Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

It’s true! Christ is risen!

Now, this weekend, we hear some of the response to that resurrection. You can look at the readings for this weekend and see the profound effect this news had upon the apostles and other followers of Christ. The selfless love of Christ was manifested among the people as they cared for others to the best of their abilities.

Despite the eyewitness accounts, there were those who doubted the news. There are many today who still doubt the proclamation. Even if they doubt the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection, they should not be able to doubt our genuine love for one another. Our love for others is rooted in Christ’s love for each and every one of us. Our care is selflessly focused on the needs of others rather than our selfish desire to gain God’s favor. There’s no need to garner God’s favor. Our faith is in the fact that Christ already did that for us on our behalf.

The hymnody for this weekend’s service is beautiful and diverse. We have a lot of celebratory hymns incorporated in order to keep the joy of the season going. And so we should! Our sins are forgiven and now our good and faithful God continues to reign. We celebrate his victory over sin and death for us and we look forward to the day when he returns and we celebrate together in the new creation.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Have a great day and God bless!

In Christ,
Pastor Merritt

Take a few minutes to look through the Service Folder for this week’s services so you can look through the hymns, prayers, and so forth and prepare yourself for worship.

You can also listen to Issues, Etc. as they discuss the details of the liturgy for this weekend.

LCMS Lectionary Summary:

The Risen Christ Breathes His Peace in the Holy Absolution

The crucified and risen Lord Jesus appeared to His apostles on the first Easter Sunday. He “came and stood among them,” and with His Word and the wounds in “his hands and his side,” He granted them His peace (John 20:19–20). He sent them as ministers of the Gospel in His name to bestow the life-giving Holy Spirit for us and for His whole Church through the forgiveness of sins (John 20:21–23). Through this apostolic ministry, He calls us to believe that He “is the Christ, the Son of God,” so that by such faith we “may have life in his name” (John 20:31). The apostles “have seen and heard” this divine life manifested in the flesh of Christ, and those who succeed them in this apostolic ministry now proclaim that same Absolution to us, so that we “too may have fellowship” with the risen Christ, with the apostles and “with one another” (1 John 1:1–7). The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church lives by “their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” and all who believe this Word are “of one heart and soul,” because in Him they truly have “everything in common” (Acts 4:32–33).

If you had to miss service last week you can catch up now!

Published by pastordemski