The Grapevine February 2019 Zion Lutheran Church 700 Main St., Clyman, WI 53016-0220 Cell (920) 342-1578 In this issue: Pastor s Report 1 Secretary s Report 2 Financial Reports Kids Page February Birthdays and Anniversaries 3 thru 5 6 and 7 Stewardship 8 February Calendar 9 10 From the Pastor s Desk February 2019 Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! Have you ever been lost, and I mean really lost. I'm not talking about taking a wrong turn and ending up in Rio instead of Columbus. I mean little child in a big store who gets separated from his parents and panic sets in lost. Especially when we are children it can be terrifying not knowing where we are and not knowing where to go. I would submit to you that we live in a world of lost children stumbling about and not knowing where to go or where they are going when they leave this world. I am talking about unbelievers. At this point you might think, "I know a lot of unbelievers and they don't seem scared." and that may be true. But have you ever sat by the bedside of an unbeliever or one weak in his faith while he is dying. Such people tend to be terrified because they just don't know where they are going. The good news is that there is someone that gives direction in our lives, and that is God speaking to us in his Word. Psalm 119: 105 says, "Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path." God's Word is the only thing that guides us through this world and brings us to heaven for two reasons: 1. It shows us Jesus our Savior and teaches us that salvation is found only in his redeeming work. 2. The Holy Spirit works through God's Word to create and strengthen faith. It is faith that lays hold of Christ's gift of salvation and makes it ours. Do you know anyone who does not know that Jesus is their Savior? Do you know someone who is struggling with their faith and does not go to church or someone who is having a hard time in life and needs the hope and guidance that only God can give. is a great way to teach children the truth of God. If you have children in your family who could come to it, bring them. If there are children who live by you who have no church home, invite them and their parents. Bible class also helps us in our relationship with God. It gives Christians a chance to dig deeper into the Word and get to know their God and His ways better. We live in a world that is hostile to our God and His truth. The better we know Him the better we can stand with Him. So come to class if you can and invite a friend to come with you. Keep growing in the Word and spreading it, for that makes all the difference between merely having a church and being God's church. Your Vacancy Shepherd under Christ, Pastor Matthew Martin
LCMS Stewardship Ministry Newsletter Article February 2019 The season of Epiphany focuses on how God was made manifest in the flesh of Jesus. The church spends time hearing of the miracles, the signs and wonders, of Jesus in the world. And this made plain to all that Jesus was who He said He was: He was the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only-begotten Son of the Father, in the flesh. For the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). It is revealed for all the world to see that Jesus is God in the flesh. It is made manifest by His words and His work, by what He said and by what He did. And these belong together, for the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the Word and will of God in the flesh, that is, He is the walking, talking, enactment of God s Word. It is no different for us. We are called not just to believe in God in hearts, but also to trust in God in word and deed. As James wrote: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22), and again, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead (James 2:14, 17 18, 26). Our faith is lived out in works for our neighbor. Our trust in the Word and will of God is lived out not in word only, but also in deed and in truth. In other words, the Epiphany of the Lord creates in us an epiphany of our faith in our works of obedience to God who commanded them. By this, our faith is made manifest to the world. It is, as Luther wrote of faith: Faith is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God (John 1). It kills the old Adam and makes altogether different people, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. And so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. He who does not these works is a faithless man. He gropes and looks about after faith and good works and knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, though he talks and talks, with many words about faith and good works. Faith is a living, daring confidence in God s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. This confidence in God s grace and knowledge of it makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all His creatures. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit in faith. Hence a man is ready and glad, without compulsion, to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, in love and praise to God, who has shown him this grace. And thus it is impossible to separate works from faith, quite as impossible as to separate burning and shining from fire. Beware, therefore, of your own false notions and of the idle talkers, who would be wise enough to make decisions about faith and good works, and yet are the greatest fools. (Preface to the Book of Romans) So, then, let our faith be active by God s power in the Word through the Holy Spirit. And let then our faith be made manifest to the world by what this faith does: serving our neighbor in church, in the family, and society with the works of faith in time, talents, and treasures.
Henry L 2/2 Evie C 2/3 Erica G 2/4 Kimberly W 2/4 Carleen R 2/4 Lynn S 2/6 Sharon C 2/9 Luis H 2/11 Pat H 2/18 Chris L 2/18 Robert S 2/19 Lisa F 2/21 Theodore O III 2/23 Diane L 2/26 William S 2/27 Larry & Linda F 2/3 Neal & Kris K 2/14 Robert & Lynn S 2/22 We have some couples that will be celebrating a special anniversary Wish them many many more! Larry & Linda Feilbach will be celebrating 40 years of marriage this year and Robert and Lynn Schaal will be celebrating 50 years. Congratulations to both couples!!!!
2019 Altar Guild for February Erica G 920-261-9607 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 Elder: Jason Usher Team # 1 Food Shelf Sunday 4 5 6 7 Quilting 10am to 2pm Elder s Meeting 6pm Council Meeting 6:30pm 8 9 10 Elder: Scott Usher Team # 2 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Elder: Gary Usher Team # 3 18 19 20 7 Quilting 10am to 2pm 8 23 GRAPEVINE ARTICLES ARE DUE 24 Elder: Dave Usher Team # 4 25 26 27 28