A Newsletter concerning the
Mission and Ministry
of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, La Porte, IN
Vol. 54 NOVEMBER 2005 No. 9
From Pastor Young:
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, "worshipping the ground they walk on." This
figure of speech refers to the way some people bow down to every whim, request
and demand made by others. It is a referent to one party waiting on and
fulfilling the requests imposed by others, and often the requesting party
becomes the master and the “worshippers” suffer obediently in meeting the
demands of their “god.”
The common folk of China, when demonstrating submission to their emperors who
had and exercised the authority of life and death over their subjects, were
required to kneel and touch their foreheads to the earth. The act of doing that
literally translates into the English language with the meaning "to knock the
head." They bowed down before their leaders and "knocked the head" on the
ground, or in essence, “kissed the ground” they walked on. Our English language
has translated that Chinese word as "kowtow." That Greek word for “kissing
the soil” is the one that is interpreted into English as “worship.”
In the last book of the Bible, the Lord gives to the Apostle John, through
the pen of this holy writer, a revelation of what was, what is, and what is to
come. In the book of Revelation, we are privileged to gain a glimpse of what
awaits us when we cross over from the Church Militant here on this earth to the
Church Triumphant in Paradise. “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet
of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Do not do it!
I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all
who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (Revelation 22:8-9)
From these words and actions of Saint John and from the admonition and
command of the angel, we understand that there are certain expectations and
limits concerning
worship. The archaic angel, evidently under the impression that one really ought
to know what one is doing when bowing down and what one hopes to receive in such
a posture, says “Worship God.” So, what is this thing we call worship?
We come to worship "in sorrow and contrition, wounded, impotent, and
blind" (LW 96) and before the Lord we bow. In sorrow over our sins which justly
deserve the eternal wrath of God, we present ourselves before the Lord God
Almighty. But, what do we hear from Him and what does He do? Instead of giving
us what we deserve or instead of demanding from us a payment we could never
make, He says, what John heard in the Revelation: “Fear not.”
Worship that pleases God is the one where the Good News of Jesus Christ is
proclaimed ... where we “keep the words of this book,” where the children
of God hear the blessings of Baptism and live in Christ ... where the people of
God receive the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation in the
absolving Gospel ... where "the people are ... admonished concerning the
value and use of the sacrament and the great consolation it offers to anxious
consciences, that they may learn to believe in God and ask for and expect
whatever is good from God. Such worship pleases God, and such use of the
sacrament nourishes devotion to God" (Augsburg Confession, XXIV).
The Lord Jesus, whose sin-atoning death paid the price for all sins, declares
to you in our worship, "Fear not, neither do I condemn you; go and sin
no more" (John 8:11). In worship, this Jesus, who, having done the Father's
will, sends His Spirit to comfort us: "Fear not you little children,
for your sins are forgiven for His sake” (1 John 2:12). Worship is not God’s
demand that we appear before Him to curry His favor by our good works or acts of
obedience. We don't bow before Him trying to impress Him with how much we have
done. We don't seek to be in His presence because of any righteousness of our
own. No. Our loving and caring God does not desire to “knock you on the head” so
that you might “kiss the ground He walks on.” He calls, gathers and enlightens
by His Holy Spirit in Worship through His Word and the promises made in, with
and under the bread and wine in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. His call is
not to “kowtow” as oppressed servants to a merciless master, but His call is
made in agape love so that the Master may “not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
As your fellow servant, I desire you not to approach your worship of the
Triune God as one might “kowtow” before an angry task-master who has and
continues to exercise authority over you in life and death; but rather for you
to come into His house with thanksgiving and joy for all He has done for your
life.
Worship gives life. It sustains life. It
restores life. It contains what was, what is, and what is to come. As we
celebrate the end of our church year in preparation of the Advent of our Lord,
what a great God the Lord is and what a wonderful thing He has done in sending
His angel to tell John and us ... “Worship God.”
Your fellow servant,
Pastor Young
FROM PASTOR BRAUER
A Cheerful Giver
Our theme verse this month, under the banner of “Sowing Seeds for the
Harvest,” comes from 2 Corinthians 9:7. “Each man should give what he has
decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves
a cheerful giver.”
Our giving comes from our heart. We have truly seen this at St. John’s in the
past few weeks. There was the toy collection for Christmas gifts for children in
the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, held in conjunction with the
local Lutheran Laymen’s League. There was the clean up buckets destined for
helping our ‘adopted’ churches in the Gulf States region, particularly in the
New Orleans area, in conjunction with our Indiana District. There was a bake
sale, and our school children have donated money in excess of $1300 that will go
to help reestablish churches and homes of people ruined in the hurricanes and
flooding.
All that comes from the heart, motivated not by guilt but by love. “We love
because He first loved us,” as I John 4:19 tells us. Jesus Christ showed His
great love for us by dying on the cross for us miserable sinners, and giving us
new life by His glorious resurrection. It cost God the life of His one and only
Son, yet God did it because He so loved the world. If we could only peek into
the heart of God to know what made Him do this for us! But that will remain a
mystery this side of heaven. We do, however, see His gifts around which we
gather, namely His Word and Sacraments.
God also provides us with what is needed to support this body in life. He
gives us clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home—all our goods—to be
used to His glory and to the furthering of His kingdom. And God even gives us
the joy to give these blessings to others in their need.
The Apostle Paul, in our verse above, uses a word that describes the manner
in which we give our gifts. The Greek word is i`laro,j
which is pronounced /hill-air-ous/ from which we get the word hilarious. God
loves a hilarious giver. Look up the meaning of the word hilarious and we know
it to mean ‘cheerful, glad, gracious, even to the extent of noisily merry,
boisterous and cheerful.’ (Thank you, Noah Webster!)
A cross-reference in my one Bible cites Proverbs 11:24 as being related to
our verse above. It reads, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and
there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.” As you
ponder on that verse of Wisdom, we know that those who tend to give cheerfully
never seem to be in want. Their needs are provided by God. On the other hand,
those who tend to hold back, doubting that God will take care of their needs,
seem to be in want. “There’s more month left after the end of the money” is
their motto. Their giving is done with reservation, fearing that they will join
those in poverty.
So how do we give with ‘boisterous and cheerful’ hearts? First, we look at
what true giving is by seeing how God through Jesus Christ gave and continues to
give. You woke up this morning and tasted your food, dressed, and began your day
of service in your vocation. All these are gifts God chose to give you
cheerfully, because He loves you! He protects you from the attacks of Satan and
daily and richly forgives you all your sins. All this out of Fatherly divine
goodness and mercy. That’s First Article faith!
Next, we receive from God the faith to trust Him in all things. He clothes
the flowers of the field, yet He will take even more care of you! (Matthew
6:25-34—check this out!) Thirdly, we live by faith, not by works, trusting in
God’s tender mercies to bless us. Psalm 40:11 tells us, “Do not withhold Your
tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your loving kindness and Your truth
continually preserve me.”
God preserves you in order for you to serve Him. As a baptized child of God,
you are made a member of His family, the Church. He equips the Church with the
resources needed to hallow His name and let His kingdom come as His will is done
on earth as in heaven. He generously puts into your pocket what is needed to
sustain you as well as to sustain the Church. As the theme verse from our
‘Sowing Seeds for the Harvest’ clearly tells us, “You will be made rich in every
way to that you can be generous on every occasion,” and that generosity leads to
thanksgiving to God.
We are stewards of the generosity of God. We take care of all God has given
by scattering what He has given, just as the Sower with seed. Our Stewardship
Board at St. John’s has been entrusted with the care of God’s gifts to His
Church. Your cheerful giving—your tithes and offerings given regularly in faith
and gratitude in your hearts—pleases God and serves those who need to hear of
their salvation in Jesus Christ. May God so bless you to be a blessing to others
through your time, talent, treasure, and even your very body!
Pastor Ron Brauer
Matthew 11:28-30
Principal’s Page - Mr. Wippich
Church Newsletter...Nov. 2005
I. Calendar items:
11/3 Principal Conference, Munster
11/11 Book Fair, Delivery 11/14-18, Pick-up 11/21
11/20 Civic Rehearsal, 2:00 pm
11/27 Civic Rehearsal, 2:00 pm
12/4 Christmas Concert at Civic, 5:00 pm
12/14 Children’s Christmas Service, 6:30 pm
12/15 PTL Craft Fair (We need volunteers to help, please call the school
office).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
His Word, Our Joy:
Due to a mailing glitch, not everyone was informed about a new fellowship
that started this fall. This time of listening to God’s Word, singing and
praying together has been renamed “His Word, Our Joy”.
“His Word” may be read, presented in dramas, delivered through object
lessons, or read as a children’s book while the adults view the pictures from
the power point screen.
“Our Joy” will be expressed in various ways – singing in a contemporary
style, singing old favorite hymns, and singing children’s songs. Our prayers
together will include prayers of thanksgiving and praise, but also prayers of
petition and intersession for those whose needs we know. If you have pray
requests, please call Diane Wilczewski at 325-8022 and she will compile a list
for the next “His Word, Our Joy”.
We will be meeting in the gymnasium of the school at 6:30 PM for 30-40
minutes. “His Word, Our Joy” meets on alternating Sundays with the Youth Group;
if the Youth Group is meeting, we will not; always check the church calendar and
Sunday morning bulletin for which Sunday is Youth Group and which Sunday is “His
Word, Our Joy”. We will not meet over the Christmas holidays.
We encourage you to attend the regular worship service on either Saturday
evening at 7 pm or Sunday mornings at either 8 am or 10:45 am. “His Word, Our
Joy” is not designed to replace your worship in God’s House. It is an
extension of one’s Sabbath Day. We encourage you to come and study God’s word
and to express your joy!
Support our Youth Group:
Saturday, November 12, aluminum cans and scrap iron will be collected and
transported to the recycler by our youth. This is being held on Market Day, so
please bring your cans and scrap iron when you come to pick up your supply of
food. Al Vollmer has volunteered to oversee this project. Drop-off point will be
by the school entry on November 12 only. Watch for more details later.
Urgently Needed: We have an urgent need for someone to provide
child care between services on Sunday mornings. There are several parents of
children, that are too young to attend Sunday School, who would like to attend
Adult Bible Study. If you would like to help out, please call the church office.
From the Board of Parish Fellowship:
If you are blessed with a good recipe for something pumpkin, we would like to
hear from you. Our Pumpkin Fest is rapidly approaching — November 13 between
services. If you would like to donate a pumpkin item, contact Linda Peters at
393-3496 or Marilyn Sawyer at 362-6069. The $2.00 suggested donation per family
will help defray the cost of the Outdoor Service and Hog Roast/Family Picnic for
2006.
Thrivent News:
Thrivent Financial members; please meet Sunday, November 13, in the school
cafeteria, at the designated area, during Fellowship Coffee, to vote for the
nominees of the 2006 Thrivent Financial Leadership Board of the La Porte County
Chapter. You should have received a newsletter this past week, from the home
office in Appleton, Wisconsin, including a ballot and information. Please bring
the ballot on Sunday, November 13, and exercise your right to vote in your La
Porte County Leadership Board election. Any questions, please call Imogene Dahl
at 324-6668.
New Discipleship Class to start November 6:
Pastor Brauer will begin a new Discipleship class during the Bible study time on
Sunday, November 6. This class has two purposes: one, to give instruction to
those who desire to become members of St. John’s and two, serve as a ‘refresher’
course in the teachings of the Christian Church, specifically the Lutheran
Church. The Holy Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism are the
two books used, (prospects will receive their own new copy) and handouts will
facilitate class discussions. If it has been over three years since you ‘brushed
up’ on your catechism, why not consider reviewing your catechism with us! If you
know prospective members, why not invite them to join you as you and they
together learn the eternal truths of God’s Holy Work! The course will conclude
in January 2006. If you have questions or would like to see the outline of the
class please contact Pastor Brauer.
“Sowing Seeds for the Harvest”: Remember that our three year
commitments to our “Sowing Seeds” program began on October 16. Please pick up
some of the bright yellow envelopes, that were donated to us for use during this
fundraiser, in the Narthex. They are bundled in packets of 12, 36 or 52. Please
pick up as many as you need and use them for your commitments. They may also be
picked up in the church office.
.
Bible Classes for this Fall at St. John's Lutheran Church
Sundays
