AS WE GATHER Jeremiah didn’t have it easy, confronting enemies of himself and of God. Even his friends have betrayed him! So the prophet relies on God’s faithful promises, just as David had to do as he wrote today’s Psalm, which announces, “God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” We need not quarrel and become angry with the world around us, James writes in the Epistle. God responds better to those who have “the meekness of wisdom.” Our Lord was faithful in His earthly ministry despite betrayal from one of the His followers. In today’s Gospel He teaches the Twelve about true greatness even when they cannot understand His coming execution and resurrection. It is His faithfulness for us that buoys us up in the face of the conflicts around us. And that’s what we celebrate today.
09/22/24 Traditional Service
September 22, 2024
AS WE GATHER
Jeremiah didn’t have it easy, confronting enemies of himself and of God. Even his friends have betrayed him! So the prophet relies on God’s faithful promises, just as David had to do as he wrote today’s Psalm, which announces, “God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” We need not quarrel and become angry with the world around us, James writes in the Epistle. God responds better to those who have “the meekness of wisdom.” Our Lord was faithful in His earthly ministry despite betrayal from one of the His followers. In today’s Gospel He teaches the Twelve about true greatness even when they cannot understand His coming execution and resurrection. It is His faithfulness for us that buoys us up in the face of the conflicts around us. And that’s what we celebrate today.
09/15/2024 Praise Service
September 15, 2024
AS WE GATHER
In today’s Readings, James draws our attention to the tongue. Our tongues might be small but, like the rudder of a ship, the tongue is vitally important to us for staying on the right course. If the rudder is broken, the ship is adrift. If the tongue is filled with evil, so will the rest of our lives. But the tongue also boasts of great things, speaking God’s good word of forgiveness and life. Remember that Jesus has restored all things, including our tongues to no longer speak evil, but to speak His Word.
09/15/2024 Traditional Service
September 15, 2024
AS WE GATHER
In today’s Readings, James draws our attention to the tongue. Our tongues might be small but, like the rudder of a ship, the tongue is vitally important to us for staying on the right course. If the rudder is broken, the ship is adrift. If the tongue is filled with evil, so will the rest of our lives. But the tongue also boasts of great things, speaking God’s good word of forgiveness and life. Remember that Jesus has restored all things, including our tongues to no longer speak evil, but to speak His Word.
09/08/2024 Praise Service
September 8, 2024
AS WE GATHER
Since the fall and expulsion from Eden, the consequences of sin have been quite evident. People do not have to be worse sinners than anyone else to become blind, deaf, lame, or mute. They need not sin more than other people to find themselves unfairly treated in court. How can those problems be reversed? It takes God’s power. The Gospel tells of how Jesus cast out demons and healed the deaf. He seeks to make such great reversals today! Through the letter to James, we, God’s faith-filled people, are encouraged to treat our neighbors as ourselves and do more than give them lip service. But the inability of the disciples to exorcize a demon is a startling reminder that all things are possible only for God, to whom we must entrust all our problems.
09/08/2024 Traditional Service
September 8, 2024
AS WE GATHER
Since the fall and expulsion from Eden, the consequences of sin have been quite evident. People do not have to be worse sinners than anyone else to become blind, deaf, lame, or mute. They need not sin more than other people to find themselves unfairly treated in court. How can those problems be reversed? It takes God’s power. The Gospel tells of how Jesus cast out demons and healed the deaf. He seeks to make such great reversals today! Through the letter to James, we, God’s faith-filled people, are encouraged to treat our neighbors as ourselves and do more than give them lip service. But the inability of the disciples to exorcize a demon is a startling reminder that all things are possible only for God, to whom we must entrust all our problems.
09/01/24 Praise Service
September 1, 2024
AS WE GATHER
There is a lot of good news in the Readings of the day, but you won’t find it in today’s Holy Gospel, which points out that our fallen hearts produce much of the evil around us. Likewise, the Old Testament Reading warns against not telling the next generation about God’s goodness. But the Epistle, which uses the imagery of a suit of armor, tells us to rely on God and His gracious goodness. And the Introit has the Gospel in full measure! While asking for God’s forgiveness; we also rejoice that He re-creates us, cleaning us inside out. What a great reason to gather to sing His praises today!
09/01/24 Traditional Service
September 1, 2024
AS WE GATHER
There is a lot of good news in the Readings of the day, but you won’t find it in today’s Holy Gospel, which points out that our fallen hearts produce much of the evil around us. Likewise, the Old Testament Reading warns against not telling the next generation about God’s goodness. But the Epistle, which uses the imagery of a suit of armor, tells us to rely on God and His gracious goodness. And the Introit has the Gospel in full measure! While asking for God’s forgiveness; we also rejoice that He re-creates us, cleaning us inside out. What a great reason to gather to sing His praises today!
08/25/2024 Praise Service
August 25, 2024 • Mark 7:1–13
AS WE GATHER
Tradition is a profound gift, but it can also be a problem. When the works of our hands are at odds with the faith of our hearts or when the faith of our hearts no longer shapes our lives, we are in trouble. Jesus calls out the empty tradition that begs for faith and the timid faith that fears bold confession. In so doing, our Lord rightly places the gift and blessing of tradition, not the dead faith of the living but the living faith of the dead, to encourage us in our own believing.
08/25/2024 Traditional Service
August 25, 2024 • Mark 7:1–13
AS WE GATHER
Tradition is a profound gift, but it can also be a problem. When the works of our hands are at odds with the faith of our hearts or when the faith of our hearts no longer shapes our lives, we are in trouble. Jesus calls out the empty tradition that begs for faith and the timid faith that fears bold confession. In so doing, our Lord rightly places the gift and blessing of tradition, not the dead faith of the living but the living faith of the dead, to encourage us in our own believing.
08/18/2024 Praise Service
August 18, 2024
AS WE GATHER Living in a world of empty promises and fake offers, we can easily become jaded to the things of God. In our skepticism, the temptation is to treat the invitation of God the same way we meet the scams that fill our emails and text messages. But the Lord does not speak empty words nor does He give promises He will not keep. Faith rejoices in Him who is genuine and who genuinely supplies what we need. Because of this, we build our lives upon the firm ground of this hope.
08/18/2024 Traditional Service
August 18, 2024
AS WE GATHER Living in a world of empty promises and fake offers, we can easily become jaded to the things of God. In our skepticism, the temptation is to treat the invitation of God the same way we meet the scams that fill our emails and text messages. But the Lord does not speak empty words nor does He give promises He will not keep. Faith rejoices in Him who is genuine and who genuinely supplies what we need. Because of this, we build our lives upon the firm ground of this hope.
08/11/2024 Praise Service
August 11, 2024
AS WE GATHER
We are quick to lament when we have had enough—enough trouble, trial, temptation, and turmoil. In the midst of our despair and sorrow, the Lord comes to us with the promise: “I am enough.” All our lives we wrestle with that statement. Sometimes it is easy to answer what troubles us with “Jesus is enough.” Other times we fight against the sufficiency of Christ in a world of affliction, pain, sorrow, and doubt. Like Elijah of old, the only answer we have against the powers of the world and the devil is Christ, the living bread come down from heaven to give us strength for this life and the life which is eternal.
08/11/24 Traditional Service
August 11, 2024
AS WE GATHER
We are quick to lament when we have had enough—enough trouble, trial, temptation, and turmoil. In the midst of our despair and sorrow, the Lord comes to us with the promise: “I am enough.” All our lives we wrestle with that statement. Sometimes it is easy to answer what troubles us with “Jesus is enough.” Other times we fight against the sufficiency of Christ in a world of affliction, pain, sorrow, and doubt. Like Elijah of old, the only answer we have against the powers of the world and the devil is Christ, the living bread come down from heaven to give us strength for this life and the life which is eternal.
08/04/2024 Praise Service
August 4, 2024 • Rev. Kenny Hsu • Exodus 16:2–15, John 6:22–35
AS WE GATHER When it comes to biblical foods, bread is prominent throughout the pages of Scripture. The first mention of bread is found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, where it is an indicator of fellowship. When Abram (later called Abraham) returns from a successful military campaign, local tribal rulers in his home region who were known as kings came out to meet him in the Kings Valley. Among these rulers was Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who brought out bread and wine as part of the welcome for Abram (Genesis 14:18). Although a common dietary component in biblical times, bread that was given and shared had great symbolic value. Since the earliest form of the Lord’s Supper included a ceremonial breaking of the bread, Christian worship in New Testament times came to be known by that name. Luke records in Acts that the first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42). As we gather for worship with the breaking of the bread, we also remember those ties of fellowship shared by Melchizedek and Abram, by the first Christians, and by the faithful of every generation!
