Claimed, gathered and sent

It's been crazy lately with school. I've ready so much good stuff lately that I've wanted to share it all. But though a bit behind, I'm going to post some recent Bonhoeffer devotions that are powerful. Enjoy! Community Prayer The prayer of the Psalms teaches us to pray as a community. The body of Christ is praying, and I as an individual recognize that my prayer is only a tiny fraction of the whole prayer of the church. I learn to join the body of Christ in its prayer. That lifts me above my personal concerns and allows me to pray selflessly. Many of the Psalms were very probably prayed antiphonally by the Old Testament congregation. The so-called parallelism of the verses, that remarkable repetition of the same idea in different words in the second line of the verse, is not merely a literary form. It also has meaning for the church and theology....One night read, as a particularly clear example, Psalm 5. Repeatedly there are two voices, bringing the same prayer requ

This is a powerful illustration of God's work in our lives. Follow this link to a profound message. http://www.nesynod.org/publications/2007_TheLink/link-may-2007.pdf

New Englanders will be familiar with this expression, "You can't get there from here." You hear this when you are asking directions. It seems you should be able to get to your destination. Sometimes it's even in sight, but you just don't know the road to take. In walking with God, if we are prayerfully considering something, listening as he speaks through scripture and other members of his body, WE CAN GET THERE FROM HERE!!! Just over two years ago I went back to school part time. I feel called to serve God and his church through the ordained ministry of Word and sacrament in the ELCA. To get there, I had to finish undergraduate study to go to seminary. I am now one year away from graduation. The next step is candidacy. This is a process through the synod. Your church and pastor have paperwork to fill out. You complete an application and an autobiography. Then it all goes to the synod. You meet with the committee, have psychological testing and hopefu

I was looking over paperwork I received a few years ago from the New England Synod of the ELCA about the process of going into ordained ministry in the ELCA. My first communication and thinking about this was in 2004. At that time, I had a long way to go to finish school before going to seminary With move from full time work/part time school to part time work/full time school, I will be finished with my degree in 1 year. I couldn't believe it! It was years down the line...now the goal is within reach. When I was discouraged with one of my classes (math!), Pastor Paul told me, "Keep your eyes on the prize." That stuck with me. I can see it now. " You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Hebrews 10:36).

Thursday night a representative from the bishop's office will meet with our church council. The subject is the next steps in the process of obtaining a new pastor. Pastor Paul's last Sunday will be Pentecost Sunday. Of course, the issue arises of what are we looking for in a pastor. Dietrich Bonhoeffer pretty well nailed it. Check out his thoughts below: Genuine Authority Ultimately, the craving for inauthentic authority reasserts its desire to reestablish some kind of immediacy, a commitment to a human figure in the church. Genuine authority knows, however, that all immediacy is disastrous, particularly in matters of authority. Genuine authority knows that it can only exist in the service of the One who alone has authority. Genuine authority knows that it is bound in the strictest sense by the words of Jesus, "You have one teacher, and you are all brothers" (Matt. 23:8). The community of faith does not need brilliant personalities but faithful servants of Jesus

Revelation 11:15 (NRSV) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." What will it be like when that day comes...when the kingdom of the world is all his? The Revelation of John vividly, apocalyptically describes the future reign. But what about now? How can we live an incarnational life here and now? For Christ's reign to begin now, it must begin in the hearts of his people, our hearts. As I was pondering this and its outcomes, a chorus came to mind. Part of it is, "...may your kingdom be established in our praises, as your people declare your mighty worth!" Establishing his kingdom with our praises, not just verbally, but with our very lives, days, moments. "For to me to live is Christ..." (Phil 1:21) was Paul's affirmation. Just think of the

Some relish the sound of the alarm in the morning, but I am not one of those people. But what about the sound of the Lord's voice through the word calling us to awake? Once again, I was challenged by the words of Bonh0effer. Awake! For Christians the beginning of the day should not be burdened and haunted by the various kinds of concerns they face during the working day. The Lord stands above the new day, for God has made it. All the darkness and confusion of the night with its dreams gives way to the clear light of Jesus Christ and his awakening Word. All restlessness, all impurity, all worry and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, in the early morning hours of the day may our many thoughts and our many idle words be silent, and may the first thought and the first word belong to the one to whom our whole life belongs. "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14). - Dietrich Bonhoeffer - from Life Together 51-52 from A Year with Dietri