Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, December 7th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

Wisdom, understanding, counsel & might are unveiled in Jesus of Nazareth. In his letter to the Romans, Paul unwraps the complete truth — Jesus embraces even Gentile nations with divine hope, joy & peace. John the Baptist, with his abrasive appearance & unexpected rhetoric, forcefully proclaims both judgment against arrogant Pharisees & the need for repentance. Ultimately, Jesus alone casts final judgment on the fate of unbelievers & eternally claims salvation for repentant sinners. (Psalm 105:4-8 & Isaiah 40:3b; Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12)

We begin our midweek observance of Advent on Wednesday, December 3rd with services of Prayer & Preaching at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. The 7:00 pm service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. We will hold a supper before the evening service at 6:00 pm in our Fellowship Hall

For 2025 our midweek focus will be "The Saints of Advent” - meditating on how God worked in those the Church commemorates during this season of waiting and preparation. This week, we look at our Lord’s faithful mercy to Saint Andrew, Apostle!

Filled with faith given by the Holy Spirit, Andrew brings his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah.” As the first of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew was in a real sense the first home missionary. Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ, delivered by these messengers of the Gospel. Thus, their work is essential, heralding the Good News that delivers souls from death. (Psalm 139:1-12; Ezekiel 3:16-21; Romans 10:8b-18; John 1:35-42a)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, November 30th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

Behold, the Messiah comes to fulfill the Law & the Prophets, and it shall be proclaimed throughout the world when He returns! From Mount Sinai to Calvary, the Lord reveals His edicts, His decrees, and that Jesus is the very fulfillment of them all. Christ is faithful in the midst of faithlessness, humble in the midst of arrogance. He alone is the rightful Prophet, Priest & King. Hosanna in the highest! (Psalm 118:25–28 & Zechariah 9:9b; Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 24:36-44)

Held at Messiah, this will be a joint Thanksgiving Eve service with our brothers & sisters of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Rockford, set for Wednesday, November 26th at 7:00 pm. Pastor Jason Peterson of St. Peter will preach; the choirs of Messiah and St Peter will provide anthems. This service is also scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page.

Good land produces generous fruits to nourish & preserve life. This goodness proceeds from the generosity, bounty & grace of God. Therefore, in prayer & supplication we offer thanksgiving to Him, content in all circumstances, grateful for sustenance needed for our body, soul & spirit. So also, when God eradicates disease through His Word, we rejoice in His omnipotent grace & power. (Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Philippians 4:6-20; Luke 17:11-19)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, November 23rd at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

Christ is everything - making peace between God & humanity by the blood of His cross. This is the most valuable proclamation for the end of the Church Year. Jesus holds in balance all things: the visible & the invisible; the heavens & the earth; the dead & the living; the wicked & the redeemed. Upon the cross, Jesus utters words that forgive & reserve for repentant sinners eternal paradise. Through Christ alone, we are declared to be His treasured possessions forever. (Psalm 33:8 & 134; Malachi 3:13-18; Colossians 1:13-20; Luke 23:27-43)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, November 16th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am. A potluck meal & our Annual Meeting for voting members will follow today’s service.

These final days are mingled with destruction & redemption. Intense fire will reduce the evil & arrogant to ash. Christ’s righteousness will delight & heal those who fear God’s name. As we live out these final days, we dare not be idle, but rather labor diligently, imitating the very nature of Christ. Wars will rage; calamities will increase; disease will plague manking. In the midst of all this, we proclaim truth: the day of redemption draws near! (Psalm 98; Malachi 4:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13; Luke 21:5-28)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, November 9th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

The Lord makes His presence known to every generation! Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Moses received God’s decisive commands. The Lord’s Word to them was not vague. So also God is not vague concerning the second coming of Christ. Against all lawlessness, Christ will assert judgment. For the faithful, God will assert comfort, hope & eternal salvation. As we wait for the Lord’s return, the urgency to repent remains, and yet we remain anxious to obtain the glory of Christ. (Psalm 115:2–4, 8, 11, 17–18; Exodus 3:1-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17; Luke 20:27-40)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, November 2nd at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

The confession resounds in every time & place by all believing peoples, tribes & churches: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” These words emanate from faith-filled saints who belong to Jesus. In His eternal presence, the beloved saints are utterly content in endless service & worship. Saints are the ones forever blessed, comforted, satisfied & rewarded, because their inheritance is the kingdom of God. (Psalm 31: 1, 3, 5; Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, October 26th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

The Law leaves us speechless, for it condemns us & holds us accountable to God. By the Law, every sin is unmasked, every sinner declared guilty. In Christ, by His blood, we receive faith. This faith justifies us apart from the works of the Law. Thanks be to God that Christ gives us this Gospel. By it, sin is forgiven & sinners declared innocent. This is our freedom in Christ proclaimed throughout every nation, tribe, language & people (Revelation 14:6-7; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, October 19th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am.

Before God, men, women & children plead incessantly for justice in the face of rebellion & adversity. Those who know & confess Jesus bear the weight of guilt & need His Word of undeserved acquittal. God’s Word is the solitary source of that promise. It teaches, corrects, declares righteousness & equips us for every good work. Scripture, in its entirety, is that living, breathing, vibrant acount of God continually striving by the side of His chosen people — delivering them from sin. (Psalm 74:2a, 18–19, 21, 20a, 22a; Genesis 32:22-30; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:4; Luke 18:1-8)

Messiah will hold its weekly Divine Service on Sunday, October 12th at 10:00 am; the service is scheduled to be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr, our website and our Facebook page. Adult Bible Class will be held beforehand at 9:00 am, and children’s Sunday School will be held following the Divine Service, beginning about 11:15 am. Our Parish Service Guild’s annual Harvest Dinner will also be held after the service, beginning at 11:30 am in our Fellowship Hall.

Witnesses in the presence of Christ are unequivocally blessed! Christians are heartened by Jesus’ words to persevere in suffering and labor. Even in Jesus’ own earthly ministry, chains could not bind Him; the tomb could not contain Him. So also His word is not bound, but commands all things in living, suffering & dying. Even lepers plead for mercy, and Jesus’ word heals. Yet only one leper dares to return, ardently believing & confessing Jesus’ profound act of divine mercy. (Psalm 111; Ruth 1:1-19a; 2 Timothy 2:1-13; Luke 17:11-19)