DAILY DEVOTION AND CHURCH NEWS: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019

DEVOTION: John 3:22-4:54 English Standard Version (ESV)

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²² After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. ²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized ²⁴ (for John had not yet been put in prison).

²⁵ Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." ²⁷ John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' ²⁹ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease."^[a]

³¹ He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. ³³ Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. ³⁴ For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John ² (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), ³ he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. ⁴ And he had to pass through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.^[b]

⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." ⁸ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." ¹¹ The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." ¹³ Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.^[c] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." ¹⁵ The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water."

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." ¹⁷ The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true." ¹⁹ The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." ²¹ Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." ²⁵ The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." ²⁶ Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

²⁷ Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" ²⁸ So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ²⁹ "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" ³⁰ They went out of the town and were coming to him.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." ³² But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." ³³ So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. ³⁵ Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. ³⁶ Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. ³⁷ For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

³⁹ Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of his word.⁴² They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

⁴³ After the two days he departed for Galilee. ⁴⁴ (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) ⁴⁵ So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

Jesus Heals an Official's Son

⁴⁶ So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ So Jesus said to him, "Unless you^[d] see signs and wonders you will not believe." ⁴⁹ The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.⁵¹ As he was going down, his servants^[e] met him and told him that his son was recovering. ⁵² So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour^[f] the fever left him." ⁵³ The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." And he himself believed, and all his household.⁵⁴ This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.klaustermeier/videos/10156059278133803/

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CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK:

Thurs- Karate 6:15-7:45

Sun- Adult Bible Class 8am; Traditional Worship 9; Fellowship, Sunday school and adult Bible class 10:15; Chapel 10:45

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WORSHIP WORKERS: 

 

Sunday, 9am—

Acolyte- Addie Hoelscher

Ushers- Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Gary Hoelscher, Paul Brockfeld

Communion assistant- Dave Tinnin

Lay reader- Lois Boeger

Projectionist- Perricones

Altar Set Up- Marilyn Foster

Tellers- Team #1

 

Sunday 10:45

Acolyte-  Isabel Benke

Worship assistant- Marv Hendershot

Projectionist- Terry McKenzie

 

Monday, 6:30-

Acolyte- Nick Schulze

Worship assistant- Steve Mauch

Projectionist- Toni Mauch

Altar clean up- Don Nolte

 

 

 

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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ:  Why was it called the Mercy Seat? It was the meeting place between God and Israel. It was used on the Day of Atonement when the high priest sprinkled it with animal blood between the two cherubim for the forgiveness of sins.  Thus showing God's mercy for his people atoning for sins.

 

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TODAY'S QUIZ: Why did Aaron make a golden calf?

 

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NEWS:

ST JOHN'S GOALS FOR 2019!!!
A 10% increase in worship attendance.

A 5% increase in Bible study attendance

Add two new Bible study opportunities during the week

Add two new outreach events to reach out to the community. 

 

If you are a member of St. John's and you think these goals are good ones, then I encourage you to do your part to make them a reality!! 

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LADIES BREAKFAST AND BIBLE STUDY STARTING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 AT 8AM!!

You read that right!  The women of our congregation will be able to gather for breakfast along with the men once a month and then we will separate and each of us will have our own Bible studies. 

 

Lois Boeger will be leading the women's Bible study, and pastor will be leading the men's. 

 

LADIES, PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS TO START THIS EFFORT OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT!!! Please rsvp to let me know whether or not you will be there so I can prepare enough food for everyone!! 

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BRING BACK BABY BOTTLES FILLED WITH MONEY THIS WEEKEND!!!

This Sunday, February 3 or Monday, February 4 are the days to bring back your baby bottles filled with cash, coins, or checks!!  Let's beat last year's donation of $1200!!!!

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END OF THE YEAR CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS ARE IN YOUR CHURCH MAILBOXES!!

Are you working on your taxes yet?  Get to work and don't forget to claim your church offerings!!

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TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY!!!

1. The Pregnancy Options Center is in need of Table Hosts for their Annual Banquet on Thursday, March 21.  Below are the duties:

1. Come to a prayer meeting with dessert on Tuesday, February 5 at St. John's, at 6:30pm to understand more about what a table host does.
2. Get seven people who are in support of our Pregnancy Option Center to come to the banquet, and sit at your table.  They will be asked to pledge to donate to this very worthy cause.
3. Be the host of your table that evening.  Make sure everyone has everything they need, feels welcome and takes care of things that evening. 

 

If you are willing to be a table host, or have questions about it, please reply to this email.

 

 

2. Warren County Literacy Inc has begun its bookcase campaign for 2019.  We are in need of bookcase sponsors.  It is $50 to sponsor a bookcase for one child.  If you'd like to be a sponsor, simply write a check out to Warren County Literacy Inc., or you can give cash, and bring it to me at church.  Don't put it in the offering plate.  Give it directly to me.  The awards ceremony where the kids receive their bookcases is in April, and if you are a donor you will be invited to attend. 

 

 

Thank you!

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PRAYERS:

For MOLLY HENDERSHOT as she is home from the hospital and is feeling much better.

 

For Sandra Perricone's sister KAREN PRATT, who is dealing with severe blood sugar and diabetes issues.

 

For JOHN NORDWALD, Brett's dad, who is recovering from a heart procedure.

 

For HAROLD ANDERSON, who is awaiting word on biopsies he had on his esophagus this past Friday.

 

For the NORDWALD FAMILY at the death of Brett's aunt.  Her funeral is tomorrow.

 

 

For those dealing with cancer and treatments JOHN MORRIS, father in law of Elise Morris; GEORGE HOELSCHER, PASTOR RON LEHENBAUER, MARY BREUER, MARI GILB, both friends of Sandy Robine, Toni Mauch's brother RAY, and hundreds of others who are dealing with this dreaded disease. .

 

For BETTY SUTOR who is in the nursing home but is still dealing with severe weakness.

 

For DIANNE FELDKAMP'S SISTER, DONNA MAYES, who has been diagnosed with ALS, and her other sister, DEBBIE BURGER, who has been diagnosed with Grave's disease. 

   

 

 

PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL:

For COLTON FIGURA AND DANNY DREYER who are both home but remain on active duty in the military.

 

For CONNER FIGURA going through tech training for the Air Force. .

 

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