Saturday, December 21, 2024 - COME AND WORSHIP

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Saturday, December 21, 2024 - Day 355 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Micah 6,7; Rev. 12)

COME AND WORSHIP

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19 ESV)

God “will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Yes, God hates sin, yet He loves the sinner. The reason that Jesus was born was so that He could die in payment for our sins.

So what do we find in church? We find God coming to us with His Word of Law, through which we become aware of our sins. He also comes to us with His Word of Gospel, through which He proclaims the message of Christ’s cross, and offers forgiveness.

What you find in church is God’s forgiveness and the good news that He casts all of your sins into the depths of the sea to be remembered no more.

Follow the urging of this beloved Christmas hymn:

5. All creation, join in praising

   God the Father, Spirit, Son,

   Evermore your voices raising

   To the eternal Three in One.

   Come and worship, come and worship;

   Worship Christ, the newborn King.

   (“Angels From the Realms of Glory,” LSB #367)

Thank You, heavenly Father, for being my forgiving God. Please make me a regular visitor to Your house where Your blessings are so freely given to all who listen to You, repent, and believe. Please bless my worship of Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem, and Your Son next week and always. Amen.

“See’ you in church tomorrow!

Pastor David Paape

Friday, December 20, 2024 - BETHLEHEM PEACE

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Friday, December 20, 2024 - Day 354 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Micah 4,5; Rev. 11)

BETHLEHEM PEACE

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.... And he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:2 & 5a ESV)

We can safely predict that in five days, barring the Lord’s intervention, we will celebrate Christmas, the nativity of our Lord. Our verse for today is also a prophecy of Christ’s birth. Micah predicted that the Messiah (Jesus) would be born in Bethlehem about 700 years before that glorious event occurred!

Believers take great comfort in the prophecies of the Savior’s birth fulfilled some 2,000 years ago. 

● Jesus would be born of a virgin.  (Isaiah 7:14)

● Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah. (Genesis 49:10)

● Jesus would be a descendant of King David. (Jeremiah 23:5)

● And Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

Yes, we find great peace in the fact that the Prince of Peace was, in fact, born in Bethlehem.

1. O little town of Bethlehem, 

    How still we see thee lie!  

    Above thy deep and dreamless sleep  

    The silent stars go by; 

    Yet in thy darkness shineth 

    The everlasting Light; 

    The hopes and fears of all the years 

    Are met in thee tonight. 

        

3. How silently, how silently, 

    The wondrous Gift is giv'n! 

    So God imparts to human hearts 

    The blessings of His heav'n. 

    No ear may hear His coming, 

    But in this world of sin, 

    Where meek souls will receive Him still, 

    The dear Christ enters in. 

4. O holy Child of Bethlehem, 

    Descend to us, we pray;

    Cast out our sin, and enter in, 

    Be born in us today.

    We hear the Christmas Angels, 

    The great glad tidings tell;

    O come to us, abide with us, 

    Our Lord Immanuel!

     (Lutheran Service Book #361)

Almighty God, we praise You and thank You for fulfilling Your promise to send the Savior of mankind to Bethlehem. May I find great peace in all of Your promises fulfilled in Jesus, my Savior. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

Thursday, December 19, 2024 - PAY ATTENTION, THE LORD IS COMING

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Thursday, December 19, 2024 - Day 353 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Micah 1-3; Rev. 10)

PAY ATTENTION, THE LORD IS COMING

“Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.” (Micah 1:2-3 ESV)

“The Lord acts as a witness for the prosecution in the case against His sinful people... His coming is marked by dramatic signs in the creation, reminding us of what will happen on the Last Day. All the earth needs to take note of what happened to Israel and Judah. Our sinful actions are also witnessed by God and deserve wrathful punishment. God has shown the depth of justice in Christ Jesus who in love took on Himself God’s just wrath so that we may stand holy and righteous before Him. (Lutheran Study Bible, CPH, 2009, page 1488) 

What good news it is for us that when Jesus, the Righteous Judge, returns to earth, we will hear Him welcome us home to heaven! While we deserve to anticipate that day with great fear, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can look forward to it with great anticipation and joy! 

Once again we will sing these upon the coming of Christ, His Second Coming!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!  

Let earth receive her King;      

Let every heart prepare Him room, 

and heaven and nature sing, 

And heaven and nature sing, 

And heaven and heaven and nature sing.

Heavenly Father, You call Your people to pay attention to the Second Coming of Your Son. Please keep me faithful and attentive. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - NOW THAT YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - Day 352 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Jonah; Rev. 9)

NOW THAT YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. . . The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head. . . When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. . . Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.  (Jonah 2, selected verses)

We are so much like Jonah. We refuse to follow God’s direction for our lives. And then, when He gets our undivided attention, we finally cry out to Him promising to do “it” His way.

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:15 ESV)

Can you imaging Jonah’s great relief and joy when, at the Lord’s command, the fish spat him out? How would you respond? Would you do exactly whatever God would tell you to do from that day on?

We would like to say yes to that question. However, again we are like Jonah. We forget and soon are back to our own self-absorbed lifestyle. 

Thank God that the message God had Jonah declare to the Ninevites is meant for us too. God’s Law and judgment are meant to lead us to repent in spiritual sackcloth and ashes. Thank God His answer for us was given on Good Friday as we hear His Son pray on our behalf, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Heavenly Father, please continue to get my attention. May I be open to the Holy  Spirit’s call to repent and turn to You for forgiveness. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - TRUMPET BLASTS

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - Day 351 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Obadiah; Rev. 8)

TRUMPET BLASTS

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.  Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”   (Revelation 8:1-5 ESV)

“After finishing his vision of the seven seals being broken, John transitions to another vision, which depicts the end times with successive trumpet blasts. The visions are frightful since we all know in our hearts that we cannot stand before God in the judgment. Fortunately, we have One who stands beside us as our advocate–Jesus Christ–celebrated in chapters 4-5. His blood cleanses us from all sins.” (Lutheran Study Bible, CPH, 2009, page 2213.)

Lord Jesus, our righteous Judge, thank You for also being my advocate. Thank You for doing this by clothing this repentant sinner with Your blood and righteousness. Please nurture my faith via Your Word and Sacraments so that I will be ready for the trumpet blasts. Amen.  

Pastor David Paape

Monday, December 16. 2024 - THE GREAT MULTITUDE

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Monday, December 16, 2024 - Day 350 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Amos 7-9; Rev. 7)

THE GREAT MULTITUDE

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”  (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)

In today’s verses we are given a glimpse of the eternity that Christ’s Second Advent will usher in. By the grace of God, you and I will be part of the multitude of believers who spend forever praising God for His gracious gift of salvation. What an awesome scene is depicted here; people from every nation, all tribes, all peoples and languages. What a stark contrast to what we see on the news and read in the papers. How do we respond to the One who guarantees this awesome gift of eternal life? We start singing now...

This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Worthy is Christ, the Lamb Who was slain, 

Whose blood set us free to be people of God.

This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are His.

This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation:

Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever.  Amen.

This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

For the Lamb Who was slain has begun His reign.  Alleluia.

This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Almighty God, thank You for opportunity to practice for heaven every time we gather to worship You and join in the hymn of all creation. Please keep me close to You through faith in my Savior, Jesus, so that I may sing Your praises now and forever. Amen.  

Pastor David Paape

Sunday, December 15, 2024 - SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Sunday, December 15, 2024 - Day 349 (Through the Bible in a year reading for today: Amos 4-6; Rev. 6)

SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE

“-yet you did not return to me...

-yet you did not return to me...

-yet you did not return to me...

-yet you did not return to me...

-yet you did not return to me...

-prepare to meet you God, O Israel!

 (Amos 4:6-12 ESV)

Five times the Lord attempted to bring His people to their senses so that they would return to Him. He withheld food and water. He sent blight, mildew and pestilence. He killed their young men and made their camp stink. He overthrew them as He did Sodom and Gomorrah. And they still refused to return to God! So they heard the stern warning that they would meet the judgement of God.

This shows us how serious God is about our rebellion and our sin. And yet, in chapter five He provides a way out for rebellious Israel, and for us as well:

“Seek me and live... Seek good, and not evil, that you may live, and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you.”  (Amos 5:4&14 ESV)

 

Almighty God, thank You for the reminder that You are absolutely serious about sin. Please grant more wisdom that the Israelites had in this lesson. May the Holy Spirit move me to continually seek You and Your mercy. “Let Your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have not power over me.” Amen.  

“See’ you at the Communion rail this morning!

Pastor David Paape