Dancing like no one is watching...

Dance like No One is Watching

PS. Scroll down to see the opportunities to grow in faith and grow together with each other below!

There is nothing quite like watching someone who is living out their life like no one is watching. You know, the person driving down the freeway, listening to their jam on the radio.  They are singing their hearts out, as loud as they possibly can, with as much emotion as they can muster like no one is listening.  They don’t care about whether they are on-key or off-key. They don’t care if they are too loud. They love the music; they love to sing at least as long as no one is looking.  They are so free!  There is no fear! Don’t you want to be that guy?  Don’t you want to be that girl? Singing with your own style, your own voice, your own emotion.  Imagine for just a moment how you might sing if no one was listening.

There is nothing quite like watching someone dance like no one is dancing.  Their moves might be fluid, or they might be awkward. They might match the beat or be way off.  But they are having a blast! They are so free. They are dancing like they are the only ones in the grocery store, dancing like they are the only ones in the house.  They might never dance at a wedding, but when no one is watching, they’ll dance their legs off.  Don’t you ever want to be that guy?  Don’t you ever want to be that girl? Dancing with your own moves, your own freedom, your own joy.  Excited like David was when he brought the ark of the covenant to his hometown, he couldn’t help but dance.  Imagine for just a moment how you might dance or how you might sing if no one was looking.

Maybe singing and dancing isn’t your thing. But each of you has a personality, each of you has gifts, and each of you is created by God and wired by him to do certain things with passion, excitement, and freedom.  Don’t you ever wish and long for the freedom to do what you do with no one holding you back?

How would you live if it was just you and God in the world, no one else? How would you sing? How would you worship? How would you pray? How would you serve?  What would you do?  It’s a whole new way of living, isn’t it?  It’s a whole new way of worshipping.  It’s a whole new way of praying.  It’s a whole new way of singing.  It’s a whole new way of serving.

We want to follow our God that way this year. We want to serve him that way this year. Let’s get started in worship.

Club 5:16 - Acts 29 - Study for Adults at 8:45 am

Sunday at 9:30 am.

Connect Group to Follow at 11 am.

I hope to see you then! Pastor Nate

Shouldering the Load

There is a burden that we shoulder as we leave on year behind and enter a new year. The burden of the past is guilt, shame, and regret. Things we did that we shouldn’t have. Things that are wrong about us and our lives. And things that are neither good nor bad, but we wish had been different. As one year ends, we get a serious case of the “shoulda, woulda, couldas.” The past is a burden that haunts us.

Likewise, the future is a burden that taunts us. The unknown future beckons to us with imagined challenges , obstacles and hurdles in our path. It shouts at us regarding our inadequacies and weaknesses to face it. The future is a burden that shouts at us too. We may even crumble into crippling worry.

There is a burden that faces us, but only One who carries it. Did you notice I capitalized that “o?” I did that on purpose. There is One, and his name is Jesus. He was given to us, even for us, so that the government, the rule and dominion of all things - even our lives - might be on his shoulders. He shoulders the load and does so in such a way so that we only have to live out our lives, and he handles the rest. He shoulders the load of our sin to the cross so that no longer do guilt and shame haunt us. He alone knows the future and rules it still for our good. He is the Prince of Peace.

This Sunday, we will leave the past in the the past; it is forgiven by his blood. We will enter the New Year, emboldened by his rule to live with courage and confidence no matter what we face. He’s in charge!

Please note. There is only ONE service this Sunday at 9:30 am. That service will include the Lord’s Supper.

I hope to see you then! Pastor Nate

PS. Please take an opportunity to sign-up for Connect Groups and for a special SOAP group at the buttons below.

It’s time to sing! Louder! Louder! Swell the mighty flood!

It’s time to sing!

Sunday | 12/24 | 9:30 am | Lessons and Carols and Communion

Sunday | 12/24 | 6:00 pm | Candlelight Service

Monday | 12/25 | 9:30 am | Festival Service

The people of God sing. It’s what we do.  It’s what we’ve always done.  I happen to think that Mount Lebanon does a pretty good job of singing with gusto!

After escaping from the Egyptians and crossing the Red Sea, the people of Israel sang a song to the Lord (cf. Exodus 15). It’s what David did when he was saved from all his enemies, even from Saul, who hounded him like he was a fox.  It’s what Solomon did when he dedicated the Temple to the glory of God.  It’s what Jesus and his disciples did before heading out to the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Matthew 26:30), though I suspect they sang more often that. 

Singing is what we do.  We sing songs when we’re happy.  We sing laments when we’re sad.  We consistently lift up our voices to sing a song of confession, a song of praise, a song of lament, a song of joy.  The Apostle Paul instructed the Colossians, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (cf. Colossians 3: 16-17).

It isn’t surprising then when David tells us to sing in Psalm 96: “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name, proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:1-3). David is actually telling everybody and everything to get involved in this song. He wants all of the angels to sing with joy because God has done what he said he was going to do.  He wants them to sing because God has kept his promise; he has redeemed the human race.  He wants the grasses and the trees, the oceans and the skies, the valleys, mountains, and all that inhabit them, to sing because their redemption is coming closer and closer. 

The hero has come, and he will restore all things back to the perfection of Eden. And he wants you and me – he wants us –to sing the loudest of all.  God has come with all his power and glory to save us. He has come to work in our lives to rescue us. He has come to work in our lives to shepherd us toward home in heaven. He has come to guard us, to guide us, to defend us, and to protect us from all harm and evil. This is God’s heartfelt desire for us.  And it’s not just his desire; it is precisely what he does.  Just as God parted the waters and rescued Israel from Egypt, just as God knocked down the walls of Jericho, just as God knocked down mighty Goliath with a stone from little David’s slingshot, so God has come to save us, so God has come to walk with us.

Yes, Christmas is the story of how God came down as a human being, as a little child, to live and die, to redeem and rescue you and me - and all of creation with us. God has come! He has come down to save us! It’s time to sing! (There will be lots of that over the next few days!. I hope you’re warming up your voices.

We are his!

Pastor Nate

Wait for it...

Christmas is one of those seasons that we have trouble waiting for. People start decorating for Christmas, I’m told before October is even over. The lights, the Christmas music, the Hallmark movies - we want it, now. Waiting is hard.

On top of that, it’s hard to wait both to give and to receive gifts. There are gifts we long to give away. It is such an amazing gift that we can’t wait to share it with our loved ones. Then there are the gifts we can’t wait to open. Those gifts wrapped under the tree. The gifts housed in the brown Amazon box. If it has our name on it - or even if we think it does - the anticipation is more than we can handle. Waiting is hard.

It is even more difficult when we’re waiting in hard, painful, or even challenging circumstances. This Sunday, as we walk through the emotions of Christmas, we hear James tell us: “Be patient! Wait for it…” But as he says these things, he’s talking to Christians who are embattled. They are warring against a divided heart; they love Jesus and are also pulled after other things. They want to do what is right but often do what is wrong. They suffer for doing right. They are like farmers waiting for rain. They are like prophets persevering against persecution. They are Job standing firm beneath the loss of everything.

“Be patient.” That’s what James says. “Persevere!” But he gives us more than a call to action and a call to be something. He also empowers us with promises from Jesus, with power from above. We hope you’ll join us this weekend as we look at James 5:7-11.

On top of this, it is Baptism Sunday at Mount Lebanon. We’re so excited to share the gift of baptism with so many of our family and friends. We hope you’ll be able to join us for this special service.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Nate

Hope Draws on Riches from God

A story is told about an older woman who lived by herself in a very old house. It was a ramshackle house. It was so old, that when you would walk by the side of it, you could actually see the light coming through the boards on the side of the wall. It was dangerously hot in the summer. It was horribly cold in the winter. And she was always getting sick as a result. She was always going to the hospital.

At first, it was thought that she was resourceless. She was living in such poverty. But when you talked to her friends, you would find out that she was actually quite rich. For a variety of reasons, she was petrified of touching the nest eggs for fear that somebody, if she needed it, then it wouldn’t be there. She actually had wealth, but she lived poorly. And as a result, it was killing her. She had it, but she wouldn’t draw on it.

We have access to things, to riches from God, that we often never draw on. We have intimacy with Christ. We have the love and fullness of God. But it has never broken through into our inner being. We live like we’re poor, and it begins to kill us. We act like we have nothing to hope for or to hope in, and, as a result, we never draw on the hope and the riches that are ours in Christ.

Yet, there is so much formative and life-giving power for our lives because of our believed-in futures, i.e., our hope. We hope in the promises of God. We hope in his love for us in Christ. We hope in the power of the gospel. We hope in the length and width and breadth and depth of his love for us. We hope in his wisdom for the paths that our lives takes. We hope in God.

This Sunday, we want to draw on the riches of God and experience the hope that comes from those riches. We’ll be looking at Romans 15:4-13 and look to the God who gives hope. We’ll never live poor again. How could we, when we hope in such riches from our God!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Nate

The Emotions of Christmas

There are a lot of different feelings that come for a lot of different reasons during this time of the year. There is, of course, the sense of anticipation, excitement, and joy that comes because of the festivities and the festival of Christmas. Anticipation and excitement grow for what is coming. Joy fills us as we remember and enjoy it.

At the same time, there is anxiety because of the preparations, grief and sadness because of who isn’t around this Christmas, and mounting pressure because of all the things going on. As happy as this time of year should be, many view this as one of the most stressful and depressing times of the year.

These are just a few of the feelings that we and other people have at this time of the year.

But there is more to it than all of that. And that’s what we want to do for you this Advent season. We’re going to uncover four Christmas emotions: Joy, Hope, Patience, and Confidence.

During this season, however, we do not just want to tell you about joy and tell you why you should be joyful; we’re going to seek to give you joy. Instead of telling you why you should be hopeful, we’re going to pray that the Spirit would work a hopeful expectation in you. You get the idea. Sunday, I’m not really going to preach about joy. I’m not really going to tell you what joy is. But it is my prayer that as we consider a portion of Paul’s letter of joy to the Philippians, God would fill your heart with joy and peace. It is a sense of gladness, thankfulness, and overflowing rejoicing that comes from God’s Spirit. I pray that God would give you joy on Sunday.

We’ll see you then! Pastor Nate

PS. Please take a look at the sign-up sheet below. Please sign up for the chili cook-off even if you do not plan to bring a chili. Based on current sign-ups, we will hold the chili cook-off in the community room. Use the link right here: Chili Cook-off

This Time Tomorrow (if the Lord grants it!)

We’re in the last part of the last chapter of the gospel of Mark. It’s been quite a journey from “in the beginning” of Mark 1 to this ending. What we want to think about on Sunday is what the next chapter might look like. We have some sense of what the next chapter looked like for the disciples from the book of Acts. We have some sense of what the next chapter looked like for Jesus as he ascended into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand, far above all power and authority, King of kings and Lord of lords.

We even have some sense of what our next chapter looks like. At least, we have a vision for it. That’s our simple goal on Sunday. I really hope to give you a vision for your tomorrow and what it can look like, even if we don’t know what the particulars of tomorrow will be. We’ll be considering Mark 16:9-20.

See you Sunday! Pastor Nate

The Return of the King

Here at Mount Lebanon, we call it the End Times season of our year. It’s a time in our congregation when we focus on the return of Jesus at the end of time. We study and think about in a specific sort of way his return on the last day. We think about Judgment Day. We read what Jesus has to say to us about these last days. We remember and give thanks for the saints, the holy ones, who have gone ahead of us. We remember how Jesus is the King, once crowned with thorns and now crowned with glory. Long live the King! Ever may he reign!

This fills everything that we do as a church with a bit of urgency. If it’s true that Jesus may return at any moment (and he might!), then we better be ready. And it is the primary work of the church to get people ready for that day through a Word and Sacrament life. This is urgent business. It is urgent for the already gathered community of those who are holy through the blood of the Lamb. I take that seriously, the getting you ready work. There isn’t time to waste in this work. Jesus may come at any moment, and I want to do all I can to ensure you are ready. This is urgent business.

It is also serious business. There is nothing trivial about the Word and Sacrament life of the church. I may wear jeans and a T-shirt to the office on any given day. I may not always wear a suit coat. But that doesn’t make the work we’re doing any less serious. Eternity is on the line. People’s salvation is on the line. This Word and Sacrament life is serious business, for the gospel in Word and Sacrament alone is my life and yours, too. This is serious business.

That’s why we’re going to keep forging ahead in our ministry. We’re not going to sit back. And this Sunday is one of the ways we’re going to keep pressing forward. We’ve been calling it an open forum and the Event to get you Connected. Let me explain a little bit.

On Sunday, we’ll gather for worship like usual. It’s our Saints Triumphant Sunday. We’ll witness a new saint in the making through baptism. We’ll remember the saints who have been glorified with Jesus. And then, we’ll talk mission. There are three main parts of the day:

1) We want you to share your vision for Mount Lebanon with us. How would you describe us today? How do you hope to describe us in five years?

2) Each area of our ministry will have a table. At their table will be snacks and information about what they’re up to. Ask them questions! Find out more about what we’re doing. Then, take a moment at their table to answer a few questions about your ideas for our ministry together. We want to do our best to capture your ideas and reflections for the work we do together. This is OUR ministry - yours, mine, and ours.

3) We'd like to know how you'd like to get involved. I know that many of you have walked down this road, but bear with us. We want you to think about it again. Please fill out the interest sheet as we gather the troops and rally the family for our ministry.

That’s a thumbnail sketch of what’s coming. We hope you’ll be able to make it. Sunday is going to be quite a day. See you then.

Pastor Nate

PS. Note the sign-up sheets below.

Long Live the King!

“Long live the King!”

That’s what they said when a king was enthroned and was anointed into his new role in the kingdom. They wanted him to rule. They wanted him to be blessed. They longed for him to be a blessing. The poor and the weak longed for rescue. The wronged and the abused longed for justice. They wanted him to sit on his throne and rule for their good.

“Long live the King!”

They longed for him to rule for a long time, not just for a year or two. They wanted his throne to be blessed so that it lasted longer than the sun or moon. They wanted him to rule and be a blessing for more than a decade or two.

“Long live the King!”

When we hear this phrase, we think of earthly rulers. But more than that, we think about great David’s greater Son, Jesus! We think of him, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. We think about this different sort of king whom Mark has been presenting to us all year long. He saves the weak. He heals the sick. He makes wrongs right. And he dies. Yes, he dies. He dies, but then he rises to rule. He rules only to return to bring us to his side. He alone fulfills our heart’s loudest cry: “Long live the King!”

This Sunday, we’re back in Mark one more time (for more). This week, we’ll consider our King’s return on the last day to judge both the living and the dead.

See you Sunday! Pastor Nate

Song of the Series

The Future for Exiles

The future is an interesting thing. It isn’t something that we know. That much is completely obvious. In some things, I can make a greater or lesser guess of what might happen. But, even in those things, I really don’t know. We don’t know the future, even though our guesses might be quite educated.

Yet, that doesn’t keep us from guessing and trying to figure out what might happen. Some of it is quite positive and even helpful. We try to estimate what our retirement funds will hold. We try to estimate our health and well-being. We even plan for the work we’ll do in our ministry, dreaming about what the future might hold for us. As we do that, we’ll be wise to submit ourselves to enjoy whatever future the Lord gives us.

Often, however, darkness hangs over our view of the future, especially when we feel the yoke of exile on our shoulders. That’s when worry and angst creep in. We worry about whether or not our retirement will last for us. We have angst regarding the results of a medical test. We are afraid, anxious, and concerned about the future of our ministry. We’re afraid, and hope begins to fade.

We can barely begin to grasp how the people of Israel felt in exile. What did their future hold? Sure, they had Jeremiah 29(11), which promised their return from exile. But if you’ve been stuck in exile for 70 years, how can you hope for a return? When you’ve seen your homeland destroyed, how can you hope for a future? When you’ve been locked up for 37 years as Jehoiachin was, and when God has told you that you will be recorded as childless, how can you ever hope to be released and even to have a child?

The truth is there is a bright dawn on the horizon when you are God’s exile and when you have God’s promises. As I’ve said before, the sun always rises. There is always a child for the childless, a son to a virgin (I’m talking metaphorically now!). Jehoiachin found that out. And so will we! We’ll find out on Sunday as we consider the odds for exiles (Jer52:31-34). Moreover, we’ll find out when our King Jesus returns.

How about this: let’s gather one more time (and then one more time after that) to wait for him together? I’ll see you on Sunday! Pastor Nate

Today is the day (and tomorrow is too)!

Today is the day! It is the day that the Lord has made. We will - yes, let us - rejoice and be glad in it. It is a new day of his grace and mercy. A new day of sunshine. A new day of life and breath. It may not be easy or pleasant. But it is his day. We are his people. And he’s given us this day as a gift of his grace.

Today is the day! It is the day that you’re invited to join us at church for our “Trunk or Treat” festival. Join us between 3-6 for a community gathering to share candy and good times with our kids. You can also purchase hotdogs, nachos and some drinks to support our community food pantry. Learn more here.

Today is the day - and tomorrow is too! If today is the Lord’s day, then tomorrow is his day too. And if he gives it to us, then we’ll live again under his grace and mercy. We’ll live again under his sun. We’ll live again under his lordship and rule. And should he grant us this kindness, too, we’ll gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. Tomorrow, we give thanks for uncovering the gospel through Martin Luther's work. Tomorrow is the festival of the Reformation.

We would love to have you join us in worship tomorrow as we give thanks for the rule, might, redemption, and even vengeance (Yes, I said that word! More on that topic tomorrow) of our Savior King.

This is the day, and tomorrow is too. We’d love to share these days with you. Hope to see you soon.

VDMA

The king didn’t care much for Jeremiah or for the word from God that Jeremiah presented to him. In fact, he showed so much disdain for this word that after reading a page, he cut it out of the scroll and used it to keep his fire burning. How offensive can you be? How could he?

Yet, are we so different in our handling of God’s Word? Picking and choosing the verses we want to apply, use, listen, and accept. Ignoring some. Twisting others. Do we take it all to heart? Or do we cut corners, maybe even pages, off the Word of God?

God will not let his Word be silenced or destroyed. The cry rings out: The Word of the Lord endures forever. And we need to hear it. We need to receive it. We need it to change and transform us.

On Sunday, this will be our prayer: Lord, help us as we read, learn, and take your Word to heart.

We are his! Pastor Nate

PS: Without googling it, what does the symbol above mean or stand for?

Unbreakable Covenant

Some things are absolutely unbreakable. Consider the love of a parent for their child. It is a bond that is not easily severed. It is love that is not easily dismissed. There is something about the relationship of care of a parent for a child that does not go away. With Isaiah the prophet, God wondered aloud, “Can a mother forget the child at her breast? … Though she may forget [unthinkable though that is], I will not forget” (Isaiah 49:15-17). As unthinkable as it may be that a parent would forget their child, it is even more unthinkable and even impossible that God would forget you, his child.

And can mountains fall into the heart of the sea? Can the earth give way? Surely, that seems impossible. Yet, “even though its waters roar and foam, even though mountains fall into the heart of the sea, we will not fear because God is with us. That presence will never be removed. (Cf. Psalm 46:1-3). God’s presence and protection are surely immovable.

And what about the sunrise and sunset? Will that daily cycle of day and night ever be removed? I can’t imagine a day when it wouldn’t happen. As long as I’ve been alive, and even before that, it has continued on. It has been happening since Day 1 of this world. “There was evening and morning the first day” (Genesis 1:5). It is one thing that has not changed the moment when light first appeared on this earth.

It is unbreakable. Try if you can. Try to break God’s covenantal relationship with day and night, with sunrise and sunset. Try to ruin that rhythm, if you will. But you can’t. You won’t. It is truly unbreakable. In the same way, all of God’s promises to us are “yes” in Christ. His promises to us are more sure than this. Tomorrow, we’ll see how absolutely unbreakable and sure his promises to us are. We’ll be looking at Jeremiah 33:14-26.

Faith Builders Sunday

October 15 + 9:30 am

Scholars from our school will sing.

Lunch together

Build together.

We will have specific projects identified to continue to help us prepare for our new building project.

NOTE: We will be painting some signs and building some work benches to continue our preparation. After lunch, we’ll get to work on these things. Either wear some work clothes to church or bring a change of clothes. Let’s dig into this together.

Every once in a while, we want to take some extra steps to get to know each other and the people walking with us at Mount Lebanon. Sunday (10/15) will be our first one. When you come to church, grab a name tag, so we can get to know each other.

Faith's Grit

Faith’s Grit

If you looked in a dictionary next to the word “grit,” it wouldn’t surprise me at all if you saw a picture of the prophet Jeremiah. We haven’t focused much on the man, the prophet, the legend, Jeremiah, but there is something there for men to learn about being men, and for Christians to learn about being gritty and full of faith.

Consider this. He was given a command to be hard-headed and steely at the command of the Lord, to preach to a stubborn people. He simply obeyed God’s command and what did it get him? Beaten. Put in the stocks. Thrown in a cistern. Mocked. Ridiculed. Arrested multiple times. Accused of treason and treachery of the worst kind. And it was always and only because he was a man of faith who refused to back down even when it was hard, who stood in faith and trusted his God, who accepted the Word of God even when it didn’t make sense, and acted on that word of God.

His faith-fullness (no, that isn’t a typo) has left a testimony for us. He shows us what is looks like to live a life of faith. He shows us what it is to live by faith in God, to live by faith in God’s Word. He shows us what it looks likes to step out in faith and to leave a testimony for the world to see by our faith-full acts.

We don’t often do case-studies like this, but we will on Sunday. This Sunday, we have the testimony of a life lived by faith. We’ll read Jeremiah 32:4-15, but the whole chapter will be in view. In fact, the whole of Scripture will be in view as we examine faith and what it looks like to live by faith.

See you Sunday! Pastor Nate

Like a husband

Last week, we saw God acting as a father. As our father, he carries us. He cares for us. He guards us. He protects us. He guides us. He even disciples us because that’s what fathers do. They discipline the children they love. Yes, our Father disciplines us as his dear children because he wants us to share in his holiness and his glory. This week, we’ll hear God acting as a spurned but faithful husband.

So, ask yourself the question: What do you do when your girl cheats on you with another guy? What do you do when she breaks your heart? As we continue to make our way through these chapters of hope in Jeremiah, these two dominant metaphors hang there. This week, we see God’s husband's heart. He does not discard his bride, whom he draws with cords of kindness. Again (and again and yet again) he makes their relationship/covenant new.

Like a Father

Our God wants us to imagine our life with him and his life with us. He wants us to picture it and see it with our mind’s eye. He does that because he wants to help us see our lives as they really and truly are. A few weeks ago, God spoke to us with the image of a yoke before us so that we see ourselves living under him, under the circumstances of our lives, under the authorities whom he has placed over us. He wants us to imagine our lives and see that he is the one placing the yoke over our shoulders, ruling over us and our lives the way that only he can.

This week, he sets before us the image of a father. We’re getting into the sweetest parts of Jeremiah now, and you’ll begin to sense the hope rising in the texts that we study and the Scriptures that we hear. God is our Father. And if he is (which he is through Jesus, our Savior), then we are his children. And our Father is good. He is kind and compassionate, good and gracious, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

But what about the Babylonian exile? God sold his people out and gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. That doesn’t seem to be a very fatherly thing to do.

What about our exile here? As we’ve said over the last few weeks, we’re living in a world that is less and less Christian. We’re making our way during a time and in a place that is more and more hostile to Christianity. That’s the world in which we live. And God allows that, even sends that? That doesn’t seem to be a fatherly thing to do.

But God is our Father, and even the painful things that he allows and/or sends into our lives serve his good purposes. He will not let it crush us. He only works through it for our faith, our trust, our growth, and most of all, our eternity. This week, we’ll be looking at Jeremiah 30:10-17, and we’ll catch a vision of God as our Father, working even through painful things for our good. How will that shape the life/lives that you live for him?

We’ll see you Sunday! Pastor Nate

Confirmation Sunday

It’s Confirmation Sunday. And that raises a few questions. Most of all, it raises this question: What is it? Why do we do it?

Confirmation is an act, a rite, and a ritual in the Lutheran church (and in other Christian churches as well). It is neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture. At a confirmation, whether it is a child or an adult, several things are happening. First, a person is confessing their faith before the Lord and a Christian congregation. Second, as they make that confession of faith, they are also receiving special encouragement from the church. We speak a blessing to them, which is powerful because of the Word which is spoken to them through the laying on of hands. Third, the church embraces them tightly and receives each one of them as their own. We rejoice with the angels in heaven over the faith we hear coming from their lips. And, finally, the confirmands receive strength from above to fulfill their promises to the Lord all the days of their life. It is just a rite, neither commanded nor forbidden. Yet, there is tremendous value and wisdom in such a rite.

It’s Confirmation Sunday. Let this Sunday do more than raise questions. Let this Sunday raise up prayers among us for these young people who will be confirmed and for those who have confessed their faith in this way before them. Let this Sunday raise up prayers among us that our God would complete the good work he has already begun in them.

We’ll see you Sunday as we learn how to live faithful and present lives in this world, and in this way, we stand next to the confirmands - firm in the faith, faithful in our lives. God help us.

Pastor Nate

NEW SERIES: Life in Babylon

Kick off Sunday!

This Sunday is all about kick-offs. We’re kicking off a new series. We’re kicking off our full, late summer kick of our Sunday morning ministries. We’d love to have you.

8:45 am - 9:15 am

Club 5:16 (K3 - 6th Grade study)

Acts 29 (7th-12th grade study)

At-A-Glance (adult study)

9:30 am

Worship for ALL

11:00 am

Connect Group

New Series: Life in Babylon

We live in exile. We’re away from our home. Our home is in heaven. On top of that, it becomes increasingly clear that we are the outsiders here in our own homeland. Less and less do the laws of our country reflect what God’s Word says is good and right. More and more, there is a growing hostility toward those who faithfully hold to the Christian faith. We’re in exile. Away from home. In Babylon. But Jeremiah has a word. A word about faith. A word about submission and surrender. A word about living faithfully Christian lives. A word about hope. A word about our return home. It’s a powerful and important word that he has for us. The future belongs to us. Today, we get started in Jeremiah 27:1-15. It’s a difficult word, but an important one for us to consider - surrender! God calls us to surrender.

It's me, Jesus!

There they were again. Out in the lake. Straining against the wind. Fighting against the saves. Afraid of what they thought was a ghost. There they were again, tired and afraid. But then, a familiar voice broke through their fear and terror. That familiar voice grew closer and closer to them and soon drowned out the voice of the waves. “Buck up! Don’t be afraid. It’s me!” It was the one who had calmed the sea once already. It was the one who had fed the thousands. It was the one who tended them and all he met like a shepherd. It was the one who stopped bleeding with just a touch and raised a little girl with his vocal cords. it was Jesus! Not only did his voice set their hearts at rest, but that same voice drove the sea to rest, too.

Oh, our Savior is mighty. The sea grows stormy again. We get out of one stormy sea, and the winds find us again, only too soon. But here comes Jesus with his calming words. Words that calm our hearts and make our courage like steel: “Buck up! Don’t be afraid. It’s me, Jesus!” Those same powerful words force all things to bow and bend to his almighty will. Yes, his voice sets our hearts and rest; it brings all our lives under his control.

This Sunday, we’re wrapping up our series in Mark’s gospel, during which we have considered the miracles of Jesus. Next week, we’ll be in Jeremiah again, considering our life away from home, our “Life in Babylon.”

See you Sunday! Pastor Nate

Never Enough Time

There never seems to be enough time for us to spend with Jesus. There are always intruding thoughts that interrupt our times of prayer and meditation. When we do get to spend time with Jesus, we can’t give him our full attention. In addition, there are also requests from those around us that interrupt and keep us from spending time with Jesus. She needs me for that. He needs my help with that. There is almost some sort of demand for our time and energy. We just need to get away with Jesus so that we can get some rest.

This weekend, you have two opportunities to get away to Mount Lebanon to hear Jesus's words and be refreshed with other people who want to be with Jesus just like you do.

On Saturday, we’ll be gathering at 4 p.m. for the Hampton Heights Festival. We’ll be looking at another of Jesus’ miracles. We’re looking at the miracle Mark 6:30-44 and learning from Jesus when he multiplies the loaves. We would love to have you. To learn more about the Hampton Heights Festival, go here.

 We’ll gather again at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday for a summer version of Good Shepherd Sunday. What can we learn about Jesus in John 10 when he describes himself as our Good Shepherd and our Gate? We’ll be looking at John 10:1-10.

Each service will be unique. Each opportunity will be rich with words from Jesus for our souls.

Hope to see you this weekend! Pastor Nate