Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 3

/ The Pastor

READ: Psalm 3. Now read it again. One more time. Alright, we’re ready. Let’s pray…

Father God,
My foes are many; those who would oppose Your ways.
They celebrate and flaunt their success; scoffing at me and saying that I have no hope.
They claim victory; boasting of their strength. They think they are in control; that they hold the upper hand.
My foes arrogantly go on their way; secure in their positions of power; strutting in confidence; smug in their ways.
Oh Lord, my God, my foes are many.
Their numbers overwhelm me.
But You, oh God, are a shield about me.
You are my fortress.
You are my army of myriads that goes before me.
You have lifted me up and secured my life.
You have never ceased to hear and answer my cry for help.
Therefore, I will never fear the hordes that oppose me.
Day and night You are my guard.
I am at peace.
Oh Lord, my God, my foes are many but You overwhelm them.
Your enemies have been defeated and thus I am victorious.
They claim salvation is theirs.
They are wrong.
Salvation is Yours and Yours alone.
Through Jesus Christ You have saved me thus may Your blessings sustain me now and forevermore.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord I pray,
Amen.

15 years

/ The Pastor

Fifteen years ago today (July 2) I was ordained into the ministry of Word and sacrament. It was a wild weekend. I started my first call about a month prior in Jackson, MN. Fresh out of seminary, I was wide-eyed and still trying to figure out what I was doing. I was ordained, Friday, July 2 and then married the next day, Saturday, July 3. We thought, oh well, we have people coming for the wedding, why not plan the ordination for the same weekend. It was a fun weekend as Connie and I started our married lives together.

Never did I imagine that the scope of my ministry would lead me to Western Washington, writing a blog, writing articles for a city newspaper twice a month, and a host of other things. God has indeed blessed my life and ministry that He could be glorified through me and for that I praise God.

15 years — Wow — 15 years. To God be the glory! Here’s to many, many more making much of God through Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen.

Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 2

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I see so many people today aligning themselves with politicians in an effort to gain peace through their flawed agendas. I see leaders trying to lead but without God as their moral guide. Governments try to silence the voice of the Church. All of this and I imagine God with a smirk on His face, like I father who is fending off a four-year-old as they wrestle with him. We must remember, God is in control so therefore do not fear.

READ: Psalm 2 and then let us pray…

There is no question, oh God, that You are sovereign over all creation.
You are the Creator.
You are in control.
You are Lord of all
Yet, the nations rage, plot and scheme. They think that they are in control.
How silly that is.
They try to break free from Your rule; to cast the Church away; to be a moral lighthouse and the truth makers and keepers. Oh God, I roll my eyes with You and laugh. No one and no entity can set themselves up over You.
Why can’t they see that?
Oh Lord, my God, may Your glory be revealed among the nations.
As for me, oh Lord, sustain me as the nations rage, plot and scheme.
Place me firm upon the Rock of Jesus.
May I not be broken with those who turn away from You.
It’s You, oh God that I serve.
Help me
Keep me
Preserve me
That I may not fall away and throw my lot in with the wicked.
In Your divine grace, protect me and hold me close for Your wrath is poured out onto sinners.
Don’t pour Your wrath out on me but in the name of Jesus have mercy on me.
Oh God, my Lord, You are my refuge.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

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…

A Walk in a Park

/ The Pastor

The sermon for this morning is from Luke 9:57-62. This is about the call to follow Jesus. It is a very timely message for the congregation I am serving. The following is the opening paragraph to the sermon that God has placed on my heart. The video of the whole sermon will be posted on the church website this week. To God be the glory!

I saw an internet meme recently that said, “Raising kids is like a walk in the park – Jurassic Park.” We chuckle, but there’s a lot of truth to that. One could also substitute “Following Jesus” for “Raising kids”, and still chuckle; understanding that the meaning is still the same. You see, following Jesus is not easy. Following Jesus is not simply a peaceful walk in a beautiful park. Following Jesus has twists and turns; hills and valleys; roadblocks and straightaways. Following Jesus requires the faith of the father in Mark’s Gospel who says to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Jesus calls you to follow – now – and not to look back. But as you follow him, he also walks along side to encourage you along the way. You must never follow Jesus with rose colored glasses but understand what a life is discipleship requires: Faith. For if following Jesus were really that easy, don’t you think more people would be doing it?

Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 1

/ The Pastor

READ: Psalm 1

Holy God,
To walk in Your ways is to be sustained by an ever-flowing stream;
A tree that grows and blossoms and produces fruit with no end;
One, upon whom people look, and see Your glory.
To walk in Your ways is to
Wither no more.
Pant for water no more.
Die no more.
For You are the River of Life.
And so I fall to my knees to ask, plead and beg:
May I not be lured by the counsel of the wicked.
May I not take my stance with those who oppose You.
May I not find security with those who would spit and despise You or Your Church.
May I find my joy in Your Word; meditating on it and learning it.
May I be watered by You.
May I blossom and produce fruit for You.
May I live in and with You.
Oh Lord, my God, through Jesus Christ may I be blessed.
Amen.

Not Shaken but Stirred

/ The Pastor

“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” [Psalms 16:7‭-‬8 ESV]

Oh Lord my God,
You are holy and mighty,
Gracious and merciful,
Omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.
Counsel me.
Instruct me in the way I should go.
Be my defender when opposition arises.
Hold me firm when forces try to topple me.
Be my guard,
Day and night.
May my heart be at peace.
May I not be shaken.
Oh Lord my God, I believe, help my unbelief.
You have shown your faithfulness.
You have defeated Your foes.
You have secured my Life.
You hold me close.
Counsel me.
Guide me.
Help me.
As Solomon asked for wisdom to lead Your people rightly, so I pray.
May the words of the psalmist be mine.
May I not be shaken but stirred to action.
To You be the glory as I live each and everyday.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord I pray,
Amen.

A Prayer for a Discerning Church

/ The Pastor

Oh God, raise up a prophet in this congregation; one who clearly hears Your voice, and command them to faithfully proclaim that word to Your church. May we then have ears to hear and the faith to obey and follow wherever You lead. May we boldly go when You call and may we not look back; keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. This church does not belong to us. Oh God, to You be the glory in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen.

Plowing Forward

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:62 ESV]

When Jesus calls you to follow, he is not looking for excuses.
When Jesus calls you to follow, he doesn’t mean finish your to-do-list first.
When Jesus calls you to follow, you are not to long for that which you left.
When Jesus calls you to follow, you are to follow with eyes wide open and focused on him.

For when Jesus calls you to follow, he is to be the priority above everything and everyone else. Yours eyes are to be firmly fixed on him; moving forward without hesitation. But why is this such a struggle for people? Why do people cling to what they have or look back at what they left? It is simple, really. They don’t truly trust that Jesus knows what he is talking about. When times got tough for the people of God that Moses was leading in the wilderness, what did they do? They started to long for their captivity in Egypt. This didn’t sit well with God (to put it mildly). God demanded trust and so does Jesus when he calls you to follow.

When you begin to follow Jesus but keeping looking back at what you left, you quickly veer off course. Jesus words about the hand on the plow and looking back are poignant. If you are plowing a field, your eyes need to be focused on a fixed object on the horizon, otherwise your row will be crocked – every single time. You WILL go off course.

Jesus is the fixed object on the horizon – AND – is the one who walks by your side. When He calls you to follow, trust the fixed destination and the one who walks with you. When your eyes are firmly fixed on Jesus you will never, ever go of course. The course may get bumpy and scary and troublesome. But come on, people, it’s Jesus. He’s got this.

When you put your hand on the plow and move forward with Jesus, keep going and do not look back. I promise you, you will not regret it and will never miss what you left.

The Intoxicating Word of God

/ The Pastor

By a word You created all that there is.
By a lying word the serpent deceives all.
By Your Word of hope You redeemed creation.
By Your Word of promise You sustain my life.

Therefore oh God…

The taste of Your Word is sweetness in my mouth.
The sound of Your Word is music in my ears.
For the power of Your Word defeats evil;
Giving hope, peace and life to a sin-stained soul.

Your Word is a delicacy that’s unmatched;
the value of which that can not be measured.
It is a treasure that is beyond all worth.
A gift in which, “Thank you” is just not enough.

So to consume Your Word is a daily feast;
A feast that my heart can never get enough.
Your Word, oh God, is so intoxicating,
That is keeps me coming back for more and more.