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O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. So goes the opening words of the historic service of Matins. With those words we confess that without Christ, our lips are only opened to speak angry words, only opened to speak hurtful words, only opened to speak foul words, only opened to speak foolish words. From ancient times these historic words were spoke every morning to say, "Unless you open my lips Lord, I won't be able to speak your praise." In today's Gospel Jesus makes the mute man speak. He does it first by opening the man's ears. By opening the man's ears, the man's speech is restored. So too God opens ears and hearts so that we might hear His Word. Upon hearing and understanding His Word, our mouths are enabled again to speak and sing His praises. Man, by nature, is deaf to God, and mute to His praises. By God's grace He opens our lips, that our mouths show forth His praise.

Today we consider the Parable of the Unjust Steward. In this parable God teaches us that the rhythm of life is one that is lived out from God to our neighbor. Sin interrupts this dynamic, but God calls us back to forgiveness and faith in Him.

Jesus speaks about false prophets.

Jesus feeds the 4,000.

Today's readings turn our attention to the 10 Commandments and God's giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai, and Jesus' reiterating it in the Sermon on the Mount. God's Law is good and continues to instruct us, turning us from sin, and pointing us to the holy life and to Jesus our Savior.

Call and send. In today's lessons we see it both for Elijah, Elisha, and Peter. God sends His Church forward to preach and call to repentance and faith in Christ.

Mercy received. Mercy given. Christ today speaks about His gift of mercy, and responding mercifully to our neighbor. The title of the sermon today is, "God's Promises Amidst the Tumult." AUDIO ONLY

In Luke 15 we hear the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Jesus preaches about repentance.

In his sermon for today, Pr. Seifferlein connects the Old Testament lesson and Gospel under the heading of "invitations." Who gave out the invitation?What is the invitation for? Who is receiving the invitation? We will learn that God invites us to His feast.

In this video the congregation wishes Pr. Keyl a Happy Birthday.

In today's sermon Pr. Seifferlein speaks about Martin Luther's last written words, "We all are beggars, this is true." Having Christ is having all that we need in this present life. Being a beggar before God and receiving from Him all that we need is to have more than riches can buy.

Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the Undivided Unity, let us praise Him because He has shown His mercy to us! In our sermon for Trinity Sunday, Pr. Seifferlein reflects on the events transpiring in our country this week, and what the Gospel of Jesus has to say to us. We gather in the place where God's Word is heard and read, and where those who call themselves sinners find forgiveness.

In his sermon for Pentecost, Pr. Seifferlein connects the Old Testament account of the burning bush and God's deliverance of His people from Egypt, to the story of Pentecost, and God sending His apostles to deliver His people from slavery to Satan. The burning fire that does not consume marks the place where God's speaks and brings deliverance to His people.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until He sent the Holy Spirit to them. Ten days later on the Feast of Pentecost, the Spirit, the Helper, came to them as they were gathered in the Upper Room. What did they do for those ten days? They waited. We too, after having just celebrated Ascension on Thursday, await the Feast of Pentecost next Sunday. Today is one of those in-between Sundays when we twiddle our thumbs and wait for what is next. In the Gospel for today we hear the words that Jesus addressed to His disciples on the night they were betrayed. First Jesus promises that He will send His Holy Spirit to the disciples. We need to hear that promise too! God will send His Spirit to strengthen and keep us. Second, Jesus warns His disciples that they will not be treated well in the world. Knowing persecution will come, and that the world, the devil, and our sinful nature will persecute our confession of Christ, today we pray for God’s help so that we might in times of persecution and temptation, remain faithful to Christ. Join us today for this service where we also observe the rite of Confirmation. Our sermon today is entitled, “Confirmation is Forever” and considers the meaning of confirmation in our lives.

We rejoice with great rejoicing that Christ has ascended to God's right hand. He fills all things and rules for the sake of the Church. He comes to us in His body and blood. He sustains us in our journey. With the disciples we await the time that He will return in like manner as He goes away. We go with the promise, "Lo I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20

Prayer. That is what this Sunday is about. On this last Sunday before Jesus' Ascension into heaven, He speaks to His disciples' from the Upper Room about this great gift given by means of His going to the Father. PAY ATTENTION to the lessons & hymns today as that message of the GIFT OF PRAYER is communicated. Here is one last Easter gift we are reminded of before the season ends!

The season of Easter continues with Jesus preparing His disciples for His departure by speaking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to convict us of three things: our sin, the righteousness that is ours in Jesus, and that the devil stands condemned because of what Jesus did. In his sermon for this Sunday, Pr. Seifferlein, aims to do just that. Relating the present Covid-crisis to our own present lives, Pr. Seifferlein aims as God's minister to show us what we have done, but to also show us what God has done for us. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are led to see our sin, Jesus righteousness, and that the prince of this world stands condemned.

Pr. Richard Neagley joins us at Mount Calvary for the Fourth Sunday of Easter as we consider Lamentations 3:22-33, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

On the third Sunday in Easter we hear Christ's tender words from John chapter 10, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Jesus is the true Shepherd that leads us in and out of fold by the true pasture of His Word.

We continue our celebration of Easter by entering the Upper Room on the evening of the day that Jesus rose from the dead. While the accounts that morning focus on the women and their experience when they went to the tomb, the evening accounts focus on Jesus appearance to His apostles. The disciples are huddled together in fear, the door locked, when the resurrected Lord comes and stands in the middle of the room. He proclaims peace to them, and asks them to see that it is really Him, even as He encourages them to place their fingers in His wounded side. Jesus teaches His disciples about the peace and the forgiveness of sins that He won by His death and resurrection. He breathes His Spirit upon them, preparing them for this mission to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins to all nations. Through the proclamation of Jesus' Word by the apostles, and through the gift of Jesus' wounds and body in Holy Communion, the work of Jesus on earth continues as God brings life to fallen creation.