IMMANUEL LUTHERAN. in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Transcription

1 F E B Vol. 81 No. 7 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN Transfiguration Sunday But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Pastor Joe Naumann Deacon Daniel Pfeiffer Organist Grace Schreyer Sound Joshua Clobes Video Paul & Diane Bode Screen Russell Schmitt Head Usher Paul Bade Assistant Usher Justin Mueller Welcome to everyone who has come to share the Good News of the Gospel with us today! We ask our guests to please sign our register, and invite you to join us regularly for worship. For more information about our church, please contact Pastor Naumann North Second Street Mankato, MN

2 Pre-Service Meditation and Prayer Psalm 99 {See Psalm of the Day} Lord Jesus, we praise You for Your righteous reign and for Your glorious and awesome Name! We thank You for sharing Your forgiveness with us through Your Word and Sacrament! Amen! ORDER OF WORSHIP WE PREPARE TO MEET OUR LORD OPENING HYMN God Himself Is Present {tlh 4} INVOCATION Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Congregation: Amen. OUR CONFESSION OF SINS P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Our help is in the name of the Lord. C: Who made heaven and earth. P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. C: And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. P: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed. Therefore we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. C: O most merciful God, who has given Your only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins; and by Your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of You and of Your will and true obedience to Your Word, to the end that by Your grace we may come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. P: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and has given His only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To all 1

3 who believe on His name He gives the privilege of being children of God and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, unto us all. C: Amen. PSALM OF THE DAY psalm 99:1-4,9 WE PRAISE OUR LORD P: The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! C: He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! P: The LORD is great in Zion, C: And He is high above all the peoples. P: Let them praise Your great and awesome name -- C: He is holy. P: The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; C: You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. P: Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; C: For the LORD our God is holy P: Glory be to God! C: Gloria Patri Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen. Kyrie Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. All Glory, Praise, and Blessing All glory, praise, and blessing to God the holy Trinity, for planting and sustaining our faith in Him who sets us free, on whom our trust is founded, our house built on a rock, our life by grace surrounded, our Shepherd s precious flock, dear children to Him clinging, who welcomed once again, join saints and angels singing, Amen, Amen, Amen! P: The Lord be with you. C: And with your spirit. 2

4 P: Let us pray. C: Amen. OUR LORD SPEAKS TO US OLD TESTAMENT READING ezekiel12:21-28 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 22 Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, The days are prolonged, and every vision fails? 23 Tell them therefore, Thus says the Lord GOD: I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel. But say to them, The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. 24 For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it, says the Lord GOD. 26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 27 Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off. 28 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done, says the Lord GOD. C: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! IMMANUEL CHOIR {SUNDAY} Before the Throne of God Above GOSPEL READING luke 9:28-36 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah -- not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. C: Praise be to You, O Christ 3

5 OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH IN THE APOSTOLIC CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. CHILDREN S SERMON HYMN Jesus On the Mountain Peak {ws 719} SERMON TEXT ii corinthians 4:1-10 Pastor Joe Naumann Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. JESUS HAS LIFTED THE VEIL! I. To Reveal the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ II. That We May Have This Treasure in Earthen Vessels 4

6 WE OFFER OURSELVES TO OUR LORD OFFERTORY Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free Spirit. Amen. HYMN My Hope is Built on Nothing Less {tlh 370} OFFERING OF THANKFUL HEARTS PRAYERS OUR LORD BLESSES US BENEDICTION C: Amen. Amen. Amen. CLOSING HYMN Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here {tlh 135} All Glory, Praise and Blessing Text: Stanza 5 of Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren as found in Gemeinde Lieder, No. 2 attributed to Königsberg Text translation 1991 Jaroslav J. Vadja. All rights reserved. OneLicense.net License #A Liturgy The Lutheran Hymnal 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. License # Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted service elements are in public domain. NEXT SUNDAY: Deacon Paul Bade Organist Vickie Schreyer Sound Craig Stelter Video Vern Frank Screen Russell Schmitt Ushers Third Sunday of the Month: Head Usher Fred Friedrichs Assistant Usher John Heinze: Joshua Clobes, Nathan Clobes, Ty Hanel, Dennis Heinze, Brett Kruse, Andy Olmanson, Evan Olmanson, Russ Schmitt, Ron Wolle, Steve Wolle CAL Basketball Tournament Our annual high school Christian Athletic League (CAL) Basketball Tournament is coming up March 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd. Information about the basketball tournament (i.e. game locations, game times, etc.) can be found on out school website. Volunteer sign up sheets and tournament passes will be available starting Sunday, February 18 through Wednesday, February 28. Both will be available after church services and in the school office. Any questions concerning the CAL Tournament, please contact Julie Busch. Organ Concert Ryan Mueller, a member of St. John's in Okabena, MN, will be presenting a pipe organ concert on Sunday, March 18, 2pm, at School Sisters Of Notre Dame Good Counsel Hill in Mankato, MN. He will be presenting on the 1877 Johnson & Son pipe organ, the program featuring works of Dupre, Vierne, Bonnet, Jongen, Grieg, and other prominent composers of the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Refreshments and treats will follow the program. 5

7 Lego Robotics Spring Challenge Interested in Legos and robots? 4-8th-grade students of the CLC are invited to enter the 2018 CLC Lego Robotics Spring Challenge. The Challenge will be held at ILC March 9-10 th 2018, during the Spring CLC Basketball Tournaments. High school or adult teams may be allowed to participate by special request. Registration deadline for the Challenge is Feb 4 th. To help, we are hosting a Robotics Invitational Workshop on February 17 th at Berea, IGH. It will teach all the skills needed to build and run a robot in the CLC LR Spring Challenge. The workshop would run from 8:30am to 3pm with a lunch provided. For the workshop, please register by Feb 10 th to Lawrence Bade at lmsbade@gmail.com. See the brochure on the Spring Challenge in the entry or get information from your Pastor or Lawrence Bade, at Lmsbade@gmail.com. CLC Tournament Band The 15 th Annual Tournament Band will be performing at the CLC Grade School Basketball Tournament in Eau Claire, WI on Saturday, March 10. Any CLC band student in grades 5-8 is invited to play with us. You do not have to be playing on a basketball team to play with the group. NEW this year- -Register and print music for six songs online at Click on Band information. Exact rehearsal and performance times for March 10, will be announced by mid-february. If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Lau, Eau Claire at music@thelaus.com. Tax Statements are available for pick up on the tables at the entrance to church. They are grouped alphabetically. There is a statement for each member who contributed. We do keep records for visitors as we are able. We, by regulation, send statements to visitors who contribute more than $250. Perhaps you have relatives or friends who are not members but visit and contribute to Immanuel who would like to receive a contribution statement; we can do that. We would need name, address and some idea of the time. If you have questions about contribution statements, contact David Lueck at financial.secretary@immanuelmankato.org or by phone at Lenten Cross Display If you have a cross (necklace, hanging cross, artwork, etc.), we would like to create a display of crosses on the sanctuary windowsills. The display dates are Ash Wednesday (February 14) to Easter, Sunday (April 1). If you are interested in sharing, please contact Lane Fischer ext. 228 or lane.fischer@immanuelmankato.org). The Midwest Christian Women s Retreat, sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mankato, MN, will be held April 20-22, 2018, at the Riverport Inn & Suites, Winona, MN. This year s theme is: That Your Joy may be Full! Registration is open 2/1/18 3/23/18. The retreat fee is $75. All the hotel costs and reservation information, as well as retreat registration information can be found at MCHS Hospital Information All information that our local hospital had regarding church membership has been lost and needs to be resubmitted. Pastor Naumann is asking that you give him a phone call if you know of any members who are at the hospital and would like a visit. Also, if you or a loved one end up in the hospital, please take time to fill out the church membership form if you would like Pastor to be able to find you there in the future.

8 Mission News Missionary Ohlmann left for India this week where he will meet Missionary Peter Evensen and leaders from our affiliate church bodies in India, Nepal and Myanmar for the Joint Asia Pastoral Conference. Pastor Tim Daub from our sister congregation in Hecla, North Dakota will also be joining them. Following the conference, Missionary Ohlmann will visit some of the districts in the BELC, visit the CLCI, and then journey to Myanmar where he will meet up with Missionary Koenig for a visit our brethren in the CLC-Myanmar, and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar. Before returning home he will stop in Nepal to visit our brethren there and participate in the graduation of the first class of students from the Himalayan Bible Institute of Nepal. Please keep Missionaries Ohlmann, Evensen and Koenig in your prayers over these coming weeks, as well as our brethren overseas. You can read more about Missionary Ohlmann s travels and work at his blog here: Immanuel Facility Use Policy All and any events and activities that are not scheduled by the church or school will need to have the ILC Use Request form filled out and submitted to deacons for review and approval of that facility for that use. This would include any and all events and activities that would use Immanuel s sanctuary, school, church basement, kitchens, and the multi-purpose facility. There are no exclusions of any activities or events from the policy. If you have activities or usage that carry from year to year a form will need to be filled out for that year of usage. This helps and maintains an accurate and efficient schedule between church, school, and requested usage. The Use Request forms are available from the church secretary or the Facility Use-Deacon, Mark Stelter. If you have any concerns and or questions on the policy, guidelines, and forms please feel free to contact a deacon and or council member. It is crucial that Immanuel be responsible for providing safe facilities for its members, protecting our ministry, while properly operating, maintaining, and caring for its property. Black Hills Family Bible Camp Camping in the beauty of the Black Hills, studies in the beauty of God's Word. All ages are welcome, children will need to be accompanied by a chaperon or family. There will also be many outdoor actives such as hiking, swimming, caving, fishing, kayaking, bonfires, s'mores etc... The dates are Friday evening July 13, through Tuesday morning July 17. To sign up or for more information, you can call Pastor Aaron Ude at (605) or him at aaronude@gmail.com. St. Stephen Lutheran Church 50 th Anniversary. In grateful thanks and praise to the Lord for His grace, St. Stephen Lutheran Church of the San Francisco Peninsula in Mountain View, CA is planning a 50 th Anniversary celebration next summer on Sunday, July 22, All are invited to attend, especially those throughout the CLC who are former members of St. Stephen West. If you are planning on attending we ask you to please RSVP so we know how many to plan for the meal. Please contact Leslie Horrillo ( / lehorrillo@aol.com or Pastor Luke Bernthal ( / LBernthal@live.com 7

9 Voters Meeting Annual Meeting Summary January 29 and February 5. Tim Williams and Sherman Carstensen were welcomed as voters. Craig Spoor was accepted into communicant membership. Shaw Nason was transferred to Immanuel from Grace, Sleepy Eye, MN. Brandan and Laura Heinze with children Rebecca, Emma, and Holly were transferred to Immanuel from Grace, Sleepy Eye, MN. Darren and Amy Durst with children Derek, Lainy, and Dani were transferred to Immanuel from St. John s, Okabena, MN. Katie Westermeyer was released from membership per her request. Ted Schreyer was re-elected Congregational President. Alan Olmanson was re-elected Congregational Secretary. Tom Lentz, Lee Becker and Mark Geiger were re-elected as the Auditing Committee. Daniel Pfeiffer and Robert Timm were elected to be our CLC delegates. Doug Schaller and Charles Olmanson were elected as alternate delegates. The following reports were accepted: Annual Events at Immanuel, Audit Report, Board of Property, Church Choir, Study Guild, Parent Teacher Organization, Board of Finance, Evangelism Committee, Vacation Bible School, Immanuel Ambassadors High School Youth Group, 2017 Principal Annual Report, 2017 Internet Oversight Committee Annual Report, Board of Education, Scholarship Committee, ILS Finance Committee, Expansion Relocation Committee, 150th Anniversary Committee, Ladies Auxiliary, Sunday School/Sunday Ambassadors, Immanuel Lutheran Church Investment Committee, Pilgrim s Rest Cemetery and Deacons Report The 150 th Anniversary Fund was closed and the excess funds moved to the Undesignated Reserve. The 150 th Anniversary Committee was dissolved. The Treasurer s report showed an overall fund balance (assets versus liabilities and dedicated funds) of $ The General Fund ended the year with positive balance of $1, The expenses on the year were $46,563 less then budgeted. And income was $47,738 less than budgeted. The budget was approved. The budget which includes a 3% increase in tuition. An increases base pay $50 a month for full-time called workers starting August 1 st and a 1.7% for non-called workers (which doesn t includes substitutes and fixed per service pay) starting January 1, And additional teachers conference expenses for The budget is needs a 13.6% increase in giving to be balanced. The CLC Cooperative Budget goal was set at $55,000. Funding was approved for replacing the air conditioning units on the MPF. The Board of Property reported that they are looking for someone to wax floors. Anyone interested should speak to John Heinze. The Council reported that we are in need of a Financial Secretary. The Financial Secretary needs to be voting member. Anyone interested or with a recommendation should contact the Finance Committee Chairman Vern Frank or President Ted Schreyer. - Alan Olmanson, Congregational Secretary 8

10 Countries Where It s Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus We have sister churches in the countries that appear in large bold print. Open Doors released its 2018 World Watch List (WWL), an annual ranking of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to follow Jesus. Approximately 215 million Christians now experience high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution. This means 1 in 12 Christians live where Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished, according to Open Doors researchers. North Korea hasn t moved from the No. 1 spot on the list for 16 years in a row. With more than 50,000 in prison or labor camps, such a ranking is little surprise for the totalitarian regime that controls every aspect of life in the country and forces worship of the Kim family, Open Doors reported. But rivaling it this year is Afghanistan, which ranked No. 2 by less than a point. North Korea s total score, pushed above Afghanistan s by a 0.6 difference in their violence rating. In the other five categories measured private life, family life, community life, national life, and church life both countries received the worst scores possible. Afghanistan s neighbor Pakistan recorded the most violence against Christians last year. The country also scored the highest in church attacks, abductions, and forced marriages, according to Open Doors. Nigeria (No. 14), where Boko Haram operates, and the Central African Republic (No. 35) ranked second and third for violence. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that the State Department add Pakistan, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic to its list of countries of particular concern. (So far, they have not been added.) Rounding out the top 10, following North Korea and Afghanistan, are (in order): Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Eritrea, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. It s not a coincidence that all of these countries except North Korea and Eritrea are predominately Muslim. In fact, Islamic extremism remains the

11 global, dominant driver of persecution, responsible for initiating oppression and conflict in 35 of the 50 countries on the list, Open Doors stated. Five of the six countries where persecution increased the most were majority-muslim, with the notable exception of India, which moved from No. 15 in 2017 to No. 11 in Radical Hinduism and Indian nationalism are driving factors in the increasing levels of unrest and instability Christians face, Open Doors reported. India s Hindu nationalism has been growing since the election of nationalist Narendra Modi to prime minister in under Modi, religious freedom violations against Christians such as social exclusion, abuse, and imprisonment have spread unchecked. In 2017, Open Doors counted more than 600 persecution incidents, though most cases actually remain unreported, so the true number is much higher, the organization said. At the same time, Compassion International s 589 Indian centers serving 145,000 children were shut down without explanation. India s religious nationalism has swelled over its borders, spilling into neighboring Nepal and catapulting that country onto the list and halfway up it, at No. 25. In October, Hindu-majority Nepal took aim at evangelism by criminalizing religious conversion. Buddhist nationalism in countries such as Sri Lanka (No. 44), Bhutan (No. 33), and Myanmar (No. 24) is less obvious but still there. Nearby Vietnam (No. 18) and China (No. 43) can also be hard places for Christians not because of religious nationalism, but because Communism sees religion as an opium for the masses that should be eliminated. Tanzania is the most eye-catching example of a country where the situation for Christians considerably improved, Open Doors said. Tanzania was the best case of improvement. Though scores in Ethiopia (No. 29) and Kenya (No. 32) both dropped due to Muslims and Christians finding common ground in politics, both nations also saw more violence. Excerpted from a larger story. ChristianityToday.com / January 10, 2017 Brothers, pray for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:25

12 THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL Tuesday, February 13 3:00-5:00pm - Pastor s Office Hours 6:30pm - Deacons Meeting 7:00pm - Board of Education Meeting 7:00pm - Board of Property Meeting 7:30pm - Board of Finance Meeting 8:00pm - Council Meeting Wednesday, February 14 12:45pm - Worship Service: Charter # 181 or Consolidated Communications # 7 1:00pm - Ash Wednesday Worship Service 5:30pm - Public School Confirmation Class 7:00pm - Ash Wednesday Worship Service Thursday, February 15 5:45pm - Worship Service: Charter # 181 or Consolidated Communications # 7 6:00pm - Church Choir Friday, February 16 6:30am - Men s Breakfast Bible Study 8:00-10:00am - Pastor's Office Hours 10:15am - Pathstone 10:15am - Autumn Grace Saturday, February 17 6:00pm - Worship Service 7:00pm - Bible Study and Sunday School Sunday, February 18 8:15am - Immanuel Meditations KTOE 1420am or 102.7fm 9:00am - Bible Study and Sunday School 10:00am - Worship Service LAST WEEK S ATTENDANCE SATURDAY: 84 + SUNDAY: 298 = 382 Saturday Communion: 59 Sunday Communion: 138 Saturday Bible Class: 7 Sunday Bible Class: 26 Men's Breakfast: 21 Men's Jail Ministry: 9 LAST WEEK S FRUITS OF FAITH IMMANUEL CLC MISSIONS $659 Endowment - $45 Land Purchase - $60 Immanuel Student Aid - $740 Tuition Aid - $50 Major Improvement - $136 Mission Development - $145 ILC Building - $2,500 $10,608 Benevolent -$55 Men's Breakfast - $50 ILC Student Aid - $60