Readings, Devotion, Prayers and Announcements for the Holy Trinity, June 7, 2020, for both MLLC and Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church

We resumed in-person services on the weekend of June 6-7, following the normal schedule for both MLLC and Waldeck.  The Facebook Live services will be offered on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. from Waldeck, and at 10:00 a.m. from MLLC.

Below are the readings, prayers, and various announcements for this Sunday and this week.  The Sunday devotion is at the end of the readings.

Remember Your Regular Offerings

For both of our congregations, Waldeck and MLLC, please remember that our expenses continue even when we are unable to meet as usual.  Please make a point to give your offerings as you would on a typical week.  Here are some ideas of what to do:

For Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ledbetter:

– send your offering by mail to the church office  – Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church; 6915 Waldeck Church Lane; Ledbetter, TX 78946

– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.

For MLLC in Carmine:

– send your offering by mail to the church office  – MLLC, P O BOX 362, Carmine, TX 78932-0362

– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.

– give offerings through the church web site:  mllccarmine.com/online-giving  This page has a link to our secure giving page.  Offerings can be made by bank draft, debit card, or credit card through this special web site.

YouTube Video Link

Here is the link for the YouTube video of this day’s service.

JUNE 7, 2020

THE HOLY TRINITY

First Reading: Genesis 1:1–2:4a

A reading from Genesis.

At the beginning of time, God the Creator, God the powerful Word, and God the life-giving Spirit form the earth and all its inhabitants. God sees that all this created work is good and then rests on the seventh day.

¹In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
⁶And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. ⁸God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
⁹And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. ¹¹Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. ¹²The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
¹⁴And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
²⁰And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” ²¹So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. ²²God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
²⁴And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. ²⁵God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
²⁷So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
²⁸God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” ²⁹God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
^2:1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. ²And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
^4aThese are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

The word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

Psalm: Psalm 8

¹O Lord our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!—
²you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger.
³When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
⁴what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them,
human beings that you should care for them?
⁵Yet you have made them little less than divine;
with glory and honor you crown them.
⁶You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet:
⁷all flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts of the field,
⁸the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
⁹O Lord our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

A reading from 2 Corinthians.

Paul closes a challenging letter to the Corinthians with an appeal to Christian fellowship grounded in the triune harmony of Christ’s grace, God’s love, and the Spirit’s partnership.

[Paul writes:] ¹¹Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
¹³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

The word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.

After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Devotion

“God Pile”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesu Christ.

Ice cream is a good thing to have piled up. The more the better, right? Many years ago my wife was serving ice cream in cones to my parents.  She asked my father how much he wanted on his cone.  His answer was, “Put as much as you can in the cone.”

Jennifer responded, “You may not want that much.”

She proceeded to pile on more ice cream on a single cake cone than I have ever seen.  He eventually stopped her from putting more on it, but it was still a giant amount.

There are many good things which can be piled up. Even so, nothing can compare to the love and presence and goodness of God. There is just so much to God and who he is. The fullness of God is more than we can adequately express. It is more than the theologians can express. It’s more than the Bible can fully explain to us.

The Bible is full and generous in how it communicates God’s relationship with us. One way a writer suggested is that we are to, “think of the Bible as a very long story of God’s attempted conversation with humanity. We keep on rejecting the Word of God, turning in another direction, worshiping false gods, attempting to hide, evade, or end of the conversation. But God keeps coming back to us. God comes to us in the lives of the Patriarchs, in the words of the prophets, in the gift of God’s law. Then, stopping at nothing, God comes to us as the Son, coming to us as Jesus. Then, even when we killed his only son, hung him on a cruel cross, thinking that he had probably ended relations between us and God, and three days, God came back to us as the risen Christ. God keeps coming back, again, and even again.”

For the church, this Sunday has been designated as a day to celebrate the Holy Trinity. Although the phrase, “Holy Trinity,” does not appear in the Bible, there are expressions of it throughout. What the phrase comes from is the Christian Church’s attempt to describe, based on the Holy Bible, what this amazing and overwhelming God is all about. A scholar notes, “When God came to us as the Son, Incarnate in Jesus, God did not have to say, “Call me by my proper name, Trinity.” And God didn’t have to. We did. That is, on the basis of our experience of God as complex, ubiquitous, and overflowing with love as the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, we just naturally started speaking of God as Trinity.”

What he saying is that God is bigger than our words can describe.  His goodness, his power, his love, his action, his fullness, his everything, is piled upon us in the most wonderful way. What we have done with the Holy Trinity is give expression, in our limited way, to the limitless God.

The Holy Trinity is a sort of handle on which to get a hold of our amazing God. I believe the Lord has provided this handle for us so we can have another connection with the Lord. In reality, it’s really God gets a hold of us and helps us understand his wonderful nature through the concept of the Holy Trinity.

This theological concept was agreed-upon by the Church at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. Although the Christians had been talking about God in this way since the earliest days of Christianity, this idea was formalized at this council. At this gathering they discuss the idea of the persons of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In that council or meeting they spoke of God’s “three persons.” In our language, that sounds like we are talking about three different people. No, my Nicaea was building upon the Greek experience.  They took an idea from Greek drama of the way in which one actor could portray up to three characters.   The actor could simply move off stage and then put on the mask which was called a persona, and returning to the stage as another character. One actor could portray three different roles.

I am one person, but I live in the roles of husband, son and father. In a similar way, though there is one God, we experience God working in three different ways in the world. And yet, like most analogies my God, this analogy helped but is far from complete. To rely on this one exclusively does not get a full expression of God’s Word regarding the subject.

Even so as we seek to know God, this analogy gets us started. In his book, “Creeds, counselors, and Christ,” author Gerald Grey writes of the persons of the Holy Trinity:  “today we need to reassert that personhood does not mean individuality, but the capacity for relationship. …no person can find his or her for filling in isolation or selfishness. The members of the Trinity show us what being a person means – the Father gives himself by offering his Son and love for the world, the Son gives himself by being sacrifice and love to the Father and for the world, and Holy Spirit gives himself by presenting the Father and the Son to us in love. Self-sacrifice is the only way to perfect self-fulfillment and happiness and the peace of God.”

“The Trinity teaches us, moreover, that our existence as person is dependent on the inner being of God. It is because we are created in his image and likeness that we have a capacity for relationship, which means that our primary relationship must always be with him. In the Trinity we see the sacred tie of kinship (Father and Son) and perfectly balanced by the equally sacred Spirit.”

We celebrate the piles of being which is God: his love and creativity; his power and gentleness; his presence and universality; his sacrifice and resurrection; his judgment and mercy; his relational nature and other-ness. The list can go on and on and on. God goes on and on and on, yet he is right here with us as we gather in his name. God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit loves us more than we could ever imagine, and we rejoice in the truth today.

Let us pray — God of heaven and earth, before the foundation of the universe and the beginning of time you are the triune God: Author of creation, eternal Word of salvation, life-giving Spirit of wisdom. Guide us to all truth by your Spirit, that we may proclaim all that Christ has revealed and rejoice in the glory he shares with us. Glory and praise to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.  Amen

*Prayers of Intercession

A:  Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

A brief silence.

Lord God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we worship you in the glory of your majesty.  Receive our prayers and thanksgivings.  Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who face health problems and other difficulties.  Bring each person healing, strength and hope.  We lift in prayer those who we now name aloud or in quiet prayer…. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Other petitions may be added here.

We give thanks for the service of emergency responders in our community.  Guide them in their service, and protect them as they come to the aid of those in distress.   Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Bring comfort and support to those who grieve for a loved one or friend. (We especially remember…)   Help us as a congregation to offer your merciful care to those who mourn. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

You call us to be your disciples.  Help us to keep the discipline of weekly worship.  Guide us back to you and to your community of faith for praise of you and for fellowship with one another.  Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

P:  Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

LORD’S PRAYER 

Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #27061.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Waldeck Remember in Prayer:  Linda Brown, London Gaskins, Phillip Procell, Brian Shaffer, Sandra Gest, Barbara Spence, April Weyand, Fritz Schoenst, Alicia McQuaig, Diana Garik Poentisch, Sally Beettner, Carrie Oltmann, Robin Hardin, Beverly Drescher.

MLLC REMEMBER IN PRAYER: Susan Ray (knee replacement surgery); Brad & Patti (Hart) Eilers (both quarantined with COVID-19); Megan Hart Burch (daughter of Patti & Brad, chemotherapy); Ruby Renck (recovering from surgery); Angie Colpetzer (recovering from surgery); Carol Mertz Leitzel, Janet Schnell Beckworth (both friends of Praise Team leader Jolene Wickel, health concerns and in hospitals);  Ricky Eckert (brother of Ronnie Eckert, health concerns); Kalisa Pomykal (Paula Barrick’s sister, medical concerns); Kenny Lorenz (former member Robert Hinze’s relative, serious burns and numerous health concerns); Nancy Pietsch (former RT-C teacher, health concerns); Johnny Dunham (health concerns); Joyce Kelley (friend, health concerns); Jack Walsh (friend of Wade Eilers, chemotherapy); Robert Vaughn (at Texas Neurology, thankful for extended stay for rehab); Edna Mae Krivacka (friend of Ed Eargle and Carol Carmean, back home, health concerns)

Sympathy

The Ongoing Prayer Concerns may be found in the monthly newsletter.

CHRIST IN OUR HOME devotional booklets for July, August, and September are available in the narthex.

WORSHIP SERVICES are planned to be continued.  Detailed limitations are listed in the June newsletter.  Saturday service is at 6 and Sunday at 10.  Masks are optional.  Every other pew will be blocked.  Families are asked to sit together and leave space.  Offering plate will be at back of sanctuary.  Saturday service is asked to be reserved as much as possible for senior adults.  No Holy Communion.  No bulletins.

SERVING NEXT WEEKEND Assisting Minister-June 13, Shelby & June 14, Debby; Parament change-Jadon (green); Acolyte-Kalli; Reader-Tony; Flowers-Bobbie.  Usher team– Floyd Etzel, capt.  If you are uncomfortable serving, please let Pastor Tinker know.  It is an option to serve.

CAMPING ENVELOPES are in the June newsletter.  This goes to MLLC campers attending an ELCA Lutheran Camp.

QUILTING for Camp For All will be tomorrow morning beginning at 9 a.m.

CARMINE FIREMEN’S FEAST AND FUNDRAISER set for July 19 has been cancelled.  Their drill night (2^nd Thursday) and meeting night (4^th Thursday) will resume in June.  Annual meeting-June 25.

WELCA AND REBEKAH GROUP WELCA Unit general meeting will be at 1 p.m., before the 2 p.m.  Rebekah Group meeting on Thursday.

RECYCLING TRAILER is now back at the Carmine Hall on Thursdays from noon until 4 p.m.  They are in Ledbetter the same day from 8:30 – 11 a.m. behind the Ledbetter Hall.

OUTREACH/CARE COMMITTEE A person is needed to serve on the Church Council for the Outreach/Care Committee position.  You would only need to attend meetings and serve as a liaison, as someone has volunteered to serve as the chairman.  Please consider serving in this role.

OFFERING ENVELOPES may be mailed to the church at PO Box 362, Carmine, TX 78932.  You may also give online.  Check the http://mlllccarmine/online-giving/ website for more information.  Thanks to all who have continued to make contributions.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL at MLLC has been postponed to August 2-6, 2020 from 5:30 – 7:45 p.m., with the theme Rocky Railway.  See the codes in the May newsletter to register your child and to volunteer.

Registration is also available at the church web site:  https://mllccarmine.com/vacation-bible-school-2020/

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top is postponing VBS indefinitely.  It may still be cancelled, but they are waiting to see how things go this summer.  For more information contact Stacy Eilers at 979-639-1897.

Readings, Devotion, Prayers and Announcements for the Day of Pentecost, May 31, 2020, for both MLLC and Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church

As we are not able to meet due as usual to health and safety concerns, yet we are still finding ways to share and celebrate our faith together.  We will resume in-person services on the weekend of June 6-7, following the normal schedule for both MLLC and Waldeck.  The Facebook Live services will be offered on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. from Waldeck, and at 10:00 a.m. from MLLC.

Below are the readings, prayers, and various announcements for this Sunday and this week.  The Sunday devotion is at the end of the readings.

Remember Your Regular Offerings

For both of our congregations, Waldeck and MLLC, please remember that our expenses continue even when we are unable to meet as usual.  Please make a point to give your offerings as you would on a typical week.  Here are some ideas of what to do:

For Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ledbetter:

– send your offering by mail to the church office  – Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church; 6915 Waldeck Church Lane; Ledbetter, TX 78946

– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.

For MLLC in Carmine:

– send your offering by mail to the church office  – MLLC, P O BOX 362, Carmine, TX 78932-0362

– set aside your offerings each week, and then bring these to church when you can be at worship again.

– give offerings through the church web site:  mllccarmine.com/online-giving  This page has a link to our secure giving page.  Offerings can be made by bank draft, debit card, or credit card through this special web site.

YouTube Video Link

Here is the link for the YouTube video of this day’s service.

May 31, 2020

Day of Pentecost

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21

A reading from Acts.

Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival that marked the fiftieth day after Passover. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the disciples before the gathered and astonished people assembled in Jerusalem for the festival. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection.

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

²⁴How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number,
living things both small and great.
²⁶There go the ships to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.
²⁷All of them look to you
to give them their food in due season. 
²⁸You give it to them; they gather it;
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
²⁹When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
³⁰You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.
³¹May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works. 
³²You look at the earth and it trembles;
you touch the mountains and they smoke.
³³I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will praise my God while I have my being.
³⁴May these words of mine please God.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
^35bBless the Lord, O my soul.
Hallelujah! 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

A reading from 1 Corinthians.

Paul is helping the Corinthians understand the relationship between our God-given unity and Spirit-created diversity. The Spirit creates the unity of faith and gives all Christians diverse gifts for the common benefit of all. We need one another’s diverse spiritual gifts because the same Spirit has given them to each person for the common good.

^3bNo one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel: John 20:19-23

The holy gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, offering them a benediction, a commission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Devotion

“Living Waters”

By Pastor David Tinker

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many years ago I attended a spiritual retreat near Lima, Ohio.  At the Christian retreat center there was a simple, yet beautiful chapel.  On the wall behind the altar was a mosaic with blue, aqua-blue, white and red tiles.  This beautiful mosaic depicted a sort of gushing geyser.  I believe the symbolism was that of the Spiritual life which God provides for us in super abundant ways.

In today’s gospel reading we hear Jesus talking about how God’s Spirit will be granted to his people.  He says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”  John comments to help us understand this when he writes, “Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive…”

Jesus talks about living water.  For us today, we don’t necessarily get that concept.  For people living in or near a desert, such as in the Holy Land, water is precious; drinkable water in an absolute necessity.  “Living water” is a phrase used for flowing or fresh water, for example, “running water” in English. Flowing water is usually drinkable water, and that is something very important in desert climates. In contrast, there can be “dead” water. Water going nowhere which is stuck in a stagnant pool is usually undrinkable.  Drinkable water was much rarer than we experience here in our nation, and it was seen as an essential source of life.

So, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the followers of Jesus, both in his day and in our day, are given new and abundant life.  In John’s gospel, chapter 4, verses 13 and 14 we read:  “Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.””

Jesus is talking about the gift of his Holy Spirit for us.  This Holy Spirit brings life to us in many ways.

The Spirit opens us up to knowing the true source of life – The Holy Spirit of God enables us to understand and believe God’s Word and Promises for us.  The Spirit opens us up to the greatest spiritual truth, that of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin.  The Spirit helps us see that God loves us beyond measure, and that he has come into this world to free us from the power of sin, death and evil.  God, the Holy Spirit, grants us the faith we need to trust in what Jesus has done for us.

The Spirit stirs us to faith and action – God’s Spirit powers us for life and ministry which build up the church and the world we serve.  When God the Holy Spirit stirs among God’s people, great things happen.  God’s Word is spread; the hungry are fed; people are brought to faith in Christ; worship becomes more joyful; there is greater peace among church leaders; people become passionate about prayer; people look beyond themselves to help the hurting, hopeless and lost in their community.  I’ve personally witnessed this in my life as a pastor and as a Christian.  As we pray today, let us pray for a grand stirring of God, the Holy Spirit, in this congregation.

Pr. Brian Stoffregen, of Faith Lutheran Church in Yuma, Arizona, comments on this: “Neither living water nor wind are stale (or boring?). Shouldn’t the same be true of Spirit-filled believers and congregations? Both living water and wind (Spirit) are images of power. I think that that’s what Pentecost is all about. We, the followers of Jesus, have been empowered by God to carry on Jesus’ witness and ministry in the world.”

He continues when he writes: “I’ve often thought and said, while the early believers thought of the Spirit as something that powered their lives, we often think of it as a doctrine to be studied.”

My hope for us all is that we will receive the power of God’s Spirit and that we will understand the Spirit.  As a reminder on this Day of Pentecost, I share with you the basic teachings of Luther’s Small Catechism regarding the Holy Spirit.

The Third Article:  On Being Made Holy

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

What is this?

I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith. Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.

As we reflect on this today, I pray we will also be stirred to greater faith and action through the power of God, the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray – Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you enter our lives in many ways, and call us to follow you.  Help us to receive the living water of your Holy Spirit.  May we be refreshed and empowered by your gracious spirit in our lives.  We pray this in Jesus holy name.  Amen

*Prayers of Intercession

A:  Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

A brief silence.

Grant, Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love and reveal your glory in the world.  Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Other petitions may be added here.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially those who we name aloud or in quiet prayer… ; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.  Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

We commend to your mercy all who have died (especially…), that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

P:  Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

LORD’S PRAYER 

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