In order to encourage and strengthen our confidence that the message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is true and that it can deliver what it promises, Jesus twice connected physical signs to his spoken words. He connected water to his promise of life and, right before he died, he took the simple elements of bread and wine and bound them to the promise of the forgiveness of our sin.
Like the blind man in today's story, Jesus heals our blindness and invites us to see things differently. Then we hear the most sublime words imaginable, “Go, wash.” And, as the cool and refreshing waters of life wash over us – those baptismal waters in which we daily live – our eyes and our hearts are opened to behold the living Christ, standing as the chains of death and hell lay broken at his feet. There is no other response than to raise our voice and cry out at last, “Lord! I believe!”
This is a special musical performance of Lonesome Valley by the Chancel Choir of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
This is a special musical performance of Were You There by the Joyful Noise Children's Choir of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
This is a special musical performance of He's My Best Friend by the Joyful Noise Children's Choir of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
Matthew and Luke’s gospels tell us that the followers of Jesus asked him how to pray. In answer, Jesus taught them to pray and he did this by offering a prayer we call the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer not only teaches how to pray, it opens us to the things for which Christ would have us pray. The Lord’s Prayer is divided into sections. It begins with an introduction, followed by seven petitions, then ends with a doxology.
What is keeping you from living into the fullness of life God desires for you? Jesus invites you to come to the well of living water and discover that the God of the universe accepts you as you are. Come and meet the one who knows you inside and out and loves you anyway. Come and meet the one who will teach you what life is really about. Come and meet the one who will quench your burning thirst with living water. Come and meet the one who bathes you in healing water, showers you with love and forgiveness and sets you free! You do not have to hide any longer. Come, meet this Jesus who loves you so much he will go to the cross for you. Come, live into the life God calls you to live, life that truly matters. And, yes, this life is all gift!!!
This is special performance of Living Water by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir.
This is a special presentation of Let Us Break Bread Together by the Faith Bells.
The Apostles’ creed ends where it begins – with the gift of abundant life. As creator, God gave us life as a sheer gift. As redeemer, Jesus Christ took our lives from the clutches of sin. As Spirit, God ushers us into a community of faith where life is lived to the fullest (even in the midst of suffering and death) and where the promise of endless new life is ever before us.
There is a deep, gnawing hunger for love and there is a deep, gnawing hunger for God in our culture and in the world. And, the good news is that, in the person of Jesus, we discover a God who loves this broken, God-hating world and our very broken selves so deeply that no one can escape God’s all-encompassing, unconditional love.
This is a special performance by the Flutes of Faith, as they perform the Sonata in E Minor Movement One by Bach at the Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
This is a special performance of Sonata in F minor, Adante, Allegro by G.P. Telemann, performed by Sam Kadrofske on the Euphonium at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
At first the Ten Commandments might sound like a fistful of harsh “Thou shalt nots.” But, the truth is these ten words are truly gift and through them God promises grace and every good thing to all those who keep these commandments. Read them and remember, we are to love and trust God and gladly act according to God’s commands.
This is a special musical performance by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir of Nearer My God, To Thee by John Gardner.
This is a sermon based on Matthew 4: 1-11, the temptation of Christ.
Lent is about peeling away the layers of insulation and anesthesia which keep us from the truth of God’s promises. It is a time of self-reflection, sacrificial giving and prayer as we make our way through the tangled mess of our lives. It is a time when we can trudge through the lies of our death-defying culture and remember the truth about who we really are – God’s beloved children. It is a time when we can let go of defending and self-justifying ourselves. It is a time when can reflect upon the truth that we are very broken but we are also blessed and beloved of God.