What does it mean that my church is in series C?
Many Christian churches use a set lectionary to select the readings for each worship service. The most popular lectionary in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is the Three-Year Series which labels each year in the rotation of A, B, and C. The beginning of the new church year in 2025 is Sunday, December 1. Each church year begins with Advent, and this year we are kicking off series C, which will focus on gospel readings from Luke.

Who is Anna in the Bible?
Anna was well advanced in years. Depending on how you interpret the original Greek text, Anna could be 84 years old, or as old as 106 years (listen to Dr. Maier’s message on December 29 to learn more). Anna was daily at the temple, worshiping, praying, and fasting. She is an inspiration to us as someone who faithfully prayed to God for the Messiah to come. She was blessed with the gift of her prayers being fulfilled when Jesus was brought to the temple to be presented. For us, we continue to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” as we await our Savior’s return and the end of our suffering. Until then, Anna reminds us that prayer is powerful and that we have purpose in Christ no matter what our age or stage.

What does “Immanuel” mean and is it supposed to start with an “E” or an “I”? I’ve seen both.
“Immanuel” means “God with us.” When it comes to translating something from one language to another, you usually have options. If translating from Hebrew, the spelling would be “Immanuel.” When passages, such as Isaiah 7:14, were first translated into Greek, the word was transliterated with an “E” to make “Emmanuel.” That’s what we find in Matthew 1:23 in some translations such as the King James Version. Either way you spell it, this word is a reminder that God continues to be with us.