The Messenger. Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 6995 West 120 th Avenue Broomfield, Colorado

Transcription

1 The Messenger Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 6995 West 120 th Avenue Broomfield, Colorado Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church PO Box 8 Broomfield, CO

2 The Messenger March 2017 Reflections on the Season of Lent Greetings in Christ, friends at Beautiful Savior. Thank you for taking a few moments to read these reflections on the season of Lent. Lent is an important time in the church year and I pray that you will be blessed this Lententide. Perhaps you have favorite habits or practices that you observe during Lent. It is common for Christians to give something up during Lent, and this can be a very helpful practice if done properly (namely, according to faith in Christ, and not according to an idea that our work is earning us favor with God). Thankfully, we have a God of grace, which the Gospel makes clear to us, and our life with God is based on faith or trust in His Son s merits, not our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). Giving up something for Lent is useful if it helps us cut through the clutter and draw near to Christ in faith; otherwise, I suggest giving up giving things up! I once heard the expression take up something for Lent, and I like that as an alternative (or in addition) to giving up something. What might you take up? Many people have found it helpful to take up the Word of God in Lent. This is fitting because the Holy Spirit promises to be active and effective in our hearts as we read the divine message, set forth for us in the Bible. So this Lent renew your daily habit of reading a devotional book (Portals of Prayer or Meditations are recommended, and also The Salutary Gift daily devotional book for Lent). As you do, I encourage you to read not only the devotion itself, but the suggested Bible passages as well. I have really enjoyed using Treasury of Daily Prayer, available from Concordia Publishing House. It provides extended, sequential readings from the Bible for every day of the year. Stop by my office sometime and check it out. For the Christian, Lent is not just personal or private, but is also an important time for renewal under the cross in our corporate life, in our relationships with one another. As Scripture says, There is one body and one Spirit (Eph. 4:4), and you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Cor. 12:27). So I recommend including in your prayers this Lent the needs of your sisters and brothers at Beautiful Savior and beyond. In order better to do this, you might wish to reach out to them in care and concern. Give a phone call. Write a note. Take a moment on Sunday morning to visit. Invite someone over to your home. We all share one gracious, forgiving, providing God, and one dear and blessed, risen Savior. May God make this Lententide a time in which our Spirit-given unity finds clear expression, and is deepened. And one great way to fellowship with others this Lent is to add Wednesday evening worship to your March-April schedule. It may be a challenge, but try it, and come when you are able. Also, join your family in Christ for the Soup Supper that begins each Wednesday at 5:45. It s about much more than just the food (though invariably that is good); it s about the people. Remember that to God, Lent is always all about you. Lent is about His love for you all the way to the cross. We trust in a Beautiful Savior! Blessings in Christ this Lententide, Pastor Groth

3 THOSE SERVING IN MARCH Ushers Dan Adams Scott Davidson Roger Ruff Fred Brechbuhl Elders 3/1 Cliff Evans & Mike Brown 3/5 Cliff Evans & Mike Brown 3/8 Cliff Evans 3/12 Rick Mericle & Cal Meisner 3/15 Rick Mericle & Cliff Evans 3/19 Cliff Evans & Mike Brown 3/22 Mike Brown 3/26 Rick Mericle & Cal Meisner 3/29 Rick Mericle & Cliff Evans Acolytes 3/1 Henry Pawlak III 3/5 Henry Pawlak III 3/12 Joey Weinstock 3/15 Nicholas Little 3/19 Damien Dittrich 3/26 Nicholas Little 3/29 Henry Pawlak Altar Guild Jeanne Mericle and Sandy Akmenkalns

4 Adam and... Lucy? By Alan Ludwig Last year I spent a month in Ethiopia on a teaching assignment. The skeleton of a prehistoric female ape is housed in the National Museum in Addis Ababa, the city where I taught and near where the skeleton was discovered. Pop science presents this Lucy as the mother of modern humans. I also traveled to the city of Lalibela, the site of ancient churches hewn out of stone. In the rock of one of the churches is a sign, inscribed in Amharic and English, that reads The Tomb of Adam. The irony didn t escape me that the same Ethiopia is the supposed resting place of two opposite contenders for the place of first parent. One is from the Bible. The other is the product of the Darwinian theory of evolution. One is a man, specially made by God with His own hands and breath, in His own image and likeness. The other is a female of an animal species still far below us on the evolutionary scale. Could Lucy really have been some kind of Eve? According to Scripture, God took a rib from Adam and formed Eve as a helper for him. Sinless, immortal, probably more creative and intelligent than anyone has been since, the first couple was at the very top of the ladder and had dominion over all other creatures. Through their disobedience, they brought the original high state of humanity crashing down. Modern man is not upwardly mobile, as evolutionary theory would have it, but wallows in the ooze of sin, more beastly than the beasts. Yet couldn t the Genesis story be a metaphor to help pre-scientific people understand human origins? Besides the fact that our Lord and His apostles took Genesis quite literally (Matt. 19:3-6; I Cor. 15:22, 45; Jude 14), there are deeper difficulties with trying to harmonize the biblical account of man s creation with the likes of Lucy, who is supposed to be some midpoint in our species slow upward climb from the slime. When God made Adam, He made a perfect man with a view toward the incarnation. The Son of God in human flesh was God s plan from the foundation of the world and before (Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:19-20). Christ came into the world as the second Adam, with all the perfection of the first Adam and much more. He became man in order to restore human nature to the glory it knew before the fall and even more so (rom. 5:12-21)! God took woman from the side of man and joined the pair as one flesh, and this He intended as a picture and preview of Christ and His bride, the church (Eph. 5:31-32). If Christ doesn t return before, perhaps one day science will take the myth of Lucy as mother of us all and cast it on the pile of dead fables together with the world s standing on four pillars on the back of a giant tortoise. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will continue forever unchanged, as it has from the beginning of the world. The Genesis account of the creation of man and woman is an inseparable part of this Gospel. Here there is no place for Lucy. The Rev. Dr. Alan Ludwig is a theological educator serving with the LCMS Office of International Mission in Novosibirsk, Russia. Submitted by Calvin Meisner for the Board of Elders

5 March Birthdays Mar. 5 Corrie Rose 8 Rhianna Gonzales 12 Michele Robey 15 Jackie Adams 16 Don Johnson Wyonne Sylvester 20 Ron Wolff 21 Nancy Ruckman 28 Ahren Davenport Ron Savage 29 Cindy Hein March Anniversaries Mar. 9 Gary & Nancy Ruckman 10 Charlie & Dawn Weinstock The Wolf Pack in Kenya Needed: Baptism Birthdays Pastor Groth is still seeking Baptism dates for all our members in order to begin praying for members on their Baptism anniversaries. If you do not know the date when you were baptized, this might be a great time to pull down that memory box out of the closet and locate your baptismal certificate. If you are unable to locate the information, inquire in the church office, as your records may include the date when you were baptized. Thank you very much! The Wolf Family arrived safely in Africa, where John serves as the African Region s Project Manager, in July. They first spent three months in Tanzania to learn Swahili. They are now settling in their home in Nairobi, Kenya, and transitioning to life there. The Wolf Family sends their greetings to all at Beautiful Savior, and thanks you for your prayers and support. They ask for your continuing prayers as they share the News of Salvation through Christ throughout Africa.

6 Lenten Midweek Series: THE SALUTARY GIFT All Midweek Services begin at 7:00 p.m. unless stated otherwise Soup Suppers each Wednesday beginning at 5:45 Ash Wednesday March 1 Life-Giving Fruit (Genesis 3:1-15; Revelation 22:1-5, 14; Mark 1:9-13) Midweek 1 March 8 Bread from Heaven (Exodus 16:1-15; John 6:27-35, 48-51) Midweek 2 March 15 Healing Medicine (Isaiah 52:13-53:5; Luke 10:25-37) Midweek 3 March 22 Blest Communion (I Corinthians 10:14-22; Acts 2:42-47) Midweek 4 March 29 Rest for the Weary (Exodus 31:12-18; Matthew 11:27-12:8) Midweek 5 April 5 Nuptial Feast (Isaiah 61:10-62:5; Matthew 22:1-14) Holy Thursday April 13 Covenant Meal (Exodus 24:3-11; Hebrews 9:11-22; Matthew 26:17-30) 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Good Friday April 14 Sacrificial Banquet (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 19:17-30) 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Easter April 16 Feast of Victory (Acts 10:34-43; Colossians 3:1-4; Matthew 28:1-10) Suggested List of Foods For The Pantry.Canned Vegetables Many varieties available Green beans Corn. Canned Fruit Peaches Pears Fruit cocktail Applesauce Pineapple.Pasta Spaghetti/ Sauce Macaroni Noodles Ramen Mac and Cheese.Rice.Beans Many varieties available.potatoes Many varieties available.peanut Butter and Jelly. Crackers Saltine Graham.Powdered Milk.Microwave Popcorn.Cake Mixes and Frostings.Gift Cards There are many foods packaged for use in lunches. These could be purchased, especially for families with children. We suggest purchasing some canned items with pop top lids for distribution to the homeless. Foods may be dropped off in the kitchen or in the box in the lower narthex provided for food items.

7 our Stewardship Message (March 2017) Lent is a season of repentant joy. There is joy in repentance because in repentance, God, through His Word, turns us away from our sins our failures of thought, word, and deed to believe in the forgiveness and new life He has accomplished for us in the death and resurrection of His Son. For our God is our Father, and fathers discipline their children. He loves us enough to point out when and where we have erred, so that we are not weighed down by false belief, despair, and other great shame or vice. Thus we do well to listen to God s Word, His own teaching, about giving. St. Paul exhorts: Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor (Gal 6:6). This means that the local congregation is primary. In other words, everything else that we might give to during the year laudable and worthy charities are to be on top of what we give to our local congregation. For the local congregation is the place that serves us with the gifts of Christ s death and resurrection. The local congregation is where our spiritual needs are met when Christ s atonement is preached, when the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, when we were baptized into the name of the Triune God, and when we partake of the body and blood of the risen and living Lamb of God. But how much are we to give to this local congregation? His 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). Thus, giving to the church is not to be an afterthought, given after everything else is spent. In this way, it is deliberate. We give it regularly, whenever we have income. 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. Tithing was a command for them. St. Paul never mentions a tithe. Since a tithe was the bare minimum for the people of Israel in the Old Testament, perhaps St. Paul had more in mind. That aside, however, ten percent is an easy way to figure out an amount. You simply move your weekly, biweekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or yearly income one decimal point to the left. And that s it. That s what you put in the offering plate to support your local congregation so that you may continue to be a hearer of God s word by sharing all good things with those who teach it to you. 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. For it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). In repentant joy, then, we hear God s Word on giving, and we let that Word dwell in us richly. We let that word wash over our ears and seep into our hearts, to turn us away from our own selfish desires and turned toward Him in faith and love. We love the Lord and His Word. And we desire to do it. And when we have failed, that Word reproves and corrects, forgives and consoles. It calls us back to Him who is our God, our Savior, our Father. We are Consecrated Stewards to the Glory of God!

8 The Lutheran Hour Sermon Schedule for March 2017 LHM produces and airs radio and TV programming around the world in more than 80 languages. The Lutheran Hour began in 1930 and is the world s longestrunning, continually broadcast Gospel radio program. It proclaims the message of Jesus Christ to more than 1 million people every week on North American radio stations! Please tune to 850 KOA (AM) at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings OR go on-line to hear and/or download the current or any of the previous messages at: Mar. 5 th A Savior Who Fights for You! (Matthew 4:1-11) Satan is a bully, but Jesus is the Savior Who fights for you. (Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz) Mar. 12 th The Power of a New Beginning (John 3:1-17) Real help comes to us from the outside. In Christ, new beginnings and greater endings are still possible. (Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz) Mar. 19 th A Well That Runs Deep Because You Need It (John 4:5-26) Jesus is determined to meet you today with the water of grace only He can give. (Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz) Mar. 26 th God s Got It In For Me (John 9:1-41) God can use our troubles and crosses for a higher purpose that we may not understand until we reach heaven. (Lutheran Hour Speaker Emeritus: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus) Please contact Mike Brown at (303) or mbrown_lllrmd@comcast.net with any questions you may have about The Lutheran Hour or any of the numerous Outreach Resources available from LHM. Lutheran Hour Ministries is a congregational outreach ministry supporting The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and partnering churches worldwide. It is independently funded by generous Christians who want to spread the pure and powerful message of our Savior s love in their own communities and throughout the world. For more information, please visit or call THANK YOU (Over - LHM s Lenten Devotions for 2017)

9 2017 Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries From the Cradle to the Empty Grave The season of Lent is one of thoughtful reflection. During this time of the church calendar, Christians ponder the unfolding events that led to Jesus condemnation and crucifixion: His triumphal march into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; His firm words of warning about the events to come; His sham trial, brutal scourging, and horrific crucifixion. No day could be any darker; no travesty more calamitous than the slaying of God s own Beloved Son. And yet, that s what we find on Golgotha: our sins demanding His death on a cross to satisfy the Father s righteous judgment. Taken from the cross, the lifeless form of Christ was placed in another man s tomb. With that action the world thought the ordeal complete, the savagery it had witnessed something it could now put behind it. But God s work wasn t quite done. Three days later, out of a sealed tomb guarded to prevent theft Jesus rose from the dead. And with that thunderous crescendo, mankind s disgrace and ruin, which had destined it for eternal slaughter, is forgiven through the blood of Christ. Lent is when we turn our eyes to the cross. It is there where Jesus, the sinless Son of God, suffered the indignity and shame of dying for our sins. And it is there where God s wrath was satisfied by His Beloved Son s supreme sacrifice, winning salvation for all who call Him their Savior. The audio versions and the read online began on Ash Wednesday, March 1 st. From the Cradle to the Empty Grave can also be received as an subscription throughout this Lenten season. Individuals and congregations can also download, personalize and print them for use as an outreach resource with family, friends, guests and visitors. LHM s Lenten Devotions are available at:

10 In Christ, for the Church and the World In grateful response to God s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is to vigorously make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities and the world. (LCMS Mission Statement 2010) Dear Family in Christ: Greetings in Christ! In our Life Together do you have Eyes of Life? In Christ, God gives us eyes of life eyes that see life from His perspective. And what we see causes us to speak for life. It is easy to get bogged down in what we are against, but with eyes of life, we rejoice in what we are for: God s grace and mercy, Christ s forgiveness and love, The Holy Spirit s direction and nurturing... and LIFE. May the love of Christ continue to lead us and bless us in our daily lives of Witness, Mercy and Life Together. Valuing Life (Dr. Gillian Bond, Director of Deaconess Studies at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO / LW, Jan. 17) What is the value and worth of a person in his or her final days or weeks or months of life? For Christians, this is ultimately a meaningless question since God s view of us is not dependent on our health. However, it is one that has to be addressed in a secular society that increasingly treats human life as a commodity, the value of which may change if a person s ability to be a productive member of society is impacted by ill health, age or disability. Purchase Price: We were bought with a price, and our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within us. (1 Cor. 6:19-20) What higher value could a person possibly have than the purchase price that God gave for us the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? And what could be worth more than the Holy Spirit within us? But our value comes entirely from God and not at all from us. It does not depend on whether we can be productive members of society. The thief on the cross, a criminal and an unbeliever, was brought to faith as he hung on the cross and said: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42) He would have no more days of earthly life to live productively but still Jesus saw him as worth the price He was paying. The man was in the final hours of his life and suffering terribly, but Jesus did not hasten his death so that he could die with dignity. Nor did He transport him off his cross because this mortal life should be maintained at all costs. He simply assured him of his salvation and was there with him, even while entrusting Himself to the Father throughout His own suffering. What Does This Mean? God has blessed us with wonderful medical advances, but vigilance is required to ensure that patients receive good care to the end. For example, Medicare disallows physical therapy for patients on hospice, and yet for some patients who spend weeks on hospice the resulting immobility can result in additional pain and bed sores. A time may come when we have to accept that God is taking a loved one, or ourselves, home and that extreme measures to delay death are not appropriate. However, we never aim to hasten death or deny care. (Over)

11 How could those be appropriate ways to treat people for whom Christ died and whose bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit? Our Lord shows us the value He continues to place on us and the importance of caring for one another, even as we approach death, and that we can trust His promise of eternal life. Let us Pray: O Lord, You alone are perfectly good, holy and blameless. You have set high standards, knowing our fullest blessing will only come from being totally surrendered to Your will and Your Word. You have shown us Your love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Help us, O Lord, to be examples of Your patience, gentleness and perspective toward those who, like us, are prone to fall short of what You ve called us to be and do. In Jesus merciful name. Amen For additional information and guidance please visit these excellent LCMS web sites: LCMS.org/Life & EyesofLife.org Your fellow servant in the Lord; Mike Brown, President Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church & School Ph: / E: mbrown_presbslc@comcast.net Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7)