Ocean Park Lutheran Church

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost-2021

June 20, 2021

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and father figures.

Join us for service on this the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. If you cannot make it to church you can watch the service live below. If you missed the live service you can watch the archived service here.

God’s Character

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Grace”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Mercy”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love Psalm 145:8

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
    and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall laud your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:1-8

On Mount Sinai “The Lord passed before him (Moses), and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). There was a time in my life I begun a search to understand God better. Through this search, I was lead to this passage in Exodus. When I read Psalm 145 I was struck by how similar verse 8 is to the Exodus passage. It reads. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8).

This verse comes after several verses that talk about worshiping God. The Psalmist uses words like extol, bless, praise, etc. to explain worship of God. Then comes the description God used when passing in front of Moses. The psalmist worshiped God because of the mercy and grace of the Lord!

When I am struggling with life, whatever part of life I find difficult at the time, I remind myself that God is loving and compassionate. That God is there with me in the midst of what is happening. This gives me a sense of awe. It gives me a heart that cries out to God in worship. The psalm, on the other hand, starts with the praise, and then give the reason for the praise, God’s character. There are times I can start with praise, and then remind myself of who God is. Other times I have to start with reminding myself of God’s character. Then come to worship and praise. It does not matter how we start to worship God. The important thing is God’s character of grace, mercy and slow to anger. These are characteristics that do not change.

  • What keeps you going?
  • What do you have to be thankful for?
  • Why do you worship God?

-please take a moment to think about one of these questions. You might want to write your answers down.-

  • Tumwater Falls
  • Rattlesnake Ledge
  • Porter Falls

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “Mercy”
  • Breath out: “Grace”

God of grace and mercy, we praise you for being there with us, and for being slow to be angry when we make mistakes. Continue to show us your grace and mercy. Continue to forgive us when we fail. Amen.

Jesus Goes Before Us

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Jesus”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Is with me”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Matthew 16:24-26

In Roman times, when Jesus was on the Earth, the cross was not something a person would willingly carry. It was forced on them. The soldiers would make someone carry their own cross, and that person knew at the end of the road they would be nailed to that cross to die. They were forced to bring what was going to kill them to the place of their death.

Jesus told them to be his disciples they must be willing to “take up their cross and follow him (me).” Jesus did not ask them to take up their cross and go to their death without him. Jesus was going before them into the unknown. Jesus was not like a Roman soldier who forced the prisoner to carry their cross. Jesus gave them a choice, and showed them the path to follow.

Like the Roman prisoners, our burden is forced upon us at times. It can be health issues, relationship problems, concern for someone we love, or much more. Jesus promises that he has went before us. Jesus does not ask us to carry a cross that he has not already bore. What a wonderful promise!!

There are other times our burden is something God is asking of us. It could be to give something up, to take on a new challenge, or something different. God does ask us to do things that are hard for us to imagine, but we know it is what God has called us to do.

  • What is God calling you to do?
  • What cross is forced upon you?
  • Envision Jesus walking before you. Leading the way.

-Pick one of the options above. You might want to journal a response, or just sit and soak in the presence of God-

– Take some deep breaths-

  • Breath in: “Jesus lead me”
  • Breath out: “I will follow”

Jesus, thank you for going before us into the unknown. There is uncertainty all around us, and we are glad you are with us through it all. Continue to lead us on the path that you would have us to take. Amen