The Dying Word | Fifth Sunday of Lent | Luke 23:46

April 3, 2022 | 10:45 a.m.

The Fifth Sunday of Lent

The next word is the Jesus dying word, a word of committal, a word of trust. His dying words are faithful, full of trust in His Father, trusting that in His death His Father will receive Him in loving arms just as the father of the prodigal received his son with open and welcoming arms. Here again is the paradox of faith. Jesus had cried out in abandonment, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” and yet now He cries out in faith, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!”

READINGS

Psalm 31:1-5
Amos 8:7-10
1 Peter 2:18-25
Luke 23:44-49

message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchApril 3, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Words of LifeComment

The Suffering Word | Fourth Sunday of Lent | John 19:28–29

March 27, 2022 | 10:45 a.m.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent

The next word from the cross is a word of suffering: “I thirst.” This is genuine, human pain, the parched lips of our humanity desiccated by the dry desert of our sin. Do not imagine that Jesus had some special exemption from suffering because He is the Son of God. Quite the contrary! His pain is all our pain combined. “He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” He is the Sufferer who embodies all suffering, bearing in His own wounded flesh the suffering and sickness of a humanity fallen into decay and death.

READINGS

Psalm 69:17-21
Exodus 12:21-23
Hebrews 9:19-22
John 19:28-29

message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchMarch 27, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Words of LifeComment

Breaking Down the Gates | Mid-week Lent Service, Week 4 | Isaiah 45: 1–8

March 16, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.

Mid-week Service, Week 4

“All who believe and are baptized Shall see the Lord’s salvation!” What a joy it is to sing the words from this hymn! The prophet Isaiah also wants Judean exiles in Babylon to know the joy of belonging to God. They were marked, and so are we. On the day of our Baptism, we were marked with God’s love—forever!

READINGS

Psalm 100
Isaiah 44:1–5
1 Peter 2:4–10
John 10:27–30

Message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchMarch 23, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Singing with ExilesComment

The Compassionate Word | Third Sunday of Lent | John 19:23–27

March 20, 2022 | 10:45 a.m.

The Third Sunday of Lent

This week’s word from the cross is a word of compassion. “Woman, behold, your son! . . . Behold, your mother!” The disciples had fled in fear. Only the women remained, along with the disciple whom Jesus loved. Mary, His mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene together with John. These remained near the cross, keeping vigil.

READINGS

Psalm 103:8-14
Isaiah 49:13-18
Acts 20:18b-24
John 19:23-27

message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchMarch 20, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Words of LifeComment

Marked! | Mid-week Lent Service, Week 3 | Isaiah 44:1–5

March 16, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.

Mid-week Service, Week 3

“All who believe and are baptized Shall see the Lord’s salvation!” What a joy it is to sing the words from this hymn! The prophet Isaiah also wants Judean exiles in Babylon to know the joy of belonging to God. They were marked, and so are we. On the day of our Baptism, we were marked with God’s love—forever!

READINGS

Psalm 100
Isaiah 44:1–5
1 Peter 2:4–10
John 10:27–30

Message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchMarch 16, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Singing with ExilesComment

The Faithful Word | Second Sunday of Lent | Matthew 27:45–46

March 13, 2022 | 10:45 a.m.

The Second Sunday of Lent

The word of the cross this week is an entirely different word. It is a word directed to the Father, a cry of abandonment in the God-forsakenness of our sin. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” spoken in Jesus’ native tongue, Aramaic. This emanates from the very depths of His soul.

READINGS

Isaiah 59:11-13
Psalm 21:1-7
Hebrews 5:7-10
Matthew 27:45-50

message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

Sermon, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchMarch 13, 2022Redeemer Lutheran ChurchLent 2022, Words of LifeComment

He Only Has Eyes for You | Mid-week Lent Service, Week 2 | Isaiah 43:1–7

March 9, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.

Mid-week Service, Week 2

“God is faithful; God will never break His covenant of blood, signed when our Redeemer died, sealed when He was glorified” (LSB 435:4). These priceless promises come from the well-known hymn “Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain.” It summarizes the gist of Isaiah 43:1–7. Twenty-five times in these verses the prophet employs the word you. God says, “You are valuable in My eyes” (v. 4).