Gracelines. From our Pastor. Page 1 of 8. Sanctification GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL INSIDE GRACELINES. Rev. Michael Mueller

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Page 1 of 8 GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL January, 2018 Volume 17, Issue 1 Gracelines INSIDE GRACELINES From Our Pastor 1 From Our Pastor 2 Offering & Attendance A Note of Thanks 3 Flower Chart

1 Page 1 of 8 GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL January, 2018 Volume 17, Issue 1 Gracelines INSIDE GRACELINES From Our Pastor 1 From Our Pastor 2 Offering & Attendance A Note of Thanks 3 Flower Chart Offering Envelopes Abundance Sunday Blood Drive Family Movie Night Voter s Meetings School News 4 Thank you Calling All Alumni Stewardship Stewardship 5 Chili Cook off LWML Mites 6 Electronic Giving Thrivent Choice Dollars Church Information 7 Sanctification From our Pastor Rev. Michael Mueller Have you ever thought about what the Bible means when it uses the word holy? In the Old Testament the word used is kodesh a process which causes something to be consecrated, dedicated or hallowed. In the New Testament the word is hagios and it means something is sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated). To be consecrated is to be set apart from everything else. To be sanctified is to be made holy, and the Bible uses this concept regarding the believer in two ways. First, it refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing faith to the believer. Second, it refers to the process by which the Holy Spirit directs and empowers a godly life. I Corinthians 6:11 says, But you were washed, you were sanctified [hagiazo to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate], you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Now, what has this to do with our salvation? To Lutherans, nothing. To Calvinists Presbyterians, Reformed, most Baptists a lot. You see, the Calvinist see the Law as necessary to secure hold on to or keep their justification. That is, if one doesn t see a person keep the Law, then they are not justified, so there is no salvation. They believe in the necessity of good works to receive the benefits of their relationship with God. Louis Berkhof says in his book Systematic Theology, 'holiness, or conformity to the divine law, is the indispensable condition for securing favor, attaining peace of conscience, and enjoying fellowship with God. This is called total sanctification, and has the core principle that a believer is now totally holy. Thus, they find themselves on the constant tread mill of trying to earn or prove they have salvation. The Bible, however, has a different teaching. It says that believers still have the Old Adam living in us. Continues on page 2 Gracelines Calendar and Gracelines are monthly publications of Grace Lutheran Church & School 856 W. Newgrove Street, Lancaster, CA Telephone Fax

Gracelines Page 2 of 10 My mind belongs to Jesus. He redeemed it with His blood. When evil thoughts torment me, I choose to think on good.

) If Paul, who wrote a good deal of the New Testament could not keep from sinning and never lived a sinless life, we cannot even dream to do so ourselves.

Thus, the Bible teaches that we are 100% saint and 100% sinner, at the same time! St.

2 Gracelines Page 2 of 10 My mind belongs to Jesus. He redeemed it with His blood. When evil thoughts torment me, I choose to think on good. Sanctification (continued from page1) Paul says in Romans 7:19, For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (See his entire thought in Romans 7:14-24.) If Paul, who wrote a good deal of the New Testament could not keep from sinning and never lived a sinless life, we cannot even dream to do so ourselves. Now, God the Father may see us as sinless, but that is because we are dead and it is Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Thus, the Bible teaches that we are 100% saint and 100% sinner, at the same time! St. Paul comments on his own progress towards sanctification like this, Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own (Philippians 3:12) And that, too, is how we should view our own faith-life progress. Don t expect perfection this side of heaven, but press-on nevertheless to become so. Forgive all that seek forgiveness from you, and seek forgiveness from all that you offend. Serve the least of these, and love God and your neighbor. But, don t do it because it earns you something, just remember who you are an adopted child of God and what Jesus did for you and then act out of that new nature. Offering Attendance Collected the Month of Nov. $27,757 Collected Year to date $334,199 Building Fund (BTBC) Collected 852,756 Available funds 292,376 Nov 19 Sun 104 Dec 20 Wed 35 Nov 22 Wed 40 Dec 24 Sun 330 Nov 26 Sun 109 Dec 25 Mon 33 Nov 29 Wed 14 Dec 3 Sun 140 Dec 6 Wed 51 Dec 10 Sun 135 Dec 13 Wed 54 Dec 17 Sun Average Attendance Nov

Page 3 of 10 Gracelines A Note of Thanks Everyone who attended the 2017 Progressive Dinner had a great time.

David and Heidi Cross hosted the salad, Mary Loucks hosted the soup, appetizers were hosted by Karen Weigle, and lastly, dessert was hosted by Larry and Kathy Rottman.

3 Page 3 of 10 Gracelines A Note of Thanks Everyone who attended the 2017 Progressive Dinner had a great time. Many thanks to those who opened their beautifully decorated homes to provide the attendees a great time. David and Heidi Cross hosted the salad, Mary Loucks hosted the soup, appetizers were hosted by Karen Weigle, and lastly, dessert was hosted by Larry and Kathy Rottman. Thank you Pam Steiner for playing the keyboard for singing Christmas carols. Also, thanks to everyone who brought all the delicious food. You made it a great success. Arlene Klein 2018 Flower Chart Is now available for you to sign up. Please note the cost for flowers is $ Offering Envelopes The 2017 offering envelopes are now available for pickup from the Southwest counter in the Narthex. Any questions about the offering envelopes may be addressed with Dennis Klein at January Abundance Sunday Collection for Grace Resource Center is toothpaste and toothbrushes. Bring them to the narthex any time during the month. Blood Drive- Tuesday, January 23 from 9:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m. at AVOIC- Antelope Valley Outpatient Imaging Center (J-5 and 15 th West, Room 305) There is a table set up in the narthex for you to sign up. Thank you to all who have participated in the past. Friday, January 19 at 6:00 p.m. In the Parish Hall. Watch the weekly bulletins for more information. Special Voter s Meeting- We will have a special voter s meeting after church on Sunday, January 7 th, the purpose of this meeting is to vote to elect Diane Grooms as our interim Treasurer. Regular Voter s Meeting Sunday, January 28 after the worship service. Please watch the Sunday bulletin for further information as to the agenda of this meeting.

Gracelines Page 4 of 10 School News Thank you s from Grace Lutheran School To those who participated, the Panda Express fundraiser in November earned us $172.

4 Gracelines Page 4 of 10 School News Thank you s from Grace Lutheran School To those who participated, the Panda Express fundraiser in November earned us $172.09; the Barnes & Noble bookfair has enabled us to purchase $ worth of books for the school. The children had a marvelous time shopping at the Angel Shoppe. Thank you to everyone who donated items for the event. Thank you to Debbie & Jeff Whitfield for organizing the event. A special thank you to Larry & Kathy Rottman and Rottman Drilling for again donating their time and big rig for our school band to ride on and play music during the Lancaster Christmas parade. CALLING ALL GRACE LUTHERAN SCHOOL ALUMNI: Our school is 60 years old and has blessed a lot of students and families during that time! We are compiling a mailing list of alumni for our school, and would like the list to include as many of those past students as possible. We will use the list to send the alumni periodic updates about the school, and to let them know when there are gatherings or events about which they may be interested. We would really appreciate your help: 1. If you are an alumnus, recent or past, please send your name (maiden and married), years attended GLS, year graduated if applicable, mailing address and address to Tina Carlon at jntcarlon@gmail.com. Or you may snail mail this information to her c/o the school at 856 W. Newgrove St., Lancaster, CA If you know of other alumni who are no longer in touch with the church or school, please forward this information to them and/or provide us with their contact information. Church News Stewardship Ministry: It s a new year. It s a time when we take stock of the year past in order to improve the year to come. It s a time when we sit down to plan and implement what we want to accomplish and even change. Part of that is planning our stewardship for the coming year. Often we find this difficult and daunting and even joyless. But it doesn t have to be. In fact, it is really quite simple and full of joy. So here are some tips to make that planning less stressful. You begin by answering these three questions: Who are you? To whom do I give? And how much? So, who are you? The Table of Duties in the Small Catechism informs us. Are you a hearer of God s Word? Are you a citizen of society? Are you a member of a family? Stewardship covers these three estates: church, society, family. We don t particularly struggle to give to society or family. Our struggles, our difficulties and our questions arise in giving to the church. So, what is our duty as members of the church with regard to giving? The Table of Duties, again, gives us a guide. If you are a hearer, a member of the church who receives instruction, St. Paul taught: Anyone who

Page 5 of 10 Gracelines receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor (Gal. 6:6). This means the local congregation is primary.

Thus, when God calls us to give to the church, He has the local congregation in mind. For the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel (1 Cor.

5 Page 5 of 10 Gracelines receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor (Gal. 6:6). This means the local congregation is primary. Your pastor is the one called to preach the Gospel to you and administer the Lord s blessed sacraments to you. Your congregation is the place where those things happen. Thus, when God calls us to give to the church, He has the local congregation in mind. For the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel (1 Cor. 9:14). How much do we give to the local congregation? Our only instructions are these: to give regularly (1 Cor. 6:1 2), proportionally (1 Cor. 16:1 2; 2 Cor. 8:12), and generously (2 Cor. 8:20) of our first fruits (Gen. 4:4; Prov. 3:9; Lev. 27:30) with a spirit of eagerness (2 Cor. 9:2), earnestness (2 Cor. 8:7), cheerfulness (2 Cor. 9:7), and love (2 Cor. 8:23). In other words, giving to the church is not to be an afterthought, given after everything else is spent. In this way, it is deliberate. We give regularly weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly keeping in mind our own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. We set it aside beforehand before anything else is spent. From those first fruits, we set aside a proportionate and generous amount. Ten percent was the standard for the Israelites. This was a command for the ancient Israelites. We can give as much as we want, but ask yourself: do we really want to be less generous than was commanded of the Israelites? Is the job of the New Testament Church bigger or smaller than the job given to Israel? And how are we to give it? We give it with eagerness and earnestness. We give it cheerfully and with love, not out of compulsion. For through the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, God has made us His children, forgiven us all our sins, given us grace upon grace, promised us life everlasting with Him in His kingdom, and filled us with His own Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This makes giving a joy, as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). It s that easy. And it is joyful. For in stewardship, our gracious and giving Lord invites us to take part in the work that He accomplishes here on earth, providing for the ongoing preaching of the gospel as well as those who are in need. Taking part in that makes all our work holy work that is done in service to the Lord as priestly members of His kingdom. In His Grace, Lee T. Jackson MARK YOUR CALENDARS Sunday ~ February 11 ~ 3 PM Chili Cook-off & Desert Bake-off Yes, it s that time of the year to get out those chili & dessert recipes to enter the annual chili and dessert cookoff sponsored by the LWML of Grace Lutheran. Football season will be over and the winter doldrums may have

Gracelines Page 6 of 10 set in so plan to come to the Parish Hall for a few hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon for some great chili and desserts along with great fellowship with your fellow church

Other surprises and activities are being planned so watch the bulletin for more details. This will benefit the LWML Mite projects and Prayers & Squares.

6 Gracelines Page 6 of 10 set in so plan to come to the Parish Hall for a few hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon for some great chili and desserts along with great fellowship with your fellow church members. Entries are due at 3 PM for judging. During the judging there ll be the opportunity to bid on several baskets and specialty items. Other surprises and activities are being planned so watch the bulletin for more details. This will benefit the LWML Mite projects and Prayers & Squares. Entry forms will be available in January in the Sunday bulletin, the information center in the narthex or the church office. Watch for them and get ready for great fun!! LWML MITES TOP THE GOAL IN 2017 The LWML originally set our 2017 Mite Box goal for $1, We have exceeded that and our yearend total is $1, Praise be to God. We thank you all for remembering to put your change in those little boxes. Together, we make a big impact in our mission endeavors locally, nationally, and internationally. We shall start all over again in January. You can place your box in the larger one in the sanctuary by the podium, or just empty your box into a baggie and place it. Thank you for your faithfulness. ELECTRONIC GIVING For several years now Grace has participated in an Electronic Funds Program provided by Thrivent Financial for Christians. How about a New Year s resolution to use this convenient means make your first fruits giving to the work of God s kingdom? Many of you have automatic bill pay for your utilities, mortgage, credit cards and much more. There are several advantages to using this process: 1. Your offering to the Lord is here on a regular basis even when you are unable to attend worship because you are out of town or ill. 2. It puts your return to the Lord of His gifts to you at the top of your financial obligations as He has already told us to do. 3. It gives your leaders a consistent amount coming in each month as they administer the budget. The process to begin using this method of contributing to Grace Lutheran is easy. THE FORM IS AVAILABLE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE or THE YELLOW FORM ON THE INFORMATION CENTER. Complete the form, attach a void check from your account and bring it to the church office Thrivent Members be sure to check your Choice Dollars. You may be surprised to find you have dollars waiting to be designated to Grace Lutheran Church. Many dollars are going unclaimed so have become lost money. Either go to thrivent.com or call 800-THRIVENT and ask for choice dollars someone will help you designate the dollars. You have until March 31, 2018 to designate your $$ from Thank you for this additional support for our budget.

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL 856 W. Newgrove Street Lancaster, CA 93534-3092 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PAID LANCASTER, CA PERMIT No.

Michael Mueller President Craig Boyer Church Secretary Teri Morgan Vice President Paul Steiner Treasurer SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Recording Secretary

7 GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL 856 W. Newgrove Street Lancaster, CA NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PAID LANCASTER, CA PERMIT No. 200 We re on the Web! See us at: CHURCH STAFF CHURCH BOARD OF DIRECTORS Pastor Rev. Michael Mueller President Craig Boyer Church Secretary Teri Morgan Vice President Paul Steiner Treasurer SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Recording Secretary Tina Carlon Principal David Ingwersen Member at Large Owen McCallister School Secretary Christine Calvert Council of Elders Donald Crane Pastor Mueller Church Office

Gracelines. From our Pastor GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL INSIDE GRACELINES. Sanctification. Rev. Michael Mueller

Gracelines. From our Pastor GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL INSIDE GRACELINES. Sanctification. Rev. Michael Mueller GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL October, 2015 Volume 14, Issue 10 Gracelines INSIDE GRACELINES From Our Pastor 1 From Our Pastor 2 Offering & Attendance School News 3 School News 4 LWML 5 Prayers & Squares