[God the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13,14
When I was about nine years old, I almost drowned. I was not an inexperienced swimmer. The problem was, I was over-confident in my experience and ignorant of my limitations. As I was doing laps, my brain said, “Keep going!” But my body said, “I’m done.” As I sank into the murky waters, a hand grabbed for me, and then an arm embraced me and pulled me safely to the pool’s edge. My father had risked his life to rescue me.
Over-confidence in our abilities and ignorance of our limitations is a universal problem. We think we can navigate life just fine on our own. But it doesn’t matter how good we are. It doesn’t matter if we are better than others. We are drowning in a cesspool of sin. And as if nothing is wrong, our fallen nature says, “Keep going!”
Not until God hits us with the realization of the hopelessness of our efforts does our law-stricken heart scream, “I’m done for!”
God has heard our cry for help. Seeing us sinking down, Christ climbed down from his throne in heaven and jumped into this sin-filled world in order to save us. To do so, he had to more than risk his life. He gave his life in exchange for ours. He suffered the death we deserved so that we might live. But he does even more than that. Through baptism, God washes the moral filth from us and dresses us in the clean robe of Jesus’ sinless virtue. In him, you and I have complete deliverance.
Even so, sometimes we still feel that we are swimming through dark times. The more we focus on that darkness, the more we drown in our doubts and fears. But when we focus on Jesus, the Light of the world, and trust his saving power, he gives us new life. Praise the one who breaks the darkness!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for delivering me from the hopelessness and despair of this dark world. Your love and forgiveness fill me with joy. Enable me to live as a child of light. Amen.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
I’ve never liked changing my clothes. Ever since I was a boy, changing clothes seemed like such a bother. I was too busy to change my clothes. I had places to go and things to do. My mother thought differently. When my brothers and I would come home after a long summer day of playing in the dirt and mud, our mom would tell us in no uncertain terms, “Change out of those filthy clothes before you come into this house!” She would not have her well-kept house fouled by our filthy clothes.
Spiritually speaking, we are all filthy. We were born with a self-serving, self-seeking, sinful attitude. That sinful attitude has shown itself in what we have said and done against other people and against the God who made us. There is no way God will allow anyone into his holy home called heaven unless they are spiritually clean. Fortunately, that is precisely what Jesus did for us. He lived a sinless life. Through faith in Jesus, we are robed with his righteousness. In God’s eyes, we are cleaned up and he promises us entrance into his home of heaven.
While we are living here, though, we are still stained with sin. We are constantly changing our spiritual clothes—that is taking off our old sinful self and putting on the new self, Jesus has created us to be. It is not easy. You will not always feel like changing. But, keep doing it! Toss aside your old sinful self like a pair of dirty jeans. In its place put on the new self—the holy self, Jesus has made you to be.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for earning a new set of spiritual clothes for me. Empower me to throw off my sinful self today to put on your holiness in its place. Amen.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:14
The next time you’re in a bookstore, take a quick look through the crime section. You might come across a book entitled, How to Become a Professional Con Artist. The book is written by a retired police officer who spent his career pursuing individuals who deceived people for a living. In his book, the author describes some of the classic scams used by con artists, and why those scams work so well. The book arms you with a good understanding of what is legitimate and what is a fraud. That kind of understanding is necessary so that you are not so vulnerable to every scam out there.
The Apostle Paul makes the same point about any Christian living in this sinful world. There are all kinds of spiritual scams vying for our souls. These scams can come from the world itself, from the devil, or even from our own sinful heads. The difference with these scams is that while other scams are simply out for our money or valuables, scams for our souls are far worse. After all, scams for our souls can be permanent and deadly.
Of all the spiritual scams, perhaps the most dangerous one is this: The notion that even if it’s been years since you’ve studied God’s Word in any serious way, that you’re just too strong of a Christian ever to be deceived.
If that’s what you think, then the Lord warns you that you are being deceived by a very old and dangerous scam.
The solution? The solution is Jesus. Come to him in repentance. Be refreshed in his forgiveness purchased at Calvary’s cross. And then arm yourself in his Word with a renewed sense of seriousness and purpose. For when you do, you will give all the spiritual scam artists in the world a very bad day.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in this world of confusion and lies, you are the Way and the Truth. Empower me by your Spirit to arm myself in your Word. Amen.
A pastor once said in a sermon, “The church is not supposed to be a museum of saints, where we show off. Nor is it a courtroom where we judge the world. The church is a hospital for sinners.” This is because, spiritually speaking, we are like the battered man in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Our sins have wounded us. We have been stripped naked of our righteousness. We are completely helpless and exposed. Jesus is like the good Samaritan. He comes to bind up our wounds. He comes to clothe us with his love and forgiveness. He pays for our room in his eternal kingdom.
But that is not all Jesus was teaching with his parable. At the end of the Good Samaritan, he told those who were listening, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). In other words, although only Jesus has truly lived like the good Samaritan, he calls us to follow his example. He wants us to be good Samaritans in our lives as well. He wants us to live lives of love in action.
We might think about it this way: We go to the hospital when we are sick, but hopefully, we don’t stay sick. We get better. The same is true with our lives of faith. We go to Jesus with our brokenness and sin, and we leave his presence better than we were before.
Therefore, let Jesus bind up your wounds with his love, then “go and do likewise.”
Prayer:
Jesus, lead me to be like you. Lead me to sacrificially love whoever you put in my path. Amen.
People don’t want to believe they need to be rescued by God. In fact, they will go to great lengths to prove they are good enough for God.
This was the case for a certain religious expert in Jesus’ day. Luke tells us that the man, “… wanted to justify himself.” He wanted to prove that he really wasn’t that bad, that he deserved to be in a right relationship with God. So he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
In other words, he thought he had lived a good enough life. But just to be sure, he asked Jesus to specify who his neighbor was. So, Jesus launched into the story of the Good Samaritan. The story is about a Jewish man who fell into the hands of robbers while traveling. He was beaten and left nearly dead. Two Jewish men walked by without stopping to help. But a Samaritan man stopped and saved him.
Jesus concluded the story by asking: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36)
Jesus knew the Jewish man who had come to question him would not have had anything to do with a Samaritan. Jewish people in Jesus’ day despised people from Samaria. Jesus wanted the man to understand that he had not kept God’s laws as well as he thought. Jesus knew that only then would he know that he needed Jesus to save him from his sins.
We need the same reminder. When we get on our spiritual high horse and think that we are good enough for God, we need the Bible to remind us of our sins so that we look to Jesus forgiveness. Thankfully, when we do, he assures us that his perfect life and innocent death earned forgiveness for us.
And, when we wonder how we could ever thank him for such a gift, he tells us to thank him by loving our neighbor—being concerned about and caring for those around us. Look around today. Whom has God brought into your life? That’s your neighbor. Love and serve them. When you do you will be saying, “Thank you, Jesus!”
Prayer:
Lord, help me to love those you bring into my life today. Amen.
I heard a pastor once say, “Let me tell you the bad news. You are worse than you thought. But now let me tell you the good news. You are more loved than you could possibly imagine.” I don’t like to hear bad news. I would like to think I’m a spiritual all-star. But until I believe that bad news, I will never learn to truly appreciate the good news of Jesus.
That’s why Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Many of us have probably heard of this story. It’s about a man who helped someone who was robbed and beaten. But I bet most of us don’t remember why Jesus told this story in the first place.
It all started when a religious expert came up to Jesus. This expert wanted to test Jesus. He didn’t come to Jesus with pure motives. He wanted to embarrass Jesus and prove his superiority.
The man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25) If the man really wanted the answer to that question, Jesus would have given it. But he didn’t. The expert had ulterior motives.
So Jesus humbled him, getting him to recite what God demands before we enter into his holy presence. Namely, we are to love God perfectly and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Then Jesus responded, “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28).
Jesus was saying, “Sure, go for it. If you can pull this off, you will have eternal life. Love the Lord your God with everything you have all the time, and love everybody around you.”
Instead of Jesus being put to the test, Jesus put the man’s conscience to the test. Jesus was challenging him to see how far short of God’s standard he had fallen.
We need to hear the same message. We need to be aware of our shortcomings and sins. Then we will come to Jesus in humility and receive his message of love and grace.
Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for my arrogance. Show me your love in Jesus Christ. Amen.
St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church
313 East Montello St.
Montello, WI 53949
Emmanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
W1568 Evergreen
Lane
Montello, WI 53949
W E L C O M E T O O U R C H U R C H We extend a warm welcome to everyone today, especially our visitors. In the bulletin you’ll find an outline of today’s service, a calendar of events and other bits of information. In the red hymn book you’ll find the songs we sing and the order of service that we follow. If you would like a large print hymnal or bulletin please ask one of our ushers and they will gladly assist you. Restrooms and nursery area are located in the parish hall at Emmanuel and in the lower level and link-way at St. John’s. It’s nice to have you visit today. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more, as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Welcome to God’s house! May God bless our worship together.
Pastor Peter Zietlow
608.297.2866
www.stjohnsmontello.org
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G O D ’ S W O R D F O R T O D A Y Faith-Life Reveals Itself in Love for Others – We cannot see into other people’s hearts, but we can discern Christian faith by its fruits in words and actions. God tells us that love, joy, peace, patience, and more make up the fruit of faith. (See Galatians 5:22,23.) If we truly have crossed over from death to life, it will show in love for others, as James has written: “I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18).
P R E P A R A T I O N F O R W O R S H I P
We
prepare ourselves to worship the one Savior God by expressing our humble
repentance, offering our fervent prayers and singing our thankful hymns of
praise.
OPENING
HYMN 493 Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive
Please stand
CONFESSION
& ABSOLUTION hymnal page 15
When we confess to God that we have
failed to live up to the perfect standards in his law, the pastor announces the
perfect forgiveness of sins won for us by Jesus.
LORD, HAVE MERCYhymnal
page 15
The Church brings her
concerns and prayers to a loving Father in heaven, who has shown great mercy to
us and promised to hear our ardent cries for help.
GLORY BE TO GOD hymnal page 16
This song of praise reminds
us of the wonderful things God has done for us, not the least of which is the
salvation he gives through Jesus Christ.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: O risen Lord, you came to your disciples and
took away their fears with your word of peace. Come to us also by Word and
sacrament, and banish our fears with the comforting assurance of your abiding
presence; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
C: ♫ Amen.
Please be seated for the day’s Scripture readings
XT
H E W O R D X
The
Lord Jesus speaks to us in Scripture reading, preaching and song.
FIRST
LESSONDeuteronomy 30: 9-14
Summary: Moses
reminded the Israelites of the demands of God’s law
Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of
your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the
crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous,
just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep
his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the
LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or
beyond your reach. It is not up in
heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it
and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”
Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross
the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your
mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
PSALM
25 hymnal page 74
The lectern side sings the first line, the pulpit
side sings the second line, and all sing the refrain and Gloria.
SECOND LESSON Colossians 1:1-14 (today’s sermon text)
Summary: The gospel produces a heart
of faith and a life of love
When Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of
your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints–the
faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven
and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has
come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just
as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s
grace in all its truth. You learned it
from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on
our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason,
since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and
asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual
wisdom and understanding. And we pray
this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in
every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you
may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light. For he has rescued us
from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he
loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
VERSE
OF THE DAYDeuteronomy 30:14
Alleluia. The Word is very near to you; it is
in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Alleluia.
C:♫
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Please stand
C:♫ Glory
be to you, O Lord!
GOSPEL
LESSONLuke
10:25-37
Summary: The parable of the good
Samaritan
On one
occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he
asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What
is written in the Law?” he replied.
“How do you read it?” He answered: “`Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind’ {Deut. 6:5}; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.’
{Lev.19:18}”
“You
have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.
“Do this and you will live.”
But he
wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him
and went away, leaving him half dead. A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he
passed by on the other side. So too, a
Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled,
came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the
man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and
gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after
him,’ he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you
may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who
fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on
him.”
Jesus told
him, “Go and do likewise.”
C:♫
Praise
be to you, O Christ!
NICENE
CREEDhymnal pages 18, 19
Please be seated
SERMON HYMN 498Though I May Speak with Bravest Fire
SERMONColossians 1:1-14
“Thank God For The Gospel’s
Growing Season!”
It takes root in our hearts
It bears fruit in our lives
Please stand
CREATE IN MEhymnal
page 20
Please be seated
X O F F E R I N G S O F G
I F T S & P R A
Y E R S X
THE
OFFERING
The ushers now gather the
“Thank-Offering.” Members of this
congregation show their thanks to God for all he has done for them by returning
a portion of their income to the Lord.
Through these free will offerings, this congregation and its ministries
are maintained. Guests need not feel
obligated to contribute. Please
also sign our Friendship Registers and greet one another.
Please stand
PRAYERS
The
Offering Prayer, Prayer For Growth In Faith And Christian Living and
Intercessory Prayers are spoken by pastor. Please see announcements for those
on our Intercessory Prayers list.
LORD’S PRAYERhymnal
page 20
Please be seated
494:1-4
Blest
Be the Tie that Binds
Please stand
CLOSING
PRAYER & BLESSING hymnal page 25
Please be seated
CLOSING HYMN494:5
Blest
Be the Tie that Binds
As
you leave today’s service, please give your completed Friendship Register sheet
to an usher or pastor.
XAnnouncements
X
Activities for the week of August 4 – August 10
Sun.
8:00 A.M.
Emmanuel Worship with communion
9:00 A.M.
Emmanuel Congregational meeting
10:00 A.M.
St. John’s Worship
Mon.
Tues.
9:00 A.M.
St. John’s Elders meeting
6:30 P.M.
St. John’s Evangelism meeting
Wed.
6:30 P.M.
St. John’s Worship with
communion
Thurs.
8:30 A.M.
St. John’s Faculty meeting
2:00 P.M.
Zietlow wedding rehearsal
Fri.
Zietlow wedding at Springbrook Farm
Sat.
Theme for Next Sunday August 11 , 2019
Pentecost 9: “The
Christ-Centered Home”
8:00 A.M.
Emmanuel Worship
10:00 A.M.
St. John’s Worship with
communion
11:15 A.M.
Bible Information Class at St. John’s
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
–
For those hospitalized, ill, shut-in and facing trials: Evie & Ron Blada,
David Broderick, Sandy Buchholz, Liola Crown & son Terry, Agnes Dassow,
Marjorie Fabian, Lilah Farrell, Chris Krause (Gordy & Lin’s son), Pete
Laun, Robert Lederer (Jackie & Jeanne Buchholz’ father), Delvin
Mittelsteadt, Elsa Russell, Mark & Peggy Russell (Elsa’s son & daughter
in-law), Carol Schumann, Jody Steigerwald (DuWayne & Pat Sommerfeld’s
daughter), Karl Whitrock – (added this week: Lila Farrell)
–
For those straying from the church
– For our communicants
at Emmanuel
MEMORIAL In memory of Joel Jaster, a
donation has been given from the Jaster family to purchase our new church doors
at St. John’s. Your gift is appreciated! To keep updated on the St. John’s
Church Door Project, check out the bulletin board located in the Information
Room at St. John’s. This donation did not
cover the full cost of our new doors so donations are still accepted to help
offset the remaining cost.
CARD/GIFTCARD SHOWER Throughout the month
of July, we will be having a Card/Gift Card Shower! This will be for all
of our three new teachers here at St. John’s :
Ms.
Shelley Myers : Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade teacher
Mrs.
Lynn Sellnow : Little Lambs Director/Teacher
Mr.
Larry Sellnow : Principal and 6th, 7th & 8th grade teacher
Two card/gift card
boxes will be located in St. John’s linkway. Please help us welcome and show
our appreciation for our new teachers!
FATHER MARQUETTE DAYS AUGUST 17!
Show your St. John’s
pride as we walk in the Father Marquette Days Parade! This year’s theme is
“Salute to the Military: Red, White and Blue.” We are looking for members who
would want to walk with our float and hand out waters with koozies to help spread
the word about St. John’s. Stay tuned for time and meeting place!
St. John’s is also
getting a men’s softball team in for Father Marquette Days. Come and support
our team! Interested in playing? Contact the office 297-2866.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Concert
on the Ball Diamond: September
7 at 6:30p.m. at St. John’s
Emmanuel/St.
John’s Church Picnic: September
8 at 10:00a.m. at Montello City Park
FRIENDSHIP REGISTERS Please complete the friendship
register page each week. This helps your pastor and other church leaders stay
in touch and keep contact information up to date. Thanks!
TO
ENCOURAGE FELLOWSHIP following today’s worship service, the ushers will
not be dismissing pew by pew from front to back as in the past. Instead,
all are encouraged to stay and visit and encourage one another. Please
give an usher or pastor your completed friendship register.
ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL & LITTLE
LAMBS REGISTRATION School
Registration is Sunday, August 25 at 11:00a.m. in St. John’s gym. If you were
enrolled last school year and/or have enrolled for this coming school year,
look for your summer registration packets coming to you via mail. In them, you
will find everything you need to know about registration and this upcoming
school year. Are you new and/or need to enroll?Call the office (608-297-2866),
email (scsecretary@stjohnsmontello.org) or stop by the office today!
MEDITATIONS New“Meditations”
WELS daily devotional booklets are available in the church entry (many thanks
to our generous members for donating!)
USHER AND GREETER
SCHEDULE If
you are signed up to be a St. John’s usher and/or greeter, please pick up your
hard copy of Aug/Sept in St. John’s Information Room.
Schedules will be available for pick up every 2 months.
CHECK
OUT OUR UPDATED INFORMATION ROOM This room is located at the top
of St. John’s link way stairs and the church entry way. Here you will find
bulletin boards labeled “Home Missions” and “LWMS”. Home Missions will provide information on what’s going on at St.
John’s church and school, events, educational and youth group updates. You will
also find informational brochures and magazines, usher and greeter schedules,
the church newsletter, children’s coloring sheets and crayons and other
miscellaneous information related to our church and school. Please help
yourself!
CHILDREN’S
CHURCH BAGS Check out our new Children’s
Church Bags that are located in the Information Room at St. John’s. Children:
use during the service as you please and return them to the tree at the end of
each service! A big thank you to St. John’s Hand In Prayer group for donating
towards the bags and to you guys, Gene Crook & Jack Steuck, for building
the wooden trees. Thank you to you gals, Ciara Neuhauser & Blake Seeley,
for making the children’s church bags for Emmanuel and St. John’s.
CHRISTIAN
ONE-LINERS (from a WELS pastor): “Peace
starts with a smile.”
ACH What is ACH?Automated Clearing House is an
electronic payments network use by individuals, businesses, financial
institutions and government organizations. The network functions as an
efficient, electronic alternative to paper checks. It allows funds to be
electronically debited or credited to a checking account, savings account,
financial institution general ledger account or credited to a loan account.Please pick your form
up in the Information Room or the office and get started today!
FORWARD IN CHRISTPlease do not turn
in any past Forward in Christ magazines as we no longer accept them due to the
personal information that is provided inside. Thanks!
GRIEFSHAREThe next 13-week session of Griefshare will start September 5 at
6:00p.m. in the lower level at St. John’s. If you have any questions or
concerns, please call Mark Emond (608) 697-1600.
ST. JOHN’S SUNDAY
SCHOOL will begin Sunday, September 15 at 8:30a.m. at St. John’s. Ages 3
through 6th grade, member or not, are all invited to come! Please
help spread the word!
WELS CONVENTION Thank you Paul Van Treeck for serving as St. John’s delegate to synod
convention this past week at Martin Luther College–New Ulm, MN
Attendance
Emmanuel
St. John’s
7-28 7-31
75
116
St. John’s Altar Committee
August 2019
Jennie Utke
&
Susan Brown
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
Monday: 8:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Tuesday: 8:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Wednesday: 8:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Thursday: 8:00a.m. – 2:00p.m.
●●●
Welcome To Our Visitors!Please Sign Our Guest RegisterFind & Like us on FacebookVisit our website link:www.stjohnsmontello.orgPastor Peter Zietlow: (608) 408-7830
E-mail:zietlowPL6@hotmail.comLittle Lambs Director & Teacher Mrs.
Lynn Sellnow: 616-826-0816
K, 1st & 2nd
Grade Teacher Ms. Shelley Myers: 920-285-7554
3rd-5th Grade
Teacher Ms. Rachel Naumann: (847)
913-2135
Principal & 6th – 8th
Grade Teacher Mr. Larry Sellnow:616-822-6689
Church & School Secretary Ciara
Neuhauser: (608) 297-2866
Altar Ladies: Elaine Kelm: (920) 344-0025&Carolyn Rosenthal: 589-5036
Church & School Address/Mail: 313 E Montello St, Montello, WI 53949
Church & School E-mail:scsecretary@stjohnsmontello.org
●●●
(The Father) has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12-14
Five-year-old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “It’s dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK—Jesus will be in there with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: “Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?” (Charles Allen, Victory in the Valleys)
Many people, like Johnny, are afraid of the dark. It is frightening not to know what’s out there waiting for you, what might jump out to grab you.
Those who do not know Jesus spend their lives in spiritual darkness. They don’t know what tragedy might jump out to grab them on any given day. They don’t know what is waiting for them when they face death one day. All of us were born this way. We did not know who God is or how we might know him.
Since we cannot find God, he finds us. He reaches out to us in the darkness and pulls us into the light of Jesus Christ. Seeing Jesus means seeing God. In Jesus, we see that God loves us and forgives us. We no longer need to be afraid of what is waiting for us when we face death. We have eternal life. We no longer need to fear what will happen in this life. We have an all-powerful Lord who loves us. How good it is to live in the light!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for rescuing me from the darkness of sin and unbelief. Bathe me in the light of your truth until I see you face to face. Amen.
Most of you have probably never heard of a man by the name of Christian Hosoi. In the world of competitive skateboarding, however, Christian Hosoi is a legend. Already in his early teens, he was doing things with a skateboard no one else could do. With early success came fame. With fame came commercial endorsements. With commercial endorsements came lots of money. And when all of this mingled with a reckless, pleasure-seeking lifestyle, Christian Hosoi found himself in the middle of his own self-made universe. Life was about him. It was that simple.
Then his universe collapsed. His finances took a serious downturn. Substance abuse consumed him. Finally, authorities arrested him at an airport for transporting drugs. He received a sentence of 10 years in prison.
Behind bars, one day he had an opportunity to talk to a close friend by phone. Her advice was simple. “Find a Bible,” she said. “Find a Bible and read it.” He did. At first, it was slow going, but then he read about King David’s downfall and God’s forgiveness. That kept him reading. And he kept right on reading until the Word of God brought him to the foot of the cross, the message of what God had done for him through the life and death of Jesus Christ. For the first time in his life, life was not about him. Instead, his life was about something far better.
You and I don’t need to face prison time in order to acknowledge that, very often, our lives have revolved around us. The devil wants us to think that way. The sinful culture around us and our own sinful nature wants us to think that way.
The Apostle Paul had once thought that way too. But the Lord Jesus intervened, and Paul’s life began to be about something far better. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul says. Forgiven through faith in Jesus, you and I can echo his words.
Prayer:
Forgive me, Lord Jesus, for all the times I have allowed my life to be about me. Move me by your Spirit to embrace the reality that my life is about the cross. My life is about you. Amen.
God wants us to always be content. But even after we learn the secret of being content, few of us live it. It is so easy to think that we will finally be happy when we get this or finally earn enough for that.
Discontent flows from envy, jealousy, worry, and fear. But when we remember the secret of being content those things disappear. God gives us everything we need, right now.
Paul believed that. That made him content at his richest and his poorest. But Paul did not reach such contentment on his own. Paul confessed, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul could cope with any and every situation only because Jesus gave him such strength.
Jesus gives you this same strength. Because in Jesus, you have everything you need. Remember, Jesus lived, died, and rose for you. You are forgiven. That is the one thing truly needed and you have it.
As awesome as your earthly blessings may be, they are just that, earthly—good only for today and your time here on earth. But when you die the only blessing that will matter is forgiveness in Christ. That blessing is the difference between heaven and hell. That blessing goes with you beyond the grave into eternity.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for forgiveness, and thank you for everything else. Please give me the strength to always be content. Amen
Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
