is turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. “All God’s children got a robe,” go the words of a spiritual. It is not so much a stately, formal, pressed outfit as it is a set of party clothes, clothes we are happy to wear. We receive that robe in baptism, and in worship we gather for a foretaste of God’s party.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; John 1:6-8, 19-28
Tonight, we gather to Wait. The voice of one crying in the wilderness says: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.”
Scripture Readings: 2 Peter 3:8-15a
John calls people to repent, to clear the decks, to completely reorder their lives so that nothing gets in the way of the Lord’s coming. The reading from Isaiah gives the context for this radical call: the assurance of forgiveness that encourages us to repent; the promise that the coming one will be gentle with the little ones. Isaiah calls us all to be heralds with John, to lift up our voices fearlessly and say, “See, your God is coming!” We say it to one another in worship, in order to say it with our lives in a world in need of justice and peace.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Mark 1:1-8
For now, it is time for us to wake from sleep; for the night is spent, and the light of Christ draws near. Come! Let us worship!
Scripture Readings: Mark 13:33-37
Stir up your power, and come! The psalmist’s plea in Psalm 80:2 has become familiar to us in the Advent prayers. Isaiah wants God to rip the heavens open. Both cry out for an apparently distant, angry God to show up, to save, to restore. When we hear Jesus describing the coming of the Son of Man with stars falling from heaven, it can sound dire and horrible, not like anything we would ever hope for. But when we really look at the suffering of people God loves, we can share the hope that God would tear open the heavens and come.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Mark 13:24-37
The two disciples were walking to Emmaus completely down, for Jesus had been killed a couple of days ago. In their funk a third person joined their walking and asked them questions and explained that Jesus would need to suffer to be glorified. In Emmaus they recognized that Jesus was who they were talking to. When they recognized him, they returned to Jerusalem giving thanks, for their hearts were lifted when they looked to Jesus.
Scripture Readings: Luke 24:13-35
On this final Sunday of the church year our gospel is Jesus ’great story of judgment. In the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is the shepherd who seeks the lost, weak, and injured and feeds them with justice. We gather this day to celebrate the reign of Christ and his victory over death, yet we await the joy of all things yet to come. Acknowledging Christ as our merciful ruler, we go forth that his reign may be known in our loving words and deeds. In other words, show up, do good, and be kind - no matter what.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 25:31-46; Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95:1-7a
Our readings during November speak of the end times. Zephaniah proclaims that the coming day of the LORD will be filled with wrath and distress. Paul says it will come like a thief in the night and urges us to be awake and sober. Jesus tells the parable of the talents, calling us to use our gifts, while we still have time, for the greater and common good. In a world filled with violence and despair, we gather around signs of hope—word, water, bread, and wine—eager to welcome.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 25:14-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Psalm 90:1-8 [9-11] 12
Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Surrounded by the faithful of every time and place, we celebrate Christ’s coming in our midst in the word of life and the feast of victory—the marriage feast of the lamb.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 70; Matthew 25:1-13
All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with the faithful of every time and place, trusting that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that all tears will be wiped away in the new Jerusalem.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 5:1-12; Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3
Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work, especially in the lives of our young people. Today we celebrate our confirmation students as they affirm their baptismal promises. Trusting in the freedom given to all of us in baptism, we give thanks to God for the reforming work that the Spirit continues to inspire us to today.
Scripture Readings: John 8:31-36; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46
In today’s first reading God uses the Gentile ruler Cyrus to accomplish divine purposes. When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God. To gather for worship reminds us that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our entire selves in the service of God and for the sake of the world.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 22:15-22; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Psalm 96:1-9
In Isaiah we are given a vision of the great feast to come, when God will wipe away death forever. In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come, so the invitation is extended to others. In our liturgy God spreads a table before us. Even amid anxiety and hardship we rejoice in the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. With great joy we feast at the table of the Lord, and we go forth
Scripture Readings: Matthew 22:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23
Matthew narrates one of Jesus’ controversial parables in which Jesus says that the reign of God is like that of a landowner who pays his workers the same wage no matter what time of day they began to work. God is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. In baptism we receive the grace of God that is freely given to all. As Martin Luther wrote, in the presence of God’s mercy we are all beggars. Scripture Readings: Matthew 20:1-16; Philippians 1:21-30; Psalm 145:1-8
Jesus’ parable about two sons who don’t do what they say reveals surprises in the reign of God. In the reading from Paul, we are urged us to look to Christ as a model of humility, putting the interests of others above our own. Nourished by the broken bread and shared cup, we offer our lives for the sake of our needy world. Scripture Readings: Matthew 21:23-32; Philippians 2:1-13; Psalm 25: 1-9
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a vineyard parable, which serves as an image of Israel, the prophets’ mission, and Christ’s death. For Christians, the vineyard also speaks of God’s love poured out in the blood of Christ, given to us for the forgiveness of sin. Grafted onto Christ the vine at baptism, we are nourished with wine and bread so that we may share Christ’s sufferings and know the power of his resurrection. Scripture Readings: Matthew 21:33-46; Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-15
In today’s second reading Paul questions why we judge one another, since we all stand before the judgment of God. Yet we do sin against one another, and Jesus’ challenge that we forgive seventy-seven times reveals God’s boundless mercy. When we hear the words of forgiveness in worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we are renewed in baptism to be signs of reconciliation in the world. Scripture Readings: Matthew 18:21-35; Romans 14:1-12; Psalm 103:1-13
Conflict is a part of relationships and life in community. Jesus’ words in today's gospel are often used in situations having to do with church discipline. Paul reminds us that love is the fulfilling of the law. Scripture Readings: Matthew 18:15-20; Romans 13:8-14; Psalm 119:33-40
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound of his suffering yet finds in God’s words the delight of his heart. When Peter doesn’t grasp Jesus’ words about suffering, Jesus tells the disciples they will find their lives in losing them. Such sacrificial love is described by Paul when he urges us to associate with the lowly and not repay evil with evil. In worship we gather as a community that we might offer ourselves for the sake of our suffering world. Scripture Readings: Matthew 16:21-28; Jeremiah 15:15-21; Psalm 26:1-8
Jesus declares that the church will be built on the rock of Peter’s bold confession of faith. God’s word of reconciliation and God’s mercy are keys to the church’s mission. Paul urges us to not be conformed to this world but to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, using our individual gifts to build up the body of Christ. From the table we go forth to offer our spiritual worship through word and deed. Scripture Readings: Matthew 16:13-20; Romans 12:1-8; Psalm 138
In Isaiah we hear that God’s house shall be a house of prayer for all people and that God will gather the outcasts of Israel. The Canaanite woman in today’s gospel is a Gentile, an outsider, who is unflinching in her request that Jesus heal her daughter. As Jesus commends her bold faith, how might our church extend its mission to those on the margins of society? In our gathering around word and meal we receive strength to be signs of comfort, healing, and justice for those in need. Scripture Readings: Matthew 15:10-28; Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
In the Romans text we are reminded to place our trust in God. God hears us. We are not alone. In Matthew, when the disciples face a great storm on the sea, they cry out with fear. Jesus says: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Amid the storms of life, we gather to seek the calm presence of Christ that soothes our fears. In comforting words of scripture and in the refreshing bread and cup of the eucharist, God grants us peace and sends us forth to be a sign of God’s presence to others. Scripture Readings: Matthew 14:22-33; Romans 10:5-15; Psalm 85:8-13
In today’s first reading God invites all who are hungry or thirsty to receive food and drink without cost. Jesus feeds the hungry multitude and reveals the abundance of God. At the eucharistic table we remember all who are hungry or poor in our world today. As we share the bread of life, we are sent forth to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry. Scripture Readings: Matthew 14:13-21; Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
Merry Christmas…in July! Welcome to worship at All Saints Lutheran Church. Today we gather in this unusual time to hear again the promises of God fulfilled in the coming of the Christ Child. Join our festive worship as we sing carols, hear the story of Jesus’ birth, and lift our prayers of hope to God, whose promises never fail. Scripture Readings: Luke 2:[1-7], 8-20, 25-30; Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97
It is an age-old question: why is there evil in the world? In the parable of the wheat and the weeds Jesus suggests that both grow together until the harvest. With Paul, we long for the day that all creation will be set free from bondage and suffering. Having both weeds and wheat within us, we humbly place our hope in the promises of God, and from the Lord’s table we go forth to bear the fruit of justice and mercy. Scripture Readings: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, 25-30; Romans 8:12-25; Psalm 86:11-17
God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the Lord’s table we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13
The mystery of God’s ways is sometimes hidden from the wise and intelligent. Jesus associates with those often excluded from the religious community. Like Paul, we struggle with our own selfish desires and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. We gather to be refreshed by Christ’s invitation: “Come to me, all you that are weary.” Gathered around word, water, and meal, we find rest for our souls. Scripture Readings: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30; Romans 7:15-25a; Psalm 145:8-14
The welcome of baptism is for all God’s children. This baptismal gift sets us free from the power of sin and death. In today’s gospel, Christ promises that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. From worship we are sent on our baptismal mission: to serve the little ones of this world and to be a sign of God’s merciful welcome.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 10:40-42; Romans 6:12-23; Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Hagar is cast out and left to die with her son. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world. Scripture Readings: Matthew 10:24-39; Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
Moses tells the Israelites that they are called to be a priestly kingdom and a holy people. Jesus sends out the disciples as laborers into the harvest. In baptism we too are anointed for ministry, sharing God’s compassion with our needy world. From the Lord’s table we go forth to proclaim the good news, to heal the sick, and to share our bread with the hungry. Scripture Readings: Matthew 9:35-10:23; Exodus 19:2-8a; Psalm 100
Though the word trinity is not found in the scriptures, today’s assigned reading includes the apostolic greeting that begins the liturgy: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Today, Pastor Jules chose to go with 1 Cor. 13 where the emphasis is on what we are called to be and do, namely, to love one another. In the gospel Jesus sends his disciples forth to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. More than a doctrine, the Trinity expresses the heart of our faith: we have experienced the God of creation made known in Jesus Christ and with us always through the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity in word and sacrament, as we profess the creed, and as we are sent into the world to bear witness to our faith. Scripture Readings: Matthew 28:16-20; 1 Corinthians 13; Psalm 8
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has recorded a sermon which congregations and synods can include in their worship services on Sunday, June 7, The Holy Trinity. Bishop Eaton reads the gospel appointed for this day prior to the sermon.
Pentecost derives its name from the Jewish festival celebrating the harvest and the giving of the law on Mount Sinai fifty days after Passover. Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the Holy Spirit as God’s presence within and among us. In Acts the Spirit arrives in rushing wind and flame, bringing God’s presence to all people. Paul reminds us that though we each have different capacities, we are unified in the Spirit that equips us with these gifts. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples, empowering them to forgive sin. We celebrate that we too are given the breath of the Holy Spirit and sent out to proclaim God’s redeeming love to all the world. Scripture Readings: John 20:19-23; Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
In today’s readings the risen Christ ascends into heaven and his followers are assured that the Spirit will empower them to be witnesses throughout the earth. The disciples were told to not gaze up into heaven to look for Jesus (Acts 1:11); we find his presence among us as we proclaim the word and share the Easter feast. We too long for the Spirit to enliven our faith and invigorate our mission.
Scripture Readings: Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11 ; Psalm 47
Jesus does not abandon his followers. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to abide with his disciples of every generation. As Pentecost draws near, we are reminded that the risen Christ dwells in us as the Spirit of truth. We receive this Spirit in baptism and pray that in our gathering around the Lord’s table the Spirit will transform us to be the body of the risen Christ in the world.
Scripture Readings: John 14:15-21; 1 Peter 3:13-22; Psalm 66:8-20
As we continue to celebrate the fifty days of Easter, today’s gospel includes Jesus’ promise that he goes to prepare a place for his followers in his Father’s house. Our baptism commissions us to share Jesus’ mission in the world. As 1 Peter reminds us, we are a holy people, called to proclaim the one who called us out of darkness into light. In words and deeds we bear witness to the risen Christ—our way, our truth, our life.
Scripture Readings: John 14:1-14; 1 Peter 2:2-10; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Today is sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Jesus is called the “gate” of the sheep in today’s gospel. The risen Christ opens the way to abundant life. He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our baptism. Each Sunday he spreads a feast before us amid the world’s violence and war. We go forth to be signs of the resurrection and extend God’s tender care to all creation.
Scripture Readings: John 10:1-10; 1 Peter 2:19-25; Psalm 23
Today’s gospel begins with two disciples walking to Emmaus, overcome with sadness, loss, and disappointment. They had hoped Jesus, who was crucified, would be the one to redeem Israel! Yet the risen Christ walks with them and then opens their eyes in the breaking of the bread. Each Sunday our hearts burn within us as the scriptures are proclaimed and Christ appears to us as bread is broken and wine is poured. The story of Emmaus becomes the pattern of our worship each Lord’s day. Scripture Readings: Luke 24:13-35; Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
In today’s gospel the risen Christ appears to the disciples and offers them the gift of peace. Even amid doubts and questions, we experience the resurrection in our Sunday gathering around word and meal, and in our everyday lives. Throughout the coming Sundays of Easter, the first reading will be from the Acts of the Apostles. Continue to read through Acts, along with the Facebook Devotional each day. Even as the early Christians proclaimed the resurrection, we rejoice in the new birth and living hope we receive in baptism.
Scripture Readings: John 20:19-31; Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16
This is the day the Lord has made! Christ is risen, and through him all creation is made new! Indeed, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34): Christ’s resurrection truly brings life to everyone. We sing hymns of praise, gather around sacred words, and proclaim God’s faithfulness, power, and love in the feast of holy communion. With the women at the tomb, we are astonished, elated, and grateful. We depart with joy to proclaim the good news of God’s endless love.
Scripture Readings: John 20:1-18
Life and death stand side by side as we enter into Good Friday. In John’s passion account, Jesus reveals the power and glory of God, even as he is put on trial and sentenced to death. Standing with the disciples at the foot of the cross, we pray for the whole world in the ancient bidding prayer, as Christ’s death offers life to all. We gather in solemn devotion, but always with the promise that the tree around which we assemble is indeed a tree of life. We depart silently, and we anticipate the culmination of the Three Days in the Easter Vigil.
Scripture Readings: John 18:1-19:42; Hebrews 10:16-25
This evening our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tonight, we remember Christ’s last meal with his disciples, but the central focus is his commandment that we live out the promise embodied in this meal. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so we are called to give and receive love in humble service to one another. Formed into a new body in Christ through this holy meal, we are transformed by the mercy we have received and carry it into the world. Departing worship in solemn silence, we anticipate the coming days .
Scripture Readings: John 13:1-17, 31b-35; Exodus 12:1-14
Today, we encounter the paradox that defines our faith: Jesus Christ is glorified king and humiliated servant. We too are full of paradox: like Peter, we fervently desire to follow Christ, but find ourselves afraid, denying God. We wave palms in celebration today as Christ comes into our midst, and we follow with trepidation as his path leads to death on the cross. Amid it all we are invited into this paradoxical promise of life through Christ’s broken body and out poured love in a meal of bread and wine. We begin this week that stands at the center of the church year, anticipating the completion of God’s astounding work. Scripture Readings: Matthew 21:1-11; Psalm 118
In today’s gospel Jesus reveals his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. The prophet Ezekiel prophesies God breathing new life into dry bones. To those in exile or living in the shadows of death, these stories proclaim God’s promise of resurrection. In baptism we die with Christ that we might also be raised with him to new life. At the Easter Vigil we will welcome the newly baptized as we remember God’s unfailing promise in our baptism.
Scripture Readings: John 11:1-45: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130
Baptism is sometimes called enlightenment. The gospel for this Sunday is the story of the man born blind healed by Christ. “I was blind, now I see,” declares the man. In baptism God opens our eyes to see the truth of who we are: God’s beloved children. As David was anointed king of Israel, in baptism God anoints our head with oil, and calls us to bear witness to the light of Christ in our daily lives. Scripture Readings: John 9:1-41: Ephesians 5:8-14; Psalm 23
In today’s gospel the Samaritan woman asks Jesus for water, an image of our thirst for God. Jesus offers living water, a sign of God’s grace flowing from the waters of baptism. The early church used this gospel to deepen baptismal reflection during the final days of preparation before baptism at Easter.As we journey to the resurrection feast, Christ comes among us in word, bath, and meal-offering us the life-giving water of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Scripture Readings: John 4:5-42; Psalm 95
Along with generations of the faithful, Pádraig Ó Tuama encourages us to engage in the practice of daily prayer and immersion in the scriptures. The Revised Common Lectionary, which guides our readings in worship each Sunday, also provides a list of daily scriptures meant to help us reflect on the previous Sunday, and prepare for the next. This week, each day, find 10 minutes to open your bible and read the assigned texts. Pause and breathe. Reflect and pray for yourself and the needs of those around you. Jot down the words or phrases from the readings that stick out to you and keep them with you as a reminder throughout the day. Consider where the Spirit is pulling you today.
Writings and podcasts from Pádraig Ó Tuama and others can be found at onbeing.org
Scripture Readings: John 7:53-8:11; Ezekiel 36:22-32, Psalm 128
This Lent we are going to be highlighting some Spiritual Practices through In today’s gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. At the font we are a given a new birth as children of God. On March 10, both Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth are commemorated for their work for freedom and justice for all. As John 3:17 reminds us, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Jesus.” From worship we are sent forth to proclaim God’s love for all the world. Scripture Readings: John 3:1-17; Psalm 121
This Lent we are going to be highlighting some Spiritual Practices through the lens of contemporary and ancient Saints. From Ignatius to Mary Oliver, we will lean further in to opportunities to enhance our personal and communal spirituality. Scripture Readings: Psalm 46:10
Today's gospel tells of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. Hungry for God’s mercy, we receive the bread of life to nourish us for the days ahead. Scripture Readings: Matthew 4:1-11; Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
Ash Wednesday is a solemn day of prayer that begins the season of Lent. On this day we confess our sins in a litany of repentance. We will receive the sign of ashes, an ancient symbol that reminds us of our own mortality. We will partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion, God’s mercy and grace which come to us in bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ. Marked with the cross of Christ we make our way through Lent, longing for the baptismal waters of Easter and our spiritual rebirth, caring for our neighbor and living lives of grace centered on the cross. Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, ; Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 51
Today’s festival is a bridge between the Advent - Christmas - Epiphany cycle that comes to a close today and the Lent - Easter cycle that begins in several days. On a high mountain Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son, echoing the words at his baptism. This vision of glory sustains us as Jesus faces his impending death in Jerusalem. We turn this week to Ash Wednesday and our yearly baptismal journey from Lent to Easter. Some churches put aside the alleluia at the conclusion of today’s liturgy. This word of joy will be omitted during the penitential season of Lent and will be sung again at Easter. Scripture Readings: Matthew 17:1-9; Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 99
In today’s reading from Deuteronomy we are called to choose life by loving and obeying God. Much of today’s gospel reading echoes portions of the Ten Commandments. Jesus’ instructions to the crowd reveal a pattern of behavior that honors both God and the neighbor, resulting in life and health for the whole community. We too are invited to embrace these commandments, not out of fear of retribution, but because God has promised that to do so means life for us. Scripture Readings: Matthew 5:21-37; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8
Light shines in the darkness for the upright, the psalmist sings. Isaiah declares that when we loose the bonds of injustice and share our bread with the hungry, the light breaks forth like the dawn. In another passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, the light of the world, calls his followers to let the light of their good works shine before others. Through baptism we are sent into the world to shine with the light of Christ. Scripture Readings: Matthew 5:13-20; Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112:1-10
Who are the blessed ones of God? For Micah, they are those who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. For Paul, they are the ones who find wisdom in the weakness of the cross. For Jesus, they are the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who mourn, and those who hunger for righteousness. In baptism we find our blessed identity and calling in this counter-cultural way of living and serving. Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, Psalms 15
Jesus begins his public ministry by calling fishers to leave their nets and follow him. In Jesus the kingdom of God has come near. We who have walked in darkness have seen a great light. We see this light most profoundly in the cross—as God suffers with us and all who are oppressed by sickness, sin, or evil. Light dawns for us as we gather around the word, the font, and the holy table. We are then sent to share the good news that others may be “caught” in the net of God’s grace and mercy. Scripture Reading: John 1:29-42, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Psalms 27:1, 4-9
Today’s gospel opens with further reflection on Jesus’ baptism. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the one anointed by the Spirit. In the liturgy we come and see Christ revealed among us in word and meal. We go forth to invite others to come and worship the Holy One and to receive the gifts of grace and peace made known among us.
Scripture Reading: John 1:29-42, Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalms 40:1-11
The feast of Epiphany (“manifestation”) concludes the Christmas season with a celebration of God’s glory revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah and Ephesians, that glory is proclaimed for all nations and people. Like the light of the star that guided the magi to Jesus, the light of Christ reveals who we are: children of God who are claimed and washed in the waters of baptism. We are sent out to be beacons of the light of Christ, sharing the good news of God’s love to all people.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalms 72:1-7, 10-14
Referenced is the painting Scene of the Massacre of Innocents by Léon Cogniet
Within the gospel reading’s profound words lies the simple message that God is revealed in a human person. Though we may try to understand how the Word existed with God from the beginning of time, the wonder we celebrate at Christmas is that the Word continues to dwell among us. Christ comes among us in the gathered assembly, the scriptures, the waters of new birth, and the bread and the wine. Through these ordinary gifts we receive the fullness of God’s grace and truth. Scripture Reading: John :1-14, Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalms 98
This is the first day of Christmas, where we can celebrate the joy that God has given us. Our savior is born as the child of Mary. Almighty God is present as a weak, squalling infant. We can come before him, humble ourselves, for Jesus knows what we go through. Scripture Reading: John :1-14, Isaiah 52:7-19
Today Isaiah prophesies that a young woman will bear a son and name him Emmanuel. The gospel is Matthew’s account of the annunciation and birth of the one named Emmanuel, God-with-us. During these final days of Advent we pray, “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” a beloved hymn based on the O Antiphons, ancient prayers appointed for the seven days preceding Christmas.On this final Sunday of Advent we prepare to celebrate the birth of the one born to save us from the power of sin and death. Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25, Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
A note of joyful expectation marks today’s worship. Isaiah announces that the desert shall rejoice and blossom, and Jesus points to the unexpected and transforming signs of God’s reign. We wait with patience for the coming of the Lord, even as we rejoice at his presence among us this day: in word and holy supper, in church and in our homes,in silent reflection and in works of justice and love. We pray that God would open our eyes and ears to the wonders of Christ’s advent among us. Scripture Reading: Luke 1:45b-55, Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:5-10
At the heart of our Advent preparation stands John the Baptist, who calls us to repent and make a new beginning. As the darkness increases, we turn toward the approaching light of Christ. For Christians he is the root of Jesse, the righteous judge who welcomes all, especially the poor and meek of the earth. We wait with hope for that day when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and there will be no more hurt or destruction. From the Lord’s table we are sent in the spirit of John the Baptist to proclaim that in Christ the kingdom of God has come near.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-12, Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
The new church year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! In today’s readings both Paul and Jesus challenge us to wake from sleep, for we know neither the day nor hour of the Lord’s coming. Isaiah proclaims the day when God will gather all people on the holy mountain and there will be no more war or suffering. Though we vigilantly watch for the promised day of salvation, we wait for what we already have: Christ comes among us this day as the word and meal that strengthens our faith in the promises of God.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:11-14, Psalm 122
Community Thanksgiving Eve service celebrating blessings in the last year.
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-9
Christ the King’s pardon is for us. We begin our worship acknowledging our sin and hearing the news that God has forgiven us. The Ruler’s welcome is ours as well. We come to the table, received by Christ himself. Today we join him, the thief on the cross, and all the saints in a foretaste of the paradise to come. The Spirit sends us into the week ahead renewed in the knowledge that we are citizens of the reign of God and that our true Ruler is the one who welcomes and pardons: the crucified and risen Christ.
Scripture Reading: Luke 23:33-43, Colossians 1:11-20, Psalm 46
NPR’s “All Things Considered” reference: <https://www.npr.org/2019/11/23/781166797/tom-hanks-plays-mister-rogers-sharing-joy-is-the-natural-state-of-things>
WPBS TV, Fred Rogers 50th anniversary introduction <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTevoLkcFdI>
The end is near. There is no doubt about it. The warnings are dire. The tone of today’s texts is ominous. But the baptized know how to live in the “meantimes.” The baptized are strengthened for the living of these days in word and sacrament. The baptized rally around the invitation of the apostle: “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.”
Scripture Reading: Luke 21:5-19, Isaiah 65:17-25, Psalm 98
We worship on the first day of the week because our Savior was raised on that day. Every Sunday is a little Easter. This Sunday feels more like Easter than many as the appointed texts celebrate the reality of the resurrection. Live it up this Lord’s day. Our God is the God of the living.
Scripture Reading: Luke 20:27-38, Job 19:23-27, Psalm 17:1-9
In holy baptism God makes saints out of sinners. In holy communion God forgives the sins of all the saints. In the assembly today we give thanks for all the saints “who from their labors rest,” who have fought the good fight, who have gained the crown. In the same breath we petition our God for the strength to hear and to heed the admonitions of the Lord Jesus in today’s gospel. Recalling that we have been sealed by the Spirit and sustained by the Savior’s body and blood, we keep on keeping on as God gives us breath, to the praise of God’s glory.
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:20-31, Ephesians 1:11-23, Psalm 149
On this day we celebrate the heart of our faith: the gospel of Christ— the good news— that makes us free! We pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to unite the church today in its proclamation and witness to the world. In the waters of baptism we are made one body; we pray for the day that all Christians will also be one at the Lord’s table.
Scripture Reading: John 8:31-36, Romans 3:19-28, Jeremiah 31:31-34
Pray always. Do not lose heart. This is the encouragement of the Christ of the gospel today. Persistence in our every encounter with the divine will be blessed. Wrestle with the word. Remember your baptism again and again. Come regularly to Christ’s table. Persistence in our every encounter with the divine will be blessed.
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1-8, Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121
It·s a miracle! Multiple miracles! The waters of holy baptism have healed us. The body and blood of Jesus in holy communion have made us clean. We have died with Christ and been raised with him. For all this we have returned to offer thanks. From this place we are sent on our way rejoicing to share the good news.
Scripture Readings:Luke 17:11-19, 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 111.
A little faith goes a long way is our Lord’s point in the gospel. A mustard seed’s-worth has miraculous potential. The patience, tenacity, and endurance required for the life of faith are the blessings received in water and the word (holy baptism), bread and wine (holy communion), the word read and proclaimed in this assembly. Anticipate them. Receive them with thanksgiving.
Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Psalm 37:1-9
The archangel Michael is pictured as a prince and a general of the heavenly army, defeating the dragon (the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan). It is important, though, to see in Revelation 12:11 that God’s victory ultimately comes by Jesus’ death and the testimony of his followers. The power of God’s truth gives us confidence in the face of evil on earth, even in the face of our own death. Today you are invited to experience the power of God at a healing station during communion. Come for prayer and anointing with oil during the meal.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:17-20, Revelation 12:7-12, Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22
Walk With You clip by Della Reese & The Verity All-Stars, Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recall that we are bought with a price. “Christ Jesus, himself human, . . . gave himself a ransom for all.” Apart from the generosity of God we have nothing—we are nothing. By God’s gracious favor we have everything we need.
Scripture Reading: Luke 16:1-13, Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113
The grumbling of the Pharisees and the scribes in today’s gospel is actually our holy hope: This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. That our God wills to seek and to save the lost is not only a holy hope, it is our only hope. As Paul’s first letter to Timothy reminds us, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Thanks be to God.
Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Psalm 51:1-12
Called to the contemplate the joy of discipleship today, we might be helped by our prayer of the day: Strengthened by the company and forgiveness of the Christ in the blessed sacrament and recalling God’s grace in remembrance of baptism, we can be strengthened in this hour to “choose life” – to choose life in God as our own. Refresh my heart in Christ.
Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1
Invited and inviting - that is the nature of the church. By God's grace in holy baptism we have a place at the banquet table of the Lord. When, by the power of that same Spirit, humility and mutual love continue among us, the church can be more inviting still.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Jeremiah 2:4-13; Luke 14:1,7-14
Remember the sabbath day. Call the sabbath a delight. This is the Lord’s day, and the Lord will do for us what the Lord does: feed us, forgive us, help and heal us. Rejoice at all the wonderful things God is doing.
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:10-17, Hebrews 12:18-29, Psalm 103-1-8
The word of God is a refining fire. Jesus is the great divide in human history. He invites our undivided attention and devotion. Today, in the assembly, we are surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses.” In the word and in the holy communion we are invited yet again to look to Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:49-56, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, 8-16, Psalm 82
Jesus says, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." It is God's promise from the beginning - to Abraham, to the early church, and to the "little flock" of which we are a part today in assembly. Faith, God's baptismal gift, trusts the promises of God. Have no fear.
Scripture Reading: Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Psalm 33:12-22
Persistence in prayer evoked the admiration of Jesus and wins the attention of the Lord when Abraham intercedes for Sodom. The life of the baptized – to be rooted and built up in Christ Jesus the Lord – is to be rooted in prayer. God hears and answers prayer and so strengthens God’s own. “When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.”
Scripture Reading: Luke 11:1-13, Colossians 2:56-9, Psalm 138
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to reflect God’s mercy in responding to one’s neighbor. That mercy found its most profound expression in the “gospel that has come to you” - namely the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That gospel mercy comes to us again today: at the font, at the altar, and from the pulpit. It is very near to you.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37, Deuteronomy 30:9-20, Psalm 25:1-10
God is the source of our nourishment. Our Lord’s invitation to “take and eat… take and drink” is a repeated one. In the Holy Eucharist, in the word read and proclaimed, in the assembly of the people of God, the dominion of God has come near. Rejoice! Your name is written in heaven.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, Galatians 6:1-16, Psalm 66:1-9
Verstehen: to step so deeply into another person's understanding that you can meet them where they are at and empathize with them at the deepest possible level.
A link to the Today, Explained podcast: Deeyan Kahn’ s ”Know Your Enemy (Part I)”
A link to Jan Richardson’s "the Painted Prayerbook", "A Blessing in the Dust"
We have no good apart from God. That makes our Lord’s call to follow him an invitation to freedom. This is freedom to revel in the Spirit’s fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, and the like. This is the path of life.
Scripture Reading: Luke 9:51-62, 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
“O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Today we celebrate the name of God: holy blessed Trinity. There is no other day quite like this one in the church’s year. There is no other god like ours. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-39, Galatians 3:23-29, Psalm 22:19-29
“O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Today we celebrate the name of God: holy blessed Trinity. There is no other day quite like this one in the church’s year. There is no other god like ours. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Scripture Reading: John 16:12-15, Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Psalm 8
Pentecost is a day of promises fulfilled. The promised Spirit of God is poured out. The baptized have become “children of God” and “joint heirs with Christ.” In the spirit of Pentecost, our worship service today will include liturgy from a variety of voices encompassing the whole church. In the great diversity that is the church, we find our unity as God’s people - called together by the Holy Spirit, and sent to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: John 14:15-20, 25-27, Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Video clip of Denyse’ biker funeral procession referenced in sermon
Video clip of the celebration of Denyse’ life referenced in sermon
It is possible to hear in Jesus’ high priestly prayer, a prayer he offered shortly before his death, the petitions of the ascended Lord for his own throughout history - to our day - and beyond. Jesus prays for us.In holy baptism we become believers in God, have our robes washed in the flood of Christ’s forgiveness, and receive the gift of life forever with all the saints.
Scripture Reading: John 17:20-26, Acts 16:16-34, Psalm 97
Visions abound in the readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter. Paul has a vision about what to do. John has a vision of what will be. The risen Lord Jesus provides visions of peace that passes human understanding and power beyond human imagination.
Scripture Reading: John 14:23-29, Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5, Psalm 67
The gift of new life, of eternal life, is the gift of the risen Christ. It is the promise of Jesus. It was true for Dorcas in Joppa. It was true for those “who have come out of the great ordeal” in the Revelation vision. It is true for us and for all the baptized: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Scripture Reading: John 13:31-35, Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148:1-10
The gift of new life, of eternal life, is the gift of the risen Christ. It is the promise of Jesus. It was true for Dorcas in Joppa. It was true for those “who have come out of the great ordeal” in the Revelation vision. It is true for us and for all the baptized: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30, Acts 9:36-43
The disciples make a big splash and breakfast with the risen Jesus in the gospel. Wading in the water (remembering our baptism) and eating with Jesus (celebrating the holy communion) is our weekly encounter with the risen Christ. Jesus asks us, with Peter, again and again: Do you love me? And Jesus invites us, again and again, to follow him, bringing the Easter life to others.
Scripture Reading: John 21:1-19, Acts 9:1-20
Many American churches, including All Saints Lutheran Church, have resurrected an old Easter custom begun by the Greeks in the early centuries of Christianity - “Holy Humor Sunday” celebrations of Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday after Easter. The custom was rooted in the musings of early church theologians (like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom) that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead… “Risus paschalis - the Easter laugh!” Today, our church service is a mixture of tradition and frivolity, a time for celebration and humor where we hear about Thomas. We’re glad you are here!
Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. God has indeed raised from the dead the one who was put to death “by hanging him on a tree.” Alleluia! God allows Jesus to appear “to us who were chosen by God as witnesses” in holy baptism and invites us to eat and drink at the table of the risen Christ. Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-12, Isaiah 65:17-25
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18
At the heart of the Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to John, which proclaims Jesus as a triumphant king who reigns from the cross. The ancient title for this day - the trump of the cross - reminds us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ’s life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the tree of life. In the ancient bidding prayer we offer petitions for all the world for whom Christ died.
Scripture Reading: John 18:1-19:42, Hebrews 10:16-25
With nightfall our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the heart of the Maundy Thursday liturgy is Jesus’ commandment to love one another. As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, we are called to follow his examples as we humbly care for one another, especially the poor and the unloved. At the Lord’s table we remember Jesus’ sacrifice of his life, even as we are called to offer ourselves in love for the life of the world.
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17, 31b-35, Exodus 12:1-14
The voice of the suffering savior, Jesus, can be heard in the prophet Isaiah’s words and the pleading of the psalm. We are invited into the agony of our Lord in the extended reading of the story of Jesus’ passion. In the second reading, we who have put on Christ in holy baptism are urged to let the mind of Christ be our own. Lent leads us to this holy moment. Embrace it.
Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28-40; Philippians 2:5-11
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:34-46
The Lord our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In the second reading we recall the transformation of Saul, the persecutor, into Paul, the apostle. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.
Scripture Reading: John 12:1-8; Isaiah 43:16-21
Scripture Reading:Matthew 25:34-46
(In case you want to hear about the Hurricane Harvey project, here is a link to Brene’ Brown’s Facebook page where she talks about it.)
The psalm sets the tone this day: “Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away!” Happy are those who have “become the righteousness of God” in the merits of Christ Jesus. Happy are those for whom the forgiveness of God has “rolled away . . . the disgrace” of former times. Happy is the father at the return of his prodigal son. Happy are we that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Rejoice!
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3,11-32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:34-46
The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Lent is a season of repentance. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God’s invitation to attentiveness: “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” The landowner’s ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener’s readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:1-9, Isaiah 55:1-9
“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”
Matthew 25:35
Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God- initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek the face of the Lord again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:31-35, Philippians 3:17-4:1
These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues; to receive the gifts of God’s grace; to believe with the whole heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God’s love in Jesus; and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-13, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Ash Wednesday is a solemn day of prayer that begins the season of Lent. On this day we confess our sins in a litany of repentance. We will receive the sign of ashes, an ancient symbol that reminds us of our own mortality. We will partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion, God’s mercy and grace which come to us in bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ. Marked with the cross of Christ we make our way through Lent, longing for the baptismal waters of Easter and our spiritual rebirth, caring for our neighbor and living lives of grace centered on the cross.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, Isaiah 58:1-12
Witnesses to the glory of God in the face of Jesus will be unable to avoid reflecting that glory in the world. It was true for Moses. It was doubtless true for Peter, James, and John. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see the glory of the Lord in the word and in the supper and who are being “transformed into the same image” by the Spirit of God.
Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-43, Exodus 34:29-35
Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Joseph lives it in Egypt. Jesus preaches it in the gospel. The Spirit guides us into merciful lives with the power of forgiveness to reconcile what is fractured and divided. Such merciful living is the baptismal blessing of having put on Christ. It is the gift of the life-giving Spirit. It is a reflection of the glory of God revealed in the Christ.
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38, Genesis 45: 3-11, 15
Blessings and curses abound on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. We would do well to listen closely to whom the “blessed are”s and the “woe to”s are directed and to find our place in the crowd among those who desire to touch Jesus. The risen Christ stands among us in the mystery of the holy supper with an invitation to live in him and the power to heal us all.
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:17-26, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
The fifth Sunday after Epiphany continues to highlight unlikely instruments and circumstances appointed to reveal the glory of the Lord. “Who will go for us?” queries the voice of the Lord. A man of unclean lips, a former persecutor of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn’t catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is the fact that we are also called.
Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11, Psalm 138
The glory of God is often revealed when and where it is least expected. God uses our lips to declare that glory, inexperienced and hesitant though they may be. God uses our love to demonstrate that glory and so urges us to exercise it. God uses Jesus of Nazareth, water and the word, bread and wine, to reveal God’s glory where and when God chooses. Take heed, lest the glory of God slip through our midst unnoticed.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:21-30, Jeremiah 1:4-20
The glory of the Lord is revealed in the reading of scripture. People stand at attention. People weep. People prostate themselves in prayer. Most gloriously, the promises of God are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Gather round. Listen up. Glimpse the glory of God.ate themselves in prayer. The unity of the church is another reflection of the glory of God.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-21, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
The Sundays after Epiphany continue to celebrate the revelation of the glory of God to us as it was made known to the magi, to those on Jordan’s banks at the baptism of Jesus, and, today, at the Wedding in Cana. Our God rejoices over God’s people “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride.” By the power of the Spirit there are gifts galore for everyone. In Christ Jesus the best wine is saved for last. Taste and see!
Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Epiphany means “manifestation.” On this day we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles—that is, to all nations. Some Christian traditions celebrate three great epiphanies on this day: the magi’s adoration of the Christ child, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle, in which he changes water into wine. The word and sacraments are for us the great epiphany of God’s grace and mercy. We go forth to witness to the light that shines brightly in our midst.
Scripture Reading: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; Acts 8:14-17
Epiphany means “manifestation.” On this day we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles—that is, to all nations. Some Christian traditions celebrate three great epiphanies on this day: the magi’s adoration of the Christ child, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle, in which he changes water into wine. The word and sacraments are for us the great epiphany of God’s grace and mercy. We go forth to witness to the light that shines brightly in our midst.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-6
The Christmas Story. Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7, Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-5; Luke 1:1-7; Luke 2:8-14; Luke 2:15-20; Psalm 8
On this Christmas morning the people of God gather to celebrate the birth of the Word made flesh, Christ our Lord. Luke recounts the familiar story of shepherds and angels; John’s gospel tells of the Word that dwells among us, full of grace and truth. The meaning of Christmas is made clear: the light shines in the darkness. It is in the liturgy that we encounter the Word made flesh - in the people of God gathered together as the body of Christ, and in the meal around the holy table. We go forth to be bearers of light as we proclaim this good news to all the ends of the earth.
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14, Isaiah 52:7-19
"A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: "Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him." (Luke 2:11-14, The Message)
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-20; Isaiah 9:2-7
Cradle and cross are inextricably connected on the fourth Sunday of Advent. There is a lovely tribute to the little town of Bethlehem and the blessed virgin Mary’s magnificent song of praise. It is the kind of tension in which the church always lives as when in the holy communion - with high delight - “we proclaim the Lord’s death".
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45 , Micah 5:2-5a
The presence of the Lord “in your midst” in the wonder of the holy supper is cause for singing. The nearness of the Lord in prayer, in every circumstance, is cause for rejoicing. The coming of one “more powerful” than John, even with his winnowing fork in his hand, is good news - and cause for exultation - for us who are being saved. Great joy is the tone for the third Sunday in Advent.
Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18 , Zephaniah 3:14-20
Advent continues; our ruminations go deeper. We wait, watch, wonder if we will ever know peace. Will we find peace in our own souls? Will there be peace on earth? Peace is the traditional theme for the Second Sunday of Advent - not just peace as the absence of violence, but peace that passes understanding, peace that heals and makes whole, peace that allows the wolf to live with the lamb and the leopard with the kid, peace that allows a little child to lead the people and bring them back into full communion with God, peace that ensures there will be no more hurting or destruction on God’s holy mountain because the whole earth will be full of the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:68-79 , Philippians 1:3-11
Advent is about the “coming days.” God’s people have always lived in great expectations, but that expectation finds specific, repeated enunciation in the texts appointed for these four weeks. The ancients anticipated a “righteous Branch to spring up for David.” The Thessalonians awaited “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints.” Our Lord’s contemporaries hoped for the time “to stand before the Son of Man.” With them we eagerly await the coming days: another Christmas celebration, a second coming, and the advent of our Lord in word and supper.
Scripture Reading: Luke 21:25-36 , Jeremiah 33:14-16
Even after Israel had experienced the vagaries of kings, they still longed for a true king to set things right. He would have the king’s title of Anointed One (Messiah); he would be the “one like a human being” (Son of Man) given dominion in Daniel’s vision. Jesus is given these titles, even though he is nothing like an earthly king. His authority comes from the truth to which he bears witness, and those who recognize the truth voluntarily listen to him. We look forward to the day he is given dominion, knowing his victory will be the nonviolent victory of love.
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:4-8, Isaiah 43:16-21
November begins with All Saints Day and ends in Advent, when we anticipate Christ’s coming again. The readings today tell of the final resurrection and the end of time. In the turmoil of hope, fear, and disbelief that these predictions provoke in us, Hebrews sounds a note of confident trust. Christ makes a way for us where there is no way, and we walk it confidently, our hearts and bodies washed in baptismal water, trusting the one who has promised. The more we see the last day approaching, the more important it is to meet together to provoke one another to love.
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:1-8, Hebrews 10:11-25
Widows are visible everywhere in today’s readings. Jesus denounces those scribes who pray impressive prayers but devour widows’ houses. He commends the poor widow who in his view gave far more than the major donors. Jesus doesn’t see her simply as an object of compassion or charity. She, like the widow of Zarephath who shares her last bit of food with Elijah, does something of great importance.
Scripture Reading: Mark 12:38-44, 1 Kings 17:8-16
On All Saints Day we celebrate the victory won for all the faithful dead, but we grieve for our beloved dead as well, knowing that God honors our tears. We bring our grief to the table and find there a foretaste of Isaiah’s feast to come. In the waters of baptism we are made one body; we pray for the day that all Christians will also be one at the Lord’s table.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12 , Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10,22
On this day we celebrate the heart of our faith: the gospel of Christ - the good news - that makes us free! We pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to unite the church today in its proclamation and witness to the world. In the waters of baptism we are made one body; we pray for the day that all Christians will also be one at the Lord’s table.
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52 , Jeremiah 31:31-34
Today’s gospel starts with disciples obsessing over who’s number one, which leads Jesus to say something about God’s take on importance and power. Here Jesus makes it explicit that the reversal of values in God’s community is a direct challenge to the values of the dominant culture, where wielding power over others is what makes you great. When we pray “your kingdom come” we are praying for an end to tyranny and oppression. We pray this gathered around the cross, a sign of great shame transformed to be the sign of great honor and service.
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:35-45 , Psalm 91:9-16
The rich man who comes to ask Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life is a good man, sincere in his asking. Mark’s gospel is alone in saying that Jesus looked on him and loved him. Out of love, not as judgment, Jesus offers him an open door to life: sell all you own and give it to the poor. Our culture bombards us with the message that we will find life by consuming. Our assemblies counter this message with the invitation to find life by divesting for the sake for the other.
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16
Today’s gospel combines a saying that makes many of us uncomfortable with a story we find comforting. Jesus’ saying on divorce is another of his rejections of human legislation in favor of the original intent of God’s law. Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples who are fending off the children should challenge us as well. What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God as a child does?
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:2-16, Genesis 2:18-24
Someone is casting out demons in Jesus’ name who isn’t part of Jesus’ own circle, and the disciples want him stopped. They appeal to Jesus, as Joshua did to Moses about the elders who prophesied without official authorization. Like Moses, Jesus refuses to see this as a threat. Jesus welcomes good being done in his name, even when it is not under his control. The circle we form around Jesus’ word must be able to value good being done in ways we wouldn’t do it, by people we can’t keep tabs on.
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:38-50, Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Today we hear James warn against selfish ambition, while the disciples quarrel over which one of them is the greatest. Jesus tells them the way to be great is to serve. Then, to make it concrete, he puts in front of them an actual flesh-and-blood child. We are called to welcome the particular children God puts in front of us, to make room for them in daily interaction, and to give them a place of honor in the assembly.
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:30-37, James 3:13-4:3, 4:7-8
Three weeks ago we heard John’s gospel’s version of Peter’s confession of faith. This week we hear Mark’s version, when Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” In John, the stumbling block is Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh, given for the life of the world. Mark too the scandal has to do with Jesus’ words about his own coming death, and here Peter himself stumbles over Jesus’ words. But Jesus is anointed (the meaning of “messiah”) in Mark only on the way to the cross (14:3); so we are anointed in baptism with the sign of the cross.
Scripture Reading: Mark 8:27-38, James 3:1-12, Psalm 27
James tells us to stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s gospel. Was he testing her faith in saying Gentiles don’t deserve the goods meant for God’s children? Or was he speaking out of his worldview, but transcended those limits when she took him by surprise with her reply? Either way, the story tells us that God shows no partiality. Everyone who brings her or his need to Jesus is received with equal honor as a child and heir.
Scripture Reading: Mark 7:24-37, Isaiah 35:4-7, Psalm 146
Jesus protects against human customs being given the weight of divine law, while the essence of God’s law is ignored. True uncleanness comes not from external things, but from the intentions of the human heart. Last week Jesus told us “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Now James says God has given us birth by the word of truth. We, having been washed in the word when we were born in the font, return to it every Sunday to ask God to create in us clean hearts.
Scripture Reading: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
In today’s gospel many people take offense at Jesus’ invitation to eat his flesh and drink his blood; even many of Jesus’ disciples peel off. This is the backdrop in John’s gospel for Peter’s confession of faith. “To whom can we go?” asks Peter, in words we sometimes sing just before the gospel is read. “You have the words of eternal life.” In order to take such a stand, as Peter and Joshua did, Paul tells us to arm ourselves with the word of God. We pray in the Spirit that we might be bold ambassadors of the gospel.
Scripture Reading: John 6:56-69, Psalm 34:15-22
Wisdom prepares a feast, sets her tables, and invites all to come and eat her bread and drink her wine. The first chapter of John’s gospel owes much to the biblical tradition that imagined Wisdom as existing before anything was created and having a role in the work of creation. John’s gospel includes no account of the institution of the Lord’s supper, but here we can’t help hearing Jesus’ words as an invitation to the meal of bread and wine we share.
Scripture Reading: John 6:51-58, Deuteronomy 12:20-25
Apparently not satisfied by Jesus’ feeding of thousands, some who were there press him for a sign of his power; perhaps it is daily manna they want. As always in John’s gospel when people want a sign, Jesus offers himself. He is the bread come from heaven to give lift to the world. He calls us to come to him andbelieve in him, and through that relationship to know the one who sent him.
Scripture Reading: John 6:24-35, Exodus 16:1-15
Following the ascension of Jesus, Luke continues the story of the mission and ministry of Jesus through the books of Acts, an extension of the gospel of Luke. In Acts 2 we hear Peter preaching the good news. We're called to do the same!
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14-24, Psalms 104:1-15
Today is the first of five Sundays with gospel readings from John 6, the first four of which focus on Jesus as bread of life. Today Jesus feeds thousands of people with five loaves and two fish. What we have, what we bring to Jesus’ table, seems like it is not nearly enough to meet all the needs we see around us. But it is not the adequacy of our supplies or our skills that finally makes the difference: it is the power of Jesus working in the littlest and least to transform this world into the world God desires, a world where all the hungry are satisfied.
Scripture Reading: John 6:1-15, Ephesians 3:14-21
The gospels report Mary Magdalene was one of the women of Galilee who followed Jesus. She was present at Jesus’ crucifixion and his burial. When she went to the tomb on the first day of the week to anoint Jesus’ body, she was the first person to whom the risen Lord appeared. She returned to the disciples with the news and has been called “the apostle to the apostles” for her proclamation of the resurrection. Because John’s gospel describes Mary as weeping at the tomb, she is often portrayed in art with red eyes. Icons depict her standing by the tomb and holding a bright red egg, a symbol of the resurrection.
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18, Ruth 1:1-18
John the Baptist spoke truth to power and Herod had him beheaded. In Herod’s fear that Jesus is John returned from the dead, we may hear hope for the oppressed: that all the prophets killed through the ages are alive in Jesus. We are called to witness to justice in company with them.
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:14-29,Ephesians 1:3-14
Jesus does great deeds of power and gives his disciples authority over demons. Yet none of this power is unilateral; it all must be received by faith. Jesus asks his disciples to go out without money or supplies, so that they will be dependent on how others receive them. When we are sent from the assembly to witness and to heal, we are asked to be vulnerable, to be dependent on the reception of others. The Spirit always operates in the between: between Jesus and his Abba, between Jesus and us, between you and me, between us and those to whom we are sent.
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:1-13, Ezekiel 2:1-5
God allowed us choice so there is evil. Consequences of our evil affects people on a large scale and evil by itself affects individuals. But God also brings us hope and freedom. Jeremiah reminds the people in Babylon to hold on to hope, that God has plans for their future. Jesus brings freedom to the Gentle in the Gerasene tombs. Hold to the hope and faith of the freedom Jesus has for us.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:57-64,Jeremiah 29:4-14
John the Baptist is a unique figure in Christian memory, a hinge between the Old Testament prophets and the first Christians. In the gospel stories he recognizes Jesus as one greater than himself, one for whose coming he prepares the way. But still from his prison he asks if Jesus is truly the Expected One. He is a figure of perpetual Advent and in that way stands for all of us who may be Christian believers but still wait and wonder, discern and doubt.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:57-64, 68-80, Malachi 3:1-4
The mustard seed becomes a shrub that shelters the birds, recalling ancient images of the tree of life. We’d expect a cedar or a sequoia, but Jesus finds the power of God better imaged in a tiny, no-account seed. It’s not the way we expect divine activity to look. Yet the tree of life is here, in the cross around which we gather, the tree into which we are grafted through baptism, the true vine that nourishes us with its fruit in the cup we share. It may not appear all that impressive, but while nobody’s looking it grows with a power beyond our understanding.
Scripture Reading: Mark 4:26-34, Ezekiel 17:22-24
A house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus makes this observation in light of charges that he is possessed. He is possessed, not by a demon, but by the Holy Spirit. We who have received the Holy Spirit through baptism have been joined to Christ’s death and resurrection and knit together in the body of Christ. Those with whom we sing and pray this day are sisters and brothers of the Lord. With them we go forth in peace to do the will of God.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 130 , 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Deuteronomy makes clear that sabbath-keeping is meant for the welfare of all. God delivered the Israelites out of slavery, so they should not ever work anyone else seven days a week. Even slaves should be able to rest; even resident aliens. Yet human beings can turn even the most liberating religious practice into a life-destroying rule. Jesus does not reject sabbath-keeping, but defends its original life-enhancing meaning. Our worship and our religious way of life are to lead to the hungry being fed and the sick being healed.
Scripture Reading: Mark 2:3-3:6, Deuteronomy 5:12-15
When we say God is the triune God, we are saying something about who God is beyond, before, and after the universe: that there is community within God. Our experience of this is reflected in Paul’s words today. When we pray to God as Jesus prayed to his Abba (an everyday, intimate parental address), the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has with the one who sent him.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:24-31, Genesis 2:5-9
On the fiftieth day of Easter we celebrate the Spirit, through whom and in whom the people of God are created and re-created. Pentecost is sometimes called the church’s birthday, but might more appropriately be called its baptism day, since the gift of the Spirit is the fullness of baptism. Acts makes it clear that God is in the process of re-creating the entire cosmos; yet the Spirit is also at work in the most intimate and personal way, praying in us “with sighs too deep for words” when we do not know how to pray.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23; Acts 1:1-11
In today’s gospel the risen Christ ascends into heaven and his followers are assured that the Spirit will empower them to be witnesses throughout the earth. The disciples were told to not gaze up into heaven to look for Jesus; we find his presence among us as we proclaim the word and share the Easter feast. We too long for the Spirit to enliven our faith and invigorate our mission.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23; Acts 1:1-11
This Sunday’s image of the life the risen Christ shares with us is the image of friendship. We are called to serve others as Jesus came to serve; but for John’s gospel, the image of servanthood is too hierarchical, too distant, to capture the essence of life with Christ. Friendship captures the love, the joy, the deep mutuality of the relationship into which Christ invites us. The Greeks believed that true friends are willing to die for each other. This is the mutual love of Christian community commanded by Christ and enabled by the Spirit.
Scripture Reading: John 15:9-17; Acts 10:44-48
This Sunday’s image of how the risen Christ shares his life with us is the image of the vine. Christ the vine and we the branches are alive in each other, in the mystery of mutual abiding that we read of in the gospel and the first letter of John. Baptism makes us a part of Christ’s living and life-giving self and makes us alive with Christ’s life. As the vine brings food to the branches, Christ feeds us at his table. We are sent out to bear fruit for the life of the world.
Scripture Reading: John 15:1-8; 1 John 4:7-21
The image of the Good Shepherd shows us how the risen Christ brings us to life. It is the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, one of the mutual knowledge and love, that gives the shepherd authority. The shepherd’s willingness to lay down his life for the sheep shows his love. First John illustrates what it means to lay down our lives for one another by the example of sharing our wealth with any sister or brother in need.
Scripture Reading: John 10:11-18, 1 John 3:16-24
The gospel for the third Sunday of Easter is always one in which the risen Christ shares food with the disciples, meals that are the Easter template for the meal we share each Lord’s day. In today’s gospel, Jesus both shares the disciples’ food and shows them the meaning of his suffering, death, and resurrection through the scriptures: the two main elements of our Sunday worship.
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:36b-48, 1 John 3:1-7
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his wounded self in the broken bread. From frightened individuals we are transformed into a community of open doors, peace, forgiveness, and material sharing such that no one among us is in need.
Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31, 1 John 1:1-7
On this April Fool's Day. we can rejoice that Jesus Christ has made a fool of Satan. Satan thought he had triumphed over Jesus with the crucifixtion, but Jesus Christ triumphed over Satan by rising from the dead and further gave us victory over Satan by cleansing us of our sins. Satan no longer has a hold on us. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, ALLELUIA!
Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1-8, Isaiah 25:6-9
Tonight we sit shiva, an ancient custom still used today by our Jewish friends and neighbors. We sit in deep mourning. As the story of John’s account of Good Friday unfolds, we begin to grieve. While shiva is kept for seven days, our mourning is only for three. This night is called ‘Good’, not because of anything we have done, in fact, just the opposite. Tonight we are participants as the crowd in the narration. We are the ones who put Christ on the cross. We are the ones who said “Crucify”. As we enter into this most holy, dark and difficult night, we remember, we pray, we reflect and we wait. Through it all we breathe in the Holy Spirit who gives us light and hope in the darkness.
Scripture Reading: John 18:1-19-42, Isaiah 52:13-53:12
With nightfall our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the heart of the Maundy Thursday liturgy is Jesus’ commandment to love one another. As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, we are called to follow his example as we humbly care for one another, especially the poor and the unloved. At the lord's table we remember Jesus’ sacrifice of his life, even as we are called to offer ourselves in love for the life of the world..
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17, 31b-35, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
We are reminded in Philippians that Christ humbled himself and became human to die on the cross. In Mark we see Jesus annointed like a high priest or a sheep, obedient to his father's will.
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:1-31, Philippians 2:5-11
Listen to God in your heart and follow your intuition and faith.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:16-22
God promises Jeremiah that a “new covenant” will be made in the future: a covenant that will allow all the people to know God by heart. The church sees this promise fulfilled in Christ, who raws all people to himself when he is lifted up on the cross. Our baptismal covenant draws us to God’s heart through Christ and draws God’s light and truth into our hearts. We see God’s heart most clearly in the way Jesus shares human suffering.
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:14-20, Jeremiah 31:31-34
Resiliant people take a licking and keep on ticking - doing it the longest and happiest. Love for God and their neighbors is a bulwark of the resiliance.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:16-21
Of the Old Testament promises providing a baptismal lens this Lent, the fourth is the promise God makes to Moses: those who look on the bronze serpent will live. In today’s gospel Jesus says he will be lifted up on the cross like the serpent, so that those who look to him in faith will live. The cross, which we are introduced to in baptism, becomes the sign we can look to in faith, for healing, for restored relationship to God, for hope when we are dying, and more.
Scripture Reading: John 3:14-21, Numbers 21:4-9
Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul gave us thea nswer to the modern lack life style of fear and anxiety. "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-9
The third covenant in this year’s Lenten readings is the central one of Israel’s history: the gift of the law of those God freed from slavery. The ten commandments are one of the chief parts of Luther’s catechism, a core piece of baptismal instruction. They begin with the statement that because God alone has freed us from the powers that oppressed us, we are to let nothing else claim first place in our lives. When Jesus throws the merchants out of the temple, he is defending the worship of God alone and rejecting the ways commerce and profit-making can become our gods.
Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22, Exodus 20:1-17
Click on the image to see attempts at a pot.
“Perfectionism is not the same thing has striving to be your best. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame. It’s a shield. It’s a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from flight."
- Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:43-48
The second covenant in this year’s Lenten readings is the one made with Abraham and Sarah: God’s promise to make them the ancestors of many, with whom God will remain in everlasting covenant. Paul says this promise comes to all who share Abraham’s faith in God who brings life into being where there was no life. We receive this baptismal promise of resurrection life in faith. Sarah and Abraham receive new names as a sign of the covenant, and we too get new identities in baptism, as we put on Christ.
Scripture Reading: Mark 8:31-38, Genesis 17:1-7,15-16
It's easy to think of the disciples as we see in medevial artwork - white beard, white hair, some emblematic device and haloes. What Jesus saw was different. For instance, with Simon, Andrew, James and John, he saw hard working, callused and smelly fisherman. Jesus sees us as we are. We need to ourselves as we are and accept ourselves.
Scripture Reading: Mark 4:12-22
On Ash Wednesday the church began its journey toward baptismal immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ. This year, the Sundays in Lent lead us to focus on five covenants God makes in the Hebrew Scriptures and to use them as lenses through which to view baptism. First Peter connects the way God saved Noah’s family in the flood with the way God saves us through the water of baptism. The baptismal covenant is made with us individually, but the new life we are given in baptism is for the sake of the whole world.
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:9-15, 1 Peter 3:18-22
Christians gather on this day to mark the beginning of Lent’s baptismal preparation for Easter. On this day, the people of God receive an ashen cross on the forehead (a gesture rooted in baptism), hear the solemn proclamation to keep a fast in preparation for Easter’s feast, and contemplate anew the ongoing meaning of baptismal initiation into the Lord’s death and resurrection. While marked with the ashes of human mortality, the church hears God’s promise of forgiveness and tastes God’s mercy in the bread of life and the cup of salvation. From this solemn liturgy, the church goes forth on its journey to the great baptismal feast of Easter.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-12
The Sundays after Epiphany began with Jesus’ baptism and end with three disciples’ vision of his transfiguration. In Mark’s story of Jesus’ baptism, apparently only Jesus sees the Spirit descending and hears the words from heaven. But now Jesus’ three closest friends hear the same words naming him God’s beloved Son. As believers, Paul writes, we are enabled to see the God-light in Jesus’ face, because the same God who created light in the first place has shone in our hearts to give us that vision. The light of God’s glory in Jesus has enlightened us through baptism and shines in us also for others to see.
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:2-9, 2 Kings 2:1-12
In Isaiah it is the one God who sits above the earth and numbers the stars - it is that God who strengthens the powerless. So in Jesus’ healing work we see the hand of the creator God, lifting up the sick woman to health and service (diakonia). Like Simon’s mother-in-law, we are lifted up to health and diakonia. Following Jesus, we strengthen the powerless; like Jesus, we seek to renew our strength in quiet times of prayer.
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:29-39, Isaiah 40:21-31
(Includes excerpt from Josh Groban performing "You Lift Me Up")
We all have had life experiences that have informed the way we act and relate to others. As new communities arise in the Christian Church, Paul helps people to honor each other despite their differences. We are called to do the same.
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:21-28, 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13
Stories of the call to discipleship continue as the time after Epiphany plays out the implications of our baptismal calling to show Christ to the world. Jesus begins proclaiming the good news and calling people to repentance right after John the Baptist is arrested for preaching in a similar way. Knowing that John was later executed, we see at the very outset the cost of discipleship. Still, the two sets of fisherman brothers leave everything they have known and worked for all their lives to follow Jesus and fish for people.
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-20, Jonah 3:1-5, 10
All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just the clergy but also the youngest child, like Samuel. The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because he comes from Nazareth. But where we come from isn’t important; it’s where - or rather whom - we come to. Jesus refers to the story of the vision of Jacob, who called the place of his vision “the house of God, and … the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). Jesus says he himself is the place where Nathanael will meet God.
Scripture Reading: John 1:43-51, 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Our re-creation in baptism is an image of the Genesis creation, where the Spirit/wind moved over the waters. Mark’s gospel makes clear that it is the Spirit’s movement that distinguishes Jesus’ baptism from John’s. The Spirit has come upon us as upon Jesus, calling us God’s beloved children and setting us on Jesus’ mission to re-create the world in the image of God’s vision of justice and peace.
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:4-11, Genesis 1:1-5
Approaching the new year, we wrestle to make peace with the past and the future, plagued with feelings of exile and uncertainty. But the prophet of Isaiah reminds us that goodness will shine triumphant, and the elders Anna and Simeon in the Gospel of Luke recognize how Jesus will bring forth that salvation in our past, present, and future, while acknowledging that peace-making is not smooth-sailing.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:2-40, Isaiah 61:10-62:3
On Christmas morning the people of God gather to celebrate the birth of the Word made flesh, Christ our Lord. Luke recounts the familiar story of shepherds and angels; John’s gospel tells of the Word that dwells among us, full of grace and truth. The meaning of Christmas is made clear: the light shines in the darkness. It is in the liturgy that we encounter the Word made flesh-in the people of God gathered together as the body of Christ, and in the meal around the holy table. We go forth to be bearers of light as we proclaim this good news to all the ends of the earth.
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14, Isaiah 9:2-7
Our gospel from Luke presents us with Mary and Joseph faced with the first registration and their first child. We to have had first in the last year, first spouses, first children but also first holiday with out spouse, without children, without parent. But overall each day is the recommemcement of out time with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-20, Isaiah 9:2-7
Throughout the Bible a common response to a visit from God is to sing. Mary's response to the angel was to sing. We, too, sing to rejoice in Jesus' coming.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38
Isaiah makes it clear that God turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. “All God’s children got a robe,” go the words of the spiritual. It is not so much a stately, formal, pressed outfit as it is a set of party clothes, clothes that make us feel happy just to put on. We receive that robe in baptism, and in worship we gather for a foretaste of God’s party.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:16-22a, Isaiah 64: 1-4, 8-11
John called people to repent, to clear the decks, to completely reorder their lives so that nothing would get in the way of God’s arrival. The reading from Isaiah gives the context for this radical call: the assurance of forgiveness that encourages us to repent; the promise that the coming one will be gentle with the little ones. Isaiah calls us all to be heralds with John, to lift up our voices fearlessly and say, “See, your God is coming!” We say it to one another in worship in order to say it without our lives in a world in need of justice and peace.
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-8, 19-28, Isaiah 40:1-11
The new church year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! In today’s readings Isaiah wants God to rip the heavens open. When we hear Jesus describing the coming of the Son of Man with stars falling from heaven, it can sound dire and horrible, not like anything we would ever hope for. But when we really look at the suffering of people God loves, we can share the hope that God would tear open the heavens and come.
Scripture Reading: Mark 13:19-27, Isaiah 64:1-9
(Background music: "It's a Wonderful Christmas" by Michael W. Smith)
On this final Sunday of the church year our gospel is Jesus’ great story of judgment. In the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is the shepherd who seeks the lost, weak, and injured and feeds them with justice. We gather this day to celebrate the reign of Christ and his victory over death, yet awaiting the consummation of all things yet to come. Acknowledging Christ as our merciful ruler, we go forth that God’s reign may be known in our living words and deeds.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46, Ezekiel 34:11-24
A story by Will Willimon
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Our readings during November speak of the end times. Paul says it will sneak up like a thief in the night, and urges us to avoid distractions and stay mindful of what’s going on around us, hearts open to God’s wisdom and will. In Matthew, someone gets thrown out of the banquet for lack of participation, met with weeping and gnashing of teeth. These texts can be difficult and even scary, but can also be a helpful nudge to stay active in God’s liberating work. Jesus tells the parable of the talents, calling us to use our wealth, gifts, privilege, and resources for the greater and common good – while we still have time. In a world filled with violence and despair, we gather around signs of hope, eager to welcome the good news from God and recognition of beloved community.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Paul urges the Thessalonians to lead a life worthy of God. Jesus warns against hypocrisy. We are all called to be humble servants. We gather for worship, we seek justice, and we welcome all people to the banquet of the abundant life.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 23:1-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 (Context for the sermon can be found by clicking and reading the gospel from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson)
All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with the faithful of every time and place, trusting that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that all tears will be wiped away in the new Jerusalem.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-12, Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22
On this date in 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 Theses (propositions) on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church as an invitation to debate the sale of indulgences for forgiveness. That event sparked a reform movement that eventually led to a Lutheran church and separate denominations. While there is much sorrow in the disunity which the Reformation caused, Luther did establish the idea that the Church is always in need of reform in the light of the gospel. Luther's primary principal that Christians are justified by God's grace through faith in Christ has also found universal acceptance among denominations. Today we pray for church unity, for the purity of God's word, and for a church that is always open to reform and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture Reading: John 8:31-38, Jeremiah 31:31-34
When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God. To gather for worship reminds us that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our entire selves in the service of God and for the sake of the world.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1
In Isaiah we are given a vision of the great feast to come, when God will wipe away death forever. In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come, so the invitation is extended to others. In our liturgy God spreads a table before us. Even amid anxiety and hardship we rejoice in the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. With great joy we feast at the table of the Lord, and we go forth to share the wonderful invitation with others hungering and thirsting for the abundant life of God.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14, Isaiah 25:1-9
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable of the vineyard, an image of Israel, the prophets’ mission, and Christ’s death. For Christians, the vineyard also speaks of God’s love poured out in the blood of Christ, given to us for the forgiveness of sin. Grafted onto Christ the vine at baptism, we are nourished with wine and bread, that we may share Christ’s sufferings and know the power of his resurrection.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:4-14
Jesus' parable about two sons who don't do what they say reveals surprises in the reign of God, such as prostitutes and tax collectors going before others into God's kingdom. Paul urges us to look to Christ as a model of humility, looking to the interests of others above our own. Nourished by the broken bread and shared cup we offer our lives for the sake of our needy world..
Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:23-32, Philippians 2:1-13
We get the end of Jonah's story; after the running, after the fish, after preaching at Ninevah. We come in at Jonah's anger at God, both for not destroying Ninevah and for destroying the shade plant. In Jesus parable as well, the first workers get angry about generosity that is not accorded them. We too can rejoice in any blessings we get from God, knowing we don't deserve them, and ignoring undeserved blessings of anyone else.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 20:1-16, Jonah 3:10-4:11
Both Matthew and Romans come down hard on not forgiving each other. We need to get closer to each other to better know who we are, to move in closer and get to know each other. Not forgiving is like eating rat poison to poison rat. It's harder on us than on the rat.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1-12
The closest that seminarys come to a course on Practical Ministries is sending students out on internships, as lambs before the wolves. Both Bible passages for today form a basis for practical ministry, namely, love God and love your neighbor as yourself. There still exists the matter of interpreting those scriptures to fit the present situation.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:15-20, Romans 13:8-14
Your Job Description (9/3)
(Click title to see sermon as .PDF file)
Many people view who they are by other people's opinion of them, either the ones in the Box Seats, whose expectations we feel we should meet; or the ones in the Critics Section, the ones whose messages are comparison, scarcity and shame. Listen instead to the Support section, the ones who understand us and care for us and give us our Job description: Show up. Do good. Be kind.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21
In response to Peter's recognition of Jesus as Messiah, Jesus promises Peter will be the rock the church is built on. Paul expands further that we all have a roll to play in the church. Paul encourages us to be what God has made us to be, not what others think we should be. .
Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 12:1-8
It's easy to see life as us vs them, and we're right. Isaiah promises that those who love the Lord will go into his kingdom. Jesus agrees with this, saying that what is in the heart is most important. He demonstrates this with the Canaanite woman who knows Jesus can heal her daughter. But even though she is not Jewish, Jesus heals her daughter because of the mother's faith.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:10-28, Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
When Elijah looks for God on a mountain, he dos not look for Godin the wind, earthquake or fire but recognizes God in the gentle whisper giving him direction. Similarly, as the disciples are buffeted by wind and waves, where Jesus is, is calm. We let ourselves be tossed and tumbled by our lives, grab some quiet time with God.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:22-33, 1 Kings 19:9-16
It is common to be troubled by by comparing yourself with others and with what you perceive you should have from advertisements and media. In Isaiah God bids you to come to him for satisfaction and in the Gospel lesson Jesus feeds 20,000 from five loaves and two fish. All are satisfied and there are twelve baskets left over. Come to God and find satisfaction in what is enough.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:13-21, Isaiah 55:1-5
We often think that life is pretty dark, nothing is going our way and nothing can improve. Jesus parables assure us that we are of great worth to God. So much so that God gave his Son to die in our place. In the Light of God, darkness cannot abide. As Paul summarizes, "if God is for us, who can be against us?"
Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, Romans 8:26-39, Psalm 139:1-12
Some interpret the parable of the wheat and thistles as justifying the identification of some people as the thistles and so to be avoided. But Jesus' points out that the parable is saying just the opposite. We are to treat all as fellow wheat and let God distinguish in the end, not us.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Romans 8:12-25, Psalm 139:1-12
Today's Gospel is the parable of the Soils. Generally attention is given to the different types of soil, but consider the Sower. Seeds in that time were wealth, literally the stuff of life. You put it where you knew it would grow. But the Sower of this parable is extravagant, throwing seeds everywhere they might grow. There is no condemnation of the soil because of its past, only an offering of opportunity for the future.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Romans 8:1-11
Here is the passage where Jesus sounds fed up with his followers. They rejected John the Baptist for being to strict, they reject Jesus for being too lax, or rather, for not being who they want. On His way to the cross, Jesus pleads with them still to accept His way and His help. Yoked to Jesus, He takes your burden and lightens your load.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Zechariah 9:9-12
Jesus has condensed the Old Testament Law to one - "Love God" - with the corollary - "love your neighbor as yourself". One method of showing this love is to help them. Look for ways to help. If you don't know how to help, so much the better - ask THEM! Be vulnerable, show them you need their help, that they can help you because they know things you do not. To one who is thirsty, a cup o cool water is precious. Love your neighbor, give help, ask for help.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:40-42, Romans 6:12-23
Last week's gospel had Jesus telling his disciples to Show Up!, to be present for those that they are with. Today's lesson has Jesus cautioning his followers that because they are his followers they will be targets, like pop bottles on a fence. Nonetheless, they are to be God's light in the world and present the cross and love God and love their neighbor.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39, Romans 6:1-11
Just as a hockey coach exhorts his players to "Show up!", to pay attention to what's happening in the game, Jesus exhorted his disciples to go out and minister to the Jews, paying attention to who greets them warmly and who is against them. We too are given the authority of the Holy Spirit and told to go and minister to the people we are with. Show Up!
Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:23
Essential oils have a long history of affecting our environment to change how we feel, often smelling better. The woman at Jesus' feet released fragrance in to the air, but Simon did not think that things smelled better. We, too, are called to act out of love for Jesus Christ and filled with though Holy Spirit. There will be those who think we stink, but it is fragrant to God, and God is the One who counts.
Scripture Reading: Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 3:23-29
Pentecost is the festival of Harvest, fifty days after Passover; it is also the celebration of the in rushing of the Holy Spirit to the Disciples. We, too, are called to accept the Spirit within ourselves, letting the joy overflow to those around us.
Scripture Reading: John 7:37-39, Acts 2:1-21
"Grace", painting by Mrs. Rhoda Nyberg of photograph by Eric Enstrom, 1918.
Pneumatology is the name of the study of the Breath of God - the Holy Spirit. Unlike the other three gospels, John does not give the Lord's prayer. But John does show Jesus praying for the disciples, showing prayer as using the Holy Spirit to be the means of relating to God and helping us proclaim the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Scripture Reading: John 17:1-12, Acts 1:6-14
Pneumatology is the name of the study of the Breath of God - the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives hint of this to the disciples as he tells them that he will not leave them comfortless, but will send a Friend to them. Since Jesus is standing right alongside God, what He says, goes. Even for today's priesthood of believers.
Scripture Reading: John 14:15-21, 1 Peter 3:13-22
Heraclitus said you can never step in the same river twice, for it is always changing and so are you. Rivers are always changing but always flowing down to the ocean. We are always changing but always moving toward the kingdom of God. We know Jesus is there in the Father and the Father in Him, and because we are the children of God we are in the Father as well. Some come, rejoice in the changes taking you ever closer to God.
Scripture Reading: John 14:1-14, 1 Peter 2:2-10
It's common to view Jesus as the Good Shepherd and we as sheep. Pastor Jules reflects on assistants that shepherds often have - sheep dogs. We, too, can act as sheep dogs, listening for our master's voice to follow his commands and help lead the sheep where Jesus would like them.
Scripture Reading: John 10:1-10, Psalm 23
"Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity" - Henri Nouwen
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35, Acts 2:14, 36-41
On this Holy Humor Sunday, we consider the truth of 1 Corinthians 1:18; the wisdom of the cross is foolishness to those perishing. We proclaim a baby born of a virgin, a Samaritan hero, a farmer planting seeds on rocks and in weeds, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame rise up and walk. And craziest of all, a Messiah who is killed, but after 3 days arises. God constrained by the world's wisdom? Inconceivable!
Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
From our Lenten studies of Brene Brown's Rising Strong, we've learned to consider three forms of transitions - the Reckoning, the Rumble and the Revolution. Good Friday is the Rumble - change with uncertainty and fear. Easter is the Revolution with hope held high. Jesus tells us we don't need to be good enough, we may have life abundantly here and now. We're not alone, God is with us. Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1-8; Isaiah 25:6-9
The women went to the tomb in grief, hoping to tend further to the body. They, as well as Peter and John, found the tomb empty. When Mary stayed, Jesus came and told her he was on his way to God but and to tell his disciples he had risen. Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18
It is dark. Our beloved Teacher has been crucified. We are afraid and lonely. Those of us closest to him can only gather and pray and wait. Everything is unsettled. It is The Rumble.
Scripture Reading: John 18:1-19:42, Isaiah 52:13-53:9, 11b-12
God makes three covenants in the Old Testament; blessings to and through Abraham; 10 commandments through Moses; a promise of a House of David. Jesus comes with a new commandment - bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus - and a new promise - forgiveness of our sins and Christ with us always. Be a billboard for Christ, love others as Jesus loves you.
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17, Psalm 23
Faced with troubles and problems, we wonder not only how much God loves us, but whether God loves us. We have the gospels telling us how Jesus came from infinity to the manger, to the cross, to the tomb, then rose and came back again. Because he loves us that much.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:11-54, Luke 19:29-38
It is common to think that being stong and brave means being independent. Jesus points out that in God's economy strength and bravery come through the new commandment - Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. It is by opening up to others that you are encouraged.
Scripture Reading: John 16:25-33
Human babies are born without capability but a lot of potential. As they grow, their bodies learn to do things: to walk, to talk, ride bicycles, throw clay. Some direction and practice can go far. Jesus gave Lazarus direction -"Come out!" and the mourners were directed to get in touch with the reality of resurrection. By baptism we have the Holy Spirit in us, by practice with the Holy Spirit we can strengthen our love of God and of our neighbor. “Proclaim, Grow & Serve"!
Scripture Reading: John 11:1-44, Romans 8:15-17
(Link to Facebook video shown during sermon)
Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Non-judgment, Generosity. With small bits of trustworthiness with each other, you can build honesty and trust with each other.
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-4
Baptism is sometimes called enlightenment. The gospel for this Sunday is the story of the man born blind healed by Christ. I was blind, but now I see, declares the man. Like the blind man, let us make a journey of faith to realization that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Messiah.
Scripture Reading: 9:1-41, Psalm 23
Boundaries, Integrity and Generosity, bywords for living B.I.G. Know your boundaries and accept the limits of others, be honest with yourself and God, share God's blessings with others. Neither a borrower nor a lender be and to your own self be true.
Scripture Reading: John 4:1-42, Psalm 16:5-6
The Samaritan women comes to the well as an outcast, coming in the middle of the day when no one else should be there. But there is someone, Jesus. She expects Jesus, as a male Jew, to ignore her, if he doesn't prevent her from getting to the water. But he talks to her, and more than talks, gives her hope and through her brings hope to her whole village. You can get hope, also, and spread that hope to your village.
Scripture reading: John 4:1-42, Romans 5:1-8
Pixar uses a standard template for their stories. Protagonist is given challenge, protagonist works through possibilities, protagonist meets challenge in spite of ristk and effort. You're likely caught in the middle of your own story. The day to day of working through the usual irritations. The rumble, as Brene Brown puts it. But we have God on our side. As Paul puts it, 'perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.' You can do it. Get out there and rumble.
Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12
In today’s gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. At the font we are given a new birth as daughters and sons of God. As God made a covenant with Abraham, in baptism God promises to raise us up with Christ to new life. From Worship we are sent forth to proclaim God’s love for all the world.
Scripture reading: John 3:1-17, Genesis 12:1-4
Our God is a God of Truth. Accordingly, when we are truthful, open and honest with God, our self and others, God takes our vulnerability and makes us free and strong. It may not be easy, you will be different and the people nearest you may work hard to make you the way you were, but God will be with you to support you. Scripture reading: Luke 10:25-37
We begin our journey into Lent with further consideration of trials and temptations we are exposed to. We have as examples the temptations Jesus faces in the wilderness. All pose questions to Jesus: If you can change rocks to loaves; does God love you enough; can you handle the people worshiping you? Jesus answers 'God is enough'. We are the beloved children of God. Shut fear down and lean further into Love.
Scripture readings: Matthew 4:1-11 and Psalm 91
With the start of Lent, many people feel that they have to give something up. Close on those feelings are the feelings that they haven't given up enough. Jesus makes a different request. He tells us to give up our worries, our concerns, our anxieties; to let him carry them. His burden is light - he is doing all the carrying. If you let him.
He will create in you a clean heart and put a right and new spirit in you, if you let him. Scripture readings: Matthew 11:28-30 and Psalm 51:1-12
Today we're talking about making a shift, from one thing to another thing. Putting the words of ancient scripture to a Garth Brooks tune. Making the Word of God accessible to all. Scripture readings: Matthew 17:1-9 & Exodus 24:12-18.
We simply do not know the impact we will have on someone's life. Love triumphs and strengthens us in wondrous ways, gathered at camp beneath the stars, or in a scribbled note rediscovered decades later. Scripture Readings from Matthew 5:38-48 & Galations 5:6.
The law isn't here to allow you to judge others or feel better than others for living in righteousness - the law is wisdom to form healthier relationships with God and our neighbors. Jesus came to show us in person how to live the righteousness of God, which surpasses the requirements of the law as we have come to understand it. It is life-giving wisdom to do our best. Scripture readings from Matthew 5:21-37 and Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
How do we reflect Christ's light in the world? What was Ghandi's suggestions for Christians? Scripture readings from Matthew 5:13-20 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-12.
Let's begin with "Benediction" - from Latin meaning "good" and "speech" - and explore how blessings brighten our days. Scripture readings from Matthew 5:1-12 and Micah 6:1-8.
In times of change and heavy darkness, we continue "becoming" and recognizing the light. Scripture readings from Matthew 4:12-23, Psalm 27:1,4-9, and Isaiah 9:1-4
While our social self helps us navigate daily life, we must keep it in balance so that our essential self is not crushed. Scripture readings from John 1:29-42 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9.
ELCA Deacon Amy Hartman preaches about strategies for prayer and reminding young people that they are not alone, especially those who have been harmed by human trafficking and abuse. Scripture readings from Matthew 3:13-17 and Isaiah 42:1-9.
Whatever we do that is kind, just, and loving is living out the name we share in Jesus. As we remember how Jesus got his name, we reaffirm our baptismal promise in Jesus' name. Scripture readings from Luke 2:15-21 & Philippians 2:5-11.
