Matthew 8:2 reads: A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean." Verse 3: Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. "I am willing," He said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Reading in the "Christian Year of Grace," Johann Spangenberg writes: (To the elements of prayer there are) Four things: first, we should pray in the name of the Lord (John 16:23); second, submit our will to God's will; third, ask in faith (James 1:6); fourth, present our problem in the briefest way possible.
The leper's prayer contains these four elements. Can you identify them?
First - "Lord"
Second - "If you are willing"
Third - "You can"
Fourth - "Make me clean"
Also, Spangenberg says "Prayer (is) the best work we can do on earth."
Saturday, January 31, 2015
A Super Weekend of Worship!
Yes, it's finally here. All the waiting and watching is over. Let there be no more delays. It's the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany!
This wasn't on your radar? It should have been. In this Epiphany season the church focuses on those Scriptures that show Jesus revealing Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. In this weekend's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus is shown healing a man with an unclean spirit. But there is something interesting in this reading. It's not the unclean man or even the crowd in Capernaum that proclaim Jesus as God's Son. It's the unclean spirit that makes the announcement. "What have you come to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!"
What Jesus does is always more exciting than anything Tom Brady or Russell Wilson will do. So join us this weekend for worship. Our Saturday service takes place at 5 pm today with Deacon Gale Cynova doing the preaching and Connie, Dan, Ron and myself providing the music. On Sunday, be at LICL at either 8 or 10:45 am. Our Adult Choir will sing for us. And don't forget Sunday school, Confirmation, Hi School Youth and Adults meet for study and fellowship at 9:20 am. Hope to see you for a super weekend of worship!
This wasn't on your radar? It should have been. In this Epiphany season the church focuses on those Scriptures that show Jesus revealing Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. In this weekend's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus is shown healing a man with an unclean spirit. But there is something interesting in this reading. It's not the unclean man or even the crowd in Capernaum that proclaim Jesus as God's Son. It's the unclean spirit that makes the announcement. "What have you come to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!"
What Jesus does is always more exciting than anything Tom Brady or Russell Wilson will do. So join us this weekend for worship. Our Saturday service takes place at 5 pm today with Deacon Gale Cynova doing the preaching and Connie, Dan, Ron and myself providing the music. On Sunday, be at LICL at either 8 or 10:45 am. Our Adult Choir will sing for us. And don't forget Sunday school, Confirmation, Hi School Youth and Adults meet for study and fellowship at 9:20 am. Hope to see you for a super weekend of worship!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Helping Zeke
Temporarily absent from home, Captain Webster left Daniel, and his brother, Ezekiel with specific instructions as to the work they were to do that day.
On his return he found the task still unperformed. The Captain questioned the boys about their idleness.
"What have you been doing, Ezekiel?" the Captain asked.
"Nothing, sir"
Then asked the Captain, "Well, Daniel, what have you been doing?"
"Helping Zeke, sir."
On his return he found the task still unperformed. The Captain questioned the boys about their idleness.
"What have you been doing, Ezekiel?" the Captain asked.
"Nothing, sir"
Then asked the Captain, "Well, Daniel, what have you been doing?"
"Helping Zeke, sir."
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Worried about worship
Lutheran worship is such a blessing. People come into God's House and have what seems to be the unthinkable happen - God comes to His people and serves them!
God comes to His people in His Word of forgiveness. Guilty consciences are comforted and relieved as God speaks His Word of forgiveness. You can see the relief on some of the faces. How good to know that God forgives and then forgets our sins and transgressions. His Word promises that God remembers our sins no more.
God comes to His people in the bread and wine of the Holy Supper. Drawing near to Christ, at His invitation, hungry worshipers receive the true Body and Blood of the Lord. Here is assurance that sins are forgiven. Here is assurance that heaven's gates stand wide open for those who belong to the Lord.
In fact, wherever God's Word and Sacraments are found, God is there. That makes worship a unique and meaningful experience.
In some churches, worship is seen as what we do for God. The service is ours. The work is ours. God is just an innocent bystander, soaking up all of our wonderfulness.
While I am glad that in worship God gives me the opportunity to respond to His service to me by letting me offer my praises in the hymns, my petitions and requests in the prayers, and my gifts to enable ministry to continue to happen, I don't need a God who needs me to gush all over Him. I want and need a God who assures me that He holds nothing against me...who strengthens and nourishes my faith so that I am able to call on Him in times of temptation and testing...who gives me everything I need for this life as I watch and prepare for the life to come.
Dr. David W. Manner is a Baptist pastor who has been deeply involved in worship and music ministry. Dr. Manner has offered a cautionary word about worship in a blog post that I found very interesting. It was called "15 Worship Decisions We'll Regret."
Here are some of the concerns he listed that cause me some worry:
Elevating music above Scripture, prayer and the Lord's Supper.
Trying to recreate worship with each new generation.
Ignoring the Christian calendar and adopting the Hallmark Calendar.
Worshiping like inspiration stopped with the hymnal.
Worshiping like inspiration started with modern worship songs.
Allowing songs about God to supersede the Word of God.
When worship becomes all about "me, myself, and I" instead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then there is no true worship. Trendy does not trump traditional.
May God save us from ourselves so that we might really receive the gifts of grace that we need and that He wants to give to us in worship. Then, we can shout with all the lung power we can muster, "PRAISE THE LORD!"
God comes to His people in His Word of forgiveness. Guilty consciences are comforted and relieved as God speaks His Word of forgiveness. You can see the relief on some of the faces. How good to know that God forgives and then forgets our sins and transgressions. His Word promises that God remembers our sins no more.
God comes to His people in the bread and wine of the Holy Supper. Drawing near to Christ, at His invitation, hungry worshipers receive the true Body and Blood of the Lord. Here is assurance that sins are forgiven. Here is assurance that heaven's gates stand wide open for those who belong to the Lord.
In fact, wherever God's Word and Sacraments are found, God is there. That makes worship a unique and meaningful experience.
In some churches, worship is seen as what we do for God. The service is ours. The work is ours. God is just an innocent bystander, soaking up all of our wonderfulness.
While I am glad that in worship God gives me the opportunity to respond to His service to me by letting me offer my praises in the hymns, my petitions and requests in the prayers, and my gifts to enable ministry to continue to happen, I don't need a God who needs me to gush all over Him. I want and need a God who assures me that He holds nothing against me...who strengthens and nourishes my faith so that I am able to call on Him in times of temptation and testing...who gives me everything I need for this life as I watch and prepare for the life to come.
Dr. David W. Manner is a Baptist pastor who has been deeply involved in worship and music ministry. Dr. Manner has offered a cautionary word about worship in a blog post that I found very interesting. It was called "15 Worship Decisions We'll Regret."
Here are some of the concerns he listed that cause me some worry:
Elevating music above Scripture, prayer and the Lord's Supper.
Trying to recreate worship with each new generation.
Ignoring the Christian calendar and adopting the Hallmark Calendar.
Worshiping like inspiration stopped with the hymnal.
Worshiping like inspiration started with modern worship songs.
Allowing songs about God to supersede the Word of God.
When worship becomes all about "me, myself, and I" instead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then there is no true worship. Trendy does not trump traditional.
May God save us from ourselves so that we might really receive the gifts of grace that we need and that He wants to give to us in worship. Then, we can shout with all the lung power we can muster, "PRAISE THE LORD!"
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
My turn: my Arizona
This week the local paper is filling up lots of pages with stories about our state. With all the tourists in town for the Super Bowl and the Golf Tourney, this is an excellent opportunity to tell about the wonders of the Grand Canyon State and to sell newspapers (or is it the other way around?).
One writer shared about seeing the desert as something beautiful instead of barren. Another described how he came to love the state because of its unique "off the beaten path" locations. Spring training baseball got a mention. And a couple of folks suggested that there was a lot more to know about Arizona besides the notoriety we receive because of how we do politics out here in the wild, wild west.
My take is a bit different. I love Arizona because of family - my own family and my church family.
I just recently celebrated my 10 anniversary serving as pastor (now senior pastor) of Life in Christ. But when my wife and I pulled into the LaQuinta parking lot at 83rd Avenue and Bell, on January 2, 2005, we celebrated because we were being reunited with our three kids.
They all had migrated back to Arizona after having spent many years in the mid-west. They were born here in the Valley and, one by one, came back to the place that really felt like home to them. So when I received the call to Life in Christ, one wonderful benefit was to rejoin our kids.
For 10 years now our house on Sunday afternoon is the gathering point for family. The additions have been wonderful: two great son-in-laws and one beautiful daughter in law; 4 sweet grandchildren (and one on the way!); my mother and father in law living two doors down from us. My dear, sweet wife calls most Sunday afternoons "happy chaos." Happy and very loud, I'd say. But we love it!
Sherri and I are blessed with a second, much larger family - our church family. Our Life in Christ clan is very special to us.
They are a generous and encouraging group. We have much in common - one Savior, one confession of faith, one baptism. We have one mission - live and grow in Christ ~ encourage and reach others. Our fellowship events are great fun and provide opportunities for the family to grow closer together. We study together, pray together, mourn together, and serve together.
CFW Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, once wrote that a pastor should see the place where is called by the Lord to serve at as "paradise." If that's the case, then I'm living in paradise for sure.
Like all families, we sometimes have our troubles. Some people don't get along with each other. Different folks have different ideas about how to worship or serve or give. Arguments sometimes happen. Sound familiar?
In those moments we practice what we know. We love each other in spite of our differences. We talk to one another and try to understand each other. We seek forgiveness when we've offended; we give forgiveness when sinned against.
It's hard, sometimes, to live with each other. But the Holy Spirit, working through God's Word and Sacraments, leads us to live out our new life in Christ, to love both God and our neighbor.
There are places in the state that I truly enjoy - sunrise at the Grand Canyon and sunset at Lake Pleasant. I like poking around Flagstaff and Sedona. It's fun to spend a morning at the Butterfly House or an afternoon at the Musical Instruments Museum.
But my Arizona? It's all about family. Wouldn't have it any other way.
One writer shared about seeing the desert as something beautiful instead of barren. Another described how he came to love the state because of its unique "off the beaten path" locations. Spring training baseball got a mention. And a couple of folks suggested that there was a lot more to know about Arizona besides the notoriety we receive because of how we do politics out here in the wild, wild west.
My take is a bit different. I love Arizona because of family - my own family and my church family.
I just recently celebrated my 10 anniversary serving as pastor (now senior pastor) of Life in Christ. But when my wife and I pulled into the LaQuinta parking lot at 83rd Avenue and Bell, on January 2, 2005, we celebrated because we were being reunited with our three kids.
They all had migrated back to Arizona after having spent many years in the mid-west. They were born here in the Valley and, one by one, came back to the place that really felt like home to them. So when I received the call to Life in Christ, one wonderful benefit was to rejoin our kids.
For 10 years now our house on Sunday afternoon is the gathering point for family. The additions have been wonderful: two great son-in-laws and one beautiful daughter in law; 4 sweet grandchildren (and one on the way!); my mother and father in law living two doors down from us. My dear, sweet wife calls most Sunday afternoons "happy chaos." Happy and very loud, I'd say. But we love it!
Sherri and I are blessed with a second, much larger family - our church family. Our Life in Christ clan is very special to us.
They are a generous and encouraging group. We have much in common - one Savior, one confession of faith, one baptism. We have one mission - live and grow in Christ ~ encourage and reach others. Our fellowship events are great fun and provide opportunities for the family to grow closer together. We study together, pray together, mourn together, and serve together.
CFW Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, once wrote that a pastor should see the place where is called by the Lord to serve at as "paradise." If that's the case, then I'm living in paradise for sure.
Like all families, we sometimes have our troubles. Some people don't get along with each other. Different folks have different ideas about how to worship or serve or give. Arguments sometimes happen. Sound familiar?
In those moments we practice what we know. We love each other in spite of our differences. We talk to one another and try to understand each other. We seek forgiveness when we've offended; we give forgiveness when sinned against.
It's hard, sometimes, to live with each other. But the Holy Spirit, working through God's Word and Sacraments, leads us to live out our new life in Christ, to love both God and our neighbor.
There are places in the state that I truly enjoy - sunrise at the Grand Canyon and sunset at Lake Pleasant. I like poking around Flagstaff and Sedona. It's fun to spend a morning at the Butterfly House or an afternoon at the Musical Instruments Museum.
But my Arizona? It's all about family. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Well, get to reading!
Truly, you cannot read Scripture too much, and what you do read you cannot read too well, and what you read well you cannot understand too well, and what you understand well you cannot teach too well, and what you teach well you cannot live too well.
Martin Luther, preface for "The Christian Year of Grace," page six
Martin Luther, preface for "The Christian Year of Grace," page six
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Jonah needed a mulligan
Do you know what a mulligan is? If you've played golf, you probably do.
Jonah didn't play golf. But he needed a mulligan.
Did he get one? Who gave it to him?
Join us this weekend and find out. Today's service is a communion service and also features music from the Kevin Svec group. Join us at 5 pm.
On Sunday, there are two worship services - 8 and 10:45 am. Bible classes for all ages meet all over our campus at 9:20 am. Come early and enjoy coffee and goodies out on our patio.
Hope to see you this weekend at LICL!
Jonah didn't play golf. But he needed a mulligan.
Did he get one? Who gave it to him?
Join us this weekend and find out. Today's service is a communion service and also features music from the Kevin Svec group. Join us at 5 pm.
On Sunday, there are two worship services - 8 and 10:45 am. Bible classes for all ages meet all over our campus at 9:20 am. Come early and enjoy coffee and goodies out on our patio.
Hope to see you this weekend at LICL!
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