Bulletin Announcements
October 29, 2017
NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available. Please speak with Pastor who has the details. Thank you.
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. As we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we continue studies on that time period. We are studying “A Man Named Martin”, a video-based study on the reformer Martin Luther.
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Happy 500th Anniversary of the Reformation! Luther is rightly remembered as a champion of the Gospel – but he also called himself “the apostle of good works.” For only in being set free by the Gospel can we do good works. Jesus has set us free: His blood covers over our sins and now we stand before God as His beloved children, invited to live our lives to His glory for the good of His kingdom.
TODAY you may pick up, if you put your name on it, last year’s Commitment Envelope. They are on the table in the narthex. Next Sunday, November 5th, we will hand out the new envelopes and Stewardship Sunday is planned for November 12th.
TODAY is our last official collection for the new church sign planned on the south side of our property. In conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we want the Lord to bless this as an “Outreach” to those in our neighborhood, those who drive by, and those who walk the Constitution Trail. Watch for further details on how you can become involved. Our goal is $7,000.00 and as this goes to press we have $6,066.22.
REFIRMATION FESTIVAL WORSHIP SERVICE: This afternoon at 3:00 p.m. there is a Reformation Festival Worship Service at Christ Lutheran Church in Normal. Join your brothers and sisters from the Bloomington North and South Circuits as we stand together on the great tenets of our faith: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS: Next Saturday evening, (November 4-5), before you drift off to the land of milk and honey, please be sure to set your clocks back one hour. We look forward to seeing you well rested and ready to belt out “For All the Saints”.
NEXT SUNDAY, November 5th, we will remember those in our congregation who have entered eternal life in the past year. We will have a special Order of Worship for “All Saints’ Day”.
ANNUAL VOTER’S MEETING: Sunday, November 12th will be our Annual Voter’s Meeting and potluck meal after our 10:30 worship service.
FOOD COLLECTION: The food box collection for Home Sweet Home is in the narthex. We will collect until Saturday, November 18th when we will be serving a meal at the Mission.
CAN YOU HELP: John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN. It will be sometime after the holidays, hopefully mid-January. The Seminary needs clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. Please bring them to church. There is a closet located in the hall upstairs where items are collected, and packed for our trip. If you need help finding it just contact John (309) 310-7917. Thank you!
SHARING TREE: We know that it is early in the process, but wanted to let you know we will have a Sharing Tree this year. We are getting a name from the Baby Fold and will have tags on the tree with specific requests. We also will be collecting money to purchase items not received, any additional money collected will be used to purchase gift cards. These gift cards will be given to the Baby Fold to supplement other needs in the system. Last year we were able to give a handful of cards because of the generosity of our church family. The look on the faces of the staff said it all…. It was priceless. Thank you very much for helping to share the love this coming holiday season. Please contact Toni Lueck (309) 530-8666 or Paula Hardy (309) 829-8432 with questions. Thank you!
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Blessed Are the Pure In Heart” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Matthew 5:8. This weekend many churches observe All Saints Sunday, remembering those who have died in the Christian faith. That prompts us to ask, what does it take to get to heaven? Jesus tells us “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” What that means is this week’s message. Dr. Dale Meyer is the speaker. Hear this Sunday’s 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.
PRAYER CHAIN: 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.
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Bulletin Announcements
October 22, 2017
NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available. Please speak with Pastor who has the details. Thank you.
OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Matthew 22:21 – Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” So what is Jesus saying? Doesn’t everything belong to God? Yes – and God has a place for everything. Some of what He gives us goes to Caesar. Some must come back to the work of His Church. And some goes to support the families He has given us. All belongs to God – and he has work for us to do with what He has given us in the Home, in the Church, and in Society.
TODAY: We welcome our Guest Preacher this day Reverend Charles Olander. Pastor Olander has been a Pastor for 39 years and currently serves Zion Lutheran in New Holland IL. Pastor Olander has been a Lutheran Chaplain for 35 years at Logan and Lincoln Correctional Centers. During our Bible Class hour beginning at 9:15 a.m. in the basement, Pastor Olander will speak about his work in prison ministry.
TODAY: Please join us after 10:30 worship today for a meal and presentation on the mission of the church and your part in it. We will hear from both Pastor Olander and Mr. Scott Radden who serves the church through the LCMS Foundation.
TODAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER. Janet Evans is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at goodshepherdblm@frontier.com or you may call her at (309) 662-8905.
NEXT SUNDAY, October 29th, we will celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation and have Holy Communion in both our worship services. In the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. there is a circuit-wide Reformation Festival Worship Service at Christ Lutheran Church in Normal.
ANNUAL VOTER’S MEETING: November 12th will be our Annual Voter’s Meeting and potluck meal after our 10:30 worship service.
CHURCH SIGN UPDATE: After having our coins counted and other gifts we have $5,316.22 toward this Outreach endeavor. The goal is $7,000.00 We have one more collection on Reformation Sunday, October 29th.
FOOD COLLECTION: The food box collection for Home Sweet Home is in the narthex. We will collect until Saturday, November 18th when we will be serving a meal at the Mission.
CAN YOU HELP: John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne IN. It will be sometime after the holidays, hopefully mid-January. The Seminary needs clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also except shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. Please bring them to church. There is a closet located in the hall upstairs where items are collected, and packed for our trip. If you need help finding it just contact John (309) 310-7917. Thank you!
SHARING TREE: We know that it is early in the process, but wanted to let you know we will have a Sharing Tree this year. We are getting a name from the Baby Fold and will have tags on the tree with specific requests. We also will be collecting money to purchase items not received, any additional money collected will be used to purchase gift cards. These gift cards will be given to the Baby Fold to supplement other needs in the system. Last year we were able to give a handful of cards because of the generosity of our church family. The look on the faces of the staff said it all…. It was priceless. Thank you very much for helping to share the love this coming holiday season. Please contact Toni Lueck (309) 530-8666 or Paula Hardy (309) 829-8432 with questions. Thank you!
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “A Reformation Invitation – The Just Live By Faith” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Romans 1:16-17. 500 years ago, Martin Lither rediscovered a truth that turned the world upside down; the just shall live by faith. Can this message transform you today? Reverend Dr. Gregory Seltz is the speaker. Hear this Sunday’s 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.
PRAYER CHAIN: 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.
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Sermon for Sunday, October 15, 2017: “The Wedding Feast Is Ready – Are You?”
October 15, 2017 Text: Matthew 22:1-14
Dear Friends in Christ,
Since we live in such a fast food age it is sometimes hard to appreciate a good meal, a real feast of fine food and drink to be enjoyed. In the 1987 Danish movie Babette’s Feast, two women, Martina and Philippa, named after the reformers Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon, are now elderly, leading simple lives, having foregone romance and adventure in their youth. Babette is a former five-star chef from Paris who has served these women as a cook and housekeeper for fourteen years, submitting to their simple lifestyle and bland food. Babette changes their lives forever when she uses her large prize winnings to prepare a sumptuous French feast for these sisters and their austere religious community. What happens as a result is remarkable. Feasting and generosity actually transform lives as Babette gives thanks for all God’s gracious gifts of creation by sacrificing all she had so that this community could rejoice at this feast of finest food and drink.
In our text for today we will see that the banquet to which God invites us – the best of meats and finest of wines – has that kind of life-changing power for us. This is a banquet seemingly no one would want to miss.
“THE WEDDING FEAST IS READY – ARE YOU?”
Today a man and woman who are getting married send out “Save the date” notices. In the parable the king had alerted the guests that the big event was coming. The date is set, the wedding hall is ready, and the food is prepared. The servants are sent out to invite the invited to the wedding feast. All is ready.
All the work is done, but no one comes. This is rude and we can understand the frustration of the king. Kind of like what happens with RSVP’s today. People either wait to the last minute or don’t send it in at all. This frustrates the man and woman because they need a count for dinner. I work with couples, please send in the RSVP.
In the parable, the servants go out again, but no one pays attention. One goes off to his farm. Another to his business. Still others were indifferent to the point where they seized the servants and killed them. The king gets angry and exacts revenge. Still, the wedding feast is ready, and so the invitation goes out again. Now the hall is filled with guests, as many as the servants could find.
Are these guests ready? Both good and bad are invited; both good and bad arrived. The king does everything he can to see that all of them – good and bad – are ready. In ancient Israel, special attire was commonly required at a wedding. The host often supplied those wedding garments. The king has provided everything his guests need to be ready.
But as he looks over the gathering, he sees that not everyone is ready. Amid the splendor he notices one not dressed for the occasion. He calls him “Friend” but the man has no explanation why he is refusing the clothing the king is offering. “Cast him into the outer darkness…for many are called, but few are chosen.” (vs. 13-14)
So, then, are we ready for the wedding feast? God is the King and He invites everyone to the marriage feast of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death on the cross has earned a seat at the feast for every person who has ever lived.
Some will ignore the invitation. They are too busy. Too busy with a career to build. Too busy with their kids activities. Too busy with outside interests to give the Lord the time to be fed by Word and Sacrament.
Some accept the invitation but on their terms. They clothe themselves in their good deeds and accomplishments. They clothe themselves in their good name and pious lifestyle. They have no excuse when asked why they didn’t clothe themselves in the righteousness offered them in Jesus Christ.
But in his grace and mercy the King extends the invitation. In Baptism, He provided us garments of salvation that we will wear into eternity. Garments won for us by His Son’s death and resurrection. Clothed in Christ’s righteousness, we are ready for the wedding feast.
We live in a casual dress age. Teachers at school. Coaches on the court and sidelines. People in church and at funerals. College kids in pajamas. Corporate casual. But we know there are certain situations when our clothes should match the occasion. When God the Father invites us to the wedding feast at which his Son will be the Bridegroom, he supplies us with the right thing to wear, the righteousness of Jesus given at our Baptism. “Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to the cross I cling. Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.” You are ready for the wedding feast – clothed in Christ.
Amen.