Pastor Eric Schroeder - The First Sunday in Advent - Sunday, November 27, 2022

Text: Matthew 21:1-11

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Christian worship is all about freedom. But “worship” and “freedom” haven’t always gone together. You may well know that in Old Testament times, at least from the time of Moses on, God’s people were instructed to keep the calendar that he had given them on Mount Sinai. What did that look like? Their worship life was tied to Sabbath Days; every Saturday was a day where regular work was set aside to leave room for the study of God’s Word, singing God’s praises, and making sacrifices. Every new moon marked a new month, and there were more sacrifices. In the springtime and in the fall, there were major festivals to thank God for the grain harvest and the fruit harvest, and each festival came with its own celebrations and rituals—and, you guessed it, additional sacrifices. The people of Israel had no choice in the matter; God laid out the calendar exactly the way he wanted it to be observed. There was purpose behind it. Each one of those calendar events, in its own way, pointed ahead to the Savior that would one day come, so sticking to the schedule was one of the primary ways that his faithful people showed their love for God and their trust in the Savior that he promised.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 24, 2022

Text: Psalm 100

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Dear Friends in Christ, Some of the Psalms tell us who wrote them. Psalm 100 does not, but it does tell us why it was written. It’s a single word in the original Hebrew language, but the inscription we find in one English Bible says this is a psalm “for giving thanks.” Another translates it “for giving grateful praise.” Either way, this makes it a most appropriate Word of God for us to contemplate today.

Pastor Robert Fleischmann - Christ the King Sunday - Sunday, November 20, 2022

Text: Luke 23:35-43

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The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, November 13, 2022

Text: Luke 21:5-19

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Dear Friends in Christ, “Well, I didn’t see that coming.” We’ve all heard someone say that or said it ourselves.

Pastor Eric Schroeder - All Saints' Day - Sunday, November 6, 2022

Text: Luke 6:20-23

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²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ²² Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. ²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.