Lent

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Unlike the Passion accounts historically read this week from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, St. John doesn’t begin with the events in the Upper Room, but injects us directly into a garden, the garden over the Brook Kidron, the garden of Gethsemane. In the beginning, of the end, God the Light walked in the cool of the day among those who rebelled against Him, hiding neither themselves nor their sins, but carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons. They came in the darkness bearing created light so that they may takeRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this night thousands of years ago, on the same night in which He was betrayed, God in human flesh took bread and wine, gave thanks, and spoke the words that we heard St. Paul recount and words that we ourselves will recount in remembrance of our crucified King. Earthly speaking, that is, on account of the body, the bread that we break and the cup that we drink would not even be considered a snack by most of our standards, and yet around this Table, around thisRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Man is quite confident about our desires. We are sure about what we want and when we want it and that we know best. History testifies against us. We live in earthly kingdoms, all subservient to the eternal Kingdom of God, yet we demand and impose earthly wisdom upon its existence. No Kings, We have no king but Caesar, God save the king, Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Behold yourRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Almighty God is in the business of bringing beautiful order to grotesque chaos in majestic reversal. He does this in our hearts out of which we think, say, and do sins aboundingly. By His Holy Spirit, He dwells in us as in a temple sanctifying the heart, which is unclean, that it might be a fount and testimony of good things to God’s glory. He brings order to the chaos of our world, for where He is love, trusted, and obeyed, good order prevails and the people prosper.Read More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Beloved in the Lord, on this day in which you began the Divine Service by praying, “Judge me, O God,” you do well to pay attention to what you hear and learn in this holy place, whether it be pondering upon certain words of God for the first time or as reminder for a countless number of times now. The Lord has commanded that you offer your bodies as living sacrifices of thanksgiving as you come here physically, but also that you offer up your heart and soulRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We know that the Holy Christian Church has crafted the sacred 40 days of Lent as an allusion to other 40s found in the Scriptures, one of them being the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness as Moses records for us in Exodus and beyond. Chapter 16 brings us into their 40 to hear that the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by theRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lent, which by week’s end shall be already halfway over, is a blessèd and necessary annual re-training of the Christian heart with the goal of bringing us, and our whole person, back to reality. We all need Lent, at minimum annually, for none of us shall shed the need of discovering and repenting of the sins in our lives until the Lord returns or until He ends this life of sin by death to draw us to Him yonder. We will only be done with our fight againstRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Mothers are a blessing. They are a blessing simply by the fact of how God makes them to be mothers, for by the love of a husband and by the long months of nurturing life within their very own bodies, mothers are made. They are made as those through whom life comes. Apart from Adam and Eve, there is no person ever to have lived who did not have life because of a mother. And as expected, mothers grow quite attached to the lives that they berth. TheyRead More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We call this second Sunday in Lent Reminiscere, because we pray Remember, O LORD, Thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; For they have been ever of old. He must, for our sake, He must, for Christ’s sake, remember His tender mercies for we are always in great need of them. We need Him to remember them, for we go about this life of faith remembering things ourselves. We remember how we have sinned, how we like sheep have gone astray in our hearts, in our minds, in ourRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:6, 2b, 22; 1–2a; Psalm 25:17-18; Psalm 25:17b–18, 1–3; Psalm 119:47–48a; Psalm 5:1b–2 ✠ Lection: Exodus 24:12-18; 1 Kings 19:3b-8 ; Matthew 12:38-50 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this cold February evening, let us head south, south with the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, we hear that he went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah. He was coming from the northern kingdom of Israel, southward to Beersheba, which lay on the edge of the desert wilderness. Beersheba has much biblical significance in itself, but we shall first consider the frigid,Read More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Brethren, we plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain, for His grace is sufficient for you. It is helpful at all times and in all places, in everything that comes upon you in this life. Yes, the cliché Jesus is the answer is true, yet do not leave your understanding and trust to shallow passing thoughts as when seeing those words on an interstate billboard. Rather ponder more that He is your Refuge and your Fortress: your God; in Him will you trust,Read More →

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In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. “The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?” These words immediately precede what we heard from the prophet Joel, and if you go all the way back to the beginning of chapter two in his prophecy, you will encounter more strong language that portrays how sin and sinners shall shake as an earthquake at encountering the terrible Day ofRead 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 →

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✠ Psalmody: Isaiah 66:10a, 11a; Psalm 122:1; Psalm 122:1, 7; Psalm 125:1–2; Psalm 135:3, 6a; Psalm 122:3–4 ✠ Lection: Exodus 16:2–21; Galatians 4:22—5:1a; John 6:1–15 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Lord is always right on time. He is neither early nor late, for His ways are perfect. Whether we see our current time as a heyday, on the verge of one, or far beyond the last hope of one, none of this time has the significance of what is to come in the life of the world to come. As we journey through thisRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 31:6b–7a; 1; Psalm 6:2a, 2b-3a; Psalm 103:10; 79:8–9; Psalm 109:21a; Psalm 16:11a ✠ Lection: Exodus 20:12-24a ; Matthew 15:1-20 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. From atop Mount Sinai thundered the Lord’s giving of the Ten Commandments; good and holy words from a good and holy God. Every single one of them pure, without a shred of cruelty in them that should ever cause us to detest their existence. They describe a reality that exists in and by the one Who Is. May we never view or treat the Law of God asRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:15–16; 1–2a; Psalm 9:19, 3; Psalm 123:1–3a; Psalm 19:8a, 10b–11a; Psalm 84:3–4 ✠ Lection: Exodus 8:16–24; Ephesians 5:1–9; Luke 11:14–28 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grosser than a bulletin graphic of a mute demon coming out of a man’s mouth is the widespread effect of sin, demons, and the prince of demons upon us. Jesus is the greater prince, the Prince of Peace, Who holds authority over the winds and the sea, over the powers and principalities waging war in the heavenly places all for the spoils of the souls of man.Read More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 38:21–22; 1; Psalm 28:9a, 1; Psalm 103:10; 79:8–9; Psalm 25:1–3a; Psalm 11:7 ✠ Lection: Greek Esther 13:8b–11, 15–17; Matthew 20:17-28 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Though we don’t live under a king, at least not since 1776, the concept of a kingdom still remains. There are kingdoms all over the face of the earth; dominions, regions organized by set borders with leaders over each that have either been elected, have inherited rule, or taken it by force. God uses all in such authority, for there is no authority except from God, andRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:6, 2b, 22; 1–2a; Psalm 25:17–18; Matthew 15:26–28a; Psalm 119:47–48a; Psalm 5:1b–2 ✠ Lection: Genesis 32:22–30; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–7; Matthew 15:21–28 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Lord remembers in that He never forgets the way that we do; forgetting to turn the stove off, forgetting to stop by the store on the way home, forgetting to wash the forehead after getting home from Ash Wednesday evening service. He isn’t susceptible to forgetfulness as we are, meaning that in His omniscience He knows everything that has happened, is happening, including our secretRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:6, 2b, 22; 1–2a; Psalm 25:17-18; Psalm 25:17b–18, 1–3; Psalm 119:47–48a; Psalm 5:1b–2 ✠ Lection: Exodus 24:12-18; 1 Kings 19:3b-8 ; Matthew 12:38-50 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. It is evil and adulterous because of how it questions the trustworthiness of the heavenly Bridegroom by demanding that He prove Himself more than He already has, does, and promises to. A demand for a sign from God outside the bounds of what He has given reveals not a lack on His part, but onRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 91:15a, c–16a; 1; Psalm 91:11-12; Psalm 91:1–7, 11–16; Psalm 91:4; Psalm 91:4 ✠ Lection: Genesis 3:1–21;2 Corinthians 6:1–10;Matthew 4:1–11 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The serpent is more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God has made. The evil and wily foe is your enemy, a no-longer-holy angel who has set himself against the Lord and His elect and has all manners of hostility and malice in his heart toward you. Your demise, your pain, your suffering your unbelief and faithlessness is the goal of all attacks broughtRead More →

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✠ Psalmody: Wisdom 11:23a, 24b, 23c;Psalm 57:1a;Psalm 57:1a, 3a;Psalm 103:10;79:8-9;Psalm 30:1–2;Psalm 1:2b, 3b ✠ Lection: Joel 2:12–19; 2 Peter 1:2–11; Matthew 6:16-21 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As you sit with ashes upon your head this evening reminded of your mortality, take heart, for the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Even mortality is good news in Jesus Christ. It is good news in winter, spring, and summer. It is good news in somber Lent when we are bidden by God to takeRead More →

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Sermon: The reading of the Passion: Palmarum – Sunday 24 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 22:19, 21;22:1, 7-8, 11;73:23b-24, 1-3;22: 1, 6, 19, 22, 31 ✠ Lection: Exodus 15:27—16:7a; Luke 19:29–40;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 your mouths this morning, you spoke harrowing words about the Lord Jesus, saying, “Let Him be crucified!…Let Him be crucified!” We not only consider this Palm Sunday, but The Sunday of the Passion, because by entering into Holy Week, the Church has historically used this Sunday to begin reading in its gatherings the Passion accountsRead More →

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Judica Mid-Week – Wednesday 20 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 43:1-2a;43:3-5;143:9a, 10a;18:48a, c;129:1-4 ✠ Lection: Leviticus 19:1-2a, 10b-19a, 25b; St. John 10:22-38 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Those who believe Jesus, follow Jesus. They say rightly that He is a king. For this cause He was born, and for this cause He has come into the world, that He should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears the voice of Jesus. As He taught truth, He was confronted, He was surrounded by those who question Who He is, thusRead More →

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Judica – Sunday 17 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 43:1-2a;43:3-5;143:9a, 10a;18:48a, c;129:1-4 ✠ Lection: Genesis 22:1-19;Hebrews 9:11-15;St. John 8:46-59a In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places venerate the crucifix, which depicts the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also truly meet, right, and salutary to consider and repeatedly consider the beautiful symbolism that we employ in our worship and in our daily lives as Christians. We often adorn our own bodies with small crucifixes hung from ourRead More →

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Laetare Mid-Week – Wednesday 13 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Isaiah 66:10a, 11a;Psalm 122:1-2, 6, 8;122:1, 7;125:1-2 ✠ Lection: Ezekiel 36:23a, 23c–28; Isaiah 1:16-19; St. John 9:1-38   In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations. Children receive the satisfying nourishment from their mother, and, as we heard on Laetare, we are fed and sustained by the Food that comes down to us from above. The Jerusalem above is free, which isRead More →

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Laetare – Sunday 10 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Isaiah 66:10a, 11a;Psalm 122:1-2, 6, 8;122:1, 7;125:1-2 ✠ Lection: Exodus 16:2-21;Galatians 4:22—5:1a;St. John 6:1-15 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Rejoice and be glad in Jesus, priceless treasure, fount of purest pleasure, for He pours down enduring abundance from heaven for you in His good gifts of Word and Sacrament. In a world where you need more than bread alone, He feeds you with every word that proceeds out of His mouth. He feeds you with what you need to endure, to thrive, to build one anotherRead More →

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Oculi Mid-week – Wednesday 6 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:15-16;25:1-2, 17-18, 20;9:19, 3;123:1-3 ✠ Lection: Exodus 20:12–24a;St. Matthew 15:1–20 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. To eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man, yet our modern minds kind of half agree with the scribes and Pharisees that it’s a bad idea not to wash our hands before we eat. After all, haven’t we been enlightened to know that there are microscopic dangers lurking about waiting for us to forgetfully not wash our hands so that they can get us and make usRead More →

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Oculi – Sunday 3 March A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:15-16;25:1-2, 17-18, 20;9:19, 3;123:1-3 ✠ Lection: Exodus 8:16-24;Ephesians 5:1-9;St. Luke 11:14-28 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; Look upon mine affliction and my pain; And forgive all my sins. We beseech You, almighty God, to look upon the hearty desires of Your humble servants; Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, And as the eyes of a maiden untoRead More →

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Reminiscere Mid-week – Wednesday 28 February A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:1–2a, 7–8, 11; antiphon: vv. 6, 2b, 22;Psalm 25:17–18;Psalm 106:1–4 ✠ Lection: Esther 13:8-11, 15-17 (Apocryphal); St. Matthew 20:17-28    In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Faith not only peers into the unseen with hope, but it endures, yea, it embraces the seen as part of Christ’s work; not the wickedness of this evil age, but the Lord’s use of it, especially in service to one another. Only He can take what is meant for evil and make it for good. He makes it for goodRead More →

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Invocavit Mid-week – Wednesday 21 February A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 91:15a, c, 16;91:1-2, 9-10, 13;91:11–12;91:1, 2 4a ✠ Lection: Exodus 24:12–18;1 Kings 19:3b–8;St. Matthew 12:38–50 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. When we gather around the Table of Christ to taste forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, to receive into our own person eternity, let us not take even a singular moment for granted. Repent for any moment that you take God and His gifts for granted as He brings heaven to earth in His Divine Service. Turn and ever lift up your hearts toRead More →

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Invocavit – Sunday 18 February A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 91:15a, c, 16;91:1-2, 9-10, 13;91:11–12;91:1, 2, 4a ✠ Lection: Genesis 3:1-21;2 Corinthians 6:1-10;St. Matthew 4:1-11 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. This is what happened in the Garden when the serpent of old deceived our first parents. The devil is a created being, so taking on the Creator head-to-head in a battle of opposing strength or might is obviously, even in a fallen angel’s eyes, foolish with no possibility of success. In order toRead More →

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Ash Wednesday – Wednesday 14 February A✠D 2024 ✠ Psalmody: Psalm 69:16,1;31:2b–3;1, 5, 9, 16;57:1a, 3a;103:10;79:8, 9 ✠ Lection: Joel 2:12–19;2 Peter 1:2–11;St. Matthew 6:16-21 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hypocrisy is very rewarding, especially if you’re good at it. To be a hypocrite is to be aware, to acknowledge, to desire something that is good and to do what is necessary to obtain it. In and of itself, such a tactic in life isn’t necessarily bad. If we see godly virtue as that which is good, then it is wise to pursue it, toRead More →