DEVOTION: Mark 1:29-39 English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus Heals Many
29 And immediately he[a] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." 38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
A few things stick out to me about this passage this morning:
- Peter had a mother in law- We usually don't think about the disciples having families and all of the other regular things that people do. He probably had kids too, although the Scriptures never mention them. They were all regular folks, like you and me, that Jesus called to follow him.
- The whole city was gathered together at the door- Can you imagine the pressure, the chaos, the stress? All of these people had no real doctor. There was no penicillin. There was no Advil or Tylenol. There wasn't even good anesthesia. All of these people were in pain and had loved ones with them that were clamoring ffor Jesus to heal them. Jesus was still fully human, and although he was a perfect one as well as God, didn't use his divinity as much as he could have while here on earth. He was plain exhausted.
- He didn't permit the demons to speak- In this case, not all press is good press. Demons telling the world who Jesus is would discredit Jesus. Yet, if he has power to keep them from speaking it proves that he is who he says he is.
- He went out by himself and prayed- Remember, he was exhausted, he could've slept in. yet, he knew better than anyone else where true rest comes from. It comes from his Father. It comes from spending time with God. You can sleep all day and night and still not be rested, or you can go to God, lay all your cares on him, take his yoke upon you, and get REAL rest. It's your choice. Stay away from church, from the fellowship of the saints, from his Word and Sacraments and seek "rest" elsewhere, or come to church, participate in the fellowship of the saints, and receive real rest.
- The real reason he came was not to cast out every demon and heal every illness. Demons still exist today and just as many people sick and die every day. He came to preach, to proclaim the good news! He came to proclaim that he, the kingdom of God, had come, and that he would soon, suffer, die and rise again for all off them. He came to proclaim victory over sin, death, the devil, and hell! He came that we may have life and have it to the full!
Just my notes and thoughts for today. You take them and share them as you wish. Peace be with you all!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for all your benefits, for healing, for faith, for rest, and for salvation. Help me appreciate them more each day. Amen.
___________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Thurs- Alzheimer's Support 1pm; karate 6:15-7:15; Confirmation make up 6:30
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school and adult Bible class 9:45
_____________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Nick Schulze; 11- Cameron Faerber
Ushers- Sat- Bob Linke; Sun- Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Gary Hoelscher, Ben Hoelscher, 11- Dave Winter
Altar- Set up- Doug and Ruth Walters; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Communion assistant- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Jason Cluver, 11- Dave Winter
Greeters- 8:30- Jim and Vickie McRae; 11- Marv and Molly Hendershot
Projectionists- Sat- Fischer; 8:30- McKenzie; 11- Addie Hoelscher
Lay Readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; 8:30- Tim Linke 11- Luke Rausch
Organist- Barb Dreyer
Pianists- Sunday at 11- Doug Walters
________________________________________________________________
YESTERDAY'S QUIZ:
Who was Aaron and what great sin did he commit?
From Pat King: (Because she likes to ramble on and on and on.) This is EASY!!!!!!
So, Aaron was the older brother of Moses – by 3 years. So, I guess the Egyptians weren't killing all the Israeli boys when he was born, or else he'd have been the one in the reed basket. Anyway, he stood by Moses' side when he went before the Pharaoh, because – if you remember – Moses came up with that lame excuse about being just a child and unable to speak the proper words.
So his biggest sin was making the golden calf and worshiping it – thus breaking God's #1 commandment – Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. He also broke the one about coveting – since he was jealous of his brother's standing with God. He later was in on the mess that prevented Moses from entering the Promise Land – because again, he and Moses and Miriam thought they had to "improve" on God's instructions. (He shared the same fate as Moses, and died up on a mountain, overlooking the land he was forbidden to enter). But God was pretty lenient with him. Instead of zapping him with lightning, or letting the ground swallow him whole, for his various sins, God appointed him as his first High Priest – a position Aaron held until his death. And He made Aaron's descendants – the house of Levi – the priestly class of Israel.
From Don Nolte: (because he likes to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.) and Aaron was the Son Jochebed and was the elder brother of Moses. In a weak moment he yielded to idolatry among his people.
_____________________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S QUIZ: When was the one time when there were too many offerings brought to the house of the Lord?
____________________________________________________________
NEWS:
RETIREMENT SEMINARS AVAILABLE. WHO IS INTERESTED?
Denny Hagan from eldercare associates would like to know how many people would be interested in attending one or more of the following seminars if he were to come out to St. John's to do them.
- Identity theft. With tax season coming, this is a serious concern to not only seniors, but to everybody that has a Social Security Number. As a matter of fact, the most profitable Information on the net, is for children. It takes much longer to catch the issue, due to lack of use of the children's numbers.
- Changes in how Medicare Part B, is billed to Seniors, It is more important than ever that one takes the time to plan their retirement. Medicare part B is billed based on one's income, and to make it even more confusing, it is based on your income of 2 years ago. Now, before we start scaring anybody, If they are already receiving benefits, this new rule, will not apply. All of these rules, are changes in Social Security.
- Understanding Social Security: how to get all that is coming to you and making the most of it.
If anyone is interested in any of these, please let me know, and if we get enough people interested, we will get Denny to come out and do a presentation.
______________________________________________________________________________
A NEW SUPPORT GROUP FOR SOLDIERS HAS FORMED CALLED "WARRIORS' JOURNEY HOME"
It is a nonsectarian, nonpolitical group that will be meeting the second Sunday of the month at 2pm at Bridgeway Behavioral Health 1206 E. Veteran's memorial Parkway in Warrenton. Rev. Dr. Gary Ellul (retired from the Army, a licensed counselor, and pastor at St. Paul's In Jonesburg) will be leading the group. You can call his office if you are interested or know someone who is. Phone number is 636-224-1411. Pamphlets are on the counter in the narthex if you would like more information.
_________________________________________________________________
OFFERING ENVELOPES ARE ON THE SHELVES UNDERNEATH THE CHURCH MAILBOXES IN THE NARTHEX IF YOU HAVEN'T PICKED THEM UP YET!
_________________________________________________________________________
OUR LAST DIRECTORY (Last updated in August of 2016) has a lot of outdated phone numbers. If your number has changed, please call the office 456-2888 and let Terry know!
________________________________________________________________________________
DUE TO SOME TROUBLES WITH OUR CHURCH EMAIL ADDRESS WE HAVE HAD TO GET A NEW ONE
Our new email address is sjwarrlutheran@gmail.com. Please change it in your address books!!
Pastor's email, revklaus@hotmail.com will remain the same.
______________________________________________________
A NEW AND EXPANDED VERSION OF LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM IS AVAILABLE AT A REDUCED PRICE OF $14.49!!
It is a great tool for learning and for daily meditation and devotions. Sign up to get your copy in the narthex today!
___________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS IS STILL SELLING CANDY BARS AND COULD USE YOUR HELP!
If you'd like to help sell a box or two of candy bars as a fundraiser for Little Lambs preschool. Let Terry or one of the preschool ladies know. They'll hook you up right quick!
_________________________________________________________________________
DO YOU HAVE A THRIVENT FINANCIAL ACCOUNT OR POLICY?
You may be eligible to receive money for Little Lambs or Good Shepherd!! Go to www.thrivent.com/choicedollars to check it out!
________________________________________________________________________________
OPERATION BACKPACK DONATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY IS CANNED FRUIT.
____________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS:
For LIL WINTER as she undergoes several tests to find out what is wrong with her heart today.
For PAUL TOEDEBUSCH as he continues to recover from a broken leg and severely sprained ankle. He has to wear a boot for 4 more weeks, but can walk on it and use a cane to get around.
For PAT MANESS who is moving to Twin Oaks today.
For GEORGE HOESCHER as his cancer has returned after a very short time of being in remission.
For GINA BOHNING (Roy Bohning's wife), BUCK HAMPTON, and DENISE HOOKER (Betty Tameler's daughter) as they continue to deal with cancer.
PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL:
For COLTON FIGURA deployed to Turkey, SAM HARGROVE deployed in Kuwait 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, 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.
