Tidings of Trinity. July, 2016

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Tidings of Trinity 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1 Tidings of Trinity 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:11-14 Dear friend in Christ, Many years ago there was a certain convent. It was away from the city, in a quiet rural setting. The sisters were devout and conducted themselves to the highest standards. One day a new nun arrived at the convent. She came from the city, where she was quite a disruption to the daily routine of the convent. She had a special gift not afforded any of the nuns in her former convent, nor any of the nuns in her new convent. Her gift was that Jesus spoke to her personally. She heard Him speak to her by name not every day but only as needed. The priest in charge of the convent was a kind man who supervised the sisters in a very respectful and loving way. As you might guess he was greatly loved by the nuns. He decided to let the new nun assimilate into the sisterhood of her new surroundings before he confronted her about the gift. One day he summoned the new nun to his study. They chatted and got to know each other. He told of the glowing reports about her he had received from the mother superior. When he asked about the gift, she was very forthcoming and admitted that she had heard and spoken to Jesus since her arrival. The priest made one simple request of her: the next time she spoke with Jesus, his request was that she ask Jesus to describe the priest s first sin after he was ordained into the priesthood. He could not remember what it might have been but was convinced he would remember it once it was explained to him. Trinity Lutheran Church 410 E 1935 North, Cedar City, UT Office: Pastor Bob: (cell) and (home) Website: pbob022212@cedarlutheran.org

2 Page 2 She returned to her duties and he heard nothing further until one day he asked that she meet him in his study. She came and sat with him. They exchanged pleasantries, and then the priest asked whether she had spoken with Jesus since their prior meeting. She had. He asked if she had asked the priest s question of Jesus. She said she had and began to fidget in her chair, look at the clock, and examine her hands, but said nothing. Finally the priest asked what the Lord had told her. She sat quietly for a minute though it seemed much longer to both of them. Finally, she took a deep breath, looked the priest straight in the eye and answered: Jesus said He didn t remember. During May and June we have followed St. Paul s letter to the churches of Galatia [in the middle of Turkey on today s maps]. Our sermon series has stressed Paul s chagrin that after he moved on from Galatia, teachers came after him who taught a different Gospel. The counterfeit gospel included works along with faith. Paul was stunned and amazed that the simplicity of the Gospel of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ was not sufficient for the Galatians. The false teachers were victims of their own native religion that dictates that we must do something in order to be saved. They ignored the close relationship between obedience and faith. The Law given to Moses by God was given to the Israelites in order to bring sin to light. Although we want to be perfect and to keep God s Law as He demands, we cannot because we are sinful. We believe falsely that God will judge us according to our obedience. That is untrue because of Jesus. He kept the Law for us and because He suffered the condemnation for the sins of the entire world, His sacrifice of his sinless life means for us that His righteousness is imputed to each of us by faith. Your salvation is made complete by Jesus resurrection from the dead. In Romans 6 Paul wrote: 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. By the promises of your Baptism you walk in newness of life with Jesus. That is St. Paul s promise in Romans and it is the same promise we hear extended to the Galatians. During July in the sermons we will hear Paul s promises extended to the Colossians. One such promise that we hear in the reading for July 10 is the promise of redemption and the forgiveness of sins. First of all you may wonder what is redemption? It is to buy back something that has been relinquished [Encarta Dictionary, definition 4]. You may have had to use o pawnbroker to borrow money and given something of value to secure the loan. When your fortunes turn around you go back to the pawnbroker to repay the loan and redeem your valuable property. When Jesus sacrificed His sinless life to pay for your sins, He effectively bought you back for God, releasing you from the bondage of your sins and redeeming you for God. Because you are redeemed God no longer counts your sins against you. As you come to Him, asking forgiveness you are assured by the promises of the Bible that God forgives your sins and promises to remember them no more. The Colossians would recognize this phrasing as it first appears in Jeremiah 31:34. Forgiveness is something which we feel is second nature for God. Perhaps that thought springs from the Lord s Prayer which includes this petition: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Most of us understand that when we confess our sins to God, He has agreed in the Bible to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as it says in 1 John 1:9. But what about forgiving others when they sin against us? How good are we at that act of Christian kindness? Most people admit that forgiveness is difficult at best and can take a long time to accomplish. When I minister to the dying I will often ask if there is anyone they would like to forgive. It can be very uplifting to forgive someone and have the weight lifted from your heart. In church in June we heard Jesus equate forgiveness with love saying the woman who washed his feet with her tears could be certain her sins were forgiven because she loved Jesus so much. Love and forgiveness go hand-in-hand. That is what we will hear as the letter to the church at Colossae unfolds for us in July. Let your faith inform your love for others. Forgive those around you for their offenses against you and be prepared to ask forgiveness from those you have offended. The church is built on the foundation of forgiveness of sins based on the merit and sacrifice of Jesus. Trinity is a church and as such it is peopled by saints, forgiven sinners who seek to please God and do His will. You know God's will for you. Give God a chance to work in the lives of the people around you by being His child, His forgiving child who wants His salvation for your family and friends. Love and forgiveness rain down on you because of Jesus. Join your fellow saints at Trinity in July, praising God and asking His blessing on the lonely and the sick. See you in church -- Pastor Bob

3 Page 3 Trinity Tea Ladies We will meet on Friday, July 29th at 10 AM at the Christmas in July Arts and Crafts Fair on the grounds of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Craft and vendor booths will be available for browsing; then on to The Grind on Main Street for lunch. Please join us for a fun morning of shopping, fellowship and food. All Trinity ladies as well as friends and guests are always welcome at our Tea Ladies events. See you there! Upcoming events: July 29th 10 AM on the SUU Campus Christmas in July craft fair followed by lunch at The Grind on Main St. August 26th 1 PM at the home of Cookie Heddings Devotions, fellowship, refreshments Sept. 23rd 1 PM at the Iron Gate Inn Tea on the garden terrace (cost $10) Oct. 28th 1 PM at the home of Travis Hoppes Devotions, fellowship, refreshments Nov. No meeting scheduled due to holiday Dec. 13th 10 AM at the Iron Gate Inn Christmas brunch and program jointly with LWML (cost $10) Iron County Care And Share (Iccs) Canned fruits and vegetables as well as peanut butter are constant needs at the Care and Share pantry. Donations of any non-perishable food items or paper products may be placed in the basket in our narthex and will be delivered weekly to ICCS. Thank you for sharing with those in need in our community. FYI: Our Mailing Address In case you didn't notice, we have a new mailing address: 410 E N Yes, mail is being delivered to Trinity and will no longer be picked up at PO Box 1527.

4 July Barbecue and Potluck! Page 4 We will celebrate our traditional Independene Day meal with a barbecue and potluck on Sunday, July 3rd. Please see the sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall. It's always a fun time and delicious food. Join us whether you can bring a dish or not. That evening, continue the celebration with the Patriotic concert at Christ the King Catholic Church, sponsored by the Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance. See below for more information. Patriotic Concert and Ice Cream Social Sponsored By The Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance Sunday, July 3, 2016, 7pm REMINDER! If you haven t attended this event in past years, you have missed a real treat. A community chorus and band perform patriotic numbers at Christ the King Catholic church. There s always a sing-along of favorite patriotic songs as well as stirring readings. Following the concert, everyone strolls down to the pavilion for ice cream and fellowship as the sun sets. It s a real old-fashioned Independence Day event for the whole family to enjoy and it s free! Come join us this year for an evening of patriotism and community spirit. Adult Confirmation Are you interested in knowing more about what it means to be a Lutheran Christian? Do you have questions about Baptism or the Lord s Supper? Have you been Lutheran for such a long time that you wonder what it all means? We have a way to answer your questions and to alleviate your angst about being a Christian. It is called Adult Confirmation. We use Luther s Small Catechism and concentrate on what he calls the Six Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine. We use God s Word to guide us and ask that He provide us His Holy Spirit to lead us in all truth. It can be very enlightening. If you are interested, you should contact Pastor Bob and we will convene a class as soon as possible.

5 Miracles (By Lynette Webber) Page 5 The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sunscorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden. Isaiah 58:11 As we reach the month of July, our thoughts turn to the annual monsoons life-giving rain for our gardens and lawns. We truly live in a sun-scorched land, and how desperately we pray for a good thunderstorm to pour a drenching rain on our plants and trees. It s a miracle to see the grass turn greener and the flowers perk up the morning after a good rain. Keep your eyes open so you won t miss any of those small miracles happening all around you this summer. June Attendance and Offerings 6/5 53 $1,970 6/12 44 $1,209 6/19 42 $2,105 6/26?? Total Income $5,284 + June 26th Children s Ministry Matters Check out who is teaching Sunday School and the Nursery for July: Date Sunday School Nursery 7-3 Diana Thompson As God Provides 7-10 Amber Lenox Diane Sharp 7-17 Cookie Heddings As God Provides 7-24 Diana Thompson As God Provides 7-31 Catherine Webb Diane Sharp

6 Trinity Council Page 6 The next Council meeting will be Thursday, July 21st at 5:30 PM in the fellowship hall. The Elders meet the same day at 4:30 PM.. Trinity Church Book Club (TCBC) In July, we will be reading another classic, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain. Please join us at the Cedar City Library at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27th. It should be interesting to see if Mary Stavros enjoyed this classic more than "Grapes of Wrath." Don't forget your sack lunch! Temporary Address Temporary address for Byrd Bargman while she s working in Wyoming: P.O. Box 2523 Pinedale, WY NOTE CHANGE IN DATE TO JULY 20TH (SEE CALENDAR) A Message from the Editor As you probably know, I'm also the "webmaster," meaning that I try to keep our web site current. The calendar and newsletter are always available on the site. Last month, we were required to update the site to current technology, which brought good news and bad news. The bad news is that we were required, to begin with, to condense the site to five pages. I hope you've had a chance to look at it. The good news is that it works perfectly now on smart phones and tablets, including a link on smart phones to to the Pastor and to call the church! More good news: The council voted to add to the site for a small fee each month. Our limit is now 500 pages! Here's where you come in: I need help working on those extra pages. We need to use the extra pages to keep everyone informed of church activities and I'd like to see photo pages of recent activities. I'm hoping that there's someone (or a small committee) out there that can help me with that. Some computer experience is helpful, mostly to write up the information and feed me the photos. I can do the actual programming of the web site. Please contact me if you're interested in helping with that. Thanks, Miriam ( miriam@designersdesktop.com or call )

Page 7 Peyton CanaryPresented with Five Medals during Utah Honor Flight Trip Reprinted from Iron County Today By David Cordero CEDAR CITY Late usually beats never even when it comes to military

7 Page 7 Peyton CanaryPresented with Five Medals during Utah Honor Flight Trip Reprinted from Iron County Today By David Cordero CEDAR CITY Late usually beats never even when it comes to military decorations earned more than six decades ago. Peyton Canary, a Cedar City resident who served in both World War II and the Korean War, was presented medals long overdue during the recent Utah Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C. It was a great moment to see Mr. Canary honored with these awards that he earned so many years ago, said Mike Turner, chairman of Utah Honor Flight. For those veterans out there who have not been awarded the medals you are entitled to, contact your congressman and let your representative help you cut through the red tape. In a ceremony during the UHF banquet May 27, Canary was given five medals secured by the office of Rep. Chris Stewart. They are WWII Victory Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button, WWII National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, and The United Nations Service Medal. Canary served in the United States Army during three different enlistment periods. He first joined and spent more than one year overseas stationed in Japan after World War II. He also served at Camp Breckinridge, Ky. He was stationed at Camp Cooke, Calif. during the Korean War, but also spent time overseas in combat in Korea. He served as an editor and reporter for the Stars and Stripes newspaper and completed a public information course as well. Following the war, Canary enjoyed a long career in newspapers. It was interesting, he said. Canary and 12 other veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War departed St. George for the three-day Utah Honor Flight trip May 26. Utah Honor Flight, one of many chapters of the national Honor Flight Network, takes veterans to Washington D.C., free of charge, to see their memorials. The National World War II Memorial was built in 2004 and shortly thereafter Earl Morse, a doctor from Ohio, began flying WWII veterans to Washington D.C. on his private plane at his own expense. The idea spread and Honor Flight chapters began springing up all over the country. Utah Honor Flight began in October During a typical UHF trip, veterans, accompanied by guardians typically sons, daughters or grandchildren get to see a slew of memorials in Washington D.C., including the National WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, FDR Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, the US Marine Corps War Memorial and the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. It s the trip of a lifetime for these veterans, Turner said. They leave as old men and return young men. It is so inspiring to see how well they are received. For information on Utah Honor Flight or to become a volunteer, go to

8 Midweek Bible Study Page 8 By the time you read this we will have completed our Wednesday study of Angels & Demons. I have conducted hundreds of studies on dozens of topics and the study of Angels & Demons has been among the most enjoyable and most informative. The midweek study will be suspended for the remainder of summer. We will reconvene in September. I will let you know when we start back. In the meantime, if you have an idea about a study of current events or social trends or Bible topic, please let me know. Pick up a Portals of Prayer and let that daily devotion lead you back to your own personal Bible study. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 Araprosdokians (Winston Churchill loved them) are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous. Thanks to Carl Dahlia for this fun and educational list! 1. Where there s a will, I want to be in it. 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it s still on my list. 3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak. 4. If I agreed with you, we d both be wrong. 5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public. 6. War does not determine who is right only who is left. 7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 8. They begin the evening news with Good Evening, then proceed to tell you why it isn t. 9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research. 10. Buses stop in bus stations. Trains stop in train stations. On my desk is a work station. 11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted pay checks. 12. In filling out an application, where it says, In case of emergency, notify: I put DOCTOR. 13. I didn t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. 14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy. 15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. 16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory. 17. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. 18. Money can t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. 19. There s a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can t get away. 20. I used to be indecisive. Now I m not so sure. 21. You re never too old to learn something stupid. 22. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target. 23. Nostalgia isn t what it used to be. 24. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. 25. Going to church doesn t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 26. Where there s a will, there are relatives. Finally: I m supposed to respect my elders, but it s getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Sunday July 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 Saturday 2 No LWML Meeting Until September 3 4 (Communion) 7PM Sunday Patriotic Concert BBQ & POTLUCK Pastor s Day Off 10 17 11 7 No

9 Sunday July 2016 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 Saturday 2 No LWML Meeting Until September 3 4 (Communion) 7PM Sunday Patriotic Concert BBQ & POTLUCK Pastor s Day Off No confirmation in July No Midweek Bible Study in July No Choir in July Jim Thompson s 3pm KOLOB Pastor s Day Off Lee & Catherine Webb s Anniversary Pastor s Day Off Newsletter Deadline 31 NOISY SUNDAY BRING YOUR CHANGE! (Communion) 6 Alan & Travis Hoppes Anniversary 9am Ladies Breakfast - Denny s Carolyn Asplin s Larry Hedding s Pastor s Day Off (Communion) 24 5 Pat William s 9am Breakfast at IHOP 9am Breakfast at All American Jeanette Harris s am Breakfast at Denny s 11:30am Book Club David Asplin s 4:30pm Elders Meeting 5:30p Council Meeting am Breakfast at All American Carol Wadsack s 10am Ladies Tea Meet at SUU Christmas in July, then lunch at The Grind

April, THE REFORMATION 500th CELEBRATION 2017

April, THE REFORMATION 500th CELEBRATION 2017 Tidings of Trinity April, 2017 THE REFORMATION 500th CELEBRATION 2017 This year, 2017, is a year precious to all Lutherans the 500th birthday of Martin Luther s blessed re-discovery of the Gospel and his