SERMONS
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading Acts 16:9-15
Second Reading Revelation 21:9-14,21-27
Gospel John 5:1-9
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus has opened the way to the Father so that “whatever you ask of the Father” in Jesus’ name, “he will give it to you” (John 16:23). We pray, therefore, in the confidence that we will be heard and answered, that our “joy may be full” (John 16:24). We pray because the Gospel has been preached to us and the Lord has opened our hearts to believe the Gospel (Acts 16:10, 14). We pray in the name of Jesus because we have been baptized into Him, as Lydia and her household were baptized (Acts 16:15). We have been healed, and we live and walk and pray in newness of life (John 5:8–9). For we stand upon the firm foundation “of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14), and our temple is “the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22).
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading Acts 11:1-8
Second Reading Revelation 21:1-7
Gospel John 13:31–35
Jesus Turns Sorrow into Joy
On earth “you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20). Already the Spirit grants you peace and joy through the forgiveness of your sins. For by the cross of Christ, “God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). His Gospel is “a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:14). He gives freely “from the spring of the water of life” (Rev. 21:6), “and death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4). He dwells with His people, adorning His Church as a bride for her husband, “making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Therefore, as the Son of Man is glorified by His cross, “and God is glorified in him” (John 13:31), so He is glorified in us by our “love for one another” (John 13:35), which His Spirit works in us by His grace.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading Acts 20:17-25
Second Reading Revelation 7:9–17
Gospel John 10:22–30
The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading Acts 9:1-22
Second Reading Revelation 5:1–14
Gospel John 21:1–19
The Good Shepherd Feeds his Lambs
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 5:12), who by His cross has conquered sin and death. With His blood, He has “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). This same Lord Jesus visits people of all nations and calls them to Himself by the Gospel, even as He “was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead” (John 21:14). He restored Simon Peter to faith and life, and He commissioned him to feed His lambs and tend His sheep (John 21:15–17). Likewise, He revealed Himself to Saul of Tarsus and brought him to repentance, so that the persecutor of Jesus might carry and confess His name “before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9)
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading Acts 5:12–32
Second Reading Revelation 1:4–18
Gospel John 20:19–31
That You May Believe and Have Life in His Name
On the Lord ’s Day, St. John the apostle was given a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He is the Living One, “the firstborn of the dead” (Rev. 1:5). He died for all people, and behold, He is alive forevermore! Therefore, He has “the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev. 1:18). For His death atoned for sin and conquered death, and in His resurrection He opened the kingdom of heaven to us. The “sharp two-edged sword” of His mouth (Rev. 1:16) calls you to “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” that by such faith “you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). To that end, He sends His ministers of the Word, as the Father sent Him, “to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).
Easter Day
20 April 2025
Isaiah 65:17–25
1 Corinthians 15:19–26
Luke 24:1–12
Christ’s Resurrection Is the Firstfruits of the New Creation

Isaiah 52:13–53:12
Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9
John 18:1–19:42 or John 19:17–30
Behold the Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sin of the World
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
17 April 2025
Exodus 12:1–14
Corinthians 11:23–32
John 13:1–17, 31b–35
Let Us Love One Another, as Christ Jesus Has Loved Us
Sermon “The Hand of Our Lord Graciously and Generously Feeds Us”

The Cross and Passion of Our LORD