Events

Color: Green\r\rOld Testament: Micah 6:6–8\rPsalm: Psalm 116:12–19; antiphon: v. 13\rEpistle: Philippians 1:3–11\rGospel: Matthew 18:21–35\rIntroit: Psalm 130:1–2, 7–8; antiphon: vv. 3–4\rGradual: Psalm 133:1, 3b\rVerse: Psalm 147:3\r\rWalking Humbly with Our God and Forgiving One Another\r \rWith what shall we come before the Lord (Micah 6:6) who forgives all our sins, and how often shall our fellow Christians sin against us and we forgive them (Matt. 18:21)? Our gracious God on high does not need our “burnt offerings” or “thousands of rams” (Micah 6:6-7), which we could legitimately offer in thanksgiving. He is the Savior who gave His only-begotten Son for our transgression. He offers the fruit of His body, once hanging dead on a cross but now living and giving life in His holy Meal, for the sin of our souls (Micah 6:7). Because He releases us from our enormous debt of sin against Him, we need not imprison our fellow sinners with our lack of love and refusal of forgiveness (Matt. 18:24, 27, 30). As partakers of His grace, we yearn for one another “with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:8). As forgiven sinners, “filled with the fruit of Christ’s righteousness,” our “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment” (Phil. 1:11, 9), for He leads us “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with [our] God” (Micah 6:8).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Revelation 7:2–17\rFirst Reading: Revelation 7:9–17\rPsalm: Psalm 149; antiphon: v. 4\rEpistle: 1 John 3:1–3\rGospel: Matthew 5:1–12\rIntroit: Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Revelation 7:14b\rGradual: Revelation 7:14b; Psalm 84:5\rVerse: Hebrews 12:1a, 2a\r\rSaints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ\r \r“A great multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages,” cry out “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne” (Rev. 7:9–17). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we too, “shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1–3). Joined with the throng of angels and a myriad of saints, we shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:9–17). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits, and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure, and the persecuted are all blessed and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1–12).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Green\r\rOld Testament: Proverbs 8:11–22\rPsalm: Psalm 111; antiphon: v. 10a\rEpistle: Philippians 3:17–21\rGospel: Matthew 22:15–22\rIntroit: Psalm 85:1, 7, 9, 11; antiphon: Jeremiah 29:11a, 12\rGradual: Psalm 44:7–8\rVerse: Psalm 115:11\r\rRender to God the Things of God\r \rWhen confronted with the civic duty of paying taxes, our Lord Jesus, Wisdom incarnate, walked “in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice” (Prov. 8:20) and discerned that wisdom “is better than jewels” and “better than gold, even fine gold” (Prov. 8:11, 19). When we set our minds on earthly things, such as wealth and passing glory, our “end is destruction” (Phil. 3:19). However, our humble and prudent Lord has rendered “to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21), namely, perfect fear, love, and trust, as well as the complete sacrifice for our sin. In so doing, He also rendered to Caesar the things of honor and justice, submitting to the law of the land that put Him on the cross. The true “riches and honor are with [Him],” because “enduring wealth and righteousness” (Prov. 8:18) are found in our heavenly citizenship from which “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” He “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Green\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 51:9–16\rPsalm: Psalm 126; antiphon: v. 1\rEpistle: Colossians 1:9–14\rGospel: Matthew 9:18–26\rIntroit: Psalm 95:1–4; antiphon: vv. 6–7a\rGradual: Psalm 116:8, 1\rVerse: Psalm 36:9\r\rThe Strength of the Lord Is Our Salvation from Sin, Death, and Darkness\r \rA shroud of darkness engulfs us. Sin, death, and disease threaten to sever us from life’s fullest measure. Without new life in Christ Jesus, there would be no light to dissipate, dispel, or curb grief and sadness. But Jesus has qualified us “to share in the inheritance of the saints of light” delivering us from the dark domain (Col. 1:9–14). “I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, . . . You are my people” (Is. 51:9–16). The presence of Christ, in word, wine, bread, and water, confronts our sinful nature with forgiveness. In the sacraments, God claims us to be His very own children, creating, and sustaining our faith. So in Christ, we humbly receive the words, “your faith has made you well” (Matt. 9:18–26). On the last day God will surely awaken us also from slumber in resurrection glory.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Green\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 65:17–25\rPsalm: Psalm 149; antiphon: v. 2\rEpistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11\rGospel: Matthew 25:1–13\rIntroit: Psalm 39:4–5, 7–8; antiphon: Isaiah 35:10\rGradual: Psalm 45:14–15\rVerse: Revelation 21:2\r\rBy Faith We Are Prepared for Christ’s Return\r \r“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1–11). The arrival of the bridegroom will be sudden and unexpected. Therefore you are to be watchful and ready like the five wise virgins. “For you know neither the day nor the hour” when the Son of Man is to return. (Matt. 25:1–13). The lamps are the Word of Christ. The oil in the lamps is the Holy Spirit, who works through the Word to create and sustain the flame of faith in Christ. The foolish are those who do not give proper attention to the working of the Holy Spirit in baptism, preaching, and the supper, and so their faith does not endure. The wise, however, are those who diligently attend to these gifts of the Spirit, and who therefore have an abundance of oil. The flame of faith endures to the end. By God’s grace they are received into the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, the new heavens and the new earth created by the Lord for the joy of His people (Is. 65:17–25).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship