December 27-31, 2010
27 Isaiah 9:2-7 – TLH 106 What is this day’s miracle? 28 John 1:1-14 – TLH 508 Then Christ arrived, right on schedule! 29 Matthew 1:18-24 – TLH 114 And here is the record of…
December 20-25, 2010
20 Matthew 11:2-10 – TLH 346 Jesus, beginning and end of the program. 21 Matthew 11:11-19 – THL 343 Some scatterbrains couldn’t figure it out. 22 Luke 3:1-14 – TLH 75 Let us repent of…
December 13-18, 2010
13 Luke 12:35-40 – TLH 322 Are we busy with our own house-cleaning? 14 Luke 17:20-30 – TLH 22 God works from the inside-out. 15 Luke 21:25-36 – TLH 611 We should know that God…
December 06-11, 2010
6 Psalm 24 – TLH 73 He holds the whole, wide world in His hands! 7 Isaiah 62:10-12 – TLH 61 Jerusalem’s renown is based on Jesus. 8 Matthew 21:1-9 – TLH 55 Jesus IS…
God’s Little Christmas Gift Just What We Needed!
One of the time-honored Christmas traditions we love to observe is the custom of exchanging presents. We pay a visit to a local shopping mall (or perhaps surf online) that we might search out and…
Berea Chancel Triptych
Berea Lutheran Church, CLC Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota The main focus of Berea’s worship area is the triptych above the altar. The triptych’s design is intended to draw our attention to the cross. The design…
Yes, We Believe in Angels!
A Christmas Sermonette… As the opening narration for the children’s service will tell us, our Christmas Eve service is constructed around Dr. Martin Luther’s hymn “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” echoing the Christmas…
The Old Paths
“…God and God alone can teach the truth, for He only is the source and foundation of truth. Hence those who proclaim the Word of God must exercise supreme care that what they preach is the…
The Festival of the Father
He (God) did not give His Son for the purpose of coming to straighten us out.
Of all our customs at Christmas time, gift giving is perhaps the most universal. It may also be the most exciting custom, at least in the minds of children who can’t wait to see what they will get for Christmas. When a gift is received, it’s natural to want to examine it carefully. It is exciting to get something new and to try it out.
However, we don’t want to forget the giver. The gift means so much more when it is given by someone who loves us. While a new shirt or piece of jewelry is nice to receive and a new toy can be fun, the real gift is the love of the person who chose that particular present and paid the price to give it to us.
Isn’t that really what the festival of Christmas is all about? We have received the most incredible gift of all – the eternal, holy Son of God, wrapped in the flesh of a little baby. We rejoice in that gift. He is beautiful and wonderful. We want to examine Him carefully and use Him and find our joy in Him.
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1
At the same time we don’t want to forget the Giver. We can often tell a lot about the heart of the giver by looking at the gift. When we really love and care for someone, we as the givers don’t want to get any old piece of junk just to have something to give. Instead, don’t we spend time searching for something that will be meaningful and will last?
Also, the more the person means to us, the more we will be willing to sacrifice to get something really special, because love knows no bounds. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love of the giver.
South-East Pastoral Conference
South-East Pastoral Conference • January 18-21, 2011 Zion Ev. Lutheran Church • Atlanta (Lawrenceville), Georgia Agenda: New Testament Exegesis, Colossians 3:15ff—Pastor Matthew Hanel Old Testament Exegesis, Genesis 2:1ff—Pastor Aaron Ude Isagogical study of Zechariah—Pastor Roland…