Posted by Christ the King Lutheran Church on May 22, 2012 under Pastor's Message | 
“Pray for me.” We ask that of family, friends, church prayer chains, and even strangers. One of the signs now in Fort McMurray says, “”Pray for me, I drive Highway 63.” After the latest highway deaths in April it’s a serious prayer request as well as a reminder to people to be more careful.
In the gospels we find there is one more partner to our prayers. In John Chapter 17 we read of Jesus praying for the disciples in front of him, the ones who will soon be frightened and confused by his arrest and death. At the same time he prays for all those who will believe in him because of them. As the story unfolds, it’s hard to believe that these cowards will ever speak his name publicly again. Yet their witness to his resurrection and their willingness to talk about it is the beginning of our present faith community.
That should give us some encouragement when times are tough. We are part of the prayers of Jesus, and our action or inaction is not the end of the story. Someone who loves us is praying for health and wholeness, for strength and courage, and for an awareness of the forgiveness of God. Someone who loves us is praying that we will know joy. Someone who loves us is waiting to hear when things go well, when problems work out.
So tell the prayer chain, tell the neighbours, and tell Jesus that you appreciate the prayers. And if you don’t have any words at all, check out the promises of Romans Chapter 8 that the Holy Spirit prays in us and with us, even when we have no idea what to say.
“Somebody’s praying, Lord, Kumbaya…..”
Pastor Susan
Posted by Christ the King Lutheran Church on April 27, 2012 under Pastor's Message |
One Sunday of the Easter season is named “Good Shepherd Sunday.” It remind me of the children’s game, “Follow the leader.” Do you remember trying to keep up when the person out front did a variety of actions? Everything we were asked to do, the person out front had already done
Jesus as the “good shepherd” is a little like that childhood leader, calling us to repeat the pattern of his life. It centred on a daily relationship with his God and Father, a willingness to pass on the mercy and forgiveness that God offered, and a willingness to get involved in all the details of ordinary life. As we read the four gospels in the New Testament we get a picture of man of compassion, a man who noticed the people disconnected from the community, a man who wept for those who turned away from the love of God. That’s the kind of shepherd / leader who invites us to come close and to walk in the way he walked.
There are lots of leaders in the world who have other purposes for followers, leaders who aren’t wise, leaders who aren’t looking out for our best interests. “Good Shepherd Sunday” reminds us to pay attention to the people we are following and the way we are walking. If we’re going the wrong direction, U-turns are allowed!
May you know the presence of Jesus the Good Shepherd in your life this day.
Blessings,
Pastor Susan
Posted by Christ the King Lutheran Church on March 9, 2012 under Pastor's Message |
I’m fond of purple: just check my wardrobe and my pictures of sunsets. I’m partial to lilacs and violets, but have to admit I’m not too excited about grape jelly. Purple also signals the season of Lent in our church, because purple has connections to a mood of reflection and repentance, and connections to royalty.
It used to be so expensive to make purple dye that only kings and queens could afford to use fabric of that colour. That’s one of the reasons that we sometimes describe a person as “born to the purple,” or “born in the purple” referring to royal birth, special birthright or privileged heritage. But there’s also a suggestion of limitation, of life being set in one specific direction.
That’s what Jesus tells his disciples as they travel the road to Jerusalem: “I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” Openly he tells them that pain and death await him, but they don’t want to hear or understand. They don’t want to know about the cross, because they have dreams of a different kind of glory. It’s hard for them to understand that his painful and shameful death can have a positive result. Yet as he suffers the separation from God that our sins cause us to suffer, a new pathway is opened to a restored relationship. By the cross Jesus says, “I’ve suffered it all, and nothing need keep you away anymore from my God and Father.”
It is not the way the disciples wanted to put things right. It is not the way we would choose because it doesn’t depend on our own goodness or effort. Instead it is the mysterious and merciful gift of God, love and forgiveness poured into our lives by the action of the Holy Spirit. Rest in that as you ponder the purple of Lent.
“God of the covenant, in the glory of the cross Your Son embraces the power of death and breaks its hold over Your people. In this time of repentance, draw all people to Yourself so that we who confess Jesus as Lord may put aside the deeds of death and embrace the life of Your kingdom.
Amen.” (Thanks to Pastor Elhert, Mount Olivet, Edmonton for sharing this prayer)
Pastor Susan Horton
Posted by Christ the King Lutheran Church on December 20, 2011 under Pastor's Message |
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE Saturday, Dec. 24th at 7:30 at Timberlea School with Glowstick “candles”
No Worship Service at the school Sunday, Dec. 25th or Sunday, Jan. 1st. One worship option is the 10:00 Service at St. Thomas Anglican on Signal Road.
Christmas decorating means sorting through the ornaments which often have stories to go with them, memories of people and places. For years I used a little garland from our first Christmas tree – it was so small that one garland was the only decoration it needed. Then there are the gifts for special occasions, the hand-made efforts, and perhaps ornaments we inherited. There can be joy and sadness as we hang them once again. Such ornaments get packed away, sooner or later (one year it was February before I undecorated a table top tree). But there’s another kind of ornament that is meant for year round display – the believing Christian.
The Letter to Titus, a pastor on the island of Crete, outlines roles and expectations for members of the Christian community. “Pay attention to your life,” the letter says, “so that you may be an ‘ornament to the doctrine of God our Saviour’” (Titus 2:10). In other words, “You have been saved by God, through Jesus, so live like it, showing what is good, true, honest, and kind.”
Think about it: You are hand-picked by God to be displayed, to bring beauty, to bring joy, to offer the story of Jesus. You are an “ornament” that God has no desire to pack away for a significant part of the year. You may be a bit battered, but your memories of God’s words and God’s faithfulness matter to the people around you.
Blessings on your Christmas celebrations. Whether you gather with a large group or a very small number, count on Jesus to show up too.
Pastor Susan
Posted by Christ the King Lutheran Church on November 25, 2011 under Pastor's Message |
Am I blue? Then it must be the church season of Advent. Many churches used blue hangings during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, a royal blue that reminds us that a king is coming. Since a king is coming we need to prepare.
How shall we prepare? With a deep breath and a deep prayer that the God of all hope will open our hearts to presence of Jesus in the people and events around us. That presence isn’t dependent on presents, or trees, or baking, or the best party on the block. That presence is God’s surprising advent in our world, moving into the neighbour as a baby so that we wouldn’t be scared to say hi.
Jesus’ coming as a baby reminds us that life contains lots of waiting times – waiting for the baby to come, waiting for the baby to sleep through the night, waiting for the baby to walk and talk and quit throwing food on the floor. The Advent season recognizes that waiting. We repeat God’s promises and we recognize that there is often an unknown space of time between promise-speaking and promise-keeping. But delay does not mean promise-breaking.
The bible readings assigned for the Sundays of Advent include two great promises: the first one: “God who called you is faithful”; the second one: “God will strengthen you to the end.” Those are words of hope, promising that we are not alone after all, no matter what the circumstance.
In a poem called Grounds for Hope, poet and theologian Gerhard Forde wrote, “light is lord over darkness, truth is lord over falsehood, life is lord over death.” Those are Advent words, waiting words, good news words for one who has found God faithful to the end.
This year, don’t fret about the waiting. Invite Jesus to share it with you, and prepare to be surprised.
Pastor Susan Horton
