Newsletter

<p>November 29, 2022 Friends, Unlike the secular calendar, which begins its year on January 1, the Christian Church begins the celebration of its liturgical year four Sundays before Christmas with the season of Advent. The word “Advent” comes from a Latin word and means “coming.” During Advent we especially prepare<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/11/29/advent/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Advent</span

<p>November 21, 2022 Friends, Behold, God’s ample blessingIs gathered in with great delight;Should we not then considerHow to extol the Lord aright?God on the year has lavishedThe bounty of his grace,And on us cast in showersHis wealth in every place.How many are the favorsWhich he has to us shown!Which his<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/11/22/let-them-thank-the-lord-for-his-steadfast-love/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="

<p>November 13, 2022 Friends, Sunday is the second-to-last Sunday of the Church Year. Here’s what Nils Laache said about the end of the Church Year: “Very appropriately, the end of the Church Year is when we focus on the end of the world. The last few Sundays of the Church Year<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/11/08/the-day-is-surely-drawing-near/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">The Day is Surely Drawing

<p>October 25, 2022 Friends, First, don’t forget these notes from the calendar! Wednesday, October 26 – Women’s Bible Study (6pm) &amp; Men’s Bible Study (8pm)Women’s Bible Study is learning about feminine virtue. This month: cheerfulness &amp; contentment. What does the Bible have to say about those virtues? As you’re reading<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/10/25/how-good-and-pleasant/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="scree

<p>October 18, 2022 Friends, Watch out for a few peculiarities and items of note on the calendar coming up: Wednesday, October 19 – No 7pm evening serviceYes, there still will be chapel and Bible Study in the morning. Friday, October 21 – Dropoff for the Fall Bazaar, 8am-6pmLots of opportunities<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/10/17/notes-on-the-calendar/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Notes on the cale

<p>October 11, 2022 Friends, Jesus told a parable once about a man who owed a great debt. The debt was far greater than he could ever repay. We’re talking billions of dollars. There’s no way out. There’s no declaring bankruptcy, no negotiating a settlement. This is it. Pay up or<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/10/11/let-the-gospel-have-its-way/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Let the Gospel have its way<

<p>October 4, 2022 Friends, What are you up against? What is wearing on you? What weights and sins cling to you? Do not think that your trouble is just the stuff of life. Don’t let the devil tell you that it’s all just so many unsolvable problems, that this world<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/10/04/new-mercies-every-morning/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">New mercies every morning</span></a></span></p

<p>September 12, 2022 Friends, Here’s a list of what’s coming up! Family Night is Back! Let’s kick things back into gear! As you work on reading the Bible and learning the Catechism with your kids at home, Family Night is a great opportunity to grow together in the faith! Come<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/09/12/theres-a-lot-going-on/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">There&#8217;s a lot going on!</span>

<p>August 30, 2022 Friends, Mark your calendars for our annual Pork Chop Supper, this year including pulled pork as well! Saturday, September 24, starting at 4:30pm. There are lots of opportunities to help, so if you’re willing to lend a hand for some or all of the afternoon, talk to<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/08/30/pork-dinner/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Pork Dinner!</span></a></span></p>

<p>August 23, 2022 Friends, We talk a lot in church about how God disciplines us. It comes up often, not in the sense of time-outs and groundings and taking away privileges, but more generally in the sense of training and formation. Like pruning the dead stems from a vine and<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/08/23/the-peaceful-fruit-of-righteousness/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">The peaceful fruit of r

<p>August 16, 2022 Friends, Our world appears to be beset by scarcity. There’s not enough to go around, or there’s always the sense that someday we’ll run out. Food, energy, land, water – take your pick. The story of our world is the story of things getting used up. That’s<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/08/16/not-the-way-it-seems/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Not the way it seems</span></a></span></p

<p>August 9, 2022 Friends, In Proverbs, Wisdom is always calling, always inviting, always hoping that the simple will listen and grow wise. “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Prov. 2:23). “Come, eat of<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/08/09/wisdom-cries-aloud/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Wisdom cries aloud</span></a></span></p>

<p>August 1, 2022 Friends, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). The starting place of Proverbs is humility. It is the idea that I don’t know everything. Moreover, I don’t know everything that I should or that I must. And even<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/08/02/fools-despise-wisdom/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Fools despise wisdom

<p>July 19, 2022 Friends, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the Proverbs lately, and you may have noticed this in Bible Study. It’s a very worthy book! Unlike the Biblical books that have historical accounts (like Genesis or Exodus or the Gospels) or the books that record<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/07/19/and-now-o-sons-listen-to-me/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">And now, O sons, list

<p>July 12, 2022 Friends, If you were going to invite a friend to church, what would you say? If he asked you, “Why should I go?”, how would you answer? Why do you go to church? There’s a wide range of reasons that people go to church, just as there<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/07/12/what-are-we-about/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">What are we about?</span></a></span></p>

<p>July 4, 2022 Friends, Prayer is underrated. And the historical prayers of the church are even more so. Let’s appreciate the great treasures of our heritage! Here’s your annual refresher on the beautiful prayer for our nation that we have in our hymnal: Almighty God, You have given us this<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/07/04/firm-may-she-ever-stand/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Firm may she ever s

<p>June 28, 2022 Friends, The Bible is full of warnings about danger. The danger of sin, the danger of the devil and his demons, the danger of false teaching, the danger of pride and laziness and indifference. The Bible gives us those warnings because we would not know there was<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/06/28/guarding-your-heart/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Guarding your heart</span></a></span

<p>June 21, 2022 Friends, Our world is squeamish about hell. Nobody likes talking about it except as an expletive. Even less do folks like being warned of it. It’s all too grim and judgy. We’d rather hear pleasant and comfortable things. But our Lord Jesus talks about hell, extensively. He<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/06/21/fire-and-brimstone/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Fire and brimstone</span><

<p>June 14, 2022 Friends, The next 23 Sundays are part of what is called the Trinity Season. It’s marked with green vestments and paraments in church to point to the growth of Christians and the Church by the Word of God. Here’s what Nils Laache says about the Trinity season:<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/06/14/the-long-green-season/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">The Long Green Season</span></a></spa

<p>May 31, 2022 Friends, When Jesus ascended to the right hand of his Father, he left his apostles with this charge: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe<span class="more-button"><a href="https://www.concordialcms.com/2022/05/31/salvation-unto-us-has-come/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text">Salvation unto us has come</span></a><