11460 60 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB. T6H 1J5 Canada. 780-231-0330

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf & Hearing

*Next Church Service Sunday November 1, 2026 at 10:30 780-231-0330

Holy Communion 3rd Sundays of the month

Martin Luther's Morning/Evening Prayer

Make the sign of the Holy Cross and say:

Morning Prayer

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Evening Prayer

In the evening when you go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Then go to sleep at once and in good cheer.

ALL SAINTS’ DAY

(1 November 2026)

Revelation 7:(2–8) 9–17

1 John 3:1–3

Matthew 5:1–12

Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

“A great multitude … from all tribes and peoples and languages” cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne” (Rev. 7:9–10). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we, too, “shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Joined with the throng of angels and myriad saints, we shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:15). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ, propels us forward to our eternal home, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure and the persecuted are all blessed, and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1–12).

Introit (Psalm 31)

P: The people came out of the time of much trouble.

C: They washed their robes in the Lamb’s blood and made them white.

P: Lord, You protect me. Don’t let me become shamed.

C: Your righteousness saves me.

P: You are my rock and my protection.

C: For Your name’s honor, You lead me.

P: Into Your hand I give my spirit.

C: Lord, faithful God, You saved me.

All: Glory give to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, the same as it was in the beginning, is now, and will continue forever. Amen.

Prayer for God’s Word

P: Almighty and eternal God, You bring together Your faithful people from all time and places. You unite them together in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Your holy people in the past lived the same-as You want. Let us follow their example. Then we will all live together in heaven in joy with You. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: (copy) Amen.

What Is a Lutheran?

While there are a variety of ways one could answer this question, one very important answer is simply this, “A Lutheran is a person who believes, teaches and confesses the truths of God’s Word as they are summarized and confessed in the Book of Concord.” The Book of Concord contains the Lutheran confessions of faith.

Perhaps you have attended an ordination of a pastor and heard him promise that he will perform the duties of his office in accord with the Lutheran Confessions. When people are received into membership into a Lutheran congregation through confirmation they are asked if they confess the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, as they have learned to know it from the Small Catechism, to be faithful and true.

These solemn promises indicate to us just how important the Lutheran Confessions are for our church. Let’s take a look at the various items contained in the Book of Concord and then we will talk about why the Lutheran Confessions are so important for being a Lutheran.

What are the Ecumenical Creeds?

The three ecumenical creeds in the Book of Concord are the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. They are described as “ecumenical” [universal] because they are accepted by Christians worldwide as correct expressions of what God’s Word teaches.

What is the Augsburg Confession and Apology of the Augsburg Confession?

In the year 1530, the Lutherans were required to present their confession of faith before the emperor in Augsburg, Germany. Philip Melanchthon wrote the Augsburg Confession and it was read before the imperial court on June 30, 1530. One year later, the Lutherans presented their defense of the Augsburg Confession, which is what “apology” here means. It too was written by Philip Melanchthon. The largest document in the Book of Concord, its longest chapter, is devoted to the most important truth of the Christian faith: the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

What are the Small and Large Catechisms?

Martin Luther realized early on how desperately ignorant the laity and clergy of his day were when it came to even the most basic truths of the Christian faith. Around 1530, he produced two small handbooks to help pastors and the heads of families teach the faith.

The Small Catechism and the Large Catechism are organized around six topics: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Sacrament of the Altar. So universally accepted were these magnificent doctrinal summaries by Luther, that they were included as part of the Book of Concord.

What are the Smalcald Articles and the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope?

In 1537, Martin Luther was asked to prepare a statement of Lutheran belief for use at a church council, if it was called. Luther’s bold and vigorous confession of faith was later incorporated into the Book of Concord. It was presented to a group of Lutheran rulers meeting in the town of Smalcald. Philip Melanchthon was asked to expand on the subject of the Roman pope and did so in his treatise, which also was included in the Book of Concord.

What is the Formula of Concord?

After Luther’s death in 1546, significant controversies broke out in the Lutheran Church. After much debate and struggle, the Formula of Concord in 1577 put an end to these doctrinal controversies and the Lutheran Church was able to move ahead united in what it believed, taught and confessed. In 1580, all the confessional writings mentioned here were gathered into a single volume, the Book of Concord. Concord is a word that means, “harmony.” The Formula of Concord was summarized in a version known as the “Epitome” of the Formula of Concord. This document too is included in the Book of Concord.

What is the connection between the Bible and the Confessions?

We confess that, “The Word of God is and should remain the sole rule and norm of all doctrine” (FC SD, Rule and Norm, 9). What the Bible asserts, God asserts. What the Bible commands, God commands. The authority of the Scriptures is complete, certain and final. The Scriptures are accepted by the Lutheran Confessions as the actual Word of God. The Lutheran Confessions urge us to believe the Scriptures for “they will not lie to you” (LC, V, 76) and cannot be “false and deceitful” (FC SD, VII, 96). The Bible is God’s “pure, infallible, and unalterable Word” (Preface to the BOC).

The Lutheran Confessions are the “basis, rule, and norm indicating how all doctrines should be judged in conformity with the Word of God” (FC SD RN). Because the Confessions are in complete doctrinal agreement with the written Word of God, they serve as the standard in the Lutheran Church to determine what is faithful Biblical teaching, insofar as that teaching is addressed in the Confessions.

Now, may:

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and show grace to you.

The Lord look on you and give you peace.

Be safe, keep each other in prayer and, God willing, we will all see each other next Sunday!

Pastor Ken

Scripture Readings 2026 (ASL Format)

Readings for: November 1, 2026:

You have two choices for the first lesson, a long reading from Revelation 7 and a short reading from Revelation 7. Choose one.

This is the long first reading.

The first lesson is from Revelation chapter 7.

JOHN wrote: God gave four angels power to hurt the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come from the East. He had God’s seal (stamp). The angel shouted with a loud voice to the four angels, “Don’t hurt the earth or sea or trees yet! First we must put God’s seal (stamp) on His servants, on their foreheads.” I heard how many people they sealed (stamped); 144,000, all from every family in Israel.

12,000 from family named JUDAH.

12,000 from family named REUBEN.

12,000 from family named GAD.

12,000 from family named ASHER.

12,000 from family named NAPHTALI.

12,000 from family named MANASSEH.

12,000 from family named SIMEON.

12,000 from family named LEVI.

12,000 from family named ISSACHAR.

12,000 from family named ZEBULUN.

12,000 from family named JOSEPH.

12,000 from family named BENJAMIN.

Then I looked and saw many, many people. No one could count how many people. They were from every nation, family, and language. They all stood in front of the throne and the Lamb. They wore white robes and held PALM branches. They shouted in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God. He sits on the throne. And salvation belongs to the Lamb.”

All the angels stood around the throne, the ELDERS, and the four living beings*. They bowed down in front of the throne. They worshiped God and said, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever! Amen!”

Then one ELDER asked me, “These people wearing white robes, who are they? Where are they from?”

I answered, “I don’t know, but you know.”

He said, “These people came out of the time of much trouble. They washed their robes in the Lamb’s blood and made their robes white. That is why they are in-front-of God’s throne and every day and night they serve Him in His temple. God, He sits on the throne, He Himself will protect them. They will never again hunger. They will never again thirst. The sun and heat will not hurt them. The Lamb is in the center of the throne, and He will be their Shepherd. He will lead His people to springs of living water. Every crying-tear God will wipe away.”

This is the word of the Lord.

C: (copy) Thanks give to God.

* Sign, four living exalted person (B-handshape, not the P-handshape)

This is the short first reading.

The first lesson is from Revelation chapter 7.

John wrote: Then I looked and saw many, many people. No one could count how many people. They were from every nation, family, and language. They all stood in front of the throne and the Lamb. They wore white robes and held PALM branches. They shouted in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God. He sits on the throne. And salvation belongs to the Lamb.”

Then one ELDER asked me, “These people wearing white robes, who are they? Where are they from?”

I answered, “I don’t know, but you know.”

This is the word of the Lord.

C: (copy) Thanks give to God.

* Sign, four living exalted person (B-handshape, not the P-handshape)

The second lesson is from 1 John chapter 3.

See God’s great love for us! He calls us children of God, and we are His children. That is why the world doesn’t know us, because the world didn’t know Him.

Loved ones, now we are God’s children. We don’t yet see what we will be. We know that when God comes, we will be like Him, because we will see God Himself. Everyone who has this hope in God will make himself pure, the same-as God is pure.

This is the word of the Lord.

C: (copy) Thanks give to God.

The Gospel lesson is from Matthew chapter 5.

C: (copy) Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus saw the large crowds of people. So He went up on a mountain and sat down. Jesus’ disciples came, and He began teaching them. He said,

“People poor in spirit, God blesses them. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

People who mourn, God blesses them. He will comfort them.

People gentle and humble, God blesses them. They will inherit the earth.

People who hunger and thirst for righteousness, God blesses them. God will satisfy them.

People who show mercy, God blesses them. God will show mercy to them.

People who have pure hearts, God blesses them. They will see God.

People who make peace, God blesses them. They will be named sons of God.

When people persecute a righteous person because that person is righteous, God blesses that righteous person. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

When people insult you, persecute you, and wrongly say evil things against you because you believe in Me, God blesses you. You should rejoice and be happy, because your reward in heaven is great. People persecuted the prophets the same way.”

This is the gospel of the Lord.

C: (copy) Praise to You, O Christ.

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

2026 LCC Synod Convention - Lutheran Church–Canada

2026 Convention Updates - The Canadian Lutheran

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s 13th Regular Convention will be held in Winnipeg from June 12-15, 2026, gathering under the theme “Together One: One Lord, One Faith, One Body” (Ephesians 4:4-6). The Convention was last held in the Central Region in 2008 under the theme “Give Jesus Glory – His Calling, Our Praise.”

The start of business related to this synod convention will begin on March 20, 2025, with the first meeting of the Commission on Nominations and Elections (CNE). The CNE manages the nomination process for elected positions at the synodical and regional levels, monitors the vetting process of nominees, and supervises the election of candidates to various positions at conventions of LCC.

News pertaining to LCC’s Synod Convention will be released on an ongoing basis in The Canadian Lutheran and on CanadianLutheran.ca; as well as in LCC’s weekly e-newsletter InfoDigest.

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

2026 LCC Synod Convention - Lutheran Church–Canada

2026 Convention Updates - The Canadian Lutheran

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

News pertaining to LCC’s Synod Convention will be released on an ongoing basis in The Canadian Lutheran and on CanadianLutheran.ca; as well as in LCC’s weekly e-newsletter InfoDigest.

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf & Hearing

*Next Church Service Sunday November 1, 2026 at 10:30 780-231-0330

ASL Video Sermons \ 2026 |

Trinity Lutheran Church, Litchfield Park, Arizona (interpreted) Rev. Dave Bolte

Martin Luther's Morning/Evening Prayer

Make the sign of the Holy Cross and say:

Evening Prayer

Scripture Readings 2026 (ASL Format)

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf & Hearing

*Next Church Service Sunday November 1, 2026 at 10:30 780-231-0330

ASL Video Sermons \ 2026 |

Trinity Lutheran Church, Litchfield Park, Arizona (interpreted) Rev. Dave Bolte

Martin Luther's Morning/Evening Prayer

Make the sign of the Holy Cross and say:

Evening Prayer

Scripture Readings 2026 (ASL Format)

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

2026 LCC Synod Convention June 12-15, 2026

Welcome to the 2026 LCC Synod Convention Info-page

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