Stewardship Corner October 2019

In the early morning hours of Feb. 18, 1546, Martin Luther closed his eyes forever.   And the hand that hammered the 95 Theses into the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, penned its final words:   “We are all beggars. This is true.”

And this is the truth that our Lord says makes you free. Ironic, isn’t it?  That, in order to be free, you must be a beggar; you must be utterly dependent and reliant upon God.  This makes us uncomfortable – the way we’re uncomfortable when someone gets us a Christmas or birthday present when we haven’t gotten them one.  We feel we owe them.  And we don’t much like being in someone’s debt.

But what Luther would remind us is that we are all indeed beggars.  But we’re not just anyone’s beggars.  We’re God’s beggars.  And this is His legacy to the Christian Church.  Christ came for sinners.  He came to seek and save the lost. He came to heal the sick and raise the dead. He came for sinners, and He dwells only with sinners.

And, if we are to be where He is, we must be willing to be counted among the lost, the sick, and the dead.  We must be willing to be beggars.  We must cry out for mercy, for grace, and for his undeserved love and kindness.  We must be dependent solely on Him and what He gives.

And here’s the beauty: He gives us everything.  Everything – forgiveness of sins, salvation from death and the devil, and eternal life.  This is not because of any worthiness or merit in us, but it is because of His divine goodness, mercy, and grace.

On account of Christ’s death and resurrection, the Father forgives you, saves you, and is pleased with you.  And you receive.  You receive His love, His righteousness, His holiness, His acceptance, and His inheritance.  We are all beggars.  This is true.

This is the heart and soul of Christianity and the life-blood of the Christian Church.  God justifies us, and He declares us innocent and righteous by His grace received through faith for the sake of Christ.  This is not because of our works; this is because of His work on the cross.  We, who once were enemies of God, are reconciled to Him and made to be His children.

This is what Luther would point us to when He took up his pen for the last time and scribbled “We are all beggars. This is true.”  We are beggars.  But we are beggars of the God who does not ignore us, who doesn’t pass by us on the other side.  We are beggars of the One who descended from heaven to make His dwelling with sinners.

We are beggars of Him who deigns to dwell with us, among us, and – yes – even in us by grace for Christ’s sake. For in the bread and cup that we bless, we share together with Christ and each other the riches of God’s grace.

So inexhaustible are the riches of this grace – the Gospel in sermon and absolution, in Baptism and Holy Communion – that our cups overflow. We, who are God’s beggars, are not only inexhaustibly satisfied but have something to give back in thanksgiving and praise.

Celebrating October 2019

Birthdays

Thomas Anderson  10/1
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
Jackie Semelka 10/17
Cindy Sheley 10/19
Shane Miller 10/21
Chloe Hitch 10/23
Teresa Casselman 10/24
Helen Jensen 10/24
Abby Biddle 10/25
Yvonne Hoop 10/28
Cheryl Reichert 10/28  

Baptismal Birthdays

Eli McNeely  10/2
William McNeely  10/2
Chad Lueck  10/3
Brian Dirks  10/4
David Marlow  10/5
Andrea Brown  10/9
Bill Huber  10/9
Cleo Korte 10/20
Steve Davis
Benjamin Holland 		10/27
10/30
Hope Kirchner 10/30

Sermon Text 9.22.2019 — Do You Trust the Moolah or the Master?

September 22, 2019                                                                         Text:  Luke 16:1-15

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Money can be a temptress.  It gives you freedom but it also paralyzes you.  When you have it you think you can relax and enjoy it.  But it calls the shots.

            The manager in our parable this morning understood this better than most.  He had been cooking the books, skimming some funds, breaking the 7th Commandment.  He worked to justify it – overworked and underpaid.  He needs it more than his master.  It is going to help him solve his dilemma.  Or is it?  It is a good question to ask ourselves . . .

“DO YOU TRUST THE MOOLAH OR THE MASTER?”

            You can’t trust false gods and money is a false god.  It doesn’t care about you or love you.  It will leave you.  This is what happens to the manager.  His money is abandoning him and so what now?  He has to find something else to put his trust in.  What will it be?

            This manager is desperate.  He’s stuck.  “I can’t dig, I’m ashamed to beg.”  He worked a lifetime, even if crooked to get to this point.  Even if you haven’t been in his position, you understand this could be you by tomorrow morning or by this time next year.

            The manger gets fired.  No longer legally authorized to conduct business.  Notice something here; the master does not throw him in jail.  He could have but he doesn’t.  This guy could have been escorted out the door by security like in today’s world.  Instead the manager meanders back and gets the books.

            This generosity by the master gives him a little time.  He has choices at his disposal.  The best option – bank on the master’s reputation for being exceedingly generous.  Trusting in the master’s money is gone.  He must now trust the master, the one thing he should have trusted in all along.

            He calls in the master’s clients.  They don’t know he’s been fired.  With each person in debt he cancels about eighteen months of wages.  But did you notice he has them change the amount?  It happens in their handwriting, not his.  This is important because when he returns the books to the master, the master will notice two things:  first, the debts have been lowered, and second, his debtors know about it, because it is their handwriting.  Genius.

            The master sits back in his chair and figures he is going to win businessman of the year.  He is the most generous landowner in the county.  Facebook and Twitter are on fire with the news of this swell fella.

            What will a normal landlord do?  He will walk into the celebration party and announce, “I didn’t authorize this.  This man is a crook.  I will be expecting your regular payments at the beginning of the month.”  Most creditors would do this.  It is what you would do, right?  But this master doesn’t do this and the manager’s plan doesn’t collapse.  This master is generous.  It is part of who he is.

            He commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.  Well-played Harris.  When the ship was sinking he knew where to jump.  He used the master’s generosity to his advantage proving that “it’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

            What is the moral of the story for us?  What point is Jesus making?  “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into eternal dwellings.” (v. 9)  You’ve got money.  Many of us have significant amounts.  Use it wisely, Jesus says, for the work of His Kingdom so that more souls can go to heaven.  There will be people in heaven who are there to thank you and welcome you because God used your offering and the work of the Holy Spirit to get them there.  He made it so your money would have eternal returns.

            We don’t labor under a master who is hard and cruel.  We labor under a generous master.  Whether you have been faithful in your use of money or have wasted it, your Master is still good.  He loves you and sees you through.  You will be saved and have your eternal reward because of the generosity of your Master.

            Your Master?  Jesus Christ.  He loves and forgives sinners.  We receive more than earthly wealth and goods.  He gives you His body and blood on the cross to save you.  You don’t have to make back payments to receive this bounty.  You don’t need to do anything; you don’t even need to be wise.  You just need to know which way to jump when your ship is sinking.  You jump and let the grace of God in Jesus catch you.

            If your stuck and don’t know what to do or where to go – too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg – don’t trust your moolah but turn to the Master.  Grab hold of the generosity of your Father in heaven.  Truly shrewd stewards are Christians who trust in the generosity of the Lord.  Plead the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, his death and resurrection, and it’s yours.

            You are going to be okay.  You are going to make it, dear Christian.  Your Master loves you, indeed.

                                                Amen.   

Bulletin Announcements September 22, 2019

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Luke 16:8 – “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”  The sons of this world know that they should use their wealth wisely to provide for their future.  Shouldn’t we “sons of light” know that the wealth God has allowed us to manage should be managed for God’s purposes in the roles He has given us in Church, home, and society?

FAITH IN ACTION OF BLOOMINGTON/NORMAL:   One ride, one visit, one Senior at a time.  Need a ride?  Want to volunteer?  Need more information?  Call (309) 827-7780; or email: office@bnfia.org or contact Barry Hamlin at (309) 750-9424.

OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).

THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meets in the basement at 9:15 a.m.

TODAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the OCTOBER NEWSLETTER.   Any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted via email to: office@goodshepherdblm.org, mail, hand-delivered, or you may call (309) 662-8905 or (309) 838-1552.  Thank you!

FROM THE OFFICE:  The church now has a new email address.  Our new email address is: office@goodshepherdblm.org.

PORTALS OF PRAYER:  The October—December 2019 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex.  Pick up your free copy today.

FELLOWSHIP HOSTS:  In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2019 we have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up.  We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other.  You may also sign-up for both if you wish.  The sign-up sheet is by the door by the north stairwell.

YOU ARE INVITED:  Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eureka is hosting their 30th Annual Hog Roast on Saturday, October 5th with serving between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children.  Pastor has two complimentary tickets if you would like to go.  The menu: roast pork, baked beans, potato salad, applesauce, dessert and drink. 

FROM THE OFFICE:  Christ wants you to know who He is and what He has done for us.  Concordia Publishing House is here to help you with that.  We are dedicated to helping Christ’s families read, study, teach, and learn about the miracles that God has shown us.  Our newest releases, such as the Portals of Prayer; Devotional Bible, Enduring Faith Sunday School Curriculum, The Mighty and The Mysterious, and The Growing in Faith Bible Storybook, in addition to thousands of other resources, allow for families of all ages and stages to share in Christ’s love.  CPH is overjoyed to be able to offer these resources for your family to grow with Christ for generations to come.  To see all we have to offer, please visit us at cph.org.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “The Story We Needed” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Genesis 5-9.  Genesis Series – Love, grief, and pain—that’s  what God felt when He did what had to be done, in the flood and on the cross.  Reverend Dr. Michael Zeigler is the speaker.  Hear his message on The Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Tune in!  You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.

FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE:  If you miss church, please be reminded that copies of the previous week’s sermon are available on the table in the narthex.  Also, the sermon will be available on our web site at www.goodshepherdblm.org.  Thank you.

PRAYER CIRCLE:  If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582.  The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.