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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

 

     
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Ask the Pastor

 

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.


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What About.....

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.

The What About pamphlets are anchored in the unchanging truth of God’s Holy Word and the faithful exposition of that Word provided in the Lutheran Confessions.  Unchanging truth in changing times is precisely what these summaries of Christian doctrine are all about.  When President Barry issued the first four What About pamphlets in 1996, little did he realize how popular they would prove to be.  Twelve million copies later, they continue to be used throughout the English-speaking world in churches and schools, parish meeting rooms, small-group Bible studies and in private homes.  They are found in hospitals and nursing homes, colleges, universities and seminaries.  Military chaplains use them around the world on board ships and at various military installations. Prison chaplains have used them in state and federal facilities.  They are used in parish evangelism programs and a wide variety of community events.  More uses for the What About pamphlets have been found than were imagined by President Barry when he first thought of producing them.  

Some of the topics covered by the What About pamphlets include:

Christian Families

The Jehovah's Witness

Death and Dying

Homosexuality

Abortion

Living Together

Angels

Mormonism

Islam

The Ordination of Women

Creation and Evolution


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About the Pastor

Pastor Dennis Bragdon graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1982, with a Masters of Divinity.  Prior to serving as Mt. Calvary's pastor, he was Pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

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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