The Twin Steeples Podcast

Hymn 277 - I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

As we continue in the Epiphany season we move to another theme in this season and that is Jesus' invitation to the world to come to Him. Just as the Wise Men were "invited" to come and see and worship Jesus, so this invitation is for all people. This weekend we will hear and read examples of that invitation which Jesus offers to the world of sinners. 

The hymn we are studying this weekend is 277 in The Lutheran Hymnal: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say." This hymn was written by a Scottish pastor, Horatius Bonar, who was compelled to write hymns that children could understand. You will see in this hymn a very simple style and simple concepts drawn from three different statements and invitations of Jesus:  

• Matthew 11:28 - “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The first verse is based on Jesus' invitation in Matthew, for rest which only He can give.

• John 4:14 - “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The second verse is based on Jesus' words to the Woman of Samaria about the Life that He alone offers through His Word.

• John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

The third verse is based on the words of Jesus in John 8 about the Light that He brings to the dark world because of sin and death.

Each of these invitations is followed by the Christian's response to that invitation, by God's grace, and describes what we receive from Him as a result of His life and death for us, and the gifts He offers us in His Word and Sacrament. 

Lord, lead us to listen to and respond to Your invitation of Grace, that we might receive Your rich blessings!

May the LORD bless your reflection on this truth this weekend.

January 14, 2026

Devotion

• Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

 

Announcements

• Special Voters' Meeting
• Board of Deacons Meeting
• Church Choir
• Church Council
• Men's Breakfast
• Ladies Bible Study
• Weekend Worship
  • Bible Class - The Birth of Jesus
  • Sunday School - Joseph Becomes Ruler of Egypt
• Annual Voters' Meetings
• Whitewater Youth Camp

 

Prayer List 

• Pastor John Hein
• Pastor Tim Wheaton
• Jim Lien
• Becky
• Eunice Mutzke
• Naumann Family
• Christian Persecution
• Political Unrest
• Men and Women Leaders at Immanuel
• CLC Mission in Myanmar

 

Hymn of the Day

• TLH 596 “This Body in the Grave We Lay”

Sermon - January 11, 2026

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mankato, Minnesota on January 11, 2026. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.

 

Sermon Text: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (NKJV)

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Theme: It's not the Container, it's the Contents!

Hymn 718 (TLH 130) - O Jesus, King of Glory

On January 6th the church celebrates Epiphany. Epiphany means manifestation or revelation, and looks at how Jesus was revealed as the worlds Savior. That begins with the revelation to the Wise Men through a star God sent to announce Him and to guide the Wise Men to Him. 

This weekend we will be studying that revelation, both to the Wise Men and to us. We are studying hymn 718 in the Worship Supplement or 130 in The Lutheran Hymnal: O Jesus, King of Glory. This hymn was written by Lutheran Pastor, Martin Behm about two generations after Martin Luther.  

The hymn recounts the Biblical account of the Wise Men, and connect them to us today. 

There are several themes in this hymn that are worth paying attention to. First, note the emphasis on Jesus as King and the Kingdom that He opens to us. But Jesus is unlike and more than just any earthly King. The Wise Men came looking for "the King of the Jews" but knew that Jesus was also the King of all Kings. The gifts they brought reveal they understood He was a King (gold), that He was true God (frankincense) and that He would die (myrrh). We find this theme in all five verses which we will be studying. 

The second theme revolves around the star. God used a star to reveal that the Savior had been born, but also used it to direct the Wise Men to the very place where Jesus was. Behm reveals that, like the Wise Men, God has revealed this truth to us as well. Not by a physical star or light in the sky, but by the light of His revealed Word. God's Word is given to reveal Jesus as King and Savior, and guide us to believe in Him, and worship Him as our Savior. Make use of that Star, just as the faithful Wise Men did!

The hymn includes a prayer to Jesus to guard, guide us in our lives, until we are finally called into that eternal Kingdom of glory, to be with our King of Glory for eternity.

Wise Men still seek Jesus, though His Word and Sacrament, and worship Him as King and Savior. 

May the LORD bless your worship of Jesus the King of Glory, this weekend!

January 7, 2026

Devotion

• Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

 

Announcements

• Gym Floor Refinished
• New Year’s Eve service
• New Year’s Bell ringing
• New Year’s Day service
• Resumed Bible Class and Sunday school
• Undecorating the church
• Non-ILS Catechism class resumes
• Church Choir
• Men's Breakfast
• Ladies Bible Study
• Weekend Worship
  • Bible Class - Kingdom of Judah
  • Sunday School - The Wise Men and The Flight to Egypt
• Upcoming Voters' Meetings
• Whitewater Youth Camp

 

Prayer List 

• Pastor John Hein
• Pastor Tim Wheaton
• Jim Lien
• Becky
• Eunice Mutzke
• Bob Heller
• Maher Family
• January 12 Voters' Meeting
• CLC Vacancies and Iowa Group

 

Common Christian Q&A

• If the head coverings section in 1 Corinthians is meant to only be understood in application to the Corinthian Christians, then why did many Christians around the world and in the US continue to wear head coverings (hats and bonnets) until the 1950’s, which happens to correspond with the rise of the feminist movement.

 

Hymn of the Day

• TLH 589 “Oh, How Blest Are You Whose Toils are Ended”