We begin our Advent and Christmas series, Journey to the Nativity. Advent is a 4 week season of watchfulness, repentance, and hope—an intentional time to slow down and prepare our hearts before the joy of Christmas arrives. Journey to the Nativity invites us to walk that road with God’s people of old, discovering again how every waiting, every step, and every promise leads us to Jesus. May this new church year deepen our faith and unite us in His saving love.

We’re spending time in Luke 20, where some religious leaders come to Jesus with questions—though not all of them were asked in good faith! But Jesus isn’t afraid of questions, and He still isn’t today. What would you ask Him if you could? As we worship, we’re reminded that while we don’t always get the answers we expect, in the end, every question finds its hope and truth in one place—in Jesus, the God of the living. 

All Saints Day is a day of deep gratitude and great joy. It’s a time when the Church pauses to remember those who have gone before us in faith — parents, grandparents, friends, and fellow believers — whose lives pointed us to Jesus. We give thanks not only for what they did, but for what God has done through them: sustaining them by His grace, holding them in faith, and now bringing them into the fullness of His presence. 

This day is not merely a moment of sentiment or sorrow; it’s a proclamation of hope. We lift our eyes to that “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12) who now live in perfect joy before the throne of God. Their race is finished, their tears are wiped away, and their faith has become sight. And their song becomes ours: “Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb!” 

From a Lutheran perspective, we do not pray to the saints, but we rejoice that they rest in Christ. Their stories remind us of God’s faithfulness — that His mercy endures from generation to generation. Today, as we speak their names and ring the bell of remembrance, we do so in confidence: the same Christ who carried them home will one day raise us up too. 

All Saints Day is a day of comfort, but also of courage. The Church — in heaven and on earth — remains one in Christ. And because He lives, we know that death does not have the final word. Love does. Grace does. Christ does. 

This is the day we celebrate Reformation Sunday, a day that marks a pivotal moment in history — a moment when God’s Word reminded His people that we are saved, not by what we do, but by what Christ has done for us. It’s a celebration of freedom — freedom to know that we are forgiven, freedom to love, and freedom to live in the grace of Jesus.

Recorded on Sunday, October 19

This Thanksgiving, we reflect on what truly matters most—not the blessings themselves, but the One who gives them. In the message “What Really Matters,” we’ll see how a thankful Samaritan leper, healed by Jesus, discovered that faith is more than gratitude—it’s a relationship that changes everything.

We join the disciples in their bold, honest prayer: “Lord, increase our faith!” We all know what it’s like to feel weak, doubtful, or overwhelmed—like our faith isn’t enough. But here’s the good news: faith isn’t measured by how strong or big it feels. Faith is simply clinging to Jesus, and even a tiny mustard seed of faith is powerful because it rests in Him.

This Sunday we’re reminded that God’s mission is lived out through ordinary people in everyday places. From the warning of Amos, the call to integrity in 1 Timothy, and Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus, we see how easily we can forget the poor and the overlooked. But God hasn’t forgotten them—or us. He calls us as His people to join Jesus on His mission: to love, to serve, and to bring hope. As we celebrate 25 years of ministry together, we give thanks not for one pastor’s work but for the many hands, voices, and lives that God has used—and will keep using—for His kingdom.

In worship we don’t come only to receive—we also come to bring ourselves before God. Like Isaiah, we respond to God’s grace by saying, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Paul reminds us that we are many parts of one body, each with gifts to share for the good of all (1 Corinthians 12:27). And Jesus sends us with His peace, saying, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Today we celebrate the ministries and gifts God has given our congregation, and we ask: Am I blessing the Lord with my worship? Am I blessing others with my life? Take a look at the menu—God has given each of us something to share!