Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - Emmett, ID

06/01/2026

On June 1st, the church celebrates Justin Martyr, who was born into a pagan family in the second century. He converted to the Christian faith while he was a philosophy student. He became a teacher in Ephesus and Rome. He was martyred for refusing to make pagan sacrifices. After being arrested and tried, he was executed with six other Christians. His confession of faith is recorded in the official Roman court documents. “The account of his martyrdom became a source of great encouragement to the early Christian community.” (p. 397) Most of our knowledge of early liturgical practice comes from Justin.

Let us pray: “Almighty and everlasting God, You found Your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, searching for the true God. Grant that all who seek for a deeper knowledge of the sublime wisdom of Your eternal Word may be found by You, who sent Your Son to seek and to save the lost; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” p. 396-7.

Image: “Saint Justin” by André Thevet. 1584, Public Domain.

05/27/2026

Remember, no Matins or Confessions Study today! See everyone next week.

05/25/2026

May 25th is the day that the Church honors Bede the Venerable – Theologian, who lived in England AD 673-735. Bede, the last of the Early Church Fathers, was the first person to compile the history of the English church. Seven years after his birth in Northumbria, his parents placed him in a monastery in northern England. He devoted his entire life to teaching and writing, rarely leaving the monastery. Bede was the most learned man of his time, especially noted as a prolific writer of history. He is best known for his book “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.” His careful use of sources made his book a model for historians in the Middle Ages. He also had a talent for interpreting Scripture and wrote several commentaries on several books of the Bible. “His most famous disciple, Cuthbert, reported that Bede was working on a translation of John’s Gospel into English when death came and that he died with the words of the Gloria Patri on his lips. He received the title ‘Venerable’ within two generations of his death and is buried in Durham Cathedral as one of England’s greatest saints.” (p. 376)

Let us pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, You want all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We give You thanks for sending Bede the Venerable to the Christian Church. Protect and encourage all pastors who confess the true faith among the nations by proclaiming Christ crucified; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” p. 376.

Image: “The Last Chapter” by J. Doyle Penrose. Venerable Bede translates the Gospel of John on his deathbed. 1902. Public Domain.

05/24/2026

The Church remembers Queen Esther today, the heroine of the biblical book that bears her name. Because of her beauty, she was chosen to be the queen by King Ahasuerus. Her charm and courage helped her to save her people, the Jews, from extermination. Haman, the king’s chief advisor, had planned to kill all the Jews whom he hated. Esther was able to uncover the plot resulting in the hanging of Haman on the gallows that he had built for Esther’s uncle Mordecai. “This story is an example of how God intervenes on behalf of His people to deliver them from evil, as here through Esther He preserved the Old Testament people through whom the Messiah would come.” (p. 373)

Let us pray: “O Almighty God, by whose grace and power Your servant Esther triumphed over Your enemies and rescued her people from death, grant us, who now remember her with thanksgiving, to be so true in our witness to You in this world that we may receive the crown of light and life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."

Prayer and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” p. 372-373.

Image: “Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther” by Rembrandt. Public Domain.

05/24/2026

Please join us for the Feast of Pentacost.
Sunday school at 9:00am and Divine Service at 10:30am.

05/21/2026

This day, May 21st, is designated as the day to remember Emperor Constantine, Christian ruler, and his mother Helena. Constantine the First served as Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337. He converted to the Christian faith after seeing a vision of a cross shining in the clouds. Under his leadership, the persecution of Christians halted after the Edict of Milan was written in 313. In his later years, he gave his full imperial support to the Christian faith. Constantine took an active interest in the teachings of the Church. In 325, he requested the meeting of the Church elders for the Council of Nicaea to define and defend orthodox Christianity. His mother, Helena, (Ad 255-329), strongly influenced Constantine. “Her great interest in locating the holy sites of the Christian faith led her to become one of the first Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Her research led to the identification of biblical locations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and beyond, which are still maintained as places of worship today.” (p. 365)

Let us pray: “Lord God, heavenly Father through the governance of Christian leaders such as Emperor Constantine, and the encouragement of his mother Helena, Your name is freely confessed in our nation and throughout the world. Grant that we may continue to choose trustworthy leaders who serve You faithfully in our generation and make wise decisions that contribute to the general welfare of Your people; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” p. 364-365.

Image: “Constantine’s Conversion” by Rubens. Public Domain.

05/17/2026

Exaudi Domine vocem meam, qua clamavi ad te: miserere mei, et exaudi me.- Psalm 26:7

Hear, O Lord when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!- Psalm 27: 7

Anyone know why the Psalm numbers are different? Answer in the comments!

05/14/2026

Please join us for Divine Service to celebrate the Ascension at 7:00! We will be using Divine Service setting 1.

Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, He stood on a hill near Jerusalem speaking with His disciples. As He was blessing them, He rose up before them into heaven. The disciples watched Him rise into heaven until He was hidden from them by a cloud. Today we celebrate this special day of Ascension in our churches. Jesus’ ascension to the throne of His Father was the end of His state of humiliation. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, no longer bound by time and space. He has taken up the power and authority that were His since before time. “Yet our Lord is present with us who remain bound by time and space. He is with us as true God and true man, exercising His rulership in the Church through the means of grace which He established: His Word and His Sacraments.” (p.302)

Let us pray: “Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” p. 301-302.

Image: “Christi Himmelfahrt” by Gebhard Fugel. Public Domain.