DEVOTION: Luke 7:18-35
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
24 When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,
"'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31 "To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
Some people aren't going to be satisfied no matter what. They didn't like John because he didn't live like they did. He was too weird. They didn't like Jesus because He was TOO MUCH like they were. He ate regular food and even drank wine.
Those who don't want to submit to the will of God, and those who will pick and choose what Scripture they want to believe and don't want to believe will never be satisfied with God's Word. They will never be satisfied to say "If God says it, I say it." or "If it's God's will, I will abide by it."
It is hard for all off us, because our will human will is naturally opposed to God's will by virtue of being born of two human parents and living after the Fall of Adam and Eve. Yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit working through His Word and Sacraments, we have been regenerated. We have been born again. And so, as we are being continually brought closer to God's will as He sanctifies up more and more as we see the Day of the Lord approaching.
I know He is forming me more and more, day by day, as I have gone through discipline and times of struggle to strip and chip away at all that hard sin I have in my life. I know he's doing the same for you. Look for it! Realize it! Rejoice in it! Accept it! When you do, it will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You will see God's will in a whole new light. Don't be like the Pharisees and Sadducees who weren't satisfied with the Jesus they saw, talked with, and experienced. Be satisfied to know Him for who He is, your God and Lord.
Prayer: Lord, help me to surrender to your will and to be satisfied with who You truly are and not our own supposition of who we think You should be. Amen.
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CALENDAR:
Sat- Sunday school Christmas program practice 9-11; 3 yr old Little Lambs Christmas Program 3pm; Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; 4 yr old LL Christmas Program 3pm
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Jacob Winn ; 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- Sun- George, Gary, and ben Hoelscher, and Brent Davis
Altar- Set Up- Ruth Walters Clean up- Joanne Hachtel
Elders- Sat- Jim Rahn; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Steve McDowell
Greeters- 8:30- Dave and Linda Callies; 11- Steve and Sandy Robine
Lay readers- Sat- Jim Rahn 8:30- Jacob Nagel 11- Steve McDowell
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist- Sun (pianist)- Kathy Barrow
Projectionists: Sat. Pam Bueltmann 8:30- Terry McKenzie , 11- ?????
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YESTERDAY'S BIBLE QUIZ: Find a verse in Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, or Malachi that is a prophecy about Jesus.
(Leave it to Pat King to be extremely thorough.)
. Zephaniah
These verses refer to Christ's return and Judgement Day:
"For the day of the LORD is at hand. … And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, 'The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil'" (1:7, 12).
"The great day of the LORD is near. … That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. … I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD" (1:14-17).
2. Haggai
Haggai 2:6-7 – refers to Christ's return
6 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty.
3. Zechariah
There are a lot of prophecies regarding Jesus in this book, but I decided to go with one -Zechariah 12:10 - about the crucifixion.
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."
4. Malachi
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings," Malachi 4:2
According to Jewish sages and tradition, this Sun of Righteousness referred to in Malachi's prophecy was understood to be the Messiah, who would have the power to heal who ever touched the tzit-tzit (fringes) on his garment. (see Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Mark 6:56)
So, if you're wondering what the tzit-tzit is, I looked it up for you. I am so good to you!.
"In Jesus' day, Jewish men wore a simple tunic both at home and at work. When appearing in public, they would cover their tunic with a large rectangular cloth which draped over the shoulder and fell to the ankles. This cloth was called a tallit and served as protection from cold and rain. Hanging from the end of each of its four corners (wings) was a tzitzit in obedience to the biblical command. The hem of this garment is actually made with fringes, or tassels (called tzitziyot, in Hebrew). These were required to be on the four corners of all clothing of Jewish men, in accordance with God's instruction. These tassels were to remind each Jewish man of his responsibility to fulfill God's commandments in Deuteronomy 22 :12 and Num.15:37-40. In fact, these tassels are tied into 613 knots to constantly remind Jewish men of the 613 laws of Moses, of which there are 365 prohibitions (The "thou shalt not" laws), and 248 affirmations (the "thou shall" laws). The knots also correspond with the ineffable name of God, the unspoken yod-hey-vav-hey, Yahweh."
Tomorrow I won't be home, so it'll be up to someone else to answer this.
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TODAY'S QUIZ: Which Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) was most probably the first to be written?
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NEWS!!!!
THE GARMS FAMILY SINGERS WILL BE HERE FOR A CHRISTMAS CONCERT ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 AT 6PM!!!
They are a wonderfully talented family who use their God-given abilities to honor him and bring entertainment to churches all around the USA. Please mark your calendars and make every effort to be there. You won't be disappointed.
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ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS TO BE PLACED IN THE CHANCEL (ALTAR AREA) FOR CHRISTMAS IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF SOMEONE OR JUST AS A THANK YOU TO THE LORD FOR HIS CHURCH!!
$13.50 each
Sign up on the table in the narthex or call the church office.
Pay in the office or put your payment in the offering plate, but make sure it is CLEARLY MARKED "For POINSETTIA".
You can take them home with you after worship on Christmas Day!
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OPERATION BACKPACK FOR DECEMBER IS CANNED SOUP AND RAMEN NOODLES!!!
Please help feed the less fortunate kids in Warrenton and Warren County, all of whom get two meals at school during the school week, but go hungry on weekends.
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OFFERING ENVELOPES ARE ON THE TABLE IN THE NARTHEX!!!
If you are a confirmed member of St. John's you have offering envelopes! Take them home! Put money in them! And Bring them back as your offering to the Lord!
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UNMARKED BLUE ENVELOPE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GOING TO THE BUILDING EXPANSION PROGRAM
If you'd like it to go to the DCE fund you need to mark it for that! Please make sure you mark the ENVELOPE clearly for the DCE PROGRAM!
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DO YOU HAVE A KROGER CARD? ENROLL IT IN THE COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM!!!
Register it online www.krogercommunityrewards.com and have it swiped each time you shop to earn money for Little Lambs.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ GENERAL PRAYERS:
For IRMA TRAVELET, as she recovers from surgery to repair her broken hip, shoulder and arm.
For the FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF DAVE KOHRS as they mourn his loss.
For DAVE CALLIES as he recovers from losing a finger and injuries to others.
For CAL TAMELER as he is dealing with many complications and struggles with his eye.
For DAVE WINTER as he awaits an important test to identify troubling results from a prostate exam.
For DON PANHORST who is recovering from his third round of chemo that he received yesterday.
For DONNNA LINDSEY'S DAD, as he has been moved to Lincoln County Nursing and Rehab to recover from kidney troubles.
For KARIN KLAUSTERMEIER as she recovers from her hysterectomy.
For MARIANNE LINKE, who has been moved to Warrenton Manor and is receiving treatment and antibiotics for a very stubborn infection.
For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is in the Czech Republic to continue her mission work.
For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.
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