If you are in the Anchorage Area on the 14th

Support Republican Ideas

Matthew 21:44

⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”  

Perhaps, as we undermine the Gospel we should beware lest the corner stone fall in on us

October 2nd, the 16th week after Pentecost, the Story of the Unjust Tenant

The following is a 10 minute worship for October 2nd, the 16th week after Pentecost, the Story of the Unjust Tenants. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY . You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. Please help fund this ministry by clicking on the donation link on the right and making a small donation to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

Matthew 21:33-46

The Parable of the Tenants

It has been a long time really
Since the beginning of time
We just need a bit more time
To fix things
make the right
the fruit is not cooperating
and we are not sure we like it anyway
we have some suggestions for improvement
what fruit to let in
and what to keep out
and then there is that big stone over there
it is in the way
we are trying to build a wall
keep others out
and after all this time
don’t you think it should be ours anyway
don’t you
and Jesus looked down from the cross
and said
Father, forgive them
For they know not what they do


cartoon by www.nakedpastor.com

Opening Litany based on Psalm 80:7-15

Pastor: Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Congregation: You liberated your people from slavery in the land of the Pharaohs. You gave them a great land and a great calling, just as you have given us a great land and a great calling. You blessed them with abundance as you have blessed us with abundance.


Pastor: Why then O Lord have you broken down the walls so that all who pass by may pick its grapes? Why O Lord do you let the wild things and insects ravage and feed upon the abundance you have blessed us with?

Congregation: Return to us, God Almighty! Look to us from your heavenly realm and watch over this blessing you have planted, the children of God you have called your own, and help us in turn Return to You as the cornerstone of our lives.

stylized warfare

Sunday October 2nd, Isaiah 5: 1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. 3 "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? God created the world and called all that was created not just good, but very good. God loves this world and has cared for it. The world has not done so well by God however. Waiting for the fruit of justice and caring for one another, it has returned mainly war and greed. This creation has all that is needed to be called once again, very good. What is needed however is for you and I, the worker tenants, to do a little weeding and pruning, starting with our own lives. I was just in the store and while there could overhear all the conversations about the game this weekend. On the radio, discussions about drones in warfare, on another station how funds for green jobs is being cut and fights over disaster relief being held up for government shutdown. What have we become? How easily we are bought off with the shiny trinkets of entertainment and war. My father used to refer to our national obsession of sports as stylized warfare so perhaps one could say that what we are really addicted to is war, in all its manifestations. Is this the fruit we are called to produce? Is this the world created by a loving God and called Good?

he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed

Monday October 3rd, Isaiah 5: 5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it." 7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. Sometimes, the best one can do for one’s children is to let them go on their own and experience the fruitlessness of a non-connected life. It is painful to watch, often times because it reminds us of our own experiences. Fredrick Buechner points out in Wishful Thinking, that Christians aren’t any better than anyone else, they just have some half-baked idea who to thank, and what a difference knowing who to thank and going about thanking them makes. Buddhists would call it mindful presence. Farmers know that sometimes just letting a field go for a while is the best thing you can do for a field if you want long term production out of it. But as a parent, which I imagine as similar to God in this situation, it is tough thing to watch and hoping someday they will find their way and stop hurting.

"I"

Tuesday October 4th, Philippians 3: a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. How many “I’s” did you count? Have you ever known someone with an “I” problem who fills their conversation, about God, the church, family etc. with “I” after “I” after “I.”? The trouble is that we listen to them and then go away with a firm commitment to use “I” less often. When we assume to see a little success we think we have it made. We wouldn't want to appear soo prideful. Sometimes it is also a ruse to simply do less. Garrison Kelleher would point out that most Lutheran’s rather than having an “I” trouble, they have the opposite trouble. We are so worried that we might slip an “I” in there that we never volunteer for anything. Somehow it would be nice to strike a balance between “Look what I did” and “I will just sit here and wait for God to do it, I don’t want to seem too prideful.”

seeds just seem to be planted

Wednesday October 5th, Philippians 3: I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. It is not my doing that brings about any righteousness. If it were my doing, it would be self-righteousness and the world already has too much of that. No, I walk in the presence of God, doing my best day in and day out, being thankful for what I have and asking for forgiveness for those turns that take me to the “self” side of the world. All good that comes into my life is from Christ, what goes out, I pray has some of Christ in it and lots of forgiveness for what was left in-between. When you walk with integrity as a child of God, seeds just seem to be planted.

power, avarice, and oppression

Thursday October 6th, Matthew 21: 33"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. This world has all that is needed for all to live as God intended. The call is to live as the children of God and to show mercy, love justice and walk humbly before our God. We have a little trouble with the mercy part, and now that it is mentioned, the justice part also, and we don’t do so well at walking humbly before God. There are times we even blame God for our part in the mess, but that doesn’t work so well. There are a few shining examples but most of the fruit is kind of small and sour. Sometimes the fruit we get is processed. I will offer something I stole from the facebook of a pastor friend in Iowa. Some Presidential wannabes loudly proclaim their belief that we need to restore religious values into American politics. If the religion they would have applied to the political realm is the Christian religion it would mean (among other things) that our government would have us pray for our enemies, not bomb them; feed the poor, not raise food prices; care for the sick, not add to their woes; share burdens, not overburden some; bless children, not deprive them; encourage the wealthy to sell what they have and give the money to the poor. These are the lessons, the "values" of Christ. Am I missing something? (pause) Don't tell me that those who want this to be "a Christian nation" are singing the praises of power, avarice, and oppressing the poor! Don't they know that power, avarice, and oppression are the antitheses of the values Christ brought to earth? If not, someone needs to tell them. I'll try. I hope you will, too.

self-examination

Friday October 7th, Matthew 21: 35 "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. 38 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. In the beginning was the temptation to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, gain all knowledge and be like God, knowing good and evil and everything in-between. Since partaking of that tree, we have been learning, albeit a bit more on the evil side than on the good side of that equation. Lest this become only history, look back on the times in your life when you rejected those prophets who brought you sage advice about the kingdom from time to time. Think back on the times when the Gospel was similarly shunned, and how even now there are parts of the good news that if not shunned by you and I are at least placed sort of on the back of the shelf. This is not so much a lesson in public or even private humiliation and shame as it is in self-realization. If you and I, who are fully aware that we are children of God and yet upon very little self-examination realize we are not very good at being a child of God and are sometimes even hostile to it, are saved by grace, is it outside of the realm of anyone?

teach a little humility

Saturday: October 8th, Matthew 21: 43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." Oh, you mean all that grace is supposed to produce fruit? The corner stone; when building a building, that is the one on which you line up everything else. You measure from it to get the length and width and you measure from it diagonally to square and true things up. Without that starting point as a reference, you are just plain off. If you enjoy building things like I do, and are messy like I am, you know there will be times when you will be looking at off somewhere as you are walking about and you will trip over it (believe me, this is not just a metaphor). It is at these moments that you realize that whatever you are doing, you have to be aware of what might trip you up. Trip over a large stone laying there a few times and you will be aware of it. That stone will break all your preconceived ideas of what seems to be a safe path and teach a little humility in the process. If you try to ignore the cornerstone in your life, God will see to it that you trip over it from time to time as a reminder. That may hurt the ego a bit but it is very effective. I think the message of the cornerstone falling on someone is what happens when you try to undermine it. Either way, God will get our attention somehow.

What some people call class warfare, others refer to as the Gospel.

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32: Prophetic Vision for a Just Economic Future

Greg Carey

Professor of New Testament, Lancaster Theological Seminary

Ezekiel speaks compellingly to the current situation in the United States. But is the prophet's message true?

Precise Diagnosis

The society the prophet addresses suffers from a severe lack of perspective. It knows God's standards. These appear in the verses our Lectionary passes over, Ezekiel 18:5-24. God condemns idolatry, sexual immorality, exploitative lending and violence. God demands that people look to the needs of the poor and ensure that the powerless receive the same justice as do the powerful. The society knows God's ways, and yet it rejects them. "The way of the Lord is unfair!" it cries.

It's 2011. Could a passage possibly speak more directly to a society still encumbered by the effects of unjust lending? With politicians waging a national campaign against the poor -- "Tax them more, and liberate the job creators!" -- could Ezekiel's message strike closer to the heart?

In the United States the private corrections industry actually writes the laws by which we incarcerate immigrants, and we imprison more of our citizens than does any other "free" society. How can we ignore this prophet, who demands equal justice for all people? With so many people waving Bibles around and holding prayer meetings, one would expect some familiarity with the way of God. Instead, it seems the loudest Christians declare Ezekiel's message unjust.

Thank God some religious leaders are stepping up to resist my home state's draconian immigration law. Ezekiel's God surely acknowledges the other religious leaders who challenged both Democrats and Republicans to remember the poor in their response to the federal deficit.

Nagging Question

Amazing that an ancient prophet would speak so truthfully to the specifics of our own circumstances. But is Ezekiel correct?

Ezekiel refutes a common proverb: "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (18:2). Remarkably, Jeremiah also rejects this same proverb (Jeremiah 31:29-34). But there's a stubborn thing about such proverbs: they usually convey profound truth. One generation's sins (of omission and commission) often manifest themselves in the suffering of the next.

Painful family legacies confirm the old proverb. One generation's alcoholism is the next generation's disability. Domestic violence and sexual abuse migrate from generation to generation. The surest predictor of one's poverty is the poverty of one's parents.

The proverb speaks not only to households but also to societies. It speaks powerfully to our current situation in the United States. Those of us who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s looked after ourselves. Our grandparents made enormous sacrifices so that we could prosper. They tilled farms and toiled in factories -- many of them did both -- so that we could finish school and find steady employment. We pursued wealth, and some of us attained it. We demanded lower taxes. We bought houses far larger than our parents even desired. Our 401(k) accounts were more important to us than building our society's infrastructure.

We ate the grapes, but our children will taste their full sourness. Ezekiel and Jeremiah are only partly correct. Children do suffer the consequences of their parents' sins.

A Compelling Vision

But a prophet's truth does not reside in accurate assessment of the contemporary situation. It lies in the power of the prophet's vision. Ezekiel reveals the enormous gap between our ways of accounting things and the ways of God. Our actions do resonate through the generations. But God's graciousness grants each generation a fresh start. True prophets reveal God's world to us, and that world judges the inadequate truths by which we live.

Ezekiel knows the truth of that very proverb he rejected. Due to his ancestors' unfaithful ways, he resides as an exile in Babylon. The bitter taste in his mouth comes from his parents' generation. Yet the word of the Lord that comes to him reveals an alternative truth.

In other words, Ezekiel calls us to break from our former patterns to embrace God's ways. As we parents move farther and farther toward retirement and beyond, the prophet's vision calls us to set our children free.

ELCA, African Methodist Episcopal Zion leaders gather for historic summit

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church have embarked on a new relationship to engage in mission and ministry together, sharing in one another's traditions, witness and service in the world.
     "It is my prayer that congregations of the ELCA and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church will join together in worship, Scripture study and shared commitment to work for justice and reconciliation," said ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson.
      Leaders of both churches gathered for a festive worship service Sept. 16 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Salisbury, N.C., and a daylong summit Sept. 17 at Hood Theological Seminary, also in Salisbury, to celebrate and explore how congregations of both denominations can engage in ministry together. 


Always a good sign when the people of God get together.  Full article Click Here

Luke 10:17-20 St. Michael and all Angels

I saw Satan fall
screaming from heaven in unthinkable defeat
at the hands of the few
those sent from nowhere by Christ
screaming down in defeat
at the hands of the weak
made strong by the hand of God
in the name of Jesus they went out
in the name of the Son of God
they flew
in the face of evil
and won
and almost won
until the humanity shone through
in the pride of what had been done
and Satan smiled
a little longer
smiled until that day
when the one in whose name the victory was won
returns
returns and Satan will fall
like lightning from heaven
and the angels will sing
Praise
to the God of Heaven and earth

September 21st, the Festival of St. Matthew, Apostle.

The following is a 10 minute worship for September 21st, the Festival of St. Matthew, Apostle. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY . You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. Please help fund this ministry by clicking on the donation link on the right and making a small donation to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

September 29th, Festival of Michael and All Angels.

The following is a 10 minute worship for September 29th, Festival of Michael and All Angels. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY . You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. Please help fund this ministry by clicking on the donation link on the right and making a small donation to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

September 25th, the 15th week after Pentecost, See the Light.

The following is a 10 minute worship for September 25th, the 15th week after Pentecost, See the Light. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY . You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. Please help fund this ministry by clicking on the donation link on the right and making a small donation to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist Matthew 9:9-13

Called from a life despised
A life in this world
Not of religious training
But
As part of the system
That continues all the evil within us
The quest once again for power
Just one more piece of that fruit
Offered to all from Eve
To you and I
Called now to a different life
Called to be at the center
Of a revolution
To be at the center
Of bringing new life to all
Being at the center
Of religious training
Free from all the bounds of this world
And the systems
That draw us one against another
Called to follow Jesus
Despised by many for this call
And there reap the anger
Of a world challenged
A world brought screaming and screeching to new life
Baptized in the waters of forgiveness
That challenges us all
To be
A new creation

Matthew 21:23-32 The Authority of Jesus Questioned

We had things all arranged

just the way we like them

and then you

who

you

do you think you are

by what authority do you speak

and change the way we had changed things?

Abraham had been given the promise

And we

Over time

Had whittled it down to something

We could live

Not them

With

We have said all along we would bring out the good news

We would gather in the nations

Beyond number

Beyond the sands of the desert

Beyond the stars in the heavens

We would bring them in

And include them

As soon

As they

Learn

To live, look, dress, talk, think

Like us

By what authority to you include

Them?

Cartoon by: www.nakedpastor.com

Opening Litany baed on Psalm 25,

Psalm 25: 1-10 - This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, therefore in using the first ten verses I attempted to follow that patterning in English.

Pastor: All gather before you O Lord as we lift our souls to you.

Congregation: Be merciful onto us O Lord and do not let us be put to shame for we put our trust in You O Lord our God.

Pastor: Can anyone whose hope is in the Lord be put to shame?

Congregation: Doomed however are those who are treacherous without excuse, for they will be put to shame.

Pastor: Evermore you will show me your ways, O LORD and teach me to walk in your paths; You O Lord guide me in your truth and teach me your ways,

Congregation: For you are my God and my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Pastor: Gracious Lord, Remember your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Congregation: Heed not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;

Pastor: Instead, remember me according to your love, for you are merciful, O LORD.

Congregation: Just and upright is the LORD who instructs sinners in the ways of righteousness.

Pastor: Kindly the Lord guides the humble in what is right and teaches them the ways of grace and mercy.

Congregation: Lord our God, all your ways are loving and faithful for those who walk in your ways.

embracing of the new

Sunday September 25th, Exodus 17: 1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?" 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" Either they thought that Moses had a semi loaded with all those plastic drinking bottles of water or that he was their pastor and therefore should do it all for them. They were in a state of despair, things had changed and they did not like it. We humans do not do well with change for the most part. Things were tough and they were nostalgic for the good old days back in Egypt. But then nostalgia is six parts fantasy, three parts regret and one part history, like most of us, what they remembered never was. They want a changed reality to mimic their remembered fantasy and they wanted Moses to bring it all about for them. But change does not come from the top down; it comes from the bottom up. What they needed more than water was a change of heart. In our ritual of baptism we use water to bring about a change, without the congregation continuing to pray for and call upon that young family however, both become thirsty for more than water. More than just the person being baptized is called to experience a death of the old and an embracing of the new.

Is the LORD among us or not?

Monday September 26th, Exodus 17: 5 the LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?" When we read the exodus story it is easy to wonder how the people could grumble about their liberation from Egypt. Had they forgotten the slave labor, the loss of the promise given to Abraham, the killing of the first born, had they forgotten it all? Then we turn to real life. Do couples remember their wedding vows in times of stress? Do congregations remember their promise to the children baptized in their midst? Do you remember all your promises in life? The answer is no. It is also easy to forget that the Lord Is among us, not just at the times of promise, but at the times of our broken promises. One could say, especially at our times of broken promises. If you have ever, in the midst of despair, asked where God is, that is precisely the time when God was closest.

One is the loneliest number…

Tuesday September 27th, Philippians 2: 1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. We are moving into the election season. As I am pondering what to write, I also take a break and look at news articles. The following just popped up: (AP) COLUMBUS, Ohio — After years of expanding when and how people can vote, state legislatures now under new Republican control are moving to trim early voting days, beef up identification requirements and put new restrictions on how voters are notified about absentee ballots. As we reflect on this text during this political season, we need first be reminded that being likeminded does not mean agreeing on everything. It does mean that the love of God grounds you and connects you to one another so the question is never about “me” but about “us.” Doing what you can to limit the “us” is never about Democracy. If the behavior were on the playground it would be called being a bully. When we focus on what is best for “us” then we start to get at what is best for “me.” When you only focus on the “me” you never get to the “us.” And as the old song goes, One is the loneliest number…

you fill in the blank

Wednesday September 28th, Philippians 2: 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do we really work out our salvation with fear and trembling? For most of us I would say the answer is no. But if fear and trembling is on one end of the spectrum, what is on the other end? It is Joy? No, Joy comes somewhere in the middle, in that place where there is good balance. On the other end for fear and trembling is “ho-hum.” On the other end of fear and trembling is “I believe in God and all that but…. Well…..I’m busy….Sunday is a bad day for me, so is Wednesday….I have been meaning to get more involved……it is the only day the children have to sleep in with hockey practice on Saturday….and on and on and on and on. I believe in a God of grace and I believe that all of creation is saved by this grace and I don’t think we exactly need fear and trembling, but let’s face it, ho-hum is just another way to telling the God that created you to take a hike or worse……… you fill in the blank.

changed his mind and later wen

Thursday September 29th, Matthew 21: 28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. In Matthews society, telling the father no is a major act of shaming a father in public. In this case, the son said no but then changed his mind and later went. For Matthews church this would be the ones who rejected the word of God, not only verbally, but with their actions and lives, but later, like the gentiles who were coming to the new followers of Christ, came to God. The church was a little suspect as it begin filling up with those of not the best reputation, the sinners and tax collectors Jesus talked about. In Jesus ministry however, Jesus was always going to the outsiders in order to show the Gospel to the insiders. Outsiders are hungry for the Gospel and want to hear all about it. Insiders can sometimes begin to think they have heard it all and don’t even realize their road has just taken a hard turn to the right. The trouble with insiders is that they sometimes forget why they are there. Our churches are filled with insiders.

I will

Friday September 30th, Matthew 21: 28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Not as many people saw the young lad who did not show up for the work. What they do remember is the father who has been shamed in the community. For Matthews church, these are the ones who have been there all along. They know church inside and out and have this unspoken concept that they know it all. Adult Bible Study is no longer important and they drop the kids off at the door for their Sunday School. Confirmation was boring for them so they don’t make their children go, just a little pushback is all it takes for them to cave. They want to make the decisions and choose the music to fit their comfort zone and mission is something they send money to but not something they do. Church has become a social club with religious language in which they pull all the purse strings. It has ceased being church, it has ceased being the body of Christ.

Saved by Grace.

Saturday October 1st, Matthew 21: 31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Welcome to the new church of Christ. It is filled with outsiders, the lowly, the tax collectors and the sinners, but also often the salt of the earth. It is the place where gay couples teach married couples what commitment is all about even when marriage is not available to them as a couple. It is a place where drug users and abusers teach the upright and uptight what grace is all about because it is the only thing that has given them a chance. It is a place where the poor teach the rich what giving is all about because their life has revolved around a community that can only exist in its presence. It is a place where God has turned our world upside down with three simple words. Saved by Grace.

Storydwelling

New Album by Heatherlyn, Storydwelling, order today at www.heatherlynmusic.com

Opening Litany based on Psalm 145: 1-8

Pastor: I will exalt you, my God the King and praise your name forever and ever.

Congregation: Every day of my life I will praise you O Lord and extol your name in all that I say and do.

Pastor: Great and worthy of Praise is the LORD whose greatness no one can fathom. Each generation is called upon to commend the works of the Lord to the next, telling of the mighty acts of God.

Congregation: We will speak of and show the glorious splendor of the majesty of the Lord to our children, and our community.

Pastor: O that our deeds would tell of the awesome ways of the Lord, celebrating the abundant goodness and righteousness of the Lord with joyful song.

Congregation: For the LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

September 18th, the 14th week after Pentecost, The Workers in the Vineyard

The following is a 10 minute worship for September 18th, the 14th week after Pentecost, The Workers in the Vineyard. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY . You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. Please help fund this ministry by clicking on the donation link on the right and making a small donation to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

Matthew 20:1-16 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

And I will be taken up into the highest heaven
And from there…..
I will get to look down
          (each received)
On all those Johnny come lately’s
In this game of heaven
   And hell
            I won
       (labored under the burden)
   Or at least came out on top
It was tough
Not much fun
But boy oh boy
Will it be worth it in the end
There is an end
Isn’t there?
Out there somewhere
          An end
That will make it all worth while
            The reward
Consummate upon my performance
Better than most I might add
       (are you envious)
                     Grace?
   (because I am generous)
I earned it????
              (the last)
The kingdom of God
                (shall be)
   Is
      At
                  (first)
          hand

pitty party

Sunday September 18th, Jonah 3: 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah 4: 1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Nostalgia has been described as six parts fantasy, three parts regret and one part history. We often remember the good old days in ways they never were. When Jonah saw the changes in Nineveh his reality changed and he was still able to make it all about himself. In our churches we remember what it was like in the past in some very fanciful ways and then project this false reality onto others. The reality is that the church is changing and will continue to change as each new person comes to join the worship community. When that reality is bucked, new people just leave. The keepers of the memory, whether true or false, are left with ever dwindling numbers and the mission is Christ is stifled in that place. The church of God will grow and reach others with the good news of God’s love and grace, but each congregation has to ask itself if it is ready to be a part of that vision and mission.

and also many animals

Monday September 19th, Jonah 3: 5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” What are our concerns in life? For most of us, contrary to what we say are our concerns, our main concerns center around our well being. One of the uphill battles for religion is to get the adherents of that religion to move from a concern for the me to a concern for the we. The story of Jonah illustrates that in Jonah’s concern for the plant over 120000 in the city of Ninevah. That may seem silly to us, but then our choices in life may seem a bit silly to others. But with a bit of advertising and the right code words, someone without a job can be drawn to be concerned over gay marriage or abortion or some other hot button ballot bait issue while voting against their own and their nations best interest. The way of the Lord will prevail in this world. The story of Jonah asks is we will be a part of that way, or an obstacle along the way.

live it

Tuesday September 20th, Philippians 1: 27 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Paul is writing this letter to the church at Philippi, but it could also be seen as a message from God directly to us. In the face of the farce of end times theology that permeates the fundamentalists world, just live your life as it should be. It is not a matter of getting ready for the big event, it is a matter of living each and every day of your life as the big event of salvation by grace. Let nothing in your conduct change whether you think Christ is coming or not, because if that is the reason you are living the way you are living, you are still not getting it. It is the difference between living as a couple knowing the other loves you and living as a couple afraid that if you get out of line, the other will leave you. One is life giving, and one is death dealing. God loves you! You don’t have to earn it!! Now live it!!

I will pay you whatever is right

Wednesday September 21st, Matthew 20: 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. First notice that the landowner doesn’t wait for others to come to him, the Landowner goes to the people and seeks them out. Secondly, the wages were enough, not too much. It was not a matter of grabbing the golden ring, it was simply what it took to get by for that day. The real gift was purpose in life rather than standing around doing nothing. What was offered was what was right and just. But just in our eyes and just in God’s eyes can sometimes be miles apart. Why is there no political conversation about that?

all grace is amazing grace

Thursday September 22nd, Matthew 20: 9 "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' This all could have been avoided you know. If only the steward who paid them paid the ones hired first, before he paid the ones hired last. They would have had their money and been on their way happy, content and clueless and any negative fallout could have been covered in the media. But No, he had to make an issue out of it. Why? Well, perhaps for the landowner in the story, and for Jesus, it is because the lesson was more important than the pay. And the lesson; all grace is amazing grace, and if you are working in the kingdom for special reward, you are there for the wrong reason. If church must remain your church and not their church, then you gather for the wrong reason. The reward is the work, and all are sought out and put to work. That is the Kingdom justice, and you are right, it is not fair!! But it is grace.

grace control

Friday September 23rd, Matthew 20: 13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' Is your church envious because God is generous? Some in the Church want to “Pray away the gay,” God wants to invite them in. Some in the church want to “keep worship as it was when I was young,” God wants to make church inviting for those who are not there. God wants us to work in the fields because working in the fields is the reward. Some in the church want to be in charge. God has to work against some in the church to be in charge. God’s control of the world doesn’t look like control, because it is not, it is grace.

come, serve, grow

Saturday September 24th, Matthew 20: 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." So as Jesus heads off to Jerusalem and the cross, we are once again reminded in Matthew that the first shall be last and the last shall be first and that unless we enter the kingdom as a little child, it is going to be rough going. It is the call to invite, include and adapt. It is the call to move from comfort to mission and to move from a church filled with friends to a church filled with new faces and new ideas and new life and uncertainty. God’s invitation is to come, serve, grow and enjoy the process.

Gov. Perry and the death penalty

Gov. Perry received applause the other night when it was noted that Texas had executed more individuals than any other state.  I found that most disturbing and bring you this quote from the ELCA social statement on the Death Penalty.  It is because of this church's ministry with and to people affected by violent crime that we oppose the death penalty. Executions focus on the convicted murderer, providing very little for the victim's family or anyone else whose life has been touched by the crime. Capital punishment focuses on retribution, sometimes reflecting a spirit of vengeance. Executions do not restore broken society and can actually work counter to restoration. Full statement at: http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Death-Penalty.aspx

Facebible

If you do not follow Agnusday.org  you need to..