Today we observe the ancient church holiday dedicated to Mary Magdalene. You may remember that Mary Magdalene was one of the faithful women who followed Jesus during His incarnate earthly ministry. As we heard in the Gospel reading a few moments ago, Mary was among the women who went to the tomb early in the morning on the third day following Jesus’ death. When she did so, she saw that the stone that had previously blocked the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away. …For more, click on the title above.
Tag: Vicar Decker
The words of man and the Word of God
With the rapid development of technology, communication has drastically changed over the years. It was not all that long ago that your only options for relaying information were to send a letter through the mail, send a telegram message, or simply going to speak with the person face-to-face. But, due to technological advancements we now have small devices in our pockets that can send emails and text messages, make calls, and can even make video calls. …For more, click on the title above.
Called by the Lord
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.” As you heard earlier when Pastor chanted it, this is the antiphon for today’s Psalm. This verse was selected to be the antiphon for the same reason that every antiphon is selected during the Year of the Psalm. The antiphon is selected because it best represents and ties together the message and readings for the day. …For more, click on the title above.
Teaching the Liturgy
As you heard last week during the sermon, this Sunday is the teaching sermon service for this year. As you have heard many times before, this means that today’s sermon will be divided into four different parts that each that focuses and teaches a different division of the divine service. The first division of the service is “The Preparation.”…For more, click on the title above.
Might of the Voice of the Lord
Today our congregation observes the liturgical holiday of Holy Trinity Sunday. As such, our nave is adorned in white paraments. These paraments bring to mind the wonderful and pure white garments of Christ at the Transfiguration or Holy Baptism where we are clothed in Christ. …For more, click on the title above.
Ascension
About 40 days ago, we observed and celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Over the course of these 40 days, the readings and sermons have focused on the Resurrection and the gift of salvation.
Today, our focus shifts to the Ascension and what comes next, both for the Disciples turned Apostles and for the church as a whole, both at that time and today….For more, click on the title above.
Lamenting to rejoicing
“You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
As recorded by John, this is what Jesus told the disciples in the upper room. Jesus’ immediate audience was those men who were about to go through a very difficult few days. His message stated that the hard time they were entering had a joyous end. This end would be one of joy and rejoicing. This is why it is important that we, the text’s secondary audience, absorbs today’s words recorded in the Gospel of John….For more, click on the title above.
All according to God’s beautiful plan
In case you somehow haven’t heard it yet today, Happy Easter! He is risen! As is Church tradition, today we celebrate the raising of Jesus from the tomb. Today is a triumphant and joyful day at the end of a somber and contemplative week. So far today, the attendees of the earlier services have heard two post resurrection events, now you are going to hear about a third, the true story of the road to Emmaus….For more, click on the title above.
Why John?
Today is Good Friday. The altar before you remains barren from service on Maundy Thursday, when the altar was stripped of everything that adorned it, just as our Savior was stripped of His followers, dignity, public image, and respect. Going further, this hall of worship is dark. Our only source of light in the chancel are these seven candles placed in front of the Sanctuary of the Nave, the same seven candles which have been extinguished one by one as we move through the service. However, a cross has been placed front and center at the altar. Both this cross and pastor are adorned with dark black dressings, echoing the darkness of the sky following Christ’s death. …For more, click on the title above.
Vindication and judgement
We are now just two weeks away from Easter Sunday and find ourselves at Judica Sunday. The purple paraments have returned and the bright and joyful pink that decorated the nave is gone. But the welcoming pink is not the only thing that has been removed. Much like how the nails left holes in Christ’s hands after he was removed from the cross, today the removal of the rest of the glorias leaves the services with empty holes that stand out. …For more, click on the title above.