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Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord

by Vicar Lisa

I greet you from Luther Seminary located in Minnesota.  It is beautiful here, spring is in full bloom and it is joyous to see my classmates again. Despite my joy however, I find myself stressed and out of sorts with the unrest going on in the world, our country, and our church home. I found this beautiful devotional and I wanted to share with you all.

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry for you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Psalm 130 Devotional

Source: God Pause published by Lutheran Seminary. This devotion was composed by Daniel B. Carlson ’82 M.Div.

When I lived in the Northern climate, I suffered from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — a depression caused by too much darkness. The only remedy was for me to sit under “my lamp” and take vitamin D. The writer of this “Song of Ascents” cries out to God in some form of pain, be it depression, poverty, grief, abuse, illness, causing feelings of being deep in the pits of life. Still the psalmist cries out from the depths, confident that the God of mercy will hear and respond.

Even in the deepest pits of life, my soul can wait on the Lord, knowing that with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with God there is power to redeem. God hears our cries from our depths, meeting us in the abyss of our pain and suffering and walks with us in and through it, sharing and leading us to the light of God’s redemption.

3nd Sunday After Pentecost

10 a.m. Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Fellowship Times: Join us after worship for coffee and conversation.
  • Church Council: The Zion’s Church Council meets after worship on Sunday in the lower level of the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome
  • Bible Study: Our weekday study continues every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. This week, Pastor Becky McNeil continues a Kerygma study on Spirituality and the Lord’s Prayer.
  • Save the Date: On June 16 and 23, during fellowship, we will continue our Reconciling in Christ discussions in open cottage meetings. We will be asking two questions for discussion: “What do you love about Zion’s?” and “What opportunities and challenges do you foresee Zion’s facing if we become an RIC Congregation?”
  • Flowers: There are several days available this summer to sponsor flowers. Select the date in the flower book at the back of the sanctuary, write your name and the commemoration you want included in the bulletin. A minimum donation of $35 is encouraged and donation envelopes are in the flower book.
  • Zion’s Newsletter: The July newsletter Connections was sent via email on May 31. Copies of the newsletter also are available in the back of the Sanctuary and in the Fellowship Hall as well as on our website. The deadline for the July issue of the newsletter is June 20.
  • Celebrating Bishop Gonia: At 3 p.m. on June 29, First Lutheran Church of Colorado Springs will celebrate the ministry of Bishop Jim Gonia, who retires July 31. Bishop Gonia has served the Rocky Mountain Synod as Bishop since 2012 and helped Zion’s through some difficult times. Zion’s members and friends are welcome to attend the celebration.
  • Prayer List Updates: We are updating the prayer lists for the summer. If you have changes for the current list or requests for additions, please let Vicar Lisa, Julie Wersal, or Jo Moss know
  • VBS Info: Community Vacation Bible School will be from 9 a.m. to noon, June 10-14, at Fisher Peak Community Church on Santa Fe Trail. The theme is "Breaker Rock Beach — God's Rock Solid Truth in a World of Shifting Sands”. This is for children pre-K through sixth grade. Details and registration forms can be found at: https://www.fisherspeakcc.org/vbs.

E-formation – 3nd Sunday after Pentecost, June 9

Mark’s narratives proclaim that Jesus’ power comes, not from evil, but from God, for good. We are now those who become Jesus’ mother, brothers, and sisters as we hear the word, share the meal, and enact God’s will in the world.

Mark 3:20-35

What is the power upon which we rely? Mark asks us to take with utter seriousness the power of evil and to trust with all those who do the will of God that Jesus embodies the power of God. The claim that there is a sin that cannot be forgiven contrasts with other biblical passages that indicate that God will always forgive.

Genesis 3:8-15

The legend of the fall is read here to connect with Mark’s discussion of Satan, since Christian interpretation saw the snake of Genesis 3 as an embodiment of the devil, always acting to destroy what God wills. The woman and the man (who are not yet named) can function as nongendered symbols of all humans who too readily heed the voice of evil rather than the will of God.

2 Corinthians 4:1—5:1

Today’s reading of 2 Corinthians hears Paul urging us, despite contemporary afflictions, to believe in Jesus, who will bring us into his presence. In worship we are already in Christ’s presence. The church itself has been described as the building that God has constructed. We hope to stand, not only with the woman and the man, naked and ashamed of our sin, but also with Jesus, to the glory of God.

Zion's Lutheran Church

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785