from my perspective
St. Paul Lutheran Church
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Welcome!
I welcome your comments regarding our shared ministry at St. Paul.
 If you would rather comment privately please, email me at Prshepherd@westriv.com

"Two are better than one," says Ecclesiastes, 
"because if one falls down, his friend can help him up." 

I deeply desire to bring Christian comfort and the power of prayer to those who are challenged with sickness or circumstances in life. However, in this time of restricted visitation call me and I will attempt to contact them.

Please, assume that if you don’t tell us, we do not know. 
Call me at 301-4956 if surgery or hospital stay is imminent or if a visit could be helpful. 

Pastor Dennis
from my perspective…

    Breaking News, or Headline News, is updated by the hour and minute. The programs are designed to get our attention and to sell advertising. (Big surprise!) On the other hand, the Good News of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and is proclaimed today for an entirely different purpose.

    Mark begins his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mk 1:1, ESV) It sounds like Mark is reporting, “Breaking news! Pay attention! Something important has happened!” 


    Matthew begins his gospel, “The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.” (Mt. 1:1) It sounds like Matthew is introducing a history lesson whereby we might learn something. Don’t get me wrong – I love history because I believe with George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 


    John begins his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” (Jn. 1:1) This is something totally different. John invites us to lay aside our daily concerns and ponder life’s Big Questions concerning God and “The Word of God.” 


    Each year, we might take a measure of our life on Tax Day, an anniversary, or any number of other milestones. Regardless of the circumstances, we go through a process of reflection, evaluation, and decision-making. We might reflect on the Big Questions of Life, like “Who are we? And “How do I fit in with family and society?” or “What positive difference am I making?” 

    I will grant that the most common daily question is, “Am I happy.” But I believe the Bible teaches us that happiness results from how we think of ourselves and our relationship with others. Therefore, John invites us to ponder anew our relationship with the One God of the Holy Scriptures, as opposed to mental or emotional gods of pleasure, wealth or self-importance. 
In the church year, Lent is the season that encourages us to ponder our relationship with the one and only eternal God and one another or who we desire to become. 

    Join us as we explore Jesus’ great encounters with religious rulers, a disrespected woman from a disrespected people and His disciples. In John, Jesus, the Word of God, invites people to question who we are in God’s eyes and who He desires us to become to live a fulfilling life. (e.g. John 10:10)
As John informs us, Jesus, the true Word of God, comes into the world to save us from ourselves and the destructive temptations brought on by the evil lies of the great Satan. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, ESV) 

Please join us in our encounter with the Living Word of God, your pastor, Dennis.

from my perspective

The Proper name for God after the Resurrection

 by Pastor Dennis on 05/28/13

Today we celebrate God the Father, Son and  Holy Spirit; the Holy Trinity; the proper name for God after the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some find the concept hard to understand but the more important question to be asked is, “Do we need to understand God in order to trust Him?” Our goal as followers of Jesus Christ is to have faith in and believe in and rely on what He said and promised and to seek to live according the teachings of God. The article below may be helpful.

            TRINITY: A term designating the three members of the triune God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… the three members of the Godhead. Throughout the Bible, God is presented as being Father, Son, and Spirit—not three “gods” but three personas of the one and only God (see, e.g., Mt 28:19; 1 Cor. 16:23–24; 2 Cor. 13:13). The Scriptures present the Father as the source of creation, the giver of life, and God of all the universe (see John 5:26; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:14–15). The Son is depicted as the image of the invisible God, the exact representation of his being and nature, and the Messiah-Redeemer (see Phil 2:5–6; Col 1:14–16; Heb. 1:1–3). The Spirit is God in action, God reaching people—influencing them, regenerating them, infilling them, and guiding them (see John 14:26; 15:26; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18). All three are a tri-unity, inhabiting one another and working together to accomplish the divine design in the universe (see John 16:13–15). Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W.. Tyndale Bible Dictionary. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001)

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Senior Recognition

 by Pastor Dennis on 05/21/13

Today we celebrate Senior Recognition

            High School graduation is a huge milestone. And even though, as adults, we celebrate with some envy, the adventure ahead, it is impossible to not be concerned for the young and (for the most part) innocent children who will venture out into a larger world.

            Maybe it is times like these that we wonder, “How else should I have prepared them?” So, although the dangers are real they do not go out unprepared. For eighteen years they have observed and learned. For eighteen years they have absorbed our talk, our stories and our fears. For eighteen years they have seen and heard what is important in our lives – so they are prepared.

            In addition, we worship a Savior who loves the children and does not leave them orphaned. Jesus tells the disciples, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” (John 14:18) 

Just as Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to come to the disciples after He was risen to the right hand of the Father, so we pray today that the same Holy Spirit be given to our children so that they will have the Savior guide them in right paths; a light in the midst of darkness and the Savior who will heal and sustain them.

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First Communion

 by Pastor Dennis on 05/13/13

Today we celebrate First Communion 

“The Lord’s Supper was not invented or devised by any man. It was instituted by Christ without man’s counsel or deliberation.”

 “Now, what is the Sacrament of the Altar? Answer: It is the true body and blood of the Lord Christ in and under the bread and wine which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s word to eat and drink. As we said of Baptism that it is not mere water, so we say here that the sacrament is bread and wine, but not mere bread or wine such as is served at the table. It is bread and wine comprehended in God’s Word and connected with it.

“It is the Word, I maintain, which distinguishes it from mere bread and wine and constitutes it a sacrament which is rightly called Christ’s body and blood.” “For the Word by which it was constituted a sacrament is not rendered false because of an individual’s unworthiness or unbelief…This is as much as to say, “No matter whether you are unworthy or worthy, you here have Christ’s body and blood by virtue of these words which are coupled with the bread and wine.”

“We go to the sacrament because we receive there a great treasure, through and in which we obtain the forgiveness of sins… The Lord’s Supper is given as a daily food and sustenance so that our faith may refresh and strengthen itself and not weaken in the struggle but grow continually stronger.”  (Dr. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism)  

 

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Peter's call to a stranger.

 by Pastor Dennis on 05/06/13

Remember Jonah? He’s the guy the LORD asked to go north to the pagan city of Nineveh and offer the salvation of the LORD to all who repented? Jonah took one look at the LORD, decided He was nuts and like a dutiful son headed south – fast. But he could not outrun the LORD. Finally, the LORD saved him from drowning so that he could proclaim salvation to those who were drowning in their ignorance. 

            Remember Saul, the Christian persecutor? He stood by as the Apostle Stephen was stoned then Paul asked to go to Damascus to bring back other Christians so they could have a fair trial and be stoned as well. On the way to Damascus the LORD knocked him off his horse and made him blind so that he could proclaim salvation to those who had never seen Jesus. (Acts 7, 9)

            Today, Peter has been called by the LORD to answer the summons of a gentile named Cornelius. (Acts 10) Peter knows that salvation is for the Jews, the children of God. But the LORD desires that the whole world hear the saving message of Jesus Christ who suffered for the sins of the world and was raised by God the Father to judge heaven and earth in His grace. Peter resists this call for Jewish law forbade entering the home or associating with gentiles.

            Jesus encountered a similar situation outside the Temple. (John 5) As a Jewish Rabbi Jesus would want to remain ritually clean for the festival; this meant not coming in contact with the sick or lame. But when Jesus saw him he had compassion on him and offered to heal him.

            Time and again the LORD calls his servants to proclaim and give salvation to the marginalized and those who we might want to avoid. Time and again the LORD calls us to shepherd His sheep.

 

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The Peter Problem

 by Pastor Dennis on 04/26/13

Last week Peter came face to face with His Lord on the beach of the Sea of Tiberius. (John 21) As the Risen Christ waited in the darkness, He prepared a meal for Peter and the Disciples of fish and bread. Peter has denied His Lord and does not understand the resurrection. But Jesus will not give up on those He has called even when feelings of fear, doubt and unworthiness seek to overpower the love and redeeming purpose of God.

On the beach that is now named after the gentile, Roman Emperor, Simon Peter is given direction and purpose by the Lord. Peter has been forgiven and empowered by Christ’s Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s everlasting redeeming mercy.

The Adversary seeks to lead the Children of God away from God’s calling to be Shepherds for His sheep by taking their eyes off Jesus and focus on the chaos of this world.

Once there was a storm on the lake in the darkness of night. (Matt. 14:22-33) The Disciples in their boat were tossed to and fro by the storm when they saw Jesus walking calmly on the water as though He would pass by them. They “cried out in fear” but Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then Peter asked to come to Him. And hearing the Lord say, “Come’…Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The Lord's Supper is where we meet the Risen Christ int the darkness of our life, laying down all the baggage and doubt that takes our eyes off Him; knowing He is faithful and will renew our hearts and minds to be Shepherds of His Sheep.

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