10w for October 4th, A Burning Desire, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for October 4th, A Burning Desire, 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is Light Shines in the Darkens by Dakota Road from the CD Break These Chains. You can find this and other gifts for ministry at Dakotaroadmusic.com

10w for October 4th, Divorce. P19.

The following is a 10-minute worship for October 4th, Divorce. P19.  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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.  The song for the day is For Heidi by Hans Peterson from the CD Every Breath I Sing. You can find this and other gifts for ministry at http://hanspetersonmusic.com/

Opening Litany based on Psalm 8

Praise - Psalm 8 Starts with " How Majestic is Your Name":

Pastor: You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have brought forth praise which silences the foe and the avenger and calls us to live as one.

Congregation: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are we that you are mindful of us, who are we that you care for us? 

Pastor: You made humanity a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned us with glory and honor. You call us to lovingly care for the works of your hands and lay all that we have at Your feet O Lord.

Congregation: You call us to care for all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and all that swims the paths of the seas. We will therefore lovingly care for this world you have created for us.
 
The Psalm continues with singing "How Majestic is Your Name" one more time.

Poem for 19th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 10:2-16

We live in a world

less that it should be,

with division, hatred and war.

The reality of this is harsh,

is brokenness

and pain

and from time to time

we try,

try to look past the pain

into the law

and justify

for ourselves and all the others

who are trying to handle the pain

by ourselves,

to handle in our own way

the reality of pain in our lives

making it

we think

less painful.

And sometimes we succeed.

Until

some breeze of fresh air clears the clouds

and we see.

See

the reality for what it is

despite all our attempts to understand

--and rationalize

----and explain

------and study

--------and even glorify

our pain,

but it’s there.

The children know,

their eyesight is keener than ours

they have not been tainted by the years

and hurts

--and “realities” of life.

They know,

the children are the ones who look

and see

the emperor standing there naked

and wonder

why we like his clothes so much.

They see the pain of divorce

and wonder

how we understand it so well.

They feel the pain

and are driven to the cross

with the God who knows our pain,

and standing there

with Jesus for comfort

in their pain

and wonder

why

we don’t see

loving embrace

Sunday October 4^th, Genesis 2:  ^18-20 God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.  ^21-22 God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.  We were created for relationships; humanity from the earth, family from humanity, all with the calling from God to love and care for one another.  the significance of the story is that man was not happy as a solo entity.  The animals, though nice, were not enough to fill the need for relationship.  God though great, loving, kind, not to mention omniscient, is still not enough for human to experience relationship.  It is in getting together with one other, sharing the ups and downs, experiencing the loving embrace, and the physical nature of the relationship that humans feel love.  This is not dissing God, this is accepting God's great gift of love.  As a society we are still working out the fullness of what that means.  We are still denying that love of God, through the physical, emotional and spiritual bond of marriage to some.  They love differently, but they love one another and is there any higher expression of God's love than to love one another?

accept change

Monday October 5th, Genesis 2:  ^23-25 The Man said, "Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!  Name her Woman for she was made from Man."  Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.  The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.  Humanity had a little trouble getting the oneness down.  For most of humanity, instead of the two becoming one, it was the woman becoming mine.  It was one becoming one with a little help.  But God has called us into relationships.  Relationships are the best way to show and experience the love of God.  Relationships are where we feel the touch, sometimes sexual, most often comforting, that we can experience most closely the love of God.  Most congregations in the ELCA, as well as the nation as a whole, continue moving toward fully accepting that love of God as a good thing in those whose love interest might be seen as a minority view.  The church and society also took way too long to accept interclass relationships, interethnic relationships, interfaith relationships and interracial relationships.  Until it is our children, whom we love, it is hard to accept change.  I applaud the changes in the church and in the nation, I am saddened by how long it is taking and by those who see loving one another as the straw that breaks the camel’s back.  Someday, we will get the immensity of God’s love, until then, in spite of our differences, let us learn to love one another.  

personhood

Tuesday October 6th, Hebrews 1:  ¹In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,  When God speaks through his son, he speaks in the work of love and acceptance.  How often we seek out own way of rejection and judgment by picking a quote from here and a quote from there to justify our personal prejudice.  But in Jesus’ world we have demonstrations of divorce which points to the hardness of hearts and the recognition of the personhood of both men and women.  We have examples of God’s love that takes small children, not the cherub faces depicted in most church art, but small, smelly, dirty, rejected and powerless children, and tells us to become like one of these.  Identify with these small, expendable, rejected and powerless ones, and then you will “get” the kingdom of God.  It is not about power, greatness, CEO salaries or golden parachutes, it is about love, acceptance and caring for the least, lost and lonely, those most often rejected by society.  In these last days we have the words and examples of Jesus.  In the words of God on the mountain of transfiguration, “Listen to Him!!!!”

oooops!

Wednesday October 7th, Mark 10:  ²Some Pharisees came and tested him bay asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"  Inherent in the question was their understanding that only a man could divorce a woman.  They wanted to test Jesus and their aim was not for understanding but for entrapment.  One could liken it to the classic "Have you stopped beating your wife?" argument.  For Jesus to answer yes would fall into the system of power that was the Pharisees and Sadducees, to say no would pit him against the power of the recently divorced Herod and his army.  It seemed to be a win, win for the Pharisees who were intent in bring Jesus down.  Jesus however was not playing politics, oooops!  He had in mind both God's law and God's love which were always meant to be the same.  

sin and hardness

Thursday October 8th, Mark 10:  ⁵"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. ⁶"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' ⁷'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."   The sin of humanity is that we are always trying to put asunder that which God has joined together, the love from the law, humans from humanity, creature from creation, in order to feel some sense of power and control.  Their question was, can a man get rid of his wife.  Jesus answer was that it was only because of humanities sin and hardness that the question would even come up.  For Jesus marriage did not mean one belongs to another, but that the two become a part of, and responsible for, one another.  Power structures are thrown to the wind and the powerless in society are given not only their day, but their life.  Jesus was returning the world, bit by bit, to what God had intended, a place where all of life and all of humanity and all of earth are looked upon by God and called good.  Should we do any less?

hottie down the street

Friday October 9^th, Mark 10:  ¹⁰When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹²And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."  In most circles of his day the discussion moved between whether a man could get rid of his wife for infidelity only, or if he could dump her if she burned the toast or just became less attractive than that hottie down the street.  Jesus goes back to the commitment of being one with and for another.  For the first time the idea that a man could commit adultery against his wife enters the picture.  For the first time the relationship is defined as going both ways.  Jesus moves the conversation from a man’s possessions to a couples relations.  In the process the lowly are lifted and the powerless are given power, along with responsibility.  Who are the powerless and lowly in our world?  How is the church speaking for them? 

one of these

Saturday October 10^th, Mark 10:  ¹³People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." ¹⁶And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.  I can usually be seen grabbing the first baby that comes along after church and holding her while people leave and shake hands.  I, like most modern Americans, love babies.  A goodly chunk of our GNP is dedicated to children of all ages.  This was not the case in Jesus day.  Children, like their mothers and other women had little or no power.  Children had a 60% chance of not surviving to adulthood and were considered property.  The family existed to uphold and promote the status and standing of the pater familias, or the male head of household.  Jesus pulls the lowly in the middle of the disciples and tells them to become like one of these.  Become and identify with the powerless in our world.  Become and identify with the lowly of this world.  A recent study shows that income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression.  Who would Jesus pull into our midst today and say, Unless you become like one of these, you won’t make it in the Kingdom?  

10w for September 27th, WWE, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 27th, WWE, 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is Cry Mercy by Dakota Road from the CD All Are Welcome. You can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.dakotaroadmusic.com

10w for September 27th, Vast Priesthood, P18.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 27th, Vast Priesthood, P18. 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is Everybody’s Got Something to Offer by Dakota Road from the CD, All Are Welcome.  You can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.dakotaroadmusic.com

Opening Litany based on Psalm 19

Worship Leader: The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of creation. Day after day the cosmos pours forth speech and night after night it reveals knowledge. 

Congregation: The heavens use no speech, no words, no sound is heard, yet the voice of God extends from the cosmos into all the earth.

Worship Leader: Each day the sun shines on creation, bringing joy to all God has made. 

Congregation: It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth and joy.

Worship Leader: So too the law of the LORD is perfect and refreshes the soul. The guidance of the Lord is trustworthy bringing simple truth to our world.

Congregation: The ways of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the hearts of the people. The ways of the Lord are radiant, giving light to our eyes. The wonders of the LORD are forever and the teaching of the LORD form the foundation of all we do. 

Worship Leader: The ways of the LORD are more precious than gold, they are sweeter than honey.  But the ways of the LORD also guide our ways both revealing and forgiving our hidden faults. Making us pure through the presence of the LORD in our lives.   

Congregation: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD my Rock and my Redeemer.

Poem based on 18th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 9:30-37

So innocent

So pure

The gentle face

Looks up

With a trust that has not been betrayed

And talks of purple cows

And green giraffes

This one

This little child

Understands the world in a different way

Understands that

To stop the arms race

People have to stop making arms

Understands that

Skin color

Makes a person as different as

Eye, hair, or clothes color

Understands that

Hungry people need food

Children understand these things

Because

They have not learned to be afraid

They have not learned to win or lose

They have not seen

Or believe in

The boundaries

That everyone else thinks they have seen

And believe in

For them

Life is an open book

With no writing

--no limits

and they can be hurt

but they trust in love anyway

when they hear God loves them

they just smile

and know

at least try

Sunday September 27^th, Psalm 19: ⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. ¹⁰ They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. ¹¹ By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. We don’t do much with the word “fear” anymore in relation to God.  In many ways that is good theology, but perhaps we have lost a little bit also.  I love the text where Jesus refers to God as Abba, or Pappa, the comforting symbol of crawling up in the lap of God is filled with warmth and love.  But perhaps sometimes, it is also good to have just a bit of awe at the prospect of encountering God, and a bit of concern about being the child of God we are called to be.  Perhaps just a bit of fear along with all the overwhelming love, would provide a good balance.  Not so much because God is to be feared, but because we need a bit of the awe that goes along with God as well as the love.  So love God with reckless abandon and with all of your heart and soul and mind, but be enough concerned about pleasing God that you at least try to move forward in life the way you would with a parent which you both love and respect. 

Good Old Days

Monday September 28^th, Numbers 11: ⁴ The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. ⁶ But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"  One of the better books I have read is “The Way We Never Were” by Stephanie Coontz (http://www.stephaniecoontz.com/).  It outlines various family structures in History and dispels many of the myths of our selective memory which tends to remember only one side of the equation and not the other. We might long for the good old days of Ozzie and Harriet and forget that in order to maintain that economic structure, vast parts of society lived in deep poverty and racism was rampant.  Here too, the Israelites remembered the leeks and onions and fish and forgot the slavery, death, and hopelessness that was the other part of the equation.  Beware of the “Good Old Days” if that is indeed what they were because along with them came the bad old days for someone else whose meagerly lifestyle allowed your good old days to exist. In churches especially, remembering the good old days is a way of locking in the hymns and worship styles of yore and locking out the next generation we lament not having in our midst.  Looking forward glorifies God.  It is full of possibilities and hope.  Looking back tends to glorify only the self that is satisfied with a selective memory.  So if you must look back, do so to grasp just a hint of all the blessings God has given you, and then look to tomorrow and watch for God’s blessings to be manifest in new and glorious ways.    

one of us

Tuesday September 29^th, Numbers 11: ²⁵ Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.  ²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."  ²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"  ²⁹ But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"  How often do we try to possess and control God’s grace?  Like the Smothers Brothers skit of old with “Mom love you best,” we try to claim our exclusive right to God’s love and point out the failings of others.  Terrorists and people of hate on both sides preach “Kill the Infidel” or “Kill the Muslim terrorists’ extremists” and both sides fail to see the work of God in the other.  Fundamentalism of all kinds tends to create enemies of those whom God created and called our brothers and sisters.  God’s love for us is manifest best when we show love for the whole family of God, even those we don’t like.  Eldad and Medad were God’s way of moving the spirit out where it should have been in the first place, among the people in a creation called good.  It is time to open our worship experience up to the gifts of the people and it is time to take our worship experiences out into the streets and unloose the chains we use to try to bind God to our image. We need an Eldad and Medad church movement outside the walls of respectability.

spirit will be

Wednesday September 30^th, James 5: ¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  The bottom line is that whatever you do, do it in the Name of the Lord.  If you don’t want to do it in the name of the Lord, perhaps you should question whether you should be doing it at all.  This week, surround everything you do with prayer and perhaps even more important, silent time to be open to the word of God.  In doing so, your life may not be better but your spirit will be.

glue

Thursday October 1^st, James 5:  ¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. ¹⁹My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Danger here.  Sometimes we focus so much on changing someone else from their sinful ways, we are able to keep from looking at our own lives.  Sometimes we think we know the full extent of what sin is, after all we have that list from some fundamentalists group that tells us who and what to hate, and in the process forget to see the real sin by following the money to see who profits from all that hate.  Walking as a child of God is not about fixing someone else, it is about forming a relationship with someone else.  A relationship where we are as willing to hear the other persons take on our life as we are to dispense wisdom about theirs.  In the end, without love as the glue, we are only nagging and being self-righteous in the process.

not ourselves

Friday October 2^nd, Mark 9: ³⁸"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."  ³⁹"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.  Stop, you are not one of us!!!!  But then again, that’s only our point of view.  From God’s point of view we are all one of us.  We forget that it is God who is in control, not ourselves.  We are often the ones trying to tell God who to love and who to forgive and who to save and who to condemn, and in the midst of all the noise, we don’t hear God telling us to Love the Lord with all our heart soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. Are you acting like a neighbor today?
 

character

Saturday October 3^rd, Mark 9: ⁴⁹Everyone will be salted with fire.  ⁵⁰"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."  Salting with fire is that deep hard look at ourselves that exposes the reality of the sin within us.  It produces character, and the character it produces is a child of God who is in love with the love of God.  And can think of nothing greater than to share that love of God with others.

10w for September 20th, A Child Named Laughter, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 20th, A Child Named Laughter, 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is In the Breaking of the Bread by the Jay Beech Band from the CD Everyone Who is Thirsty, Come.  You can find this and other gifts for ministry at baytonemusic.com

10w for September 20th, why, Why? P17.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 20th, why, Why? P17. 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is Child of the Water by Dakota Road from the CD All Are Welcome.  You can find this and other gifts for ministry at dakotaroadmusic.com

Poem based on 17th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 9:30-37

So innocent

So pure

The gentle face

Looks up

With a trust that has not been betrayed

And talks of purple cows

And green giraffes

This one

This little child

Understands the world in a different way

Understands that

To stop the arms race

People have to stop making arms

Understands that

Skin color

Makes a person as different as

Eye, hair, or clothes color

Understands that

Hungry people need food

Children understand these things

Because

They have not learned to be afraid

They have not learned to win or lose

They have not seen

Or believe in

The boundaries

That everyone else thinks they have seen

And believe in

For them

Life is an open book

With no writing

--no limits

and they can be hurt

but they trust in love anyway

when they hear God loves them

they just smile

and know

doormat

Sunday September 20^th, Jeremiah 11:  ¹⁸ Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me. ¹⁹ I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.” How often do we find ourselves just being cannon fodder in someone else’s battle?  We are called to be wise and cunning, but innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). It is a tough call.  All too often we substitute ignorance for innocence.  I have been amazed in my adult life how often a significant portion of John Q Public can be duped into voting against their own self-interest.  Taxes cuts for some on the top become fewer services for you.  Smaller government sounds like more freedom and less money taken out of our paychecks, it becomes a small decrease in some red tape for us and less regulation and much more profit for those corporation making tens of billions while sending your jobs overseas.  Be as wise as serpents, but as innocent as doves.  We are not called in this world to be the doormat for someone else’s dream, we are called to be the children of God, each with our own unique gifts to share with the world. We are called to be a part of the body of Christ which functions best only when the rest of the body is whole and healthy.  We are called to work for justice for all of creation not just lack of responsibility for a few. Don’t substitute ignorance for innocence.  Be innocent as doves, but don’t sell your soul to do so. 

body

Monday September 21^st, Jeremiah 11:  ²⁰ O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you make righteous judgments, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you. One of my son’s favorite bands several years ago was “Rage against the machine”.  I grew up in an era when protest songs were sung by Dylan, Ochs and Peter Paul and Mary.  Needless to say I am not a fan of my son’s genre of music.  I prefer a gentler, more witty approach with more melody and less profanity.  At the same time I applaud their existence and the existence of many of the rap artists who venture into taking a critical look at the world, but mostly I wonder where the rest of the protest music has gone.  It is good to let God deal with the weightier matters of justice and revenge, but God’s work is done by our hands and to say nothing is to support the very entity of which you, and the rest of the body of Christ, are a victims.  Seeking vengeance always draws us into being perpetrators of evil, being silent victims always allows the perpetrators of evil to seek new victims.  And these victims, as well as the perpetrators of evil my friends, are your brothers and sisters in Christ.  As part of the body of Christ we are called to work for justice in this world.  As the children of God we try to take God’s view of justice for this world which sees all of creation and calls it good.  

Better than 90%

Tuesday September 22^nd, James 3: ¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. A friend from college days was shocked and dismayed several years ago when a survey was taken among his fellow colleagues at law school.  Better than 90% put down their number one reason for going to law school was money.  It was a bitter truth then, and one I fear is much more pronounced now.  Now I am not one to say that lawyers do not deserve a good income, anyone who puts in that many years of education does, but where do you draw the line between good and obscene?  The real problem is that if that is the number one motivation for so many, no matter the profession they choose, at what cost to the general good does it come?  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  It would be somehow pleasant to find out it was a trait only among lawyers or, some lawyers, or some kind of lawyers, but that would be far too simplistic.  I think they got 90% of that law class to admit it because lawyers are trained to tell the truth, the missing but sad detail is that were the rest of us so inclined to tell the truth, I am afraid the percentage would be the same.  

that shaft

Wednesday September 23^rd, James 3: ¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Sometimes in the middle of fighting the alligators it is hard to remember we were sent to drain the swamp.  Keeping your eye, your heart, your soul, focused on the love of God, and letting your life revolve around that love, can get pretty frustrating at times.  It seems like everyone else is getting ahead and you are getting the shaft.  That is until you realize that what they are getting ahead at isn’t what it seems and that shaft you have been complaining about just might be a shaft of light.   

there is more

Thursday September 24^th, James 3: ¹What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. I believe no one is pure evil, though I must admit that some of the actions of ISIS come pretty darn close, and I believe everyone will sooner or later come to dwell at the foot of the throne of God.  Some may seem to have a pretty long road ahead of them, but eventually, the heart will succumb to love, and faced with our own reality, we will also be embraced by the reality of God's love. How often do we find that in striving for what we think we want, we find ourselves duped into following the path to nowhere?  It is when we seek for the good of all of creation that we begin to see our part and our path in this journey of life.  Seeking only for the self makes for a pretty small world, and a pretty miserable one at that.  There is no smaller package than a person all wrapped up in themselves.  So open your eyes and your heart and let the love of God flow through you.  God’s love is like the manna of old, if you hoard it, it rots.  If you share it till it is all gone, there is more there tomorrow.  

first and alone

Friday September 25th, Mark 9: ³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.  ³⁵Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." The dilemmas of the disciples often portray the reality of the Body of Christ, the world of you and I.  How often does the desire to get ahead demand our allegiance?  We might play with the definition of ahead, we may tweak the description of the scope of our endeavors, but in the end, it is all just trying to say that here, within this defined sphere, I am at least ahead of that guy over there.  Jesus calls us to a new reality.  Unless you are all topsy tervy, you’re losing.  The first will be last and those who seek only for themselves will find a world emptied of all they truly desire.  So seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.  It is not about getting to the finish line first and alone, it is about enjoying the journey with your friends. 

hold a baby

Mark 9:  ³⁶He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."  Children are of no earthly good! This from a man who has eight.  When they are babies, they keep you up at night, they spit up only on your good clothes, they cost a lot more than you ever dreamed of, they deposit bodily fluids on clothes, furniture, beds, bosses and relatives, and in doing so, sometimes they stink to high heaven, and they keep you from doing what you want, when you want.  When they get older, some things may change, but the cost and aggravation only seem to steadily increase.  Knowing that, as the people shake hands when they leave church, I will grab the first baby I can to hold for a while, and the strongest man in the world will be reduced to cooing and baby talk in a matter of seconds in their presence.  They are in this world to be loved, unconditionally loved, and in their innocence, they elicit from each of us, all the feelings of love we can muster.  Unless you become like one of these, innocent, loving, trusting, and drawing love from others they didn’t even know they had, kind of childlike followers of Christ you don’t quite get the kingdom of God.  But every once in a while, when you hold a baby, you get a glimpse.  

10w for September 13th, In the Beginning, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 13th, In the Beginning, 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: We Still Believe by the Jay Beech Band from the CD One Body Alive.  You can find this and other gifts for ministry at baytonemusic.com

for September 13th, What about you? P16.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 13th, What about you? P16. 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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: We Still Believe by the Jay Beech Band from the CD One Body Alive.  You can find this and other gifts for ministry at baytonemusic.com

Opening Litany based on Psalm 116

Psalm 116

Worship Leader:  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!”

Worship Leader: 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.

Worship Leader: 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.

Worship Leader: What can we offer the Lord for all the Lord has done for us?

Congregation: We will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name, we will keep our promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Worship Leader: The Lord cares deeply for the loved ones who suffer, O Lord, we are your servants, your children, for you have freed us from our chains.

Congregation: We will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving, calling upon the name of the Lord and will fulfill our vows to the Lord in the presence of all people.  Praise the Lord!!

Poem based on 16th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 8:27-35

Your life

that precious gift of God

Lived out in so many ways

Here

In this place

Lived with joy

And pain

Love and sadness

It is ours

This gift

Until we hold so tightly

That our vision fades and we see

Only this

----(take up thy cross

----give of the one gift

----that seems most precious)

life

we see on the leaf

the fuzzy green worm

content

living on all God has given it

living

content

within the boundaries of its life

happily seeing no more than

the next leaf

until

an end comes to all that is

within its boundaries

and it finds itself hanging there

a lifeless form

from which will emerge

a new life

that will soar on the winds

life

within your boundaries

confined

willing to take up the cross

to follow

without feeling the confines

of this world

knowing

the gift has been given

of new life

beyond the boundaries. 

wake up

Sunday September 13^th, Isaiah 50: ⁴ The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.  I can hear the jingle now, “The best part of waking up is Gospel in your cup”.  Well I still like my coffee, I am Lutheran after all.  There is something however about those few moments between the jarring alarm and feet on the floor when it is a perfect time for the Gospel to seep into the brain and soul. The new day has begun, open and filled with possibilities.  God is there waiting for you and your day is open and filled with possibilities.  Together with God, …… imagine the possibilities of the day that lays before you in your walk with God!!!!  You might still have to go to work, but who you are, even at work, is a child of God, who you are is an ambassador in word and deed of the good news.  To whom will you speak a word of forgiveness, of hope, of welcome, of inclusion?  To whom will you look with kindness in your eyes?  Whose life will be changed for the better because your feet hit the floor today?  Better have a cup of coffee, there is a lot of work to do, and while you are at it, fire up a little 10W (www.10worship.blogspot.com) and start your day with ten minutes of worship.  It you are techie enough, text 10w to 22828 and get 10 minute worship on your smart phone and listen while on your commute to work and see how your day changes.  

grace work

Monday September 14^th, Isaiah 50: ⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.⁸ He who gives me justice is near.  We are not alone in this world.  We are surrounded by friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and by the Spirit of the Living God.  And we are called to a task.  I know that can sound a bit un-Lutheran, but being changed by the grace often means changed to do grace work in this world.  Therefore, go and do God’s will in this world because you are saved by grace.  And what is that will?  To announce that the God of Justice is near and to show that you mean it by working for justice for others.  Some may try to put you to shame, but don’t give it a second thought, God is with you and you are not alone.  You were once hungry and now you are filled with the Gospel. Evangelism is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.  

rudder tongue

Tuesday September 15^th, James 3: ^3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!  Ohhhh! That rudder tongue.  A master chief was asked to come and prepare the most delectable meal for a gathering of the well healed in a community.  When it came time for the presentation and the words spoken, “what was your inspiration for tonight’s meal?”  The chief presented a wonderful list of sweet and savory side dishes with “tongue” as the main course.  He then went on to explain how wonderful the tongue can be, filled with praise, glory, words of encouragement, it can be a simple instrument that brings hope and joy to others.  The following evening the chief was asked to prepare the most disgusting meal for the same group.  When it came time for the presentation and the words spoken, “what was your inspiration for tonight’s meal?”  The chief presented a wonderful list of sweet and savory side dishes with “tongue” as the main course.  He then went on to explain how disgusting the tongue can be, filled with envy, greed and words of discouragement, it can be a simple instrument that brings hopelessness and tears to others.  There are times when knowing how to handle a rudder is essential, especially if that rudder is your tongue.

mental time

Wednesday September 16^th, Mark 8: On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" ²⁸They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." ²⁹"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."  Moving the conversation and the confession from the general to the particular, each of us are asked, “who do you say Jesus is?”  Not just with your words, but with your deeds, your life, with your time and with your hard earned money.  Who do you say Jesus is?  Christianity is not just some fraternity or sorority to join; I dare say that most of them would require a greater loyalty than does the church.  If you miss a meeting at Rotary, you pay a fine, maybe in fun, but you still pay it.  Following Christ is a life changing experience.  With your life, who do you say Jesus is?  Remember, your life includes all those things you spend your time, money and especially your mental time on. 

waves

Thursday September 17^th, Mark 8: ³¹He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³²He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."   Ohhhh! How hard it is to move from being a Christian to being a Disciple.  Not ready for that kind of commitment, Peter suggested a softer and gentler way, a way of compromise and giving in, a way of maintaining the status quo and not making waves.  Lutherans, myself included, are good at not making waves, we are good at maintaining the status quo while talking about making waves.  Perhaps it is time to hear the rebuke.  Perhaps it is time to make waves not just talk about them for the sake of the least, lost and lonely, and uninsured and all those groups who find themselves on the fringe of society.  Perhaps it is time to pick up our cross and follow.

deny

Friday September 18^th, Mark 8: ³⁴Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  I don’t mind the cross, as long as I can hire someone else to carry it for me.  It is the whole the “deny” himself or herself that has a bite to it.  It is against human nature.  And maybe that is the point.  Perhaps it is time to recognize that human nature has a bit of original sin in it.  Original sin being the desire to be a little god in a little pond, or that which separates us from God.  When we focus on the self, what we ironically lose is the self.  When we focus on God, we find ourselves more fully, and the “ourselves” we find is the one created in the image of God and called good. 

still holding

Saturday September 19^th, Mark 8: ³⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? ³⁷Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  When I do pre-marital counseling, one question I ask is “how do you fight?”  Sometimes the answer is “Oh, we don’t fight.”  Then I know there is trouble ahead.  Then I know they have not given themselves over to this other person and for them the relationship is enjoying the current ride and the sex.  Losing your life means going in head over heels and it is never without conflict.  If you are not mad at your church, your pastor and your God from time to time, you are not paying attention, and you are still holding onto your life.  When you lose your life, it will chafe a bit, and that is when you know you are growing.  

10w for September 6th, Fish On, P15.

The following is a 10-minute worship for September 6th, Fish On, P15.  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 or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is The Healing Hand of Jesus by the Jay Beech Band from the CD Everyone Who is Thirsty, Come.  Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.baytonemusic.com