Pilgrim Worship Sunday October 29, 2023

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

October 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 9:30 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!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or later on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about today's worship service:

BIBLE READINGS FOR SUNDAY

   First Reading:  Revelation 14:6–7

               Psalm:  Psalm 46
              Epistle:  Romans 3:19–28
             Gospel:  John 8:31–36

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP SUNDAY
At some point, we’ve all probably been on shaky ground; perhaps a rickety old chair, a rotted board on a dock or floor, possibly crossing a stream by jumping rock-to-rock.  Shaky ground is dangerous.  Spiritually, we live in a world & culture that offers even worse, a sinking sand which traps and kills.  This is no mystery since the devil desires one thing:  the spiritual death of all people.  For Luther, “…hordes of devils fill the land, all threatening to devour us.”  But more powerful than all the devil and his hordes, Jesus gives us the only firm foundation for our lives.  Today we’ll hear His good news in John 8:31-32.

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

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

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 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save"  Zephaniah 3:17        

Thursday Psalms: God's Great River!

Psalm 46 is historically assigned for Reformation Day, which we will observe in worship this coming Sunday.  Today I'd like to focus on verse four.

PSALM 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,

      a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

      though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam,

      though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

      the holy habitation of the Most High.

⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

      God will help her when morning dawns.

⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

      He utters His voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;

      the God of Jacob is our fortress.

The image of a river gladdening God's city probably was inspired by the Pool of Siloam which gathered fresh water for the residents of Jerusalem.  Another earthly location where the Most High dwelled with His people was the garden of Eden.  Check out Genesis 2:10 to learn of a river there.  We are also reminded of an eternal river, which flows from the heavenly temple.  You can read of that river in Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Joel 3:18.  In each of these, we see the Most High God, making glad and giving life to His people.  

Of course, you and I are part of God's people, we're part of the city of God.  And this brings to mind another river whose streams make you & me glad.  In the cleansing river of your baptism, your sins were washed away and God gave to you saving faith!  Your baptism was a life-giving river, rich in grace and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.  What a great river that was!  

The best thing is your baptism was not a one-time river, it was not a one-time bath.  God's great river of forgiveness washes you clean of your sins every single time you pray to God and confess your sins!  Martin Luther puts it this way in the Small Catechism:  by daily contrition & repentance, the Old Adam in us is drowned and dies with all sins and evil desires.  The new person [YOU!] then daily arises, washed clean and living before God in righteousness and purity forever.  Wow, that's a great river!

So today, join me in giving thanks and taking another daily cleansing bath in God's Great river forgiveness!

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

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

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word." Psalm 119:114   

Pilgrim Worship Sunday October 22, 2023

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

October , 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 9:30 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!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or later on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about today's worship service:

BIBLE READINGS FOR SUNDAY

  Old Testament:  Isaiah 45:1-7

               Psalm:  Psalm 96:1-9
              Epistle:  1 Thessalonians 1:1–10
              Gospel:  Matthew 22:5-22

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY
In the Old Testament reading for today, God calls & deploys King Cyrus to do God’s work and will.  God promises to break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through bars of iron so Cyrus would be victorious.  God promises to give Cyrus rich treasures of earthly wealth.  What is up with this?  Cyrus did not even know God!  What can God be teaching us?

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

Peace in Christ, your Savior,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

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 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save"  Zephaniah 3:17       

Thursday Psalms: Day-to-Day!

Our Psalm today is a majestic song, proclaiming the grandeur and majesty of the Lord.  God is Lord over all the earth, among the nations & all peoples.  The Lord is great, feared above all gods, and full of splendor, majesty, strength and beauty.  Nothing but glory is due His name from everyone and everything He has made!  All the earth should and will tremble before Him.  What a glorious mountain-top view of the Lord who rules over all the earth!

PSALM 96:1-9

¹ Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

     sing to the Lord, all the earth!

² Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

     tell of His salvation from day to day.

³ Declare His glory among the nations,

     His marvelous works among all the peoples!

⁴ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

     He is to be feared above all gods.

⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

     but the Lord made the heavens.

⁶ Splendor and majesty are before Him;

     strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

     ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;

     bring an offering, and come into His courts!

⁹ Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

     tremble before Him, all the earth! 

But there is another powerful and glorious message here.  Check out verse 2 for a promise & gift, given to you, me, and all the people.  The Lord gives you His salvation, day to day!

Day to day, the Lord saves you from your sins, by forgiving them!   Day to day, the Lord saves you from despair, by loving and caring for you!  Day to day, the Lord saves you from many struggles and hardships and attacks of Satan, the deceiver and liar.  Day to day, you are a loved and cared-for child of God, who rules over all the earth!  

So, sing to the Lord on this day!

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

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

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word." Psalm 119:114  

Pilgrim Worship Sunday October 15, 2023

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

October 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 9:30 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!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or later on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about today's worship service:

BIBLE READINGS FOR SUNDAY

   Old Testament:  Isaiah 25:6–9

                Psalm:  Psalm 23
               Epistle:  Philippians 4:4–13
               Gospel:  Matthew 22:1–14

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP SUNDAY
In our text today it appears at first glance that God is giving us three different teachings.  First, we read “…do not be anxious about anything…”.  Really?  How do we do that?  Second, we read a long list of things we should think about and practice.  Really?  Easy to read, hard to do.  Lastly, we’re told to be content, like Paul has learned to do.  OK, sometimes we are but in any and every circumstance...?  That’s another tall order for you & me.  So what is the thread in this text that ties these things together and gives us peace and strengthens us?  

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

Peace in Christ, your Savior,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

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 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save"  Zephaniah 3:17      

Thursday Psalms: Table Prepared!

This beloved Psalm speaks so many wonderful & encouraging things to us!  Today our thoughts are drawn to verse 5b.  What does it mean, that the Lord would prepare a table before me?  

PSALM 23

¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures.

      He leads me beside still waters.

³ He restores my soul.

      He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

      I will fear no evil, for You are with me;

            Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

      You anoint my head with oil;

            my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

      and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

My immediate family gathered together for a few days of vacation last week and weekend.  We were blessed to enjoy the time together, and of course, there was a fair amount of good food involved.  Many hands helped to plan, bring and prepare the food, but my wife spent more time preparing than any of us.  Every meal, she was preparing a table before us.  For her it is joyful work, but nonetheless, preparing a table for others is servant work.  This brings us to the remarkable and blessed reality of verse 5b of our psalm.

The Lord prepares (ongoing action!) a table before you & me!  This includes God's provision of our daily bread, for which we pray in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer.  Luther's Small Catechism reminds us what is meant by daily bread:  "...everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."  Whew, that's a lot of bread God gives to us every day!  That's a full table prepared!

But there's another really important table the Lord prepares for you.  Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born a man and lived the only sinless life ever lived on this earth, so that He could serve you by taking the punishment for all your sins.  Hours before Jesus sacrificed Himself for you & your sins, He instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion, often called the Lord's Supper.  In this sacrament, the Lord prepares the most glorious table for you.  In a mystery we accept only by faith and will never understand, Jesus gives to you His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of your faith!  No greater table has ever, or will ever be prepared.  No greater Servant has ever or will ever serve in such a powerful life-saving way!

Give thanks to the Lord for His great table, prepared for you!

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

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

Pilgrim Website

Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word." Psalm 119:114     

Pilgrim Worship Sunday October 8, 2023

 

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

October 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 9:30 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!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or later on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about today's worship service:

BIBLE READINGS FOR SUNDAY

   Old Testament:  Isaiah 5:1-7

                Psalm:  Psalm 80:7-19
               Epistle:  Philippians 3:4b-14
               Gospel:  Matthew 21:33-46

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY
In the Epistle reading for today, St. Paul compares our human accomplishments to our knowing Christ as our Savior.  What is Paul’s conclusion?  We should be Taking Out the Trash!

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

Peace in Christ, your Savior,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

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 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save"  Zephaniah 3:17     

Pilgrim Worship Sunday October 1, 2023

  Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

October 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 9:30 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!  Anyone can watch our services live on Facebook or later on Pilgrim's website.

Here is information about today's worship service:

BIBLE READINGS FOR SUNDAY

   Old Testament:  Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

                Psalm:  Psalm 25:1-10
               Epistle:  Philippians 2:1-18
               Gospel:  Matthew 21:23-32

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP
Who are you “like”?  Do you share a physical or emotional “likeness” with somebody else?  Perhaps you’ve been given a big heart like your Mom, or a short temper like your Dad, or thin hair like Uncle Edward.  You get the picture.  In the Epistle lesson, Paul uses this idea of “likeness” to remind us of some powerful gifts, some loving opportunities and high expectations God has given to us.

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

Peace in Christ, your Savior,

Pastor Mark

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS    Burton, Michigan

office:  810.744.1188     mobile:  248.881.7627

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 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save"  Zephaniah 3:17