Pilgrim Worship

Soli Deo Gloria

"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Thursday Psalms: Calm Down!

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

How often have we said or heard the words "Calm down..."? We often say this to others in distress, especially children. If you're like me, you've heard these words from others more than a few times. Many times, especially during a panic attack or an urgent crisis, there are many things we can actually do which help us calm down.

King David even gives his own recommendation in the last part of verse 1. Don't dwell, don't keep thinking about things beyond your understanding, he suggests. Often this is good advice, and helps us to calm down.

But is there more in this psalm for us, something more than simply a command: "do this, don't do that"? I think so.

PSALM 131 A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

One image and one word attract my attention. Consider a weaned child with its mother, who we might picture curled up in his/her mother's lap. Such a child certainly knows his Mom, this person who has fed and cared for him/her, and she still does. He knows her by the sound of her voice, by the scent of her clothing and he loves her, even if he does not yet fully understand what love is. David is using this picture to describe himself, resting in the comfort and provision of his Lord. He is calmed and quieted in his soul. This is a picture of you and of me also. We too, are calmed and quieted by the Lord, knowing that He loves us, cares for us, and forgives all our sins. We trust in Him, because He loves and cares for us.

Of course, this leads us to verse 3, and God's delightful gift of hope. Knowing all of God's promises, which He has kept, gives us confidence that He will continue keeping His promises to you and to me. We hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore, not an unsure wishing, but a confident, trusting hope.

So, when things get rough and rugged in our lives, we can indeed CALM DOWN, because God continues to keep all His promises to love, care for and forgive you from this time forth and forevermore. Thanks be to God! Amen!

Peace to you in Christ, who comforts us in His steadfast love!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

Monday, August 22, 2022

Pilgrim Worship Sunday August 21, 2022

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

August 21, 2022

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

If you live in the Burton area, please consider joining us on Sunday mornings!

Here is information about todays worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Old Testament: Isaiah 66:18–23

Psalm: Psalm 50:1–15
Epistle: Hebrews 12:4–24
Gospel: Luke 13:22–30

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP

In today’s Gospel reading [Luke 13:22-30], Jesus speaks some challenging words to us. Misunderstanding these words can be dangerous, giving us the false idea that our good works make us “skinny” enough to fit through this narrow door. So, what does Jesus mean when He calls us “strive” or “struggle” to enter through the narrow door? The door is closing…how do we avoid being one of those standing outside?

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

Peace to you on this, the Lord's Day!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

Monday, August 15, 2022

Pilgrim Worship Sunday August 14, 2022

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 14, 2022

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

If you live in the Burton area, please consider joining us on Sunday mornings!

Here is information about todays worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Old Testament: Jeremiah 23:16–29

Psalm: Psalm 119:81–88
Epistle: Hebrews 11:17 – 12:3
Gospel: Luke 12:49–53

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP SUNDAY
In the Gospel text today, we find challenging words from our Savior, words to which we’ll give some careful attention. Did Jesus come to bring peace or division? Well, yes. Jesus did and does bring peace, but is it the peace we might want or expect? Jesus does bring division, but what kind and why? Don’t we all just want to get along, and live in a sort of “kumbaya” peace, a harmony among folks who are all essentially good people?

I believe we’ll come to a good understanding in short order, but what question is Jesus asking us, sort of hidden behind all this “division” talk in these verses?

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

Peace to you on this, the Lord's Day!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Thursday Psalms: God's Comfort

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

Today's Psalm is a short section from Psalm 119, the longest of all the psalms. The psalmist is praying for help and strength as he struggles to lead a God-fearing and God-pleasing life in the face of persecution. His faith is clear [v81] and remains steadfast throughout this prayer, but his pain and suffering are so vividly described. In his prayer "When will You comfort me?", he is praying for peace and relief from feeling dried and shriveled up like a wineskin over the heat and smoke of a fire. Yet, he has not turned away from God and knows God has neither rejected him nor abandoned him.

Throughout the holy Scriptures, God promises to judge the wicked and punish those who reject Him; "When will You judge those who persecute me?" the psalmist asks. In verses 84-87 we see clearly that the psalmist is persecuted for his beliefs in God and for following God's commands in his life. In the end, the psalmist prays not for the death of his enemies, but that God would give him life, that God would sustain, nourish and strengthen him so that he may remain steadfast in Godly living.

PSALM 119:81–88
⁸¹My soul longs for Your salvation;
I hope in Your word.
⁸²My eyes long for Your promise;
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
⁸³For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten Your statutes.
⁸⁴How long must Your servant endure?
When will You judge those who persecute me?
⁸⁵The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to Your law.
⁸⁶All Your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
⁸⁷They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
⁸⁸In Your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of Your mouth.

Even if you and I do not face direct persecution for our Christian beliefs and lifestyles, we do live in a culture which rejects us and the one, true God in whom we believe. We all most certainly face direct and constant persecution from the temptations to sin. The devil, the world and our sinful nature deceive us, bombard us with falsehoods, and constantly dig pitfalls into which we often fall.

In the face of Satan's constant persecution, we are blessed to join with the psalmist in this prayer!

O God, In Your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of Your mouth. AMEN!

Peace to you in Christ, who comforts us in His steadfast love!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Blesséd be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

Monday, August 8, 2022

Pilgrim Worship Sunday August 7, 2022

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

August 7, 2022

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

If you live in the Burton area, please consider joining us on Sunday mornings!

Here is information about todays worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Old Testament: Genesis 15:1–6

Psalm: Psalm 33:12–22

Epistle: Hebrews 11:1–16

Gospel: Luke 12:22–34

THEME FOR WORSHIP

In the last few years, we’ve all experienced powerful forces up-end, re-structure and re-order our lives. We buy stuff differently, we navigate supply chain shortages, and we confront political divisions and hatred all around us. Violence is now tolerated, even encouraged as a perversion of “justice”. Many more examples abound.

But there is another powerful disrupter, one which also up-ends and re-orders our lives: love. We’ve all seen or experienced loving re-ordering in newly married couples, the arrival of a first baby or the removal of guilt and shame when sins are forgiven.

In the Gospel text today, Jesus teaches us how the Father’s extravagant love provides your needs and gives you the kingdom. If you have not yet had your life upended by God’s love, get ready for the best reordering you will ever experience!

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

Peace to you on this, the Lord's Day!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:7

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Thursday Psalms: Our Soul Waits on the LORD

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

Today we have these verses from Psalm 33 which teach us about hope. The deeds and works of man [kings, armies, warriors, etc...] only produce false hope which cannot rescue anyone. But those who fear the Lord and walk in His steadfast love will be delivered from death!

Psalm 33:12–22

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom He has chosen as His heritage!

¹³The Lord looks down from heaven;

He sees all the children of man;

¹⁴from where He sits enthroned He looks out

on all the inhabitants of the earth,

¹⁵He who fashions the hearts of them all

and observes all their deeds.

¹⁶The king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

¹⁷The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

and by its great might it cannot rescue.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

on those who hope in His steadfast love,

¹⁹that He may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart is glad in Him,

because we trust in His holy name.

²²Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in You.

If you're like me, verse 20 is both encouraging and frustrating. Consider Abram and his conversation with God in our Old Testament reading for this Sunday [Genesis 15:1-6]. God says "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield..." But Abram reminds God "I'm still waiting...!!!" God had promised Abram & Sarah a son even though they were already old, and God had not yet delivered on this promise. So God renewed His promise to Abram, showing him all the stars in the heavens and said "So shall your offspring be." As they say, "the rest is history". God kept His promise and from Abram came eventually Jesus, who has redeemed all people into God's family.

May your heart be glad in Him, as you trust in His holy name. Our hope is in Him, not a vain and unsure hope, but a confident hope because God keeps all His promises. Jesus Christ has delivered your soul from death. God the Father is our help and our shield.

Count on it, because God has done it for you!

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627

Soli Deo Gloria

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:7

Monday, August 1, 2022

Pilgrim Worship Sunday July 31, 2022

The Rich Fool, an illustration from "Les Paraboles" by Eugène Burnand 1850-1921

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

July 31, 2022

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

If you live in the Burton area, please consider joining us for any or all of these weekly events!

Here is information about todays worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Old Testament: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26

Psalm: Psalm 100

Epistle: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus warns us about the sin of coveting material possessions and our tendency to define and construct our lives around them. The sin of covetousness is serious in God’s eyes and should be in ours also. As examples, in today’s Epistle text God tells us that covetousness is idolatry, and of course two out of the Ten Commandments God gave to us speak against us coveting things.

Today we’ll unravel a couple of questions. What is at the root of covetousness that makes it so dangerous? In the parable of the Rich Fool, why does God care about who will get the rich man’s stuff after he dies? What is Jesus getting at here, and what is He teaching us?

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

Peace to you on this, the Lord's Day!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan

office: 810.744.1188

mobile: 248.881.7627