DEVOTION: (A good one from Lutheran Hour Ministries.)
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105
During the years when I had the opportunity of confirming the young people of my congregations, I worked hard at finding a Bible verse that would be a suitable motto for life for each of my students.
Most pastors do the same.
Knowing that, when an aged member of my congregation passed away, I was not surprised when the family requested I use his confirmation text as the basis for his funeral message. No, they didn't know what the verse was, since his certificate was written in German. Even so, they thought the verse, given so many years before, would be appropriate. Without checking the verse, I agreed.
Only when I got back to my study and took the certificate out of its yellowed envelope did I find the verse my 93-year-old member had been given by his pastor was the opening words from 2 Timothy 2:22. "Fliehe die Lüste der Jugend" or "Flee youthful lusts."
It was an interesting message.
Almost all of us have verses from Scripture that are special to us. Last year the folks running the online King James Bible kept track of the verses, which had been most viewed.
Would you like to make a guess which one topped the list?
If you said Psalm 23:4, you would be correct. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." The second most-consulted verse was Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Interesting, the most consulted passages were ones which speak of the sinner's need for the Lord's help at the time of death and through the difficulties of day-to-day living.
Christians are blessed because they know the Lord will be with them. His love covers and reaches into every aspect of our lives. That truth is shown in the verse which was third on the list of most-consulted passages: John 3:16, the Gospel in a nutshell, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Because of Jesus' sacrifice, because He carried our sins and died the death our transgressions had earned, believers know they are not alone. They hold fast to the truth, which tells us nothing -- nothing in all creation -- can ever separate us from the love of God, which is ours through Christ Jesus.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Your holy Word which assures me that Your grace has reached out and saved me. Now may I live my life in thanksgiving and praise for the selfless sacrifice of Your Son. It is in His Name that I pray. Amen.
___________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ: What was Isaac's wife's name? Rebekkah
(Way to go Dianne!)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
MONDAY'S QUIZ: Who wrestled with God?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
CATECHISM:
Question: Are you sure that you have eternal life?
Answer: Even as I now believe in Christ my Savior, I also know that I have been chosen to eternal life out of pure grace in Christ without any merit of my own and that no one can pluck me out of His hand (eternal election of grace or predestination).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR
Mon- Whispering Pines worship 10am; confirmation 5;6:15; 7-12 grade Youth meeting 6:30
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Bible study 11:30-12:15; Council meeting 7pm
Wed- Ladies Aid 1pm; Newsletter deadline
Thurs- Pastor at pastor's meeting all day
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- THRIVENT SUNDAY; worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS
7-12 grade youth and parents meeting tonight! 6:30pm
________________________________________________
CREATION BREAKFAST TOMORROW, Tuesday, at 9:30am.
Cme hear Werner Gerstmann speak on creation. Mr Gerstmann was born and lived in East Berlin and has an interesting take on creation . He will speak at First State Community Bank (across from McDOnald's and next to China Buffet.
________________________________________________
LADIES AID MEETING WEDNESDAY AT 1PM.
All ladies, regardless of age, are welcome to attend!!
____________________________________________________________________________________
STILL NEED ONE MORE USHER!!!!
Call Bob Linke or Walt Schirr to let them know you're willing to serve!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THRIVENT DAY ON SUNDAY,JANUARY 20!!
Jason Schoppenhorst, the Thrivent rep for this area will be here on Sunday, January 20 to talk about Thrivent after church at both services and to give a presentation of Thrivent Choice (a way to make your investment and insurance dollars work for the church) and other programs that Thrivent provides during Bible class time.
___________________________________________________________
LIFE SUNDAY IS SUNDAY, JANUARY 27!!!
Delores Desemone, president of the Lutheran for Life Chapter of St. Charles County Area, will be here to make a presentation about Lutherans for Life and how we as individuals and as a congregation can be involved in honoring the sanctity of human life at all ages and stages. She will be providing us with baby bottle banks, that we can fill with money to support LIFE in our own community and throughout the world.
______________________________________________________________
YOUTH GROUP STEAK DINNER AND AUCTION IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY!!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 9 at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend!
The youth will be selling tickets after church after church the rest of this month so get yours as soon as you can. Every year is more exciting than the last, so don't miss out on a good time while helping the youth in their ministry!! If you have any questions about ticket, please call Barb Hargrove at 456-2235, or Christy Winn at 314-479-5543!
____________________________________________________
HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF
The LCMS is asking for donations to help with relief efforts. If you care to give, you may use a designated envelope, or you can go to LCMS.org and donate directly online.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS:
For the MARSCHEL FAMILY, especially Alouise, as they mourn the loss of her brother Melvin. Melvin often attended worship at St. John's.
For TINA RUTH'S SISTER, who is dealing with cancer.
THANKSGIVING For MARILYN FOSTER'S NIECE, HEATHER. who is regaining her strength and will finally be able to go back home this week.
For CHRISTIAN WENZEL, art teacher at Blackhawk Middle School, who continues to recover from a fall from his deer stand that left him paralyzed from the waist down. .
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105
During the years when I had the opportunity of confirming the young people of my congregations, I worked hard at finding a Bible verse that would be a suitable motto for life for each of my students.
Most pastors do the same.
Knowing that, when an aged member of my congregation passed away, I was not surprised when the family requested I use his confirmation text as the basis for his funeral message. No, they didn't know what the verse was, since his certificate was written in German. Even so, they thought the verse, given so many years before, would be appropriate. Without checking the verse, I agreed.
Only when I got back to my study and took the certificate out of its yellowed envelope did I find the verse my 93-year-old member had been given by his pastor was the opening words from 2 Timothy 2:22. "Fliehe die Lüste der Jugend" or "Flee youthful lusts."
It was an interesting message.
Almost all of us have verses from Scripture that are special to us. Last year the folks running the online King James Bible kept track of the verses, which had been most viewed.
Would you like to make a guess which one topped the list?
If you said Psalm 23:4, you would be correct. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." The second most-consulted verse was Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Interesting, the most consulted passages were ones which speak of the sinner's need for the Lord's help at the time of death and through the difficulties of day-to-day living.
Christians are blessed because they know the Lord will be with them. His love covers and reaches into every aspect of our lives. That truth is shown in the verse which was third on the list of most-consulted passages: John 3:16, the Gospel in a nutshell, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Because of Jesus' sacrifice, because He carried our sins and died the death our transgressions had earned, believers know they are not alone. They hold fast to the truth, which tells us nothing -- nothing in all creation -- can ever separate us from the love of God, which is ours through Christ Jesus.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Your holy Word which assures me that Your grace has reached out and saved me. Now may I live my life in thanksgiving and praise for the selfless sacrifice of Your Son. It is in His Name that I pray. Amen.
___________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ: What was Isaac's wife's name? Rebekkah
(Way to go Dianne!)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
MONDAY'S QUIZ: Who wrestled with God?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
CATECHISM:
Question: Are you sure that you have eternal life?
Answer: Even as I now believe in Christ my Savior, I also know that I have been chosen to eternal life out of pure grace in Christ without any merit of my own and that no one can pluck me out of His hand (eternal election of grace or predestination).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR
Mon- Whispering Pines worship 10am; confirmation 5;6:15; 7-12 grade Youth meeting 6:30
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Bible study 11:30-12:15; Council meeting 7pm
Wed- Ladies Aid 1pm; Newsletter deadline
Thurs- Pastor at pastor's meeting all day
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- THRIVENT SUNDAY; worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS
7-12 grade youth and parents meeting tonight! 6:30pm
________________________________________________
CREATION BREAKFAST TOMORROW, Tuesday, at 9:30am.
Cme hear Werner Gerstmann speak on creation. Mr Gerstmann was born and lived in East Berlin and has an interesting take on creation . He will speak at First State Community Bank (across from McDOnald's and next to China Buffet.
________________________________________________
LADIES AID MEETING WEDNESDAY AT 1PM.
All ladies, regardless of age, are welcome to attend!!
____________________________________________________________________________________
STILL NEED ONE MORE USHER!!!!
Call Bob Linke or Walt Schirr to let them know you're willing to serve!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THRIVENT DAY ON SUNDAY,JANUARY 20!!
Jason Schoppenhorst, the Thrivent rep for this area will be here on Sunday, January 20 to talk about Thrivent after church at both services and to give a presentation of Thrivent Choice (a way to make your investment and insurance dollars work for the church) and other programs that Thrivent provides during Bible class time.
___________________________________________________________
LIFE SUNDAY IS SUNDAY, JANUARY 27!!!
Delores Desemone, president of the Lutheran for Life Chapter of St. Charles County Area, will be here to make a presentation about Lutherans for Life and how we as individuals and as a congregation can be involved in honoring the sanctity of human life at all ages and stages. She will be providing us with baby bottle banks, that we can fill with money to support LIFE in our own community and throughout the world.
______________________________________________________________
YOUTH GROUP STEAK DINNER AND AUCTION IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY!!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 9 at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend!
The youth will be selling tickets after church after church the rest of this month so get yours as soon as you can. Every year is more exciting than the last, so don't miss out on a good time while helping the youth in their ministry!! If you have any questions about ticket, please call Barb Hargrove at 456-2235, or Christy Winn at 314-479-5543!
____________________________________________________
HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF
The LCMS is asking for donations to help with relief efforts. If you care to give, you may use a designated envelope, or you can go to LCMS.org and donate directly online.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS:
For the MARSCHEL FAMILY, especially Alouise, as they mourn the loss of her brother Melvin. Melvin often attended worship at St. John's.
For TINA RUTH'S SISTER, who is dealing with cancer.
THANKSGIVING For MARILYN FOSTER'S NIECE, HEATHER. who is regaining her strength and will finally be able to go back home this week.
For CHRISTIAN WENZEL, art teacher at Blackhawk Middle School, who continues to recover from a fall from his deer stand that left him paralyzed from the waist down. .
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