Nov 1, 2012
The text for All Saints Day is the beatitudes from St. Matthew, the blesseds. Blessed are the poor in spirit, they who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
The Beatitudes are an appropriate text for All Saints Day because they call to mind the virtues for living a godly life. When we read this list of characteristics, we sometimes get depressed. It is very difficult to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to be peacemakers. Would we be content if we attempted to follow this prescription for leading a saintly life? Certainly. For a more accurate translation of the Greek word for blessed is happy. Happy are we who are merciful, pure of heart and persecuted for the sake of the kingdom. And, dear friend, when you look honestly at your own life you will admit that, even in the midst of suffering and pain, you are happiest when you are following God’s will for you most closely. You may not be comfortable; you may not be satisfied; but you will be happy knowing you are in close relationship with God. Blessed are you who seek to follow God as the saints have done.
Let us pray: Almighty God, grant us the grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment. We pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 2, 2012
A paraphrase of Psalm 8: I look up at your heavens, made by your fingers, at the moon and the stars you have set in place. Ah God, what are mere mortals that you should spare a thought for us, the children of human beings that you should care for us?
The psalmist is asking: Who am I, O Lord, that you should care for me? I look at the sky, at the vastness of the universe, and I feel lost. Even in this day of space exploration and missions to Mars, God’s role as creator is beyond our imaginations. Our knowledge is limited to what we can see and yet this God, who created the heavens, the galaxies and the entire universe, also created you and me. Dear friend, God knew you before you were knit in your mother’s womb and God knows you now, at this very moment. God knows your feelings and your heart. God knows you are reaching out to God. And God is loving you.
Let us pray: Creator God, it is impossible for us to understand the magnitude of your creation. It is beyond our comprehension to know the magnitude of your love for us. Help us to trust you, and to believe you are totally aware of our every thought and action–and that you guide us each moment with your gentle compassion. We pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 3, 2012
When I am at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, I love to watch the morning doves. They make their nests in some unusual places. One is in the V made by the open windows of the fourth floor. There I sit and watch the mother care for her children. I worry as the fledglings are battered by a thunder storm and when they almost fall out of the nest as they flap their wings in an effort to dry them. But the birds are safe; the mother is faithful; and the words of Psalm 84 echo in my heart. “The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
Dear friend, I have found such a home at many convents, where I am welcomed by Christian sisters, cared for and invited to know God. Our congregations are called to be such homes for all people. To come to the House of God–anywhere–is to come home.
Let us pray: Mother God, you care for us and call us home to you. Allow us to provide such a nurturing home in the Church of which Jesus is the head. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 4, 2012
“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26, verse 3.
Perfect peace. Being kept in perfect peace sounds like a foolish dream, and yet the prophet promises this peace to those who trust in God. The prophet goes on to say that God will bring low those who are high up and there, on the ground, the feet of the lowly will stamp on that which had been elevated. This peace, then, is not an absence of turmoil or change or even violence. This peace is the bringing about of the rightful, just order of God in the world. Perfect peace, dear friend, comes in the midst of conflict and change. Perfect peace is an oasis in turmoil. Perfect peace is the grace to trust in God–no matter what the circumstances.
Let us pray: O God of perfect peace, help us to understand that your peace is not an absence of conflict but an awareness of your healing, wholing presence in the midst of change. Give to us, your people, the perfect peace of trusting you through Jesus the Christ. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 5, 2012
Psalm 148 calls for all of the earth to praise God. “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise God in the heights.” Angels and hosts, sun and moon, fire and hail, snow and fog, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, kings and rulers, young men and maidens. “Praise the name of the Lord.”
When our youngest son was about eight years old, we would play a game on long car trips. We would use this psalm, but add things which we saw along the way. Cadillacs and Volkswagens, praise the Lord. Stop lights and street signs, praise God’s name together. Hotels and motels, praise the Lord. Swimming pools and video games, praise God’s name together. Dear friend, we, like the psalmist, call on all of creation–even modern, twenty-first century, new-fangled contraptions–to praise the Lord. Today, call on all of the elements of your life to praise God’s name together.
Let us pray: All of God’s creation, praise God’s name together. Old and young, home bound and active, hospitalized and working in offices–together we praise the name of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 6, 2012
“Blood is thicker than water.” I can still hear the voice of my friend’s mother saying that. She meant that friendship was fine but, when push came to shove, you counted on your blood relatives, not your friends.
1 John 5 verse 6 reads, “This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus the Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood.” You and I, dear friend, are family because we are made one in our baptism–by water. We are also family because we are made one by the blood of Christ–united in our family meal, the sacrament of Holy Communion. We are forgiven because Jesus died for us and we sacrificially serve one another because Jesus suffered, died and rose again for us. Blood may be thicker than water, but the Christian family is stronger than blood or water; we are made one by the water of our baptism and the blood of Jesus.
Let us pray: Loving God, you have bound us to you and to one another through the indissoluble bond of our baptism. You continue to strengthen us as your one family through the Body and Blood of Christ. Keep us one in Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 7, 2012
We used to have a dead peach tree in our front yard. I was glad all winter long when all the trees in our neighborhood were bare–they looked just like our peach tree! But when spring came and all the other trees were in leaf and flower, I was reminded that our tree was dead and needed to be cut down–soon! In John 15, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my father is the vine grower who removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit, God prunes to make it bear more fruit.”
The question we need to ask ourselves today, dear friend, is, How are we doing in bearing fruit? Are we like the dead peach tree that dominated my front yard? Or like the faithful sage plant that comes back year after year after year and only needs to be pruned? Are there parts of our lives that need to be cut out or pruned back so that we might be more faithful and loving? Open yourself to God’s presence. Listen to God’s invitation. Do not be afraid of God’s pruning. God is gentle and loving.
Let us pray: Gardener God, let us trust you with the vines and branches of our lives. Nurture us, trim us, use us according to your gracious will through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 8, 2012
Dear friend, God’s consistent presence is a gift to us through Jesus the Christ. Nothing in all of creation can separate us from God’s love. And yet, we can choose to do things that open us to God’s presence. The writer of 1 John 3 says, “And this is God’s commandment, that we should believe in the name of God’s son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as Jesus commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him and he abides in them.”
The task which is given to us is fairly straightforward. Believe in Jesus; love one another. The message has been the same from the beginning of our record of God’s interaction with God’s people: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” God sent Jesus so that we might better understand not only this command of love, but that we might also understand that our loving is only a response to a magnificently-loving God. Today, allow these words to soak into your soul–and then act on them. Love God; love your neighbor. For God surely loves you.
Let us pray: Provident God, you loved us so much that you sent Jesus so that we might, in some small way, understand your love. Allow us this day to respond to your love for us with faithfulness to you and love for each dear neighbor, we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 9, 2012
“Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” 1 John 3:18
Dear friend, have you ever known someone who says, “I love you” but never shows it? Have you ever known someone who talks a lot about peace and justice but shows precious little evidence of peace or justice in personal or corporate lifestyle? My grandmother would say that person is all words and no show. The author of 1 John is warning us against such behavior and is saying that the way we act proves the truth of the words we speak. We, who bear Christ’s name, are called to love others sacrificially. That means feeding the hungry, spending time with the lonely, working for peace. Let us take time today to look at our words and our actions and to ask ourselves: do the thoughts I speak match the things I do? Thank God the words of God’s love for us are consistently matched with God’s daily actions of love.
Let us pray: Faithful God, you sent Jesus so that we might see you act in love towards us. Help our words and actions to be consistent in your love today so that we might faithfully bear Christ’s name to the world. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 10, 2012
Power. Nuclear power. Water power. Solar power, The power of having money and status. The power of love. The power of treading down serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy. Jesus, in Luke 10, sends out the seventy-two as lambs among wolves to cure the sick and to declare the presence of the Kingdom of God. They come back rejoicing that they have experienced power–”even the devils,” they say, “submit to us when we use your name.” Jesus answers, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.”
Dear friend, we live in a world where we often feel we have no control and no power. There is no cure for AIDS nor for many kinds of cancer. Job loss cuts across every economic class. So does drug use and depression and death. We don’t have (or seem not to know that we have) the powers to have the spirits submit to us. And yet we do have the unquenchable power of love, of knowing that we are the children of God. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Let us pray: Loving God, you have shared with us the power of your love. Let us rejoice that we are yours through Jesus the Christ. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 11, 2012
Job benefits: vacation days, sick leave, health benefits, pension. Given our current economy, it feels like job benefits are decreasing each year. Faith benefits. Faith benefits? The Psalmist talks of them in Psalm 103. “God forgives you all your sins,…heals all your infirmities,…redeems your life from the grave,…crowns you with mercy and loving kindness,…satisfies you with good things,… renews your youth like an eagle’s.”
Faith’s benefits, dear friend, increase with time, with trust and with understanding. Invest your life in worship, prayer and service. Take devotional time each day at home and on the job. Then we can say with the Psalmist, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.”
Let us pray: Beneficial God, you bless us with every good gift–food and clothing, life and love, Word and Sacrament and Christian community, a relationship with you. Grant us also the blessing of remembering your benefits each day through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 12, 2012
I have a bowlful of sand on the windowsill of my office. Every time we have a funeral, I take a capful of sand to the cemetery to make the sign of the cross on the casket–”earth to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.” Although I take hundreds of grains of sand each time, the bowl is barely diminished. I am reminded of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22, “I will shower blessings on you. I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore.”
Dear friend, God’s blessings in our own lives are like the descendants of Abraham–as innumerable as the sands on the seashore or even in the bowl of sand on my windowsill. God acts in our lives every day, even in the midst of sickness and death, and God comforts us with real presence and loving people. Look today for God’s blessings. Share them with others. They will never be diminished.
Let us pray: God of many blessings, allow us the grace to receive your daily blessings with joy and to neither count nor hoard them but to share them through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 13, 2012
In the fiftieth chapter, the prophet Isaiah writes, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.”
How true! God gave the writer of Isaiah a gift of sharing words of sustenance. Examples: “Comfort, comfort you my people.” “You, Israel, are my servant.” “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news.” “Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame.” Ho, come to me all you who are thirsty though you have no money. Come and buy corn without money and eat, and at no cost, wine and milk.” “Yes and you will leave with joy and be led away in safety. Mountains and hills will break into joyful cries before you and all the trees of the countryside clap their hands. And this will make Yahweh famous, a sign forever, ineffaceable.” Dear friend, this prophet was given a gift. Scripture reminds us how faithfully he used that gift of the tongue of a teacher. How are you using the gifts you have been given?
Let us pray: Gift-giving God, grant us faithfulness in using the gifts you give us that we might bring the good news of Jesus Christ to others, we pray in his name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 14, 2012
In Luke 6, Jesus is scolded by the Pharisees for picking and eating corn on the Sabbath. Jesus tells the story of David and his followers who took the loaves that were offered to God and ate them–a forbidden act. Again he was presented with a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath–and he healed the man! The Pharisees were furious and began to plot against him.
To us, in 2008, it seems so obvious. The rules of the Sabbath are not more important than the rule of love. If someone has a need on the Sabbath, we fill it. And yet we, dear friend, like the Pharisees, tend to get caught in rules of our own making. Some of us might say–’That person has AIDS. He must have deserved it. I don’t need to help.’ Or, ‘They wouldn’t have lung cancer if they hadn’t smoked all of their lives. They don’t merit compassion.’ Or, ‘I can’t help with the bereavement dinner. I have a hair appointment. You know I go to the hairdresser’s every Friday.’ Look at your life. Find the rigid rules which guide your behavior. And remember, Jesus says the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath–and of every rule. Act according to the law of love.
Let us pray: Jesus you are Lord of our lives, Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of love. Help us to have the freedom to follow you in that love, we pray in your name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 15, 2012
Asked by the Pharisees when the dominion of God was to come, Jesus gave this answer: “The coming of the dominion of God does not admit to observation and there will be no one to say–Look here! Look there! For, you must know, the dominion of God is among you.” Luke 17:20-21.
Look here–the dominion of God is coming on January 13th when the world will end. Look there–the dominion of God will come in the third world when all become believers in Jesus. No, dear friend, look among yourselves. The dominion of God is breaking out even in the midst of us. See it in the compassion of feeding the hungry. Look for it when those who mourn are comforted. Find it when political systems are changed for justice and peace. The dominion of God is breaking into our world. Build on what you see; make strong the coming dominion of God.
Let us pray: Ruler God, we are so often blind to you in breaking presence in our lives. Grant us the grace to see your actions, to proclaim your presence, to build, with you, your dominion until the day you perfect your rule with your coming again. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 16, 2012
Luke 12 reminds us to trust the providence of God in all things, and tells us not to worry about our lives or what we eat or drink. It reminds us to look at the ravens and how they are fed and the lilies of the field and how they are clothed. It asks us, “If the smallest things are outside of your control, why worry about all the rest?”
I had a confirming experience today, dear friend. I was worshiping in another congregation. I picked up a bulletin and went to my pew to pray. Then I remembered a message I had forgotten to give to somebody. I left the bulletin in my pew to mark my space and left the sanctuary to relay the message. When I returned, someone else was in the pew and there were no more bulletins! I fretted. This was an unfamiliar service. How would I worship? How would I know what hymns to sing? Still upset, I found another seat. As I knelt there, I noticed a bulletin sticking up out of a hymnal, and another in the worship supplement, and another tucked into the hymn rack! Suddenly I had three bulletins and more information that I would ever need. Why worry about that which you cannot control?
Let us pray: Grant us the grace to trust in your providence. When events in our lives seem out of our control, remind us that they are always in your hand. We pray in the name of Jesus who trusted you to death, and new life. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 17, 2012
I know an awful lot of people who have trouble getting a good night’s sleep–often including me! We try everything from counting sheep to hot milk to no caffeine after noon to rigid sleep schedules. The Psalmist suggests another method in Psalm 16. “I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel. My heart teaches me night after night. I have set the Lord always before me. Because God is at my right hand, I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad and my spirit rejoices. My body also shall rest in hope.”
Dear friend, when we see God’s presence in our lives and when we praise God for that love each evening, when we listen to our hearts and when we are honest with our feelings and our lives, when we trust that God is ever before us and that we will not fall even when we fail–then our spirits can rejoice and our bodies can rest.
Let us pray: Caring God, grant each of us a good night’s rest with hearts that take their comfort in you. We pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 18, 2012
Do you remember the time, recorded in the eighteenth chapter of Jeremiah, when the prophet was asked to go to the potter’s house? There, as he watched the potter at work, God asked Jeremiah to observe that, when the potter made a mistake, he remolded the pot; he started over again. Then God asked, “Can I not do what this potter does? Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine.”
Dear friend, are you uncomfortable with some of your behavior? Are you ashamed to be in God’s presence? Do you not like yourself very much? Open yourself to God’s presence; God will continue God’s work with you. God promises that you will remain as fresh clay, capable of being remodeled according to God’s loving purpose for you. Harden not your hearts so that you may be recreated and not shattered.
Let us pray: Potter God, let us not become hard baked by the difficulties of this life and by our own unbelief. Rather, remold us daily according to your will through Jesus the Christ. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 19, 2012
In the beginning of Luke 15, the Pharisees and the scribes are complaining that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. So Jesus tells them the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, emphasizing the joy in heaven when that which had been lost is found.
Dear friend, we are sometimes lost—each of us–or feel lost in some way. It is so easy to complain that Jesus has a preference for the lost, the least, the lonely, and the poor. It is much harder to acknowledge that we too are, at times, in those categories. Today, when you feel abandoned, trapped in an addictive behavior, or confronted with a seemingly-impossible task, remember that Jesus is seeking you to come to your aid–concretely in Word and Sacrament and Christian community–and will rejoice when you allow yourself to be found and comforted. Jesus came to save the lost. It is presumptuous to assume that Jesus came for someone other than us.
Let us pray: God of life, you allow us a variety of experiences each day. Allow us the grace to acknowledge our own lostness; allow us the grace to allow you to find us and to rejoice over all the lost with Jesus. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 20, 2012
Listen, dear friend, you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors. You are citizens like all the saints. You belong to God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundation and Christ Jesus himself is the main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord and you, too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives in the spirit. St. Paul is writing to the people of Ephesus, but he easily could be speaking to us. We have a country; we have a home. We are citizens, even children, in this Christian family and we are being invited daily to be knit into this temple this house where God lives. For God lives among us, beyond us and within us. We are built on the sure foundation of Jesus. This is good news!
Let us pray: Builder God, construct our lives on the foundation of the prophets and apostles. Center us on Christ the cornerstone. Give us the peace of knowing our commonwealth is with Jesus. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 21, 2012
In I Chronicles 29, David is asking for voluntary offerings so his son Solomon might build a temple for God. The people respond generously. David praises God’s glory and power. Then David says, “For who am I, and what is my people, to have the means to give so generously? All comes from you; from your own hand we have given them to you.”
I’m not sure that, today, we always give so generously. Stewardship campaigns are about as much fun as getting a tooth pulled. But David got it right. And we echo his words in the familiar hymn, “We give thee but thine own, what e’er the gift may be. All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee.”
Dear friend, we continue to build a house for God in the world today, not just in our church buildings but in houses where the hungry might be fed, the homeless might live, the unemployed might learn new job skills, and health care might be available to all. Do we give with the generosity and the joy of King David’s people?
Let us pray: God, you give us all that we have. Give us hearts and hands and wallets that are open for you. We pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM.
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Nov 22, 2012
Psalm 65 is appointed for Thanksgiving Day. It speaks of God’s power and abundance, and prays for plenty of flocks and grain. But all these gifts are put into perspective by verse 4, “Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there! They will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple.”
Dear friend, Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday when we in the United States gather together to thank God for an abundance of things. But, ultimately, you must admit, things fail us. We get hungry again; our cars get old; people die. That which satisfies is our relationship with God. Happy are we who have been chosen to be God’s children, to know and to love God, to live in God’s house. What are you thanking God for today? Will it last?
Let us pray: Almighty God, your generous goodness comes to us new every day. By the work of your Spirit, lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits and serve you in willing obedience through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. Our Thanksgiving Day service is at 10 AM and Thanksgiving Dinner is at 2 PM at the church. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 23, 2012
Did you know that the compassionate love of Jesus can transform every situation? It does. An example is in Luke 19 where Jesus, entering Jericho, looks up in a sycamore tree and sees Zacchaeus, the tax collector, sitting in it! He tells Zacchaeus to come down quickly because he is going to his house for dinner. That statement starts quite a grumbling in the crowd who complains that Jesus eats with sinners. ‘What kind of man is he, anyway? Why would he eat with a sinful man like that tax collector?’
But Zacchaeus, thrilled at having Jesus come to his home, is transformed by Jesus’ loving presence. He promises to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay anyone from whom he has extorted money four times what he took. Jesus’ response? ‘Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendent of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Dear friend, the compassionate love of Jesus can transform every situation. Try it today.
Let us pray: Fill us with your compassionate love and then encourage us to be with outcasts and sinners in your simple and powerful way. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 24, 2012
Psalm 145–”The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season.” A number of years ago, I participated in a choral reading at Heinz Chapel. There were only two readers, but there were times when we needed to read with one voice, times when we needed to read alone, and times when we needed to keep silence. We stood at microphones at opposite sides of the altar area. The only way to make the reading work–or even to get up and down from the altar gracefully–was to keep my eyes on my partner. I could tell by looking when he was going to speak or when I needed to continue a silence before my part. God asks, dear friend, that we keep our eyes on God–just like that. The only way we can be tuned to God’s loving presence is to keep our eyes on the cross, to keep the eyes of our hearts open to God’s voice. Our food, both physical and spiritual, comes to us in due season. Sometimes, it is a time to wait like young birds with open mouths and eyes on God. We function best when we wait on God, keeping our eyes focused on the ways of the Lord.
Let us pray: Lord God, make us to watch for your presence in our lives that we may receive the consummation of our hope in the marriage feast of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 25, 2012
Psalm 145–”The Lord is loving to everyone and God’s compassion is over all of God’s works. All your works praise you, O Lord, and your faithful servants bless you.” Open your eyes. Look around you. Now consider this–everything you see is praising God. The telephone! an instrument of God’s praise. The computer! used to give glory to God. The lamp! shedding light to praise God. The trees! raising empty arms to God in prayer. The birds! singing songs of joy in God’s presence. Can you look at the world and everything in it as God’s precious creation? Can you see the world and everything in it offering praise to God right now?
Dear friend, the Psalmist suggests that all God’s works are praising God and all of God’s people are praising God. So try it! Thank you God for this bowl of cereal. Now , bowl of cereal, praise God! Thank you God for this banana. Now banana, praise God! There is something beautiful and comforting, unifying and fun about seeing everything in all of creation joining to praise and bless our loving Lord. Check out Daniel 3 for a biblical example.
Let us pray: All of creation, join together with us in praising God. Allow the name of God to be praised in all that we say and do and think this day. God’s glorious name be praised. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM.. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 26, 2012
Psalm 145-”One generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your power. I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty and all your marvelous works. They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts and I will tell of your greatness.”
When I was little and my parents were out on a Saturday night, my Granny used to put us to bed. My brothers and I would snuggle up under the covers of my double bed, and Granny would tell us stories of the plush coat and the lost penny. Some of them were family stories that her family had told her. Some few of them I have passed on to my own children. One generation shall tell the glory of God to the next generation. Are we as good at sharing the story of God’s love for us as we are at sharing childhood memories and traditions. Think about it, dear friend. Consider telling someone how God has acted in your life today.
Let us pray: God, you constantly act in the lives of your people. You love us daily. Allow us, humbly, to share the stories of your presence and your faithfulness so all may know the glory of your love; for the sake of the One who became love incarnate, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 27, 2012
Psalm 106 speaks of God’s love for us: changing deserts into pools of water and granting us a fruitful harvest. It also speaks of the reality of evil in the world. The Psalm says that when God’s people are diminished and brought low, God pours contempt on princes and lifts the poor out of their misery. Verse 43 reads, “Whoever is wise will ponder these things and consider well the mercies of the Lord.”
Pondering God’s actions in our lives is something worth doing daily. Thinking on God’s active mercy allows us to appreciate the reality of God’s loving. What good has happened to you today, dear friend? Name it out loud. Thank God for it. What odd occurrence has been life-giving for you? What beauty have you seen? What new insight have you been granted? What friend have you greeted or hugged? Name the ways in which God acts in your life and remember to give thanks.
Let us pray: O God who made the blind to see, open our eyes so that we might be aware of your acting in our lives this day, so that we might see and give you thanks through Jesus the Christ. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 28, 2012
Isaiah 60 speaks of the restoration of Jerusalem and the bringing of gifts from all over the world to that place. Verses 5 and 6 read, “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth of the seas will be brought to you. To you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.”
Think of all that wealth! Think of all those camels! Think of all those camel droppings! Dear friend, I can hardly hear the words of this passage without also hearing the voice of a colleague, “So often, when God gives us the gift of many camels, all we can see are the droppings.” God has richly blessed us with the gift of salvation through Jesus the Christ. God has blessed us with Word and Sacrament and Christian Community and the Church. Look today for the gifts of God. Thank God for the gifts. Forget about complaining about the droppings.
Let us pray: Giving God, grant us eyes to see your presence, hearts to see your love, minds to see the gifts of life–and grant us gratitude, for Jesus’ sake. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 29, 2012
Daniel 6 records the story of Daniel’s persistence in praying to God in the face of the edict forbidding prayer to anyone but the king, Darius. As punishment, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den where he continued to pray. An angel sealed the lions’ jaws and Daniel was unharmed. When the king, who was very fond of Daniel, approached the pit and found Daniel well, he was relieved and delighted. Daniel then witnessed God’s love and faithfulness. The king had Daniel’s accusers thrown into the lions’ den where they were promptly eaten. Then Darius proclaimed that he and his entire empire would worship Daniel’s God.
Dear friend, God is faithful to us every day and acts in our lives–although usually in ways less dramatic than in the story of Daniel. However, we are asked, like Daniel, to speak of God’s faithfulness, to proclaim how God continues to act in love–even in times of suffering and danger. Then others might believe.
Let us pray: God of Daniel, faithful God, make us faithful in seeing you in our own lives and in sharing your love with others for the sake of the One who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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Nov 30, 2012
God is everywhere! Isaiah 66 says it like this: “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.” Matthew 5:34 says: “Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is God’s footstool,” All of the earth is God’s. And yet, in I Kings 8, where Solomon is dedicating the temple, he says, “But will God indeed dwell on earth?” or, translated differently, “Can it be that God dwells among people on earth?”
And the answer is–yes! God is present not only in the highest heavens, the furthermost stars and the steepest mountains. God has chosen to be present among human beings, among those whom God loves. Examples: the ark of the covenant, the temple of Solomon, the incarnation of Jesus, the Body and Blood of the sacrament, the temples of our bodies. God does love us so much, dear friend, that God, who is over and above everything, is also in and throughout everything. God is within each of us. Treat the temple of God which is you with great respect. Use the temple of God which is you to show forth God’s glory.
Let us pray: God, you have created us in your image and you live in each of us. Allow us to so honor the You in each of us and in each other, that your glory might be shown fully on earth. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.
My name is Pastor Janet Grill of St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 304 Morewood Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We worship on Sundays at 11 AM and Tuesdays at 7 PM. We invite you to join us.
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