Worship

Get your ash on

/ The Pastor

I love that title…

a little lighthearted fun as we begin this season of Lent; a season for reflection and remembering that we came from dust, and because of our sin, to dust we shall return.

This season is also a very somber time as we reflect on our mortality but we can’t forget the celebration at the end because of Jesus. And therefore, in the midst of taking ourselves very seriously, don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember that you are a sinful, mortal human being under the curse of death. That is serious and undeniable. But through the cross of Jesus, you are redeemed and thus, through faith in him, the curse is lifted on that Last Day. That is also serious and undeniable AND “fun” let’s say.

[Leave it to me to put a not-so-serious spin on Ash Wednesday and Lent]

So with that seriousness, let’s move to some fun stuff:

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This is me burning palm branches saved from last year’s Palm Sunday worship service. Seems normal, but what you can’t feel is that I am standing outside in a -30 degree wind chill that is chilling me right down to the bone. I guess one can add this to the list of crazy things that only Minnesotans (and other crazy upper Midwesterners] do. But when you live in this part of the country/world you have to make do.

So the ashes are made.
Worship is planned.
The sermon is set.

And I am ready to get my ash on as I dive head-long into Lent.

A serious season in preparation for a “fun” event.

May God be praised and glorified. May you be humbled with the serious fact that you are a sinner. May you be lifted up through the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

In preparation for God’s Word ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

[Prayer that I will be using before I preach this morning]

Holy God…

I can’t help but repeat the words of the psalmist when I think of you, O Lord:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Oh Lord, our majestic Lord, it blows me away that You are mindful of us, miserable sinners. And therefore we so need Your Word. For Your Word, Oh Lord, guides us into all truth and righteousness. Your Word gives life to all who listen and receive it. Your Word is wisdom. Your Word is salvation. There is no other word that can do that but yet we find ourselves drawn away from the path of righteousness, not for Your name’s sake but for all other’s names sake. We listen to those false words and doctrines and are enticed by the false beauty that they maliciously proclaim.

Oh majestic Lord, block our ears from those false doctrines and strengthen our faith. Improve our listening skills that we may hear and listen and receive Your Word. Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name and Word in all the world. May we be filled with your Spirit so that you may be praised as you ought to be praised. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

God bless you as you hear His Word proclaimed. May faith be created or strengthen in you. And may you be sent to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Pastor -|—

Preparing for worship ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Holy God,

Your love and faithfulness is grand and majestic.
Your compassion and loving kindness is without bounds.
Your grace is unending.

How this blows me away just think about this. My mind can barely comprehend your glory.

Oh God, may those who hear your Word this morning hear your voice. May those who do not have faith, come to know life in Jesus. May those who come seeking, find true hope and peace. May those who are hurting, knowing true healing that only comes from the hope of the resurrection.

But words here are so insufficient for we do not know how to worship you as you are worthy. We do not know what we truly need.

So may you grant each person, who hears (or reads) these words not what they want but what they truly need; for only you know. Basically, Oh God, may your will be done; may your will be done so that you and you alone receive the glory, and not us.

So now may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to You, our rock and redeemer, Amen.

So, my friends…

May you come into worship with a humble Spirit; giving all that you are and receiving the Word of Life. May you raise your voice without hesitation in thanks and praise. May God be glorified as you are sent out to service.

Have a glorious and blessed day worshiping, enjoying Sabbath rest and soaking in the Word of Life. Praise be to God this day and always. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Forgetfulness ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Father God, your Word is life and in you we have our being.

Your love is incredible.
Your grace is amazing.
You are faithful and patient and compassionate.

And there is no end to our thankfulness for who you are especially when I consider who we truly are:

Sinful

But even though we lift our praises here and now, it won’t be long before we forget. It won’t be long before we turn away from you through sin. It won’t be long before we set up another god to worship. We hear the Gospel and remember, but our memories are short.

Oh God, we believe, help our unbelief.
Oh God, we remember help our forgetfulness.
Oh God, we want to be faithful, increase our faith.

We humbly come before you seeking your Spirit and longing for your Word. And I ask this, not so that we can have an experience of you but rather to know the truth of the Gospel and a peace that surpasses all understanding. For worship is not about us but rather you and you alone. To experience worship is to be a spectator and not truly worship you.

So…

Turn our hearts towards you that we may not be so forgetful.
Turn our hearts towards you that we may serve you and others.
Turn our hearts towards you that we may glorify your holy name.

Father God, I thank you that you hear our prayers and that we have an awesome God to worship. May your name be praised, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

May God bless you on this Lord’s Day and may your worship be pleasing to God’s ears for He is worthy.

Praise be to God!!!

The Pastor -|—

Worthy

/ The Pastor

worship11

Let us prepare our hearts to worship God…

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
(Revelation 4:11 ESV)

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 
(Revelation 5:12 ESV)

Worthy is God, creator of all that is seen and unseen, for his glory shines forth in creation.

Worthy is God our Father, who opens his arms to his children and receives them with love and compassion.

Worthy is God for through the death and resurrection of Jesus, gives hope eternal and peace that surpasses all understanding.

Worthy is God, the holy One, who through Jesus Christ sanctifies us that we may be perfect someday as God is perfect.

Worthy is God, who is closer to us than we are to ourselves, for he listens to our prayers and grants us our daily bread.

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Amen!!!
(Revelation 5:13 ESV)

May God bless you on this Lord’s day as you worship and praise His holy name. May you know the hope of the resurrection and may you be equipped to continue to worship throughout this day and everyday, for God is worthy.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Being wise

/ The Pastor

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. [Matthew 2:11]

A quick Christmas trivia question for you: How many wise men (magi) were there? Three? Actually we don’t know know. Scripture talks of three gifts but not the number of magi that showed up 🙂

But seriously, these magi (this is where we get our word “magic” and “magician”) traveled a great distance to find this king. And once there, scripture says they bowed down to worship Jesus. And one only bows down to someone who is of higher status or importance than oneself. These magi (magicians, astrologers, worshippers of the stars) knew who they were in the presence of and humbled themselves before Jesus; their new King and Way of life. I imagine they returned home changed.

And really, humbly coming before Jesus in worship is the only appropriate response to Jesus. When you consider what he did for you, how can you not fall down before him. Jesus was born in order to die for you and for me; miserable sinners. Jesus came to bring us to God. Jesus came to defeat death and give us life.

These wise men were indeed wise. They recognized their true King and Way of life. Humbly come before Jesus and worship the one who is worthy; the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Humbly come before Jesus and praise the one who gives you life.

Merry Christmas and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Your reflection

/ The Pastor

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. [Proverbs 27:19]

Never think or imagine that what you believe about anything goes unnoticed by anyone. Your heart is indeed a reflection of who you truly are.

I have heard people say,

“My faith is a private faith. I believe in God. I just don’t think I need to go to worship to prove to anyone what I believe.”

That is sad and a little hypocritical for you ARE proving something; that you really don’t believe and love the Lord. Worship is not about proving anything to anyone. Worship is about praising God. It’s an outflow of what is in your heart. If your heart is not busting at the seams to worship and praise God then I have to wonder what is in there.

What you believe about God is going to be revealed whether you like it or not:
~ How you live.
~ How you respond to situations.
~ How you love (or don’t love) people.
~ How you react to adversity.
~ How you respond to suffering.
~ How you respond to death.

Your heart reflects the person you are and shines brightly what you believe about God. Private faith? No such thing. Think about what you say and what you do; for they tell others a story about God. So make sure you do your daily heart check up.
~ Pray
~ Read scripture
~ Spend time with God
~ Worship
~ Question God
~ Listen to God
~ Be shaped by God
~ Reflect on your sinfulness
~ Know that through Jesus Christ you are forgiven

And be ready to reflect the glory of God in your life. Be ready to praise God with your whole being. Be ready to live as a forgiven sinner.

May God be praised always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Wonderful moments

/ The Pastor

I had a wonderful moment in worship yesterday (in addition to the hearing and preaching of the Gospel).  It’s a moment that I suspected would come eventually but I was still caught by surprise when I saw it.  It was so uber cute and I’m glad I got to share it with the congregation (at least with those who were sitting along the aisle and could see).

About half way through the final hymn I got up and approached the altar to silently pray.  I thanked God for sustaining me through a busy morning (2 worship services) after a night where Mayah (my 1 year old) did not sleep much.  I asked that His holy Word would continue to work in the hearts of those who heard it this morning and I praised God for His awesomeness, love and grace.

Upon turning around to walk out my wonderful moment happened; my little girl was excitedly walking down the aisle towards me.

[Mayah just started walking this past week so we are still smitten with the cuteness of it all]

My heart melted as I got down on one knee with my arms open wide; waiting to receive my little girl.  I could see smiles cascading down the aisle of those privileged enough to be able to witness this moment. When Mayah got to me she lunged into my arms as if she could hardly wait to get there.  I scooped her up and proudly walked up the aisle with a huge smile on my face.

For me it served as another great reminder of God’s blessings in my life.  It was extremely difficult to get out of bed on Sunday morning after only sleeping a couple hours and the coffee was barely able to give me the boost I needed.  With a lot on my mind, God was faithful to send His Holy Spirit to give me what I needed to lead worship and preach the Gospel.  And to top it off (like icing on a cake), God sent my little girl down the aisle as if to say, “You are loved“.

What a moment 🙂

I do feel blessed and not just because I have a wonderful little girl and loving wife, but that I have an awesome God who loves me so much.  God was faithful so that He may be glorified through this weak and tired body of mine.

So many wonderful moments and blessings all around.
What a great day.
What an awesome God!

The pastor -|—

Summer Top Ten List

/ The Pastor

Yesterday (May 7) was the last day of confirmation for the school year; and what a great year it has been.

The following is a top ten list of things I gave my students, at the end of class, to do over the summer. Not requirements but things to think about as they continue their faith journey; a journey that never ends.  And as I read through this I thought I would share this with you.  They are things that apply to all of us and ones that I will be posting in my office as a constant reminder for me.

So here you go (in no particular order)…
(10) Worship (God the Father, almighty, Creator of heaven and earth)
~ Worship is not a requirement but something that flows out of your faith. We don’t worship because we have to but because we get to.

(9) Read your Bible
~ Bible reading should also be a joy.
~ If you want help staying on course find a partner to read with and hold each other accountable. Talk about about what you read and explore together.

(8) Pray
~ You can’t have a vibrant, healthy relationship with someone if you don’t spend time together.
~ Know that I will continue to be praying for each of you by name.

(7) Make the most of opportunities to share your faith
~ I dare you to ask God to give you an opportunity to share your faith with someone. I have found that God is more than happy to give you opportunities. What you do with them is your choice, but remember, it could be a matter of life or death for that person.

(6) Memorize scripture
~ And not just your “required” memory work. I challenge you to memorize Bible verses as a way of life. You just might be surprised by how God will use those verses in your life to bring Him glory.

(5) Do random acts of kindness
~ Mess with people’s heads (in a good way) by showing the love of Christ.

(4) Deflect praise
~ When someone praises you for something, remember who gave you the ability to do the thing you are being praised for.  Instead of saying “thank you” say, “praise be to God”. I am willing to bet that you will catch their attention; and what a way to share your faith.

(3) Quiet time
~ Take time out of your busy schedule to just think about God, talk and listen to Him, journal and enjoy God’s company.
~ When you are day dreaming about God you are never wasting time ~ but be careful about this if you are supposed to be working 🙂

(2) Be brave
~ When your faith is challenged, stand strong. You have the God of all creation by your side. Even if everyone around you is against you and says your wrong; be brave. God is not wrong.

(1) Remember
~ Remember that God loves you beyond anything you can possibly comprehend.

Blessed be the journey 🙂

The pastor -|—

A Christmas reflection and blessing

/ The Pastor

Oh boy…my least favorite day is coming up tomorrow.  Oh well…I have one more opportunity to proclaim the Christmas Gospel this morning before the post-Christmas blues hit.

Last night (Christmas Eve) was wonderful.  We were greeted with a couple inches of that beautiful white stuff; a sanctuary full of family and friends; wonderful music from our organist and my wife’s family on brass along with a confirmation student of mine. We had the privilege of former students reading scripture along with two of my release time kids and two of my confirmation students. I also got finish leading worship while holding my little girl (who celebrated her first Christmas).  And all of this while worshiping our awesome God who came to us at Christmas time in Jesus Christ.

A wonderful night!

Now I am preparing to head out to my country congregation (Belmont Lutheran Church) to lead Christmas Day worship.  And that will be wonderful in it’s own unique way.

Looking back on all the preparations, family time, worship, etc, I just don’t understand how someone could possibly look forward to Christmas being done.  I will welcome the rest but I will be anxious for next year. In the meantime receive this Christmas blessings from me to you as you worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ:

May the joy of the Christ-child fill your hearts.
May the joy of the shepherds lead you out to glorify and praise the Lord.
May you ponder with Mary all the things that God has done.
May you have the tenacity of the Magi to follow Jesus each and every day.
And may you bask in the awesome love of God.

Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The pastor -|—