Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25, 2021

Readings for this Service: Connected to the Shepherd.

First Lesson: Acts 20:28-32. We need to be on guard against those who would turn us away from the Word of God’s grace.

Psalm 23. This psalm describes God’s loving care for his people.

Second Lesson: 1 Peter 5:1-5. Peter gives direction and loving encouragement to ministers of the Gospel.

Gospel and Sermon Text: John 10:11-18.

Know your Good Shepherd:

• He lovingly lays down his life for his sheep.

• He knows and is known by his sheep.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Third Sunday of Easter, April 18, 2021

Readings for this Service:

First Lesson: Acts 12:1-19. God did amazing things through the life of Peter. Whatever you fear—hold fast to the Word and the risen and ruling Christ in it. He will not forsake you but remains with you through his Word.

Psalm 118. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 2:12-3::6. Paul praises and thanks God for allowing him to spread the Gospel.

Gospel and Sermon Text: Luke 24:36-49. Connected to the Scriptures.

We connect to the Scriptures to know that Jesus is alive and to know why Jesus is alive: that he is alive for us. He is alive for our forgiveness. He is alive to take away our doubts and fears. He is alive so that we may live with him forever.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Second Sunday of Easter, April 11, 2021

Readings for this Service:

First Lesson: Acts 26:19-29. Paul had found the peace that only belief in God can bring and tried to share that peace with others.

Psalm 16. Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:12-22. Even death cannot take away our life in Christ Jesus.

Gospel and Sermon Text: John 20:19-31. Connected to Peace.

God made us for connections—-with our parents, spouses, families, friends, and communities and he blesses us in many ways through these connections.

But there is one connection that clearly towers over all these other connections as far as it’s value and importance—-our connection to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we are connected to him, we are connected to peace.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

The Hands of the Passion

Easter Service, April 4, 2021

Sermon:  Living Hands (John 20:1-18)

Every Easter celebration has one thing in common—-the joyous message of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave.

Jesus’ lifeless hands became living again on Easter because of his resurrection from the dead. The only way we can believe this impossible truth is through the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith.

Rejoice in the wonderful truth of your living Savior. While it took some of the disciples and Mary Magdalene some time to believe it Easter morning, they eventually rejoice in the wonderful truth of their living Savior.

Not only is he the real deal, his living hands confirm that the price for our sins has been paid in full and forgiveness is a certain blessing for us.

As such, may we follow Mary’s example by quickly and gladly telling others that Jesus is risen, he is risen indeed!

Alleluia! Amen

Pastor Tim Patoka

The Hands of the Passion

Maundy Thursday Service, April 1, 2021

Sermon:  Giving Hands, Mark 14:22-24

Jesus gives the Real Presence.

While it may have taken us a while to turn our attention to Jesus’ own hands in this Hans of the Passion worship series, it doesn’t diminish what we see. For it is Jesus giving hands that bestow upon us the sacrament of Holy Communion where he gives us what he plainly says — his body and blood together, with, and under the bread and wine in something we call the Real Presence.

Jesus gives this to many sinners.

As part of Jesus’ last will and testament, he gives the sacrament’s blessing of forgiveness to many sinners who recognize and believe what’s really present. Jesus gives us this forgiveness not just because we are in constant and dire need of it, but to also assure that we are exactly what he says — his beloved and forgiven child.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021

The Struggle:  Psalms for Lent

Readings for this Service:

First Lesson:  Zechariah 9:9-10.  Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises in the Old Testament.

Second Lesson:  Philippians 2:5-11.  This reading proclaims the two states of Christ: God and Man.

Verse of the Day:  John 12:23: The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Gospel:  Mark 11:1-10.  Jesus entry into Jerusalem to save us sinners. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Sermon:  Psalm 24.  The Return of the King.

The Psalm today doesn’t sound like the ones in the past weeks. It doesn’t sound like the struggle. It sounds like a celebration, like victory.

You and I came into this world that God had crated for us and already at that moment we were set against the Creator—-there is the struggle, the struggle we lose every day.

We need a hero, a Savior; we need the King of Glory spoken about in this Psalm. This Savior is Jesus Christ.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

The Hands of the Passion

Midweek Lenten Service, Week 6, March 24, 2021

Sermon:  Hands of Self-Preservation (Pilate)

The whole idea of washing your hands of someone or something seems to stem from Pilate’s public ritual recorded in Matthew 27. He washed his hand in a bowl of water to make it clear that he was no longer responsible for what was going to happen.

We don’t want to wash our hands of our responsibilities, our opportunities to do what is good, and our chances to serve our Savior.

The reality is that a bowl of water could never wash away the guilt on Pilate’s hands. The reality is our excuses can never wash the sinful stains off of our hands.

But Jesus our Savior died for those sins and washed those stains for us. He allows us to use our hands and our everything to serve him instead of ourselves.

Thank God for our Savior!

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 21 2021

The Struggle:  Psalms for Lent

Readings for this Service:

First Lesson:  Jeremiah 31:31-34.  Remember that Lent is for us sinners.  Nothing that Jesus suffers in his Passion is because of his own guilt.

Second Lesson:  Hebrews 5:7-10.  Because of Jesus, God is pleased with us and accepts us.

Verse of the Day:  Mark 10:45. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Gospel:  John 12:20-33.  Jesus makes it clear that by his cross he may draw us to him.

Sermon:  Psalm 143.  The Lord’s Help in Our Relentless Struggles.

Everyone has struggles that just won’t go away. No matter where they come from, they bring with it unrelenting hardships that threaten to empty our spirits and devastate our hearts with eternal consequences.

It is for that reason we turn to the Lord for help. And because of his mercy, faithfulness, righteousness and his own name’s sake, we can be confident that our Lord will help us as he knows best.

May our Lord help us look to him in all our relentless struggles, now and forever.

Amen

Pastor Tim Patoka

The Hands of the Passion

Midweek Lenten Service, Week 5, March 17, 2021

Sermon:  Hands of Brutality (Matthew 27:27-31)

God’s wrath has been taken away because of Christ’s willing sacrifice for you. Jesus endured the brutality of the soldiers, the torture of the cross, the punishment of hell in our place.

Sin leads us away from what is good and holy and drags us into dark places.

How much better life is when we have our big brother and Savior Jesus standing by our side. He’s by our side and he’s there to defend us against all spiritual and physical enemies we face.

Let us share the peace that only Jesus can bring with others!

Pastor David Parsons

Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 14 2021

The Struggle:  Psalms for Lent

Readings for this Service

First Lesson: Numbers 21:4-9. Both in suffering and in relief, we rejoice for both are evidences of God’s grace in Christ.

Psalm 38: A psalm of David of penitence.

Second Lesson: Ephesians 2:4-10. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, God sees us as already in heaven.

Verse of the Day:  John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Gospel:  John 3:14-21.  The one who does what is true comes toward the light (Jesus) in order that his deeds may be seen as having been done in connection with God.

Sermon:  Psalm 38: The Struggle—The Struggle With Guilt.

We know what we can do when we struggle with sin and when we are weighed down with guilt. We can turn to Jesus, the one who loves us, and who sacrificed himself for us.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

The Hands of the Passion

Midweek Lenten Service, Week 4, March 10, 2021

Sermon:  Hands of Hypocrisy (Mark 14:55-65)

Every person, every Christian, is guilty of hypocrisy.

What—or who—prevents us from going down that path? Jesus!

Jesus calls us to repent, not to embarrass us, but because he loves us.

Jesus calls us to stop pretending that we have no sin, to remove the mask so we can look to him to remove the guilt of our sin.

When we come clean and confess, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Third Sunday in Lent, March 7, 2021

The Struggle:  Psalms for Lent

Readings for this Service

First Lesson: Exodus 20:1-17.  These are the commandments of the LORD our God.  The word LORD really means Savior.  As Savior he gives himself to us, but in doing so he mains God.

Psalm 19: A psalm of praise set in the middle of other psalms praying for deliverance or thanking God for his protection against enemies.

Second Lesson: Romans 8:1-10.  Only the proclamation of “no condemnation” because of the work of Christ can break the shackle and set us free.

Verse of the Day:  John 3:14-15.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Gospel:  John 2:13-22.  So great is Jesus’ love that he continues dwelling in his sanctuary of the Word and sacrament to this day, and through them, dwelling in us as his temples.

Sermon:  Psalm 19: The Struggle—Empowered by God’s Word.

God empowers Christians through His Word.

Christians face their struggles wise and renewed.

Pastor Tim Patoka

The Hands of the Passion

Midweek Lenten Service, Week 3, March 3, 2021

Sermon:  Hands of Misguided Zeal (John 18:4-11)

Let your zeal for Jesus be evident in the way you treat others with sacrificial willingness.

All of us have done things that contributed to God’s wrath for the our sins;  Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath for us. He went through the agony for us and still, after dying, rose again, and saved us.

Often misguided in our zeal, we are forgiven. He is the Savior that we need and trains our hands for humble service and loving care.

Pastor Frank Rose

The Second Sunday of Lent, February 28, 2021

The Struggle: Psalms for Lent, Week 2

Readings for this week

First Lesson: Genesis 28:10-17. God comes with grace to sinners who deserve nothing but suffering in consequence of their sins.

Second Lesson: Romans 5:1-11. Christ suffering for sinners and in their place makes them innocent in God’s sight.

Verse of the Day: Philippians 2:8. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Gospel: Mark 8:31-38. The suffering that comes as a result of following Jesus, drives us to Jesus’ cross both for forgiveness and for strength.

Sermon: Psalm 73. The Struggle Seems Unfair.

From an eternal perspective, the success of all who do not believe in God is short-lived. Jesus taught everyone who would listen about the things that were truly and eternally important.

The struggle against sin and our attempts to follow what God says are not the things that can earn us God’s favor. We follow God’s directions because God loves us already, because he loved us first.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Midweek Lenten Service, Week 2

The Hands of the Passion

Sermon:  Hands of Betrayal (John 13:21-30)

Pastor Ryan Heiman

The First Sunday in Lent

The Struggle:  Psalms for Lent, Week 1, February 21, 2021

Readings for February 21

First Lesson:  Genesis 22:1-18.  What do you love so much that it would be impossible to willingly and gladly give up if the Lord required it?

Psalm of the Day:  Psalm 3.   David contrasts the arrogant overconfidence of his enemies with the serenity he has because he trusts in the Lord.

Second Lesson:  Romans 8:31-39.  As beautiful as these verses are, it takes a miracle from God for us to believe them.

Verse of the Day:  Matthew 4:10. It is written: “worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

Gospel:  Mark 1:12-15.  The life of Christ for us followed a hard and painful road:  loneliness and struggle in the desert for 40 days.

Sermon:  Psalm 3.  The Lord is My Shield from Every Enemy

We have many enemies.  Who or what is it that you consider to be your enemy?  Might it be enemies that outright challenge and contradict what our God says, or our own selves that give in to sinful habits and put up stumbling blocks to our faith?

The Lord is my shield. King David looked to the Lord for help and we should, too.  The Lord is our shield to protects us from danger that would otherwise end us.

I securely rest in Him.  We can securely rest in our Lord despite the struggles we face from our many enemies.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021

he Hands of the Passion Series, Week 1,

Readings for Ash Wednesday:

First Lesson:  2 Samuel 12:1-13.  King David thought he had successfully covered up his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, but God, through his prophet Nathan’s story of a poor man’s precious lamb exposes his sin, leading to David’s repentance and God’s gift of forgiveness.  In the same way we are encouraged to repent and ask God’s forgiveness.

Psalm 51. Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Second Lesson: Acts 5:1-11.  Ananias and Sapphira had the right to withhold or offer whatever they wished to the Lord but they lied and did not repent.

Gospel and Sermon Text:  Luke 18:9-14.  Contrast the pride with which the Pharisee prays to God with hands outstretched to the humbleness with which the tax collector asks for forgiveness with hands beating his breast in contrition. 

Comparing your goodness against God’s standards reveals that we are all in need of God’s mercy, so repent and receive God’s gift of forgiveness.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Last Sunday after the Epiphany: The Transfiguration of Our Lord, February 14, 2021

Get to Know Jesus Series, Week 7

Readings for this service

First Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-12a. In this lesson, we learn more about the last day of Elijah before he was taken up to Heaven in a whirlwind.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. In the preaching of the gospel, the real glory of God becomes manifest.

Verse of the Day: Mark 9:7: Alleluia. A voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” Alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9. The Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was primarily for the benefit of those he called.

Sermon: Mountaintop Glory: Mark 9:2-9.

February 14, 2021

Last Sunday after the Epiphany: The Transfiguration of Our Lord, February 14, 2021

Get to Know Jesus Series, Week 7

Readings for this service

First Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-12a.  In this lesson, we learn more about the last day of Elijah before he was taken up to Heaven in a whirlwind.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6.  In the preaching of the gospel, the real glory of God becomes manifest.

Verse of the Day:  Mark 9:7:  Alleluia.  A voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to him.” Alleluia.

Gospel:  Mark 9:2-9. The Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was primarily for the benefit of those he called.

Sermon:  Get to Know Jesus in His Heavenly Glory:  Mark 9:2-9.

For a few shining moments on the mountain, Jesus showed who he really was, that he was more than just an ordinary human being.  He showed that he is and was true God as he allowed his heavenly glory to shine forth

This wasn’t a trick; it wasn’t a reflection of the sun or even a reflection of heavenly glory shining on Jesus.

It was his glory shining forth.  He is God.  He is the eternal and almighty God clothed in human flesh and bones and blood.  He is God himself and a human being just like us.

He lets us peer into the heavenly glory so that we will continue to share the Gospel with others.  .

Amen.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

February 14, 2021