Calendar

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 62:11—63:7\rPsalm: Psalm 70; antiphon: v. 5\rEpistle: Romans 5:6–11\rGospel: John 13:16–38\rGospel: Luke 22:1—23:56\rIntroit: Psalm 56:1–4a; antiphon: v. 11\rGradual: Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a\rVerse: John 12:23b

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Exodus 12:1–14\rPsalm: Psalm 116:12–19; antiphon: v. 17\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23–32\rGospel: John 13:1–17, 31b–35\rIntroit: Psalm 116:1–4; antiphon: v. 5\rGradual: Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a\rVerse: John 13:1b\r\rLet Us Love One Another, as Christ Jesus Has Loved Us and Loves Us to the End\r \r“The Lord’s Passover” (Ex. 12:11) and “the blood of the covenant” at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:8) foreshow the Lord’s Supper. The blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, now covers us, and we keep His Supper “as a feast to the Lord” (Ex. 12:14). In Him, we see “the God of Israel” (Ex. 24:10), and yet He does not lay His hand on us to punish us, but from His hand we eat and drink in peace. As our High Priest, He “entered once for all into the holy places … by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). He shed His own blood in order to “purify our conscience” and bring us before His God and Father “without blemish” (Heb. 9:14). The holy apostles received this New Testament in His blood from the Lord Jesus “on the night when he was betrayed,” and they delivered the same to His Church, which we also now receive in the name and remembrance of Christ (1 Cor. 11:23–26; Matt. 26:26–28). He has “loved his own who were in the world,” and He loves us “to the end” (John 13:1); therefore, let us also “love one another” (John 13:34).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Exodus 24:3–11\rPsalm: Psalm 116:12–19; antiphon: v. 17\rEpistle: Hebrews 9:11–22\rGospel: Matthew 26:17–30\rIntroit: Psalm 116:1–4; antiphon: v. 5\rGradual: Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a\rVerse: John 13:1b\r\rLet Us Love One Another, as Christ Jesus Has Loved Us and Loves Us to the End\r \r“The Lord’s Passover” (Ex. 12:11) and “the blood of the covenant” at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:8) foreshow the Lord’s Supper. The blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, now covers us, and we keep His Supper “as a feast to the Lord” (Ex. 12:14). In Him, we see “the God of Israel” (Ex. 24:10), and yet He does not lay His hand on us to punish us, but from His hand we eat and drink in peace. As our High Priest, He “entered once for all into the holy places … by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). He shed His own blood in order to “purify our conscience” and bring us before His God and Father “without blemish” (Heb. 9:14). The holy apostles received this New Testament in His blood from the Lord Jesus “on the night when he was betrayed,” and they delivered the same to His Church, which we also now receive in the name and remembrance of Christ (1 Cor. 11:23–26; Matt. 26:26–28). He has “loved his own who were in the world,” and He loves us “to the end” (John 13:1); therefore, let us also “love one another” (John 13:34).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Black\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 52:13—53:12\rPsalm: Psalm 22; antiphon: v. 1\rPsalm: Psalm 31; antiphon: v. 1\rEpistle: Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9\rGospel: John 18:1—19:42\rGospel: John 19:17–30\rIntroit: Psalm 38:1–4, 18, 22; antiphon: Isaiah 53:5\rGradual: Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a\rVerse: Isaiah 53:4\r\rBehold the Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sin of the World\r \rJesus, the Lamb of God, is led to the slaughter of His cross as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sin of the world. “Despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3), He is the righteous Servant who justifies many by His innocent suffering and death. He bears our griefs and sorrows; He is wounded for our transgressions; He is crushed for our iniquities; He suffers our chastisement; “and with his wounds we are healed” (Is. 53:4–5). As the Son of God, He fulfills the Law for us in human flesh, and so fulfills the Scriptures (John 19:7, 24). In perfect faith and faithfulness, He shares all our weaknesses and temptations, “yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). As our merciful High Priest, He brings us to the Father in peace, “makes intercession for the transgressors” (Is. 53:12), and joins our prayers to His own, so that we are heard “because of his reverence” (Heb. 5:7). From His cross, He gives us His Spirit (John 19:30), washes us with water from His side, and covers us with His blood (John 19:34).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Black\r\rPsalm: Psalm 31; antiphon: v. 1\rPsalm: Psalm 22; antiphon: v. 1\rIntroit: Psalm 38:1–4, 18, 22; antiphon: Isaiah 53:5\rGradual: Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a\rVerse: Isaiah 53:4

Color: Black\r\rOld Testament: Daniel 6:1–24\rPsalm: Psalm 16; antiphon: v. 10\rEpistle: 1 Peter 4:1–8\rGospel: Matthew 27:57–66\rIntroit: Psalm 88:1, 6–7, 8c–9; antiphon: v. 3

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Exodus 14:10—15:1\rPsalm: Psalm 118:15–29; antiphon: v. 1\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1–11\rGospel: John 20:1–18\rIntroit: Exodus 15:2a, 6, 13, 17–18; antiphon: v. 1b\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: 2 Timothy 1:10b\r\rThe Lord Jesus Brings Us Out of Death into Life with His God and Father in Heaven\r \rIn Adam, all people die because all people sin. The children of that first gardener have been driven out of Paradise and return to the dust whence they were taken. But now another Gardener has come, who has made His bed in the dust of the earth and who, by His rising, restores Paradise to all the children of men. With His voice of the Gospel, He calls us by name, and He opens our eyes to behold Him by faith. At His Word, we enter His tomb through Baptism into His death, so that, just as He is risen, we also “rise from the dead” (John 20:9). Come, then, “sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously” (Ex. 15:1). He has fought for us against our enemies, and in His resurrection not one enemy remains. “Fear not,” therefore, but “see the salvation of the Lord” (Ex. 14:13), which He delivers “as of first importance” by the preaching of His Gospel (1 Cor. 15:3). Thus, we are raised with Christ “in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4), and we stand firm because we “are being saved” (1 Cor. 15:1–2).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 10:34–43\rOld Testament: Jeremiah 31:1–6\rPsalm: Psalm 16; antiphon: v. 10\rEpistle: Colossians 3:1–4\rGospel: Matthew 28:1–10\rIntroit: Exodus 15:2a, 6, 13, 17–18; antiphon: v. 1b\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: 2 Timothy 1:10b\r\rThe Victory of Christ Crucified Is Given to You in the Preaching of His Resurrection\r \rEvery Sunday is the Lord’s day, the day of His resurrection, “after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week” (Matt. 28:1). In the Divine Service, the Church enters upon the eternal “eighth day.” The Lord Jesus, “who was crucified,” who “has risen, as he said” (Matt. 28:5–6), is the firstborn from the dead and the firstfruits of the new creation. Because “you have died” with Him in Holy Baptism, “you have been raised with Christ” and “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1, 3). The Lord Jesus has become our God, as surely as He is “the God of all the clans of Israel,” and we now belong to His people (Jer. 31:1). In this, He “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), but “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). As “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” and “raised him on the third day,” He also raises us up and pours out His Spirit upon us through the Gospel (Acts 10:38, 40).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Daniel 12:1c–3\rOld Testament: Exodus 15:1–18\rPsalm: Psalm 100; antiphon: v. 5\rSecond Reading: Acts 10:34–43\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 5:6b–8\rGospel: Luke 24:13–35\rGospel: Luke 24:13–49\rIntroit: Psalm 78:13–15, 24–25; antiphon: v. 4\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: 2 Timothy 1:10b\r\rThe Passover Lamb of God Is Known in the Breaking of the Bread\r \rThe celebration of Easter is a never-ending feast because “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). “Let us therefore celebrate the festival” (1 Cor. 5:8), and let us “sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously” (Ex. 15:1). He is our strength and our song because He has become our salvation. “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day” (Acts 10:39–40). His chosen witnesses, “who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10:41), now preach “forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). By this preaching, Jesus draws near and leads us to His holy abode. He opens the Scriptures to us, and He opens our minds to understand “the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). He opens our eyes to recognize His wounds and to know Him “in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35). At His table, He pours out the Spirit of His Father upon us, so that we shall be delivered; we shall be awakened from the dust of the earth, not to shame and everlasting contempt, but “to everlasting life” (Dan. 12:2).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rOld Testament: Daniel 3:8–28\rPsalm: Psalm 2; antiphon: v. 7\rSecond Reading: Acts 13:26–33\rGospel: Luke 24:36–49\rIntroit: Psalm 118:13–14, 17–18, 29; antiphon: v. 17\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: 2 Timothy 1:10b

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 3:13–15, 17–19\rPsalm: Psalm 61; antiphon: vv. 6–7\rEpistle: Colossians 3:1–7\rEpistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26\rGospel: John 21:1–14\rIntroit: Psalm 118:13–14, 17–18, 29; antiphon: v. 17\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: 2 Timothy 1:10b

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 5:29–42\rPsalm: Psalm 148; antiphon: v. 13\rEpistle: 1 Peter 1:3–9\rGospel: John 20:19–31\rIntroit: Psalm 105:1–5, 8; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2–3\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: Romans 6:9; John 20:29b\r\rChrist Jesus Breathes His Spirit and His Life into Us by the Ministry of the Gospel\r \rThe crucified and risen Lord Jesus establishes the ministry of the Gospel in order to bestow His life-giving Holy Spirit and His peace upon the Church. To those who are called and ordained to this office, and to those they serve in His name, He grants the Holy Absolution of all sins. By the fruits of His cross, He replaces fear and doubt with peace and joy, and thus gives “repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). Through the preaching of His sent ones, He calls us to believe that He “is the Christ, the Son of God,” so that by such faith we “may have life in his name” (John 20:31). In His resurrection, we have the “living hope” to which we have been “born again” and by which we are guarded “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3, 5). Until then, “though you have not seen him, you love him,” and by the mercies of God “you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36–41\rPsalm: Psalm 116:1–14; antiphon: v. 5\rEpistle: 1 Peter 1:17–25\rGospel: Luke 24:13–35\rIntroit: Psalm 133; antiphon: v. 1\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: Romans 6:9; Luke 24:32\r\rThe Risen Lord Jesus Is with Us in Holy Baptism and in ‘the Breaking of the Bread’\r \rFrom “before the foundation of the world” until heaven and earth pass away, “the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:20, 25). This “living and abiding word of God” is the preaching of Christ Jesus, namely that God “raised him from the dead and gave him glory” (1 Peter 1:21, 23). By this living word, we “have been born again” to eternal life (1 Peter 1:23) and ransomed from our sinful and mortal life “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19). This living word also calls us to repentance, to dying and rising in Holy Baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). In this, we receive the Holy Spirit “for you and for your children and for all who are far off” (Acts 2:39). Through the preaching of His cross and resurrection, Jesus draws near to bring us “into his glory” (Luke 24:26). As He opens the Scriptures, He opens our minds to comprehend “the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27), and He brings us to know Him “in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: Red\r\rOld Testament: Isaiah 52:7–10\rPsalm: Psalm 146; antiphon: v. 5\rEpistle: 2 Timothy 4:5–18\rGospel: Mark 16:14–20\rIntroit: Psalm 92:1–5; antiphon: Mark 16:15\rGradual: Psalm 119:105, 103; 45:1a, c\rVerse: Mark 1:15\r\rSt. Mark, Evangelist\r \rThe Lord sends His messengers out “as lambs in the midst of wolves” bearing the message, “Peace be to this house” (Luke 10:3–5). St. Mark does “the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5) and “publishes peace” (Is. 52:7). He is remembered as the lion-hearted evangelist, depicted with his fellow evangelists as the four living creatures of Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4. The evangelist is often identified with John Mark of Acts and the cousin of Barnabas, with whom he worked in Cyprus to “proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Despite their earlier differences, Mark was reconciled with St. Paul, who considered him “very useful … for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). Later he worked in Rome (1 Peter 5:13), where tradition has it that he wrote his Gospel from St. Peter’s sermons before founding the church in Alexandria and facing a martyr’s death.\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Color: White\r\rFirst Reading: Acts 2:42–47\rPsalm: Psalm 23; antiphon: v. 1\rEpistle: 1 Peter 2:19–25\rGospel: John 10:1–10\rIntroit: Psalm 95:1–3, 6–7a; antiphon: John 10:14, 15b\rGradual: adapt. from Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6\rVerse: Romans 6:9; John 10:14\r\rThe Crucified and Risen Lord Jesus Christ Is Our Good Shepherd\r \rAlthough we “were straying like sheep,” the Lord Jesus Christ has willingly suffered and died for us, bearing our sins “in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24–25). We are healed by His wounds (1 Peter 2:24), and in His resurrection He gathers us to Himself as our Good Shepherd, by whose righteousness we “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Now through other shepherds whom He calls and sends in His name, He guards and keeps us in the green pastures of His Church, leading us beside the quiet waters of our Baptism and spreading the feast of His table before us. Since He has called us by the Gospel to be His own dear sheep, we also “hear his voice” and “know his voice” (John 10:3–4) in the faithful preaching of His Gospel, and we follow Him by faith. When we receive His Gospel, we have the abundant life and common unity of the entire flock under one Good Shepherd, in “the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship” and in “the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).\r\rLectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship