http://www.stmikeslutheran.org/

St. Michael's Lutheran Church in NE Portland, 6700 NE 29th Avenue, Portland, OR (2026)

06/18/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Thursday, June 18:
Thursday of Pentecost 3 – Romans 5:6-15

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

In the film “The Last Full Measure,” the heroic acts of William Pitsenbarger are recounted along with the 32-year struggle of the men he saved to get him the Medal of Honor. Much of that struggle is fictional. The acts of heroism are not. Pitsenbarger was an Airforce pararescue medic who descended into a terrible battle in Vietnam and saved many men before he was killed. He repeatedly ran out of the perimeter in the face of enemy fire to retrieve wounded soldiers.

Our nation bestowed on this man its highest honor because of what he did. We see his self-sacrifice on behalf of his comrades to be worthy of praise. Paul is using this image to help us understand Christ, but he makes a critical distinction. Jesus takes it up a notch even from the heroic deeds of Pitsenbarger. He does not die for his fellow citizens or friends, but for his enemies. Christ died for the ungodly. God’s real enemy, you see, is your death, the product of sin and Satan’s schemes. Our reconciliation to God, the restoration of the relationship which was severed in Eden, is through God’s great self-sacrifice for us while we were subject to and bound to the very thing which God despised, the death of his creation.

There is great peace for you in this. God did not wait until you got something right before He extended his love toward you. There is no difficult standard which you must meet. God raises the dead and here is a bar we can all attain to. But, what is more, Paul points us to something equally precious. Now we rejoice in God for Christ’s reconciliation is real. We are at peace with God. Whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God’s will be done. This is what God wants: to be reconciled with you. Rejoice, Christ has done it.

06/17/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Wednesday, June 17:
Wednesday of Pentecost 3 – Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

It was a hot, humid late-afternoon. At least it seemed hot and humid to this Northwesterner who was visiting the Midwest that day. On the dock of the municipal lake stood an African-American man of retirement age, holding the rope affixed to a small boat bumping against the tires which lined the sides of the dock. He was clearly waiting.

“What are you fishing for?” I asked.

“Anything that’s biting,” he grinned. ‘We are not very good fishermen, but we just have a good time.”

Soon, from the parking lot came another man, a similarly-aged white fellow. They bantered and spoke like the old friends they clearly were. I watched them start the little motor and putter out until they disappeared behind a point of land. I could hear them talking across the water far out into the lake. It looked like a great deal of fun.

Does God enjoy being with us? Or does he tolerate us? The psalmist would answer this question for us. He invites us into the presence of God with thanksgiving, gladness, and rejoicing. God made us and delights in us. We are the sheep of his pasture, his creatures. God is not tolerating us, enduring us patiently like some paternalistic figure who puts up with us. He delights in us. We are his people. This is a sure thing for God’s steadfast love endures forever. Christ has seen to that on a cross and empty tomb. Rejoice today in the presence of God in your life.

06/16/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Tuesday, June 16:
Tuesday of Pentecost 3 – Exodus 19:1-8

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

Through her tears, the young woman in my office told a story which was too familiar. It had seemed like the right thing to do when they moved in together. It had been fun, and they did not need to get married. They were in love. Until they weren’t. Until, that is, he got abusive and controlling. But, as she saw it now, he had been abusive and controlling all along. Now it was time to get out with her child to safety and a chance to pick up the pieces of a broken life.

This story and its countless permutations occupy a fair amount of a pastor’s ministry and a professor’s vocation too. When I started teaching, I was surprised at how often living arrangements were disrupted and people had to move out during finals week. I have concluded that God’s command to get married first, then move in, and then have children is not only a command but also a really good idea. The sociologists who study these things will usually concur. Their studies also point to the importance of this sequence for human well-being.

Moses would have us look at another sequence of events that is terribly important today. Before God asks any faith or response from the people in Moses’ day, God first rescued them. He brought them up out of slavery in Egypt on eagles’ wings (what an image!) and brought them to Himself. It is only then that he calls for their faithful response. Notice the order of events. God rescues first, then they enter the covenant.

That order is important for us today. Perhaps your life has been lived out of order. I know that at times mine has been. God does not wait for us to get our lives straightened out before he rescues us, and he does not make his love contingent on our getting something right. The children of Israel were likely worshiping the Egyptian gods when Moses showed up. God loved them anyway. If life events have revealed the weak and broken places in your life, do not despair. God rescues people. He has been rescuing stinkers and sinners for a very long time.

06/15/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Monday, July 15:
Monday of Pentecost 3 – Prayer for the Week

Almighty, eternal Word, in the Word of Your apostles and prophets You have proclaimed to us your saving will. Grant us faith to believe Your promises that we may receive eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Have you ever received a summons to court or a note from the IRS that you are being audited? If you have, you might remember the terrible feelings such a communication can evoke. I once got a letter from the IRS. I was pretty young at that point and had been doing our taxes for a couple of years but was never quite sure I understood the complicated forms generated by the IRS. Imagine my surprise and relief when I opened the envelope and discovered not an invitation to appear before an auditor but a check, a rather substantial check at that. I had indeed made a mistake on my tax forms, but the IRS had caught it and refunded me the money I had overpaid.

I have something of the same reaction to this prayer. It speaks of God’s will. Usually, when I hear of God’s will, words like “submit” and “obey” come to mind. I do not like those words very much. Even worse, when I look around me, see the sin in my world and in my life, I am really wondering just what God’s will is. This situation seems to be broken. Does God want that?

Re-read the prayer again and notice the word which describes God’s will. It is a “saving will.” My reaction to God’s will is a little like all the negative things about taxes and audits that came to my mind when I saw the return address on that envelope. I expected the worst but had my expectations turned upside-down. The revealed will of God is that people are saved (I Tim. 2:4). It is important for Christians to remember that God has not revealed everything about Himself. In many ways he remains hidden from our view. But he has revealed his heart in Christ Jesus. He wants to save people (John 3:16-17). There is no crisis or scheme of the evil one which can thwart that will. We ask God for the faith which believes the promises. This is a time when God needs to give us that faith. Pray for it.

06/15/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Friday, June 12:
Friday of Pentecost 2 – Matt. 9:9–13

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

“She was the prettiest girl at the dance, and she could really dance.” Ken’s eyes sparkled when he told me how he and Berry had met those many years ago. They were still in love and wholly committed to each other. She responded with, “I couldn’t believe that this handsome young officer wanted to dance with me.”

I wonder what Matthew felt like when Jesus singled him out. The picture I have reproduced here is a photo of a painting made by the Renaissance artist Carravagio. It is entitled the “The Call of Matthew.” It hangs in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. I love the picture because of the surprise on Matthew’s face. You see Jesus’ hand extending out of the shadows where our Lord stands. Matthew seems to think there must be some mistake. Surely, He is calling someone else.

Matthew, the author of this Gospel account, puts this story immediately after the great climax of forgiveness in which Jesus heals the paralyzed man lowered through the roof. To prove that he had the power to forgive, he said to that man, “Get up and walk.” And he did.

Matthew knew what he was, a tax collector. Everyone reminded him of what a terrible person he was every day. Tax collectors had few friends. But one day, to everyone’s surprise, Jesus saw him and called him. That same Jesus has called you. It probably surprises some folks and should surprise you too. But Jesus does things like that. He loves us, despite us.

06/11/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Thursday, June 11:
Thursday of Pentecost 2 – Rom. 4:13–25

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

“Wait,” the city code specialist said, “what’s that box there on the edge of your drawing?” I told him it was the fireplace in my basement. “Is the fireplace original to the house? Is it built into the wall?” It is and I told him so. “That changes everything,” he said. “That means that this room was designed to be occupied when it was built in 1931, and it is grandfathered into the codes of the city.” The engineer whom I had hired to help me get this project done in my house turned to me and smiled. “Everyone should get a break once in a while,” he said. The code specialist took out his big stamping device and started stamping “Approved” on all my plans. It was a very good day.

In this section of Romans, Paul is essentially observing a technicality, much like that code enforcement guy was doing who was looking at the plans for my house project. He is noticing that Abraham believed and God counted him as righteous long before Abraham did any of the things that God would ask of His people in the Torah. It happens in Genesis 15:6, right after God tells him that he will have as many children as there are stars in the sky. Abraham believed and God counted it as righteousness. Abraham hadn’t done anything yet, at least not as an act of obedience to some command. In fact, God doesn’t command circumcision until chapter 17.

For Paul that is the slam dunk of his argument that we are justified through faith and not through works. Everyone who believes God’s promise is a child of Abraham now. God has said you are innocent in Christ. You are an heir to heaven. You will rise from the grave to new life in Christ. In trusting God to fulfill those promises, you share the faith of Abraham who was promised that there would be people just like you, his children from all the families of the earth.

06/10/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Wednesday, June 10:
Wednesday of Pentecost 2 – Psalm 119:65–72

Teth

65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, according to your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Glenn winced as he got out of the car to see me. He had been in a rather severe auto accident months earlier and it was still bothering him. He was getting along in years, and his body was not recuperating as quickly as it used to. He smiled and we sat down to talk. Our conversation turned toward his accident and long recovery.

I was amazed to hear Glenn say that this accident was one of the best things that ever happened to him. His life and attitude had wandered away from a true purpose. He had become self-centered, and every day had seen some new slights arise to make him angrier and angrier. All that had changed when he got his life rearranged by a speeding and reckless driver. They had maintained contact after the accident. Glenn had told the man not to feel badly about it, in fact, Glenn even thanked the man for hitting him. He felt that strongly about how God had used this event to rearrange his life.

In verse 71 of psalm 119 the Psalmist writes: “It is good for me that I was afflicted that I might learn your statutes.”

If you are in the midst of suffering, I cannot expect you to see this now. All I can do is offer you some hope. Affliction and pain are not God’s goals in your life. He is taking you somewhere. You have never left His loving care. Trust Him. If, on the other hand, you are reflecting on your suffering in the past, you too may be able to see what Glenn sees today. If so, you too might pray this prayer of verse 71 along with Glenn. Glenn passed away a few years ago. No more limp, no more suffering, only glory.

06/10/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Tuesday, June 9:
Tuesday of Pentecost 2 – Hosea 5:15-6:6

15 I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.
1 “Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

I have known many couples in my ministry. Some who have been married for decades and whose marriages were a testament to the durability of love and God’s gracious work. But, like you, I have known others whose marriages have fallen apart. I grieve for them. Every divorce is a scene of tremendous heartache. No one comes to a wedding, whether at Church or a civil ceremony with the idea that this won’t last. But sometimes sin gets in the way and destroys even the best things in life. As marriages fail there are often difficult words spoken and hard realities to be faced.

Hosea, the only prophet we have who was both a prophet in the northern tribes and from the northern tribes of Israel uses an extended marriage metaphor in his brief book of prophecy. He says that God is in a marriage that is falling apart. One of the two has been unfaithful. Of course, God is married to the people of Israel. These words are part of that bitter story. God returns to His place, cutting off the people, a last ditch effort to get them to see what they have done. It is a little like a philanderer coming to his house and finding his aggrieved wife has put all his things out on the front lawn and changed the locks so he cannot get in.

The people of Israel seem to repent. They would return to the Lord. He has torn us but perhaps he will relent. There is hope. Like spring showers revive the parched land so His love might revive them. But God’s response is wary, like a spouse who has heard all this before and has been disappointed. What shall He do with His faithless people? He wants their love not the baubles they imagine will win His favor.

Hosea embeds the answer to God’s question in this text. On the third day He will raise us up. No Christian can hear those words without thinking of that third day when Jesus rose and in so doing, He raised us up too, having slain us by the words of His mouth. Jesus has loved and known God and given His life to us that we now may love and know the Lord as the Lord has always desired for us.

06/08/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Monday, June 8:
Monday of Pentecost 2 – Prayer of the Day

Almighty and most merciful God, You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hear His call and to follow Him by faith that we may feast with Him forever in His kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

I had spent the whole day with Lutheran theologians at a conference held on a university campus. We had spoken about good things. I had reconnected with old friends and colleagues. It was good to be there, but honestly, after a whole day of it, I needed some space away from Lutherans and their problems. But there was this dinner planned, and we were expected to be there. It was a warm evening and the venue where we gathered had a large patio area. I found a comfortable chair outside and watched the setting sun. It was a moment of solitude, and I was glad of it. Until in a moment it wasn’t a moment of solitude.

A large young man sat next me. I had never seen him before. He wasn’t part of our group. He was another person who had come to eat at the same restaurant. He wanted to talk and after exchanging a few pleasantries it came out that I was a pastor. It was as if a floodgate opened at that point. In a few moments were deep into a conversation about him, his life, and God. Afterwards, he thanked me and said he had no plan to do something like this when he had come to meet some friends here. He did not know why he came early that evening or what had prompted him to sit by me and just start talking. But he was very glad that he did.

I felt then and now that it was one of those strange God moments. A time when Jesus rather takes over and gets a little more directive in a person’s life. I think Jesus saw this man’s pain and put me there because Jesus seeks and saves the lost people. Of course, the alternative view is that I was the lost person who needed someone to rescue me from my self-indulgent funk. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. I entered that time of fellowship with my colleagues much more glad to be there than I ever imagined possible.

Open our ears and our hearts, O Lord, to hear Your call and follow You to heaven’s feast.

06/05/2026

Pastor Brandt's devotion for Friday, June 5:
Friday of the Festival of Trinity – Matthew 28:16-20

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

My father was a bit of a restless person. Even in retirement he could not sit still. He was serving a congregation and preaching throughout his retirement right up until the brief illness which took his life some years ago. He sometimes joked that he was addicted to preaching. He could not stop.
There is something of that same restlessness to this passage which we hear in the week of Trinity. We have it this week because it mentions the three persons of the Trinity and because we recite it at every baptism. I love this passage, however, because it will not let Trinity be static, a box we check off and leave alone. Trinity is all tied up with the disciple-making Church. The very act of making disciples, the baptizing and teaching is intricately associated with Trinity. It is the work of this triune God. God is not just there, present like some piece of furniture standing in the corner of my room; the Triune God does something. We proclaim the Triune God – the sending Father, the obedient, dying, rising Son, the Spirit who makes us holy. We teach these things. When one becomes a Christian one is brought into that name of God.
Right now, it feels like the Church has come to a stop or might be retreating in this world. That is likely a perception borne of our location more than a fact, but the perception is real. I hear these words and I know that God is restless, always seeking some way to reach the lost man or woman. Not too long ago the Surgeon General of the United States declared loneliness a health emergency. I sometimes wonder if the recent pandemic was not an opportunity for our God to shake up our churches, to get us out of our set ways and to impel us back into the lives of the people around us. We offer them the very sort of community which the experts are telling us lies at the heart of health and well-being. Is Jesus laying the groundwork for a revival of the church through its community? People flocked to Jesus because He offered them healing. God has not stopped caring for the lost. He is still reaching out to them. How does he do that through your life in these days? These are the last words in the Gospel according to Matthew. He put them there because he wants us to remember this. Pray a prayer that this work of God takes shapes in your life.

St. Michael's Lutheran Church in NE Portland

06/18/2026

06/17/2026

06/16/2026

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

06/08/2026

06/05/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Place Of Worship

Shortcuts

Share

Category