Main Takeaways

• Epiphany is usually a season of impressive miracles, but this text reveals Jesus’ glory in quiet submission to authority.
• Jesus’ statement, "I must be about my Father’s business," anticipates His future suffering and death.
• Jesus fulfills the Law actively, sanctifying the Sabbath and the Fourth Commandment where we have failed.
• Christian vocation involves honoring the office of authority, regardless of the person holding it, in submission to God's will (Rom 13:1).
• Jesus offers His lived history of obedience in exchange for our history of sin.

Scripture Index

• Luke 2:41–52: The account of the boy Jesus in the temple and His return to Nazareth.
• Luke 9:22: The first prediction of the Passion, linking the divine necessity ("must") to the cross.
• Exodus 12: The context of the Passover feast and the sacrificial lamb.
• Romans 13:1: The apostolic instruction that all authority is instituted by God.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• While ancient tyrants (Pharaoh, Herod) destroyed life to secure political power, modern culture destroys life to secure the idol of individual autonomy.
• Children are only a "burden" in the sanctifying sense: they crush the sinful ego and force us to serve a neighbor who cannot repay us.
• Jesus functions as the True Israel, entering the "house of bondage" to succeed where the corporate son (the nation) failed.
• Matthew uses Jeremiah 31 to demonstrate that the return from the "land of the enemy" (Assyria/Death) has already begun in Christ’s return from Egypt.
• The Red Sea of the font and the Real Presence in the Supper press the benefits of Christ’s victory into the lives of our children.

Scripture Index

• Genesis 46: Jacob stands at the edge of the Promised Land, terrified that leaving for Egypt will void God's promises.
• Exodus 1: Pharaoh recognizes that the multiplication of children is a source of national power and a threat to his control..
• Matthew 2: The Flight to Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents serve as the fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy and the recapitulation of Israel's history.
• Hosea 11:1: The prophet foretells that God calls His Son out of Egypt, identifying Jesus as the faithful Son..
• Jeremiah 31: The weeping of Rachel is cited not merely to describe grief, but to invoke the subsequent promise of resurrection and return from exile.
• Romans 8: Paul affirms that death cannot separate the baptized from the love of God in Christ.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• We must reject the "Return on Investment" mindset that reduces life to temporary utility rather than eternal legacy.
• The Exodus Tabernacle provided proximity to God, but the Incarnation provides the intimacy of "God with us" in the flesh.
• Christ’s birth refutes the error that the spiritual is good while the physical is irrelevant; He sanctifies the material world.
• Sanctification involves becoming "living stones," requiring us to address sin in our lives.
• Our vocation is to mirror Christ’s sacrifice by bearing the burdens of our households with joy and presence.

Scripture Index

• Genesis 1:28: The mandate to tend creation calls us to leave a legacy, not just seek temporary gain.
• Exodus 3, 40: The Exodus leads to the Tabernacle, where God’s holiness was present yet unapproachable by Moses.
• John 1: The Word became flesh and "tabernacled" among us, bridging the gap that the tent could not.
• 1 Peter 2: The church is described as a spiritual house where believers are built together upon the foundation of Christ.
• Isaiah 9: The Lord’s zeal accomplishes our salvation through the birth of the child in Bethlehem.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship