From the Study of Pastor Aanonson
Just a little over four years ago Barb and I were in Norway. We rented a car, made our own hotel reservations, and toured about on our own. No tours would take us to Gjerstad, Aust Agder, where my relatives lived. So if we wanted to get there we had to do it on our own. We had made reservations to stay at a hotel about an hour north of Oslo. We drove all over looking for that hotel. We could find no signs that had the name of the road for which we were looking. Finally, we stopped at gas station/convenience store, much as we have in this country. Everybody was friendly and tried to be helpful. They recognized the name of the road but could not think of a hotel on the road. Eventually a customer said that he thought he could help us. The name of the hotel was of “The General.” He wondered if perhaps the hotel may be on an old Norwegian Army post. He jumped in his car and motioned for us to follow him. We did, and after about five miles we came to a post and sure enough there was “The General” hotel. We thanked him. About an hour later we noticed that he showed up again at the hotel. He was back to be sure that all had gone well with the check-in and that we were settled into the hotel. (By the way, that hotel had only one thing on its menu in its café—pizza. And it was the best pizza we had tasted since we had lived in Italy). Now the point of this story is that sometimes it pays to ask for directions. In fact, not asking directions at times can lead to being lost, totally lost. Also, asking directions can lead one to where one wants and needs to go and can lead to rich rewards.
So many people try to go through life without directions and become irretrievably lost. Not only do they try to go through life without attending worship but they never or seldom open, read, and study the Holy Scriptures. The Bible remains a closed book for them. I encourage you to become well acquainted with the Bible. Read it every day. Pray over it and study it. As Lutherans we believe that the Bible is God speaking to us. The Bible is God’s Word to us. It is God’s Word to us not just for long ago, but God’s Word to us today, and it is God’s Word for us for the future. Without God’s Word I can guarantee you that you will become irretrievably lost.
As a pastor I really have to read God’s Word every day as I prepare the sermon and as I prepare Bible studies. One really cannot do that work unless one delves into the Bible. But I also need to read the Bible for my own edification and meditation. I need God’s Word to guide me through everyday life every day. I have a practice, a habit, of reading the Holy Scriptures every morning. I encourage you to adopt that practice. At that time of the day my mind is much more alert and open to hearing God’s words to me. The Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW), the green book, and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), the red book, each have a help for you in your reading. They each contain a daily lectionary, a listing of Bible readings for the day, (LBW, pp. 179-192; ELW, pp. 1121-1153). LBW is a two-year lectionary for even and odd years; the ELW is a three-year lectionary for the current cycle A, B, or C. Pick a lectionary, read through it in two or three years (every day) and then repeat. I strongly believe that you will find more direction in your life and come to know better the God who loves you, forgives you, and daily cares for you. It will become such a part of your life that you will work hard not to miss the daily practice. Reading, studying, and meditating over the Holy Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has its rewards.
In Christ’s Name,
Pastor David A. Aanonson, interim
Pastor David Aanonson’s last Sunday as interim
Sunday, July 30th will be Pastor David Aanonson’s last worship with us as an interim pastor. Please plan on joining us for cake and coffee after worship to say thank you and farewell.
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