For the Church, that we may dwell in unity, oh God. May we be the people You created us to be and do the ministry You called and commanded us to do:
Where there is division – unite.
Where there is discord – harmonize.
Where there is hurt – heal.
Where there is despair – give hope.
Where there is dissension – unify.
Where there is straying – retrieve.
Where there is hate – sow seeds of love.
Where there is fear – give courage.
Where there is confusion – give clarity.
Holy God, may the Enemy not get a foot-hold in the Church, but rather may we slam the door in his face. For you are our God, our hope, our life and our salvation. Send us Your Holy Spirit – working in and through us – that we may shine Your light – bursting open the tombs of those who are dead. To You be all glory, honor, praise and worship through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Jesus
Night
The following is a sermon teaser for the sermon I am preaching tomorrow (March 8) on John 3:1-8 — Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. The complete sermon can be viewed on my congregation’s website early next week: http://www.livingwordlutheranchurch.com
I came across this quote from Paul Washer that he proclaimed at the 2020 Shepherd’s Conference. Paul said, “We preach to dead men, and there is no crowbar from the secular world we can use to pry them out of a tomb.” [Paul Washer, 2020 Shepherd’s Conference] – let that sink in for a moment.
You really need to listen to Paul Washer deliver that quote as it will kick you in the butt to battle the darkness. It sure kicked me in the butt.
You see, we live in a world of darkness and we’re surrounded by people living in the darkness of their own tombs – but through Jesus Christ, the light of the world, we have the ultimate weapon to battle that darkness – The Gospel of Jesus. We must wield this weapon with love and gentleness, not with frustration and force, and let the Holy Spirit blow as it may. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night – the darkness – and heard from the Light of the World. Let us, too, hear from the Light of the world…
To God be the glory as I fine tune this message. May the light of Jesus transform and lead us into the darkness.
Forever and Ever
To You be the glory, forever and ever,
To You be the glory forever.
What a joy it is to proclaim Your story.
For You have made it my own.
You saved this miserable wreck of a sinner,
You redeemed this long lost life.
You rescued this life from the grips of death.
You rewrote my future story.
To You be the glory, forever and ever,
To You be the glory forever.
Through Jesus my Lord I stand on the Rock,
Through Jesus my Lord I am saved.
You have washed and cleaned my sin-stained clothing,
You have crushed the Deceiver’s head.
You have snatched me from the lion’s mouth.
You have secured my life in Yours.
To You be the glory, forever and ever.
To You be the glory forever.
I will worship Your name through Christ my Lord.
To You be the glory forever.
And…
The light shining in the darkness.
The anchor in the chaos.
The lifeline in the quicksand.
You are my God and Rock.
Peace in the midst of turmoil.
Mercy in my suffering.
Compassion when all seems lost.
You are my God and Hope.
When the wind and the waves rage.
When the lion lurks in the shadows.
When the enemy fires his arrows.
You are my God and Shield.
I know I am never alone.
For You are my loving Father.
Being Your precious child.
I praise You through Christ my Lord.
A Shepherd’s Heart
“my little children, for whom I am again in anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” [Galatians 4:19]
Oh my flock, how I want you to know.
How I want you to grow.
And therefore it is the Word I seek to bestow.
For you see,
I am a shepherd, called to help you comprehend,
called to feed and to tend.
To show it is Christ who your broken life will mend.
He is the One I want you to know,
and thus He is the one in whom I want you to grow.
Oh my flock, His heart is amazing to behold,
and thus I may often get very bold,
for it’s His Truth that I don’t want to go untold.
And thus I echo the anguish of Paul’s heart,
And thus I will never stop until I impart,
God’s Word, that others from Him will never be apart.
Joy of My Heart
To give thanks and praise to You, oh God, is the joy of my heart.
And how can it not be?
You gave me Jesus to redeem me from my sins.
You defeated sin, Satan and the power of death through the cross.
You gave me the hope of everlasting Life through the empty tomb.
You showed incredible love, grace and mercy to an obstinate sinner.
Holy God, You are so worthy of worship and praise. Time and capacity prohibits me from naming all the reasons. But, I look forward to the day when I will have eternity to name the reasons to praise You.
How can one not praise You?
How can one not raise their hands to You?
How can anyone not fall on their knees in worship of You?
It’s because they do not know You – help me to know You more that my praise of You will bring You more and more glory.
Receive my praise – for it is the joy of my heart.
My Treasure
God of abundance – my Creator and generous God. To look around is to see Your kingdom, for all is Yours. Nothing that has been made, or ever will be made, was made outside Your sovereign reign.
You are mighty beyond imagination – the Lord of armies.
You are glorious above all gods – the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
You are rich beyond all measure – more precious than diamonds.
Nothing and no one compares with You.
Holy God I want to know YOU better and better that I may treasure YOU more and more – high above all worldly riches. Show me Your glory in Jesus Christ that I may see and know the storehouse of Your grace and mercy causing me to fall deeper and deeper in love with You. Create in me a clean heart so that nothing my impede Your residence in my heart. You are my treasure and therefore I am rich beyond all measure. To You be all glory, honor and worship through Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
I have been praying a certain prayer recently. It’s a prayer that God has been faithful to answer not because I am saying the “right” words. It’s been the Holy Spirit slapping me up across the head in the midst of worry and anxiety – refocusing my attention…
I’ve got this.
…I have prayed these words and have felt the peace of God – my sovereign Lord, Father and Creator. Therefore, it is a prayer that I will continue today and in all my tomorrows. Will you pray with me?
Sovereign God, You were faithful yesterday as You took my tomorrow. Receive my today all for Your glory. Take my tomorrow that I may rest in Your peace this day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Heart and Soul
The following is the most recent article I submitted to The News Tribune (Tacoma). To God be the glory.
On Sunday, NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others, lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash near Los Angeles. The news caught my attention even though I was never a Lakers fan. You see, there was just something about watching Kobe that produced a sense of awe in how he played. He was a unique individual with a unique talent. He entered the league at the young age of 17 and made an immediate impact – winning 5 championships. His talent was off the charts. His competitive drive inspired a generation. His will to win was unmatched. Following his untimely death on Sunday, people began mourning over Kobe – many of whom had never met him but were inspired by him. Though he made his share of mistakes, people are not soon going to forget the name: Kobe Bryant. But this is just the beginning of my concern for this generation, and I say this with all due respect.
My concern stems from a comment I heard him say in an interview that was aired during a tribute to him on Sunday night. The comment was this: “I gave my heart and soul to the game of basketball.” Let that sink in for a moment. Some may say that there is nothing wrong with that – that he just gave it his all during his career – and that he did. You see, I am not claiming I know the status of his eternity. Only God knows that. I read a blog post that said Kobe was a devout Catholic, but I don’t know his heart. What I am trying to say is that I am concerned about a generation who believes that giving their “heart and soul” to anything of this world is a good thing. I came across a quote on Twitter recently from a respected theologian that said – “If you don’t live for Jesus you will live for something else. Will those things be enough? Will they die for you?” Now let that sink in for a moment. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I say all of this because, for me, I gave my heart and soul to the one who died for me – Jesus Christ. Why? Because I am a sinner and nothing of this world can save me. No amount of intelligence, money, fame, popularity, prestige or strength matters when death comes calling. And when death does come, it does not discriminate. But, if you belong to Jesus, death is just a doorway: sin, death and the power of Satan have been defeated by Jesus Christ through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. As a sinner, you are unable to save yourself.
My hope and prayer is that Kobe’s statement was just that – a statement of how hard he played the game. I also pray, that if you have not given your heart and soul to Jesus, that you will look deep within and see the mess that you are, and then see the beauty and grace of Jesus. Give your heart and soul to the One who keeps your heart and soul for all eternity. Amen.
Magnify Your Song
Let us join our song together in praising our awesome God…
Holy God and Father, it is right to give You thanks and praise at all times, in all places and in all circumstances. Yes, it is always right to give You thanks and praise. For You are sovereign over the heavens and the earth. You are the Creator. You reign on high – high above all gods. You are our Rock. You are our Fortress. Through Jesus Christ, You are our salvation. Oh God, praise and worship is indeed befitting You. Our souls sing for joy at the mere thought of You. Holy and mighty God you are glorious and thus we long to magnify our song by joining with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…
May our song of praise to God never, ever diminish.
The Heart of a Pastor 