Thursday Psalms: God Rescues You!

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

Today's psalm begins with an invitation really:  If you dwell in the shelter of God, you will remain in the protective shadow of His care.  The psalmist then proclaims his own faith, trusting that the Lord will always be his refuge and fortress during life's hard times.  I've left out verses 3-13, where you'll read many examples of God's protection and care He promises to give you. 

Psalm 91

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say to the Lord,

      “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

     

In these final three verses, God replies, repeating His glorious promises to you:

¹⁴ “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

      I will protect him, because he knows My name.

¹⁵ When he calls to Me, I will answer him;

      I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” 

So, take God at His promises!  Believe in God and love Him with all your heart and life.  You'll notice God delivering you from temptations & danger.  You'll see God protecting you from illnesses and calamities.  Call on God in prayer and wait for His answers.  Call on God in trouble, and see how He rescues you.  Confess your sins to God, and He will honor you with His forgiveness.  At the end of your earthly days, God will show you His salvation, God will welcome you into eternal life in heaven.

Abide in God, who rescues you!

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 14, 2026

 

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Third Sunday after Pentecost

June 14, 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:  Exodus 19:2-8

               Psalm:  Psalm 100

              Epistle:  Romans 5:6-15

              Gospel:  Matthew 9:35 – 10:8

THEME FOR WORSHIP 

Some days more than others, we all need help navigating through challenges in our daily lives.  Spiritually, we all need help every day because our sin makes us enemies of God.  The Epistle reading today recalls the genealogy of death, brought on by Adam’s sin.  Like everyone, your inherited and committed sins lead to your death.  

How does God respond to our sins?  Instead of punishment, God gives you the most perfect and important free gift:  forgiveness of sins, life and salvation!

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: 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

Pilgrim Worship Sunday May 31, 2026

 

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Festival of the Holy Trinity

May 31, 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 usual Sunday schedule starts with Adult Bible class at 9:15 am and then our 10:30 am Worship service.  

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:  Genesis 1:1–2:4a

                         Psalm:  Psalm 8

  The Second Reading:  Acts 2:14a, 22–36

                        Gospel:  Matthew 28:16–20

THEME FOR WORSHIP

As we consider God the Holy Trinity, we simple can never fully understand how God has revealed His nature in the Holy Trinity, always both one God and three Persons.  By faith we’re able to believe and confess this truth, yet God remains beyond our understanding.  

God is so majestic and powerful, and yet He loves “little old you” more than you can even begin to imagine!   This Jesus, who God the Father made Lord and Christ, has poured out God the Holy Spirit on you, and has saved you from sin, death and eternal damnation!  That, we can understand!

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