Thursday Psalms: Your Hope & Trust!

Last night we watched a terrible plane crash unfold; in an instant horrible suffering & grief crashed over the lives of many families.  Earlier this month we watched severe wildfires destroy countless homes, businesses and the lives of so many people who were trapped in the path of destruction.  Every individual person and family eventually suffers sickness, grief and death.  

Where do we turn?  Who can help us? 

Psalm 71:1-6

¹ In You, O Lord, do I take refuge;

      let me never be put to shame!

² In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

      incline Your ear to me, and save me!

³ Be to me a rock of refuge,

      to which I may continually come;

You have given the command to save me,

      for You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

      from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

⁵ For you, O Lord, are my hope,

      my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

⁶ Upon You I have leaned from before my birth;

      You are He who took me from my mother’s womb.

            My praise is continually of You. 

Pray these verses with me today, as we pray for all people we know who are suffering so greatly around us.

Peace 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

"Restore us, O God, let Your face shine, that we may be saved!"  Psalm 80:3 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 26, 2025

Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees     James Tissot  1886–1894

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

January 26, 2025

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 Adult Bible study at 9:15 am, then our 10:30 am Worship service.  Afterward, we gathered for food and conversations, 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 this worship service:

BIBLE READINGS

  Old Testament:  Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10
               Psalm:   Psalm 19:7–14
              Epistle:   1 Corinthians 12:12–31a
              Gospel:   Luke 4:16–30

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP TODAY
The Epiphany season continues to reveal for us that Jesus of Nazareth is true God in both His words and deeds.  While last Sunday revealed the first of Jesus’ signs, today the Gospel text reveals His first sermon, preached in the synagogue of His hometown, where He grew up.  In His first sermon, Jesus reveals that God’s Old Testament promises of the Messiah “…have been fulfilled in your hearing.”  Today this great news is revealed to you also!

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   

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  
       Sharing God’s Love & Mercy with Each Other & the World.

Pilgrim Website           Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"Restore us, O God, let Your face shine, that we may be saved!"  Psalm 80:3  

Thursday Psalms: Fear the LORD & Be Blessed!

What does it mean to be blessed?  

It's interesting to think about what blessings from God we desire or even expect. How often do we focus on the blessings of "perfect" health, ever-increasing wealth, flattering relationships and many other bodily comforts?  God often gives us these blessings, all for which we should thank and praise Him.

Psalm 128 describes some specific examples of God's loving care for those who fear Him and walk in His ways.  

Psalm 128  
¹ Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
       you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
       your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion!
   May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
⁶ May you see your children’s children!

   Peace be upon Israel! 

Pray with me, that the Lord teaches and empowers us to walk in His ways and so be blessed.  But also pray that the Lord changes our hearts, so we recognize His blessings rather than want them to be different or greater than what God gives to us.  Contentment, thankfulness and peace should be our responses to all we receive from the Lord.   

O Lord, grant us these blessings in the name of Jesus, our Savior.  AMEN.

Peace 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

"Restore us, O God, let Your face shine, that we may be saved!"  Psalm 80:3  

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 12, 2025

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Baptism of Our Lord

January 12, 2025

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 Adult Bible study at 9:15 am, then our 10:30 am Worship service.  Afterward, we gathered for food and conversations, 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 this worship service:

BIBLE READINGS

  Old Testament:  Isaiah 43:1–7

               Psalm:  Psalm 29
              Epistle:  Romans 6:1–11
             Gospel:  Luke 3:15–22

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP
The season of Epiphany continues, revealing each Sunday who Jesus is.  Jesus has been revealed to a few Wise Men, to Herod in Jerusalem, to some shepherds in Bethlehem, and to Mary & Joseph, His earthly parents.  Today we hear the glorious voice of God His Father revealing to multitudes of people: “You are My beloved Son, with You I am well pleased.”
God the Father is pleased, because Jesus has fulfilled His prophecy in today’s Old Testament reading.  Jesus, the Holy One of Isreal…, your Savior has called you by name, has redeemed you by His blood and has made you one of God’s saved children.  Through Jesus’ baptism and your baptism, God has named you and claimed you as His own!

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   

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  
       Sharing God’s Love & Mercy with Each Other & the World.

Pilgrim Website           Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

"Restore us, O God, let Your face shine, that we may be saved!"  Psalm 80:3   

Thursday Psalms: Washed & Saved!

In this Psalm we join David, proclaiming the Lord is glorious, strong & powerful.  He is full of splendor & majesty.  He sits enthroned over all things, King eternal over all He has created.  Verse three reminds us of Genesis 1:1-3, where we see the Lord is over the waters and we hear the voice of the Lord creating all things.

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! 

David opens this psalm, calling us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name and he ends this psalm praying God comes to His people and saves them.  How does God save you?  Just as God sent the flood to wash & cleanse the sinful world, God has given us the holy Sacrament of Baptism to wash & cleanse us.  When Jesus was baptized (Mark 1, Matthew 3, Luke 3), the water of the Jordan river was combined with the voice of God the Father who said:  "This is My beloved Son..."   In your baptism, the Word of God is also combined with simple water to recreate you as a forgiven & holy child of God.

So today, give thanks for the voice of the Lord, which both powerfully destroys sin and tenderly makes you His beloved child!

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

"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!"  Psalm 31:24 

Pilgrim Worship Sunday January 5, 2025

  

The Three Wise men in Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna (Italy)

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Epiphany of Our Lord

January 5, 2025

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 Adult Bible study at 9:15 am, then our 10:30 am Worship service.  Afterward, we gathered for food and conversations, 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 this worship service:

BIBLE READINGS

 Old Testament:  Isaiah 60:1–6

              Psalm:  Psalm 72:1–15
             Epistle:  Ephesians 3:1–12
            Gospel:  Matthew 2:1–12

OUR THEME FOR WORSHIP
Epiphany is an extension of Christmas, sometimes known as “Christmas of the Gentiles”.  On the first Christmas, we find a swaddled baby in a manger, visited by shepherds who were summoned by angels.  In this “other” Christmas, we find a toddler at His mother’s feet in a house, visited by Magi or Gentile wise men from the east, guided by a God-sent star.
These Magi visitors were living proof that God’s promises to Abraham were being fulfilled:  “…In your seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed.”  The seed of Abraham had arrived; born in Bethlehem and quickly growing up.  These gentile worshipers testify that Jesus is not just King of the Jews, but King of the World.

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   

We are Pilgrims with a Purpose:  

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

Pilgrim Website           Pilgrim Facebook page

Soli Deo Gloria

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!"  Psalm 31:24