August '24

August 1

Jesus said to them,

"I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

There is a blessing that I have run across a few times.

It goes like this: “I wish you enough.”

If you think about that, there is quite a bit to this blessing of enough. One could probably reflect on it for quite a while. . .

On Sunday we touch on the story of God providing Manna in the wilderness.

“I wish you enough.”

The blessing of Manna is something that cannot be sold, cannot be accumulated, cannot be hoarded. It is a gift of food for the day.

I wonder, as I consider the blessing; "I wish you enough".

Is that my desire? Enough?

Of course, our propensity is to want more, more, more.

Wishing for enough might be settling for less, or it might be a goal grounded in God’s generosity to all.

Blessings to you today, I wish you enough, Pastor Phil

August 2

[Jesus said] “Do not work for the food that perishes,

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you…”

John 6:27

On Sunday we will hear Jesus proclaim that he is the bread of life. The people sought him out, because he had fed the 5,000. Now, as they pursue another meal, Jesus invites them to ask for more.

“Do not work for the food that perishes,

but for the food that endures for eternal life…”

It seems Jesus is seeking to shape our hunger. Rather than hunger for more stuff, for simple food, Jesus invites you to hunger for the bread of life.

May our deepest hungers be satisfied by God’s gift of Jesus Christ, and fed by the bread of life, may Jesus send us to feed the world with God’s love.

Peace, Pastor Phil

August 3

Jesus said to them,

"I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

Here is a prayer grounded in our Gospel reading from tomorrow:

Sustainer of the hungry,

like a mother you long to feed your children until each is satisfied.

Turn our eyes to you alone, that, aware of our own deepest longings,

we will reach out with Christ to feed others with the miracle of your love. Amen.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

August 4

Matthew 5:13

I hope to see you in worship today, we gather at 9:00 this morning.

The service will be posted online

Here is the Prayer of the Day

God of hope,

when your hungry people longed for the slave food of Egypt,

you opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna.

Feed us with the bread of life at your table,

that we may taste the freedom of eternal life

and lead lives worthy of our calling,

through Christ our head.

Amen.

August 5

[Jesus said]

“I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

I liked the reflection that Diana Butler Bass wrote on yesterday's Gospel reading, the story of Jesus proclaiming that he is the Bread of Life…

She talked about how she really likes bread. Not just the eating of bread, she likes baking it, and reading about it as well.

She commented that the crowds were disappointed that Jesus didn’t give them more bread.

She then concluded her reflection this way:

I imagine some murmuring, even grumbling, in the crowd. No bread, no manna for hungry bellies today — it doesn’t matter that so many had traveled across the sea to follow him. Maybe those who left yesterday were right. This Jesus doesn’t want a crown. And now he doesn’t even want the mantle of prophet. His follower count probably dropped.

Did we come all this way for a metaphor?

A metaphor, yes. But also a mystery: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

That’s a pretty yeasty thing to say.

I think I’ll stick around following this Jesus — I want to see what rises.

Isn't that nice?

May resurrection love go with you this week.

Peace, Pastor Phil

August 6

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

John 6:51

In my reading the other day, I saw an interesting line by John Kavanaugh, SJ who was a priest and professor of Philosophy.

Reflecting on John chapter 6, he wrote:

Our problem is not just believing that God could inhabit bread.

It is believing that God could inhabit us.

Perhaps this is the central blessing of the Gospel, in Jesus, God has come to be with you now and forever. May you know this presence today!

Pastor Phil

August 7

“Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

John 6:47

Vacation Bible School began yesterday, and we had a great day. The children heard the story of God giving manna to the people of Israel. I liked how the songs, and the storytelling emphasized that what we learn in that story is the faithfulness of God.

I think that many times, when people talk about faith and God and Jesus, they “take their eye off the ball.” That is, the conversation veers off to morality and an over emphasis on what we do and think and accept.

What is central is the faithfulness of God, who redeems you and promises to accompany you on your life’s journey.

I liked this answer supplied by Nadia Bolz-Weber to a reader of hers who asked the question: “Did you almost lose faith and what brought you back?”

Here is her thought provoking reply:

I almost lose faith every day.

And what brings me back is the same thing each time:

the Gospel

(just dressed up differently to trick me into falling in love with it again.)

The unrelenting drum beat of grace and forgiveness.

The Gospel is just the most true thing

I have ever heard in my entire life

and it keeps showing up making me pay attention to it

even when I would rather fret and doubt

and stare at my own navel.

In the first of the 95 Theses, Luther wrote: “When our Lord and master Jesus Christ said ‘repent’ he meant the entire life of the believer to be one of repentance.

God is faithful. And we, in our wavering faith are called to return to God daily, and rest anew in God’s never-failing love.

Peace be with you, Pastor Phil

August 8

“…the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:51b

Today at Vacation Bible School, our children will be hearing the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 from John chapter 6.

I have always thought that this is a great story for kids. Not only is it a great VBS story, it is also a great story for you and me.

On Sunday we will hear more from the 6th chapter of John. Jesus offers himself for the life of the world. The feeding of the 5,000 is a foundational story for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the presence of Jesus, we encounter God’s generous love for all that overflows in ways beyond our imagining!

May you share generously in God’s blessings! Pastor Phil

August 9

I sought the LORD, and he answered me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

I liked the prayer yesterday in the Bread For the Day devotional..

The Psalm for Sunday was the guiding verse for the Day, Psalm 34

I sought the LORD, and he answered me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him, and be radiant;

so your faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,

and was saved from every trouble.

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

O taste and see that the LORD is good;

happy are those who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:4-8

Prayer:

God of good taste,

we thank you that you have diversity.

Your sweet, salty, sour, savory, and umami qualities

keep us always engaged at your table.

Turn our attention

to how we mirror your flavor

that we may more fully live into your image.

Amen

Bread for the Day page 245

Blessings to you this weekend! Pastor Phil

August 10

[They] began to complain about him

because he said,

"I am the bread that came down from heaven."

John 6:41

Here is a prayer grounded in tomorrow’s Gospel reading, as we continue with Jesus, the Bread of life.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

Bread of life,

you taught us to put away bitterness and anger,

and with tenderhearted kindness

to share the fruit of our labor with the needy.

Strengthen us by your grace,

that in communion with you,

we may forgive one another

and live in love as Christ loved us. Amen.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

August 11

I hope to see you in worship today, we gather at 9:00 this morning.

The service will be posted online

Here is the Prayer of the Day

Gracious God, your blessed Son came down from heaven

to be the true bread that gives life to the world.

Give us this bread always, that he may live in us and we in him,

and that, strengthened by this food,

we may live as his body in the world,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

August 12

For the message about the cross

is foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved

it is the power of God.

I Corinthians 1:18

For several Sundays, we are going through the 6th chapter of John, which begins with the feeding of the 5,000, (which we heard 3 Sundays ago), and follows with the proclamation that Jesus is the Bread of Life.

In my reading this week, I was struck by one preacher who quoted from Jean Vanier (Canadian philosopher and Catholic theologian, as well as an activist on behalf of the developmentally disabled). Vanier, he wrote, sees chapter 6

“as a long journey

‘from the weakness of the newborn child we once were

to the weakness of the old person we will become –

growth from ignorance to wisdom,

selfishness to self-giving,

fear to trust,

guilt feelings to inner liberation,

lack of self-esteem to self-acceptance…

The feeding itself reveals a caring God…

Jesus calls his disciples to move

from a faith based on a very visible miracle

that fulfilled their needs

to a faith that is total trust in him and in his words,

which can appear foolish, absurd, impossible.’”

Interesting.

Movement to a trust in God with can appear foolish.

I suspect this relates to Pauls insight that our proclamation of the Cross of Christ will appear foolish to many.

May the foolishness of God’s love, which is poured out for the world, fill you with joy and peace. Pastor Phil

August 13

“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye,

but do not notice the log in your own eye?…”

Matthew 7:3

I ran across this quote and decided to include it in today’s devotion.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that writer of this line is one whom I would describe as a social media influencer. Doe Zantamata seems a pretty positive person, as well as an author of self-help books and I feel compelled to add that she seems entirely too young to have acquired the necessary wisdom to tell us how to achieve the life we desire. (I have to admit that this is a pretty judgmental attitude to take toward her, especially when I’m posting a quote that points out that being judgmental is rarely in the service of compassion.)

In this season, setting aside judging might serve us all well.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

It's easy to judge.

It's more difficult to understand.

Understanding requires compassion,

patience,

and a willingness to believe

that good hearts

sometimes choose poor methods.

Through judging,

we separate.

Through understanding,

we grow.

- Doe Zantamata

August 14

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
abide in me, and I in them.”

John 6:56

I shared this with the Trinity Council last night. It is a poem by Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes. I’ve shared his work before. He publishes a daily devotional that many times touches on the scripture texts for Sunday. His reflection on John 6 calls us to note that our God is no “idea.” Our God is the one who has created us, and in Jesus Christ, entered into our world to save us.

The doctrine of the Incarnation is one of the key teachings of our faith. This poem touches on that in great ways.

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
abide in me, and I in them.”
—John 6.56

God is not a god of hearsay,
a virtual god, an outsourced god.
No remote, second hand, copy-of-a-copy god.
This religion isn't about what you believe,
that paper religion, an idea you can think about.
This religion isn't a recipe; it's the meal.
Real food. You digest it.

Jesus is not explaining God. He's feeding us God.
He is the bread of God.
You have to eat it.
It surrenders itself inside you,
becomes part of you.
Don't just think about it;
don't merely believe. Eat it.

Take him in, this Jesus bread.
Savor the aroma of his love, his grace,
the flavor of his trust in God and in you.
Wrap the mouth of your soul around him and eat.
See how he tastes on the tongue of your heart.
Bite off a chunk of that forgiveness,
chew it gratefully, and swallow it all.
Drink in that presence with you in every Gethsemane,
every Golgotha, drink it in and let it fill you.
Take all of who Jesus is into yourself.
Stuff yourself with him.

You are what you eat.

Deep Blessings, Pastor Steve

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes Unfolding Light www.unfoldinglight.net

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

August 15

O magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:3

My parents anniversary was August 15th, they were married 71 years ago. Interesting. With thoughts of them, I thought I’d share a line that speaks of community from my pages of quotes that I’ve set aside.

This is from Dr. George Forell, who was a Luther scholar, pastor, theologian and professor. He is among my favorite of the teachers in our Church, and I remember well hearing him speak some 30 years ago at a lecture series in Montana.

This is from an article he wrote titled: “How to speak about God in a Pluralistic World”:

To be a Christian means to belong to a community.

Just as in the New Testament

the term "saint" does not occur in the singular

but always in the plural,

so it is impossible to be a Christian

in splendid isolation.

. . . Indeed, we are called to community

but the community which God's call establishes

is a community for the world.

The church exists not for itself

but for the service of the world.

We belong to the church only if we lose ourselves

in service to humankind.

- George Forell “How to speak about God in a Pluralistic World”

Isn’t that great? And in ways it reflects my parents’ faith, as they sought to live out God’s love in service to others.

Blessings to you today!

Pastor Phil

August 16

See what love the Father has given us,

that we should be called children of God;

and that is what we are.

I John 3:1

Tomorrow is my sister’s 70th birthday. That is something to celebrate, isn’t it?

I listen to a baseball podcast, and one of the regular guests is a young woman who unapologetically makes a very big deal about her birthday. She also likes to encourage others to do the same. It is kind of cute, kind of silly, and perhaps also a nice sort of wisdom.

You are God’s own child, one who is a delight to God, one whom God has redeemed through Jesus Christ, one whom God has sent into the world to bear God’s creative and redeeming love to all whom you can.

You - like my sister - are well worth celebrating!

Blessings to you today and always, Pastor Phil

August 17

Be filled with the Spirit,

as you sing psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs among yourselves.…

Ephesians 5:18b-19

I liked this prayer grounded in the 2nd Reading for tomorrow, and thought it might be a good word to carry with you today. Blessings to you! Pastor Phil

Ephesians 5:15-20

Be filled with the Spirit,
… singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts

Rouse us with
your Spirit,
Lord.

Make us sing our hearts out
as brothers and sisters,
for we are so
loved.

Let us
discover you,
and give thanks
always and everywhere
for each and every
gift that you
give.

Anne Osdieck

13th Sunday after Pentecost

August 18

I hope to see you at 9:00 worship this morning. The service will be posted online. The Prayer of the Day:

Ever-loving God,

your Son gives himself as living bread for the life of the world.

Fill us with such a knowledge of his presence

that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life

to serve you continually,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

August 19

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

John 6:51

I received a thought provoking text last week.

Reflecting on Jesus’ Bread of Life words in the 6th chapter of John, the note read:

‘John 6 has made me think differently about

“give us this day our daily bread.”’

That seems quite a thought.

Surely the Lord’s Prayer invites us to be grateful to God for all we need to live each day. In the Small Catechism, Luther says this is what is meant by “daily bread.” And while he is surely correct; our prayer for daily bread might well also be a prayer that we might receive the life that Jesus offers us in his giving of himself for the life of the world.

The gifts God gives are abundant and profound.

Peace, Pastor Phil

August 20

“The Lord is near…”

Psalm 34

The Psalm reading for this coming Sunday is from Psalm 34. In verse 18, the Psalmist declares; “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”

I wonder how often I had encountered these words, and missed their deep power. This seems a prayer and a promise that will not be truly heard until we have experienced the brokenhearted-ness that crushes one's spirit.

For every time and every place, it is good to know that the Lord is near.

What a gift! Our creator and redeemer will not leave or forsake you.

Yet, most all, when crushed in spirit, what a wonder to hear that the Lord is near and will save you.

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

August 21

Pray in the Spirit at all times

in every prayer and supplication

Ephesians 6:18

When I was in college I took a class on Christian Spirituality. (I think that was the name of the course. It was a while ago now.)

Among the spiritual classics we read was “The Way of the Pilgrim.”

From what I remember, it was written in the 19th century and tells the story of a pilgrim wandering through Russia, seeking wise teachers to help him fulfill God’s command to pray without ceasing.

The prayer he uses is what is called The Jesus Prayer.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

I remember being a bit frustrated with the book. The pilgrim seemed to be stuck on an overly literalistic interpretation of a single Bible verse. Not only that, his quest seemed more than a little obsessive. It felt to me that his pursuit of praying always seemed to leave out care for others and possibly even a relationship with God. (I was young, and perhaps a bit more judgmental than I tend to be now. A bit.)

At the same time, I remember the book some 40 years later, or at least I recall its impact on me. It was good for my praying to think seriously about praying “at all times.” It was enlivening to consider how we might live our entire lives in constant communication with God, who loves you, and has mercy on you.

The gift of the Gospel is a gift for all of life. It is the gift of God seeking and saving you so that you might live now and always in God's love. This calls for us to turn to God in prayer always.

Blessings, Pastor Phil

August 22

Two years ago I shared this description of the Bible from Frederick Buechner who had recently died at the age of 96. He was a Presbyterian minister and quite a well known and beautiful writer…

It is possible to say that in spite of all its extraordinary variety,

the Bible is held together by a single plot.

It is one that can be simply stated:

God creates the world; the world gets lost;

God seeks to restore the world to the glory for which he created it. That means that the Bible is a book about you and me,

whom he also made and lost and continually seeks,

so you might say that what holds it together

more than anything else is us.

You might add to that, of course,

that of all the books that humanity has produced,

it is the one which

more than any other

and in more senses than one

also holds us together.

Frederick Buechner

Isn’t that great?

Blessings to you today. Pastor Phil

August 23

So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”

Simon Peter answered him,

“Lord, to whom can we go?

You have the words of eternal life.”

John 6:67-68

I think often about a story I read about Walker Percy, who was a Southern novelist and philosopher (1916-1990). An interviewer was talking with him and was surprised when Percy admitted that he was a faithful catholic. The interviewer asked how that could be, and Walker Percy replied, perhaps a bit tongue in cheek - “what else is there?”

The interviewer offered many possibilities like humanism, agnosticism, materialism, Marxism, astrology.. and on and on.

Percy simply replied, "That is what I mean. What else is there?"

May you know the love of God in Christ.

Blessings, Pastor Phil

August 24

When many of his disciples heard it, they said,

"This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

John 6:60

THE GOSPEL
John 6:60-69

This saying is hard; who can accept it?

Holy One of God,

you built up galaxies from nothing at all,
and wheat fields from barren earth.
You come to us too as the
grain of the land:
our bread
our life.

You
ask if
we could
ever leave you.
Where would we go?
Others have no Spirit or life.

Please set our hearts on fire with your love!
Help us to always choose to love you
in every joy and every sorrow,
in all your hungry people,
in a crying earth,
always love,
always!

Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

13th Sunday after Pentecost

August 25

Please join us at 9:00 worship this morning. The service will be posted online.

The Prayer of the Day:

Holy God,

your word feeds your people with life that is eternal.

Direct our choices and preserve us in your truth, that,

renouncing what is false and evil,

we may live in you,

through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

August 26

I’m not certain where I found this prayer for healing, I think it was written quite some time ago, and I edited it a bit.

We used this in worship yesterday, and I thought I would include it for today.

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

THE SERVICE OF PRAYERS FOR HEALING

Grant your healing power and presence, O Lord,

Upon all who sorrow, or are distressed in spirit and mind;

Upon all anxious, defeated, and troubled souls;

Upon those everywhere who seek forgiveness and restoration,

Who hunger for enlightenment and communion with you;

Upon us all, bestow again the love of your Holy Spirit

and the peace of your communion with us,"

Begotten in your Light, O God, deliver us from all darkness.

Lifted by the powerful tide of your creative purpose,

save us from all despair and loneliness.

Pour out upon us the power of your healing grace,

so that knowing ourselves created afresh by the glory of your Love,

our hearts may be washed in your transforming power.

Through Christ who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

August 27

Then [Jesus] called the crowd again and said to them,

"Listen to me, all of you, and understand:

there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile,

but the things that come out are what defile.”

Mark 7:14-15

I set aside this prayer from a daily devotion a few years ago, and not I’m not sure where I got it. This is inspired by our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday:

Patient and indulgent God,

change my heart when it looks for faults

and finds them everywhere except in me.

Spare me the soul-shrinking burden

of being the judge of the world

and every person and error in it.

Amen

I don’t know about you, but I find I have gone totally off the rails when I find fault everywhere except in me. When we gather for worship, most every week we have an order of confession and forgiveness. This is not a time of tearing ourselves down, rather it is a time for truth telling, hearing the Good News of our forgiveness in Christ, and being set free from guilt and shame.

Listen for those voices that tear you down, and remember, this is not what God desires for you. Return to the Lord your God.

Peace, Pastor Phil

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles. ) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."

For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

August 28

I hereby command you:

Be strong and courageous;

do not be frightened or dismayed,

for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

I cannot recall where I first encountered this prayer, but I shared it years ago for Connections, and thought I would offer it for you the middle of this week.

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

Oh, that I might ever know

Your Presence in every face

Your Pulse in every heart;

That I might ever feel

Your Breath in every breeze

Your Touch in each rain drop;

That I might ever see

Your Smile in every bloom

Your Might in each sunrise.

And, oh, please grant

That I might view

Life's beauty through

Your Eyes.

- Beams of Prayer: Spiritual Reflections with Edward J. Farrell

August 29

He himself is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

Today I will share another prayer, this one by Dag Hammarskjöld, who was a Swedish economist and diplomat. He served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Now, we might all be grateful that our parents did not name us Dag, (not to mention the alphabet soup of a last name. I would have been a 5th grader before learning to spell it!)

John F. Kennedy called Hammarskjöld "the greatest statesman of our century,” and he is considered by many, the finest UN Secretary General. The ELCA commemorates the life of Hammarskjöld as a “Renewer of Society” on the anniversary of his death, September 18.

I have encountered this in many collections of prayers.

A nighttime prayer that can be prayed anytime I am sure:

Night is drawing nigh -

For all that has been - Thanks!

For all that shall be- Yes!

The Oxford Book of Prayer, Oxford University Press, 1985. pg. 102

May we all give thanks for all that is good, and together let us trust that God will be with you always.

Peace, Pastor Phil

August 30

For what other great nation has a god

so near to it

as the LORD our God is

whenever we call to him?

Deuteronomy 4:7

A friend likes to point out that in Greek philosophy, God is understood to be “Being.” [That is to say, God is one who, by God’s very nature, exists as the primary actor in the universe. God is Being.]

My friend goes on to say that in Hebrew philosophy, God is “Being With.” God is the one who is with you, in relationship with you, calling you to live your life in God’s presence and care.

In our First Reading on Sunday, we hear about how God’s giving of the law is a gift from a God who is anything but a far off, distant observer. As the Psalmist declares: “The LORD is near to all who call on him…”

May you know that God is near, today and always!

Pastor Phil

August 31

It is the end of August, summer is coming to a close, let’s pray for our students and teachers and all who serve our schools, that all might find joy in learning and care for one another.

A blessed Saturday to you.

Here is a prayer for you today…

O Father of lights,

from whose word of truth

we have been born as first fruits of your creatures:

make us quick to listen and slow to speak,

that the word implanted in us

may take root to nourish all our living,

and that we may be blessed in our doing

and fruitful in action.

Amen.