11460 60 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB. T6H 1J5 Canada. 780-434-1671

pastor@crossofchristlutheranchurch.ca 780-242-6810

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf & Hearing

*Next Church Service Sunday September 13, 202

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.

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Proper 19

(13 September 2026)

Genesis 50:15–21

Romans 14:1–12

Matthew 18:21–35

Forgiving as the Lord Forgives Us

In settling His accounts with us, our Lord acts not with anger, but with compassion. He does not imprison us as we deserve, but He forgives all our debts and releases us (Matt. 18:23–27). Therefore, our Lord bids each of us to have “mercy on your fellow servant” and “forgive your brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:33, 35). By the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins, we are free to forgive those who sin against us, because He has been handed over to the jailers in our stead and He has paid our entire debt with His lifeblood. Whether we live or die, we “are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8). Since we all will “stand before the judgment seat of God,” we are not to despise our brother (Rom. 14:10), but gladly forgive him. By the grace of God, our brother also “will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4). Though we daily sin against each other, the Lord intends “to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Gen. 50:20). Jesus speaks kindly by His Gospel and promises: “I will provide for you and your little ones” (Gen. 50:21)

Introit (Psalm 143)

P: Lord, save me from my enemies!

C: I run to You for safety.

P: Lord, attend my prayer. I beg You for mercy.

C: Answer me because You are faithful and righteous.

P: Don’t judge Your servant.

C: No one is righteous in-front-of You.

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: O God, You are our protection and strength. All good comes from You. Attend Your people praying to You. When the world hates and attacks Your church, hear our prayers. We pray with faith in You; please answer and give Your good gifts. 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 September 13, 2026 (ASL Format)

For Sunday September 13, 2026

The Old Testament lesson is from Genesis chapter 50.

JOSEPH’S father (JACOB) died. Then JOSEPH’S brothers said to each other, “What if JOSEPH hates us and plans revenge against us because we did wrong against him?” The brothers sent a message to JOSEPH: “Before our father died, he told us to ask you, ‘Please forgive your brothers and their sin. They did evil against you.’ Now please forgive our sin. We are the servants of your father’s God.” JOSEPH heard the message and he cried. Then JOSEPH’S brothers came and bowed-down in-front-of JOSEPH and said, “We are your servants.”

JOSEPH said to his brothers, “Don’t fear. I am not God. I can’t punish you. You planned evil against me, but God changed that to do good, to save many people’s lives. And they are alive today. Don’t fear. I myself will take-care-of you and your children.” JOSEPH comforted his brothers with kind words.

This is the word of the Lord.

C: (copy) Thanks give to God.

The New Testament lesson is from Romans, chapter 14.

Some people have weak faith. Welcome them, but don’t argue about opinions. One person has faith and eats all foods. A person with weak faith eats only vegetables. The person eating meat should not look-down on the person not eating meat. The person not eating meat should not judge the person eating meat, because God accepted him.

You think you can judge God’s servant? That person will answer to God. And he will stand brave, because God makes him stand.

One person thinks one day is more important than another day. Another person thinks every day is the same. Each person must know his own beliefs. The person who honors special days, he does that for the Lord.

The person eating meat, he eats to honor the Lord, because he thanks God for that food. The person not eating meat, he does that to honor the Lord, and he thanks God.

We don’t live for ourselves, and we don’t die for ourselves. If we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. No-matter we live or die, we belong-to the Lord. Christ died and arose again to become Lord for the dead and the living people.

So why do you judge another Christian? Or why do you look-down on another Christian? We will all stand in-front-of God’s judgment seat. The Bible says, “The Lord says, as true as I live, everyone will bow to Me, and everyone will confess to God.” So each one of us will answer to God about our actions.

This is the word of the Lord.

C: (copy) Thanks give to God.

The Gospel lesson is from Matthew, chapter 18.

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

PETER came to Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, my brother sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Seven times?”

Jesus told him, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven. The kingdom of heaven is the same-as a king wanting his servants to pay their debts. One servant came and he owed the king 200,000 years of wages. But the servant couldn’t pay that debt. The king ordered to sell that servant, his wife, his children, and all his things, sell everything to pay the debt.”

Then the servant knelt and bowed-down in-front-of the king and begged, “Please be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.” The king felt sorry for the servant, freed him, and forgave his debt.

The servant left and he found another servant owing him 100 days of wages. He grabbed-his-neck and shook him saying, “Pay all you owe me.”

The second servant knelt and begged him, 'Please be patient with me, and I will pay you.” But the first servant refused and put him in jail until he paid all his debt.

When all the other servants saw everything happen, they felt sad. And they came and told the king everything. Then the king called the first servant and said, “You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt, because you begged me. I showed mercy to you; now you should show mercy to this other servant the same-as I showed mercy to you, correct?”

The king became angry and gave that wicked servant to the jail keepers until he paid his full debt. Jesus said, the same, My Father in heaven will do to you, if you will not forgive your brother from your heart.

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 September 13, 202

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 September 13, 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 September 13, 202

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 September 13, 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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