If you are in need of pastoral care or if you know of someone that is hospitalized and needs visitation, please call Pastor Scott at the parish office at 701.983.4626.
If you would like to stop by and visit at the office, hours are Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 am to 2:00pm CT.
Pastor Scott Pierson is available anytime by phone. Office 701.983.4626 or cell 419.341.7491.
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Devotional 1/2/2025
The beginning of a new year often comes with new years resolutions. Habits that we want to adopt (like exercising more regularly) or stop (smoking is a rather popular one) are typically the center of these resolutions. For some, treating others better or at least being more intentional with how you interact with others can become a resolution. These new years resolutions become a starting point for us to try and lead a better life than we did the year before. The Sixth Commandment may not seem like it applies to everyone when it comes to this idea of leading a better life in the new year, but we will see just how applicable it is.
The Sixth Commandment reads “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” At first glance, this seems to be a Commandment that only directly affects those who are married. However, as with the other Commandments, we see that there is more behind the heart of this Commandment than just “not cheating on your spouse.” Martin Luther explains “What does this mean? – We should fear and love God so that we lead a chaste and pure life in word and deed, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.” The first part of the explanation revolves around the fear and love of God that we have for everything that He has done for us. Just like the other commandments, this is the heart behind what drives us to do these commandments.
“So that we lead a chaste and pure life in word and deed” is the second part of Luther’s explanation. This focuses on each of us regardless of our marital status. Married people are not the only ones who can commit sexual sins. This Commandment reminds us to be wary of putting ourselves in situations that cause us to sin. The immediate implication of the Sixth Commandment is that of sexual sin. Not watching movies or videos that tempt us in that way. Remember, Jesus was clear that looking at someone with lust for them is the same as committing adultery with them. So, we should be wary of putting ourselves in situations we know elicit feelings of lust. This warning to live chaste and pure lives extends to all aspects of our lives as well. It is good to be mindful of what temptations are around us and how to deal with them. The common example is that a recovering alcoholic shouldn’t go into a bar, and you shouldn’t offer them alcohol either. A chaste and pure life is lead when we look to the Lord for wisdom to see where we are tempted and seek strength to stay away from those temptations.
The last part of the explanation, “and that husband and wife love and honor each other,” naturally flows from the chaste and pure life. You have been called to put the needs of your spouse before your own. You can’t tend to their needs if you are putting your own sinful desires first. Whether those desires be in direct conflict with the Sixth commandment or some other sin, you cannot love your spouse as you have been called to do if you are choosing sin over them. There will be days that you fail. Everyone fails. That is the struggle with sin that we have because of the Fall. However, all of us can look to the Lord for forgiveness. We don’t need to try and hide our failures, because He knows all of them. Christ died to pay for those failures. We continue to live out our lives loving those around us washed in the blood of Christ.
Devotional 11/2/2024
November during an election year can be an exercise in not breaking the 5th Commandment, at least, when we understand the depth that the simple phrase “thou shalt not kill” covers. Hopefully, none of you struggle with the “killing” portion of what this law prohibits. If you do, you might want to get some help. Yet, the 5th Commandment is not simply a prohibition against murder. We see Jesus speaking about this commandment in Matthew 5. He says “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Jesus is explaining how far God’s command goes. It isn’t just about not stabbing people. It encompasses sinful anger. All of the things that Jesus points to are things that we tend to do when we are angry. Insulting people and demeaning them fall under the 5th commandment because they are things we do out of anger to harm someone else.
This brings us back to the month of November, where half of America is going to be gloating over the other half. Sadly, that is what will happen. People will celebrate that their candidate won the presidential election while rubbing it into the faces of those who voted against them. To be fair, not everyone is like that, but I am sure we all know people like this. People question others’ intelligence and morality because of the candidate they voted for. Thanksgiving will come around and people will inevitably bring up the election. I hope that those of you reading this won’t be partaking in any of the negative things that are bound to happen this month. But, what are we to do in the face of situations that tempt us to break the 5th commandment to some degree? Luther puts it well in his explanation to the 5th Commandment.
“We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbor no bodily harm nor cause him any suffering, but help and befriend him in every need.” There is a reason that Jesus tells His followers to turn the other cheek when struck by someone. We are not called to lash out in anger. We are called to help our neighbor. To seek their wellbeing. To promote their life. When we find ourselves in situations that make us want to seek an alternative, we need to repent. We need to turn to God and admit our sinful mindset. We should then go and love that person that we were tempted to be angry with. It isn’t always easy to do this. It is easy to be quick tempered and attack others when we feel attacked. But we are called to seek their good. To “befriend (them) in every need.” This month, if you find yourself in a situation where your patience is being tested, turn to the Lord. Repent of your bad attitude and seek Him for help in loving and befriending the person who is testing you. That is what this Commandment is here to teach us. To love our neighbor even when we don’t want to.
Devotional 10/1/2024
What does the 4th commandment have to do with politics? How can we gain insight in how to deal with our government from a commandment that says, “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God has given you.”? Martin Luther didn’t see this as simply a commandment geared toward one’s parents, but one that points toward how God desires us to treat those who have been put in authority over us. When explaining what the 4th commandment means, he wrote, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise our parents or superiors, nor provoke them to anger, but honor, serve, obey, love, and respect them.” The heart of this commandment is to honor those who God has put over us, whether that’s our parents, our bosses, or the leaders of our government. We see this play out throughout Scripture. From Daniel to Paul, we see faithful people serving God and their nation, despite the nation being oppressive and dangerous for them.
Daniel served as a rather important figure in Babylon. He worked for the good of a nation that was known for their brutality and who had tried their best to wipe out the nation of Israel. We worry about our nation, but Daniel served a nation that literally worshiped their leader as a god. Daniel’s friends were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship the king. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den for continuing to pray like he always did, despite a new law saying that people could only pray to the king. Imagine working hard for the good of that nation. Yet, that is what God called Daniel to.
Paul was executed by the Roman government for proclaiming the Gospel. All of the Apostles, except for John, were executed for their faith. Yet, we see them encourage their fellow believers to pray for their government and their emperor, the one who wanted them dead. This is the heart behind the 4th commandment. We see this on a small scale in the family, but it extends to all those who have authority over us. Kids are called to listen to and obey their parents, so long as the parents aren’t forcing the child to do something sinful. Daniel was told the way he prayed was illegal, so he prayed the way he had always prayed. Paul was told that proclaiming the Gospel was illegal, so he kept proclaiming the Gospel like he always did.
As we gear up for a rough month leading up to this year’s election, a month where false information and mud are going to be slung from both sides and we sit here wondering how we can serve whoever wins, we are reminded that God calls us to obey our government. We vote because that is part of obeying the government. Regardless of who wins, we are called to honor, obey, love and respect them. We do this because we love and fear God. So long as the government doesn’t try to force us to sin, we need to obey. No matter who gets elected, God will still be on His throne. No matter how we feel about the election, God is still in control. Some days, that is all we can rest in.
Devotional 9/3/2024
I never got to meet my grandfather on my dad’s side. He passed away several years before I was born. One of the things that I’ve heard about him is that he would often say that he felt closer to God out in nature. This is something that I’ve heard others say throughout my life, and I understand the sentiment. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of Good; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” It’s hard to argue with that when staring at a western North Dakota sunset. We should see the hand of God in His creation. I don’t want to downplay marveling at God’s creation; however, we can only get so far in understanding God from nature. There is a reason that so many ancient mythologies revolve around gods who govern nature, harvests, and other important aspects of life. Those ancient people could see that there was someone behind the nature they marveled at, but they were missing a key ingredient to understanding the God who created everything. They only had a general idea that there was a higher power and guessed how everything worked. However, we have the Word of God that reveals the God of Heaven to us. That is why the Word of God is so important, and that is the heart of the third commandment.
The Third Commandment states “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” You may ask, “What does that have to do with the Word of God?” Luther’s explanation of the Third Commandment is “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise His Word and the preaching of the same, but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it.” The heart of this commandment is to rest, as you are able, from physical earthly works and focus on the Word of God. This is done through meeting together as believers to hear the Word read and preached. It is done through partaking in the Sacraments, where the Word of God works through the water in baptism and the bread and wine of Communion to bring faith, grace, and forgiveness of sins to you. From the beginning, Christianity was a faith that was practiced in community. The first Christians met in houses and often ate meals together. The author of Hebrews even warns those who don’t feel the need to gather. Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We are meant to live out our faith in community with each other, encouraging each other to look to Christ. We can’t do that by ourselves in nature. There is a time and place for personal quiet time, but that isn’t what we are called to. We are called to be a blessing to others and to be blessed by others. We can’t do that if we neglect to come together for worship. We are called to gather to hear the Word of God and love one another. The greater our love for God and neighbor, the greater our desire to be with one another. That is the heart of the Third Commandment.
Devotional 8/2/2024
The Second Commandment reads “Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.” Martin Luther gave this explanation in his Small Catechism ‘What does this mean? – We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, conjure, lie, or deceive, by His Name, but call upon Him in every time of need and worship Him with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.” An example of this commandment in action is in the court room. We’ve all seen t.v. shows or movies that have a witness place their hand on a Bible and swear to “solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” With the added statement “So help you God.” The point of the oath is that you are swearing to tell the truth by God’s name and help. Swearing to tell the truth, and proceeding to tell the truth, is a good example of using God’s name rightly. Those who lie after swearing this oath commit perjury, which is illegal and a big deal. There should be a weight behind how we use God’s name and an authority to His name that we respect.
Our culture has slowly drifted away from this weightiness and respect for God’s name, though some my think it has happened quicker than they could ever imagine. Phrases such as “Oh my God” or simply the name “Jesus” are often used to denote displeasure or indignation towards something. I’ve heard stories of children who grew up believing that “Jesus” was a swear word said when you were reaching your boiling point. What damage to we do to peoples understanding of the Great God that we serve when we engage in flippant use of these “culturally acceptable” uses of God’s name? We are called to be lights on a hill and we do so by lifting God’s name up in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
We honor God’s name when we worship Him. When we sing of His praises and give glory to His mighty works. We honor God by honoring are promises. If we have made a vow before God or in His name, like the courtroom oath or your wedding vows, we honor Him by honoring those vows. When we pray for people in Christ’s name and assist them for the sake of Christ, we honor God’s name. We should be intentional in how we act and talk. We should be careful with how we speak about our Lord and savior, King Jesus. If we do fail, we can come to Him and seek forgiveness. He has promised in His name that our sins are forgiven through Him. We may fail to honor our promises made in God’s name, but God does not fail.
Devotional 6/3/2024
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you,” – Psalm 56:3
This was our theme verse for VBS this year, and one that I think serves as a good reminder of how good our God is amid fear. What fears can we come to God with? Is there a limit to how much we can lean on God? The answers are simple. We can bring all our fears to God and there is no limit to what we can bring to Him. Verse 3 doesn’t make its declaration in a vacuum. It isn’t some simple philosophical statement. The two verses that precede it show us what kind of fear David was dealing with.
Psalm 56:1-2 “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.” David’s fear is born from the reality that his life was in constant danger. Enemies lurked around every corner, and they all wanted to see David fail. Most people would either buckle under the pressure of these enemies or become paranoid of everyone’s intentions. David walked through what many would consider a “hell on Earth” for years, yet he continually put his trust in God.
We don’t have kings and armies vying for our heads on a pike, but we do have enemies that encroach on our lives. Sin, death, and the devil are three of the clearest enemies that we face. Our sin weighs our hearts down. It drags us away from the Lord who reaches out to us, and part of us wants to sink further away God. Death is an ever constant reality for us as humans. Many a person fears death, either because they are staring it the face or they are simply terrified of it. The devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour. One of these foes alone can leave you paralyzed in fear, yet all three of these are constantly knocking at our doors. It is easy to be afraid. It is easy to give into our fear. To run away and hide from anything that may threaten us. But King David points to the reason why he does not fear in verse 4.
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid, what can flesh do to me?” The reason that David does not fear is simple. His trust is in the Lord, the God of the Universe. What can man hope to accomplish against the Lord of the Universe? Those enemies that wished for David’s death couldn’t do anything to him unless the Lord allowed it. Man cannot fight against God. Our enemies might not be just men. But God defeated them at the Cross. Jesus delivered us from sin, death, and the devil at the Cross. We do not need to fear them because Jesus has won. It isn’t an ongoing war whose end is up in the air. Jesus has won, and we can trust in Him when fear creeps into our lives. His arms are open wide to comfort us and remind us that we are His and He is ours.
Devotional 5/6/2024
I’m a week late posting this here, but here is the devotional for May.
This month we celebrate Confirmation here at Trinity Lutheran Parish. We have 7 teens being confirmed between the two churches! This rite of passage has been an important part of the Lutheran tradition for a long time, and it serves as an important milestone in the life of a young believer. They’ve spent the last two years studying Luther’s Small Catechism and learning what we believe as Lutherans. Reflecting on this past year, I am reminded of the answer to the first question in the “Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism” found in the back of our AFLC Catechism. Martin Luther didn’t write the explanation, it came later and serves to flesh out the teaching of the Catechism, but the first question reaches the heart of the Gospel and the heart of the Catechism.
The first question is one that most of us have probably asked in some way shape or form. “What is God’s will concerning man?” The answer given is a direct quote from 1 Timothy 2:4. “[God] wills that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” The truth of Scripture is that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We have nothing to offer God, nothing to remedy our deadness. But Christ still came to Earth to die for the sins of all mankind. God desires for everyone to hear the good news that Christ died for their sins and rose from the dead to give them victory over sin, death, and the devil. We do not serve a malicious God who is waiting in anticipation to punish us for our sins. He takes no pleasure in our suffering. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that Jesus “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”
That joy comes from the fact that His death paid for our sins. God is a loving God and not some demon in disguise. His heart is for the lost and broken. Through Christ, we can come to the Father and seek forgiveness of our sins. We are reminded that we are Children of God through faith and that God loves His children. We can come back to Him no matter what we’ve been through. We can run to His open arms when life has broken us. Truly, God desires for all mankind to be saved. Rest in the truth that God loves you and Christ died for you.
Devotional 4/2/2024
Matthew 6:25-27 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
“Spring always comes.” A friend of mine often says this when they are tired of winter, especially on those days cold enough to freeze car batteries. This winter has been mild, pleasant even, yet we still canceled church a few times because of the weather and I am sure we all are ready for spring to truly start. It is easy to get caught up in the winter weather and feel like things will be cold and snowy forever, but Spring always comes. The temperatures rise and the snow melts. Flowers bloom and it is socially acceptable to wear shorts again. The bitter cold of winter is forgotten as our bodies thaw out. “Spring always comes” is a great reminder that things will get better.
Our day-to-day lives can go through seasons of winter. Times where everything seems to be going wrong and we don’t know if things will ever get better. Every day seems to be worse than the last as the worry, anxiety, and fear pile up like falling snow. It is hard to believe that things will change when there is six feet of snow and blowing wind, but “spring always comes.” Just as winter comes to an end, so do our personal winters. Spring isn’t always pretty, it can be mucky and a little chilly, but it isn’t winter. It gets warmer. It gets better. The Matthew text that we started with reminds us that God provides for us. Our lives are in His hands. We shouldn’t let worry and fear control us because our comfort is in the God of the Universe.
We may not know how our winters will end or how much of it will remain in our springs, but we do know that God is with us. He is by our side through it all. This doesn’t mean that everything will be sunshine and lollipops, we will still face hard times, but God is with us. If God can provide food for birds, how much more does He provide for His children? The seasons of our lives are marked by God’s continued presence and blessing. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t last long. The brutal winters of our soul would end us if it wasn’t for God. He brings us through them in His love and power. Our winters may come often and last a long time. But when we are called home, we will say goodbye to those personal winters. Eternity will be sunshine and lollipops, a place where it is always great. Our eternal Spring will make all the seasons of this life feel pale and fleeting. Spring will come.
Devotional 3/5/2024
March this year ushered us into second winter with a spectacular snowstorm. Seeing that caused me to think of Isaiah 55:10-11. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” It can be frustrating to see more snow arrive in March, but it does play an important role in our lives. I don’t know much about farming, but a dry and snowless winter means that there isn’t any water melting into the ground. The snow that we get is important for helping provide water to the soil when the time comes for the plants to try and grow again. We may not like the snow when it happens, but life would be a lot worse without it.
Just like how we may not like the snow, or the rain for that matter, the Word of God isn’t always easy to hear. There are many things in the Word that hurt or rub us the wrong way. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “There were none righteous, no not one” are only two examples of passages that remind us of our sinful state. The Ten Commandments and other Law passages show us our sins and convict us of our sinfulness. It isn’t fun to have our sins pointed out. It isn’t fun to become convinced that something we’ve enjoyed is sinful. But that painful and uncomfortable experience is needed for the seed of faith to grow. The water from the snow seeps into the ground to feed the seeds of plants, and the Word of God seeps into our hearts to feed our seed of faith. The Law breaks down the walls that we put up around our hearts that keep the good news of the Gospel out. The reality is that Christ died for your sins, that He doesn’t leave you nor forsake you. We are reminded that we are justified by his grace as a gift. The free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Those painful and uncomfortable moments with the Law pave the way for the Gospel to do its job. Both work together to water your faith seed, so that it may grow into a beautiful flower in the garden of God. The garden where all who believe in Christ are called God’s children.
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Devotional 2/14/2024:
Lent is upon us. As we begin the season of Lent, some may wonder what it is and why we do it. The season of Lent has been practiced since the Church was still young, and it serves as a time of repentance and reflection. In the Old Testament, the use of ashes in repentance was common. You see the refrain “they repented in sackcloth and ashes” often throughout the Old Testament. Job 42:6 declares “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” This is why Lent starts with Ash Wednesday. When people are marked by ash and reminded of their need to repent. Ash Wednesday ushers in a time of forty days (Sundays aren’t counted because those were ‘feast’ days in the Church) where we focus on the impending crucifixion of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection from the dead. As we look forward to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we take time to recognize why we celebrate those days. We reflect on our sinfulness and we repent. We may not wear sackcloth and ashes, but we repent with a heart that is turned to the Lord.
These times of repentance in the Old Testament were often matched by a time of fasting. Doing away with or limiting one’s consumption of food to focus on the Lord. People would repent and fast in faith, trusting in the Lord. That is why people often “give something up” for Lent. We rarely give up food completely for any length of time like the people of old would, but there are things that we can fast from today. Is there anything that takes away from your time with the Lord? Things that take up more time than you realize and leave you saying, “I just don’t have time to read Scripture”? I encourage you to think of something that you can give up this Lenten season, whether it is Social media, television, chocolate, or whatever you feel led to give up. Lent is a time for spiritual reflection and seeking the Lord. So, seek the Lord while he may be found.
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Devotional: As we enter into November, I am struck by the beauty of the snow. It might not always be welcome. The snow and the cold can be dangerous for livestock if it gets bad quickly. The roads become endless hazards that you may not notice until you’re in the ditch. Snow, and winter for that matter, may not incite the same sense of awe in all of us. However, there are few things more beautiful than a fresh snowfall. There is something about the pure white snow that creates a beautiful scene wherever it falls. There may be things about snow that we don’t like, but the beauty of it doesn’t change.
Thinking about snow reminds me of Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” The Lord first compares our sins to scarlet and crimson. The color of blood. A reminder of how devastating sin is. The Israelites had to sacrifice animals for their sins, and that blood was a constant reminder that they had failed the Lord. The nation of Israel also struggled with protecting the weak and marginalized of their society. Throughout their history, they would make sacrifices, sometimes human sacrifices, to the gods of the surrounding nations. They would fight and betray one another because of sinful desires. The color of blood was something that stained every Israelite from head to toe.
We may not offer animal or human sacrifices like the Israelites did, but we are still guilty of sinning. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus tell the crowds “If you look at your brother with anger, you are in danger of judgment.” Looking at your brother, or any human, with anger and hatred deserves the same punishment as murder. How many of us are guilty of this? This is only one sin that we as people can struggle with. Pick a commandment and there isn’t anyone who hasn’t struggled at some time with it. We are dead in our sin. Bloody corpses laying on the ground. We are in just as much need of our sins being made white like snow. And that has happened, by the blood of Christ.
It is interesting that the Lord chose to use the imagery of blood to describe the Israelite’s sins when it is the blood of Christ that washes away those sins! It’s as if the blood of Christ overcomes all things and erases those very sins, which it does! Our sins don’t go away, but they have been dealt with. The Lord describes the sins as going from red to white. It isn’t like our sins never happened. We still have real-world consequences that may come from our sins, but they no longer condemn us before the Lord. The blood of Christ flows to wash those sins because they flow from the wounds He took to pay for your sins. Christ’s death and resurrection takes you and your bloody corpse, washes you clean, and breathes new life into you. That which was dead is alive. That which was stained red by bloody sin has been redeemed to be beautiful like a fresh snowfall.