Bulletin Announcements September 8, 2019
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Luke 14:33 – “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” None of what we have is ours – it all belongs to God. That is the foundation of Christian stewardship. What we have been given is to be used for God’s purposes according to our callings in home, Church, and society. As we learn to give generously in these callings, we renounce our ownership of our wealth. It’s not ours; it’s His. God owns; we manage for the furtherance of His goals.
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 we will have a door Offering for our new Seminary student. Aaron Wendorff will be the student we support for the 2019-2020 school year. Aaron is married and has two daughters. He is from Minnesota and Nebraska. He is in his fourth and final year at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
TODAY: Small Group Bible Study meets today at 5:00 p.m. The class is studying “Lutheranism 101: Baptism”. If you have not been a part of this class but would like to join please talk with Group Leader, Steve Parry or Pastor Lueck.
THIS WEEK: Good Shepherd will be hosting the Bloomington North Circuit Pastor’s Conference this Tuesday, September 10th, from 8:30 a.m. – 12;30 p.m. Last week we hosted the Bloomington South Circuit. Reverend Bruce Scarbeary of Trinity Lutheran in Roanoke will once again (like he did last week) present a recap of this summer’s LCMS Convention. Any layperson interested is welcome to attend.
FROM THE OFFICE: The church now has a new email address. Our new email address is: office@goodshepherdblm.org.
THANK YOU: The LWML would like to thank everyone for the donations of school supplies. We have enough to fill 75 school kits! We now need boxes to ship the school kits and 25-30 quilts to the Lutheran World Relief warehouse. Paper boxes are ideal but if you have anything similar in size, we would much appreciate the donation. Thank you!
GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES is on September 20th at 6:30 p.m. From Cary Soloman and Church Konzelman, the writers/co-producers of “God’s Not Dead”, comes a film that speaks to one of the most polarizing topics of our time. “Unplanned” brings us an eye-opening look inside the abortion industry through one woman’s inspiring true story of transformation. All Abby Johnson ever wanted to do was help women. She believed in a woman’s right to choose, and as one of the youngest Planned Parenthood Clinic Directors in the nation, she was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions. Until the day she saw something that changed everything, leading Abby Johnson to join her former enemies at “40 Days For Life”, and become one of the most ardent pro-life advocates in America. Join us for a very good, intense and thought provoking movie. There will be plenty of food and wonderful fellowship.
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.
THE ANNUAL FUNDRAISING LIFE BANQUET FOR “LIVING ALTERNATIVES: PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER” is this coming Thursday, September 12th at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bloomington. Contact the Center at (309) 454-5433 to make your reservation. The guest speaker is Mr. Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family.
THE WHIPPOORWILL CHALLENGE GOLF SCRAMBLE to benefit Camp CILCA is set to tee off on Friday, September 27th at 1:00 p.m. The venue is Hickory Point Golf Course in Forsyth, IL. Cost of $60.00 covers golf cart, and dinner. Make checks payable to “CID Gold Fundraiser” and give to Pastor Lueck. Entry deadline is Sunday, September 15th.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “The Dream Is Alive” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Genesis 3. 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.
Sermon Text 9.1.2019 — What Do You See?
September 1, 2019 Text: Luke 14:1-14
Dear Friends in Christ,
On The Andy Griffith Show amateur psychologist Deputy Barney Fife was always trying to help town drunk Otis Campbell cure his drinking. In one episode Barney shows Otis the Rorschach inkblot cards and asks him what he sees. When he shows him the one that looks like a butterfly, Otis sees a bat. No matter what Otis says with the rest of them they are usually the opposite of what Barney wants him to see. They end up yelling at one another and the guffaws ensue on the greatest comedy show of all time – in this Pastor’s opinion.
Jesus has been invited to dinner. People are watching him to see what he will do. They want to find something to accuse him of. Jesus is also testing them. Let’s step into the drama and ask . . .
“WHAT DO YOU SEE?”
The Pharisees are watching the Savior. A man with dropsy appears. Jesus gives the first test: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (v. 3) The Pharisees answer was no as we see by their silence. They didn’t see a soul in pain that needed their help.
What do you see? When we look at those around us with problems and difficulties, do we feel annoyance and emotional tiredness? Do we grow weary of helping others especially those who come with problems but don’t listen to our advice? Do we set a boundary because we do not want to be an enabler? Do you see this as love?
Jesus gets to the deception. He uses a son and ox that have fallen in a well. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Now it gets personal. Wouldn’t you help a loved one or an animal you need for labor? Again – silence.
Jesus on the other hand acts immediately. He healed the man and sent him away. In the same way He does not delay in healing and restoring us. He doesn’t wait to forgive us if we repent. Jesus doesn’t put our problems or pain off until a later time. He listens and then acts according to His will and purpose.
When the Pharisees see their peers, what do they see? How do they relate to others? Their love is for themselves. They want the highest honor and the best seat. They think their actions and work give them this deserved place.
What do you see? Don’t we size up others? Who is above me? Who is below me? Where ought I to sit? When we love ourselves the most then we see others as objects and not people.
Jesus again has an answer. In their narcissistic attitude – love of self – they may get moved down in the order. They may occupy the lowest place, the place of shame because they loved themselves more than others.
The proper way is to start out is at the lowest place. In our sin this is where we all are. We are so far away we can barely see the host of the dinner. But wait. Here He comes. He wants us to move up. Go to the front of the line. Sit in first class. In love He is sacrificially giving us a better place. This is Jesus’ sacrifice for us. He gave His life placing others in front of himself because of love.
When the Pharisees see their friends, what do they see? Is Jesus insulting the host? Has Jesus been invited because the host expects something from Him? Wouldn’t this host, a Pharisee have better social standing if he could catch Jesus doing something wrong? He is using others for himself.
He has invited those who love him. These people will gladly return love and invite him to their party. I say “love” here but it is really a mockery of love. It is not the deep sacrificial love Jesus has for us.
We too confuse love. We love our children but do we ever manipulate their lives? We love our spouse, but are we above emotional blackmail? We love our Pastor but will we still love him if he refuses to bury, marry, or commune someone we ask him to? What do you see?
Jesus expects nothing in return for His love. He loves purely and simply to help others. This is the love of God that led him to send his Son for our salvation. This is the love of God from which we will never be separated. In this love we see the gracious salvation that is indeed ours now.
In the 2008 movie Vantage Point the President gets shot. The rest of the movie is that moment in time. What was the vantage point of each main character? What did they see? Each of you this morning sees and hears this sermon from a different vantage point. Through the Holy Spirit can you trust the Savior’s love more faithfully? Can the Lord’s love motivate your love toward others? What did you hear today that has got you thinking – what do I see?
See this. A Savior who loves you. A Savior who sacrificially died for you. A Savior who wants to help you to love others more than yourself. Oh, say can you see? Yes, with the help of Jesus.
Amen.
Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules for September 2019
Elder and Usher Schedule
| Sep 8 | Nathan Kluender, Nick Hitch | Brian Hoop | Greg McNeely, Will McNeely |
| Sep 15 | Craig Culp, Gerald Semelka, Steve Parry | Nathan Kluender | Mike Huth, Theron Noth |
| Sep 22 | Gene Fuller, Richard Ross | Mike Field | Bob Love, Brian Dirks, Randy Reinhardt |
| Sep 29 | Barry Hamlin, Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper | Paul Gerike | Greg McNeely, Mike Huth, Will McNeely |
Acolyte Schedule
| Sep 1 | JT Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| Sep 8 | Pastor/Elder | Justin McNeely |
| Sep 15 | Clayton Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| Sep 22 | Pastor/Elder | Matt Williamson |
| Sep 29 | Tanner Hitch | Jessica Isaac |
Stewardship Corner September 2019
What is a steward? Most people will say a steward is a manager.
That is correct, but it is only half right. A steward is indeed a manager, but he is a manager of what does not belong to him. Someone else is the owner, and the steward manages the owner’s property on the owner’s behalf.
We are God’s stewards. Our stewardship is that God has made us managers of what belongs to Him:
“For we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1 Tim. 6:7)
Everything that we have and everything that we are comes from God’s fatherly divine goodness and mercy. God is the owner.
This is not only because He created all things; He is also the redeemer. He has redeemed – that is, purchased – and won all things. Therefore, it all belongs to Him.
We are simply managers of everything in this world. Like Joseph in Egypt, we are put in charge of managing what belongs to God. What a privilege.
Think about that for a minute. The all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise God has asked us to manage his possessions on His behalf here on earth.
And by doing this, He invites us to take part in the allocation of His good gifts. He wants us to give our input and advise Him in where His gifts are to be used. What a privilege indeed.
But what a responsibility!
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48b).
We are not the owners. And while He puts us as managers, we are still to do with His property what He wants done with it. That means we need to know what He desires and wills for His property
How do we know this? How can we know the will and mind of God?
We find the will of God in the Bible. There God tells us what His will is for all of His gifts. He tells us how we are to spend our time and use our talents and treasures. He instructs us in the use of our minds, bodies, and souls.
There is nothing we have that doesn’t belong to Him.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
God informs us of the big picture, the overarching policy, of how we as His stewards – managers and custodians – are to manage His property.
And that is stewardship. It is simply doing what God wants us to do with what He has given us.
As St. Paul said,
“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Rom. 6:13).
So let’s dive into God’s Word, and listen to what He desires from His stewards.
Celebrating September 2019
Birthdays
| Nathan Kluender | 9/5 |
| Randy Reinhardt | 9/6 |
| Rev Chad Lueck | 9/9 |
| David Marlow | 9/10 |
| Andrea Brown | 9/16 |
| Janet Evans | 9/20 |
| Jeffrey Piper | 9/22 |
| Hope Kirchner | 9/25 |
| Bill Huber | 9/26 |
| Cleo Korte | 9/26 |
| Ron Kwasny | 9/27 |
| Karah Kemp-Golden | 9/28 |
Baptismal Birthdays
| Katey Parry | 9/2 |
| Joann Nottingham | 9/3 |
| Jeannette Ross | 9/6 |
| Joann Hart | 9/10 |
| Becky Love | 9/10 |
| Emilia Schempp | 9/14 |
| Karah Kemp-Golden | 9/17 |
| Bryan Benjamin | 9/18 |
| Mary Hall Clayton Piper | 9/18 9/20 |
| Brian Hoop | 9/25 |
| Mike Huth | 9/25 |
| David McEleney | 9/26 |
| Randy Reinhardt | 9/30 |