Friday, November 7, 2025

Saturday prior to Proper 27

2 Corinthians 12:9 -Matthew 8:23-27 - Our Hymn is “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.” (LSB #715). This background of our hymn written in 1870 lies in the work of Edward Hopper, during his ministry at the “Church of the Sea and the Land,” in New York. He was noted for his work among the sailors, to whom he devoted the last years of his ministry in the Presbyterian Church. In common with many hymns, “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” was first written as a poem. It was first published in The Sailor’s Magazine in 1871 and later came to be used in hymnals. The second stanza of the hymn suggests the miracle of Jesus calming the waves, when He was with His disciples on the sea. The way of life is compared to a voyage on the sea. There are great waves threatening to destroy, rocks upon which our ship may break. But the power of Jesus in our hearts can smooth the waters and carry us on to safety in the harbor of Heaven.

Collect for Saturday of the week of Pentecost 22: O God, who hast spoken unto us through the Scriptures of old, help us to speak o Thee, while we use these same Scriptures now. We could not know Thee, or address Thee, hadst Thou not revealed Thyself unto us; and the words which we now utter proceed from those which our fathers heard of old, and knew to be Thine own.. For these we give perpetual thanks; and we beseech Thee in Thy wisdom to make us wise regarding them, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Anonymous) [2]  



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] Collect for Saturday of the week of Pentecost 22, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY


 

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Friday prior to Proper 27

Luke 20:27-40 — Heaven lacks a number of things; no stress, no hunger, no tears. Best of all there is no cemetery there, because there is no need for one. Heaven is where the living God is and where His people live in and with Him. These people do not die but share eternal life with Christ. There is no death in heaven because God is a God only of the living as people live in and to God. (vs. 38)

The Sadducees, with the story of the woman who married the seven brothers, hoped that Jesus would say something that would contradict the Law of Moses about successive marriages; the implication was that the resurrection was inconsistent with the laws of Moses.

In the Matthew and Mark accounts of this circumstance Jesus is more severe with the Sadducees; “You are wrong…You know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” This is a strong rebuke of their spiritual ignorance.

Moses believed in the resurrection. Jesus quotes the passage in the burning bush incident when God identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and points out that God is not a God of the dead, but of the living. “God of the dead,” is a contradiction in terms. It is inconsistent with the nature of God.  

A  Post – Pentecost CollectLiving God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of Your grace to lay hold of Your promises and live forever in Your presence; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.[2]

Collect for Friday of the week of Pentecost 22: Redeem us o God, out of all our poor ways into Thine. Teach us Thy will for us by calling us back each day to the things which we know are most certainly true. Direct our lives by the constant pressure on them of other lives that have felt the touch of Thy hand and loved the beauty of Thy peace, until our faces be set toward Thee, and all our hope hid forever in Thine. For Jesus’ sake. Amen [3]



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

[3] Collect for Friday of the week of Pentecost 22, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY


 

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Thursday prior to Proper 27

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17— Paul wishes that God’s blessings may come to His people. In a day of discouragement, depression, and despair many feel there is no hope out of their troubles. Some consider themselves or others as hopeless. Hope disappears when we think that things will never improve. Are we doomed to things as they are? But, there is hope, for hope is not based on us or on the world but on God. Hope is a gift of God. If we go to God, we can have hope. For hope is ultimately based on God’s nature. In verse 16 two eternal truths are brought forward. God loves us in Christ and God has saved you through the grace of Christ.

Paul writes to encourage his readers as they face tribulation to remain courageous in their attitude and activity. The epistle is riddled with exhortations to “hang in there” and “Keep plugging.”

Note also the direction or shape of this reading; from general to particular, from large to small, from doctrine to practice, from justification to sanctification, from faith to good works. It begins with a brief review of basic Christian doctrine (Vv.13-14) then turns to the area of Christian behavior (Vv.15-17), then urges a specific Christian action; namely prayer. (3:1-2) The passage is shaped like a funnel or an inverted pyramid.

God of power and mercy, protect us from all harm. Give us freedom of spirit and health in mind and body to do Your work on earth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen [2]

Collect for Thursday of the week of Pentecost 22: Almighty God, Thou Who art the Protector of all who hope in Thee, without Whose grace no one is able to accomplish anything, nor is anything worthy in Thy sight. Let us richly experience Thy mercy so that through Thy holy inspiration we may think what is right and through Thy direction and action also accomplish the same; for Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord’s sake. Amen (Martin Luther) [3]



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House,

[3] Collect for Thursday of the week of Pentecost 20, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY


 

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Wednesday prior to Proper 27

Exodus 3:1-15 The Lord promises Moses to come down and to rescue His people. Notice in verse 12 the Lord promises I will be with you. The Hebrew word translated “I will be” is the same as the one translated “I am” in verse 14. The sign the Lord gives to Moses is a visible proof or guarantee that what God has promised He would surely fulfill.

Today you are invited to meet the risen Christ.  He comes to you as He has promised. He comes to you in those specific places where He has promise to be found. He comes to you in His Word, His meal, and in His promises.

On the road to Emmaus Jesus explains to the two bewildered disciples what the Old Testament taught concerning Himself. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” –Luke 24:27 Jesus pointed to the Old Testament Scriptures and interpreted them that showed He was to suffer, die and rise again. 

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” – Isaiah 53

This is what Paul preached to the church in Corinth. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4  

Your Lord Jesus is neither distant, isolated, nor far-off. He comes to you in the promises of His Word offering you His life in exchange for yours. As He walked with those Emmaus disciples and was welcomed into their home He has promised to be the ever-present yet unseen guest wherever you go.

Walk with your Savior has He has promised to come to your through His Word of forgiveness and life.  In His Word you will recognize Him. In His Word; proclaimed, taught, read and shared you will hear His voice offering your pardon and peace.

O Lord, we pray that the visitation of Your grace may so cleanse our thoughts and minds that Your Son Jesus, when He shall come, may find in us a fit dwelling place; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.[2]

Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 20: Father in heaven, the hand of your loving kindness powerfully yet gently guides all the moments of our day. Go before us in our pilgrimage of life, anticipate our needs and prevent our falling. Send your Spirit to unite us in faith, that sharing in your service, we may rejoice in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen [3]



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

[3] Collect for Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 20, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church., Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY


 

Monday, November 3, 2025

Tuesday prior to Proper 27

Psalm 148 — Let the angels praise God. Let the sun, moon and stars praise God. Let the heavens shout, Hallelujah! Everything that it owes praise to the Creator; the angels in heaven, sun, moon, and stars; nature, the deep, every creature on earth and all mankind.

Psalm 148 – Let Heaven and Earth Praise the LORD

Psalm 148 calls upon all creation to praise the LORD. What a wonderful song this is! Look over it again, and note the fact that there is no reference in it, from first to last, to the mercy, or pity, or compassion of God. But that is because there is no reference to evil in any form.

Psalm 148 continues a line of thought which runs through Scripture from its first page to its last – namely, that, as man’s sin subjected the creatures to ‘vanity,’ so his redemption shall be their glorifying.

This call to all creation to praise the LORD is not an empty wish. Revelation 5:11-13 tells us specifically that it will be fulfilled. Oh what a hymn of praise is here! It is a universal chorus! All created nature have a share, and all perform their respective parts.[2]

Collect for Psalm 148: God Most High, by your Word you created a wondrous universe, and through your Spirit, you breathed into it the breath of life. Accept creation’s hymn of praise from our lips, and let the praise that is sung in heaven resound in the heart of every creature on earth, to the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.[3] Amen

Collect for All Saints Day: O Almighty God, who has knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who with Thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.[4]



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-148/

[3] Collect for Psalm 148, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

[4] Ibid Collect for All Saints Day


 

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Monday prior to Proper 27

Psalm115:2-4, 8, 17-18 antiphon, Psalm 115:11—In the Introit for Sunday, we pray, You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. We trust in God because He holds Himself to His Word. We trust in Him because He has proven Himself to be faithful; faithful to His Word, faithful to His promises, faithful to His people.

Psalm 115 – The Lord our Help and Our Shield

Psalm 115 is a continuation of the collection of the Egyptian Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) sung by the Jews during their Passover celebrations. It therefore makes up part of the hymns which would have been sung by Jesus and His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, the night before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26). It is especially meaningful to consider this psalm in the heart and on the lips of Jesus during those great moments.

Regarding the structure of this psalm, the opinion of the majority of scholars is that the psalm is liturgical, intended to be sung by alternating groups of worshipers: the priests, the high priest, the people, and so on.[2]

The goodness and greatness of God are brought out in the lessons for next Sunday. According to the Gospel (Luke 20:27-40) we serve an eternal God - A God of the living. God is eternal life and all who live in Him have this life. His glory is seen in His conquest of death. In the Old Testament lesson (Exodus 3:1-15) Moses encounters the living Lord through the burning bush. The bush is on fire yet is not consumed. Moses is commanded to take off his sandals for he is standing on holy ground. In the Epistle (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17) God is a faithful God a God of steadfast love. The days are getting shorter. The end of the church year is approaching. We are in the midst of harvest. The eternal and faithful Lord has prepared for Himself a harvest of souls. Will you be numbered with His saints? Our good and gracious God has a destiny for you. He is the God of glory.[3]

Collect for Psalm 115: Lord God, creator and ruler of the universe, you have entrusted the care of the earth to its people. Grant that your children, surrounded by signs of your presence, may live continually in Christ, praising you through him and with him, now and forever, Amen.[4]

Collect for Reformation: Almighty God, Who, through the preaching of Thy servants, the blessed Reformers, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine forth; Grant, we beseech Thee, that, knowing its saving power, we may faithfully guard and defend it against all enemies, and joyfully proclaim it, to the salvation of souls and the glory of Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Amen-[5]



[1] Image of the cross, © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[3] Lectionary Summary LCMS Commission on worship

[4] Collect for Psalm 115, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

[5]Ibid,  Collect for Reformation


 

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Proper 27 Series C study notes


Proper 27 Series C
(November 6 -12) 

Exodus 3:1–15
2 Thessalonians 2:1–8, 13–17
Luke 20:27–40

The Triune God Curbs Evil and Overcomes Death with Resurrection

Christians live as “sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), for the Lord our God “is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20:38). “Those who deny that there is a resurrection” (Luke 20:27) neither know the Scriptures nor the power of God, but the baptized faithful know “that the dead are raised” (Luke 20:37). For the Lord, who was, and is and is to come, knows Israel’s sufferings and has “come down to deliver them” (Exodus 3:8). Moses reveals the name of Yahweh to God’s chosen people, by which He is “remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:15). In contrast to that sacred remembrance of His name, St. Paul warns against the antichrist, who “takes his seat in the temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). That lawless man preaches and practices the activity of Satan. Christians, however, are comforted by the coming of the Lord Jesus, who slays the antichrist and refutes his false doctrine “with the breath of his mouth” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). By His preaching, “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Hear, receive and believe God’s promise of love, comfort and good hope.

----

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

Luke 20:27

Προσελθόντες δέ τινες τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, οἱ [a]ἀντιλέγοντες ἀνάστασιν μὴ εἶναι, ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν

There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

Luke 20:28

λέγοντες· Διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν, ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ ἔχων γυναῖκα, καὶ οὗτος ἄτεκνος [b]ᾖ, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ. 

 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man[a] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

Luke 20:29

ἑπτὰ οὖν ἀδελφοὶ ἦσαν· καὶ ὁ πρῶτος λαβὼν γυναῖκα ἀπέθανεν ἄτεκνος· 

Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children.

Luke 20:30

καὶ [c]ὁ δεύτερος

And the second 

Luke 20:31

καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἔλαβεν [d]αὐτήν, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ οὐ κατέλιπον τέκνα καὶ ἀπέθανον·

 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.

Luke20:32

 ὕστερον [e]καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἀπέθανεν. 

Afterward the woman also died.

Luke 20:33

[f]ἡ γυνὴ οὖν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τίνος αὐτῶν γίνεται γυνή; οἱ γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἔσχον αὐτὴν γυναῖκα.

In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

Luke 20:34

 [g]Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσιν καὶ [h]γαμίσκονται, 

 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,

Luke 20:35

οἱ δὲ καταξιωθέντες τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου τυχεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε [i]γαμίζονται·

but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,

Luke 20:36

[j]οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀποθανεῖν ἔτι δύνανται, ἰσάγγελοι γάρ εἰσιν καὶ υἱοί [k]εἰσιν θεοῦ τῆς ἀναστάσεως υἱοὶ ὄντες. 

for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons[b] of the resurrection.

Luke 20:37

ὅτι δὲ ἐγείρονται οἱ νεκροὶ καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐμήνυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου, ὡς λέγει κύριον τὸν θεὸν Ἀβραὰμ [l]καὶ θεὸν Ἰσαὰκ [m]καὶ θεὸν Ἰακώβ·

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

Luke 20:38

θεὸς δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων, πάντες γὰρ αὐτῷ ζῶσιν. 

Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” 

Luke 20:39

ἀποκριθέντες δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων εἶπαν· Διδάσκαλε, καλῶς εἶπας· 

Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”

Luke 20:40

οὐκέτι [n]γὰρ ἐτόλμων ἐπερωτᾶν αὐτὸν οὐδέν.

For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

_________________

Lutheran Sr. Care
Proper 27
Hope in the Resurrection
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Today we remember the importance of trusting in Jesus above all things. We may not know all the details of His return. But we can certainly count on it. 

We know that He died and rose again. He loves us. And redeems us. And we can hang our hopes on Him!

Law/Gospel Theme: Some might worry over the thought of Christ’s return. They might become nervous over how we have acted or lived. 

The comforting and beautiful thought we should focus on, though, is that Jesus loves us. We don’t know when He will return. But we can be confident that our sins are covered and that He keeps all His promises.

Prayer: Living Lord, Your almighty power is made known chiefly by showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of Your grace to lay hold of Your promises and live forever in Your presence; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God. Now and forever.

Hymn: Jesus loves me

Confession/Absolution:
LORD - we pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins. Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father. 

In Your compassion forgive us our sins. Known and unknown. Things done. And left undone. 

And so uphold us by Your Spirit. That we may live and serve you in newness of life. To the honor and glory of Your Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on you. Forgive you all your sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

And may He strengthen you in all goodness. And by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things?

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word

Hymn: Just As I am

When is Jesus coming back? In the Bible, we read that He is returning someday “soon.” But that was over two thousand years ago. That old song sings, “Soon and very soon we shall see the King.”  

But what is soon? To some “soon” might mean in a few seconds. 
For others, “soon” might mean later today. Still others think that “soon” means whenever we get around to it. 

Soon” is just a matter of time. 

People still want to know. When will Jesus come again? And what will it be like? 

This is another thing that we just don’t know for sure. People throughout history have claimed to know the day of Christ’s return. 

They might have speculated on the details. But the fact is, Jesus Himself said that “no one knows.” And if Jesus has said, “No one knows.” Then we must remember that no one knows when Jesus will return.
 
The apostle Paul warned the people that there would be people claiming to know the Day of the Lord. Or the hour of Christ’s return. Or that no one really knew what it was. 

Paul warned the people to focus not on what was uncertain. But on the truths that they did know for certain. The same is true for us!
Even though we don’t know the details of when or how Jesus will come back. 

And even if there are a lot of things that can be confusing to consider, we know without a doubt that Jesus loves us and cares for us. 

We know that Jesus came to Earth. We know that He lived among us. We know that He died for our sins. And we know that Jesus came back to life on that Easter Day! 

We know that He calls us to live in His presence. And serve Him. 
So no matter what else comes along. We can certainly hope in the truth of His resurrection. 

God kept His promise to send a savior. Someday, He will keep His promise to return. 

Meanwhile. We can live in His presence and count on Him always!

Prayer: Thank you, LORD for Your words and promises. Thank you for sending Jesus. Help us to trust in you. Even when we don’t understand things. Thank you for your love and care.

Children’s Sermon Object Lesson on Hope in the Resurrection 2 Thessalonians 2 | PDF Sunday School Works! © Ministry to Children