Worship Anew
Sharing Christ's Love!
The Prodigal Father
March 30, 2025 • Rev. Thomas A. Eggold • Psalm 32, Isaiah 12, Luke 15:1–3, Luke 15:11–32
Sermon Text: Luke 15:11b When we return to our Lord in our sin, our heavenly Father is always there, arms wide open, ready to restore us to the family. Our sin is great and deserves nothing but punishment, but His grace is greater. Despite our sin, He continues to love us, He continues to seek us out, and He continues to deal with us with the love and mercy made possible in Jesus.
Discipline From the Lord
March 23, 2025 • Rev. Dr. Walter Maier III • Psalm 85, 1 Corinthians 10:1–13, Luke 13:1–9
Sermon Text: Psalm 85 We are all sinners. This means that, at times, we will receive discipline from the Lord. But rejoice! This discipline comes from the love of God and is for our good. This is corrective discipline; it is blessed discipline.
Celestial Civics
March 16, 2025 • Rev. Dr. Walter Maier III • Psalm 4, Philippians 3:17—4:1, Luke 13:31–35
Sermon Text: Philippians 3:20 Lent powerfully reminds us that we don’t belong here, that we hold heavenly citizenship. Today we learn of the privileges and responsibilities, the pitfalls and opportunities, of celestial citizenship.
It Is Written
March 9, 2025 • Rev. Paul Shoemaker • Luke 4:1–13, Psalm 91:1–13, Romans 10:8–13
Sermon Text: Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took upon Himself all of our sins and paid the price for our forgiveness, in full, on Calvary’s cross. Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations and, in so doing, showed us how we, too, can resist. We turn to God’s Holy Word and rebuke Satan saying, “It is written.”
Can God Really Forgive Me?
March 5, 2025 • Rev. Craig Mueller • Psalm 51, Joel 2:12–19, Matthew 6:1–6, Matthew 6:16–21
Sermon Text: Psalm 51 Are you ready for a journey through Lent? God’s mercy and forgiveness are real and powerful. God shows us His love and mercy in His dealing with King David. We are reminded that our Lord, in His mercy, also forgives all repentant sinners like us.
Changed by the Mountain
March 2, 2025 • Rev. William Mueller • Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 34, Luke 9:28–36
Sermon Text: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Transfiguration Sunday is the day to remember the moment Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John. It was high upon a mountain. Two other “mountain climbers” – Moses and Elijah – appeared with the quartet. The account of Moses’ death upon Mt. Nebo, and his reappearance with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, invites us to see how we, too, are changed by the mountain.
The Baptized Life
February 23, 2025 • Rev. Shayne Jonker • Psalm 103:1–13, Genesis 45:3–15, Luke 6:27–38
Sermon Text: Luke 6:27-28 Our Lord Jesus Christ had mercy on us though we did not deserve it. Our ingratitude should be punished, but instead He forgave it and gave us even more. Our wickedness should be judged as worthy of hell, but He gave His own Son hell, and gave us heaven instead. Living in and under the love, grace, and mercy of God in His Son, Jesus Christ, life looks different, sinners look different, enemies look different, and love and mercy is not only possible, but natural.
Blessed Are You
February 16, 2025 • Rev. Thomas A. Eggold • Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17:5–8, Luke 6:17–26
Sermon Text: Luke 6:22 The term “blessed” is one of the most misunderstood and misused words in our cultural vocabulary. Today we find this word “blessed” coming straight from the mouth of Jesus, but the way He uses the word stands in blatant contrast to the way it’s used in the world. Everything about today’s Gospel lesson challenges our natural and cultural understanding of what it means to be “blessed.”
Holy, Holy, Holy
February 9, 2025 • Rev. Dr. Walter Maier III • Isaiah 6:1–8, Luke 5:1–11, Psalm 99
Sermon Text: Isaiah 6:1-8 We know all too well that God is holy, and we human beings are not. Isaiah also knew this, and each one of us joins with him in crying out, “Woe is me!” But Christ became sin for us, and that means for us a blessed reality here on earth and in the life to come when we will be holy!
Live in the Light
February 2, 2025 • Rev. Dr. Thomas Ahlersmeyer • Luke 2:22–32, Psalm 84, Hebrews 2:14–18
Sermon Text: Luke 2:32 The forces of light and darkness have clashed since the creation of the world. Jesus brings light into every corner of creation. Do we suppress His light through ignorance and neglect? Or do we live in the light?
Scripture Fulfilled
January 26, 2025 • Rev. William Mueller • Psalm 119:7–14, Nehemiah 8:1–3, Nehemiah 8:5–6, Nehemiah 8:8–10
Sermon Text: Luke 4:16-30 Jesus is invited to choose and read the Scripture reading at a worship service in His hometown of Nazareth. He reads a powerful section from Isaiah the Prophet about the work of the Messiah. He startles the worshipers with the statement, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” What? How could this be? But it begs us to examine our own lives and ask ourselves, “Are we offended at what Jesus says?”
Read the Signs
January 19, 2025 • Rev. Paul Shoemaker • Psalm 118, Isaiah 62:1–5, John 2:1–11
Sermon Text: John 2:11 Recognizing and understanding signs is an important skill to master when learning to drive. Jesus performed many miraculous signs and wonders so we can see the signs and know He is the Christ, the Son of God.
Baptized into Christ
January 12, 2025 • Rev. Shayne Jonker • Psalm 29, Romans 6:1–11, Luke 3:15–22
Sermon Text: Luke 3:21-22 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5 ESV). Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, God in the flesh, and so also we celebrate our Baptism into Christ. What a great comfort in the midst of temptation and trial, sin and death, and every distress that we can say to ourselves, “I am baptized into Christ!
Filled with Wisdom
January 5, 2025 • Rev. Thomas A. Eggold • Psalm 119:97–104, 1 Kings 3:4–15, Luke 2:40–52
Sermon Text: Luke 2:40 God’s Wisdom saves you. The teachers in Jerusalem were being taught by the One in whom all wisdom is found. In Christ Jesus, the Passover Lamb was sacrificed for our sins once and for all. In Christ Jesus, the punishment for our foolishness was received. We have been forgiven, and heaven is ours.
Anna
December 29, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Walter Maier III • Psalm 111, Colossians 3:12–17, Luke 2:22–38
Sermon Text: Luke 2:36-38 Anna was an elderly woman who lived in Jerusalem. She had experienced great grief at a young age when her husband died, and she, thereafter, had remained a widow. But God sustained her in her time of sadness and preserved her in saving faith through his Word. In fact, she became a powerful witness for the Lord, used by him for the benefit of many people. Her story speaks to you today.