St. John's Lutheran ChurchWarrenton, MO

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour^®

Click here to listen to an audio version of today's devotion.

"Razor Sharp"

May 29, 2013

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13

In my office there hangs a great broadsword.

Made by my father, this sword was his only foray into the forging of ancient weaponry. The project, which, on and off, took him over a year, was a labor of love. Heating, pounding, pulling -- he shaped that thing and put an edge on it. A good, healthy swing will cut through a 2 x 4.

But the sword in my office is probably a lot heavier than the sword referred to in the passage above. The author of Hebrews 4 is talking about a weapon that pierces and cuts with surgical precision, not a sword which hacks and chops.

Unfortunately, there are more than a few people who hack and chop with their Bibles. One of those people is Evelyn Mills Moore of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Am I being overly judgmental? I don't think so. You see, Moore used her Bible to beat the tar out of another woman. That's right. She used her Bible as a weapon, which left bruises and abrasions on the other lady. Indeed, the beating was so bad Moore was arrested, and her bail was set at $105,000.

Now I'm sure none of the tens of thousands of you who will be reading this devotion would ever do such a thing.

You know better.

Even so, over the years I have seen Christians use various Bible passages to berate, belittle and abuse others. I've seen passages taken out of context and applied to people and situations where they just didn't belong.

Even worse, I've seen the Law being applied to sinners who already had hearts that were filled with sorrow, and words of Gospel comfort being extended to those who felt perfectly fine and at peace with their misdeeds.

The text is clear: the Lord's Scripture is designed to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. If that heart is filled with all manner of evil and wrongdoing, the Law of God can be applied to bring that sinner to repentance and confession.

But when the Word discerns a heart is well and truly sorrowful, the Gospel must be administered to provide the peace, forgiveness and comfort that was won for us by the Savior through His life, His suffering, His sacrifice, His death, and His third-day resurrection from the dead.

When that happens to us we should be glad, for we know, washed in the blood of the Lamb, we shall be fearless when we stand before the Lord before "whom we must give account."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, keep me from misuse of Your Word. Let it accuse me when I am guilty and forgive me because I am a repentant servant of the Savior. Then, I pray, may it guide me, so my sin and guilt is less frequent. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

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TUESDAY'S QUIZ: According to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, what is meaningless? EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS, A CHASING AFTER THE WIND.

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WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ:

Fill in the blank from Ecclesiastes..... As good increase,_________________________.

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CALENDAR

Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; worship 5pm

Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11

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NEW BIBLE STUDY on JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BEGINS THIS SUNDAY AT 9:45am!!

Have you ever wondered what Jehovah's Witnesses truly believe and why we are so against them? Do you want to be able to actually invite them in and witness to them? Then come to our Bible class starting this Sunday at 9:45 to learn everything there is to know!

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MEN'S BREAKFAST HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 1 AT 8am!!

Come and enjoy a hearty breakfast, fellowship, and Bible Study as we grow together as men in the faith! We would like to get a good head count of who will be there, so please RSVP by replying to this email! Thanks!

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LITTLE LAMBS SUMMER CAMP

Our Little Lambs is offering four week long summer camps this summer for 3-5 year olds. You may call the church office this week for more info or to register. The first week of camp is June 3-7!! Call 456-2888 for more info!!

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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL "TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN" WILL BE JULY 8-12!!!

Kid friendly dinner is served at 5:30. Fun and festivities begin at 6pm and go to 8pm!

Every family has received as flyer in their church newsletter to give to a friend. Make sure you use it!!

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GOLF OUTING (4 person scramble) TO SUPPORT LITTLE LAMBS IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY MORNING AUGUST 10th.

$60 per person includes- 2 mulligans, Special hole contests, Cash prizes by flight, Lunch with pork steaks and sides.

7am- Registration begins

8am- Shotgun start

1pm Lunch and awards

$15 per person for Lunch only

Hole Sponsorship (tee box sign) $50 per hole

Entry flyers with all of the details are available in the narthex or the office!!

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BOEING COMPANY PROLOGUE ROOM TOUR

An opportunity for adults and teens to have a guided tour of the Prologue Room with Ned Koprowski. This tour is on Friday, June 28th. We will leave the church parking lot at noon and carpool. Reservations are required for the tour. Plans are to have dinner somewhere after the tour. Please sign the sheet in the narthex by Sunday, June 16 so that we can make the required reservation.

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Habitat for Humanity project day June 15!

Habitat for Humanity, St. Charles, along with corporate sponsor Thrivent Builds, has scheduled the volunteers from St. John's Lutheran Church and the Warrenton community for a work day on Saturday, June 15.

Approximately 6 people from Warrenton will be needed to help install doors, windows, and siding. Lunch and beverages will be provided. In addition to our volunteers, we will be paired up with Immanuel Lutheran Church, Wentzville, to get a full crew.

Please contact Ron Harper, the Habitat volunteer coordinator, if you are able to participate on Saturday, June 15 from 8:00am-3:30pm.
Ron Harper's contacts: (H) 636-300-1633

Directions to site: I-70 to US 79 South ( 79 turns into Birdie Hills south of Mexico Rd.)

Go past the Church on the Rock

Turn Right on Eisenhower

Left on Nixon

Left on Clinton and look for the construction area.

If using GPS, use the house across the street at 113 Clinton.

Thank you for helping.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OKLAHOMA TORNADO RELIEF

The LCMS asks for prayers and financial gifts to help those affected by the disaster. The needs are going to be huge. TO support the relief efforts, you may send your contributions directly to the LCMS or make it easier for you, make checks payable to St. John's and mark it "Oklahoma Tornado" and it will be forwarded.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer of thanksgiving for RUTH YOCUM who is recovering well after suffering two broken legs earlier this year and spending much time in rehab for that.

For LIL WINTER'S GRANDDAUGHTER'S FRIEND, who has G J D which is Protein in her brain drying up. Its like Alzheimer's but it's much faster. She is 34 yrs. old with 3 children, the oldest is 8 yrs. old. They say she will die within 6 mos.

For those in Oklahoma who continue to recover after a devastating tornado and those who are laying to rest those who died as a result of it.

For DANNY DREYER who will be leaving for Germany tomorrow to begin his service as a 2nd Lieutenant in charge of a platoon.

For KARIN, GUS and CARA as they fly back home from NY today. .

For PAT KING'S COUSIN whose surgery was postponed due to heart palpitations and irregular heartbeat.

For PAUL TOEDEBUSCH, who will be having surgery June 14 to remove his bladder due to cancer

For RICK SPINIOLAS who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and will be beginning chemotherapy on Monday.

For NANCY SPINIOLAS, his wife, who is dealing with severe back pain due to many years of using an artificial leg.

For RALPH SPOEDE who is dealing with cancer in both his kidney and in his brain.

For DOMINIC GENTILE, a friend to many at church and in the community, who is suffering with brain cancer and is recovering from surgery.

For JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, and Pat King's cousin on your prayers today as well. .

PRAYERS FOR OUR SERVICEMEN

I have been compiling a list of servicemen who are members of St John's so that we can pray for them. Below is a list of them and where they are currently stationed. Please note that their stationing changes quickly, so this may not even be up to date, but it is the last known whereabouts that I have of these guys.

Danny Dreyer- Army- 2nd Lieutenant- Ranger, Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Sam Hargrove- Army- 2 Lieutenant- Ft Rucker, Alabama, will be going through helicopter flight school and other training

David Mincemeyer- Army- Army Specialist- Ft. Carson, CO

Jon Rahn- Navy- Hawaii, not sure of his rank at this time

David Tate- Air Force- 2nd Lieutenant- Jacksonville, Florida

Alex Walters- Navy- E4- Guam

Ryan Woolf- Air Force- Airman 1st Class- Buckley Air Force Base, near Denver, CO

If there are more out there that I just don't know about, please let me know, and I will include him/her on the list.

Also, if you would like your family member or friend included in this list, please reply to this email with all the information!

Pray for these guys. Some of these guys are in harm's way right now, others are training to put themselves in harm's way. All of them have volunteered to serve and protect their country (which is you).

Update on Ruth Yocum

Just wanted you to know we have been praying for months about Ruth Yocum and her mending of 2 broken legs- after her fall delivering Meals on Wheels- Well she is now at home- staying with her daughter until she is able to manage and navigate on her own. Prayers of Thanksgiving!!!!

Ruth A. Walters

Administrator

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

"A Good Deed"

May 28, 2013

(Jesus said) "Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise." Luke 10:36-37

Long ago I gave up trying to figure out the mind of a cat.

That is especially true for the cat whose story was recently reported in The Washington Post. In case you missed the article, let me share. The cat's story began when he clambered up a tree. Now the story of a cat climbing a tree is not the kind of item which is usually covered by The Post. Indeed, if the cat had been left alone, it would eventually have become tired of the expedition and returned to earth on his own power -- and been un-newsworthy.

But the cat was not left alone.

A frantic 911 call was made to the New York Police and Officer Dante Nato, moved by zealous dedication, volunteered to rescue the feline. Now I said before I don't understand the mind of a cat. I can't tell you if the cat didn't feel like being rescued, or if he simply enjoyed being up that tree. I can report that the higher Officer Nato climbed, the further out on a precarious limb the cat went.

Officer Nato followed until he couldn't go any further. Actually, he couldn't go any further forward, and he couldn't go further backward. He was stuck in the tree. In front of the cat he was stuck. In front of his partner he was stuck. In front of the observing staff and student body of a nearby elementary school he was stuck. In front of the fire department, which was called to rescue him, he was stuck. And then, courtesy of the global news services, his predicament of stuckness was relayed to the entire world.

So let me ask which of all these people was a good neighbor to that cat?

If you replied, "The officer who went out on a limb to save the cat," you would be correct. In spite of the laughter of his partner, the NYPD, the NYFD, and the world, the officer showed he cared. That he is the victim of incredible, unending jokes is not important. Officer Nato did his best.

As I read that story, it occurred to me that Christians are supposed to follow the example of Officer Nato. We are to do the right thing for others -- not because they will always appreciate us. We do the right and neighborly thing because that is exactly what Jesus did for us.

Truly, if Jesus demanded an appreciative world before He was born, we would still be waiting for His coming. Jesus came because it was what His Father asked Him to do. He came into this world, went out on a limb, risked and lost His life, so you and I and all who believe might be saved.

Now I can't tell you if Officer Nato will ever again try to rescue another stray cat. That is up to his conscience, dignity and sense of duty. On the other hand, I can tell you the Lord has told us to do our best to be neighborly.

Even if it takes us out on a limb.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in Your honor may I be neighborly, even when my neighbors are not. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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MONDAY'S QUIZ: How many wives did Solomon have? 700 wives and over 300 concubines (Thanks Pam)

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TUESDAY'S QUIZ: According to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, what is meaningless?

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CALENDAR

Tues- Quilters 9-2; Bible Study 11:30-12:15; National Youth Gathering Meeting 6pm

Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; worship 5pm

Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11

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NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING MEETING FOR PARENTS AND KIDS TUESDAY NIGHT AT 6PM!!!

We will be going through the itinerary and handing out t-shirts, deciding what kind of other fun stuff we want to do, and talking about what to bring and not to bring. Don't forget the meeting!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NEW BIBLE STUDY on JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BEGINS THIS SUNDAY AT 9:45am!!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

MEN'S BREAKFAST HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 1 AT 8am!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

LITTLE LAMBS SUMMER CAMP

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL "TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN" WILL BE JULY 8-12!!!

Kid friendly dinner is served at 5:30. Fun and festivities begin at 6pm and go to 8pm!

Every family has received as flyer in their church newsletter to give to a friend. Make sure you use it!!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GOLF OUTING (4 person scramble) TO SUPPORT LITTLE LAMBS IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY MORNING AUGUST 10th.

$60 per person includes- 2 mulligans, Special hole contests, Cash prizes by flight, Lunch with pork steaks and sides.

7am- Registration begins

8am- Shotgun start

1pm Lunch and awards

$15 per person for Lunch only

Hole Sponsorship (tee box sign) $50 per hole

Entry flyers with all of the details are available in the narthex or the office!!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BOEING COMPANY PROLOGUE ROOM TOUR

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Habitat for Humanity project day June 15!

Please contact Ron Harper, the Habitat volunteer coordinator, if you are able to participate on Saturday, June 15 from 8:00am-3:30pm.
Ron Harper's contacts: (H) 636-300-1633

Directions to site: I-70 to US 79 South ( 79 turns into Birdie Hills south of Mexico Rd.)

Go past the Church on the Rock

Turn Right on Eisenhower

Left on Nixon

Left on Clinton and look for the construction area.

If using GPS, use the house across the street at 113 Clinton.

Thank you for helping.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OKLAHOMA TORNADO RELIEF

The LCMS asks for prayers and financial gifts to help those affected by the disaster. The needs are going to be huge. TO support the relief effors, you may send your contributions directly to the LCMS or make it easier for you, make checks payable to St. John's and mark it "Oklahoma Tornado" and it will be forwarded.