Welcome to Christ Lutheran Church
Divine Service 10:30 am
We provide a traditional LCMS service using the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) every Sunday morning at 10:30am central time, preceded by Bible Study and Sunday School at 9:00am. If you are uncomfortable or unable to attend in person due to Covid-19, or other reasons, please join us online via Facebook Live. (Facebook account required.)
Activities
Click on the heading to see the full post
- July 26 service
Dear brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of Christ. I encourage you to attend Bible study and worship Sunday to hear God’s Word and receive His gifts of forgiveness.
Sunday, July 26 is the ninth Sunday after Pentecost. We will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three beginning on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #574 Before the Throne of God Above; #567 Not What These Hands Have Done; and #573 Lord, Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee.
Scripture lessons assigned to the day, Proper 12, are Psalm 25:4-13, 20-21; Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Romans 8:28-39; and Matthew 13:44-52.
The ancient Israelites should not be thought of as only a nation, but as a people chosen by God, and therefore a precursor of the Church. Like the faithful descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Christians throughout history are the beloved people whom God has called and gathered into His kingdom. We are not loved because we are so great or loveable, but because He is so gracious. What an amazing statement: that the eternal Creator and Judge has set His love on you and chosen you in spite of your sin and weaknesses. God loved you so much that He did not spare His own Son Jesus but gave Him up to crucifixion as an atoning sacrifice that paid for your sin and reconciled you to Him. His saving actions were predestined, set in motion before Creation. That should give you confidence of heaven.
Jesus is now bodily risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven applying His divine authority as He continues to intercede for you. As St. Paul explains it in the epistle lesson, nothing, not even death can separate you from God’s love. So follow Jesus, for God will work out all things for the good of those He called according to His purpose. God is God, He is faithful, and keeps His covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love, that, receiving what you have promised, we may love what you have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about Sunday’s Scripture lessons. God bless you. Pastor Boster
- July 5 service
Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the birthday of the nation in which we live, we should celebrate the freedoms God has given us. Not just life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but also freedom to assemble and to exercise our religious beliefs. I encourage you to thank God for those freedoms, not only with words, but by making use of them in your life. Attend worship services to receive the gifts of Jesus who set you free from the tyranny of sin.
During worship on Sunday, July 5, we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three beginning on page 184. The hymns chosen for the day are #904 Blessed Jesus, At Your Word; #768 To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray; #623 Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray; and #687 Thine Forever, God of Love.
The Scripture lessons for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9) are Psalm 145:3-14, Zechariah 9:9-12, Romans 7:14-25a, and Matthew 11:25-30.
In the epistle lesson from Romans 7, St. Paul reminds us we Christians have died with Christ in Holy Baptism, and have been raised to new life in Him. Even so, as try to live as disciples of Jesus, we find “another law waging war” in our body and life, that is, between what we could call our old Adam and our new man (Rom. 7:23). Guided and motivated by the Spirit of Christ, we “desire to do what is right,”. But we are not able to do so because “nothing good” dwells in our sinful flesh (Rom. 7:18).Like Paul, we have reason to thank God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord because He delivers us from “this body of death” (Rom. 7:24–25).
The Old Testament lesson, spoken through the prophet Zechariah 500 years before Jesus’ birth. foretells Jesus as a gentle King who comes “righteous and having salvation” (Zech. 9:9). He speaks promises of peace to our conflicted hearts. By His blood shed in the New Testament, Jesus sets us “free from the waterless pit of grief and destruction.” He is the stronghold of eternal life. We are encouraged to return to Him.
Though we “labor and are heavy laden” by our sin and the troubles of this world, Jesus calls us to Himself and gives rest to our souls through His free and full forgiveness (Matt. 11:28). This is given us not because we are “wise and understanding,” but by the “gracious will” of God the Father. Jesus’ commitment, life, and sacrifice reveal the love God the Father has for you. (Matt. 11:25–27).
Collect: Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days, Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at this life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about Sunday’s Scripture lessons. God bless you. Pastor Boster
- Sunday June 21 service
Brothers and sisters, tomorrow is Father’s Day, a day to honor fathers. Almost any man can make a baby. But having a father who loves us, provides for us, teaches us about God, disciplines us when we need it, that dad is a very special gift from God. Thank God if you have a dad like that. If you are a dad, those are actions and attitudes God can train and equip you for. And He will pick you up when you fail. If you don’t have a dad like that, remember God is the perfect father who will always do what is best for you. Talk to Him. Read His Word. He sees you and hears you. Jesus is proof that He loves you even at your worst. We pray that God would guide and bless fathers that they might be examples of Christian faith, and properly apply God’s discipline and grace to their children. Come to worship and see what God the Father has to say to you there.
On Sunday June 21 we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three beginning on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #936 Sing Praise to the Gd of Israel; #713 From God Can Nothing Move Me; #570 Just As I Am; and #920 Forth in the Peace of Christ We Go.
Scripture lessons for the day, the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 7, are Psalm 91:9-16 Jeremiah 20:7-13; Romans 6:12-23; and Matthew10:5a, 21-33.
In this season after Pentecost, we are reminded that Jesus continues His ministry through the members of His Church. We can use terms like witnesses or ambassadors to describe the task of sharing the gospel with others, inviting them to join us living in faith in the kingdom of God.
In both the Old Testament lesson from Jeremiah 20 and the Gospel lesson from Matthew 10, we are reminded that kingdom work is not easy. Sometimes it is even dangerous. the prophet Jeremiah is one who was ridiculed and threatened by those who opposed His proclamation of God’s Word. But God stands with His people. He sent Jesus to stand by you. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage we need. The words and love we are to share are God’s words and love. So, He encourages us not to fear earthly enemies, but to endure, and to continue Jesus’ ministry work in faith. He promises that those who endure, faithfully serving Him to the end of time, will be saved.
In the lesson from Romans 6, St. Paul urges those who have been joined to Jesus and set free from sin, to not return to sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. By the blood of Jesus, He calls us saints. We have been given freedom to live in God’s grace. But that freedom should not be interpreted as a license to keep sinning. Rather we are to turn from our disobedient thoughts and actions, and instead continue returning to Jesus. Jesus’ forgiveness and eternal life are free gifts to you that He paid for. Sin still often tangles up our ways, but Jesus leads us in the way of righteousness.
COLLECT: O gracious God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may love secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any questions about Sunday’s lessons or if you have any prayer requests. Your attendance in worship is an encouragement to me and to others. Invite your friends. God bless you. Pastor Boster
- Sunday June 7
Brothers and sisters, Greetings in the name of Jesus. According to the church calendar used by many congregations, we have entered the season after Pentecost. It is sometimes called the “green season” because the paraments are green. It is sometimes called the non-festival season as compared to the months that include celebrations like Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. The season extends to the last Sunday in November when we will begin a new church with Advent (unless Jesus returns before then). The Gospel lessons in the season after Pentecost tend to focus on Jesus’ ministry expanding and being conducted through His disciples and the Church.
Bible class meets at 9 am. We have just begun going through the Bible study recommended by Synod leaders in preparation for this summer’s National Convention. The theme of the convention is ‘Christ is Risen Indeed’ drawn from St. Paul’s assurance given in 1 Corinthians 15. This truth is a key component of the gospel message. I encourage you to attend the study. I think you will be edified by it.
On Sunday June 7, we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three starting on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #553 O Christ, Our Hope; #609 Jesus Sinners Doth Receive; #611 Chief of Sinners; #720 We Walk By Faith, and Not By Sight.
Scripture lessons that will be read are Psalm 119:65-72; Hosea 5:15-6:6; Romans 4:13-25; and Matthew 9:9-13.
To understand the point of Hosea 6, it helps to see it as a conversation alternating between God and the people of Israel. The prophet Hosea lived about the same time as the prophet Amos during the 8th century BC. God spoke through them to criticize the disobedient and idolatrous way the northern kingdom of Israel was living. The verses to be read Sunday begin with God threatening to abandon the people unless they acknowledge their guilt and repent. The people seem to respond having a conversation among themselves, inviting each other to return to God. One questions to be asked, do they mean it or are they simply looking for a quick way to avoid judgment? God questions their motives and tells them He is really wanting them to know Him and His ways, and not merely go through the motions of false piety. God does not like mere action, He is evaluating the attitude of our hearts.
In the lesson from Romans 4, St. Paul writes something similar. Having a right relationship with God is not based on our works, but on having faith in Jesus. Paul reinforces is argument by pointing to the example of Abraham who listened to God’s instruction, and believed God’s promises to him, and moved to a new country. God considered Abraham righteous, not because of his obedience, but because of the faith that led to obedience. It is a subtle point that many people have trouble understanding or applying. We are saved through faith in God’s promises, not because of our works.
In the gospel lesson, St. Matthew reports on how he was called to be a disciple, and how religious leaders criticized Jesus for befriending sinners. Jesus quotes from the prophecy given through Hosea, that God desires attitudes of mercy, not merely going through the motions of piety.
COLLECT: Almighty and most merciful God, You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and save the lost. Graciously open our ears and hearts to hear His call and follow Him by faith that we may feast with Him forever in His heavenly kingdom, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know when you would like to meet to discuss the new constitution. Let me know of any prayer requests or questions about the Scripture lessons. God bless you. Pastor Boster
- May 31 Service, Trinity Sunday
Brothers and sisters. This year’s Memorial Day weekend is behind us, and summer schedules are underway. I pray that you will agree that attending church is an essential part of that schedule.
May 31 is Trinity Sunday, a day that many in the Church will be reciting the Athanasian Creed as an attempt to explain the mystery of the Godhead, three Persons in one God.
During the service Sunday we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting Three beginning on page 184 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns chosen for the day are #506 Glory Be to God the Father; #498 Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest; #597 Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying; and #825 Rise, Shine, You People
Scripture lessons assigned to the day are Psalm 8; Genesis 1:1-2:4; Acts 2:14, 22-36; and Matthew 28:16-20. They will show the work of the
The lesson from Genesis 1 reveals how the world was created at God’s command. If we also consider John 1:1-3, we should recognize that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were each involved in creation. Though Scripture does make distinctions between the three Persons, their activities are intimately coordinated.
The lesson from Acts 2 shows the involvement of the Triune God in the salvation of mankind and the formation of the Church. Jesus, God the Son was crucified to redeem us; God the Holy Spirit was poured out on the earth to bring people to faith; God the Father has directed all of this so we would acknowledge and receive Jesus as our Lord. This is good news revealed throughout Scripture, including the words of King David. We are to live as a community created by God, redeemed by Jesus, enlightened and gathered by the Holy Spirit.
In the gospel lesson from Mattthew 28, Jesus is with His apostles before His ascension. The passage might be thought of as the beginning expansion from Jesus’ earthly ministry to the apostles and the Church. Some of them were still doubting the meaning of all Jesus had said and done. Jesus commissions them to spread the gospel, baptizing people and teaching them all He had commanded them. The name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is placed on those who are baptized. You are given the opportunity to participate in God’s mission to save people to heaven.
Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, since You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of the true faith, and to worship the true Unity in the power of Your divine majesty, keep us also steadfast in true faith and worship, and defend us from all our adversaries, For You, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or questions about the Scripture lessons. God bless you. Pastor Boster