DEVOTION: Romans 11:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,[a] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now[a] receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
This reading is confusing, and I don't really know why the people who put the list of readings together included this one. I will try my best to explain it to you.
There were two groups in Jesus' day that were directly opposed to each other. There were Jews, the people who lived in and around Jerusalem and Judah/Israel, and there were Gentiles, meaning everyone else. If you read the Old Testament, you can see very clearly the God chose the Israelites to be the nation that he would grant favor and grow into a great nation, and from which the Savior of the world would come. They would be highly favored as long as they kept his commands and laws. They didn't and so often they would lose favor with God, but God never abandoned his promise to bring forth the Savior from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Judah. He did what he promised.
The Israelites, on the other hand, didn't keep their promise, and so by the time Jesus is born the nation of Israel is decimated and is under control of Rome. Also, many of the people whose ancestors had believed in and served God faithfully had now traded the faith and the Religion that God had given them for one they had made up. Furthermore, when Jesus, the Savior of the world, came, they rejected him.
Meanwhile, since the beginning and throughout history, God had been bringing foreigners, called Gentiles, into his "chosen" nation. In fact, his nation was never about how or where you were born but about the trust and faith that you had in the creator who had favor, mercy, and grace on you. The ones born into the nation of Israel and tribe of Judah had rejected the Savior. Many among the Gentiles were now receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior through the preaching of the Gospel that Paul and the other apostles and believers had done.
This is brings us to the reading for today and what Paul is talking about. He is simply saying that it's not that God rejected the Jews but that the Jews had rejected him. Not all of the Jews rejected him. Paul was a Jew, most of the disciples were Jews, but many of the Jews rejected Jesus.
So Paul says that one of the reasons he is preaching the good news to the Gentiles is to make his fellow Jews jealous, so that they want what is being preached to the Gentiles, come to faith and be saved.
If the Jews had not rejected the Gospel, Paul and the other apostles would have never gone to the Gentiles. In other words, the Gentiles who received the Gospel have the Jews who rejected it to thank. At the same times, the Jews who are now listening to the Gospel, because of their jealousy, have the Gentiles to thank.
Conclusion: It doesn't matter how you hear the Gospel, or what it takes for you to be softened up and ready to receive it. What matters is that you hear it, believe it, and be saved. The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes!
Prayer: Thank you for softening me up through trials and failures so that I may hear the Gospel clearly, believe it, and be saved. Amen.
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CALENDAR:
Wed- Sewing Dresses 9:30-Noon; Ladies Aid meeting Noon; Stephen Ministry 6-8pm
Thurs- Warrenton School Starts, Little Lambs Open House 8:30-11; Karate 6:15-7:45; Lutheranism 101 6:30
Sat- Worship 5pm; (Men's breakfast moved to Sat, Aug. 26)
Sun Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; Voter's meeting 9:45
Sat-
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS WEEK:
Acolyte- 8:30- Dawn Sherman; 11- Abby Vossen
Ushers- Rich Boeger, Don Hance, Don Tate, Doug Walters
Altar- Set up- Marilyn Foster; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Elders- Sat- Charlie Figura; Sun- 8:30- Roy Bohning; 11- Steve Robine
Greeters- 8:30- Don and Wanda Turnure; 11- Steve and Sandy Robine
Lay Reader- Sat- ?????; Sun, 8:30- Erv Yoder 11- ???
Organist- Barb Dreyer
Pianists- Sat- Barb Dreyer Sun- Doug Walters
Projectionist: Sat- Perricone 8:30- Yoder 11- Sarah Cluver
TELLERS: Team #3
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ :
Who was Ezekiel's main audience? The Israelites who were in captivity in Babylon.
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TODAY'S QUIZ: Where did the one who from the waist down was fire and the waist up like glowing metal, pick up and take Ezekiel by the hair of his head in a vision?
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NEWS!!!!
Video of last Sunday's worship. Enjoy and share!
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MEN'S BREAKFAST RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 26.
Pastor will be out of town at a meeting this Saturday. Please mark your calendars appropriately.
VOTER'S MEETING THIS SUNDAY AT 9:45!!
Everyone who is a confirmed member of St. John's 18 years or older is a voting member. Please attend!
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FIRST STEPHEN MINISTRY TRAINING MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY AT 6PM!
Please plan to be there if you signed up!
LITTLE LAMBS GOLF OUTING, Sunday, Sept. 10
Registration- 12:30
Shotgun start- 1pm
Dinner and Prizes- 5pm
Cost- $60 per person
Two person scramble format
Hole Sponsorships available for $50 a piece (Think advertising)
Call Karin or Lisa at 456-2888 or pick up a registration form from the office!
ANNUAL LABOR DAY FLOAT TRIP
Place: Ozark Outdoors
Time: Meet at 9am
Canoes- $25 per person
Kayaks- $30 per person
Rafts- $31 per person (Children 7 and under free, and 7-12 are $15)
Tubes- $25 per person
Rides on Ozark busses are still $30 if you have your own equipment.
Call Teresa at 359-5041 or email her at tscott@usmo.com to sign up!
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OUR NEXT FIFTH SUNDAY CELEBRATION WILL BE ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29… REFORMATION SUNDAY!! TO CELEBRATE THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE REFORMATION AND THE POSTING OF THE 95 THESES BY MARTIN LUTHER ON THE CASTLE CHURCH DOOR IN WITTENBERG, GERMANY!!
It is going to be a blowout celebration! Mark your calendars today to make sure you are there to enjoy the celebration!
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OPERATION BACKPACK ITEMS COLLECTED FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST IS SOUP AND RAMEN NOODLES. Please bring items up to church and put them in the tub marked "Backpack Blessings".
GENERAL PRAYERS:
For GEORGE HOELSCHER as he is hospitalized with kidney failure and trouble breathing and as he hopes to continue chemo treatment soon.
For CAL TAMELER as he recovers from several surgeries at Mercy hospital.
For LIL WINTER who is hospitalized with a severe infection as well as other medical problems.
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PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL:
For SAM HARGROVE deployed in Amman, Jordan and DAN DREYER deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, that the Lord would keep them safe from harm during their service and bring them home safely.
For DAVID TATE stationed in Japan, COLTON FIGURA stationed in California, and ALEX WALTERS, stationed in Tennessee. That God would bless their service to our country and keep them safe as they all await possible deployment.
For CALEB FIGURA AND VINCE MASTERS who are both serving our country in the National Guard and take time out of their lives, jobs, and families to go on duty several times a year.
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