All that guides what we do on Sunday mornings comes from God's holy Word.  If you pay close attention you will see that most of our liturgy comes from the Bible; the sermon is always drawn from Scripture; even the hymns have their basis in the revealed Word of God (look at the bottom right hand of every hymn). 
It is in God's Word that He reveals Himself to us.  It is in God's Word that we learn of the salvation He has won for us in Christ crucified and risen for us.  It is in God's Word that we learn of God unending love, His gracious providing, and His constant presence in Word and Sacrament.  God's Word is at the center of who we are. It is also at the center of how we worship.
Here are a few things to know about the Scripture readings each weekend in worship.  The Lutheran Church follows what is called a "lectionary".  That lectionary assigns Scripture readings for each Sunday in the church year.  It is a three year cycle that focuses alternately on Matthew, Mark and Luke with the Gospel of John mixed in each of the three years.  We are currently in year three of the lectionary which is largely focused on the Gospel of Luke.
The Old Testament lesson is always tied to the Gospel lesson by theme.  A good practice for quiet devotional time before worship is to read the Gospel and then the Old Testament and see if you can pick up that theme.  Often the sermon and the worship will be built around that theme.
The Epistle (which means letter, most from Paul) is the second reading and those lessons are in often continuous, meaning there will be readings from a particular epistle several weeks in a row.  Sometimes these readings follow the theme of the Old Testament and Gospel, but not always.
The lectionary is only a guidline.  We are not bound to it.  If there is another focus on a particular Sunday, i.e. Life Sunday, National Lutheran Schools Sunday, we may choose to use other Scriptures.  However, having a lectionary enables us to work through the whole of the Scriptures every three years.
Another good use of the printed out Scriptures in the bulletin each weekend is to take them home and use them as devotional reading during the week, along with the prayers and other worship content.  Sunday mornings are not the only time our lives are to be directed by God's Word.  It is at the heart of who we are as God's people 24/7!  May God bless our use, study, and growth in God's Holy Word.  I am
Yours in Christ,

Pastor Mark 

8:45 a.m. Hot Breakfast of Scrambled eggs (with Pastor & Lisa's Salsa), Frick's Country Ham, and Biscuits.

9:30 a.m. Brief Bible Study on Art, followed by a presentation on the ideas the committee is considering for stained glass, murals, statuary and more. This will be an exciting opportunity to see what a beautiful sanctuary our new place of worship may be.

 

Sunday, April 25 - Possible Designs for our New Sanctuary

8:45 a.m. Hot Breakfast of "Pancakes by Chris Cakes".  (The company will come to Immaneul and make 100s of pancakes on their giant griddle)!

9:30 a.m. Brief Bible Study on worship space followed by a presentation on all the ideas that the nine architects submitted in their proposals. This will be a great opportunity to get a taste of all the possiblities for how our new sanctuary might look. The architect we have hired will also be in attendance. There will be time for your input as well.