In December we anticipated the coming of Jesus Christ. Now, in January, we can proclaim that He is here! Each sermon this month will dwell on aspects of the presence of Christ in our lives.
Our New Year will begin with the Chief Apostle's 2025 theme for year: It's time to do good!
The second sermon will illustrate how God is revealed through Jesus Christ. The third sermon of January will focus our attention on knowing Christ through His teaching. The last Sunday sermon will walk us through the presence of Christ in the sacraments, and how we can respond to them. The midweek sermon will illuminate how the light of Christ permeates our lives.
He is coming!
Advent - a time of waiting and anticipation:
"In Advent... it's the waiting that's hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment. Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem a waste of time... But the longer we wait... the more joyful our expectancy. With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us, as He was with Mary as the Child within her grew."
From "God is in the Manger"
In this month of waiting, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ - the King, the Son of God, the Giver of Mercy, the long awaited Messiah, the Immanuel, or "God with us," and the Christ, who will return to establish His kingdom.
May you feel in your preparations, the wonder of Jesus' coming and lead your congregation into experiencing the presence of "God with us" on Christmas Day.
Thank God
This prayer of David continues to inspire our Season of Thanksgiving:
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and glory, the victory and majesty; for all that is in heaven and in
earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all, and You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore,
our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:11-13).
In the month of October, we contemplated the works of God in the past, present, and immediate future: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Now, in November, we turn our eyes to the events of our eternal future and express our thanksgiving to God for what He will do, as we continue awaiting Christ's return.
Thank God: for His salvation for both the living and the dead, for His promised return as we continue readying
ourselves, for His mercy as the kind Judge, for His care revealed in the continuing rhythms of this creation and His promise of the new creation, and for His time, a gift that we receive from His hand.
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
This month's sermon theme focuses on how God is working in the world and in our lives... yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
In this month, as we stand in awe of what God is doing, let us also join Him in His work, creating(10/6), renewing(10/20), redeeming(10/27), and uniting (midweek).
We give thanks for His great works yesterday, we worship Him for who He is today, and we strive to join Him in moving the kingdom forward tomorrow.
God comes near: Experience His presence
The sermon theme for September is about seeking and recognizing the presence of God in our lives, how God comes near to us. Perhaps, like Jacob, we have suddenly realized, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it" (Genesis 28:16). When we come to such an awareness, we must also then understand that God was there from the beginning; He always was there and always will be.
Each Sunday will open our eyes to realizing God's presence...
•By experiencing Him, as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden.
•By preparing ourselves, like Elijah, to see God in the unexpected, in the silence.
•By allowing God's presence to be a life-changing experience, like it was for Zacchaeus.
•By looking back at our lives and remembering God's promised nearness, like Joshua.
•By finding God's presence in His messengers and those who proclaim His will and strengthen us.
As God comes near to us, let us also proclaim as Jacob did, "How awesome is this place!" (Genesis 28:17)
Moving the Kingdom Forward - August 2024
What does it mean to "Move the Kingdom Forward"? Truly, it is an individual as well as a communal task. As Ephesians explains, we are edified "till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body... by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love" (Ephesians 4:12-16 excerpts).
To move forward we need to mature, growing in the nature of Christ, and this happens by each of us doing our part in the body of Christ.
Growth and maturity mean moving forward, which is what each sermon this
month will focus on:
• The Samaritan woman will teach us what is means to move from
understanding to action for the sake of others.
• We will learn from Tabitha what it means to serve others with the goal
of moving them from need to dignity.
• A look at the early church will help us understand the importance of
moving from isolation to community.
• Paul will help us understand the need for suffering, and how we can
move from suffering to consolation.
• In our midweek sermon, the story of the tower of Babel will help us
move our language from division to unity.
Steps Toward God - July 2024
Our relationship with God is constantly changing. The decisions we make each day either draw us closer to Him, or perhaps, we lose sight of His presence in our lives and we drift further apart.
This month, we will contemplate the Steps toward God that we can take to cultivate and strengthen our connection with Him:
•Call on His Name - as an initial step, this sermon will focus on what we believe about God. (July 7)
•Don't confuse the messenger with the message - as we progress in our relationship with God, confusion about His messengers could distract us along the way. (July 14)
•Walk in the newness - Holy Baptism is God's act on a human being, pulling them nearer to Him and changing His relationship with them forever. (July 21)
•Join His whole family - God loves all humans and is the Father of all. When we respond to His love, we are adopted in His family with the expectation to grow in our resemblance to His Son. (July 28)
•Spread the Word - the midweek sermon explores the Parable of the Sower, and how we are called to sow, grow, and listen. (July midweek)
As the church... - June 2024
Perhaps you have heard the phrase - "We are all the church, all the time." What does it mean to "be the church"? How should it impact our individual lives?
This month, as the church, we will explore the following:
•We preserve and profess - through the example of Peter, we understand how to preserve and profess, and what it means to belong to the church.
•We magnify the Lord - through the example of Mary and her song, we learn how to praise God.
•We worship God - the first commandment teaches us who God is and how we worship Him.
•We remember the Sabbath - the third commandment opens up a teaching on what the Sabbath means in our lives and how we can commemorate it.
•We believe and pray - in anticipation of the Service for the Departed, we understand our responsibilities to believe and pray.
•We self-reflect - the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32) urges us to reflect on our confirmation vow.
May our actions, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, bring glory to God in the church (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Empowered - May 2024
After witnessing the proclamation of the resurrection, we turn to anticipating the Holy Spirit. Jesus says to His disciples: And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:48-49).
May is a celebration and commemoration of the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The self-revelation of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is concluded in the Pentecost event. The Holy Spirit is not only the presence of God on earth, but the Person of God who empowers believers and the church to carry out the mission given by Jesus Christ.
We are...
•Empowered with promise - the pouring out of the Spirit was foretold in the Old Testament
•Empowered with blessing - Jesus' ascension bestows blessing and responsibility on believers
•Empowered with clarity - the Spirit brings to remembrance the presence of Christ in our lives
•Empowered with teaching - the church is built on a foundation of the apostles' doctrine
•Empowered with proximity - as God reveals Himself to humanity, we are brought closer to Him
Proclamations of the Resurrection - April 2024
Lent gave us the opportunity to prepare our hearts for Holy Week, to walk the path to the cross with Christ. April leads us into the joyous season of Eastertide - the longest liturgical celebration in the Christian calendar. It also gives us the time to truly celebrate the Risen One; an event as astounding as the resurrection could not be contained in just one day.
Christ's victory over sin and death, prompt our April sermon theme: Proclamations of the Resurrection - truths that we will unearth as we, along with the disciples, encounter the Risen Christ:
•April Midweek: I live with Christ! - now and in the future
•April 7th: The tomb is empty! - the women's testimony
•April 14th: I believe! - Thomas' move from doubt to faith
•April 21st: Enlightened in wisdom, Rooted in love - a prayer for the church
•April 28th: He is perfect! - the people recognize their Messiah
From our Meditations of Lent resource: He who this day rose from the clods of earth, we expect one day from the clouds of heaven: to raise our bodies, to perform His promises, to finish our faith, to perfect our glory and to draw us unto Himself. Let us celebrate the Risen Christ!
The Path With Christ - March 2024
The month of March leads our preaching through Lent and the holy days of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. Lent is a time of reflection and repentance that allows us to intentionally know Jesus in a new way; we walk with Him on the path that led Him to His death, and ultimately His victory on Easter.
Each sermon leads us further on the path with Christ:
•A prayer of confidence in God's mercy,
•A reflection on the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53,
•An invitation to the realities of Christ's table,
•A perspective of His kingdom through the events of Palm Sunday,
•A journey to the foot of the cross on Good Friday, and
•A celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday.
To walk and preach this journey takes focus and intention. This is our proclamation for this month - resolved to know nothing... except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Devoted - February 2024
With the month of February, comes the beginning of Lent - a time of reflection, repentance, and preparation. Our theme for this month leads us to contemplate what it means to be devoted - a devoted disciple of Christ.
The word devoted, borrowed from the Latin dēvōt-, suggests to vow or dedicate oneself to a purpose; to set apart or consecrate; to apply oneself zealously or exclusively. What would our preparation for the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ look like if we became disciples who are dedicated to Christ zealously and exclusively, who set apart and consecrate time to reflect, repent, and prepare?
Each Sunday highlights various aspects of our devotion to Him: sharing the promise, praising the Lord, faith, love and hope, and interceding for others. Our midweek service on February 14, the beginning of Lent, will focus on "giving things up" - a key area of reflection in this time.
Contemplate these verses from Psalm 119 and how they connect with our theme, Devoted, in the weeks to come:
"Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You... Behold, I long for your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness."
Psalm 119:37-38, 40
In Jesus' Name - January 2024
The phrase “in Jesus’ name” is a direct reference to John 16:23:
Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in
My Name He will give to you.
It is clear from this text that what we ask of the Father, we should do in the name of Christ. Asking in His name includes an acknowledgment of our own unworthiness to receive any favor from God, and our entire dependence upon Christ as the Lord. Knowing that Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1) gives us confidence when we pray.
“We pray in the name of Jesus. Following the example given by Jesus, we turn to God with humility, giving more importance to our fellowship with the Giver than to His gifts, trusting in His love.”
Chief Apostle Schneider, September 2020, Sarrebourg
Prayer works when we pray in Jesus’ name! These words not only signify who we are praying through, but also in Jesus we are given a pattern from which we can get a better grasp on how our longings align with God’s will. This pattern, or example, that Jesus provides applies to many other aspects of our lives as His disciples: how we serve, how we are known by Him, and what He has sent us to do. When we walk the way of Christ, we can be sure we are living according to the will of God.
Promises Fulfilled - December 2023
Advent is a time of waiting, of preparing, of repentance, of focus on the Coming One.
'In winter it seems that the season of Spring will never come, and in Advent... It’s the waiting that’s hard, the in-between of divine promise and fulfillment... But “the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us.'
Quote from God is in the Manger
But Christmas is a day of fulfilled promises -
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
They saw (beheld) and experienced the fulfillment of the promise! As we move through the month of December, even while we are in the time of waiting, may we also see the work of God in these promises fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. And as we end one year and begin the next, may we continue waiting and watching for the fulfillment of His promise to return.
The Giver - November 2023
For every grace, bring every praise. To the Giver of all, give thanks.
(Excerpt from “O Give Thanks” / http://www.gettymusic.com)
As we wind through these weeks in our Season of Thanksgiving and ever more closely approach Thanksgiving Sunday, we turn our full focus and worship to God, the Giver of all. Each sermon in November will expound on the gifts that He bestows on us:
• Sunday, November 5th - He gives life (to the living and the dead): I am He who lives...and behold,
I am alive forevermore.
• Sunday, November 12th - He gives freely: Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
• Thanksgiving Sunday, November 19th - He gives all: What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?
• Sunday, November 26th - He gives us the victory: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• November Midweek - He gives light: That was the true Light which gives light to every man...
He gives, He gives, He gives! Recognize the bountiful provision and great benefits that come to us as children of God, disciples of Christ, and followers of the Spirit. Then respond with worship and praise for what we have now and also in our hope for the future.
