Worship

Invited

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Today is the Parable of the Great Banquet; Jesus inviting the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame to the table. He invites sinners – you. And so I am excited, once again, to proclaim this Good News this morning – from Luke 14:1-14. The following is the Holy Communion liturgy I wrote with the Gospel text on my heart…

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God – Father, Lord and King. For You have invited and exalted us to the Banquet of the Wedding of the Lamb to his bride, the Church. Though we are sinful, lost and disobedient, You bring us in and make us whole and holy. You make us new through Your Son, Jesus. You give us a place of honor through no effort or merit of our own. You give us Life and hope in a world that would have us fend for ourselves; fighting our way to the top. You have turned things around and thus we can rejoice with You and dine at a Banquet that has no end. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…

Striving

/ The Pastor

The Gospel text that I am preaching on is Luke 13:22-30 ~ strive to enter through the narrow door. May we not strive to serve sin; being workers of evil, but may we strive to know God better through Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us pray…

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God. Through Jesus Christ You have saved us from our sins – forgiving an obstinate people. You have redeemed our lives from the pit. You have snatched us from Satan’s grip. Jesus has purchased our very lives through his very own blood. To recount all Your deeds is an impossible task. Oh God, Father and King, grant us Your Spirit that we may live a life of striving that we may not be left knocking on a closed door. May we not seek to cater to our old and dead life but may we seek to give You thanks and worship for the New Life we have through Jesus Christ – for he has striven that we could be saved. And so, with the church earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Bringing Peace Through Division

/ The Pastor

The Gospel text for today is Luke 12:49-56. My focus is on verse 51 where Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace but division. Actually, Jesus came to bring peace through division. More can be heard on our congregation’s website after the video of the sermon is posted.

So with that I wrote the following Holy Communion liturgy with the Gospel text in mind. To God be the glory. Amen.

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God. Through Jesus Christ You give us peace with You. Through the working of Your Holy Spirit we are being remade. Your Word is life. Your Word is truth. Your Word pierces our soul and will one day divide us from this world as we stand before you purified and holy. Oh God, may we not be seduced by the allure of worldly peace. May it’s beckoning song be ignored. May its deceptive appearance be uncovered. Oh God, we give you thanks that Jesus was born to die that we could have hope and one day live peacefully with You without interruption. And so, we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Good Pleasure

/ The Pastor

The text for preaching this morning is Luke 12:32 where Jesus says that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. It is a rich and Gospel-packed verse and I can hardly wait to preach it this morning. The following is part of the Holy Communion liturgy I wrote with the Gospel text in mind. May it bring glory to God.

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, our Shepherd and Father; for it is Your good pleasure to give us Your kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, You have saved us from our sins and redeemed us from the clutches of the Evil One. You have placed us in the vault of Your fortress and carved, in granite, our names in the Book of Life. You are the hope in a violent and hate-filled world. You are the Light in the stormy waters. You are the Truth as the Deceiver works overtime to lead Your flock astray. Nothing and no one can stake their claim on Your children. For these reasons, and many more, we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

No Matter What, God Reigns

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Today, is August 4, and this nation is mourning after two deadly shooting sprees in the last days or so. Many are shaking their fists at heaven wondering where is God; and thus turning to worldly leaders for answers and action. But no matter the situation, God reigns. I have no explanation for this shooting sprees, I just know my God who holds my life in His hands and thus my hope is in Him. My prayer is that others come to know Him through Jesus Christ as well.

So with that in mind, I wrote the following Holy Communion liturgy for this morning. Let pray together, and instead of finger pointing, let’s raise all our fingers to God in praise and worship for being rich towards Him in Jesus Christ.

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Father and Creator. We look around and grieve the violence and hatred. We listen to our neighbors and hear hate-filled words, fear and hopelessness. We live in a sin-fallen world that looks to worldly gods and leaders for their peace and security, but You reign, and thus we give You praise. Through Jesus Christ You and You alone have overcome this world. You have defeated sin, Satan and hate. No amount of violence can stop Your will from being done. No amount of rhetoric can bury Your Words of Life. No amount of riches can compare to You, for through Christ we are rich beyond our wildest dreams and imagination. And thus, as children in Your family; sheep of Your flock we have no fear in this world, for You and You alone reign. And therefore, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…

Unending Praise for the King of Glory

/ The Pastor

I wrote the following as part of the Holy Communion liturgy for today, July 28. God’s deserving title, the King of Glory, is still running around in my head and heart so thus that theme was picked up again, and why not 🙂
To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, the King of Glory. And You are indeed deserving of that title, the King of Glory. Through Jesus Christ we have salvation. You have given the Holy Spirit, without which we would not believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. You have made us Your beloved children and thus love to dote on us; giving us Your most wonderful and perfect gifts. You have sealed us with the cross of Christ and have engraved our names in the book of Life. Oh God, there is none other worthy of the title, the King of Glory and therefore, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…

Adored

/ The Pastor

Oh God, Your name is awesome,
holy and true.
May all who preach Your name,
give praise that is due.
Not in realms of self-glory and pride,
but hallow Your name,
in all truth and purity,
for You, oh God, are the One who reigns.
May all who step into the pulpit this day,
do so with pause,
knowing that it is You
that deserves all applause.
May Your name be proclaimed
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
May You receive all worship,
for You are to be adored.

Undistracted

/ The Pastor

I wrote this piece for the Holy Communion liturgy with the Gospel text in mind, Luke 10:38-42, the text on which I am preaching today.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Creator, Father and King. For what can we say, You have given us all that we need, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Yet, we search and search for a shelter and refuge that will protect. We scavenger for that which will sustain and keep us. Oh Lord, all our efforts will fall short for no one and nothing is like You. Oh God, You are a God of grace and mercy. You are our portion, our heritage and our inheritance. You are our everything; our life. May we live undistracted lives, keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ. Oh God, You and You alone are worthy and so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Overflow

/ The Pastor

This is part of the Holy Communion liturgy that I wrote based on the preaching text, Luke 10:25-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God through Christ Jesus our Lord. For through Jesus’ death and resurrection, You have shown mercy and compassion to an unclean, sinful and lost people. You did not pass us by, but You have bandaged our wounds of sin and have brought healing to our souls. You have given us a home for which we long. You have given us hope. May our hearts be filled with Your love, so much so, that it overflows into acts of compassion and mercy to our neighbor; as we walk humbly with You. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Peace in Following Jesus

/ The Pastor

Continuing with the theme of following Jesus, based on Luke 9:57-62, I wrote this communion liturgy for the Great Thanksgiving. One of the things that hit me as I wrote this is the reason that many hesitate in answering the call to follow Jesus: Peace. We try to create, secure and maintain our peace when all the while, Jesus himself is our peace. How quickly we forget.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to You, oh God, Creator and Father. Through Jesus Christ You call us to follow, but yet we often find ourselves timid or skeptical or too careful or worrisome about the path You have called us to walk. We often find ourselves over-analyzing in order to secure a sense of peace about making our decision. But how foolish we are for doing such a thing, for through Jesus Christ You have cleared the path and secured our future through his death and resurrection. You have defeated Your foes and have surrounded us with Your holy angels. You have redeemed our lives and thus You and You alone are our peace. May we leap when You call us to follow for through Jesus we have much about which to be excited and thankful. And so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…