A Message from Pastor Ben

Transcription

1 Dear Pastor, A Message from Pastor Ben I noticed something the other day when reading the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8. When Jesus drives the demons (Legion) out of the man in the graveyard, he tells the man to return home and declare how much God has done for you. But in the very same chapter, when he brings the synagogue leader s daughter back to life, He ordered them to tell no one what had happened. Why the difference? Sincerely, Curious in Lytton Hello there Curious, First of all, I would like to commend you for noticing this! It is very, very easy to read scripture and nod our heads, all the while missing details that might make for fantastic questions. One of the goals of Lytton Bible Readers is to read whole chapters and whole books in the hope that we ll notice things like this. My immediate response is, I don t know! I ve never noticed this before. Let s have a go at this. One thing I notice is that the man in the graveyard who had been possessed by demons was an outcast from society. Everyone was afraid of him. He probably hadn t had a conversation with another human being for years. The synagogue leader, on the other hand, was certainly a well-respected man in his community. When Jesus sends the man home to speak, he was forcing the man to confront a whole bunch of issues: Had he hurt someone and needed to ask forgiveness? Did he have January 2019 broken relationships with his family? The graveyard man would rather go with Jesus because it s extremely hard to face up to these kinds of things. But in doing the difficult thing, there is the potential for reconciliation. And that is always a BIG deal for Jesus. So the great potential gain in this situation is in speaking. The synagogue leader, on the other hand, probably did not have broken relationships like this. There were people at his home, mourning the death of his daughter along with his family. And he was certainly used to speaking and being listened to. And those of us who are used to talking don t always listen so well. Perhaps the great gain for him would be in keeping silent? Maybe the command to keep silent would force him to ponder in his heart what happened. Perhaps this command of silence was an invitation to listen. Do not speak of what has happened. Rather, take the time to listen to what God is saying to you through this act. I don t know that these explanations are the true ones, but I think there is something true about them. Namely, that Jesus speaks to the person in front of him. His words are not one size fits all, but just for you. To some he is gentle and kind. To others he is quite harsh. Jesus says what a given person needs to hear. This holds true for us as well. And it reminds me of a story. In elementary school I was always a bit of a clown in class. I think I acted silly when I felt uncomfortable and late elementary school was nothing if not uncomfortable. But in 5 th grade I met my match, Ms. McCoy. She was a strict teacher who was not interested in nonsense and wouldn t

2 put up with it. And so I stopped clowning around. She gave me what I needed. That s just like Jesus. [Submit questions by ben.worley.rev@wisynod.org or by text: or just slip it under my office door. I won t mention your name.] Rev. Ben Worley Emanuel St. John, Lytton, IA (712) (cell phone) Emanuel-St John Lutheran Church Council Meeting Minutes December 13, 2018 Vice President Brian Lantz called the meeting to order. Present were Cindy Souder, Kari Lantz, Rhonda Johnson Jeff Ellerbrock, Pauline Lange, Dennis Booth, Jo Ellerbrock, Harlan Meyer, and Pastor Ben. Pastor Ben gave devotions. Motion by Jeff Ellerbrock, second by Dennis Booth to approve the agenda. Motion passed. Motion by Dennis Booth, second by Jeff Ellerbrock to approve the November minutes. Motion passed. Treasurer s report was given by Rhonda Johnson. Motion by Jo Ellerbrock, second by Kari Lantz to approve the treasurer's report with a balance of $ Motion passed. A written EPIC report was given to the Council. committee for Replacements have been found. Parish Education: Kari Lantz present. The children s Christmas program is this Sunday. January 24 th the Parish Ed will do a Town Night with proceeds to go towards the Campership Fund. Outreach Committee: Jo Ellerbrock present. They are working on the Annual Meeting dinner on January 27 th. Proceeds will go for Do-Days. Property and Management Committee: Harlan Meyer present. The council discussed who is to clean sidewalks and the cost. A notice will go into bulletin to see if anyone is interested in the job. Furnace has been fixed, but still not working completely. Harlan contacted Meyer Electric on the outside cross. Parsonage garage door remote not working, Harlan will take a look at it. Stewardship and Finance Committee: Jeff Ellerbrock present. The committee is working on the 2019 budget. He asked the council their input on several budget line items. WELCA: none New Business: The Annual Church Meeting will be held on January 27 th following the church service. Motion by Dennis Booth, second by Jo Ellerbrock to adjourn. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned with the Lord s Prayer. Old Business: None. President s Report: None. Pastor s Report: Pastor Ben reported on the Mission Festival. He gave a report on visitations he had done. Worship and Music Committee: Dennis Booth present. Christmas Eve service will be a candlelight service. On Sunday Dec. 30 th the service will be a lessons and carols service with regular communion. Two people will be going off the This year we received poinsettias from: Karen Cerra in memory of John Cerra, Mr. & Mrs. George Diersen, Larry Diersen, Diane and Jodie Klocke; Dar and Denise Lake in memory of Laverne and Marge Dettmann, Miriah Murphy and Marc and Laurie Dettmann Jeff and Jo Ellerbrock in memory of Jaylin Ellerbrock and LaVern and Beulah Segebarth.

3 Edna and Dyle Rockafellow in memory of Ed and Nelma Rix, Jr., Valerie Rockafellow, and David Purdie Jim and Jan Frederick in memory of their son, Scott. and from the Arndt family. Thank you for their beauty that graced our chancel this Advent/Christmas season. Sunday School perfect attendance for the month of November 2018: Nursery- Myla Albright & Lily Bartels Kindergarten & Grade 1-Sawyer Riley, Abby Lankford & Abby Worley Grades 2 & 3- Natalie Scharn, Aidan Albright, Cooper Nattress & Benjamin Worley Grades 4 & 5- Jossa Haupert, Reef Lankford, Kellen Meyer, Owen Scharn, Sadie Wheelock & Derek Greene Grade 6- Onna Haupert, Jewell Talbott & Adlen Wheelock Confirmation Class (Grades 7 & 8) Brock Nattress, Olivia Toms & Madison Schultz Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12-No one Class winner for best attendance was Grade 6 taught by Faith Worley. JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 1) Shirley Sage, Emma Warme 4) Samuel Ramsey 6) W. LeRoy Johnson 7) John H. Everts 9) Angela Anderson, Jan Frederick, Braden Scharn, Dierdre Schultz 10) Marilyn Dettmann, Owen Scharn, Katelynn Taylor, PeterLam Wei 11) Justin Smith 12) Esther Dettmann, Gregga Schuetz 13) Stephen Kral, Tyler Scharn, Theresa Schultz 14) Micah Lantz, Steven Schultz, Abigail Worley 15) Donna Bounds, Kaylynn Kruckenberg, Kylin Kruckenberg 16) Kathy Kuehl, Tina Rix 17) Keaton Hammen, Hank Segebarth 18) Maddux Diersen, Grace Henkelman, Tyler Riley, Brad Williams 19) Bradlee Aden, Candace Booth 20) Colleen Arndt, Rodney Grodahl, Mark Harms, Shelby Pudenz 21) Linda Baum 22) Tiffany Evans, Whitney Glasnapp, Jay Vreeland 23) Darrell Ross 24) Patricia Johnson, Michelle Talbott 25) Larry Pierce 26) Samuel Musselman 27) Myla Albright, Trinity Diersen 29) Jess Hout, Brenna Lantz, Dale Scharn 30) Cory Walker Trevor Bounds graduated from Iowa State University in Ames Saturday, December 15, 2018 with a degree in Construction Engineering. Trevor, son of Donna Bounds and grandson of Karen Cerra, is off to Disneyworld to work on a new roller coaster! Awesome! Congratulations Trevor. Jan 10, 1976 David & Diana Diersen Jan 12, 2005 Nathan & Michele Haupert Jan 16, 1971 Dennis & Patricia Johnson Happy Anniversary!

4 Lutheran Services in Iowa Andi Kay Andersen, daughter of Mike and Dani Andersen, was baptized on Saturday, December 8, Andi s baptismal sponsors were Lexie Berry and Kenzie and KelLee Rupiper. Andi is the granddaughter of Keith and Shelly Berry. We pray that God will be with and guide Andi forever. Church of the Damascus Road News Emanuel-St. John hosted the annual gathering and business meeting of the Church of the Damascus Road on November 11. About 40 interested people gathered to support and learn more about the function of the prison ministry. Mike Jacobson, CPA, answered business questions concerning finance operations of reentry teams. Next, Corey Dewey from CFR (Community Family Resources) offered information on addictions and prevention. After the meal, the annual meeting was conducted, updating everyone with a variety of reports. The highlight of the gathering was hearing from six former inmates as to how important CoDR was in their lives. At both prisons in Ft Dodge and Rockwell City, each inmate is provided three Christmas cards to be sent out. The cards are donated and CoDR pays the postage. Anyone may donate their extra Christmas cards at any time. On December 11, CoDR had a Christmas dinner for volunteers along with some of the inmates who were invited to share the meal and sing carols. The outside volunteers paid for the meals for about 80 people. Inmates continue to comment on how important CoDR and the volunteers are in their lives. May God continue to give strength to all involved. Raising our Voice for Iowa Children and Families Lutheran Day on the Hill Families struggling without access to mental healthcare. Human services providers overworked and underpaid. Former refugees striving to build new lives. These are all issues faced by Iowans. Join us to make sure they are heard at the Iowa State Capitol. Please consider joining Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) and the three Iowa synods of the ELCA for Lutheran Day on the Hill, an annual day of advocacy in Des Moines to uplift the needs of our neighbors. The event will be held on Tuesday, February 19. Visit next month for event details, online registration, and an online toolkit for your congregation. If you are new to advocacy, come learn more about the legislative process and your role as a citizen. If you ve attended before, join us again. We hope this year s schedule will also allow you more opportunities to connect with legislators. If you would like more information, please contact Deb Whitford, LSI s director of philanthropy and church relations, at Deborah.Whitford@LSIowa.org. Our Mission: Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service. LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and a member of LSA (Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations. Learn more at and Lost: an antique dish pan about 2 ft. in diameter, white with black rim. Last seen setting by entry area. Please contact Candace Booth if you know where it might be. Thank you.

5 January 27, 2019 Building a New Home After spending almost 20 years in a refugee camp in Nepal, Narayan and Chandra are grateful for the life they have built for their family with support from LSI s Refugee Community Services. After marrying in the camp, Narayan and Chandra resettled to Des Moines in Everything was new. Everything was different. Their child, Aaman, was a newborn, and they found themselves overwhelmed with medical bills. Chandra desperately wanted to pursue her medical career. At the time, it seemed impossible. But LSI helped Chandra enroll in college classes. Narayan started volunteering at LSI as an interpreter. Later, he became a full-time case manager with LSI, where he continues to lift up former refugees by connecting them to resources, educational activities, and supporting them as they pursue citizenship. LSI supported me and allowed me to provide for my family. It helped us establish ourselves in Iowa, he says. Chandra now works as a lab assistant in an Iowa pediatric clinic. Narayan and Chandra have become homeowners and feel confident, independent, and established in their new community. A reminder that reports to be included in the Annual Report to the congregation are due as soon as possible absolute deadline is January 7, The Annual Meeting of the congregation will be held Sunday, January 27, following the worship service (approximately 11:15 a.m.).