23rd Sunday after Pentecost October 23, 2016 CHRISTIAN CHARACTER: SERVE GOD ABOVE ALL www.sothgreeley.org
SEEKING THE LOST...FEEDING THE FOUND...WITH GOD S WORD AND SACRAMENTS Pastor Matthew Holtz Church Office: 970-353-6582 Cell Phone: 970-576-1154 Email: pastor@sothgreeley.org Those who serve: Organist: Ushers: Rachel Meyer Andy Hinz & Joe Moya Welcome to everyone, especially to all our guests. We are so glad you have chosen to attend Shepherd of the Hills for worship today. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us, please speak with Pastor Holtz. Are you wondering what the Best Next Step at Shepherd of the Hills is? We encourage you to worship with us again and talk to Pastor Holtz about FaithBuilders. Information on this Bible course can be found in the announcements on page 13. Restrooms are located on the left as you exit the sanctuary and in the Fellowship Hall to your right. Cry-Room - If you have a young child or nursing infant and are in need of a cry-room, you will find it located in the Fellowship Hall in the first room on the right. A television in that room has a live audio/ video feed of the service. Children s Bulletins for Ages 3 6 are available from the ushers. These bulletins are a quiet and fun way to involve young children in worship and teach them the Bible. 2
ORDER OF SERVICE OPENING HYMN Jesus Calls Us O er the Tumult Christian Worship 463 STAND M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. Confession of Sins M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. LORD, HAVE MERCY M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. 3
Prayer and Praise M: In the peace of forgiveness let us praise the Lord. GLORY BE TO GOD 4
PRAYER OF THE DAY M: Let us pray. God, our refuge and strength, have mercy on your Church, as we come in prayer before you. Answer us not in judgment on our sins, but in peace and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. BE SEATED The Word FIRST LESSON Joshua 7:1,19-26 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord s anger burned against Israel. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me. 20 Achan replied, It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath. 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today. Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. (NIV) M: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! 5
PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 119b Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;* then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law* and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands,* for there I find delight. Refrain Turn my eyes away from worthless things;* preserve my life according to your Word. Fulfill your promise to your servant,* so that you may be feared. How I long for your precepts!* Preserve my life in your righteousness. Glory be to the Father and to the Son* and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,* is now, and will be forever. Amen. Refrain 6
SECOND LESSON 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (NIV) M: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! VERSE OF THE DAY 7
STAND GOSPEL Luke 18:18-27 M: The Gospel according to Luke chapter 18. 18 A certain ruler asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 19 Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. [a] 21 All these I have kept since I was a boy, he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. 26 Those who heard this asked, Who then can be saved? 27 Jesus replied, What is impossible with man is possible with God. (NIV) M: This is the Gospel of our Lord. BE SEATED HYMN OF THE DAY O Holy Spirit, Grant Us Grace Christian Worship 185 SERMON 8
STAND APOSTLES 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. BE SEATED OFFERING In response to God s love, we bring him our offerings. The members of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church have joined together to do the Lord's work in this community and around the world. Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry. We ask that everyone, both guests and members, sign the worship register during the collection of the offering so that we might have record of who joined us and invite you to upcoming events. STAND PRAYER OF THE CHURCH M: O Lord, our God, you are wise and powerful, good and gracious. Your mercies are new every morning. Each day you open your hand and provide for the needs of your children on earth. C: We praise you for every grace and blessing. M: Strengthen your Church in all the world. Let your comforting message of salvation in Christ Jesus be proclaimed to troubled souls everywhere. C: Use our ministries and offerings to extend your healing and your hope. M: We bring you our requests for the various structures of our society. Bless our national, state (provincial), and local governments. C: Grant us civil servants who are worthy of honor and respect. M: Grant prosperity to our businesses and industries. Give employers a sense of fairness to ward their workers, and employees a feeling of joy and pride in their workmanship. 9
C: Help us find satisfaction in all work well done. M: Invigorate the schools of our land. Give success to every effort that helps students read, think, and communicate in ways that will promote an informed and responsible citizenry. Arouse curious minds to discover the wonders of your created order. C: Give us teachers and students who pursue excellence. M: Strengthen the families of our country. Give fathers and mothers a renewed commitment to be good parents. Give children and young people the wisdom to regard their parents as your representatives. C: Lead us to love one another as you have loved us. Special prayers and intercessions may follow. M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions. Silent prayer. M: Gracious Father, we pray boldly as Jesus taught, with the confidence that you will hear and with the faith that you will respond for our welfare. C: Amen. LORD S PRAYER C: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. BE SEATED HYMN The Law Commands and Makes Us Know Christian Worship 286 STAND M: Almighty God, grant to your Church the Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes from above. Let nothing hinder your Word from being freely proclaimed to the joy and edifying of Christ s holy people, so that we may serve you in steadfast faith and confess your name as long as we live, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. 10
THE BLESSING M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. C: Amen. BE SEATED CLOSING HYMN What Is the World to Me Christian Worship 477 The following items are reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-711278 Divine Service I Christian Worship Supplement: 2008 Northwestern Publishing House Divine Service II Christian Worship Supplement: 2008 Northwestern Publishing House Clip art used by permission from paramentics.com This Week s Activities ( v i s i t o r s w e l c o m e! ) Today... 9am Sunday Worship 10:15am Bible Study & Sunday School Saturday... 9am CPR Class 10am Choir Practice Church Cleaners: Bollmeier & Meyer/Gould Sunday... 9am Sunday Communion Worship 10:15am Open Forum Meeting and Potluck 10:45am Sunday School Monday... 9am Circuit Meeting in Loveland Ushers: Ehrlich & Sinner Snacks: Coffey & Debban 11
Announcements Sunday School: Classes for children age 3 through Grade 9 will meet in the church by the piano for Music Time at 10:15 a.m. Children will then go to their classrooms for today s lesson on Jacob Tricks Isaac. Idols We Never Knew We Had: A wood-carved animal figurine. A chiseled stone statue. A golden goddess. Do you have an idol-worship area set up in your home? We would say Definitely not! I don t bow down to idols! But sometimes we do worship idols and make them our gods, not even realizing they are there. Our Sunday Bible Study finishes with Lesson 8 today. Today s Idol Lesson is on the idol Religion This class meets at 10:15am in the Bible Class Room of the Education Wing. Open Forum and Potluck: On Sunday, October 30 (Reformation Sunday) at 10:15 a.m. we will hold an Open Forum and Potluck in the Fellowship Hall. We will meet to discuss our Ministry Plans for 2017 and how to fund those Ministry Plans. Pastor Holtz and the Council of Elder look forward to your input. Please plan on attending and bring a dish to pass. A sign up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. During the Open Forum the Sunday School will meet for a age an appropriate video Bible Lesson on the Reformation. Annual Voters Meeting: On Sunday, November 6 we will hold our Annual Voters meeting at 10:15 a.m. in the Worship Area. We will vote on: 1) Ministry Plan and Budget 2) Election of 4 men into the following Council of Elders positions: Facilities Elder Fellowship Elder Finance Elder Spiritual Growth Elder The election ballot will be announced at the Open Forum on October 30. New Sunday Bible Class Starts November 13: Have you ever felt unprepared to talk about today s hot-button issues from a Christian perpective? Do you wish you could be better equipped to defend why you believe what you do when your faith is challenged, and yet do it in a loving way? Our upcoming study, Timely Topics, Timeless Truths, will equip you with biblical truths for engaging in challenging issues with family, friends, and coworkers. We will dig into these interesting topics: Intelligent Design, Global Warming, Santa Claus and Close Communion. We hope to see you there! 12
WELS Front Range Reformation Worship Service: The WELS Front Range Reformation Service will be on Sunday, November 6 at 3pm. It will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (2100 N. Wadsworth, Lakewood, CO). Our congregation has been asked to provide 6 batches of cookies or pans of bars for after service snacks. If you would like to provide some of those snacks please sign up on the sheet on the Fellowship Hall Bulletin Board. Please have your snacks in the church kitchen by the morning of November 6. Please have cookies or bars in a disposable container so the event organizers don t have to worry about returning any valuable containers/plates. If you will be attending the worship service and can bring our snacks down to the service, please sign up on the sheet as well. SOAR Food Drive and Turkey Trot: Our next SOAR (Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Activities & Recreation) activity will be running the Greeley Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th. In order to have a little fun and also help our community, SOAR will sponsor a food drive contest. Our congregation will be divided into two groups by last names A-L, M-Z. Bring food into church and put into the appropriate box A-L or M-Z. The group with the most food items wins and the losing team has to wear striped red and white peppermint hats for the Turkey Trot race. Food will be collected until November 19th with the winners and the hat-wearing team announced Sunday, November 20th. If you are interested in running the Turkey Trot, please sign-up on the bulletin board and write your T-shirt size. We will be ordering T-shirts to wear on race day using a Thrivent grant. (Please note, you will also have register to run the Turkey Trot at Active.com, NCMC Turkey Trot, $25-Adult, $15-Children 17 and under.) Please see Kim Bollmeier with any questions. Save the Dates: There are a number of important events that you should know ahead of and put in your calendars. Thanksgiving Potluck and Volunteer Recognition - Sunday, November 20 at 10:15am. Greeley Lights the Night Parade - Saturday, November 26 at 5:30pm. Pie Feast - Wednesday, November 23 after Thanksgiving Eve Worship. FaithBuilders: FaithBuilders is our basic Bible course which covers the four key concepts of the Bible: Sin, Grace, Faith, and Works. FaithBuilders is for people interested in becoming members of Shepherd of the Hills, or for people just looking to build their faith through the study of the basic teachings of the Bible. This study is offered quarterly. Please speak to or email Pastor Holtz (pastor@sothgreeley.org) if you d like to attend the next session. Childcare can be provided. 13
Fall Festival Thank You: Thank you to all who helped in any way at our recent Fall Festival. We had 102 guests joins us for worship. 167 attended the Fall Festival. We were able to meet all of the Fall Festival Committee goals: Have unchurched preschool families attend worship (6 out of 13 families did) Gain more unchurched family contacts Have current unchurched families reconnect with our church Have 25% of members volunteer Have 50% of members attend Fall Festival Maintenance Men s Group: The Maintenance Men s Group will meet on Sunday, November 5 beginning at 9am. We ll meet in the Fellowship Hall for a brief Bible Study and then get to work on some indoor and outside projects. Advent by Candlelight: It s never too early to mark your calendar for an important event! Abiding Love will host Advent by Candlelight for ladies of our area congregations, their female family members, friends and neighbors, on Sunday, November 20th. Mark your calendar now for 2:00pm. There is no charge for this event. This will be a wonderful afternoon of the Word, beautiful music, delicious sweets, savories, and fellowship. The event will help prepare our hearts for the Advent season before the holidays get into full swing. 14
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church Food Drive S.O.A.R (Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Activities & Recreation) K-group will sponsor a food drive contest for the Weld County Food Bank, October 17th November 19th. Our congregation will be divided into two groups by last names A-L, M-Z. The group with the most food items wins and the losing team has to wear red and white striped hats for the Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving Day. Please place your food in the boxes located in the Church Fellowship Hall. Please join in the fun and donate to help our community! Listed below are the most needed food items: Canned Meat or Tuna Canned Fruit Peanut Butter Cereal Rice Canned Vegetables Pasta Sauce Canned Meals/Chili/Stew Thank you for your help! SOAR K-Group 15
Church Leadership at Shepherd of the Hills Council of Elders Facilities Elder:... Bret Bollmeier (970-420-0979; bkbollmeier@yahoo.com) Finances Elder:... Ib Meyer (970-396-8957; ibvanmeyer@yahoo.com) Fellowship Elder:... Dan Hohenstein** (970-396-2938; deacondan7@gmail.com) Outreach Elder:...Phil Prellwitz (970-356-5547; ptjprell@hotmail.com) Spiritual Growth Elder:...vacant * Chairman ** Secretary Staff Pastor: Matt Holtz Preschool Director/Teacher: Karen Schott Pre-Kindergarten Teacher: Elizabeth Hohenstein Pre-Kindergarten Aide: Rachel Meyer Preschool Aide & Nurse: Liz Ham Church/Preschool Secretary: Kim Schulz 950 43 rd Ave Greeley, CO 80634 WELCOME TO SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS God s grace welcomes you, no matter who you are or where you are from and so do we. We believe that Jesus Christ is the true Savior of all people. By his perfect life, innocent death, and triumphant resurrection he has won forgiveness for all lost sinners even without our help. Through faith in what Jesus has done, God makes believers special people, right with God and ready for life! We learn this from the Bible, God s authentic message of grace and guidance for us. Whether you are a first time visitor or a returning guest, we are delighted to share our worship with you. You are always welcome here, so please worship with us again soon! Shepherd of the Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church began public worship in 1975, so that with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we might strengthen the faith of our members and reach out into our community and the world. It is a congregation of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). The WELS so -named because it began in Wisconsin has about 400,000 members, congregations in all 50 states, and missions throughout the world. For more information about WELS go to www.wels.net. S h e p h e r d o f t h e Hills h a s J e s u s, the Good Shepherd s mi s s i o n, t o S EEK THE LOS T a n d FEED THE FOU N D w i t h God s Wo r d a n d S a c r a me n t s. 16