Dear Trinity Family,

A blessed Friday to one and all!  We made it through another week.  While it seems that we are still a ways off from getting the green light to allow us to open the doors of our church home again so that we can once more worship together in person, it does seem that we may be a little closer than we were as the toll of this virus slows its pace, and God willing, allows the whole world a time to recover and find a way to bring this illness to its knees as it has already done to our world.

As our governor begins looking at beginning his plan to reopen the state, it does seem like it may be some time yet before we can look at opening for public worship. We will continue to look at the governor’s recommendations and see how they will work for us. With “Phase One” allowing only “small outdoor religious gatherings”, it may well be that we may only be able to work towards opening again for worship when “Phase Two” begins.  We will continue to wait and monitor the situation and keep you informed on plans and preparations we are making, many of which still wait for further instructions and advice from the state.

Until then, please continue to be in prayer for the world and for our congregation family that the Lord will continue to bless us, keep us safe, keep us strong in faith, and bring us through this moment so we may praise Him for His goodness and mercy.

As to other news…

This Sunday’s bulletin is available on the church website. Feel free to look over the announcements that are there.

A few items of note:

1. Art Simon has some wonderful news about our participation in this year’s Virtual CROP Walk.

2. We have scheduled another Zoom Fellowship call for this Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM. We hope you can join us, and connection information went out to members in an email. (If you would like to join us, please send an email to Pastor at trinity-elc-pastor@verizon.net so he can get that information to you.)

3. A blessed Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our midst!

I pray that everyone has a blessed weekend and look forward to “seeing” you all at worship and perhaps at our Zoom fellowship.

As I sign off with this message, I thought that I’d share this as a devotional message today.

Recently, I was invited by my alma mater, Concordia College in Bronxville, NY, to be a part of a “virtual choir” project which they were creating. You may have seen similar videos online, and I thought that it might be fun to participate, and I’m glad to be able to share it with you all.

The college asked for Tour Choir Alumni to send in a video of each of us singing the individual parts of what is a “signature piece” that has been sung by the choir over many years: “Nun Ruhen alle Waelder”.  That piece is two stanzas of an evening hymn authored by the German Lutheran Pastor and Hymnwriter, Paul Gerhardt (1607-76), with the music composed by Heinrich Isaac (c. 1450-1517), in an arrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). The hymn is still found in many hymnals, especially Lutheran ones, and is in our Lutheran Service Book as Hymn 880, “Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow”.

The choir sings the first stanza of the hymn in its original German. A close translation of the words would be something like:

Now rest all the woods,
Cattle, people, towns, and fields,
The whole world is asleep.
But you, my soul,
Up, up, you now will begin,
What is well-pleasing to your Creator.

The second stanza sung in English is the fourth stanza in our hymnal:

Lord Jesus, who dost love me,
O spread Thy wings above me
And shield me from alarm.
Though Satan would devour me,
Let angel guards sing o’er me:
“This child of God shall meet no harm,”

What made this a choir signature piece was that this hymn concluded every concert sung by the Tour Choir. Each evening, the choir would make its way into the nave of the church we sang in, usually able to surround the congregation, and we would hold hands singing with one another, looking towards the altar and its cross, offering this as our evening and closing prayer.

Singing this piece was always a special moment for us as choir members. For many of us, the times spent on tour were among the most memorable of our college days because of the friendships which developed, grew, and flourished between us while not only singing together, but also living on a bus for two weeks and all of the other things which made up “tour life”. Each night as we prayed this hymn together, it prepared us for what was another “tour ritual”. Following each concert, we would usually be hosted overnight in the homes of the congregation members; sometimes in our selected “tour partner” pairs, sometimes needing to be separated because of the space limitations which our host families had. In any case, we as a choir were needing to be apart from one another, if only for a night, and so this prayer was one which we were asking God’s blessings on one another while we were away from each other, praying that we would be able to see one another the next day and continue on our journey together.

I have to admit that hearing us sing this hymn “together” brought tears to my eyes because of the memories that washed over me from those wonderful three years I was privileged to sing in this choir, and under the direction of “Doc” Schultz. But it was also because of my remembering the meaning behind this piece which also made me think of the current times we find ourselves in as Pastor and People. This is the same prayer which I offer for all of us as we remain apart from one another in these days: that the Lord Jesus who loves all of us, remains with us, keeping us safe in His care and protection, under the watchful guardianship of His holy angels, who constantly warn the evil one and his hosts: “This child of God shall meet no harm!”

And so we pray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK-QL_gu6q4&feature=youtu.be

May the Lord bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen!

And may the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.

Peace and blessings,
+Pastor

Dear Trinity Family

It’s hard to believe that we are about to have our seventh Sunday apart from each other and not yet able to gather together for worship. I pray that all of you continue to be and stay well and safe and that we may be inching closer to the ending of this time of quarantine.

The bulletin for Sunday is available and all the announcements are there for you. Just wanted to lift up a couple of items though…

VIRTUAL CROP WALK:
Thanks to all those who have participated in this effort we have raised $520.00 to help the hungry in our community. Donations can still be made online, or if you just want to go “old school” and write a check, you can make your check out to CWS Crop Walk and mail your check to Art Simon who will forward it on to the folks at the CROP Walk. Full details can be found in the bulletin announcements.

ZOOM FELLOWSHIP:
It’s been great to “see” the Trinity family on Zoom. Our next time for some “face time” with each other will be next Sunday, May 10th, at 4:00 PM. We realize that this is also Mother’s Day, but we hope that you can still join us. Connection information will be sent out in a separate email by next Friday, May 8th.

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to being with you at worship on Facebook Live this Sunday morning. And as always, “May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.”

Peace and blessings,
+Pastor

Dear Trinity Family,

God’s richest blessings be with you all! And I continue to pray that everyone remains safe and well as these days of separation continue.

I just wanted to reach out to you all this Friday with an email to say hello and to pass along a few announcements.

Fellowship on Zoom:
We will be holding another Zoom Fellowship this Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM and we hope you will be able to join us, either on video or phone conferencing. Information to connect will be coming out in a separate email.

Virtual CROP Walk:
Just a reminder that the “Virtual CROP Walk” is still going on. We hope you will participate in this work to help hungry people as you are able. Please find the the message from Art Simon on how you are able to participate and donate in this Sunday’s bulletin, available in the Bulletin Archive.

LMS Compassion Place Ministry:
While our Hyattsville Compassion Center continues to be closed at this time, the Lutheran Mission Society (LMS) still is doing work for the good of needy people. Please visit the LMS website, which includes a video message from LMS Director, Pastor David Maack, to learn more about what they are doing at this time.

During this time away from the Lord’s Supper:
I know that not everyone is able to come and receive the Lord’s Supper as we usually would, although opportunity to make arrangements to receive the Sacrament can be made with Pastor. Because we are unable at this time to regularly receive this great Gift for the comfort and strengthening of our souls, one spiritual tool some use during this time of separation from the Sacrament is that of “spiritual communion”: a reminder through the Word of the gifts that we receive through our participation in Holy Communion and a prayer for the Lord to continue to give us those gifts even while we are unable physically to share in the Lord’s Supper. Thanks to a seminary classmate of mine, I was able to find such a “spiritual communion” meditation and prayer from our Lutheran Christian tradition. You can find it for your use on the church website under the Worship tab as “Prayer for Spiritual Communion“.

I wish all of you a wonderful weekend, and look forward to “seeing” you in worship this Sunday. Keep safe and healthy, and always continuing to trust in the Lord.  And as always, “may the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another”!

Peace and blessings,
+Pastor

Dear Trinity Family,

God’s richest blessings be with you all! And prayers that everyone continues to be safe and well as we continue through these days.

On this Easter Friday, I just wanted to reach out with an email to say hello and to pass along a few announcements.

Online Worship and Study Opportunities:
Thank you to everyone who has been viewing our Sunday Worship and Midweek Bible Studies on Facebook Live. I’m glad for the positive comments that have come to me, and even more glad to know that these broadcasts are a blessing and spiritual encouragement for you all.  Most certainly, we’re all hoping to be back together for “in person” worship soon, but as we wait, this virtual means of spiritual provision allows us to still be the body of Christ united in the Word and in prayer together.  My continued thanks to Skip Hall for his musical accompaniment, and to Paul Ritter for his work “behind the camera”.  Thanks also to those who have been a part of our “live studio” congregation.  It’s nice to have a few faces in the pews, until I get to see everyone back in them again.

Virtual CROP Walk:
One of the things we are missing by not being together in person for worship during this season is Art Simon’s weekly reminders about the CROP Walk for hungry people. Because of the current conditions, the CROP Walk for this year has been cancelled. However, this does not mean that the opportunity to help hungry people has been cancelled.  The information on how you can participate in this virtual CROP Walk is available in this Sunday’s bulletin, posted on the church website.

ZOOM Fellowship:
It was nice to have an opportunity to “see” each other for a little bit on Easter Afternoon by video conference on ZOOM.  We invite you as you are able to join us again on Sunday, April 26th, when we will schedule another ZOOM fellowship.  Be on the lookout for an email with the contact information later next week.

I wish all of you a wonderful weekend, and look forward to “seeing” you in worship this Sunday.  As always, may we all stay safe, healthy, and trusting in the Lord whose “mercy endures forever”.  And, “may the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another”!

Peace and blessings,
+Pastor

Dear friends in Christ,

As we keep these great Three Days of celebrating and remembering God’s great love shown us in Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, may the Lord bless us with the gift of faith and move us to give thanks for the salvation we have through Jesus Christ.

It would be an understatement to say that in all of my years of ministry, and even in all my years of life, that this is the “strangest” Holy Week that I and any of us have ever celebrated. That being said, however, there is a comforting thought in all of this. This Holy Week will be “strange” because of the situation we find ourselves in owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. What will not be “strange” though, but rather comfortably familiar, is that this Holy Week will be the same as it always has been before—the time we as God’s People have to reflect on God’s great love and His gift of salvation given to us through the life, sufferings, death, and resurrection of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps then it would be better to say that this Holy Week will be “different” rather than “strange”. This moment calls on us to do things a little differently than we are used to or would prefer. Worshiping together online is certainly not the same as gathering in the house of the church. Our songs of praise won’t ring out as joyously as they would when they are sung together. Our fellowship is distant, but fortunately not broken. And perhaps most of all, the act through which we remember the Lord’s death and proclaim His resurrection and His coming again in glory—His Holy Supper—is something which we are not able to share in with each other fully at this time.

This message then is an encouragement for all of us to keep this “different” Holy Week together, both through our opportunities for worship together, and also through opportunities that we can have in our own “domestic churches” at home through devotions and other activities.

Keeping Holy Week in Worship:

Worship in these Holy Days is scheduled to go on as planned, even with the changes that were made necessary because of the pandemic. We are thankful that technology has given us the opportunity to have time “together” in worship, hearing God’s Word, and in prayer. Our thanks to all those who have been viewing our services, and extra special thanks to those who have helped to bring these services to us, especially Skip Hall, our Parish Musician, and Paul Ritter, who has assisted in being “behind the camera”.

The following will be our schedule for services that will be livestreamed from Trinity during Holy Week (available on our Facebook Page): www.facebook.com/trinityelcmountrainier

Palm Sunday:
Sunday Morning Worship – 9:30 AM

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week:
Holy Week Vespers – 3:00 PM

Holy (Maundy) Thursday:
Vespers of Holy Thursday – 3:00 PM

Good Friday:
Vespers of Good Friday – 3:00 PM

Holy Saturday:
Noonday Prayer of Holy Saturday – 12:00 Noon

Easter Sunday:
Sunday Morning Worship – 9:30 AM

As you can see, we will provide worship each day of Holy Week this year, rather than just on The Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday and the days of the Triduum (Three Days): Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Each day’s worship will allow us the opportunity to walk together with our Lord through the events of His final week in Jerusalem. And we pray that it may be spiritually enriching for us all to be able to do so.

The timing of the weekday services was chosen for two reasons. The first was practical.  For those who may be home, 3:00 PM seemed a good time for the livestream to happen. The service would then also be available for those who would need to view it at a later time that day. The second reason was one of symbolism: 3:00 being the hour of Jesus’ death, which seems a very suitable time for us to gather and remember our Lord’s Passion.

Orders of Service will be available on the church website—www.tlcmr.org—to aid you in participating in these worship moments. Pastor will also be preaching at each of these services.

Keeping Holy Week at Home:

There are many ways that families and individuals can keep Holy Week at home. We would like to share with you some ideas and materials that can assist you during these days in having a prayerful time to remember and give thanks for Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.

A “Different” Palm Sunday:
Traditionally, Holy Week would have begun with the Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem and the distribution of palm branches. Since we will not be together for worship, we will also not be able to receive palms or palm crosses this year. Thanks to some friends on Facebook, I ran across a fine idea that they shared for a home Palm Sunday activity, thanks to a Roman Catholic Deacon’s blog:
https://thedeaconsbench.com/a-beautiful-idea-for-palm-sunday/

It sounds like a wonderful idea, and one that has biblical and historic precedent. Looking at the Gospels, only John says that there were palm branches carried by the people as Jesus entered Jerusalem. Matthew says that the people had taken branches from the trees. In Mark, the people cut leafy branches from the fields. And Luke surprisingly doesn’t mention any branches at all. There are also places where palms are not easily or readily accessible, and so there are some churches where the tradition is to use branches from other native trees, either green or flowering. In some places, that would be olive branches; in others, yew or boxwood; and in northeastern European areas, pussy willow branches.

If you would like to do this as a family “Branch Sunday” project, and you take pictures of the end result, please send them on to me at trinity-elc-pastor@verizon.net and I will be sure to share those photos with our Trinity family in an email early in Holy Week.

Reading and Meditating on Christ’s Passion:
To hear the account of Jesus’ suffering, death, burial, and resurrection is the center of these Holy Days. You will find below a PDF file which contains some suggestions for reading through the Gospel accounts during these Holy Days. The file also contains a copy of what is known as “The Passion History”, which is a compilation and harmonization of the four Gospel accounts into one reading, that has been a traditional part of Lutheran devotion during Lent.
Passion Readings for Holy Week

Devotional Reading:
In addition to the Lenten Devotional booklet, “Eyes on Jesus”, which our Trinity Family received before Lent began, we are able to provide a devotion specially prepared for the days of Holy Week. “From Palms to Passion”. The devotional booklet is available as a PDF file, linked below.  This provides you with a reading for each morning and evening from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday.
From Palms to Passion Devotional

Other Resources:
In earlier messages, we made suggestions on where you can find resources for your use which will aid your prayer and devotion in these days. We are happy to share them again for you here:

Concordia Publishing House : www.cph.org
Plenty of resources for worship, study, and devotion, including special music playlists.

Illustrated Ministry: https://www.illustratedministry.com/flattenthecurve
Coloring sheets for creative devotions.

The Cyber Hymnal: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/index.htm
A resource with thousands of hymn texts and music files to help you sing along.

Lutheran Public Radio: https://lutheranpublicradio.org/
A 24 hour internet Sacred Music station.

Add Your Own Ideas:
Feel free to search the internet for other ideas that you may find. And feel free to share them with us. You can especially share the links in our Facebook group.

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I pray that these materials and suggestions, along with your own ideas, will be of help for all of us to keep a prayerful “different” Holy Week together this year. God bless us all!

In Christ Jesus,
+Pastor

Dear People of God,

For those of us still able to remember what day of the week it is, “Thank God it’s Friday!” I’m sure that as we have gone through these days together, one day is not unlike another. But, our God who is always the same is filling these “so same” days with His life, love, peace, joy, and hope by assuring us that He is always with us.

And that seems like the perfect segue into our final devotion for this week from Romans 8, looking at verses 31-39…

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“If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

The autobiography of Pastor Oswald Hoffman, the second speaker of “The Lutheran Hour”, carries as its title a phrase that he apparently used often, especially at the conclusion of sermons: “What more is there to say but ‘Amen’.” It’s a thought that might bring a smile to the face of those who listen to pastors and their preaching, especially because that may be the word they’re looking forward most to hearing in the sermon, knowing that it’s over.

But there’s another way of looking at this phrase. When we’ve heard the blessed Good News of what God has done and is still doing for us in and through our Lord Jesus, it should make even the most dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran want to get up and shout “Amen!”

Such is the message that Paul brings as he concludes this marvelous eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans, and it is his “Amen” to what he has been proclaiming. Having announced to us the Good News of what it means to be in Christ; to live in, with, and through His Spirit; to know the glory that is yet to come for us; Paul now gives us the beautiful reminder, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” He stacks up everything that stands against us as we live in this world–our sin, the death we must undergo, the evil one who tempts us, even every form of human suffering that we can imagine–and Paul says, “And against it all, God stands with you and you will not fall.”

Yet Paul does not say that because we know that God stands with us as our Shield and Protector, that somehow we are immune from or somehow exempt from suffering.  Quite the contrary.  He quotes Psalm 44:22, “For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” Not too pleasant of a prospect to think about, is it? Nor does it engender much confidence in God’s love when you first look at it. It begs the question, “If God is for us”, then why is it that “for [His] sake we are being killed all the day long”?

The answer to this question is unfortunately hidden from us as we undergo our moments of suffering. At those times, we may share in Jesus’ own words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet, because we feel pain, undergo affliction, or sense that we have been abandoned, does not mean that God is not with us. In truth, it is in precisely these moments where our God is present with His love, protection, and care; binding Himself to us because we are His. We may not fully sense it, because our present pain blinds us, but it doesn’t make this truth untrue.

This is the hope that we hang our hope on when all seems hopeless. Our trust is completely in the God who loves us and from whose love nothing in all of creation can separate us. This is our hope for both time and eternity, that when all is said and done, all we will need is love–God’s Love, first and perfectly displayed and given to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Confidently believing this, we trust God’s promise, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

And what more is there to say to that but, “Amen!”

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Again, I hope that these devotional thoughts have been a blessing to you. And in a way, they are sort of a “warm-up” for what we will have the opportunity to experience together next week as we go through the days of Holy Week.

More information on our Holy Week observances, as well as ways to keep these holy days while we are in our homes, will be coming in another email today. I also hope that I will have the opportunity to share another video devotion moment with you later today as well. You can look for it on our Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/trinityelcmountrainier.

God’s blessings be with you all, and “May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.”

Peace in Jesus,
+Pastor

Dear People of God,

Today, we continue our devotions on Romans 8, looking at verses 18-30.

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“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” – Romans 8:18-21

Hearing these words from Paul in the time that we find ourselves in right now just makes me want to shout, “Preach!” You would think that the Apostle must have had some sort of vision into what was in store for the world today for him to write these words that seem so descriptive of our own “here and now”.

But, even though this is all “new” to us, there have been other epidemics and pandemics before.  Sure, some of them never affected us in our country to the extent as the current one has, while others have. It’s all a part of history.  And even Paul himself may have known similar times of plague and pestilence as well, either personally or by knowing the history from his day.

Paul’s words speak to us today because these times where we have heard and seen “the whole of creation groaning” have been happening since that fateful day in Eden when our First Parents traded life in Paradise for the serpent’s lies. Since that day, sin and death have held its terrible sway over the whole of the creation which God had declared “good”. It was not that the creation stopped being good, but that our sinfulness brought a brokenness into it, a brokenness that we ourselves cannot heal. And this brokenness manifests itself in so many different ways, including this current crisis we find happening throughout the world today.

So we cry out to God at this time, rightly turning to Him for His powerful mercy to be displayed among us by bringing this terrible disease to an end. And we believe that God can and will do this. Yet, when He does, will that be the end of our troubles? Actually, no. There will be more. Jesus reminded us of this: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Mt. 24:6-8).

If we want to see the end of all of this suffering, then we need to wait for “the sons of God to be revealed”. On the day of our Lord’s return, the new creation He began through His life, death, and resurrection will be brought to its complete fulfillment, and there in that new heaven and new earth we look forward to seeing no sorrow or pain, no sickness or death, no sorrow and every tear wiped away, for God Himself will be our life and joy eternally. This is our hope–a hope which will carry us through this time of crisis, and through the next one, and on and on until God carries us and all of creation into His eternity.

In this hope, we know that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” and helps us to pray in this time where we may not have the words. I believe that if we listen closely, we may hear the Spirit’s prayers with and for us. He is praying for our strength, our healing, and for our faith not to waver.  He is praying for us to remain strong in our calling to be the children of God. He is praying for us to be faithful in our love for God through our loving our neighbor. And He is moving us to pray, perhaps even more fervently, the prayer that has been on the lips of God’s people for centuries: “Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come!”

But until then, let us continue to live by faith, in hope, and with love, all to the glory of God.

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Thanks as always for taking the time to read these thoughts. Lord willing, I hope to conclude these devotions tomorrow with a look at Romans 8:31-39.

Also tomorrow, please be looking for not only that devotion but also information on how we as a Trinity Family will be keeping Holy Week and Easter together this year.

Until then, “May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another”!

Peace and blessings,
+Pastor

Dear People of God,

First, thank you to all of you who have been taking the time to read these thoughts of mine. As I let the Word of the Scriptures fall on my heart and mind and out into these devotions, I know that the Lord is speaking His encouragement to me, and I pray that they are a blessing and encouragement to you as well.

Today, I would like to continue our journey through Romans 8, looking at verses 12-17.

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“You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” (from Romans 8:15-17)

In this time of physical distancing, there is so much that has been taken away from us which reminds us of the connections we share to one another.  No handshakes or hugs.  No gatherings together in groups, especially as an entire worshiping congregation.  Having to settle for the feeling that six feet is “close enough”.  Each of us can list the things that we miss doing; things that keep us feeling connected to the people we love and care for.

Paul reminds us that through the Spirit who dwells in us, we have been made a part of and connected to a great family–the people of God, the body of Christ, the holy Christian Church.  And while we have been separated from one another for a greater good, we also need to remind ourselves of what truly binds us together.

It is our Heavenly Father, our “Abba”, “Daddy”, who is closest to us.  He is the One who made us to be His own by His creating us.  He is the One who has given us life, not only for here in time, but also for forever in eternity through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.  He is the One who through His Spirit has adopted us to be His own, and that all of His gifts and blessings–forgiveness, life, and salvation–are our inheritance now and forever.

This same Father to whom we are forever connected is also the One who connects all of us who are His own to one another as well.  Through His presence which is always with us because He is always present with us at every time and in every place, He also binds us, His children, together with Him.  Through God’s presence with us, we are through His Spirit, still connected to each other, even though we are apart.  In our prayers to the Father, as we cry out to Him in this time of need, we all are present before Him, beholding by faith His face, and trusting that He is indeed hearing and granting our prayers according to His will as is best for us.

As God the Father is with us, with the Son and Spirit, we know that we are not alone.  In fact, I am certain that He is breaking every rule of social distancing by enfolding His arms of love around each of us, holding us in His strong, caring, and protecting arms.  And those arms not just enfold you, or me, but all of us at the same time.  The whole world is in that embrace.  And what a feeling it is to know that all of us are there–all connected together.

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Thanks for reading.  I’ll be on Facebook Live this evening at 7 PM to lead our last Lenten Devotions and Bible Study from church.  Tonight’s theme in our “Eyes on Jesus” series is “Worldly Eyes”.  We will be reflecting on Jesus’ trial before Pilate, learning of Pilate’s worldly view and how, to keep his position and placate the Jewish leaders and crowd, he handed Jesus over for crucifixion. The soldiers saw the opposite of a worldly king, but their ironic hailing of Him as “King of the Jews” proclaims who He really is. The world looks for power and glory; God’s way is suffering and the cross. Which way do we look in the daily decisions we make?

I hope that you’ll be able to join us, either live or at a later time, and I’ll “see” you there!

God’s blessings be with you all, and “May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.”

Peace in Jesus,
+Pastor

Dear People of God,

Yesterday, shared with you a devotion based on the Old Testament Reading for this past Sunday from Ezekiel 37.  Today, I would like to share some devotional thoughts with you from last Sunday’s Epistle from Romans 8:1-11.  I pray that they are useful and a blessing to you in these days.

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If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:11

Since my college and seminary days, there are certain Scripture passages which are tied in my brain to musical pieces which are referenced in them.  Although I never sung this particular piece of music as part of a choir, there is a motet (think a short cantata) by J.S. Bach which weds the text of the hymn, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”, with selected verses from Romans 8.  This motet was written for the occasion of a funeral service during Bach’s time in Leipzig, and expresses beautifully the hope that we have because we belong to Christ.

I’ll be talking more about this passage from Romans later today in my video devotion on our Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/trinityelcmountrainier) Right now, though, I would like to leave you with the text of this great Lutheran hymn, with its powerful words of hope and comfort, especially as we live under the shadow of this current moment.

Jesus, priceless Treasure,
Fount of purest pleasure,
Truest Friend to me.
Ah, how long in anguish
Shall my spirit languish,
Yearning, Lord, for Thee?
Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!
I will suffer naught to hide Thee;
Naught I ask beside Thee.

In Thine arms I rest me;
Foes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Ev’ry heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
Lightnings flash And thunders crash;
Yet, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.

Satan, I defy thee;
Death, I now decry thee;
Fear, I bid thee cease.
World, thou shalt not harm me
Nor thy threats alarm me
While I sing of peace.
God’s great pow’r Guards ev’ry hour;
Earth and all its depths adore Him,
Silent bow before Him.

Hence, all earthly treasure!
Jesus is my Pleasure,
Jesus is my Choice.
Hence, all earthly glory!
What to me thy story
Told with tempting voice.
Pain or loss, Or shame or cross,
Shall not from my Savior move me
Since He deigns to love me.

Evil world, I leave thee;
Thou canst not deceive me,
Thine appeal is vain.
Sin that once did blind me,
Get thee far behind me,
Come not forth again.
Past thy hour, O pride and pow’r;
Sinful life, thy bonds I sever,
Leave thee now forever.

Hence, all fear and sadness!
For the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father,
Though the storms may gather,
Still have peace within.
Yea, whate’er I here must bear,
Thou art still my purest Pleasure,
Jesus, priceless Treasure!

(The Lutheran Hymnal # 347; Lutheran Service Book # 743)

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After using a hymn for our devotion today, I am reminded of how for me personally, and perhaps for many of you as well, music lifts soul and spirit in ways that nothing else can.  To add to your “devotional arsenal” in these days, might I suggest the following:

Concordia Publishing House has put together of “Songs of Comfort” playlist from their music collection which can be found off of this page from their Worship and Music blog:
https://blog.cph.org/worship/comforting-hymns-for-listening-at-home?utm_campaign=CPH%20Blog%20Posts&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=85513685&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–ISRBxU77jXeAzCmoVuba2_dlg7YFTbxqam6Socs9Z3-JeeXlHMv61umiOYzdb3ReJgm6UlDPuXGODrOX2zgQCGwY4tA&_hsmi=85513685

I have sometimes used The Cyber Hymnal to find and sing through hymn tunes as I plan worship services.  It is a resource with hundreds of hymn texts from hymnals across the Christian tradition with music files which help you to “sing along”.
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/index.htm

Lastly, there is LPR – Lutheran Public Radio, an internet media ministry which provides “Sacred Music for the World”.  You will hear much from the “classics” of Lutheran and Christian hymns and choral music, as well as other classical sacred music.  It is available to listen to online, as well as from apps available for your phone or tablet.
https://lutheranpublicradio.org/

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God’s continued blessings be with you all!  And “may the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.”

Peace in Jesus,
+Pastor