St. John s Lu theran Church

Transcription

1 St. John s Lu theran Church Sep t ember 2015 Eagle Proverbs 22:6 ESV Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. St. John s Lutheran Church and School 4939 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL

2 Christian Response to the Planned Parenthood Videos 2

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4 4 Pastor s Article by Rev. Richard A. Heinz Re-runs. It is the end of summer, and that is the majority of prime-time television. Episodes of programs that aired earlier this year or even in previous years are the staple of summer TV. So what is the problem with reruns? You already know what will happen. They are predictable. The outcome will not change. George will get himself into bizarre trouble, Elaine will have some misunderstanding, and Kramer will do something insane in almost every episode of Seinfeld. Spock will use logic, Scotty will make sure he s givin ya all she s got, Cap n! and some red shirts will meet their demise in almost every Star Trek adventure. Barney Fife will end up in a bind, Otis will be drunk in jail, and Andy will make everything right in just the same way, every time you see that particular Andy Griffith Show. The Brady Bunch will get through their problem and Mom and Dad will restore peace within the 30-minute episode. And every time you view a given episode, it will conclude the same way. It does not change. Our Old Adams are a lot like re-runs. Daily, we fall into many of the same temptations and often, we fall back into the same sins. We can almost look like re-runs in the choices we make (again and again) as we give in to the devil, the world, and our sinful selves. The difference is, however, that our loving Savior does not grow tired of the re-run. You and I may not be able to stand one more half hour of a certain episode. Most times we can bore pretty easily. Yet Jesus does not grow bored with us. He knows us and knows the sit-com re-run patterns into which we fall. He knew it before He gave His life on the cross, and still chose to save us! Our loving Lord reached out that we may not be stuck in our sin, locked into the bad that we would choose. Instead, He has redeemed us, lost and condemned persons, purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. Yes, we are still helpless to pull ourselves out of the re-runs of sin, but the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps us in the true faith. Does that mean we just go on carelessly re-running our sins, since He re-runs His Gospel and forgiveness? Of course not! We abide in forgiveness, striving to live in faith toward God and in love toward neighbor. But for the many times we fall back into the re-runs of sin, we do not despair. The Lord does not want you stuck in bad re-runs. So He makes you new. The New Creature from Baptism is given by God, emerging daily from the drowning of Old Adam. Our Redeemer raises you to new life, rescuing you from the eternal stain of re-run sin. We were therefore buried with Him through Baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4, quoted in the Small Catechism, Baptism, Section 4.) As you scan the TV Guides, and see nothing but re-runs, pause and give thanks to God. Praise our Lord who has rescued you from your reruns of sin, and restores you as His cleansed child! Behold, I am making all things new! (Revelation 21:5 ESV.) Amen.

5 Ladies Book Club: It is unanimous. Everyone who participated in the reading and discussion of the Book Club s selection for August 2015, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer agreed that it was a very enjoyable read. It not only gave us additional insight into the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, but also conveyed the emotions of those who were involved on both sides, either by choice or by circumstances. Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreland, the Book Club s selection for the month of September 2015 continues with the theme of history and art. In 1893, at the Chicago World s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany debuts his luminous exhibition of innovative stained glass windows hoping to establish himself as an international artist. Behind the scenes in New York, Clara Driscoll conceives and designs the iconic lead glass lamps for which Tiffany will long be remembered. The book tells the story of Clara s struggles with her desire for public recognition and the challenges of being a professional woman who yearns for love but knows that Tiffany has a strict policy of not employing married women. The reading selections for the upcoming months are: October Finding Colin Firth: A Novel by Mia March November The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert December Luther: Biography of a Reformer by Fredrick Hohl January Isaac s Storm - A Man, A Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Eric Larson and Isaac Monroe Cline Join us in reading these books and for our discussions. The Ladies Book Club meets the last Tuesday of each month at 7PM. All ladies are welcome to attend the meetings. A short synopsis of each book will be published as its month approaches. If you would like to receive a copy of our booklist including information on each book, please contact Karen Buhler or any of our regular book club attendees. 5 Wittenburg English Ministry Program: Former St. John s interim pastor, Rev. Arthur Baisch and his wife Evelyn will be traveling to Wittenburg, Germany to participate in the Wittenberg English Ministry Program. Pastor Baisch is presently serving Faith Lutheran Church in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. Pastor will be in Wittenberg from September 8 th through September 22 nd. The Wittenberg English Ministry Program offers residents and visitors to Lugherstadt, Wittenberg the opportunity to worship in English at the Castle Church and Town Church. The services are held every Saturday from 5PM to 6PM either at the Castle Church or the Town Church. American pastors lead the worship services from May to October. Mid-week chapel services are held in the Corpus Christi Chapel (built in 1350) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. There is a mid-week Stammtisch, or meeting at a local restaurant for those who would like to join the pastor in conversation. Pastor Baisch will be obligated to serve in all the above capacities. Pastor and Evelyn who love to hear from anyone who might remember their stay here in Chicago. Their address is: Pastor Arthur and Evelyn Baisch, 106 Rampart Circle Fairfield Day, AR

6 Dinner and a Movie: Ladies, Join us on Sunday, September 13 th after the 11AM service in Ellinger Hall when Dinner and a Movie presents: The Artist. A light lunch will be served before the movie and we will share dessert and fellowship after the movie. All are welcomed. Sunday School: Join us as we kick off the new Sunday School season with Rally day on September 13 th in the Music Room at 9:30AM. We will sing and dance and enjoy snacks and Bible stories. Come register for Sunday School which invites all children from age 5 through 5 th grade to share the Word of our Lord from 9:30AM to 10:45AM every Sunday morning. Children under 5 are also welcome as are their parents. Dorcas Society: Hats and Tea Social will start off our new season on Tuesday September 1 st at 7PM in the Fellowship Room. Tea, scones, and cakes will be served in fine British Style. Wear your favorite hat as we have prizes for the best in different categories. Everyone: Men, Women, and Children are all invited to meet the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs on Tuesday October 6 th at 7PM in the fellowship room. This group will share how their ministry works providing comfort, help, and hope to children and adults in need. It is said that God has created in these dogs a special instinct to know when somebody is hurting and when someone is in need of help. Come out and meet and hug some these wonderfully compassionate dogs. Return to Regular Worship Schedule: Starting Sunday September 6 th, we will return to the regular worship schedule: Divine Worship: Sunday at 8AM; 11AM; 6PM and Wednesday at 4:30PM Bible Study: Sunday at 9:30AM Fellowship and Coffee Hour: Sunday at 9:15AM th Anniversary Celebration: On Saturday October 3 rd, 2015, St. John s will celebrate our 140 th Anniversary with an Octoberfest event in the gym. Doors will open at 6PM. Dinner (brats, hot dogs, German potato salad, sauerkraut, coffee, tea, soft drinks and water) will be served at 6:30PM followed by dessert and a German sing-along at 7:30PM. Cost is $6 per adult; $3 per child age 5-12; free for children under 5. Save this date! Watch for the parent letter and Church bulletin announcements for more details and ticket sales.

7 7 Cub Scout Pack 3997 News: Cub Scout Pack 3997 will be hosting a Car Wash Fundraiser on Saturday September 12 th from 10AM - 2PM in Messiah Lutheran's parking lot (6201 W. Patterson). Please come out and support us as we wash cars to raise funds for the Pack. Your support of the car wash helps the boys raise funds for trophies, patches and awards and go on fun and awesome outings as well as supports a program that provides family centered activities, is fun, helps boys develop interests and skills, provides adventure and leadership opportunities, teaches positive values and skills that last a lifetime. Calling all boys 1st through 5th grades - Cub Scouts would love to have you join our Pack! We meet the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month September through May at 6:30PM at St. John's and we have events in the summer as well. We invite you to break out your favorite beach clothes and shades and join us at our Hawaiian Open House on Friday September 11 th starting at 7PM in the St. John's Fellowship Room. This will be our annual Raingutter Regatta boat racing event. Boats will be provided for boys coming to check out the Pack for the first time. We will have food, drinks and desserts! Our first official meeting will be on Monday September 21 st at 6:30PM in the Fellowship Room. All boys, no matter where they attend school, are welcome to join our Pack. Questions, please contact Sandy Pavlat at pavlats@yahoo.com. Thrivent Financial: In an ever on-going effort to be of service to this area, the North Cook County Branch of Thrivent Financial has provided a number of backpacks and school supplies for five local schools. St. John's is one of the schools that received 10 backpacks with numerous school supplies that totaled approximately $400. Thrivent Financial is a fraternal organization that continually looks for ways to serve our community. If you are interested in receiving some of these school supplies, please contact the school office. If you are interested in Thrivent Financial and/or its volunteer organization, contact Judy Knueppel or the church office. Boy Scout Troop 997 News: Boy Scout Troop 997 will be selling gourmet popcorn to support their Troop from August 31 st to September 12 th. Each easy and delicious purchase can be made either in person or online through any of our Boy Scouts. Your purchase of popcorn supports our Boy Scout program which provides leadership opportunities, teaches positive values and skills that last a life time, fun activities that include swimming, skiing, fall and winter camping and helps the boys get to summer camp which offers them a huge opportunity to earn merit badges needed for advancement and advancement to being Eagle Scouts. Questions, please contact either Shawn LaFleur at or Sandy Pavlat at pavlats@yahoo.com. Calling all boys 6th grade on up - Boy Scouts would love to have you join our Troop! We meet every Monday at 6:30PM in the Fellowship Room at St. John's. You are invited out to our first meeting will be Monday September 14 th at 6:30PM in the Fellowship Room to see what our Troop is all about. Scouting provides boys with an opportunity to try new things, provide service to others, build self-confidence and reinforce ethical standards. These are opportunities that will help them in their youth and can be carried forward into their adult lives. All boys, no matter where they attend school, are welcome to join our Troop. Questions, please contact either Shawn LaFleur at or Sandy Pavlat at pavlats@yahoo.com.

8 8 $17.00 per person (includes trivia & two rounds of heads/tails) Invite your friends and family for 10 rounds of trivia. TRIVIA NIGHT: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH Let us know if you don t have a full table, we ll try and help! When: Saturday, September 19, 2015 Where: St. John s gymnasium W. Montrose Need a babysitter? NO problem! Babysitting will be available in nursery with movies, crafts and snacks for a nominal fee. (one child per family $10.00, $5.00 each additional child) Hungry? Bring your own food Thirsty? B.Y.O.B.! Water and pop will be available for purchase First round begins promptly at 7:00PM Space is limited! Sign-up required by September 11 th! Please sign us up for trivia night! All players are 21 and over $17.00/person X Total $: - I /We will need babysitting, YES NO How many children: (one child per family $10.00, $5.00 each additional child) Total $ GRAND TOTAL $ *Return sign-up sheet with full payment to the Office marked: Trivia by Sept. 11 th. *Make check(s) payable to St. John s Lutheran School-Class of *Please Michelle Bahr with any questions at mbahr@stjohnschicago.org

9 9 September 2015 Editor s Letter by Adam Neubauer This article is part fifteen in my attempt to cover the topic of Christian apologetics in the Eagle. Part one, July 2014 Eagle Why should a Christian engage in apologetics? Part two, August 2014 Eagle - Does truth exist? Part three, September 2014 Eagle - Does God exist? (using the beginning of the universe) Part four, October 2014 Eagle - Does God exist? (using the fine-tuning of the universe) Part five, November 2014 Eagle Does God exist? (using the fine-tuning of life) Part six, December 2014 Eagle - Does God exist? (using objective moral laws) Part seven, January 2015 Eagle Are miracles possible? Part eight, February 2015 Eagle Is the New Testament true? (using textual criticism) Part nine, March 2015 Eagle Is the New Testament true? (using principal sources) Part ten, April 2015 Eagle Is the New Testament true? (using trustworthiness and actuality) Part eleven, May 2015 Eagle Is the New Testament true? (using Archeological Evidence) Part twelve, June 2015 Eagle Objection Handling: Evolution Part thirteen, July 2015 Eagle Objection Handling: Materialism Part fourteen, August 2015 Objection Handling: Christian Atrocities Part fifteen, located in this edition of the Eagle (September 2015) will demonstrate how to navigate following objection: why does God allow suffering? Why does God Allow Suffering? We have presented a positive case for Christianity in articles one through eleven. Now we will need to know how to effectively navigate common objections to Christianity. Oftentimes, our opportunity to defend Christianity arises from an objection. That is - rather than having the chance to present a positive case using the framework provided in these articles, we are obliged to respond to someone who regurgitates a fictitious slogan. This person is issuing an objection to Christianity. From my experience, this person probably has not examined his own objection. He might be repeating a catchy sound-bite. In this article I will write about how to respond to a common objection. One such objection is: "I can't believe in God because why would a God who loves all his creatures allow them to suffer if he has the power to stop it? Or why does God allow child abuse? Or why does God allow people to die of cancer? Or why does God allow tsunamis and floods killing thousands of people? All of these questions fall under the same general objection: Why does God allow suffering? The first step to responding to this objection is to ask a question. The question: "What do you mean by suffering?" (continued on next page)

10 10 (continued from previous page) The purpose of this question is to draw the distinction between two different kinds of suffering. This distinction will help us navigate the objection. Suffering at the hands of another individual is the first kind of suffering. Examples of this kind of suffering are theft, rape, murder, or any other evil committed by one person that directly causes the suffering of another person. This kind of suffering is otherwise known as evil. One method of handling the objection of evil is by leveraging the evidence in article six (objective moral laws). If God does not exist, then there is no objective foundation for good, and without a standard of good, then we cannot define evil. We can call something evil only if we can measure it against an unchanging standard of good. 85 If God does not exist, then good is simply a matter of opinion. If God does not exist, then one person can define the Nazis as evil, but Hitler can define them as good. There would be no objective definition of evil if God does not exist. Therefore, if a person can identify something as objective evil, then he is actually admitting that God does exist. By using this line of reasoning (objective moral laws in article six), the evil objection is shattered. However, there are other ways to defeat the evil objection. Why does God allow evil if he has the power to stop it?" If God were to stop evil, He would probably have to start with you and me. 86 Yes, you and I commit evil that causes other people to suffer. So if God wanted to stop evil to prevent suffering, then He would essentially have to eliminate everyone from existence because everyone causes suffering. Recall the Canaanites from article 14. They were committing evil acts by sacrificing their own children by burning them alive on an altar to a false god, Moloch. Obviously, this was causing their innocent children to suffer. God tried to stop this suffering by commanding the extermination of the Canaanites. And when He attempted to stop this evil, the objector begrudged Him for it. In one breath the objector will say "why did God command the slaughter of the Canaanites?" And in the next breath the objector will say "why doesn't God stop evil?" To this objector I say: God tried to stop evil by annihilating the Canaanites and you had a problem with it. So which route do you want Him to go? Do you want Him to leave everyone alone or do you want Him to stop evil? You can't have it both ways. This is where we arrive at the best way to answer the objection why does God allow evil : Free will. The most effective answer to the question of suffering at the hands of another individual (evil) is the concept of free will. God did not create humans to be meat-robots (see article12). He gave us free will in our daily affairs. The reason God gave us free will is because he wants us to love. In order to love your neighbor as yourself, you must freely choose to do it, otherwise, it's not really love. Love, by definition, must be freely given. (continued on next page)

11 (continued from previous page) Here is an illustration: think about someone you love. Did this person force you to love him or do you love him of your own free will? Could anyone force you to love him? If someone said "I will convince you to love me", would you listen and instantly love him? No! Love doesn't work like that. Any forced affection is simply compulsory compliance. It's not really love. Love requires free will. Now, since free will exists, evil exists because some people will inevitably use their free will for evil rather than love. And this evil causes suffering. In summary, God gave us the possibility of love, and where there is the possibly of love, there is the reality of free will, and where there is free will, there will be evil in this world. Ok, now on to the other kind of suffering. I will call this suffering natural suffering. This kind of suffering doesn't seem to be caused by another individual. Examples of this kind of suffering are tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, pediatric cancer, Alzheimer s disease, etc Another example of natural suffering is a Church roof collapsing on a group of people worshipping the very God who is supposed to love them. This kind of suffering is perhaps the most difficult objection to navigate because an intellectual answer is not always sufficient. Sure, we can provide data about how natural disasters are necessary for life to exist (see article 4). We can provide data that some undeserved diseases are a result of free will unhealthy choices. We can provide data that some buildings are poorly constructed or erected in areas where they shouldn t be built. But all of these explanations miss the mark. To the question of suffering, people crave an emotional answer rather than a purely intellectual answer. An effective response is telling a story from your own personal experience with suffering. Here is mine: My Mom has big teeth. My Dad has a small mouth. During the formation of my body, my DNA communicated a message which gave me my Mom's teeth and my Dad's mouth. Thanks a lot DNA! Actually, as we covered in article five, messages only come from intelligent minds which in this case points to God, so I can blame Him! Anyway, when I was ten years old, it was determined that my mouth would not fit my teeth, so I was forced to undergo a battery of orthodontic procedures. One such procedure was the installation of a rapid maxillary expansion appliance or palate expander. I called it The Jaw Breaker. This device was affixed to my molars with a web of aluminum arching along the roof of my mouth. The heat from my mouth was supposed to slowly expand the metal which would force my upper jaw to widen outwardly and create room for my teeth. There is a deficiency with this appliance. When installed in a mouth-breather, the heat escapes the mouth prior to warming the metal sufficiently enough to expand the jaw. The alternative is a mechanical palate expander in which someone has to go into the mouth with a key and crank a gear that would forcibly expand the metal which in turn would widen the jaw. (continued on next page) 11

12 12 (continued from previous page) After a year of The Jaw Breaker s torment, I had to endure standard braces for two years and then a retainer for several more years thereafter. This entire process was painful. My teeth were always sore. My mouth was extremely hard to clean, so it was often infected. My gums were sliced and irritated by the bands of metal. The roof of my mouth was slowly cracked open so it would broaden out. I had speech problems. I had trouble swallowing which caused excessive salivation. Not to mention that when I smiled, it looked like I had a scrap-yard in my mouth which was the target of ridicule from my peers. My parents had the power to stop it. They could ve stopped paying the dentist. They could have told the dentist to take it all out. My parents were supposed to love me, but they allowed me to suffer even though they had the power to stop it. Was this a good reason to say that my parents did not exist? Of course not! Just because my parents allowed me to suffer doesn't mean that my parents don't exist! In the same manner, just because God allows us to suffer doesn't mean that he does not exist. Furthermore, before my parents chose to have children, they knew for a fact that their children would suffer. But they chose to have children anyway. Suffering is inevitable in life, but that didn t stop my parents from having children and that doesn t mean they don t love me. The same is true with God. He knows that we will suffer in life, but He chose to create us anyway. It doesn t prove that He doesn t love us, and it certainly doesn t prove that He does not exist. Given this analogy the why does God allow suffering objection is muted. But let's go one step further. Why did my parents, who love me, allow me to suffer even though they had the power to stop it? Why did my parents allow suffering? They tried to tell me. They gave me the intellectual answers. They told me that crooked teeth can cause issues with my gums, tooth decay, recurring infections, and breathing problems. The mouth is the gateway to the body they said. I still didn't buy it. I still wanted to know: if they loved me, why would they allow me to suffer when they had the power to stop it? They tried a different approach. They told me that straightening my teeth will give me a beautiful smile which I will appreciate "later in life". And now we arrive at the crux of the problem of suffering. As a child I was "stuck" in a limited perspective of time. I wasn t concerned about the long run. I couldn't see later in life. (continued on next page)

13 (continued from previous page) I couldn't see the positive future effects of present suffering because I was limited by time. But my parents, having a different perspective of time, were able to see that if they allowed me to suffer in the present, I would be better in the future. And they allowed me to suffer precisely because they loved me. The same is true for why God allows suffering. We humans cannot see beyond our line of sight. We cannot see the long run. We do not see the ultimate outcome of our suffering. We are "stuck" in the limited perspective of time itself. We are restricted to the dimension of time which limits our understanding of suffering. But, as we covered in article three (beginning of the universe), God exists independent of time. He is not confined by the limits of time like you and me. He sees how suffering ultimately enables good. He sees that allowing present suffering empowers us to be better in the future. And He allows us to suffer precisely because he loves us. Here is an illustration: when you hang a picture or decoration on a wall in your home, you always take a few steps away from the wall so that you can see if the item is level. If you are right up close to the wall, you cannot tell if it hangs true. You need a remote perspective outside of your current limitations. God has this outside perspective because he exists outside of our universe. He sees how our suffering can improve our character. God allows us to struggle so that we can be resilient. He allows us to encounter danger so that we can be brave. He allows us to have pain so that we can know healing. He allows us to have hardships, so that we can have strength. He allows us to suffer in this world so that we can have everlasting joy in the next. In the next chapter, we will reaffirm: 13 Why should a Christian do apologetics? In Christ, Adam Neubauer Biblical reasons for doing Christian apologetics: Mark 12:30, Matthew 10:32-33, 1 Peter 3:15, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 1:7, Titus 1:9, Jude 1:13, The basis for certain portions of this article can be found for further reading in the following works: Zacharias, Ravi K., and Vince Vitale. Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense. Nashville: FaithWords, "Frank Turek - Mom Plays God: Brings Good from Evil." Townhall.com. April 24, Accessed April 24, 2015.

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15 15 GLEN TURENNE 9/1 GARY MAHER 9/2 KARA TRAYLOR 9/3 MICHAEL CULLINAN 9/3 RUSSELL MEYER 9/3 MICHELLE STEIGERWALD 9/3 AILEEN SLUKA 9/3 LESLIE MARSHALL 9/4 LEONA BURGER 9/4 MICHAEL WALTER 9/4 PAUL JARVIS 9/4 KATHLEEN ANGLEMIRE 9/4 LAUREN WALSH 9/4 ERIK SCAFIDI 9/5 SANDRA WALTER 9/5 ANDY ACOSTA 9/5 TRACY ERNST 9/6 STEPHANIE KURASH 9/6 DEBORAH BOLLER 9/7 MELISSA CACCIABONDO 9/7 MADELYN QUEST 9/7 MARGARETE GIESS 9/8 CYNTHIA THOMPSON 9/9 MICHAEL MAYRENS 9/9 LUANNE GEGEANIS 9/10 KYLE WILSON 9/10 MARK LAUER 9/10 PETER TURENNE 9/11 LINDY SIMPSON 9/11 JENNIFER NEGRETE 9/11 REBECCA MARKWORTH 9/11 JULIA ALKYER 9/12 LORRAINE STEFFENS 9/15 DYLAN KRAAK 9/15 KEVIN O'HARA 9/15 ROGER BURDEN 9/16 SUSAN BEESON 9/16 DOUGLAS MCLANE 9/17 SANDRA BANKO 9/18 DOUGLAS MARKWORTH 9/18 MARK HANSEN 9/18 STEVEN ZANDERS 9/18 ESTHER DECHERT 9/19 MARY CLARK 9/20 ASHLEY SCOTT 9/20 MARGARET GALL 9/21 TERRY WILCZAK 9/21 JENNIFER FOLEY 9/21 KENNETH BURGER 9/22 MICHAEL STEIGERWALD 9/22 JACQUELINE SCHACHT 9/22 ANTONETTA HUBER 9/24 DOLORES SAUSER 9/24 LORI WRIGHT 9/24 ARNOLD DIAZ 9/24 KRISTIN VIRGILIO 9/24 NIKKI WARDECKI 9/24 BONNIE BASSO 9/25 ANDREW PHILLIPS 9/26 GRANT RILEY 9/26 JASON SANTILLAN 9/26 SANDRA CHILDS 9/27 ERWIN KRUGLER 9/27 MICHAEL ALEKSIEWICZ 9/28 JOHN VANALSTIN 9/28 GEORGE PRZYBYLSKI 9/28 PATRICIA SALEMI 9/29 ROSA PAGLINI 9/29 MEGHAN DAVIS 9/29

16 St. John s Birthday Party! St. John's is having a birthday! On October 3 rd, we will be celebrating 140 years of the Lord serving His people here at St. John's on Montrose. There is a weekend full of fun being planned. On Saturday, October 3 rd, there will be an Octoberfest celebration featuring food and fellowship. Watch for details in the bulletin. On Sunday morning, October 4 th, there will be a birthday cake during fellowship and coffee hour at 9:15AM. Would you like to give St. John's a birthday present? Through the month of September and over the first weekend in October, there will be birthday envelopes available on the bulletin board on the west side of the narthex in the stairwell. Feel free to take one or more envelopes and return them to the gift box in the narthex! We look forward to celebrating God's gifts to His church for the last 140 years and for many more to come. Stewardship Under the Cross, God's Word on How We Use His Gifts by HR Curtis What is Stewardship? Christian stewardship is the faithful management of our financial resources and all we have. It begins with the understanding that all we have is God's: Ps. 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Additionally, "we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world" 1 Tim 6:7. Since all we have is God's, we should use it for His purposes. God's purpose for us in our lives is expressed in the various vocations, or callings, that we have. So, for example, a father and mother use their income to feed, clothe, and protect their children. 16 Besides the vocations that each of us have in our family life and in society, we are also all Christians and members of this parish. How do we use our income faithfully in regard to this vocation? To learn this we must look to God's Word. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. Luke 16:13 Jesus said, "No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money." Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Malachi 3:8-9 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9:6-8 But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us --see that you also excel in this grace of giving....the point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything. What does this mean? Your heart always goes where you put God's money. Stewardship is not an optional subcategory of the Christian life; it is the living out of a Christian's dependence on God. As such, faith and finances are inseparable. True joy is found not in storing up the things of this world, for the things of this world won t last. True joy is found in clinging to Christ who poured out His life for you on the cross and now gives you His Life in Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper. The things of this world are temporarily given to us by God to see and we will be called to account for how we manage the Owner s things (Rom.14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10). Call to Action: Prayerfully consider your giving to God's work in His Church. Are you faithfully giving a first-fruits tithe (10%) of your income to the work of God? Are you, as St. Paul says, excelling in this grace of giving? If not, why not? In next month's newsletter we'll consider more of what God says about Stewardship specifically more about tithing (the Biblical practice of giving a tenth of our income to God's work in the Church).