April 2025

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 139:18b, 5b–6a; 1–2ab; Psalm 118:24, 1; 1 Corinthians 5:7b, 5:8a, c; Psalm 76:8b–9a ✠ Lection: Job 19:23–27; 1 Corinthians 5:7–8; Mark 16:1–8 Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Come quickly to peer into the tomb of Christ on this glorious Easter morn to behold what awaits you. Human tracks lead to a grave, a place of death, as ours are already determined and as we have those of others all around us as we walk in this place of relentless reminder that “thou artRead More →

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The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John: The Sermon: ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 140:1–9, 13 ✠ Lection: Hosea 5:15b—6:6; Exodus 12:1–11; John 18:1—19:42 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John begins and ends in a garden. So does man’s redemption story. So, this evening, we meditate upon the bookends of this Passion and upon the one that takes us back to the first garden, seeking to grasp how all three present to those who need to hear it the Good News of God’sRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Galatians 6:14b; Psalm 67:1–3, 6b–7;Philippians 2:8b-9;Psalm 111:4–5; John 6:55–56 ✠ Lection: Exodus 24:3–11;1 Corinthians 11:20–32;John 13:1–15 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Blessed be the Name of the Lord our God, Who has not left us in our sin, but has come into our midst of His own volition, of His own love, of His own sacrifice so that we may be rescued from every evil of body and soul. The beautiful feet that bring this Good News walked in the Garden in the coolness of day as He Himself sought out the firstRead More →

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The reading of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew: The sermon: ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 22:19, 21; 1a; Psalm 73:23b–24, 1–3; Psalm 22:1–8, 17b–18, 21, 23a, 31; Psalm 69:20–21; Matthew 26:42b ✠ Lection: Zechariah 9:9–12; Philippians 2:5–11; Matthew 26:1—27:66 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. By the blessed Gospel according to St. Matthew, we heard much this morning. We said much. We numbered ourselves among many a great sinner, confessing their words as ours, bundled with them like chaff prepared for the eternal fire if there were no One to save us,Read More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 18:48a; 1–2a; Psalm 30:1, 2–3; Psalm 103:10; 79:8–9; Psalm 59:1; Psalm 26:6–7 ✠ Lection: Leviticus 19:1-2a, 10b-19a, 25b ; John 10:22-38 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Blessed be the Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all days, and of all seasons! Blessed be His holy Name that He has seen fit to bring winter to us a week into April and illumine our Gospel tonight by what we have looked through the window to see over the past three days. For, in John 10, it was the Feast ofRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 43:1–2a; 3a; Psalm 143:9a, 10a; 18:48; Psalm 129:1–4; Psalm 9:1a; 119:17, 25b; 1 Corinthians 11:24b, 25b ✠ Lection: Genesis 22:1–19; Hebrews 9:11–15; John 8:46–59a In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Psalm 45 speaks of Christ in saying, Thou art fairer than the children of men: Grace is poured into thy lips: Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Indeed, our Blessed Savior has come meek and lowly, mounted even on a donkey in a triumphal ride to bloody victory, His mouth full of grace, gentleness, and truth. A Jesus Who is kind, compassionate,Read More →

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(printed on bulletin insert on Judica, April 6, 2025) The final stage in our symbolic journey toward Easter is Passiontide. Passiontide (the time of the Passion) begins with Judica, the fifth Sunday in Lent. The crucifixes are covered at the conclusion of the Holy Gospel and the Gloria Patri disappears for a while. A common question may be, “Why do we drape and veil the crucifixes as we get closer to Good Friday, as our attention upon the last hours and the sufferings of Our Lord increases?” We do this because we do not deserve to look upon them. We are not worthy of theRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Ezekiel 36:23b, 24b, 25a, 26a; Psalm 34:1; Psalm 34:11, 5; 33:12, 6; Psalm 103:10; 79:8–9; Psalm 66:8–9, 20; John 9:11 ✠ Lection: Ezekiel 36:23a, 23c-28; Isaiah 1:16-19 ; John 9:1-38 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It’s no light matter to be a prophet, or to at least speak as one. For what is a prophet? It is a man who speaks on behalf of God. This very fact alone makes such speech highly important, for who would dare speak on behalf of the all-mighty, all-powerful Creator of all things without being told, asked,Read More →