Listen to the Vicarage Call Service

Vicarage & Deaconess Internship
Assignment Service
May 1, 2012, 6:00 PM


Click the Seminary Logo below at 6:00PM to go to the Concordia Theological Seminary website to find a link (right side of page) to watch the Assignment service live.

Sermon - April 29, 2012

Click here to listen to the sermon.
Preacher: Vicar Dan Murray
Text: John 10:11-18

Over 70s Dinner - April 29, 2012

Care Care served a dinner in honor of those in the congregation over seventy years old.  Vicar Dan Murray played banjo and guitar for entertainment.  Following dinner and entertainment some stayed to play bingo.  Below you will find pictures of the event and a video of Vicar playing banjo.

Pictures


Video of Vicar
[Please note video quality is not very good, it was shot on a cell phone.  It starts sideways and then turns right side up.  It is a cool effect ;)  ]

From Over 70s Dinner

Prepare for Sunday - April 29, 2012

To help you prepare for Sunday click on the picture to read the reading for the day.
Text: John 10:11-18

Title: His Own

Sunday Morning Bible Class - Parenting

What does the Bible say about parenting?
What examples do the Scriptures show?
Who is the example of the perfect parent?



These questions and more will be discussed in Sunday Morning Bible Class this Sunday, April 29, at 9:30.  Come join us for this exciting study on Parenting.

The 1440 Prayer for World Malaria Day

The 1440 Prayer for World Malaria Day
April 25, 2012


One child in sub-Saharan Africa dies every 60 seconds from malaria, a disease spread by a mosquito-borne parasite. In a single 24-hour period (one day), 1,440 people in Africa will succumb to this disease. Please join us in prayer on April 25, World Malaria Day, to lift up all those who are facing the devastating effects of malaria.  

Wherever you are on April 25, please observe one minute of silence at 2:40 p.m. local time (14:40 on a 24-hour clock) to remember all those suffering from malaria, and those who will lose a child or other family member to the disease.  

Here is a prayer you might pray during the moment of silence:

Lord God, our most merciful Father, in this fallen and sinful world death is the constant and impartial enemy of all. We humbly ask you to show mercy on all those who are suffering from malaria today. If it be your will, restore the afflicted to full health.  Surround them in their time of illness with your love, especially the children who are weak and afraid, through the family and friends who minister to them.  Comfort those who have already lost a loved one to malaria or will, especially the parents of young children, who in the minds of mothers and fathers are taken from this life too soon.  We plead you to perform the miracle of ending this disease, in part through the education and relief efforts of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative.  Grant that LMI’s educators, physicians, health care providers and missionaries are powerfully and fully equipped to bring an end to the human suffering and death in Africa caused by malaria.  And Lord, through the Gospel of your Son Jesus, proclaimed through Word and Sacrament, strengthen our faith and lead others to see that a life in His grace leads only to an eternal existence in your loving presence.  Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our savior.  Amen.


For more information on the Lutheran Malaria Initiative click on the logo above.

Today the Church Commemorates St. Mark, Evangelist

St Mark was the author of the second Gospel, which he composed, according to some Early Church Fathers, when the Christians in Rome asked him to write down the preaching of the apostle Peter.  Mark, also known as John Mark, was originally from Jerusalem, where the house of his mother Mary was the center of the early Jerusalem Church (Acts 12:12).  He was brought from Jerusalem by Paul and Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 12:25), and it was from this city that they set out on the first missionary journey.  When Paul and Barnabas were preparing to go on the second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them again, but Paul objected because Mark had left them during the first missionary journey.  Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas as his new companion (Acts 15:37-40).  Later, Paul reconciled with Mark and was working with him again (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11).  Finally, Mark was found laboring with Peter in Rome (1 Peter 5:13).  Tradition says that Mark was instrumental in founding the Church in Alexandria, becoming its first bishop, and also that he suffered a martyr's death.

Note the lion head at the feet of Mark (under the Gospel).  Mark's symbol in art is a Lion, usually winged.  In the book of Revelation, the visionary sees about the throne of God four winged creatures: a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle. (Compare with the cherubs in Ezek 1 and 10.)  It has customarily been supposed that these represent the four Gospels, or the four Evangelists (Gospel-writers).  One way of matching them is to say that the man stands for Matthew, whose narrative begins with the human genealogy of Jesus; that the lion stands for Mark, whose narrative begins with John the Baptist crying out in the desert (a lion roars in the desert); that the ox, a sacrificial animal, stands for Luke, whose narrative begins in the Temple, and that the eagle stands for John, whose narrative begins in Heaven, with the eternal Word.

Sermon - Sunday, April 22, 2012

Click here to listen to the sermon.
Preacher: Vicar Dan Murray
Text: Luke 24:36-49

Today the Church Commemorates Johann Walter, Kantor

  

Johann Walter (1496-1570) began service at the age of 21 as a composer and bass singer in the court chapel of Frederick the Wise.  In 1524, he published a collection of hymns arranged according to the church year.  It was well received and served as the model for numerous subsequent hymnals.  In addition to serving for 30 years as kantor (church musician) in the cities of Torgau and Dresden, he also assisted Martin Luther in the preparation of the Deutsche Messe (1526).  Walter is remembered as the first Lutheran kantor and composer of church music.

Prepare for Sunday - April 22, 2012

To help you prepare for Sunday click on the picture to read the reading for Sunday.
Text: Luke 24:36-49
Title: Power from on High

Sunday Morning Bible Class - True Worship

What is true worship?
What is God pleasing worship?
What does God's Word say concerning worship?



These questions and more will be discussed in Sunday Morning Bible Class this Sunday, April 22, at 9:30.  Come join us for this exciting study on Priorities.

Today the Church Commemorates Johannes Bugenhagen, Pastor

Johannes Bugenhagen (1485-1558), from Pomerania in northern Germany, was appointed pastor of Wittenberg in 1523 through the efforts of Martin Luther and thus served as Luther's own pastor and confessor. One of the greatest scholars of the Reformation era, he helped translate the New Testament into Low German and wrote a commentary on the Psalms. He also worked to organize the Lutheran Church in northern Germany and Denmark, journeying to Copenhagen where he crowned both King and Queen and consecrated seven men to the offices of superintendent and bishop.

To listen to an Issues Etc. program on Johannes Bugenhagen featuring Rev. Dennis Marzolf of Bethany Lutheran College click the Issues Etc. logo below.

Sermon - April 15, 2012

Click here to listen to the sermon.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal
Text: John 20:19-31

Prepare for Sunday - April 15, 2012

To help you prepare for Sunday click on the picture to read the reading for Sunday.
Text: John 20:19-31
Title: "Believing Thomas"

Sunday Morning Bible Class - The Power of Prayer

Why pray?
How do you pray?
What helps are there to prayer?



These questions and more will be discussed in Sunday Morning Bible Class this Sunday at 9:30.  Come join us for this exciting study on Prayer.

Sermon - Walter Mosel Funeral

To hear the sermon at Walter Mosel's Funeral click here.

President Matt Harrison's Easter Message

Sermon - Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

To hear the sermon click here.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal
Text: 1st Commandment

Sermon - Good Friday, April 6, 2012

To listen to the sermon click here.
Preacher: Vicar Dan Murray
Text: 2nd Commandment

Prepare for Sunday - April 8

Questions in preparation for Sunday's Service

From the Catechism

What is the First Commandment?

You  shall have no other gods.

What does this mean?

We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

For self-examination*

+ Have I loved God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength?  Where have I looked for comfort, good and delight?

+ Do I look to God my heavenly Father, for all love, good, and joy?

+ Do I see my worry and fretting as sin against trusting God?

+ Do I occupy myself with living from God and for God or does my attention focus on health, fun, money, things sexual, friendship, measuring things always by what pleases me?

+ Do I complain about the troubles, people, work, and suffering God lays on me?

+ Do I love the things God gives more than I love Him?  And do I hate what God takes away, even though He gives me Himself?

+ In my thinking and choosing, have I sought first the will of my heavenly Father, the Kingdom of Dod, and His righteousness?

*Questions from Lutheran Service Book Pastoral Care Companion, p. 657ff

Today the Church Commemorates the Easter Vigil

The first celebration of Easter is the Easter Vigil, the evening of Holy Saturday (4/7).  The Vigil includes a service of candlelight, that begins with a bonfire outdoors, in which the candlelight fire symbolizes Jesus as the Light of the World.  The service is designated to take the Christian from the solemnity of Good Friday to the predawn joy of Easter.  Join us tonight at 8:30PM in the church parking lot with a bonfire where we will start the candlelight service.  We will end the service with Easter Joy, Easter lilies, and the Lord's Supper.

Sermon - Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2012

To listen to the sermon click here.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal
Text: 3rd Commandment, Mark 14:12-26

Today the Church Commemorates Good Friday

Good Friday is the most solemn of all days in the Christian Church, yet a note of joy remains, as the title of the day indicates.  On Good Friday, as we remember that on account of our sin the Lord was crucified and died, we give joyful thanks to God that all sin and God's wrath over sin falls on Jesus and not on us, and that by His grace we receive the benefit of this most sacrificial act.

Today the Church Commemorates Lucas Cranach

Lucas Cranach (1472-1557), a close friend of Martin Luther, was a celebrated painter of portraits and altar pieces and a producer of woodcuts of religious subjects. Albrecht Duerer (1471-1528), a native of Nuernberg, Germany, was one of the most learned of Renaissance artists and also an ardent admirer of Martin Luther. His paintings and woodcuts include examples of the splendor of creation and skilled portrayals of biblical narratives. Both Cranach and Duerer are remembered and honored for the grandeur of their works of art that depict the glory and majesty and the grace and mercy of the triune God.

Below you will find a number of his paintings.

      

Prepare for Friday - April 6

Questions in preparation for Friday's Service

From the Catechism:

What is the Second Commandment?

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thinks.

For self-examination* 

+ Do I curse?  Have I cursed?

+ Have I used God’s name cheaply or for oaths that are frivolous or false? Do I swear by God’s name when it is for the truth of the Gospel or the benefit of my neighbor in need?

+ Do I pray with fervor in times of trouble?  Am I bored and indifferent in prayer?

+ Am I bored with God’s Word?  Do I neglect the study of the Catechism, doctrine, and God’s Word so that I cannot speak about Him clearly and truly?

+ Is my heart and life in the praise of God in worship?  Am I mouthing things while my heart is far away?

+ Is my life, marked with the Name of God in Baptism, characterized by thanksgiving and prayer?

*Questions from Lutheran Service Book Pastoral Care Companion, p. 657ff

Today the Church Commemorates Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday the Church gives thanks to Jesus for the institution of the Lord's Supper.  The Maundy Thursday service closes with the stripping of the altar while Psalm 22 -- a prophesy of the crucifixion -- is sung.  This reminds us of how our Lord stripped to the waist to wash His disciples' feet -- and how He was stripped and beaten before His crucifixion.

Prepare for Thursday - April 5

Questions in preparation for Thursday's Service

What is the Third Commandment?

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

For self-examination*

+ Do I strive to make the day of rest holy, that is, set apart for God?  Do I care about holy living?

+ Do I use the Word of God and prayer to make my time, work, study, and life holy day by day?

+ Do I read the Bible each day, alone or with my family?  Am I lazy and bored with the Word of God?  Have I any fear of God over this neglect?

+ Do I honor the Word of God highly by studying it gladly, learning it by heart, and living it?  Do I despise the Word of God by neglect, paying no attention to it when it is read or preached?

+ Do I love my fellow Christians by being present with them in worship to sustain them?  Am I quick to make excuses for neglecting worship because of what someone else has said or done, or to do other things I like more?

+ Do I spend time complaining about the worship and the other people?  Do I learn the Word of God gladly so I may teach it to others?

*Questions from Lutheran Service Book Pastoral Care Companion, p. 657ff

Sermon - Sunday April 1, 2012

To listen to the sermon click here.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal
Text: John 12:12-19

Sermon - Wednesday, March 28, 2012

To listen to the sermon click here.
Preacher: Vicar Dan Murray
Text: 4th Commandment

Tomorrow the Church Commemorates Palm Sunday and the Start of Holy Week

The week before Easter is called Holy Week and culminates the preparation time of Lent.  This week begins with Palm Sunday (4/1) and ends on Holy Saturday (4/7).  During these days we focus on the events of Jesus' life from His entrance into Jerusalem until His glorious resurrection from the dead.  Palm Sunday the first day of Holy Week, commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9).  Because the complete account of the Lord's Passion from Matthew, Mark, or Luke (this year Mark) is read, this Sunday is also called Passion Sunday.