Journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb: Ash Wednesday to the Resurrection, February 22 to April 8

Lenten Meditations, beginning Ash Wednesday, February 22, and continuing
Wednesday afternoons, 12:15-12:45 P.M.
Wednesday evenings, 7:00-7:30 P.M.

"Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Palm Sunday, 9:00 A.M.

"Take, eat; this is my body [. . .] this [cup] is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. "

Maundy Thursday, 7:00 P.M.

"Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!"

Good Friday, 7:00 P.M.

"He is risen!"

Easter Sunday, 9:00 A.M.

(Brunch follows)

The Blessing of Confession and Absolution

It is our privilege every Sunday, as we begin our worship service in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to be reminded that “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And then the pastor speaks these words, “Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.” And we then speak these words, “Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

It is then that the pastor, as the servant of God, speaks these consoling and comforting words to each one of us, “Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This blessing of Confession and Absolution we need to experience every Sunday. And it is a blessing that we want every sinner to experience with us. Let us invite them to join us.

The Blessing of the Lord's Supper

In the Bible we are told, “Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.’

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament, in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”

We are so thankful to our Savior Jesus Christ that He has given us this holy supper in which He gives us, with the bread His precious body, which was nailed to the cross to pay for all of our sins, and with the wine, His precious blood, which was shed on the cross to pay for all of our sins.

We are also thankful to our Savior Jesus Christ that this heavenly feast is offered to us each Sunday in our worship service, and as we receive our Lord’s true body and blood we are assured that our sins are forgiven, that our faith is strengthened, that we are empowered to live our Christian life, and that we are comforted to know that we have the gift of eternal life in heaven.

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for giving us the Lord’s Supper, which is such a wonderful blessing throughout our Christian lives. May we never think lightly of it or reject it. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Journey through Holy Week to the Resurrection: Divine Service, April 17 - 24

"Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Palm Sunday, 9:00 A.M.

"Take, eat; this is my body [. . .] this [cup] is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. "

Maundy Thursday, 7:30 P.M.

"Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!"

Good Friday, 7:30 P.M.

"He is risen!"

Easter Sunday, 9:00 A.M.

(Brunch follows)

The Blessing of Baptism

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given this command in Matthew 28:19: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

We are so thankful to Jesus that this command that He has given has been carried out in each of our lives. We, and our children, have been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Through our baptism we have become the forgiven children of the Triune God, and we are able to live each day of our lives as God’s children. And, we are assured that when we die we will live with God in heaven forever. This is what God promises us in the Bible, and gives to us when we are baptized. What we want to say to God each day of our lives is, “Thank You God for granting me to be Your baptized child here on earth, and Your heir in the eternal life to come.”

Having received from God this precious gift of our baptism, we need to ask ourselves some important questions. Are we each day living as God’s baptized children? Are we reminding our children and grandchildren of their baptism and how they are to live each day as the baptized children of God? Do we know of children and adults who are not baptized? Shall we ask the Lord to use us to bring this wonderful gift of God into their lives? Are there people that we know that are baptized but have no idea of the gift that God wants them to have, and shall we ask God to use us to bring these gifts of God into their lives? Let us do so!

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank You for granting us to be your baptized children, forgiven of our sins, being able to live the Christian life on earth, and also to live with You in heaven forevermore. Use us, we pray, to bring these precious gifts to many others – infants, children, young people, adults, the elderly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.