“Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a man was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:1-2).

The Lord is at work.  The Lord is always at work.  Too often, we go about our business and do not pay attention to what the Lord is doing.  What will it take to arouse your sensibilities and give thanks to the Lord for all of His goodness.  What will it take to lead you in the direction in following the Lord in all of His ways?  Do not be impressed by things of this world; be raised from the dead and follow the Lord.

Lord, often my senses are deadened and I do not pay attention.  I want to be wowed and impressed.  Lead me, O Lord, away from this nonsense that I may live in the truth that I am always in Your presence.  Guide me to rejoice in Your goodness and seek Your face all the moments of each day.  Show me, Lord, the way You would have me go that I may grow into whom You are making me to be.

Lord Jesus, You walked along and every day provided miracle after miracle and yet many did not believe.  Lord, You have given me miracle after miracle and have faced my unbelief.  Shatter my illusions that I may humbly submit to the truth that You alone are Lord and I need You to save me.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of salvation that I may be saved.  Raise me, Lord, that I may live a new life.  Amen.

Prayers of the Church, Reformation Sunday – October 25, 2020

In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the world, the Church, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the faith and zeal of reformers who sought to recover or preserve the precious pearl of great price, the Gospel of salvation. Thank you for all the faithful people in every land and every age who have preferred nothing whatsoever to Christ Jesus, and him crucified. Keep us in their company, and keep our faith warm and pure through the life-giving fire of your most Holy Spirit.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon your Church. Make it your holy habitation. Keep it steadfast in your Word. Strengthen it in the face of temptation. Defend it from evil. Reform and purify it from sin and error. And bestow on it your saving peace.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Be the refuge and strength of Christians who are persecuted for confessing Jesus as Lord. Cause the enemies of the Gospel to repent of their sinfulness, that they may turn to you and live.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Graciously protect and guide the people of this congregation, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Gladden our hearts with the joy of your saving love. Cause us to brim over with the gifts of your Holy Spirit, so that we may refresh, nourish, instruct, and invite our neighbors into your presence.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless the work of those faithful theologians and teachers who establish dialog, clarify doctrine, correct misunderstandings, and strive to heal the fractures within your Church. Direct their labors with your Spirit’s wise promptings. Give them holy charity in service of witnessing to the truth of your holy Word. And keep their hearts and their work centered in the Gospel of your Son, Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected to forgive our sins and to grant life and salvation to all who will receive him.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We long for you to break the bow, shatter the spear, and make war to cease throughout the world. Until that day, we pray that you would strengthen, protect, and guide all who risk their life on our behalf. Be their very present help in times of trouble and places of danger; prosper all they do that accomplishes your will; and bring them home safely and soon.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Exalt yourself among the nations, and speak your holy word to the leaders of the world. Establish among all peoples that peace which the world cannot give; and teach us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before you.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We lift before you the needs of all whose lives are shaken and troubled by suffering of mind, body, or spirit. Especially we pray for: {List}. Be in their midst; let them not be overthrown; bring them your saving help; say to them, ‘be still, and know that I am God;’ and restore them all to health and hope, that they may proclaim the awesome things you have done.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Holy Father, thank you for the lives of all your faithful people: prophets, apostles, and martyrs; theologians and confessors, teachers and pastors; and all the ordinary saints whom you have redeemed through the precious blood of your dear Son. Grant that we may humbly follow in their footsteps; boldly trust in your promises; faithfully live in your Word; and cheerfully serve in your Name. Bring us, through the merits of our Savior, into your eternal home, where with all the redeemed, we shall glorify you in the power of your most holy Spirit forever and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For Jesus’ sake, grant the fulfillment of all we ask that conforms to your holy will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, St. Luke, Evangelist – October 18, 2020

In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the world, the Church, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

Thank you, dear Lord, for St. Luke. Thank you for his orderly, clear, loving portrait of Jesus’ words and deeds. Thank you for his remembrance of the founding of your holy Church. Help us to treasure his words; to follow his Savior and ours; and to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Imprint the blessed image of your dear Son upon the Church. Conform its worship and teaching to the Gospel proclaimed to Jew and Gentile alike. Use it to lead many people to a living faith in Jesus.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for our fellow Christians who suffer persecution because they name Jesus as Lord. By their faithful witness, lead their enemies to repentance and amendment of life.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Help this congregation to render to you all honor, glory, worship, and praise. Help us to render to one another the kindness, forgiveness and compassion which is their due. And help us to render to our neighbors the love, respect, and justice which you command.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You called Luke to write his Gospel and the book of Acts. Today you call men and women to proclaim your word to a world as pagan and brutal as in Luke’s own time. We ask your blessing upon seminarians, missionaries, and all teachers, theologians, and writers who share the Good News. Make them faithful, eloquent, zealous and gracious. Let their ministry be a blessing to many.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Until your peace reigns undisturbed throughout the world, direct the thoughts, words and actions of our military personnel, police, first responders, and all who risk their lives to bring safety and justice to others. Prosper all they do that serves your will. Bring healing to the wounded, hope to their families, and honor to all who have honorably served.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

As you anointed Cyrus to accomplish your will for Israel when it was captive, we ask that you anoint the leaders of this and every nation upon earth. Equip them to do whatever accomplishes your will for all who are captives to injustice, poverty, or violence. As many of us are preparing to vote in an important national election, teach us to put our trust in you, to seek your will for the nation, and to live honorably, peaceably, and kindly with one another.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We plead on behalf of all who are afflicted by pain, sorrow, turmoil, or any other assault of the Evil One. Especially we lift before you the needs of: {List}. Come to their aid; heal all that is wounded; and restore them to wholeness of body, mind, and spirit.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Holy Father, we entrust into your never-failing care our beloved dead. Continue in us the work, begun at our Baptism, which fashions us into the blessed likeness of your dear Son. Grant us faith, through your Holy Spirit, to commend ourselves, one another, and our whole lives to Christ our Lord. Bring us into that eternal Kingdom where we shall see him face to face, and shall behold his image, perfectly restored, in the faces of everyone whom you have redeemed by his blood.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For Jesus’ sake, grant the fulfillment of all we ask that conforms to your holy will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 20^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24 – October 18, 2020

In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the world, the Church, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

Thank you, dear Lord, for creating us in the image and likeness of your beloved Son. Thank you for making us his image-bearers to a world seduced by idols, pretenders, and fakes. Give us a double portion of your Spirit, so we constantly honor and serve Jesus, and show him to everyone we meet.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Imprint the blessed image of your dear Son upon the Church. Conform its worship, teaching, fellowship and outreach to his likeness. By faithful proclamation of your Word, and through right administration your Sacraments, use your Church to lead many people from vain idols to life-giving trust in you, the true and only God.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for our fellow Christians who suffer persecution because they refuse to render to anyone or anything that true worship and love that is due to you alone. By their faithful witness, lead their enemies to repentance and amendment of life.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Help this congregation to render to you all honor, glory, worship, and praise. Help us to render to one another the kindness, forgiveness and compassion which is their due. And help us to render to our neighbors the love, respect, and justice which you command.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Sometimes we who bear Christ’s name display such a blurred, shabby, and distorted image of him that others are scandalized and dismayed. Forgive us, and sanctify us, so that Jesus’ love and mercy shine clear and bright in our lives, to his glory and for the sake of those he came to save.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Until your peace reigns undisturbed throughout the world, direct the thoughts, words and actions of our military personnel, police, first responders, and all who risk their lives to bring safety and justice to others. Prosper all they do that serves your will. Bring healing to the wounded, hope to their families, and honor to all who have honorably served.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

As you anointed Cyrus to accomplish your will for Israel when it was captive, we ask that you anoint the leaders of this and every nation upon earth. Equip them to do whatever accomplishes your will for all who are captives to injustice, poverty, or violence. As many of us are preparing to vote in an important national election, teach us to put our trust in you, to seek your will for the nation, and to live honorably, peaceably, and kindly with one another.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We plead on behalf of all who are afflicted by pain, sorrow, turmoil, or any other assault of the Evil One. Especially we lift before you the needs of: {List}. Come to their aid; heal all that is wounded; and restore them to wholeness of body, mind, and spirit.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Holy Father, we entrust into your never-failing care our beloved dead. Continue in us the work, begun at our Baptism, which fashions us into the blessed likeness of your dear Son. Grant us faith, through your Holy Spirit, to commend ourselves, one another, and our whole lives to Christ our Lord. Bring us into that eternal Kingdom where we shall see him face to face, and shall behold his image, perfectly restored, in the faces of everyone whom you have redeemed by his blood.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For Jesus’ sake, grant the fulfillment of all we ask that conforms to your holy will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 19^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23 – October 11, 2020

In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the world, the Church, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

Dear Father, you promise to throw a splendid and never-ending wedding feast for all whom you redeem through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes we act like it’s no big deal. Sometimes we look forward to the entertainment, so to speak, more than being joined to our heavenly Bridegroom in an eternal embrace of love and life. Thank you for your patience and kindness. Open our eyes and hearts to the rapturous joy you have set before us. Keep us forever centered in Jesus, our Savior and our true love.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You have made the Church the bride of your beloved Son. Make it radiant with faithfulness and lovely with holiness. Adorn its words and deeds with such grace, that through them, many people may hear your invitation and gladly partake of your wedding-banquet of salvation.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Prepare a table for your persecuted people in the presence of their enemies. Feed them with patience, perseverance and humble trust in you. Anoint them with the oil of mercy, and heal their hearts, minds, and bodies. By their faithful witness, soften the hearts of those who trouble them.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless the people and ministries of this congregation. Help us to rejoice in your strong saving love; to speak gently and act with humility; to think on those things which are good, honorable and pleasing to you; and to encourage our family, friends, and neighbors to do the same.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for couples who are preparing for marriage, for newlyweds, and for all husbands and wives. Ground their love for each other in Christ, the true and faithful Bridegroom. Lavish upon them those gifts of your Holy Spirit that will sustain their marriage in difficult times, and bear rich fruit for their home life, for their community, and for your Kingdom.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Until your peace reigns undisturbed throughout the world, direct the thoughts, words and actions of our military personnel, police, first responders, and all who risk their lives to bring safety and justice to others. Prosper all they do that serves your will. Bring healing to the wounded, hope to their families, and honor to all who have honorably served.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Save our world and its people from natural disasters and from human malice. Take away the reproach of our sins and the death-shrouds of the evils that beset us. Give us leaders who are wise, honorable, just, and excellent; and give to each of us the blessing of your peace.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We remember before you all who walk through the valley death’s dark shadows, and all who are troubled by sorrow, anxiety, or despair. Especially we pray for: {List}. Teach them the truth of Paul’s words, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Revive their souls; restore their bodies; and refresh the hearts of all who care for them.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the lives of your faithful servants who have entered the banquet-hall of eternal life with you. Keep us steadfast in faith as well. Give us grace and strength to live in ways which are good, true, lovely, pure, honorable, and praiseworthy. Grant us the joy of sitting with all your wedding-guests at the table you have prepared for those whom you have wedded to Christ forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For Jesus’ sake, grant the fulfillment of all we ask that conforms to your holy will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 18^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22 – October 4, 2020

In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the world, the Church, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

Most holy Father, thank you for making us your beloved vineyard. Thank you for grafting us into your pleasant planting, your people Israel; and for uniting us with your true and precious Vine, your dear Son Jesus. Make us abound in the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to your glory and for the nourishment of a world starved for your love.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Uproot from your Church all malice, strife, false teaching, and unrighteousness. Defend it from those who would destroy it from within, or ravage it from without.  Make Jesus, the strong Son of Man who sits at your right hand, its life and salvation. By Word and Sacrament, draw all people to the foot of the Cross; there to glorify your most holy Name.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give persecuted Christians the righteousness that depends on faith, so they may know Jesus and the power of his resurrection; may share his sufferings; and through him may attain the resurrection from the dead. Turn the hearts of their enemies toward you in repentance and humble faith.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Thank you for making this congregation your own, through Jesus Christ. Help us to count everything else – even the many gifts with which you have blessed us – as rubbish compared with the surpassing worth of knowing him as our Lord and Savior. Make us true disciples, sharing Jesus’ love with everyone whom we meet, and encouraging them to accompany us as we follow in the way of the Cross.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for all those who toil at “dirty jobs” that are unpleasant, dangerous, and poorly paid. Help us to honor their labor and to ease their burden. Give them a glimpse of the surpassing loveliness of your dear Son. By your Spirit, shape their faithful work into “something beautiful for Jesus.”

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Raise up for yourself pastors, evangelists, missionaries, theologians, and other servants of your Word. Prosper the work of seminaries and church schools. The world hungers for the fruit of your living Vine, dear Lord; equip your servants to nurture and share it with starving souls.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give everyone entrusted with worldly power and authority a hunger for justice and a thirst for righteousness. Make them swift to build bridges of respect and concord, and slow to brandish weapons of war. Fill them with wisdom, patience, fairness, and kindness. Spread these virtues among all people, so that bloodshed and injustice cease, and all people live in peace and call upon your name with joy.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Restore the lives of all who cry out to you in their distress of body, mind, and spirit, especially: {List}. Shine the light of your countenance upon them, that they may be saved.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

With gratitude and affection, we entrust our faithful departed into your care. Comfort all whose grief runs deep. Help and guide us, so that we may help one another through the sorrows and dangers of this life. Unite us with your dear Son, so that with all whom you have redeemed by his Cross and Resurrection, we may be welcomed into your pleasant planting, your beloved vineyard; and may rejoice in your presence forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

For Jesus’ sake, grant the fulfillment of all we ask that conforms to your holy will. Amen.

“The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.  In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands” (2 Corinthians 11:31-33).

The Lord is God of all and knows all things.  He through whom all things have their being has come to lead the way for as many as would follow Him along the narrow way of salvation.  We need not focus upon the particulars, but see the simple reality that God calls and there are those who will follow.  Come then into the presence of the Lord and walk with Him now and forever.

Lord, I often make more complex the way things are.  Help me I pray to see through all of the things that get in the way in order that I may know the simplicity of the Gospel.  You have come that as many as trust in You would have everlasting life.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of life and help me not to wander from the path You have set before me.  Let me look to You, and not circumstances, to always guide me.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way for each one of us.  Help me to take Your hand knowing that all things are now, as they always have been, in Your hands.  Grant that I would see through those things that get in the way and follow You no matter what the earthly cost.  You have and will provide for every circumstance.  Help me to trust You above all things.  Amen.

September 2020

Dear Friends:

I am always blessed and encouraged whenever I talk on the phone with friends of Lutheran CORE.  You are very interested in and supportive of our work, and you are very generous in the ways in which you express your support.  A question I am often asked is, “How do you keep on doing it?  What gives you the strength to keep on facing and confronting the issues?”

I always answer that I have a huge sense of the importance of what we do, I get to work with a wonderful board, I have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, and I am constantly encouraged by the support I receive from the friends of Lutheran CORE.

A passage of Scripture which gives me – in the words of the great Gospel hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” is Revelation 7: 9-17.  There are five elements in this image of heaven which encouraged John, as he was in exile on Patmos, and which can encourage us.

First, a gathered throng.  John describes “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (verse 7).  In the Gospel reading for a recent Sunday – in Matthew 16: 18 – Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”  Here in Revelation 7 we see unmistakable evidence that Jesus built His church and the gates of Hades did not prevail.  Even though many who call themselves the church pursue an agenda that does not focus on the cross and that relies upon the power of human activism rather than the power of the resurrection, still there are those who are faithful, Jesus is building His Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail.

Second, an occupied throne.  The gathered throng is “standing before the throne” (verse 7).  God is not absent.  God has not abandoned us, even though many have abandoned Him.  He is still on the throne.  He is still in control.

Third, the slain Lamb.  The gathered throng cries out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb” (verse 10).  I was deeply alarmed when I read the summary of actions from the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly last August.  It never mentions Jesus.  When a group that calls itself a church meets for several days, takes many votes, but never mentions Jesus in its summary of its own actions, something is wrong.  The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is at the heart of our faith, is the core of our message, and is the one whose grace and love empowers and enables us to continue to do His work.

Fourth, worshiping angels.  All the angels standing around the throne “fell on their faces and worshiped God” (verse 11).  The angels have seen it all.  They saw the fall.  They joyously announced His birth.  I love those words in 1 Peter 1: 12 – “Things into which angels long to look!”  As I read that verse, they have been watching God’s plan of salvation unfold, and they are in awe.  They have now seen salvation come to completion, and they are rejoicing.

Fifth, springs of living water.  “The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (verse 17).  We all need to be refreshed.  We all have tears that need to be wiped away.     

I am reminded of a song we used to sing while I was growing up –

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Him.
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase.
So bravely run the race ‘til we see God.”

Trusting in the promises of God, having a huge sense of the importance of what we do, being able to work with a wonderful board, having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, and constantly being encouraged by the support I receive from the friends of Lutheran CORE, I am able to keep on doing it.  I have the strength to keep on facing and confronting the issues.      

In previous communications I have shared with you about our ongoing work as well as our new areas of ministry involvement.  I am amazed, but not surprised, that I have not heard from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in regard to my challenging the honesty and integrity of the ELCA.  I have written a response which shows how much the LGBTQIA+ movement twists and misuses Scripture to support their agenda.  We want to get the word out.  Thank you to all who have shared our response with others.  Thank you to all who have given to support our sponsoring a week of NEXUS during the summer of 2021.  If you have not already done so, please read my review of NEXUS in my August letter from the director.  Please pray for a new project, as we are working to gather a group of younger people to develop some sort of medium of communication geared to younger people.  It is absolutely imperative that our concern for the historic, orthodox Christian faith be passed on to future generations.     

Thank you again for your encouraging words and faithful prayer and financial support.  Please click here for the form that you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.  Your timely gift to Lutheran CORE will help enable us to continue to be a VOICE for Biblical Truth and a NETWORK for Confessing Lutherans.

As a steward with you in the ministry of the Gospel, 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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“Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:29-30).

We each know what we know.  Is it boasting to speak of what you truly know?  We live in a funny age where you pretend not to know when you do and pretend to know when you do not.  Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind through Christ.  Be led by the One who will bring all things into subjection to Himself.  Be whom the Lord makes you to be.

Lord, teach me to be what I can and should be when You lead me.  Let me neither boast about what I have no business boasting about, nor refrain from boasting when it serves Your purpose.  In all things, lead me to follow You and speak Your word of truth to all who will hear.  Guide me, O Lord, as I need to be led and help me learn to follow You in and through all things.

Lord Jesus, You who are more than able, but never did boast, and who instead carried the weight of all of our sins, lead me into humility that I would learn from You how to best live in each moment.  Let me follow Your example and go where You lead, do what You give me to do, and be Your faithful follower.  You know all that is needed and I need You to lead me now and always.  Amen.

“I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:27-28).

We live in a time where few need go through deprivation for the sake of the Gospel.  It seems the easier it is the weaker we become.  The question behind this is in the asking of how valuable is the Gospel to you?  Would you sacrifice everything for what Jesus gives, or is there a limit to what you would go through?  Jesus did not have a limit for you, do you have one for Him?

Lord, I do treat life and its circumstances on a conditional level and am only willing to go so far.  Help me realize the incomparable worth, no, priceless treasure, You give in grace.  Help me to see that nothing on this earth compares to what You offer in faith.  May I learn to not settle for the trivial things of this world in order to press on for the things You offer in faith and by grace.

Lord Jesus, You who made everything, gave it up for we who have nothing.  Help me follow You, knowing that what You give is of more worth than all the rest of creation put together.  Let me stop at nothing to walk in the light of the revelation You give through the Gospel.  May I walk humbly with You all the days of my life, seeking the Father’s will to be done in my life.  Amen.