The disciples thought they knew what Jesus was saying, but it was before Easter, and they could not understand. They would, “in that day,” that is, after Jesus’ victory and the Spirit’s gift of faith. Now we with them know that He has overcome the world, all opposition, and even death itself. John’s vision in Revelation depicts a perfect Jerusalem, clear and beautiful, with the Lamb as its lamp. Anticipating such nearness of God, in this our day we can pray, asking for whatever we need, confident of our Father’s hearing. In the Reading from Acts, Paul has to tell everyone about his Easter joy, and the Lord opens Lydia’s heart. She is baptized and opens her home for Paul and Luke to use to tell others. With the clarity of our Spirit-given Easter joy, we know, pray, and tell!
05/22/22 Traditional Service
Sermon: “The City of the Lamb” Revelation 21:9–14, 21–27
May 22, 2022
04/21/24 Traditional Service
April 21, 2024
One of the small but interesting features of many cathedral and monastery churches in Europe and other places is presence of misericords. A misericord is a small wooden shelf attached to the underside of a folding seat in a church, often in the choir area. Misericords physically supported people at worship during long periods of standing during extended prayer and other services when sitting was not permitted. The term “misericord” means “pity of the heart.” That word is part of the church phrase Misericordia Domini, a Latin term for describing the acts of mercy of God to His people. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, constantly and consistently shows acts of mercy to us as His people. His care comes straight from the heart!
04/21/24 Praise Service
April 21, 2024
One of the small but interesting features of many cathedral and monastery churches in Europe and other places is presence of misericords. A misericord is a small wooden shelf attached to the underside of a folding seat in a church, often in the choir area. Misericords physically supported people at worship during long periods of standing during extended prayer and other services when sitting was not permitted. The term “misericord” means “pity of the heart.” That word is part of the church phrase Misericordia Domini, a Latin term for describing the acts of mercy of God to His people. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, constantly and consistently shows acts of mercy to us as His people. His care comes straight from the heart!
04/14/24 Praise Service
April 14, 2024
AS WE GATHER “Amazing” is a commonly used word in the English that has a rich history. It came into common usage in the 14th century as a variant of the older root word “amasod,” which meant stupefied or confounded or overwhelmed with sudden surprise or wonder. The word “amazing” shows up several times in hymns that we sing—from describing the action of God in the birth of Jesus as “love amazing” (LSB 375:1) to bringing to our hearts and minds that in His suffering to pay the price of our sins, our Lord showed “amazing pity” (LSB 437:2). Two other hymns refer to the “amazing grace” of God (LSB 744:1; 558:2), and in another hymn, the author of the text rejoices that God “has done amazing things to me” (LSB 934:2). The season of Easter is a time for us to be truly amazed and filled with the praise of our amazing Lord!