Thanksgiving – 2025
SEEING JESUS’ MERCY PRODUCES THANKSGIVING Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, You daily care for us and are an ever-present Help in every need: We pray that You awaken our hearts to be truly thankful for all Your benefits. Let us not grow apathetic about Your temporal and eternal blessings, but remember that Your mercy is new every morning, so that in perfect trust we may call upon You in every trouble and thank and praise You with a joyous heart. Amen.…
Last Sunday of the Church Year – 2025
CHRIST HAS OPENED THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO ALL BELIEVERS Prayer: We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, that in the past church year You have preserved Your saving Word among us and by it kept us waiting to receive Your Son when He comes again. Forgive our neglect, unbelief, and disobedience with respect to Your Word, and continue to pour down upon us the oil of gladness so that we are prepared to go into eternal life. Amen. Sermon…
2nd Last Day of the Church Year – 2025
WHAT JUDGMENT DAY SAYS ABOUT OUR GOOD WORKS Prayer: Lord Jesus, when You come in Your glory, You will speak about what we have done. So today we pray about the things that are Your will for us to do. Help us not to trust in salvation in our good works but only in Your perfect obedience and righteousness. Help us do the things You want us to do even for the least and littlest of these Your brethren, since…
3rd Last Sunday in the Church Year – 2025
SIGNS OF THE LAST DAYS LEAD US TO THE WORD Prayer: As time ends and eternity begins, Lord Jesus, grant that we are found among those who confess You as Savior and Lord, that You may acknowledge us and receive us into the eternal mansions. Preserve us daily in Your grace. Make us watchful and prayerful. Add daily to those who are being saved. Cover the earth with Your Gospel of reconciliation, that peace may reign and hope abide in…
All Saints – 2025
YOU ARE A SAINT. BLESSED ARE YOU! Prayer: Lord, help us to believe that in You, for Jesus’ sake, we are blesséd. And strengthen our faith so that we believe that although here we are sinners, because our sins are taken away, we are saints, citizens of heaven. Amen. Dear Saints, Blessed are you in the name of Jesus. Amen. There are two words here that we need to learn. First, saint. People confuse that word. They see a…
Reformation Sunday – 2025
Luther’s reformation was about restoring the Gospel, seeing Christ for us, for our comfort. This conclusion to his letter to a depressed young man is one of the best ways to represent and remember Luther! When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we should say: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For…
Trinity 18 – 2025
JESUS IS THE ANSWER TO THE LAW Prayer: Dear Lord, we know that Your Law is good; but since the Fall its holiness condemns us all, it dooms us for our sin to die, and has no power to justify. By Your Holy Spirit, help us to so use the Law that to Jesus we for refuge flee, who from the curse has set us free, and humbly worship at Your throne, saved by Your grace through faith alone. Amen!…
Trinity 17 – 2025
BEING AT REST IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS WHO HEALS: THAT’S WHAT THE SABBATH IS ABOUT Prayer: Lord Jesus, at our dinner tables we ask You to be our Guest. But there’s a greater table: Your holy Supper, Your body with the bread and with the wine the blood You shed. You say this food is for souls who are distressed, for hearts that long for peace and rest. You make it so we will be Yourguest, at Your banquet…
Trinity 16 – 2025
JESUS DESTROYS DEATH’S POWER OVER US Prayer: Lord, teach us that because of You, we now can have no fear of death and that our sadness over death is not like those who have no hope. But let it not only be that You teach us, but through Your Word and Sacraments powerfully give and preserve this faith in us, so that You defeat the fear of death and give us certain hope in the midst of sorrows. Amen. Sermon…
St. Michael and All Angels-2025
JESUS SAYS HIS LITTLE ONES HAVE ANGELS Prayer: We thank You, our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept us from all harm and danger. Into Your hands we commend ourselves, our loved ones and all your little ones, our bodies and souls and all things; let Your holy angels be with us, that the wicked foe may have no power over us. Amen. Sermon Text, St. Matthew 18:1-7, 10 (v. 10). “Take heed…