Worship This Week

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Fourth Sunday in Advent

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: A Real Christmas Will Lift Up The Lowly By this time of the holiday season, people are often weighted down. They feel guilty about presents that are not perfect, or parties that did not go as planned, or year-end projects that did not get completed. To top it all off, now […]

Third Sunday in Advent

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: A Real Christmas Results In Great Joy Multiple studies have proven that the holiday season exacerbates mental health issues. For some, the pressure to have “a perfect Christmas” can be overwhelming. For others, their loneliness is amplified. Such people need a real Christmas, one that results in great joy. But joy […]

Second Sunday in Advent

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: A Real Christmas Is Rooted In Repentance The closer we get to Christmas, the greater the pressure. There is so much work to be done! We want our houses to look good for out-of-town guests. We want to impress people with the thoughtfulness of our gifts. What a welcome relief, therefore, […]

First Sunday in Advent

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: A Real Christmas Requires Remembering Why Christ Came It is easy to get so caught up in the imagery—a tiny newborn baby, lying in the straw filled manger under a star-filled sky—that we forget the why. Why did the Son of God come into our world and take on human flesh? […]

Last Sunday of the Church Year

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Live With Your Eyes On The Skies “Eyes on the prize.” That axiom stresses that when pursuing some good goal, focus is important. You don’t want distractions or a lack of self-discipline to keep you from obtaining whatever that prize might be. “Eyes on the prize.” You summon the willpower to […]

Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Live Free From The Fear Of Judgment Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) affects many millions of adults. It is more than shyness. SAD includes an acute fear of being judged. An individual with SAD struggles with everyday tasks like talking to people at work or school because he is terrified that he […]

Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Live A Life Of Startling Generosity Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that […]

All Saints’ Day (Observed)

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Live Knowing Life Only Gets Better “It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone who is having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there really are no guarantees that things […]

The Festival of the Reformation (Observed)

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Live A Life Of Courageous Witness Jesus repeatedly told his followers that living as his disciples would bring hardship. Living life according to God’s Law is going to make one appear odd in the eyes of the world, perhaps even evil. Sharing a message of mankind’s sin and God’s gracious salvation […]

Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost

by Jo Witt

Theme of the Day: Followers Of Christ Make Selfless Sacrifices “What’s in it for me?” It’s easy to look at life through the lens of that question, to make decisions based on perceived personal benefit. Perhaps at times we look at Christianity through that lens, wondering what we will gain from following Christ. “What’s in […]