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Pastor’s Notes November 2014

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A person traveling in England came across a sign on the desk of a Country Inn. The sign read: “Please introduce yourself to your fellow guests since we are one big happy family.” And then underneath were these words: “Do not leave valuables in your room.” That little sign says a lot about human INCONSISTENCY.

We live in an inconsistent world. If something doesn’t please us right away, or turn us on in an instant or if it means the smallest self-sacrifice – well, forget it. It’s no wonder relationships and children and hard work and loyalties and church attendance is being thrown to the wind.

We need consistency in our lives. Our children need consistency in their lives. God calls us to consistency in what we embrace and believe as revealed in His Holy Word, the Scripture. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb. 13:8) Thank God for the CONSISTENCY OF GOD that firmly holds us to the cross of His dear Son. Thank God that for Jesus’s sake we are consistently reassured: “I. even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isa. 43:25)

How could we possibly be convinced that the CONSISTENCY OF CHRIST’S LOVE FOR US means that INCONSISTENCY IN OUR LIVES IN OK? Listen to this:

“A man who has a layover at an airport does not go into the bathroom and start redecorating. Why? Because he doesn’t live there. He has a home in another place. Why do we Christians work hard at trying to make our life in this world more comfortable? This is just the airport and we are in transit. We should spend our energy on enhancing our eternal reward, and not worry so much about the bare walls in the airport restroom.”

May the Lord bless your consistency in worship and Bible Class and Sunday School. Not hit and miss – here and there. Not giving the Lord our leftover time. We strive for consistency in many areas of life. Let’s do the same with our faith life.

In Christ,

Pastor

Celebrating October 2014

Birthdays

Thomas Anderson           10/1

E.F. Bud Barnett              10/2

Stacia Dowell                  10/10

Fern Noth                                10/10

Barry Hamlin                   10/11

Jessica Isaac                  10/11

Payton Biddle                  10/12

John Hardy                      10/12

Travis Henson                 10/15

Maria Kirchner                 10/15

Jacquelyn Semelka         10/17

Shane Miller                    10/21

Sierra Parker                   10/22

Audrey Gronert                10/23

Chloe Hitch                      10/23

Teresa Casselman          10/24

Abby Biddle                     10/25

Cheryl Reichert               10/28

Baptismal Birthdays

Eli McNeely                     10/2

William McNeely             10/2

Chad Lueck                     10/3

Brian Dirks                       10/4

Cortney Brewer               10/9

William Huber                  10/9

Andrea Reichert              10/9

Ryne Brewer                    10/13

Jessie Brown                   10/13

Michalene Hull                10/20

Cleo Korte                       10/20

Steve Davis                     10/27

Pastor’s Notes, October 2014

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Young children like to pretend they are adults.  How many of you women – when you were young – used to dress up in your mother’s clothes or put on her makeup?  How many of you men would sit in the car and pretend you were driving?  I use to stand in the pulpit and pretend that I was preaching.  When we are young, we want to grow up so that we can do grown-up things. 

We are proud of our kids when they mature and learn to do new things.  We say things like, “Cammie can now ride her bike.”  “Donavan is really learning to treat people with respect.”  Parents know what their kids need to grow and mature. 

How about in the church?   

At Good Shepherd we have in our bulletin announcements every week this:  “We believe children belong in worship.”  And they do, you know?  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”  Isn’t it such a blessing to watch our kids mature in their faith?  They learn by our example to participate in the liturgy, to sing the hymns, to pray the Lord’s Prayer.  They see older siblings serve as acolytes or ushers and then they move into that role.  We nurture our children in the worship life of the church. 

I have always given my wife Toni a lot of credit for this with Karson and Holden.  She was the one in the pew with them.  I was leading worship.  I am proud of all of their accomplishments but to see them worship their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the greatest gift the Lord can give a parent.  I look forward to them being the spiritual leaders of their own household. 

Many times over the years it has been the children of the parish that point out something amiss in the liturgy or something not positioned right in the sanctuary.  They even like to point out when the Pastor speaks an incorrect word!  To me, that is a blessing because they are paying attention. 

We are all part of the church together – what a blessing!  May the Lord lead us to help one another to grow in our Christian faith. 

In Christ, 

Pastor 

Stewardship Corner

Stewardship Corner 

The Gospels are filled with irony. Death itself is defeated by the death of Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God the Father, is given to Pilate in exchange for Barabbas, which means “son of the father.” But one particularly puzzling bit of irony is that Judas was given charge of the moneybag.

In response to Mary Magdelene’s lavish gift, when she poured out almost a year’s wages to anoint Jesus’ feet, Judas replied, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor” (John 12:5)? And then John tells us, “He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6).

So, why is Judas put in charge of the money? Jesus could have put any of his disciples in charge of it. He could have put Nathaniel in charge, of whom Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit” (John 1:47), or John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20), or Levi, the tax collector, who was financially savvy (Luke 5:27). But he didn’t. He chose Judas, whom He called “a devil” (John 6:70). Why?

Jesus put His money where his mouth was. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19–20). Our Lord put not His trust in earthly treasures, but in the word and will of His Father. The Lord will provide.

In Judas, we see the heart and gut-wrenching end of one who treasured the wrong thing. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34). “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). It’s an alarming example, a visceral image, of what loving money and hating God can look like.

But no one, save Jesus, was the wiser. During Jesus’ three-year ministry, Judas looked, talked, and acted like the other eleven. He seemed to be about the right things. But “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10). And this craving led Judas to sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, which the chief priests used to buy his own grave — an ironic transaction indeed.

All of this is to say that money is a good thing but it is not God. Use it for the purpose which God gives it. Spend it on providing for your family. Spend it on support of your community. Give it to support and provide for the work of God among you in church, the ministry of Word and Sacrament, through which you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. Invest in all these things. Put your treasure where God calls you to put it, and your heart will follow. Your hearts will be set on things above, for these things — family, society, and church — are of God. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

So, do not be anxious, but trust in the mercies of God. All you need will be given by your Father in heaven. “For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The Father can easily out-give what any thief can steal. And the beauty is: He not only can, but does. There is nothing ironic about that.

A LETTER FROM THE CONGREGATION PRESIDENT

Open Letter Greetings.  I wanted to provide an update since my last message:

First, of all, the Church Council is busy reviewing the expenses of the church.  We will be asking the various Boards to keep expenses in mind as we prepare for the 2015 Budget.  We are still running behind in our General Fund, and we want to make sure this doesn’t continue into next year.

Let me remind again that we are a very blessed congregation.  We have had some attendance decline in worship, but our Offerings have not decreased.  We have spent more this year on some items than we anticipated – heating in winter, snow removal, etc.  We will be praying that next winter is not as harsh as this one.  In the meantime, we will be asking for a Special Offering in the Fall to help offset utility costs.  Please be watching for this Special Offering and pray about helping the church pay for the utilities.

Last time I wrote a message, I wasn’t able to provide the balances for the various Church Funds because I was sitting in Washington, DC.  I have the fund balances available this time, so here they are (please note: I am only including the ones with balances):

  • Kitchen Fund – $120
  • LLL Fund – $50
  • LWML Fund – $1082
  • Operating Fund – ($2715)
  • Parking Lot Resurfacing – $8248
  • Portico Fund – $16,553
  • Stained Glass Fund – $542
  • Sunday School Fund – $78
  • Youth Fund/Higher Things – $75
As I stated in my previous message, even with the Operating Fund in the negative, we are still blessed.  That is important and something we must remember.

Finally, we will soon be looking to elect some new Officers and members of Boards at our Annual Voter’s Meeting in November.  Curt Kessler, the Vice President of the Congregation and his committee will be reaching out to ask for volunteers to become members of Boards.  I would urge you to prayerfully consider serving on a Board if you are not already doing so.  We are always in need of people to serve the Church.

If you have any questions about what is happening in the Council or the church, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,  Steve Parry

It’s time for Choir to start again!

Announcement 

We will practice from 6-7pm on Wednesday evenings starting Wednesday, September 10th.  We will be preparing music for the Lessons and Carols service as well as other Sunday Services.

Join the Choir

We are always in need of singers.  Please join us for this opportunity to enhance our worship and praise our Lord.