Trinity Connections

May 31

The Montana Synod Assembly continues today, please continue to pray for our gathering. 

Worship tomorrow at 9:00.

Here is a prayer based on our Gospel for tomorrow:

God of boundless grace,

you call us to drink freely of the well of life

and to share the love of your holy being.

May the glory of your love,

made known in the victory of Jesus Christ, our Savior,

transform our lives and the world he lived and died to save.

We ask this in his name and for his sake. Amen.

From Revised Common Lectionary Prayers © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

May 30

In our prayers for you we always thank God, 

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:3

The Montana Synod Assembly begins today in Great Falls. I will be there with Laura, as well as our delegates Stewart and Nancy Deines, and Angela will be there as well. Please pray for our gathering, as we will be electing our bishop to a 6 year term and addressing other business of the Synod.

Once again, I am so grateful that I have had the privilege of serving as your pastor. These daily devotions have provided a way for us to connect regularly, and I have enjoyed this opportunity to put together a daily dose of God’s word, reflections of wise teachers in the Church, my own ramblings, and more.

A couple final quotes from my collection…

Of all possessions, 

a friend is the most precious. 

Herodotus, 484-425 BC

Nothing human keeps our gaze ever more firmly on God,

than friendship for the friends of God 

Simone Weil (1909-1943)

May our friendship for one another give rise to a congregation that welcomes all with God’s love, lives by God’s grace and blesses the world with clear proclamation of the Gospel.

Peace be with you my friends, Pastor Phil

May 29

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33:22

A Blessed Ascension Day to you!

Over the years I have come to love this prayer. I last shared it here in Connections when the Transition Team began its work in January. I forgot that I had done so, but thanks to the wonder of search engines, I was reminded. (That was a good choice for beginning this work, if I do say so myself!)

My dad had come to really appreciate this prayer in his travels and his work with dentists and missionaries in Ecuador, and we used it at his funeral service. (I shared it in my reflections, we had it in the liturgy, and the preacher quoted it in his sermon. Three times seemed a bit much. Oops!) 

Lord God, 

you have called your servants 

to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, 

by paths as yet untrodden, 

through perils unknown. 

Give us faith to go out with good courage, 

not knowing where we go, 

but only that your hand is leading us 

and your love supporting us; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen 

ELW page 304 Prayer from SBH/LBW/ELW/BCP - by Eric Milner-White

I trust that, through you, God called us to the venture of being here with you these last 19 years. I trust that God is calling Trinity and the Wolds to new ventures, and that God’s hand is indeed leading, and God’s love is supporting us through all that comes our way.

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

May 28

And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15b

I have always liked this line by Joseph Sittler, who was a Lutheran theologian, preacher and professor. He lived from 1904-1987 and was a seminary professor from the 40’s until the 80’s. I think this line is from his most well known book “Gravity and Grace” which was published a year before he died…

If you know grace; 

you can't be other than thankful. 

Joseph Sittler

This is both a simple and profound truth.

Two more 'gratitude' quotes…

If you must look back, do so forgivingly.

If you must look forward, do so prayerfully.

However, the wisest thing you can do 

is be present in the present… Gratefully. 

Maya Angelou

“There’s so much to be grateful for, 

words are poor things.” 

Marilynne Robinson, Home

To those lines I say - “Amen.”

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

May 27

“I do not call you servants any longer,

because the servant does not know what the master is doing; 

but I have called you friends…”

John 15:15

I have sought to have our daily devotion be a place for visiting with scripture and insights into our faith and the God who has created and redeemed us. I've tried to limit the amount of personal things I say here…

That being said; I want to say, one more time (probably not the last time) “THANK YOU.” Thank you for the privilege and joy of being your pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church.

I do not think I have mentioned that Trinity gave over $3,330 to ELCA World Hunger in recognition of my retirement. What a delightful gift! Thank you! Thank you!

Here is a reflection from Anne Lamott, who can be an artful observer of faith and life.

It’s funny: 

I always imagined when I was a kid 

that adults had some kind of inner toolbox, 

full of shiny tools: 

the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, 

the sandpaper of patience. 

But then when I grew up 

I found that life handed you 

these rusty, bent old tools – 

– friendships, prayer, 

conscience, honesty – 

and said, 

Do the best you can with these, they will have to do. 

And mostly, against all odds they’re enough. 

Anne Lamott - Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

There is something kind of marvelous about referring to friendships, prayer and honesty as “rusty, bent old tools.” There is something deeply true about the observation that "mostly... they're enough." Too often, religious writers and preachers will want to claim too much for faith, as if the gifts God gives make everything simple and wonderful.

I am so very grateful for the privilege of being pastor of Trinity for these past years. I am especially blessed to be able to call you “friend.” I think it would be safe to say that the rusty old tool of friendship is quite often under-appreciated. 

I am not sure why or where, but I began most of my sermons addressed to “Friends in Christ…” As our friendship has grown, my gratitude for you has increased as well. Thank you so much for your friendship. I believe that the great, sainted 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas knew well what he was talking about when he said: “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”

Peace to you, I prize our friendship, Pastor Phil

May 26

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 

full of grace and truth; 

we have beheld his glory, 

glory as of the only Son from the Father.

John 1:14 RSV

I love that our congregation is named Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is something that is impossible for us to truly understand, which is fine, because God is far beyond our understanding. (We make quite a mistake when we begin to think that we know more than we actually can know about God and life.)

In philosophy, God is often referred to as “Being”. That is, the one who is. A friend and colleague likes to say that in Greek philosophy God is being, while in Jewish philosophy, God is Being With. The Gospel of Matthew tells how in a dream, Joseph was told that Jesus “shall be called ‘Emmanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

This reflection by Sara Miles (a woman with quite a story herself) causes me to think about how in Christ God dwells with us, and in Christ we are called to live in community with one another and how in Christ, the whole world is transformed by the the “with-ness” of our God.

The most important word in the Bible 

is the most important word in our lives: 

‘with.’

And is it a word made flesh. 

God lives with us, just as Jesus lives with the Father, 

and we with one another, 

and the Holy Spirit, 

the very breath of life, 

lives with us all.

This message is excerpted from “With you” by Sara Miles in the May 2015 Gather magazine

The Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a way to name God as one - yet a community in God’s unity. And we are one, a community in our belonging to the one who is with us always.

A blessed Memorial Day to you, Pastor Phil

Here is a fitting prayer for Memorial Day from our Evangelical Lutheran Worship Prayer Book for the Armed Services.

Those who have given their lives

Eternal God, 

we give thanks for all those who have shown the greatest love 

by laying down their lives for others. 

We especially thank you for those in our military throughout history 

who have sacrificed their lives for their fellow citizens 

and for us who came after. 

As we remember their service, 

keep us mindful of all those for whom this day is a burden, 

and send your spirit of comfort to them. 

Be present with all the women and men 

who are serving in the military today. 

Let them live for the peace known only from you. 

Help us to be worthy of their legacy, 

and keep us mindful of their service, 

that in all things we may live our lives 

in praise and thanksgiving to you; 

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

From Evangelical Lutheran Worship Prayer Book for the Armed Services (Augsburg Fortress, 2013), p. 65.

Ascension Sunday

6th Sunday of Easter

May 25

We are marking the Ascension on this 6th Sunday of Easter. In Acts chapter one we read that the Ascension took place 40 days after Easter, so Ascension Day always falls on the Thursday after the 6th Sunday of Easter.

The service will be live-streamed.   

Today’s service is posted on the web site. 

The Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, 

your only Son was taken into the heavens 

and in your presence intercedes for us. 

Receive us and our prayers for all the world, 

and in the end bring everything into your glory, 

through Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you 

and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, 

now and forever. 

Amen.

May 24

[Jesus] said to them, 

“Thus it is written, 

that the Messiah is to suffer 

and to rise from the dead on the third day, 

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins 

is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations…

Luke 24:46-47

I mentioned at our May Congregational meeting that I had seen some liturgies that mark the conclusion of a pastor’s call to a congregation. I have taken one of those and shortened it quite a bit to use for the close of worship tomorrow. 

The liturgy I first saw had the pastor ask for forgiveness for the ways he [or she] has sinned against the congregation. After the congregation announces forgiveness, they apologize as well and the pastor offers forgiveness in response … 

I suspect that we could say that the key to living together as a Christian congregation is love, and the tool God gives for us in nurturing and supporting love is forgiveness asked and granted to one another. 

In a marvelous devotional book titled “Praying With Jesus,” one of the reflections offered by Eugene Peterson says:

Apart from forgiveness each step we take is a link in the cause-and-effect sequence of sin and death. With forgiveness we travel from "strength to strength" by grace to life eternal. In the same way that bread is a basic need for the body, forgiveness is the basic need of the spirit. 

Eugene Peterson, Praying With Jesus

I think this line visits well with Pastor Peterson:

“If the biblical story is not the one that controls our thinking, then inevitably we shall be swept into the story the world tells about itself.” 

Lesslie Newbigin

I like the biblical story. It is centered in God’s love for you and for me, it is filled with hope and life and purpose, it is nurtured by forgiveness and grace. 

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

p.s. Although our liturgy tomorrow doesn’t have those exact words, I am sorry for the ways I have sinned against you and Trinity, and I am grateful that I can trust your forgiveness and grace as well.

May 23

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness—

on them light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2

I shared this quote from the Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle in Connections years ago. Dr. Steimle was a seminary professor, pastor, and for 20 years, he was the main preacher on the radio show The Protestant Hour. 

In his last broadcast he said:

"We are delivered in Christ, 

not from the darkness, 

but from its dominion and power to bury our hopes. 

That, as I see it, is the task of preaching, 

not to deny the darkness, 

but to shed light on our paths 

as we walk through the darkness.”

One could reflect on that for a lifetime, and I suspect each one of us could attest to times when the light shone on our paths when the darkness threatened to do us in.

Here is another line that might speak to the task of preaching:

Spirituality does not consist of being told what to do. 

It consists of being reminded of who we are.

John Philip Newell

As you enter into this weekend, may you live always with this reminder; “you are God’s beloved child!”

Peace, Pastor Phil

May 22

When it grew late, Jesus’ disciples came to him and said, 

“This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late;

send them away so that they may go into

the surrounding country and villages

and buy something to eat.” 

But Jesus answered them, 

“You give them something to eat.'"

Matthew 14:15-16

I’ve shared from Pastor Tony Robinson’s writing before. I set this aside almost 8 years ago. I suspect I’ve shared it before in some form or another, but I did not find it in any previous Connections…

I like this invitation to consider our trust in Jesus to make God’s love real through our small offerings…

You Feed the People Tony Robinson July 20, 2017

"We can't do this . . . we don't have the money." 

But at least sometimes it isn't a resource issue. It is a faith issue.

There were 5,000 hungry people in a desolate place, a long ways from even a "7 - 11" much less a "Safeway." Jesus said to the disciples, "You give them something to eat." 

They took inventory.

And you know what they found.

Five loaves and two fish. Enough for a family picnic, not enough for a hungry crowd of 5,000.

I am absolutely certain that if I had been among the disciples at that moment I would have complained that this was ridiculous and that Jesus needed to get real.

But I have been there, and you have too. Maybe you're there now? "There" is where there's a huge gap, a yawning chasm, between the need before you and the resources at hand. By a factor of, oh say, 1,000. "This is ridiculous — Jesus will you please get real."

I don't know how everyone got fed that day.

But I do know this: when the disciples gave what they had to Jesus, he took it, he blessed it, he used it — and there was enough.

It's not always a resource issue. Sometimes it's a faith issue. When we offer what we have and who we are to Jesus a new — unexpected — reality comes into being. "And all ate and were filled," (Matthew 14:20).

Prayer

We keep looking for more money, for more bread; is it really money we need — or faith and courage? Help us, O God, to discern what we truly need. Amen.

Tony Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher, and writer. 

May God grant us the faith and courage we need for all that God calls us to be. 

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

May 21

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

Today I have two somewhat related quotes I want to invite you to consider.

The first is from a pastor who serves an ELCA congregation in Arkansas…

The second is from Sadhu Sundar Singh, who was a missionary from the Christian church in India…

Clint Schneckloth is an ELCA pastor, a writer and one who connects people through social media and has quite an online presence. I am not certain where he wrote this, if it from one of his books or a Facebook post, but it is nice: 

What if every single "member" of a congregation understood this sentence to apply also to them? 

"The call of a congregation, when accepted…, 

shall constitute a continuing mutual relationship and commitment.”

We're all in this together. We're called to diversified functions and roles within the one body of Christ. Each of us is called to give ourselves over to God's church as the Spirit-breathed body of Christ.

For mutual ministry to truly be mutual, I think… …each person [should] drop the word ‘members’, and start thinking together as mission partners.

Clint Schneckloth

I find that to be a provocative idea, that we not see one another as members of Trinity, but as “Mission Partners.”

Now the second quote…

I have read many great insights from Sadhu Sundar Singh, but had never taken the time to look into his life story. In Wikipedia one reads that he was born in northern India (1889-1929), and his mother took him to sit at the feet of a Hindu sadhu, an ascetic holy man, while also sending him to a Christian (Anglican) High School. With this diverse background, he served Christ, seeking a Church that was more aligned with the people of India, than with an Anglican perspective. 

Singh wrote:

The Church is called ‘the body of Christ’ because the relation between Christ and Christians is not that between a master and his servants. It is more than that. Christians are Christ’s own parts. They are not only friends of Christ, they are Christ Himself. He breathes through them. 

Sadhu Sundar Singh

That makes me think of the worship seminar I attended, where the leader suggested that the clearest symbol of the presence of Christ in the sanctuary, is the people who are gathered there. 

Dear Mission Partners, may you know well, that you bear Jesus Christ to this world in need.

Peace, Pastor Phil

May 20

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.

I John 4:18-19

This month I’m mostly sharing quotes I’ve set aside.

This is from the closing pages of Mark Allan Powell’s book, Loving Jesus. 

The biblical truth is this: God loves us, not in spite of what we are but because of what we are, because 

we are essentially and ultimately the lovely and lovable people whom God in grace made us to be…”

Grace is more than pity. God made us to be lovable, and so we are. God's love is not blind or silly, but based 

on perception clear and profound. Indeed, God sees things in us that we might not see in ourselves, including 

our potential, or even better, our destiny. God adores us not out of foolish infatuation, but because we are, in 

fact, adorable. God takes delight in us not because God is easily delighted, but because we are in indeed delightful. 

God loves us not because God is too dense or generous to see us as we are, but because we actually are 

essentially and ultimately lovely. 

This is the great truth that cuts into our complicated lives. Loving Jesus begins and ends with this truth. 

Loving Jesus is our way of coming closer to this God, of adoring the God who adores us, of taking delight 

in the God who delights in us, of loving the God who loves us first.” 

Mark Allan Powell Loving Jesus - 194, 195-96, Fortress 2004

I really like Dr. Powell’s comment: “God made us to be lovable, and so we are.” Isn’t that great? May you, lovable person that you are, know Christ’s presence and God’s great love for you today.

Blessings, Pastor Phil

May 19

Let the rivers clap their hands, 

let the mountains sing together for joy;

Psalm 98:8

I like the Offering Prayer we used in worship yesterday, and thought I would share it here for Connections:

Everlasting God, 

the whole universe sings a new song of praise: 

the rivers clap their hands,

the hills ring out for joy. 

As you have raised us to new life in Christ, 

give us voices ready to cry out for justice 

and proclaim resurrection joy 

wherever your Spirit leads us. 

In Jesus' name we boldly pray. 

Amen.

This prayer envisions the creation singing out in praise to our God. May we join the rivers and hills and sing with joy.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

The Fifth Sunday of Easter 

May 18

I hope you can join us for worship today at 9:00.

Here is the Prayer of Day 

O Lord God, 

you teach us that without love, our actions gain nothing. 

Pour into our hearts your most excellent gift of love, 

that, made alive by your Spirit, 

we may know goodness and peace, 

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

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

May 17

Jesus said 

“…By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, 

if you have love for one another.”

John 13:35

I’m hoping that the wind settles down a bit for the rest of this weekend. I hope you can join us for worship tomorrow. 

Here is a suggested beginning and close of Prayers of the People for worship tomorrow. I thought it was nice.

You are in my prayers; peace to you, Pastor Phil

O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection,

teaching them to love all people as neighbors.

As his disciples in this age,

we offer our prayers on behalf of the universe

in which we are privileged to live

and our neighbors with whom we share it.

Prayers of the People, concluding with:

Open our hearts to your power moving

around us and between us and within us,

until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy,

in communities transformed by justice and compassion,

and in the healing of all that is broken. Amen.

The texts of the Revised Common Lectionary Prayers were made possible with the cooperation of the Consultation on Common Texts, the ecumenical authoring body for the Revised Common Lectionary and the initiating body for the prayers. The prayers were written by many pastors from across the denominational spectrum—Catholic, Christian, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, etc. They are the group to which the credit belongs.

Reproduced from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

May 16

Do you not know that all of us 

who have been baptized into Christ Jesus 

were baptized into his death? 

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, 

so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead 

by the glory of the Father, 

so we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:3-4

Now that spring has sprung, and the rain is falling, we might well keep watch on the creeks, and even worry a bit about rising waters. I think about how we usually are not very mindful of how dangerous water can be. 

This month of May, the waters of baptism have washed (and will wash) over a number of beloved children here at Trinity. 

The Church knows that Baptism is more than a cleansing, there is also the work of God that drowns the sinner, and raises you to new life.

As we rejoice with Emily and Emery, with Stori and - on May 25th - Eli, let us recall that God has poured forth the cleansing, drowning, renewing water and word for you as well. 

As we learned from Luther’s Small Catechism: 

What does Baptism mean for daily living?

“It means that our sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.”

A blessed weekend to you, Pastor Phil

May 15

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, 

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—

of whom I am the foremost.

I Timothy 1:15

In our Noon Class yesterday, we considered a few pages of quotes from Martin Luther. Among those that caught our eye was this brief line…

…asked what we contribute to salvation, 

Luther replied: “Sin and resistance”

We talked about how this is a quite remarkable comment. Rather than claim any bit of righteousness on his own part, Luther knew to see that his belonging to God was entirely and completely a gift from God.

May you know well, that you also are the receiver of a pure gift!

Pastor Phil

May 14

Jesus said 

“…By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, 

if you have love for one another.”

John 13:35

Today in our Noon Class, we will be considering some quotes from Martin Luther. One of my favorite things about the Lutheran Reformation is that it was grounded in concern for the everyday lives of God’s people.

The Reformation was far from an academic exercise, although many of the arguments came from deep theological work by scholars and theologians. It's roots were the piety and practice of everyone in the Church.

Here are two quotes I’ve set aside that I encountered, not in reading Luther, but from scholars teaching about his theology: 

“God doesn't need our love, 

but our neighbor does.”

Martin Luther

“Faith brings you to Christ 

and makes him your own 

with all that he has; 

love gives you to your neighbor 

with all that you have.”

Martin Luther

Each of these is a very interesting thing to say.

So much of Luther’s work was done in the midst of conflict with others, that it can be easy to get caught up in the drama of the contention. It is nice to take note of the many admonitions to love that were at the root of the work of Christ.

One last line…

“…we conclude that all law, divine and human, 

treating of outward conduct, 

should not bind any further than love goes. 

Love is to be the interpreter of law. 

Where there is no love, these things are meaningless, 

and law begins to do harm…”

From Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol 5 pg 161, sermon on Luke 14:1-11

May we rejoice in the love of God, poured out for all the world.

Peace to you, Pastor Phil

May 13

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

John 13:34

On Sunday the sermon revolved around this line from Albert Einstein: 

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” 

I mentioned this to Pastor Don Derryberry yesterday, and he reminded me of “A Simple Song” from Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass”.

The song begins; 

Sing God a simple song, lauda laude

Make it up as you go along, lauda laude

Sing like you like to sing, God loves all simple things.

For God is the simplest of all, For God is the simplest of all.

Leonard Bernstein

What an interesting thing to suggest, that God is “simplest of all.” I love excellent theology and some rather complex ways of looking at the world. At the same time, I suspect that simplicity is at the heart of everything.

On Sunday we will hear from the Gospel of John as Jesus gives us a new commandment, that we love one another… 

That, I suspect, is both simple and profound, a gift and a task.

Jack Kerouac, the beatnik poet and writer of “On the Road” among other novels is considered among the founders of the hippie movement. He was also a practicing Catholic. I have set aside this line of his: 

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” Jack Kerouac

That makes me think.

I wish you a wonderful day today, may you know the simple and profound good gifts that God has poured out for you today. 

Peace, Pastor Phil

One last quote, this from The Cloud of Unknowing, an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in the 14th century.

Our intense need to understand will always be a powerful stumbling block to our attempts to reach God in simple love and must always be overcome. For if you do not overcome this need to understand, it will undermine your quest.

The Cloud of Unknowing

May 12

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

  and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23:

We heard the 23rd Psalm yesterday for Good Shepherd Sunday. I suspect there are few scripture passages that we know better than “The Lord is my shepherd…”

Here are a few comments I came across regarding this beautiful Psalm, may you carry the words of the psalm with you all week long.

Peace, Pastor Phil

Psalm 23 is one of the cannot-miss texts for living the Christian life Monday through Saturday. Simply put, the psalm is one of a small set of essential texts for the daily living-out of the Christian faith. 

Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Old Testament Professor, Luther Seminary 

That response — I shall not want — immediately puts us at odds with our culture, in which we are conditioned to be consumers who always lack something. …To live by Psalm 23 would mean ignoring the constant barrage of messages saying, “you are unhappy, you need more stuff.” Psalm 23 resets that consumer mentality. 

Dr. Nancy Koester, ELCA Pastor, professor, scholar, writer

Sheep know their shepherd because they are his; they walk, graze, feed and sleep in his shadow, beneath his rod and staff, within constant earshot of his voice. They believe because they have surrendered to his care, his authority, his leadership, and his guidance.  There is no belonging from the outside; Christianity is not a spectator sport.  Belong, Jesus says.  Consent to belong. Belief will follow. 

Debie Thomas, Episcopal Minister, author and columnist

I thought each of those offered interesting things to consider as we hear this Psalm. I will close with this provocative thought from Pastor Robb McCoy:

God “prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies,”

reads Psalm 23. What if it is a table for one?

What if the enemy is within?

Rev. Robb McCoy

4th Sunday of Easter

May 11

Good Shepherd Sunday

I hope you can join us for worship today at 9:00

The service is posted on the web site with live stream link.

Here is the Prayer of Day 

O God of peace, 

you brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the great shepherd of the sheep. 

By the blood of your eternal covenant, 

make us complete in everything good 

that we may do your will, 

and work among us all that is well-pleasing in your sight, 

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

May 10

Tomorrow, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. We hear from the 10th chapter of John, as well as the 23rd Psalm. 

Here is Prayer for Good Shepherd Sunday:

God of comfort and compassion,

through Jesus, your Son, you lead us

to the water of life and table of your bounty.

May we who have received

the tender love of our Good Shepherd

be strengthened by your grace

to care for your flock. Amen.

From Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, copyright © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts. Augsburg Fortress. 

Used by permission. 

May 9

Rejoice always, 

pray without ceasing,

I Thessalonians 5:16-17

With the election of Pope Leo XIV, let us pray for wisdom for him as he takes the role of leader of the Roman Catholic Church. While many strive to understand the pope in the political categories that dominate our corporate life, I suspect those will be quite inadequate for gaining deep insight into his faith and life and how he will seek to serve as Pope.

I really have little idea what this means, but it is interesting that he is an Augustinian, which is the order in which Martin Luther served.

In our Noon Class this coming Wednesday, we will take some time to consider some quotes from Martin Luther. He truly was a theologian for all of us, proclaiming an understanding of God’s grace as that which sets us free to live in communion with God our entire lives.

I really like this comment on prayer, which I first encountered in 2017, when we were marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

We pray after all because we are unworthy to pray. 

The very fact that we are unworthy 

and that we dare to pray confidently, 

trusting only in the faithfulness of God, 

makes us worthy to pray and to have our prayer answered… 

Your worthiness does not help you 

and your unworthiness does not hinder you.

A Sermon on Prayer Luther TAL 4:153

May you pray confidently, since, like me, you are entirely unworthy to pray. HA!

Blessings to you, Pastor Phil

May 8

All this is from God, 

who reconciled us to himself through Christ, 

and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…

II Corinthians 5:18

In our Wednesday Noon Class, we are looking at some statements about God, about Jesus, about our faith as God’s people in Christ. Today, among the lines we considered was a reflection on the incarnation written by Madeleine L’Engle. She loved Christmas and the incarnation, and wrote often about it… 

Each galaxy, each star, each living creature, every particle and subatomic particle of creation, we are all made in God’s image.…How? Genesis gives no explanations, but we do know instinctively that it is not a physical image. God’s explanation is to send Jesus, the incarnate One, God enfleshed. 

Don’t try to explain the Incarnation to me! 

It is further from being explainable than the furthest star in the furthest galaxy. 

It is love, God’s limitless love enfleshing that love into the form of a human being, Jesus, the Christ, fully human and fully divine.     

Madeleine L’Engle

I like that, there is an exuberance in the wonder of Jesus coming to bring God’s presence into every moment of our lives.

May you know God’s love today, and may you share it well!

Peace, Pastor Phil

May 7

“Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name…”

Matthew 6:9

The conclave to choose a new pope begins today, and I encourage you to join our Catholic neighbors and friends in prayer for those making this important election. As the lead pastor of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is an important leader in our world. 

Here is a prayer attributed to Martin Luther, and for good measure, an interesting reflection on prayer by Eugene Peterson.

Blessings to you today, Pastor Phil

Lord God, 

you have placed me in your church. 

You know how unsuitable I am. 

Were it not for your guidance, 

I would long since have brought everything to destruction. 

I wish to give my heart and mouth to your service. 

I desire to teach your people, and long to be taught your work. 

Use me as your workman, dear Lord. 

Do not forsake me; 

for if I am left alone I shall bring all to naught. 

Amen

Martin Luther

Prayer is not a way in which we order things; it is a way in which we become ordered. The primary action in prayer comes from God, and more often than not God does not act in ways that we can duplicate, often not even recognize at the time. 

Eugene Peterson

May 6

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

I shared these comments by Dr. Frederick Gaiser a few years ago. He is an emeritus Old Testament professor at Luther Seminary, and a wonderful preacher. He addressed the question of what was his favorite Bible verse, and his response was titled: “No Favorite, but Plenty of ‘Aha’ Moments”

“Over the years, 

I have been repeatedly drawn back 

to the second part of the book of Isaiah. 

Isaiah has more uses of the word “new” 

than any other book of the Bible, 

and none of those uses is trivial.

Just one case in point: Isa 43:16-21. 

Both the theological argument 

and the literary form never cease to excite. 

The argument, as I read it, goes like this, 

with God speaking to Israel: 

“Remember the exodus? 

Good! 

Now forget it, 

because I am going to do an entirely new thing.” 

Then Israel seems to ask in amazement, 

“Oh, entirely new? What will it look like?” 

to which God replies in effect, 

“Well, remember the exodus?” 

The old was a dry way in the sea, the new will be a wet way in the desert. Total surprise, yet not unrecognizable. 

Exodus 

(that is, liberating the oppressed) 

is what God is about.

In other words, there are no “good old days” 

in God’s history with the world. 

Israel’s outlook is always directed forward by God — 

not, to be sure, to some distant future “over the rainbow” 

but to God’s tomorrow and ours, 

which will always come with surprise 

but always with that hint of deja vu, 

that, although this is entirely new territory, 

we can sense we’ve been there before.”

Dr. Fred Gaiser, click here to see the article.

I like Dr. Gaiser's suggestion that when we are in new territory with God, there is a sense that it is a place we’ve already been.

May you be ever mindful of the new things God has in store for you and for Trinity, knowing God is shaping the future for us, and calling us to mission and service. Peace, Pastor Phil

May 5

First, I thank my God 

through Jesus Christ 

for all of you…

Romans 1:8a 

(an out of context/partial verse. I should apologize!)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This month I am going to try to share a quote (or two or three) each weekday in our Connections.

I am so very filled with gratitude for the wonderful Retirement celebration you gave for me on Saturday. I cannot thank you enough. 

To all who planned and schemed and worked to make

our party such a great time for all, THANK YOU!! 

To each of you who was there to share with us, thank you!

I was so grateful that our son David made his way from Casper to be with us, surprising me by arriving on Thursday. Then, on Friday night, Laura’s sister and brother-in-law surprised me at our front door. I was so delighted. A few minutes later, our doorbell rang again, and our daughter Susie had flown from Minneapolis to Denver, and driven here with her aunt and uncle. 

I was flabbergasted and overwhelmed.

The party on Saturday was an equally delightful gift, and as I said on Saturday, I am speechless. I have a feeling that as we come to the conclusion of our time together, we might often find that words fail us.

Well, it was such a very fun weekend, as well as deeply humbling. 

I am filled to overflowing with gratitude. 

Blessings to you this week, and thank you again! Pastor Phil

Here are a few varied gratitude quotes:

In ordinary life we hardly realize 

that we receive a great deal more than we give, 

and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God 

in everything He has given us—and He has given us everything. 

Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, 

every moment of existence is grace, 

for it brings with us immense graces from Him. 

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, 

is never unresponsive, 

is constantly awakening to new wonder, 

and to praise of the goodness of God. 

For the grateful person knows that God is good, 

not by hearsay but by experience. 

And that is what makes all the difference.”

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, 33 (1956)

Here is something I read in a commentary (I think on the Gospel of John, I’m not certain…)

Are we self-made individuals beholden to no one, 

or are we blessed daily in ways we seldom perceive, 

cannot repay and for which we often fail to be grateful? 

Here is a barometer of spiritual health: 

although gratitude is not synonymous with faith, 

neither response to God 

can be separated from the other. 

Alan Culpepper

p.s. I saw a poem that a preacher had turned to in reflecting on yesterday’s Gospel story. It made me smile. I thought I'd share it here…

Once in a saintly passion

I cried with desperate grief,

“O Lord, my heart is black with guile,

 Of sinners I am chief.”

Then stooped my guardian angel

and whispered from behind,

“Vanity, my little man,

 You're nothing of the kind.”

James Thomson

May 2

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 

…in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4, 6-7

I shared this some time ago, and I thought it fit well for today…

I read a note that concluded with a prayer by Thomas Merton. The note told of a ministry changing its location, and so, reflected a great deal on moving from one place to another.

Merton included this prayer in his book, “Thoughts in Solitude,” which was published in 1956. It is interesting to see that sources name the prayer quite differently. While one refers to it as “Prayer of Trust” and another “Road Ahead”; the most compelling title to me was: “Prayer of Unknowing.”

I wonder if we might be wise to consider why it is that we are often quite uncomfortable with not knowing.

'Knowledge is power', as the saying goes, and mystics like Thomas Merton often unmask our know-it-all approach as unbelief. I trust this may well speak to your own experience, and give voice to your own heart as you seek to walk with God.

Blessings, Pastor Phil

A prayer by Thomas Merton:

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will

does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though

I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Amen.

– Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, page 79.

May 1

And the one who was seated on the throne said, 

“See, I am making all things new.” 

Also he said, 

“Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

Then he said to me, 

“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 

To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 21:5-6

We looked at some quotes that reflect on Easter and the resurrection of Christ in our noon class yesterday. Among the quotes I shared was this from St Gregory of Nyssa, who lived in the 4th century, and is known as one of the ‘ Cappadocian Fathers.’

Concepts create idols. Only wonder comprehends anything. 

People kill one another over idols. Wonder makes us fall to our knees. 

St Gregory of Nyssa (Life of Moses)

One more thing… I like these concluding lines from a prayer by Walter Brueggemann. They are challenging and inviting as well. 

The prayer is titled: “On Generosity”

It is published in a book of sermons and prayers “Inscribing the Text”:

Sink your generosity deep into our lives

that your muchness may expose our false lack

that endlessly receiving, we may endlessly give,

so that the world may be made Easter new,

without greedy lack, but only wonder

without coercive need, but only love

without destructive greed, but only praise 

without aggression and invasiveness. . . 

all things Easter new. . . 

all around us toward us and

by us

all things Easter new.

Finish your creation. . . in wonder, love and praise. Amen.

Walter Brueggemann, Inscribing the Text Fortress Press, 2004. Page 4

Previous Connections are posted in the Connections Archives