I've had an Epiphany!

Luke 2:41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem , but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't...

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. On this holy day when we are Christ Child’s birth, there are many people for whom very little is “merry” about Christmas. Are you feeling this way? Even a little bit? If so, this Christmas message is for you.   Over the past few weeks I have visited with our members who are home-bound, ill or out-of-work. They all have sad stories to tell. They used words like these to capture their Christmas feelings: lonely, discouraged, depressed, aching, angry, saddened, hurting, etc. For some, they are celebrating a Christmas without their spouse for the first time in decades. For others, they are divorced from their spouse and estranged from their children, so Christmas is a time of loneliness and isolation. For others, they have a mountain of medical bills so they can’t afford to buy proper presents for their c...

Artwork: Jesus among the Doctors in the Temple Artist: Paolo Veronese Date: 1528-1588 Technique: Oil on canvas Location: Madrid , Spain   Worship Theme: The readings today give us a window into our salvation and eternal glory, via the boyhood years of Jesus.  The early life of Samuel has some interesting parallels to that of Jesus. In Hebrews Jesus willingly becomes one of us, and calls us “brothers.” Look in wonder at Jesus, the almighty God, going through early, learning years just as we all do.   Old Testament: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD-- a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home. … 26 And t...

Introduction by Pastor Tonight we're going to take a close look at the name of Jesus.   In fact, we're going to look at many names that either were given to Jesus or used for Him. There were names given him by the angels, names that told of his work, names that showed his love for us, names that proved he was God, names of strength and names of humility, names of his office and names of his glory. Someone once counted about 40 names mentioned in the Bible that speak of Jesus. For if anyone deserved many names, it was this very special baby who came to be our Lord and Savior. Our worship will be a service of prophecy and fulfillment. Our teenagers will read the Old Testament prophecy and then our Sunday School children will recite how these names find their fulfillment in Jesus. The Name of Jesus Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee sh...

Revelation 12:1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. All of you have your nativity scenes set up in your homes. I know it is last minute, but you may want to move a few things around. Take out th...

Reindeer, presents, and the perfectly trimmed tree may still leave you wishing there was something more to this special season. There is! It is Jesus, the Christ Child who was wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger, but then grew up to die on the cross to pay for our sins and rise from the grave. We didn't invent or discover this Christmas present of our Savior, but at Epiphany Lutheran Church we enjoy sharing Him. Come find what you have been missing! We'll be looking for you! Christmas Eve … 5:00 pm Christmas Morning … 9:00 am

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”   Dear Friends in Christ,           News agencies hav...