History
The Head that Once Was Crowned with Thorns – A Hymn for the Ascension of Our Lord
The head that once was crowned with thorns Is crowned with glory now; A royal diadem adorns the mighty victor’s brow. (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Hymn 432) On Thursday, May 13, the Christian Church celebrates the Ascension of our Lord forty days after Easter, a longstanding observation within the church’s Liturgical Year. In the Gospel of Luke…
Read MoreI Want Jesus to Walk With Me (ELW 325): A Song for Our Lenten Journey
By Rob Durocher Minister or Worship and the Arts, Deacon Deep from the history of the African American Spiritual comes a song without a known author or a known source for its tune and yet it is one of the most powerful songs of longing for a champion, a comforter, and a guide along the…
Read MoreA Love Song for the Ages
Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down; fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart. (ELW #631) By Rob Durocher Of the many beautiful hymns of our faith,…
Read MoreThe Feast of St. Valentine
By Rob Durocher, Minister of Worship and the Arts Long before Brach’s and Whitman’s began selling heart-shaped boxes of candy and Hallmark cards and a dozen roses and ‘let me call you sweet-heart’ became the focus of Valentine’s Day, February 14th was a much-celebrated Festival Day in the liturgical church year because it commemorated the…
Read MoreO Come, All Ye Faithful: A Christmas Carol Reflection
By Rob Durocher Minister of Music and the Arts, Deacon I don’t know about you, but there is always something so incredibly triumphant and soul stirring when we all join together to sing the wonderful Christmas carol, O Come, All Ye Faithful at the beginning of each Christmas Eve service of worship! As far back…
Read MoreThe Feast of St. Nicholas
By Rob Durocher, Minister of Worship and the Arts For many years, he has been one of the most well-known and perhaps beloved saints in the world, but today, he is usually referred to as ‘jolly old St. Nicholas’, or by his more famous name, ‘Santa Claus’! The story of ‘Santa Claus’ really begins almost…
Read MoreThanksgiving for Martin Luther, Doctor and Reformer of the Church
By Rob Durocher Minister of Worship and the Arts, Deacon This week, we remember and give thanks for the life and ministry of Martin Luther who was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, a small city then in the Duchy of Saxe-Anhalt, Germany. The Duchy of Saxe-Anhalt was part of the federation of German…
Read MoreSo Great A Cloud of Witnesses!: The Story of the Hymn “For All the Saints” (ELW #422)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning…
Read MoreConfirmation – An Affirmation of Baptism
By Rob Durocher, Minister of Worship and the Arts This Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 at our 11 am online worship, we will celebrate the Affirmation of Baptism for four of our 2020 Confirmation Class. Confirmation is an important time in the life of a young person, as they claim for themselves the promises made at…
Read MoreSt. Teresa of Avila– A Renewer of the Church, A Saint and A Child of God
By Rob Durocher, Minister of Worship and the Arts We tend to think of saints in terms of the grandiose (St. John, St. Peter, St. Patrick, St. Margaret, St. Joan, etc.) but we often forget that we too are saints! The word “saint” reminds us that we are set apart for the Lord and His…
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