Speaker: Pastor Murray Brindle Scripture Focus: Mark 10:23–31 Summary: Pastor Brindle reminds us that in the end, the sting of death has been removed because of Jesus Christ. This is the good news of the Gospel. In Him we have hope. In Him we have life. He alone is the resurrection and the life, and that is what makes all things possible.

Ascension Lutheran Church

With God All Things Are Possible

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: Mark 10:17–22 Service Summary: One of the best ways to commit passages of Scripture to memory is by learning to sing them. “Seek Ye First” (LSB 712) supplies a trio of passages taken from Matthew. The first of the three is a section of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus counsels His hearers, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The kingdom of God truly is found by those whom the Lord has sought and claimed as His own. By God’s grace in Jesus, those “found people” include us. With hymn writer Henry Baker, who beautifully paraphrased Psalm 23, we can sing, “Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me” (LSB 709:3). Happiness is being found!

What Are You Seeking?

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: Hebrews 2:1-13, 14-18 Service Summary: The pages of Scripture counsel us regarding things that are not to be neglected. Proverbs says plainly: “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it” (Proverbs 8:33). Paul writes to young Timothy: “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:14). But the book of the Bible with the most reminders about what is not to be neglected is Hebrews. Here we are directed: do not neglect to do good  (Hebrews 13:16), do not neglect to show hospitality (13:2), do not neglect to meet together (10:25), and do not neglect our great salvation (2:3). We do well to take that divine guidance to heart.

Neglecting a Great Salvation

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: Mark 9:38–50 Service Time: 18th Sunday After Pentecost Service Summary: In biblical times, salt was treasured almost as much as gold. Among its many uses was preserving food and other perishables. In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us salt, by which He reveals how much God values us. Sometimes people outside the Church also see our worth and offer their support. It is nothing new! Moses valued two men who received the Spirit even though they were missing from gathering with the seventy elders. Jesus valued a man healing in His name, though he was not one of the Twelve. We are worth our salt, our relationship to Christ, so much that a person receiving us receives Christ. And within the Church, our saltiness supports, prays for, cheers up, confesses, and forgives our fellow members. We are worth so much that God does not want anything to cause us to stumble. “Have salt in yourselves,” He says, “and be at peace with one another.”

Worth Your Salt

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: James 3:13–4:10 Service Summary: There is a war going on. It is quite evident in the outward conflicts within society. And, as Jeremiah and David realized, the world has warred against people of faith throughout history. But in today’s Epistle, James reveals that the struggle continues within each of us. Our passions are often opposed to God. Our Lord Jesus, by His death and resurrection, has won the victory—and therefore, peace—over outward and inward warfare. His grace assures us of daily and eternal peace.

Sin's War & God's Peace

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: James 3:1–12 Service Summary: Our tongues might be small but, like the rudder of a ship, the tongue is vitally important to us for staying on the right course. If the rudder is broken, the ship is adrift. If the tongue is filled with evil, so will the rest of our lives. But the tongue also boasts of great things, speaking God’s good word of forgiveness and life. Remember that Jesus has restored all things, including our tongues to no longer speak evil, but to speak His Word.

Is Something Burning?

Speaker: Pastor Murray Brindle Scripture Focus: Colossians 3:23-24 Message Summary: Pastor Brindle reminds us that we are to do our work willingly as servants of Christ.

Work Heartily

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: John 3:16-21 Service Summary: Today is the day we have been talking about and looking forward to: Rally Day! Yes, we will worship together in one service. We will eat together and have some fun after the service. But today is much more than that. Today is a day we return and recommit ourselves to God, as we reclaim our roots in Christ. Today is a day to return to Ascension, where we gather in fellowship in God’s Word in Scripture and Holy Communion. Today is a day we reclaim our passion for the Lord as reclaimed children of God. Today is a day we reignite our hearts and out of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, we go forth together, joyfully working as servants of God in the mission field. As we return to our roots in Christ, as we reclaim our identities as Christians, we undergo restoration. As we strive towards restoration, we do so filled with the Holy Spirit, who helps us to boldly go forth and proclaim the good news of salvation to a world that so desperately needs it.

Reclaimed by God

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: Mark 7:1-13 Service Summary: What is your favorite family tradition? Perhaps it is an annual celebration such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Perhaps it is a more common tradition—an  old family recipe or a favorite game. Traditions are passed down from  generation to generation. They are often wonderful and meaningful. But  sometimes we pass down traditions that are not good for us or the world.  The Israelites had passed down traditions related to divorce and giving  that were not what God had intended. Jesus rightly criticizes such  traditions. Today we consider the most trustworthy tradition that we continually pass from generation to generation: Jesus.

Passing on the Most Trusted Tradition: Jesus

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: John 6:51-69 Service Focus: Today we consider why we follow Jesus. In the Gospel, we see many people stop following Jesus because His words offend them. When Jesus asks the disciples if they want to stop following Him as well, Peter answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Not only does Jesus have the words of eternal life, but He also gives us the food of eternal life—His body and blood. As we gather for worship, we gather around God’s Word and God’s Meal—the Lord’s Supper.

The Words and Food of Eternal Life

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: John 6:35-51 Service Focus & Summary: Most food we make, purchase, and use has a shelf life. Some longer, some shorter, but at some point, we know goods expire. This is especially true with bread. When not used in a timely manner, bread dries out, hardens, and even molds. How different is the bread Jesus teaches of, the bread that is Himself. Continuing in John 6, He teaches the people what He came to provide, which is Himself from heaven. In our worship, in our reception of His Means of Grace, in our prayers and praise, and in our daily lives, let us rejoice in the Bread that lasts for our needs of faith and forgiveness, that we, too, may continually “taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8).

No Ordinary Bread

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: John 6:22-35 Sermon & Service Focus: Bread, in one form or another, is a diet staple in most every culture. Though today we can be overwhelmed at the grocery store with countless types and styles, even in its simplest form, bread continues to sustain stomachs in a variety of ways. Bread, or the simplest form of manna, is what the Lord would use to sustain His people in the wilderness, and the image of bread is what He would use to help people understand the greater gift He came to give in His own Son. Yet, more than sustaining a diet for this body and life, Jesus, the bread of life, has come to serve us salvation, sustain our souls, and feed us with His forgiveness. 

Sustaining Bread

Speaker: Pastor Raleigh Sims Scripture Focus: Mark 6:45–56 Description: The hymn insists, “God Himself is present” and “God is in His temple” (LSB 907). This hymn reminds us of the prophet Isaiah’s amazing vision of God in the temple when he heard the eternal song of the angels, “Holy, holy, holy,” causing the prophet to cringe, bow, and kneel at the awesome and fearful presence of God. Today, we bring ourselves with our own fears and hear how Jesus’ disciples witnessed their Lord’s real presence amid their strains and pains in a boat struggling against the wind. So today for you God is present with healing, forgiveness, and life not in the imagination but in the objective truth of His inspired Word, by your Baptism, and in the taste and touch of His body and blood given and shed for you. You cannot get any more real than that. “Let us now adore Him And with awe appear before Him.”

Strains, Pains, & Gains

Speaker: Pastor Murray Brindle Scripture Focus: Mark 6:30–44 Service: A Righteous Shepherd-King (8th Sunday After Pentecost)

God Keeps Doing the Extraordinary

Speaker: Pastor Murray Brindle Scripture Focus: Ephesians 1:3-14 Description: Sometimes Satan uses appearances to deceive us, but the Epistle reminds us that God had predestined us to be with Him forever—even before He began creation! Although others might not recognize it, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Appearances Are Deceiving

We are "a joyful community of the caring Christ" located in Casselberry, Florida.

hubhopper

Ascension Lutheran Church

hubhopper