June '24

June 1

A blessed June to you!

A prayer based on our scripture texts for tomorrow:

Creator of the planets and their courses,

you created the Sabbath …for all.

Having invited us to rest, to breath, to pause;

now, encourage us to rest our demands on others,

listen in the place of speaking,

and pause our impact upon the cosmos.

You make the sabbath to universally benefit humanity

and all creation.

We give thanks for this benevolent provision

that enables us to to experience a life with you

that is well lived in the shadow of your wing.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

From Prayers for Sunday and Seasons, Year B, Peter J. Scagnelli, LTP, 1992.

The Second Sunday after Pentecost

June 2

Worship today at 9:00 a.m. hope to see you here.

There service will be posted online, click here.

https://www.trinitylutheransheridan.org/2-pentecost-24

The Prayer of the Day today:

Almighty and ever-living God,

throughout time you free the oppressed, heal the sick,

and make whole all that you have made.

Look with compassion on the world wounded by sin,

and by your power restore us to wholeness of life,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

June 3

I really liked the verse from Proverbs that Lu Reeves family chose for her funeral service on Saturday. Here is Proverbs 31:25-26.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she rejoices at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

As we commend Lu to God’s eternal care, let us give thanks for all the friends whom God has placed in our lives, and let us rejoice in all those who bear the “teaching of kindness” on their tongue!

Peace, Pastor Phil

June 4

I’ve shared this prayer before, and reading it today, I see why.

This is by Henri Nouwen, and it is quite nice…

Dear God,

I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!

Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?

Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me

to gradually open my hands

and to discover

that I am not what I own,

but what you want to give me.

And what you want to give me is love -

unconditional, everlasting love.

Amen

- Henri Nouwen

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

June 5

I want to share this quote that was part of Sunday’s sermon. It is from Dr. Thomas Long, who is a preaching professor in the Presbyterian tradition.

After stating that his Scots-Presbyterian forbears could be overly strict in their observance of the sabbath, he says that his teenage self welcomed Jesus saying: "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.” He thought that set him free to do whatever he wanted on the sabbath… go to movies, etc.

Then he says…

I have since learned that Jesus had something deeper in mind. His goal was not to annihilate the sabbath, but to restore it to its true purposes. The sabbath is about participating in and anticipating God’s rest and God’s justice for all. These are the gifts from God that make life human and full, and it is in this sense that “the sabbath was made for humankind.”

So my forebears were a little shortsighted in their rules and strict sabbath codes—they got the notes but not the music—but they were in their own way on the right track. The sabbath is a way of life, a way of training one’s attention, that leads to ‘the life that really is life.’

Deep in its disciplines is the goal of clearing away life’s clutter and focusing on what truly matters.

Thomas Long “A Sabbath Way of Life “ Christian Century, May 2018

It is interesting to consider the Sabbath as a call to focus on what matters most in our lives. It can be quite energizing to think that “Sabbath” is a way of life that helps us to shape a just and loving society.

May the Sabbath command continue to be a blessing to us all.Peace, Pastor Phil

June 6

“See, I am making all things new.”

Revelation 21:5

Preparing for our class on Revelation (please consider joining us on Wednesdays at noon!) I read an interesting meditation on hope. The writer grounded his reflection on hope in Revelation 21:5, "And the one who was seated on the throne said, 'See, I am making all things new.'”

As he worked with the ways hope might impact our lives, he mentioned a book with a quite compelling title: “Hope: A User’s Manual.”

Isn’t that something to ponder? Hope: A User’s Manual.

I don’t think I look at hope as something one ‘uses’ but the user’s manual notion gets me thinking.

As people of the resurrection, we surely do live with hope, and in that sense, hope is something we use. Hope is a part of the gift of relationship with God, and accompanies us into every corner of our lives.

Hope is also something that is not earned, but is given with the gift of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

May the hope of the Gospel go with you today, Pastor Phil

June 7

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord”

Psalm 130:1

On Sunday we will turn to Psalm 130 and proclaim this poignant word:

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!”

Might that cry of the Psalmist to God help to shape your own prayers?

I am surprised at how often people think God is only present when things are good; that all talk of God must be upbeat and happy, victorious and optimistic.

The Psalms - the prayer book of our Bible - teach us quite something else.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!”

“How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever?” Ps 13:1

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Ps 22:1

If God is the God of all of our lives, then we can turn to God and engage God and live with God in each and every time of life, bearing to God each and every emotion and experience and situation.

Let me suggest that we hear these words from the Psalmist: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord” ...and learn from the Psalmist - that God is the Lord of your entire life, and that God seeks after you and promises to bear to you comfort and grace and love and hope, in every time, and every place.

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

June 8

A blessed Saturday to you. I hope to see you at worship tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. The service will be posted on the Trinity web site. www.trinitylutheransheridan.org

A prayer of the day for tomorrow:

God of judgment and mercy,

when we hide ourselves in shame,

you seek us out in love.

Grant us the fullness of your forgiveness,

that as one people, united by your grace,

we may stand with Christ against the powers of evil. Amen.

The Third Sunday after Pentecost

June 9

Worship today at 9:00 I hope to see you here.

There service will be posted online.

The Prayer of the Day today:

All-powerful God,

in Jesus Christ you turned death into life and defeat into victory.

Increase our faith and trust in him,

that we may triumph over all evil

in the strength of the same

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen

June 10

When his family heard it,

they went out to restrain him,

for they were saying

“He has gone out of his mind.”

Mark 3:21

Last week I read this interesting reflection on yesterday’s Gospel text, and I thought I would share it with you. It is by Pastor Rick Fry, who serves Ascension Lutheran Church in Sand Diego.

Love Unraveled - June 7, 2012 - Pastor Rick Fry

Jesus isn’t behaving with proper manners. He isn’t following good etiquette. He’s embarrassing his family. He’s gone berserker. He’s coming unraveled, at least so it seems. He’s flying too close to the sun of divine love…

They wanted to restrain him and send him to the asylum. It was too hard to bear, too dissonant a voice. The cry of the living God was inviting people to shed the burden of self-concern, to let go with complete abandon, and to venture out into the wilds of God’s kingdom armed with nothing but a passionate vision of life lived fully awake in love.

They eventually did restrain Jesus, on a cross, and when he asked his Abba to forgive the men who were executing him, they were stunned. “He really is crazy,” they thought. But the experience of the crucified Jesus left them marked, and they would never be the same again. No one walks away from that vision unscathed. Even restrained on the cross Jesus was widening the circle of his mothers, sisters, and brothers.

A blessed Monday to you, my brothers and sisters, Pastor Phil

June 11

“But I say to you, Love your enemies

and pray for those who persecute you…"

Matthew 5:44

These three quotes jumped out at me, and I decided to set them before you today for devotional reflection. (The Institutes of the Christian Religion is an influential theological work of John Calvin, and is quite important to many in the Calvinist tradition…)

“If we have no peace,

it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.”

- Mother Teresa

“I fell to thinking about the passage in the Institutes

where it says the image of the Lord in anyone

is much more than reason enough to love him,

and that the Lord stands waiting

to take our enemies’ sins upon Himself.

So it is a rejection of the reality of grace

to hold our enemy at fault.

…It seems to me people tend to forget that we are

to love our enemies,

not to satisfy some standard of righteousness,

but because God their Father loves them.”

- Marilyn Robinson, Gilead

"Three things in human life are important.

The first is to be kind.

The second is to be kind.

And the third is to be kind.”

- Henry James

I wish you kindness and peace today, Pastor Phil

June 12

When the day of Pentecost had come,

they were all together in one place.

Acts 2:1

I am on a lot of email lists. A. Lot. One is Sacred Ordinary Days, who provide resources for spiritual direction and nurturing of one’s faith life. They publish daily planners, recommend books on spirituality and piety and offer retreats and more. (Click here if you would like to take a look at their web site.)

I liked these “5 Breath Prayers for Pentecost from Acts 1 & 2” that the founder of Sacred Ordinary Days included in a recent email, and thought I would share them with you.

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

5 Breath Prayers for Pentecost from Acts 1 & 2

Lord, may I stay

Where You’ve told me to stay

And wait

For the promise You gave.

(from Acts 1:4)

II.

Lord, I believe,

Help me receive

Your power & presence,

Always with me.

(from Acts 1:8)

III.

Lord, may I not stand

Staring

At the clouds

But rather go

Knowing

You are still here now.

(from Acts 1:11)

IV.

Spirit, fall like fire,

Rush in like wind,

Purify and restore my life

Once again.

(from Acts 2:2)

Father, pour out your Spirit

On us all today

Fill us, that we may

Speak Your words

Dream Your dreams

See with Your eyes

And go as Your hands and feet.

(from Acts 2:17-18)

Adapted from Acts 1-2 by Sarah Bourns Crosby for Sacred Ordinary Days.

June 13

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come…”

Luke 11:2

REMINDER! I sent a note yesterday telling about Trinity Friday Grounds Crew. On Fridays we will be gathering at 8:00 a.m. here at Trinity for weed pulling, gardening and etc. to care for the building and grounds…

I set aside quotes and devotions and prayers and things like that to use in Connections later. Sometimes, when I look back, I wonder how it is (or WHY it is) I ran across that thing I set aside.

I liked this reflection on prayer by Pastor Al Rogness, who was president of Luther Seminary before I went to school there. He makes an interesting claim here, not suggesting what it is that God might do in response to our prayers, but only that in calling for us to pray, we can trust that God acts in response.

I dare not put limits on God. What he may do or be able to do in the wake of my prayers, I leave to him. A friend of mine, more cautious than I, said, “Prayer does not change things; it changes you.” Of course it changes me. I am in God’s presence when I pray, and am therefore exposed to him and to the powers that surge from him. But I must disagree with my friend. I believe that in some mysterious way prayer also changes things—maybe the chemistry of the body, the hearts of people I pray for, the turn of events, even the shape of history. How this can be, I cannot know. But God has invited me to pray; in fact ordered me to pray. He has assured me that I can dial him direct, and the line will never be busy. The more we pray, the more likely it is that we will spend more time thanking him than requesting favors from him.

- Al Rogness - Reflections on the Devotional Life - Word & World 1988

Blessings to you today, may our prayers, together with God’s action, bring God’s love to light. Pastor Phil

June 14

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy…

Exodus 20:8

Here are further thoughts from an article written by Pastor Al Rogness some 36 years ago. He is addressing the devotional life, and it brings hime to speak about how our worship traditions unite us with believers of every age:

There is a magnificent continuity in Christian worship.

Here I am praying the very prayers uttered by Augustine, Francis of Assisi,

Thomas Aquinas, Luther, and others.

When we sing the Kyrie or the Sanctus of the Eucharist,

our voices blend with the echoes of voices throughout the ages.

The Lord’s Prayer unites us with the disciples

on that day when our Lord taught it to them,

and through Aaron’s benediction

(“The Lord bless you and keep you...”)

we stand with those receiving God’s blessing

in the wilderness after the Exodus.

- Al Rogness - Reflections on the Devotional Life - Word & World 1988

Blessings to you this weekend.

June 15

A Prayer grounded in our texts for worship tomorrow. I hope to see you here!

From your bountiful hand, O God,

you have sown generously in our hearts

the seed of your truth and your grace.

May we welcome with humility and confidence

what you sow in the soil of our lives

and cultivate its growth with the patience the gospel teaches,

trusting completely

and knowing full well

that peace and justice

increase in the world every time your word bears fruit in our lives.

We ask this through Christ,

with whom you have raised us up in baptism,

the Lord who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

From Prayers for Sunday and Seasons, Year B, Peter J. Scagnelli, LTP, 1992

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

June 16

Worship today at 9:00 a.m. hope to see you here.

There service will be posted online.

The Prayer of the Day today:

O God,

you are the tree of life,

offering shelter to all the world.

Graft us into yourself and nurture our growth,

that we may bear your truth and love to those in need,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen

June 17

Let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amos 5:24

June 17th has been designated as a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9 - the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Here is the Prayer of the Day for a service prepared for this commemoration.

PRAYER OF THE DAY - For Remembrance of the Emmanuel 9

Holy and righteous God,

you created us in your image.

Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil

and to make no peace with oppression.

Help us,

like those of generations before us

who resisted the evil of slavery

and human bondage in any form

and any manner of oppression.

Help us to use our freedoms

to bring justice among people

and nations everywhere,

to the glory of your Holy name

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May we be creative and faithful in striving for justice and peace in all the earth.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

June 18

“I know your works —

your love, faith, service, and patient endurance…”

Revelation 2:19a

I shared this reflection by Anthony Robinson a couple years ago. Pastor Robinson writes regularly for the United Church of Christ (UCC) daily devotions. He is a church consultant, so he visits many congregations.

I like his perspective, and believe we have shared a number of pieces by him over the years in Trinity Connections.

It was fun to note that this reflection is grounded in a verse from the 2nd chapter of the book of Revelation. Our Wednesday Noon class has begun a study of Revelation, and we would love to have you join us.

I am heartened by Pr. Robinson’s words, perhaps you will be too.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

Church: You’re Amazing by Anthony Robinson | published on Jun 2, 2021

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. – Revelation 2:19 (NIV)

These aren’t easy times to be the church, are they? …

…So here’s a word of encouragement and appreciation for you and your church. “I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance…” God is watching, and God sees that you are amazing. Really.

I get to work with all sorts of congregations all across the country. I am regularly stunned. Stunned at their incredible faithfulness, at the love I witness, at the acts of service and the amazing perseverance of the church and the people of the church. …we too often overlook the goodness and faithfulness unfolding week by week in our own congregations.

But in every congregation I work with, I notice love and faith, service and perseverance. I see the poor fed, the children taught, adults seeking deeper lives, strangers welcomed, love lived, and God praised. Church, you’re amazing.

Prayer

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts to see the faithfulness and goodness right in our midst, and to praise you for it.

June 19

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits

Psalm 103:1-2

Here is a reflection by Henri Nouwen:

It is central in the biblical tradition

that God’s love for his people should not be forgotten.

It should remain with us in the present.

When everything is dark,

when we are surrounded by despairing voices,

when we do not see any exits,

then we can find salvation in a remembered love,

a love that is not simply a wistful recollection of a bygone past

but a living force that sustains us in the present.

Through memory,

love transcends the limits of time

and offers hope at any moment of our lives.

- Henri Nouwen

God’s blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

June 20

On that day, when evening had come,

[Jesus] said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."

Matthew 4:35

On Sunday we will hear the story of Jesus calming the storm.

The disciples find themselves terrified by a violent storm, having followed Jesus’ invitation for them to cross the Sea of Galilee.

There might be many insights at hand here.

Of course, your belonging to God does not mean that everything will be rosy. At the same time, when things go awry, it is hard not to - (at least a little bit) - feel abandoned by God.

Jesus does not send the disciples into the storm by themselves. Jesus is with them the entire time.

At the end of the story, the disciples are safe, and they have many questions to consider as they recall the faithfulness of the one they follow.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

June 21

“You are the light of the world…”

Matthew 5:14

It is the longest day of the year.

Some of us will begin the day putting in a few hours on the Church lawn. A fitting way to mark the Summer Solstice.

Jesus has announced that you are the light of the world. That is quite a designation!

One commentator, writing about this text, was not so sure about shat Jesus said here. He suggested that you are not the light of the world; Jesus is. You reflect that light.

Yet Jesus is not so hesitant to make this claim. You ARE the light of the world.

In the midst of much darkness, you are called to shine forth with the light of God’s love. Look around you today, and see the many ways God’s light shines into your life. Also, look carefully for the ways God invites you to reflect that light into your world.

May God’s light shine bright in each one of us, and for each one of us!

Peace, Pastor Phil

June 22

Here is a prayer grounded in tomorrow's Gospel reading. It is from The Sunday Website at Saint Louis University, which is a Jesuit school.

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

THE GOSPEL Mark 4:35-41

Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not have faith?”

Raging waves of discord break all around us
and squalls whine through our lives.
We call, out of sinking boats,
“We are going down!
Jesus, save
us!”
O
calm
our storms.
“Quiet! Be still,”
we long to hear you say!
Give us faith to know that in
sunny days or climate crisis, wars,
or homelessness, or housed and fed well,
you never leave our boats. Make our life holy,
Lord of wind and sea.

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

5th Sunday after Pentecost

June 23

I hope to see you in worship today. The service will be posted online.

Here is the Prayer of the Day

O God of creation, eternal majesty,

you preside over land and sea, sunshine and storm.

By your strength pilot us,

by your power preserve us,

by your wisdom instruct us, and

by your hand protect us,

through Jesus Christ,

our Savior

and Lord.

Amen.

June 24

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

"Who is this that darkens counsel

by words without knowledge?”

Job 38:1

I had a friend who liked to quote this verse as a way of teasing others for saying things that added more heat than light.

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”

In some ways, one might contend that we are not supposed to understand God, nor are we to explain God, we are to love God.

I thought of this line from the conclusion of the book “A River Runs Through It”

“Now nearly all those I loved

and did not understand when I was young

are dead, but I still reach out to them.”

I’ve always liked that “those I loved and did not understand.” I suspect that is everyone we love. We are not to understand others, we are to love them.

I think that - in a way - that makes some things easier!

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

June 25

“You are the light of the world…”

Matthew 5:14

We touched on this in the sermon on Sunday. It is a line by Dr. David Lose, who was preaching professor at Luther Seminary at the time he wrote it:

Maybe faith is a question:

voicing a question,

calling what we thought we knew into question,

living with the questions we have,

not unafraid, but undaunted,

willing to ask those questions,

even to embrace them – and all of life –

as a mystery

not to be solved

but to be experienced.

May you know the mystery of God's love for you today and always!

Pastor Phil

June 26

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amos 5:24

As many of you know, Juneteenth was a week ago. I am afraid though, that few of us really celebrated that holiday.

In a daily newsletter a comment caught my eye. The writer recommended an article from Juneteenth of 2022. He said we should consider the offering of educator Opal Lee and pastor “Buster” Soaries. He said that they point out that “Juneteenth isn’t just a commemoration of the end of slavery but a celebration of the United States’ self-correcting capacity — a thing that should unite us all.”

I would like to quote a bit from, Mr. Lee and Pastor Soaries:

“Juneteenth asks Americans to recognize that our nation’s principles are neither grossly hypocritical nor naively aspirational. We have inherited lofty yet practical ideals, and it falls to us to implement them as best we can.”

They conclude with these stirring lines:

“We can’t let Juneteenth become just another holiday or, worse, a holiday for only one segment of the country. We should see it for what it really is: the other half of the Fourth of July. These two holidays, which fall a mere two weeks apart, represent the best of America. One celebrates the Declaration of Independence, which contains what the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass called “saving principles.” The other celebrates America’s journey to live by those principles.

This great work is never done, and if we hope to do it, it will take the commitment of every American. Surely that’s a vision we can rally around, so we can truly celebrate freedom from the 19th of June to the Fourth of July — and move freedom forward every day of the year.”

I have to admit that I let Juneteenth go by this past year without seeking to reflect on this new national holiday’s call to justice and our “self-correcting capacity” as the newsletter author said.

Self-correcting capacity sounds like something with which Christians should be right at home.

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

June 27

Weeping spends the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

On Sunday we will proclaim Psalm 30. Here are some words I shared in our sermon three years ago:

Dr. Rolf Jacobson - Old Testament Professor at Luther Seminary, says

Psalm 30 “may be the most beautiful lyric” in the entire book of Psalms…

He says that Psalm 30

“has some of the greatest lines in the whole Bible:

God’s “anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime.”

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” And

“You have taken off my sackcloth, and clothed me with joy!”

I suspect that every once in a while, we have to remind one another that it is a misreading of the Bible, and of who God is, to suggest the Old Testament tells us the story of a God of judgment and wrath, and the New Testament presents God quite differently. Throughout the scriptures, Old and New Testament, God is seeking relationship with you, to bring you life and salvation -

Dr. Jacobson wrote that Psalm 30 -

“says that the Lord meets us in our suffering — in the pit. And God does not leave us there, but moves us from mourning (“you have taken off my sackcloth”) to morning (“joy comes in the morning”).” [he goes on…]

“I show up in worship on Sunday morning in the hopes that someone will tell me this good news, in the hopes that someone will tell me this promise.”

May joy accompany you each step of your journey, Pastor Phil

June 28

Now as you excel in everything—

in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness,

and in our love for you—

so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

2 Corinthians 8:7

On Sunday we hear Paul as he recommends that the people of Corinth give generously to help the people of Jerusalem who are suffering a famine. Paul does some very interesting things here. For one, he grounds his call for generosity in what Christ as done for them (and you!).

“For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (verse 9)

Then he makes a fascinating assertion:

“I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” (verses 13-14)

Here’s the part I find most unique. He calls the deep neediness of those in Jerusalem “their abundance” and suggests that this wealth provides an outlet for a “need” of the Corinthians.

They NEED to give. They NEED to act on behalf of these hungry people.

As we finish this week in which Trinity is serving Lunch Together, we find ourselves living out our calling as God’s people in Christ. Our neighbor’s abundance, is for our need.

Thanks be to God.

A blessed weekend to you, Pastor Phil

June 29

I hope to see you in worship tomorrow, we gather at 9:00 a.m.

Here is a prayer for this weekend…

Companion in life an death,
your love is steadfast and never ends;
our weeping may linger with night,
but you give joy in the morning.
Touch us with your healing grace
that, restored to wholeness,
we may live out our calling

as your resurrection people.

Amen.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

June 30

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

Almighty and merciful God,

we implore you to hear the prayers of your people.

Be our strong defense against all harm and danger,

that we may live and grow in faith and hope,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen