Esko Apostolic Lutheran Church

12/18/2025

We're looking ahead to the Fourth Sunday in Advent. Our reading for today is brought to you by Michael Mattinen, an Intern at the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Esko, MN.

12/18/2025

We're looking ahead to the Fourth Sunday in Advent. Our reading for today is brought to you by Michael Mattinen, an Intern at the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Esko, MN.

12/14/2025

Hymn #4
Rejoice, All Ye Believers
(Author: Laurentius Laurentii)

1. Rejoice, all ye believers, And let your lights appear! The evening is advancing, And darker night is near. The Bridegroom is arising, And soon He draweth nigh. Up, watch, and pray, and wrestle – At midnight comes the cry!

2. Bridegroom near; Go meet Him as He cometh, With hallelujahs clear. The marriage feast is waiting. The gates wide open stand; Up, up, ye heirs of glory, The Bridegroom is at hand!

3. Ye saints, who here in patience, Your cross and sufferings bore, Shall live and reign forever, Where sorrow is no more. Around the throne of glory, The Lamb ye shall behold, In triumph cast before Him, Your diadems of gold!

4. Our Hope and Expectation, O Jesus, now appear; Arise, Thou Sun so longed for, O’er this benighted sphere! With hearts and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see, The day of earth’s redemption, That brings us unto Thee!

12/07/2025

Hymn #486
Rejoice, the Lord Is King!
(Author: Charles Wesley)

1. Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore:
Refrain: Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

2. The Lord, our Savior, reigns, The God of truth and love; When He had purged our stains, He took His seat above:
Refrain: Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

3. His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and heaven; The keys of death and hell, Are to our Jesus given:
Refrain: Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

4. Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord, the Judge shall come, And take His servants up, To their eternal home:
Refrain: Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

11/30/2025

Hymn #1
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
(Author: Anonymous)

1. O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel!

2. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel!

3. O come, Thou Dayspring, come
and cheer, Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night,
And pierce the clouds and bring us light! Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel!

4. O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel!

11/23/2025

Hymn #390 How Firm a Foundation
(Author: Anonymous)

1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2. “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed, For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

3. “When thro’ the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow; For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

4. “When thro’ fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply, The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design, Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

5. “The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake! I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”

11/16/2025

Hymn #112
Praise the Saviour
(Author: Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus)

1. Praise the Saviour Now and ever! Praise Him all beneath the skies! Prostrate lying, Suff’ring, dying, On the cross, a Sacrifice; Vict’ry gaining, Life obtaining, Now in glory He doth rise.

2. Man’s work faileth, Christ’s availeth, He is all our Righteousness. He our Saviour Hath forever Set us free from dire distress. Thro’ His merit We inherit Light, and peace, and happiness.

3. Sin’s bonds severed, We’re delivered, Christ hath bruised the serpent’s head; Death no longer Is the stronger, Hell itself is captive led. Christ hath risen From death’s prison O’er the tomb He light hath shed.

4. For His favor, Praise forever Unto God the Father sing; Praise the Saviour, Praise Him ever, Son of God, our Lord and King; Praise the Spirit, Thro’ Christ’s merit, He doth us salvation bring.

Augsburg Confession
Article X. Of the Lord's Supper.
Of the Supper of the Lord (our teachers) teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord;
and they reject those that teach otherwise.

1 Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed 2 to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.

11/09/2025

Hymn #605
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder
(Author: James M. Black)

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Chorus: When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Chorus: When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

3. Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Chorus: When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Augsburg Confession
Article VII. Of the Church.
1 Also (our teachers) teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.
2 And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and 3 the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, that is, rites or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be everywhere alike. 4 As Paul says: One faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, etc. Eph. 4:5-6.

1 Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. 2 And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and 3 the admi...

11/02/2025

For All the Saints
(Author: William Walsham How)

1. For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who Thee by faith before the world confessed;
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
3. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
4. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
5. But then there breaks a still more glorious day:
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
6. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
in praise of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

11/01/2025

Reminder: Fall back, Daylight Saving time ends tonight.

10/26/2025

Hymn #369
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
(Author: Martin Luther)

1. A mighty Fortress is our God, A trusty Shield and Weapon, He helps us in our ev’ry need, That hath us now o’ertaken. The old malignant foe, E’er means us deadly woe: Deep guile and cruel might, Are His dread arms in fight, On earth is not His equal.

2. With might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the Valiant One, Whom God Himself elected. Ask ye who this may be? Christ Jesus, it is He, As Lord of Hosts adored, Our only King and Lord, He holds the field forever.

3. Tho’ devils all the world should fill, All watching to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill, They cannot overpow’r us. For this world’s prince may still, Scowl fiercely as he will, We need not be alarmed, For he is now disarmed; One little word o’erthrows him.

4. The Word they still shall let remain, Nor any thanks have for it; He’s by our side upon the plain, With His good gifts and Spirit. Take they, then, what they will, Life, goods, yea, all; and still, E’en when their worst is done, They yet have nothing won, The kingdom ours remaineth.

Augsburg Confession
Article IV: Of Justification

Also (our teachers) teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.

1 Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for 2 Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made sat...

10/19/2025

Hymn #451
Mine Eyes Unto the Mountains
(Author: Ernst William Olson)

1. Mine eyes unto the mountains I lift, whence help goes forth; My help comes from Jehovah, Maker of heav’n and earth. Thy foot shall never falter; Thy ev’ry step He keeps; The Lord who keepeth Israel, He slumbers not nor sleeps.

2. The shade of the Almighty, Shields thee upon the right. The sunlight shall not smite thee, Nor shall the moon by night. Thy coming in He blesseth, And from the temple door, Thy going out He guideth, Now and forevermore.

Augsburg Confession
Article X: Of the Lord”s Supper

Of the Supper of the Lord (our teachers) teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord;
and they reject those that teach otherwise.