Heavenly Host Lutheran Church

06/11/2026

What is a “hymn”? The word “hymn” comes from a Greek word which means “song of praise.” Webster’s Dictionary tells us that a hymn is “a song of praise especially in honor of God.” In the Church, we sing hymns because they are God’s Word put to music. What an awesome way to praise our Lord!

Why do we sing hymns? During the early years of the Christian Church, its music came from the Psalms. As new people came into the Church, they added new hymns. The Church’s hymns have stood the test of time, never failing God’s people as generations change. When we sing hymns, we are praising god with the words He has already put on our tongues! There is no better way to pray, praise, and give thanks to God than with the words He has given us.

06/01/2026

What is an “acolyte”? The acolyte is the person (or persons) who lights the candles before the service. The word acolyte comes from the Greek word akolouthos which means “follower.” In English, the word acolyte sometimes means “attendant.”

Why do we use acolytes in the Church? Acolytes have always been an important part of worship. For centuries, acolytes have attended to the service of God’s people by helping the pastor in many different ways. In our churches today, acolytes primarily serve by lighting the candles. Acolytes wear robes and sit apart from the congregation because they are helping the pastor to serve God’s people during the service. Wow! What an important job!

05/28/2026

What is “Pentecost”? The word “Pentecost” (pronounced PEN-tuh-kost) comes from the Greek word pentekostos which means “fiftieth.” Exactly 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead, the Holly Spirit came upon the disciples in the form of flames of fire.

Why is Pentecost so important? When Jesus died, the disciples were sad because they thought that their friend and Lord was gone forever. But Jesus rose again! Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus did finally ascent into heaven leaving the disciples below. However, before Jesus actually died, rose again and ascended into heaven, He made a promise to His disciples that Hew would send the Holy Spirit to them. He said that the Holy Spirt would come and guide them into all the truth” (John 16:13) . Jesus doesn’t leave us alone to fend for ourselves. Jesus is here with us, and the Holy Spirit guides and leads the church into the truth of the wonderful Gospel! We celebrate and remember this at Pentecost.

Read the story of Pentecost in Acts 2. Remember the Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word and Sacraments just as our Lord has promised. Thank God for the gift of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

05/19/2026

Who is the Holy Spirit? The explanation of the Small Catechism says, the Holy Spirit is “the third person in the Holy Trinity, true God with the Father and Son.” This means that we believe in one true God, in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God just as the Father is God and the Son is God.

What does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit sanctifies God’s people. In other words, He makes us holy by giving us saving faith in Jesus and the strength to lead godly lives in His name.

Why is the Holy Spirit so important? We need the Holy Spirit and what He gives to us, because without Him, we are not able to believe in Jesus. In 1 Cor. 2:14 we hear the following: “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” The Holy Spirit calls us to faith through the Gospel and delivers the gracious gifts of salvation in the Sacraments.

The Holy Spirit is exactly where God promised us He would be—in the Word and Sacraments. He comes to us by no other means than through these gracious gifts.

05/12/2026

What are “vestments”? When you first see the pastor and his assistants in the Divine Service, what do you notice about them? They are wearing long robes and other unique garments. These are called “vestments.” The word “vestment” comes from the Latin word vestimentum which means “garment of office.” Vestments are garments worn by the pastor and the assistants during the Divine Service and other prayer offices.

Why are vestments used? A person’s vestment tells us about who they are and their role during the Divine Service. If you have two or more pastors, one may be dressed in vestments that mark him as the presiding minister. The other pastors may be dressed in vestments that mark them as assisting ministers. Vestments help to keep the proclamation of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments in good order. Did you know that God’ people have been using vestments in Old Testament time? Wow! Vestments are great tools in the church!

05/05/2026

What is a “creed”? The Explanation of the Small Catechism says a creed “is a statement of what we believe, and confess.” The word “creed” comes from the Latin word “credo” which means “I believe.” Many organizations have and use creeds. The Church uses three creeds: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. The creeds of the Church are different from all other creeds because they proclaim a living and wonderful faith that comes from God!

Why do we speak the creed in the Divine Service? What if I told you that when you speak the creed, you are telling the whole world what you believe? It’s true! When you speak the creed in the Divine Service you are responding in faith to what God has done for you through Jesus, and you are confessing the very Gospel message that saves all who believe. What a great thing to do every Sunday!

04/29/2026

What does “worship” really mean? Most people use the word “worship” to mean something we do to honor God. Because of this misunderstanding, many people believe that a church service is what we do for God. The word “worship” comes from the root words “worth” and “ship.” These two words describe God rather than the ones praising Him. These words describe a God who is worthy of being honored and adored because of His love for us. God gives us His love through His Word and Sacraments. Worship is not something we do, but rather something that God does for us!

What makes the Divine Service so important? The Divine Service is not about what we are doing for God, but who God is and what He does for us in the ways He has promised: His Word and Sacraments. That’s why Lutherans call it Divine Service. God is serving us! What a wonderful God we have!

The Divine Service is like listening to one long reading from the Bible. Everything in the Divine Service has been given to us through God’s Word. Remember it is God’s Word that delivers God’s salvation to us!

04/21/2026

Why do we worship on Sunday? Do you remember on what day Jesus rose from the dead? On what day did Jesus appear to His disciples on the road to Emmaus? If you guessed Sunday, you are right! The Early Church gathered on Sunday because it directed our attention to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Many other miraculous events in the early Christian Church, such as Pentecost, happened on Sunday.

When did Christians begin gathering together for worship on Sunday? We know from the Bible that during Paul’s lifetime Christians met on Sunday to hear God’s Word and celebrate Holy Communion (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Though Christians in different regions of the world sometimes worshipped on different days, by A.D. 325 most Christians worshipped on Sunday because they considered it “the Lord’s Day.” Wow, what a great tradition we share with our Christian ancestors!

In the Early Church, Christians used different terms for their day of worship such as “First Day” or “Eighth Day”. The label “the Lord’s Day” stands out as the most significant title chosen by the Church.

04/20/2026

04/15/2026

Another great big word of love. In the Bible we hear the wonderful Good News of Jesus and all He has done for us. We hear about how He has saved us from our sins through His perfect life, death and resurrection. What you may not know is how the Holy Spirit fits into the picture. “Sanctification” (pronounced sank-ti-fi-KAY-shun) is the word used by the church to describe this.

What does “sanctification” mean? “Sanctification” comes from the root word “sanctify” which means “to make holy.” The Holy Spirit sanctifies, or makes us holy, by giving us faith in Jesus and enabling us to do good works. All of this He does for us through the wonderful Gospel, and the Gospel can be found all wrapped up in the Word and Sacraments. Wow! The Holy Sprit is really at work in our lives!

Our Savior paid the price, and the Holy Spirit delivers the gifts! What a great combination and promise. This is where the work of sanctification begins.