Richly (Colossians 3:16)

/ The Pastor

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Let the Word of God dwell in you,

RICHLY

not poorly
not so-so
not half-heartedly
but,

RICHLY

Let the Word of God be abundant in you.
Let the Word of God be of utmost value to you.
Let the Word of God be something you would die for.
Let the Word of God dwell in you,

RICHLY

For if the Word of God is not richly in you then it will be of no value to you when teaching and admonishing others. You will not take it seriously and you won’t handle it with respect. If the Word of God is poor in you or just something that gets a passing notice in you, then there will be no incentive to use it and go to it and proclaim it in such a way that God is glorified. If the Word of God dwells half-heartedly in you then you will only be interested in finding glory for yourself.

But when the Word of God is rich in you then others are built up in the wisdom of God, and not put down in your superiority. And when the Word of God is rich in you then praise and worship comes flowing out of you in thanksgiving to the King of all creation.

And how does the Word of God dwell in your richly, by submitting to God through prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you. It dwells in you richly through faithful and humble study. It dwells in your richly through constant communion with it.

Let the Word of God dwell in you,

RICHLY

to the praise and glory of God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Holy Father, may your Word dwell in me richly and may it be of utmost value to me as it is Your holy word. May I not use it for my own gain but use it for training in righteousness and leading others to You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen

The Pastor -|—

I Call Upon You (Psalm 18:3)

/ The Pastor

I call upon the Lord , who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. [Psalm 18:3]

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to enjoy another day; for this is indeed the day You have made so therefore I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; for it will be filled with temptations to run away from You. May You grant me strength and courage and faith to seek Your lovely and beautiful face and run into Your mighty arms.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day to immediately commit everything to You. There is much to be done in Your kingdom and on my own I would be overwhelmed with the tasks that I would certainly bring all to ruin.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; knowing that I am afflicted with the spiritual cancer of sin. In the name of Jesus, please heal me and forgive me and lead me in ways of holiness and righteousness that I may glorify You today.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; ready to battle the forces in this world that are hell-bent on leading as many people away from You as possible. Help me to see that I don’t fight alone but rather as David faced Goliath so I face this world with You.

Oh Lord, I call upon you this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; ready to receive those who You will place in my path. May I make the most of every opportunity to share my faith in You through Jesus Christ.

Oh Lord, I call upon you this morning as I rise from bed to face another day because You and You alone are my Lord and Savior and God; and you have saved me from my enemies. All praise to You this day and always. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

May God bless your day as you enjoy and bask in His awesome love.

The Pastor -|—

Don’t be Shaken; be Stirred (Psalm 16:7-8)

/ The Pastor

There are times, like the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:23, that I want to hasten my departure from this world in order to be with the Lord (and not in a suicidal way). There are times I just want to be done with the anti-Christian rhetoric that seems to be growing. There are times I just want to be done with stories of ISIS reigning terror on many people. There are times I just want to be done with politicians who don’t get it; who don’t care or understand the concept of freedom OF religion and instead hold to the concept of freedom FROM religion. There are times that I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say,

“Lord, come and take me home. Come, and establish your kingdom in this world. Come, and begin your eternal reign.”

Yes, that would be nice, to be with the Lord; away from sin and death and persecution. But then there is the other side of me (like Paul in Philippians 1:24) that says I need to remain here for the benefit of others. And when I think about that I am overwhelmed.

Who am I to think that I can be a benefit to anyone?
Who am I to think that I have anything to offer?
Who am I to think that I can make a difference?

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. [Psalm 16:7-8]

It is NOT you who can do anything but the Lord who gives counsel.

Last night I posted some verses from Proverbs 16 about committing everything to the Lord. This came after a church council meeting as we are discussing and exploring who we are, what we believe and where God is calling us to go. It’s a daunting task to consider this, and therefore one that needs to be committed to the Lord because it is the Lord who will give us counsel.

And as I consider my role in this messed up world, once again, it is the Lord who gives counsel and therefore I shall not be shaken. This doesn’t change my desire to be with the Lord, but these verses do give me hope that God is still doing something through me, and the Lord is doing something through you.

I believe the day will come when I will be with the Lord; praising and worshiping him forever, but it is just not now. Apparently God believes it is to someone’s benefit that I remain. And therefore, unlike James Bond, I DON’T want to be shaken but rather stirred (to action). And with the Lord, giving counsel, this will indeed be the case.

Lord God, may my faith not shaken by what goes on around me but rather stirred to glorify Your holy name. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and lead me in paths of righteousness. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and strengthen me. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and grant me wisdom. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Theme Verses for Your Church

/ The Pastor

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:1-3]

If this is not the theme verses for your church council/session/leadership group I ask you:

WHY NOT?

Pray and commit EVERYTHING to the Lord.

Enough said.

Holy God, may Your Spirit guide and inspire Your Church and may we be faithful to follow where You lead. May we not be so arrogant to think that we know what we are doing and may we place our trust in You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Thief is Coming

/ The Pastor

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Are you ready?
Are you waiting?
Are you looking for the Lord?
Are you longing for the Lord?
Are you being complacent?
Are you clinging to worldly peace?

My friends, the Lord is coming. He has risen and now is planning his return. The only thing not certain (to us) is when, but I fear that many people either don’t know this or are taking this for granted. But if we truly fear this then what are we doing about it? It’s one thing to proclaim the Easter message and but are you talking about getting ready for the Lord, and not getting caught eating and drinking and making merry.

So the question shouldn’t be, “Are you ready?” but rather, “What are you doing to get others ready?”

Our politicians are so focused on providing peace and security for people that many get drawn into these messages of worldly hope. And as people get drawn in, then Christ gets left in the rear view mirror, barely an after thought. But this is dangerous stuff, for the Lord will return like a thief in the nigh and catch many off guard.

Don’t be one of them.
And don’t let your neighbor be one of them.

We can’t afford to be complacent and say, “I’ll take them tomorrow”, for tomorrow may never come.

Living Easter hope, as I mentioned in my post from yesterday, is not about getting better in this life, but preparing ourselves for the next Life through holiness, though obedience to God and following Jesus to the cross. And living Easter hope is being hold and courageous in your faith, because really, what do you have to lose.

Fear not those who can destroy the body but the one who can throw the body and soul into hell.

So let’s get ready for the “thief” as he steals away our souls for eternal worship of God our Father.

And don’t forget about your neighbor.

Holy God, may I never forget about why Jesus died and the place in your mansion that he went to prepare. May I be found ready when Jesus returns. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Living Easter (Romans 5:6-11)

/ The Pastor

[From the Easter prayer breakfast at the White House]
“We live our faith when we nurture the hope and possibilities that have always defined us as a country,” Biden said. “We live Easter — and to live Easter is to live with the constant notion that we can always do better.”

NO, NO, NO!!!

That is not living Easter; not even close.

This is living Easter:
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. [Romans 5:6-11]

The hope of Easter is not about the notion of us doing better (don’t get me though, we should want to do better all the time), but rather living with the joy that we have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. Jesus did better and therefore we should rejoice and celebrate that. And because Jesus did better I strive to be more like him; striving to be more Holy. But the fact of the matter is I know I will fall short. I will takes steps forward but then take steps back. Living Easter is about God and the promise of the empty tomb.

Living our faith?

“We live our faith when we nurture the hope and possibilities that have always defined us as a country,”

What a vague statement. Living our faith is following Jesus and obeying him. If that is what Biden means then great but I have my doubts whether that is what he is getting at. Call it what it is. Living our faith, Easter faith, is living in joy that despite this messed up and fallen world (which will pass away), though faith in the crucified and risen Jesus, we will not pass away. Living our faith is about glorifying God.

That is Easter faith
That is Easter hope
That is Easter joy

If it is about you getting better in this life then you will be sorely disappointed. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and on his perfect obedience that lead him to the cross because we are not better.

Praise be to God that we can have this TRUE Easter faith and hope.

Holy God, thank You that Jesus came to save an imperfect and disobedient people. Help us become more like Your son that we may glorify You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Dwelling and Gazing

/ The Pastor

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This here is the Easter hope:

Dwelling in the house of the Lord
Gazing upon the beauty of Lord
Inquiring in his temple

I mean, really, this is the Good News and our hope. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave that we might dwell with him. He didn’t die and rise that we might have a good life now. It really bugs me and worries me when preachers try to sell this message of hope in this life. Scripture says that if in this life we have hope in Christ only then we are most to be pitied. Jesus didn’t die that we may have a temporary hope; a limited hope; a shortsighted hope. Jesus died that we may have eternal life; dwelling in his temple and worshiping him forever.

But something else to think about. Not only will you, through faith in Jesus, dwell in his temple, but you will gaze upon a beauty that is absolutely mind blowing. There is nothing in this universe that can compare. If someone tries to sell you a worldly hope you need to respond:

That’s not good enough. I want more.

And Jesus gives you more.

Praise be to God that our hope is more and better and wonderful and beautiful.

Holy Father, I praise you that death has been defeated and that I can live this life with hope of something more. And I look forward to that day when I am dwelling and gazing on your beauty and inquiring in your temple. All praise and worship be to you, oh God. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

JESUS HAS RISEN!!!

/ The Pastor

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Holy God, You are worthy to be praised. You are worthy of all worship and honor. You are worthy to be glorified. Send now Your Holy Spirit to speak to us as Your Holy Word is read and proclaimed. May the truth of the Gospel take up residence in our hearts and may the resurrection of Jesus give us hope each and everyday of our lives. Bless now our hearing that we may be sent out into the mission field around us to proclaim that Jesus Christ has risen, he has risen indeed. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

May your Easter be a blessing as you celebrate the hope of the resurrection.

The Pastor -|—

Holy Saturday ~ Limbo

/ The Pastor

I feel like I am in limbo today.

The past two days we traveled through the cross of Jesus and now today ~ Nothing. Jesus has been crucified and buried, but tomorrow, though, is the joyous celebration of his resurrection. But I’m still in today ~ so nothing, at least for now.

And so I am here in my office reflecting on the cross, my sin and Jesus’ willingly going to the cross for me. And as I reflect on this I am polishing off TWO Easter sermons.

That’s right, I am just crazy enough to do that 🙂

This is something I have never done before. You see, I have two Easter services here at Salem Lutheran Church and one out at Belmont Lutheran Church. Every year I have written one Easter sermon and preached it three times. But there are a couple “problems” that I have never addressed before:

(1) Some people that come to the Sonrise worship service at Salem will come back for the Festival worship service later (I lead the Sonrise service at Belmont in between). And so those people hear the sermon twice, not necessarily bad since I need to hear something more than once to really get it, but I have heard comments.

(2) The crowd at each service is generally different (with a few the same). And so with a different crowd, a different message is needed; a different focus, if I am going to be contextual.

And so I felt the Spirit move stronger than ever, this year, to write TWO sermons. Besides, there shouldn’t be a problem, since I have plenty of material 🙂

Praise be to God!

And so this “nothing” day is turning into something. I am reflecting on the cross and preaching to myself an Easter message in two ways (but yet the same) as I get ready to lead God’s people in worship tomorrow.

What a day
Nothing to something ~ yup, that sounds like God

Holy Saturday, a day of limbo, but also a day of great expectation and hope as we know what is coming, and I am not talking about tomorrow.

God bless you as you wait expectantly for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come, Lord Jesus, with your glorious Kingdom and praise be to God!

Living God, what a roller coaster ride this week, and now we wait for the glorious return of our Lord Jesus. Bless our waiting, Oh God, and may we feel the passion to share this Good News every single day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Good Friday Prayer

/ The Pastor

As you contemplate the cross on this Good Friday, I offer this prayer for you:

Holy God; loving, compassionate and merciful,

we were not actually there when they crucified our Lord, but we were there, for it was our sin that Jesus died to take away. And when I think about this it indeed causes me to tremble and shudder and be ashamed that Your Son would suffer and die as he did so that we could live.

What an awesome show of love; Jesus laying down his life for us all.

And so I ask that if anyone here tonight does not claim Jesus as their Savior, that Your Spirit may speak to their spirit and convict them of their sin and show them the truth of Your mercy and grace. May they run to You and fall into Your loving arms.

For those who have placed their trust in Jesus may they feel drawn ever closer to You and strive to live a life worthy of the Gospel; bringing You praise and glory.

May the cross convict us and may the empty tomb on Easter bring forth joy from our hearts.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—