Thursday, January 25, 2024
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024
Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024
Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024
Midweek Lenten Suppers and Services 2024
Creation Museum Outing March 16th
Food is available at the Creation Museum Restaurant and snack stands. Parking is $10 per vehicle and is payable at the parking lot.
The deadline for signing up is Friday, February 16th, so don't delay!
Worship Service Cancellation Information
With us being still in the Winter season, it is possible there will be other occasions we will, unfortunately, be forced to cancel worship due to inclement conditions. To ensure everyone is properly notified if we do have to cancel church, we would like to know how each of you would prefer to be informed, whether by phone, text, or email. Please feel free to let Tom or Debbie Izor, or Pastor Jon know. Thank you!
Sunday, January 21, 2024
You Can Help Stop Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation and Abuse
Today's Second Reading from First Corinthians urges us to avoid immorality; one of the greatest forms of immorality which hurts and harms others is the abuse and exploitation of innocent people, especially children. Please visit the following websites or call the following numbers if you suspect someone is being abused, exploited, or trafficked, or to learn more about what human trafficking and child abuse is, and how you can help combat it. Also, if you suspect anyone you know is being abused or trafficked, please **immediately** contact your local law enforcement and/or FBI field office. Together we can carry out God's will for how He wants us to treat each other and end mistreatment and abuse of His children.
National Human Trafficking Hotline - (888) 373-7888 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - (800) 843-5678 - Here you may also report illegal links or websites involving exploitation of minors. Please also visit www.missingkids.org for more information or to make a report. Operational Underground Railroad - ourrescue.org Project Safe Childhood - www.justice.gov/psc/national-strategy-child-exploitation-prevention-and-interdiction DHS Blue Campaign - dhs.gov/blue-campaign fcmsa.dot.gov/stophumantrafficking usa.gov/report-crime www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-traffickingFriday, January 19, 2024
Stay Tuned!
Stay tuned for information in next week's bulletin, as well as our church's Facebook page and website, about our Midweek Lenten Suppers and Services, which will be beginning Wednesday, February 21st. We will be in need of volunteers to provide food for the suppers and and participate in the services.
Details about our annual Community Good Friday and Easter Sunrise Services will be announced in the next couple of weeks - watch the bulletin as well as the church's Facebook page and website for more!
Community Ash Wednesday Service, Wednesday, February 14th, 7:00 P.M.
Please visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/share/42suoEno84uNnzdo/?mibextid=9VsGKo
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Weekly Word Podcast from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Farmersville, Ohio, January 14, 2024 - The Baptism of Our Lord
Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Weekly Word Podcast from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Farmersville, Ohio, January 14, 2023 - The Baptism of Our Lord https://anchor.fm/st-andrew-farmersville/episodes/Weekly-Word-Podcast-from-St--Andrew-Lutheran-Church-in-Farmersville--Ohio--January-14--2023---The-Baptism-of-Our-Lord-e2eej5k
Worship Cancelled for Sunday, January 14th
ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
This morning's worship service has been cancelled due to the extreme cold. An abbreviated video recorded worship service will be posted later on this morning. Stay warm, everyone!
Sermon Text for January 14, 2024 - "Shining for Jesus: Proclaiming Freedom"
“Shining for Jesus: Proclaiming Freedom”
January 14, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
What is a Christian? Really? I bet if you asked not only everyone in this sanctuary, but if you asked everyone in every single church here in Farmersville, you’d probably get at least hundreds of different responses. For some, being a Christian means living a certain lifestyle. For others it means going to church on Sunday. For still others, it may even mean voting a certain way, or fighting for a certain cause. But here’s the actual honest dictionary definition of a Christian: “A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity.” That’s actually a very broad definition – literally, thank God. For far too long we have tried to narrow down the definition of being a Christian, to the point of trying to cast people out of Christianity for arbitrary reasons. Instead, it’s time for us to focus on just that definition – a Christian is someone who has received Christian Baptism, and everything it means.
What Baptism most of all means is freedom. It is freedom from slavery to sin, fear of eternal death, and the power of the devil, yes. But it is also freedom from any kind of worry about whether we are committed enough, faithful enough, or holy enough for God.
We might tend to think that Baptism is a sign of our commitment to God, when it is actually the other way around: Baptism is a solid, concrete, and powerful sign of God’s commitment to us. It is not something we do, but something God does to us. It is also not something that is made effective by our own faith or feelings, but by the power of God working through it to accomplish great things in our hearts, minds, and lives. The method of Baptism, whether sprinkling, pouring, or dunking, does not in any way change the validity of the Baptism, nor does the age at which one is baptized: both infant and adult Baptisms are perfectly acceptable. Baptism is also not only a symbol, but it is God using ordinary water for something extraordinary: to unite us to the death and resurrection of Jesus, drowning our old self, and forming a “new us” every day. God’s commitment to us does not depend on our emotions or our feelings. The fervency of our prayers and devotions do not influence God’s commitment to us, because He still remains committed and close to us; in other words, the strength, or lack of strength, of our prayers have no effect on God’s faithfulness to us. He remains faithful no matter what, and, even though we may express our faith in God in different ways, He remains faithful in the same way towards each of us. Which even means that our worship, devotion, or prayer style does not cause God’s power to be more or less effective: He is still the same, and He still does the same, for us no matter how we worship or pray. Even if we feel far away from God at times, He is still committed to us. Baptism is also a visible sign of the promise that Jesus has done everything necessary for us to be saved: we contribute nothing to our salvation, nor do we guarantee our promise of eternal life by anything we do. It also means that we are free from any kind of anxiety over whether we have to feel a certain way, pray or worship a certain way, or express our faith and devotion to God in a certain to show how Christian we are. Whether or not we have said a certain prayer, or had a certain kind of mental or emotional experience, is of no consequence to our being able to call ourselves Christians. The fact we are baptized means we are Christian – and that is enough. Which, in turn, means that our personal performance has nothing to do with our salvation.
Of course, every other part of our life is governed by performance. When we work at our jobs, we have to keep in mind that we are evaluated every so often. In class, we’re expected to do the work so we can get points and good grades. We’re even expected to behave a certain way when we’re driving out on the roads. We have to do everything according to a certain standard to show we’re performing the way we’re supposed to. And we think that’s the same for being a Christian: we look at the Commandments, and what we think are rules we have to follow. But here’s the truth: our religion is not one that is performance-based. Anything that tries to define a true Christian by performance is false religion. We are not to measure ourselves by how closely we keep laws, rules, and regulations, especially human-made ones. Conforming to certain moral, political, social, or cultural standards or expectations is not what defines a Christian. Instead, we are free to live according to God’s direction, to how He guides us to live our lives where we are, and where we are in life. We are free to follow our conscience, as God directs. We also are to be free from any expectation of a certain kind of performance as being part of the church: being part of our church family is meant to be just that – being part of our family unconditionally. In other words, you’re simply valued as a part of our church family because you’re here, instead of based on what you can contribute. You are loved and treasured simply because of who you are, because God does that for you. As Peter says in today’s Second Reading, “God does now show favoritism, but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” And what fearing Him and doing what is right means is simply trusting and following Him, in response to being made children of God in Baptism.
As part of God’s commitment to us in Baptism, one thing we are promised, as John the Baptist says, is that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is usually accompanied not by miraculous signs and wonders as we may think of them, but by faith for a daily walk with God. Again, this faith and daily walk is expressed in different ways by different people, yet it is still faith in the same God, Lord, and Savior. This faith and daily walk is also a response to being baptized, but it is still Baptism, and not a particular outward model, that defines being a Christian. It means being changed by the Holy Spirit more and more to become like Jesus, but, again, not to conform to a rigid outward model or standard, but to reflect the nature of Jesus.
And what a lot of this is talking about is the fact that, especially in the past few years, it seems as though legalism has been rearing its head in Christianity again. The definition of legalism is either “excessive adherence to law or formula,” or, more specifically for Christianity, “dependence on moral law rather than personal religious faith.” Legalism nowadays takes many forms: forbidding or requiring certain foods, drinks, media, and even insistence on voting for or against a certain political party or candidate. Anything that claims God has the same opinion on any issue that we do is legalism. It is also not limited to one particular side of the moral or political spectrum: to be straight up, any time standards for opinion on hot-button issues, or controversial issues of the day, are imposed on everyone, especially with any kind of threat of exclusion, then there is legalism. This has especially been the case with certain ongoing political and medical issues, and debates over what positions churches ought to take. And after twenty years in ordained ministry, I personally now want to take the opportunity, because I am able to, to give all Christians the freedom from such an approach, as has plagued Christianity for a long time. It’s time to move on from rules and statements, and follow Jesus instead. It is not the role of the sermon to say Christians should or shouldn’t do this or that, or should think this way, or respond this way to this issue. God has created us with consciences, and the most responsible way to follow God is to follow our consciences, which are guided by Him. Legalism blinds us to the truth of God’s love; imprisons us in guilt, hatred, and judgment; and causes us to sit in darkness, where we are unable to see who God really is and what He thinks of us. Today, and as Isaiah promises, Jesus Himself wants to open our eyes, free us from prison, and turn on the light, to free us from legalism and to live in joy, happiness, and freedom for Him instead.
If you have been struggling with wondering whether you are good enough for God, if you have done enough to guarantee your salvation, or whether you are following God’s rules enough, here is the truth: you can be free from struggling and worrying about all that today. Jesus has already fulfilled all the requirements for your being saved, and He has already obeyed the commandments perfectly on your behalf. Also, if you were raised in any kind of tradition, denomination, or church where you were expected to measure up to a certain standard, look a certain way, perform a certain way, or follow certain rules, know that none of what you experienced and what was expected of you was from God. If you have been made to feel guilty because you did certain things you were told, and led to believe, were “sinful” or “wrong,” then be free today from your guilt, because such condemnation is not from God. Also, if you have been made to feel guilty because you didn’t adhere to a certain doctrine, teaching, or practice “the right way,” then be free from your guilt – God looks on the heart, not on standards. Remember that because you are baptized, you are already a Christian – and nothing else matters. Let the reality of your Baptism free you from whatever shame was laid on you because of what was not of God, and let God Himself love you just as you are. In Baptism, God says, “You are my child, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” You are baptized, so you are saved – and that is enough.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
Sermon Text for January 7, 2024 - "Shining for Jesus: Boldness and Confidence"
“Shining for Jesus: Boldness and Confidence”
January 7, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Isn’t it obvious? I get asked that a lot – especially when I’m trying to find something. And I’ve noticed, especially as I’ve gotten older, that I’ve been having a little bit of a harder time seeing things that are right in front me, especially if I get asked to go look for something, and it takes me a while to find it. When, a lot of the time, it’s actually literally been right under my nose. This even happened as recently as yesterday, when I had to look for a bottle of ranch dressing in the fridge, and it took me about a minute finally to see something that was right in front of where I was standing – on a shelf, in a rather large bottle. It should have been obvious, but, for some reason, to me, it wasn’t.
In the same way, God, especially in the way He is active and involved in every part of the world today should be obvious – but He isn’t always to people. However, there is one special way He is always obvious. Today is Epiphany Sunday, the day when we remember how Jesus was made obvious to all the rest of the world, especially to people outside of His own Jewish ethnic group: Magi from the east. These Magi were astronomers, who studied the stars to look for things which were going to be taking place in the world, and by seeing and following a special unique star put in place by God, they were able to find Jesus, who was born to be King and God for the whole world, and for all people. This visit had even been promised long before by God, speaking through Isaiah, in today’s First Reading. Who Jesus was was also made obvious in the gifts which were given to Him by the Magi: gold, to show not only that all the wealth of the world belongs to Him as King, but all the power belongs to Him as God. Frankincense was burned, and in many places is still burned, as a way of honoring both kings and gods, and so this frankincense shows that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the true King and God worthy of honor, glory, and worship. Myrrh, which was used to prepare bodies for burial after death, especially by the wealthy and noble, then shows not only that Jesus is a king, but He is the King who came to die – yet He is also the King who will rise from the dead victorious, and will never die again.
Also, it’s already the first Sunday of the year, and if you think time has gone fast already, think about this: Christmas is officially over as of today. As mentioned earlier, we’re going to be taking down our Christmas decorations here in the sanctuary, and then, in just a little over a month already, we’re going to be preparing to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, as we begin with Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day. So, this month, since we’re celebrating how Jesus was shown by the shining of a star, and is the Light of the World, we’re going to be talking about how we can shine for Jesus, and be that same light. As has been said many times before, we share in the same ministry: to bring God’s love and light into the world, bringing Jesus to people and people to Jesus. And how this happens is being like Jesus.
To give proper credit where credit is due, this is a quote from another pastor online, and I’ll put the website where it appears when I post this sermon online: “Christianity is not a religion that tells us what to do. It is a religion that tells us who to be. And we are called to be Christ in the world. Ours is a faith that would have us collectively be the body of Christ and as individuals be Christ to the world.” And, as the website on which this quote appears further explains, “Being Christ to the world can mean, for example, living lives of service and compassion, pursuing a life-long struggle to improve and grow in our walk with God.” (NOTE: The website with these quotes may be found at https://gwjolly.org/hcoc/. ) And one of the many things we are called to improve in our spiritual growth and walk with God is confidence.
Our confidence comes not from ourselves and our own holiness or goodness, but instead in everything God has already done for us. As Paul says in today’s Second Reading from Ephesians, it is because of Jesus that we have boldness and confidence that we can access God anytime, anywhere; we also have the freedom to be able to worship and praise God at any time, because Jesus made access to Him possible. Here, boldness and confidence, when it comes to expressing and living out our faith, actually means the opposite of what we normally think it means: usually, we think that we have to defend our beliefs. However, if we live as though we were at war, we are actually living with a lack of confidence in our faith, and in our God. Indeed, having true confidence means not having the need to criticize others, whether other Christians, or anyone else, because of beliefs or lifestyle. Having true confidence means therefore not feeling the need to defend our faith. This does not mean that we do not live out our faith openly and boldly: we are to live as Christians for everyone to see. We are seeking out opportunities to be the body of Christ, and, as individuals, make Jesus obvious to the world. We are also striving to live lives of service and compassion in humility, making a positive difference in our own lives and the lives of others. After all, Jesus Himself was born in humility, in a quiet event – and continued to live in humble confidence in His Father throughout His life, making the best impact for others by being so. As He remained humble and confident, so are we to be. God also does not need to be defended, because He is who He is regardless of what anyone else thinks of Him. However, people’s opinions of God can be formed by how His people act. And so, once again, the best way we can make Jesus obvious to everyone is by living humble, quiet lives of forgiveness, service, and compassion, while still being bold and confident in what we believe, but being just as bold and confident in living it out in a positive way towards other people. In just a few moments, we will be receiving Communion together. And, once again, as with every time we take Communion, we will be reminded of God’s commitment to us: His commitment to keeping His promise to save us, which He did by sending His Son to have His body be broken and His blood be shed, which He truly gives us to eat and drink. And as we eat His body and drink His blood, we will be filled with His power, to live in response to His commitment to us by living in commitment to Him, and to each other, as we strive to live as Jesus toward each other, and recommit to, once again, being the body of Christ together.
Today is your opportunity, and especially at the beginning of this new year, to reaffirm your commitment to following Jesus, growing in your faith and daily walk with Him, becoming more like Him, and living like Him where you are. Today is also a time to ask Jesus into your heart and life once again, to make Himself more plain and obvious to you, so you can see how much of an important and indispensable part of your life He really is, and how having a personal relationship with Him is something you can’t live without. You are also encouraged to reaffirm your commitment to live like Jesus, to ask Him to help you become more like Him, in humble confidence, living out your faith in Him boldly and without any hesitation. Shine for Jesus – and shine with boldness and confidence again!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Weekly Word Podcast Links from December 17 - January 7
December 17, 2023 - https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/KFEnkdCsbGb
December 24, 2023 - https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/jkPSKcCsbGb
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 2023 - https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/w2WobcCsbGb
December 31, 2023 - https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rTKlibCsbGb
January 7, 2024 - https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/pXRh09BsbGb
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Sermon Series for January - "Shining for Jesus"
This month, as we celebrate Jesus as the Light of the World, our Sermon Series is "Shining for Jesus." We'll be talking about all the ways we can shine Jesus' light and love in our everyday lives. Come Sundays at 10:00 A.M. to hear more - all are welcome!
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