Pastor's Ponderings: Monday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (May 5, 2025)

May 5, 2025:  Monday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Good Monday Morning.

I pray that your day is filled with the LORD'S blessing. Personally, today I am praying for some rain this afternoon. I know it may put a damper on the Cinco de Mayo outdoor parties, but I feel like the desert is desperate for rain and a good watering as soon as possible. Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month at American Lutheran which means that we had our Gospel music singers leading us at worship and following that we had a really good carry-in meal. These fellowship opportunities are really wonderful. Yesterday our Gospel group was a bit smaller. Please pray for Jeremiah and Jeff, both were ill yesterday. Pray also for Annette as she recovers from her knee replacement surgery last week. She is doing well, and so is Gail as she recovers from her knee surgery. I hear from our Gospel singers that they get great joy out of learning new music and singing to lead worship. You can always tell from the way they sound, even in the absence of part of the group, including our drummer. Be sure to join us on the first Sunday of June for our Gospel Sunday event, and meal. At the end of this month, we are going to start a new fellowship event, a 9:15AM coffee and donut fellowship time before church. We already have enough volunteers bringing donuts, so we will, weather permitting, have some tables and chairs set up on the patio, or if necessary, in the narthex. Please hold me in your prayers. I will see my specialist tomorrow morning for my annual checkup for my prostate cancer. I am praying that the blood work and the appointment indicate that I will continue to be OK. If not, I will be on my way immediately for radiation treatments to destroy the cancer and my prostate. Treatments will take about 10 days if they are necessary. This next Sunday at church will be Pastor Ron's and Becky's last Sunday with us before they head up to summer in Minnesota. Be sure to be here to offer them a farewell and God Speed this Mother's Day Sunday. I used to say please bring Mom to church. Today I say, Mom, bring your family to church.

Let's move on to our study for this morning. In 1st Thessalonians 4:1-8 we find that Paul feels it necessary to offer guidance to these new Thessalonian Christians for how they should be living their lives faced with the indifference, and at other times hostility, toward the faith they now hold in their lives in Jesus Christ.  We must remember that these new Christians had been living very different lives with their involvement in the worship of the pantheon of Romans gods, which included the use of cult prostitutes, among other practices, that in their new relationship with Christ are no longer appropriate. Paul takes us to the most basic societal places as he guides these new Christians. After all, for most of them, and now in the 21st century for people today too, the temptations to continue to live like Christ doesn't matter, to instead actively participate in all of the dirt and grime of misused sex, greed, and ultimately, then, to arrive at the gate of death never really having had the strength and courage of the gift of faith to resist the continuance of immoral and unethical behavior.  We must know that in Paul's time, the world was just as corrupt as it is today, with plenty of opportunities to wander away due to our relationships with people, with evil, and then with ourselves to live lives that are without change even at the in-breaking love and forgiveness of Christ.  Paul is still afraid that these new Christians will not have the courage of their new faith to battle against what is wrong, instead of living lives that are infused with the light, truth, and love of Jesus Christ. Unlike  the people who are around us all of the time, who see our faith, as foolishness, and our lives as wasted on all of those needy people who we are compelled by the Spirit to help, the way of sin and brokenness tells us to get what we can for ourselves, and to never become close to the shepherd who guides us to live as Faithful Christians in the world.  Those people see sharing blessing bags, our own resources, and caring for the Least, the Last, and the Lost, as the actions of people who could use all of those resources for advancing themselves before anyone else. Sound familiar? Feel familiar? Of course it does. We should not be surprised that Paul feels it necessary to not only praise the Thessalonian Christians, but to encourage them to stay the course of life with Christ!

Paul's instructions are as follows:

1. First - no fornication (vs 3) This has a great deal to do with sexual drive, and sexual choices. Choosing to live in Christ means no casual intimacy, such things are meant for marriage. The drive for sex is, for many, a difficult characteristic to control for so many people, but for Christians, such unholiness should be defeated by the Holy Christ who is in, with, and around us all of the time. For the Thessalonians this meant no more traveling to the temple where temple prostitutes were available, and willing. All of course for money given as an offering to appease one of the gods of the Romans.

2. Christians in Thessalonica must fulfill their sexual needs inside of a marriage relationship, taming their lust for the wild orgies that may have been a part of their lives before coming to know Christ as their Savior.

3. There must be no cheating in the marriage relationship! None! Just look at our culture today, where such behavior is practically expected. To be in that loving marriage relationship does not allow for such disregard of your marriage partner. Still today, the world presents all kinds of opportunities for breaking marriage vows to a partner, and the ones promised to God, just like they did in Paul's time.

4. The Christian must remember that the intimacy of their lives, and its use in marriage are an order from God, and that ultimately, we will have to answer before Christ at our judgement about the choice to be immoral in life.

We might suggest that God is asking to0 much when we are called to subjugate and control these very powerful needs in our lives, yet with the power of the Spirit, and Her guidance in our living, we can indeed discover the faithful choices that keep this part of our lives holy each and every day.  I can tell you that I am so thankful for my life partner and spouse, and the faithfulness we have shared in our almost 54 years of marriage. What I hear very often is “No one does that anymore". My answer is that with courage and strength and faith some of us long time marrieds do keep our promises to one another, and to God!

With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study of Psalm 16 (May 1, 2025)

May 1, 2025:  Thursday Bible Study on Psalm 16

Good morning, dear friends in Christ,

Prayers today please for Annette who is having her second knee replacement this afternoon at about 3PM. She fully recovered from the first replacement several months ago. Pray too for Teri as she waits for her news to come through about this new hip replacement surgery. Her words on Sunday are that at least she has not received any “no's” from anyone. Give thanks to God for this current state as Teri awaits this new procedure. I had blood work yesterday to assess my prostate cancer and any possible growth that may happen after two years from my surgery. I am meeting with my specialist on Tuesday of next week. Like David in our Psalm today, I have placed my trust in the LORD! I am in the parish long after most pastors retire, and I am still loving the opportunity to share the Gospel, my music, and my Spirit leadership in our congregation. I am as challenged by the Truth of the Gospel, as I am sure you are also. I will never be good enough to deserve the gifts that are already mine through Christ. I really try to allow my ego, my self-control, my life itself to not take me away from the powerful love of Christ for me, and for the proclaiming of the Gospel to which Christ has called me. Pastors have the same sinner/saint struggle going on in their lives, just like everyone else. But in all of that I trust my Lord and Savior to hold me in His Care throughout this life and on into the next!

Let's take a look at David's Psalm 16 which we might choose to title "The Secret of Life", and aren't we all looking for it all of the time? In Christ, life is already ours in abundance. Unlike the understanding of the Old Testament, where those whose lives have ended will to a quiet place of shadows where it is probably a bit boring. That place is sheol.  Of course for you and me, the promise of eternal life takes care of that age old issues of living a life full of meaning and success, because you and I know that, through Jesus Christ, when our lives end we are transitioning to eternal life with our Father in Heaven, surrounded by Christ's Grace, and guarded by the Holy Spirit.  This is our reality today because the promise of these wonderful gifts is already ours, in this life, and in the next. But for David it was really important to place his faith in God's great love for him, stating his own faith, and letting God know that He is trusted to remain with David so that David's life will be long and always blessed. Very often you and I give thanks to God in the morning for the refreshment of the night's sleep, and the beauty of the new day which is filled with God's possibilities for life. This is exactly what David is doing at the end of this Psalm. I must say that being the pastor of American Lutheran has certainly been an amazing blessing of God for my life, and for my family's life. We have received endless encouragement over these 34 years, blessings upon blessings, and in our joys and struggles being surrounded by the power of faithful prayers. Who could ever realistically ask for anything more? David always hoped for peace and abundance for himself, and for his people, for long prosperous lives, and for the Grace of God to surround him every day. I hope that you know that your prayers are truly the modern-day Psalms of the faithful who look to God for all things in this life, and in the next. In our world today, we must remember that we are the ones of Christ who define what abundant life is all about, loving kindness, compassion, consolation, generosity in other's lives, acts of grace throughout the day. The definition for what is the abundant life does not come from those who are filled with greed for money and power. Like David, it is you and I who will keep our eye constantly on the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for in their uniqueness and singular unity, they too, will be keeping their eye on each and every one of us, guarding our bodies and souls for the Resurrection which Christ has gained for us on the cross.

Happy Easter once again my dear sisters and brothers in Christ!

In His Love, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (April 29, 2025)

April 29, 2025:  Tuesday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

Blessings and Peace to you all on this cool bright spring morning here in Tucson, or Hawaii, or up in the mid-west of our country. It is so good to be back with you as we consider, what is this morning, a rather small passage from chapter 3 of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. Today, we need to pray that with so many changes in our country that we do not lose or forget the people who have the need to have the support and care of our government for their health and well-being. Please also pray for my sister-in-law, Connie, in Manistee, MI. Since my older brother's death, she has had quite a difficult time being caught up in her grief. Both Melody and I are hoping that the coming of spring along the Lake Michigan lakeshore will lift her spirits, helping her to find joy in her family and friends while learning to live with the grief that we all know on the loss of a family member or spouse.  May God keep her in His care bringing her peace and comfort.

Today we have a really brief passage from Paul which is a prayer. We will be taking a look at this prayer for the help it may give us in our own praying. But first, do you remember one of the first journeys into music that many of us had in elementary school? We had to learn to play an instrument called the tonette. We were guided by a teacher, and gradually learned to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” over a period of weeks, or maybe even months, until finally the whole class could play this piece of music in unison with some degree of competence.

Today, as we look at this prayer which Paul offers, we will gradually learn from Paul, just as we have from Christ in the perfection of the Lord's Prayer, how to form a truly praise filled, and genuine prayer of thanksgiving. By the way, how did you do on your tonette at that first unison playing of the song?  I can certainly remember that, and my first piano solo at church at our Sunday School Christmas Program. In both places at that time, I still needed a great deal of work to make either instrument make pure beautiful sound. So it is with prayer, and Paul's prayer can certainly be a model of the way that meaningful, beautiful prayer can be formed and offered to our Father in Heaven.

The first thing that we learn in Paul's prayer is that our prayer is grounded in the life and work of God Himself! Knowing this, is it any wonder that our prayers are so powerful? This helps us to understand that God and Jesus are inextricably connected! That is why our prayers to God are grounded in the character of God which we are able to understand through His action on our behalf in His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we understand this, we know that in God through Christ we are surrounded by His goodness, generosity, and sovereign love. For us this has already been revealed for us in the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Christ, and we pray knowing the truth and reality of God our Father in Heaven. In our prayers we do not just hope that God and Jesus are real, and their promise is true. No, we know this is all true, and our faith gives us certainty and helps others to come to know it too. We do not pray looking backward, no, instead we pray for this day, and for all the days of the future in which the promises of God through Christ will continue to be fulfilled for us, and for those who come after us in faith. As I have written this about Paul's prayer in these verses in Thessalonians, you might be feeling an absence of something. Did Paul forget about the Spirit? No, he did not! For Paul, and for us it is the very nature of the Holy Spirit that our life and faith in the fullness of the promises of God will always be fulfilled. This is why we name the Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, the Sustainer of Life.  She is always with us, guiding our lives, our prayers, and guarding our journey! It is the Spirit who helps us pray, sometimes beyond our own knowing, and when we fail to pray, or do not know how to pray, it is the Holy Spirit who carries our prayers to the Father, and who creates in us the desire to respond to God's lives by getting better at our life's journey.   The Spirit is quite a teacher, who is always with us, growing our faith and moving us forward in our journey with the Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Like the tonette concert, or my first piano solo at Christmas, practice, and modeling after the teacher, will move our skills, and our lives into our future with God.

God bless you on this day and keep you in the fullness of His Love. Pastor Kim