Advent and the New Church Year

God declares “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). And so our Church Year is renewed with the coming of Advent.  “Newness” in scripture is often associated with Jesus and the Gospel.  Indeed this is especially true with Advent and the New Church Year.

Advent is a time for spiritual renewal as we await our coming Savior.  If you have allowed your devotional life to become less than the best, make Advent a time to refocus your attention on the cross and Christ.  Set aside time each day during Advent to light your own personal Advent wreath and share family devotions.  If you have children, let them share in the lighting and extinguishing of candles.

You may wish to use the excellent Advent devotionalbooklet produced by Lutheran Hour Ministries and titled “Transforming THIS CHRISTMAS” for your daily devotions.  Your devotion time can be enhanced by using the order of Daily Prayer on page 294 in Lutheran Service Book. At least once a week you may choose to use the Responsive Prayers found on pages 282 and 285.

Advent is a time of preparation. Since we know that we must be prepared for Christ’s Second Advent, this preparation should include sober reflection and repentance. Since we are preparing for the joyous celebration of Christ’s First Advent on Christmas, we will want our Advent preparation to be subdued.  We will then break forth in beautiful song with the angels in celebrating our Savior’s birth.  For this reason we do not include the Hymn of Praise (Gloria in Excelsis) in our Sunday worship.

Take note that three of the four Advent Collects call for God to stir up His power and our hearts.  On the third Sunday in Advent we ask God in the Collect that we would rightly respond to the message of John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord.

Advent is a time for Hope!  Blue on our altar reminds us of the hope that is ours in Christ.  Hope in this sense is not wishful thinking but a sure expectation of the fulfillment of all of God’s promises in Christ.

Advent is a time for revisiting the prophecies of the Old Testament that are fulfilled in Christ.  Read the first chapters of Matthew and note how often Matthew reports that these events happened to fulfill the prophecies of the comings Savior.  From the giving of His name and virgin birth to His nativity in Bethlehem, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s great plan of Salvation.

One of the best loved Advent hymns is “O Come, O come, Emmanuel.” It is based on the Great “O” Antiphons.  You may wish to ponder them during Advent by reflecting on the words of hymn 357.

The prophecies and scripture references in this hymn are rich indeed:

Stanza 1: Is. 7:1-14; Ex. 12:31-42; Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:21; 1 Tim. 2:6; Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45 & Hosea 13:14.

Refrain: Isaiah 59:20; Matt. 1:23; Zech 9:9; 1 Thes. 3:9.

Stanza 2: 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Prov. 1:2-7; Gen 1:31.

Stanza 3: Ex. 3:1-15; Ex. 19:9-13; Ex. 20:1-17.

Stanza 4: Is. 11:1-5, 10, 11; 1 Cor. 15:54-57; 2 Sam. 7:10-11; Ps 80:14-15; Jer. 33:15-16; Rom. 15:12; Rev. 5:5.

Stanza 5: Matt 16:13-19; Is. 22:22; Rev 3:7; 2 Sam 7:13;

Stanza 6: Is 9:2-7; Is 60:1-2; Luke 1:78

Stanza 7: Jer. 10:1-10; Ps 2:6-7; Is 52:7; Hag. 2:7

May God richly bless our Advent preparation and our Christmas celebration that we may more deeply understand and trust in the wonderful love of our Beautiful Savior!

Propers Plus for All Saints Day

ALL SAINTS’ DAY

(observed)

Divine Service Setting One – Page 151

As we Gather: “Sing with all the saints in glory, Sing the resurrection song!” is a wonderful theme for the observance of All Saints’ Day. We here in the Church Militant continue to fight the good fight of faith yet we rejoice that in the Church Triumphant those who have gone before now rest from their struggle with sin and enjoy being with Christ in Paradise. “Life eternal! Heav’n rejoices: Jesus lives who once was dead” are words to sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage.

Processional Hymn:

“Sing With All the Saints in Glory”  LSB 671

(Note: This hymn by William J. Irons was sung at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan. In Lutheran Service Book this hymn is set to the tune Mississippi composed by Dr. William Bradley Roberts, Director of Music Ministry at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C..)

Introit

These are the ones coming out of the great tribu- | lation.*

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood | of the Lamb.

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be | put to shame;*

in your righteousness de- | liver me.

For you are my rock and my | fortress;*

and for your name’s sake you lead me and | guide me.

Into your hand I commit my | spirit;*

you have redeemed me, O LORD, | faithful God.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

These are the ones coming out of the great tribu- | lation.*

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood | of the Lamb.

Rev. 7:14; Ps. 25:20; Ps. 31:3

Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book of Concord –

Augsburg Confession Article XXI – Worship of the Saints

Our churches teach that the history of saints may be set before us so that we may follow the example of their faith and good works, according to our calling. For example the emperor may follow the example of David [2 Samuel] in making war to drive away the Turk from his country. For both are kings. But the Scriptures do not teach that we are to call on the saints or to ask the saints for help. Scripture sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Atoning Sacrifice, High Priest, and Intercessor [I Timothy 2:5-6]. He is to be prayed to, He has promised that He will hear our prayer [John 14:13]. This is the worship that He approves above all other worship, that He be called upon in all afflictions “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1).

First Reading Revelation 7:9–17

⁹After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵“Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.

¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Epistle Lesson 1 John 3:1–3

¹See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Holy Gospel Matthew 5:1–12

¹Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

²And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Hymn “Oh, How Blest Are They” LSB 679

Hymn ~ “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” LSB 670

Sing With All the Saints in Glory!

It was once common to hear people refer to a departed loved one as “my sainted mother” or “my sainted father.”  There is certainly nothing wrong with this expression but it is also important to remember that properly understood all Christians are saints!

     As he often does in his letters, the Apostle Paul calls believers saints.  For example in Ephesians 1:1 he writes, “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus.”

     A saint is a holy person, a person without sin.  In heaven all believers live in total joy and bliss without sinning.  How wonderful that will be for us!

     But there are also holy people on earth!  You are one of them.  Christian people are holy by virtue of the forgiveness of sins.  When your sins are forgiven in Christ, they are totally removed and taken away from you.  You are a saint!

     In addition, not only did Jesus die on the cross for your sins, He also gives you His perfect holiness and righteousness.  When God looks at you He does not see an unrepentant sinner, He sees the holiness and righteousness of Christ.  You are a saint!

     That is why the creed calls us, “The holy Christian Church, the communion of saints.” The Christian Church is a community of saints.  Look around you.  See your fellow saints.

     To be sure, you are still a sinner!  In this life we will never be totally free of our old sinful self.  Through weakness we daily succumb to the temptations of the sinful world and the devil.  Every day of your life here on earth, you are at the same time justified and at the same time a sinner.  We continue to struggle with sin.  Luther says in the Small Catechism

     What does such baptizing with water indicate?

     It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

     Where is this written?

     St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six:  “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  [Rom. 6:4]

Note:  "Sing With All the Saints in Glory" is a hymn written by William J. Irons.  It is set to various hymn tunes.  The only one that does it justice is a setting by Henry V. Gerike. The music is available at http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4288/Sing-with-All-the-Saints-in-Glory
Listen to it here

Sniffing Glue--A childhood in Christian pop by Meghan O’Gieblyn

Here's an interesting article about Contemporary Christian Music (CCM).  Honestly, I only have a nodding acquaintance with much about which she speaks.  Her background seems quite foreign to the Lutheran experience when she describes church. Clearly she was deeply into CCM and now no longer calls herself a Christian.  Even if you can't relate to her experience, I think that you will find her story compelling.

Sniffing Glue--A childhood in Christian pop by Meghan O’Gieblyn

Warning:  You'll get the most benefit from reading O'Gieblyn's musings but if you insist on cutting to the chase, here is her message as hard as it might be to hear:

"In trying to compete in this market, the church has forfeited the one advantage it had in the game to attract disillusioned youth: authenticity. When it comes to intransigent values, the profit-driven world has zilch to offer. If Christian leaders weren’t so ashamed of those unvarnished values, they might have something more attractive than anything on today’s bleak moral market. In the meantime, they’ve lost one more kid to the competition."


If that's not quite enough for you, here is her entire final paragraph with my highlighting:

"Despite all the affected teenage rebellion, I continued to call myself a Christian into my early twenties. When I finally stopped, it wasn’t because being a believer made me uncool or outdated or freakish. It was because being a Christian no longer meant anything. It was a label to slap on my Facebook page, next to my music preferences. The gospel became just another product someone was trying to sell me, and a paltry one at that because the church isn’t Viacom: it doesn’t have a Department of Brand Strategy and Planning. Staying relevant in late consumer capitalism requires highly sophisticated resources and the willingness to tailor your values to whatever your audience wants. In trying to compete in this market, the church has forfeited the one advantage it had in the game to attract disillusioned youth: authenticity. When it comes to intransigent values, the profit-driven world has zilch to offer. If Christian leaders weren’t so ashamed of those unvarnished values, they might have something more attractive than anything on today’s bleak moral market. In the meantime, they’ve lost one more kid to the competition."

I don't know what you may think of her ideas but they do deserve some serious contemplation particularly in light of the cover story of this month's Michigan In Touch!

Propers Plus for October 23

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Divine Service Setting 1 - Page 151 (8:00 a.m.)

As We Gather 

The Psalmist declares, “Tell of his salvation from day to day.”  God has done many wonderful and marvelous things for which we praise Him.  However His greatest work is our salvation in Jesus Christ and His cross. That salvation comes to us purely by grace through faith. May we ever tell of His salvation from day to day.

Hymn ~ “We Are Called to Stand Together”....................... LSB 828

Entrance Psalm 96

(We are using Psalm 96 at the request of our guest preacher, Rev. Thomas Dunseth of the Ephphatha Lutheran Mission Society)

¹Oh sing to the Lord a | new song;*

sing to the Lord, | all the earth!

²Sing to the Lord, | bless his name;*

tell of his salvation from | day to day.

³Declare his glory among the | nations,*

his marvelous works among all the | peoples!

⁴For great is the Lord, and greatly | to be praised;*

he is to be feared a- | bove all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the peoples are worthless | idols,*

but the Lord made the | heavens.

⁶Splendor and majesty are be- | fore him;*

strength and beauty are in his sanctu- | ary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the | peoples,*

ascribe to the Lord glo- | ry and strength!

⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory | due his name;*

bring an offering, and come in- | to his courts!

⁹Worship the Lord in the splendor of | holiness;*

tremble before him, | all the earth!

¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

Yes, the world is established; it shall nev- | er be moved;*

he will judge the peoples with | equity.”

¹¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the | earth rejoice;*

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

¹²let the field exult, and every- | thing in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

¹³before the Lord, | for he comes,*

for he comes to | judge the earth.

He will judge the world in | righteousness,*

and the peoples in his | faithfulness.

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

     and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

     is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

Let your steadfast love | comfort me*

     according to your promise to your | servant.

Collect of the Day

O God, You have commanded us to love You above all things and our neighbors as ourselves. Grant us the Spirit to think and do what is pleasing in Your sight, that our faith in You may never waver and our love for one another may not falter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Reading from the Book of Concord

            The Augsburg Confession

Article XX, Good Works, 9-11.

First, we teach that our works cannot reconcile God to us or merit forgiveness of sins, grace, and justification. We obtain reconciliation only by faith when we believe that we are received into favor for Christ’s sake. He alone has been set forth as the Mediator and Atoning Sacrifice (1 Timothy 2:5), in order that the Father may be reconciled through Him. Therefore, whoever believes that he merits grace by works despises the merit and grace of Christ [Galatians 5:4]. In so doing, he is seeking a way to God without Christ, by human strength, although Christ Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

This doctrine about faith is presented everywhere by Paul, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Readings from the Holy Scriptures

Old Testament Lesson                     Leviticus 19:1–2, 15–18

¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. . .

      ¹⁵“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

      ¹⁷“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. ¹⁸You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Gradual (Thursday)

He will command his angels con- | cerning you*

     to guard you in | all your ways.

Bless the LORD, | O my soul,*

     and all that is within me, bless his | holy name!

Ps. 91:11; 103:1

Gradual (Sunday) Psalm 100.................................................................... Jubilate

“For the Lord is good;

His steadfast love endures forever;

and His faithfulness to all generations”

Epistle Lesson                                  1 Thessalonians 2:1–13

¹For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. ²But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. ³For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. ⁶Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

      ⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹For you know how, like a father with his children, ¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

      ¹³And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Holy Gospel                                           Matthew 22:34–46

³⁴When the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

      ⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴²saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

        ⁴⁴“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

      Sit at my right hand,

        until I put your enemies under your feet’?

⁴⁵If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” ⁴⁶And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Hymn “The Law of God is Good and Wise”........................... LSB 579

Distribution Hymns

“We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight”...................................... LSB 720

 “O Lord, We Praise Thee”............................................................... LSB 617

Hymn ~ “Lift High the Cross”......................................................... LSB 837

____________________________

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Contemporary Service (10:45)

Opening Medley:

Shout to the Lord

Entrance Song

We Will Glorify

Sermon Song

Sing to the King

Offertory 

How Can We Thank You Lord

Distribution Songs

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

You Are My All In All

Give Thanks

Closing

Trading My Sorrows

"How to Cap off a day" or "How God plans things"

My daughter, Becky thought that I should blog this:

I attended the funeral today of a long time friend and one time co-worker. It was at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bridgman.  Joe Kamp (Little Joe) was tragically killed in a fiery crash on Wednesday.  It was a joy to be around Joe.  It seems that lately I had been seeing him mostly at funerals.  I almost expected to hear his infectious laugh yesterday at the visitation.

Following the funeral, Valerie and I took a ride down memory lane as we drove to Weko Beach.  Driving to the beach was an almost daily trek when I was growing up in Bridgman (especially since I worked four summers at Weko Beach).

As we drove back from the beach, I suggested a trip to Warren Dunes since we hadn't been there in a couple of years.  As we entered the parking lot, we read a sign that said, "Wheeled Vehicles Stay on Pavement."  This brought back memories of the times that I've been stuck in the sand. I've often said, "You can dig to the bottom of a snow drift but sand goes down forever."

As we pulled into the lot and looked at the dune, we noticed that on the far side of the lot a large white extended van was stuck up to its axle in the sand. We drove over to see if we could help. The visitors, a group of seniors from Chicago, were excited to see us. There were few cars in the lot and we had the only 4x4.

I backed up behind the van and retrieved my tow strap.  Having just come from the funeral, I was wearing a jacket and a tie so I was happy that the driver of the van got down to attach the strap to the van.  I did try to look under the bumper but all I got was a face-full of wind blown sand.

It only took a minute to hook up the strap, drop the Envoy into 4 low, and pull out the van.  I was proud of my Envoy but what made my day was the moment one of the women gave me a giant hug with the heartfelt exclamation of "God bless you!"

Common English Bible

Here we go again--another translation.  Common English Bible has started their marketing campaign.

I've looked at a few passages and wish that we wouldn't have to deal with this translation.  It doesn't really seem to offer anything that can't be found somewhere else.  It is supposed to be written in common English (whatever that is).  In practice what this means is that you can't really be sure what the underlying text is.  In some passages it's more translation like and in others it's more paraphrase like.

If you want a paraphrase, you might as well pull out your old Living Bible.  If you want a more casual translation, pull out your old Good News Bible.  It doesn't appear as though the Common English Bible offers anything new (other than introducing some new controversy with strange translation quirks--for example translating "son of man" as "human one."  How is that clearer? Common English Bible seems to be fixated in being politically correct in its gender references. If that's your thing, you may want to waste your money on this translation.)

I hope this translation becomes the Edsel of the English Bible world.  If you have another take on this, I'd like to hear from you.

Propers Plus for October 16

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

As We Gather 

We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate’er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

May we Thy bounties thus

As stewards true receive

And gladly, as Thou blessest us,

To Thee our firstfruits give!

William W. How

Hymn ~ “God, Whose Almighty Word”.................................... LSB 979

PSALMODY                                         Psalm 96:1–9 (antiphon: v. 9a)

Worship | the Lord*

     in the splendor of | holiness.

Oh sing to the Lord a | new song;*

     sing to the Lord, | all the earth!

Sing to the Lord, | bless his name;*

     tell of his salvation from | day to day.

Declare his glory among the | nations,*

     his marvelous works among all the | peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly | to be praised;*

     he is to be feared a- | bove all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless | idols,*

     but the Lord made the | heavens.

Splendor and majesty are be- | fore him;*

     strength and beauty are in his sanctu- | ary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the | peoples,*

     ascribe to the Lord glo- | ry and strength!

Ascribe to the Lord the glory | due his name;*

     bring an offering, and come in- | to his courts!

Worship the Lord in the splendor of | holiness;*

     tremble before him, | all the earth!

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*

     and to the Holy | Spirit;

as it was in the be- | ginning,*

     is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

Worship | the Lord*

     in the splendor of | holiness.

Reading from The Book of Concord

The Formula of Concord, The Epitome

Article III, The Righteousness of Faith Before God, 4.

We believe, teach, and confess that our righteousness before God is this: God forgives our sins out of pure grace, without any work, merit, or worthiness of ours preceding, present, or following.  He presents and credits to us the righteousness of Christ’s obedience [Romans 5:17-19].  Because of this righteousness, we are received into grace by God and regarded as righteous.

Old Testament Lesson                                     Isaiah 45:1–7

        ¹Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,

        whose right hand I have grasped,

      to subdue nations before him

        and to loose the belts of kings,

      to open doors before him

        that gates may not be closed:

        ²“I will go before you

        and level the exalted places,

      I will break in pieces the doors of bronze

        and cut through the bars of iron,

        ³I will give you the treasures of darkness

        and the hoards in secret places,

      that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

        the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

        ⁴For the sake of my servant Jacob,

        and Israel my chosen,

      I call you by your name,

        I name you, though you do not know me.

        ⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other,

        besides me there is no God;

        I equip you, though you do not know me,

        ⁶that people may know, from the rising of the sun

        and from the west, that there is none besides me;

        I am the Lord, and there is no other.

        ⁷I form light and create darkness,

        I make well-being and create calamity,

 I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Epistle Lesson                                  1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

      To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

      Grace to you and peace.

      ²We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, ³remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. ⁹For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Holy Gospel                                           Matthew 22:15–22

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in his talk. ¹⁶And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. ¹⁷Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ²¹They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²²When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Hymn ~ “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”............................ LSB 940

Collect of the Day

O God, the protector of all who trust in You, have mercy on us that with You as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Recessional ~ “Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing”.... LSB 924