Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Greenfield, Wisconsin

06/07/2026

"The rich man in hell knew that his brothers were under the same delusion that he was. That’s why he wants to warn them. He realizes that they think they’re fine with God, when they’re not. They, too, might refer to Abraham as their father and think they’re among the people of God, but they are deceived. They don’t share Abraham’s faith. And so they aren’t true children of Abraham. Let this warning, then, also come to you and me today, so that we don’t end up like the rich man, complacent and falsely secure, putting our faith in the wrong place.
"That’s really the key difference between the rich man and Lazarus–their faith. It wasn’t so much about what they possessed, but what possessed them, what had a hold of their hearts. Even though he may have been a religious person, the rich man’s real confidence was in his own abilities and smarts, his own resources, his own power and standing as a pillar of the community. Even in the fires of hell, the rich man rejected Moses and the prophets. Did you notice that? When the rich man wants to use Lazarus to go back to his brothers from the dead and warn them, Abraham says that Moses and the prophets are more than enough; that Word of God is all that his brothers need. But the rich man doesn’t think that’s good enough. He thinks that Scripture is empty, that it doesn’t have the power to bring them to repentance or to save them. He wants a miracle. Even in hell his trust is in something else than God’s Word. Just because he sees heaven and hell doesn’t mean that he’s become a believer. Death does not change someone from being an unbeliever to a believer. The hard-heartedness of the unbelieving goats perseveres into eternity. In fact his unbelief actually becomes a part of his eternal torment, as his hard heart grows increasingly more frustrated and angry at the ways of God.
"Lazarus, on the other hand, clung to Moses and the prophets. The Word of God was his hope. For you may remember that the name “Lazarus” literally means “God is My Helper” or “My God is Help.” Even though Lazarus longed for mere crumbs from the table, even though the street dogs licked his wounds, even though in this world Lazarus had nothing–not even his health–in truth, and perhaps surprisingly, Lazarus found what he was seeking. He found mercy that endures forever. He received Living Water and Bread from Heaven. He obtained perfect satisfaction and health. It was all there for him in Moses and the prophets. For there in Moses and the prophets was the Messiah, Jesus, his Help and his Savior."

Luke 16:19-31 Trinity 1 ✠ In the Name of the read more...

05/31/2026

"Don’t ever judge baptism only by its lowly appearance. It’s like getting a package delivered which has something very valuable inside. If a person were to judge by external appearances, the package would seem like nothing special, just cardboard and tape and labels. But upon opening it, a person would find that it was no ordinary package at all, but one that contained some great gift. That’s how it is with Baptism. Judging by worldly standards, it seems to be nothing special, just a few handfuls of water. But when faith looks inside this package, it finds that it’s no ordinary water at all, but water that contains the greatest treasure, the very Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ, and deliverance in Him from death and the devil."

John 3:1-17 Holy Trinity ✠ In the name of the read more...

05/24/2026

"The main thing that happened on Pentecost was not the signs of the rushing wind and the fire, but the preaching and the baptizing that the Holy Spirit did through the apostles. Most of Acts chapter 2 is the sermon which Peter spoke that day. By the Spirit’s power, He condemned the people for their unbelief in Christ and their wickedness in putting Jesus to death. Yet Peter also proclaimed how God accomplished His saving purposes through Christ’s death, and how the Father raised Jesus from the dead as Lord of all and the only Savior. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart in sorrow for their sin, and they said to the apostles, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” About 3,000 people were baptized that day from all different lands and languages, who carried that Spirit-filled Gospel home with them, spreading it like a prairie brush fire. And of those who remained in Jerusalem, it is written that they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread in the Lord’s Supper, and to the prayers."

Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost ✠ In the name of the Father read more...

05/11/2026

Ascension Day is this Thursday! Come and join the congregations and pastors of Circuit 1 for a joint festival service at Our Father's Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. Pastor Koch will preach.
He has raised our human nature
On the clouds to God’s right hand;
There we sit in heav’nly places,
There with Him in glory stand.
Jesus reigns, adored by angels;
Man with God is on the throne.
By our mighty Lord’s ascension
We by faith behold our own.
(LSB 494:5)

04/19/2026

"In this way Jesus is not like a hireling. The hireling runs away from the fight because he doesn’t truly care about the sheep. He’s just there to earn the paycheck. He doesn’t own the sheep. It’s not his loss if the flock is scattered a bit. At the end of the day, he’s going to save his own skin. But Jesus truly cares about you. He’s not using you for His own ends, just to dump you somewhere down the line. You belong to Him. He wants to have you with Himself for all eternity. And so He defends you as His own treasured possession. He puts His own life on the line for you, even to the point of the cross. Like David, He grabs hold of sin and death by the scruff of the neck, and He drags those predators down into the pit. They kill Him, and then suppose that with the Shepherd dead, the sheep would be theirs. But in attacking Him, they walked into a trap. It was beyond their comprehension that the Shepherd could live again, arising from the dead and leaving them behind, crushed and defeated in the pit forever. They bit into a man and found God. Seizing their Victim, they themselves became the prey. As David beat back the lion and the bear with his knife and club, so great David’s greater Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has turned the wood of the cross into a mighty weapon by which those wolves that threatened us, Satan and death, are slain and crushed."

John 10: 11-18, 27-30 Easter 3 ✠ In the name read more...

04/17/2026

Hymn Sing
All are invited to take part in a Circuit 1 hymn festival under the theme “The Course of the Christian Life” at Our Father’s Lutheran Church in Greenfield this Sunday, April 19th at 4 p.m. The event will include a festival choir from Circuit Congregations as well as instrumentalists. Come and join us as we build one another up in our rich, Scriptural musical heritage! Our Father’s is located at 6025 S. 27th Street in Greenfield.

All are invited to take part in a Circuit 1 hymn festival under the theme “The Course of the Christian Life” at Our Father’s Lutheran Church in Greenfield this Sunday, April 19th at 4 p.m. The event will include a festival choir from Circuit Congregations and instrumentalists. Come and join us...

04/15/2026

3K-5th grade students are invited to attend a joint VBS hosted by Our Father's and Mount Zion this summer!

Sign your child up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQORFp8G7uzjuhEg5elyw7Gtuexoo5YKuzY1XlpNl8QK21hw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=105486898010441970166

Sign up to volunteer here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A4AA9A923AAFD0-63233850-river #/

04/04/2026

Here's a little foretaste of the Easter Vigil. Come and join us for tonight's candlelight service at 8 p.m. as we celebrate our Lord's Passover from death to life and our baptism into His cross and resurrection. This will be a joint service together with the pastor and people of Our Father's Lutheran Church.

Easter Vigil 2026 (Exodus 14) In many ways, this day of the church year represents where Christians live every day. We exist between Good Friday and Easter, freed from the slavery of sin, but not yet at our final destination. Salvation has been accomplished fully by our Lord, but it has not yet been...

04/02/2026

You are invited to attend all of the services below as we meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus and His victorious Resurrection from the dead to redeem us. God grant you a continued blessed Holy Week!

Maundy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday (Scriptural Stations of the Cross), Noon & 6:30 p.m.
Easter Candlelight Vigil, Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
Easter Day Festival Serivce, 9:00 a.m.

03/30/2026

Always remember that our Lord Jesus was willing to be betrayed into the hands of sinful men to rescue you and redeem you. He let this come upon Himself out of love for His Father and for you. In fact, this very act of being betrayed is part of how Jesus has saved you. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” He knows what you’ve been through, the times you’ve been mistreated or stabbed in the back by someone you’ve trusted. Jesus has carried all of that for you to take that hurt away from you forever. In Judas Jesus has endured every betrayal; for through this betrayal Jesus has suffered for every sin on the cross. Our Lord can truly sympathize with you in your weakness and affliction. He’s literally been there for you. And He is with you now to carry you through the dark times to the light of the resurrection.

Matthew 26 and 27 Palm Sunday 2026 ✠ In the read more...