The early church father Augustine offered a simple but profound insight. Evil exists only where good should be. Cold has no life of its own. It is the absence of heat. Darkness is not a thing in itself. It is the absence of light. Heat and light exist independently. Cold and darkness do not. They depend on what is missing in order to appear. Evil works the same way. It is not a created substance with its own power. It emerges where goodness is absent.

Scripture tells us that only God is good. And Jesus is God in the flesh. When He steps into Galilee and begins His ministry, something decisive happens. The people dwelling in darkness see a great light. Those living in the region and shadow of death find that a light has dawned. This is not a poetic exaggeration. It is a declaration of reality. Where Jesus is present, darkness cannot remain.

The light that dawns is the Gospel itself. Jesus does not merely speak about goodness. He is goodness. He does not simply point toward the light. He is the Light of the world. His preaching, His healing, His calling of fishermen and sinners, all announce the same truth. God has come near. The darkness that once ruled has been confronted by the One who alone is good.

This light does not shine only for a moment in history. It continues to shine wherever Christ is preached. Wherever sins are forgiven. Wherever the sick are healed and the broken are restored. The shadow of death is real, but it is no longer final. The light has dawned, and the darkness cannot overcome it. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

A Message of Love John 1:29–42a | Behold, the Lamb of God

At the heart of the Christian faith stands the love of God. Not a vague feeling or a selective affection, but a love that is concrete, costly, and given freely to all. When John points to Jesus and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” he is naming the fulfillment of God’s promise. The Light has come, not for a few, but for the whole world.

This love reaches farther than we often imagine. It spans nations and generations, and it reaches into every human life. From the womb to the grave. From strength to weakness. From honor to shame. The world teaches us to measure worth differently. Success, productivity, independence, and usefulness become the standard. Those who fail to meet it are overlooked or discarded. The consequences of this way of thinking are tragic, leading to abortion, assisted suicide, neglect, and violence. Even Christians are tempted to absorb these values, quietly learning to rank lives rather than receive them as gifts.

Jesus exposes this lie. He does not choose the impressive or the powerful. He calls fishermen who have failed, sinners who are broken, and people the world considers insignificant. He never asks whether a life is convenient or useful. His answer is always the same. This life is worth My own.

That love is revealed most clearly at the cross, where the Lamb of God becomes the despised and rejected One, bearing the sin of the world and giving His life for all. And this love is not locked in the past. Christ still comes to His people today. In Baptism, He claims sinners as His own. In Absolution, He forgives every failure. In His Supper, He gives His true Body and Blood for the life of the world. Again and again, God declares the holiness and worth of every human life.

Those who receive this love are called to see themselves and others through Christ’s eyes. Every life is sacred. Every life is redeemed. For the Lamb of God has come for all and has given Himself for all. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

A Message of Love John 1:29–42a | Behold, the Lamb of God

At the heart of the Christian faith stands the love of God. Not a vague feeling or a selective affection, but a love that is concrete, costly, and given freely to all. When John points to Jesus and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” he is naming the fulfillment of God’s promise. The Light has come, not for a few, but for the whole world.

This love reaches farther than we often imagine. It spans nations and generations, and it reaches into every human life. From the womb to the grave. From strength to weakness. From honor to shame. The world teaches us to measure worth differently. Success, productivity, independence, and usefulness become the standard. Those who fail to meet it are overlooked or discarded. The consequences of this way of thinking are tragic, leading to abortion, assisted suicide, neglect, and violence. Even Christians are tempted to absorb these values, quietly learning to rank lives rather than receive them as gifts.

Jesus exposes this lie. He does not choose the impressive or the powerful. He calls fishermen who have failed, sinners who are broken, and people the world considers insignificant. He never asks whether a life is convenient or useful. His answer is always the same. This life is worth My own.

That love is revealed most clearly at the cross, where the Lamb of God becomes the despised and rejected One, bearing the sin of the world and giving His life for all. And this love is not locked in the past. Christ still comes to His people today. In Baptism, He claims sinners as His own. In Absolution, He forgives every failure. In His Supper, He gives His true Body and Blood for the life of the world. Again and again, God declares the holiness and worth of every human life.

Those who receive this love are called to see themselves and others through Christ’s eyes. Every life is sacred. Every life is redeemed. For the Lamb of God has come for all and has given Himself for all. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

A Message of Love John 1:29–42a | Behold, the Lamb of God

At the heart of the Christian faith stands the love of God. Not a vague feeling or a selective affection, but a love that is concrete, costly, and given freely to all. When John points to Jesus and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” he is naming the fulfillment of God’s promise. The Light has come, not for a few, but for the whole world.

This love reaches farther than we often imagine. It spans nations and generations, and it reaches into every human life. From the womb to the grave. From strength to weakness. From honor to shame. The world teaches us to measure worth differently. Success, productivity, independence, and usefulness become the standard. Those who fail to meet it are overlooked or discarded. The consequences of this way of thinking are tragic, leading to abortion, assisted suicide, neglect, and violence. Even Christians are tempted to absorb these values, quietly learning to rank lives rather than receive them as gifts.

Jesus exposes this lie. He does not choose the impressive or the powerful. He calls fishermen who have failed, sinners who are broken, and people the world considers insignificant. He never asks whether a life is convenient or useful. His answer is always the same. This life is worth My own.

That love is revealed most clearly at the cross, where the Lamb of God becomes the despised and rejected One, bearing the sin of the world and giving His life for all. And this love is not locked in the past. Christ still comes to His people today. In Baptism, He claims sinners as His own. In Absolution, He forgives every failure. In His Supper, He gives His true Body and Blood for the life of the world. Again and again, God declares the holiness and worth of every human life.

Those who receive this love are called to see themselves and others through Christ’s eyes. Every life is sacred. Every life is redeemed. For the Lamb of God has come for all and has given Himself for all. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

When Jesus comes to the Jordan, He looks like everyone else standing in line to be baptized by John. Yet John knows the truth. This man has no sin. John hesitates, knowing the order seems backwards. He should be the one kneeling, not Jesus. But our Lord insists. This must be done to fulfill all righteousness.

Jesus’ baptism is unlike ours. He does not enter the water to have sin washed away. He enters the water to take sin upon Himself. Your sin. My sin. He steps into the place of sinners so that He might carry our guilt all the way to the cross and leave it buried in the tomb. The righteous One comes to make things right with those who are not righteous.

And then heaven opens. The Spirit descends like a dove. The Father’s voice resounds from above, declaring His pleasure in His Son. Heaven reaches down to earth in a way never seen before. This is not just a moment in history. This is what baptism is. God coming to us. Heaven touching earth. The promise that sinners are claimed, forgiven, and named children of God.

Baptism is not our work reaching up to God. It is God’s gracious work coming down to us. The gate of heaven stands open because Christ has stepped into the water for us. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

When Jesus comes to the Jordan, He looks like everyone else standing in line to be baptized by John. Yet John knows the truth. This man has no sin. John hesitates, knowing the order seems backwards. He should be the one kneeling, not Jesus. But our Lord insists. This must be done to fulfill all righteousness.

Jesus’ baptism is unlike ours. He does not enter the water to have sin washed away. He enters the water to take sin upon Himself. Your sin. My sin. He steps into the place of sinners so that He might carry our guilt all the way to the cross and leave it buried in the tomb. The righteous One comes to make things right with those who are not righteous.

And then heaven opens. The Spirit descends like a dove. The Father’s voice resounds from above, declaring His pleasure in His Son. Heaven reaches down to earth in a way never seen before. This is not just a moment in history. This is what baptism is. God coming to us. Heaven touching earth. The promise that sinners are claimed, forgiven, and named children of God.

Baptism is not our work reaching up to God. It is God’s gracious work coming down to us. The gate of heaven stands open because Christ has stepped into the water for us. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

When Jesus comes to the Jordan, He looks like everyone else standing in line to be baptized by John. Yet John knows the truth. This man has no sin. John hesitates, knowing the order seems backwards. He should be the one kneeling, not Jesus. But our Lord insists. This must be done to fulfill all righteousness.

Jesus’ baptism is unlike ours. He does not enter the water to have sin washed away. He enters the water to take sin upon Himself. Your sin. My sin. He steps into the place of sinners so that He might carry our guilt all the way to the cross and leave it buried in the tomb. The righteous One comes to make things right with those who are not righteous.

And then heaven opens. The Spirit descends like a dove. The Father’s voice resounds from above, declaring His pleasure in His Son. Heaven reaches down to earth in a way never seen before. This is not just a moment in history. This is what baptism is. God coming to us. Heaven touching earth. The promise that sinners are claimed, forgiven, and named children of God.

Baptism is not our work reaching up to God. It is God’s gracious work coming down to us. The gate of heaven stands open because Christ has stepped into the water for us. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

God, from the very beginning, has arranged for our adoption as His children. Long before we were aware of it, before we could understand our own story, His purpose was already at work.

In spite of the failings of our parents, the disasters that have struck our lives, the swirling events of history, and even our own broken past and wandering paths, God has not been absent. He has been active, patient, and faithful. Every moment has been held within His care and directed toward His gracious will.

In Luke 2, we see the boy Jesus in the temple, growing in wisdom and stature, obedient to His earthly parents, and yet fully devoted to His Father’s house. This same Lord, who submitted Himself to the Law and fulfilled it perfectly, has done so for you. Through His life, death, and resurrection, you are chosen and redeemed, a child of God through faith in Jesus, an heir of eternal life.

This is not by accident. This is not by merit. It is by grace alone. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m.

https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan

We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​

Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A

#LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService