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The Last Day may come soon, but in the meantime, many people are neglecting to use their abilities and opportunities for God’s purposes. Zephaniah writes that it will be a day of wrath and mourning. But for those who have realized God’s blessings over the years, as Psalm 90 recalls, though the times are mean, each day is an opportunity to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Today is an opportunity to hear God’s very gracious Word, “well done!” and be strengthened to respond by using the talents He has loaned to us. THIS WEEKS AUDIO IS REPOSTED FROM November 14, 2021 Worship. Jesus, the man who is God, and the God who is man speaks with authority and wisdom. He is the truest and most trustworthy of prophets. He knows what to tell us about the future and what not to tell us. Jesus, the Son of the Living God can the see the whole of the future. He can see us standing firm in the faith and hope. He can see God saving us from the hardest and most impossible things. He can see us celebrating with him the complete revealing of God’s Glory.

When all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. He will make the wrongs and injustices right in the end. We put our faith not just in God’s love and mercy but also in His perfect judgment and His ability to fulfill and finish what He started. In the beginning God made a good and perfect world, He will restore it. By His victory Jesus is already our King. In the end we will see that Jesus Christ is truly King of Kings for all of time and eternity. Are you ready to celebrate?

Candles burn on All Saints' Day at the Central Cemetery in Szczecin, Poland (Marcin Bielecki/EPA-EFE/Rex) Today is bittersweet. Bitter, because some of us will be remembering someone we love who died recently, and we are still grieving. Yet sweet, because that loved one was also loved by God, redeemed by Jesus, and lives in that place Jesus went ahead to prepare. We grieve, as Paul says, but not “as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We also hear the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes, where Jesus blesses people not usually considered blessed: the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, peacemakers, the persecuted. The broken circumstances of your life do not define you entirely; Jesus defines you as blessed because He has taken hold of you in love and mercy and will never let you go. Blessed are you. This week’s Audio Service is a rebroadcast from October 31, 2021. Please enjoy. The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout history. We use the word next to names from the pages of Scripture such as Peter, John, and Paul—the type of people we name churches after. On All Saints’ Day we use the word “Saint” as we remember those departed from us who are now with God in heaven. But most amazing of all is that God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.

The Holy Spirit is alive and active, lighting the way for us to see God in our midst. God is powerfully revealed in how we live our lives. We celebrate this today in the Holy Baptism of Walter Edward Birkholz. Together we rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work through the ministry of Word and Sacrament. As Pastor Disney retires and Bethlehem prays for the next chapter of life together, we celebrate the faithfulness of God in giving us His Living Spirit so that we may see the Image of God, the Firstborn over All Creation.  

One denarius, that's what each worker receives in the story Jesus tells. It is a full-day's wage, even for those who work only one hour. God generously gives us a gift no one could earn: life and salvation. That is unbelievably generous. Following Jesus’ example means being the one who is generous with compassion and forgiveness, help and support, even when other people don’t deserve it. 

Our God is abundantly, outrageously generous in His love for us. Jesus came to tell us about God’s gracious way and then make it so by His sacrifice and triumph. The gracious way of God is ours today and forever.

God is creative. The Bible tells us from its first pages that God has infinite power to make new things. He can also renew and recreate. When Jesus finds his disciples squabbling about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven he invites them to think about themselves as children. In thinking of ourselves this way we prepare ourselves for the newness of life God can create. By his Spirit God can bring newness in wonderful, graceful, and eternal ways. Today as we begin new things we pray, “God, come among us, and create anew”.

God works in the simple natural order of things most of the time, but God’s way is also sometimes amazing and unexpected. Jesus willingly went to the cross when His disciples could not see what that would accomplish. His sacrifice made the way that leads to our salvation. St. Paul tells us in Romans how it is that what looks like a loss can be the very way in which we gain something great from God. Our God is awesome, surprising, and amazing. We pray for His Spirit now to bless us in God’s amazing way.

Maybe you have been impressed by some feat of strength like someone lifting a lot of weight or hitting a baseball really far for a home run. But, the most impressive power of all is the strength of Almighty God. His strength is so great that it can be seen in the humility of Jesus’ life. The strength of God can be seen in us as we walk in His humble way. God showed infinite strength in forgiving us. We show His strength whenever we use the great gift of forgiveness or express undeserved compassion and grace. God’s strength is living among us.

Maybe you have been impressed by some feat of strength like someone lifting a lot of weight or hitting a baseball really far for a home run. But, the most impressive power of all is the strength of Almighty God. His strength is so great that it can be seen in the humility of Jesus’ life. The strength of God can be seen in us as we walk in His humble way. God showed infinite strength in forgiving us. We show His strength whenever we use the great gift of forgiveness or express undeserved compassion and grace. God’s strength is living among us.

Where would you like to go? The Bible is filled with travelers and pilgrims on journeys. Ultimately and always we want to head toward God. In His Word God gives us the image of his Holy Mountain to help us focus our spirit on the journey we are taking toward him. In God’s Living and Holy Spirit we journey on to God’s Mountain.

Jesus could be gentle, but he also could be stern and deliberate when he wanted to be. This is God’s way. Wanting our purity and righteousness God will challenge us and affirm us. Like fire that has many good uses God’s will for us must be carefully watched and respected. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.” Psalm 103