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May 1 Worship

4/25/2016

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The last book of the Bible - Revelation - brings us to a vision of St. John, where he sees the holy city coming down from heaven. This is part of the description in Sunday's reading.   

"I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations"   Revelation 21:22-26

The context is that John has been banished to the island of Patmos.  The Roman Empire has been engaged in persecution of those who do not affirm that the emperor is Lord.  Of course, the Christians would affirm that only Jesus is Lord and not the emperor.  What John is saying here is that God is in control of history.  A better day will dawn.  Those who are facing persecution can have hope.

Look deeply at this picture that John's provides for his readers.  It is one where God's glory is overall.  So strong is this glory that no natural light such as a sun is needed. Here too, there is no church building.  Again, God's presence is overall.   Moreover, God's presence will be the main focus as kings and their citizens bring their best into this city.

I would have you reflect on the power of this vision for your own life.  Are there times when you wonder who is really in control?  Can you see with this vision the direction that God desires for all of us here on Earth? How might it empower you to move in a God-given direction?

May God's blessings be upon your meditation of this text and your worship this Sunday.
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April 24 Worship

4/18/2016

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This Sunday's Gospel reading takes us back before the resurrection.  Jesus is giving his departing words to his disciples.  Here is part of that conversation:

"When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him...  I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13: 31, :34-35

We note how Jesus talks about glorification almost in a surreal way as he knows it will come through his death and resurrection.  Also, in the same breath he gives them a new commandment.  Certainly loving others had been commanded in Scripture before Jesus' coming; yet, here he issues a new commandment.  What is new is that it is linked directly to him.  This love is to exemplify his love for us.  It would be a sacrificial love - a love that is willing to go the extra mile.

The purpose of our living out this love is so that the world would recognize that we are followers of Jesus.  Yes, we have to be on our guard, but as we do exhibit this kind of sacrificial love we will be known by the world. Consider what the world means by love - a sentimental or romantic feeling. Jesus here gives us a new meaning to the word.  As we live this out we live in fellowship with our Lord.

I would invite you to reflect on this passage in John's Gospel and how much you exhibit this love in your own life in preparation for Sunday worship.

Pastor Marty
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April 17 Worship

4/11/2016

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The service this Sunday will focus on the Shepherd theme.  What is astounding is that Jesus is both the lamb and the shepherd!   Since the service will be joint worship with Moraine Valley Community Church, both pastors will be giving reflections on this theme.

First, Jesus as the lamb.  The Bible is rich in this imagery.  The lamb was the animal to be sacrificed for the Passover.  This sacrifice would point to Jesus as being the lamb who sacrificed himself for us.  We have these words by the evangelist John:   "The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and declared: 'Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'"  John 1:29

As the lamb, Jesus could identify with each one of us.  How much this would qualify him to be our shepherd!  We have these words of our Lord:  "I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  John 10:11

Jesus as our good shepherd is one who is totally concerned with our welfare.  He will not neglect us in any way.  We are under his total care.   Jesus would also say:  "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me."  John 10:27.   Do you see how closely we are connected to Jesus?  We are able to hear his voice.  Moreover, we are those who follow him.  Yes, this following involves listening for him.

In preparation you may want to reflect on how you would listen for the voice of this shepherd in your own life.  May God's blessing be upon your preparation for worship this Sunday.

Please note:  The service which will be at 10:30 a.m. and will feature Praise Dancers from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chicago who will present liturgical dance .

Pastor Marty





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April 10 Worship

4/4/2016

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The Gospel for this Sunday brings us to Jesus making another appearance to his disciples after he rose from the dead. This time he is not appearing to them who are hiding behind locked doors, but he comes to them on the seashore, while the disciples are out fishing.

The Gospel (John 21:1-14) reading brings us these words:

"Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, 'Children, you have no fish, have you?'  They answered him, 'No."  He said to them, 'Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.'  So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish."    John 21:4-6

Jesus made all the difference.  Those disciples had fished all night and had no luck.  Jesus comes on the scene and makes them successful.

Let me give you some thoughts here to contemplate.  Have you had failure in any kind of endeavor where you just gave up?  What would it be like for you to offer prayer to Jesus and ask for his blessing?   Think, too, of how those fishermen must have looked going out one more time when they had a dry spell all night!  What we might do might seem to be foolish, but again, with the Lord's blessings, we could very well be successful.

So, how much does Jesus become a part of your life in times of failure?  Are you willing to trust him for one more attempt at something?  Think now of the ramifications for doing work in outreach for the church. It might be easy to give up and say we have done our best in this town to reach people.  Might there not be another nook that hasn't been tried?

I would ask you to contemplate these words as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

Pastor Marty
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    I invite you to reflect on these words of Scripture in preparing for worship.

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    Pastor Marty Pauschke

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