Daily Email: Tuesday, December 8, 2015

DEVOTION: Zephaniah 3:14-20

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
"Fear not, O Zion;
    let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
¹⁸ I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
¹⁹ Behold, at that time I will deal
    with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
    and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
    and renown in all the earth.
²⁰ At that time I will bring you in,
    at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
    among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
    before your eyes," says the Lord.

 

What a difference 24 hours can make.  Yesterday I woke up cheerful and happy.  I had gotten enough sleep and was ready and raring to go.  Even though I was headed to do a funeral, which is a sad time, I was at peace knowing that David was indeed in the best place there is in heaven!

 

This morning I woke up crabby, because I didn't sleep well, and Gus was given me flack for me making him wear what he was supposed to wear for his basketball game today.  Cara has a toe that's all black and blue under her toenail and hurts really badly.  I forgot my phone at home and had to make the trek all the way back home to get it, because, as you all know, no one can live without a cell phone anymore.  My attitude with all of it hasn't been the greatest either.  I've been awful grumpy so far today. 

 

Thank God that His promises don't change between those 24 hour periods.  His mercies are new every morning and they continue throughout the day! 

 

Check out the promises in this passage.  Aren't they awesome?  He has taken away our judgments!  The KING OF ISRAEL, the LORD is in our midst and never again will we fear evil!  How extremely fascinating is that?

 

These terrorists, these enemies of ours, these who would cause trouble, WE DON"T NEED TO FEAR ANY OF THEM!  They may hurt us bodily, but that hurt will soon go away as we go into eternity with Jesus!  That cancer may hurt for a while, but it will not last.   Your loved one may go away from you into heaven for a while, but you will not be separated forever. 

 

Have joy and rejoice in the promises of God!  All is not lost!  He has triumphed!  He has won the victory!  He is risen indeed!

 

Let us pray:  Lord, turn our frowns upside down as we rejoice in your precious and most certain promises.  Amen.

 

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CALENDAR:

Tues- No quilting or Bible study today; Building meeting canceled; trustees meeting 7pm

Wed- Advent Supper 5:30; Advent Worship 6:30; Choir 7:15
Sat- Sunday school Christmas program practice 9-11; Little Lambs Christmas Program 3pm; Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte- Wed- John Pezold  8:30- Jacob Winn   ; 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- Wed- Allan Dreyer, Lew Feldkamp, Kent Jacobsmeyer, Paul Klover; Sun- George, Gary, and ben Hoelscher, and Brent Davis
Altar- Set Up- Ruth Walters Clean up- Joanne Hachtel

Elders- Sat- Jim Rahn; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Steve McDowell
Greeters- 8:30- Dave and Linda Callies; 11- Steve and Sandy Robine
Lay readers- Sat- Jim Rahn 8:30- Jacob Nagel 11-  Steve McDowell
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist-  Wed. Rachel Fisher; Sun- Kathy Barrow
Projectionists: Sat. Pam Bueltmann  8:30- Terry McKenzie , 11- ?????
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YESTERDAY'S DAILY BIBLE QUIZ:  (Note: The rest of these for the rest of this year are in memory and in honor of Dianne Hance who faithfully answered this quiz daily!)

 

Who was Malachi and how many chapters does the book of Malachi have?

 

(Here's the answer from Pat King.)

 

1) There is not a single fact, in the Bible or elsewhere, regarding his ancestry or personal history. However, from the tenor of his prophecy, it is quite evident that he was most zealous in his devotion to Jehovah God, upholding His name and pure worship, and that he felt strong indignation toward those who profess to serve God but who serve only themselves. The name of Jehovah is mentioned 48 times in the four chapters of his prophecy.

His name in Hebrew is Mal·'a·khi′, which possibly means "My Messenger." The Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint, and the chronological order of the books all place Malachi last among the 12 so-called minor prophets. According to the tradition of the Great Synagogue, he lived after the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and was a contemporary of Nehemiah. t

 

There are some people who don't think Malachi is a proper name. Since the name means "my servant" or "my messenger," there are some scholars who believe that these may be the prophesies of a prophet who is now anonymous because his name is lost to history.

 

The book itself – which is the last book of the twelve minor prophets, and the last book in the Old Testament – is 3 chapters long in the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek Septuagint. And 4 chapters long in the Latin Vulgate. It focuses largely on the corruption of the priests, the neglect of God's Temple, and the personal sins of the people. He was sent as a prophet sometime between 450 - 425 BC to Jerusalem at a time when the spiritual zeal of the people was at a low. Malachi ends his book with a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah and his forerunner, who was John the Baptist (called Elijah). In this way, the Old Testament ends looking toward what God would do in the New Testament.

The theme of his book is that the people had not learned the lessons that they should have learned from the Babylonian Captivity that had taken place shortly before the time of Malachi. The people were sent into captivity as punishment for their sins, and now they were doing the same things all over again. But Malachi finds hope in the coming Messiah who will make all things right because He comes with the power of God.

 

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Today's BIBLE QUIZ: Who was Zephaniah?

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NEWS!!!! 

BUILDING MEETING CANCELED FOR TONIGHT! 
When a new date is scheduled we'll let you know!
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ADVENT SUPPER TOMORROW NIGHT AT 5:30!!!

 Below are the last names of families and individuals responsible for bringing food this Wednesday.  Please bring two of the following: salad, side dish, dessert.)

 

PLEASE BE FAITHFUL IN THIS!  It is a wonderful fellowship and worship opportunity!!!

 

 

Bader

Baldwin

Blankenship

Blechle

Blessing

Bohning

Brockfeld

Brown

Brunson

Clark

Cleveland

Cluver

Davis

Deroy

Dorn

Ebert

Elcan

Figura Jason

Filson

Fischer

Groeber

Groeper

Guetersloh

Heitgerd (both)

Hendershot

Hoescher Roy

Hoelscher Walter

Hofeldt

Huster

Jaeger

Johson

Klaustermeier

Klover

Lewis

Lichtsinn

Lindsey

Luebke (all)

McKenzie (Terry)

Miller

Nagel

Panhorst

Parks

Peery

Prouhet

Puckett Pat

Roseman

Rowe

Schaumberg

Schirr

Scott Josh

Scott Tim

Sevier

Shull

Simmerman

Smith Kyle

Spoede

Stark

Statler

Tameler

Tate

Temme

Toedebusch Wayne

Turnure

Weigle

Williams

Winn

Winter

Young

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ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS TO BE PLACED IN THE CHANCEL (ALTAR AREA) FOR CHRISTMAS IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF SOMEONE OR JUST AS A THANK YOU TO THE LORD FOR HIS CHURCH!!

$13.50 each

Sign up on the table in the narthex or call the church office.

Pay in the office or put your payment in the offering plate, but make sure it is CLEARLY MARKED "For POINSETTIA".

 

You can take them home with you after worship on Christmas Day!

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OFFERING ENVELOPES ARE ON THE TABLE IN THE NARTHEX!!!

If you are a confirmed member of St. John's you have offering envelopes!  Take them home!  Put money in them!  And Bring them back as your offering to the Lord!

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THE GARMS FAMILY SINGERS WILL BE HERE FOR A CHRISTMAS CONCERT ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 AT 6PM!!!

They are a wonderfully talented family who use their God-given abilities to honor him and bring entertainment to churches all around the USA.  Please mark your calendars and make every effort to be there.  You won't be disappointed.

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LADIES AID IS SELLING CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR $5 a BOX!!  

Once they're gone, that's it.  There won't be another order when they run out!  Get them today!  They're in the basement and you can give money to whoever is in the office.

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PLEASE ORDER SCRIP !!!!! 

A NEW AND EASY FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY!!! 

The order forms are on the table in the narthex!  Just about every store that you can think of is on the list!  Use the cards just like you would use a debit/credit card and help St. John's make  A LOT of money

Place your order, along with your check, made payable to St. Johns, in the "Bob the Builder" box. 

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OPERATION BACKPACK FOR DECEMBER IS CANNED SOUP AND RAMEN NOODLES!!! 

Please help feed the less fortunate kids in Warrenton and Warren County, all of whom get two meals at school during the school week, but go hungry on weekends. 

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UNMARKED BLUE ENVELOPE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GOING TO THE BUILDING EXPANSION PROGRAM
If you'd like it to go to the DCE fund you need to mark it for that!  Please make sure you mark the ENVELOPE clearly for the DCE PROGRAM!
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DO YOU HAVE A KROGER CARD?  ENROLL IT IN THE COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM!!!
Register it online www.krogercommunityrewards.com and have it swiped each time you shop to earn money for Little Lambs. 
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GENERAL PRAYERS:

For IRMA TRAVELET, as she recovers from surgery to repair her broken hip, shoulder and arm.

 

For the FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF DAVE KOHRS as they mourn his loss. 

 

For DAVE CALLIES as he recovers from losing a finger and injuries to others.

 

For CAL TAMELER as he is dealing with many complications and struggles with his eye.

 

For DAVE WINTER as he awaits an important test to identify troubling results from a prostate exam.

 

For DON PANHORST who is recovering from his third round of chemo that he received yesterday. 

 

For DONNNA LINDSEY'S DAD, as he has been moved to Lincoln County Nursing and Rehab to recover from kidney troubles.

 

For KARIN KLAUSTERMEIER as she recovers from her hysterectomy.   

 

For MARIANNE LINKE, who has been moved to Warrenton Manor and is receiving treatment and antibiotics for a very stubborn infection.

 

For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is in the Czech Republic to continue her mission work.

 

 

For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.