5/1/2008
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
John 17: 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do
Dear Friends,
Ops. I was working off the wrong list for Rick Warren's purposes of the church. Actually, let me raise up the list he entitles Five Instructions for the Church over the next five weeks.
The first purpose of the church is to worship. For we Lutherans this means coming before God's presence through the proclaimed Word and administered sacrament. At Reformation we proclaim the Word at least five times and week and offer the sacrament of Communion at least four times a week.
When we allow God to be in the center of our lives, be it congregational or personal, wonderful things begin to happen. Have you allowed the Spirit to lead you into deeper worship of the Almighty. If so, what have been the results.
My sermon for this week was entitled, "Dancing with the Three O'clock Demons." I hope this encourages you to take a look.
5/8/2008
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
John 17 6"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world.
Dear Friends,
I am going over the 5 purposes of the church according to Rick Warren. The second is evangelism. Now evangelism is a word that scares a lot of Lutherans (and other Christians for that matter). I suspect that we think of standing on some soap box crying "Repent." A strange outfit would help complete this picture.
I see evangelism as sharing the love of Christ in some meaningful way. For some this means a phone call to see how a neighbor is doing. For another it is working in a food pantry. One person may volunteer his or her computer skills, while another might share a personal account of how God has touched their lives. Evangelism varies greatly, but is a part of any healthy congregation and Christian life style.
5/15/2008
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
John 17: 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them,
Dear Friends,
I am going over the 5 purposes of the church according to Rick Warren. The third purpose is discipleship. I think of the root word discipline. A disciple is one who, by the power of the Holy Spirit (How appropriate in Pentecost), actually has the disciple to follow the teachings of Christ. A disciple is one who stays close to Christ by Word and Sacrament. A disciple is one who studies the Word of God. A disciple is one who practices active compassion. How then are we disciples?
5/21/2008
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
John 17: 2While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them,
Dear Friends,
I am going over the 5 purposes of the church according to Rick Warren. The third purpose is fellowship.
Now fellowship is an important aspect of the church. Our Lord understood that alone most of us would quickly be lost to the faith. We need the support and encouragement and wisdom of those around us. In this sense each of us play a very critical role.
5/29/2008
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
I revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. John 17:6
Dear Friends,
I am going over the 5 purposes of the church according to Rick Warren. The fourth purpose is evangelism. I would define evangelism as sharing Christ Jesus with another that respects both of our mutual integrity. Candidly, Lutherans are not great nature evangelists. We tend to be very forthright about everything except our personal faith. But if we allow the Spirit to reveal the opportunities that are presented to us, and trust that the Spirit will give us the right words and attitude, you might be surprised at the result.
