Daily Email: Tuesday, September 27, 2016

DEVOTION:  Habakkuk 1:1-4  (ESV)

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

 

"Habakkuk's Complaint"

² O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not hear?
Or cry to you "Violence!"
    and you will not save?
³ Why do you make me see iniquity,
    and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    strife and contention arise.
⁴ So the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
    so justice goes forth perverted.                

2 I will take my stand at my watchpost     and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me,     and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 2 And the Lord answered me: "Write the vision;     make it plain on tablets,     so he may run who reads it. 3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;     it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it;     it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,     but the righteous shall live by his faith.   In this reading for today, Habakkuk is fed up with what he sees.  He sees destruction.  He sees the world falling away from God.  He sees trouble everywhere.  "Justice never goes forth."    Sound familiar?  All we need to do is watch the news and we can see the same things Habakkuk saw.  There is indeed nothing new under the sun.  Since Adam and Eve first sinned there has been strife and war.  There has been a sense of injustice.  There has been wrongdoing that we have had to see.  Back in the 1930s and 40s it was Hitler and the Third Reich, before that it was Stalin, before that, in our own nation, it was a civil war.  I could go back from generation to generation and you would see that this world has been falling apart since the beginning. It will, indeed, be brought to a wretched and complete end.    As soon as you start holding on too tightly to the world, you will be deeply disappointed, full of distress and frustrated.  You will become full of grief like Habakkuk seems to be in the beginning of his prophecy.  If you are looking for relief in the world or for God to take over and make everything perfect, you are going to have to wait till judgment day.    We can mourn, complain, and be bitter about what is going on in the world.  That's a pretty miserable life isn't it....  or we can live by faith.    Living by faith is much more than just knowing that you will go to heaven when you die.  That's a big part of it, but it's not the total of it.  Living by faith means knowing that God is in control even when it seems as though He isn't.  Living by faith means knowing that God is protecting you from the evil one each and every day.  Martin Luther put it well when he said, "Though devils all the world should fill all eager to devour us.  We tremble not.  We fear no ill.  They shall not overpower us."  That is what living by faith is all about.  It is about surrendering our very fears to God Almighty and knowing that He truly is GOD ALMIGHTY.    So the next time you are in despair about the strife over race, the current political climate, the two presidential candidates, the economy, or whatever other fearful flavor of the day there is, remember what the Lord says.  "It seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay."  The day of the Lord is coming!  It is coming for you either on the day you take your last earthly breath and start taking your eternal breath, or when He returns to restore the world back to what He created it to be, perfect, sinless and beautiful beyond imagination.  In either case you're good to go.  Until that day, have patience and peace knowing that you and all those you love who are believers in Christ, are in His hands forever!  Live by faith!   Prayer: Lord, we know that the righteous person will live by his faith.  Make me not to live by the trouble I see in the world, but help me to live by the faith you have given me that I may have true peace and rest.  Amen.

 

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CALENDAR
Tues- Quilting 9-2
Wed- Worship at Oak Pointe 10am; Choir 7pm
Thurs- Karate 6-7:30; Lutheranism 101 6pm
Sat- Oktoberfest 4-10pm; Worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Chapel 11; Holy Yoga Workshop 3-5pm
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:  
Acolyte- 8:30- Loren Howard  11- Savannah Masters

Ushers- Dave Winter, Gary Scott, Larry Schulze, Scott Schulze

Altar-  Set up- Don Hance; Clean Up- Sandy Robine

Elders-  Sat- Randy Sweet;  8:30- Jason Cluver;  11- Charlie Figura
 
Greeters-  8:30- Lew and Dianne Feldkamp;  11- Mike and Naomi Johnson

Lay Readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier;  8:30- Tim Linke; 11- Sandy Robine

Piano- Sat and Sun 8:30- Barb Dreyer

Organist- (No organ this weekend)

Projectionists: Sat- Toni Mauch; 8:30- Terry McKenzie
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YESTERDAY'S  QUIZ:  In what year did Haggai receive the Word of the Lord and begin writing his prophecy?

 

(Pat King is back!  Thank the Lord for her funny and clever answers to brighten our day!)

First of all, let me make something clear – as in mud. Haggai is NOT that nasty Scottish dish that makes you barf, and that everyone thinks they have to try whenever they visit Scotland. NO! Trust me on this.

Now, to answer this question. According to the first verse of his own book, he got his calling during the 2nd year of King Darius's reign. Specifically on the 1st day of the 6th month. Haggai – whose name, BTW, means "my holiday" – was one of the 3 post-exile prophets. He began doing his thing about 16 years after the return of the Jews from Babylon, during the building of the 2nd temple (approx. 520 BC).

And there you have it.

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TODAY'S QUIZ:  Name a vision of Zechariah and what it meant.

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NEWS!!!! 

 

COME OUT AND ENJOY OKTOBERFEST THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!    INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!

Where?  St. John's

What? a genuine Oktoberfest with real German food, bier, polka, games, bounce houses, and lots of fun!!

When?  4-10pm

What is needed?  There are a lot of supplies and volunteers that are STILL 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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HELP IS STILL NEEDED FOR OKTOBERFEST THIS SATURDAY!!

The Oktoberfest committee is still looking for some help on October 1st from 4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. We need people to help with food, games, set up, and tear down.
 
If you can help with any of these call Kelsey at 573-803-7826 or reply to this email, and I will forward the info to her.

 

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LWML (LADIES AID) SUNDAY IS THIS SUNDAY!!

We will recognize and pray for our Ladies Aid this weekend at all three services!  All Ladies Aid members are strongly encouraged to attend. 

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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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GENERAL PRAYER

For BOB RUHL as he continues to struggle greatly to get better.  He is still in New Florence Care Center.

 

For PAM BUELTMANN as she recovers from a broken hip at Cedar Crest Nursing and Rehab in Washington.

 

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.

 

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