A Moment Aside for 30 April 2021

 A Moment Aside --- 30 April 2021

                                                                  

 

We have an idea within us that we are not worthwhile and that God could only love us if we made ourselves better. Once we achieved that we would be worthy of God’s love. Once we had cleaned up our act to become the absolute best, then we might deserve God’s love.

That is such a malicious thought. It implies a number of things:

·        God is waiting in ambush, watching for us to mess up.

·        We have to do this all ourselves and God is waiting for us to fail.

·        We change first, then (maybe) God will love us.

·        We had better refine ourselves completely or else God will drop us like a hot potato.

There’s more, but I only have so much room here. What we forget is this…

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  (John 3:16-17)

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)

 

And yes, it applies to you… and to me… and to all of us.

An Invitation to Sunday's Service of Word & Worship -- 2 May 2021

 You are invited to join in this Sunday's Service of Word & Worship at 11:00am.

Here is the link to that service on YouTube: Word & Worship for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

I would take it as a blessing if you would join us.

Pr. John

A Moment Aside for 27 April 2021

 A Moment Aside --- 27 April 2021

                          

I was once told of a legend of the early Christian Church. (The man who related this story was himself a legend of a sort, but that’s for another time.)

During a worship service of the early Christian Church, it became known that John the Evangelist, the writer of “the Gospel of John”, was in the congregation. The leader of the service asked him to come up and speak to the congregation. After some give-and-take, John consented to speak. Since he was an old man, John had to take some time to come to the front of the place and stand where the preacher would stand and where the lessons from Scripture would be proclaimed.

John looked around at the now silent congregation, took a deep breath, and began to speak. He said:

“Love one another!”

And sat down.

Really, what more needs to be said to believers?

     What more can be said to disciples of Jesus Christ?

Really, what lesson is more easily forgotten?

     What words do we need to be reminded of?

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.

– John 13: 34-35

The Service of Word & Prayer for 25 April 2021 --- The Fourth Sunday of Easter

 

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Prelude, Welcome, and Information n Hymn #619 I Know that My Redeemer Lives

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Christ is risen!    He is risen indeed! Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures;      he leads me beside still waters;      he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,      I fear no evil; for you are with me;      your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me      in the presence of my enemies;      you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me      all the days of my life,      and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord      my whole life long.   This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia. Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free be people of God. Power, riches, wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his. Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing, honor, glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.   Alleluia. This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign Alleluia.

The Lord be with you.       And also with you. Let us pray together. O Lord Christ, good shepherd of the sheep, you seek the lost and guide us into your fold. Feed us, and we shall be satisfied; heal us and we shall be whole. Make us one with you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Reading: Acts 4:5-12

A reading from the book of the Act of the Apostles

The next day [the] rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, ⁶with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, ¹⁰let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. ¹¹This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ ¹²There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”

The Word of the Lord

Reading: 1 John 3:16-24

A reading from the first letter of John

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. ¹⁷How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? ¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him

²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; ²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Verse: 

Alleluia! Jesus said: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Alleluia!      (John 10:14)                                

Gospel Reading: John 10:11-18

A reading from the Gospel of John

[Jesus said] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Sermon (added at the end of the document)

n  Hymn #502    The King of Love My Shepherd Is

Thanks and Offertory

Prayers of the Church:  

n  Alive in the risen Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, we bring our prayers before God who promises to hear us and answer in steadfast love.

n  [Short pause]

n  Loving Shepherd, strengthen your church for witness.  Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Gracious Shepherd, you are generous with your gifts. Restore your creation to wholeness.   Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Hope-giving Shepherd, the nations are your heritage. Lift up the lowly.  Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Abiding Shepherd, your love flows as we reach out to those around us. Help us love one another in truth and action. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Saving Shepherd, you restore wholeness. Full us anew with your Holy Spirit.  [Silence for prayer)  Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Fill our bishops, Susan and Michael, with your wisdom. Bless as well the Synod staff of the Eastern Synod. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  Eternal Shepherd, we remember our love ones who have died in you.  Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

n  In the hope of new life in Christ, we raise our prayers to you, trusting in your never-ending goodness and mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

n  Hymn #484   You Satisfy the Hungry Heart

The Lord’s Prayer

Finally let us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be thy name,

    thy kingdom come,

    thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

    and forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us;

    and lead us not into temptation,

       but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

         and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

n  #536  God Be with You Til We Meet Again

Benediction and Sending

The God of hope, who brought again from the dead

that great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ,

fill us with all joy and peace in believing!

                            Amen.

Christ is risen!       He is risen indeed!

Go in peace. Serve the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

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I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

·         The image of the Good Shepherd is a favourite one for many people. It is comforting and traditional and often comforting because it is traditional. The image of Jesus as a good shepherd has been found in the ancient catacombs of Rome and it continues to be with us in church art and architecture. Psalm 23 is a favourite of many, many people. There is even a hint of rebellion and spite in it: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; it almost taunts the unnamed enemies.

·         The fact remains that few of us have ever seen a shepherd. I haven’t, although I know a man who raises sheep on his farm. Maybe some of you have seen or known real shepherds of sheep. (Yes, my title is “pastor” or “Pfarrer”, but what I do is often more akin to herding cats than sheep.)

·         Even today, we need a shepherd. It is a dangerous world with “wolves” all around us. The image we have of a shepherd is a wise, thoughtful, insightful, and tough person, willing to go into personal danger to fight off wolves or willing to wade into the flock and use the shepherd’s crook to re-direct the flock. (The ancient symbol of a Christian bishop is the shepherd’s staff with the crook on the end.)

·         Even if we have no direct experience of shepherds, we still see and understand that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He calls himself that. It is on him that we rely for protection and direction, remembering that shepherds sometimes direct the flock with a whack from the staff. That’s not done out of anger or nastiness, but simply because the sheep are very easily distracted.

·         What might distract us? Every one of us watching or speaking during this video thing could make a list many pages long. Anger, sickness, selfishness, ignorance, tunnel vision, or the many hungers that humans have, both good and bad, are among the list I can come up with off the top of my head. I’m sure you could add to it easily. We all need protection and direction with regard to any of those. The Good Shepherd is there to lead us through those muddy and rocky paths within us and around us. There are so many things we don’t understand and possibly can’t even conceive of in modern life. In the face of things like technologies, global politics, and medical advancements, we turn to our shepherd for guidance and for protection of our spirits and hearts. During this pandemic time, I’m sure we’ve turned to Jesus Christ to pray for health for our families and friends and even for ourselves. We pray for the grace to see the right decisions to make in any number of areas and for the grace to keep our tempers in the face of injustice, provocation, and foolishness. (Did I actually say that? Yes, I did.)

·         There is an interesting thing to note about our Good Shepherd. When Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd, he says I am the good shepherd. To us that is a common enough sentence. We identify ourselves in that way all the time. However for Jesus, as an observant Jewish person, to say I am identifies himself with God. The name of God is identical to the words ‘I am’, and no observant Jewish person would use those words, let alone use them to identify him-or-herself. When Jesus to says I am the good shepherd, he is making that title of his a title for God, identifying himself with his Father. This is a theme in the Gospel of John right from the first words of the Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

·         There is no mistaking it now and no need for argument. The Lord is our shepherd and the good shepherd has laid down his life for the sheep… and he knows his own.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

 

A Moment Aside for 23 April 2021

 A Moment Aside --- 22 April 2021

                                                                  

 

The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.

-         Martin Luther     - 

As much as we might revere the Bible, it is not the paper and the ink that is the Word of God. It is not the binding and the cover that are the message of life for us. Nor is specific translation from the original language – Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek – more able to carry this message. After all, the Bible has been translated into so many languages I cannot keep any sort of count. I met a priest of the Anglcian Church of Canada who spent many years of his life translating the Bible into Inuktitut, the language of the peoples of the Eastern Arctic. It is just as much the Bible as the New Revisied Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible, or the King James Authorized Version.

As Luther states, the Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid, so it is where he will be found. Our task is to live the Word as part of our lives rather than leave the Living Word – Jesus Christ himself - on a shelf with a bunch of other books.

 

 

Invitation to Word & Worship for Sunday, 25 April 2021

 

You are invited to join in the YouTube Service for the Fourth Sunday of Easter this Sunday, 25 April 2021 at 11:00am on YouTube.

Here is the link to that service:  Word & Worship for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

Please join us if you can.

Pr. John

A Moment Aside for 20 April 2021

 A Moment Aside --- 20 April 2021

Having a bad day? We all have them. It takes nothing away from you to say that.

Do you feel broken? Again, at times we all do. As the picture above tells us “God uses broken things.” Earth has to be tilled to grow a crop. Clouds must burst to drop the rain. Grains are broken or crushed to make flour with which to make bread. A loaf of bread must be broken or cut and then eaten and digested to give strength and possibly growth.

So much in our lives must be broken, split, or crushed to be useable. Our lives are often the same. We know ourselves to be broken and God knows that as well. It is in that very brokenness that God is able to work. Perfection would stand alone and would not bend to do what must be done in this world.

I’ve been told that a broken bone, when set correctly, is stronger than it was before the break. I’ve been told that there is more room for another in a broken heart. I know that pain and suffering is a strict teacher and a true teacher for those who will listen and learn.

Look at the history of the church. The people in it have been and are broken. Many have failed and fallen down, but the Gospel goes on, carried by broken and limping people. Those broken and limping folks have found their strength and their healing in that Gospel. They can’t keep it to themselves; they need to share it with others because of what it has done for them. The broken help to carry the broken and God’s grace is found in that.

Don’t fear your own brokenness. We may have to lament it and possibly repent of it. We may have to bear it with us all our lives. That’s the sort of person God wants to carry the Good News because they know they have received it without being worthy of it.

In their limping, they know grace.

The Service of Word & Worship for 18 April 2021 -- The Third Sunday of Easter

 

The Third Sunday of Easter

Prelude, Welcome, and Information n Hymn #367 Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Christ is risen!    He is risen indeed! O Lord, open our eyes to behold your presence. O Lord, open our ears to hear your voice. O Lord, open our hearts to receive your love. O Lord, open our lips           and our mouth shall declare your praise. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;          As it was in the beginning, is now          and shall be forever. Amen. This is the feast of victory for our God.  Alleluia. Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free be people of God. Power, riches, wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his. Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing, honor, glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.   Alleluia. This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign Alleluia.

The Lord be with you.       And also with you. Let us pray together. Holy and righteous God, you are the author of life and you adopt us to be your children. Fill us with your words of life, that we may live as witness to the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.

Reading: Acts 3:12-19

A reading from the book of the Act of the Apostles

12When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,

The Word of the Lord

Reading: 1 John 3:1-7

A reading from the first letter of John

3See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Verse: 

Alleluia! Our hearts burn within us as you open to us the scriptures. Alleluia!      (Luke 24:32)                                

Gospel Reading: Luke 24:36b-48

³⁶While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate in their presence. ⁴⁴Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.

Sermon (added at the end of the document)

n  Hymn #535    Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises

Thanks and Offertory

Prayers of the Church:  

n  Trusting that new life is ours today through the risen Jesus, we offer our prayers to God.

n  [Short pause]

n  Gracious God of resurrection, in the risen Jesus we discover authentic humanity.  Give us the faith to trust that your promise is indeed given to us.  God of new life

Hear our prayer.

n  Gracious God of resurrection, in the midst of death, you bring new life.  In the midst of division, you bring reconciliation.  Open our eyes to see you among us.  God of new life,     Hear our prayer.

n  Gracious God of resurrection, you reveal the image of God in the risen Jesus, but also in us.  Enable us, not only to see it, but to actively look for it in the people around us.  God of new life,     Hear our prayer.

n  Gracious God of resurrection, we trust your Easter promise, but we live in a Good Friday world which denies the image of God, in each other and in ourselves.    Strengthen the resolve of your church to engage with this hurting world, that we may be numbered among those who are struggling for life, peace and justice.  God of new life,     Hear our prayer.

n  Gracious God of resurrection, use your people to extend your healing in this world: bringing food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, welcome to the stranger, support to the addict, and care for the isolated.  We especially pray that we may be your healing presence for those we name before you.  [Silence for prayer)

God of new life,     Hear our prayer.

n  Fill our bishops, Susan and Michael, with your wisdom. Bless the people of Peace Christian Fellowship, Chatham and their pastor, Pr. Paul Sodtke. God of new life,     Hear our prayer.

n  Hear us, gracious and loving God, for the sake of our gracious and living Saviour, Jesus the Christ.

Amen.

 

n  Hymn #364   Christ Is Risen! Alleluia!

The Lord’s Prayer

Finally let us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be thy name,

    thy kingdom come,

    thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

    and forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us;

    and lead us not into temptation,

       but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

         and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my right!

   You gave me room when I was in distress.

   Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame?

    How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? (Selah)

But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;   

     the Lord hears when I call to him.

When you are disturbed, do not sin;

     ponder it on your beds, and be silent.

(Selah)

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!

     Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”

You have put gladness in my heart

     more than when their grain and wine abound.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord,

     make me lie down in safety.

n  #537  On Our Way Rejoicing

Benediction and Sending

The God of hope, who brought again from the dead

that great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ,

fill us with all joy and peace in believing!

                            Amen.

Christ is risen!       He is risen indeed!

Go in peace. Serve the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

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 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

·         In this time of pandemic, our futures are all unclear. We wonder when we’ll be able to gather again, whether that is for worship, for a meal with the extended family and with friends, or for some other sort of event. We wonder who we know who might have tested positive for this virus and we wonder if our own health will be touched by it. These are all realistic concerns.

·         This reading from John’s first letter tells us of an ultimate future, one that is yet to come and that involves our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. The details are not clear of course and John acknowledges that by writing what we will be has not yet been revealed.

·         Personally, this is one of the most hopeful passages of the New Testament with regard to my relationship with God in Jesus. To me, it shows that God is not done with us nor is the ultimate future a roll of the dice. John wrote when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. That is an amazing promise.

·         Paul tell us in his first letter to the Corinthians “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9) However we live in the present and wondering or fantasizing about what is to come is not a very good idea; it can even be a distraction.

·         Concentrating on the life that is to come can be a way of hiding from the call and ministry we have here and now. Eternity is God’s business and we have no say over it. The present – in which, if you recall, we have been declared children of God – is the life we live now, right here in the present time. It is here we live a life of grace and it is here and now that grace motivates us to action.

·         The grace of God is our life now as it will be our life when the time comes for Jesus Christ to be revealed to us. The life of grace we live now could be (and might best be) called the Gospel life, for it is now that we live out of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

·         If we truly are God’s children here and now, it is both the beginning of the promise of the Resurrection and the power of God within and among us on this earth. We do not control the power of God but we reflect it. In the simplest terms, the life we receive from Jesus in the resurrection is the life we live now. Yet there is more to come.

·         I might be repeating myself, but the message is one the bears repeating; Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

·         We are to live as God’s children now and show his love and power to the world in what we do and say. It might not be easy, but we were not promised that it would be easy. What we were promised is life that if filled with the grace of the living God. We are called to reflect what God has done in our lives.

·         A Christian teacher of a few centuries ago said something that has a bearing on our talk today. Who exactly this quote can be credited to is disputed, but the message carried in the quote cannot be denied. The quote is: Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some person ever reads. As God’s children now, we may be the point at which another person encounters God through our lives. THAT is our here and now. What we are now – God’s children – we will remain; what we will be is yet to be seen although John reminds us that we will be like Christ. Knowing him and his grace changes us, here and now and in what is to come.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.