Sunday Worship Podcast

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

(16 February 2025)

 

Jeremiah 17:5–8

1 Corinthians 15:(1–11) 12–20

Luke 6:17–26

 

Christians Live by Faith in Christ and Rejoice in the Promise of His Resurrection

 

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man,” for all the strength of his flesh is like the grass that fades away (Jer. 17:5). The one who turns away from the Lord may have food and money and laugh for now, but he “shall mourn and weep” in the judgment (Luke 6:24–25). But “the man who trusts in the Lord” is blessed with all that he needs, “like a tree planted by water.” When heat comes, he survives (Jer. 17:7–8). For the Lord has come in the flesh to heal the people of all their diseases, to cleanse their spirits with forgiveness, and to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God to the poor (Luke 6:18–20). As all of this is by way of His cross, it is solely by faith in the promise of His resurrection that Christians “rejoice” and “leap for joy” (Luke 6:21–23). “If Christ has not been raised,” our faith is in vain and we are most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:14–19). But, in fact, just as “Christ died for our sins,” so has He also “been raised from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:3, 20).

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

(9 February 2025)

 

Isaiah 6:1–8 (9–13)

1 Corinthians 14:12b–20

Luke 5:1–11

 

Jesus Comforts His People and Builds Up His Church by the Ministry of His Gospel

 

When Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,” he was overcome with an awareness of his sin and “unclean lips” (Is. 6:1, 5). But the Lord atoned for his sin, took away his guilt and sanctified his lips with “a burning coal” from the altar (Is. 6:6–7). Not only was he rescued from death, but he was called and sent as a prophet of the Lord’s Word (Is. 6:8–9). Similarly, when Simon Peter and his companions “enclosed a large number of fish” at the Word of Jesus, he humbled himself and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:4–8). But Jesus comforted Simon, called him to discipleship and declared that he would be “catching men” (Luke 5:10–11). So in the Office of the Ministry, the Church remains the little boat from which Jesus teaches His people (Luke 5:3). Thus are we instructed in the faith, so that we say “Amen” and return thanks with heart, mind, tongue and life. For the preaching of Christ Jesus is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, by which He builds up His Church on earth (1 Cor. 14:12–19).

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

(19 January 2025)

 

Isaiah 62:1–5

1 Corinthians 12:1–11

John 2:1–11

 

The Divine Glory Is Manifested in the Signs of Christ

 

When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, it was “the first of his signs” by which He “manifested his glory” (John 2:11). It pointed to His coming “hour,” when He was lifted up on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world (John 2:4; 12:23–32). The glory of the cross is incomprehensible apart from the Word and Spirit of God, but disciples of Jesus recognize that glory in the signs of His Gospel, and so they believe in Him. Jesus does not wait for His disciples to discover Him on their own, but He seeks out the forsaken and the desolate and unites them to Himself. He adorns them with His own beautiful righteousness and delights in them “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride” (Is. 62:4–5). Purified by the washing of water with His Word in Holy Baptism, His disciples confess that “Jesus is Lord,” and they return thanks to Him “in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3) as they drink the good wine that He pours out for them, which is the new testament in His blood.

 

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD / FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD / FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

(12 January 2025)

 

Isaiah 43:1–7

Romans 6:1–11

Luke 3:15–22

 

The Triune God Opens Heaven to You in Holy Baptism

 

The Baptism of our Lord is an “Epiphany” of the one true God in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. In divine mercy, He takes His place with sinners and takes their sin upon Himself. “When all the people were baptized,” Jesus submitted Himself to a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:21). He had no sins of His own, but He took the sins of the world upon Himself and so was baptized into His own death. Therefore, “when you pass through the waters,” He is with you (Is. 43:2). He created you for His glory, and He has redeemed you with His blood, that you may be His own and live with Him in His kingdom (Is. 43:1, 7). As you are baptized with a Baptism like His, so also are you united with Him in His death and resurrection that you “might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). For all who are baptized into Christ Jesus receive His anointing of the Holy Spirit and are named by His Father as beloved and well-pleasing sons and daughters.

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

(6 January 2025)

 

Isaiah 60:1–6

Ephesians 3:1–12

Matthew 2:1–12

 

The Lord God Is Manifested in the Incarnate Son

 

The Feast of the Epiphany centers in the visit of the Magi from the East. In that respect, it is a “Thirteenth Day” of Christmas; yet, it also marks the beginning of a new liturgical season. While Christmas has focused on the incarnation of our Lord — that is, on God becoming flesh — the season of Epiphany emphasizes the manifestation or self-revelation of God in that same flesh of Christ. The Lord Himself has entered our darkness and rises upon us with the brightness of His true light (Is. 60:1–2). He does so chiefly by His Word of the Gospel, which He causes to be preached within His Church on earth — not only to the Jews but also to Gentiles (Eph. 3:8–10). As the Magi were guided by the promises of Holy Scripture to find and worship the Christ Child with His mother in the house (Matt. 2:5–11), so does He call disciples from all nations by the preaching of His Word to find and worship Him within His Church (Is. 60:3–6). With gold, they confess His royalty; with incense, His deity; and with myrrh, His priestly sacrifice (Matt. 2:11).

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

 

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
(15 December 2024)

Zephaniah 3:14–20
Philippians 4:4–7
Luke 7:18–28 (29–35)

The Coming of Jesus Enables Us to Rejoice

The Third Sunday in Advent has traditionally been called by the Latin word Gaudete, meaning “Rejoice!” For as you are called to repentance, so also are you urged to rejoice in the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ. By His own cross, He has accomplished salvation for you; “he has cleared away your enemies,” “taken away the judgments against you” and come to reign in your midst. Indeed, He rejoices over you with gladness and song (Zeph. 3:15–17)! Therefore, even from prison St. Paul encourages us to “rejoice in the Lord always,” knowing that the peace of God will guard and keep us in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:4, 7). We find an example and encouragement in the case of John the Baptist. As he languishes in prison, he calls upon Jesus and is strengthened by the Word of the Gospel that he receives. The same good news is preached to you, by which all things are made new and even “the dead are raised up” (Luke 7:22). Do not be offended by the cross, therefore, but let your life be one of prayer and thanksgiving (Luke 7:23; Phil. 4:6).

Acknowledgments:
The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship
Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible
Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

 

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

(1 December 2024)

 

Jeremiah 33:14–16

1 Thessalonians 3:9–13

Luke 19:28–40 or Luke 21:25–36

 

The Lord Jesus Comes in Humility to Redeem Us

 

The season of Advent focuses on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this first Sunday establishes this theme for the rest of the season. The Son of God came long ago to be our Savior, “a righteous Branch” descended from David (Jer. 33:15). As He then came into Jerusalem, riding on a lowly donkey to sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world (Luke 19:28–40), so does He come to His Church today in the humility of Word and Sacrament to deliver the fruits of His Passion: the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He absolves us and establishes our hearts “blameless in holiness before our God and Father” (1 Thess. 3:13). The same Lord Jesus, who came to Jerusalem then and who comes to us now in peace, will come again with power and great glory on the Last Day. Then there will be “distress of nations in perplexity,” with “people fainting with fear.” Yet, as we anticipate that great and terrible day, He bids us to rest securely in Him: “Raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:25, 26, 28).

 

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

AST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR

LAST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR (Proper 29B)

(24 November 2024)

Isaiah 51:4–6 or Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14

Jude 20–25 or Revelation 1:4b–8

Mark 13:24–37 or John 18:33–37

 

In Repentance We Are Alert to the Coming of Christ

 

The signs of the end are all around us, constant reminders that “heaven and earth will pass away.” But all of these signs are centered in the cross of Christ, whereby He has conquered sin and death, that we might be raised with Him in righteousness through His Word of the Gospel, which “will not pass away” (Mark 13:31). He is “the firstborn of the dead,” who in His great love “has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5). His salvation is certain because “his dominion is an everlasting dominion” and His Kingdom “shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). For this purpose He came into the world, to reign in love through His voice of the Gospel, which is the truth (John 18:37). So is the righteousness of Christ “a light to the peoples,” which “will never be dismayed” because it is the justice of His cross and resurrection (Is. 51:4–6). As He “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory,” so wait upon “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 20–24).

 

 Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 

(29 September 2024)

Numbers 11:4–6, 10–16, 24–29

James 5:(1–12) 13–20

Mark 9:38–50

 

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, Cares for Us and Serves Us with the Forgiveness of Sins

 

When the people of Israel wept, complaining that they had no meat to eat (Num. 11:4), Moses cried out to the Lord that “the burden of all this people” was too heavy for him and that he was “not able to carry all this people alone” (Num. 11:11–14). So the Lord had Moses gather “seventy men of the elders of Israel” (Num. 11:16), and the Lord “took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders” (Num. 11:25), so that Moses would not carry the burden alone. All who thus labor are honored, and all the people are cared for, in the name of the Lord (Mark 9:39–41). Everything is done with reference to Christ Jesus. So we cling to Him, and we flee from all sins that would separate us from Him (Mark 9:42–48). The life of the Church is one of repentant faith in Christ. Christians confess their sins to one another, and they “pray for one another,” that each would be raised up and healed by the Lord Jesus, who covers “a multitude of sins” and saves our souls from death (James 5:15–20).

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 20B)

(22 September 2024)

 

Jeremiah 11:18–20

James 3:13—4:10

Mark 9:30–37

 

Our Father Cares for His Children with the Gospel of His Son

 

The sinful heart is filled with “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (James 3:14), which causes hostility, quarrels and conflicts, even among those who are fellow members of the Body of Christ. This should not be so! Rather, God “opposes the proud” with His Law, in order to humble them unto repentance; He “gives grace to the humble,” in order to exalt them by His Gospel of forgiveness (James 4:6–10). This true “wisdom from above” is found in the gentleness, mercy and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself and sacrificed Himself for the salvation of sinners (James 3:17). He was “like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter,” committing Himself to God, His Father, “who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind” (Jer. 11:19–20). Therefore, “after three days,” His Father exalted Him by raising Him from the dead (Mark 9:31). In Holy Baptism, He takes disciples of all ages into His arms like little children. In receiving Him through repentance and faith in His forgiveness of sins, they receive from His Father a share in the glory of His cross and resurrection (Mark 9:36–37).

 

Acknowledgments:

The Lutheran Service Book. CPH Creative Worship

Scripture quotations are from ESV Bible

Please note that the Hymnals are taken from online Auto-generated by YouTube or from thehymnalproject.org, Lectionary Summary from: https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries