Pastor’s Corner
Return to the Lord
“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” Joel 2:13
On February 18th we will begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. We begin the season wearing ashes. We begin the season confessing we are nothing but “dust and to dust we will return.” How humbling for all of us. However, the penitential nature of this season can quickly take a turn for the worse. Many people will start to make sure they don’t eat meat on Fridays; fish only. Others will decide to give something up for 40 days. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with doing these things. This type of self-denial can be good for our souls. So long as one thing occurs - we dwell more upon Christ and His sufferings rather than focusing upon our own and what we are giving up.
Click below to read the complete story …
Return to the Lord
“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” Joel 2:13
On February 18th we will begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. We begin the season wearing ashes. We begin the season confessing we are nothing but “dust and to dust we will return.” How humbling for all of us. However, the penitential nature of this season can quickly take a turn for the worse. Many people will start to make sure they don’t eat meat on Fridays; fish only. Others will decide to give something up for 40 days. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with doing these things. This type of self-denial can be good for our souls. So long as one thing occurs - we dwell more upon Christ and His sufferings rather than focusing upon our own and what we are giving up.
On Ash Wednesday we begin the season wearing ashes. We begin the season confessing we are nothing but “dust and to dust we will return.” How humbling for all of us. Since we confess we are dust and to dust we will return, where do we go from there? After all, that is a pretty serious confession we are making. If we truly believe we are dust and one day our bodies will return to dust, who can save us from this tragic fate? You know who. Only Jesus and Jesus alone can rescue us from our dusty fate. Thanks to His death, our sins, which turn us to dust, have been removed.
Lent is an invitation for us, and for all people, to return to the Lord our God. As the prophet Joel said, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). God is indeed very gracious to us. God is not gracious because we refrain from eating meat on Fridays. God is gracious to you because of Christ. God is merciful to you not because you gave something up for 40 days. God is merciful to you because Christ gave up His very life for you on Good Friday. May this coming season of Lent be a time we rejoice in God’s mercy shown toward us all because of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- Pastor Grimenstein
Mardi Gras Lunch and Bingo - Sign Up Now!
Mardi Gras Lunch and Bingo
Sunday, February 15th starting at 12 Noon
Bring the whole family to eat Jambalya and Po’boys and play bingo
Sign up in the Narthex so we can plan accordingly
Mardi Gras Lunch and Bingo
Sunday, February 15th starting at 12 Noon
Bring the whole family to eat Jambalya and Po’boys and play bingo
Sign up in the Narthex so we can plan accordingly
VIDEO: Sunday, February 1, 2025 - Complete Service
Each service at Zion Lutheran Church (normally the first of our two Sunday services) is streamed LIVE on our YouTube channel. These streams are for Sunday’s, Wednesday’s, Lenten, Advent, and special services. The entire service is streamed from beginning-to-end. Weddings and Funerals can also be streamed, if requested in advance.
Audio: Readings & Sermon for Sunday, February 1, 2026
This audio-only file includes all the readings from scripture, along with the sermon — and when available, the announcements, adult choir, men’s choir, and/or bell choir. Also posted along with the audio file is the text for all the scripture readings, and a link to the current bulletin, and our YouTube channel if you prefer to watch the LIVE Stream.
View the bulletin for Sunday, February 1, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Bulletins
First Reading -- Micah 6:1–8
Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
“O my people, what have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Epistle Reading -- – 1 Corinthians 1:18–31
The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the fifth chapter
Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Choir – Christians Join to Sing (8:00 a.m.)
+ Bell Choir
Zion Soup Club
The Zion Soup Club is a way to connect people in our church and preschool, while also simplifying meal schedules for all involved. Everyone who signs up for the soup club will be assigned to groups of 4-5 households. Each week, one family will be responsible for making soup for everyone in their group. The other families will simply need to pick up their soup that week.
If you sign up, please commit to at least two cycles of the soup club (cooking two times).
The Zion Soup Club is a way to connect people in our church and preschool, while also simplifying meal schedules for all involved. Everyone who signs up for the soup club will be assigned to groups of 4-5 households. Each week, one family will be responsible for making soup for everyone in their group. The other families will simply need to pick up their soup that week.
If you sign up, please commit to at least two cycles of the soup club (cooking two times).
Bulletin: Sunday, February 1, 2026 + This Week at Zion
Download/view the latest bulletin. It’s filled with our hymns, the order of service, all the readings from scripture, prayer requests for family & friends, service participants, communion statement, about our worship, the schedule of events for this coming weeks, along with announcements, news updates, happenings, and more!
View the bulletin for Sunday, February 1, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Bulletins
THIS WEEK AT ZION
Sunday, February 1
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)
Monday, February 2
6:00 p.m. - 1st Year Confirmation Class
7:00 p.m. - 2nd Year Confirmation Class
7:00 p.m. - Trustees Meeting
Tuesday, February 3
6:15 p.m. - Bell Choir
7:15 p.m. - Adult Choir
Wednesday, February 4
2:00 p.m. - Mid-Week Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study (we’re studying Galatians)
(Service streamed on our YouTube channel)
Thursday, February 5
6:00 p.m. - Elders Meeting
Friday, February 6
No Events Scheduled
Saturday, February 7
No Events Scheduled
Sunday, February 8
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)
CLICK THE UPCOMING EVENTS GRAPHIC to go directly to our UPCOMING EVENTS page