They're Great!! Right?

   Greetings to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  I believe my last couple sermons have recorded successfully.  So if you want to listen to those, check them out on our church website.  (http://www.piclutheran.org/learn/sermons-2/) My own from this weekend should be up tomorrow.
    I have been busy with a lot of details and events coming up.  I successfully organized my first hooley.  What's a hooley you ask?  It is Irish slang for party!  I am hosting a party at Dubh Linn's Irish Pub at the end of October and our wonderful secretary came up with hooley for the title.  It is for 21 to 39 year old's in the congregation.  This is supposed to be my target focus group as the young associate pastor.  Most of them in this demographic, (282 on the church record books) are mostly inactive and don't come to anything at church.  So my plan is to gently guide them back with more community life events first and then work them back into regular worship and active roles in the church.  I sent out 150 invites (those who we actual had emails or addresses for still) and we will see how many we have actually come.
   My devotion this morning included Psalm 111 which speaks of the great works of the Lord.  Great are the works of the Lord... Full of splendor and majesty is his work... He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered...   God's works are great.  Creation, the art, the exodus, the ten plagues, the Red Sea, the manna, the promise land, the prophets and wars, John the Baptist, His Son, the disciples, His Son's death, His Son's resurrection, the ascension, the start of the Christian church, etc.  That is not even the full list, but is a pretty good highlight reel.  However, did you notice something?  As you read through that list, did you stop and gasp at each one, or did you simply read through the list without really thinking about them individually?  Each one of those is such an amazing work God did through His power and mightiness, that that list should take a person ten minutes to get through as he or she reflects and is amazed by each one.  So how come you read through it in a matter of seconds?  Because we have heard of these great works over and over.  We know the stories, we know how they end, and we don't give them much more thought than that.  But wait a second.  The psalm states that His works will be remembered, then says the Lord is gracious and merciful.  His work is full of splendor and majesty, followed by His righteousness endures forever.  These great and powerful works are suppose to be remembered to remind us who our God is.  As you read through the list above and acknowledged that each one was indeed a powerful and wonderful work of the Lord, did it remind you of the gracious, merciful, righteous God we have?  Or did you blow by that sign as fast as you when through the list?
    It is kind of like how every time I see a new landscape, whether it be mountains, lakes, trees, ocean, fields, desert, etc. I always stop and take in the full view.  I am instantly reminded of how awesome our God is who made all of these wonderful scenes.  However, the drive to work that I take everyday, very rarely reminds me of God's amazing artistic ability.  I have seen it so many times it has lost it luster.  It seems less impressive now that it is routine.
    So maybe we shouldn't hear the stories of God's awesome works so often, and then maybe they would be full of splendor and majesty again.  Maybe if we only heard the works of the Lord once every two years instead of every year, we would be reminded of His graciousness, mercy, and righteousness again.  OR we can go back and re-read that list, this time stopping to reflect on how awesome each work truly is.  We can slow down our lives enough to remember the works of the Lord and still be constantly reminded of who is as our God who did these things.  We can be impressed by the routine, because instead of acknowledging that we already know that story, we can review and reflect on how that story leaves a different impact on us hearing this time from the last time we heard it.  I can watch the same stupid movie 100 times and still laugh every time, why can't I read the same Bible story 100 and still be in awe of the wonderful God we have.  He is awesome, He is powerful, He is gracious, He is majestic, He is merciful, He is righteous, He is our loving God who did these mighty acts and wants us to remember them so we will be reminded of exactly who our God is and how He works for, through, and in us.  Praise be to this God as hopefully you slow down to be reminded of who He is and what His Son did and continues to do for you each and every day.

Sweet Dreams.

     Greetings in the name of our precious Savior Jesus Christ.  It has been a busy week.  I woke up to a phone call Wednesday morning that my senior pastor was not well.  He ended up going to the hospital for a kidney stone.  So I had to very quickly cover everything Wednesday as well as start writing a sermon for this weekend.  He is out of the hospital now and doing better, but will still need to take it easy for awhile.  I do have give credit to Ruth who taught confirmation so that I could cover a few other things.  It definitely changed the course of my week in a hurry, but thanks be to God we managed and he is doing better.
    I am writing my sermon on the Old Testament text from Amos and am noticing how easy it is to go into a doom and gloom, fire and brimstone mode from the text.  I had to laugh as I was typing and starting noticing my tendency to go that way.  I am trying to stay more positive and Gospel driven, but it is scary as you begin to compare modern day America with the times of Amos.
    My devotion a few days ago, included Psalm 126 which begins with, "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream."  This is from book four of the psalms, which is usually attributed to the return of Israel back from the exile.  So, the psalmist is saying when the Lord brought Israel back together as a people again and ended the exile from Babylon, it was like they were dreaming.
   The Lord's restoring their fortune was so unreal, so amazing awesome, they felt like they were dreaming.  I love this way of putting it.  I love it, because every time I try to imagine Jesus' second coming, I can't picture it as reality.  Even in my dreams of His second coming, it feels like I am dreaming.  We will have to pinch ourselves it will be so awesome, so beautiful, it won't feel real.  However, it won't be a dream.  When we pinch ourselves, we will know we are awake and that Christ has come again.  This simple line used by the psalmist reminds us of the hope and the excitement we have in Christ's promise to come again.  How awesome is our God.

Rescue me from Hades!

  Greetings to all of you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I survived another very busy weekend.  Friday I drove up to Hibbing, which is about an hour away, and met the very nice LWML ladies from Grace Lutheran there.  They had supported me through the seminary as the pastor there was a friend of mine first year.  They had originally planned to come to my ordination, but miscommunication happened and they didn't know it was a morning service.  So I ran up and had a nice lunch and visit with them, and it gave me a good opportunity to thank them.  Then I came back and wrote my sermon for Sunday since the week got away from me.  Later that night I went to the high school football game.  It was the rival game between Hermantown and Proctor (the next town over).  Hermantown smoked them 68 to 0.  It was so much fun to be at a high school football game on a Friday night again.
   Then Saturday morning, five of us guys went to a church family's house to split wood.  They live an hour away, but are very faithful members.  They have eight kids and they heat their house purely with wood all winter.  The dad hurt his back and has not been able to cut or split wood.  So we had a couple guys running chain saws cutting down more trees, and a couple guys running the splitter.  Their kids stacked the split wood all day.  It was a fun day and a good opportunity to serve a family in need.  Then I had to get back to church to learn my sermon and be ready for Saturday night service.
    Services Saturday night and Sunday morning went well.  I got to be crazy and goofy with the kids in the children's sermon which I always enjoy.  Then I spent Sunday afternoon grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning like a real adult.  Then last night we had our pot luck and Bible study we will have every Sunday night now.  I know I will get fed really well every Sunday night now, and it is a good group that gets together for our study.
    Today, I had a hole list of stuff I was going to get done, and then got in the cleaning mood.  I cleaned out a closet and the fridge in the kitchen.  They had both been needing it for quite some time.  And the best part is, I still got my hole list done.  Now I am getting ready to go to the high school soccer game and then I am actually going brewery hopping.  And yes, it is for work.  I want to host a night out for the younger generations, so I am going to research which one will work with us.  I mean I could try to call, but why not go there and sample a little too. :)
    My devotion today was talking about Jesus thanking the Father for saving Him from the depths of Hades.  It struck me as kind of odd, but I realized that Jesus Himself did suffer Hell as He went to pronounce His victory over the devil.  Jesus saw how awful it was, He experienced how excruciating it is to be out of the Father's grace.  And so He thanks the Father for His mighty wonders of saving Him.  And I starting thinking that I am glad I don't have to say that prayer.  I don't have to worry about being saved from the depths of Hades, since because of Christ I will never be there. And yet that seemed odd too.  I should pray that prayer even more for that fact.  I should sing His praises that He DID save me from the depths of Hades, so now I never will have to experience it.  It is one more thing Christ did for me so I never will have to go through that.  I most definitely deserve an eternal sentence to Hades, and yet thanks be to God, that since Christ has been there and has announced His victory over it, I never will have to be there.  That is definitely worth a prayer of thanksgiving.  SO, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, dear Lord for Your grace and mercy freely giving me my redemption and salvation in Christ Jesus.  Amen.    

Plentiful!

    Greetings to you in Jesus.  It's fall!!!  We have been having perfect weather up here of cool mornings and evening with warmer afternoons.  I love walking out to 40's in the mornings and then feeling the sun's warmth of the 60's or 70's in the afternoons.  I did have to laugh at a couple walking out of the hotel across from my apartment this morning is winter coats and sweaters.  I just chuckled and sighed, "Southerners".  The trees are turning to beautiful colors of orange, yellow, and red.  This really is the best time of the year.  I even have a doe right behind my office most of yesterday.  Needless to say, I am ready to go hunting!
    I went to the JV football game on Monday and plan to go to the varsity game tomorrow evening.  I didn't realize how much I have missed watching football games on fall evenings.  So glad to be a part of a community again.  However, they are not a football town so they don't take it as seriously as I do.
     I was reading my devotion this morning and the Psalm was Psalm 130.  I love this Psalm and normally my attention goes straight to the watchmen line repeated twice.  However, this morning I caught something new.  My attention was shifted to verse 7 which reads, "O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption."  Those last two words really hit me in a different way today.  PLENTIFUL redemption.  I always knew my redemption is in the Lord and focused on how He accomplished this through His Son Jesus.  However, I don't think I have ever really thought about it being plentiful.  Not with that word anyway.  We live in a word of plenty.  Everything around us seems to be in plenty.  We go to the super stores and see aisle after aisle of shelves full of food and never once worry about it running out.  We don't worry about the opposite of plenty, or scarcity, for anything in our lives.  So why would God's redemption be any different.  But what if God's redemption wasn't plentiful?  What if His redemption was scarce?  What if we had to compete for His limited love and salvation?  What would our world look like then?
    It's a scary thought, but thanks be to God these are all only hypothetical questions because His Word reminds us His love, salvation, and redemption are not scarce, but truly are plentiful.  Plentiful enough for all of us who are already in His salvation through Christ, but also plentiful enough for all of mankind if they would so believe.  So then this becomes even more powerful, because it is not only good news for us, but for all people.  Not only do we not have to worry about it for ourselves, but we can confidently tell others that God's love is plentiful enough to include them as well.  Wheat an awesome God we have that freely offers such amazing and gracious love plentifully.

The seriousness of sin!

   Greetings to you in the name of Jesus.  I apologize, last week was very busy but not very productive.  I preached the 19th and 20th as we started our winter schedule of Saturday night and two Sunday morning worship services.  It was a very busy and long weekend.  Pastor Ludwig was gone as well so I covered Bible study too.  It gave me an appreciation for the amount of work he has been doing by himself for the last twenty years.
    I preached a really fun sermon that was not my usual style.  Unfortunately, it did not record at any of the three services.  We are doing a small group Bible study this fall called "Not A Fan."  So I preached out of the pulpit in my Husker's jersey.  I went to the sacristy during the sermon hymn, and then after it was done I had the Husker Tunnel Walk music come on and I came running out in my Husker's jersey.  It was quite the entrance and definitely grabbed their attention.  I compared being a fan to the Huskers to my relationship with Jesus.  The Bible study compares being a fan and being a follower of Jesus.  So I apologize it did not record, but it was a fun sermon to preach.
    Then right after both services, I went home to pack and head over to Lutheran Island Camp where we had our Fall pastors conference.  It was a relaxing couple days on the island which is such an awesome place.  Then I came back Tuesday night in time for Campus Ministry Bible Study.  Wednesday I had men's Bible study, women's Bible study, both confirmation classes, and attended the youth night that evening as well.  It is fun to see so much going on at church, but definitely makes for long days.  Thursday was a little more low key as Ruth (our DCE) and I went to the High School for the Homecoming Coronation.  Three of our youth were candidates and another three were escorts. One of our girls even won queen.  The parents were impressed that I came to it, but it was fun for me to reminisce about the good old days in High School.
     Then Friday with my day off, I ran over to see a friend in Ironwood, Michigan.  He and I went fishing and it was such a gorgeous day on the lake.  He has a boat we took out, and we were the only ones on the lake.  It was sunny, calm, and such nice weather.  The leaves were starting to turn on the trees all around the lake, and it made me think of something out of a book it was so perfect.  He and I both enjoyed the day of catching up and being on the water on the perfect day.  We didn't catch a ton of fish, but brought in a few.
    Saturday, I had a conference all day and then before I knew it, it was Sunday morning again.  We had both services, with a baptism at the second one.  Pastor Ludwig preached and did Bible Study.  Then I spent the rest of the day getting ready for our Bible Study opener for Not A Fan last night.  We didn't have as many people as I was hoping for, but it will be a good group.  Last night we covered the difference between justification and sanctification.
     Pastor's sermon on Sunday was on Mark 9:42-50.  When Jesus says, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off."  Pastor preached a great sermon on the seriousness of sin and how people don't take their sin serious because they don't take God or His Word as serious.  I really appreciated it.  Then I started thinking about what I would have preached if it would have been my Sunday.  And this thought popped into my head.  When we hear that statement of cut off of our hand if it causes us to sin, first of all we know we should have cut off both hands by now.  We should have cut off both feet, plucked out both eyes, etc. as all our of members have been involved in many sins in our life time.  But secondly, as we think about that statement, I think we romanticize it.  We think about how it would stink to only have one hand.  I can definitely vouch for that as I am very sick of have a cast/splint on my right hand for eight weeks now.  We picture trying to go through life with this clean, healed stump instead of our hand.  We completely skip over the messy, gruesome, painful procedure of the actual cutting.  Picture yourself using a saw or an ax to actually cut off your own hand.  Picture the blood, flesh, and bones being exposed as you keep sawing or hacking.  Try to imagine the pain building and building, try to hear the screams as the pain becomes too much for you.  Its a disgusting, disturbing image isn't it?  But that is the seriousness of sin!  We should be more willing to endure the awfully painful, gruesome experience of cutting off our hand over accepting our sin as a light thing.  It would be better for us to be semi-traumatized by the extremely painful sacrifice of our own hand, then to look at our sin lightly.  But thanks be to God, we don't actually have to go through this horrible experience.  And why not?  Because Jesus did it for us.  He is the one who took all of that pain, all of that bloody, gruesome, traumatizing experience of our sin for us on the cross.  He was willing to endure the FULL pain, the FULL consequences of our sin, the seriousness of our sins on the cross as He was beaten, whipped, and nailed to the wood to die.  So now when you catch yourself in sin with your hands, or your eyes, or your feet, think about the pain and gory bloody experience you should be receiving as a consequence for that sin.  Then remember Jesus took that full punishment for you, picture Jesus's bloody body, scarred face, His crown of thorns and try to take that sin lightly.  Try to tell yourself it isn't that big of a deal to keep doing that sin.  Hopefully you can't.  Instead, fall on your knees, beg for God's forgiveness, and thank the Good Lord that He loves you enough to take that experience for you, to offer you forgiveness freely.  And learn from that experience to not commit that sin again.  Sin is serious, but salvation and eternal life that we have in Christ is even more serious.  Praise be to God.        

Come to the Waters!

    Greetings to you in the name of Jesus.  Sunday was our  Rally Sunday which we held out by Pike Lake.  It was a beautiful morning weather-wise and an absolutely beautiful view of the lake.  We had a fun, up-beat, high energy service.  The praise band played the  music and Pastor Ludwig preached on the theme of "Come to the waters".  Then after the service we had a picnic.  Then I was in charge of the golf tournament.  We had 34 golfers and it was a blast.  I was even able to golf in my cast.  I mean it was not great shots by any means but I helped putt and we still used a few of my shots.  In summary, it was a great way to kick off the school year as we prepare to start our Bible studies, confirmation classes, etc.
     Now this week I am preparing my sermon for this coming Sunday.  It is a bit different because it is more of a topical or themed sermon than the usual textual sermons.  However, I am excited because it is my big kick off and introduction for the Bible study I am in charge of for small groups this fall. It is called "Not a Fan."  It is looking at being a follower of Jesus rather than just a fan.  So this sermon will be a fun, out of the box sermon.
     I lead the Campus Ministry Bible study last night at the other Lutheran church that I am working with for that.  We had 12 students and I felt it went really well.  It is fun to be working with college aged kids again.  Other than that, it is a normal week for me just preparing for all the fun stuff happening this fall.  The Lord is good and we can most certainly see that here at Peace in Christ.  Blessings to you as you go about your day and week as well.  

Sleep?

    Greetings to you in the name of Jesus.  Hope you all had a good weekend and restful holiday of Labor Day.  The Psalm from my devotion fits perfect with the theme of using Labor Day to rest up and relax from your labor.  Psalm 127:1-2 "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."  My mother like most mothers will probably appreciate this psalm and this reminder that even God tells us we need sleep.  In fact, read it again, sleep is a gift that he gives to his beloved.  Lately I have been having trouble falling asleep as I lay down at nights, because I have a million things racing through my head.  Between reflecting on what I actually got accomplished that day, reviewing what I should have got done that I didn't, making mental lists of what I have to get done the next day, and then going through it all again to make sure I am not forgetting anything, I think I actually work my brain harder in bed than I do the rest of the day.  However, as I read these words from the psalm, I realized I am toiling in vain.  I am guilty of eating the bread of anxious toil.  I am stressing myself out thinking that I have to do everything.  These words remind me first of all, that I need to remember who is really at work.  It is not Kevin Richter who is going to write that perfect sermon that the people need to hear.  It is not me who is going to prepare the perfect Bible study that will educate and engage the people.  It is not me that will etc. etc. etc.  It is God working through me who does all these great things.  Now I still have work to do and cannot simply sit idly at my desk and then blame God when nothing is done, but when I forget who is really at work through my labor, it is all for nothing just as the psalmist says.  In addition, these words also remind me that sleep and rest is given to us from God to give us the strength to keep working for Him.  If we are run down and always tired, we are not as useful for Him to work through.  At the seminary we looked at it this way.  When we look at our work and God working through us, it is like a lumber jack and his ax.  The lumber jack can't cut down the tree without his ax, but the ax can't swing itself to cut down the tree.  They both have to work together to get the job done.  God is the lumber jack who does the work through us the ax.  We need Him and He works through us.  I like this analogy because it even reminds us that a sharp ax is better than a dull ax.  So when we get plenty of rest, and are constantly in His Word and prayer, we are a good sharp ax He can work much more efficiently through.  However, if we are tired, run down, neglecting devotions and prayer time, we are a dull ax that God has to work much harder to work through.  So be a good sharp ax, remember God is at work in your labor, get the rest He gives you sleeping peacefully trusting in Him, and use your time awake to be in His Word and in prayer so that you will be a sharp tool ready to get the job done through His workings.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.