The Christian Calendar on Friends

liturgy

Hasten, O God, to save me

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 18:1-33, Psalm 70:1, 4, Hebrews 4:16, John 15:13

Leader: Hasten, O God, to save me; People: come quickly, Lord, to help me. Psalm 70:1 Leader: may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; People: may those who long...

liturgy

Friends, the Lord is our strength

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 118:14

Friends, the Lord is our strength and our defense. He has become our salvation. In the life, death, and resurrection of His Holy One, the repercussions of our sin are shattered. We have been brought w...

liturgy

Loving God ~ Father, Son and Holy

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

James 1:17, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 15:13, John 14:27, Isaiah 40:31

Loving God ~ Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We are a people who are waiting: waiting to celebrate Messiah’s birth; waiting to see what this day–and every day–holds as Your blessings for us; and waiting ...

liturgy

A Blessing on Hope

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 16:1-16 , Psalm 130:5

Pastor: I wait for the Lord, People: and in His word I put my hope. Pastor: Now may the God who calls you “friend,” the Lord Almighty, bless you and direct your days and your deeds...

Quote

Author

Chris Seay

Keywords

We need to take time to connect with the poor, resist our unceasing cravings, and pray. But we also need to gather with friends and family, share in God's good provision, eat delicious food, tell ...

illustration

Mary & Eve

Author

Scott Erickson

Keywords

Christmas

Scripture

Genesis 3:15, Luke 1:38, Romans 5:19, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 2:34-35, Genesis 4:8, Colossians 1:19-20

I first encountered Mary and Eve by Sister Grace Remington at my friend’s house in Atlanta. It was hanging as a decoration in their bathroom, and I was stunned by its message. My friends may have been...

liturgy

Adapted from 1 John 4:7-16

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 4:7-16

“Dear friends, Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God…. This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his So...

blog

The Surprising Advent of the Trinity

Author

Bill Gaultiere

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Mark 1:10-11, John 10:29, Matthew 12:32, John 6:44, Luke 24:49, Acts 16:7, John 3:8, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:15, 1 Corinthians 12:13, John 17:22, Romans 8:11

Advent is a celebration of the coming of Christ — and the whole Trinity! I wonder if you’ve ever meditated on the Trinity? This has been one of the most important practices in my life. What a bles...

blog

Sacrificial Giving—Stories for Epiphany

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 2:null, Leviticus 12:null

The Strain of Time Time marches forward for all of us, doesn’t it? There are 365 days in the Gregorian calendar. There are 365 days in the Liturgical calendar. While the respective beginnings and en...

lectionary

New Year's Day

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-6a, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Preaching Commentary A New Heaven and a New Earth In this well-known passage from Revelation, John receives a vision of the New Heavens and New Earth that will come with the return of Jesus (The Se...

illustration

Longing for Eden

Author

Caroline Cobb

Keywords

In a letter to his son, J. R. R. Tolkien famously wrote, “We all long for [Eden], and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most humane, is...

blog

Good Friday | Psalm 22 | Forsaken and Alone

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 22:

Reflection The television series Alone follows ten individuals who are left to fend for themselves and by themselves in the wilderness. Now, these aren’t everyday individuals plucked from Main St...

blog

Where Is Jesus? A Question at the Heart of Advent

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 11:3

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” It’s a simple question. It’s also a question on everyone’s minds in the gospels. But it hits differently when you remember who asks i...

blog

Pentecost for the Rest of Us

Author

Jack Levison

Keywords

Pentecost

Scripture

Acts 2:1-41

Set Aside the Balloons, the Plastic Doves, and the Chips and Salsa for a Moment... When I arrived at church on Pentecost Sunday a few years ago, I sat down in the pews and looked up to see red and ...

blog

Last Minute Liturgy | Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Asking for a "Friend"... You are ready for Holy Week. You are probably reading this because you're already thinking about next year— you're just that organized and put together...

blog

An Invitation to an Unhurried Lent

Author

Alan Fadling

Keywords

Finding Grace in Lent The practice of Lent has become a place of grace for me over the last number of years. While some feel that Lent is a failure to recognize that our salvation is rooted in gr...

illustration

The Lowliest Tree

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:4-5, Luke 2:

God’s love for the vulnerable is beautifully portrayed in the beloved animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas . The climactic moment, when Linus walks into the spotlight with his blanket and r...

liturgy

Lord Jesus Christ, at your birth the

Author

Chip Hardwick

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:13-14, Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:8-20, Proverbs 16:18, John 12:43, Matthew 23:1-12, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Matthew 5:9, Luke 10:25-37, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 51:10, Luke 22:54-62, Psalm 46:10, Matthew 26:36-46, John 14:13-14

Lord Jesus Christ, at your birth the angels gave glory to God in the highest heaven, and offered peace on earth to all humankind. We struggle to follow the heavenly host. All too often we focus on giv...

liturgy

God of Truth and Grace—Father, Son and

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Palm Sunday

Scripture

Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:8-11, Luke 19:36-44, John 12:16-19

God of Truth and Grace—Father, Son and Holy Spirit: You are our strong Savior and humble King who comes not to intimidate but to love. Today we sing our Hosannas and wave our Palms. But tomorrow is Mo...

liturgy

The Lord calls us to examine the wounds

The Lord calls us to examine the wounds of the Risen One and to see there the depth of his love for us. Let us therefore approach the throne of God in confidence as we pray for the people of God in Ch...

blog

Between the Poles of Human Experience (Between Good Friday & Easter)

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 22:null

Some time back I had the thought that life, the Christian life, can be looked at through the two poles of Good Friday and Easter. While, of course, we would prefer to always be living an "Easter&...

blog

Light in the Wilderness, Making a Lenten Rock Garden

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Lent

A few years ago, some friends suggested creating a wilderness rock garden as a visual reminder of the Lenten season. I loved the idea and continue to use it year after year. USING YOUR WILDERNESS ...

illustration

The Great, Perfect Box

Author

Jerry Seinfeld

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 3:1-2, James 4:13-14, Job 14:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Philippians 3:13-14, Psalm 90:12

To me, if life boils down to one significant thing, it’s movement. To live is to keep moving. Unfortunately, this means that for the rest of our lives we’re going to be looking for boxes. When you’re ...

Quote

Author

Jack Levison

Keywords

Pentecost

There is a distinctive magic to Pentecost — full-blown ecstasy, an almost illicit experience of God. That first Pentecost, after tongues as of fire rested on everyone and Jesus’ friends and family spo...

illustration

Evil and Incarnation: Jesus Enters the World

Author

Thomas H. Troeger

Keywords

Several years ago near the start of Advent, I awoke to a television report of five people murdered in a fast-food restaurant, and later that same morning I opened my newspaper and read that two robber...

illustration

A Social Media Fast

Author

Marlena Graves

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 30:15

So in the last three years, in order to reorient myself and head back onto the narrow way, I’ve given up social media and/or the internet for Lent. At first it’s agonizing. I’m like a caffeine or nico...

illustration

Embracing the Call

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 1:23

So what did it mean for Joseph and Mary to accept the Word of the Lord, to say, “We embrace the call to receive this child. We will accept whatever comes with it”? What did it take for them to literal...

illustration

The Plane Is Coming

Author

Emily Hunter McGowin

Keywords

Scripture

John 3:16, James 1:17, Matthew 2:11, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Romans 12:10, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 5:2

In rural Msinga, a municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the highlight of Christmas Day festivities is when men, newly returned home from work in the big cities, gather to sing a...

liturgy

Father: Thank You for always being

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Psalm 34:14, Luke 15:20, Hebrews 4:14, Romans 6:4, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 25:4-5, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 41:10, John 14:13, James 1:5, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Habakkuk 3:2, Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Father: Thank You for always being ready to welcome us and listen to us. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior: born like us, experiencing all that we experience yet sinless, who d...

Quote

Author

J. F. Wilson

Keywords

Advent

Scripture

Luke 15:11-32, Psalm 136:1-3, Isaiah 9:2-7

Strange, this familiar Father of prodigals whose love, too much for one lifetime, wills that we shall share the feast of forgiveness and joy in the epilogue of eternity. Strange, this daily advent of ...

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