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Celebrating June 2016

Birthdays

6/2 Paula Hardy
6/6 Brad Gerike
6/7 Diane Benjamin
6/7 Deborah Huber
6/7 Eric Orr
6/8 Mike Field
6/11 Kent Warren
6/13 Penny Culp
6/13 Chris Parker
6/14 William McNeely
6/14 Richard Ross
6/15 Ruth Gerike
6/16 Marlene Hitch
6/18 Isabella Kessler
6/21 Erin Dirks
6/23 Eugene Fuller
6/24 Kathy Hitch
6/26 Tammy Brewer
6/29 Steve Davis
6/29 Martha Prescher
6/30 Bryan Reichert

Baptismal Birthdays

6/1 Craig Culp
6/1 Christian Dowell
6/1 Dorothy Herberts
6/2 Harriet Campbell
6/3 William Dowell
6/7 Brad Gerike
6/17 Casey Scott
6/19 Diane Benjamin
6/20 Gerald Semelka
6/21 Erica Kearney

Pastor’s Notes June 2016

The 42 martyrs of Ammoria were all commanders in the army of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus.  When Ammoria, located in modern-day Turkey, fell to invading Arab armies in 838, the Muslims killed or sold many of the Christians in the city.  However, they took 42 Christian commanders as hostages to Samarra (now Iraq) and threw them in prison, where they remained for seven years.

The Muslim leaders told their prisoners, “Mohammed is the true prophet and not Christ.”  The commanders replied, “If there were two men debating about a field and the one said, ‘This field is mine’ and the other, ‘It is not, it is mine,’ and nearby one of them had many witnesses saying it is his field and the other had no witnesses, but only himself, what would you say – whose field is it?”

The Muslims answered, “Indeed, to him who had many witnesses!”  “You have judged correctly,” the commanders said, “That is the way with Christ and Mohammed.  Christ has many witnesses:  the Prophets of old, John the Forerunner, the disciples, the women, all who recognized Him and who witness to and about Him (Christ), but Mohammed witnesses only to himself that he is a prophet and does not have even one witness.”

Ashamed, the Muslims said, “Our faith is better than the Christian faith as proved by this:  God gave us the victory over you and gave us the best land in the world and a kingdom much greater than Christianity.”

In reply, the commanders said, “If it were so, then the idolatry of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Romans and the fire-worship of the Persians would be the true faith for, at one time, all of these people conquered the others and ruled over them.  It is evident that your victory, power and wealth do not prove the truth of your faith.  We know that God, at times, gives victory to Christians and, at other times, allows torture and suffering so as to correct them and to bring them to repentance and purification of their sins.”

For seven years, these 42 commanders were tortured to embrace the Islamic faith, but they never did.  They were finally beheaded in the year 845, and their bodies were thrown into the Euphrates River.

What a witness and an understanding of the theology of the cross.  We pray for the Christian martyrs around the world who are suffering for the faith.  Give them strength and a reminder of Your presence Lord as they sacrifice to further the Kingdom of God.

In Christ,

Pastor

Stewardship Corner May 2016

Do we Christians really have to tithe? Are we really under a compulsion to give? Aren’t we free? Don’t we have a freedom from the law that was purchased for us by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection?

The problem is that our sinful flesh uses our freedom for selfishness. Christ did not die and rise so that we could give less and do less good work in the world. He died and rose to free us from the compulsion of the Law, to free us from a burden we could not bear.

We are missing the point completely if we use the freedom from the Law that Christ won by His passion, crucifixion, and resurrection to give less, or to do less of any good work. Christ set us free to live in His image of faithfulness, generosity, and kindness. We are free from the Law’s condemnation so that we can walk in the good works the Lord has prepared for us.

Our freedom is not given to indulge our sinful and selfish flesh. Our freedom was purchased and won by Christ so that we could serve our neighbors — our family, our society, our church.

As a result, much of your freedom is not a freedom from, but a freedom to and for. You are not free from serving your neighbor. You are free for service toward your neighbor—willingly and without compulsion. You are not free from giving to your church; you are freed to give to your local congregation in joy, willingly, and without compulsion.

The reason you are free to serve, the reason you are free to give is because of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin He won for you on the cross, which He delivers to you in the Gospel and the sacraments. That is our motivation. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And since God loves us in this way, by giving us His only-begotten Son so that we do not perish, we also love one another in this way, by giving what we have so that our neighbor does not perish.

If the God who has provided the sacrifice for your eternal salvation, the God who delivers that salvation to you in Holy Baptism, the God who continues to forgive you and show you His faithfulness, if that same God is the one who also promises to give you daily bread and take care of your earthly life, you can trust in Him, even in giving. After all, Jesus Christ is proof that God loves you and will take care of you.

Celebrating May 2016

Birthdays

5/3 Anna Holland
5/5 Lorene Backsmeier
5/5 Cory Fortney
5/6 Mike Brewer
5/8 Christian Dowell
5/8 Lucas Piper
5/10 William Dowell
5/11 Lindsay Orr
5/12 Kerry Warren
5/16 Benjamin Holland
5/19 Nicki Cloyd
5/19 Terry Trost
5/21 Pat McQuown
5/26 Joyce Schneider

Baptismal Birthdays

5/1 Catherine Cloyd
5/1 Carly Benjamin
5/1 Marvin Lester
5/5 Marlene Hitch
5/15 Daryle Schempp
5/18 Drew Kemp
5/22 Lorene Backsmeier
5/22 Marvin Huth
5/26 Stephen Parry
5/29 Lucas Piper

Pastor’s Notes May 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It should be a celebration.  The house is full of kids – school friends, neighborhood friends.  You are the guest of honor, and you have five candles on your birthday cake to blow out.  So what could be wrong?  Maybe a brother or sister is messing with one of your gifts.  Maybe Trevor swiped a finger across the frosting of your cake before you blow out the candles.  Whatever it is, it is all coming apart in tears.  The bigger picture – a bright picture of fun and games and friends and presents and cake – has been lost.

Because Jesus ascended into heaven, He is now exalted over all things.  He rules all things on behalf of His Church.  This should bring us great hope and joy.  Yet what happens to us?  We become discouraged by our worldly cares.  We become disgruntled like the birthday child.  Our sin clouds our eyes to see what God has done and is doing through our risen and ascended Lord.  We see with just our physical eyes and because of this we focus on the discouragements of the world.  In our church we may fret about troubles members are having or the number of members who are inactive.  We become discouraged as we fail to accomplish those things that we want to get done.  We find ourselves in a state of despair as we see our own shortcomings or the shortcomings in others.  We then wallow in our self-pity.  But our Lord has ascended on high and rules over all things on our behalf.  He has ascended to fill and be filled by His Church.  Let’s not lose sight of this wonderful truth and all that means for us.

Ascension Day is still important for us as Christians.  Historically, the Ascension has been a big day in the life of the Church.  Many Lutheran churches have Ascension as part of their name.  I wonder how many still have worship on that day?  We still do here at Good Shepherd.  This year it will be Thursday, May 5th at 7:00 p.m..  Christ is in control.  He has been given all rule, authority, power, and dominion.  That is why He ascended on high.  He has prepared a place for us and is waiting.  To God on High Be Glory!

In Christ,

Pastor

Stewardship Corner April 2016

The greatest surprise about Easter is not that Jesus is alive, risen from the dead, out of the grave, that He conquered death and hell, and comes to meet you as He promised.  The greatest surprise  is that He did all that and is not angry.  There is no fear for us in His return because He is not angry. He bears no grudge. He seeks no vengeance.  He comes to give peace, with mercy and forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus lives and is not angry.  Imagine that.  He is not angry.  He doesn’t blame those who killed Him.  He doesn’t blame you.  For no one takes His life from Him.  He lays it down of His own accord.  He gives Himself into death to win us back from sin, death, and hell.  He does it willingly without coercion.  He does it sacrificially, Him for us. He gave what was His to give. Thus His petition to the Father from the cross, “Forgive them” is granted to you in His resurrection.  He comes alive out of death to forgive and to give His life to you.

There is nothing to be afraid of because Jesus is raised from the dead and is not angry.  Thus we are free—free from worrying about how to make it up to Him, and free to give as He has given to us.  He gave Himself as a gift,  His life in exchange for our death, willingly and sacrificially. And so it is that we are now free to give in like manner: willingly, sacrificially, with what we have been given.

We give to the church because it is in the church where our eyes have seen and our ears have heard that Jesus lives and is not angry.  It is here where we learn of God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ.  It is here where we continually receive that message of life, where He visits us to give peace, with mercy and forgiveness and salvation.

So do not be afraid.  Jesus lives, and He is not angry.  The sacrifice has been made.  The debt is canceled and forgotten.  Righteousness is declared.  Jesus lives.  He lives, and He is not angry. You are restored.  You are reconciled to the Father in the Son.  Your future is assured: Jesus lives.  It is not just death and Hell, the devil and his demons, that are undone.  Your sins, your fear are undone.  They are gone, forgotten, destroyed.  Jesus lives.  Hallelujah!  Jesus lives.  And because He lives, you are just.  You are right with God, pleasing and delightful to Him. You are forgiven, clean, pure, holy, and filled with His good works and with His Name.  He is not angry.  He is glad to have you.  He wants you.  He loves you.  He gave everything that is His to and for you, willingly and sacrificially. In faith and trust in Him, let us do likewise.