Newsletter

<p>July 5, 2021 Dear friends, First, don’t forget to sign your kiddos up for VBS! Registration is online here, or you can grab a form at church. Then, have a closer look at this prayer for our nation. We used it during worship on Sunday, and it’s worth keeping on<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/07/05/god-bless-our-native-land/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">God bless our native land</span></a></span></p

<p>June 28, 2021 Dear friends, First, thanks again to everyone who chipped in at Old Settlers Day! It was a great occasion, and I’m glad that Concordia was such a big part of it! Really well done. Then, a lesson related to this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 6:36-42, “Be merciful… judge<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/06/28/the-lord-gracious-and-merciful/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">The Lord, gracious and mer

<p>June 6, 2021 Dear friends, Heads-up, first of all, that there will be no Bible Study or Worship Service on Wednesday, June 16. We heard yesterday the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), which highlights the vanity of wealth. The rich man lived a comfortable life, but<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/06/07/lead-us-into-holiness/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Lead us into holiness</spa

<p>May 31, 2021 Dear friends, Our hymnal is a great book and a valuable resource to have in your home. You can find a copy here (https://www.cph.org/p-98-lutheran-service-book-pew-edition.aspx). Among the helpful things in the hymnal is a large selection of prayers for many different occasions. In the front cover of the<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/05/31/create-in-me-a-clean-heart/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-

<p>May 24, 2021 Dear friends, The benefits of the Lord’s Supper are so rich, and Christ urges us to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins, but it is also possible to eat and drink unworthily. That is, it’s possible to misuse this medicine so that it hurts rather<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/05/24/faith-in-these-words/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Faith in these words</span></a></span></p>

<p>May 17, 2021 Dear friends, Imagine for a moment that you are desperately hungry. You could eat a horse. You’re starving, even. You have a hard day of work ahead of you, and if you don’t get some food in your body, you’ll collapse before the day is done. Think<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/05/17/i-will-give-you-rest/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">I will give you rest</span></a></span></p>

<p>May 10, 2021 Dear friends, This is a long message, I know, but bear with me! The kids have been learning a beautiful hymn, “God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It” (LSB 594). There’s a great question raised in the first verse: “Do I need earth’s treasures many? I have<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/05/10/one-thing-is-needful/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">One thing is needful</span></a></span></p>

<p>May 4, 2021 Dear friends, I have two things to write to you about Bible Study. The first is to let you know that we’re shifting gears starting this Sunday. Since Easter, I’ve spent some time talking about education during the Bible Study hour. Now I’m going to use that<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/05/04/bible-study/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Bible Study</span></a></span></p>

<p>April 26, 2021 Dear friends, Take a close look at the woodcut above. What stands out to you? What do you observe? Here’s one beautiful feature of this depiction of the resurrection. Notice how Jesus stands triumphant, with a victory banner in his hand. He stands with his foot on<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/04/26/victory/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Victory</span></a></span></p>

<p>April 5, 2021 Dear friends, First of all – there’s Bible Study this Wednesday at 10am as usual, but there’ll be no Wednesday service this week. Wednesday evening services will resume next Wednesday (April 14 at 7pm). Then, many thanks to everyone who worked to make Holy Week and Easter<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/04/05/the-lord-has-risen-indeed/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">The Lord has risen i

<p>March 31, 2021 Dear friends, The suffering and death of Jesus have been the inspiration for countless works of art and pieces of music. Here’s a little bit of that music for your Holy Week: First, the King’s College choir singing “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”: Next is a<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/03/31/have-mercy-on-me-o-lord/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Have mercy on me, O Lord</span></a></s

<p>March 23, 2021 Dear friends, Holy Week is a gift to us as the days leading up to Easter are set apart for giving special attention to the Passion of Jesus. It is called his Passion because the root of that word means suffering. While Lent and Holy Week are<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/03/23/scripture-for-holy-week/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Scripture for Holy Week</span></a></span></p>

<p>March 16, 2021 Dear friends, Apologies to anyone who tried to listen in to the service on Sunday. Technology can be fragile, and I marvel that the streaming actually works as well as it does, usually all on its own. Although I have been very grateful that folks can listen<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/03/16/live-for-the-promises/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Live for the promises</span></a></span

<p>March 10, 2021 Dear friends, First, don’t forget to set your clocks forward on Saturday evening! Then, just a brief preview of what is coming at the end of March/beginning of April. The church marks time differently than the world does. Birthdays, anniversaries, tax day, federal holidays, summer vacation, etc.<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/03/10/mark-the-time/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Mark th

<p>March 3, 2021 Dear friends, This past Sunday (the 2nd Sunday in Lent) is called Reminiscere – it’s named for the first word of the Introit in Latin: Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,for they have been from of old.Let not my enemies exult over me.Redeem Israel,<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/03/03/remember-your-mercy-o-lord/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Remember your mercy, O Lo

<p>February 24, 2021 Dear friends, On Sunday we heard the story of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the wilderness while he fasted for 40 days and nights. Our impressions of the devil tend to have been formed by popular culture (think a cartoonish red body, tail, horns, and a<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/02/24/be-watchful/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Be watchful</span></a></span></p>

<p>February 18, 2021 Dear friends, The anthem for Lent could be these words from the prophet Joel: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;and rend your hearts and not your garments.”Return to the Lord, your God,for he is gracious<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/02/17/welcome-to-lent/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Welcome to Lent

<p>February 10, 2021 Dear friends, Come to Bible Study on Sundays! The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (church is Wednesday, Feb. 17 @ 7pm). On the 5 Sundays during Lent (starting Feb. 21), we’ll have a Bible Study at the usual time of 10:30am, but it’ll be a<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/02/10/sunday-bible-study/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Sunday Bible Study</span></a></span></p>

<p>February 3, 2021 Dear friends, In Bible Study on Sunday I keep coming back to something that Peter says early in his letter: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/02/03/whats-the-purpose/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">What&#8217;s the purpose?</span></a></spa

<p>January 28, 2021 Dear friends, Following up on last week’s note about the young folks here at Concordia, I thought it might be good to fill you in on Confirmation. I’ll write a bit more in a moment about why this matters at all to you, but first here’s how<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2021/01/28/confirmation/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Confirmation</span></a></span></p>