Divine Service themes for March   The service for the departed at the beginning of the month is closely linked with the ensuing divine services marking Passiontide, which commemorate Christ’s time of suffering and its aftermath. We empathize with and have compassion for those in eternity who still wait for redemption through the merit of Christ, but we also give…

Divine Service themes for February   It was the will of God to create mankind: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness …” (Genesis 1: 26). After the fall into sin, the first human beings quickly recognized the power of evil. They hid themselves from God, and so the division between mankind and God was revealed.…

  The following two Sundays share the theme of “Living in the nearness of God”. Recognition and profession, which were the focus of the first two Sundays, are to urge us to a life with God. A life in the nearness of God is something for which human beings will always need to strive. Although God grants His nearness unconditionally,…