Pastor Kory's Page - November 2025

We are nearing the end of the Church Year. The Scripture readings on the last Sundays of the Church Year come from some of Jesus’ final teachings in the days before He suffered and died on the cross.

This Sunday we’ll hear from Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus prophesied of both the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod’s magnificent temple and the destruction of this entire present creation on the Last Day. 

Passages about the end of the world may seem like a “downer” to us as we read the Bible. However, there’s much for us to learn and apply to our life in Christ from these end times messages in Scripture. St. Peter addresses the coming Day of the Lord in 2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Earlier in that chapter, Peter describes the end of the world, saying, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed (2 Peter 3:10).

As we look at the material world around us, we need to remember that nothing here lasts forever. Our possessions, our property, and even the church buildings in which God’s people gather will all perish on the Last Day. Peter calls us to live now with the end in view. He goes on to say, Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God (2 Peter 3:11-12a).

This present world isn’t our forever home. We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). We are looking for the life of the world to come, God’s new creation in which He’ll make all things new! 

But as we live in the present day, and to recall Peter’s question, what sort of people ought we to be? The Lord calls us to live faithful, God-pleasing lives, and to look forward eagerly to the final coming of our Savior Jesus. We are to live out our mission as His people, to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). 

Scripture encourages us as we await the end. Jesus says in Luke 21:28, Now when these things [signs of the end] begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. In other words, don’t spend these latter days living in fear and dread. Trust the Lord and look forward to His appearing!

St. Paul also encourages us, both as we remember Jesus’ resurrection and look forward to ourresurrection on the Last Day. He says in 1 Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. In other words, it’s because of our hope of the resurrection – both Christ’s and ours – that we dedicate ourselves to faithful and fruitful living here and now.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, raise your heads and be encouraged in Christ! Keep abounding in the Lord’s work. Your labors for Christ’s kingdom are making a difference and do not go unnoticed. Keep living for eternity today as you await your Savior’s return on the Last Day!

In Christ,

     Pastor Kory Janneke

Pastor Kory’s Page for Sun, Nov. 2, 2005

What is a Christian saint? Are the saints limited just to Jesus’ disciples, or to Christians from long ago, or only to deceased Christians? Do you need to make extraordinary sacrifices, like leaving home and serving as an overseas missionary, to become a saint? 

Biblically speaking, a saint is a “holy one” of God. The Greek term for saint, hagios, occurs more than 40 times in the New Testament, especially in St. Paul’s Epistles and the book of Revelation. It occurs as a general greeting at the beginning of several letters, such as in Philippians 1:1, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” In this instance, “saints” refers to all the Christians in the city of Philippi. They didn’t have to be “super Christians” or already be deceased to receive the title of “saint.” In Romans 1:7, Paul also writes, “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This passage likewise describes all the believers in Rome as saints. Additionally, it is God’s love and God’s call which make us His saints, His holy people – not our personal decision or devotion.

This means that ALL who believe and are baptized in the Christian faith can rightly be described as saints in Christ! This also means that you are just as much of a saint as the faithful men and women whom we read about in the Bible and in the records of the early church. You are already a saint now in this life even as you look forward to experiencing the fullness of the resurrection life which Christ has won for you by His death and resurrection!

As we think specifically, though, about prominent saints through the history of the church, how should we remember them? The early Lutherans wrote in the Augsburg Confession, “Our churches teach that the history of saints may be set before us so that we may follow the example of their faith and good works, according to our calling. … But the Scriptures to not teach that we are to call on the saints or to ask the saints for help.” (AC 21) In other words, it’s important for the saints in any age to learn church history and find inspiration from the lives of faithful men and women who have gone before us. 

However, praying to the saints is both unbiblical and unnecessary. The Augsburg Confession continues, “Scripture sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Atoning Sacrifice, High Priest, and Intercessor [1 Timothy 2:5-6]. He is to be prayed to. He has promised that He will hear our prayer [John 14:13]. This is the worship that He approves above all other worship, that He be called upon in all afflictions. ‘If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father’ (1 John 2:1).” As saints in Christ, we have full access to God’s throne of grace through Jesus. Like the saints from ages past, we turn to Jesus Himself with all our needs, sins, and intercessions. We can and should remember the saints, but we need not pray to them.

The first pages of the Lutheran Service Book hymnal (xi-xiii) include a list of traditional Christian feast days, festivals, and the commemorations of other saints. These remembrances span from the Old Testament patriarchs to figures in the Lutheran Reformation and even in nineteenth century American Lutheranism. An introduction in the hymnal says, “In every case, the purpose of our remembrance is not that we honor these saints for their own sake, but as examples of those in whom the saving work of Jesus Christ has been made manifest to the glory of His holy name and to the praise of His grace and mercy” (LSB p. xii).

If you’d like to learn more about these saints through the centuries, I recommend a book called Celebrating the Saints by William Weedon. Pastor Weedon includes a short devotional message related to each saint whom Lutherans commemorate in the church year.

Lastly, I invite all of you saints in Christ to join us on Sun, Nov. 2 as we observe “All Saints Day” and remember saints both known to us and known only to the Lord, those who surround us today and those who have already joined the great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1).

            Grace & Peace,

                        Pastor Kory Janneke

"Preparing for Sunday Mornings"

Pastor Kory's Page for October 2025

 Much of my workweek is directed toward preparing for Sunday morning. There’s a service to plan, a sermon to prepare, a Bible study to lead, and catechism class to teach or sometimes other meetings to participate in. All of this is a normal part of a pastor’s calling. However, preparing for Sunday morning isn’t just for pastors! How can church members prepare themselves for Sunday morning? Here are a few reflections:

Plan to be here – barring illness, plan to begin each week in the Lord’s house. We need our Lord Jesus as we face each week. We need His forgiveness for past sins and His help for our future faithfulness. The writer of Hebrews said plainly that believers should not neglect meeting together but that we are to keep gathering and encouraging one another (Heb. 10:25). In AD 303, a congregation of Christians in Abitinae in northern Africa were forbidden by Roman authorities from possessing copies of the Scriptures and from gathering for worship and Holy Communion. However, one of these Christians, a man named Emeritus in whose house the church met, responded to the interrogator, “We cannot live without Sunday.” In other words, he and the other members of their church were declaring that they would rather face martyrdom than give up meeting together to hear the Lord’s Word and receive His Sacrament! May God grant us to follow their example!

Read the Word – each week, we publish the Sunday Scripture readings in our Thursday church announcements. You can also find a complete schedule of the weekly readings on the Year at a Glance website: https://yaag.org or on the LCMS Website. Take a few minutes to read over the Scripture lessons ahead of time. Look for thematic connections between them. Jot down some questions you have about them or applications you might draw from them.

Pray – as you look ahead to Sunday, pray that the Holy Spirit would make you receptive to His Word. Pray for pastors and church leaders. Pray for church members and guests that their hearts, too, would be prepared to hear the Lord’s Word and receive His Sacrament. Pray that you might be able to encourage someone who needs it.

Review the service bulletin – after arriving at the church, skim over the order of service. Take a moment to read the words of a hymn or Psalm. You can also use some of the prayers found on the first page of your hymnal (listed as Prayers for Worship). Additionally, your hymnal includes several structured orders of prayer (p. 282 and following) and topical prayers (p. 305 and following) which you could use before the service begins.

Take it home – jot some notes during the sermon and review them after you go home. Take your bulletin with you and reread the Scripture lessons devotionally. Pray the words of one of the hymns. Familiarize yourself with something in the service that was new to you. Use the church prayer list (in the back of the bulletin) as part of your personal prayers at home.

Attending the Sunday service isn’t just one more chore or activity in a Christian’s week. It’s the heartbeat of it! Like the early Christians, we can learn to orient our week around Sunday morning when we gather with God’s people, receive Christ’s gifts, and respond to Him in prayer and song. 

On that note, I look forward to gathering with you on Sunday.

Grace & Peace,

                                    Pastor Kory Janneke