Pastor Sullivan's Blog

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Is God good? The world certainly doesn't think so. Thousands die in an earthquake. Countless homes are destroyed in wildfires. Hurricanes ravage cities and the world asks, “Why did God allow this or that to happen?” A terrorist destroys innocent lives in the name of his false God. Nihilists murder unsuspecting people in the name of an ideology. People wring their hands and ask “Where was God as that happened? Is God really good?” It’s tempting even for us who know the true God to look at the injustice in the world and believe that God may not be quite as good as He says He is. Do you ever look at the wicked and wonder why their lives seem so much better than the lives of the righteous? Asaph ponders this in the seventy-third psalm. He confesses, “ I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm ” (Psalm 73:3-...

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. When Christ calls Himself the Good Shepherd He calls His people sheep. Israel sang in Psalm 95, “ For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. ” Even though the Lord is the true shepherd of Israel, He used undershepherds throughout history. Psalm 77:20 says, “ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. ” The undershepherds appointed by the Lord were to lead the flock with the Word of the Lord, guide the sheep into repentance, teach them to avoid sin, and protect the lambs of God’s pasture from those who threatened the safety of their faith with false teachings which would scatter and destroy the flock. After Moses and Aaron, the Lord appointed priests and the Levites to teach the flock the Word of God. But mostly they were hirelings who didn’t care for the sheep. The Lord condemned such false shepherds. He said in Jeremiah 23:2, “ You have ...

Order of Holy Communion - Pg. 15 Hymn # 210 The Strife is O'er, the Battle Done Hymn # 431 The King of Love My Shepherd Is Hymn # 193 Christ the Lord is Risen Today   Introit THE EARTH || is full of the goodness of the | Lord. | - *             By the word of the Lord the heav- | ens | were | made. ( Psalm 33:5b–6a ) || Rejoice in the Lord, O you | right- | eous! *             For praise from the upright is | beau- | ti- | ful. || Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who | fear | Him, *             On those who hope in | His | mer- | cy. || To deliver their soul from | death, | - *             And to keep them alive | in | fa- | mine. || Our soul waits for the | Lord; | - *             He is our help | and | our | shield. ( Psalm 33:1, 18–20 ) || The earth is full of the goodness of the |...