Events

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: Jeremiah 26:1–16\rPsalm: Psalm 43; antiphon: v. 5b\rEpistle: 1 Peter 1:3–9\rGospel: John 15:17–21\rGospel: John 15:12–21\rIntroit: Psalm 89:1, 5, 15–16; antiphon: Psalm 119:46\rGradual: Romans 10:15b, 18b; Isaiah 52:7b, alt.\rVerse: John 15:16a\r\rSt. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles\r \r“Speak to them; do not hold back a word” (Jer. 26:1–6). The Word is always repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:44) — “great mercy” and “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3). “If they kept my word,” says Jesus, “they will also keep yours,” but “if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18–21). In Jeremiah’s day, the people demanded he die, but they did not bring his “innocent blood” on themselves (Jer. 26:8–16). When the priests and people gathered around Jesus, they refused to hear (Matt. 27:20–26). Christ’s servants will not be above their master (John 15:20). According to tradition, Simon (the Zealot) and Jude (also known as Thaddaeus) worked to bring the Gospel to Persia, where they were martyred together. But even in this, God’s servants are “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37). “Though … tested by fire” and suffering, we obtain “the outcome of [our] faith, the salvation of [our] souls,” and rejoice (1 Peter 1:6–9). For as Jesus told Jude, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Red\r\rFirst Reading: Revelation 14:6–7\rPsalm: Psalm 46; antiphon: v. 7\rEpistle: Romans 3:19–28\rGospel: Matthew 11:12–19\rGospel: John 8:31–36\rIntroit: Psalm 34:1–2, 11, 22; antiphon: Psalm 119:46\rGradual: Psalm 48:1a, 12–14a\rVerse: Luke 12:32\r\rThe Son of God Has Set Us Free from Sin and Death by His Grace\r \r“Wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matt. 11:19), and the true Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus the incarnate Son, justifies us by His deeds. He prepares His way by the preaching of repentance, but He has suffered the violence of the Law and voluntarily handed Himself over to violent men, that we might eat and drink with Him in His Kingdom and “remain in the house forever” (John 8:35). For He is “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 11:19), and He has rescued us by His grace from the slavery of sin and death. By the proclamation of His eternal Gospel “to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people” (Rev. 14:6), “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Rom. 3:21), “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). And by hearing the Gospel of Christ Jesus, “whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:25), “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

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