Pastor David Maier - Forward in Hope

Lent and Easter: Invitations to Honesty, Transparency, and Healing … for ALL

(As found in the May, 2011 issue of Michigan In Touch)

After listing the great heroes of the faith in chapter 11, Hebrews 12 begins with this grand encouragement:  1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Ah, yes, “the sin that so easily entangles.”  (All sin has that germinal propensity.)  The worst part about repeated sins, or even addictions, is the gnawing sense of unworthiness and guilt over failure.  We feel cast aside from God’s use and God’s love.  With a self-loathing that comes from our inability to meet the expectations of ourselves and others we get stuck in guilt.  Wallowing in shame we shrink from the healing and forgiveness that God freely offers.

Philip Yancy wrote of a prostitute’s shameful confession that she had wanted to rape her own sons.  She told of her rescue from that lifestyle and sexual addiction by those who loved her unconditionally and shared God’s love with her.  She later recounted that God’s grace can heal, but after a moment’s reflection added, “It isn’t easy to be healed.”

PRAYER … You … and 242 – Some Concluding Thoughts

It is our hope, sincere desire, and Prayer that this 242 Service which will begin on 9.11 -- September 11 -- (how appropriate) would become a great blessing for our church, its members, anyone who would attend (anyone is invited), and everyone who will be prayed for.

I find it interesting that if we were to ask ourselves why we don’t pray – personally or with others – hardly any of us could say we don’t know how to. If there’s one major reason … I think it is that we are too busy. We mean to pray, but we don’t get it done. Each of us should remember that the One who taught us to pray had a life very similar to ours. The Gospels record just 52 days of Jesus’life, and that record is enough to show us what kind of life He led. Jesus was an extremely busy man, but He always found time to pray to His Father.  I believe corporate prayer became very important to Jesus and His disciples.  And the example of the early Christian church should be our model.

TOGETHER, as we pursue God’s the Lord’s blessing on our life, there just isn’t any alternative to prayer. Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.  Prayer is the hard-work business of Christianity, and it nets amazing results.

Even if you’ve been to Church on Sunday, this totally different service will be an awesome way to continue the week!!

Pastor Olsen and I truly look forward to praying with you and for you at the Monday Night 242 Prayer and Worship Service!

PRAYER … You … and 242 – What to Expect

To help you better understand what this 242 service will be like, here are a few of its planned characteristics:

• It will be Pastor led

• It will be more “informal” than a Sunday Service (for instance, the pastors will not be “robed”)

• It will feature “blended music” (music appropriate to the service “theme,” whether a hymn or more contemporary song on the piano)

• There will be Scripture(s) with a brief time of “teaching” …

• There will be an extended opportunity for PRAYER …

• Holy Communion will not be served

• Bulletins will be used (no screens) …

• There will be an Offering (Hey, this is a Lutheran Service …)

• The 242 Prayer and Worship Service would occur every Monday unless on a holiday (for example, Memorial Day, close to July 4, Labor Day, etc., or if it falls on a Christmas or News Years Day or Eve, etc.)

• It will end promptly at 7:25 PM

• It will be strongly encouraged that no meetings begin on Monday evening until 7:30 PM (or that a break be taken for the 242 Service).  It will also be encouraged that all attending their particular meeting on a Monday evening would first begin by attending “242”.

• For parents who are wondering, Yes, this service would “count” as a worship service for OSL kids.

If you have other thoughts or suggestions before we get started on our “242” Service, please be sure to respond to this BLOG or talk to one of the Pastors or Elders.

[Just so you are aware … consideration is also being given to a Wednesday Evening Service during the Summer that would celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  That 6:30 PM service would begin the Wednesday after the Our Savior Lutheran School 8th Grade Graduation and end the Wednesday evening prior to Labor Day.]  We will keep you posted ... and look forward to your comments as well.

PRAYER … You … and 242 – An Opportunity in our 50th Anniversary Year

During this year when we celebrate God’s 50 years of blessing upon Our Savior Lutheran Church and School, the Elders and the Pastors have prayerfully decided to begin the 242 Prayer and Worship Service.  (It will replace the Monday Evening 6:30 PM service.  Its interesting to remember that originally the Monday Evening 6:30 PM Service was held only during summer months to accommodate weekend vacationers.) Desiring to be more deliberate and impassioned about our corporate prayer life, this seems to be a God-ordained time to begin this new Service. With the challenges that our Church and School are facing, the difficulties that many individuals and families are confronting, and with all the changes occurring in the mid-Michigan area, there is a great deal of excitement building among those who have already learned of the 242 Prayer and Worship Service.

In order for you to be encouraged and excited about this coming service I would encourage everyone to read throught the Book of Acts, or at least the Scriptures from Acts listed in the last BLOG entry.  Prayer was a crucial part of the Church's early, thriving, blessed life.  Reading through the Gospels it is hard not to see the emphasis Jesus personally put on prayer, but also the emphasis He put on corportate prayer ... or prayer together with 2 or 3 others, or more.  Martin Luther often encouraged his flock to pray when the church was under great difficulty, saying that "We should pray, and let God do the worrying."

With a wonderful heritage that the present body of Christ has received from past members in our OSL 50 year history, and looking at the BOLDLY PROCLAIM Ministry Renewal and Relocation -- that from a relocation point of view is picking up great momentum -- could there be a better time to place a greater emphasis on God's people getting together to pray.

What a great opportunity awaits us!

PRAYER … You … and 242 - Getting Back to the Basics

Although other basic values (worship, Bible Study, Scriptural meditation, journaling, fellowship, witnessing, giving, etc.) will be commented on in my blog in the future, I would like to first highlight the discipline of prayer and thereby also introduce our 242 Prayer and Worship Service which begins on Monday, September 11 (9.11) at 6:30 PM.

It’s been said that if you want to find out where you are spiritually, ask yourself this question:  What is the level of my commitment to a life of prayer?  Maybe you’ve also heard it said that no believer’s spiritual life will rise to stay above the level of his praying.  As we read the Bible, there is no getting around the fact that God has ordained to work through prayer.

One of the basic values and core tenets of biblical, early Christianity, was the emphasis on corporate prayer.  Early in the Book of Acts we read in Acts 2:42:  “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  (See also Acts 4:31; 6:6; 12:12; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5, as additional examples.)  I believe that our church does a good job at teaching and preaching the whole of God’s Word, and the “apostle’s teaching.”  We offer the Lord’s Supper – “the breaking of bread” – almost every weekend.  Our TLC’s provide an excellent opportunity for studying the Bible and fellowship, and for prayer for that group.  But what about a regular opportunity for corporate prayer as a whole church … beside the 3-4 minutes on a Sunday morning?

Is that enough?  Better stated, “Is that what brings joy to God’s heart?  Is that what God intended?  Is that what there is to corporate prayer or can there be more?  Is this a way that we could humble ourselves before God and look forward to receiving His blessing?” 

What can be done?

PRAYER … You … and 242 – An Introduction

In a number of posts that will shortly follow … I would like to talk about the great importance of prayer, specifically corporate prayer, and how OSL hopes to both encourage and implement its blessing our lives.

Several years ago, I read a best-selling business book dedicated to the question of “What helps make a company successful and truly thrive?” The authors of In Search of Excellence had researched several of

America

’s leading companies in order to find a common formula for success. They discovered that the successful companies never lost sight of their basic values. Those values continued to be at the core of all their work and development.

In the same way a company thrives, our spiritual lives prosper, our church prospers, when we keep the fundamentals in focus. How many of you have come to realize that it is easy to get away from practicing the basics in our Christian faith? If we’re not careful, days can go by when we don’t pray or read the Bible.

None of us set out to live a mediocre spiritual life, and we certainly don’t want our church to be spiritually mediocre either.  But in the midst of our busy schedules, many of us have forgotten, or perhaps we’ve shelved, the opportunity and privilege to practice some of the basics that shape us as Christians.

What can we do about it?  Please continue to read this BLOG ...

Member's Mali Mission

February 27 is really right around the corner.  But the trip Wes Thorp is soon to embark upon will not be a quick, safe trip to get milk at the corner market.  Rather, he will be traveling halfway around the world to Mali in West Africa.  Wes will be near the Ivory Coast where there is a great deal of unrest (rebels, guns, fighting, etc.), as well as some natural dangers of bird flu and malaria.  Although it would seem impossible not to be nervous about this trip, by far his most prevalent attitude is thankfulness.  He’s truly thankful for the opportunity to serve Christ in this foreign land.  While in Mali he will be sharing what it means to have a “purpose driven life” in some of the small village churches, but will primarily be caring for, and sharing with, kids at Hope School, an school facility that educates pre-school children through High School age youth.  Although a distinctly Christian school, almost all the children are Muslim.  Knowing what to say and when with reference to his faith will be a challenge for him as well as for other members of the team.

What can we do to support Wes?  Prayers are of greatest importance.  Not only will Wes be kept in our daily prayers and Sunday prayers, but there is the possibility of having a prayer with Wes during the late service on Sunday March 12.  (Wes will return by March 16.)  We will be trying a live hookup that we should be able to display on the screens.  I believe that would be a fitting way to celebrate the end of Lutheran Schools Week because the kids will be present for worship … and, of course, Wes is the husband to our 3rd Grade Teacher, Mrs.Glady Thorp.  The kids in the school will all be monitoring his BLOG while he travels and while he is in Mali, and he will be in their daily school prayers too.  His BLOG, that is, his Web Log, is currently linked to our OSL Home page … Wes Thorp's upcoming mission trip to Maliblog .  It is a great way to understand what he is doing to prepare now, and what will be happening while he is traveling and in Mali.

This Sunday, February 12, and next Sunday, February 19, we will also be taking Door Offerings for Wes’s mission trip.  This will not only help offset some of the cost for him, but will especially allow us the opportunity of participating in a very tangible way in the spread of the Good News of Jesus.  Let us pray for the success of the Gospel through Wes and the other team members.

Commitment!

Follow the Victor, Fight the Enemy! … has been the series title for our Stewardship / Christian Warfare series this year.  This Sunday, November 20, is Commitment Sunday … where ideally, we, the members of Our Savior Lutheran Church, publicly commit every aspect of our life … our time, talents, treasures, and our temples (our bodies) … to Following the Victor, Christ, and Fighting the Enemy, Satan and his demons.  This time of commitment is a privilege, an opportunity, and an obligation of God’s children who have been gifted with salvation by grace through faith.  Whole hearted commitment is the outward response to what God has done for and in His people … “for it is God Who works within you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Commitment is the outward expression of those who, with great gratitude, continue to grow in faith in Christ.

Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel encouraged listeners to "Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." We, too, must take sides and be willing to take a stand through the Gospel power of Christ in us and do so in confident faith. 

As I think about my family’s commitments I was encouraged by the words of Joshua 24:14-18:  "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt , and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!  It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt , from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.  And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

Sunday morning may we do the same … expressing our continued gratitude to, allegiance to and triumph in Christ through whom in the great war we are already “more than conquerors.”