Hope Lutheran Men Lubbock

05/25/2026

John 15 "12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Today, we honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The United States is sitting on the eve of its 2...

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

“He will teach you all things.” John 14:26b

Pentecost

Pentecost is the name used by Greek-speaking Jews for the Jewish feast of Shavuot. It is a festival of first fruits, when God is given an offering from the land’s early produce. Ancient Jewish tradition connected this feast with the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Siniai. Its name, “Pentecost,” refers to its placement on the calendar - fifty days after Passover - and it is now associated with the Christian feast commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit. After Christ’s ascension into heaven, his disciples met in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. While they were together, the sound of a rushing wind filled the room and the Holy Spirit fell upon all, manifesting in flames of fire. The disciples began speaking in the languages of the Gentile nations and they were empowered to fulfill Jesus’ final command to “go into all of the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Fifty days earlier, Jesus had promised that he would ask the Father to send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) who would be with them forever. Now, in the presence of all, this promise was fulfilled.

The cultural chaos following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 led to conflicting traditions in how to calculate Passover. Today, Western Pentecost, Eastern Pentecost, and Jewish Shavuot all fall on different days. This reminds us to pray that through the Holy Spirit’s power, all of his people will be fully unified in his truth and love.

Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Art & history by Ben Lansing

Book now available 📚- www.ourchurchspeaks.com

05/23/2026

“The universe has been wrought for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator.” - Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Astronomer

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish scientist, mathematician, and Roman Catholic cleric, living at the dawn of the scientific revolution. Though a man of quiet temperament, he played a significant role in instigating this scientific revolution and changed the world forever. A man of diverse talents and occupations, Copernicus is remembered most for proposing that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system. This re-orientation of the heavens conflicted with earlier conceptions of the universe and woodenly literalistic interpretations of Scriptural passages (like Psalm 104:5 - “He set the earth on its foundations so that it shall never be moved.”). Acting as a canon within the Church, his work was supported, encouraged, and promoted by the church of his day and he became a renowned astronomer. His bold scientific theories were driven by his faith that God had created an orderly and logical universe. Copernicus said, “To know the mighty works of God, to comprehend His wisdom and majesty and power; to appreciate, in degree, the wonderful workings of His laws, surely all this must be a pleasing and acceptable mode of worship to the Most High, to whom ignorance cannot be more grateful than knowledge.” Later generations, embroiled by the turmoil of Reformation-era political conflicts, banned Copernicus’ writings and condemned his teaching. But once the fires of war had dissipated, Copernicus was once again elevated by the church as an exemplar of a uniquely Christian approach to bold, scientific exploration.

Almighty God, at your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and earth, our home: Make us ever thankful for your loving providence; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Art & history by Ben Lansing
Order the book ourchurchspeaks.com

05/23/2026

Devotion 5.23.26

Acts 2 The Coming of the Holy Spirit 2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and reste...

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

The key issue of the debates concerned Arius and his insistence that the Son was a creature of the Father, albeit highly exalted. The chief point of contention was the term homoousios (the

05/21/2026

a powerful story of redemption, faith, and unexpected purpose as Chris and Karen s...

05/21/2026

"I am with you always."