From the Pastor
"Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your
iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who
crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as
you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm
103:1-5 What is renewal? What does it mean to renew something? The first
definition listed in the dictionary for renew is “To make like new; to restore to freshness, vigor, or
perfection.” What are some of the
things we renew in life? Well, we renew insurance policies every six or twelve months (I'm reminded of
this by the renewal notice for my auto insurance).
If the paint on your car has been made dull by our Texas sun, you can buy
a special car wax with cleaners in it which promises to renew the shine. And
sometimes couples in church approach the pastor about having a ceremony to mark
a wedding anniversary with a renewal of their vows to one another.
But, especially in the church season of Lent, which begins on the first
Wednesday of this month, Feb. 6, we ought to think about renewing our spiritual lives, about making new, fresh, and vigorous again
our faith in Jesus Christ, and our love for one another. Renew, of course, really means to simply make “like new” again.
And that's the clue to how one renews his or her spiritual life. We
use the same “tools” that were used to “make” our spiritual life the
first time, when it was “brand spanking” new.
When was your spiritual life “brand spanking” new for the first time?
It may have been when you were a baby, only a few days old, and you were
baptized, receiving “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Ghost” which
first brought salvation in Jesus Christ to you.
Or it may have been later on for some of you, when, not having had the
opportunity to be baptized as an infant, you first heard and understood the
message of what God had done for you in Jesus' death and resurrection, and the
Holy Spirit led you to believe in Jesus through that Gospel message.
Either way, your faith in Jesus was first given to you through either
God's Word, or His Sacrament. And so
you were a Christian, receiving forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation from
God in Jesus, full of spiritual vim and vigor. But a lot has
happened to you, and in your life, since then.
There have been many times when you were tempted to sin, by the devil,
the world, and/or your own flesh. There
have been times when, with God's help, you resisted those temptations.
But there have been many more times when you gave in, and sin soiled the
freshness of your spiritual life. And
so many times we feel as if our spiritual lives have indeed become stained and
dull, tired and worn, and almost without energy, not to mention the feelings of
depression, and dismay, that can replace so easily the joy and confidence God
wishes us to have as His dear children. What
can you do to renew the energy, the comfort, the peace, the cleanliness, and the vigor
of your spiritual life? God's prescription for renewal is listed above in Psalm 103. We renew our lives by remembering all the benefits He has given us: forgiveness, healing, redemption, steadfast love, mercy, etc. We remember these things and they, by God's power, grow in us, when we use the tools God has given us for this: His Word and Sacraments. So that's why our church, during this upcoming season of Lent, offers so many additional worship services. Lutheran worship centers in God's Word and His Sacraments. We know that people may get “in a rut” with Sunday morning activities which take them away from worship one, two, three, or even more times a month. So our Wednesday services (both morning and evening) and special Holy Week services provide great opportunities for us to be renewed spiritually. Do you
remember the freshness and vigor of a child's simple faith in Jesus?
Do you remember when your faith was “young” and strong?
God says it can be that way again, by His grace at work in our lives,
brought to us by His tools for renewal. May this Lent truly
be a time of spiritual renewal for all of us, for Jesus' sake.
In Christ,
Pastor Dennis Bragdon
If you have a question about the church, our beliefs,
scripture, or the Bible, e-mail Pastor at dbragdon@cmaaccess.com
and he will answer the question either on this page or in an upcoming Bible
class. Rev.
Dr. A. L. Barry was president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod from 1992
until his death on March 23, 2001. Rev. Barry’s goal “was to be a
faithful disciple of Jesus Christ". Rev. Barry wrote a series
of pamphlets, the "What About..." series, that outline many
topics of interest to Christians.
His interests include Christian outreach, Christian education, administration, and computers. He is more likely to be found on Saturday working on his car than working in a garden! Pastor Bragdon has been married to Georgette for 23 years and has a daughter Laura, who is studying at Blinn Junior College, and a son David, who is a senior at La Grange High School.
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