REPENTANCE Reformation

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1 and NOVEMBER 2017 In This Issue: Pastor s Perspective Annual Reports Calendar Worship Schedule DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS Nov. 5th ELECTIONS Nov. 7th VETERANS DAY Nov. 11th THANKSGIVING DAY Nov. 23rd Brooklyn EFC th St Beresford SD Website: brooklynefc.org brooklynchurch@vastbb.net (605) Senior Pastor John Mochel 201 S. 11th Beresford, SD Home (605) Cell (605) jmochel@bmtc.net REPENTANCE Reformation o you know what time it is? BY PASTOR JOHN MOCHEL We celebrate, on October 31st, the 500 year anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Actually, it might be said that the beginning began before that. In 1378 John Wyclif challenged the Papacy in Rome and began his English translation of the Bible. In 1415 Jan Hus was burned at Constance for adopting Wyclif s views on the sufficiency of Scripture. Martin Luther was born at Eisleben (about 120 miles southwest of modern Berlin) to Margaret and Hans Luder in He was raised in Mansfeld, where his father worked at the local copper mines. In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and Leonardo da Vinci was at the height of his career in Milan. That year Hans sent young Martin to Latin school and then, when Martin was only 13 years old, to the University of Erfurt to study law. There Martin earned both his baccalaureate and master's degrees in the shortest time allowed by university statutes. He proved so adept at public debates that he earned the nickname "The Philosopher." Then in 1505 his life took a dramatic turn. As the 21-year-old Luther struggled through a severe thunderstorm on the road to Erfurt, a bolt of lightning struck the ground near him. "Help me, St. Anne!" Luther screamed, "and I will become a monk!" Luther fulfilled his vow. He gave away all his possessions and entered the monastic life. Luther was extraordinarily devoted as a monk. He plunged into prayer, fasting, and ascetic practices. He went without sleep, enduring bone-chilling cold without a blanket, and would whip himself because of his sin. Later he would write, "If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I." Though he sought by these means to love God fully, he found no consolation. He was increasingly terrified of the wrath of God. He wrote, "When it is touched by this passing inundation of the eternal, the soul feels and drinks nothing but eternal punishment." (Continued on page 2)

2 (Continued from page 1) In those years Luther was reading the works of Augustine and studying the Scriptures in Greek. In reading Romans 1:16-17 his eyes were drawn to the word righteous. Who, after all, could "live by faith" but those who were already righteous? After all, the text said, "the righteous shall live by faith." Luther remarked, "I hated that word, 'the righteousness of God,' by which I had been taught according to the custom and use of all teachers... [that] God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner." The young Luther could not live by faith because he was not righteous, and he knew it. Meanwhile, he was ordered to take his doctorate in the Bible and become a professor at Wittenberg University. During lectures on the Psalms and a study of the book of Romans, he began to see what the Bible was actually saying. "At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith. Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open." Luther was beginning to see that real confession and repentance began in one s heart and found its answer in the righteousness of Christ and the grace of God. When Luther heard the Dominican friar and preacher, Johann Tetzel, selling indulgences, the revolution in Luther's heart could not be contained. Realize that indulgences were documents prepared by the church and bought by individuals either for themselves or on behalf of the dead that would release them or their loved ones from punishment in purgatory due to their sins. Can one buy salvation? As Tetzel preached, "Once the coin into the coffer clings, a soul from purgatory heavenward springs!" Luther could not keep silent. On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, a piece of paper titled Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, otherwise known as The 95 Theses. They were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. The first three theses display the flavor of Luther s concern. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent", he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. (Matthew 4:17) This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh. As one reads on, it is evident that Luther was struggling mightily with the sale of indulgences and the nature of the pope s authority to forgive sins. This is not surprising as Luther s initial concern had to do with the nature of repentance and forgiveness of sin. Now 500 years later, maybe we do not struggle enough with sin and forgiveness. It was massively important to Luther. Today, in contrast to 1 John 1:5-10, we have perfected the art of saying that we have no sin. We redefine what the Bible calls sin or we deny that we are really guilty; or we just do not think that our sins are as serious as Luther obviously did. We think that God does not care or is not watching. If we do not understand sin, we cannot understand grace. Are we really repenting on God s terms as Luther was so passionate to do? His struggle would spark an upheaval and lead to: Sola Scriptura Scripture Alone The Bible alone is our highest authority Sola Fide Faith Alone We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ Sola Gratia Grace Alone We are saved by the grace of God alone Solus Christus Christ Alone Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior and King Soli Deo Gloria To the Glory of God Alone We should live for the glory of God alone

3 All Annual Reports Due Pastoral Report Pastor Mochel Chairman Report & Proposed Agenda Doug Corwin Deacon Board Peter Fahlberg Treasury Report John Fahlberg Cemetery Report P Fahlberg, N Erickson, F Swanstrom Trustees D Swanstrom, D Erickson, B Fahlberg CE Board & 2017 Budget Sandy Fahlberg Missions Committee Karl Leikvold Compassion Ministries Colleen Buss Financial Secretaries N Swanstrom, A Charrlin, S Carnes Bethesda Coffee Servers November 9th Joannie Latendresse Nancy Corwin Marilyn Jensen Sandy Fahlberg Colleen Buss Rita Adams Thank you for your willingness to share with the residents! Please be there by 2:00. Budget for D Corwin, Pastor, J Fahlberg Auditor s Report Your help and cooperation in submitting your reports to the church office in a timely fashion will be GREATLY appreciated! If unable to serve, please contact Jan Charrlin. Send via to: brooklynchurch@vastbb.net Wednesday, November 8th Important Year-End Dates Prior to Annual Meeting Children ages K-6th grades will be learning Christmas carols and memorizing readings for the program that will be December 17th at 7:00 pm. s will be these Sunday evenings at 7 pm at the church: November 5, 12, 19 December 3, 10 We also learn the music at SS opening every Sunday morning at 9 am. Completion of nominations will be at the November 13th Deacon board Meeting Salary Committee meeting by November 8th Budget Committee meeting by November 8th Auditor s meeting by November 8th ALL year-end reports are due November 8th Church Annual Report available November 19th Annual Business Meeting December 6th

4 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday DST Ends! p Deacon Board Meeting 9:30a Mom s Play Group 14 PCRC District Meeting, Des Moines 8 ANNUAL REPORTS DUE p Serve at Bethesda Simeon Trust Workshop - Urbandale, IA 16 7p HS Youth Cookie Baking p HS Youth Game Night Veterans Day :30a Mom s Play Group 22 7p Community Service, Methodist Church p Compassion Ministries 23 Happy 10a Brooklyn Service Pastor & family Vacation Birthdays: Anniversaries: 1 Ron Swanson 9 Isaac Bovill 13 Cassie Booth 7 Ron & Nancy Jensen 3 Sharon Sorensen 9 Matthew Hoffman 23 Anna Thvedt 8 Ber & Hilda Krommendyk 4 Terry Hagen 12 Sam Wyatt 25 Genti Wyatt 9 Randy & Connie Schmidt 5 Thure Swanson 13 Pastor Mochel 26 Julia Mochel 6 Ethan Bovill 13 Vicki Fader 29 Ryan Clay

5 NOVEMBER DECEMBER NOVEMBER MINISTRY November 5 AM: Psalm 136 His Lovingkindness is Everlasting PM: Evening Service, Leviticus November 12 AM: Psalm 137 Babylon Lament PM: Evening Service, Numbers November 19 AM: Psalm 138 David Sings Again PM: Evening Service November 23 Praise and November 26 AM: Guest Speaker PM: Evening Service NOVEMBER & DECEMBER MINISTRY SCHEDULE Date Greeters Nursery Story Time Music/Testimony Scripture Reader 11/5 Mark & Karla Bovill Nicole Wyatt Sandy Fahlberg E. Booth E. Wyatt Marilyn Jensen Kylie Dressen Leah Wyatt 11/12 Allan & Jan Charrlin Teresa Wyatt Nancy Mochel Lindsay Zylstra Reid Jensen Madison Erickson Emily Booth 11/19 Michelle & Chris Delay Lindsay Zylstra Connie Schmidt Missions Moment Robin Leikvold Matthew Hoffman Owen Bovill 11/26 Rob & Lori Dressen Rita Adams Sandy Sheffield Caleb Carnes Connie Schmidt Katie Mochel Kylie Dressen 12/3 Norm & Karen Erickson Karla Bovill Lindsay Zylstra Communion Allen Sveeggen Gillian Wyatt Madison Erickson 12/10 Reid & Marilyn Jensen Michelle Delay Colleen Buss John Fahlberg Lindsay Zylstra Leah Wyatt Matthew Hoffman 12/17 D Leikvold, P Carlson Karen Erickson Sandy Fahlberg Testimony Karen Erickson Etta Wyatt Katie Mochel 12/24 Karl & Robin Leikvold Lori Dressen Nancy Mochel Maye Fahlberg Sandy Fahlberg Dakota Buss Gillian Wyatt 12/31 Allen Sveeggen Vicki Fader Connie Schmidt Missions Moment Renae Hoffman Emily Booth Leah Wyatt Song Leader: John Fahlberg Sound: Brady Holm Pianist: Doreen Fahlberg Ushers: Chris DeLay, Robbie Dressen Karl Leikvold, Reid Jensen Song Leader: Pete Fahlberg Sound: Ben Fahlberg Pianist: Connie Twedt Ushers: Allen Sveeggen, Shane Zylstra Dennis Ward, Volunteer Needed