mclclititz

The last Sunday of Epiphany is Transfiguration Sunday. We see Jesus' glory on the mountain, even as He descends it, to walk with us in the valley, to head to the hill of Calvary, to give His life.

Christ brings about a great reversal in St. Paul. “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy” (Gal. 1:23). The enemy of the Gospel becomes its foremost preacher, and the last of the Apostles becomes the first (Matt. 19:30). Paul is God’s “chosen instrument. . . to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). The conversion of Paul is only a more dramatic example of what God does in revealing Christ to us. The bondage of our sin makes saving faith impossible. “I believe that I cannot. . . believe” (SC III,3). But even this is no obstacle for our Lord’s grace in Christ and the Holy Spirit’s power through the Gospel. Baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, and hearing the Word of Christ, our ears are opened and our spiritual blindness is lifted (Acts 9:17–19). It is dangerous to be a traitor to Christ’s enemies—“I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name” (Acts 9:16)—but everything that is left behind is “rubbish” compared to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8) and the eternal life that we, with St. Paul, will at last inherit (Matt. 19:29).

In Epiphany we learn to see differently. We learn to see how God the Father wants us to see. God shows us His Son Jesus. We see His outstretched arm to help the sick and needy. Come fall down at Jesus’ feet this Sunday as He comes down from the mountain of heaven to descend to help you with your physical and spiritual infirmities.

St. Peter speaks for all disciples when he confesses, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29). This confession is the bedrock of the Church, which Christ Himself builds (Matt. 16:18), for “this Jesus,” the stone rejected by earthly builders, “has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). This was a scandal even to Peter. The Christ must suffer, be rejected, be killed, “and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31), for through this work of salvation received by faith, God’s “precious and very great promises” are granted, “so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Wherever Jesus is the Christ, His disciples deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him (Mark 8:34). They have been cleansed from their former sins and increase in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love, effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5–9). All who trust in Jesus, the Christ of Peter’s confession, will save their life, though for His sake they lose it (Mark 8:35). “For there is no other name. . . by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In the month-long season of Epiphany, the Father manifests to us by His Spirit the truth about His Son Jesus, born of the Virgin and thus being true man, being also true God. This Sunday we will see Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ manifests His glory, and His disciples believe in Him. Come, join in Cana’s feast Where Christ is honored guest. He welcomes all who come to taste The wine His hands have blessed. For now He lives and reigns Through all eternity With Father, Spirit, Three in One, The glorious Trinity. Text: © 1993 The Hymn Society, admin. Hope Publishing Co. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004740

In His Baptism, Jesus Takes His Place with Sinners - Our Lord Jesus is baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:13–17). He partakes of a baptism for sinners in order that He might be our substitute and bear the judgment we deserve. In the water, Jesus trades places with us. Our sin becomes His sin. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. Our glory, therefore, is in “Christ Jesus, who became to us . . . righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:26–31). Jesus is the “chosen” One sent from the Father to release us from the prison house of sin and death (Is. 42:1–7). Baptized into Christ, we also become the chosen ones, beloved of the Father. We cross the Jordan with Jesus (Joshua 3) through death into the promised land of new life with God.

The LORD who fills the temple on high, comes, as a boy of 12, to the temple below! He sits with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, giving them astounding answers. The LORD comes to our temple here on earth, turning us by His teaching from being conformed to this world, and transforming us by His flesh and blood which He gives us into living and forgiven sacrifices that go forth from His presence, renewed, refreshed, and restored. From this temple below, we gain the vision and hope of entering one day the temple above where we will see His face, and know as we are known.

In Adult Bible Class, we will return to our study of Ecclesiastes. We will pick up at 7:19 and discuss the themes of sin, original sin, human depravity, and avoiding the pitfalls of adultery.

This year the Sunday after Christmas falls on a special day in the life of the church, January 1! While we customarily associate this day as being New Year’s Day, it is the day the church remembers what happened to Jesus 8 days after He was born. He was given the name JESUS, and He was circumcised as the law commanded (see Luke 2:21). We will consider how God instituted the rite of circumcision during the time of the patriarch Abraham, and how we are incorporated into the covenant of God’s promises through baptism and faith in Jesus. We start the year being reminded that through these means we are saved from wrath and recipients of God’s blessings!

In his preaching on New Year’s Eve, Pr. Seifferlein goes through Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses the man of God. In this psalm Moses speaks of the transitory nature of our lives and that we die as those under God’s wrath. Moses points us to our only hope in prayer, that we cling and abide and trust in the only One who can help us and save us, the One who makes His promises to dust such as us. On this great day of the church, we are reminded of two things: that we are but dust whose lives are fleeting, and that we have hope because of the promises made to us by our Lord.

This evening we gathered and heard the account of Christ’s nativity from Luke chapter 2.

On this fourth Wednesday of Advent, we continue with readings about John the Baptist. This week we hear St. John the Baptist’s warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees that “every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” This message is amplified by the Epistle from 2 Peter, which tells us that the earth itself will be burned up entirely at the return of Christ, making way for new heavens and a new earth. While the joys and lights and activities of this season are around us, we Christians also recognize that this is a time to prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming and final judgment. John the Baptist readies us for the coming of Christ by urging us to repentance and to receive pardon and the remission of sins that comes through Christ alone.

Our Savior is nearly here. John (the Baptist) declares it. Help, amid this troubled world of sin, death, and Satan, has almost come. Rejoice with us this Sunday as we hear the news of our almost arriving Savior. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

This Sunday we hear the good news of the arrival of St. John the Baptist. Stationed in the wilderness, John speaks his message of preparation, repentance, and forgiveness. The proud and haughty hills are reduced to nothing, and the lowly and poor valleys are raised up. All flesh sees the salvation of our God.

Can you read the signs of the times? So that we might be prepared for His arrival, Jesus teaches us about the signs in the sky, sea, and land that will take place right before comes back. “Get ready,” He says, “for your redemption is drawing near!”

We welcome you to our Midweek Advent Services as we gather to hear the historic weekday readings for Advent. These readings focus our attention on St. John the Baptist. On this first Wednesday, we begin with the inauguration of St. John the Baptist’s ministry according to St. Matthew. The Epistle from James 5 underscores the Baptizer’s call of “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” with “The Judge is standing at the door!” We also see in the Epistle the introduction of agricultural imagery for the return of Christ, this time as a farmer who is waiting patiently for his crops to bear fruit.

Our church year begins with a penitential season called Advent (Advent means "to come".). Before we celebrate His coming at Christmas, we are reminded that He will come to be our Judge. Through forgiveness and teaching, our Lord prepares us for that final day. Hearts are cleansed to celebrate the feast of Christmas in true joy, with sins forgiven and the knowledge of our Savior restored. We rightly pray for our Savior to appear for we are ready to greet Him! Prepare the royal highway; The King of kings is near! Let ev’ry hill and valley A level road appear! Then greet the King of Glory Foretold in sacred story: Hosanna to the Lord, For He fulfills God’s Word! Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004740

My Thanksgiving Prayer Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we, Your unworthy servants, give You humble and hearty thanks for all the goodness and loving-kindness that You bestow on us. We praise You for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life. But above all, we bless You for Your boundless love in the redemption of the world by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. We implore You to give us a right understanding of all Your mercies that our hearts may ever be deeply thankful and that we may show forth Your praise with both our lips and our lives. Direct our lives in ways of holiness and righteousness all our days that we may enjoy the testimony of a good conscience and the hope of Your favor, be sustained and comforted in every time of trouble, and finally be received into Your everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We gather on the last Sunday of the Church Year to hear the news that our Lord is returning. We awake from the slumber of our sleep and arise to ready preparation. We confess our sins and receive His distant pardon. We kneel to receive the medicine of His love by which He awakes our hearts to the reality of His promise. We rejoice to consider the feast that we will one day be a part of, the feast of the Groom & Bride that will have no end.

Justinian, Christian Ruler and Confessor of Christ – Justinian was emperor of the East from A.D. 527 to 565 when the Roman Empire was in decline. With his beautiful and capable wife, Theodora, he restored splendor and majesty to the Byzantine court. During his reign the Empire experienced a renaissance, due in large part to his ambition, intelligence, and strong religious convictions. Justinian also attempted to bring unity to a divided church. He was a champion of orthodox Christianity and sought agreement among the parties in the Christological controversies of the day who were disputing the relation between the divine and human natures in the Person of Christ. The Fifth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in A.D. 533 was held during his reign and addressed this dispute. Justinian died in his eighties, not accomplishing his desire for an empire that was firmly Christian and orthodox.