Prepare for The Sunday on the Mount of Olives (11/10)
Almighty God, we implore You, show Your mercy to Your humble servants that we, who put no trust in our own merits, may not be dealt with after the severity of Your judgment but according to Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prepare for All Saints' Day observed (11/03)
We rejoice to have our Festival Choir, led by Mr. John Jordan, complimenting our song of praise and thanksgiving. The choir will assist in singing the psalmody, hymnody, and liturgy. Use the following guide to prepare for the service.
Prepare for Reformation Day (10/27)
“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). 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).
Christ’s Body and Blood is the sum and substance of the whole Gospel.
The Lord’s Supper is a gift of life and love to be received, not a requirement to be fulfilled. What Jesus gave to His church in the Supper is the inviting and absolving Gospel. Therefore, it was celebrated daily Apostles and then weekly by the church. In Acts 2:42 records, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The “breaking of the bread” was the very means by which the Holy Spirit continued to bring Christ to the baptized at Pentecost. God fed the new life by His Supper that He had gifted them with Holy Baptism. The same form is found later in Acts with the Apostle Paul delivering teaching and those “gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).
The Sunday of the Unmerciful Servant (10/20)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Office of Matins. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
The Sunday of the Noble Of Capernaum (10/13)
This Sunday is our annual Mission Festival. Pastor Larry Myers will preach God’s Word and share the work of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. A door offering will be taken. A potluck luncheon will follow our service. Ham and rolls will be provided. Please bring a side dish or a dessert.
Prepare for the Sunday of the Wedding Feast (10/06)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Office of Matins. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.This Sunday we also recognize the work of the LWML (Lutheran Women in Mission).
Divine Service Setting Five a.k.a. Luther’s Deutsche Messe
It is fitting to use this setting for the end of the church year as we celebrate the Reformation. Luther composed German hymns for the Ordinary so that all of his fellow Germans could learn and understand the Liturgy. Previously, only those few taught Latin could participate and understand the words of the Liturgy. Essential to Luther's Reformation was and continues to be learning how we live out the faith, what we believe, and why we believe it. These hymns continue to assist us in singing the faith and enhancing our understanding of each part of the Liturgy.
The Divine Service - Gottesdienst For You!
While God is present everywhere, He cannot be found everywhere as the God of love and mercy. Instead, in the Divine Service, Jesus promises to be for us. He is not the abstract or hidden God! Jesus’s presence in the Divine Service is His saving presence in concrete means where He has promised to give us forgiveness and life. He serves us through means that He has appointed and received by us in faith. Word and Sacrament are together the treasures given by the risen Christ as He comes into the midst of His gathered church.
Prepare for the Festival of St. Michael and All Angels (09/29)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Ten Lepers (09/22)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Good Samaritan (09/15)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Office of Matins. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Deaf-Mute (09/08)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican (09/01)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Office of Matins. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Cleansing of the Temple (08/25)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Lutheran Catechesis at St. John
Catechesis is much more comprehensive than mere education. This life is lived by faith in Christ as we go about our daily tasks as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, neighbors, and workers of every kind. Living the Christian faith is not merely an "internal thing"; it has authentic "external things" by which it is known and sustained. It is about a real faith that is fed and nurtured through preaching and sacraments in real places of worship. It is lived out in the real world where there is real sin and real sorrow, but real forgiveness and consolation through the Gospel of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. This is what catechesis is all about. All this and more is meant by the word of Jesus: “Make disciples of all nations; baptizing them ... teaching them ...; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Prepare for the Sunday of the Unjust Steward (08/18)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Office of Matins. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Good and Bad Trees (08/11)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.
Prepare for The Sunday of the Feeding of the 4,000 (08/04)
O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prepare for The Sunday of Brotherly Love (07/28)
Within the liturgy for each Lord’s day, we receive the Word of God through uniquely appointed readings, psalms, hymns, and prayers. This week we will pray the Divine Service Setting Four. The following guide will help you to prepare to hear and sing the Propers, i.e. the varied texts and hymns for this week.