Praying the Psalms ~ The List

/ The Pastor

Let’s keep the list going. Can you add to it?

“Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?” [Psalms 106:1‭-‬2 ESV]

Who can utter Your mighty deeds, Oh Lord?
Who can declare all your praise?
I will certainly try but my list will be far from complete.
For Your deeds are numerous and Your faithfulness unending.
Your love endures forever and Your might is unmatched.
You created all that I can and can not see.
Your creation is a thing of beauty.
Your wonders never cease.
You formed me from within my mother’s womb – I came forth from You.
You breathed life into me.
You declared all life to be precious.
Though a sinner You gave me Jesus.
Though a sinner You gave me Your Spirit.
Thus, I will live with You.
You raise up the lowly.
You humble the proud.
Hand in hand, we will stand before You in worship.
You have defeated all Your enemies.
You have subdued them all.
You have chased away my fear.
Oh God,
You are worthy of my worship.
You are worthy of all honor.
You are my God.
You are always with me – never have You departed.
You are always true – never have You been deceptive.
You are always holy – never to be corrupted.
You are.
Oh Lord, this is but a minuscule list – so much more can be said.
And so I will continue to praise and give You thanks, for Your steadfast love endures forever and ever.
Amen.

Being Built Up

/ The Pastor

This is the liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion today based on the preaching text, James 1:1-18. To God be the glory…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, for, of Your own will You brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of Your creatures. (James 1:18) You brought us forth through Jesus Christ and thus You have promised to bring us to completion and place on our head the crown of life. You put us through trials in order build us up that we may remember who we are and whose we are – becoming more and more Christ-like. You do not desire our destruction but rather our salvation. May our endurance bring You the glory that You rightly deserve. And so, with the Church on earth – redeemed sinners through the blood of the lamb – and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise.

Trials

/ The Pastor

This is a poem based on James 1:1-18 – the sermon text for Sunday, Sept 15 as I being preaching through the book of James. To God be the glory.

Lead me by the hand,
when trials come my way.
Hold me close to You,
So I’ll not go astray.

For You have a plan,
in all that I will face.
Trials have a goal,
Please help me to embrace.

I want to grow strong
For Satan tries to stop,
May I lean into You,
So I’ll come out on top.

Jesus is my Lord.
I know I’ll see some strife.
But, through my trials,
there lays the crown of life.

Peace in Chaos

/ The Pastor

In the midst of chaos peace appears to be a mirage.
Fleeting
Unreal
Unreachable
The closer I seem to get, the farther away it retreats.
Teasing me.
Luring me away from reality.
Giving me false hope.
But then I find something – an oasis.
Peace – ahhh…
But this isn’t right.
This is not real peace.
And I’m not meant to stay in this oasis.
But I don’t want to leave.
Chaos
Is there any real peace?

[Enter Jesus]

Jesus is not a mirage.
Jesus is not an oasis shielding me from reality.
Jesus is peace IN the chaos.
Never fleeting
Very real
Reaching me
Peace – ahhh…

Beginning the Day

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
You have redeemed me through the blood of Your Son –
my Lord Jesus Christ.
You have set me apart to be a light in this world.
You have seasoned me to be the salt of the world.
You have filled me with Your Spirit.
Oh God,
may I stand apart from this world –
shining a “strange” light within it –
one that makes people take notice as it shines the way to Life eternal.
May my dealings with the world open eyes and my love draw people to You.
May my conduct be holy and my words speak the Truth.
May I see the trials in my life as Your holy plan to bring me to maturity so that I may show the world Your glory through my faith.
Bless this day, oh God, as I engage my mission field.
May my life be all about You.
All praise be onto You, always and forever. In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Church

/ The Pastor

“Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.“
[Augsburg Confession, Article VII: Of the Church]

We sometimes forget that the Church is not a building. The Church is people – the congregation of saints. People are made “saints” how – through the blood of Jesus. And thus the Church is wherever and whenever saints are gathered together – where the Gospel is rightly taught/proclaimed and the sacraments are rightly administered.

We also sometimes forget that a building does not and can not save us. The Church can exist without a fixed place to gather on a regular basis. No where does it say that the Church is a particular place or structure. Does a building help? Yes and no. Yes – if our eyes are on Jesus Christ as our savior and our worship is in Him and Him alone. No – if are attention is on a structure that in the end will not last. Buildings fail, but Jesus never will.

I am not saying buildings are bad, but when people start to focus on the building rather than Jesus, then they cease to be a Church. Brothers and sisters in Christ are people – saints – and therefore we need to remember them and care for them. Those who do not know Jesus – lost sheep – need to be sought out and fed. But more importantly we must remember and worship the One who makes us a family through Jesus Christ.

Understanding

/ The Pastor

The following prayer was inspired by Psalm 119:169-176.

Father God,
Many seek understanding through science.
Some seek understanding through logic.
Others seek understanding through philosophy.
Oh God, please give me understanding according to Your Word.
Many seek understanding through intellect.
Some seek understanding through debate.
Others seek understanding through experience.
Oh God, Please give me understanding according to Your Word.
For Your Word is
right
perfect
and precious.
You Word is my
delight
Life
and salvation.
All other understanding is fleeting, temporary, lost and flawed.
Nothing else can save.
So God, I long for You.
I long for Life,
I long to know.
I long to understand.
But I have gone astray and I am ashamed.
I have sought understanding in all the wrong places.
So in Your great mercy seek for me and hold me tight.
Bring me close.
Oh God, please give me understanding according to Your Word,
that I may not stray from You.

By Faith

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

I walk by faith and not by sight,
And cling to Him with all my might.
In Him I find my life’s delight.
With Him I know I’ll be alright.

I walk by faith and not by plans,
And not to gain those worldly fans.
For God is with me through life’s span.
I’ll walk with our Lord hand in hand.

So walk by faith and with our Lord.
To walk with him is great reward.
May we be all of one accord.
Let’s walk by faith as one great horde.

A Great Adventure

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Three and a half years ago, You called me to follow You on a great adventure.
I left a land I grew up in (Minnesota) and moved to a new land (Western Washington).
You called me from a congregation that I gave my heart to for 12 years and sent me to a “church in a box” – a people unknown to me.
To say that I was nervous is to put it mildly, but my family and me went and followed You — and You have been faithful.
The call was to help build a church – in more ways than one. In one way I have been doing that for 3 1/2 years, but now You, oh God, are getting all literal on me.
You are now calling me to new territory again: Moving a congregation to a different community and losing our “church in the box” description.
To say that I am nervous is to put it mildly, but I will go and follow You — and I know You will be faithful.
Oh God, as You led Abraham to an unknown territory so lead me.
As you have led this congregation for 10 years, please continue to do so.
I don’t know what I am doing but You know and that is all that matters.
Even though I confess my nervousness here and now, I know You won’t abandon me.
I believe, help my unbelief.
And so, oh God, I give this all to you.
Let us go, once again, on great adventure together.
To You be the glory, oh God, always and forever.
Amen.

First Day of School Prayer

/ The Pastor

Father God,
a new year of school is here and students are returning to the classroom.
So much excitement.
So much apprehension.
Please hear my prayer as our kids resume.
There will be reading and writing and arithmetic too.
Spelling, science and all things new.
There will be friends and lunch and games galore.
There will be all of that and so much more.
Routines will be changing.
Schedules will get busy.
Sometimes all of this can make one feel dizzy.
So, Father God, hear my prayer,
and bless our children here and there.
Bless their teachers.
Bless their year.
Guide them so they will not fear.
Keep them safe, Lord, every busload.
Bless all drivers who share the road.
Bless our children here and now.
May this year cause them to say “Wow!”
Amen 🙂