Bulletin: Sunday January 26, 2025

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THIS WEEK AT ZION

Saturday January 25
No Events Scheduled

Sunday January 26
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
9:15 a.m. – Youth Group BAKE SALE (details)
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Monday January 27
6:00 p.m. - Confirmation
6:00 p.m. - Grace Bell Choir Practice
7:00 p.m. - Confirmation

Tuesday January 28
6:15 p.m. - Faith Bell Choir Practice
7:15 p.m. - Adult Choir Practice

Wednesday January 29
2:00 p.m. - Mid-Week Worship Service with Pastor Mike Kettner
2:30 p.m. - 30 min. Bible Study
(Service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Thursday January 30
No Events Scheduled

Friday January 31
No Events Scheduled

Saturday February 1
No Events Scheduled

Sunday February 2
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

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Christ, the Book of Life: On the Comfort of Divine Election

From The Lutheran Witness
Cover image: Christ in Majesty with the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, Italian master, c. 1310–20.

When the Day of Judgment comes, the Lord will gather the living and the dead before Him. On that day, both the prophet Daniel and the evangelist St. John record that books will be opened (see Dan. 7 and Rev. 20). Everyone will be judged according to what they have done. The holy apostle Paul explains, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor 5:10).

So, what exactly are these books of judgement? Perhaps we picture something akin to Santa’s list of naughty and nice people. Perhaps the book is filled with every misdeed and unseen sin. We may think of it as a Book of Doom! It is a terrifying thought that all our sins and misdeeds are permanently recorded and will be exposed.

That terror is a result of the Law’s condemnation of sinners. The Law of God always accuses us. We know and believe that the Lord sees and knows all we think, speak and do. We know what we have striven to hide and conceal from others. We don’t even want to confess our sins to our pastor lest we be embarrassed.

What’s a poor miserable sinner to do? What comfort is there for those who believe in the Lord’s promises and yet continually find sin in themselves?

The books are opened then to all,
A record truly telling
What each has done, both great and small,
When he on earth was dwelling,
And every heart be clearly seen,
And all be known as they have been
In thoughts and words and actions.
(LSB 508, st. 3)

Thank God, that comfort can be found right there in Scripture, too. St. John records in his vision of the Last Things that another book will also be opened on that day. That book has a name: the Book of Life. What will the Book of Life say on the Last Day?

This may surprise you. The Book of Life will have none of your sins written in it. There is nothing found in the Book of Life but good news. Why is that? Because the Book of Life is Jesus.

What comfort this is for the Christian! The book listing all our thoughts, words and deeds is a real book — but it will not have the final say. The Book of Life, in which our names are written, reveals our salvation and glory in Christ our Lord.

Why do we say that the Book of Life is Jesus? The Lutheran Confessions give us this beautiful answer and consolation. The Formula of Concord explicitly names Jesus as the Book of Life in the article about divine Election:

• “But the Word of God leads us to Christ, who is the Book of Life.”

• “The eternal election of God, as it has been revealed in God’s Word, which presents to us Christ as the Book of Life, which He opens and reveals to us by the preaching of the holy Gospel …”

• “The counsel, purpose, and ordination of God in Christ Jesus, who is the true Book of Life, is revealed to us through the Word.”

• “But they should hear Christ, who is the Book of Life and of God’s eternal election of all of God’s children to eternal life: He testifies to all men without distinction that it is God’s will that all men should come to Him who labor and are heavy laden with sin, in order that He may give them rest and save them, Matt. 11:28.”[i]

Why is Jesus the Book of Life? It is His salvation that brings us out of troubled waters of shame and guilt. It is His blood that atones for our sins. It is His death which is the death for our sins. It is His resurrection from the dead that promises that we, too, will rise. His righteousness saves us. The Book of Life says to us, “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16).

On the Last Day, the Son of Man will gather all the nations before Himself. He will then separate them to His right and to His left as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Note that this separation, based on faith, takes place before the judgment. Those on His right, the sheep, are praised for their good works. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). Those on His left, the goats, are condemned to eternal punishment and hell because they had no good works. That is, they had no faith in Christ and His atonement and thus have no works to be commended.

What consolation this is for the Christian! All your works are seen in the light of Christ. The Christian’s works are good because they flow from faith in Christ. Faith leads us to lead a life filled with good works. The good works are evidence that the Gospel is believed and trusted. All who believe, who labor in the Gospel, are written in the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3).

This is not a new teaching. Moses references the Book of Life (though not by name). He pleads with God to blot him out of God’s book if He is not willing to forgive the Israelites (Exod. 32:22, 32). Psalm 56 references the book in which God records the prayers (tears) of His saints (Psalm 56:8). The holy prophet Daniel also references the Book filled with the names of those who are delivered (Dan. 12:1).

We live confidently knowing that our names are written in the Book of Life. We do not fear the judgment of the Last Day. We gladly go to confession to receive the absolution. Being absolved, our sins are washed away. The blood of Christ cancels the record of debt that stood against us (Col. 2:14). Receive the Lord’s Body and Blood often and so avail yourself of the gifts granted to you in your Baptism.

Rejoice that your name is written in heaven. Rejoice that your sins are forgiven and that you are engraved in the Book of Life.

By Robert Wurst

My Savior paid the debt I owe
And for my sin was smitten;
Within the Book of Life I know
My name has now been written.
I will not doubt for I am free,
And Satan cannot threaten me;
There is no condemnation! 
(LSB 508, st. 5)

VIDEO: Wednesday January 22, 2025 - Complete Service

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. (focusing on the Old Testament book of Malachi)
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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AUDIO: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday January 22, 2025

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. (focusing on the Old Testament book of Malachi)
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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Readings from Holy Scripture -- Isaiah 62:1–5 
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name 
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you. 

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 

The Lord’s Prayer – The Fifth Petition
What is the Fifth Petition? 
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
What does this mean? 
We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us. 

Bulletin: Wednesday January 22, 2025

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study (the Book of Malachi): 2:30 p.m
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.

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Support the Wildfire Response with Your Prayers and Gifts

Support the wildfire response with your prayers and gifts

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The prophet Isaiah writes: “But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior’” (Isaiah 43:1–3a).

Even in the midst of disaster, the Lord remains with His people.

The wildfires in Los Angeles County, California, continue to inflict widespread damage and suffering throughout the Los Angeles area. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is in close communication with the LCMS Pacific Southwest District (PSD) regarding our Synod’s response. I am in regular contact with PSD President Rev. Mike Gibson. LCMS Disaster Response Director Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson has been on the ground in Los Angeles, and the PSD and the congregations there are providing aid for critical needs. Many LCMS people have lost their homes, including long-time elderly residents.

As long as it takes, LCMS Disaster Response will walk alongside the PSD and its congregations in this response. Our shared response includes the entire Synod’s prayers, along with spiritual resources to assist church workers as they care for their congregations. In addition, we are here to offer practical support in the form of ongoing counsel and advice and material support in the form of supplies, recovery grants and volunteer coordination.

If you are able financially to support the church’s response to wildfires in California, please prayerfully consider a contribution to:

• The LCMS Disaster Response—Strategic Use fund. Visit lcms.org/give/disaster or mail a check to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, or LCMS, at P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861. On the memo line, write “Disaster Response—Strategic Use (TR9206).” This fund allows our Synod to continue its care and support, as the demands warrant, of those still suffering in North Carolina and other parts of the Southeast as well as those affected by the wildfires in California.

• The LCMS Wildfire Relief (only) fund. Your gift will only be utilized to help those impacted by wildfires. Visit lcms.org/disaster and select the “Disaster Response — Wildfires” option in the “Giving opportunities” or mail a check to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, or LCMS, at P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861. On the memo line, write “Wildfire Relief Only.”

For answers to questions or help with other donation options, please contact LCMS Mission Advancement by calling 800-930-4438 or emailing mission.advancement@lcms.org.

Special note: The LCMS encourages individuals, groups and congregations located within California, including the Pacific Southwest District and the California-Nevada-Hawaii District, to donate through the PSD website or district office to help your closest neighbors.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison
President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

P.S. In this fallen world, as the whole creation groans for the day of our Lord’s return (Rom. 8:22), disasters are inevitable. But the Holy One of Israel, our Savior, is with us in the fire and the flood. As I’m sure you have been, continue to pray for all who suffer in the ashes and all who endeavor to help.

Sermon Archive

Visit www.ZLCB.org/sermons to view an archive of recently recorded sermons by Zion’s Pastor Rev. Dr. Edward O. Grimenstein