Thurs. Feb 20, 2014

DEVOTION: Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  The Story p. 94
 
The news has been very bad lately.  The last week has seen murders, kidnappings, terrorism, and plain old hate.  The world is full of bad news.  It is very easy to get discouraged.  It is very to give up and say, "What's the use?" 
 
But that isn't what God tells us.  He tells us to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep the faith.  He tells us that we need not get discouraged and think that we are fighting an impossible battle.  The battle is the Lord's after all and He will win it. 
 
You can imagine the impossible odds that Joshua had to face, armies twice as big as his with giants nine feet tall, Jericho with fortified impenetrable walls, and 1.5 million people who seemed constantly disobedient.  Yet God continued to reassure Joshua over and over again and give him victory after victory. 
 
The same reassurance and victory is ours!  All we have to do is say the name of Jesus and Satan will flee from us.  We may fall into temptation from time to time, but the Lord provides the way out through constant repentance and forgiveness.  We may get down and discouraged as we hear all the bad news that so often hits too close to home, but the Lord Jesus has overcome this world and through Him we have and always will overcome it as well. 
 
The victory is the Lord's!  Be encouraged!  Stand firm!  Keep fighting the good fight of faith!  Get to church!  Receive His body and blood!  Hear His Word!  Get Christ's peace!
 
Let us pray:  Lord God help us to rest in Your power, Your forgiveness, and Your truth.  Amen. 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ: What city did the walls come a tumbling down on? Jericho
 
(Good job Dianne and Sandy!)
__________________________________________________________________________
THURSDAY'S QUIZ:  How many men and women were killed at Israel's battle with Ai?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Fri- 30 Hour Famine Begins at 8pm
Sat- Bible class 4pm; worship 5pm; 30 Hr Famine ends at 6pm
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- need someone......; 11- Isabella Linstruth
Altar guild- Set up- Cheri' Hofeldt; Clean up- Betty Schirr and Cheryl Bettlach
Greeters- 8:30- Bob Linke; 11- Dan and Lisa Rausch
Communion Assistants- Sat- Don Turnure; 8:30- Randy Sweet
Lay Readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; Sun- Randy Sweet;  11am- Emily Brunson
Sat. Pianist- Molly Hendershot
8:30 Ushers- Marv Hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:
THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!!
Just wanted to thank the tons of you who came to our steak dinner and auction this past Saturday!! We raised $8,400!!  With the $1500 matching funds from Thrivent it puts us to almost $10,000! 
 
WE HAVE A GREAT BUNCH OF KIDS AND A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PARENTS!!!  The kids will be doing a lot of service, helping out a lot of people and growing a lot in their faith especially when we get our DCE intern! 
 
Thank you parents also for your continued faithfulness in raising up your kids in the Lord!  You are all a great inspiration to me!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE COMFORT DOGS WILL BE AT WARRIOR RIDGE ELEMENTARY THIS FRIDAY (TOMORROW)!
If you don't know who the comfort dogs are go to http://lutheranchurchcharities.org/ and check them out.  These dogs and their handlers are a tremendous blessing from the Lord!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 7  "The Battle Begins"
Come to Bible Study on Saturday night at 4pm or Sunday morning at 9:45 to get all your questions answered and to learn more about this very important time in our world history.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 HOUR FAMINE IS THIS WEEKEND!!!
From Friday at noon until Saturday at 6pm a group of kids, and maybe an adult or two, will be fasting to raise money for those who have no food.    Just $35 will pay for food for one person for a whole month!  Consider giving to this cause this weekend!  We will have a special door offering for it!  Our goal is to raise $1,000 by Easter! 
 
Anyone can join us.  It is not just for the youth to participate.  If you want to participate in this Famine with us come up to church at 8pm on Friday and hang out with us!!  Let me know if you are coming!!
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
GOOD SHEPHERD MORTGAGE IS GETTING PAID OFF!!!
If you weren't at our voter's meeting this past Sunday you missed the vote to pay off our Good Shepherd mortgage!  This will save us over $10,000 this year and over $2,000 in interest.  It will also free up money to reduce our $17,000 deficit on our budget.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DCE PLACEMENT DIRECTOR TO BE HERE NEXT WEEK!!
You may be wondering what is going on with that DCE Intern we voted on last year.  The application has been received and now the director of placement from Concordia, Seward, Nebraska will be here to visit with us next week (specific day is yet to be determined.)  We are drawing closer to the day when we will have more ministry help!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

___________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
The FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THOSE KILLED IN JONESBURG this past Friday.
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.

 

JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

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Wed. Feb 19, 2014

Liked this one today from Lutheran Hour Ministries 
 
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM). 




"Legacy"
February 19, 2014
These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Garth Callaghan is battling cancer. This is his second go-around with the disease, and his doctors say he has less than an eight percent chance of living for another five years.

Five years is important to Callaghan.

Five years is important because that's how long it will take for his daughter, Emma, to graduate from high school. When his little girl was in kindergarten, Callaghan started writing messages to his daughter on her lunch napkins. Some time ago Callaghan promised he would continue to keep those precious thoughts and sayings coming.

And, in spite of his future prognosis, it is a promise which he intends to keep.

Callaghan did some investigating and found out his daughter had 826 school days before her graduation. With that figure as his goal, he began to write. As I am composing this devotion, I can tell you he has finished 740 of those brief epistles.

Callaghan says, "At the end of the day, these notes might be the only thing my daughter has left of me."

Callaghan seems like a standup kind of guy. I say that because he is a man who believes in keeping his promises. That alone is a pretty unique quality. Still, there's more to this story than that of a father who believes his word ought to mean something. Callaghan is also to be commended because he has actually spent some time thinking about what is important and what valuable truths he wants his daughter to know.

Among some of those valuable truths are sayings like

* "Dear Emma, Everything in moderation. Except Awesome. You can never have too much Awesome. Love, Dad"

or

* "Do or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda

There is no doubt that those are wonderful bits of wisdom. Still, I hope Callaghan, and every parent, also shares quotes such as these:

* "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

* "Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God ... giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:10, 12-14).

Yes, it would be good if Callaghan shared such things with his daughter. It would be good if we all did.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, among the many things which I share with others, may Jesus always be first on the list. In the Savior's Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,


Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour^®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
 

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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY'S QUIZ:  Who took over command of the Israelites after Moses?  Joshua
_________________________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ: What city did the walls come a tumbling down on?
__________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Wed- Ladies Aid noon; Choir 7pm; NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Fri- 30 Hour Famine Begins at 8pm
Sat- Bible class 4pm; worship 5pm; 30 Hr Famine ends at 6pm
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- need someone......; 11- Isabella Linstruth
Altar guild- Set up- Cheri' Hofeldt; Clean up- Betty Schirr and Cheryl Bettlach
Greeters- 8:30- Bob Linke; 11- Dan and Lisa Rausch
Communion Assistants- Sat- Don Turnure; 8:30- Randy Sweet
Lay Readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; Sun- Randy Sweet;  11am- Emily Brunson
Sat. Pianist- Molly Hendershot
8:30 Ushers- Marv Hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:

THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 7  "The Battle Begins"
Come to Bible Study on Saturday night at 4pm or Sunday morning at 9:45 to get all your questions answered and to learn more about this very important time in our world history.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 HOUR FAMINE IS THIS WEEKEND!!!
From Friday at noon until Saturday at 6pm a group of kids, and maybe an adult or two, will be fasting to raise money for those who have no food.    Just $35 will pay for food for one person for a whole month!  Consider giving to this cause this weekend!  We will have a special door offering for it!  Our goal is to raise $1,000 by Easter! 
 
Anyone can join us.  It is not just for the youth to participate.  If you want to participate in this Famine with us come up to church at 8pm on Friday and hang out with us!!  Let me know if you are coming!!
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
GOOD SHEPHERD MORTGAGE IS GETTING PAID OFF!!!
If you weren't at our voter's meeting this past Sunday you missed the vote to pay off our Good Shepherd mortgage!  This will save us over $10,000 this year and over $2,000 in interest.  It will also free up money to reduce our $17,000 deficit on our budget.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DCE PLACEMENT DIRECTOR TO BE HERE NEXT WEEK!!
You may be wondering what is going on with that DCE Intern we voted on last year.  The application has been received and now the director of placement from Concordia, Seward, Nebraska will be here to visit with us next week (specific day is yet to be determined.)  We are drawing closer to the day when we will have more ministry help!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

___________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
The FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THOSE KILLED IN JONESBURG this past Friday.
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.
 
JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

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Tues. Feb 18, 2014

DEVOTION:  "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous....."  The Story, p. 89
 
How many times a day do you realize that God is right there with you?  Is it something on your mind every part of the day?  Probably not.  You probably don't go around thinking about God sitting right next to you in your car on your way to work.  You probably don't think about him sitting at the dinner table with you.  I'm sure you don't think about him watching over you while you sleep.  BUT YOU SHOULD!
 
The passage above was God speaking to Joshua before he took command of the Israelites after Moses died.  God was reassuring Joshua that it wasn't Joshua going it alone when he would go into battle to defeat the people they needed to defeat and destroy in the land of Canaan.  It was God who was going before him.  It was God who was actually doing the fighting for him. 
 
The same is true for you.  As much as you like to think you are in control of your circumstances, you aren't.  Things can change in an instant and then where are your plans?  Anything could happen, but with God you are always safe.  Even when bad things happen to you, even when the devil seems to get the best of you and you fall into temptation, even when things aren't going alright, you are safe.  Even the worst thing that happens to your body can not touch your soul.  Even the greatest temptation in the world cannot keep you away from Jesus who has saved you.  Even when you have no money, shelter, clothes, or food you are still safe because you still have Jesus. 
 
He is always with you!  He will never leave you or forsake you!  Nothing can separate Him from you! 
 
Let us pray:  Lord God thank you for staying close to me no matter what.  Amen.
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
THURSDAY'S QUIZ: Who buried Moses?  God did.  (But no one knows where he is buried.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY'S QUIZ:  Who took over command of the Israelites after Moses?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Bible Study 11:30-12:15
Wed- Ladies Aid noon; Choir 7pm; NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Fri- 30 Hour Famine Begins at 8pm
Sat- Bible class 4pm; worship 5pm; 30 Hr Famine ends at 6pm
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- Oliver Landwehr; 11- Isabella Linstruth
Altar guild- Set up- Cheri' Hofeldt; Clean up- Betty Schirr and Cheryl Bettlach
Greeters- 8:30- Bob Linke; 11- Dan and Lisa Rausch
Communion Assistants- Sat- Don Turnure; 8:30- Randy Sweet
Lay Readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; Sun- Randy Sweet;  11am- Emily Brunson
Sat. Pianist- Molly Hendershot
8:30 Ushers- Marv Hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:

THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 7  "The Battle Begins"
Come to Bible Study on Saturday night at 4pm or Sunday morning at 9:45 to get all your questions answered and to learn more about this very important time in our world history.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30 HOUR FAMINE IS THIS WEEKEND!!!
From Friday at noon until Saturday at 6pm a group of kids, and maybe an adult or two, will be fasting to raise money for those who have no food.    Just $35 will pay for food for one person for a whole month!  Consider giving to this cause this weekend!  We will have a special door offering for it!  Our goal is to raise $1,000 by Easter! 
 
Anyone can join us.  It is not just for the youth to participate.  If you want to participate in this Famine with us come up to church at 8pm on Friday and hang out with us!!  Let me know if you are coming!!
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
GOOD SHEPHERD MORTGAGE IS GETTING PAID OFF!!!
If you weren't at our voter's meeting this past Sunday you missed the vote to pay off our Good Shepherd mortgage!  This will save us over $10,000 this year and over $2,000 in interest.  It will also free up money to reduce our $17,000 deficit on our budget.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DCE PLACEMENT DIRECTOR TO BE HERE NEXT WEEK!!
You may be wondering what is going on with that DCE Intern we voted on last year.  The application has been received and now the director of placement from Concordia, Seward, Nebraska will be here to visit with us next week (specific day is yet to be determined.)  We are drawing closer to the day when we will have more ministry help!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

___________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
The FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THOSE KILLED IN JONESBURG this past Friday.
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.




 


JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

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To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to stjohnswarrenton+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
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Get up and get to church

Get up and join us for worship at St John's in Warrenton today at 8:30 or 11 when we will be looking at how in the midst of our wandering God is leading and sometimes even carrying us. 

The Lutheran Hour: February 16, 2014

-------- Original message --------

From: Lutheran Hour Ministries

Date:02/15/2014 9:15 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: revklaus@hotmail.com

Subject: The Lutheran Hour: February 16, 2014

Sermon Text for February 16, 2014   "Living in God's Choice" #81-24 Presented on The Lutheran Hour on February 16, 2014 By Rev. Gregory Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker (What Is The Church's View About Racism?) Copyright 2014 Lutheran Hour Ministries Text: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Christ is risen. He is risen indeed; so trust Him, dear friend, when life gets tough. Amen. Use it or lose it. Perhaps you've heard that cliché before. Actually, it's more than a cliché for me right now. It's all too real. Right before Thanksgiving last year, I got in shape and ran a half-marathon with some of you, my friends and listeners; do you remember the "Run With The Rev" race in St. Louis? It was a great day. But, even on the day of that race, I wasn't really in that great a shape, but in decent shape. But guess what, through the holidays, with lots of traveling and speaking engagements, and wonderful potlucks with so many wonderful Lutheran folks around the country; well, I'm back to square one on the training front. If you don't use it, it is true, you can quickly lose it.  Well, in our text it seems to be more like choose it or lose it and it's way more important than something like just getting into shape, or eating right, or fulfilling some New Year's resolution. Moses gets right to the heart of it. He is at the end of his ministry, his leadership of the Old Testament people of God. He's worried about them. He knows how easily they can be distracted to do, to say, to be about things that really don't matter at all, or worse, to do things that could destroy their relationship to God. So he's saying, "I'm setting before you life and death. So do you want to choose life or death, good or evil?" Now, you might be saying, "Come on, Pastor, that's easy, who wouldn't want to choose life?" Well, you would be surprised. The Bible actually says that human beings, because of their sin are spiritually dead to God. They, and that's all of us by nature, we don't want to choose Him, we don't feel we need to choose Him, and even if we want to, we wouldn't; why, because that's what spiritually dead people do. Have you noticed today how more and more people seem to find joy in not choosing to trust or believe in God? The Bible says, "Don't be surprised; people have always been like that!" But God still comes in this word for all; making an invitation to you and me, my friend, for us to be able to have His life! So let me try to paint a picture of this Bible reading today so that you can choose life in His Name, so that you can put His life to use in your life, the life that you've been given by God as a gift. You see, Moses, he was a great prophet in the Old Testament. He was to lead a people who had been chosen by God to reveal His grace to the world; yes, to all people. But, they found themselves enslaved in Egypt, in bondage, threatened with extinction. But, God keeps His promises. He intervened for them, rescued, and delivered them through the parted waters of the Red Sea and set them on a path to freedom so that they could declare to the world the deeds of a God who saves all people, even those who have no power and strength to do so for themselves.  Now, at this time, they are at another water crossing, crossing the Jordan River into that freedom, that liberty to which God had rescued them. They are at the banks of the Jordan River ready to enter into the Promised Land as people who have already been chosen and saved by God.  You see, in Egypt, in slavery, they were trapped, powerless. When they arrived at the banks of the Red Sea, they were on the run, being chased by the powerful armies of Pharaoh, powerless before their captors, helpless now before the drowning waters of the impassable Red Sea, almost as good as dead; and then it happened. It happened. God miraculously rescued them and brought them to this moment in this text.  Now they're standing on the banks of a trickling brook; still dangerous, yes, but crossable, especially as they trust and follow the God who has already saved them. So, Moses is speaking to the people who have been chosen by God, saying, "Choose life" and when he says that, he's saying, "God has crossed the Red Sea for you and brought you to life in Him. Now, cross over into the Promised Land, cross over that Jordan River into the land where you can live that abundant life He redeemed you to live.  That's God's invitation to them; but that's His invitation to you and to me too. God crossed the uncrossable for you so that you and I can be saved and in faith, by the power of His Spirit, you can now follow Him wherever He leads. Choose life.  Let me give you another picture of that. One of the most dangerous rivers in the world is the Congo River or the Zaire River. Even when it is calm, there are predatory fish swimming just below the surface and there are places where the river is so deep, so fast, that crossing it would be suicide. One of those places is called, "The Gates of Hell." The river may be 2900 miles long, but the 75 miles of these waters provide more fear than all the rest combined! So, what would you feel like if you were standing at the bank of the "Gates of Hell" and you had to cross to live? Or, what would you feel like if you were laying there helpless with enemies on your tail and you had to cross it to live? Then imagine the joy if someone suddenly came out of those terrifying waters, lifted you, and carried you over a bridge that only he could build and brought you to safety on the other side.  Well, that's just a glimpse of the cross of Good Friday. Jesus literally crossed the real "Gates of Hell," to rescue you and me, to free us from the slavery to our own sin, the bondage to our own desires and failures, and brought us to the point of real, full life in Him. He crossed the Congo of life for you, now cross the Jordan and live with Him for others. He crossed the uncrossable so that you could step through the waters of new life in Him, with Him. So, don't get too caught up on this choice thing as if your choice makes God act more favorably to you. The most important choice is God's choice for you in His covenant, in His promise of grace. Then as now; God knows what He has in you and me, all of us. He knows that the world naturally is in rebellion to Him. He knows that human hearts are focused on themselves, and not the things that really matter. He knows that when it comes to choice, we choose ourselves every time, even when it means eternal death and separation. But, out of His love, He comes with a message that can still warm your heart; that can overcome your rebellion; that can bring you peace in the middle of your turmoil.  There are just some things that have to be done by the one person who can do it, aren't there? We kind of believe this deep down in our hearts already. The movies that really get us are those movies where that one person does what has to be done so that all might be blessed, right? War movies are like that because in war, things always seem to turn on one person's diligence or one person's faithfulness, one platoon's dedication to duty and honor. If you want to see some examples of that, just watch that HBO special, "Band of Brothers." There are some moments in that series that will make even the most hardened man cry real tears. Even as sinners, we know that it is noble for people to die so that others might live!  But when it comes to the price to be paid for real, abundant, eternal life for sinful, rebellious humanity, even our noblest efforts aren't enough. Choosing death so that rebels might have eternal life, that's not what we do. In fact, we recoil at that notion. But, that's the message of the Scripture for all. The Bible proclaims that absolute, infinite difference of God's loving rescue when it says in Romans 5, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So, choose life? It would be better to say since God has chosen you, since God has paid the price for your forgiveness, life, and salvation, since God has made this life available to you, by the power of His Spirit, trust in Him. Yes, and live that life for all its worth! Like the people in our text chosen by God's covenant promise, people of the promise called Israel; we, too, are being encouraged not just to have faith, but to live life faithfully in God's love and promise, now and forever. They were encouraged to choose good and not evil. And the word for good here includes the notion of both prosperity and salvation - both material and spiritual provisions. That's a lot of good! But, this isn't prosperity theology as if God is some kind of Santa Claus at our beck and call. But, it's also wrong to think that God is somehow stingy, as if He is the One who makes life hard this side of heaven. No, God is an abundant life giver and He promises to be with us, to bless us, to draw us close to Him in all things. We can trust that in worldly abundance or we can trust that in worldly scarcity for He fills His people with good things!  When we choose life in His Name, we are choosing to follow the Lord who has already loved us, just like He loved the people in our text. The Psalmist echoes that material good in Ps. 145:16. He says, "You, Lord, open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." That's just the kind of God He is. And I know then that it's hard to imagine but even in the face of the fullness of God's grace human beings still are the kind of people who still seem to love everything else but what God teaches and commands. We are a people still stingy with our love, our forgiveness, our labor, our effort, our resources. God doesn't make us pay, but we often make each other pay. Even believers at times, receive God's abundance and then treat each other very poorly. Moses says, "That would indeed be foolish to choose evil in the face of God's goodness for you."  I'm so amazed today when people blame God for the foolish choices that are so rampant in the world. We say that we are pro-choice and yet that euphemistically means killing the innocent and the helpless among us. We say we are for sexual freedom and sexual liberty, but that has spawned diseases, and brokenness, and hopelessness not just for the choosers but for the children who have to live with such choices. We say we are for equality, but as soon as the powerless get in power, the same degradation of others seems to follow.  Moses lays it all before them. He says, "This day I call the heaven and the earth against you as witnesses that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life!" He says, "Don't lay there in your bondage; don't try to choose life on your terms, trust in the One who has done it all for you, and then live the life that He has in store for you too."  God has crossed over the Congo Rivers of our life. We get to cross the Jordan of our fears in faith and hope to live life following the footsteps of the One who always goes with us and goes on before us.  That's why Moses also can say to them and to you and me, "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven.....Nor is it beyond the sea.....No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." It's too hard for us to choose life on our terms; but, it's not too hard for God who is our life to choose us and then to invite us to live that life by His Spirit. As Moses reminds us, our faithfulness is determined by God's faithfulness. He asks 'who's going to ascend to heaven to bring this to us?" The Bible says, "God Himself in His Loving faithfulness actually descended from heaven all the way to us, in Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, "For [God] chose us in him [that's Christ] before the creation of the world" (Eph. 1:4) and then He sent His Son into our flesh to bring us His blessing and salvation.  Luther's famous Christmas hymn "From Heaven Above To Earth I Come;" it revels in this Biblical teaching as he writes, "Welcome to earth, O noble Guest. Through whom the sinful world is blessed! You came to share my misery that you might share your joy with me."  That's a near word from God, a life-giving word, one available to you and to me right now.  Yes, my friend, as incredible as it sounds, you have the promises of God even more sure today than those Children of Israel and Moses himself. You don't need to cross the Red Sea, because Jesus Christ brings the very blessings of that crossing, indeed, the ultimate blessings of the cross of Calvary, all the way to you in the waters of Holy Baptism in His Name. Do you want to experience the blessings of that Red Sea salvation? Do you want to know the certainty that Christ's saving death was for you? Then let Him splash you with His grace with the water that's connected to His Name. That Word of life that Moses spoke of, it is even more near to you today. When you go to Christ's church, especially of the Lutheran persuasion, you are not going to hear dry sermons about merely being good boys and girls; you are also not going to hear false, empty promise sermons about "living life to its fullness on your terms alone." No, you are going to hear a Word that comes to bring you life, and as believers, you will even come to His Table, His Supper, where you will taste and see that the Lord is good to you personally. Choose that! Choose life! Jesus has crossed the eternal Congo Rivers of Hell itself, so that we can cross through the Jordan Rivers of promise, living life by His Spirit for one another! We can choose life because Jesus, the Life of the World, has chosen us by His cross and resurrection. Jesus said in John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." Christ chose us. That is good news. But we see here a connection between being chosen and choosing, between being chosen and bearing fruit, between being chosen and obeying God's ways, commandments, statutes, and rules. Now that's choice worth choosing, right? Choose life from the One who made life possible for you again. The same God who breathed life into Adam at creation breathed new life into us, by breathing life into us through His Spirit-filled Word.  And we need that new breath of life in Christ. His Word is literally the oxygen mask of eternal life; I like that. Let's say it again. His Word is literally the oxygen mask of eternal life to those who need it more than just a breath of fresh air, but to those who are gasping for breath who need that oxygen of His forgiveness and grace for life. Read His Word, be baptized into His Name, believe in Jesus Christ, the One who fulfilled the very words of Moses for you, and follow Him to the other side of your Jordan River and live life to His glory, by the power of His Name.  Breathe in His life-giving Word today and choose life. Breathe that breath of life and choose good. Breathe that breath of life and choose blessing for others in your thoughts and prayers. The joy of being chosen produces the joy of choosing life so that others might know the One who saved and redeemed you as His own.  Right after these words, Moses brings some encouragement to those who will live life following the Lord in a rebellious world. He says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear......for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you." What words of encouragement for them and for us; for God sets before you again life and good and blessing. Choose His life for you. Don't lose it. You can do it because it's been done for you. And the One who chose you is with you. And He will never leave you, never forsake you.  Amen. LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for February 16, 2014 Topic: What Is The Church's View About Racism? ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I'm Mark Eischer. Today, the question is, "What is the church's view concerning racism?"  SELTZ: What a timely question, Mark. I think it's crucial for the church to be heard about this issue, leading the way in creating an environment of love, acceptance, people who share the same faith in Christ, no matter where we come from, what language we speak, or what color our skin happens to be. ANNOUNCER: And it's a serious issue not only for us in society, but also, I think, in the life of the Church. SELTZ: Right, it is; but we don't take the lead on this because of the world's opinion or even the pressures of our own society. No, we seek to be a people who are open to others because we serve a Savior who died for every person on the planet, for all nations. Remember what Jesus said as He prepared His followers for His ascension into heaven: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." He said. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-19 ESV).  ANNOUNCER: And He didn't say make disciples of only a favored few or a certain ethnic group. SELTZ: No. No way, He mandated that the Gospel message is for all nations. Any racism or oppression based on the color of someone's skin is absolutely unbiblical and not Christ-like. It is totally counter to Jesus' love for us and His calling for our lives. ANNOUNCER: The Bible is very clear on this. We read in Colossians, chapter three, "Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free; but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11 ESV).  SELTZ: Wow! Isn't that great? God's Word does not compromise when it comes to treating all people not only fairly, but generously and graciously. In fact, God doesn't treat us fairly, He treats us graciously, loving and forgiving us even though we don't deserve it.  ANNOUNCER: Sadly, we sometimes do the opposite. SELTZ: We do. Even as Christians, we're still weak and broken sinners. It is easy to prejudge, to discriminate, to harbor fearful feelings for people who look different, speak a different language, or do things differently than we do. Even the Apostle Peter himself had problems with this, remember? ANNOUNCER: God confronted Peter with it through a vision. SELTZ: That's right, Acts, chapter ten. Peter was a Jewish man. He believed that Gentiles were unclean and unworthy to receive the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus. But God sent Peter a vision of unclean food.  ANNOUNCER: And in that vision God commanded Peter to eat things that were forbidden according to Jewish law.  SELTZ: That's right; and right after that dream messengers from a Gentile leader, Cornelius, came to ask Peter to come to their home. God overcame Peter's false superior attitude, and a humbled Peter went to Cornelius' home and said something that set the pace for the Christian Church for the ages. He said, "Truly I understand now that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35 ESV). ANNOUNCER: So Peter understood that God's love for all people meant sometimes putting his feelings, his habits, and his fears to the side. SELTZ: And God's heart, then, is for all people. In 2 Corinthians, chapter five, the Apostle Paul describes this new vantage point we have. He says, "For the love of Christ controls us.... he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him. So, from now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh" (2 Corinthians 5:13-16 ESV). ANNOUNCER: So as Jesus fills us with His love, He also changes the way we look at others and how we treat them. SELTZ: That's right. There's a new life that's been given, that's how we get to live. But I have to be honest. The church, God's people, not always done this very well; and, to be completely honest, we still don't. There are plenty of racial divides still out there. It's been said that Sunday morning is still the most segregated time in our nation.  ANNOUNCER: How can we help the church to become more in line with the Spirit of God? SELTZ: The first thing I would recommend, Mark, is that every one of us falls on his or her knees in prayer, repenting of any hatred of that kind, asking God to make every church a reflection of its community, a unified, loving gathering for all nations and people. We are the people who get to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, as God welcomes us. The second thing I would recommend is action. As God's people, we need to be, by the power of His Spirit, the best at befriending people around us, putting aside the foolishness of racism and shining the love of Christ to those that God gathers in our midst. ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries. Music Selections for this program: "A Mighty Fortress" arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission. "Lord, 'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee" (public domain) "The Church's One Foundation" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) Print this sermon Sign up for LHM news Daily Devotions Visit lutheranhour.org Change my email Contact Us subscribe / unsubscribe / visit our website 660 Mason Ridge Center Dr. St. Louis, MO 63141 1-800-876-9880

Watch "Pastor Klaustermeier's sermon from 2/9/14" on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwk8XGEshGs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thurs. Feb 13, 2014

DEVOTION:  Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.  The Story p. 73
 
Humility is a virtue that often goes unnoticed.  It goes unnoticed, because people who are humble never like to make a big deal about themselves.  People who are humble don't brag, they don't let other people know what they are good at.  They are very seldom leaders, but when they are, and when they do speak up, people take notice and listen. 
 
I love that Moses was the most humble man among all the Israelites.  It show me that the  qualities God looks for in a leader aren't necessarily the same qualities the world looks for.  It shows me that a lot of times, as it says in the Scripture, "God opposes the proud and give grace to the weak." 
 
The reason for this is that God wants people to know that it is by His power and His Almighty hand that He does miraculous things.  He wants people to see that He can bring water out of a rock, that He can bring plagues upon a whole nation, and that He can bring a whole nation out of a land of oppression and into a land flowing with milk and honey. 
 
God doesn't want a man to ever think He has power within himself to change the world or be a leader, but that He is the one who is ultimately in charge of all things.
 
Have you been humble or arrogant lately?  Have you looked to the needs of others or yourself?  Have you shown by your words and actions that God is in charge of your life or that you are?  Think about it and repent if you need to.
 
Let us pray:  Lord God, thank you for raising up a leader like Moses to show us that you appreciate and honor those whoa re humble.  Amen.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ:  If you number the commandments differently than you do in our Lutheran catechism, what would the second commandment be?  (Many other Christian denominations have a different way of listing and numbering the ten commandments.)
 
Some take the "You shall have no other gods" and "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God" as one  command.
 
Other take "You shall have no other gods" and "You shall not make for yourselves any graven image" as two different commands and take the 9th and 10th commandments as we have them about coveting and make them one commandment. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THURSDAY'S QUIZ: Who buried Moses?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Fri- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction starting at 3pm; Bible Study at Hendershot's 7pm
Sat- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction at 9am; Steak Dinner and Auction (doors open at 5pm); worship 5pm  NO BIBLE CLASS
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6); VOTER'S MEETING 9:45
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- Devin Miller; 11- Cara Klaustermeier
Altar guild- Set up- Ruth Walters; Clean up- Terry McKenzie
Greeters- 8:30- Paul and Cindy Klover; 11- Mike and Naomi Johnson
Communion Assistants- Sat- Dave Winter; 8:30- Steve Robine; 11- Jim Rahn
Lay Readers- Sat- Kathy Fischer; Sun- Steve Robine;  11am- Austin Heitgerd
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
8:30 Ushers- George Hoelscher, Brent Davis, Gary Hoelscher, Walt Schirr
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:

THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 6  "Wandering"
Since there is a Steak Dinner Saturday night and a Voter's Meeting Sunday morning there will not be any adult Bible class this week.  There will still be Sunday school for the kids! 
 
Be on the look out in the days ahead for questions that you can use for your own Bible study time at home! 
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STEAK DINNER AND AUCTION THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 BEGINNING AT 6PM!! 
Tickets are on sale in the narthex before and after worship or you can call the church office during the week to get yours!  Come and enjoy a wonderful time, wonderful food, and get lots of good deals and on stuff that you will really use and need!!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
QUARTERLY VOTER'S MEETING
The big item is that we will be voting on whether or not to pay off the Good Shepherd mortgage to free up income for our DCE intern.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEW BIBLE STUDY DAY AND TIME ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE
In order to give everyone a chance to participate fully in The Story we have added a Saturday afternoon Bible study at 4pm.  This is especially good for those who normally attend worship on Saturday evening, but is for EVERYONE who wants to attend!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.



 

JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

Wed. Feb 12, 2014

DEVOTION:  When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has said we will do."  Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.  The Story p. 62
 
Have you ever gotten "zealous" for doing God's will only to very shortly afterwards realize that you have failed?  Maybe you read the Ten Commandments in last week's reading and thought like the Israelites did in the passage above that you could do them.  You got very pious, started to pray five or ten times a day, read your Bible constantly, and did everything just right, and then you woke up from your dream.....
 
We all would like to be better, to do all the right things, to keep from sinning, to live completely according to God's will. 
 
At the same time, maybe you see the real truth behind this passage, especially when you read about one failing after another among the Israelites or how they continually seem to be grumbling against the Lord, Moses, and Aaron, and you realize just how impossible it is to do all the law of the Lord.  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.
 
That is why God sent His Son Jesus to die on that cross for you.  He knew you couldn't fulfill the law perfectly.  The biggest use of the law is to show us our sins.  Once you get that straight and acknowledge your inability to keep the law you are finally on the right track.  Then you can truly fall at the feet of the Lord and repent of your sinfulness, of your self righteousness, and of your pride and truly begin to lead a truly humble, repentant, and peace filled life. 
 
I urge you today to take the lesson God has shown us through the story of the Israelites and plead with God to forgive you of your sins for Jesus' sake, knowing that what He has promised, He has done!
 
Let us pray:  Lord God, help us all to get off our high horse, to quit judging others for the same sins we commit, and to humbly fall before you and receive Your forgiveness.  Amen.
 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY'S QUIZ: What is the fifth commandment?  (Depends on how you number them.)  It is either "Honor your father and mother" or "You shall not murder."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUIZ:  If you number the commandments differently than you do in our Lutheran catechism, what would the second commandment be?  (Many other Christian denominations have a different way of listing and numbering the ten commandments.)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Wed- Choir 7pm
Fri- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction starting at 3pm; Bible Study at Hendershot's 7pm
Sat- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction at 9am; Steak Dinner and Auction (doors open at 5pm); worship 5pm  NO BIBLE CLASS
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6); VOTER'S MEETING 9:45
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- Devin Miller; 11- Cara Klaustermeier
Altar guild- Set up- Ruth Walters; Clean up- Terry McKenzie
Greeters- 8:30- Paul and Cindy Klover; 11- Mike and Naomi Johnson
Communion Assistants- Sat- Dave Winter; 8:30- Steve Robine; 11- Jim Rahn
Lay Readers- Sat- Kathy Fischer; Sun- Steve Robine;  11am- Austin Heitgerd
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
8:30 Ushers- George Hoelscher, Brent Davis, Gary Hoelscher, Walt Schirr
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:

THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 6  "Wandering"
Since there is a Steak Dinner Saturday night and a Voter's Meeting Sunday morning there will not be any adult Bible class this week.  There will still be Sunday school for the kids! 
 
Be on the look out in the days ahead for questions that you can use for your own Bible study time at home! 
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STEAK DINNER AND AUCTION THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 BEGINNING AT 6PM!! 
Tickets are on sale in the narthex before and after worship or you can call the church office during the week to get yours!  Come and enjoy a wonderful time, wonderful food, and get lots of good deals and on stuff that you will really use and need!!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
QUARTERLY VOTER'S MEETING
The big item is that we will be voting on whether or not to pay off the Good Shepherd mortgage to free up income for our DCE intern.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEW BIBLE STUDY DAY AND TIME ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE
In order to give everyone a chance to participate fully in The Story we have added a Saturday afternoon Bible study at 4pm.  This is especially good for those who normally attend worship on Saturday evening, but is for EVERYONE who wants to attend!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.


 
JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

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Tues. Feb 11, 2014

DEVOTION:  Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?  What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?  The Story p. 67
 
What is it that makes you stand out from the crowd?  Is it your spectacular good looks?  Is it your wit?  Is it your knowledge and intellect?  Is it your unusual ability to play an instrument or play a sport?  What is it?
 
Hopefully, as you read the passage above, you were able to say that what makes you stand out from the crowd is the Presence of the Lord God in your life.  But how is that seen?  Ahh, let me count the ways..
 
1. Humility-  Scripture says that Moses was the most humble of all the Israelites.
2. Accountability (self control)-  You know that you are accountable to God and so you act like it, because you want to honor Him.
3. Peace- There is usually an unusual presence of peace that surrounds you even in times of crisis and pain.
4. Love- You love people despite your differences with them.
5. Joy- Joy doesn't mean that you are walking around with a smile on your face all the time, but it does mean that your joy is constant and doesn't depend on your circumstance but only on Christ's love for you.
6. Kindness- You are always willing to help.
7. Patience- You are patient with people, waiting on the Lord to do His work.
8. Faithful- You are faithful to God and to others. 
 
You might have recognized this list as the list of the fruits of the Spirit.  If the presence of God is with you, that means the Holy Spirit lives in you.  By virtue of your faith given to you when you heard the good news and when you were baptized, the Holy Spirit lives in you!  Rejoice in that today!  Live with the knowledge that the Lord is WITH you always to the very end of the earth!
 
 
Yet, even when we don't exhibit all of these qualities God is still with us and He shows His presence in us through the Word and the Sacraments.  These are the marks of the church and the marks of God's work.  Whenever we are partaking of these and living in God's grace we can know that God is with us even when we don't feel like it!  Trust in that today!
 
Let us pray:  Lord God, thank you for your continual presence!  Amen.

 

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LAST TUESDAY'S QUIZ: Who was it that told the Israelites to give him all their gold jewelry so that he could make a golden calf?  Aaron
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TUESDAY'S QUIZ: What is the fifth commandment?
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CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilters 9-2pm; Bible Study 11:30-12:15; Trustees meeting
Wed- Choir 7pm
Fri- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction starting at 3pm; Bible Study at Hendershot's 7pm
Sat- Youth set up for Steak Dinner and Auction at 9am; Steak Dinner and Auction (doors open at 5pm); worship 5pm  NO BIBLE CLASS
Sun- worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school (The Story Chapter 6); VOTER'S MEETING 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND
Acolytes- 8:30- Devin Miller; 11- Cara Klaustermeier
Altar guild- Set up- Ruth Walters; Clean up- Terry McKenzie
Greeters- 8:30- Paul and Cindy Klover; 11- Mike and Naomi Johnson
Communion Assistants- Sat- Dave Winter; 8:30- Steve Robine; 11- Jim Rahn
Lay Readers- Sat- Kathy Fischer; Sun- Steve Robine;  11am- Austin Heitgerd
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
8:30 Ushers- George Hoelscher, Brent Davis, Gary Hoelscher, Walt Schirr
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NEWS:

THIS WEEK:  THE STORY: CHAPTER 6  "Wandering"
Since there is a Steak Dinner Saturday night and a Voter's Meeting Sunday morning there will not be any adult Bible class this week.  There will still be Sunday school for the kids! 
 
Be on the look out in the days ahead for questions that you can use for your own Bible study time at home! 
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STEAK DINNER AND AUCTION THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 BEGINNING AT 6PM!! 
Tickets are on sale in the narthex before and after worship or you can call the church office during the week to get yours!  Come and enjoy a wonderful time, wonderful food, and get lots of good deals and on stuff that you will really use and need!!
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QUARTERLY VOTER'S MEETING
The big item is that we will be voting on whether or not to pay off the Good Shepherd mortgage to free up income for our DCE intern.
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LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ON MARCH 1ST!
There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.  Students must be 3 or 4 years old by Aug 1.  Enrollment for the community will be gin April 1.  For more info call Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier.
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HELP FOR PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH THE STORY
A big part of The Story experience is that the whole family grows together in it as each person in the family reads it, you will all literally be on the same page.  yet, it may be hard to get discussion going or to help you get started together.   Are you looking for a way to connect with your kids as they and you read The Story together?  There's help!
 
If you click the link below you will find parent pages for all age groups that you can use to connect with your kids at least once a week.  Whenever your "together" time is, make it productive.  It is a .pdf file of parent pages that goes from lesson one all the way through 31.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  I think they are excellent!! 
https://assets1.mytrainsite.com/501196/the_story_parentpages_weeks1_31.pdf?r=1438

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NEW BIBLE STUDY DAY AND TIME ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE
In order to give everyone a chance to participate fully in The Story we have added a Saturday afternoon Bible study at 4pm.  This is especially good for those who normally attend worship on Saturday evening, but is for EVERYONE who wants to attend!!
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PRAYER REQUESTS:  (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
 
THOSE WITH CANCER, the many among our family and friends who are struggling with cancer.
 
MARY AUBUCHON AND FAMILY as they are mourning the loss of her brother Floyd.
 
Sandy Robine's friend Patrice who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
 
JAYME VESSEL, an "almost" member of St. John's who is due to have a baby girl on the 17th, but it may come sooner due to frequent contractions.

COUGAR CLIFFORD, 15 year old who had an accident playing in the snow on Jan 7 and broke his neck.  He has undergone extensive surgery and is recovering but is still unable to move his legs.   

Terry McKenzie's cousin's sister-in-law who has a bad brain injury.

JONAS BORCHERT, grandson of Don Nolte, as he continues to deal with cancer in his lungs.
 
DONNA HEITGERD recovering at Scott and Lani Heitgerd's from a broken hip.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
         




           

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