Happiness is tricky. We all want it, but how do we get it? How do we keep it when we have it? How do we get it back when we lose it?
This Sunday we will listen together to one of the most revered and well known songs of rejoicing, a hymn now over two thousand years old. The world’s best musicians have crafted their own compositions for these famous words and it has been performed constantly for generations. Mary’s song, or the Magnificat, is a psalm of happiness and joy, and offers tried and true wisdom about how to live a life of joy. We would do well to listen close.
Take a few moments to read Luke 1:39-56. Read it slowly and pray through it. Consider listening to Bach’s musical setting of the Magnificat, one of his most beloved vocal pieces, and pay close attention to the emotional weight of the music.
It is possible to live a life of joy, of rejoicing, no matter what circumstances we face. Mary is going to show us how.
Pastor David
Uninhibited Joy
Luke 1:46-55
January 31, 2016 • Rev. David Juelfs
A Psalm for the New Year
January 3, 2016 • Rev. Adam Feichtmann
Happy New Year! 2016 is upon us, but the Christmas season is still here. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the 10th day of Christmas and gather for one final week to sing Christmas carols together. On this second Sunday after Christmas I will be preaching from Psalm 8, a psalm traditionally and liturgically read on the first day of each new year. To best prepare for this Sunday, keep the Christmas music playing in your homes, while also taking a few minutes to read Psalm 8 through the filter of a new year and your planned resolutions. I look forward to worshiping and celebrating Christmas and the New Year together this Sunday! Pastor Adam
A Psalm for Epiphany
January 10, 2016 • Rev. Adam Feichtmann
Happy Epiphany! The twelve days of Christmas have ended (you can take down your tree) and the Church has now entered into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany is celebrated from January 6th through Ash Wednesday. It is a season to help transition the Church from the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas to his death and resurrection during Lent & Easter. It is a time to intentionally focus on the life and ministry of Jesus and how that applies to our daily and ordinary lives. This Sunday I will be preaching from Psalm 27, a psalm closely related to the themes of Epiphany. To best prepare for this Sunday, take 5 minutes to read Psalm 27 and reflect over the themes of light, beauty, and confidence. Then ask yourself how they relate to the life of Jesus Christ and our daily and ordinary lives. I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday! Pastor Adam
Whom to Trust?
January 17, 2016 • Rev. David Juelfs
Where can we find a stable place to stand, a secure place on which to build our lives? Whether it’s the roller coaster volatility of our stock markets, the rancor and confusion of our political races, the lurking threat of terror, or even just the pressure of our daily responsibilities, it is clear that the world is not safe and that there is much at stake. This Sunday we start a sermon series on the Gospel of Luke. Luke is writing to a people in desperate need of confidence in the face of great struggle. Their concerns are the same as our concerns. Their questions are our questions. In a world seemingly out of control and dangerous, with overwhelming pressure to make the right decisions regarding whom we should trust, the Gospel of Luke offers us certainty and confidence. God inspired Luke to write his Gospel to show us where we can find security, stability, and hope. To show us in whom we can trust. Pastor David