Wednesday, March 6, 2013

DEVOTION:  "Keep my commands and follow them.  I am the Lord.  Do not profane my holy name.  I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.  I am the Lord, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.  I am the Lord."  Leviticus 23:31-33
 
I am in the middle of the law section of the Old Testament in my daily readings so please forgive me if the readings seem to be redundant and overbearing these last couple weeks.  There are a lot of laws. 
 
That is the trouble with reading the Bible for a lot of people.  We do well through Genesis and Exodus because there are so many interesting stories.  It isn't until we get to Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and we seem to get bogged down and lose interest.  This stuff gets a little tedious after a while. 
 
Isn't that the way regular Christian life goes though too?  Our Christian life can be excited for a time and be full of interesting things, but then we get into the daily grind and the day to day stuff and things seem to get boring.  That is when we start looking for more excitement and unfortunately we look in all the wrong places. 
 
I have come to the conclusion that this is the way with a  lot of people when it comes to the church and especially worship.  We crave excitement and new things and so when we go week to week and there isn't a whole lot of change and there isn't as much excitement as we would like we get bored and there is a danger that we will quit partaking and receiving of God's blessings given in worship and the Sacraments.  I pray that this never happens to you. 
 
We need to be reminded of the passage above when it comes to who our God is and how we live our lives accordingly.  WE cannot fall prey to the devil's schemes to make us uninterested in the Lord.  We cannot think of worship and church as a means of entertainment and a way to satisfy our cravings for excitement. 
 
Worship and our church family is a place where we receive what God wants to give us not what we only want to get.  Sometimes that means the law even if it is not exciting or entertaining.  Sometimes that means God comes to us in the every day mundane operations of day to day life. 
 
My prayer for you is that you see God not as a means to excitement or as someone you can take as you please, but someone who is the LORD, Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel and your Creator and Redeemer.  I pray that you will treat Him with the honor and respect that He is due so that He may truly fill you with His mercy, grace, and peace forever!
 
Let us pray:  Lord God, help me not to get bored with You.  Make my life worth living as I live in Your grace and as I go through the day to day operations of confession, repentance, absolution and forgiveness.  And even though it may seem tedious at times help me to see the value in living a boring life in You.  Amen.
 
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TUESDAY'S QUIZ: What would happen to anyone who curses his father or mother? He shall be put to death
 
(Bob was first again, then Sandy, then Pat, and then Dianne.)  Let's see if anyone can knock these four out of the top four spots!
 
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WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ:  What was to happen to debts at the end of every seven years?
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CALENDAR:
Wed- Turkey stuffing, green beans and dessert for Supper at 5:30; worship 6:30
Thurs- Jonesburg nursing home worship 10:30; Alzheimers caregivers support group 1pm;
Fri- Bible study at Hendershots 7pm
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30- Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am; elders noon; widow's group 1pm

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AVENUE OF THE SAINTS WILL NOT BE HERE THIS WEEKEND!!
Due to scheduling conflicts Corey Tobias and Bill Rowe will not be here this weekend.  They will be here on Sunday, March 24 instead. 
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JR AND SR HIGH YOUTH HAVE COMPLETED THEIR 30 HOUR FAMINE, BUT ARE STILL RAISING MONEY. 
 
Emily Brunson raised $105!!  Way to go Emily!!
 
They are now in the fundraising process for World Vision.  A Christian organization that provides emergency food and medical care to thousands in desperate need and also provides agricultural education and tools to dig wells and grow food.  The kids have a goal of $500 to raise by Sat, March 16!!!  Ask one of them about it when you see them.
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 LENTEN SUPPER MENU FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY!!!   Roasted turkey, stuffing, green beans, and dessert
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WORSHIP is at 6:30 WEDNESDAY!
Why did Israel have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years?  Find out next Wednesday!
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SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ADULTS, PARENTS, AND KIDS!!!  CHECK IT OUT!!
The kids have started a new program called CROSS EXPLORATIONS, that is very interactive and the kids say it is a lot of fun!!  In our adult class we are working through a video based Bible study called "Foundations" with Ken Ham who is the founder of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum!!
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TRAVELING FELLOWSHIP GROUP  (TFG) IS GOING TO THE CREATION MUSEUM IN CINCINNATI!!! 
A great time is planned for August 23-25 as we head to the Creation Museum just south of Cincinnati, Ohio.  We will be making a stop at the Abraham Lincoln National Historic Site in Kentucky on the way.  Along with the creation museum on Saturday, we will also enjoy a comedy on the Showboat majestic in the evening.  On Sunday we will tour the national museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.  As usual, cost will depend on the number of people going.  As of now it should run about $350 per person, plus meals, or $506 a couple.  If you are interested in this trip, please sign the sheet on the counter in the narthex.  Again you may invite your friends and family to join us.

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PRAYERS:
For CINDY RUST, friend of Pat Jaeger who is dealing with unidentified pain.
 
For KAREN STEWART, sister in law of Dianne Hance, who is having ankle surgery on Thursday.
 
For the FIGURA FAMILY as they mourn the loss of Jennifer's aunt Terry.
 
For MIKE DONSKY who is recovering from pre ulcers and some liver troubles, but is going back to work today .
 
For RUTH YOCHUM who is recovering from a terrible fall and two broken legs. 
 
For PAUL TOEDEBUSCH, who is meeting with the doctor Wednesday to find out about a possible bladder surgery to remove cancer.

For AUSTIN HEITGERD as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
 
For LIL WINTER who is recovering well from surgery.  
For CAROL KOHRS who is continuing to deal with pain due to severe arthritis and deterioration in her back and neck and recovery from gall bladder surgery.

  
 





 

 
 
 
 

 
 
      
           


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