Thursday Psalms: Come to God & Sing!

Blessed Thursday to each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Savior!

Think about a time when you had to face some authority over a mistake you made.  For example, have you ever needed to appear in court over a crime or citation?  Perhaps as a child you were called to the Principal's office, or had to face your parents over some bad thing you had done.  Reading this psalm today, I remembered some times in my life when I dreaded going before a judge in court or facing judgement for what I had done.  I certainly did not want to be in God's presence, either.  Yet, the psalmist encourages you to come into God's presence, to enter into His gates & courts with praise and singing.  How can this be? 

Psalm 100 

¹ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

² Serve the Lord with gladness!

     Come into His presence with singing!

³ Know that the Lord, He is God!

     It is He who made us, and we are His;

        we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

     and His courts with praise!

        Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

⁵ For the Lord is good;

     His steadfast love endures forever,

         and His faithfulness to all generations.

On what basis can you come into God's presence in prayer?  Based on our sins, you & I are totally unworthy, completely undeserving of God's attention, let alone His help.  How is it that God allows and desires you to come to HIm?  We're pointed to the answer in verse five.  The Lord tells you that He is good; God is love!  Remember John 3:16?  “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."   Jesus Christ, the Son of God came from heaven to earth and became human, so that He could pay the cost of your sins and failures.  Because of Jesus, and God's love for you, God is not an angry judge of your failures, but a forgiving, loving Father!  

Continuing in verse five, God's love is steadfast, rock-solid, and lasting forever!  Because of Jesus, God forgives you all your sins, every one of them!  God is faithful to you, and the promises God gives you.  God has kept, is keeping and will keep all His promises to you!  

Today God invites you to come into His presence with singing, confessing your sins and knowing for sure that God forgives them.  That is the best reason ever for singing, thanksgiving and praising!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188 

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

     Sharing God’s Love & Mercy with Each Other & the World.

Pilgrim Website       Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"The LORD is a stronghold in times of trouble."  Psalm 9:9

Pilgrim Worship Sunday June 7, 2026

 

 

Illustration of Hosea and Gomer from the Bible Historiale, 1372

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Second Sunday after Pentecost

June 7, 2026

We're thankful you've come here to watch our service and to worship the one true God!

This was another exciting Sunday at Pilgrim Lutheran Church!  Our Summer Sunday schedule has started with our Worship service beginning at 9:30 am.  Afterwards, around 10:30 or so, please join us and enjoy food and conversations together.

If you live in the Burton area, please consider joining us on Sunday mornings!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about this worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

  Old Testament:  Hosea 5:15–6:6

               Psalm:  Psalm 119:65–72

              Epistle:  Romans 4:13–25

              Gospel:  Matthew 9:9–13

THEME FOR WORSHIP

Jesus called St. Matthew simply and clearly:  “Follow Me”.  Unlike some of the other twelve disciples, Matthew wasn’t looking for Jesus, he wasn’t curious about Him, he hadn’t been invited by anyone to meet Jesus.  God comes into Matthew’s life without being invited and does the most amazing thing.  

Think about your life; doesn’t God often do the same thing with you?  When God comes to us, He comes to save us.  Jesus calls you to follow Him too, desiring we share love and mercy with others.  So, keep your eyes open at home, at work, anyplace you go.  God may come to you and call you to do something amazing for Him and for others!

To watch the video of today's service, please click HERE.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188   

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

       Sharing God’s Love & Mercy with Each Other & the World.

Pilgrim Website           Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"The LORD is a stronghold in times of trouble."  Psalm 9:9

Thursday Psalms: Afflicted for Good!

Blessed Thursday to each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Savior!

We don't know exactly what afflicted the psalmist, but usually to be afflicted is not a good thing. It was most likely uncomfortable or difficult. Could it be a punishment of some kind? Did God discipline him in a specific way? Perhaps some kind of trauma, or even perhaps a dream or vision from the Holy Spirit? We don't know what his affliction was, but he does tell us it profoundly changed him.

Psalm 119:65–72

65 You have dealt well with Your servant,

O Lord, according to Your word.

66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,

for I believe in Your commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I keep Your word.

68 You are good and do good;

teach me Your statutes.

69 The insolent smear me with lies,

but with my whole heart I keep Your precepts;

70 their heart is unfeeling like fat,

but I delight in Your law.

71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,

that I might learn Your statutes.

72 The law of Your mouth is better to me

than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The psalmist points out the great spiritual benefits he obtained, because of his affliction. First, we're told the affliction produced a spirit of obedience and discipline to keep God's word & commandments. This is always a good thing! Second, the affliction caused the psalmist writer to seek out and learn God's teachings or statutes. Again, a very good and blessed result.

In our sinful & selfish condition, we can't escape afflictions, as much as we would like to do so. Our good prayer today is that God would guide us to good results from our afflictions, that they would turn us to learn God's statutes, to believe in His commandments, and to keep God's Word in every way possible. And the best news ever? God forgives your afflictions and all sins; just confess them and receive His mercy and grace in return!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188 

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

     Sharing God’s Love & Mercy with Each Other & the World.

Pilgrim Website       Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"The LORD is a stronghold in times of trouble."  Psalm 9:9