I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a well-built city that is firmly joined together,
a city to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
as a testimony to Israel,
to give praise to the name of the Lord.
That is where the thrones for judgment sit,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper.
May there be peace within your fortifications,
prosperity within your citadels.”
For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
now I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek good for you. (Psalm 122, Evangelical Heritage Version)

Michael Lilienthal is a pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, MN, and he loves planning services. Listen to his thoughts as he works each service out week to week, following the themes of the day and season, paying attention to the Bible readings, and selecting hymns and sermon text.

In this introductory episode, Michael describes what the podcast will sound like and the outline he will follow.