The devil slithers his way into our hearts and minds. He is after the Word of God. He wants to to take steal the very thing that would set us free from the darkness. “Did God really say?” “You will not rurely die.” “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” His temptation is to look for our good in life anywhere except from God. But apart from God, there is no good. There is only darkness, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth. Adam and Eve fell into sin. We have followed them. But the Son of God took on flesh to battle for us, to crush the serpent’s crafty head. He is faithful. He does not turn aside from God’s Word for any reason. He is faithful even unto death. His faithfulness atones for our sin. His death conquers death. His Word leads us out of darkness, out of lies, out of death–into light, truth, and life-everlasting. Put aside your sins. Repent where you have believed lies and walked in darkness. Rejoice in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Follow Him, walking in the way that leads back to paradise.
Prayer of the Day:
O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
God makes His covenant with His people. They hear His Word, they believe it, and they follow it. God marks the sons of Abraham in their bodies so that each generation is born through the promise. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham and His family. In Christ, we are called not just to mark a part of ourselves, but to crucify the flesh and in repentance put to death the old man of sin. Jesus raises us as new men to live and serve Him in righteousness and purity, bringing each generation up in the promise of life in the Father’s house through Jesus Christ.
Prayer of the Day:
Salutation and Collect of the Day Lord God, You made Your beloved Son, our Savior, subject to the Law and caused Him to shed His blood on our behalf. Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit that our hearts may be made pure from all sins; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns
383 A Great and Mighty Wonder TLH 115 O Blessed Day When First Was Poured 384 Of the Father’s Love Begotten 385 From East to West TLH 120 Help Us, O Lord! Behold, We Enter
Chorus Sing a new song to the Lord! The company of the saints shall praise him! Praise him with drums and dances, praise him with strings and pipes! Lord God, we praise you! Everything that has breath, praise the Lord! Lord God, we thank you! Alleluia!
Chorus and Recitative B T A Lord God, we praise you, Since you, with this new year, send us new fortune and new blessing and still think upon us in grace. Lord God, we thank you, since your goodness in times past has protected the entire land and our worthy city from inflation, disease and war. Lord God, we praise you, for your fatherly love has still no end, it is still renewed for us every morning. Therefore for this reason, merciful God, we fold in humility our hands and lifelong speak praise and thanks with our mouths and hearts. Lord God, we thank you!
Aria A Praise, Sion, your God, praise your God with joy, arise! proclaim his glory, who in his sanctuary from now on as your shepherd will pasture you in green meadows.
Recitative B The world desires for itself what pleases flesh and blood; only one thing, one thing I ask of the Lord, this I would gladly have, that Jesus, my joy, my true shepherd, my comfort and salvation and the best part of my soul, would embrace me as a lamb of his flock and protect me also this year and not let me out of his arms ever again. His good Spirit, which shows me the path to life, guides and leads me upon a level road, therefore I begin this year in Jesus’ name.
Aria (Duet) T B Jesus shall be my everything, Jesus shall remain my beginning, Jesus is my light of joy, I will ascribe myself to Jesus. Jesus helps me through his blood, Jesus shall make my end a good one.
Recitative T Now, may Jesus grant that with the new year his annointed one may also live; He blesses both trunk and branch, so that its good fortune may reach the clouds. May Jesus church and school, may he bless all faithful teachers, may he bless all the hearers of his word; may he bless the council and judge’s seat; may he pour out upon every house the fount of blessing in our city; may he grant that once again peace and loyalty might kiss each other within our borders. Thus we would live this entire year in blessing.
Chorale Let us complete the year to the praise of your name, so that we might sing the same in the company of Christians. If you choose to extend our lives through your almighty hand, sustain your beloved Christians and our fatherland. Turn your blessing upon us, give peace to every outcome, grant, uncorrupted, to our country, your sanctifying word. Put the hypocrite to shame here and in every place!
God says, “My people shall know my name, behold it is I.” His name is Jesus, for He saves His people from their sins. The people of God break forth into joy because we have seen our salvation. The angels worship the child who was laid in the manger and we join our voices to theirs because we have seen beheld His glory, glroy as the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns
379 O Come, All Ye Faithful 382 We Praise You Jesus, At Your Birth 388 Go Tell It on the Mountain 373 See Amidst the Winter Snow 391 Rejoice Rejoice this Happy Morn
All glory to thee, Jesus Christ, For thou man today wast born, Born of a virgin, that is sure, Thus joyful is the angel host. Kyrie eleis!
Recit. and Chorale Verse 2
The light of highest majesty, The image of God’s very being, Hath, when the time was full, Himself a dwelling found and chosen.
Th’eternal Father’s only child Th’eternal light of light begotten, Who now in the crib is found. Ye mortals, now behold What here the power of love hath done! Within our wretched flesh and blood, (And was this flesh then not accursed, condemned, and fallen?) Doth veil itself eternal good. Yet is it, yea, for grace and blessing chosen.
Aria (T)
God, for whom earth’s orb is too small, Whom neither world nor heaven limits, Would in the narrow crib now lie.
Revealed to us this lasting light, Thus henceforth will us God not hate, For of this light we are the children.
Recit. (B)
O Christian world, Now rise and get thyself prepared To thee thy maker now to welcome. The mighty Son of God Comes as a guest to thee incarnet. Ah, let thy heart by this his love be smitten; He comes to thee, that he before his throne Through this deep vale of tears be guiding.
Aria (S, A)
The weakness which God hath assumed On us eternal health bestowed, The richest store of heaven’s treasures.
His mortal nature maketh you The angels’ glory now to share, You to the angels’ choir appointeth.
Chorale [Verse 7] (S, A, T, B)
All this he hath for us achieved, His great love to manifest; Rejoice then all Christianity And thank him for this evermore. Kyrie eleis!
In the Old Testament Reading, God shows us a vision of the Son of Man coming in glory as the King of Kings, ruling over all peoples, nations, and languages. in 2 Peter 3, the Apostle reminds us that this world will not last forever. The things we see now will be consumed by fire on Judgment Day, and God will make a new heaven and earth. He warns that this may happen at any time, and therefore tells us we should be waiting in lives of holiness and godliness, that we may be found by our Lord without blemish or spot, and at peace. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 25, Jesus shows us that every person is either a sheep or a goat. The sheep will inherit the Kingdom of God, prepared from the foundation of the world. The goat will depart into eternal fire. We know from the Gospel of John that Christ’s sheep are those who hear His voice and follow Him, and that He will give them eternal life. In Matthew 25 we see that this faith exercises itself in acts of love toward those in need, especially within the household of faith. The goats by contrast do not listen to the Shepherd’s voice, and thus their lives are not marked by obedience to Him or service to neighbor, and their reward is found in this life alone.
Prayer of the Day:
O Lord, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns:
689 Let Me Be Thine Forever
508 The Day is Surely Drawing Near
516 Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying
676 Behold a Host, Arrayed in White
513 The Clouds of Judgment Gather
The hymns we’re singing, All Saints’ Day through the Last Sunday of the Church Year
Keep prepared For the day When the Lord of majesty To this world its ending bringeth!
Recit. (B)
Be frightened, O ye stubborn sinners! A day shall dawn From which no one can hope to hide: It speeds thee to a stringent judgment, O sinful generation, To lasting lamentation. But you, God’s own elected children, It brings the onset of true gladness. The Savior summons you when all else falls and breaks To his exalted countenance: So fear ye not!
Aria (A)
When comes the day of our withdrawing From this the Egypt of our world? Ah, let us soon escape from Sodom, Ere us the fire overwhelms! Wake up, ye souls, from your repose, And trust, this is the final hour!
Recit. (T)
In spite of all our heav’nly longing Our body holds the spirit captive; The world doth set through all its cunning For good men traps and meshes. The soul is willing, but the flesh is weak;(1) This forces out our sorrowful “Alas!”
Aria (S)
Leave to mocking tongues their scorning, For it will and has to happen That we Jesus shall behold yet In the clouds, in the heavens. World and heavens if they perish, Christ’s word must still stand unshaken. Leave to mocking tongues their scorning, For it will and has to happen!
Recit. (T)
And yet amidst this savage generation God careth for his servants, That this most wicked breed Might cease henceforth to harm them, For he doth hold them in his hand secure And to a heav’nly Eden bring them.
Chorale (S, A, T, B)
Be thou glad, O thou my spirit, And forget all woe and fear, For thee now doth Christ, thy Master, Summon from this vale of tears! His great joy and majesty Shalt thou see eternally, Join the angels’ jubilation In eternal exultation.
Second Part
Aria (T)
Lift high your heads aloft(2) And be consoled, ye righteous, That there your souls may bloom!
Ye shall in Eden flourish In God’s eternal service.
Recit. (B) with instr. chorale(3)
Ah, ought not this most awful day, The world’s collapse, When the trumpets shall sound, The yet unheard of final stroke, The sentence which the judge proclaimeth, The jaws of hell with open portals Within my heart Much doubt and fear and terror In me, the child of sin I am, Awaken? And yet, there passeth through my spirit A glint of joy; a ray of comfort’s light. The Savior can his heart no more keep hidden, It doth with pity break, His mercy’s arm forsakes me not. Lead on, thus shall I end with gladness this my course.
Aria (B)
O most blest refreshment day, Lead me now into thy mansions! Sound and crack, O final stroke, World and heavens, fall in ruins! Jesus leadeth me to stillness, To that place where joy hath fullness.
Chorale (S, A, T, B)
Not for world, for heaven not, Doth my spirit yearn with longing; Jesus seek I and his light, Who to God hath reconciled me, Who from judgment hath set free; My Lord Jesus I’ll not leave.
Desire gives birth to sin. Sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death (James 1:15). We live as descendants of this family tree. In the weakness of original sin that we have inherited, we cannot help but fall: into sin, and down in sickness and death. Our Lord Jesus sees us in our weakness and sin, dying. He gets close to us and speaks Words which make us clean, that make us live. We pray that our eyes would be turned so as to always be on Him–turned away from things that harm us, and toward the things He gives that lead us to salvation.
We are back open, still following the advice and guidelines of the health department, doing our best to help keep each other healthy. If you aren’t feeling well, or if you’ve been advised to stay home for now, make sure you still catch the livestream on Facebook.
If you are following at home, here is the bulletin:
Our anger does not accomplish the purposes of God. Vengeance is His alone. We meet each day not in fear or anger, but confident that our Father in heaven will break and hinder every evil plan of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. We pray that He would graft His love into our hearts, increase our faith, and nourish us in all good things.
We are back open, still following the advice and guidelines of the health department, doing our best to help keep each other healthy. If you aren’t feeling well, if you are in one of the at-risk groups, or if you still feel safer at home, make sure you still catch the livestream on Facebook.
If you are following at home, here is the bulletin:
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
For deliverance against temptation and evil; for the addicted and despairing, the tortured and oppressed; for those struggling with sin.
Prayer for our Government: Eternal Lord, ruler of all, graciously regard those who have been set in positions of authority among us that, guided by Your Spirit, they may be high in purpose, wise in counsel, firm in good resolution, and unwavering in duty, that under them we may be governed quietly and peaceably; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hymn of the Week:
If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death LSB 486
If Christ had not been raised from death Our faith would be in vain, Our preaching but a waste of breath, Our sin and guilt remain. But now the Lord is ris’n indeed; He rules in earth and heav’n: His Gospel meets a world of need- In Christ we are forgiv’n.
