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Messages from Pastor Mark Borseth
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Pastor's Message, January 2018
“Journeying Together into New Territory in 2019”
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. Romans 8:14-16&19
I have a confession to make. I have been doing ministry mostly using my resources to lead you into a Christian journey dependent mostly on your resources. The focus on my ministry is going to change in 2019. I will be much more intentional in making sure that I am ministering more consistently by allowing the Spirit to guide me and God’s resources to work in and through me, and I will be leading you into a Christianity based not on your resources and agendas, but based on the Holy Spirit leading you and God’s resources working in and through you.
For 2000 years, the creation has been waiting for the church to be who we were created to be. All creation waits for us to figure out who we are, children of God motivated by love and not servants of God motivated by fear. All of creation waits for us to be led by the Spirit of God and not by our own agendas or what others want us to do. All of creation waits for the life, love and power of God to be manifest in and through us and not just have us do nice human ministry based on human effort and resources.
The roadmaps we have used in the past will not take us to the places God seeks to lead us in this new year. The roadmaps for the Christian life we have used have led us to have a professional Christian doing ministry to us and for us rather than having all of us become ministers to each other and the world. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to think that the place of ministry and encountering God is in the church building rather than in the world in day-to-day life. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to use most of our time, energy and resources maintaining a building, committee structure, a selection of ministries and an institution we call the church rather than being mobilized in the world as the body of Christ. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to see the Christian life being motivated by fear, shame and guilt to work hard trying to earn our way to heaven when we die rather than being moved by love, grace and God’s presence to be access points for the kingdom of Heaven to break into the world through us. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to see a God who acted in the past and will act again in the future rather than a God who speaks today and lives and works in and through his people today. We need a new map.
Actually, what we need is not a map for us to follow, but a Spirit to lead us. As He leads us from fear, guilt, shame, thinking we are servants rather than children of God and thinking we need to find our way out of this world to get to God, we can finally enter into brand new territory. We can enter a territory defined by peace, grace, love, value, seeing ourselves as children of God, seeing the Christian journey to be from God’s love and with God’s presence into the world where people need God’s presence and power so desperately. To be what all of creation has been waiting for, the revealing of the Children of God.
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. Romans 8:14-16&19
I have a confession to make. I have been doing ministry mostly using my resources to lead you into a Christian journey dependent mostly on your resources. The focus on my ministry is going to change in 2019. I will be much more intentional in making sure that I am ministering more consistently by allowing the Spirit to guide me and God’s resources to work in and through me, and I will be leading you into a Christianity based not on your resources and agendas, but based on the Holy Spirit leading you and God’s resources working in and through you.
For 2000 years, the creation has been waiting for the church to be who we were created to be. All creation waits for us to figure out who we are, children of God motivated by love and not servants of God motivated by fear. All of creation waits for us to be led by the Spirit of God and not by our own agendas or what others want us to do. All of creation waits for the life, love and power of God to be manifest in and through us and not just have us do nice human ministry based on human effort and resources.
The roadmaps we have used in the past will not take us to the places God seeks to lead us in this new year. The roadmaps for the Christian life we have used have led us to have a professional Christian doing ministry to us and for us rather than having all of us become ministers to each other and the world. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to think that the place of ministry and encountering God is in the church building rather than in the world in day-to-day life. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to use most of our time, energy and resources maintaining a building, committee structure, a selection of ministries and an institution we call the church rather than being mobilized in the world as the body of Christ. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to see the Christian life being motivated by fear, shame and guilt to work hard trying to earn our way to heaven when we die rather than being moved by love, grace and God’s presence to be access points for the kingdom of Heaven to break into the world through us. We need a new map.
The roadmaps we have used have led us to see a God who acted in the past and will act again in the future rather than a God who speaks today and lives and works in and through his people today. We need a new map.
Actually, what we need is not a map for us to follow, but a Spirit to lead us. As He leads us from fear, guilt, shame, thinking we are servants rather than children of God and thinking we need to find our way out of this world to get to God, we can finally enter into brand new territory. We can enter a territory defined by peace, grace, love, value, seeing ourselves as children of God, seeing the Christian journey to be from God’s love and with God’s presence into the world where people need God’s presence and power so desperately. To be what all of creation has been waiting for, the revealing of the Children of God.
Pastor's Message, December 2018
“Seeing 20/20 by 2020”
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
John 3:1-3
When you can only see human things through human eyes and do human works to impress a distant God, it’s hard to be more than a practitioner of religion. When you start seeing spiritual things through spiritual eyes, and begin to experience God working in and through you, you have started to understand and enter the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was starting to see things in Jesus he knew he didn’t have in himself. He could tell by looking at Jesus and seeing what he was doing that Jesus was from God. Nicodemus was good at telling people about God, but Jesus was able to bring people into the presence of God.
So, how would Nicodemus start to move from being a teacher of religion to someone who could see and enter the kingdom of God? Would it be through more intellectual insight or human activity? No, it would be by a gift of God allowing him to see and enter the kingdom of God. It would be through the Holy Spirit.
I am concerned that many Western Christians are very much like Nicodemus. We have our intellectual information about God and our human efforts to serve God all figured out, but we don’t know how to live in, see and participate with the presence and activity of the kingdom of God.
Not seeing and experiencing the kingdom of God is like living in a country where you don’t know the language or the culture. When we are in that situation, what do we tend to do? We hang out with people and go to places where we can keep speaking our language and live based on our culture. We find the tourist traps and eat at the McDonalds, but never really engage the people or the culture of the land.
God is at work all around us every day, but so often we miss it because we don’t hear what he is saying or recognize what he is doing. Jesus comes to open our eyes and ears to the kingdom so he can invite us to more fully experience the culture and activity of the kingdom of God.
But pastors and churches are not often trained to teach the language of the kingdom of God or show you how to live in the culture. They just indoctrinate you with church culture and language and surround you with other people who speak the same language and share the same culture. All the while, God is at work doing amazing things all around you, but you are too busy “doing church” to hear, see or join what God is doing.
During the coming year (the 2020’th year) I want to invite you to learn a new language and a new culture called the kingdom of God so that you don’t need to keep hanging out in religious ghettos where people know the culture and language of religion but don’t see, hear, touch or experience God. Instead, you can start seeing the kingdom and entering into the fullness of it.
May we start seeing and hearing the kingdom 20/20 by 2020!
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
John 3:1-3
When you can only see human things through human eyes and do human works to impress a distant God, it’s hard to be more than a practitioner of religion. When you start seeing spiritual things through spiritual eyes, and begin to experience God working in and through you, you have started to understand and enter the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was starting to see things in Jesus he knew he didn’t have in himself. He could tell by looking at Jesus and seeing what he was doing that Jesus was from God. Nicodemus was good at telling people about God, but Jesus was able to bring people into the presence of God.
So, how would Nicodemus start to move from being a teacher of religion to someone who could see and enter the kingdom of God? Would it be through more intellectual insight or human activity? No, it would be by a gift of God allowing him to see and enter the kingdom of God. It would be through the Holy Spirit.
I am concerned that many Western Christians are very much like Nicodemus. We have our intellectual information about God and our human efforts to serve God all figured out, but we don’t know how to live in, see and participate with the presence and activity of the kingdom of God.
Not seeing and experiencing the kingdom of God is like living in a country where you don’t know the language or the culture. When we are in that situation, what do we tend to do? We hang out with people and go to places where we can keep speaking our language and live based on our culture. We find the tourist traps and eat at the McDonalds, but never really engage the people or the culture of the land.
God is at work all around us every day, but so often we miss it because we don’t hear what he is saying or recognize what he is doing. Jesus comes to open our eyes and ears to the kingdom so he can invite us to more fully experience the culture and activity of the kingdom of God.
But pastors and churches are not often trained to teach the language of the kingdom of God or show you how to live in the culture. They just indoctrinate you with church culture and language and surround you with other people who speak the same language and share the same culture. All the while, God is at work doing amazing things all around you, but you are too busy “doing church” to hear, see or join what God is doing.
During the coming year (the 2020’th year) I want to invite you to learn a new language and a new culture called the kingdom of God so that you don’t need to keep hanging out in religious ghettos where people know the culture and language of religion but don’t see, hear, touch or experience God. Instead, you can start seeing the kingdom and entering into the fullness of it.
May we start seeing and hearing the kingdom 20/20 by 2020!
Pastor's Message, November 2018
“Curing Spiritual Amblyopia”
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” John 3:1-5
Personal disclosure time. My name is Mark, and I have amblyopia. Now that you know such an intimate (random) detail of my life, what difference does it make, and why am I writing about it in my church newsletter?
Some of you are asking, ‘What is amblyopia?” Well, I am glad you asked. Here is one definition:
Amblyopia, commonly referred to as 'lazy eye,' is a common eye condition in young children, characterized by one eye not developing eyesight as it should. When a child has amblyopia, their brain will focus on one eye and ignore the lazy eye, due to an issue in the nerve connecting the affected eye to the brain, resulting in a lack of stimulation and thus, impaired development.
I didn’t have my amblyopia diagnosed until I was in my 40s. By then, it had taken its toll. In my case, the sight in my left eye is significantly worse than the sight in my right eye. What my brain decided to do is turn off the signal from my left eye and only use the signal from my right eye. Luckily, when I got glasses at age 45, my left eye was still correctable, and now my brain processes information from both eyes, allowing me to see better in 3-D!
That’s all well and good, but why write about this in a church newsletter? I’m glad you asked. This is why. I am convinced, after 21 years of ordained ministry, that most churches and most Christians in 21stCentury America have spiritual amblyopia. We see the visible, fleshly, human realm just fine, but our ability to see in the spiritual realm is so weak our brains don’t even process that information any more.
Nicodemus visits Jesus because he is starting to notice a difference between his religious, intellectual, moral way of seeing life and the spiritual, experiential, love-based view of life he sees in Jesus and his followers. Jesus tells him his problem is that he cannot see the kingdom of God, only his human teaching and religion. He needs to have his spiritual eyes opened to live life fully.
I waited way too long to start seeing physically out of both eyes. I have tried to be more intentional about learning to see life through both eyes – earthly and spiritual. I don’t want to look back as I finish my time in ministry and realize I was satisfied having my congregation see out of only one eye.
As Lutherans, we have great theology (intellectual understanding of God – like Nicodemus), great social ministry (human activity to serve God), and ritual (human activity to worship God). This means we have excellent eyesight out of one eye – the human, earthly eye. What we don’t have is excellent vision out of the other eye – the spiritual, supernatural eye. And, because we see so poorly out of that eye, our brains have stopped even looking to see anything spiritual or supernatural.
My goal between now and 2020 is to help us to see 20/20 out of both eyes and not just one. I don’t want us to see the world 2-dimensionally through human intellect and activity. I want us to see three-dimensionally by also seeing spiritually. That will take some strengthening of eye number two. Are you willing to do some treatment for your spiritual Amblyopia in the year ahead? I hope you answer is “Yes.”
Developing Christian Community
The fullness of the Christian life cannot be attained by attending a worship service each week or by individual study of the Bible or Christian materials. It can only be attained by being part of Christian community. It is in smaller settings that people can get to know your life story, hear your dreams and struggles, pray for you, help you hear God’s voice for yourself and pray for healing or help you discover and practice Spiritual gifts.
Are you part of some sort of Christian community? An accountability partner, a prayer group, a ministry group or small group at church, friends or neighbors with whom you gather regularly? If not, why not use the year ahead to intentionally be part of such Christian community?
Let Pastor Mark know if you would like to be part of Christian community. Pray about whether God is calling you to gather a community around you – at church, at work, at school, in your neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be at church with members of RLC. Wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, he is in their midst. And, when he is in your midst, something good happens!
Men’s Ministry
Our Men’s ministry is in need of a fresh start. How do you see yourself (if you are a man) connecting with other men, inside or outside the church? Pastor Mark will be looking for suggestions. If you have ideas, let him know.
Looking Ahead to Advent & Christmas
Mark you calendar to keep Advent Wednesday nights open. We will gather at 6:00 for dinner followed by a time of worship at 7:00. Advent Wednesdays are December 5, 12 & 19.
Christmas Weekend schedule is as follows:
Saturday, December 22 – 4:30 Worship
Sunday, December 23 – 10:00 Worship
Monday, December 24 – 5:00 & 7:00 Christmas Eve Candle-light services
Pastor's Message, October 2018
“Reason to Study History: Asking God to do it again in Our Day”
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known Habakkuk 3:2
Much of my Sabbatical was to spend time visiting and studying places in history where God showed up in powerful ways. God didn’t stop showing up in lives and communities once the Bible was written. God continues to show up throughout history bringing renewal. The purpose of my Sabbatical was not to just learn what God did in history, but to use what he did in history as motivation to ask that he would do the same kinds of things today, in me, in the ministry of RLC.
Revival has happened in every area of the world in nearly every stream of the church over the past 2000 years. It has even happened in Lutheran churches (gasp!). Two of the main areas I studied were instances of revival breaking out among the Lutherans. Revival would break out with a group of refugees living on the estate of a German count in the early 1700’s, and it would occur in a Lutheran church. Revival would break out in Norway after a poor Norwegian farmer had an encounter with the Holy Spirit while in the early 1800’s.
My plan is to share with you some of what I have learned over several Sundays from September to November. This emphasis is not meant to just teach what God did in the past, but to make us hunger for God to do the same thing again today in our midst.
Part of each sermon will be to look at some of the ingredients present in individuals and communities experiencing revival. Not that we can make God bring revival to us, but we can align ourselves so we are ready to fully enter into it if and when it comes.
May we remember what God has done in the past, and may that awareness create a culture among ourselves where God has easy access to do the same in and through us today.
Sermon Series for September & October
Pastor Mark will be using different aspects of his travels and learnings from Sabbatical for sermon topics the next several weeks. The intent is to learn some information from what God has done in church history, and then use it to inspire us to be open and available for God to do the same kinds of things through us.
October 6-7 - “The Fruit of the Moravian Revival - John Wesley and the Methodist Church”
A young missionary named John Wesley will be drawn to the faith, love and joy of the Moravians, and by spending time with them, will be led into his own personal revival which will lead him and a new movement called Methodism to become a powerful force for God’s work in the world.
October 13-14 - “Christianity Invades Norway - St. Olav”
In the early 11th Century, God will use a Viking king to open the way for Christianity in Norway. Even though he will become a Saint in the church, he will never be clergy. He will die as a Viking king in battle. But he will have encounters with God which will lead the way for God to use him in powerful ways.
October 20-21 - “A Norwegian Farmer Encounters the Holy Spirit while out Plowing - Hans Nielsen Hauge
In the late 18th Century and early 19th Century, about the time Norway was starting to move toward declaring independence by writing a new Constitution (1814), a young farmer will have a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit while out plowing and will be used by God to transform the religious, economic and social climate of Norway.
October 27-28 - “From Acid Trips to Revival Among the Hippies - Ted & Liz Wise”
A young couple will have an experience of the Holy Spirit in San Francisco as the famous “Summer of Love” for the hippies is ready to happen. God will use this couple to spark a revival in the least expected place - 1967 among the Hippies in San Francisco.
November 3-4 - “Hippie Preacher Spreads Revival from the Bay Area to Southern Californian and Around the World - Lonnie Frisbee”
A young hippie will have an encounter with the Holy Spirit in a Canyon in Southern California which will cause him to share his faith in the streets of San Francisco. There, he will meet Ted and Liz Wise and become part of their team. He will go to Southern California where he will spark revival there and be part of the starting of two denominations - Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard.
The series will continue in November, but exact details have not been finalized yet. Stay tuned...
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known Habakkuk 3:2
Much of my Sabbatical was to spend time visiting and studying places in history where God showed up in powerful ways. God didn’t stop showing up in lives and communities once the Bible was written. God continues to show up throughout history bringing renewal. The purpose of my Sabbatical was not to just learn what God did in history, but to use what he did in history as motivation to ask that he would do the same kinds of things today, in me, in the ministry of RLC.
Revival has happened in every area of the world in nearly every stream of the church over the past 2000 years. It has even happened in Lutheran churches (gasp!). Two of the main areas I studied were instances of revival breaking out among the Lutherans. Revival would break out with a group of refugees living on the estate of a German count in the early 1700’s, and it would occur in a Lutheran church. Revival would break out in Norway after a poor Norwegian farmer had an encounter with the Holy Spirit while in the early 1800’s.
My plan is to share with you some of what I have learned over several Sundays from September to November. This emphasis is not meant to just teach what God did in the past, but to make us hunger for God to do the same thing again today in our midst.
Part of each sermon will be to look at some of the ingredients present in individuals and communities experiencing revival. Not that we can make God bring revival to us, but we can align ourselves so we are ready to fully enter into it if and when it comes.
May we remember what God has done in the past, and may that awareness create a culture among ourselves where God has easy access to do the same in and through us today.
Sermon Series for September & October
Pastor Mark will be using different aspects of his travels and learnings from Sabbatical for sermon topics the next several weeks. The intent is to learn some information from what God has done in church history, and then use it to inspire us to be open and available for God to do the same kinds of things through us.
October 6-7 - “The Fruit of the Moravian Revival - John Wesley and the Methodist Church”
A young missionary named John Wesley will be drawn to the faith, love and joy of the Moravians, and by spending time with them, will be led into his own personal revival which will lead him and a new movement called Methodism to become a powerful force for God’s work in the world.
October 13-14 - “Christianity Invades Norway - St. Olav”
In the early 11th Century, God will use a Viking king to open the way for Christianity in Norway. Even though he will become a Saint in the church, he will never be clergy. He will die as a Viking king in battle. But he will have encounters with God which will lead the way for God to use him in powerful ways.
October 20-21 - “A Norwegian Farmer Encounters the Holy Spirit while out Plowing - Hans Nielsen Hauge
In the late 18th Century and early 19th Century, about the time Norway was starting to move toward declaring independence by writing a new Constitution (1814), a young farmer will have a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit while out plowing and will be used by God to transform the religious, economic and social climate of Norway.
October 27-28 - “From Acid Trips to Revival Among the Hippies - Ted & Liz Wise”
A young couple will have an experience of the Holy Spirit in San Francisco as the famous “Summer of Love” for the hippies is ready to happen. God will use this couple to spark a revival in the least expected place - 1967 among the Hippies in San Francisco.
November 3-4 - “Hippie Preacher Spreads Revival from the Bay Area to Southern Californian and Around the World - Lonnie Frisbee”
A young hippie will have an encounter with the Holy Spirit in a Canyon in Southern California which will cause him to share his faith in the streets of San Francisco. There, he will meet Ted and Liz Wise and become part of their team. He will go to Southern California where he will spark revival there and be part of the starting of two denominations - Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard.
The series will continue in November, but exact details have not been finalized yet. Stay tuned...
Pastor's Message May-September:
There will be no monthly messages from June-September while Pastor Mark is on sabbatical.
We publish the last six months of Pastor Mark's messages here. For older messages, please refer to the newsletters.