Events

Color: Blue\r\rOld Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15–19\rPsalm: Psalm 111; antiphon: v. 9\rEpistle: Philippians 4:4–7\rGospel: John 1:19–28\rGospel: Luke 1:39–56\rIntroit: Psalm 19:1, 4–6; antiphon: Isaiah 45:8a\rGradual: Psalm 145:18, 21\rVerse: Psalm 40:17b\r\rJohn the Baptizer Points Everyone to the Messiah\r \rThe coming of God in all His unveiled power at Mount Sinai was terrifying to the people of Israel. The thundering voice of the Lord puts sinners in fear of death (Deut. 18:15–19). God, therefore, raised up a prophet like Moses—the Messiah, the Christ. God came to His people veiled in human flesh. The skies poured down the Righteous One from heaven; the earth opened her womb and brought forth Salvation (Introit) through the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of the Lord (Luke 1:39–56). The fruit of her womb is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the One whose sandal strap John was not worthy to loose (John 1:19–28). In Jesus we are delivered from fear and anxiety. In Him alone we have the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:4–7).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: Judges 6:36–40\rPsalm: Psalm 136:1–4; antiphon: v. 26\rEpistle: Ephesians 4:7, 11–16\rGospel: John 20:24–29\rIntroit: Psalm 89:1, 5, 15–16; antiphon: Psalm 31:14\rGradual: Romans 10:15b, 18b; Isaiah 52:7b, alt.\rVerse: John 20:29b\r\rSt. Thomas, Apostle\r \rThe Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). We have the testimony of the truth, so that the Church is not “carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning” (Eph. 4:14). As the Lord confirmed His truth to Gideon (Judges 6:36–40), so He does not turn away Thomas, but reveals His crucified and risen body to him, creating faith (John 20:27–28). Christ’s wounds are the source of our redemption and peace. Strengthened by this, Thomas is said to have brought the Gospel to India and faced a martyr’s death. Those who follow the Master will suffer on account of His name (John 15:18–21). But by the confession of the truth, the Body of Christ grows “up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:15), whom Thomas praised as his “Lord” and his “God” (John 20:28).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 7:10–14\rPsalm: Psalm 110:1–4; antiphon: v. 2a\rEpistle: 1 John 4:7–16\rGospel: Matthew 1:18–25\rIntroit: Psalm 24:1, 3–5; antiphon: Psalm 2:6–7\rGradual: Psalm 98:3b–4a, 2\rVerse: Psalm 2:7\r\rThe Word of the Lord Is Fulfilled in the Flesh of Jesus\r \rThough Ahaz would not ask, the Lord gives a sign to the house of David, that “the Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14). With this promise, He signifies that salvation is by His grace alone; it is no work or achievement of man, but the Lord’s own work and free gift. The promise is fulfilled as the Son of God is conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, and the sign is received in faith by the house of David in the person of Joseph (Matt. 1:20–24). “Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary” (Nicene Creed), God is with us (Immanuel) in the flesh of Jesus, Mary’s Son. Joseph believes that Word of God and so demonstrates a marvelous example in his immediate and quiet obedience, taking Mary to be his wife and caring for her in faith and love. He loves her because the love of God is manifest in this, that “the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world,” “to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 9:2–7\rPsalm: Psalm 96; antiphon: v. 2\rEpistle: Titus 2:11–14\rGospel: Luke 2:1–14\rGospel: Luke 2:1–20\rIntroit: Psalm 2:1–2, 4–6; antiphon: Liturgical Text\rGradual: Psalm 98:3b–4a, 2\rVerse: Psalm 95:1a, 6b\r\rThe Light of Christ Shines Forth in the Darkness\r \rHeaven and earth rejoice on this night because the glory of the Triune God is manifested in the human birth of “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). In Him, the Father’s grace, mercy and peace rest upon the world. The silence of death is broken by this “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). And all we who have gone astray like lost and wandering sheep, who have “walked in the darkness” of doubt and fear and sinful unbelief, behold “a great light” in the nativity of Christ (Is. 9:2). In Him “the grace of God has appeared” (Titus 2:11). For this Child of Mary who is born for us, this dear Son of God who is given to us, will bear the burden of our sin and death in His own body on the cross. He thereby establishes a government of peace, “with justice and with righteousness,” which shall have no end; not by any work of man, but “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Is. 9:7).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Micah 5:2–5a\rPsalm: Psalm 80:1–7; antiphon: v. 7\rEpistle: Titus 3:4–7\rGospel: Luke 2:15–20\rGospel: Luke 2:1–20\rIntroit: Psalm 93:1–2, 5; antiphon: Isaiah 9:2a, 6a, c\rGradual: Psalm 118:26a, 27a, 23\rVerse: Psalm 93:1\r\rThe Birth of the Good Shepherd Is Proclaimed to the Shepherds\r \rThe first ones to visit the infant Lord Jesus are lowly shepherds (Luke 2:15–20), for Christ came that the last may be first and that the humble may be exalted. Furthermore, Jesus Himself came to be a shepherd, the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for the sheep. “He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord” (Micah 5:2–5). The babe in the manger whom the shepherds worship is He “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” For in Christ Jesus, conceived and born of Mary, “the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared” (Titus 3:4). Like Mary, let us keep and ponder in our hearts these things that God has revealed to us through His Word. And like the shepherds, let us glorify and praise God for all the things we have heard and seen in Christ His Son.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Exodus 40:17–21, 34–38\rPsalm: Psalm 2; antiphon: v. 7\rEpistle: Titus 3:4–7\rGospel: John 1:1–18\rGospel: John 1:1–14\rIntroit: Psalm 98:1–4; antiphon: Isaiah 9:6\rGradual: Psalm 118:26a, 27a, 23\rVerse: Liturgical Text\r\rThe Living and Life-Giving Word of God Dwells among Us in the Flesh\r \rIn the beginning God created all things through His Word, His Son. But man fell into sin, and with man all creation was cursed. Therefore, God spoke His Word again, this time into the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle of our human nature (Ex. 40:17–21, 34–38). “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1–14). The Son of God took on our flesh and blood and died on the cross in order that we might receive the right to become the children of God through faith. Baptized into Christ’s body, we are made partakers of a new Genesis, “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4–7). In Christ, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man has truly appeared.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: 2 Chronicles 24:17–22\rPsalm: Psalm 119:137–144; antiphon: v. 142\rSecond Reading: Acts 6:8—7:2a, 51–60\rGospel: Matthew 23:34–39\rIntroit: Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Revelation 7:14b\rGradual: Psalm 34:9, 19, alt.\rVerse: Psalm 116:15\r\rSt. Stephen, Martyr\r \rThe Christ is born in the land of Judah, but His own people will not receive Him. As it was in the days of Joash, so it is also in the days of Herod and Pilate. The Lord “sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord … but they would not pay attention” (2 Chron. 24:19). As Zechariah was being stoned, he cried out, “May the Lord see and avenge!” (2 Chron. 24:22). But the infant Jesus has come to save and to forgive. Today, the Church remembers St. Stephen, the first martyr after Christ’s ascension. His confession recalled the stiff-necked, uncircumcised hearts and ears of Judah that would not receive the Righteous One (Acts 7:51–52). But as his body was being stoned and his spirit received by the Lord Jesus, Stephen cried, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59–60), bearing witness to the One who also said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). On the second day of Christmas, our thoughts are already directed to Christ’s atoning death to save rebels like us, and to the vision Stephen saw: Heaven is open to us, Christ is reigning at God’s right hand, and no sin, death or foe can stop Him.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Revelation 1:1–6\rPsalm: Psalm 11; antiphon: v. 4a\rEpistle: 1 John 1:1—2:2\rGospel: John 21:20–25\rIntroit: Psalm 92:1–5; antiphon: John 20:31\rGradual: Psalm 119:105, 103; 45:1a, c\rVerse: John 21:24a, c\r\rSt. John, Apostle and Evangelist\r \rSt. John the Evangelist put Christmas in one verse: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Not martyred but still a witness, John was exiled to Patmos and died an old man, according to tradition. He bore witness “to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw” (Rev. 1:2). Above all, he was an eyewitness of Christ who proclaims to us what he saw and heard concerning the “word of life” that was “made manifest” (1 John 1:1–3). “And we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). The readings today include John’s testimony of Christ’s atoning death and His third resurrection appearance (John 21:14). On the third day of Christmas, we find joy and gladness with John and all the apostles that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” who is “the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1–16\rOld Testament: Isaiah 11:1–5\rPsalm: Psalm 89:1–8; antiphon: v. 8\rEpistle: Galatians 4:1–7\rGospel: Luke 2:33–40\rGospel: Luke 2:22–40\rIntroit: Psalm 93:1, 3–4; antiphon: vv. 5, 2\rGradual: Psalm 45:2a, 1b\rVerse: Psalm 93:1\r\rThe Seed of David Comes to His Temple\r \rA Rod has come forth from the stem of Jesse (Is. 11:1–5)—the Seed of David whose kingdom shall be established forever (2 Sam. 7:1–16). In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son Jesus to redeem us from the judgment of the Law (Gal. 4:1–7). Now He is presented in the temple in fulfillment of the Law and revealed to be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:22–40). Christ has enlightened us in baptism, giving us to be adopted as sons of God and heirs of eternal life. Receiving the Holy Sacrament of His body and blood, we are prepared to depart this world in peace, for our eyes have seen the salvation of God in Him.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: Jeremiah 31:15–17\rPsalm: Psalm 54; antiphon: v. 4\rEpistle: Revelation 14:1–5\rGospel: Matthew 2:13–18\rIntroit: Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Revelation 7:14b\rGradual: Psalm 71:4a, 5a, 6a, b, 8\rVerse: Psalm 116:15\r\rThe Holy Innocents, Martyrs\r \r“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children” (Jer. 31:15). Herod rages and sends to kill all boys two years and younger (Matt. 2:16), desperate to destroy the newborn King of kings. The Church remembers these innocent victims as martyrs. They died for the One who came to die for them. This dark commemoration bears witness to the cruelty of sinful men and the world’s hatred of Christ, who has sanctified our fragile life even from His conception and birth. But the boy who escaped Bethlehem’s bloody streets unscathed went on to face thorns, nails and spear for them and for us. He is the Lamb whose name is written with the Father’s name on the foreheads of His baptized saints (Rev. 14:1). By His death, He has redeemed an inheritance for Himself and brought peace at last by His blood. On the fourth day of Christmas, we sing “a new song” of the Lamb, of Christ the true martyr, whose death testifies that our redemption is won. We “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Rev. 14:3, 4), for He will bring our tears to an end.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 30:15–17\rOld Testament: Isaiah 30:8–17\rPsalm: Psalm 90:1–12; antiphon: v. 17\rEpistle: Romans 8:31b–39\rGospel: Luke 12:35–40\rIntroit: Psalm 98:1–3; antiphon: Psalm 124:8\rGradual: Psalm 90:12, 14\rVerse: Psalm 103:17a\r\rThe Lord Comes by Way of the Cross to Serve Us at His Table in Peace\r \rWhen we despise the Lord’s Word “and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them” (Is. 30:12), we face catastrophe. Our idolatry “is smashed so ruthlessly” (Is. 30:14), so that we are called to repentance. The Lord calls us by the cross, “like a signal on a hill” (Is. 30:17), to return to Him and rest in His salvation. For “he who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” graciously provides us with all good things in Him (Rom. 8:32). Since “Christ Jesus is the one who died,” who is risen from the dead and seated at God’s right hand, “interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34), “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). It is in that hope that we live “like men who are waiting for their master” (Luke 12:36). He daily awakens us by His preaching of repentance, raises us by His Word of forgiveness and keeps our lamps burning by the grace of His Gospel. He comes to us by way of the cross, in order to bless us and serve us at His table in peace.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Numbers 6:22–27\rPsalm: Psalm 8; antiphon: v. 9\rEpistle: Galatians 3:23–29\rGospel: Luke 2:21\rIntroit: Psalm 40:6–8; antiphon: 40:16\rGradual: Hebrews 8:10; 10:17\rVerse: Matthew 1:21\r\rThe Lord Jesus Comes in the Flesh to Fulfill the Law for Us and Save Us from Our Sins\r \rCircumcision is the covenant God made with Abraham and his seed. It sealed God’s promises and blessings in the flesh, but also signified the burden of the Law. When the Lord Jesus came in the flesh to redeem His people, He subjected Himself to the Law, in order to fulfill the Law and release all men from its captivity. “He was called Jesus” (Luke 2:21) because He came to save His people from their sins. He would shed His blood on their behalf, as He did already when “he was circumcised” (Luke 2:21). As He also sacrificed Himself upon the cross, you are “justified by faith” in His blood (Gal. 3:24). Therefore, “you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29), not by the circumcision of your flesh, but in the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus, the true seed of Abraham. “Baptized into Christ,” you belong to Him and are clothed and covered by His righteousness (Gal. 3:27). Holy Baptism is the true circumcision made without hands, by which the Lord Jesus puts His name on you and blesses you (Num. 6:22, 27).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Genesis 46:1–7\rPsalm: Psalm 77:11–20; antiphon: v. 13\rEpistle: 1 Peter 4:12–19\rGospel: Matthew 2:13–23\rIntroit: Psalm 8:1, 4–6; antiphon: v. 2\rGradual: Psalm 106:47; Isaiah 63:16b\rVerse: Psalm 145:21\r\rJesus Is the Perfect Israel\r \rIsrael and all his family went and dwelt in Egypt (Gen. 46:1–7). God made a great nation of him there, but that nation would prove unfaithful to the Lord. Therefore, the New Israel came. In fleeing the murderous Herod, our young Lord goes to Egypt (Matt. 2:13–23), that the prophecy might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my Son” (Hos. 11:1). Jesus brings to perfection what old Israel could not. He is the faithful Israel, the embodiment of the people of God. He offers His perfect and holy life in place of our own. He submits Himself to persecution and suffering in order to save us. Therefore, we should not think it strange when we who are in Christ experience trials because of the faith (1 Pet. 4:12–19). Rather, we rejoice to share in Christ’s sufferings, knowing that we will also share in His glory.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 60:1–6\rPsalm: Psalm 24; antiphon: v. 7\rEpistle: Ephesians 3:1–12\rGospel: Matthew 2:1–12\rIntroit: Psalm 72:1–2, 10–11; antiphon: Liturgical Text\rGradual: Isaiah 60:6b, 1\rVerse: Matthew 2:2b\r\rThe Lord God Is Manifested in the Incarnate Son\r \rThe Feast of the Epiphany centers in the visit of the Magi from the East. In that respect, it is a “Thirteenth Day” of Christmas; and 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. For 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).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: 1 Kings 8:6–13\rOld Testament: Joshua 3:1–3, 7–8, 13–17\rOld Testament: Isaiah 42:1–7\rPsalm: Psalm 50:1–15; antiphon: v. 15\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 1:26–31\rEpistle: Romans 12:1–5\rGospel: Luke 2:41–52\rGospel: Matthew 3:13–17\rIntroit: Psalm 100; antiphon: Isaiah 6:1; Revelation 19:6\rGradual: Psalm 72:18, 3\rVerse: Psalm 100:1–2a\r\rThe Glory of the Lord Returns to the Temple in the Boy Jesus\r \rIn the days of Solomon, the Lord dwelt among His people in the temple. The glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord in the form of a cloud (1 Kings 8:6–13). Now Jesus, who is the glory of the Lord in the flesh, enters the temple to show that He Himself is the everlasting temple and dwelling place of God (Luke 2:41–52). Our young Lord, true man, subject to Mary and Joseph, reveals Himself also to be true God, whose father is not Joseph but the Almighty Father in heaven. Jesus does this at the time of the Passover. For He came to be the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Even as He was found by His parents after three days, so He would later rise from the dead on the third day that the favor of God might rest also upon us. It is by these mercies of God that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God through Christ (Rom. 12:1–5).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Joshua 3:1–3, 7–8, 13–17\rOld Testament: Isaiah 42:1–7\rPsalm: Psalm 85; antiphon: v. 9\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 1:26–31\rGospel: Matthew 3:13–17\rIntroit: Psalm 89:1, 26–28; antiphon: Liturgical Text; Psalm 89:20\rGradual: Psalm 72:18–19\rVerse: Psalm 143:10\r\rIn His Baptism, Jesus Takes His Place with Sinners\r \rOur Lord Jesus is baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:13–17). He partakes of a baptism for sinners in order that He might be our substitute and bear the judgment we deserve. In the water, Jesus trades places with us. Our sin becomes His sin. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. Our glory, therefore, is in “Christ Jesus, who became to us . . . righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:26–31). Jesus is the “chosen” One sent from the Father to release us from the prison house of sin and death (Is. 42:1–7). Baptized into Christ, we also become the chosen ones, beloved of the Father. We cross the Jordan with Jesus (Joshua 3) through death into the promised land of new life with God.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Green\r\rOld Testament: Exodus 33:12–23\rOld Testament: Amos 9:11–15\rPsalm: Psalm 111; antiphon: v. 9\rPsalm: Psalm 67; antiphon: v. 1\rEpistle: Romans 12:6–16\rEpistle: Ephesians 5:22–33\rGospel: John 2:1–11\rIntroit: Psalm 66:1–5, 20; antiphon: v. 4; 92:1\rGradual: Psalm 107:20–21\rVerse: Psalm 148:2\r\rJesus’ First Miracle Reveals God’s Glory\r \rThe coming of the Messianic kingdom means the restoration of creation. The sign of this restoration is that “the mountains shall drip sweet wine” (Amos 9:11–15). When the elements of a fallen creation fail and run short at a wedding feast, our Lord Jesus steps in to restore creation and miraculously changes water into an abundance of the very best wine (John 2:1–11). With this sign, Christ manifests His glory. The “back” of God (Ex. 33:12–23) is revealed to those who believe. The hour will come when Jesus will again manifest His glory by taking creation’s curse into His own body to release us from its power. The Bridegroom will give His life for the Bride (Eph. 5:22–32), and from His side will flow water and blood, the holy sacraments by which she is cleansed and made one with Him. Through this sacrificial love of Christ we are enabled to “love one another with brotherly affection . . .” and to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:6–16).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 4:8–13\rPsalm: Psalm 118:19–29; antiphon: v. 26\rEpistle: 2 Peter 1:1–15\rGospel: Mark 8:27—9:1\rGospel: Mark 8:27–35\rIntroit: Psalm 89:1, 5, 15–16; antiphon: Psalm 119:46\rGradual: 2 Corinthians 4:5a, 13c; 1 Peter 4:11b; Psalm 113:3\rVerse: Mark 8:35\r\rLosing Ourselves in the Confession of the One Name of Salvation\r \rSt. Peter speaks for all disciples when he confesses, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29). This confession is the bedrock of the Church, which Christ Himself builds (Matt. 16:18), for “this Jesus,” the stone rejected by earthly builders, “has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). This was a scandal even to Peter. The Christ must suffer, be rejected, be killed “and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31), for through this work of salvation received by faith, God’s “precious and very great promises” are granted, “so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Wherever Jesus is the Christ, His disciples deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him (Mark 8:34). They have been cleansed from their former sins and increase in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love, effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5–9). All who trust in Jesus, the Christ of Peter’s confession, will save their life, though for His sake they lose it (Mark 8:35). “For there is no other name … by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship