WEEKLY CONNECTIONS

Spiritual Fitness Challenge

2012-03-02T12:25:00.001-08:00

Our Lenten Journey continues and, as with most things in life, it continues to move quite rapidly. Because of that, it’s a good time to ask the question – How are you doing with the Lenten Spiritual Fitness Challenge?

The five “Spiritual Exercises” on which we are focusing this Lent are Worship ~ Bible Study ~ Prayer ~ Repentance ~ Acts of Love. If you are making these a part of your life this Lent, I invite you to keep at it. If you have fallen behind, I encourage you to recommit and involve yourself in these exercises. In fact, here are some ways to do just that in the coming weeks. . .

Worship: This weekend we will look at the miraculous earthquake that occurred after Jesus’ death. Next Wednesday will find us at the foot of the cross at noon and 6:30 pm.

Bible Study: In addition to Sunday at 9:45 am in the sanctuary, I invite you to join me for a three week Tuesday evening study on the Apostles Creed. On Tuesday, March 6 we will look at the First Article beginning at 6:30 pm in rooms 204 – 205. (That’s upstairs near the Family Life Center) I also hope that the daily devotions on “The Miracles of Lent” are blessing you as you read them each day.
Prayer: Take time in your busy schedule to spend time talking with and listening to God.
Repentance: What in your life needs changing or pruning to be in alignment with God’s Word and will? Remember that repentance means “to turn around.” If you can’t think of anything, ask God in your prayer time to point things out to you. Then listen for the answer.
Acts of Love: In addition to the ways that you touch others on a daily basis (one of our members told me this morning of coming upon an elderly woman who had fallen on the ice outside of Ridgedale yesterday. He witnessed others walking past and not helping, so he covered her with his coat and called 911 then waited with her until help arrived – now that’s an act of love!) you are invited to reserve Saturday, March 17 for Beautiful Savior’s Acts of Love Day. You can get information about serving opportunities and times in the Gathering Space this weekend. Stop by and check it out!

The Spiritual Fitness Challenge is one worth taking as we live into God’s mission by connecting people with God’s love and helping them live as committed followers of Christ!

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

There are No Favorites with the Master

2012-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting little article in this morning’s edition of the StarTribune. It is taken from the Washington Post and is titled “Turns out, we’re all a little broken.” It reports on an article in a scientific journal that reports that the average human goes through life with 20 genes out of commission, and they don’t even know it. The inactive genes differ from person to person. I am not a scientist, but I know that the Scriptures agree that we are all broken. The brokenness that we all carry as a result of sin shows itself in different ways in each of our lives. One thing is true for each of us, however. We are in need of the healing and wholeness which only Christ can bring.

This weekend we will continue looking at Ephesians 5 & 6 to see what God says about relationships outside of our families. What is most interesting to me as we read those two chapters (go ahead – look them up and read them), is that God is concerned about our relationships that are even outside of church and family, and the words to slaves and masters in Ephesians 6: 5 – 9 can be applied to our relationships in the work world. In all of our relationships, we are called to treat others as people who are dearly loved by God in Christ. As Ephesians 6: 9 tells us “. . . there is no favoritism with him.” May God give us faith and courage to relate to others in the same way.

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22. We will gather for Worship at noon, 5:30 and 7:30 pm on Ash Wednesday. I invite you to join us as we begin this season of repentance and growth together. Lent, 2012 will find us focusing on the spiritual exercises of Worship ~ Bible Study ~Prayer ~ Repentance ~ Acts of Love. The Lenten mailing that you should be receiving describes opportunities to participate in both group spiritual exercises and individual spiritual exercises. There are benefits to both and I invite you to join me in exercising your spiritual muscles during the days of Lent, both together with others and on your own. Just like physical exercise, however, the benefits are only received when you participate. Join me in participating. You will be blessed as you do so!

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

Influencing the Life of a Child

2012-02-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

I make faces at children who don’t know me. If a small child is having dinner with her family across the aisle . . . if a little one is watching me from the mobile perch of mom’s grocery cart . . . when a little boy looks up from his mission to corral a wayward ball and sees me standing there, I make a face at them. It’s a smiley face and I have multiple versions of a smiley face, the most popular to children being the face of a rejoicing frog. Children delight in smiles from an adult, even when they do not recognize that adult, and they learn the mystery and the majesty of smiling.

We are not all parents, but each of us is someone’s child. We are not all raising children, but each of us has influence in the lives of children. Some of those are children that we know well, some are children we meet but once in a lifetime. You have a gift to give them, in fact, you may have many gifts to give them, but a smile is an inexpensive yet precious gift to one who finds the world an adventure with friends and foes of countless shapes.

During the second weekend of our three week focus on our marriages and families, we turn to Ephesians 5:1, 2, 21; 6:1-4 and find encouragement and guidance for our parenting and for our “childing”. Obey, honor, direct, instruct, encourage – and over all these, love one another, yielding (submitting) ourselves to the arms of one another. During worship we will recognize and celebrate all those couples who in 2012 will celebrate their 5th, 10th, 25th, 40th, 50th, or 60th+ anniversaries.

Thankful for my family and for yours,
Pastor David

Ebenezer

2012-01-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed his precious blood.(LBW, # 499, v. 2)
While that hymn verse uses language that is a little more “King James-ish” than we are used to, the words are a great accompaniment to the first week of the year. One word in particular stands out to me this January.

The word is EBENEZER!

Not to be confused with Charles Dickens’ character, Ebenezer Scrooge, who saw everything other than money and the pursuit of money as worthy of a “bah humbug,” Ebenezer is a Biblical word taken from 1 Samuel 7: 12 when Samuel the priest gave thanks to God for a victory by placing a stone in the ground to mark the occasion with the following words of faith – “Thus far has the LORD helped us.” What a statement of faith that was. It was the LORD who had helped them and they could walk confidently into the future, knowing that He would continue to be with them.

This weekend we will be talking about the blessing of “Ebenezers” in our own lives. The start of a new year is a good time to acknowledge the great truth that “thus far has the LORD helped us.” As a church, we have much for which to give thanks. We also have a wonderful future to which God is calling us. If you stop to think about it, I am certain that you can join me in thanking God for His work in your and your family’s life as well. Together we will raise our Ebenezer as we move into the year ahead in faith and hope.

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

“Glory to God in highest heav’n,
Who unto us his Son has giv’n.”With angels sing in pious mirth:
A glad new year to all the earth!
LBW # 51 v. 14

This concluding verse from Martin Luther’s Christmas hymn “From Heaven Above” sums up well my thoughts and wishes towards you as we look back over 2011 and prepare to turn the calendar to 2012 this weekend. No matter what happens during 2012, we will rejoice and give glory to God for giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus we have received the gift of being God’s sons and daughters. As his children, we go forth into 2012 in faith with thanksgiving for the past and with confident hope for the future. I am honored to be walking into the future with you.

Let me invite you to join us for worship this New Year’s weekend at Beautiful Savior. We will give thanks for the year that is ending and ask for God’s guidance and blessing on the one which is beginning. Our schedule looks like this :

Saturday, December 31, 2011 : New Year’s Eve Worship at 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 1, 2012 : New Year’s Day Worship at 8:30 & 11:00 am

Happy New Year! See you when we gather for worship this weekend!

A Savior Has Been Born to You

2011-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”+ Luke 2: 10 – 14 +

As we enter into Christmas, I share these verses from Luke’s Christmas Gospel to draw your attention away from all of the other stuff that has vied for your attention over the last few weeks. Whether it has been decorating or baking or shopping or gift-wrapping or just making it through the month of December in one piece and in reasonably good spirits, I invite you to stop and read and listen and reflect and rejoice at the message given to the shepherds because it is also given to you. The Savior has come for you. God loves you in Christ and He always will. I pray that this love will touch your hearts as Christmas unfolds and I pray that you will be aware of His presence each day.

I also invite you to come and worship this Christmas! The schedule at Beautiful Savior this weekend looks like this :

Saturday, December 24 : Christmas Eve Family Worship at 3:00 & 5:00 pm
Saturday, December 24 : Pre-service Music at 10:30 pm
Saturday, December 24 : Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship at 11:00 pm
Sunday, December 25 : Christmas Day Festival Worship at 8: 30 & 11:00 am

I look forward to worshipping with you this Christmas. Please invite your neighbors and co-workers to join you. If you have family gatherings planned, this is a good weekend to invite your relatives to worship at Beautiful Savior as well. I look forward to meeting your guests as well. Please make sure to introduce them to me.

The entire staff and all of our families join me in wishing you a most blessed Christmas. It is an incredible honor to serve among you and we look forward to all that God has planned for Beautiful Savior in 2012!

See you when we gather for Christmas Worship!

Back to the Basics

2011-12-08T09:20:00.001-08:00

Did you ever have a moment that both made you shake your head and teach you a lesson at the same time? It is Wednesday, December 7 as I write these words and I had a moment like that this morning while I was paying for my coffee at Caribou. If you are not familiar with Caribou Coffee Shops, they have a trivia question posted each morning that is good for a dime discount on your purchase if you answer it correctly. This morning’s (remember, it is December 7th as I write this) question at the Caribou where I stopped was this : “What infamous event happened to the United States on this date 70 years ago today?” Knowing that the answer was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which began our nation’s involvement in World War II, I had to ask if there were people who got the answer incorrect. The folks behind the counter informed me that, yes, there were some folks who got the answer wrong.

I must admit that reality saddened me. Days like that in our nation’s history shouldn’t be forgotten and I don’t think I feel that way only because I am the son of a World War II veteran. As I reflected on it during the day, however, it dawned on me that it is always easy to forget the basics if we don’t keep them in front of our eyes on a continual basis. That is true when it comes to United States history and it is true when it comes to the teachings of Holy Scripture. It is good to get back to basics even while we push on in our Christian growth and service.

There is no better way to get back to basics than to celebrate the gift of the Christ-child at Christmas. With that in mind, I’d like to invite you to make time for worship a high priority over the next few weeks. The time of Advent reminds us to watch and wait and pray and open the gifts which God gives. Our Christmas celebrations, beginning with the Sonbeams (PS – Kindergarten) and Children’s (grades 1 – 6) Christmas Services on Sunday, December 18 at 10:00 am and 4:30 pm respectively, and continuing on through Christmas Eve Services at 3:00 , 5:00 and 11:00 pm and Christmas Day Festival Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 am will take us back to the most basic, and yet most profound element of our faith: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

In response to His love, I can’t say it any better than the hymn writer: ‘Oh, come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T14:06:00.001-08:00

On this day before Thanksgiving, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a most happy and blessed holiday! The national day of thanksgiving gives each of us the opportunity to reflect on the year that is quickly passing and to take note of the ways that God has blessed us. Then, having taken note of them. . . to thank God for them all. As the words of the Common Doxology put it . . .

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Whatever you and I have for which to be thankful, God is the One to whom we express our gratitude. Gratitude is best expressed in word and deed. As we have seen in Matthew 25 the last two weeks, we are free to serve, and we are also free to give thanks for all that God is and for all that He has done for us in Christ. We will do just that tonight at 7:00pm and tomorrow at 10:00am as we join our hearts in Thanksgiving worship in our Sanctuary. I invite you to join us for one of these services. I also invite you to give thanks to God in your heart as you reflect on your blessings. An exercise like that will remind you of their source, and we all need that reminder on a regular basis.
One of the great blessings in my life is my call to be the Senior Pastor of Beautiful Savior. I was reminded of God’s blessings on this parish as I watched yesterday unfold here at the corner of Schmidt Lake Road and Northwest Blvd. At the south end of the building, a large and generous offering of food was loaded into vehicles and taken to PRISM in Jesus’ name to be distributed through their food shelf. Thanks for your generosity! At the north end of the building, a team of our fellow-members assembled all the parts of Thanksgiving dinner (turkey and all the fixin's) for approximately twenty-five families in need to enjoy this Thanksgiving Day. My prayers include thanks for all of the ways that the people of Beautiful Savior share God’s love in word and deed. You are a blessing to many, including me. I thank God for you!

Next weekend we will begin the season of Advent. If you haven’t picked up your Advent Devotions Book, there are still copies available in the Gathering Space. Advent Wednesday Worship will begin at 6:30 pm on November 30, December 7 and December 14. BreakOut will be held in the Family Life Center at the same time for our Junior High and Senior High students. They also will be focusing their time together on Advent themes. Advent suppers will be served in the Commons by our senior high youth with your donations helping to finance their summer trips. They will be serving from 4:45 – 6:00 pm and they invite you to join them.
Happy Thanksgiving

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

Overflowing Thankfulness

2011-11-17T14:29:00.001-08:00

I invite you to ponder this scripture and to ask yourself how you might respond to His goodness this week. …

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! ~2 Corinthians 9: 6-15

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible study

Waiting

2011-11-10T12:08:00.001-08:00

One of the great challenges that young (and not-so-young) children face is waiting. Whether it is waiting in line at the store or waiting for a special day such as Christmas or a birthday to arrive, it can be difficult to wait. That challenge of waiting can be just as real for teenagers as they wait for the day when they are old enough to drive or date or move out on their own. For adults, waiting for the weekend or for vacation or even retirement can be a difficult time that causes anxiety and worry.

The entire subject of waiting brings a song that used to be heard around my house to mind – “Let’s think of something to do while we’re waiting. . .” was the refrain and it was a children’s song that encouraged just what the words said. This weekend’s Gospel reading from Matthew 25: 14 – 30 talks about what to do while we wait for the Lord’s return. There are different ways that people choose to wait for that great and inevitable day. A few of those ways are . . .

Spending time trying to figure out exactly when He will return.
Sitting around doing nothing.
Ignoring the clear Scriptural warnings that He will return and living however one pleases.
Joyfully receiving His gifts in faith and using those gifts to serve others.

Of those four, and there are undoubtedly other choices that people make, the last one is the choice that God would have us to make. He knows the day and the time of Christ’s return in judgment. What we know is that we are alive today and we are given the gift of salvation and the other gifts which God has chosen to pour into our lives. We are free to invest those gifts in others and we are free to serve while we wait. The question for each of us today is this – will we? May God give us the faith and the courage to wait for Him and to serve as we do so!

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

He Will Wipe Every Tear From their Eyes

2011-11-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to celebrate All Saints Sunday at all of our services this weekend, my thoughts and prayers go out to all who have felt the sting of death this past year. It is for you especially that I share this picture of The New Jerusalem from Revelation 21: 1 – 7. . . .

1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 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 without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

God’s peace be yours in abundance today.

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

Pastor Tom

The Prodigal God (continued)

2011-10-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

“My son,” the father said, “ you are always with me and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:31 - 32
As we have spent time in the parable of the lost sons and their loving father, have you noticed the similarities between the two brothers in spite of their differences? Two stand out for me . . .
They were both lost, even though one seemed more rebellious and one seemed more obedient.
They both needed God’s initiating love.

The picture painted by Jesus at the end of the parable, which you can read in Luke 15:25 – 32 (see v. 31 – 32 above), is a beautiful picture of God’s grace shown to us in Christ. Timothy Keller, the author of The Prodigal God, describes this beautifully. . .

We will never find God unless he first seeks us, but we should remember that he can do so in very different ways. Sometimes, God jumps on us dramatically, as he does with the younger son, and we have a sharp sense of his love. Sometimes he quietly and patiently argues with us even though we continue to turn away, as in the case of the older son. How can you tell if he is working on you now? If you begin to sense your lostness and find yourself wanting to escape it, you should realize that desire is not something you could have generated on your own. Such a process requires Help, and if it is happening it is a good indication that he is even now at your side.

(Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, p. 75)

This weekend we will celebrate God’s initiating love as we mark the 494th anniversary of the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation. At God’s initiation, the Gospel changed Martin Luther’s life, and God used that change to literally change the course of history. We will also celebrate God’s initiating love in the lives of ten of our ninth graders as they publicly state their faith in the Rite of Confirmation during the 11:00 service on Sunday morning. Who knows what God has in store for each of them? We pray that they would always receive God’s gifts to them in Christ and that they will always respond to his initiating love in faith toward God and in service to others.

Actually, that is a prayer that we should constantly pray for ourselves and for each other.

Will you join me in that prayer today and every day?

To be continued . . .

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!

The Prodigal God

2011-10-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in.
So his father went out and pleaded with him.”

The parable continues. . . begin Act II . . . enter the elder brother. . .

He was not the rebellious one. He was not someone who brought shame on his father. He was “the good son” in the world’s eyes. The problem was that he believed that about himself. He thought that his obedience should and would bring him special favor in his father’s sight. If you read the parable again, especially Luke 15: 25 – 32; you will see that his anger over his brother’s return separated him from his father.

And he didn’t even realize it.

The differences reveal the similarities between the two brothers. They both were concerned more about themselves than they were about their father. They both wanted the father’s stuff but not the father. They both were the recipients of the father’s seeking love.

The parable tells us that one came home and one refused to do so.

Where do you find yourself in the parable? Whether you have younger brother or elder brother tendencies (or maybe some of each); the point is that the Heavenly Father has sought you out in Christ and has prepared a seat at His eternal banquet table for you. He invites you to leave your sin and your rebellious nature at the cross and to come home. He also invites you to celebrate when others do the same. May God give us grace to do just that – daily.

To be continued . . .

See you when we gather for Worship and Bible Study!