DEVOTION: Luke 16:1-15 (ESV)
"The Parable of the Dishonest Manager"
"The Law and the Kingdom of God"
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Some have confused this passage and thought that the "rich man" in this parable is Jesus or God. It is not. Jesus is not commending the shrewd but dishonest manager for his dishonesty. Nor is he telling us that making friends with money will get you into heaven. Those :eternal dwellings" that Jesus speaks of are not heaven. In fact, it is just the opposite. The eternal dwellings he is speaking of may very well be hell.
The main point of this parable is what comes next. "You cannot serve both god and money." I see this especially true when it comes to how people treat their jobs versus how they treat worship. You would never think of skipping work on Sunday morning if you had to work. In fact, many people skip church to go to work and think nothing of it. I even did that for a while when I was a college student. It is not a good thing.
Too many Christians in this world, and even, dare I say it, at St. John's, serve money before they serve God. My friends, this cannot be! Which one is going to save your soul? Which one is going to bring you to eternal life?
Don't get me wrong, worship is not mandatory for salvation. God isn't going to send you to hell because you skipped church for a month or even six months of Sundays in a row. At the same time, the more you neglect worship and your church family, and the more you stay away from it, the more in danger you are of losing your faith, because you are not receiving the gifts God gives in worship. The peace of Christ that goes beyond all understanding cannot reach you if you are not partaking of the gifts which provide that peace to you.
Every day it is important to get up from bed and to very intentionally and straight forwardly, keep your priorities straight. Start the day off with a devotion instead of with checking your bank account. Start the day in prayer not in worry. Start the day in God's grace, not in service to the almighty dollar.
I leave the end of this devotion up to Jesus. "YOU CANNOT SERVE BOTH GOD AND MONEY!" Get this worked out with God today!
Prayer: Lord, help me to serve you with the gifts you give me, especially my money.
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CALENDAR
Thurs- October Newsletter deadline Karate 6; Medicare for Caregivers 6:30; Pregnancy resource Center meeting at First State Community Bank 7pm; No Lutheranism 101
Fri- 6-12 grade Lock In 10pm; Bible Study at Hendershots 7pm
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; Lock In ends at 9am; Worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Chapel 11
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:
Acolyte- 8:30- Cierra Figura 11- Cameron Faerber
Ushers- Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Rich Talbert, Don Turnure
Altar- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Elders- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Charlie Figura
Greeters- 8:30- Allan And Barb Dreyer; 11- Doug and Ruth Walters
Lay Readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone; 8:30- Jennifer Figura; 11- Stephanie Owenby
Piano- Sat- Molly Hendershot
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat- Perricone; 8:30- Yoder
"The Parable of the Dishonest Manager"
16 He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 3 And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.' 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 He said, 'A hundred measures[a] of oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred measures[b] of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world[c] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.""The Law and the Kingdom of God"
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Some have confused this passage and thought that the "rich man" in this parable is Jesus or God. It is not. Jesus is not commending the shrewd but dishonest manager for his dishonesty. Nor is he telling us that making friends with money will get you into heaven. Those :eternal dwellings" that Jesus speaks of are not heaven. In fact, it is just the opposite. The eternal dwellings he is speaking of may very well be hell.
The main point of this parable is what comes next. "You cannot serve both god and money." I see this especially true when it comes to how people treat their jobs versus how they treat worship. You would never think of skipping work on Sunday morning if you had to work. In fact, many people skip church to go to work and think nothing of it. I even did that for a while when I was a college student. It is not a good thing.
Too many Christians in this world, and even, dare I say it, at St. John's, serve money before they serve God. My friends, this cannot be! Which one is going to save your soul? Which one is going to bring you to eternal life?
Don't get me wrong, worship is not mandatory for salvation. God isn't going to send you to hell because you skipped church for a month or even six months of Sundays in a row. At the same time, the more you neglect worship and your church family, and the more you stay away from it, the more in danger you are of losing your faith, because you are not receiving the gifts God gives in worship. The peace of Christ that goes beyond all understanding cannot reach you if you are not partaking of the gifts which provide that peace to you.
Every day it is important to get up from bed and to very intentionally and straight forwardly, keep your priorities straight. Start the day off with a devotion instead of with checking your bank account. Start the day in prayer not in worry. Start the day in God's grace, not in service to the almighty dollar.
I leave the end of this devotion up to Jesus. "YOU CANNOT SERVE BOTH GOD AND MONEY!" Get this worked out with God today!
Prayer: Lord, help me to serve you with the gifts you give me, especially my money.
_________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR
Thurs- October Newsletter deadline Karate 6; Medicare for Caregivers 6:30; Pregnancy resource Center meeting at First State Community Bank 7pm; No Lutheranism 101
Fri- 6-12 grade Lock In 10pm; Bible Study at Hendershots 7pm
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; Lock In ends at 9am; Worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Chapel 11
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:
Acolyte- 8:30- Cierra Figura 11- Cameron Faerber
Ushers- Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Rich Talbert, Don Turnure
Altar- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Elders- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Charlie Figura
Greeters- 8:30- Allan And Barb Dreyer; 11- Doug and Ruth Walters
Lay Readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone; 8:30- Jennifer Figura; 11- Stephanie Owenby
Piano- Sat- Molly Hendershot
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat- Perricone; 8:30- Yoder
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: What are Sheol and Abaddon? (No answers, so I'll leave it up through the weekend.)
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NEWS!!!!
MEN'S RETREAT REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW!!
Go to www.t3mensretreat.org and register today! I want to see you there.
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LOCK IN THIS FRIDAY FOR ALL YOUTH IN 6TH-12TH GRADE!!!!
THINGS TO KNOW:
1. It will start at 10pm after the home football game.
2. It will end at 9am after breakfast.
3. If you are coming and bringing friends I need to know! Reply to this email, call or text at 636-359-1061
4. Bring your own snacks and $5 for pizza and breakfast.
4. Bring your own snacks and $5 for pizza and breakfast.
5. Bring your own games, basketballs, etc. to play with
6. There will be several Bible study and devotion times during the night.
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MEN'S BREAKFAST IS THIS SATURDAY MORNING AT 8AM!!
We'll be having breakfast with the youth who come to the lock in, and we'll continue our video study called "Regrets, Reality, Restoration"
We'll be having breakfast with the youth who come to the lock in, and we'll continue our video study called "Regrets, Reality, Restoration"
Menu: pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit
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OKTOBERFEST IS OCTOBER 1!!
Where? St. John's
What? a genuine Oktoberfest with real German food, bier, polka, games, bounce houses, and lots of fun!!
When? 4-10pm on October 1
What is needed? There are a lot of supplies and volunteers that are needed to make this happen! Call or text Kelsey @ 573-803-7826 to volunteer or to find out what is still needed.
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REGISTRATION FOR THE MEN'S RETREAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!! DEADLINE IS NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16!!
Go to www.t3mensretreat.org for details or give me a call at 636-359-1061.
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MEIDCARE FOR CAREGIVERS SEMINAR IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 AT 6:30PM!
Are you taking care of a loved one? Is it in your future? This workshop will help you prepare , from what to gather, how to store information, and how to avoid burning out. Drinks and sandwiches to follow. Call 456-2888 to make a reservation.
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PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER PLANNING MEETING THURSDAY AT 7PM AT FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK
Be there to show your support for the unborn!
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ANNUAL VENDOR FAIR IS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 9am-2pm!
Vendors should reserve their table through the church office 456-2888. Tables rent for $25 and checks should be madde payable to St. John's Ladies Aid.
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DO YOU SHOP AT KROGER? IF YOU DO YOU CAN EARN MONEY FOR LITTLE LAMBS!!!
Little Lambs receives a percentage of your purchases when you register your Kroger Plus Card number at www.kroger.com/communityawards. Register today!
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STEPHEN MINISTRY NEEDS MORE STEPHEN MINISTERS!!
Stephen ministry is a one on one caring ministry in which a person goes through 50 hours off training to be a better listener and care giver. Even if you don't become an active Stephen Minister, this training is beneficial just for your daily life!
Please consider going through the training! It is very beneficial.
And please consider becoming a Stephen Minister. It has been a huge help and benefit to our congregation for the last 13 years, and I would love to see it grow!
Call me at 636-359-1061 to let me know you're interested. Or go to www.stephenministry.org to learn more about it.
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GENERAL PRAYER
For BETTY TAMELER as she heals from two fractured and compressed vertebrae at home.
For PAM BUELTMANN as she recovers from a broken hip at St Joseph's< St Charles Rehab.
For JOYCE PIETZSCHKE as she is recovering from pneumonia and intestinal issues. She Is now in Parklane Rehab in Wentzville.
For PAUL TOEDEBUSCH who is recovering from a severe kidney infection at home.
For LOIS BOEGER'S MOM, who has been placed on hospice care due to cancer. She is at home.
For DENNIS PERREY, who is recovering at home from a very serious tractor and brush hog accident. He has 6 broken ribs, both lungs were punctured and, 2 vertebrae were cracked.
For BOB RUHL, who is recovering from heart surgery and infections at New Florence Care Center for the next month.
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