St. Luke's Lutheran Church
3200 Bayview Ave M2M 3R7 Toronto, ON, Canada

Verse for Today: Psalm 126:3 The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. Hymn for the Day: To God Be The Glory Text: Fanny J. Crosby... Music: William H. Doane To God be the glorygreat things He hath done! So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin And opened the life gate that all may go in. Refrain: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son And give Him the glorygreat things He hath done! O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood To every believer the promise of God. The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus, the Son. But purer and higher and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. Prayer for the Day: Abba Father, thank you for the honor and privilege of being able to come into Your presence once again. We plead the Holy Spirit’s help to take our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances and to focus on You and our blessed Redeemer. Help us to catch a fresh vision of You, our awesome God and all the great things You have done and taught us and that You are still doing for us. We stand in awe of you and give you reverence, praise, worship and adoration. Help us to never forget and never take for granted Your amazing love for us and for the perfect salvation and forgiveness You provided for us in Christ Jesus our Savior. Thank you so much that You are a covenant-keeping God, for Your bountiful care for us and that Your promises are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. We praise You and thank you for the gift of the precious Holy Spirit who, at the time of our salvation, came to indwell us and to empower us to live the Christian life. Thank you Holy Spirit for being our guarantee that we are God’s children and that we are sealed right up to the day of our redemption. Forgive us when we grieve you. We thank you, Father God, for the Blessed Hope we have in Jesus and that He is coming again soon to make our redemption complete, that day when we will be forever with You, our Lord. We are on the victory side with Jesus as the captain of our salvation. Truly we have so much to thank and praise You for every day of our lives from morning to night. In the name of Jesus, the name above every name, we pray. Amen.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 "Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;... Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness Lord, unto me!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o

Verse For Today: Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship. 2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will isHis good, pleasing and perfect will. Hymn For The Day: O To Be Like Thee! Blessed Redeemer Thomas O Chisholm..., 1897 William J. Kirkpatrick, 1897 O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer, This is my constant longing and prayer; Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. Refrain: O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art; Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. O to be like Thee! Full of compassion, Loving, forgiving, tender and kind, Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting, Seeking the wandering sinner to find. O to be like Thee! Lowly in spirit, Holy and harmless, patient and brave; Meekly enduring cruel reproaches, Willing to suffer others to save. O to be like Thee! While I am pleading, Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love; Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling, Fit me for life and heaven above. Prayer For The Day: Abba Father God, thank you again for the privilege of being able to come into Your throne room, made possible only through Jesus, our risen Savior who paid the price for our salvation and who is now acting as our Advocate on our behalf before Your throne. Thank you so much for restoring us into fellowship with You, for Your awesome love, boundless mercy, grace and forgiveness. We come humbly, washed in the precious blood of Jesus and give You praise, adoration and worship, for You alone are worthy. We hear so much these days about the new normal. Holy Spirit of God, thank you for Your indwelling presence in us when we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior. Thank you so much that we don’t have to live the Christian life in our own strength. If we do, we will most certainly fail. We acknowledge our total dependence upon You and ask that You would empower us with the same power that raised Jesus, so that we can live transformed lives for Your honor and for Your glory. Give us the victory that we need to not return to our former way of life before we came to salvation in Jesus. Heavenly Father, with the help of our precious indwelling Holy Spirit, fill us with new desires to live lives that are holy, obedient and pleasing to You, so that others will be envious of us, will desire to have what we have and will in turn want to be drawn into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through our lives and our words of witness. In the name of Jesus, the Name above every name we pray all these things. Amen.

Weekly church family check in! How are you doing? Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12 NIV

Verse For Today: Titus 2:13-14 While we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. Hymn For The Day: Our Great Savior Text: J. Wilbur Chapman ... Music: Rowland H. Prichard; arranged by Robert Harkness; Choral ending by Ken Barker Jesus! What a Friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul; Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He my Savior, makes me whole. Refrain: Hallelujah! What a Savior Hallelujah! What a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end. Jesus! What a Strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him; Tempted, tried and sometimes failing, He, my Strength, my vict’ry wins. Jesus! What a Help in sorrow! While the billows o’er me roll, Even when my heart is breaking, He my Comfort, helps my soul. Jesus! What a Guide and Keeper! While the tempest still is high, Storms about me, night o’ertakes me, He, my Pilot, hears my cry. Jesus! I do now receive Him, More than all in Him I find; He hath granted me forgiveness, I am His, and He is mine. Prayer For The Day: Abba Faithful Father God, thank you from the depths of our hearts, for our Great Savior who made it possible for us to enter into Your presence, Your very throne room, so that we can commune with You as friend with Friend. We thank You for the forgiveness, cleansing and righteousness that we have in Jesus, our Advocate, through His shed blood, who pleads our case before You and thank you for welcoming us and for restoring our relationship with You. We are amazed at Your great love for us, Your mercy, grace and faithfulness. We revel in Your greatness and goodness. We stand in awe of You and give You glory, praise, adoration and worship. Thank you for being everything to us that we need in every situation. We do not lack anything when we have You. Truly You are the Friend who sticks closer than a brother and with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit’s presence in us, how we need to cultivate that intimate relationship with You in the good times as well as in these unprecedented times when we have to practice social distancing. We thank and praise You for being our Strength when our strength fails. Thank you for Your precious promises to be our Guide and that we are kept secure in the shelter of Your presence in all the storms that life throws at us. How we thank you that You are our Pilot who will safely bring us at last to our eternal home in glory. What a blessed Hope that is found in Jesus alone. Precious Holy Spirit of the living God thank you so much for your presence in us, for being our helper and teacher and for reminding us of these precious truths in Your Holy Word. In the name of Jesus, the Name that is above every name we pray all these things. Amen.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:15-16 NIV A prayer for your week... Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is sadness, joy. Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. In Your name we pray, Amen.

Weekly check-in Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:23-24

Verse For The Day: Isaiah 43: 1, 2, 5 Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablazeDo not be afraid, for I am with you. Hymn of the Day: God Leads Us Along Text: G. A. Young Music: G. A. Young... In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along. Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet, God leads His dear children along. Refrain: Some thro’ the waters, some thro’ the flood, Some thro’ the fire, but all thro’ the blood. Some thro’ great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along. Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, God leads His dear children along. Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose, God leads His dear children along. Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes; God leads His dear children along. Prayer For The Day: Faithful, loving, gracious, merciful, forgiving Abba Father, we come to You, thanking and praising You for the awesome privilege of being able to enter into Your throne room to pour out our hearts to You in prayer. Thank you that You are our Creator God, Sovereign over all, our sustainer, provider and Good Shepherd. You alone are worthy to receive all praise, thanksgiving, glory, honor, adoration and worship. We thank You for Your bountiful care and protection through every season of our lives. Thank you for Your precious promises in Your Word especially for the verses that we are reflecting upon today. Presently, our world and our nation are going through a storm such as we have never experienced before. Help us precious Holy Spirit to meditate on these verses and to hide them deep in our innermost beings. Give us the strength and courage to not fear, but to hold tightly onto Your hand and to believe without a shadow of a doubt that You are right here with us, walking with us and that Your indwelling presence will never leave us or forsake us. Help us to feel Your presence ever near. Through trusting in Jesus alone, having His shed blood and His righteousness covering us daily, moment by moment, and as we focus on Him, our blessed hope, we have every confidence that we will come through these difficult days victoriously, in Your good time Father. In Your Name, Jesus, the only Name above every name we pray these things. Amen.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 Dear Lord, Thank You for providing us with the springtime rain. Thank You for the renewal that this season brings ...to the earth. Please help us use this time to renew ourselves and renew our relationship with You. Let us grow closer to You, to Your Word and Your ways. Give us the ability and courage to be a witness to those around us even in this time of distancing. Help us spread Your love to our friends, family, and neighbours. Let Your words be ours, and let them serve their purpose for You. In Your name we pray, amen. See more

Almighty God, We humbly thank you for your goodness to us and to all that you have made. We praise you for your creation, for keeping us and all things in your care, and for all the blessings of life. Above all we bless you for your immeasurable love in redeeming the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for Your means of grace, and for the hope of everlasting life. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies that with thankful hearts we praise you with both our words and our deeds. In these days, give us your mercy to live in your righteousness and holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, we give all worship and praise, now and forever. Amen

Checking in, how are you doing? Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 NIV

Sprouts from seeds.

Bible Verse For The Day: Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Hymn For The Day: Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven Psalm 103 John Goss, 1869... Henry F. Lyte, 1834 Praise my soul, the King of heaven, To His feet your tribute bring; Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Evermore His praises sing. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King! Praise Him for His grace and favor To our fathers in distress; Praise Him, still the same as ever, Slow to chide and swift to bless. Alleluia! Alleluia! Glorious in His faithfulness! Fatherlike, He tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame He knows, In His hands He gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes. Alleluia! Alleluia! Widely yet His mercy flows! Angels in the height, adore Him, You behold Him face to face; Saints triumphant, bow before Him; Gathered in from every race. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace! We pray: Thank You so much that through Jesus, His death, His precious blood that was shed for us and for our salvation, His burial, resurrection and ascension, we can come boldly and confidently into Your presence Abba Father God, knowing You are a God who is not distant, You delight in us and You hear and answer the cries of your saints. We acknowledge You, the only true Jehovah God, Alpha and Omega, Creator, Sustainer of our world. We thank and praise You for Your sovereignty and that You are in control. You only deserve our worship and adoration. We give you all honor. You alone are worthy and we exalt You, King of kings and Lord of lords. Precious indwelling Holy Spirit, we need your resurrection power and strength and we totally depend upon You to keep us on the narrow path that leads us to eternal life. Help us to turn our eyes off of the world and focus on You and our blessed hope of Your soon appearing. No one knows the day or the hour, but help us to be alert and to be about our Father’s business, being the hands and feet of Jesus during these critical times. Instead of being anxious and constantly listening to the news of the day, as we go about our daily routines, help us to get our priorities straight. Place in us the hunger and desire to spend more time reading your Word, focusing on praying unceasingly, strengthening our relationship with You and help us to constantly be in an attitude of singing praises unto You our Triune God for You are a good, good Father and we have such a glorious future in store for us. In the resurrected Savior’s name we pray. Amen.

Spring is a time of change. Winter is fading away to make room for birth, renewal, and new life. At Easter, we celebrate the new life we have been given through Jesus, God’s gift to us. We are dealing with many unexpected and unusual changes this spring. We thank God for the blessings He has given us, and remember that in all seasons, in all circumstances, we turn to Him for strength, comfort, encouragement, and thanksgiving. We pray: Dear Lord, thank you for the changing se...asons. Thank you for the springtime reminder of new life, hopefulness, and celebration. Help us remember that you make all things work for Your good, and Your hand is in every aspect of our lives. Help us to turn to You always with thanksgiving and praise, for You care for us in every circumstance. May the sunshine and the rain, the growing plants and new life around us remind us that You renew us, just as You renew the earth. Let us ever praise You for all You have given us and will continue to give us. In Your name we pray. Amen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw4H5t3TwHM