Bulletin Announcements May 5, 2019
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 21:6 – “He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” Won’t the disciples ever learn? Jesus pulled this same trick before. When the odds seemed completely against it, the Lord gave them a command to let down the nets, a command that seemed crazy. But they complied. and He blessed their obedience. When will we learn this lesson, too?
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: If you purchased an Easter Lily you may take it home TODAY following either the early service or late service. Thank you.
PASTOR’S SCHEDULE: Pastor will be attending the Central Illinois District Pastor’s Conference in Decatur this Tuesday, May 7th.
YOU ARE INVITED: The family of Karson Lueck cordially invites you to a College Graduation Open House next Sunday, May 12th from 2-4:00 p.m. The festivities will take place at the Reverend Chad and Toni Lueck abode (house) located at 2707 Essington in Bloomington. Take Mom out and then have dessert and drinks with the Lueck’s.
SEMINARY STUDENT CALL: Joseph Schlie received his call to serve as Associate Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville, MO. Next Sunday, May 12th, we will have our last door Offering for Joseph.
FROM THE OFFICE: Copies of the updated Church Directory are available on the table in the narthex. Pickup your copy today!
GOOD SHEPHERD FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES will be held on May 17th at 6:30 p.m. The movie that will be shown is “TORTURED FOR CHRIST”. Be inspired by love and forgiveness that conquered Communist prisons. Pastor Richard Wurmbrand suffered 14 years of imprisonment and brutal torture, while his wife, Sabina, was treated as a slave in a labor camp. Their only “crimes” were their faith and witness for Jesus Christ. Through it all, they loved their enemies and sought to win their torturers for Christ. Join us for a powerful, inspiring and historical movie. There will be plenty of good food and wonderful fellowship. See you there!
FROM THE OFFICE: The memorials for Ruth Gooding totaled $560.00. The Gooding Family has requested that money go into the Stained Glass Window Fund.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Please get these two dates on your summer calendar: Good Shepherd Blood Drive on Saturday, July 20th. Note: in order to be eligiable for our Blood Drive you must give your next donation by Saturday, May 25th. The Annual Good Shepherd Picnic will be on Sunday, August 25th at Tipton Trails Park.
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 LUTHERAN HOUR: “Home” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 14:1-7. With Jesus, we have a home. That’s the good news for today. The speaker will be Dr. Dean Nadasdy. 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.
Stewardship Corner May 2019
Stewardship is not just about giving money to the church. It includes this, to be sure, but it is not limited to it. Stewardship involves our whole life – everything we have and everything we are.
Let us not, though, fall into the trap of thinking that because we give of ourselves in one area we can neglect giving in another. Stewardship is not stealing from Peter to pay Paul. It is not a game we play whereby we justify ourselves in not giving a tenth of our income because we have given in some other way. This is why our Lord warns:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23)
We are given to do both – tithe of ourselves and what we have. And so it is that St. Paul makes his appeal to us:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. We are not to have the mind of the world, where we exchange equal weight of this for an equal weight of that, and then think that we have done what God has required.
Our whole life is given over for service in and for the Church of God. This is to be done in thanksgiving for what God in Christ has accomplished for us. This is our spiritual worship, the reasonable response to what He has done for us – not one for the other, but all in all.
But what does this look like? St. Paul never lays down a general principle without also giving us some practical application of what shape that principle is to take concretely. He gives the general principle that our bodies are to be living sacrifices to God, and, after admonishing those who have been given particular gifts of grace to serve the church, St. Paul then speaks generally of what is expected of all. He says:
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (Romans 12:9-13)
This is what it looks like to present your bodies as living sacrifices. This is how we live out the grace of God here in time.
Let us then heed the apostle’s teaching. Let us present our bodies – everything that we have and everything that we are – as living sacrifices to God, our reasonable response to what God in Christ Jesus accomplished for us by His death and resurrection.
Through this we have forgiveness of sins, a new life in Christ, and eternal salvation. And through this worship, the grace of God is made manifest in His saints – for the church and the world.
Celebrating May 2019
Birthdays
| Anna Holland | 5/3 |
| Lorene Backsmeier | 5/5 |
| Cory Fortney | 5/5 |
| Lucas Piper | 5/8 |
| Renee Pinson | 5/9 |
| Lindsay Orr | 5/11 |
| Kerry Warren | 5/12 |
| Benjamin Holland | 5/16 |
| Nicki Cloyd | 5/19 |
| Terry Trost | 5/19 |
| Jack Gooding | 5/24 |
| Doris Hoffmann | 5/25 |
| Mandy Kluender | 5/26 |
| Joyce Schneider | 5/26 |
| Keyyon Pleasant | 5/27 |
Baptismal Birthdays
| Carly Benjamin | 5/1 |
| Cathy Cloyd | 5/1 |
| Marlene Hitch | 5/5 |
| Halle Sheley | 5/6 |
| Daryle Schempp | 5/15 |
| Drew Kemp | 5/18 |
| Ethan Bliese | 5/21 |
| Lorene Backsmeier | 5/22 |
| Marvin Huth | 5/22 |
| Steve Parry | 5/26 |
| Lucas Piper | 5/29 |
| Renee Pinson | 5/31 |
Pastor’s Notes May 2019
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Recently I made a hospital call at Advocate Bromenn Mennonite Regional Medical Center (try to get that on a business card). Anyway, I pulled into the parking garage and made my way up. I passed the blue level and the red level and eventually rested my vehicle on the yellow level – level 4 I believe.
As my 2011 Camry made each turn with careful precision I looked at all the vehicles that had already made their way there on that Tuesday afternoon. That parking garage was filled with millions upon millions of dollars worth of transportation worthy cars, trucks, SUV’s, motorcycles, and electric cars. As I made my way down each row and around every corner another thought came to my mind: almost every vehicle in there was less than 10 years old. Aren’t we the most blessed people in the world? This comes from someone who is in a family with a car over 10 years old – a 2005 Camry driven mostly by the offspring. But that mode of transportation has been a blessing as well.
The older I get the more grateful I become. The Lord has allowed me to see so much. I see people struggling to get up and down stairs. I thank Him each time I take the stairs at the hospitals or in office buildings or when I run the stairs for exercise at church. I appreciate the hand of the Lord in my health and my family and in our congregation. In a world of bad language and bad behavior and people whining about every little notion that doesn’t go their way, I thank God for the kindness, the uplifting word, the helping hand. I don’t want to be cynical. Please Lord help me in my gratefulness.
This all flows from our Resurrected Savior. His love and care and mercy and kindness and selflessness. He is the Vine we are the branches. May He continue to lead us to not take things for granted. May we recognize the blessings. May the parking spot you want be available – then thank Him for it!
In Christ,
Pastor