Prayer

Lord’s Prayer — In today’s language

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

I am not sure where I got this but I have found it helpful in helping confirmation students understand what we are actually saying when we pray the Lord’s Prayer.  Too often when we pray this very well known prayer we just vocalize the words without much thought about what we are asking for in this great prayer.  I know this is not perfect and that we could probably fine tune this but I think you will get the point.  Let me know what you think.

LORD’S PRAYER – IN TODAY’S LANGUAGE.

Hey God…THE creator of everything,
You are awesome!
Help me to experience your presence everyday,
and help me to see what you want me to do in this world.
Please give me what I need to live each day
and forgive me when I mess up,
but I also ask that I have the strength to forgive those who hurt me as well.
Please don’t tempt me and please keep me safe from evil.
And…as I said before…you are awesome,
always and forever.
This one thing I know:
you have promised to hear me and will give me what I have asked  in this prayer.
THANK YOU GOD!
See you soon.

And…if you don’t like this version I challenge you to write your own.  Get out your Small Catechism and review this prayer.  Then…being writing.  This could serve as a great devotional exercise.

I just might have to do that.

-edh-

A Lenten blog – Many But One

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

Happy Monday!!!

Today is February 8 and in 9 short days Lent will begin with Ash Wednesday.  So much happens during this time of the year (especially for pastors) that sometimes we don’t have time or don’t take the time to really take in all that Lent has to offer.  For us here in the Jackson, MN many churches will be participating in a Lenten round robin preaching rotation where us pastors “take our show on the road”.  It’s a time I really enjoy for I get to share Lent with 5 other congregations.  What a blessing.

Now a number of us want to share Lent with you in another way.  Starting this week there is a Lenten blog that is up and running called Many But One.  Seven pastors from various points in this country will be taking a particular day of the week to share some Lenten thoughts with you from the daily lectionary.  This week we are each submitting a post on our assigned day (mine day is Tuesday) that will introduce us.  Then, starting on Sunday, February 14, the Lenten devotionals will begin (I know, Lent doesn’t start until the 17th, but work with me here).  Each morning we will each submit our post that focuses on a text assigned for the day and follow that up with a prayer.  Feel free to leave comments and/or questions.

For me…I am looking forward to sharing Lent with 6 other people from around the country.  I hope you will join us on this Lenten journey as we walk together to the cross and celebrate at the empty tomb.

The blog is up and running so go and check out…and…happy Lent everyone.

Praise be to God!

-edh-

A concern…please advise

/ The Pastor / 28 Comments

Last Wednesday a parent approached me and asked me if I had heard of Wicca.  I said that I know of it but am not too familiar with it.  I then asked her why she asks and she said that there are students at the high school that are practicing this.

This concerns me.

Since that conversation I have learned that there are middle school students tinkering with this as well.  I am worried that there are students here in Jackson heading down a dark road and I am not sure what to do (other than pray).  I am not all that educated on Wicca.  I did an Internet search and there seems to be a lot of information out there but I don’t know what to trust.  Can anyone help me with a reliable source of information to learn more about Wicca so I can help answer questions and talk with my students? I am also in the process of compiling some scripture to use.  What would you recommend I have on my list?

Please advise.

Thank you.

-edh-

Strange sermon prep situation

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

I am experiencing a strange sermon prep situation…

I have been a pastor now for about 5 1/2 years.  Over that time I have written many sermons (not including the ones I wrote during my year of internship) for Sunday worship, funerals, weddings, holidays, Lent, etc.  I guess one could say that I feel somewhat comfortable writing a sermon (even though I have my moments when I get stressed out).

But this week I am experiencing a first.

Today is Thursday and I have three sermons to write, but the strange thing is that I am writing 2 funerals sermons at the same time.  I have a funeral tomorrow (Friday) and one on Saturday…both out at Belmont.  I was working on these yesterday a little bit and found myself confusing the two; getting the two families mixed up.  I found myself working on funeral sermon #1 and then suddenly I would think of something for funeral sermon #2 and vice versa.  And all of this is in the context of trying to prepare a sermon for Sunday.  It should not be a big deal since the basic message of the sermon is the same, but when you are speaking and ministering to a particular group of people in a particular place in a particular context…it is definitely a big deal.  I know what I want to say for each sermon…I just need to pull the messages out of my head…untangle them and put them on paper.  Easier said than done.  God help me.

I just need to focus on one thing at a time.  I need to get to my office and get the funeral bulletins ready and then write my Sunday sermon (since Thursday morning is my normal Sunday sermon prep time).  After lunch I will work on funeral sermon #1 and only that one and then work on funeral sermon #2.  Hopefully I can keep everything straight.  It should be an interesting day.  And I pray nothing else happens to mess up my schedule (can you hear me chuckling).

In any case…say a prayer for me that I can stay focused and that the Good News is proclaimed.  I don’t want Satan to use this craziness to distract me from want needs to be done.

Have a great day and God bless!

-edh-

P.S.  Oh ya…and I have to try to focus on all of this while a winter snow storm is going on.  Oh well…it can never be too easy…can it 🙂

Another crazy week

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

More winter storm madness on the way…

Christmas week was a crazy week with that nasty winter storm that dumped 20+ inches of snow on us.  It changed plans, canceled/postponed worship services and basically shut down SW MN for a couple days.  Well…round 2 is on the way…but not has big this time (but maybe more dangerous).

Wednesday, Jan. 6 we are in a Winter Storm Warning until Wednesday night and then a Blizzard Watch until Thursday afternoon.  Normally I would be giddy with excitement but I have two funerals this week.  There is family traveling (or trying to travel)…so now my prayers are for safety…once again.  What is it with winter weather and bad timing this year?  I just want to enjoy a snow storm without worrying about stuff going on at church.

In any case…please pray for these families as they travel and I will pray for a snow storm that fits my church (and personal) calendar a little better (I can dream…can’t I).

-edh-

Help…prayers needed

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I normally go on vacation right after Christmas Day worship…but not this year.  This year my wife and I thought it was a wiser decision to stay through Sunday, Dec. 27 so I wouldn’t be doing sermon prep for Jan. 3 while on vacation. Makes sense but it does throw me off a little bit…hence the needed prayers.

Since our Christmas storm (a.k.a Winter Storm Eric) kept us home for a couple days my brain switched into vacation mode.  Now it is Sunday and I am trying to switch back into non-vacation mode and get ready for worship.  I have two worship services this morning; Christmas worship at Belmont and First Sunday of Christmas worship at Salem; which means two different services and two different sermons.  On a normal Sunday this would be challenging, but today…well…I need some prayers:
–Prayers that I stay focused and not look ahead to vacation starting this afternoon.  The people here deserve my best and complete attention and not just part of me.  I don’t want Satan to use this to distract me.

–I need prayers for energy.  Many pastors know that tons of energy is expended on Sunday and therefore many pastors I know (me included) take naps on Sunday afternoon.  This morning I will need some extra energy (more than my pot of coffee can give me).

So thank you, in advance, for your prayers.  I know I joke about needing my coffee in the morning to keep me going but I do know that my (and our) true source of energy and strength comes from God alone.  So I pray that YOU have a very blessed day and that you may continue to know and experience the love of God in Jesus Christ our Savior.

Take care and God bless!

-edh-

P.S.  If Winter Storm Eric wasn’t enough this past week…we got another inch plus last night.  What a mess for a Sunday morning.

Christmas snow storm 2009

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

Many of you reading this blog are not here in the upper Midwest part of the United States.  Even if you are not living here you no doubt have heard something about the major snow storm that is here.  Right now we are in a lull but conditions will be deteriorating fast throughout the day (Christmas Eve); creating near blizzard conditions through Saturday (Wow…I almost sound like a meteorologist…I guess it is too much Weather Channel the past few days).  When all is said and done, we should have (here in Jackson) around 15 to 20 inches of snow (maybe more).  Four inches fell last night.  Needless to say Christmas plans have been altered around here.  Many churches have already canceled/postponed Christmas worship services and many family plans have changed.  For me personally…I feel conflicted and a little annoyed.  I love snow storms but this one is bad timing; so therefore I want to enjoy this storm but it is hard too when I know there are people trying to get places and many who can not get to family destinations.

With all that being said I ask you to pray.  I mentioned yesterday that “It WILL happen”…meaning the birth of Jesus WILL be celebrated.  My prayer is that people can still worship and celebrate even though things have changed for them.  I am also praying that people are safe.  Right now the roads are open but no travel is advised.  Those venturing out; please be careful (I am kind of hoping roads close so people are forced to stay off them).

Part of me also wonders why God would allow such a major snow storm to strike…at Christmas.  I know other people may be wondering the same thing.  Even though I can not explain this I know that God will be glorified no matter what.  So pray that people (including me) do not lose focus.  This storm is annoying…it is canceling some worship services…it is throwing a wretch in the works…but God will be glorified.  I believe (even through my concerns and questions) that God will do something amazing through and despite this storm.  Mother Nature can not stop God.

And…I will be praying that all of you have a very blessed Christmas.  I pray you bask in the hope and joy of the Christ child with wonder and love.  Worship doesn’t have to happen in a certain room, in a certain building at a certain time.  Worship is how we live our lives.  Worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus…no matter where you are or who you are with.  Give praise, honor and glory to God, always and forever, Amen.

Merry Christmas!

-edh-

Swinging on Monday, Aug. 17

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

O.K…it is time to get back into the swing of things once again.

Today is Monday, Aug. 17 and the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) is convening in Minneapolis for its Church wide assembly.  And this year promises to be one of heated (and hopefully) civil debate over the issue of homosexuality.  Tops on the agenda is the social statement on Human Sexuality.  Closely behind that is the ministry recommendations that would allow ordaining gay/lesbian pastors who are in life-long, committed relationships and for the blessing of same sex unions.  No matter where one stands; no matter what happens, there will be some polarization in the ELCA.  I hate to say it, but its going to happen.  My prayer is that the mission of Christ still continues marching forward and that we don’t let issues derail us.  Satan would love nothing more than for the Church to lose its focus.

Today is Monday, Aug. 17 and I am deep into getting ready for confirmation.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I am revamping my confirmation program here.  It is not a complete overhaul, but rather some important (and intriguing) additions to the schedule and requirements.  One of the key things I am doing is putting a greater emphasis on parental involvement.  I will talk more later on what I am doing with this.  I have a couple more piece I am finalizing yet, but I am really looking forward to this year.  It’s going to be a fun one.

Today is Monday, Aug. 17 and I am starting to feel a little anxiety.  In less than a month, Salem Lutheran Church will be celebrating its 125th anniversary and I don’t feel ready to go yet.  The big weekend is Sept. 12 and 13 and it keeps creeping closer and closer every day (duh…i guess).  It’s just that there is so much to do here at church and in the parsonage…and I just want everything to go smoothly.  But on the other hand I am looking forward to the celebration.  We have former pastors coming back and other special guests returning for the weekend.  You can go to our church website for a complete schedule of events at http://www.salemjackson.org

Today is Monday, Aug. 17 and I feel like I am back into the swing of things…again.  But with everything that is coming up I am hoping and praying that I do not “strike out”.

God bless your day!

-edh-

Sermon prep on a busy Thursday

/ The Pastor

Today is Thursday…

…and that means sermon prep.  But being that it is July 23 it also means day #4 of VBS…AND…wedding prep day (I have a wedding on Saturday for a couple of friends).  All in all…it will be a busy day (with any luck I will also get my lawn mowed).

In any case…back to sermon prep.  The text I am preaching on is from John 6:1-21.  This is John’s account of the Feeding of the 5000 with Jesus walking on the water to boot.  It’s almost a 2 fer today.

My plan right now is to start things out with a prayer (like I usually do) but this time I am going to use the second lesson text (which is a prayer for the Ephesians — Eph. 3:14-21).  I am going to change some “yous” to “we” and use it for us…here and now.  I thought that sounded like good way to start.  It talks about being strengthened by the Holy Spirit; being rooted and established in love; that we may know Christ; but in the end all glory and honor to God forever and ever, Amen.

Now on to the Gospel text…

…here I don’t really know where I am going yet, but that’s what the Holy Spirit is for.  With everything going on today I am trying not to get too nervous.  Normally I would leave my office at 11am and head to Coffee Choices to eat and write, but with VBS today I can’t leave here until after 12noon (that will throw off the routine).  To the naked, untrained eye this may not seem like a big deal, but routines (for some) are important.  And when I get thrown from mine I often need to focus a little harder to stay on track.

<There I go again…off track…I am supposed to be talking about John 6>

Anyway…here are some initial thoughts about John 6:1-21:
(1) A foretaste of the Feast to come.
(2) When we are “hungry” Jesus WILL feed us.
(3) Jesus can do much with what we consider little.
(4) With Jesus in our life, we will have more than enough.
(5) A defense of youth ministry — a small boy was encouraged to contribute and 5000+ people were fed.

These sound like small tag lines but sermons often start with thoughts such as these.

What do you hear in this text?

In your particular place in your life, how does this text “feed” you?

God bless you today and always.  Praise be to God!

-edh-

Holy Week stress and an answer to prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Holy Week has been a good one for me this year, but there was still some stress for me.  This is an account of one particular stress point and the faithfulness of our awesome God who came through for us.

We have a number of traditions here at Salem Lutheran Church as it pertains to Holy Week; traditions I look forward to.  Here are just a few of them (that relate to my particular stress point this week):

–We have a large rugged cross that stands in the narthex during lent that has a purple cloth draped on it topped with a crown of thorns.

–On Maundy Thursday we strip the altar and bring that rugged cross outside, to the base of the narthex ramp and drape a black cloth over the cross beams.
[A cool story about this from Good Friday.  Our custodian saw a van flying down the street next to the church on Friday.  When the van got to the church and saw the cross at the base of the ramp he slammed on his breaks and came to a screeching halt.  He looked at the cross for a couple moments and then proceeded on his way.  This cross, each year, attracts a lot of attention.]

–On Saturday we bring that rugged cross back inside to prepare it for Easter.  There are rings attached to the cross that hold Easter lilies.  We then staple the palms from Palm Sunday to the cross.  And let me tell you it is quite a sight…as pictured below…

100_0200

…well…here’s where the stress comes in…

…on Wednesday this week my wife and I noticed that the Palm branches from Sunday were dead.  They were dried up and crunchy even though they were still in water.  The problem was that we forgot to cut the ends to allow the branches to soak up the water.  Now what were we to do?  Wednesday was already a stressful day for me and this was the last thing I needed.  One of my deacons came in and cut the ends and put them in water.  We prayed that somehow God would resurrect those palms for Sunday.

On Thursday when I went out to Belmont for Maundy Thursday worship I noticed that Belmont had a bunch of palms that they were no longer needing.

[cue the ligh bulb that popped up over my head]

I asked the ladies of Belmont if Salem could have the palms and they said that would be no problem.  Now we have palms for the cross and our Easter tradition can continue.  An answer to prayer.  Praise be to God!

Now…as I write this, people are up in the sanctuary getting ready for Easter worship.  There are families in the Fellowship Hall preparing for the Easter breakfast.  And I am here finishing this post and soon will be finishing my Easter sermon.  I sit here feeling refreshed from great Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worships.  I sit here feeling hopeful that our amazing God is ever so faithful.  I sit here looking forward to our Easter worship services (as tiring as they will be for me, but I never seem to notice at the time).

God is faithful…not because He “resurrected” some palm branches for us, because…well…just look at the cross.

Have a very blessed Easter Sunday and God bless!

-edh-