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.
Practice - October 2023
...be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed... train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (excerpt from 1 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV)
As with any skill or talent, practice, commitment, and discipline are necessary to be good servants of Christ. A strong faith requires time and effort. And our commitment to being a disciple of Christ is made evident in the priority we give to practicing our faith.
This month’s sermon series will focus on six areas of “practice”:
•October 1 - Humbling ourselves in worship and wonder of God the Creator
•October 8 - Speaking to and connecting with God in prayer and solitude
•October 15 - Comforting and edifying one another in our conversation
•October 22 - Finding Christ as we study Scripture
•October 29 - Seeking God and responding to His call
•Midweek - Longing for our Savior and preparing for His return (midweek)
As disciples, let us be examples of these practices, so we can encourage others, as Paul did - What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things... (Philippians 4:9 ESV).
Righteous Living - September 2023
Our theme for September is based off the word - righteousness. What does it mean? The dictionary defines righteousness as acting in accord with divine law; free from guilt and sin; morally right or justified. God is righteous and exercises justice. The question of the justification of sinful man before God is answered in CNAC 4.2.1.2 - Sinful mankind does not automatically gain justification before God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God has shown His commitment to mankind: He does not condemn human beings, but rather seeks to grant them salvation.
Human beings are called to make a serious effort to accept and receive God’s gift of salvation. For this purpose, God has endowed humans with conscience, reason, and faith. If human beings align these gifts to Jesus Christ, the justification attained by the Son of God (Romans 4:25) becomes accessible to them by grace.
Let us also prepare ourselves for the coming of the Chief Apostle at the end of the month when he will visit Buffalo, NY, and pray that it is a bountiful outpouring of God’s word and blessing.
The God Who Sees - August 2023
Our theme for this month comes from Hagar, the only person in the Bible to give God a name. Hagar thinks she is alone in the desert, but God comes to her, comforts her, and promises a future for her and her child. Hagar calls God El Roi, meaning, the-God-who-sees. Hagar was seen and heard by God in her struggles, even though she was not an Israelite.
Each sermon this month will focus on the God who sees - He sees each of us individually, He sees His church, His people, and all of humanity - no matter where we are, how far we are from Him, in the good and bad days; He is ever near.
•God sees you
•God sees your heart
•God sees your struggle
•God sees your future
•God sees His own
In Hebrew, El Roi can also mean the-God-who-is-seen-by-me; not only did God see Hagar, but God allowed Hagar to perceive Him. Let us continually teach and encourage a sense of awe in our members regarding this truth: God cares about you individually. He is with you and He is for you. Draw close to Him; see Him.
Sacred Places - July 2023
We believe God is omnipresent, meaning that He is in all places. However, Scripture points us to specific places where He has been and is encountered: the place where the cloud settled (Num. 9:17); the dwelling place of God (Deut. 12:5); a place of prayer (2 Chron. 6:40); a hiding place (Psalm 32:7); a solitary place (Mark 1:35); a grassy place (John 6:10); the place of the Skull (Matt. 27:33); when they were all in one place (Acts 2:1).
We also believe that God can certainly be encountered in His church, which will be a point that is reiterated over the course of this month. Each sermon will focus on a sacred place where we can experience God’s presence, His love, His power, and His grace.
July 2 - A place of strength: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble...
July 9 - A place of holiness: Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it... How awesome is this place!
July 16 - A place of glory: As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered...
July 23 - A place of proclamation: How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace...
July 30 - A lost place: Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!
July Midweek - A secret place: a parable on looking at the heart
Gifts of the Church - June 2023
The sermon theme for June will take us through various gifts that Jesus Christ has given the church. These gifts, in turn, become gifts the church makes available to believers.
•The Benediction: recognition and belief in the Trinity becomes a blessing of grace, love, and communion.
•The Body: coming together in unity as the body of Christ creates an environment of mutual support, solidarity, and serving.
•The Rock: Christ’s establishment of the Petrine office strengthens and guides the Church.
•The Authority: Christ shares His authority with the church, empowering believers to fulfill His mission, and promising them His presence.
Let us recognize and appreciate these gifts!
Promised - May 2023
The sermon theme for May will focus on the many promises concerning the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings renewal, help, revelation, and life.
The deepest mystery of the early church lies in the very presence of the risen Christ Himself, who makes His dwelling in each person’s heart and reveals the power of His presence in the midst of His church... at the first Pentecost, from the One who had died and risen again, the life of the Spirit broke in as the coming of the kingdom.
What did the first believers experience? They experienced the kingdom of God - the revolution of all things and the revaluation of all values. God became the highest value; He reigned and revealed Himself... When the Spirit was given by the Risen One... the disciples were able to become a life-sharing community, and only then did their love overflow... the Spirit drew the early Christians to one another. Together they felt compelled to live the life of Jesus, and together, in complete community, they experienced the powers of the future. (Eberhard Arnold, German theologian, 1883-1935)
This is the work of the Spirit.
Let us allow these themes to bring us to the festive divine service of Pentecost, which will be webcast from our Chief Apostle in South Africa.
