From Pastors Pen…
Lectionary Series
The Season of Epiphany – the Season of Discovery – is coming to a close.
We have St Petr’s epiphany he declared that Jesus was the Christ. [Mark 8:27-35]. We’ve witnessed Saul’s epiphany when he herd the voice, the word of Jesus while on the road to Damascus, and his conversion to St Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. [Acts 9:1-22] And as is appropriate, we have had our own epiphanies listening to God’s Word, confessing our faith and our conversions from lost sinners to redeemed Christians. And now the Season of Lent looms in the not so distant future – a season of self-examination and repentance. What have we learned about ourselves, about our walk together as Christians, as people of faith?
In these often chaotic times with so many loud voices screaming for our attention, we need to listen to the Lord’s whisper [I Kings 19:12] and see what it truly means to be a Christian in today’s world. What does it mean to be a Christian? What it has always meant – to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior; to say ‘yes’ to His will for our lives. However, at the same time, being a Christian is also saying ‘no.’ Lutheran Pastor and Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer [1906-1945], martyr of the Church during a difficult time in history, explained: “Your ‘yes’ to God requires your ‘no’ to all injustice, to all evil, to all lies, to all oppression and violation of the weak and poor.” [The Cost of Discipleship]
What an epiphany. What a time to repent.
February Lectionary
Feb 1 + Epiphany IV Micah 6:1-8 I Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-11
Sermon; “We Preach Christ Crucified” _ Pastor Albrechtsen on I Corinthians 1:18-31
We preach Christ crucified. Why is the word of the cross so offensive? Because it goes against our grain to have to admit that we need the Son of God dying on a cross to put us right with God. We don’t think we’re that bad that we need such a solution. We’d rather do it ourselves–if indeed we even think we need saving. But we do.
Feb 8 + Epiphany V Isaiah 58:3-9 I Corinthians 2:1-12 | Matthew 5:13-20
Sermon: “Salt & Light” – Pastor Albrechtsen on Matthew 5:13-20
Are you Salt, or maybe Light, or maybe both? To live as salt of the earth and light of the world is to know our deepest, truest, and most authentic self. It is the life we long for and the life God desires us to have. It is both who we are and how we are to be. That’s why Jesus is so adamant that we not lose our saltiness and we not hide our light.
Feb 15 + Transfiguration Exodus 24:8-18 II Peter 1:16-21 | Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon: “Best Picture Goes to…” – Pastor Albrechtsen on Matthew 17:1-9
The Academy Award presentation is coming to a TV near you. Who wins Best Picture? The picture we see at the Transfiguration had its share of special effects–lighting, sound, and so on. And there were a couple of guest stars making a cameo appearance–Moses and Elijah. But clearly the leading man in this story is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is the star shining most brightly. Who Jesus is revealed to be and what he’s about to do for us from this point on–that is why Jesus is the one who makes the Transfiguration the Best Picture you’ll see today.
Feb 18 + Ash Wednesday Joel2:12-19 II Corinthians 5:20-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Sermon: “How’s Your Soul?” – Pastor Albrechtsen on Matthew 6:1- 6,16-21
How’s your soul? As we begin the season of Lent, this is the question that confronts us. We start a 40 day period of time, not including Sundays, that is designed to be an intense time of self-reflection. Lent seeks to strip us down, remove those distractions in our lives, and helps us focus our attentions on what really matters in our lives – the very condition of our souls.
Feb 22 + Lent I Genesis 3:1-12 Romans 5:12-19 | Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon: “If You are the Son of God…” – Pastor Albrechtsen on Matthew 4:1-11
With the temptation of Christ, the devil is trying to divert and distract Jesus from carrying out the mission on which He was sent, which is to go to the cross for our salvation. If the devil can divert Jesus right at the outset of His ministry, so much the better. That’s what this is about: to see what kind of a Son Jesus will be. Thank God, Jesus passed the test.
What is the Lectionary?
“Lectionary: is the term used broadly to refer to any book of biblical passages used for liturgical celebration, such as Sunday worship services. The individual readings are also known by the Greek technical term pericope. The history of the evolution of the pericopal system is complicated.
Early Christian Use of the Scriptures.
References found in the Acts of the Apostles attest to regular Sabbath readings that were firmly established and practiced wide-spread: For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every Sabbath in the synagogues (Acts 15:21). Further references within the New Testament show early Christian use of the Hebrew Scriptures in worship, especially the Psalms (see Ephesians 5:18–20; Colossians 3:16).
Scripture was also read for community edification and instruction (see 1 Timothy 4:13). The first evidence of fixed readings for liturgy is related to the development of the liturgical year and to a lesser degree, the local church in which the liturgy was celebrated. The introduction of annual feasts, seasons, and commemoration of martyrs, is correlated to specially selected Biblical books and fixed passages that were deemed appropriate to the celebration. This evolved in the One-Year Lectionary commonly used in the Church prior to Vatican II.
Modern Lectionary Systems
After the Second Vatican Council of 1962–1965, an arrangement was introduced by which the readings on Sundays and on some principal feasts recur in a three-year cycle, with four passages from Scripture (Old Testament, Epistle, Gospel and the Psalms ). This revised Lectionary, covered much more of the Bible than the readings in the One-Year Lectionary, which repeats itself each year The Revised Common Lectionary was derived from the Roman Lectionary for use in Protestant Churches, including the Lutheran Church.
The Lectionary sets the tone for each Sunday, Feast and Special Occasion within the Church Year – Advent through Pentecost. Typically the Old Testament or First Reading compliments the Gospel reading. The Epistle readings are devised to work through entire letters from the Apostles throughout the Church Year. With the use of the Lectionary throughout our Churches we experience an additional depth of fellowship with our Confessional brothers and sisters.
Every month the appointed Lectionary readings for each Sunday will be posted so that worshipers may further prepare for Sunday service. The title and lectionary source for that week’s sermon will also be posted [see above].