This past Sunday, October 26th, I preached on a topic which we have rarely discussed. Due to this fact I believe many were left confused, simply because they had never heard of this before. The topic was our worshipping with angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.

Nearly every Sunday, we say that sentence in the Proper Preface at the beginning of the Service of the Sacrament, "...with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name evermore praising you and saying:" Yet, we never truly talk about what this means. I felt that it was time to dive into the topic because it gives such a sense of awe and wonder, opening our faith eyes to the glory that is the Divine Service (worship).

Therefore, I want to state this very simply and matter-of-fact: When we gather together in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we are joined by God's Angels and by those who have died in the faith. We worship God with them. We blend our voices together in singing praise and thanksgiving to Him. There's a reason I struggled to contain tears as I considered this during my sermon.

Consider now the joy, peace, comfort and awe that this can and should bring about every Sunday! Angels flying in. Loved ones who have gone before us into the glory of heaven sitting with us once more. Guardians surrounding us. And Jesus sitting on the throne before us, taking His rightful place on the altar to give us forgiveness life and salvation, receiving all glory.

Next time we gather together I truly hope you will join us for this momentous occasion! As I said in my sermon, "how could you NOT want to join us?!" May your spiritual eyes witness this glorious event next Sunday which is All Saints Day.

What is it that makes you a Christian? Must you pray diligently? Proclaim Christ repeatedly? Read Scripture daily? Attend worship regularly? What is it that makes you a child of God?


I hope this is an easy answer, and yet I hope that this also causes you to consider your identity as a child of God. We know that St. Paul says, “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor un-circumcision, but a new creation.” When we are baptized, God makes us a new creation giving us a new identity as a child of God.

Yet, there are results which stem from God’s work within us. To make an analogy, consider a marriage: When God unites 2 into 1, they are married. Flowing out of that, their actions, thinking, viewing of the world, all change. If not, the marriage would suffer. Can you imagine a healthy marriage where the couple rarely talks, spends no time together and shows no love toward one another? We would say they are married, but we would worry about the marriage lasting.

All analogies eventually break down, but my point is that the resulting actions do not make a couple married, just as our resulting Christian actions (i.e. prayer, reading, worshipping, proclamation) do not make us Christians. Rather the actions flow out of that new life God has placed within us. Christians, united with our groom, Jesus Christ, gather together, pray, listen to Him, receive His gifts of love and praise Him…in short, we worship. 

These are actions which flow out of the life in us. Do they save us? No. God promises to never let us go, He has made us His children. Yet, if I ignore my wife, never speak with her, never kiss her, never hear how much she loves me...will MY love for HER die? Even as she remains faithful to me, I will gradually pull away from her and be enticed by others whom I open my heart up to. My actions towards her will not change her love for me, but they will change my love for her.

God wants to be first in our lives not because He needs our love, worship, praise, etc... but because we need Him. The closer we draw to Him, the more our adoration, love, faith, hope, comfort, peace grows. 

In the apostle Thomas, we see what can happen when a person withdraws from the congregation. For a whole week Thomas carried with him the hopelessness and despair, having missed the appearance of Jesus; he missed the glory, the peace, the comfort that filled the other disciples’ hearts.  It was not until Thomas was gathered together with the others again and Jesus appeared that his faith was renewed and hope restored. Each Sunday you and I have the opportunity to gather together and meet Jesus - in His word and in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. There Jesus appears for us, to forgive, strengthen and comfort us in this world full of tribulation.

When Pastor Mike and I preach and speak about being in worship, it is because we desire to see you filled with the peace of Christ like Thomas. Like a spouse returning home to a smothering embrace, multitudes of kisses and a warm meal, so also we are filled with God’s love in worship. We desire to see your lives filled with this Good News and the peace, hope and comfort which God grants therein. We desire to see you strengthened and prepared for battle, not lost in despair and hopelessness. We know that Satan is like a prowling lion seeking to devour us. As your shepherds we don't want to see anyone in his grip and worship helps us avoid that.

Thus, worship is not necessary for salvation just as kissing my wife is not necessary for marriage...but you'd better believe that it makes it a whole lot better! Also that she desires it (well, most of the time!) just as God desires our worship (all the time!)

So also, as we gather together and see you on Sunday mornings, we are all uplifted and encouraged in our own journey, knowing we are not alone. Thank you for being a member with us here at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Morrison, IL.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  Acts 2:42

      What is “church” to you? Is it a building we go to? Is it a group of people we gather together with on Sunday mornings? Or is it something deeper and more meaningful? Following the Easter resurrection, we often dive into the beginning of the church as found in the book of Acts. Here in 2:42 Luke has written a very simple yet profound sentence which sums up “church.” It is a time when we fellowship around the teaching of God’s Word while sharing in the Sacrament of the Altar and lifting one another up in prayer.

       A seemingly simple activity, yet it’s the most definitive thing in which we engage here on Earth for that is the way in which God has promised to come to us and give us forgiveness, life and salvation. Through His Word rightly proclaimed and His Sacraments rightly administered God meets us poor miserable sinners with all of His grace, love and mercy. He strengthens the weak, encourages the faint, humbles the proud, forgives all us sinners and unites us in the one body of His Son Jesus Christ in order to send us into the world, lights shining in the darkness bringing hope and peace to all. Through the fellowship of believers we are emboldened to stand in the face of any adversity knowing we are not alone. Together we lift our voices and call upon God for all our needs, lifting each other up in prayer which bonds us together.

     When we have a proper understanding of church and recognize the multitude of wonderful gifts God has prepared for us, then there is nothing that will cause us to give up gathering together. Thus this is Satan’s greatest attack, lulling us to sleep with worldly concerns, causing us to fail to realize all that God has for us when we gather together. This is not new to our generation for even the writer of Hebrews said, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

    Our own church constitution states that members are baptized, instructed, confessing individuals who lead Christian lives partaking of the Lord’s Supper with due frequency and help bear the burdens of the congregation. Members are not those who simply have their names recorded in our books, for that is not church. We encourage everyone to seek the Lord where He may be found. To call upon His name for the forgiveness of sins, receive the gifts of God through teaching and the breaking of bread and joining with us in offering up prayers and encouraging each other as we bear one another’s burdens, together awaiting that great and glorious Day of the Lord. I hope to see you this Sunday and every Sunday as we gather together!

Why is it that we must take time to train our kids to worship? Simply put, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" as Paul writes in Romans 3. "All" includes our children, and it doesn't take long to realize the truth that children are sinners just like adults. They have selfish desires, they are rebellious and disobedient. Therefore, our children must be taught to confess their sins to God for God promises forgiveness. Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, answers the peoples' question "What shall we do?" with this: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children"

This gift is for you and your children! Take a moment during our time of confession to remind them of their sinful ways the past week, invite them to confess just as you and I confess before the holy and almighty God. Then, teach them to make the sign of the cross as they hear the words of absolution spoken by the pastor. Remind them of their baptism which clothes them with Christ and assure them they are forgiven before the throne in heaven. This gift is for them just as it is for you.

I hope our taking time to go through the Confession/Absolution part of our service has helped you emphasize this to your children. Our worship service is built around God's gifts and is designed to deliver those gifts to us in a decent and orderly manner so that when we go home, we go home knowing we have received Christ and have the full assurance of heaven. This all begins with our confessing our sins and receiving God's gracious forgiveness.

Hopefully you've been with us each week in worship as we take a moment to train our children. If not, you can catch up quickly by teaching them this:

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:14

Dear Parents,

You're doing something eternally important! As parents, we know worship with kids is not easy, our wives (Beka and Margi) remind us often. Parenting in general is tiring. Parenting in church can be really tiring.                          

We know you came to church already tired. Your battle most likely began at home while rushing around to get everyone dressed, fed and off to church. The battle continues at church. Juggling everything/everyone as you find a seat. We see you wince as your child cries and we see you anxiously pull things out of your bag of tricks, anything to try to calm them down. We see you cringe when they “whisper” every thought. We hear the exasperation, the pleading & begging. We see you speaking with your older child for the 10th time, “No, the service is not over.” Not everyone is looking, but we know it feels that way. We’ve sat with you, holding a child/grandchild in the pew, we know the hopeless feeling.

You’re wondering, is this worth it? We know that a few families gave up the battle at home asking, “Why do I bother?” You often leave church more exhausted than fulfilled. Going to church to hear the Word of God, and leaving with the knowledge that no one, including yourself, heard a word. We have seen it in our wives when we come home. We know how hard it is to do what you’re doing, but we want you to know, it matters. It matters to us. It matters to my children (& grandchildren) to not be alone (read: the only kids) in the pew. It matters to the congregation to know that families care about faith, to see young people joining them in worship and passing on the faith. And even on those weeks when you can’t see the little moments, it matters to your children.

What you are doing is eternally important. When you are here, the church is filled with a joyful noise. When you are here, the Body of Christ is more fully present. When you are here, we are reminded that this worship thing we do is a family affair, God’s family, and has been passed down from generation to generation. We gather together around God’s Word and Sacrament to grow in the faith and pass it on to the next generation. When you are here, we have hope that these pews won’t be empty in ten years when your kids are confirmed and are able to behave and be quiet. We know you are trying to teach them how and why we worship now, before it’s too late. They are learning that worship is important.

It matters that they learn at a young age that worship is what we do as a community of faith in response to what God has done in, through and for us. It matters that they see our Lord is a Lord who serves. It matters that they learn about the faith by encountering God’s Word Sunday after Sunday. It is important that they learn everyone is welcome, that their worship matters. When we teach children that their worship matters, we teach them that they are enough right here and right now as baptized members of the church community. They don’t need to wait until they can understand, read, pray or follow along to be welcome here. It’s vital that our children learn they are an integral part of this church and that their prayers, their songs, and even their perfectly timed cries and whines are a joyful noise because it means they are present.

We know it can be hard to bring your children to church, but thank you for all you do. Please know that your family - with all of its joyful ‘noise’ and struggles - is not simply tolerated, but welcomed. You are a vital part of this community, God’s family, gathered in worship to the glory of our Heavenly Father. Together we will encounter God and express our thanks and praise to Him for His many gifts. Together we will educate the next generation of Christians and expand the kingdom of God. Don’t give up hope, what you do this day will make an eternal difference.

God Bless each of you for the work you do in raising His children,

                Pastors Mark and Mike