The Calling of Pauline, Acts 9
Lectionary Poems, Daily meditations, 10W (ten minute audio worship for commuters), opening litanies based on the psalms, random thoughts, occasional animation videos and interesting articles from Pastor Dan in Anchorage. Permission given to use in any way that advances the ministry of God's love and grace in this world.
The following is a 10 minute worship for May 4th, Breaking Bread, E3. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The song for the day is Missionary by Ed Kilbourne from the CD Play It Again. Ed has given his permission to use his music and you can support him by checking out more of his tunes at: https://www.edkilbourne.com/store.html
The following is a 10 minute worship for May 4th, And So It Begins, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The song for the day is The Tie That Binds by Ed Kilbourne from the CD Play It Again. Ed has given his permission to use his music and you can support him at: https://www.edkilbourne.com/store.html
Pastor: I love the Lord because the Lord hears my voice, my cry’s, my prayers for mercy and bends down to listen. I will therefore pray as long as I have breath!
Congregation: Death wrapped its ropes around me and the terrors of the death overtook me. In the midst of this mess I saw only trouble and sorrow, but then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!”
Pastor: How kind and good the Lord is! So merciful, this God of ours!
Congregation: The Lord protects those like me, those of childlike faith, for I was facing death, and the Lord saved me. The Lord let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me and has saved me from death, tears, and stumbling.
Pastor: So let us walk in the Lord’s presence as we live here on earth!
Congregation: Because I believe in you O Lord, I will come before you and admit that there are times when I am deeply troubled and in my anxiety I cry out to you from the depths of my soul.
Pastor: Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose love endures forever.
Congregation: Let everyone say, God’s love endures forever.
Pastor: Open the gates of righteousness and we will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
Congregation: They are the gates through which I may enter and give thanks for the Lord has become my salvation.
Pastor: I marvel when I see that which was rejected by the world, has become the foundation of humanity
Congregation: This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Pastor: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,
Congregation: with boughs in hand we will join the festal procession.
Pastor: You are our God and we give you thanks and exalt your name
Congregation: Give thanks to the Lord who is good and whose love endures forever.
Friday April 25th, Matthew 28: The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, "He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message." And the Angel said to them, fear not!!! Where have heard that before? Every time the messengers of God come into the world, they start with the message “fear not.” One reason is that the church of that day, just as the church of our day, seems to preach more fear than faith. The power status quo lives in fear that the power status quo will no longer be the power status quo, so any intrusion of God would indeed be seen as a fearful moment. To the least, lost and lonely the message is always one of hope, not fear. Hope is reborn and the message is that the power status quo may not be the power status quo forever which, though it may not seem like it to some, in the long run is good news for all.
The following is a 10 minute worship for April 13th, Palm Sunday. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List." The song for the day is Christ Our Savior Lutheran singing Amazing Grace.
Tuesday April 15th, Matthew 26: When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. "That's criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor." When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. "Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. First the question; who is Simon the Leper? Some commentaries make the leap that he was someone who was healed by Jesus of his leprosy, others say that it is a misinterpretation and he was a pottery maker, and still others say that he was just a Pharisee with that name for some unknown reason. All scripture says is that this is what he was called and Jesus went to his house for dinner. While there, a woman came in and using very expensive perfume anointed Jesus. Simon the Leper seemed to say nothing of note. At least some of the disciples were concerned that they were not in charge of the money this could bring into their coffers, and Jesus was just grateful for the anointing and adoration before his burial. He then points out that the task of the Church, first and foremost is to worship God, as did the woman with the perfume. Jesus’ second statement is the reminder that we will always have the poor with us, which is not a call to ignore them, but rather to take care for them also. It is an echo of Jesus answer to what is the greatest commandment, to love God and to love others, with love being used as a verb not a noun. Sometimes the church gets all caught up in other agendas and fights and comfort levels, we are after all made up of failing and sinful people. For each church question the counter question needs to be asked, how does this move forward the agenda of honoring God and caring for those in need. If it doesn’t fit into those two areas, it still might be a good thing to do, but it is not central to who we are and what we are called to do. Perhaps it is time to break open the flask and honor Jesus first and foremost and to honor our neighbor as ourselves. And to do it in that order.
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