January 2019 Volume 13, Issue 1

Transcription

1 January 2019 Volume 13, Issue 1 Regular Features: The Newsletter of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, River Grove, Illinois Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Rev. Roger Gallup, Pastor "When Things Go Badly Wrong" Bd of Director s 2 God s Treasure Report 3 Flower Chart 5 Birthdays 7 Anniversaries 7 Calendar of Events 7 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:1-2 I wonder sometimes about the wise men. How long did it take before they realized their innocent question had caused a major upset? They were not fools. Probably the wise men served as part of a king's court somewhere, trusted advisors. They knew how rulers think. Once they knew that the baby they were seeking was neither Herod's son nor grandson, well... oops! Kings don't like rivals, even newborn ones. And their innocent question had started the whole mess. This happens to us, too, doesn't it? With the best of intentions we say or do something, only to find out later that we've made a mess of things. We didn't mean to, but that doesn't change the fact that we're in the middle of terrible trouble. How we wish we could turn back time! We can't, of course. But we can cry out to God, who has mercy on us and redeems even our terrible messes. Not even a murderous king was able to stop God's plan to (Continued on page 6) This Year Invest What God Has Given You Inside this Issue: Walther Fundraiser 2 Get Out of Comfort... 2 Stewardship 3 On-line Offerings 3 Worship Anew 4 Here I Am, Send Me! 4 Position Yourself to... 5 Invest What God has.. 6 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God s judgment seat. Romans 14:10 Judgment day will be characterized by two things: rewards and regrets! Jesus highlights this in the story of three servants who were given talents to invest on behalf of their master. The (Continued on page 6)

2 Serving GOD and the community since 1898 Board of Directors Chairman Gerald Erjavec Vice-Chairman Ray Bernero Secretary Kurt Kugelberg Treasurer Marian Sperling Financial Secretary Tim Saar Elders Harry McGinnis Properties Bob Schultz At-Large Liz Mork Diana Arndt Page 2 This Year Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Save the date for A Bronco Benefit: Funding Education and Scholarships on Saturday, January 26, So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Two of our biggest fears are failure and criticism. And they never completely go away. You can overcome them, but they ll show up when you face your next challenge. It s in accepting fear as part of life s journey instead of running from it that you learn to conquer it. Indeed, as you look back at what you ve already overcome, you realize that most times failure doesn t do permanent damage you actually grow stronger through it. If you re anxious today, God is saying to you, Don t be afraid, for I am with you. So trust Him, and get out of your comfort zone! An unknown poet wrote: I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I couldn t fail; the same four walls of busywork were really more like jail. I longed so much to do the things I d never done before, but stayed inside my comfort zone and paced the same old floor. I said it didn t matter that I wasn t doing much; I said I didn t care for things like dreams and goals and such. I claimed to be so busy with the things inside my zone, but deep inside I longed for something Walther Christian Academy. The Bethlehem Star special of my own. I couldn t let my life go by just watching others win; I held my breath and stepped outside and let the change begin. I took a step, and with new strength I d never felt before, I kissed my comfort zone goodbye, then closed and locked the door. If you are in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out, remember that all winners were at one time filled with doubt. The word for you today is: this year, get out of your comfort zone. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me get out and stay out of my comfort zone so that I can move and do the things You have prepared for me to do. In Jesus Name, Amen devotions.lccharities.org/

3 Volume 13, Issue 1 "Making His House Your Home" January 2019 Page 3 Stewardship: Gifts It is no secret that God calls us to be generous with the gifts He has given us. Throughout the Bible, we read that just as God has generously given to us, so are we to give generously one to another. As Jesus said, By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another John 13:35 and Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful Luke 6:36. But God also calls us to give to Him. And He, who does all things well, presses it into service for the benefit of all the people of God. See for example what God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, after he and the people were safely brought out of Egypt across the Red Sea on dry land: The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair, tanned rams' skins, goatskins,[a] acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. Ex. 25: 1-9 Notice in verse two that the Lord instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to take for me a contribution and that from everyone motivated from gratitude for what God has just accomplished and given to them, Moses is to gather up the contribution for me. Pay attention, though, why the Lord wants the people of Israel to gather up these contributions for Him. God tells Moses precisely why: let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. The purpose for the contribution of the Israelites was so that He may dwell with them, that He would live among them. Through the tabernacle and the priesthood, through their rites and ceremonies, through their feasts and festivals, as through means, the Lord God, who brought them out of the bondage of Egypt would live and dwell among them and be their God, and God s Treasure Report Date Attendance Income Goal Difference Year * 2347 $106, $108,476 -($1,625.74) Dec 2 55 $2, $2,308 $ Dec 9 45 $1, $2,308 -($653.00) Dec $1, $2,308 -($1,013.00) Dec $9, $2,308 $7, Dec (Included above) $0 $0 Dec (Included above) $0 $0 Dec $0 -($.00) YEAR 2707 $122, $117,708 $4, *The Year row are the totals for this church year prior to but NOT including the dates shown in the rest of the table. + includes Lenten services attendance & income lead them into the promised land, which flowed with milk and honey. God dwells among us still. In the fullness of time, God s son was born of woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law. He brought us out of bondage to sin, death, the devil, and Hell, and He did this by His obedient suffering and death, his resurrection and ascension. But He is not gone. He dwells with us through the means of His Word and His sacraments, through the preaching and the teaching of our pastors, through the rites and ceremonies of our liturgy. He dwells with us in the Church through those means. And He is leading us to the true promised land, to the new heavens and the new earth in the new creation. In the meantime, as God, even now, continues to call us to give to Him, let us, who have been saved from slavery to sin and death, the devil and hell, be so moved in our hearts as to give generously to Him so that the means of grace, the means of His gracious dwelling among us, would continue now and into the future. For just as He did then so does He do now. He presses the gifts given to Him into service for the benefit of all His people. He puts it to use so that we may have Him with us always, even unto the end of the age. On-Line Giving/Offerings: You can now schedule contributions to Bethlehem online through VANCO. To contribute online, visit our web site: and choose Donations in the top banner FREE Day-Old Bakery Open every Sunday morning 7:45am until 10:30am for more information contact: Harry McGinnis, Chair Bring your inkjet or laser cartridges to the narthex! We return them for a rebate For more information contact: Peggy Shabez

4 Page 4 The Bethlehem Star Here Am I. Send Me! Bethlehem Church was dedicated on Sunday, Nov 4, 1951 it was built adjacent to the old church building Our Church Staff Pastor Rev. Roger Gallup, M. Div., M.A. Office Home Director of Music Linda Erjavec, B.A Secretary Elizabeth Gallup x10 Isaiah writes, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! He said, Go! Isaiah 6:8-9. In the preceding Scriptures Isaiah was making all sorts of excuses and telling God why he wasn t qualified to do the job. But in God s kingdom, calling trumps credentials every time! And the litmus test isn t experience or expertise, it s availability and teachability. If you are willing to go when God gives you the green light, He will take you to inaccessible places and to do impossible things. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah all have one thing in common. They all said, Here am I. Isn t it ironic that we spend so much time and energy trying to figure out how to get to where God wants us to go, when all we have to do is simply say, Here am I? It s God s job to get us to where He wants us to go; our job is to make ourselves available. Like a doctor on call or a police officer on duty or a firefighter on shift, it s our readiness to respond that God is looking for. Sometimes it s a simple prompting to go out of our way and love our next-door neighbor. Sometimes it s a calling to move halfway around the world. But it always starts with the little three-word prayer of availability: Here am I. That s what Moses said at the burning bush. That s what Caleb said when he finally set foot in the Promised Land. And that s what God wants you to say today. Prayer: Heavenly Father, Here Am I. Help me to move forward with where it is You want me to go and do. In Jesus Name, Amen devotions.lccharities.org/ circa 1900 Bethlehem Church (foreground) and School (background) In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Phil 4:6 Would you like to submit a prayer request? Prayer is very powerful & Bethlehem has a powerful prayer chain. Sue Peavey, Chief Prayer Warrior susanpeavey@sbcglobal.net We will do the rest and many prayers will be made known to God.

5 Volume 13, Issue 1 "Making His House Your Home" January 2019 Page 5 Position Yourself to Receive The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 12:15 Positioning yourself to receive makes all the difference! For example, as you read this, if you position yourself to receive by saying to the Lord, I will take action on what You show me, you ll benefit more than if you read it just to be motivated or inspired. To resist or to receive that s a choice you make every day. Nothing dies quicker than a new idea in a closed mind. It s impossible to learn, if you think you already know it all. One of the reasons Jesus reacted so strongly to the Pharisees was because they refused to receive what He had to say. A wrongly positioned mind is like a microscope that magnifies trifling things but can t receive great ones. Every situation, properly viewed, is an opportunity. But opportunities can only drop into your lap if you position your lap where opportunities drop. When you don t position yourself to receive, it s like asking for a bushel while you re holding a cup. Too often our minds are locked on one track. We re looking for red so we overlook blue; we re thinking #8216; tomorrow and God is saying now. We re looking everywhere, and the answer is right under our nose. When a person is positioned correctly, he or she is ready to receive all God has for them. The Bible often uses the word simple. The original term means thick, dull, and sluggish, and it describes those who are insensitive and unreceptive to the thoughts of others. God will speak to you through people, but unless you listen you won t hear what He has to say. So today position yourself to receive. You cannot hear what you are not listening for! Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me for all the failed opportunities You have given me. Help me listen for Your talking through others that you have sent me. In Jesus Name, Amen devotions.lccharities.org/ Flower Chart 2019: We are all aware that flowers bring beauty to the altar as well as joy to the giver. Unfortunately, we have experienced problems with receiving payment. If you are like me we sign up when the flower chart is produced and then forget about it until the date comes up and our name appears in the bulletin as the donor. We leave church saying we have to pay for them and then time gets away from us and the thought is forgotten. Payment can be made in advance or at least during the month in which flowers were requested. God's blessings to each of you who donate flowers. Any questions you may contact Liz Mork. Pull Tabs Are you getting the Newsletter via ? If not please give pastor your address! We collect tabs to benefit Ronald McDonald House. Drop them off in the Narthex. Many thanks! Peggy Shabez chairperson River Grove Food Pantry If everyone coming to church brought just one item each Sunday, think how many lives we could touch. PLEASE USE OUR NEW: Tuition Credit Shopping Program for current & future students of Walther High School Linda McGinnis, Chairperson Contact: Sue Peavey

6 Page 6 The Bethlehem Star circa 1927 Bethlehem Church & Parsonage prior to remodeling of church building which occurred in 1928 "When Things Go Badly Wrong" (Continued from page 1) send a Savior. Nothing you or I could do will stop God from loving us, wanting us, and making us His own children through Jesus Christ our Lord. These things don't depend on us, but on God's gracious love. He will see us through every mess, until the day when He takes us to Himself. PRAYER: Lord, You know the messes I've created, and the trouble I have now. Forgive me, watch over me and those I love, and keep us in Your care. Amen. Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo. This Year Invest What God Has Given You (Continued from page 1) first two invested well and were rewarded, while the third one buried his talent and was judged accordingly. The first two considered their options, crunched the numbers, took the plunge, and were willing to risk failure. As a result their boss said, Well done, good and faithful servant Matthew 25:21. Now, God doesn t reward foolishness. So before you make a move, talk it over with Him (see Proverbs 3:5-6). The third servant, however, said, I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground Matthew 25:25. He made the most common and tragic mistake when it comes to giftedness: he failed to benefit his Master with his talent. Some invest their talents and give God credit, while others misuse theirs and give Him grief. Some honor Him with fruit, while others insult Him with excuses. And how does God feel about the latter? Get rid of this play-it-safe who won t go out on a limb Matthew 25:29. Fear is the opposite of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please [God] Hebrews 11:6. So, this year step out in faith; God won t let you down. Take a risk; He won t fail you. Even if you stumble on your way to success, He encourages you to envision the day when you ll feel His hand on your shoulder and hear the words: Well done, good and faithful servant! Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all the failures I have had that You have loved me through and forgiven me. Help me to move forward and invest what You have gifted me. In Jesus Name, Amen devotions.lccharities.org/ Our old church altar Daily Devotion-Lutheran Church Charities Read or listen to a great daily devotional Sundays-6am-WGN 720AM

7 Volume 13, Issue 1 "Making His House Your Home" January 2019 Page 7 Birthdays Banko, Justin Husby, Cody Saar, Angela Sepulveda, Cherish Sundt, Sharon Shabez, Jamie Johnson, Samantha Lara, Laura Bernero, Ray Hansen, Cassandra Lutzow, Joseph Olson, Beth 03-Jan 03-Jan 03-Jan 04-Jan 06-Jan 09-Jan 11-Jan 13-Jan 12-Jan 16-Jan 16-Jan 17-Jan Virzi, Nicole Kazumura, George Kosior, Jamie Jauch, Janice Fuerst, John Schutt, Derek Sundt, Angela Hansen, Kim Kruse, Clifford Capron, Peter Gallup, Elizabeth 17-Jan 20-Jan 21-Jan 21-Jan 22-Jan 22-Jan 22-Jan 25-Jan 25-Jan 26-Jan 29-Jan Anniversaries NONE ON OUR LIST Do you want to add to our Birthday or Anniversary list? Contact the Church Office: or just send us a note! January 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Epiphany 8:15am Bible Study 9:15am Service (C) 10:30am Coffee & nd Sunday after Epiphany 8:15am Bible Study 9:15am Service (I) 10:30am Coffee & rd Sunday after Epiphany 8:15am Bible Study 9:15am Service (C) 10:30am Coffee & th Sunday after Epiphany 8:15am Bible Study 9:15am Service (I) 10:30am Coffee & Note: (C) denotes Common Cup Communion Service and (I) denotes Individual Cup Communion Service;

8 Bethlehem Lutheran Church 2624 Oak Street River Grove, Illinois Celebrating God s Love since 1898 What We Teach and Confess As Lutherans -There is one true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. -All People are born in sin, and we sin against God every day. -Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is true God and true man. He came from heaven, lived a perfect life in our place and died a sacrificial death on the cross for all. -Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and opened the gates of heaven to all who trust in him. -God accepts all who believe in Jesus even though there is no merit or worthiness in us. -So that we might believe in Jesus, God has given us the ministry, which is the preaching of Christ and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord s Supper. Through these, God also gives us the forgiveness of sins. -When God brings people to faith, He also produces many good works in our lives. These are done, not to earn grace, but to do God s will and please him. We love him because he first loved us. -God has given every man, woman and child a calling in life. Within that calling He directs us, and through His Word, strengthens us to live for Him. -The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Bible is free from all error and contradiction in all that it says. The Word of God brings us to Jesus our Lord. ADVANCE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY CHICAGO, IL 8:15am Sundays For all you Early Risers used to coming to the first service - Join us for coffee and a topical discussion of the Bible with Pastor Gallup. Everyone interested in learning more about the Word are welcome! CHURCH: (708) PASTOR: NEWSLETTER Please any articles you want included in the next newsletter to: kugelberg@sbcglobal.net We re on the Web! Visit us at: bethlehemrivergrove.com WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday 9:15am Service Communion is celebrated every Sunday; common cup on the 1 st, 3 rd and 5 th Sunday & individual cup on the 2 nd and 4 th Sunday.