Living the Good Life

For one last time this Easter season … blessings to you in the name of the risen Christ!  Hallelujah!!

Our final Psalm in this Easter series is where the Psalms begin, Psalm 1:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;

but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

This Psalm holds a special place in my heart.  It was the first Psalm I ever memorized.  Under the guidance of my pastor, our 5th grade VBS class committed this Psalm to memory and then recited it to everyone on the last night of class.  I still remember how terrified we were and how nobody wanted to start the recital.  Then my mother gave me one of those looks and I knew it was time for me to say, “Blessed is the man …” and get things started (that’s how the RSV translation begins).

Ironic that I was beginning a Psalm about happiness and blessedness and felt scared. But maybe that’s an important observation about this Psalm.  We tend to think of happy as a warm fuzzy feeling we get when everything is easy-going and blissful.  But this is a different kind of happiness.  Walking in the ways of God doesn’t mean life will be easy or pain-free.  But following God’s way does lead to growth and new life – even if that learning sometimes comes with challenges.

If we strive to do God’s will in all things, we will find success for ourselves and for others.  That’s what I think the Psalmist means by meditating day and night on God’s laws.  Not reading about them for hours and hours.  Only the most wealthy and privileged could afford to do that, after all.  But striving to live the teachings of God – daily prayer, weekly worship, generosity, studying scripture, loving God and neighbor in other ways – will lead us to good and fruitful places.  These practices will give us deeply rooted faith.  And being deeply rooted in these teachings of God will keep us watered even in the driest of conditions.  Let it be so.

************************* 

Our Worship Schedule Each Sunday (Summer, too!):
**8:30am – worship in person, or online
**9:30am – worship on KWAD (920AM or 101.7FM)
**10am – worship in person

Geraniums
We are going to adorn the sanctuary with red geraniums Memorial weekend, May 30.  If you would like to sponsor a flower in honor or memory of a loved one, or simply as a gift, they are $5/plant.  After May 30th, the flowers will be planted to add color to our grounds throughout the summer.  Call the church office (631-2738), email church@wadenaimmanuel.org, or visit (http://bit.ly/ilcflowers) to sign up.

Graduate Sunday
We are recognizing our 2021 graduates and their families this Sunday (May 16) at the 10am service.  Please hold in prayer: Taliah Brown, Elliot Doyle, Tess Jones, Tony Kreklau, Alex Lunde, Alex Moe, and Kade Woods.

We’re Retooling our Prayer List
In an effort to keep a more timely and accessible prayer list, we’re making some changes.  Starting June 1, we will send our prayer list in this weekly email and will post the prayer list on our website.  We’re also changing our prayer list so that a prayer request will be added to our Sunday prayers for 4 weeks, unless a request to remove comes sooner.  Of course, you or your loved one can continue to be on our prayer list as long as you would like, but you would need to “renew” that request every four weeks.  Military prayers will remain on the list for six months, unless a request to remove comes sooner.  Email (church@wadenaimmanuel.org) or call (631-2738) the church office with prayer requests.  Or fill out this form: https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/prayerrequest

Check out our news page to learn more and for other important announcements: https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/announcements

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