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Worship: 09:30 AM
by Pastor Samelson
Posted on February 21, 2021 2:39 PM
When we consider Jesus and the people around him in his Passion, we can't help but think of their hands -- the hands that beat their breast, accepted money for betrayal, petulantly swung swords, pointed in accusation, beat and disavowed, praised, washed, were pierced, and offered eternal life. In short, we can't help but think about how we sinners have had the same sinful hands as those who surrounded Jesus in his Passion, and how Jesus our Savior has touched us with his hands of grace. We invite you to join us, therefore, for The Hands of the Passion, a special Lenten series for 2021 at Christ Lutheran Church. In these services we will explore the many roles hands played during the Passion History, from waving palm branches to nailing our Savior to the cross, while meditating on all that Jesus has done for us. We will worship on Wednesday evenings at 7:30, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17, and continuing each week until March 24. (Note: we will not meet in person on Wednesday, March 10, only online.) The series will continue through Palm Sunday, in our regular 10:30 AM worship on March 28, and finish up on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, April 1 & 2, meeting again at 7:30 PM. On the next page you'll find the full schedule of services, with their respective themes. Please join us, in person or online, for The Hands of the Passion.
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Posted on March 17, 2020 6:51 PM
It's easy to approach the season of Lent intellectually. There are all sorts of big ideas and deep theological concepts contained in the story of Christ's Passion. ...
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Posted on January 28, 2020 2:04 AM
How many 'things' do you belong to? ...
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Posted on September 25, 2018 1:33 AM
"So, how's your family? Tell me about 'em." Most of us have encountered a question like that in conversation - usually with someone we're getting to know for the first time, but occasionally with someone we're catching up with. ...
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Posted on May 27, 2018 7:13 PM
Anyone who loves the gospel prefers to focus on God's love in Christ rather than on the demands and judgments of God's law. Unfortunately, our sinful natures like to take advantage of that and convince us not to think or speak about the law at all when it might make us uncomfortable. Or even more: when it makes those we love uncomfortable. ...
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Posted on September 21, 2017 4:13 AM
One of our favorite Reformation hymns is by Martin Luther and begins, "Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word." "Steadfast" is a word you will find in numerous places in Scripture, and it gives us an appropriate theme for this 2017-2018 Ministry Year not only because we begin it celebrating the steadfastness of Luther and the Reformers in this 500th Anniversary year, but also because we want steadfastness as a foundation to build on for the next 5, 50, or 500 years. ...
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Posted on January 20, 2016 4:31 AM
It's a common feature of magazines, newspapers, and websites around the turn of the year: just as December saw the "Best and Worst" lists for the preceding year, January sees the "What to Expect" lists that lay out predictions for the next 12 months. There's no reason this newsletter can't do the same, so here are ten highly accurate predictions for 2016. ...
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Posted on November 12, 2015 4:23 AM
Well, it's that time of year again - time for ... doctors, drug stores, and educators to start telling you and your children to get flu shots. The reasoning is both simple and unassailable: people are more likely to catch and suffer from the flu in cold weather months and so the more people get the vaccine, which is meant to keep you from contracting the virus, the more people do not get the flu and the fewer people overall who end up being exposed. The vaccine inoculates people against disease and helps protect society at large. ...
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Posted on September 18, 2015 4:17 AM
Where does Jesus Christ fit in your life? Where does he fit in your thinking, feeling, and speaking - your motivations and priorities, your worldview, your decisions - your schedule, your week, your year? Chances are that as soon as you read that question, you started forming an answer - "Jesus fits ..." - and you wanted it to be the best, godliest, and most spiritual answer you could come up with. But you could never answer it correctly, because to answer it the way it was asked would be to accept a completely wrong way of looking at Jesus and your faith. (Remember how often Jesus would take a question from someone with the wrong way of seeing things and answer not was asked but what the more important question behind it was?) ...
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Posted on June 01, 2015 3:38 AM
Dr. Martin Luther speaks of our gifts or talents (1 Peter 4:4 - "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms") in connection with 1 Peter 5:5 - "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'": ...
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Posted on March 07, 2015 7:30 PM
During these seasons of Lent and Easter, we speak much of the cross of Christ, but Christ himself speaks of the crosses that Christians will bear. Here are some valuable thoughts by Dr. Martin Luther, from "That a Christian Should Bear His Cross with Patience": ...
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Posted on February 01, 2015 4:53 AM
C.F.W. Walther, known in some circles as the "American Luther" because of his great work in establishing and promoting true, confessional Lutheran theology and practice in the United States, was a pastor as well as seminary professor and synodical president (Missouri). One of his practices as pastor was to give an address to new voting members of his congregation, explaining the meaning of that membership and exhorting them in it. ...
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Posted on November 14, 2014 4:46 AM
When I drove down to Raleigh for our pastors' conference in October, I amused myself by asking why North Carolina seems to be so proud of its cowardice - after all, they put "First in Flight" on their license plates! ...
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