Online Worship Videos – Raquette Lake Chapel

If the service or sermon you are looking for is not listed, please visit Pastor Mortensen’s You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbEMZwngMxckndnW_cRFCaA.

All Online Videos

We often use the Celtic Compline, a link to the text is available online. Any additional texts will be noted with the video.

Print out our non-denominational Evening Prayer liturgy.

Pastoral Caring

First, I said "January 8" but it's really February 8! This is an evening prayer service taken mostly from The Book of Common Prayer, with a reading and reflection on a portion of Matthew's Gospel: "You are the salt of the earth..."

Thank you for joining the Raquette Lake Chapel's virtual community! To learn more about the chapel please visit www.raquettelakechapel.org. God's Peace!

A meditative service with readings from the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) followed by prayer and a brief period of silence after each verse.

The Beatitudes (NIV)
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This sermon was recorded for people unable to attend Sunday's morning prayer services due to "interesting" winter weather at The Church of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician, in Saranac Lake New York. God's peace!

Summary and Main Points of the Sermon:
This sermon brings together two Gospel messages that shape the heart of faith and discipleship. In John 1:29–42 Jesus does not begin with commands or explanations, but with an open and gentle invitation: “Come and see.” It is an invitation into relationship Jesus and people, presence, and experience. Faith begins not with certainty, but with curiosity. It begins by showing up, by spending time, by being willing to encounter something new and holy. John opens the door.

In Matthew 4:12–23, that invitation deepens and becomes active. Jesus now says, “Follow me.” Here, discipleship moves from seeing to going, from encounter to transformation. Lives are redirected. Old identities give way to new purpose. Transformation is not only personal growth but a reorientation of one’s whole life toward compassion, service, and nearness to God. The Matthew passage guides us through the door and gives direction to our journey.

Complementing each other, these two texts show the full rhythm of spiritual life: first we are invited to come and see, and then we are called to follow and be changed. One opens the door; the other shows the path forward. Faith is both encounter and transformation, both commitment and radical hospitality.

Prayers and a reflection on Martin Luther King Jr Day, January 19, 2026, with a reflection on the themes of moral responsibility and urgency, nonviolent resistance, and faith as active, not passive from King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."

From the video: "May we, in our own lives, hear that call to meet injustice not with silence, to resist not with violence, but to live a faith that reaches out, transforms hearts, and helps build a more just world."

Thank you for joining Raquette Lake Chapel's virtual community for this service! God's Peace!

An evening prayer liturgy with a special prayer for all people who are living in places impacted by war and violence:

"God of peace and justice, we pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, who are at risk and live in fear, that you would hold them and protect them. We pray in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.

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1 Minute Sermons

Mother Teresa never asked who someone was before helping them. She fed first. Listened later. She believed love should be practical, not impressive. For the sick and forgotten, being helped without judgment restored dignity long before health. Healing often starts with the basics: food, touch, consistency. She didn’t speak of kindness as philosophy. She lived it daily, quietly. Some people want to change the world through ideas. Others change it by caring for one person repeatedly. Mother Teresa showed that healing doesn’t require perfections. It requires showing up tomorrow with the same compassion as today.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus was asked, “When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” [Matthew 25:40]

May it be so. Amen!

If we want to talk about dignity and trust, let’s start with this: “So God created humankind in his image …” (Genesis 1:27). That statement is bedrock. Every person we live next to, work with, or meet, friend or stranger, was created in that same image. That is our inherent dignity, not earned, but given to each of us.

Trust begins when we recognize that and acknowledge that we are all made in the image of God and not opponents of each other.

In our shared lives this leads to us listening to each other without contempt, being open about our disagreements, and helping one another, even to the point of defending those who disagree with us when they are attacked. Our shared dignity requires this and without it, we cannot build trust.

By honoring the image of God in another person, trust has room to grow. Amen.

“Only on the surface do we experience differences.” A statement by Joyce Rupp, author and retreat leader. Our world trains our eyes to notice differences: age, culture, politics, appearance, nationality. They are real, but they are also superficial.

In scripture, Galatians 3:28, inspired a famous hymn: in Christ there is no east of west….If we can get past our superficial differences, we will find shared hopes and chance to build bridges with each other. Faith invites us to choose unity over division, dignity over judgment, and compassion over fear in the ordinary moments of everyday life.

It’s a good time to revisit that hymn: In Christ there is no East or West, In Him no South or North; But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth. Amen

A shortened version written by Sister Ruth Fox, OSB, in the 1980’s, for a group of diverse students at Dickinson State College.
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May God bless [us] you with a restless discomfort about easy answers,
half-truths and superficial relationships, so that [we]you may seek truth
boldly and love deep within [our] your heart[s].

May God bless [us] you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and
exploitation of people, so that [we] you may tirelessly work for justice,
freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless [us] you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer
from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that [we] you may reach out [our] your hand[s] to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless [us] you with enough foolishness to believe that [we] you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that [we] you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

There’s an expression that “80% of success is showing up.” I’d like to change that a little to capture a different focus: “80% of LIFE is showing up.” As part of being in a community and experiencing a shared life with others involves being there. But to “be there” and engage with others we sometimes must leave ourselves behind….take ourselves off center stage. We humble ourselves enough to recognize we are part of a bigger part of life than just ourselves…and that goes a long way.

Scripture tells us “Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4, NRSVUE)

When we step out of the spotlight, we finally discover the shared light, the shared community, we were meant to live in. AMEN.

Integrity is always doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.

Rewording a popular expression: “We can get away with some of the things some of the time, but we can’t get away with all of the things all of the time!” Just ask the Wells Fargo employees who were caught creating false bank accounts, the charities that are shut down every year for inappropriately using donations, or the politicians who say things to get elected and then conveniently forget them after winning.

The Book of Proverbs tells us: “He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.” (Proverbs 10:9:)

Intentionally doing the wrong thing, at any time for any reason, causes broken relationships, mistrust, and creates chaos. Integrity is quiet, but its consequences are loud. Amen

The American Psychology Association reports that compassion is in significant decline in contemporary society, especially among young people. This trend is often linked to a rise in narcissism and a shift towards self-centeredness, where individuals prioritize their own needs over those of others.

Another study by the John Templeton Foundation says people’s compassion declines as the number of suffering victims increases. The increasing disconnect between suffering and compassion demands we redouble our efforts to foster kindness and caring in our communities.

The book of Proverbs (21:13) warns us that “If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard.” When suffering becomes distant or overwhelming, people may turn away. Scripture warns that indifference to another’s pain has spiritual consequences for us. AMEN.

$Across spiritual traditions, truth is understood not just as accuracy, but as alignment with what is real and sacred. Christians are reminded in Colossians they are transformed: “Do not lie to one another… [because] you have put off the old self and put on the new” (Colossians 3:9–10). In Buddhist philosophy, Right Speech is part of the Eightfold Path which calls us to let go of falsehood, an agent of suffering. (3, of The Noble Eightfold Path) Two lines from a Hindu chant are “Lead us from delusion to truth. Lead us from darkness into light.” [Om Asatoma Sadgamaya] When we lie, we do more than mislead others. We fracture our own integrity. We feel divided, unsettled, disconnected from what gives us direction and peace. Alienation begins not outside us, but within us. Honesty brings us back into alignment with reality and sacredness and nourishes ourselves and our relationships with one another. Truth is not simply something we tell. It is something that leads us from darkness into light. AMEN$

“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” Rabindranath Tagore

That sentence captures something deep about responsibility and hope. It reminds us that some of the most important work we do is not for ourselves, but for those who come after us.

Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” We do not own this world; we care for it. And Genesis 2:15 says we are placed here “to till it and keep it,” to protect what has been entrusted to us.

Jadav “Molai” Payeng from India lived this truth. After seeing animals die on barren land as a youngster, he began planting trees. One at a time. For over forty years. Today, his forest is larger than Central Park.

We find meaning in our existence when we plant seeds we may never see fully grown. AMEN

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