The Lutheran Church of Madison, Connecticut
9 Britton Lane, Madison, CT 06443; 203-245-4145
A congregation of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
Pastor Volker Heide
LCofMadison@aol.com
SUMMER SCHEDULE:
SUNDAY WORSHIP, 9:00 AM.
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY, 8:00 AM.
SATURDAY WORSHIP, 5:00 PM.
TAG, PLANT & BAKE SALE, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 9:00-1:00 PM
SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: BEGINS JUNE 12: A summer Wednesday morning Bible Study on the Psalms begins on June 12. We will meet at 10:00 AM in the fellowship hall and will explore the Psalms of David. All are welcome!
9 Britton Lane, Madison, CT 06443; 203-245-4145
A congregation of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
Pastor Volker Heide
LCofMadison@aol.com
SUMMER SCHEDULE:
SUNDAY WORSHIP, 9:00 AM.
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY, 8:00 AM.
SATURDAY WORSHIP, 5:00 PM.
TAG, PLANT & BAKE SALE, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 9:00-1:00 PM
SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: BEGINS JUNE 12: A summer Wednesday morning Bible Study on the Psalms begins on June 12. We will meet at 10:00 AM in the fellowship hall and will explore the Psalms of David. All are welcome!
"THAT HEALING TOUCH": A sermon on Mark 1:29-39 & Isaiah 40:28-31
Today, Jesus is called to the bedside of Peter’s mother-in-law. She is very sick with a high fever. That could be quite serious in those days. So Peter asks Jesus to help his mother-in-law. Christ immediately goes to the woman, takes her by the hand and lifts her up. The fever left her and she was healed. Just like that!
Just like that, the Lord reached out with his healing touch. In fact, that evening the people of Capernaum brought all who were sick or oppressed by demons. The whole city gathered at the door of Peter’s house. And Jesus healed many who were sick and he cast out many demons.
Try to imagine the scene. It must have been repeated so many times during our Lord’s ministry. Jesus reaches out to people suffering from sickness and disease. He touches them with his healing hands. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind and they could see. He touched the ears of the deaf and they could hear. He touched the tongue of the mute and they could speak. Our Lord laid his hands upon so many sick people and he helped them.
The same is true for us today. Our Lord reaches out to us and he touches us with the same healing power. And Christ not only heals our body, but he also heals our soul. Our Lord touches our head with the waters of Holy Baptism and we are born-again. He touches our ears with the Word of God and faith is created. He touches our mouth with the bread and wine of Holy Communion and we receive his true body and blood. Christ touches our conscience with the message that our sins are forgiven. He touches our hearts with the reassurance that he will never leave us or forsake us. Through his Word and Sacraments, Christ touches our sin-sick life and he makes us well.
On the cross, we see how the Son of God took our sin-sickness upon himself. The one who was perfectly healthy became sick. He carried that fever of sin, which infects us all. The doctor became sick. He suffered our disease. Those healing and helping hands were nailed to the cross. Isaiah says, “He carried our sorrows and the punishment that brought us peace was placed upon him. By his wounds, we are healed.” Our Good Physician took our place. He became sick so that we might be cured. By his wounds, we are healed. Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
Today, we hear Isaiah speak of another way that the Lord reaches out to us with his healing touch. Isaiah says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. He is the Creator of the ends of the earth. God does not become faint or grow weary.” Isaiah then tells us, “God gives his power to the faint and to those who have no might, he increases strength. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
As we all know, there are times in our life when our strength is exhausted. We become emotionally and spiritually drained. We just can’t go another step. We reach the limit of what we can endure. It just all becomes too much. The pressure becomes too great. Isaiah speaks several times of those who are faint and weary. They fall exhausted to the ground. They collapse. That’s you and me Isaiah is talking about. We are overwhelmed by the dire circumstances we face in our life.
A death in the family, a fight with our spouse, a medical procedure we have to undergo, a conflict with a coworker, having problems with your kids, struggling with finances, trying to overcome that depressed feeling – on and on it goes. We all face stress and pressure, day in and day out. Sometimes it reaches the point where we feel like we are running on empty. We are out of gas, and are spiritually exhausted and ready to collapse. We just can’t go another step. But then, we hear Isaiah say, “The Lord is the everlasting God. He is the Creator of all things. God does not faint or grow weary. But he gives his power to the weak, he increases our strength. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary.”
You see, the Lord reaches out to us with that healing touch and we are spiritually renewed; our soul is restored; our strength returns. The Creator of the whole universe gives us a power that is not our own. He gives us what we need. We can learn to deal with the pain and hurts we carry. We can cope with grief and loss. We can move on. We can make it because God’s power and presence are at work in our life. Listen, God loves you! He cares about you! You are not alone. He will stand by you, and give you something to hang on to, even in your darkest moments.
The story is told of a little boy who was not only afraid of the dark, but he was also terribly frightened by thunderstorms. One night, a series of severe storms swept over his home. The wind was howling. Lightning was flashing across the sky. The thunder was booming so loud that the windowpanes would shake. The boy cried out, “Mom! Come quickly! I’m scared!” The mother went to her child. She said to the trembling boy, “It’s alright. Remember, God is here with you.” The boy said, “I know God is with me. But sometimes I need a God with flesh and blood to hold me.”
“A God with flesh and blood.” That’s what we have in Jesus. He is the one who comes to us in our hour of need, and he wraps his arms around us, and he says, “Don’t be afraid! You are mine! I will never leave you or forsake you.” Many times in our life, we are like that frightened boy. The problems and troubles that surround us are so scary. We feel overwhelmed. But then, the God who has flesh and blood comes to us. The Son of God reaches out and lifts us up with his healing touch. He lays his healing and helping hands upon us and we receive strength, courage and hope. We discover that we are safe. We can go on.
One final point: after we receive that healing touch from Christ, we discover that we can now reach out to other people. That’s the wonderful thing about this gift we receive from God, we can share it with others. We can share the love and compassion of Christ. We can help others who are hurting and in pain. We can become the hands of Christ reaching out to others.
You can touch others with the love of Christ. You can visit that person in the hospital or nursing home. You share a word of encouragement and hope with them. You can help someone who is overcome by grief and sorrow. You can share their tears and sadness. You can wrap your arms around them. You can lift-up their hearts with your prayers.
You can help a friend who is overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for someone sick or dying. You can help them out in some practical way and help them carry that weight. You can touch the conscience of someone who is burdened by guilt. You can say, “The Lord Jesus Christ forgives you. Your sins are taken away.”
You can touch the lives of so many people, in so many different ways. And it is often that quiet, small thing you do that strikes the deepest chord. Just like when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. He simply went and took her by the hand, lifted her up, and the fever left her. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated.
In the same way, we often touch someone’s life through our simplest actions. That’s how it is in God’s kingdom. We simply live out our faith in the best way we can. We strive to be faithful followers of the Lord. We are his people, his servants. And we now become his hands as we share his healing touch with others. We become servants of God as we begin to serve others with love, mercy and compassion. And may the Lord help us to do this very thing. Amen!
Today, Jesus is called to the bedside of Peter’s mother-in-law. She is very sick with a high fever. That could be quite serious in those days. So Peter asks Jesus to help his mother-in-law. Christ immediately goes to the woman, takes her by the hand and lifts her up. The fever left her and she was healed. Just like that!
Just like that, the Lord reached out with his healing touch. In fact, that evening the people of Capernaum brought all who were sick or oppressed by demons. The whole city gathered at the door of Peter’s house. And Jesus healed many who were sick and he cast out many demons.
Try to imagine the scene. It must have been repeated so many times during our Lord’s ministry. Jesus reaches out to people suffering from sickness and disease. He touches them with his healing hands. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind and they could see. He touched the ears of the deaf and they could hear. He touched the tongue of the mute and they could speak. Our Lord laid his hands upon so many sick people and he helped them.
The same is true for us today. Our Lord reaches out to us and he touches us with the same healing power. And Christ not only heals our body, but he also heals our soul. Our Lord touches our head with the waters of Holy Baptism and we are born-again. He touches our ears with the Word of God and faith is created. He touches our mouth with the bread and wine of Holy Communion and we receive his true body and blood. Christ touches our conscience with the message that our sins are forgiven. He touches our hearts with the reassurance that he will never leave us or forsake us. Through his Word and Sacraments, Christ touches our sin-sick life and he makes us well.
On the cross, we see how the Son of God took our sin-sickness upon himself. The one who was perfectly healthy became sick. He carried that fever of sin, which infects us all. The doctor became sick. He suffered our disease. Those healing and helping hands were nailed to the cross. Isaiah says, “He carried our sorrows and the punishment that brought us peace was placed upon him. By his wounds, we are healed.” Our Good Physician took our place. He became sick so that we might be cured. By his wounds, we are healed. Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
Today, we hear Isaiah speak of another way that the Lord reaches out to us with his healing touch. Isaiah says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. He is the Creator of the ends of the earth. God does not become faint or grow weary.” Isaiah then tells us, “God gives his power to the faint and to those who have no might, he increases strength. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
As we all know, there are times in our life when our strength is exhausted. We become emotionally and spiritually drained. We just can’t go another step. We reach the limit of what we can endure. It just all becomes too much. The pressure becomes too great. Isaiah speaks several times of those who are faint and weary. They fall exhausted to the ground. They collapse. That’s you and me Isaiah is talking about. We are overwhelmed by the dire circumstances we face in our life.
A death in the family, a fight with our spouse, a medical procedure we have to undergo, a conflict with a coworker, having problems with your kids, struggling with finances, trying to overcome that depressed feeling – on and on it goes. We all face stress and pressure, day in and day out. Sometimes it reaches the point where we feel like we are running on empty. We are out of gas, and are spiritually exhausted and ready to collapse. We just can’t go another step. But then, we hear Isaiah say, “The Lord is the everlasting God. He is the Creator of all things. God does not faint or grow weary. But he gives his power to the weak, he increases our strength. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary.”
You see, the Lord reaches out to us with that healing touch and we are spiritually renewed; our soul is restored; our strength returns. The Creator of the whole universe gives us a power that is not our own. He gives us what we need. We can learn to deal with the pain and hurts we carry. We can cope with grief and loss. We can move on. We can make it because God’s power and presence are at work in our life. Listen, God loves you! He cares about you! You are not alone. He will stand by you, and give you something to hang on to, even in your darkest moments.
The story is told of a little boy who was not only afraid of the dark, but he was also terribly frightened by thunderstorms. One night, a series of severe storms swept over his home. The wind was howling. Lightning was flashing across the sky. The thunder was booming so loud that the windowpanes would shake. The boy cried out, “Mom! Come quickly! I’m scared!” The mother went to her child. She said to the trembling boy, “It’s alright. Remember, God is here with you.” The boy said, “I know God is with me. But sometimes I need a God with flesh and blood to hold me.”
“A God with flesh and blood.” That’s what we have in Jesus. He is the one who comes to us in our hour of need, and he wraps his arms around us, and he says, “Don’t be afraid! You are mine! I will never leave you or forsake you.” Many times in our life, we are like that frightened boy. The problems and troubles that surround us are so scary. We feel overwhelmed. But then, the God who has flesh and blood comes to us. The Son of God reaches out and lifts us up with his healing touch. He lays his healing and helping hands upon us and we receive strength, courage and hope. We discover that we are safe. We can go on.
One final point: after we receive that healing touch from Christ, we discover that we can now reach out to other people. That’s the wonderful thing about this gift we receive from God, we can share it with others. We can share the love and compassion of Christ. We can help others who are hurting and in pain. We can become the hands of Christ reaching out to others.
You can touch others with the love of Christ. You can visit that person in the hospital or nursing home. You share a word of encouragement and hope with them. You can help someone who is overcome by grief and sorrow. You can share their tears and sadness. You can wrap your arms around them. You can lift-up their hearts with your prayers.
You can help a friend who is overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for someone sick or dying. You can help them out in some practical way and help them carry that weight. You can touch the conscience of someone who is burdened by guilt. You can say, “The Lord Jesus Christ forgives you. Your sins are taken away.”
You can touch the lives of so many people, in so many different ways. And it is often that quiet, small thing you do that strikes the deepest chord. Just like when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. He simply went and took her by the hand, lifted her up, and the fever left her. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated.
In the same way, we often touch someone’s life through our simplest actions. That’s how it is in God’s kingdom. We simply live out our faith in the best way we can. We strive to be faithful followers of the Lord. We are his people, his servants. And we now become his hands as we share his healing touch with others. We become servants of God as we begin to serve others with love, mercy and compassion. And may the Lord help us to do this very thing. Amen!
If you have a question about our church or our upcoming schedule, please email us.
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OUR CHURCH HOME IS:
- A PLACE FOR WORSHIP: We meet together to worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We joyfully give Christ our praise, adoration and thanksgiving. We come to receive his blessing and gifts. Worship is a special time of spiritual refreshment and renewal. Join us this weekend! Receive God's peace in Christ.
- A PLACE FOR LEARNING: Studying the Bible is vital. We believe its message and accept it as God’s Word. The Bible is truthful, alive and relevant to life today. Learning the Scriptures together is a thrilling adventure. We offer several different Bible Studies every week to strengthen your spiritual life. (Contact us to find out our latest schedule.)
- A PLACE FOR ENRICHMENT: For every person at every age level, we offer a wealth of opportunities – special programs, service projects and events for children, youth and adults. You can be sure that in this kaleidoscope of activities there’s more than one place where you can be personally enriched.
- A PLACE FOR FRIENDSHIP: Nothing quite compares to the joy of Christian friendship. That’s why we make it a priority to build lasting bonds between the members of our church family – bonds of concern and genuine commitment to one another. Best of all, this circle of care is ever widening. We’d love for it to include you, too!
- A PLACE FOR SERVICE: Just as our Lord Jesus Christ came "not to be served, but to serve," we accept our calling to reach out to others in mercy and compassion. We seek to serve our Lord and our community. We are called to serve all people with love, mercy, and compassion. Join us as we work together to glorify God's name!
Pastor Heide posts Sermon and Bible Studies on his Substack.
Click the link below to check it out.
His blog is called, "Jesus Christ Is Alive."
Click the link below to check it out.
His blog is called, "Jesus Christ Is Alive."
Click the button below to check out Pastor Heide's Podcasts on BlogTalkRadio.Com
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