God’s mercy is enormous: the Bible describes His forgiving of our sins in many ways. Ways that deal thoroughly with the sin that so easily clings to us.
Scriptures
- Micah 7:18-20
Tag: Worship (Page 12 of 28)
ANNOUNCEMENT
On Friday, April 7, 2023, at 7:00 PM, we will worship and “celebrate” Good Friday with a form of a “Service of Darkness.”
It will be a meaningful, but difficult service. We pray you will attend.
RECORDING
More information on “Good Friday” and a “Service of Darkness” from
lifebridgesealy.com/ministries/worship/good-friday/.
“Good Friday.” Such a strange name for the day when the innocent Savior of humanity and God’s Son died horribly. Yet, for us, the day marks a pivotal event in history. A holy and unbelievable imbalanced exchange: His perfection and innocence for our sins and guilt.
And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.
Matthew 27:29-31
Lord, have mercy!
And He did. Have mercy. For us. When we were still in sin and rebellion.
We worship and “celebrate” this event and exchange with a form of a “Tenebrae” service. Tenebrae means “darkness” and the service takes its name from the ceremony of extinguishing the worship candles in such a way that the Church is gradually cast into darkness, except for the light of a single candle. The focus of the Tenebrae is the consequence of sin and the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice. The worship ends in darkness and silence, symbolizing our Savior’s death upon the cross. The single candle symbolizes the hope of our Savior’s resurrection. At the completion of the Tenebrae service, the worshipers are asked to leave in silence, in order to maintain the spirit of the Good Friday commemoration of our Savior’s crucifixion.
Experience the depth of God’s love for you on Good Friday so that you can sour with the news of His resurrection on Easter Sunday!
You will be blessed.
Other Posts Dealing with Good Friday
GOOD FRIDAY, 2025 — Reparation
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
GOOD FRIDAY, 2024 — Evil Friday is Also Good Friday
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
GOOD FRIDAY, 2023 — Jesus’ Love and the Meaning of Life
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
GOOD FRIDAY, 2022 — LOVE through DEATH
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
GOOD FRIDAY, 2021
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
April 10, 2020 — Good Friday Worship
Human Trafficking seeks to make victims less than others, but ALL are created in God’s image and worthy of dignity and respect!
GOOD FRIDAY, 2020
‘Good Friday” worship on Friday, April 10, 2020, at 7:00 PM. Join us.
GOOD FRIDAY, 2019
‘Good Friday” – the day Jesus died, is the pivotal point in human history; where God laid the sins of the world upon His Son for our sake. Jesus bore…
In his great love, God’s Spirit richly and repeatedly bestows His forgiveness through diverse means of grace.
Scriptures
- Luke 24:44-49
In his great love, Christ redeemed me not with gold or silver but with his precious blood.
Scriptures
- 1 Peter 1:13-21
As we are at the beginning of our Lenten journey with our new series, “O LOVE, How Deep, How Broad, How High,” we look today upon His great love and how through it, He richly provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. (Meaning to the First Article of the Apostles Creed.)
Scriptures
- Matthew 6:25-34
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
How amazing would it have been to see and experience Moses on the mountain with God and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration? God being present is such a real way with people.
Yet Jesus promises that He is with us always to the very end of the age and that the Holy Spirit dwells within us!
You can’t get any closer than that!
Wherever we go and in whatever God has Called us to do, He is truly, really, and fully joining us!
How wonderful! How amazing! How comforting!
NOTE: Due to Internet connectivity issues that seem to have affected the area, no live-stream/recording was possible for today!
We are making arrangements for future services to be recorded so they can be uploaded later, should similar issues plague us in the future.
Our apologies!
Scriptures
- Exodus 24:8-18
- Matthew 17:1-9
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Last week we discussed growing in our faith and life. One of the primary ways we grow is through instruction.
It is no different for us as Christians.
So how are we instructed?
By being in His Word and listening to the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. If we listen to the same lessons and read the same words, but learn nothing in the process, we are not being faithful disciples. We are not being who God Calls us to be.
“Lord, send us Your Spirit and teach us today!”
Scriptures
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
- Matthew 5:21-37
Our sermon series for the Lenten season is, “O LOVE, How Deep, How Broad, How High.” It is based upon a series by the same name ©2021, by The Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (used with permission).
In this series we will explore the vastness of God’s love for His people, the lengths that He went through to assure our presence with Him eternally, and how that love affects us and our living.
I hope you’ll join us!
Join us on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022, at 7:00 PM for Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes.
O LOVE, How Deep, How Broad, How High
“High Love, Down in the Dust”
Though we are but dust, God has loved us greatly, knowing from the beginning that our creation would cost him the suffering and death of His beloved Son.
- Genesis 2:7-9
- Genesis 3:17-24
The purpose of repentance is not to be swallowed up by guilt. It is to be freed from a dark and destructive direction by God’s wakening Word, and to be sent on a new path by the sin-conquering Savior. It’s what we all need.
THE REV. MIKE NEWMAN
PRESIDENT OF THE TEXAS DISTRICT OF THE LC-MS
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our Lenten journey, which culminates on Easter Sunday with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.
On that night at worship we mark our foreheads with an ash cross and, as that cross is marked, we are reminded of our sins. As we are marked by Jesus’ sacrifice; we are drawn to the realization that “[we] are dust, and to dust [we] shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
On Ash Wednesday and throughout the season of Lent, we also focus on our sins, on repentance, and on our broken world; seeing how we and all of creation has fallen far short of God’s intention and glory.
But we do not despair because we look to the certain hope that is ours through the forgiveness of our sins given to us freely by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES
Everything we experience in life is
finite and temporal, including our own lives. As the Scripture reports, we came
from the dust of the ground and we will return to the dust of the ground. (Genesis 3:19 & Ecclesiastes 3:20)
For many centuries the use of ashes has symbolized repentance. Imposing ashes in the form of a cross on the forehead of the worshipper on Ash Wednesday is a vivid reminder that such a person has been redeemed by Christ the Crucified. It is a symbol, not primarily of our sins, but upon the forgiveness of them through faith in Jesus.
As Ash Wednesday is a somber time as we remember that Jesus willingly suffering and death come as a result of our sins and His love. As such, at the conclusion of worship that day, we exit the church in silence.
“Repentance slays selfish pride, turns us from sin’s siren call, quiets arrogant arguments, tames out-of-control egos, pulls us back from distraction, leads us to restoration of relationships, places us on the pathway of walking with God, and restores our hearts with compassion and grace.
We need this personally. We need this as schools and congregations. We need this as a District. We need this as a Synod. We need this as Christ’s Church.”
The Rev. Mike Newman
President of the Texas District of the LC-MS
Posts About Ash Wednesday Worship
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2025
Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2024
Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2023
Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
You Will Be Satisfied
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt…
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2022
Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2021
Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 7:00 PM.
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2020 — Ashes & the Freedom Found in Jesus
Come to our Ash Wednesday service for ashes, prayer, worship, and most of all, God’s Grace!
ASH WEDNESDAY, 2019 — Ashes, Repentance, & the Passion of Jesus
Come to our Ash Wednesday service for ashes, prayer, worship, and most of all, God’s Grace!
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
God Calls us where we are in life, wherever and whenever that may be.
But He doesn’t want us to stay there.
He Calls us to draw closer to Him. He Calls us to grow in our faith and living. He Calls us to move from where we are to a place as close to perfection as possible this side of eternity. He Call us to a sanctified life!
May we continue to grow in our faith and life as we follow Jesus!
Scriptures
- Isaiah 58:6-9
- Matthew 5:17-20
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Humility is necessary for a disciple of the Lord.
If we lift ourselves up we are not lifting Jesus up. If we believe too much in ourselves, we are not believing in Jesus.
When we humble ourselves before God and others and lift Jesus, His will is accomplished and people are saved.
And that’s what’s really important!
Join us as we explore more!
Scriptures
- Micah 6:6-8
- 1 Corinthians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 1:22-31
Coming off the high of the 10th Anniversary celebration (what an awesome day!), it’s easy to ask, “what now”?
But Pastor Popovits gave us some truths that deserve further exploration.
He mentioned that those God Calls and sends, He
- humbles,
- sanctifies,
- instructs, and
- joins.
Those will be our themes for the next four weeks as we close out the season of Epiphany!
Join us as we explore together, “Those Whom God Calls!”
January 29 through February 19, 2023.
