Author: GoodShepherdBLM

October 19, 2014 Bulletin Announcements

Today is the deadline for items to be submitted for the November Newsletter. Mandy Kluender is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at mgkluender@hotmail.com.

Next Sunday October 26th, we will celebrate Reformation Sunday.  Holy Communion will be celebrated in both worship services.

Next Sunday:  Because of the harsh winter we had we have blown by the money budgeted for heat/gas for fiscal year 2014 and still have a few months to pay for.  The Church Council voted to include “Energy Needs” envelopes in next week’s bulletin.  If you can give above and beyond your regular offering for this expense it would be appreciated.  We thank the Lord for His many blessings as we work together for His Kingdom.  (And pray for a warmer winter!)

Today is our 2nd Sunday Offering for Reverend Michael Kearney and Seminarian Christopher Suggitt.

Next Sunday is the deadline for items to be submitted for the November Newsletter. Mandy Kluender is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at mgkluender@hotmail.com.

Annual Voter’s Meeting  Mark your calendars for Good Shepherd’s Annual Voter’s Meeting on Sunday, November 16th following the 10:30 worship service.  More details to follow.

Portals of Prayer  The October – December Portals of Prayer are available on the bookrack located in the narthex.  Large print also available.  Pick up your free copy today.

Food Collection  We are collecting food for the Home Sweet Home Mission.  The box is located in the narthex.  We will do this through Saturday, November 15th, when we deliver the food and serve a meal at the Mission.

Thank you  The church has received a “Thank you” note from Seminarian Chris Suggitt thanking the congregation for your continued support.  The letter is posted on the bulletin board outside of the church office.

Fellowship Hosts  The sign-up for help with coffee/doughnuts is posted on the wall by the north stairwell.  We need an individual/family to sign up each week to pick up the donuts and make the coffee.  If no one is signed up by Friday of each week, the order will be cancelled.  We thank everybody who continues to help with this part of our church fellowship.

Can You Help:  Greetings to all of you, my dear Church family.  I wish to thank each and every one of you for ALL you have done for my family and me:  meals, prayers, other help.  I am overwhelmed by the love shown to me by so many people.  This has been the hardest challenge so far for us and we pray that our Lord will heal and restore me to my family.  Stave IV and secondary cancer is no joke and when I have to sleep, I am left with no choice – go in and lie down or fall down!  Which leads me to my point.  I have had to learn to ask for some help.  So here is my humble request: would any of you have some easy slow cooker recipes you would be willing to share with me?  I am collecting some recipes but would sure love to have some of yours.  If anyone has slow cooked a roast or a ham or chicken in one, please let me know for how long you’ve cooked it.  Please email any recipes or instructions to me at: dogdiva2@comcast.net.  Thank you again for everything!  Love in Christ, Laura Kessler.

The Lutheran Hour  Keep it Simple and Straightforward is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Romans 3:22-25.  The Bible’s message is simple and straightforward: the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  The speaker will be Reverend Gregory Seltz.  Hear this Sunday’s message on the Lutheran Hour on WGN (720 AM) at 6am; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3pm.  Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7am and 7pm.  Tune in!  You can listen to the Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org

October 12, 2014 Bulletin Announcements

Today is our 2nd Sunday Offering for Reverend Michael Kearney and Seminarian Christopher Suggitt.

Next Sunday is the deadline for items to be submitted for the November Newsletter.  Mandy Kluender is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at mgkluender@hotmail.com.

Annual Voter’s Meeting  Mark your calendars for Good Shepherd’s Annual Voter’s Meeting on Sunday, November 16th following the 10:30 worship service.  More details to follow.

Portals of Prayer  The October – December Portals of Prayer are available on the bookrack located in the narthex.  Large print also available.  Pick up your free copy today.

Food Collection  We are collecting food for the Home Sweet Home Mission.  The box is located in the narthex.  We will do this through Saturday, November 15th, when we deliver the food and serve a meal at the Mission.

Thank you  The church has received a “Thank you” note from Seminarian Chris Suggitt thanking the congregation for your continued support.  The letter is posted on the bulletin board outside of the church office.

Fellowship Hosts  The sign-up for help with coffee/doughnuts is posted on the wall by the north stairwell.  We need an individual/family to sign up each week to pick up the donuts and make the coffee.  If no one is signed up by Friday of each week, the order will be cancelled.  We thank everybody who continues to help with this part of our church fellowship.

The Lutheran Hour  God’s Peacemakers for a Troubled World is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Philippians 4:4-13.  Jesus calls and enables us to be peacemakers who share his gifts with others in a broken world.  The speaker will be Reverend Gregory Seltz.  Hear this Sunday’s message on the Lutheran Hour on WGN (720 AM) at 6am; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3pm.  Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7am and 7pm.  Tune in!  You can listen to the Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org

Sermon October 5, 2014 – Walking With Purpose (Eph 5:1-9)

October 5, 2014 – LWML Sunday                             Text:  Ephesians 5:1-9

 Dear Friends in Christ,

             Educators have done studies on how children spend their days at school – how many minutes spent reading at their desks, how many minutes spent going to the restroom or the drinking fountain, how many minutes sharpening their pencils and so on.  Down to the minute.  Down to a science.  Blocks of time devoted to all sorts of things you’d expect children to do in school.  Plus at least one activity we might not expect:  “walking with no purpose.”  That’s right:  “walking with no purpose.”  Studies have found that in a normal day, a very normal child will spend a certain number of minutes walking from here to there for no good reason.  Curious and interesting.

            We are children of God, and our lives as Christians are often described as a walk, as St. Paul does in our text today, our Epistle from Ephesians 5.  Are we walking with no purpose?  Paul exhorts us in our text to be . . .

“WALKING WITH PURPOSE”

            The fact is it’s not just schoolchildren who walk with no purpose.  People of all ages, spend their lives walking through life not really knowing what it is all about.  Paul calls this darkness in our text.  “For at one time, you were darkness.” (v. 8a)

            We live in a world of darkness.  People are entangled and enslaved by sin.  We can try to redefine it, excuse it, redecorate it, or hide it, but sin is at the bottom of what makes life and relationships difficult, hurtful, sick, and dying.  Trying to hide this darkness just brings about “deception” and “empty words.”  These things serve no purpose.  Paul lists some of them:  filthiness, crude joking, foolish talk, sexually impure, covetous.  These are all common in the world around us.  So common, but they serve no purpose.

            Sin can do that.  Because of sin, we use God’s name only to condemn others or justify ourselves.  Because of sin, we ignore or despise God’s Word and do not worship him.  Because of sin, our relationships with others – father and mother, husband and wife, parent and child, enemies and friends, co-workers and strangers – all these are disrupted and destroyed.  And none of these actions serve any meaningful purpose.  By nature, we are children of darkness with no purpose.

            Because we cannot free ourselves from this darkness, God in his mercy determined to save us.  His mercy shone like a beacon of light when he promised Adam and Eve a Savior from sin.  This light of salvation burned as hope in God’s people through the centuries until that light exploded like a supernova over Bethlehem when “the Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)  When life and death went at each other on the cross it looked like darkness was winning.  But the light of salvation could not be put out.  It was stronger than the darkness.  The reign of death was ended.

            Suddenly, we see things in a whole new way.  We see God for who he really is:  not distant or disinterested in our lives, but he is here, present, eager to have a relationship with each one of us.  That is what Jesus lets us see in his light.  God is not angry and keeping score on how well we keep his Commandments, but forgiving, not counting our sins against us, because Jesus took them upon himself on the cross.  That is what we see as children of light.  “Now you are light in the Lord.”

            As “light in the Lord” we are now able to “walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.)” (vs. 8b-9)  We now have a purpose.  We walk in repentance and faith.  We walk in forgiveness.  We walk with a purpose to invite the world to the glorious light of salvation in Jesus Christ.

            Today is Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Sunday.  Lutheran women who also walk with a purpose.  These daughters of Zion and many others in our congregation give pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars in the interest of missions.  Combine ours with the rest of Synod and some wonderful mission projects are funded.  Walking with purpose.

            When we all with faithful obedience, study the Word of God, when we dwell together in unity, when we faithfully hold the confession of the church in this perverse generation, when we speak faith, when we love one another, fragrant offerings and sacrifices rise up to the nostrils of our merciful, holy, and gracious God and Father.  Walking with purpose.

            Every work of the saints of God from quilt sewing to helping with a funeral dinner all serves a purpose for the greater good of Christianity.  Christ’s kingdom is extended in these works of mercy.

            May the Holy Spirit lead you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Walking in the light of Christ is to walk as children of God with purpose.

                                                                                                                                    Amen.