Ask the pastor: Why do you want to be a pastor?

The first question I received in my "Ask the Pastor" box is, "Why do you want to be a pastor?"

This is a difficult response to articulate, as I'm not real sure how to describe being a pastor as something to be "wanted". At it's foundation, the role of pastor is about trying to listen to what God wants as the ultimate goal, and following where God is calling, rather than doing what I want, comes with the territory of being a pastor.

To describe being a pastor in terms of a calling as opposed to being a career objective makes for a better fit. Being a pastor is a calling, mostly because I don't get to pick and choose who I'm a pastor to. Instead, I've been called to give people the truth of God's love, grace, justice, and peace, no matter who they are, what abilities they have, who they voted for, or how much they give. God's truth is shown to us in Jesus, so ultimately my calling, is to show Jesus to others.

While being a pastor is not necessarily about what I "want", that doesn't mean that I don't find joy in my call, and that I don't like doing it. I find being a pastor a great privilege and am grateful that I'm called to serve in this way. Here's a list of some of the things that make me tick as a pastor.:

-Serving God- ultimately, having only to answer to the Truth, is very freeing for me.

-Proclaiming Good News-when you share Jesus with people, it is sharing the gift of new life in all things.

-Presiding at the Sacraments: Baptism and Communion- "You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever." "The body of Christ, given for you. The Blood of Christ, shed for you." Participating in these rites is a source of great joy.

-Teaching about God and our place in God's story of salvation.

-The relationships that I get to be a part of, the sacred things that people entrust to me about their lives gives me a chance to be with others during the best and worst times. But whether it is joy or sorrow, God gives me a look at the depth of compassion and love that we are made and held with, and it is beautiful. People's stories are at the end of it all, really stories about God.

-Children

-Learning more about myself and human beings as I wonder and pray with the Creator of all things.

-Being around people who are called to serve and use their gifts in many unique ways, and bless me with their lives.

-Learning to see with the eyes of Christ, and sharing this vision in a wide variety of areas, especially in the life of a congregation.

-Having many ways to be creative and try to grow in that creativity in ways that connect with others.

As a final note, I just wanted to write that my calling as a pastor is something that has been formed in me since I was born. My parents, as well as my greater family, made faith a part of our life at home; they read the Bible to us, prayed with us, brought us to worship and Sunday School, shared fellowship with others in our congregation, hosted refugees from Central America, loved us, expected kindness and nurtured this formation throughout the years. Faith; a relationship with God through Christ's church and a relationship with all of creation through Christ's love is a part of who I am. Through this faith, given to me and sustained in me by the work of God and so many others, I have the honor, the very humbling honor, of being called as a pastor.

Sermon for May 17, 2015: Birthday Party Testimony

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9–13

⁹If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.  ¹⁰Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.  ¹¹And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

             ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

This morning, our reading from 1 John talks about testimony. Now, if one wants to find an example of testimony, they need go no further, than a 4-year old, giving testimony about how great birthday parties are. I’m not sure if this is universal, but I do know that my 4-year old, Charlie, is so into birthday parties, that he’s been planning his for about the last 7 months, and we still have about 5 months to go.

The plan has been revised over time, which is good, because at one point our house was going to be a Batcave, with Charlie reassuring me that we didn’t have to paint the whole house to make this happen, just some of it.

Young children sure know how to give testimony to how great a birthday is, and it is wonderful that we get to partner with Ascentria Care Alliance, to help give children in the Intensive Foster Care Program a birthday party. I hope that these children share in the same enthusiasm and anticipation as Charlie does for his birthday party. I hope that their birthday party testimonials are filled with imagination and wonder.

When Candace Cramer, from Ascentria, approached me about being a part of their 50 days of Easter campaign, I looked at our calendar, and thought about all that we have going on, and I was a little apprehensive. Thankfully, our Community Outreach Board and Christian Education Coach coordinated things and we were able to be a part of it. This morning, we will send those bags off with a great deal of love and joy, and I’m very thankful that we have gotten to be a part of things in this way.

As a human, this project, and our relationship with Ascentria is a great testimony for our congregation. We can tell people all about the great work that we are doing at Christ the King, and all the ways that we help people in need. Maybe, thinking of this from a human point of view, our work will inspire people to come and join us, so that we can do even greater things together. This project gives us a testimonial to reach out to a people who might be seeking a church that does these types of outreach projects. I do know, for example, that our involvement with Family Promise Metrowest has brought in some people, and most importantly, brought them for for the sake of a great cause, helping to house the homeless.

This is indeed, my human testimony. And when I say that the things our congregation does, the outreach ministries we are involved in are outstanding, I mean it, and giving our testimony about what we do is an important part of who we are. There is a problem though, my testimony is only human. Even if I give my testimony with the enthusiasm of a 4-year old talking about birthday parties, it is still, limited testimony.

To bring it back to that birthday-party testimony. In my experience, what makes birthday parties wonderful aren’t really the things that 4-year olds have in mind. Sure, a good theme, decorations, cake, and presents can be a part of a great party, but there is no thing or experience that you can give to a child that is melt-down proof. What really makes a birthday party worthy of such a testimony, are the relationships the child has, and the feeling of people celebrating with you, because they care about you. The type of relationships that aren’t always so readily available in the lives of foster children.

As we send these bags off this morning, if our testimony is only concerned with telling our story about the great work we’ve done, then like all human endeavors, what we’ve done becomes pretty insignificant. Without loving relationships, without people celebrating with you because they care about you, we could throw a birthday party for these kids in the actual Batcave with unlimited Batmobile rides and it would still fall short of giving them what they really need, which is love and nurturing.

Christ the King prepared birthdays in a bag, and they are packed
and ready to go to the children in Ascentria Care Alliance's
 Intensive Foster Care Program

Thankfully, we aren’t giving these bags to those children so that they receive our own, human testimony, nor are we doing this so that everyone who follows are facebook page will receive a testimony about how great we are. Rather, the testimony that we are sharing is much greater than us, it is the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The testimony of Christ testifies that continues to call us into relationship with God and with each other. The testimony that calls us to love the sisters and brothers God has given to us. That calls us to love God’s children, as our own children, no matter who they are.

And, even though we fall short even in that regard, this is the testimony that saves us with a life poured out on the cross and that is given to us in all times and places through the power of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. The testimony of a love which knows no boundaries and a life given to save a world so broken, it would even have a need for foster programs in the first place.

This is the testimony, the testimony of Jesus Christ, that we are sharing with those children, and the testimony they are sharing with us. It is a testimony of love, and we send these bags on to those children because we do love them. And we join in the work of Ascentria, because this partnership helps us to share this loving testimony in ways that we aren’t able. And most of all, by this testimony, we remember how short our own love and actions can fall and fail, and in doing so, we hear the testimony of Christ, saying to us, “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you.”

May we grasp hold of this testimony, and know that though our life is short and our love limited, we will never be without Christ’s eternal life. And may we grow in our trust of this promise, so that we may live in the joy of sharing this love, and rise together, with all of our fellow sisters and brothers in the resurrection of Christ.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen

Stewardship Castles

The following was written for the May 2015 edition of Christ the King's newsletter. 

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Did you know that there is a castle at Christ the King? If you take a look in our narthex, you will find a castle that has been handmade by the students of the Blessed Beginnings Preschool. This one of a kind castle is made out of such things as egg cartons, paper towel tubes, and pipe cleaners, and it is a great creation.

What’s really great about the castle, is that the students did it cooperatively and without the help of their teachers, on a special day called, “Work Together Wednesday.” While I’m sure the students got a lot out of the experience and had a great time, “working together,” this lesson is really for adults, and it is a lesson in STEWARDSHIP!

The first point of this lesson, is that we have been given what we need to accomplish the task at hand, more specifically in our case, the work of God. The students weren’t given a fancy Lego set, they just had an abundance of things that usually fill up our trash and recycling bins. They could have pleaded or begged the teachers to give them different or better materials, or they could have sat around and complained to each other that they didn’t have enough, but instead, they joyfully went about their task with what they had.

God has given us enough, an abundance even, to commence taking up the mission or task God has given us to do. This is simply using the lives that we have, to share the loving gift of each day with each other, in a world of fellowship and plenty for all. Carrying out God’s mission is our joyful, everyday duty, and if we have breath, we have enough.

The second point of this lesson, is that we are called to do this work together. It wasn’t “see who can make the best castle Wednesday” it was “Work together Wednesday.” In order to work together, the students had to be in constant communication together. Imagine if one or two students decided to take over the whole project, the other kids would have found other things to do. Or if one or two four-year olds decided to throw a temper tantrum, the cardboard tubes would have been no match for a child that decided if they couldn’t have their way, no one could. This task depended on the efforts and voices of all children, their ability to share the work, and the humility to share in a communal vision.

God calls us to work together. The process of working, sharing, and learning to communicate culminates in something that has been created by many hands, together in One Spirit. Carrying out God’s mission requires being stewards of the vision and work that we have been given, and a commitment to the sacred space where we are called into an ever greater spirit of humility and not accomplishment.

The third point of this lesson is that the fruits of our work, are there to remind us of the joy, fellowship, and love we share together, and encourage us to continue in that Spirit. The castle that the children put together is really great, but the image it gives us into the work that they engaged in is the real treasure. Great works of art are nice to look at, but they come alive and truly magnificent when we hear the story, sentiment, and spirit that went into making them. The castle is a great work of art, and that time the children spent working on it is truly a priceless gift to both them and us.

God calls us to stewardship not as a way to build great things, but in order to grow in our trust and relationship with God, and to be reminded of all that God has done for us and for all people. When we give our money, our time, our commitment, our spirit, and our lives over to the church, it helps us to realize the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, that is alive in us and is given to us so that we may know joy. This joy is the joy of being alive, the joy of working together, the joy of the creation that God has given to us, and especially the joy of the love that Jesus has for each of us, the joy that called him to the humility of the cross. As stewards of God, may we continue to grow in our humility, so that we may experience the joy of God’s loving presence, and tell the story of God’s saving love.

Thank you to Blessed Beginnings Preschool, and its dedicated teachers, board, and volunteers, for sharing such valuable lessons with us all.

In Christ,

Pastor Mark

Sermon for April 26, 2015: Doormats for Christ!

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Sunday, April 26, 2015.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:16–24

¹⁶We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  ¹⁷How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

             ¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.  ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him  ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.  ²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God;  ²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

             ²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.  ²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Ok, it’s word association time.

I’m going to say a word, and I want you to pay attention to what image comes into your mind when I say.

The word, is skittles…just kidding.

Now, let’s refocus, and take our minds off of those little balls of artificial flavored deliciousness. The actual word I want you to pay attention to, is love. What image comes to mind?

As you think about this, I’ll tell you about my image. It’s an image that came to me as I read and prayed about our reading from 1 John today, and verse 16, which says, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

So, the image of love that comes to mind for me, is a doormat. Perhaps you thought I was going to say the cross, but no, it’s a doormat.

Doesn’t it seem that a doormat might be the perfect image of the kind of love that Christians are supposed to have? You know, Jesus calls us to love one another, no matter what. To give ourselves to others, to sacrifice for them, to lay down our lives like a doormat that someone can walk all over. People can clean their feet on us, leave their shoes on us, and even put a nice message on us, like welcome!

In all seriousness, being doormats, isn’t our calling as Christians, and yet, I think that when it comes to trying to embody Christian love, it’s what we often become. In fact, this image comes to my mind from a real-life conversation I overheard once. One person was talking about her spouse, and after talking about the way he mistreated her, and she said she put up with it because that was what she was supposed to do as a Christian. The other party, who happened to be a Pastor, and probably a pretty good one, said, being loving and obeying God doesn’t mean that you’re a doormat for Christ.

Laying down our lives for one another does not mean that we allow others, much less welcome them, to walk all over us. Being merciful and forgiving, like Christ was doesn’t mean we say, “that’s ok” when someone mistreats us. Loving someone, sacrificing ourselves for others doesn’t mean that we are really nice to them no matter what, hoping that at some point they’ll see what they are doing and all of a sudden be nice back.

The biggest problem with being a doormat for Christ, is the hope that through their passiveness, the other person will change. But a doormat doesn’t wear down the shoes of others, it gets worn down, and eventually tossed out. It is true that our calling to love can cause us to suffer, it can even cause us to be crucified, but this love, this Christian love, is a love of truth and action that transforms the world, not simply accept it as it is.

But before we get out there and change the world, we remember that love is not just action, it is truth and action. If we leave the truth out of our active love, we may change the world, but it will ultimately be in our, human image of what that change should look like. Without the truth, changing the world by helping our sisters and brothers in need means trying to create a place where one day, the path of upward social mobility will be so great, that no one will ever need anything. In such active good works, we are willing to invest time, money, and energy to create a better, human product, and show some measurable signs of human success. We humans often try to create a better world by appealing to things like people’s universal greed, and like the “doormat for Christ” the goal of our misguided “love” is in trying to change the other person. What we humans aren’t real willing to do, is consider that perhaps the people who need their circumstances changed are not the ones we try to help, but the ones doing the helping.

The love of Christ, the love that has been laid down for us, and the love that we are called to share with each other is full of both truth and action. This love includes the truth that commands us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, see the worthiness of the poor, the poverty of the rich, and the futility of our own human ambitions and desire for permanence. This is the love that transforms and changes us with the truth of who God is and what God has done.

When we love in truth and action, we love both by saying no the sin of this world, especially our own, and yes to the people, the creatures, and the abundance that God has created it with.

So love, is not about being a doormat and letting people walk all over us. Nor is love simply about trying to raise the ones who our world walks all over from doormat into walker. Love, is Jesus Christ, and the truth that he put into action. Love is having the truth that caring for someone is different than controlling them. Love is having the truth that DNA, ethnicity, and social class do not make us brothers and sisters, but being human does. Love is having the truth that our sisters and brothers are not a cause, but our flesh and blood, who we suffer with, rejoice with, and live with, whether they are near or far.

Love is Jesus Christ, who has been risen from the dead not so that we can walk all over him all over again, but so that he can pour out his life for us. Love is Jesus Christ, coming to us, in human form, on this earthly planet, to live with us, to abide with us here at Christ the King, and be our loving brother in all things. Love is Jesus Christ, making a home in this world, abiding in it, so that we may receive his truth, join in his action, live in his Holy Spirit, and lay down our lives for our human family and the home God has created for us, for no other reason that we love them.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen

Easter Sunday Sermon, April 5, 2015: An Easter Horror Story.

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.

Gospel: Mark 16:1–8

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  ³They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"  ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  ⁶But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.  ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you."  ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

Jason, Freddy, Michael…On this Easter morning, do these names invoke any associations with you? What if I specify a little and say, Voorhees, Krueger, and Meyers? Ringing any bells for you?

Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Meyers, these are the terrifying characters of the horror films Friday the 13^th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween respectively. Even if you haven’t seen these movies, you are probably wondering why on earth I would be bringing them up on Easter Sunday.

This morning, I invoke these terrifying characters, because Easter, is a pretty terrifying occasion. At least it was for Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Solome. Let’s hear from our Gospel reading again, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” This statement, giving details of the Easter morning, is how Mark’s Gospel ends. With some women fleeing an empty tomb amazed and terrified.

Not really the image that comes to mind when we think about Easter, is it?

But it’s pretty natural, these women had seen Jesus die, a horrible death, and now they were being told by some guy in a white robe that Jesus has been raised.

Now, going back to our horror films, they always ended with Jason, Freddy, and Michael being killed, and then there would be another installment of the film where they would be raised from the dead, so that their story would continue, so that they could continue striking terror and fear in people.

So, we have terrified people and someone being raised from the dead….there are a few similarities here.

In the horror stories, nothing, not even death, can defeat these monsters. In God’s story, not even death, can defeat Jesus.

Yet, this morning, as we hear this news, that Jesus Christ has been resurrected, raised from the dead; I don’t envision a swarm of people fleeing from this place in terror. Rather, I’m hopeful that there will be a joyful attitude among us as we leave. And that’s because, despite the initial terror, the story of Jesus’ resurrection is not a horror story, but a Gospel Story, a Good News Story, the story of God’s salvation.

In this resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s story of salvation continues.

If you can imagine for a moment, those monsters in the horror films continually stalk their victims, never tiring or stopping until they finally get them.

Our God, in the person of Jesus doesn’t stop either. He keeps coming after us, to give us his love and give us his life, no matter where we flee to. Jesus comes after us when we flee from love to despair and isolation and the hiding places of bitterness, fear, hatred, and even the self-destruction that are found there. Jesus comes after us when we flee from love in order to fulfill our own selfish desires, and the ways that we hurt each other and God’s creation does not slow his pursuit of us. Jesus comes after us when stand breathless, in the face of real life tragedy and death, when all seems lost, when we can’t go any further, when it is time to give up.

Jesus comes after us, no matter of where we are, what we do, or what we will continue to do, he comes. And when Jesus finds us, and he does find us, he pours his life out for us, just as he did upon the cross. When he finds us he gives us his mercy, peace, and love, and in our lives, however broken they may be. When finds us, he gives us the hope of his resurrection, and he continues the story, the amazing, story of God’s saving work in us humans.

This morning, though we hear about some terrified women, we don’t hear a horror story, but we also don’t hear a conclusion, certainly not one that says, “and they lived happily ever after” either. Instead, we hear that the story, the story of Jesus, goes on and on. Indeed, Jesus is risen, he has found us and is here with us, giving us his life, and calling us to follow him to the place where God’s salvation has been and continues to be won, the cross. May we go from this place singing Hallelujah, and through our lives of mercy, of justice, of peace, and of love, through our lives that bear the life of Jesus, may we share the Good News that Christ is Risen!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen

Lenten Prayer as CtK #follow #lent2015

Prayer: (From Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

The Death of Rutilio Grande, Revised by Matthew Wettlauffer

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thought:
What does it mean to follow. I think that when humans decide to follow something, it is often because it leads them on the easiest way, on the path of least resistance. The mission of Christ, was not a new mission, rather it was a calling to follow the path of God, which as it turns out was full of resistance by sinful human beings. In following Christ, we meet the same resistance, whether it is in the obstruction of others, or most often, by the obstacles of our own disordered desires and knowledge. To follow God, to follow Christ, we must walk the path of truth, no matter these obstacles, there is no easy way to follow Christ, there is only the way.

35 years ago, Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador was shot and killed while conducting a mass. The Bishop was killed by an assassin, for his opposition to the deep oppression of the people of El Salvador. What called him to follow such a path? It wasn't his position, or his spiritual convictions that ultimately sent him on this journey of faith, it was a transfiguring moment that called him to follow the light in it's confrontation with evil. This moment is depicted in the picture above, it is the death of his friend and fellow priest, Rutilio Grande, who was murdered for his justice work among the poor in El Salvador. At this moment, Romero heard the call he was to follow, saying later, "When I looked at Ruilio lying there dead I thought, 'If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I, too, have to walk the same path."

We do not know where the hand of God will lead us, but we know that Christ, and all his saints, will be there with us.

About Lenten Prayer as CtK:
During Lent, I am inviting all of you at Christ the King, and anyone who would be willing to join us, to engage in praying together, seeking to hear God and be guided by Christ's life in our life together. To guide these prayers, I will be posting pictures centered around a word for the day. This comes from the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/LENTPHOTOADAY. Please feel free to join me in posting pictures and thoughts to your social media accounts or to the comments of this blog.

Lenten Prayer as CtK #trust #lent2015

Prayer:
Gracious Lord,
Grant us your patience and mercy as we learn to trust you. Help us to see, understand, and share the life that springs forth from your will, and to seek this life, forsaking all else. Give to us the fellowship that can only come from dependence on you. Amen.

Thought:
In God We Trust. The words on our U.S. currency almost get this absolutely correct. My only quibble is that the phrase should be, In god We Trust. Do you notice the slight difference? If we make God lowercase, and change the implied meaning from an outside deity (whether Christian or otherwise) into a generic, human made object of service and desire, then our god and the thing we most put our trust in, money, coincide. Since I can't actually change what's printed on money, I'll just say that our currency is a work of fiction, not fact.

We don't often think about trust, and lack of it as being the impetus of our sin and the death and destruction that it inflicts on our world, but distrust, is at the heart of all our sin. What we don't trust in, is God, and that God, at least as the creator and redeemer of all things has been handed down to us, is very good at managing creation and our lives. Sin leads us astray, so that we take the will of God with a grain of salt, but think that our ways of doing things, are what need to be done. We don't trust that God will provide and so we hoard. We don't trust that God wants peace, so we war. We don't trust that God really is forgiving and merciful, so we hang on to our bitterness and hatred toward others. We don't trust God in the bodies God gave to us, so we dress ourselves up, often trusting that the better we look, the better we are.

The power of sin grips us strongly, and tricks us into trusting ourselves rather than the goodness and mercy of God. To trust in God, is something that is learned, often painfully, and not very well, and yet God continues to teach us, and use us to teach others. Our baptismal rite helps us remember this, as it tells parents and sponsors:
you are ENTRUSTED with responsibilities: to with this person among God's faithful people, bring them to the word of God and the holy supper, teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, place in their hands the holy scriptures, and nurture them in faith and prayer, so that your children may LEARN to trust God, (notice trust comes first!) proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace.

About Lenten Prayer as CtK:
During Lent, I am inviting all of you at Christ the King, and anyone who would be willing to join us, to engage in praying together, seeking to hear God and be guided by Christ's life in our life together. To guide these prayers, I will be posting pictures centered around a word for the day. This comes from the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/LENTPHOTOADAY. Please feel free to join me in posting pictures and thoughts to your social media accounts or to the comments of this blog.