Prayer requests for today

1. Pray for Jerry and Mary Aubuchon as they mourn the loss of Mary's NIECE (correction from yesterday. Her niece was killed in a motorcycle accident.  Also pray for Mary as she helps care for her sister who has dementia.

2. For DAVE and Kerry Aubuchon as they work to make ends meet and as they work on getting back into regular worship. 

Fwd: The Lutheran Hour: August 2, 2015 "What is Truth?"

-------- Original message --------
From: Lutheran Hour Ministries <lh_min@lhm.org>
Date: 08/01/2015 9:15 PM (GMT-06:00)
To: Jeremy Klaustermeier <revklaus@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Lutheran Hour: August 2, 2015 "What is Truth?"

Sermon Text for August 2, 2015  "What is Truth?" #82-48 Presented on The Lutheran Hour on August 2, 2015 By Rev. Gregory Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker (Do Miracles, Like in the Book of Acts, Still Happen Today?) Copyright 2015 Lutheran Hour Ministries     Text: John 18:38 "Hello, I'm Gregory Seltz, Speaker of the Lutheran Hour. This broadcast has proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus for more than 80 years. We celebrate the fact that THIS MESSAGE OF HOPE IS UNCHANGING, EVEN IN A CHANGING WORLD. With that in mind, in a series we're calling Archives August, we bring back several sermons from one of our esteemed speakers of the past, Dr. Walter A. Maier, edited only slightly for modern presentation, to demonstrate the enduring power of Christ's message, no matter the mouthpiece. Our sermon this week: "What Is Truth?" Pilate said to Jesus, 'What is truth?' John 18:38  In the Name of the One who is, who was, and who is coming again to judge the living and the dead, Jesus our Savior. Amen! "What is truth?" asks a wavering Roman governor named Pilate as he concludes his private cross-examination of Jesus. And as we repeat this question, we often wonder what the motives may have been which led that shrewd, worldly-wise politician to make this immortal inquiry.  Was he a seeker after truth or merely a deep-rooted skeptic, an anxious inquirer, or a disillusioned cynic?  Knowing him as we do, it seems quite remote that he entertained the hope, even for a fleeting moment, that the silent, yet strangely majestic Galilean named Jesus could end the search for the truth that had eluded the soothsayers of Rome, the philosophers of Greece, and the astrologers of ancient Babylon. To his grasping heathen mentality, this Jesus, of despised Nazareth, was but a harmless, high-souled dreamer of dreams, a dealer in dim abstractions.  And so, with a half-flippant, half-sarcastic, "What is truth?" this administrator of Roman justice, able to perceive the right in other realms, he fails in the greatest crisis of his life, and as the reins of justice slip from his careless grasp, he delivers the very incarnate Truth into the crushing power of His tormentors. It seems like not much has changed. Many today approach Jesus with the same cynicism as Pilate. Today, when a restless, disillusioned world echoes, "What is truth?" people often ask the question with a calculated seriousness that is born of distrust and suspicion. Experience has made people skeptical. People have been led to believe that through the introduction of political and economic measures a beneficent wave of prosperity and material growth would cover over us, but today, in the United States and in many places around the world, there is demoralizing unemployment, with a riotous and conflicting combination of legislative millstones around our national neck, distancing the so-called golden age of economists and politicians even further from our grasp. All this has had its reflex in all things religious too, especially in those questions that pertain to the soul. When people today ask, "What is truth?" more than ever before they follow the example of Pilate by refusing to listen to the one Source of supreme Truth. Divine revelation has been rejected by our modern, grasping, skeptical age, and human reason has been enthroned, cold, calculating reason, which tells us that the only religious verities are those which can be tested and proved by the results of modern scientific investigation, that meet our expectations and notions alone! As we pause, then, we ask, "Is this the inevitable destiny of the church of Jesus Christ," that it must transfer its faith from God's Word to man's word; whether it must turn away from the bloodshed forgiveness of Jesus earned on the cross for all to the attainments of man; or, whether, finally, it must admit that human reason is the foundation for truth and faith? I thank God that I have the privilege of demonstrating that what men call scientific truth is often so faulty, so self-contradictory, sometimes even so dishonest, and always so incomplete that, if we build our hope for time and eternity upon such shifting sands, we may just as well try to promote our own well-being by dieting on double-strength strychnine. I want to remind you, in the first place, that often mankind's wisdom, especially the so-called scientific truths, hopelessly contradict one another. Issues as direct as the age of the world are fraught with conflicting "facts" and opinions. From the very beginning there was disagreement. Not too long ago, esteemed professors from major universities placed the age of the earth on the one hand between 70 million and 150 million years, but another one claimed that the range was between 8 million and 1.7 billion years. Still another said, "No, the earth may be as young as 1.5 million years, while another claimed that it must be at least 200 trillion years old. Those figures differ to the extent of more than 199 trillion years. And it is no better today....Now, if science cannot definitely tell the age of rocks, but can offer a hundred variant and contradictory theories, you will realize that it certainly cannot give the world the Rock of Ages for which the spiritual needs of all humanity cry; you will appreciate that we must harken back to the warning of St. Paul concerning the "folly of human wisdom, whatever its form." Again, the results of scientific investigation often lack all stability, for they are changed and modified in the most kaleidoscopic fashion. Thus the Bible tells us in the very plainest language that God created this earth. But many modern scientists and lay people alike have dethroned the Almighty and tell us that myriads of millions of years ago there was a fiery mist, or a nebula; and from this, it is claimed, our world emerged as a great ball of fire, which gradually cooled and contracted into its present form. But another scientist rises and tells you that this nebular hypothesis is unscientific and out of date and that you must accept the planetesimal hypothesis, which involves a huge disruption instead of the shrinking together demanded by the other theory. And while you are listening to him, a third approaches with one of the still more modern hypotheses, which is diametrically opposed to all others. Now, which of these conflicting claims will you accept as the truth? Can you accept any when you know that the one you accept today may be rejected tomorrow? Again, the history of science (the science which modern theology wants to make the basis of religious truth) reveals one error after another and a long series of misrepresentations. When Daguerre, the father of modern photography, spoke of reproducing pictures, his scientific comrades thought him insane. When Harvey suggested that blood circulates through the body, as we now know it does today, he was ridiculed by learned men in all professions.  My purpose, of course, is not to cast aspersions upon the heroic accomplishments of really scientific men and women, who, always conscious of their limitations, have rendered inestimable service to humankind. No statement of gratitude can adequately express our indebtedness to their labors and even to their errors, which have often served to advance the truth of scientific research. The point I wish to make, however, is this: can you afford to trust your soul to a system that can make such mistakes? Remember, for the eternal salvation of our souls we must have something that cannot change, something that is surer than the foundations of the earth, something that is as everlasting as eternity. But this is not to be found in the delusions which are being taught our children in many of our tax-supported high schools, where the minds of girls and boys are being perverted by anti-Biblical speculations which real scientists rejected years ago. Neither can this faith and assured hope be formulated in scientific laboratories and expressed in scientific textbooks and reached in scientific lectures. Nor can it be found in any human system of learning, because the human mind, darkened by sin, is too feeble, frail, and fallible to give to the world the final and absolute truth. But, thank God, today the answer to Pilate's question, "What is truth?" comes to us from a divine and infallible source, from the blessed lips of Him in whom the very fullness of the Godhead dwells. None other than the Son of the living God, Jesus the Christ, He has told us that, if we continue in His Word, we "shall know the truth." Communing with His Father in prayer, He declared, "Thy Word is truth." Offering His divine guidance to a perishing world, He pleaded, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." All these and other related passages unite in a convincing answer to Pilate's question and tell us that the Word of God, our Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which claims to be, which we believe to be, and which proves itself to be, the revelation of God to men, is in every sense of the term the truth, the absolute, definitive, positive truth. Let me repeat: this divine Word not only contains the truth, not only presents the truth, not only leads to truth, but is the truth. Consider its unchangeableness, portraying to us, as it does, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever." Men have tried to change it, it is true; they have tried to accommodate it to passing fancy and to the absurdities of their own speculations. But while human theories change with depressing haste, as one generation rushes on after another, we have heaven's assurance that not one jot or tittle of this sacred truth will pass away. Remember the imperishable power of this truth, which according to divine promise will outlive heaven and earth. Men have risen up to blast this truth off the face of the earth; a fanatical Roman emperor had this inscription carved on a stone: "The name of Christ has been destroyed." It was the vain boast of Voltaire that, although twelve men were required to write up Christianity, he himself would prove that one man could write it down. But today this truth of God is annually circulated in more hundreds of millions of copies than ever before-the one, true, deathless volume, the Scripture. Think of all the unsparing and soul-searching penetration of this truth, which refuses to sugar-coat the inborn perversities, and iniquities, and sins of all human beings, but instead asserts with definitive finality, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  And yet, even more definitively, this truth calls us to behold the unspeakable love of this truth, a love so intense and overpowering that human comprehension cannot understand even a fragment of it. I want you to see this day, for yourself, in that Man of Sorrows, who suffered on a cross for you, the truth of a love so profound, that it could uncomplainingly suffer the ruthless disregard of every principle of truth and justice so that you and I could be saved.  Sadly, we hear of corruptions in our courts today; the annals of criminal procedure repeatedly have recorded instances in which the innocent have been pronounced guilty and even sentenced to death; we have all read of men who for this reason or that have taken it upon themselves the punishment that should have been meted out to others. Yet all of this...even in its highest and noblest form, magnify and intensify it as we may, it is so pale and insignificant when compared with the mocking injustice to which that suffering Savior was subjected. For He upon whose naked back those vindictive persecutors rained the lacerating lashes, He upon whose exalted brow blasphemous hands crushed a crown of cutting thorns, He is loaded down, not with the punishment for His own sin, for He had none, but with the punishment of the uncounted myriads of millions of transgressions of which humanity in its entirety and throughout all ages had stood condemned.  No wonder that, with the sins of every man, woman, and child that ever lived or ever would live crushing down upon His innocent soul as He wrestled in the agony of Gethsemane, He cried out: "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." No wonder that, when he hung suspended on the cross, with His arms stretched wide, as though in the dying gesture to embrace all of humanity for which He was now being slaughtered, He cried in piercing despair, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"  What an unimaginable pain. Yes, I know, there are glimpses of such pain in humanity. We read of the excruciating pain which characterizes the dying hours of some who suffer from appalling diseases or agonizing accidents; we shudder when we hear of the bloody persecutions to which followers of Christ have been subjected by human malice and fiendishness at its worst; yet all of the pain that murder, war, disease, accident, persecution, oppression, in their totality have inflicted upon humanity--all this is but a temporary annoyance compared with the agony that all but broke the Savior's heart as He cried, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death." So today, as you hear the overpowering immensity of His devotion to humanity when even on the cross He says, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"; as you listen to His last cry, "It is finished," not as a cry of defeat, but in reality the greatest triumph in the world; as you stand under the eternal shadow of that cross, you must realize and believe that above all the loneliness and never-to-be-measured grief and weakness that marked that black and bitter death, in this person Jesus Christ, you are face to face with truth in the highest love that even the universe cannot contain. Think of the worldwide sweep of this truth, still breaking down all the barriers by which men have separated into distinct and opposing groups and knocking at every heart that hears these words today, with no one too exalted or too cultured, no one too lowly or too illiterate, to understand and believe that this message of truth is for them. Think of the unconditional offer for the gift of this truth. Men may endow millions and devote decades in the attempt to ascertain the truth of our physical life, but here, in Christ Alone, without any prerequisites and without any price, is the free and unconditioned gift of truth, "By grace are you saved." Think of the renewing and regenerating influence and the demonstration of power by which ruined lives have been recast, hopeless careers reborn with high expectations, and souls torn from the tyranny of sin by trust and faith in a Savior Who promises, "This Truth, My Truth, I am the Truth, the Truth shall set you free."  Pilate asks the question we all ask. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is a proclamation that He is that Answer for you and for all who believe. Today, ask yourself if you have this freedom, His freedom and remember that the most blessed reality in your life, the positive, immovable, unalterable, imperishable truth, is Jesus Christ incarnate, Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ risen again, Jesus Christ everlastingly victorious is for you, for your life, now and forever. Amen. LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for August 02, 2015 Topic: Do Miracles, Like in the Book of Acts, Still Happen Today? ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions from listeners. I'm Mark Eischer. Pastor, in the Book of Acts, we hear that the apostles performed various signs and wonders. For example, people brought out the sick and St. Peter healed them all. A listener close to the program asks, "Do miracles like that still happen today?"  SELTZ: Wow, Mark, what a great question because people are always interested in miracles, aren't they? We love to hear if there are things that immediately, miraculously, change or confirm what is going on at the moment. So, when the Word of God was preached or shared in the book of Acts, there were miraculous events that happened at the same time.  ANNOUNCER: But, it is important for us to understand the context of these miracles that took place. SELTZ: That's right. The context of what is going on in Acts is important, and we'll get to that, but that really doesn't answer our listener's whole question. ANNOUNCER: Let's start with the most basic one..."Do miracles still happen?" SELTZ: Of course they do. God can do whatever He desires to bring us to faith in Him. The question is, "Is that the main way that God desires to work faith and salvation in our hearts?" Biblically, the answer to that is no, generally not. Remember the verse, "Jews demand signs, Greeks demand wisdom, we preach Christ Crucified....foolishness to the Greeks, and a stumbling block to the Jews, but to those of us who believe, it is the power of God!" ANNOUNCER: In this way, God works to bring the world to faith in exactly the opposite way the world seeks God and expects God to work. SELTZ: That's true. So whatever is going on in Acts, it isn't power for power's sake, that's what we would demand of God's things. Just think about how God generally works. God sends His Son, not to dominate like our heroes would but to serve sinners and rebels. Then God the Father allows His Son to be crucified on a cross, rather than send His legions of angels to defend and protect the most perfect Person who ever lived.  ANNOUNCER: And, then, God empowers a bunch of forgiven sinners to go and preach that Gospel to the whole world. So, God is doing things exactly the opposite way that we would expect. SELTZ: And that's vital, because it is for our own good, so that we can see that it is all by God's grace. Even the miracles of the Bible tend to focus us away from the miraculous event to the message of the suffering servant Jesus Christ. ANNOUNCER: But why then do there seem to be more miracles associated with the proclamation of the Gospel in the Book of Acts? God seems to be doing the opposite of what you are saying. SELTZ: At first glance, that appears correct. But let's take a closer look at the context. Jesus Christ has risen again and located His message in the public ministry of these Apostles. They are living testimonies to that message of Jesus that by the power of the Holy Spirit is bringing people to faith. When that message moves into a new place, among a new group of people, there are times when there are miraculous signs and wonders that accompany that proclamation, to drive home that this isn't the apostles' words; these are the Words of Jesus Christ even through them. ANNOUNCER: Should we expect with our proclamation that that would happen today? SELTZ: This is where I believe the context of that first proclamation of the Gospel through the Apostles might indeed differentiate itself from our context today. ANNOUNCER: What do you mean? SELTZ: Remember, the book of Acts is describing how the message of Jesus Christ moved out, by the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching and teaching of the Apostles. It didn't say that it had to go out the same way through us. And, remember, too, what made that context of that time different than today. ANNOUNCER: Well, for one thing, people didn't have the New Testament in a written form yet.  SELTZ: Exactly, this was a time of Apostolic letters and public teaching and preaching. I believe the Holy Spirit undergirded their work in unique ways to help root that message and break down the ethnic encasement of that message. But, the greatest miracles were not the healings or the speaking in tongues; the greatest miracles were the Word of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit gathered into what we now call the New Testament! ANNOUNCER: So, when we have, now, the very words of Jesus brought to us through the Apostles, that should be the thing we yearn for, not signs and wonders. SELTZ: Well said. And that's why, with the Bible in our hands, we have the greatest miracle already. Whether other things come or not, they don't add or detract from the Spirit-filled Word of Jesus that brings us to faith and everlasting life. With that in mind, let God do whatever else He pleases. ANNOUNCER: And He certainly knows what's best for us and He gives us what we need for everyday. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries. Action in Ministry for August 02, 2015 ANNOUNCER: You're listening to The Lutheran Hour. This is Action In Ministry. Pastor Seltz, today's sermon was a bit different from others that you've preached. Let's tell our listeners again what Archives August is all about and what its purpose is.  SELTZ: The Lutheran Hour has been on since the 1930s, so it's been a long time. We've had wonderful preachers and proclaimers of the Gospel. It just seemed interesting to say let's go back and see if we can pull some sermons from the archives of some of these great men and could they be preached today? And the challenge then is the Word relevant today? And so that's why we decided to do this-to show that the Word that was proclaimed then is not only just as applicable today but it's amazing how even that sermon could still be applied in many ways today.  ANNOUNCER: For our listeners who may not know, who was Dr. Walter A. Maier and what was the context for his preaching back in 1930.  SELTZ: Dr. Maier was the first Lutheran Hour Speaker and a lot of people don't realize but he was, in many ways, a cultural icon as well. ANNOUNCER: A radio pioneer. SELTZ: A radio pioneer. He just was a magnanimous figure who brought the Good News of the Gospel. He felt the Gospel needed to be preached to the nations; and so, again, he took that radio, that new technology, and said how about this? He made a lot of sacrifices to make that happen, as well as a lot of people; the Laymen's League, things like that, who sacrificed to bring it to fruition.  ANNOUNCER: Let's think also about the social context; the people that he was speaking to at that time, what they were facing.  SELTZ: Think about all the things: the World War, Depression. Modernism was a view that we had all the answers now with our scientific know how and all these different kinds of things. ANNOUNCER: Didn't need God. SELTZ: Didn't need God at all. In fact, we were forging a new future in a lot of ways and then when you had these wars break in to end all wars, it shows what technology really is doing to us. And we can struggle with that same issue today. And so, again, he's coming with this message that cuts through all of that and says this world is not our home. This world is sinful. This world is passing away but there is a kingdom that lasts and it's the one you're called to in the Name of Jesus Christ alone. He preached that with boldness at a time when the world really was struggling to find hope.  ANNOUNCER: How would you compare those messages in substance and style to the sort of sermons you preach on a regular basis? SELTZ: Well, it's interesting because there's a lot of content in the sermons and I think the modern listener would probably say that's too much to listen to. Today we hear you've got to tell stories to keep people's attentions and things like that. In that sense it was a different literary time, obviously. Radio was a different medium. We've become visual people-bumper sticker-type people, twitter people even. So it's harder to hold people's attention spans, but when you see some of the meat in the paragraphs and the sentences, you just want to slow down and chew a little slower.  ANNOUNCER: And, finally, what would you like listeners to derive from hearing these messages that were first written and preached 85 years ago? SELTZ: Interestingly enough, as we started to bring these archives forward, we realized that the message seemed to cut through time and it was something that applied in many ways even to today. So, what we were trying to demonstrate to our listeners is that this is because God's Word is unique. God's Word is universal and eternal, but it's coming specifically to you in your time and in your place. So when people say is the Bible relevant today, yes it is. Listen to this message because, in many ways, you can almost hear Dr. Maier preaching it to you today. And when you see that, again, realize it's not Dr. Maier, it's not Pastor Seltz, it's really the Bible that we're trying to bring to fruition. So, we just hope that this Archives August allowed people to really hear that for themselves and then they can trust in that Word for themselves too because it'll be just as relevant 100 years from now.  Music Selections for this program: "A Mighty Fortress" arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission. "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) "I Know My Faith Is Founded" 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 / sign-up for plain text / visit our website   660 Mason Ridge Center Dr. St. Louis, MO 63141 1-800-876-9880 www.lhm.org

Daily Prayer requests for today for Adams family and tomorrow for Aubuchon family

TODAY: Please pray for the Adams family as they all go back to school soon, as Matt and Laura try to sell the house and as their car broke down today that they can get it fixed without too much trouble. 
 
TOMORROW:  Pray for Jerry and Mary Aubuchon and family at Mary mourns the death of her sister and as they deal with some family issues. 
 
Pray for Dave and Kerry Aubuchon that they are able to make ends meet and that they can find their way back to church for worship soon. 

Online article about MO RIDES

Do you need a ride somewhere every once in a while, but have a hard time finding affordable transportation?  Learn more about MO Rides from the article below!
 

 

 

http://www.emissourian.com/features_people/feature_stories/pairing-up-riders-with-affordable-rides/article_e5ff40b1-70e2-5ce1-9343-25f92025147e.html

 

 

 

Deana Tucker Dothage

Mobility Coordinator

Boonslick Regional Planning Commission

PO Box 429

111 Steinhagen

Warrenton, MO  63383

Office: 636-456-3473 Extension 209

MOBILE:  636-359-4656   (MO RIDES)

ddothage@boonslick.org

http://boonslick.org/

http://morides.org/

 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

DEVOTION: But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.  Jeremiah 10:11
 
When I was a kid I would often lay on the grass at night and just look up at the stars in awe.   I didn't try to figure out how many stars there were.  I definitely didn't think that it was by some random chance that all of it happened.  I just looked at it in awe, wonder, and joy.  It was just a really cool gift of God. 
 
Don't get me wrong, it is important and beneficial for us to study and understand the planets, stars and solar systems.  Astronomy is a very beneficial science, but it must always be done and used in service to God.  it must always be studied in light of the passage above.  It is God's!  He made it.  He gave it to us to live in and enjoy! 
 
Don't believe all the hype about big bangs and random chances that really had no chance of happening. Don't believe people who reject the Biblical view of creation.  Don't reject this passage above and hundreds like it that tell us very simply and completely that God made the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them.  Believe God's Word.  Trust God's Word.  He will never deceive you or lead you astray.  His Word is TRUTH! 
 
Let us pray:  Lord, thank you for giving me such a cool universe to live in and enjoy.  Amen.

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LAST TIME'S QUIZ:    What was Jeremiah's scribe's name? Baruch
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TODAY'S QUIZ: According to Jeremiah 10:14-16 what commandment did the Israelites break?
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CALENDAR:
Sat- Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte-  8:30- Dustin Toedebusch ; 11- Ian Brunson
Ushers-  FIGURA FAMILY
Altar- Set up- Lucille Luebke ; Clean Up- Terry McKenzie
Communion Assistants- Sat- Charlie Figura; 8:30- Steve McDowell; 11- Dave Winter
Greeters- 8:30- Terry and Lynn Russell ; 11- Dave and Lil Winter
Lay readers- Sat- Judy Koprowski  8:30- Steve McDowell  11- Kailyn Blechle
Sat. Pianist- Kathy Barrow
Sun Pianist- 8:30- Kathy Barrow; 11- Molly Hendershot
Projectionists: Sat- ?????; Sun- 8:30- Schaumberg; 11-??????
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NEWS!!!!  PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!
 
THANK YOU AND SUPPORT LUNCHEON FOR DENISE SCHLESSELMANN THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 AT NOON!!

Everyone is invited, but we'd like you to call the church office to let us know you are coming so we have a good idea of who will be there. 

 

Denise will be sharing what she has experienced in her ministry over the last year and what she will be doing in the year to come. 

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FLOAT TRIP!  FLOAT TRIP!!  FLOAT TRIP!!! FLOAT TRIP!!!!
Do you enjoy the outdoors?  Do you like to float down lazy rivers with friends?  Do you enjoy rafts and coolers filled with all sorts of beverages and snacks?  Then sign up and join us for the fourth annual Labor Day float trip! 
 
DETAILS:
1. We will once again go through Ozark Outdoors. 
A. Canoe rental is $20 per person.  A child can ride for free as the THIRD person in the canoe. 
B. Single person kayaks are available at $28 per person. 
C. Rafts are available at $29 per person.  Children 7-12 yrs old can ride for $15 and children under 7 are free if raft minimums are met. 
D. Tubes are $25 per person
E. Rides on the bus are $30 a person if you have your own equipment. 
 
2. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT IS IT IS A FLOAT AND NOT A RACE!  Float a little, stop, have a snakcc and a drink, wait for the rest of the group and then move on. 
 
3. What will you need?  Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, cooler, drinks, lunch, and a positive attitude. 
 
4. Contact Teresa Scott to sign up tscott@usmo.com , 359-5041, or Schraer Heating and Cooling at 456-5041.  When signing up please provide your email address and BEST contact number.
 
5. If you choose to spend the weekend down there, please make camping, hotel, or cabin arrangements through Ozark Outdoors, www.ozarkoutdoors.net or with Onondaga State Park.  Currently there are reservable basic sites available for the weekend at Onandaga. 
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READY!  SET!  FIT! Community Fitness Center OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 9am-Noon
 
Tour the facility!  Meet the instructors!  Register for classes! 
 
Attendance Prizes!!
 
Fitness Center 456-1567
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CARNIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 12 from 11am-7pm HAS A FEW NEEDS
The carnival committee is in need of the following items for our carnival on Sept. 12!!
1. POP UP CANOPIES--  for stations and coolers.  Make sure yours is marked clearly with your name so you get it back.
 
2. EMAIL ADDRESSES-- If we have your email address you will get an invitation to share with others and a coupon to use for free food.   This email list will not be used for any other purpose. 
 
#. VOLUNTEERS!!!  It will take a small army to make this the huge success we want it to be!!  Please sign up on the counter intthe narthex or call the church office! 
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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. 
 
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SEVENTH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 AT COUNTRY LAKES!!!  SIGN UP TODAY!!

 Cost is still ONLY $50 per person

 Format is a 2 TWO person scramble this year. 

 Registration at 7am

 Shotgun start at 8am

 Lunch and prizes at 1pm

 Holes can be sponsored for $50 each.

 All proceeds go to benefit our wonderful Little Lambs preschool.

 Flyers are available on the counter in the narthex for those wishing to participate.

Call Alan Hofeldt at 456-3070 or the church office at 456-2888 to sign up you and

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PRAYER REQUESTS: 

For SANDY ROBINE who is recovering well from knee replacement surgery

 

For MARGIE MEYER AND HER FAMILY as her mom died early this morning.  

 

For GENE HILGENDDORF who had a motorcycle accident last Tuesday.  He has 5 fractured ribs, bad road rash on his arm and a badly bruised kidney.  His helmet saved his life. 

 

For DICK PETERSON, as he and Nancy travel to South Dakota  to see their son in law get ordained.  

 

For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is in the USA for a short furlough and as she travels to gain more support for her mission work.

 

For CORA CLUVER'S DAD, who is recovering from a severe motorcycle accident that paralyzed him from the neck down.  

 

For DAVE AND CAROL KOHRS, who are BOTH on hospice care.

 

For OUR DCE INTERN, KELSEY OVERBECK, that the Lord's will is done concerning her call to a church to be a full time DCE.

 

For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.  


  

 

Denise Schlesselmann's July newsletter

Enjoy!

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8vq2xrfady8gogr/july%2015%20newsletter%20.pdf?dl=0

Monday, July 27, 2015

ALL OF THE NEWS IS NEW TODAY!!  Please read it all!
 
DEVOTION:  Yet, even in those days I will not destroy you completely.  And when the people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done this to us?'  you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'  Jeremiah 5:18-19
 
Are you going through some tough right now?  Are you asking why?  Why is God doing this to me?  Here's the answer from Jeremiah.  We have all served foreign gods.  Anytime we have served money over God we have served a foreign god.  Anytime we have thought of our own will over God's will we have made ourselves out to be our own god, thus serving a foreign god.  ]
 
There is a promise right before this scathing judgment.  He promises that he will not destroy us completely. We may have pain for a while.  We will indeed suffer loss.  We will go through all sorts of struggles, but in the end we will not be destroyed.  Battered?  Bruised? Broke?  Yes.  But not destroyed.  After this life of struggle we will live forever without the struggle!  Thanks be to God!
 
So the next time you find yourself asking God why, remember this passage and especially remember his promise.  YOU WILL NOT BE DESTROYED!  Christ is risen and you will rise too!
 
Let us pray:  Lord god, I know I am a sinner, thank you for disciplining me but not destroying me.  Help me to appreciate your discipline and learn from it, and help me to look forward to the day when that discipline will be over.  Amen.
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LAST TIME'S QUIZ:   How long did Josiah reign as King?  31 years (He was eight years old  when he became king.)  2 Kings 22:1 and 2 Chronicles 34:1
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TODAY'S QUIZ: What was Jeremiah's scribe's name?
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CALENDAR:
Mon- FAMILY NIGHT 6pm
Tues- Quilting 9-2; Bible study 11:30-12:15; RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE 3-7pm
Sat- Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte-  8:30- Dustin Toedebusch ; 11- Ian Brunson
Ushers-  FIGURA FAMILY
Altar- Set up- Lucille Luebke ; Clean Up- Terry McKenzie
Communion Assistants- Sat- Charlie Figura; 8:30- Steve McDowell; 11- Dave Winter
Greeters- 8:30- Terry and Lynn Russell ; 11- Dave and Lil Winter
Lay readers- Sat- Judy Koprowski  8:30- Steve McDowell  11- Kailyn Blechle
Sat. Pianist- Kathy Barrow
Sun Pianist- 8:30- Kathy Barrow; 11- Molly Hendershot
Projectionists: Sat- ?????; Sun- 8:30- Schaumberg; 11-??????
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NEWS!!!!  PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!
 
FAMILY NIGHT TONIGHT!  EVERYONE IS INVITED!!  6PM!!!!
Just bring yourselves and a dish to share. There's always plenty of food and fun for everyone!
 
Attendance has been wavering for a while.  Let's pick it up a few notches!  I wanna see you there!
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RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE TOMORROW (TUESDAY) FROM 3-7pm!!! 
 
You already got plenty of it and it only takes an hour at the most.  Why not help someone out with what God already gave you?   
 
Walk ins are welcome, but calling in first would be very helpful!
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THANK YOU AND SUPPORT LUNCHEON FOR DENISE SCHLESSELMANN THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 AT NOON!!

Everyone is invited, but we'd like you to call the church office to let us know you are coming so we have a good idea of who will be there. 

 

Denise will be sharing what she has experienced in her ministry over the last year and what she will be doing in the year to come. 

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FLOAT TRIP!  FLOAT TRIP!!  FLOAT TRIP!!! FLOAT TRIP!!!!
Do you enjoy the outdoors?  Do you like to float down lazy rivers with friends?  Do you enjoy rafts and coolers filled with all sorts of beverages and snacks?  Then sign up and join us for the fourth annual Labor Day float trip! 
 
DETAILS:
1. We will once again go through Ozark Outdoors. 
A. Canoe rental is $20 per person.  A child can ride for free as the THIRD person in the canoe. 
B. Single person kayaks are available at $28 per person. 
C. Rafts are available at $29 per person.  Children 7-12 yrs old can ride for $15 and children under 7 are free if raft minimums are met. 
D. Tubes are $25 per person
E. Rides on the bus are $30 a person if you have your own equipment. 
 
2. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT IS IT IS A FLOAT AND NOT A RACE!  Float a little, stop, have a snakcc and a drink, wait for the rest of the group and then move on. 
 
3. What will you need?  Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, cooler, drinks, lunch, and a positive attitude. 
 
4. Contact Teresa Scott to sign up tscott@usmo.com , 359-5041, or Schraer Heating and Cooling at 456-5041.  When signing up please provide your email address and BEST contact number.
 
5. If you choose to spend the weekend down there, please make camping, hotel, or cabin arrangements through Ozark Outdoors, www.ozarkoutdoors.net or with Onondaga State Park.  Currently there are reservable basic sites available for the weekend at Onandaga. 
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READY!  SET!  FIT! Community Fitness Center OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 9am-Noon
 
Tour the facility!  Meet the instructors!  Register for classes! 
 
Attendance Prizes!!
 
Fitness Center 456-1567
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CARNIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 12 from 11am-7pm HAS A FEW NEEDS
The carnival committee is in need of the following items for our carnival on Sept. 12!!
1. POP UP CANOPIES--  for stations and coolers.  Make sure yours is marked clearly with your name so you get it back.
 
2. EMAIL ADDRESSES-- If we have your email address you will get an invitation to share with others and a coupon to use for free food.   This email list will not be used for any other purpose. 
 
#. VOLUNTEERS!!!  It will take a small army to make this the huge success we want it to be!!  Please sign up on the counter intthe narthex or call the church office! 
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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. 
 
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SEVENTH ANNUAL GOLF OUTING WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 AT COUNTRY LAKES!!!  SIGN UP TODAY!!

 Cost is still ONLY $50 per person

 Format is a 2 TWO person scramble this year. 

 Registration at 7am

 Shotgun start at 8am

 Lunch and prizes at 1pm

 Holes can be sponsored for $50 each.

 All proceeds go to benefit our wonderful Little Lambs preschool.

 Flyers are available on the counter in the narthex for those wishing to participate.

Call Alan Hofeldt at 456-3070 or the church office at 456-2888 to sign up you and

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PRAYER REQUESTS: 

For SANDY ROBINE who is having knee replacement surgery tomorrow (Tuesday). 

 

For GENE HILGENDDORF who had a motorcycle accident last Tuesday.  He has 5 fractured ribs, bad road rash on his arm and a badly bruised kidney.  His helmet saved his life. 

 

For DICK PETERSON, as he and Nancy travel to South Dakota  to see their son in law get ordained.  

 

For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is in the USA for a short furlough and as she travels to gain more support for her mission work.

 

For CORA CLUVER'S DAD, who is recovering from a severe motorcycle accident that paralyzed him from the neck down.  

 

For DAVE AND CAROL KOHRS, who are BOTH on hospice care.

 

For OUR DCE INTERN, KELSEY OVERBECK, that the Lord's will is done concerning her call to a church to be a full time DCE.

 

For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.  


  

 

: The Lutheran Hour: July 26, 2015 "Rescued"

Sermon Text for July 26, 2015  "Rescued" #82-47 Presented on The Lutheran Hour on July 26, 2015 By Rev. Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour (What Is the Purpose of The Lutheran Hour?) Copyright 2015 Lutheran Hour Ministries     Text: 2 Peter 2:9-10 Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, that which was wrong has been set right. Today may all who hear God's words of rescue rejoice that they have been redeemed. God grant this joy to us all. Amen.  Rescue. The news media loves to tell us stories about rescue. When Pilot Sully Sullenberger managed to crash land his disabled U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson River and save the lives of 158 passengers and crew, his praises were rightly sung by the press and all who heard of his skill.  Not so long ago in Australia, an autistic 11-year-old boy wandered away from his family while they were camping in a forest. The media shared the story of the frantic search for the lad who was drawn to water and liked to crawl into tight, small spaces. The terrain was tough, the weather uncooperative. For days hundreds of volunteers searched for the boy. Then, just when things seemed hopeless, a searcher in a helicopter saw "something." They turned the chopper around, found the boy, and gave thanks to God for the miracle. That's what the family called it... a miracle. And in some ways it was.  Maybe you've even heard of the rescue of Louis Jordan who went sailing on January 23rd. His father reported him missing on January 29th. But it wasn't until more than two months later that Mr. Jordan was found. The ship's mast had been broken, his boat was mangled, and he had managed to survive on fish and rainwater. According to Mr. Jordan, he did a lot of praying... his chief petition being for the Lord to send rain. The Lord heard those prayers and kept the sailor going until he was plucked out of the sea by a passing German container ship. Rescue. Here's a rescue story the news didn't say too much about. It is a story which, a few years ago, came out of Kilgore, Texas. The story told of a man who had been pulled unconscious from his car after an accident. His good Samaritans carried him to a nearby gas station. It was there that the motorist came to, opened his eyes, took one look around, and started to struggle.  Fearing that he might hurt himself further, the man was forcibly subdued and taken to a hospital. After his immediate needs had been tended to, he was asked why he had struggled so hard to escape from his rescuers. The man explained how his rescuers had taken him to a gas station.... a Shell gas station. When he regained consciousness, he quickly scanned his surroundings for some clue as to his whereabouts. He found his clue: the Shell sign. Unfortunately, at that moment, someone was blocking his view of the first letter, the "S" of the Shell sign. The man had struggled so strongly because he was certain he had died in the accident and had awakened in hell.  The man's reaction was pretty normal. Really, who wouldn't struggle against going to hell? Given the options of an eternal fiery roasting or an everlasting celebration of life with the Lord, struggling to get away from hell seems like the natural thing to do. Unfortunately today, and throughout history, most folks have tried to convince themselves that escape from eternal punishment is a do-it-yourself project. They believe if they work hard enough and long enough, they may be able to escape the punishment and damnation which is coming from a god who is justly displeased with their sinful shortcomings.  Use your GPS to pick any point on the globe; set your time machine for any day in history, and you will find people who are saying, "We must try, we must do all we can to escape the punishment which awaits us when we pass death's horizon." "We must try to escape," said the Mayans of Mexico as they ripped beating, bleeding hearts from the chests of their living human sacrifices. "We must try to escape," said the ancient Canaanite religions. History tells of how they tried to appease their deities by rolling their own children into the fire-filled bellies of their idols. "We must try to appease God and avoid hell," is the great motivator of humanity as it does its best to earn the blessing and forgiveness of their imaginary and outraged gods.  Of course, hearing of those cultures you will rightly reply, "Those things are long ago and far away. We don't do things like that today." And it's true, we don't. But that doesn't mean peoples and cultures and religions have found peace; that they have stopped trying. If you doubt me, go to India and see those who imbed needles and hooks into their skin. Go to some South American countries and see those who beat and bruise their flesh to find harmony with the divine. See the religions of the Far East which encourage a good life to bring about a good reincarnation; look at the millions who, from the darkness, constantly hope to be enlightened. See the prayer wheels of Tibet continually spinning as adherents struggle to achieve peace with god. Go to the Mideast and watch the millions engage in their religion's prescribed pilgrimages, prayers, fasts, and charitable donations. The belief that "we must try to win our salvation" is basic and fundamental to almost every major religion of the world.  Of course, you may as a modern, sophisticated citizen of a civilized country find yourself saying, "Pastor, I don't know a lot of folks who cling to the idea that they must do something, say something, earn something, offer something, sacrifice something to make their god smile." Having watched the way a lot of folks live their lives, you may have concluded that your neighbors just aren't that worried about hell. Again you may be right. After all, at least according to the statistics, many of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members have decided that this life is all there is. They have convinced themselves that we live and then we die and that's all there is. To such souls there is no God, no devil, no heaven or hell, no guilt necessary, and no forgiveness needed.  These folks talk a good game, but I have been at the deathbeds of a lot of people and I want you to know that when a person is approaching his end, he takes inventory of his beliefs. His or her whole life may have been lived with bravado and self-assuredness, but at the end he will double check in hopes that he has been right. Although these individuals may not know the Bible, in their hearts and minds the Lord speaks to them. He speaks and says the same thing to them that He said to St. Peter almost 20 centuries ago. Back then God warned, I know how to "keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, (by that I mean) ... especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. (The ones who are) Bold and willful, (who) do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones." Yes, I've been there... almost every minister has been there when an unbeliever's bold bluster is stripped away and all that is left is uncertainty and fear of what is to come. For some, this fear can lead to an eleventh hour, or what you might call a "deathbed conversion." For others it often means their grieving, mourning families will end up seeking the services of a clergyman who will do his best to manufacture a few words of comfort over the dear, albeit unbelieving, departed.  May I give you an example of what I mean? On November 10, 1982, the Russian ruler, Leonid Brezhnev, died. He had been the leader of the second most powerful nation the world has ever seen; a leader with almost unlimited power in a country which, at least at that time, had denied the existence of God, heaven, or hell. When Brezhnev passed away, Vice-President George Bush, went to the funeral. This is what the Vice-President reported: "An amazing thing happened at the funeral of Soviet leader Brezhnev. Things were run with military precision; a coldness and hollowness pervaded the ceremony -marching soldiers, steel helmets, Marxist rhetoric, but no prayers, no comforting hymns, no mention of God. I happened to be in just the right spot to see Mrs. Brezhnev (give her final farewell). She walked up to the casket, took one last look at her husband, and there, in the cold, gray center of that totalitarian state, she traced the sign of the cross over her dead husband's chest. I was stunned. In that simple act, God had broken through the core of the Communist system."  Mrs. Brezhnev's simple act as she traced the cross, whether in secret belief or flickering hope, showed that the message of a crucified, risen Savior cannot be excluded by an iron curtain, or an atheistic government. In truth the words of Peter were true for her, as they have been for countless others, "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials." Nothing could bring comfort to the widow of Russia's strong man than the rescue which is brought about by our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God.  And it is here, my friends, that we see a profound difference between Christianity and the multitude of organized or personal belief systems in this world. While all others maintain, "We must do our best to win our escape from the price and penalty of sin," Christianity rightly holds "God has rescued helpless humanity through Jesus' great work." You are acquainted with that heaven-written story, are you not? You do know how our first ancestors despoiled God's perfect world with their disobedience. Adam and Eve were like little, rebellious children who take their father's watch apart and, finding themselves surrounded by dozens of tiny springs, screws, wheels, and gears, are overwhelmed by the knowledge that they can never reassemble those parts the way they had once been. Similarly, when we take an honest look at the wreck we have made of our lives and this world, we must confess: "Lord, we are sorry, we can't fix things. Try as we might, work as hard as we can, nothing we can do will restore Your perfection; nothing we can accomplish will forgive our sins or save our souls."  Seeing us in that terrible and terminal condition, God sent His Son to make things right for us. According to promise and prophecy, 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ, true man and God, was born in the Judean town of Bethlehem. For the rest of His all-too-short life He dedicated Himself to doing all which was necessary to win our forgiveness and build a bridge which would span the transgression-created gulf between this world and heaven. His was not an easy life. He was misunderstood, misinterpreted, misquoted, and maligned. He was hounded from town to town and no less than six plots were hatched to murder Him. The last one, made notable by the betrayal of one of Jesus' own disciples, succeeded. The Christ was unfairly tried on trumped-up charges, convicted, and condemned to die on the cross. When Jesus went to that cross, He took all of humankind's sins and with His death paid their price so that we might be rescued from hell. Three days after His lifeless body was placed into a borrowed grave, in a wondrous proclamation of the power of God's grace and the success of Jesus' mission, He came out of that sepulcher and showed Himself the Conqueror, the Vanquisher of sin, death, and Satan. Because of what Jesus has done all who believe on Him as Savior find their lives have been changed. They have been saved; they have been forgiven; they have been rescued. From the moment faith is received they should be sure the remainder of their lives can be lived in peace and without fear of hell.  I started out this Lutheran Hour message telling you the true story of a man who was in a car accident. Now, let me tell you of another story, equally true, a story from my early years in the ministry. It is the story of a little boy on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The lad came from a poverty-stricken family where food was always parceled out to the ounce and where even glasses of milk were shared among the children. One day, while crossing the road, he was hit by a car. After the accident, the ambulance took the boy to the hospital in Rapid City where x-rays revealed the lad's injuries were limited to a broken leg and a lot of scrapes. Even so, the doctors decided he should stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. The boy was showered, robed, and put into a bed between two clean sheets. That was a new experience for him... as it was when the nurse brought him a tall glass of cold, fresh milk. The boy, remembering the many times he had to share such a treat, looked at the nurse with his big brown eyes and honestly asked, "How deeply shall I drink?"  We who have been rescued by Jesus might well find ourselves asking the same thing of God, "Lord, how deeply shall I drink of Your grace and mercy?" How deeply will you drink? Once you were alone, but now, because you have been rescued by Jesus, you have a permanent Friend. How deeply will you drink? Once you were lost, but now, having been rescued by the Redeemer, you have security. How deeply will you drink? Once your feet were set on the superhighway to hell, but now, rescued by the Redeemer, you are on the path to paradise. How deeply will you drink? God, in the person of His Son, has rescued you and wishes to provide you with a full, an overflowing glass, of the good news of salvation. It is offered to you courtesy of our Lord Jesus Christ who comes to you by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the inspired words of the Holy Scriptures. Looking at the transformation He has brought about in your life, heart, soul, and eternity, you can rightly say, as did the Old Testament's King David, 'my cup runneth over.' How deeply will you drink?  My friend, you have been rescued through the Savior's holy precious blood and by His innocent suffering and death. You have been rescued. Do not just take a few, meager sips of God's forgiveness and freedom. Do not deny and deprive yourself by taking the smallest of tastes. God's love and grace given to you is to be welcomed, savored, enjoyed, and relished. Drink deeply. Because of Jesus you have been rescued. No longer can any sin, even those special secret, deep-down buried sins, condemn you. You have been rescued. Satan no longer can successfully accuse you; death will not be able to hold you. A final story for a July Sunday... a story from Christmas. The newspaper told Grandma that Christmas was only twelve days away. Knowing Christmas is special to all, but most of all to children, Grandma wanted to see Christmas through her granddaughter's eyes. To that end the two took the train to downtown Chicago's State Street where they could shop and see the Christmas' displays in Macy's windows.  Jennifer, the granddaughter, truly did enjoy all the sights and sounds of that special day. She enjoyed eating a pot pie in the store's Walnut Room and she was thrilled as grandmother chose and bought gifts all morning long. Of course, the highpoint of the trip was when the little girl got to sit on Santa's lap and share with him all the things which were on her Christmas list. When Jennifer had finished, she jumped down and Santa handed her a candy cane. "What do you say?" prompted the grandmother. Jennifer thought for a moment and then turned and with a big smile that could win the world, repeated to Santa what she had heard her grandmother say all day long. Jennifer said just two words to Santa, "Charge it."  Jesus has rescued and redeemed you. Because of that wonderful truth, you can rejoice your sins have been charged to and paid for by the Redeemer. From this point on you can be assured you will never exhaust or over-extend His capacity to love, That is, my friends, what happens when you have been rescued by the Redeemer. It is a truth which I pray is known to all of you. And if it is not, it ought to be. To that end we are ready to help. My friends, do you feel you are floundering, faltering, failing? The Lutheran Hour is prepared to introduce you to your Rescuer. To meet the Redeemer, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.  LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for JULY 26, 2015 Topic: What Is the Purpose of The Lutheran Hour? ANNOUNCER: What are we doing and for whom are we doing it? That will be our question today for our Speaker Emeritus, Pastor Ken Klaus. I'm Mark Eischer. KLAUS: Hello to you, Mark. Good to be back, but I think I'm going to need a little bit more direction for our discussion today, if you don't mind?  ANNOUNCER: Our topic today is actually the program itself. For those of you who don't know, "The Lutheran Hour" debuted almost 85 years ago, in October of 1930.  KLAUS: And by God's grace, it is today perhaps the longest-running program of its kind in the world.  ANNOUNCER: That being said, we have a listener who wants to know what we're all about. He says he listens to other Christian broadcasts on radio and TV, and "The Lutheran Hour" seems to be different, almost unique. He wonders what's the purpose of our broadcast and who is the intended audience? "There are times I think your intended listeners are all believers and then other times when it sounds like you're speaking to those who are not yet Christians;" and he also wonders if we've ever thought about going on TV. KLAUS: I could reply to his first question anecdotally by sharing two letters I received. The first one says this: "I met a gentleman on an airplane who has newly become a Christian. He was Hindu but has converted since moving to the United States. Part of the reason he did so was because of 'The Lutheran Hour.' He said he really enjoys the program and really likes the fact that it is understandable. Just thought you would want to hear how the broadcast has touched and strengthened this gentleman." ANNOUNCER: And we thank God that He uses us in this way. By that one might say the broadcast helps to show the Savior to those who do not yet know Him.  KLAUS: And that would be true. Week after week we tell the simple but wonderful story of the Savior's sacrifice. How many souls the Holy Spirit has reached through these messages we will never know this side of heaven. I do know that we work hard at using simple language so that the message of God's grace can be understood by those who have had little or no experience with the Bible, the Church, or the Savior.  ANNOUNCER: You said there were two letters. What about that second one? KLAUS: Yeah, it reads this way: "Thank you for your recent message on 'The Lutheran Hour.' As I write this, my wife and I are celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary and she has been in a 6-year-long battle with cancer. Three weeks ago, we were informed that there is nothing more that can be done, so our wedding anniversary celebration has a bittersweet aspect to it. Your message addressed many of the issues with which we have been struggling."  ANNOUNCER: So the broadcast is also for those who already know and trust in their Savior?  KLAUS: Yes, it's for them, too. The truth is our broadcast is for whomever and whatever audience the Holy Spirit will give us, both believers and unbelievers.  ANNOUNCER: I like how the prophet Isaiah puts it when he says the Word of God is both "seed for the sower and bread for the eater." KLAUS: As almost every broadcast has said, "We bring Christ to the nations." Our job is to share the story of salvation. The Holy Spirit takes that story to places we've never been to, dreamed of, or sometimes even thought possible. And the Holy Spirit then works through that message to bring the nations to the Church, which Christ calls His bride.  ANNOUNCER: One last question.... What about "The Lutheran Hour" on TV? KLAUS: As an organization, we do have some experience with television and we're working on plans to continue and expand upon that. In recent years, our Men's NetWork has produced several TV special programs such as "The Bible on Trial" and "The Intersection of Church and State."  ANNOUNCER: Pastor Gregory Seltz is currently involved with a DVD project that'll take several classic episodes of our long-running TV series, This Is the Life; and make them available once again. Obviously the Internet has changed how people obtain their information. Radio and TV are still very important. At the same time, the Internet now provides many new opportunities. While we don't know exactly what types of media Lutheran Hour Ministries will use in the future, we're actively looking at ways to use radio, TV, and the Internet with all its new and varied possibilities to share the timeless message of Jesus with all whom the Holy Spirit brings to us, both new and old.  KLAUS: Giving thanks to the Holy Spirit for the doors He opens and thanks to God for our listeners' ongoing prayers and support.  ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. We also thank our listener for that question. We thank you, the listener, for making this program part of your day. We hope you'll join us again next time. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries. Action in Ministry for JULY 26, 2015 ANNOUNCER: The 16th century Reformation marked a turning point in western civilization and in the life of the Christian church. Lutheran Hour Ministries is preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with a three-part video series called: "A Man Named Martin." Part one is now available. It recounts the life and theological development of Martin Luther. AUDIO CLIP: For Luther, in his day, righteousness of God meant the expectation that God has that you have to live a certain way. That means living without sin. That means doing penance for any failures that you do have, and so for Luther, when he would contemplate the righteousness of God, this was not a happy thought, but a horrible burden because the righteousness of God, well, that's perfection.  AUDIO CLIP: Luther, at this point, was very concerned, of course, about his salvation and despite the fact that he was in a monastery, he never felt the security he thought he would find as a monk. AUDIO CLIP: In late medieval Christianity, there was a real bookkeeping mentality in regard to sins. Sins were viewed as discreet acts or things that you had forgotten to do. And so you could list them off-what had you done or what had you not done that you were supposed to do.  AUDIO CLIP: Staupitz told Luther that repentance begins with the love of God. And at the time, Luther thought that that was really quite an enlightening thought. He said, "So, what everybody else thinks is supposed to be the end of repentance is really the beginning. The beginning of repentance is that I love God, not for the sake of saving my own skin, but I love God for God's sake."  AUDIO CLIP: Staupitz helped young Martin Luther enormously. He helped him to realize that his struggles with sin, his struggles with what kind of God he had-was it an angry God, but Staupitz didn't get Luther all the way to his Reformation breakthrough. Luther came to his Reformation breakthrough as a process.  ANNOUNCER: You'll gain insight from Pastor Gregory Seltz and from noted historians and authors, including: Drs. Paul Maier, Ken Schurb, Joel Biermann, Mary Jane Haemig, and the Rev. Daniel Preus. "A Man Named Martin" new from Lutheran Hour Ministries. You can view and download this video for free at our website: lutheranhour.org. That's lutheranhour.org. It's also available on DVD. For more information, call The Lutheran Hour toll-free-1-855john316. That's 1-855-564-6316.  Music Selections for this program: "A Mighty Fortress" arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission. "Entrust Your Days and Burdens" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage" 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 / sign-up for plain text / visit our website   660 Mason Ridge Center Dr. St. Louis, MO 63141 1-800-876-9880 www.lhm.org