allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Like Newborn Infants

A sermon for Quasimodo Geniti (the Octave of Easter), by Fr. Josh Leigeber.

This Sunday’s homily for Quasimodo Geniti centered on the Christian life as one of new birth and continual dependence on Christ. Even as we grow and mature in the faith, we never outgrow being “like newborn infants” (as the Introit reminds us), but remain wholly dependent on God’s care, nourished by the “sincere milk of the Word.”

Drawing on the Gospel lesson from John 20, the sermon highlighted how faith itself is not self-generated but given by Christ, who comes to His fearful disciples and creates faith through His Word. In the same way, the risen Lord continues to come to His Church today—through the ministry He instituted—to deliver forgiveness, life, and salvation by means of His Word and Sacraments.

Especially in light of the baptisms at the Easter Vigil, we were reminded that the Christian life is never one of self-sufficiency, but always one of receiving. As Luther said, “We are beggars. This is true.” Christ continually gathers His people in the Divine Service to feed, forgive, and sustain them.

And so the call remains: return again and again to where Christ gives His gifts, and “like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the Word.” Alleluia.

frsuelzle Sermons

For Us Men, and For Our Salvation

A homily on the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord, by Father Dan Suelzle.

A religious painting depicting the Annunciation, featuring the Angel Gabriel kneeling and speaking to the Virgin Mary, who is seated and holding a small object. A dove representing the Holy Spirit is shown above, and a scroll with text is visible on a nearby lectern.

At Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary we see a profound collision of divine majesty and radical humility that shapes our understanding of humanity. By choosing to enter the world through the Blessed Virgin’s womb, Jesus Christ sanctified every stage of human existence, from conception to adulthood, and thus is like us in every way. This condescension was the fulfillment of God’s divine plan to save mankind. By becoming fully human and remaining fully divine, Christ is the one and only God-man, able to fulfill the Law and suffer in our place, and defeating sin, death, and the devil. Ultimately, the Annunciation reminds us that in his incarnation, Christ makes himself our brother in the flesh so that we might truly become children of the Father. You can listen to the full homily below.

allsaintsjonesboro Uncategorized

Holy Week Schedule at All Saints

The services of Holy Week at All Saints:

Palm Sunday, March 29

9:30 a.m.—Blessing and Distribution of Palms, followed by Procession and the Divine Service, in which The Passion according to St. Matthew will be sung.

Holy Week opens as the congregation gathers outside to receive palms and process into the church, re-enacting Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. The Passion according to St. Matthew is sung in full as part of the service — a rare and striking way to encounter the breadth of Our Lord’s suffering before the sermon is preached.

Monday, March 30

6:30 p.m.—Compline (Prayer at the Close of the Day) and singing of The Passion according to St. Mark.

Compline is the ancient prayer office that brings the day to a close with psalmody, a brief reading, and the canticle “Nunc Dimittis” — Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. The singing of St. Mark’s spare, urgent Passion account deepens the week’s meditation on the road to the cross.

Tuesday, March 31

6:30 p.m.—Compline (Prayer at the Close of the Day).

This quiet mid-week gathering offers a contemplative pause in the rhythm of Holy Week, commending the day and the congregation to God’s keeping as the darkness of Good Friday draws nearer.

Wednesday, April 1

6:30 p.m.—Compline (Prayer at the Close of the Day) and singing of The Passion according to St. Luke.

St. Luke’s Passion is distinguished by its tender mercy — the weeping daughters of Jerusalem, the thief on the cross, and Christ’s prayer of forgiveness from the wood. Hearing it sung at the close of Holy Wednesday draws the heart toward both the sorrow and the compassion of the cross.

Maundy Thursday, April 2

6:30 p.m.—Divine Service, concluding with the Stripping of the Altar.

On the night in which He was betrayed, the congregation receives the body and blood of Christ in the same Supper He instituted for His disciples in the Upper Room. Afterward, the altar is stripped bare as the choir and congregation sing Psalm 22 — all paraments, candles, and adornments removed — leaving the sanctuary in austere darkness as the watch of Gethsemane begins.

Good Friday, April 3

12 noon—Chief Service with the Reproaches, Solemn Collects, Adoration of the Holy Cross, and the Holy Communion.

6:30 p.m.—Tenebrae (Service of Darkness) and singing of The Passion according to St. John.

The ancient noon service marks the hour of the crucifixion with the haunting Reproaches — Christ’s voice from the cross calling His people to remember His redeeming acts — followed by the Solemn Collects, the Adoration of the Holy Cross, and Holy Communion from the pre-sanctified elements reserved from Maundy Thursday.

Tenebrae — Latin for “darkness” — is a service of candles extinguished one by one as the congregation moves through Christ’s suffering and death, until a single light remains and then is taken away, and the church sits in total darkness. St. John’s Passion, with its royal and theological depth, crowns the day: “It is finished.”

Holy Saturday, April 4

7:30 p.m.—Blessing of the Fire and Paschal Candle, followed by the Great Vigil of Easter, including the Sacrament of Baptism and the Rite of Confirmation.

The Great Vigil is the oldest of all Christian services, beginning after nightfall as the Church watches and waits at the threshold of the Resurrection. A new fire is kindled in the darkness, the Paschal Candle is lit and carried into the church, the Exsultet is sung, and the night culminates in Holy Baptism and Confirmation as new members are received into the Body of Christ just as the Easter feast begins.

Easter Sunday, April 5

9:30 a.m.—Holy Mass for the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord.

All of Holy Week’s fasting, vigil, and sorrow gives way to the gladness of the Resurrection as the congregation gathers for the sung Mass on the highest feast of the Church Year. He is risen — and with Him, all who are baptized into His death and life.