January 13, 2012

Friends of our Lord Jesus,

Welcome to a new year.   With the new year we think of renewning good habits that we have forgotten in the past year.  Many people have made a promise to exercise more, eat more healthy foods and spend more time with family and loved ones.  Some have made new year resolutions to read a book (either in the traditional printed page or on a Kindle or I-Pad) at least once a week.

If we think of this new year as another year of grace given to us by God then it would be well for us to also make new year resolutions to renew the good habits of daily prayer, daily reading God's Word, and weekly worship with other Christians.  In this new year of grace and politics we would do well to follow the words of St. Paul to Timothy "I urge, then, first of all, that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness,"  I Timothy 2:1-2

A servant of our Lord Jesus,

Pastor Mick Marquardt

November 4, 2011

Dear saints and friends of our Lord,

November 1 in our Church Year is called All Saints Day.  Our tradition is to remember All Saints Day on the Sunday following November 1.  This Sunday we will remember the names of all those for whom we have had funerals in this past year, saints who have passed into glory, as well as all living saints; those of us who are baptized into Christ and walk in His way.

November 11 is Veterans' Day.  On this day our nation remembers all our military veterans, men and women who have served our country faithfully.  We will honor them on November 13 in our worship service.

Saints and veterans had much in common.  Both have been faithful in service; saints are veterans of the cross and faithful in service to their Lord Jesus.  Veterans are faithful in service to their country.  Saints, however, receive a greater honor when they die.  They receive the crown of eternal life in the Resurrection.

This month we give thanks for saints and veterans.

Pastor Mick Marquardt

October 3, 2011

Friends of our Lord Jesus,

We live in a community that has a unique time change.  No, it is not November 6, when we set our clocks back an hour, but October 12 when the irrigation water is shut off.  From October until the middle of April many of us will not have that wonderful, unlimited source of water for irrigating our lawns and gardens.  The water in the irrigation canal will stop flowing and the canal will be empty for the next six months.    However, God's grace and His Word never stop flowing.  Everytime we come to our Lord in prayer and read His Word, there is a power that flows into our lives.  The prophet Isaiah writes, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven  and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word, that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:10-11

Your brother in Christ,  Pastor Mick