ASLC Podcast

In Isaiah we hear that God’s house shall be a house of prayer for all people and that God will gather the outcasts of Israel. The Canaanite woman in today’s gospel is a Gentile, an outsider, who is unflinching in her request that Jesus heal her daughter. As Jesus commends her bold faith, how might our church extend its mission to those on the margins of society? In our gathering around word and meal we receive strength to be signs of comfort, healing, and justice for those in need.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 15:10-28; Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21

In the Romans text we are reminded to place our trust in God. God hears us. We are not alone. In Matthew, when the disciples face a great storm on the sea, they cry out with fear. Jesus says: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Amid the storms of life, we gather to seek the calm presence of Christ that soothes our fears. In comforting words of scripture and in the refreshing bread and cup of the eucharist, God grants us peace and sends us forth to be a sign of God’s presence to others.  Scripture Readings: Matthew 14:22-33; Romans 10:5-15; Psalm 85:8-13

In today’s first reading God invites all who are hungry or thirsty to receive food and drink without cost. Jesus feeds the hungry multitude and reveals the abundance of God. At the eucharistic table we remember all who are hungry or poor in our world today. As we share the bread of life, we are sent forth to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry.   Scripture Readings:  Matthew 14:13-21; Isaiah 55:1-5;  Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21

Merry Christmas…in July! Welcome to worship at All Saints Lutheran Church. Today we gather in this unusual time to hear again the promises of God fulfilled in the coming of the Christ Child. Join our festive worship as we sing carols, hear the story of Jesus’ birth, and lift our prayers of hope to God, whose promises never fail.  
Scripture Readings: Luke 2:[1-7], 8-20, 25-30; Isaiah 62:6-12;  Psalm 97

It is an age-old question: why is there evil in the world? In the parable of the wheat and the weeds Jesus suggests that both grow together until the harvest. With Paul, we long for the day that all creation will be set free from bondage and suffering. Having both weeds and wheat within us, we humbly place our hope in the promises of God, and from the Lord’s table we go forth to bear the fruit of justice and mercy. 
Scripture Readings: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, 25-30; Romans 8:12-25;  Psalm 86:11-17

God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the Lord’s table we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13

The mystery of God’s ways is sometimes hidden from the wise and intelligent. Jesus associates with those often excluded from the religious community. Like Paul, we struggle with our own selfish desires and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. We gather to be refreshed by Christ’s invitation: “Come to me, all you that are weary.” Gathered around word, water, and meal, we find rest for our souls. 
Scripture Readings: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30; Romans 7:15-25a; Psalm 145:8-14

The welcome of baptism is for all God’s children. This baptismal gift sets us free from the power of sin and death. In today’s gospel, Christ promises that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. From worship we are sent on our baptismal mission: to serve the little ones of this world and to be a sign of God’s merciful welcome.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 10:40-42; Romans 6:12-23; Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Hagar is cast out and left to die with her son. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, God’s grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world. 
Scripture Readings: Matthew 10:24-39; Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

Moses tells the Israelites that they are called to be a priestly kingdom and a holy people. Jesus sends out the disciples as laborers into the harvest. In baptism we too are anointed for ministry, sharing God’s compassion with our needy world. From the Lord’s table we go forth to proclaim the good news, to heal the sick, and to share our bread with the hungry. Scripture Readings: Matthew 9:35-10:23;  Exodus 19:2-8a; Psalm 100