From the empty tomb to the promise of eternity, the Easter season traces the unfolding victory of Jesus Christ and what it means for His people today. Beginning with the resurrection, where Christ conquers sin, death, and the grave, we follow the risen Lord as He brings peace to the fearful, restores the broken, and sends His Church into the world with His Gospel. Week by week, we are reminded that our hope is not temporary but anchored in the promise that Christ is making all things new, leading us toward the day when sorrow, death, and suffering will be no more. Until then, we live as people of the resurrection, strengthened by His Word, sustained by His grace, and confident in the life that is to come.
Easter(Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6
Epistle Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:1-10
Worship Service
April-5-2026
Pastor Eric Klemme centers the sermon on the apostle Paul’s exhortation to set our minds on “things above,” emphasizing that because believers have died and risen with Christ, their true life and citizenship are in heaven, not in the fleeting concerns of this world. He contrasts the consuming anxieties of earthly life, such as finances, relationships, politics, and legacy, with the eternal hope secured through Christ’s resurrection, arguing that all temporal pursuits ultimately fade into insignificance in light of eternal life. Klemme underscores the inevitability of physical death while affirming the Christian’s confidence in bodily resurrection, which transforms even funerals into proclamations of Easter hope rather than despair. He warns that losing focus on Christ leads to spiritual stagnation and declining mission within the church, urging believers instead to remain rooted in Christ through Word and Sacrament, which alone provide the power, love, and discipline necessary for faithful living. The sermon concludes with a call to daily reorientation toward Christ, acknowledging human weakness while encouraging continual repentance and reliance on God’s grace to keep hearts and minds fixed on what is eternal.
7th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
1 Jun 2025
6th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
25 May 2025
5th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
18 May 2025
4th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
11 May 2025
3rd Sunday After Easter (Series C)
4 May 2025
2nd Sunday After Easter (Series C)
27 Apr 2025
Easter (Series C)
20 Apr 2025
7th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 1:12-26
Epistle Reading: Revelation 22:1-6, 12-20
Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26
Pastor Klemme focused on God’s Word as our ultimate source of truth in a world filled with doubt, deception, and broken promises. Unlike human words, God’s Word is sure, unchanging, and trustworthy. Through Revelation, we are given glimpses of our final destination—the New Jerusalem, where God dwells with His people. There, hunger, thirst, suffering, and death will be no more. The river of life and the tree of life testify to eternal restoration, healing for the nations, and life forever with God.
Pastor emphasized that the sacraments—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper—give us a foretaste of this eternal feast. These means of grace strengthen faith, remind us of forgiveness, and equip us for the Christian life. The sermon also warned against false teachers and the distortion of God’s Word. Jesus promises, “I am coming soon”—not a cause for fear or doom, but for hope and longing. The Church’s response is the prayer of all believers: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
6th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 16:9-15
Epistle Reading: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27
Gospel Reading: John 16:23-33
Pastor Klemme continued the Easter series through Revelation, showing that it is not a book of doom or apocalypse but of gospel hope and assurance. Revelation reveals our story—creation, the fall into sin, our slavery to sin and death, and God’s deliverance through Jesus Christ.
Through His death and resurrection, Christ has redeemed us, marking us in Baptism as His own. Revelation 21 offers a glimpse of our true “final destination”—the New Jerusalem, the shining eternal city where God dwells with His people. This city is built on the foundations of the apostles and opened by the gates of the tribes of Israel, showing God’s fulfilled covenant in Christ. Unlike the world’s “final destination” of death and destruction, our citizenship is in this eternal city of life and light.
Jesus never promised ease in this life—in fact, He promised tribulation—but He also promised peace and victory: “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” Revelation assures us that Satan and evil will be cast into eternal death, but God’s people will live forever in His presence, with no hunger, thirst, suffering, or memory of sin and sorrow. The New Jerusalem shines with the light of Christ, needing no sun or moon, and its gates never close because no evil may enter. In that city, God will dwell with His people, making all things new and removing every trace of the old order of pain, injustice, and death.
6th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 16:9-15
Epistle Reading: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27
Gospel Reading: John 16:23-33
Pastor Eric Klemme emphasizes that Revelation reveals the victorious ascended Christ who alone has authority to unfold God’s saving plan and bring His people into a completely new creation. Rather than describing a refurbished world or sensational end-times destruction, Scripture proclaims that God will make all things entirely new through the finished work of Jesus, who conquered sin, death, and Satan on the cross. Humanity, unable to restore paradise or stand before God by its own efforts, is redeemed solely through Christ’s incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection. Through Baptism and the means of grace, believers already receive forgiveness, new spiritual life, and a foretaste of the eternal victory feast. Revelation therefore serves as gospel encouragement, assuring Christians that their true citizenship is in the heavenly Jerusalem where God will dwell with His people forever, remove all suffering, and wipe away every tear. This promise strengthens believers to live in hope, confident that in Christ they are already a new creation destined for eternal life.
6th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 16:9-15
Epistle Reading: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27
Gospel Reading: John 16:23-33
Pastor Eric Klemme proclaims that Revelation offers believers a comforting glimpse of Christ’s victory and their secure place in His flock. Interpreting the symbolic imagery of Revelation 7, he explains that the sealing of the 144,000 represents the fullness of Old Testament believers, while the countless multitude in white robes reflects the New Testament Church from every nation, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. The tribulation described in Scripture is not merely a future event but the present reality of life in a fallen world, where sin has corrupted creation and removed true safety and peace. Yet Christ, the Good Shepherd, continues to serve and protect His people through His Word and Sacraments, giving them new life in Baptism and sustaining them with the promise of eternal life. Believers are encouraged to remain attentive to the Shepherd’s voice amid false teachings and worldly dangers, trusting that nothing can snatch them from Christ’s hand. Revelation thus strengthens Christians with the assurance that they will dwell forever in God’s presence, where suffering ends and every tear is wiped away.
4th Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 20:17-35
Epistle Reading: Revelation 7:9-17
Gospel Reading: John 10:22-30
Pastor Eric Klemme presents Revelation 5 as a powerful vision of Christ’s ascension from the heavenly perspective, revealing Jesus as the conquering hero who alone has authority to unfold God’s saving plan. The symbolic imagery of the slain Lamb with perfect power, knowledge, and presence shows that the risen Christ shares fully in the divine nature and is uniquely worthy to open the scroll of Scripture, which tells the story of creation, fall, redemption, and final restoration. Through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Jesus has made believers a kingdom of priests who proclaim His Word, announce forgiveness, and live as heirs of the eternal kingdom. The worship of heaven — led by the evangelists, the whole Church, and ultimately all creation — offers a foretaste of the Church’s final triumph and mission in the world. Revelation therefore encourages Christians to remain faithful in their calling, confident that their true citizenship is in the new creation where they will reign with Christ forever.
3rd Sunday After Easter (Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 9:1-22
Epistle Reading: Revelation 5:1-14
Gospel Reading: John 21:1-19
Pastor Eric Klemme proclaims that the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the essential foundation of the Christian faith, for without it there is no forgiveness, no victory over death, and no hope beyond mere moral teaching. Drawing from the account of Jesus appearing to His fearful disciples and later to Thomas, he emphasizes the abundance of eyewitness testimony that confirms Christ’s resurrection as an objective reality rather than myth or wishful thinking. Jesus brings His peace to troubled hearts, breathes the Holy Spirit upon His followers, and commissions them to proclaim the Gospel so that others may believe and have life in His name. Through the means of grace — the Word and Sacraments — the Holy Spirit continues to create faith in those who have not seen the risen Lord. The sermon highlights how this certainty transformed the apostles from fearful individuals into bold witnesses who rejoiced even in suffering for Christ. Christians today share in that same mission and confidence, knowing their true citizenship is in Christ’s eternal kingdom and that His resurrection assures their justification, forgiveness, and new life.
Why the Easter Lily? White for purity, trumpet-shaped for announcement—this flower joyfully proclaims the resurrection and the victory of Jesus. Though it’s only been tied to Easter for about 120 years, it reminds us of the empty tomb and the risen Christ.
Easter(Series C)
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25
Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:1-12
On this Resurrection Sunday, we rejoice in the victory of Jesus Christ over sin, death, and the devil. The women at the empty tomb were reminded by angels to “remember what He told you.” Though the disciples struggled to grasp the promise of the resurrection, Christ had foretold His death and triumph. His resurrection is the foundation of our faith, our hope, and our future. One day, all suffering will be erased, all things made new. Until then, we hold firm to the Word, trust in the risen Lord, and boldly proclaim, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
The children celebrated the resurrection of Jesus by receiving coins featuring a cross and John 3:16. The message emphasized that the cross is at the center of our lives, and the hole in the coin reminds us of the empty tomb. The stone was rolled away not for Jesus to escape, but so that we could see and believe that He has risen. Children were encouraged to remember this joyful truth every Sunday.
7th Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 1:12-26
Epistle Reading: 1John 5:9-15
Gospel Reading: John 17:11b-19
On Mother’s Day, Rev. Greg DeVore reflects on the biblical honor given to mothers, centering especially on Mary as the “mother of Jesus,” a title that highlights both the true humanity and divinity of Christ. Drawing from Scripture and Christian teaching, he explains how God’s choice to enter the world through a mother gives profound dignity and sacred significance to motherhood and to all who shape the faith of younger generations. While culture may sometimes diminish the value of raising children and nurturing faith in the home, the sermon emphasizes that guiding children toward Christ has eternal impact far beyond worldly achievements or possessions. Parents are encouraged to teach Scripture, prayer, and catechism within daily life, reinforcing the church’s work in forming faith. At the same time, the preacher reminds listeners that the Gospel brings comfort and forgiveness for imperfect parenting, assuring mothers and fathers that God works through their efforts to bear lasting spiritual fruit.
6th Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 10:34-48
Epistle Reading: 1John 5:1-21
Gospel Reading: John 15:9-17
Family Life Minister Curtis proclaims that the true joy Christ gives is not rooted in worldly success or personal glory, but in the salvation won through His cross and resurrection. Emphasizing the “theology of the cross” over the “theology of glory,” the sermon explains that Jesus, the Christ or Messiah, is the Anointed One who fulfills the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king for the sake of humanity’s redemption. Through His Word, sacrificial death, and sovereign rule, Christ reveals God’s truth, mediates forgiveness, and reigns over His Church and creation. The Spirit, the water, and the blood bear witness that Jesus is fully God and fully man, the Savior who brings new life through Baptism. Believers, likewise anointed and set apart through faith, are called to abide in Christ’s love, proclaim His Word, and live godly lives that reflect His glory rather than their own. Even amid human weakness, the joy of salvation remains full and certain because it rests entirely in God’s gracious work.
5th Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 8:26-40
Epistle Reading: 1John 4:1-21
Gospel Reading: John 15:1-8
In this sermon, Family Life Minister Curtis reflects on Jesus’ teaching in John 15 about abiding in the vine, exploring how different Bible translations capture the meaning of “abide” as remaining, dwelling, or living in a relationship with Christ. He emphasizes that abiding in God is not about rigid rule-keeping or attempting to make ourselves righteous through the law, since all fall short and cannot fulfill God’s commands by their own strength. Instead, believers are justified by grace through faith, a faith given and sustained by the Holy Spirit. The law serves to guide and reveal sin, but good works and spiritual fruit flow only from an intimate, organic relationship with God. Confirmation and Christian growth, therefore, center on taking ownership of this God-given faith, living as children of God, and trusting that through Christ’s saving work believers are enabled to abide in Him and bear fruit.
4th Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 4:1-12
Epistle Reading: 1John 3:16-24
Gospel Reading: John 10:11-18
In this sermon, Rev Greg DeVore proclaims Jesus as the Good Shepherd who reveals His divinity, fulfills Old Testament prophecy, and lays down His life to save His sheep. Drawing from John 10 and Ezekiel 34, he explains that Christ is both God and the promised Messiah who gathers believers into one flock. This Shepherd knows His sheep in a deep, relational way — not merely by awareness, but through forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, and adoption into God’s family. Through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Jesus defeats the devil and secures salvation for His people. Faith, created by the Holy Spirit, is described as a personal knowledge of Christ, by which believers hear His voice, resist false teachings, endure trials with confidence in God’s purpose, and grow into Christlike love as they await their final glorification.
3rd Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 3:11-21
Epistle Reading: 1John 3:1-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:36-49
In this Easter season sermon, Family Life Minister Curtis teaches that God desires people to know Him and receive His peace through Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. He explains the distinction between general revelation, which shows evidence of God through creation and order in the universe, and special revelation, through which God makes Himself personally known in Scripture and ultimately in the incarnation of Christ. Emphasizing the authority and inspiration of the Bible, he notes that Scripture’s central purpose is to point to Jesus and proclaim salvation by grace through faith. The law reveals sin and guides Christian living, but only the gospel brings forgiveness and eternal life. Faith itself is created and sustained by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, enabling believers to understand Scripture, trust Christ’s saving work, and live as witnesses to the fulfilled promises of God.
2nd Sunday After Easter (Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 4:32-35
Epistle Reading: 1John 1:1-2:2
Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31
In this sermon, Family Life Minister Curtis emphasizes that God’s purpose in Christ’s incarnation was not only redemption, but also to unite believers in true fellowship with Him and with one another. Christian fellowship is presented as having three dimensions: unity in Christ through faith, public expression of that unity through shared confession and mission, and incorporation into a caring spiritual family where believers are known, encouraged, and held accountable. Drawing on Scripture, the early Church’s communal life, and illustrations from literature and culture, the message warns against the divisive pressures of worldly ideologies that fragment unity. Instead, believers are called to remain centered on Christ, who frees them from bondage to sin and culture, and who restores them into fellowship through grace. The congregation lives out this fellowship through worship, witness, sacramental life, and mutual encouragement, trusting the Holy Spirit to sustain them in the one true faith and mission of proclaiming Christ’s resurrection.
Easter(Series B)
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9
Epistle Reading: 1Corinthians 15:1-11
Gospel Reading: Mark 16:1-8
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christian faith. Despite many theories to explain the empty tomb—stolen body, wrong tomb, mistaken identity, revived Jesus, hallucinations—none withstand the historical and eyewitness evidence. The disciples, once fearful, boldly proclaimed Christ’s resurrection for decades, enduring persecution and martyrdom without recanting. Non-biblical sources, Roman edicts, and the transformation of the apostles further affirm the truth. The resurrection redeems and transforms us, giving hope and forgiveness. He has risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!
7th Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 1:12-26
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11
Gospel Reading: John 17:1-11
Pastor Ray reflects on the universal human question “Why?” especially in the face of suffering, tragedy, and evil. Drawing from his personal loss and philosophical challenges like Epicurus’ argument about God and evil, he emphasizes that suffering is inevitable in a fallen world shaped by sin and human free will. True “good,” he argues, is not the pursuit of happiness or comfort but the discovery of purpose in following Christ. Because all people are imperfect, evil cannot simply be removed without consequence, yet God’s response to evil is not destruction but redemption through Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Believers are called to trust God even without full understanding, walking by faith rather than sight. Through Scripture and examples of faithful endurance, the sermon concludes that while pain may not always be explained, Christ provides meaning, hope, and restoration for those who trust Him.
6th Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 17:16-31
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21
On Mother’s Day, Pastor Ray reflects on the changing religious landscape, using the coronation of King Charles III and the Apostle Paul’s experience in Athens to highlight growing spiritual confusion and pluralism. He explains how Paul used the Athenians’ altar to the “unknown god” as an opportunity to proclaim the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ. The sermon warns that modern people still create idols, whether in wealth, success, pleasure, or prestige, seeking fulfillment apart from God. Unlike religion, which is humanity’s attempt to reach God, Christianity is presented as God reaching down to humanity through the cross. Believers are called to resist lukewarm faith, to rely on the Holy Spirit, and to confidently share the gospel in a confused and fearful world. Though some will reject the message, others will believe, making the mission of making the “unknown God” known both urgent and essential.
5th Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10
Gospel Reading: John 14:1-14
Pastor Ray addresses the theme of identity, noting how cultural debates and social confusion reveal a deeper spiritual crisis in the world. Drawing from 1 Peter, he emphasizes that true identity is not defined by social labels, achievements, or personal choices, but by God’s declaration through Christ. Once separated from God and without mercy, believers are now made part of God’s people through His grace, becoming a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. This new identity is rooted in baptism, forgiveness, and Christ’s completed work on the cross, freeing believers from condemnation and giving them a sense of belonging and purpose. Christians are therefore called not only to know who they are in Christ but to live out that identity by shining His light and declaring His praises in a world searching for meaning.
4th Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 2:42-47
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25
Gospel Reading: John 10:1-10
Pastor Ray reflects on why believers gather as the church, emphasizing that it is not for shared interests or activities, but because Jesus is present among His people through His Word and Sacraments. Drawing from Acts 2, he highlights the devotion of the early church to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer, noting that this devotion flowed from what Christ had already done for them, not from their own efforts. While the early church experienced both growth and persecution, its strength came from the Good Shepherd who worked through His people. Likewise, the church today is made “good” not by its programs or people, but by Jesus Himself. Therefore, believers are called to respond with deeper devotion, growing in God’s Word, prayer, fellowship, and care for others, trusting that Christ continues to sustain and build His church even in challenging times.
3rd Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-25
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35
Rev Steve Simon Ray traces the Easter progression from the empty tomb, to the confession of Jesus as Lord and God, to the deeper meaning of Christ’s work: our redemption. Focusing on the Emmaus account, he highlights how the risen Jesus is revealed in the breaking of the bread, connecting this to the Lord’s Supper. He emphasizes that believers are not merely “ransomed” in a distant sense, but “redeemed,” meaning bought back and now belonging to Christ through His sacrificial blood. This redemption gives believers a living hope, especially in contrast to a world without hope, and assures them of an eternal inheritance. As those who now belong to Jesus, Christians are called to live as His people, loving God and neighbor, not as a means of earning salvation, but as a response to His grace. Though believers still fall short, they live in the ongoing forgiveness and new life secured by the risen Christ.
2nd Sunday After Easter (Series A)
Old Testament Reading: Acts 5:29-42
Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31
Pastor Ray reflects on the fear and doubt that followed the resurrection, showing how even Jesus’ closest followers struggled to believe the good news. The women, the disciples, and even Thomas wrestled with skepticism, fear, and guilt, unsure how to respond to the possibility that Jesus was truly alive. Their doubt was rooted not only in the seeming impossibility of resurrection, but also in their own failures and fear of facing a risen Lord. Yet Jesus meets them in their fear, not with condemnation, but with peace, showing His wounds as proof and proclaiming forgiveness. The resurrection assures believers that Christ has truly conquered sin and death, and that their sins, even doubt and unbelief, are forgiven. Through the witness of Scripture, Jesus continues to bring peace to those who have not seen yet believe, replacing fear with confidence and giving eternal life through faith in His name.
Easter
Old Testament Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Epistle Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:1-10