The Mountain

/ The Pastor

Living in a beautiful valley in Western Washington, Mt Rainier (or as locals call her, “The Mountain”) seemingly stands guard over us like a sentinel. The beauty of this mountain, though, seems to hide the fact that our old girl is an active volcano. It’s beauty is intoxicating and never gets old. Maybe that is why we sometimes forget her potential explosive side. Whatever the case, it’s this masterpiece of creation, shrouded in mystery, that has inspired the following…

Majestic in beauty,
Masked in mystery,
Seemingly docile,
But you are oh so not.
Taken for granted as people live unawares.
Enjoyed and photographed,
People standing in awe.
Your presence so imposing,
Your potential almost ignored,
You stand over our valley,
Seemingly on guard.
I know that you are there,
Yet I never tire of the scene,
Your radiance is ever changing,
Always taking my breath away.
I could stare at you for hours,
And never get bored,
Your artistic beauty is always there,
Your splendor pointing me to God the Creator.
You seem larger than life,
But I know that is not true,
For God Almighty is bigger still,
Whose majesty is unmatched.
And so I stare and stare and stare some more,
Gazing at you,
You are so beautiful,
Reminding me that God my Father is more.

To Follow God

/ The Pastor

The congregation that I serve has been renting space for 10 years but today we looked at a potential building to buy. There are a lot of questions to be answered yet, but hopes are running very high with people. Selfishly, I/we want this building, but God is in control, and so we need to pray; listening and obeying. The following poem was birthed out of this praying…

To follow God is never easy
To follow God can make you queasy
But to keep your eyes on Him alone
Is to have your vision fully honed.

So trust and trust and trust even more
And God will present an open door
So don’t create your own self-made path
For you won’t enjoy the aftermath

Morning Glee

/ The Pastor

In the morning I do wake
In this day that You did make
Joyful for the life I live
Joyful for the Life You give

For my sin You did convict
In my sin we have conflict
But Jesus died and rose for me
Therefore I will live with glee

Breathtaking

/ The Pastor

God is oh so…
amazing
awesome
creative
majestic
artistic
awesome (did I say that already?)
Awe-inspiring
And a host of other adjectives.

To look at this scene; this artwork, and say this is just a random event is to live a life with blinders on. A sad life, really; going through life in black and white without the wonder and majesty of our Creator God. This is not random but purposefully crafted for our enjoyment but more importantly to the glory of God. People have complimented me on this photo, but really, how I can (or anyone for that matter) take credit for a beautiful photo like this. I mean, this scene was and is there. I just happened to be there to capture it on some digital media. This is God’s masterpiece, painted on His canvas and with His mighty hand.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. God’s masterpieces are all around you. Stop and smell the roses (or look at the mountains) and give God the glory.

Holy and awesome God, Your mighty hand is powerful and gentle. It can shake and rend the heavens and the earth and it can cradle a new-born life. Your hand can also craft a scene that can take our breath away; drawing our attention to You. Oh God, what can be known about You is indeed evident in creation. May we never be so busy as to miss Your majesty all around. Thank you for taking my breath away with such beauty. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I Am Yours

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Oh Lord my God,
I called You and You heard me.
I pleaded to You and You receive me.
I inquired of You and You answered me.
For You are my God and I will follow You.
You are my King and I will serve You.
You are my Father and I will obey You.
Send now, oh God, Your Holy Spirit.
Guide me
Lead me
Speak to me
May I not turn from Your ways to chase after worthless desires.
May I not run after vain pursuits.
Show me how I am to serve You that others may see Your glory.
For You are an awesome god who is above all other gods,
For from You and in You is Life.
And so, as I travel this path You laid out for me,
May I keep my eyes on You.
May I not turn back.
May I not second guess you.
Oh Lord my God,
I am Yours.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Bold Witnesses

/ The Pastor

Today is Ascension Sunday and thus I will be preaching on Luke 24:44-53. The following is the Great Thanksgiving liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion with this context in mind. Stand firm for the Truth and never, ever shrink back in fear…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God. You have shown us Your glory through Your son Jesus Christ.
You have opened our eyes to the Truth.
You have cradled us in Your arms.
You have given us hope.
Oh God, Creator and Redeemer, through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection we rest secure. My we live as bold witnesses of that Truth that others may come to know You as their Lord and God. May we not shrink back but stand firm; ready to die if called to do so. And so, since we have such a sure and certain hope we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Help

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.
[Psalms 121:1‭-‬2 ESV]

We have family staying with us this weekend and because of that, my 4-year-old son has been displaced from his room and is sleeping in our room. He usually ends up with us in our bed each night but is not accustomed to starting in our room.

Anyway, an hour or so after he went down, my wife hears something upstairs – it’s our son, whimpering at the top of the stairs. She scopes him up and brings him back to our room. After a little while she returns downstairs saying that he wants daddy. I rush up there and he’s crying. I ask him if he’s scared and with a crying whimper he says, “Ye-e-s”. I laid down next to him and held him close. Within minutes he was out. All he needed was to know daddy was near.

“From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.” Isn’t it nice to know that your heavenly Father is always there for you? You are never alone in the darkness. You are never alone in your fears. You are never alone in trials. You are never alone in tribulation. Cry out to Him and know your heavenly Father is there.

From where does your help come?

Subpoenaed

/ The Pastor

Sunday, June 2 is Ascension Sunday and the text that I will be preaching on is Luke 24:44-53. The following is the opening paragraph of the sermon that God is laying on my heart. If you want the rest, you can now watch the sermon on our congregation’s website at: http://www.livingwordlutheranchurch.com.
The sermon should be posted next week sometime. In the mean time, here is a little sermon teaser for you…

Shortly before his ascension, Jesus issues a subpoena (You are witnesses to these things) to all who know the Father as revealed in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Subpoena is to testify to the Truth. It is not something that someone chooses. You don’t choose to be witness but rather you become one and thus are called and commanded to testify. Your testimony is not to be about your opinions or theories. You are not called to speculate or guess. You are called to testify to the Truth. The facts of the matter. And the facts are this, thus saith the Lord, Jesus has suffered and died and rose from the dead for the forgiveness of sins. He has ascended and is seated on the right hand of the Father. He WILL come again to judge the living and the dead. Amen? These are the facts. Now, what say you?

Open My Eyes

/ The Pastor

Open my eyes, oh Lord, that I may see the beauty of Your Word.
Open my eyes, oh Lord, that I may understand.
Open my eyes, oh Lord, that Your living word may feed me.
Open my eyes.

This is a prayer that every believer ought to pray before engaging the Word. One ought never to engage the Word in a basic, simple, intellectual matter; just seeking information. One ought to approach and engage the Word of God with
reverence
expectation
hope
excitement
wonder
awe and
wide open eyes ready to be blown away by the beauty and majesty of God’s Word. Ready to be fed and nourished. Ready to be transformed and recreated. Ready to be renewed.

God’s Word is living and active. It is sharper than a two-edged sword. It cuts deep. It kills and it gives Life.

Open my eyes, oh Lord, that I may behold wondrous things.
Open my eyes oh Lord, that I may see Jesus.
Ooen my eyes, oh Lord, I want to see wondrous things in Your Word.
Open my eyes.

From the Pencil of Babes…

/ The Pastor

My daughter (in kindergarten) wrote this note the other day.

Translation:
My favorite book is the Bible because my dad teaches people and I like to see him teach other people.

I am just going to leave this right here. No over-analyzing allowed 🙂