Church Year

Patrick, Missionary to Ireland

Patrick is one of the best-known of the missionary saints. Born to a Christian family in Britain around the year 389, he was captured as a teenager by raiders, taken to Ireland, and forced to serve as a herdsman. After six years he escaped and found his way to a monastery community in France. Ordained a bishop in 432, he made his way back to Ireland, where he spent the rest of his long life spreading the Gospel and organizing Christian communities. He strongly defended the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in a time when it was not popular to do so. His literary legacy includes his autobiography, Confessio, and several prayers and hymns still used in the church today. Patrick died around the year 466.

Source: www.LCMS.org Commemorations Biographies

1st Reading: 2 Sam 7:4-16
Epistle: Rom 4:13-18
Gospel: Matt 2:13-15, 19-23

Color: White

Hymn of the Day: 863 Our Father, by whose name

St. Joseph, Guardian of Jesus

Joseph was a descendant of the House of King David. After his betrothal to Mary, he found her already pregnant and being "a just man and unwilling to put her to shame" (Matthew 1:19), decided to divorce her quietly; but an angel told him that the child was the son of God and was conceived by the Holy Ghost. Obeying the angel, Joseph took Mary as his wife.

After Jesus' birth in Judaea, where the holy family received the Magi, an angel warned Joseph and Mary about the impending violence against the child by King Herod the Great of Judaea, whereupon they fled to Egypt. There the angel again appeared to Joseph, informing him of Herod's death and instructing him to return to the Holy Land.

Avoiding Bethlehem out of fear of Herod's successor, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus settled in Nazareth (Matthew 2:22-23) at Galilee, where Joseph taught his craft of carpentry to Jesus. Joseph is last mentioned in the Gospels when he and Mary frantically searched for the lost Jesus in Jerusalem, where they found him in the Temple (Luke 2:41-48). Like Mary, Joseph failed to comprehend Jesus' ironic question, "'How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' "The circumstances of Joseph's death are unknown, except that he probably died before Jesus' public ministry (John 19:26-27).

Source:
http://www.britannica.com "Saint Joseph"

1st Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Epistle: Romans 8:1-11
Gospel: John 11:1-45 (46-53) or John 11:17-27, 38-53

Psalm 130

Color: Violet

Hymn of the Day: 430 My song is love unknown

1st Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
Epistle: Hebrews 10:4-10
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Color: White

Hymn of the Day: 356 The angel Gabriel from heaven came

The Annunciation of Our Lord

The Annunciation is the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a Son of the Holy Spirit and His name will be called Jesus (Luke 1:26-38)

Source:
http://www.britannica.com "Annunciation"

Palm Sunday or Sunday of the Passion

Procession Reading: John 12:12-19
Processional Hymn: 442 All glory, laud, and honor

1st Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel: Matthew 26:1-27:66 or Matthew 27:11-66 or John 12:20-43

Psalm 118:19-29 (Palm Sunday)
Psalm 31:9-16 (Sunday of the Passion)

Color: Scarlet or Violet

Hymn of the Day:
438 A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth

Joseph, Patriarch

Joseph was the son of the patriarch Jacob (February 5) and Rachel. The favorite son of his father, he incurred the jealousy of his older brothers, who sold him into slavery in Egypt and told their father he was dead (Genesis 37). In Egypt he became the chief servant in the home of Potiphar, a military official. Because Joseph refused to commit adultery with his master's wife, he was unjustly accused of attempted rape and thrown into jail (Genesis 39). Years later, he interpreted dreams for Pharoah, who then freed him from prison and placed him in charge of the entire country. When his brothers came from Canaan to Egypt in search of food, they did not recognize him. He eventually revealed his identity to them, forgave them, and invited both them and his father to live in Egypt. He is especially remembered and honored for his moral uprightness (Genesis 39) and for his willingness to forgive his brothers (Genesis 45 and 50).

Source: www.LCMS.org Commemorations Biographies