Peace-filled Night

/ The Pastor

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” [2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV]

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” [John 14:27 ESV]

The sun is racing across the sky trying to reach its finish line.
There is no stopping its advance.
It will finish its course.
It will dip below the land.
Its purpose none can confine.

Soon darkness will appear on the scene seemingly covering the light.
There is no stopping its advance.
It will darken our doors.
Giving shadows center stage.
Its presence can cause some fright.

But the darkness will not win,
for Jesus is within,
and much to its chagrin,
it will take it on the chin.

So rest your weary head and your fears you can release.
There is no stopping His advance.
God our father reigns on high
His kingdom will never end.
May His love give you peace.

Our Father

/ The Pastor

Our Father who art in heaven,
and yet You reside close to me.
You are never ever distant,
that You guarantee.

You are my Bread winner;
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life.
You are my Defender;
willing to die to save my life.
You are my Creator;
the Breather of the breath of life.

You are all of this and more,
as my Father You never ignore.
But you are not just mine,
for I am just one fruit of the vine.
There are many that reside,
in Your family we all abide.
But I am never just another face,
for You’re the Father and we all have first place.

And so as You are in heaven,
through Jesus I will be too,
with my brothers and sisters,
all our praise will be for You.

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…

The One

/ The Pastor

You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.
You and only You,
You are holy and true,
You are my hope and salvation.
There are no other gods who can stand,
all have been outdone,
none can prove to be the one.
Many try to dethrone You,
but all fall short,
incomplete
impotent
Ineffective.
Only You is praise wholly due.
But the battle rages on,
my soul is conflicted.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing,
trying to pull off a big con.
I become deceived,
straying from the way.
Listening to the lies,
oh God, my soul is grieved.
Forgive and restore,
remake, for You I adore.
May it be You who I follow,
for there is no other way.
The gods of this world,
are nothing, only hollow.
So dethrone the gods I’ve crowned,
Show me again,
That Jesus, only Jesus,
is the way to truly abound.

His and Yours

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The following is something I wrote for our July 21 Sunday bulletin; a section called, “Pastor’s Corner”. I thought I would share it with all of you as well…

While on vacation and visiting my parents, my children were treated to multiple golf cart rides with grandpa. On our last day, grandpa took each one on a ride, and as it turned out, to the grocery store. Upon their return, I could see a big smile on their face while they held a plastic grocery bag. Inside was a treat that grandpa spoiled them with. One cannot help but to smile at this. But don’t confuse a relationship like this with your relationship with God. He doesn’t take you to the “grocery store” to give you your heart’s desires, but rather to show you His. It is not about what you want but what God wants for you. But when you align your heart to God’s, through faith in Jesus, you will always return from the “store” with a smile because you will have received the desires of God’s heart, which will be your desires as well. Seek His will, not Your own, then and only then will you get want you want.

Falling Through

/ The Pastor

Two ways to go,
one of You
and one to forgo.
I want to follow You,
but I want my way too.
Oh God, I don’t want my plans to fall through.
I am tired of wandering.
I am tired of wondering.
When will rest come from You?
Oh God, I don’t want my plans to fall through.
This seems so right.
How can it be wrong?
It has to be the way from You.
Oh God, I don’t want my plans to fall through.
I’ve worked so hard.
I’ve been faithful.
This way has to honor You.
Oh God, I don’t want my plans to fall through.
But maybe this is not Your plan.
Maybe this is not Your way,
so if that be the case,
Oh God, let MY plans fall through,
So I can follow YOU.

One Thing

/ The Pastor

[Inspired by Luke 10:38-42]

One thing and one thing only,
that is all that’s required,
for with Jesus the Savior,
You will never be lonely.

You don’t need to add to this.
No works, no deeds, no actions.
Jesus is all that you need,
To enjoy eternal bliss.

For God’s grace is sufficient.
There’s nothing else that’s needed.
Attempts to self-justify,
will always be deficient.

So focus your attention,
and away from your attempts.
Jesus has finished the work,
to release all your tension.

Oh God, You are Lord of All

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

[Inspired by Job 38-42]

Holy God; Creator and Father, Lord of all,
The depths of Your being is beyond comprehension.
There is no limit to Your knowledge.
Your strength and power is unmatched.
Your authority is absolute; even the waves and the waters obey you, and creatures without understanding know their prescribed limits. You have set everything in motion and You sustain all that You have made.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You know the deepest recesses of the earth – nothing is hidden from You.
You know the secrets of all living things – You breathed the breath of life.
Your providence is unmatched in all the world – only from You do we have our sustenance.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
Darkness is not dark to You for You are the Light, and nothing can overcome You. The most heinous of evil is no match for Your power and rule; for it has already been overcome. Actually, it never had a chance. You are King and sovereign.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You are the source of all wisdom – You are omniscient.
You are the source of love – You are love.
You are the source of all morality – everything is judged by You.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You are filled with majesty and honor – clothed with splendor unmatched.
You are enthroned on high – King of all creation.
You and You alone are worthy all all praise and worship.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
Who am I to question You – to doubt Your actions?
Who am I to make suggestions – to dare tell You what to do?
Who am I to resist Your commands – to disobey, to act contrary to Your will.
I am but a worm in Your presence; nothing but clay molded by You; a creature without understanding.
In all my ways and words, I despise myself and repent. For the sake of Jesus Christ forgive me, heal me, remake me, mold me.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.

Faces

/ The Pastor

Psalm 27:7–8 (ESV) ~ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of a political leader in hopes they will acquiesce to your demands to remake this world into your image?

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of success in hopes you can build a nest egg in order to gain a sense of peace in this life?

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of a false prophet who refuses to hold scripture to a high standard and thus waters it down to make it easier for you to accept?

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of laziness so you can blindly ride the shirt-tails of cheap grace in order to enjoy the labors of others.

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of busyness in an effort to justify yourself before others and God.

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of a worldly fortress so as to secure rest, peace and comfort for your weary body and soul.

Whose face do you seek? Is it the face of affirmation so you can feel better about your life.

But…

These faces care nothing about you. They only look at you with disdain, apathy and disinterest. They make promises and they look good for a while, but eventually these faces become disfigured; sending you on another search for a new face.

But there is a face out there waiting for you. A face that shines brighter than the sun. A face of love. A face of grace. A face of truth. That face is Jesus. He doesn’t promise you the easy life, but he does promise you Life. Don’t be fooled. The faces of this world falsely promise you an easy life, but can go no farther. Only Jesus cares enough for you to give his life for the forgiveness of your sins that you may see God face to face someday. Don’t settle for anything less. Seek HIS face and truly be at peace.