Pastor's Weekly Devotions

"Not That I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers I don consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

Dear members and friends of St. Paul’s,

I have run in three marathons, and in each one I’ve gotten slower. This pattern is quite common when you start running marathons in your late forties. The last marathon I ran was The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon in 2016 with my older sister (she was way ahead of me). Early on, the race was quite easy…there was even a good deal of casual conversation. However, once you hit mile 15 or 16 the conversations cease…and you just want to finish. I had of improving on my previous time of 4:12, but instead ended up for all practical purposes walking to the finish with a time of 4:35 or something like that… Sometimes our life this side off heaven is relatively smooth (the first 14 miles), but then in spite of our greatest effort our life becomes a slow painful slog. As Christians, we press on. Why? Christ is beside us and the upward call of God in Christ is in front of us. There are great advantages to running with Jesus. For one, we have the ability, through the cross of Christ, to forget what is behind. We can forget because Christ has forgotten our sins of “not training enough”, of “taking for granted those smooth sailing miles”, and for our failure to respond to those who could use our assistance in those difficult miles. I did finish that race in Vegas and even got light running jacket at the end. As I understand it, our heavenly prize will be much better 😊

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Krenz

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him….” Philippians 2:8-9a

Dear friends and members of St. Paul’s,

“Eat slow, and eat lots.” As a child, I often heard these words from my grandmother while I would hastily consume meals in her home. It was her way of saying, slow down little guy, eating here with me is more important than you realize….and the stuff you want to get to quickly are not as important as you think they are. The week of Jesus prior to his death on the cross (Holy Week), which covers about 1/4th of the four gospels, shows him slowing down. During this week difficult/painful details emerge slowly revealing that Jesus is taking the road never before traveled…the Calvary road. We live a frenetic life, and so when we encounter rejection, pain, grief, sorrow, guilt, and shame we want to hastily move past these realities to things more pleasant. Yet, we quickly realize that propelling past such things is easier said than done. Holy week gives us a chance to slow down and reflect on our Savior who didn’t skirt such unpleasant times. Instead, he slowly and purposely walked through them all the way to the end so that we are not abandoned as we slog through the unpleasantries of life. Easter is coming, that is for certain, but in the mean time slow down and fill up on your Jesus who walks with you every step of the way.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Krenz      

"He is not here, but he has risen"....but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went home marveling at what had happened " Luke 24:6a, 11-12.

Dear friends and members of St. Paul’s,

The three women who heard that Jesus had risen, initially responded that these words seemed to them an "Idle Tale" (nonsense). This is the only time in the New Testament that the word "idle tale" occurs. Prior to Jesus death and resurrection we have him taking part in up to 30 miracles but never once were they described by friend or foe as idle tales. Even in a time when fanciful stories of Roman and Greek gods and goddesses were all the rage, the resurrection of Christ was so extraordinary it seemed to be an idle tale. Later Peter goes to the empty tomb, sees the cloths, and his Holy Spirit induced reaction is not in seeing it as an idle tale, but rather he marveled (or became astonished out of ones senses) at the reality of Christ’s resurrection. Our old nature, the world, and the evil one would have us believe Easter is a nice story but in the end merely an idle tale. This Easter season, my prayer is that as you hear, sing, and confess that Christ is Risen, the Holy Spirit will allow you to marvel (become astonished out of your senses) that God would take such dramatic steps to love you!

A blessed Easter to all,

Pastor Krenz

“Whoever acknowledges Me before men. I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven” Matthew 10:32-33

Dear friends and members of St. Paul’s,

This Sunday five young people from this congregation will be participating in the rite of confirmation. Allow me to share a few thoughts. In baptism, we are given the Holy Spirit, who exists to reveal Jesus. Think of this as the foundation and key of our life. Yet, we need protection from the elements, so God brings his Word to us in family devotions, Sunday School, the sacraments and Christian conversations. In essence, he is building us a home. Why? To protect us from a multitude of dangers and allow us to enjoy life under his grace. I see confirmation, as God framing up the building. An important step…but the home is not done yet. As these young people mature the meaning and significance of the things they learn will change, and God willing, their faith will deepen. I hope this image helps us see that confirmation, while important, is one part of an ongoing construction project.

Many Blessings!

Pastor Krenz