Pilgrim Worship, Sunday January 29, 2023

 

Photographic image by Unsplash/Thuong Do 

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

January 29, 2023

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!  Once again, we had lots of great activities going on, starting with our 10:30 am Worship Service.  Afterward, we gathered for food, conversations, and Adult Bible study, while the children enjoyed Sunday School.  These classes are full of activities and teaching, so the children learn how much God loves them!

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

Here is information about today's worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS

   Old Testament:   Micah 6:1–8

                Psalm:   Psalm 15
               Epistle:   1 Corinthians 1:18–31
               Gospel:   Matthew 5:1–12

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP
In his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, the apostle Paul observes that those who are perishing reject the word of the cross as folly or foolishness.  Of course, this is not exactly “breaking news” for us; we see God’s Word constantly rejected, criticized and attacked in the world around us.  You may even consider parts of God’s word as foolish, choosing instead to follow your own wisdom rather than God’s.  

Contrary to what perishing unbelievers proclaim, the word of the cross is Christ crucified and the story of God’s salvation of His broken creation.  Thanks be to God, that His “foolish” word is your story and mine too!

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

Peace in Christ, who saves us,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  Psalm 121:2 

Thursday Psalms: Who Will Be Saved?

Our psalm for today is Psalm 15, in which the psalmist asks two eternally important questions in the first verse. For Israel, the first hearers of these questions, these were salvation questions. These questions are equally vital for you and me today. We might phrase them something like "How can I be saved?" or "Who will be saved?".

PSALM 15 A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent?

Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart;

3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Foolish readers [...which I sometimes am!] are convinced they can meet these qualifications, or work toward fitting within these moral guidelines. Foolish readers will conclude they are approximately blameless and approximately righteous; they think they're good enough to be right with God. It is human nature for all of us to think we're as good as most and much better than some.

On the other hand, wise readers will see the demands in these few verses as impossible for them to accomplish on their own. In a wise reader, we would say that God's Law has done its work. The answer to this salvation question, "How can I be saved? is made clear: ...not by my own reason or strength! These verses burden and humble the wise reader, making clear their need for grace and mercy and forgiveness.

This, of course, is the good news in this short psalm. Only one man, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, walked blamelessly and did what was right. Only Jesus fully & perfectly kept His Father's Law, living His entire life without a single sin. This man Jesus, then suffered and died on Calvary's cross, taking the punishment you and I and all people deserve for all our mistakes and sins. Only Jesus gives grace and mercy and forgiveness of sins to all who believe in Him.

So, who will sojourn in God's tent? Who will dwell on God's holy hill? Who will be saved? The answer is you! You will be saved, because Jesus has given His gifts to you! All people who believe in what Jesus Christ has done for them will receive His gifts of forgiveness of sins and eternal life! [Romans 10:9]

Peace in Christ, who saves us,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  Psalm 121:2 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 22, 2023

 

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

January 22, 2023

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!  Once again, we had lots of great activities going on, starting with our 10:30 am Worship Service.  Afterward, we gathered for food, conversations, and Adult Bible study, while the children enjoyed Sunday School.  These classes are full of activities and teaching, so the children learn how much God loves them!

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

Here is information about today's worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SERVICE

    Old Testament:   Isaiah 9:1–4

                 Psalm:    Psalm 27:1–9 (10–14)
                Epistle:    1 Corinthians 1:10–18
                Gospel:    Matthew 4:12–25

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY

Although Israel had rejected God’s word through Isaiah, God planned to give His people light again.  The future is written as something which has already happened, telling us: “Look forward to it; it is certain, He has already done it!”  Matthew rightly recognized the fulfillment of this prophecy as Jesus went to Galilee and began His earthly public ministry.  

We too live in darkness, and as always, people of God must decide how we live.  Are we to look at the darkness, the hopelessness, our dreams shattered, and conclude God has forgotten us?  Or are we to recall His past mercies, to remember His present promises and to walk defiantly in faith?  Isaiah proclaims hope is our present reality.  The darkness is true, but it is neither the whole truth, nor the fundamental truth.  Those belong to the Light and are given to 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

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3

Thursday Psalms: Make Joyful Noise!

 

This week's edition of Thursday Psalms is a bit delayed due to back-to-back funerals at Pilgrim for Al and Theresa.  Psalm 100 was a favorite psalm of Theresa, whose funeral was this past Thursday.  It seems fitting to make Psalm 100 our Thursday Psalm this week; she and Al this week have both literally entered His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
     Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!
     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.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
     and His courts with praise!
          Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
For the Lord is good;
     His steadfast love endures forever,
          and His faithfulness to all generations.

So I suggest you simply pause today, and bask in the goodness of the Lord, who is God, who is beyond good, who loves you forever!  Visualize Theresa, Al and all the saints who have gone to heaven before you, who have already come into the Lord's presence with singing.   

God assures us that this promise, the indescribable blessing of eternal life in heaven, is for you and me, too!

Thanks be to God, who has saved you & me!

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 15, 2023

 

The Isenheim Altarpiece    Matthias Grünewald         1512 - 1516 

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

January 15, 2023

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!  Once again, we had lots of great activities going on, starting with our 10:30 am Worship Service.  Afterward, we gathered for food, conversations, and Adult Bible study, while the children enjoyed Sunday School.  These classes are full of activities and teaching, so the children learn how much God loves them!

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

Here is information about today's worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SERVICE

   Old Testament:  Isaiah 49:1–7

                Psalm:  Psalm 40:1–11
               Epistle:  1 Corinthians 1:1–9
               Gospel:  John 1:29–42a

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY
In the gospel text for today, Jesus asks two potential disciples a simple but profoundly important question:  “What are you seeking?”  This question should be asked of us also.  We spend a great deal of time seeking things and even people, but to what end?  But even more importantly, Jesus invites these disciples, along with you and me, to seek Him, to come to Him and to see Him.  This invitation is also for us to take into the vocations of our lives, inviting others to join us and come, see Jesus!

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

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3

Thursday Psalms: God Rescues Us!

 

Psalm 40 was written while David was being chased by Saul, who wanted to kill him.  These first four verses below are personal; David describes the saving work of the Lord.  David then calls others to be blessed, to also see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.  

PSALM 40:1-4 

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord;

    He inclined to me and heard my cry.

² He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

    out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

³ He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

    Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,

    who does not turn to the proud,

       to those who go astray after a lie! 

Pause for a few moments and think of times when you have been in a pit of destruction or in a miry bog.  Have there been times in your life where you can see how the Lord saved you?  If so, give thanks for such a great blessing.  Perhaps you're in a struggle right now, and feel like these words describe your situation today.  Cry to the Lord and wait patiently for the Lord to hear your cry and secure your steps.

 

There are some key words here for us; "patiently" and "making the Lord our trust".  God is not a vending machine, promising to produce what we want if we ask with the right ______ [fill in the blank].  So we ask and wait patiently, trusting Him for His answer.  This is what it means to "make God our trust"; He is the one thing in which we can always have confidence.  God promises to do what is best for us, even if we never come to understand His choosing.  

But here is one outcome this psalm describes, in which there is no doubt.  These few verses paint a beautiful picture of God's forgiveness for our confessed sins.  Everyday, God draws you and me up from the pit of sin's destruction!  Everyday God pulls you and me out of the miry bog of guilt and shame.  When we are forgiven and set free from our sins, we stand on the rock of our salvation, secure in Jesus, who took the sin punishment we deserve!

I pray for you today, that God will rescue you from your struggles and place your feet on secure footing.  Even more importantly, I pray you make the Lord your trust by daily confessing your sins to Him, fully confident and sure of His forgiveness!

Singing a new song of praise to our God,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 8, 2023

 

The Baptism of Christ     Guido Reni     1623

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Baptism of Our Lord

January 8, 2023

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!  Once again, we had lots of great activities going on, starting with our 10:30 am Worship Service.  Afterward, we gathered for food, conversations, and Adult Bible study, while the children enjoyed Sunday School.  These classes are full of activities and teaching, so the children learn how much God loves them!

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

Here is information about today's worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SERVICE

   Old Testament:   Isaiah 42:1–9                              

              Psalm:   Psalm 29
             Epistle:   Romans 6:1–11
             Gospel:   Matthew 3:13–17

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP
The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the most carefully examined and extensively interpreted events in the New Testament.  Such a wonder cannot be fully understood or explained by anyone.  Today we will unpack these few short verses and receive God’s blessed gifts from them!

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

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3

An Epiphany Moment...

 

In the name of Jesus, the Light who has come to us; peace to you.  AMEN.

Each year I feel sorry for Epiphany, this often overlooked but absolutely beautiful day in the Church year.  Following the Christmas celebrations, too often we simply ignore this day.  What a shame!  Today is a perfect book-end to the Advent and Christmas seasons, a reminder of "what just happened".  You see, an epiphany is a moment of sudden revelation.  Something that is unclear, suddenly becomes clear.  Something that is hidden, suddenly becomes revealed.  Remember the angels, not even two weeks ago?  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!"  God's long-promised Messiah has been revealed!  A promise which had been long unclear, suddenly is clear!  Now that is a great Epiphany!

But how does that epiphany, 2000+ years ago, change your life in 2023?  Consider these first few verses of the Old Testament reading assigned for this day:

OLD TESTAMENT     Isaiah 60:1–2

¹ Arise, shine, for your light has come,

      and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

² For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

      and thick darkness the peoples;

   but the Lord will arise upon you,

      and His glory will be seen upon you. 

This news of darkness is not "news" for us at all.  The darkness of sin has covered the earth since Adam & Eve couldn't put down the apple.  At various times since then, evil around us might seem to have been more prominent and sometimes less so.  These days, perhaps you might conclude that evil is expanding, that the thick darkness of evil is covering all people.  But God's Word is clear:  Fear not!  Jesus defeated sin on Calvary's cross and He conquered death when He strolled out of His grave.  Immanuel is "God with us"; He is arisen and shining the light of His love and forgiveness into the darkness of your life!  

So it is my prayer, and I hope yours also, that you will see many epiphany moments in your life during this new year.  Perhaps a healing epiphany will arise over the darkness of sickness or suffering in your life.  But most importantly, pray with me that every day will be an Epiphany Day, as God's forgiveness DAILY arises and drives away the guilt and shame of our sins! 

That is the greatest Epiphany!

Peace in Jesus Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Pilgrim Worship blog page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3 

Thursday Psalms: God's Thundering Voice

Psalm 29 has been chosen for this Sunday, when we'll focus on the Baptism of Our Lord, Jesus.  There are at least a couple of powerful baptism connections in this psalm, with an extra gift at the end.

We read  "The voice of the Lord is over the waters;", which reminds us of God's creation work in Genesis 1:1-2, where "the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."  We're reminded of our own baptisms, in which we were made a new creation, of water and the Word.  Luther reminds us "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's Word."   In verse 10 of this psalm we're reminded of THE flood, another image of baptism.  The sins of the world were destroyed and washed away, and (...you know this is coming...) God brought forth a NEW CREATION through Noah & his family.

PSALM  29   A Psalm of David.

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,

     ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

     worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

     the God of glory thunders,            

        the Lord, over many waters.      

⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;

     the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

     the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶ He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,

     and Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.

⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

     the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹ The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth

     and strips the forests bare,

        and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

     the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

¹¹ May the Lord give strength to his people!

            May the Lord bless his people with peace!

The main message of this psalm focuses on the voice of the Lord and His power, which is a terrifying thing.  The sound of His voice brings forth creation, shakes the mountains & trees, and it brought about the great destroying flood.  All sinners as we are should be terrified of the voice of the Lord, but we need not be.  Check out verse 11 The Lord gives strength to his people!  The Lord blesses his people with peace!  How is this?

Remember how St. John begins his gospel?  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  In verse 14 we read:  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  Because Jesus became flesh, lived among us and died for us, we have no reason to fear the voice of the Lord!  God came to us, speaking His love and grace!  And so, we can join with all heaven and earth in praising God, who sits enthroned as King forever!

Living in the Peace given by Jesus Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.

office:  810.744.1188

mobile:  248.881.7627

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Pilgrim Worship blog page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 1, 2023

 

The Virgin and Child surrounded by the Holy Innocents (1616) by Peter Paul Rubens

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The First Sunday after Christmas

January 1, 2023

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!  Once again, we had lots of great activities going on, starting with our 10:30 am Worship Service.  Afterward, we gathered for food, conversations, and Adult Bible study, while the children enjoyed Sunday School.  These classes are full of activities and teaching, so the children learn how much God loves them!

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

Here is information about today's worship service:

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR TODAY

   Old Testament:   Jeremiah 31:15-17

                Psalm:   Psalm 111
               Epistle:   Galatians 4:4-7
               Gospel    Matthew 2:13-23

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY

Today we find ourselves on the other side of Christmas.  The blizzard is past, the parties are over, and the gifts have been opened.  The decorations may remain, as do some of the relatives perhaps.  What comes next?  What is on this other side of Christmas?  Come find out what today’s Gospel and Old Testament readings tell us, and what we clearly see in our world today.

 

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

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Pilgrim Worship blog page

Soli Deo Gloria

"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."  Psalm 3:3

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.