Holy Spirit

Life

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see naked trees
with fallen leaves;
that which had color now possesses
none.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see empty roads;
quiet streets.
Activity that once was bustling
has gone silent.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness
but
I am reminded of the beginning;
a beginning that was chaos and nothing;
nothing but Your Spirit, oh God,
hovering over the waters of the deep.
And so the lifelessness I see is really not lifeless.

You are hovering.

So as I look out my window,
I see Life.
I see beauty,
created by You.
That which I saw as lifeless
really is not.

As I look out my window…

🙂

The Pastor -|—

Sometimes ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Holy God,

Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball and
sometimes I wish I had an email that laid everything out.

Sometimes I wish you would mail out a memo and
sometimes I wish you would shout from a mountain top.

Sometimes I wish you would hire a plane to fly a banner across the sky and
sometimes I wish you would even send me Morris code for me to decipher.

But You don’t do those things,
for You do things in a better way;
for You are far more
intimate and
close and
personal.

You, oh God, do things in a way that I need to trust You.
But,
sometimes I get impatient.
Sometimes I become irritable.
Sometimes I do not trust you.

Send Your Holy Spirit and speak to me.
Send Your Holy Spirit and convict me.
Send Your Holy Spirit and draw me closer.

And may my sometimes be taken away that I may always,
love you,
trust you,
and
follow you.

So…

speak to me, Lord,
I’m listening…

Amen.

Your Holy Word ~ A Prayer before Preaching

/ The Pastor

It never ceases to amaze me that I get to preach God’s Word in this way each and every week. It also never ceases to amaze me that these fingers manage to pound out words through this keyboard, that when put together are something that proclaims Christ to people. And so my prayer each and every week (and day), as I approach God’s Word, is that I may be faithful with God’s Word and approach God’s Word with an open heart; one ready to receive.

May God be glorified in this sermon this morning and may the Holy Spirit do it’s thing in this place and wherever you are at. Let’s pray..

To approach Your holy Word faithfully
is to do so with fear and trembling;
not only because of how it convicts us of sin
but also because
of it’s awesome power through the Holy Spirit.
For Your Word kills and gives life.
It convicts and redeems.
It’s alive.
It’s does something.

And so may we approach Your Word here this morning with great expectation;
leaning on Your promises
and joyfully basking in Your faithfulness.
May we toss off all that would hinder our hearing of Your Word
and fix our eyes on
You.
May we receive this Word with all joy
but not just receive it,
but also put it into faithful action that proclaims Your glory.
May we embrace its transformative power
that gives courage in a fear-filled world.

All glory,
honor,
worship
and praise
be onto
You,
holy Father,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Pass the Salt

/ The Pastor

Salt

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. [Colossians 4:5-6]

Speaking with “outsiders” about matters of faith can be a frustrating thing; especially when they don’t seem to get it. We talk about what we believe and then get attacked. One then gets defensive and fiery attacks continue. And before you know it, it’s a volley of barbs being thrown back and forth; causing more damage. This may continue indefinitely or you just give up and commend the outsider to be an outsider forever.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul tells the Church to “Walk in wisdom towards outsiders…” meaning, seek the wisdom of God when you are speaking to and living among outsiders. The temptation is to use cleverly worded arguments but that does not work if they are not Spirit lead; if they are not “salted”. When we walk in our own wisdom we get caught up in our own agenda and timing. We want the outsider to come around to our way of thinking and right now; not realizing that our way of thinking may not be God’s way of thinking. And when our agenda does not happen as we want and when, we get frustrated, and therefore what really get’s accomplished?

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

because the time is not yours but God’s. We don’t see the whole picture. We don’t understand God’s plan. It may not be the outsider that God is after but maybe you. Maybe it is not about making the outsider an insider but rather drawing you closer to God in order to help you see what your role is with outsiders. All very confusing and maybe a little time consuming, but remember, the time is not your’s but rather God’s. So make good use of what God gives you and trust Him.

And Let your speech always be gracious

because you know the saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than can with vinegar.” Getting defensive and argumentative with people about matters of faith is not going to win people over; but rather push them away. When things are getting heated with an outsider, stop and think what you are doing.
Is your speech gracious?
Is it giving God glory?
Or
Are you being selfish?
This is convicting for me when I think about past encounters with outsiders. So get out the honey and put away the vinegar.

So therefore let your speech be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

knowing the answering of each person is something that comes from God. I am not smart enough to deal with outsiders but thankfully God is, so why not appeal to God in these matters? Why not let God, through the Holy Spirit, season your words? For the wisdom of God is greater and higher than anything man can come up with. That’s the side I want to be on.

So seek God’s wisdom;
continue in scripture;
let your light so shine,
and,
trust in God’s timing.

May God be glorified as you speak to and live among outsiders.

Holy Father, please pass the salt so that my words may be seasoned with wisdom and power that can only come from you; that the outsider may come to give you praise and glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Little Church on the Prairie

/ The Pastor

When I started seminary back in 2000, I was told that there was a good chance that I would end up in small town, rural ministry. At the time I was nervous about that since my plan was to go to a large church in a city to serve as a youth pastor. I grow up in a small town; population approximately 1,600, so I was familiar with small town, rural life, but I wanted something more; something big.

But God had other plans.

I served my internship year at Fir-Conway Lutheran Church; a small church in Washington about an hour north of Seattle. While there I fell in love with small church life. I was “adopted” into a family/congregation and heard the call to be a solo pastor in a small town, rural setting.

Today, I have been the called pastor at Salem Lutheran Church,
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(approximately 340 members in a town of about 3,500 people) since June 2004; and because of a contact for services we have had with Belmont Lutheran Church since Dec 2005, this is my early Sunday morning commute to “work”:
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Beautiful, isn’t it?

And if you look carefully in the middle of the picture, at the end of the road, you will see this…
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…Belmont Lutheran Church.

It’s a beautifully, small congregation, with a big heart, in the midst of this:
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Belmont is a congregation of 58 people that worships around 15 to 20 per Sunday. In the midst of Minnesota’s nasty winters I have preached to as few as 5 people (including the organist, who, by the way, drives a couple hours from Minneapolis to play every week. He’s from Belmont and comes home to visit his mother). That is commitment.

When there’s a funeral at Belmont, it feels like everyone shows up to help. Annual meetings feel like a family event. And everyone takes their turn serving on the council and doing their part.

You may ask: How does this tiny congregation stay open with 15 to 20 in worship each week? That’s a great question. You see, there is a farm place across the road and 114.6 acres of land from which Belmont receives rent. And in SW MN, farm land rates are pretty good. Without this farm, Belmont probably would have closed it’s doors long ago; but then again, who knows 🙂

I love serving and serving with my congregation in town (Salem) but there’s just something about preaching out on the prairie, in the midst of corn and bean fields, that you can’t experience anywhere else.

[It’s hard to put my finger on it, but I’ll try.]

It’s not that we feel alone and isolated and therefore we cling to that; trying to keep to ourselves. It’s not that we don’t want others to find us and get “too big”. It’s not that we are poor, simple people, cut off from the rest of the world. Those descriptions couldn’t be farther from the truth for Belmont. Rather, the “thing” about serving out on the prairie is that feeling of being part of a close knit family farm that has it’s doors open to anyone who would want to come in; not keeping to themselves as they share their faith in Jesus Christ. But even that description doesn’t do Belmont justice.

Basically, we are a little church on the prairie with a big heart.

The problem out here on the prairie, though, is that many small family farms are giving way to big corporate farms and thus many of these small country churches are closing their doors. I’ve seen that happen to a number of these country churches in SW MN. It’s sad, really, but I am very grateful that a family many years ago had the foresight to donate their farm to Belmont to help ensure that it’s ministry continues on for a long time.

God is indeed doing something here and I feel blessed to be part of it. We may not have the numbers that other congregations have but it’s not quantity that matters but rather quality. We can’t control the growth of a church; only the Holy Spirit does. The fact that Belmont is small doesn’t indicate that it is doing church wrong or is deficient in someway. All it says is that the Spirit has chosen to use this small congregation for big things.

So next time you are out driving in the country side, and you come upon one of these country churches; stop, look, and give thanks; for these churches were the beginning of the Church in the rugged, rural frontier. These congregations were the foundation for a way of life that continues to be important today. These small congregations are not deficient because they are small but rather, they are big with passion and faith. It’s not the size of the church building that matters but rather the faith being lived out in it’s members.

Lord God almighty, I give you thanks for those pioneers that built the Church in a rugged and wild land. I give you thanks for the people who passed on the faith. I give you thanks for the ministry of these places. It’s not the size of the building or the number of people but rather your Spirit working through people. Oh God, you are awesome in this place. In Jesus name I pray, Amen

The (small country) Pastor -|—

Bursting In

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

image

This was the scene on Sunday morning as I was about to prepare for worship. I was captivated by the sun pouring in that magnified the beautiful stained-glass windows. I imagined the light being the Holy Spirit pouring in to fill the room with his presence. When I shared this photo on the church’s Facebook page I said,

“The sun is bursting through. Will you do the same this morning? Let’s praise this awesome God together.”

Whether people actually “bursted” in or not is up to interpretation. And of course, the praising of God is something that only God and the worship attendee really knows for sure. But did the Holy Spirit burst in? That I have little doubt as God’s Word was read and proclaimed and I believe the Spirit gave life to those words. All that is left now for this pastor to do is pray that that Word does something in the hearts of those sanctuary bursters.

And this is my prayer every single Sunday and every single day. My hope is that people don’t stop worshiping when the event of worship stops but rather continue worshiping as they burst through the doors and onto the mission field that is life. The event of worship is a faithful response for the Christian but a life of worship is a living testimony of the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for sinners.

So may you burst forth praising God with your life.

Holy God, fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may burst at the seams with love and grace. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

I S_ _ _ at Sermon Writing

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

One of my favorite things to write about or tweet about or Facebook about is the process of sermon writing. It’s a process that never fails to amaze me. For each time a sermon comes flowing out of my fingers it is due to the Holy Spirit taking my fingers and putting life into them. And so hopefully you are not tired of this topic. For me, I am just tooting God’s horn and give God praise through the work of the Holy Spirit.

————————

So today is Thursday, my sermon writing day at my favorite coffee shop. I am once again at my favorite table by the front window that looks out onto the sidewalk and the one-way main street. Vehicles line the street and there is a somewhat steady flow of activity. And in the midst of writing spurts I find myself looking out onto the world to day dream and reflect. And then after my “commercial break” ends the Holy Spirit returns me to the regularly scheduled programming (sermon writing). The characters may vary slightly, the plot is the same but the way I arrive at the message varies week to week. And despite the sameness in the “programming” I never lose interest (and hopefully those listening on Sunday don’t lose interest either).

And as I reflect on this amazing process of sermon writing I am reminded of something my wife’s uncle once asked me: How do you come up with all those sermons? Without batting an eyelash I said to him, God. To which he responded, I know that but how do you come up with a sermon each week? Me: God.

I think that frustrated him enough as our conversation quickly ended through some “diversion” that caught his attention. I think what he wanted to hear about was some skill or resource that I drew upon. He was amazed but amazed with the wrong person. As Martin Luther says in his sacristy prayer, If this task were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin. And that is the case with sermon writing. Because believe me, when it comes to writing and public speaking,

I suck (sorry about the language).

And so without sounding cocky or proud or anything like that, I am glad I suck at writing and public speaking. For as the apostle Paul says, when I am weak it is then that I am strong. That strength?

God

But really, where does your strength come from?

God

That’s it.

Now it time to return to the regularly scheduled programming. Come, Holy Spirit…

And have a great day 🙂

The Pastor -|—

God Can Use Someone Like Me (and You)

/ The Pastor

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Yeah!

I am out of the stone age finally. A Star Trek wormhole appeared on Friday afternoon and I was instantly brought to the 21st century with the arrival of my Nexus 9. But unlike the fictional, but hope-to-be-true-soon TV show/movies, this wormhole looked a lot like a UPS truck.

And what a beautiful sight that was.

Now I know that God can use anything at my disposal for preaching His holy word. God can use paper manuscripts, tablets, smoke signals, sign language, interpretive dance (which I would never attempt unless the Holy Spirit took control of my body). God can communicate His holy word despite my sinfulness and shortcomings. And God will be glorified even when I do whine and complain about situations being “tough” (i.e. technology crashing).

The Holy Spirit can take my messed up words and attitude and use them to bring glory to God. The Holy Spirit can take a disastrous situation and use it for good (just ask Joseph as his brothers sold him into slavery but God used that to save millions and millions of people). God, through the Holy Spirit, can use any and all situations and people.

And God can use this whiny pastor as he complains about a piece of technology failing. God can even use this (near idolatrous) pastor as he gets googly…

(pun intended, get it? Google Nexus)…

…eyed over his new toy (I mean work tool). And praise be to God that the success of God’s kingdom advance is not dependent on me and me alone.

This world and everything it contains is fragile and thus are passing away; but not God and not His holy word. God’s word and promises are forever and will never fail or crash. And thank God for that.

Holy God, knock me down a peg or two (or more) when I get too whiny about situations. Humble me and help me see that it is Your Holy Spirit that gives power to Your words that proceed from my mouth. Knock me up across the head so I may not get too full of myself and depend on my so-called abilities. May You be glorified. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

My Father’s Arms

/ The Pastor

My 3 1/2 month old son likes to fight sleep when he is lounging in his bouncy seat. He will fuss and thrash and whine and cry. Pacifier or no pacifier, he is not happy until mommy or daddy picks him up. And at that moment he will calm down.

Well…

…I just sat down from living that above episode. Currently my little boy is sleeping soundly in his bassinet. But as I was cradling him in my arms; staring at him, this pastor brain was once again shifting into high gear. Good or bad, I can’t help but work out a “sermon illustration”; especially in a cute and special moment like that. Maybe it is just my faith playing out through my eyes and other senses as the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to see God in various situations.

Whatever the case, as a stared at my sleeping little boy a few words/phrases came to mind:
~ Vulnerable
~ Peaceful
~ At rest
~ Not a care in the world
~ Protected
~ Loved
~ Daddy
~ Child
~ Safe
~ Mine

And as I thought about these words I thought about my heavenly Father. Because really, I don’t experience those words unless I am assured that I am being cradled in my Father’s arms. I am restless and anxious and not at peace if I think I am alone. But that moment when I am reminded of my Father I feel at peace; maybe something like what Malachi was feeling as he drifted off to sleep in my arms.

And when you think about those words, they indeed describe a child of God nestled in the heavenly Father’s arms. Through faith in Jesus this reality is yours. You may forget from time to time. You may think that you are living a nightmare at times but all you need to do is “wake up” and “open your eyes” and see that you are still cradled in your Father’s arms and that those above words are your reality.

Malachi will still have those restless moments and nightmares; that is something I can’t take away. What I can do, though, is always be there to comfort him. In much the same way, our heavenly Father doesn’t take away the nightmares in our lives, but he does continue to hold us. All we need to do is look and see.

So much about the parent/child relationship shines a light on our relationship with our Father in heaven. So maybe this pastor brain/Holy Spirit moment, was nothing more than my Father reminding me of his love for me that I may be at peace. And let me let you, I am feeling peaceful now (and not just because both kids are sleeping). I am feeling at peace in my Father’s arms.

May you feel at peace in your Father’s arms.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ THE War on Terror

/ The Pastor

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [Galatians 5:16-17]

We are at war.

No, I am not talking about the war on terror but it is close. This is the war against the flesh; sinful desires. And this is a war that has been going on since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden in Genesis 3. And it is a war in which Satan is relentless for he knows what he is up against: Weak human beings.

The problem for many is that they don’t realize they are at war. It is hard to fight a battle if you don’t arm yourself. But worse yet, you are not going to fight a war unless you first declare war. You need to be ready and that means knowing who your opponent is, where the war is being fought, what is at stake and what your assets are.

Opponent ~ Satan
Location ~ The flesh
What’s at stake ~ Your soul
Assets ~ Jesus

Your biggest weapon in this “war on terror” is walking in the Spirit; staying close to God in Jesus Christ. That means staying in scripture; being in prayer; living a life of worship; studying the Word; having regular fellowship with believers. If you arm yourself in such a way, you are giving yourself the upper hand, not because you are so smart or strong but rather, through faith, you are submitting to the one who already fought the battle and won the war.

That’s right, the war has already been won, but the battle still goes on. It’s a backwards way of doing things but Satan is still trying to take down as many people as he can before Jesus comes again to claim his prize once and for all. But don’t despair, God is not throwing you to the wolves in the interim. You are here to glorify God in this life and bring others to him. You’re not alone.

Fight this battle with the flesh as you walk along side the one who has won the war for you: Jesus Christ. Declare war on Satan and realize temptation is all around you. Stand strong and hold firm to hope of the resurrection.

So go into battle today, ready and willing to fight, all to the glory of God.

Praise be to God and Amen!

The Pastor -|—