Pastor's May 2020 Newsletter Article

Below please find my article for the Church's May Newsletter.  As you will see we have decided to continue with our 'Online' only worship services for at least three more Sundays.  The Christian Council will meet again on May 19th to review the situation in our community and determine if we can safely start to worship in the building again.

Please keep praying!!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,

Roy

Pastor's Ponderings:

Well, by the time you receive this it will likely be May and we will have had the strangest “May Day” of all time. I seriously doubt anyone was out giving “May Baskets” this year (though this tradition has sharply fallen off) due to the fears of Covid-19. Hopefully, this note finds you all well and holding up through this most unorthodox time that we are all enduring.

We have not met (as you all know) as a congregation since March 15th. It's been a difficult time for me as I do rely on being and supported by each of you. I have missed everyone and it is my fervent prayer that this will be over sooner than later. Please keep praying!!

As you likely know, Governor Reynolds has decided to allow Churches to meet again as long as they strive to abide by the 'Social-Distancing Guidelines'. In light of this new 'loosening' of the restrictions on gathering, the Christian Council met last night to discuss what we would do here at Woodlawn. The Council after much discussion and with the generous console of Dr. Eric Holm, decided that we would continue our present course for another three Sundays. So... we will not be gathering here at the Church and we will continue to 'Live-Stream' the Sunday Worship and Thursday Night Worship. We will also continue the 9 am 'Daily Devotions' that I have been 'Live-Streaming' each morning (Mon-Sat) on Facebook.

The Christian Council will meet again on May 19th to determine whether we will then start to gather or if we will continue as we are for another few weeks. Here locally, (as far as I know) only one church is planning to restart formal worship this weekend. I know that one isn't going to reconsider the current path until the second Sunday of June. I do believe that with Eric's kind console we have plotted out a prudent path and again, I ask you all to remain in prayer for everyone.... please pray for guidance for the Church leaders as well.

Trying to decide when it is time to restart formal worship is difficult... there is so much fear out there and we're dealing with something, unlike anything we've encountered in our lives. This virus is just so unusual and it has so many aspects that are as of yet unknown and/or poorly understood that we are right in giving it due caution. However... I will confess that the old 'Cowboy' in me knows one thing very clearly... you cannot let fear rule you... you have to get back on that horse... and the longer you wait the more afraid you will be.

NOW... the situation that we are in best fits this analogy of getting back on that ornery ole horse. You've taken a hard toss, that pony piled you up pretty good and you've broken an arm. Would it be wise to just get back in the saddle... NO! You go to the hospital, you get your arm set, you let that bone heal... and as soon as the doctor tells you that your arm is good to go and the bone has regenerated... you get your hind-end in the saddle shed and you pick up your saddle and you ride that horse...

The longer we avoid that encounter with that ornery pony, the more afraid of him we'll be... the longer we keep ourselves isolated, the more afraid of one another we will be. Remember this ALWAYS, the Bible says “fear not” three hundred and sixty-five times! That's one “fear not” for each and every day of the year... we were not created to live in fear.

Now, remember that in the analogy that I just spelled out for you, that we waited for the Doctor to give us the all-clear... we did not just rush in, nor did we wait any longer than we had to...

In many ways, we're relying on our Doctor here as well (Eric is good, sound, and wise console) so relax, stay safe, and wait... because when the time comes... we've got a horse to ride...

Be a blessing to someone today!!! Pastor Roy

John 20:19-31, April 19, 2020 - 2nd Sunday of Easter

Below please find last Sunday's sermon video.  In this sermon, I contemplate why we beat poor ole Thomas up for being 'doubting' when we don't call Peter 'denying'... instead Peter is 'The Rock'.  There's more to this story than we often think...

Please take a look/listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 20:19-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus and Thomas
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes:
a) John 20:24 Gk Didymus
b) John 20:31 Other ancient authorities read may continue to believe
c) John 20:31 Or the Christ

Thursday Night Worship Service, April 16, 2020 - 1 Peter 1:1-9

This is the sermon from Thursday, April 16th.  This was the first service following Easter and here we discussed our 'inheritance' that is stored for us in Heaven.  We don't often think of Jesus as a storage unit, but He... in a real way is just that... our future with God is stored within our faith in Jesus.

Please take a moment and listen to the message.  Thank you for stopping in and visiting us in this little corner of the Internet.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

31 Peter 1:1-9 New International Version (NIV)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Daily Devotions - April 1st through April 15th - Pastor Wm Roy Karlen

Below, please find the recorded 'Daily Devotions' from April 1st to April 15th.  These cover a series that I did of the 'last week' leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

Thank you for stopping in and taking a look and hopefully, a listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Easter Sermons - One Livestreamed Easter Sunday - One Pre-recorded for Shady Oaks

Photo by Christian Begeman

This year I performed not one but two Easter sermons.  On Good Friday I recorded a sermon for the good folks at Shady Oaks Retirement Center (the second video below) and of course on Sunday we live-streamed an Easter message.

Below please find both sermons along with the scripture that was used for each.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 28 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Resurrection of Jesus
28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard
11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests[c] had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[d]

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 28:6 Other ancient authorities read the Lord
b) Matthew 28:7 Other ancient authorities lack from the dead
c) Matthew 28:12 Gk they
d) Matthew 28:20 Other ancient authorities add Amen

Luke 24:1-12 New Century Version (NCV)
Jesus Rises from the Dead
24 Very early on the first day of the week, at dawn, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, two men in shining clothes suddenly stood beside them. 5 The women were very afraid and bowed their heads to the ground. The men said to them, “Why are you looking for a living person in this place for the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen from the dead. Do you remember what he told you in Galilee? 7 He said the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people, be crucified, and rise from the dead on the third day.” 8 Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.


9 The women left the tomb and told all these things to the eleven apostles and the other followers. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women who told the apostles everything that had happened at the tomb. 11 But they did not believe the women, because it sounded like nonsense. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending down and looking in, he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. Peter went away to his home, wondering about what had happened.

Live-Streamed Devotions - March 16 through 31

As we have been practicing 'social distancing' and not gathering together for worship, I have taken to providing a morning devotion (Mon-Sat) which is 'Live-Streamed' on Facebook.  I have downloaded and then uploaded each of these devotions to Youtube.  Below please find all of the devotions offered in the month of March 2020.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Maundy Thursday Video - April 9, 2020 - Psalm 88

Below please find the video and the manuscript from our Maundy Thursday service last week.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Maundy Thursday Service – April 9, 2020

Prelude: Kathryn Myers

Opening Reading:
Psalm 22 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility
22 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
    Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer;
    and by night, but find no rest.
3 Yet thou art holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In thee our fathers trusted;
    they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 To thee they cried, and were saved;
    in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
    scorned by men, and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock at me,
    they make mouths at me, they wag their heads;
8 “He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him,
    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet thou art he who took me from the womb;
    thou didst keep me safe upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon thee was I cast from my birth,
    and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me,
    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
    like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax,
    it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
    thou dost lay me in the dust of death.
16 Yea, dogs are round about me;
    a company of evildoers encircle me;
    they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
    they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
    and for my raiment they cast lots.
19 But thou, O Lord, be not far off!
    O thou my help, hasten to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
    my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of thy name to my brethren;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    all you sons of Jacob, glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of the afflicted;
and he has not hid his face from him,
    but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From thee comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts live for ever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.
29 Yea, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
    men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    that he has wrought it.
(Psalm 22)


Call to Worship: Pastor Roy
Let us hold fast to the faith we confess.
For we have a great high priest who has gone into the very presence of God – Jesus, the Son of God.
Our high priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy with our weaknesses.
On the contrary, we have a high priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
Let us be brave, then, and come forward to God's throne, where there is grace.
There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.


Opening Prayer:
Eternal God of mercy, we gather in awesome wonder to behold your
loving gift of Jesus Christ, who, in coming to bring the world to wholeness, was broken by it.  Yet by his death we live and know your unbreakable love.  As we gather to remember Christ's gift of fellowship at the table, and to recall our frail failings of devotion, pierce our hearts with a conviction of our betrayals, reassure us of your abiding presence, and transform us by the Spirit of Christ.  Amen

Music: 

Old Testament Reading:
Isaiah 53  Revised Standard Version (RSV)
53 Who has believed what we have heard?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
    he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
    and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb,
    so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him;
    he has put him to grief;
when he makes himself an offering for sin,
    he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand;
11     he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous;
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out his soul to death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.


New Testament Reading: John 13: 1-15 Pastor Roy
John 13:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Message:
Psalm 88   Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Prayer for Help in Despondency
88 O Lord, my God, I call for help[a] by day;
    I cry out in the night before thee.
2 Let my prayer come before thee,
    incline thy ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one forsaken among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom thou dost remember no more,
    for they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves.Selah
8 Thou hast caused my companions to shun me;
    thou hast made me a thing of horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9     my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;
    I spread out my hands to thee.
10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?
    Do the shades rise up to praise thee?Selah
11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,
    or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;
    in the morning my prayer comes before thee.
14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?
    Why dost thou hide thy face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.[b]
16 Thy wrath has swept over me;
    thy dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in upon me together.
18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;
    my companions are in darkness.


Prayer of Consecration: Pastor Roy Karlen

Loving Creator, we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ to be the Savior of this world.  Though the powers of this world sought to extinguish his flame, it still burns as it has since the dawn of all time.  We thank you for the mystery of your love as revealed to us through the cross. None of us can completely understand all that the cross means, but yet we feel your hand upon us and we pledge to give ourselves to you.  Your love so amazing, so divine, demands our lives, our souls, our very all and all.  Take our lives, use them in your ministry of reconciliation to a world deeply in need of love and mercy and justice and righteousness.  Lord here we are as your disciples. Send us out to do your work in this fallen world. In the risen Christ's name we pray.  Amen.