This is the last weekend in Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. With Christians around the world we begin the liturgy remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we join in the exuberant praise that the Church has echoed through the...

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus reveals his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. The prophet Ezekiel prophesies God breathing new life into dry bones. To those in exile or living in the shadows of death, these stories proclaim God’s...

As you approached the sanctuary, you might have noticed a banner with a cross to the left of the doors. Underneath the cross is the Alleluia banner, which we removed from the liturgy on Ash Wednesday. This weekend we are halfway through the Lenten...

"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21)

Two quotes from Holy Scriptures draw us into today’s service—King David: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.” (Psalm 139:23) The woman at the well: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29)

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51) “Even though death consumes us, we yet shall not feel its sharp fangs, for Christ’s Word is our armor that supplies us with a confident life and...

Jesus prophesied that before the End of All Things, “The love of most will grow cold.” Only the love of Jesus can turn calloused and indifferent hearts into hearts of love. Believers are called to excel in love. We love—family, friends, neighbors and...

“And lead us not into temptation”, Jesus taught us to pray. Luther reminds us that in the Lord’s Prayer “we ask that God would guard us against the devil, the world, and our sinful nature.” So confident is Satan in his own power that he confronts even...

Just days ago we experienced the transfigured Christ, shining in all his glory. Like his disciples we would prefer lingering in mountaintop experiences. But our Savior leads us down from the mountain to the valleys where we encounter the trials, the...

Today’s festival is a bridge as the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle comes to a close and the Lent-Easter cycle is about to begin. On the mount of transfiguration Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son, echoing the words heard at his baptism. What a...