Since we will be singing some new contemporary songs following the Sermon for the next few months, lyric videos for them will be posted each month and each week. Starting September 10th, and during all of September, we will be singing "Raise a Hallelujah." Feel free to watch the video and sing along!
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Monday, August 28, 2023
Rally Sunday and Youth Sunday, September 10th!
Join us on Sunday, September 10th, for our Rally Sunday and Youth Sunday! Our youth will be leading us in worship that day, and we'll be serving ice cream afterwards!
Hands Against Hunger, Saturday, December 2nd
We will be going to help pack food for Hands Against Hunger on Saturday, December 2nd. To guarantee you are able to be included in the group for that day, please let Pastor Jon know, along with your email address, so you can be signed up. Space tends to fill up fast for that particular time of year, so please let Pastor Jon know soon!
LCMC Great Lakes District Prayer Concerns for September 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District
Prayer Concerns for
September 2023
For the Church:
- Lutheran
Congregations in Mission for Christ
- LCMC's Staff:
Mike Bradley, Service
Coordinator
Charles Hunsaker,
Military Endorser
Christian Huntley,
Coordinator for Leadership and Pastoral Development
Sharon Macfayden,
Director of Operations
Cathy Nichol,
Administrative Coordinator
Julie Smith,
Coordinator for Districts and Fellowships
Kristy Thomas,
Communication and Public Relations
- LCMC's Board of
Trustees and Ministry Board.
- Our congregations in
the Great Lakes District. This month, we pray for Living Water Lutheran Church
in Centerville, Ohio, and Pastor Dale McCloud; and New Life Lutheran Church in
Gallipolis, Ohio, and Pastor John E. Jackson.
- Our Mission Partners:
this month, we pray for the Global Lutheran Outreach and Water Missions
International.
- Our International
Partners: this month, we pray for the Lutheran Church of Myanmar and Iglesia
Evangélica Luterana
Nicaraguense.
- Our local
congregations with whom we fellowship and work alongside for mission and
ministry in our communities.
For
our Government:
- Joe Biden, our
President.
- Kamala Harris, our
Vice President.
- Mike DeWine, the
Governor of Ohio.
- Gretchen Whitmer,
the Governor of Michigan.
- Our elected
representatives in Congress and State Legislatures.
- Our local county and
municipal officials.
- Our nation's Armed
Forces, especially those serving who are members of our church families; and
for those who are suffering from mental or physical injury, and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- Our First
Responders, particularly those of law enforcement, fire safety, paramedics, and
all medical professionals.
For all those in
special kind of need:
- The victims of the recent fires in Maui.
- The people of
Ukraine and Russia in the ongoing war there; and for Spiritual Orphans Network
and others who are ministering to the victims of the war in that region.
- All in our church
families who are suffering from physical, mental, or spiritual illness;
addiction; injury; abuse; domestic violence; trauma; stress; or Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- All in our own
families who are in need of any kind of healing from God, in mind, body, or
spirit.
- Those who are
continuing to suffer from the effects of COVID-19.
- Those in our church
families and communities who are suffering from poverty; homelessness; food
insecurity; lack of adequate shelter and/or utilities; unemployment or
underemployment.
- Those in our
communities who are working to alleviate poverty and homelessness, especially
our local shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and clothes closets.
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Sermon Text for August 27, 2023 - "All Are Welcome in this Place"
“All Are Welcome in This Place”
August 27, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to your from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Last Friday, Tish, Josie, and I travelled to Columbus, Indiana for the funeral of Tish’s Grandma Jean. Her service was a beautiful service, and Pastor Eli, the pastor of Jean’s church, Revival Tabernacle, which was where the funeral was held at, said several meaningful things, but one thing in particular was special. He talked about how when he was first starting out as a trainee preacher, one of the things he was most nervous about was officiating funerals; he didn’t really know what the best thing to do for them was. And the advice he got from almost all of his mentors was really simple: Give them Jesus. Tell people about Jesus, what He did to save them, how their loved one is with Him now, and He’s with them now as well. And Pastor Eli was absolutely right: the most important thing to do at a funeral as a preacher is to give people Jesus. In my own experience over the last twenty years, that’s also been when some of my own most powerful and most effective preaching and witnessing has taken place: at funerals, because I get to tell about Jesus, His love, and His work of salvation loud and clear. The reality is as well, especially nowadays, that’s going to be the only place people really hear clearly about Jesus, who He is, and what He does, is probably going to be at a funeral. Especially with church attendance and attitudes to church in general being what they are. But it ought not to be that way: we, as a church family, are now in a better position than we were before to give people Jesus, and it’s time for us to take advantage of where we now are.
One particular modern hymn, called “All Are Welcome,” which I hope to introduce to all of you sometime in the near future, talks about what we are to be as a church family, and what we are to strive for, even as we continue to recover from where we have been. For the sake of time, I’m going to speak rather than sing it, though I’ll post a link to the song on both the church homepage and Facebook page, and maybe even have it be special music here later on.
(NOTE: The song may be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlnVLP0qFEo)
At any rate, the first verse goes like this:
Let us build a house where love can dwell, and all can safely live,
A place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive,
Built of homes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions;
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
In our First Reading today, God, speaking through the Prophet Isaiah, promises that “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” which is also rendered as, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all people.” In God’s house, which is where we are, everyone is invited, all are welcome, and, in God’s house, we are all one family and group of friends together. Here, we receive Jesus, and we are sent out to give Jesus to everyone we meet. We are all unique and diverse in our own ways, but we still are here as one family for one purpose – to worship Jesus – and we are to regard each other as being family members and friends above everything else. Wherever Jesus is, is where we worship. And thankfully, Jesus is everywhere, with every one of us, embracing, welcoming, loving, accepting. Wherever He is truly worshipped, He ends divisions, breaks down hatreds, and creates something wonderful and amazing – His family.
When I was a young teenager, and my dad had a Sunday off from the church he was pastoring at the time, we both went to visit the famous Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, back when it was still the Crystal Cathedral. It’s now called Christ Cathedral and is a major Catholic center, but some of you may remember that, back in the day, it was founded by Robert Schueller, and was the headquarters for the TV program “Hour of Power.” The day we went, Robert Schueller wasn’t there, but Bruce Larson was the preacher. And I’m ashamed to admit: I don’t remember a whole lot of Bruce Larson’s sermon, except for one particular anecdote, or even what Scripture it was based on, but one thing I do remember is that he repeated over and over about the “Family of God.”
And I remember being puzzled about that at the time, especially, oddly enough, wondering what it really had to do with Jesus. But as I’ve gotten along in years, and have had the opportunity to serve many church families over the years, I’ve now come to understand more and more how important it is for a church to really be a family. While there may be some inevitable business aspects to being a church, church is supposed to be, above everything else, a family. We welcome and accept each other, with all of our various ages, backgrounds, experiences, and lifestyles. Another thing Pastor Eli told me, in a conversation we had after the funeral last Friday, was that, in the tradition he grew up in, everyone judged each other by their doctrine, dress, appearance, and how closely they followed the church rules. And he said, as a pastor, none of that was important to him anymore – it as all about having people come to church to worship Jesus. Whenever we allow anything other than our love, care, and concern for each other to shine through, and whenever we allow anxieties over the “business” parts of church to dominate our life together, we cease to be a family, and we cease to be the Family of God, and we even cease to be truly friends. Whenever we permit gossip, arguments, politics, or prejudices to dominate our thoughts about each other, or actions toward each other, or our interactions with each other, then we cease to be family and friends. And, of course, whenever we allow suspicions, divisions, or conflicts over anything to run rampant among us, then we definitely cease to be family and friends. So, we are to follow Jesus’ own example by casting aside everything which has kept from truly receiving and giving Him, and focus again on being one family, forgiving, accepting, and striving for unity in our diversity.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus Himself shows how He overcomes divisions and prejudices to help someone who comes to Him for healing. One thing that needs to be explained right away is the reason He seems to be a bit evasive about helping her at first is that He wants to make sure she’s asking Him for help because she really believes in Him, and isn’t just looking for a free handout, taking advantage of Him without any real faith. In other words, He wants to make sure she recognizes who He really is, and doesn’t just think of Him as being a magician or mere miracle worker, but that she really does believe in Him as Lord and the Messiah, which is what the name “Son of David” means. What is significant about this story is not just the fact that Jesus still helps her even though she’s not Jewish, but that the disciples actually outright say, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” Have you ever had an annoying family member or friend you’ve just wanted to tell to go away, and you try to do everything you can to try get rid of them and avoid them? Well, with Jesus, that doesn’t happen: even though the disciples may not recognize the woman as being part of God’s family, and actually their friend, Jesus does, and so He treats her like part of His family and His friend.
In John 6:37, Jesus promises, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” He treats everyone who comes to Him and believes in Him as someone special to Him. But in order to help people see and believe that, we have to model it ourselves. We have to let people know they belong, that Jesus wants them, and He offers Himself freely to them, just as He does for us.
We are to be all about building bridges. We are to work towards bringing ourselves together in friendship and fellowship; all our fellow churches together in one purpose, giving Jesus to all; and our community together in unity and cooperation. We can be a church for the community, and a true community church, when we see that we are not merely an organization, but we are an integral part of our community, put here by God to make a difference, bring positive change, and help build bridges between people here.
As I’ve mentioned before, as a church family, we have a unique position in our community, because only we can build bridges to Jesus for people. Only Jesus can save, and only He can give people the answers to life, the change in life, and the real purpose in life they’re looking for. Perhaps there are some people who have felt driven away from Jesus because of being driven away from the church for any reason. This means we are to let people know, especially through our attitudes and actions, that even though people may have driven them away, Jesus has not. As J.C. Ryle says, “Resolve that, by the grace of God, you will make Christianity beautiful in the eyes of the world.” The world does indeed need another view of both Jesus and Christianity than has been offered in recent years, and we are in a position to offer that alternative view.
We are also all about helping people make connections with Jesus, by making connections with us. Remember my point earlier about how nowadays most people’s best connection with Jesus might be at a funeral: well, wherever we go, people can actually encounter Jesus by encountering us. We can be Jesus to other people by acting like Jesus to other people. These connections don’t even have to take place in church: they can be at sports games, school, our jobs, at the restaurants we like to eat at, or even random chance encounters wherever we travel. We have many opportunities to show Jesus’ kindness and serve others. Bringing people to our church actually ought to be our secondary goal: our primary goal is instead to be connecting people to a life-changing experience and relationship with Jesus. And, once people are here with us, in God’s house, we are to strive to be a family: supporting and being with each other in times of joy and sorrow, valuing each other’s individuality, and affirming each other’s prayers and praises. As the final verse of the song “All Are Welcome” encourages us:
Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard,
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace,
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter,
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Return of DAMAC!
Fall Dinner Planning Meeting, August 30th
This coming Wednesday, August 30th, you are invited to a Planning Meeting at 7:00 P.M. at the church. Anybody and everybody who would like to help plan is welcome to come. Many hands make light work, so the more who can help the better! See you on Wednesday!
Tom's Maze Outing, October 8th
Pretzel Festival Booth, September 23-24
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Once again this year, we will be having a booth at the Pretzel Festival, September 23rd and 24th! Sign up sheets are available at the back of the sanctuary for staffing the booth in two hour shifts; as well as donations of cases of bottled water, coolers, and monetary donations towards water and ice.
We will also be raffling off two quilts, with tickets being one for $2 or three for $5; as well as selling church cookbooks for $5 apiece. Also, we will be spreading the word about our Fall Dinner and DAMAC concert in November. There will also be activities for all the children who stop by. A reminder to our youth that this counts as a service project towards your Honor Award. We had a lot of fun at the Pretzel Festival last year, and, with your help, we're looking forward to having a great time again this year! Please feel free to help out in any way you can!
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Sermon Text for August 13, 2023 - "Inseparable Jesus"
“Inseparable Jesus”
August 13, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
I talked a couple of weeks ago about all the other businesses and organizations we have here in our village, many of which offer various goods and services. What makes us unique as a church family, though, is that everything we have, we offer free of charge. You can go get a good meal at any of the restaurants here in town – but you still have to pay for it. You can get gas at Sunoco, especially if you need some before heading out of town – but you still have to pay for it. You can even still get flowers and plants for your gardens at Brubaker’s, but guess what – you still have to pay for them.
But in today’s First Reading, God, speaking through the Prophet Isaiah, promises that what He has to offer, He gives us freely, without us having to pay for it. He says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!” He gives His love, forgiveness, mercy, care, and compassion to each of us unconditionally, without us having to earn it or prove ourselves worthy of receiving it. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He has made it possible for God to give us everything free of charge. And, God also never runs out of His gifts: He is limitless in what He offers, and He causes everything to multiply to each of us, and everyone.
In today’s Gospel Reading, we hear such an example, about the miracle of Jesus being able to feed at least five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. But there’s more to the story, which we need to hear today: Jesus telling His disciples, “You give them something to eat.” Especially since, as we’ve heard before, it’s time to get back to our mission and calling as a church family after having gone through the pandemic and its effects, we are to hear the words of Jesus, “You give them something to eat.” Even though we may think we’re limited in terms of our material resources, there are actually many spiritual gifts which, as individual Christians, and as a church family, we have been given by God to give to others. And, these are special gifts, because they are gifts for ministry. Not just pastors, but all of us who are part of our church family, as well as all believers in Jesus, share in the same ministry, and are free to share the same gifts with all people freely.
1. Fellowship. Fellowship is providing times and places for us to get together to gather for fun, and especially food, and be able to support each other, as friends and family members. It’s also an informal time for people, especially new friends, to be able to get to know us and enjoy time together. Fellowship also doesn’t have to have an agenda attached, in other words, we don’t have to get together just to try to attract people or gain new members, but simply to form relationships and friendships.
2. Listening. Listening comes out of fellowship, because as we are able to build relationships and friendships with each other, we are able to trust each other, and open up our hearts and feelings to each other. Which means we can listen to each other, and even to other people, even strangers. But here’s the key, and probably the opposite of what we’d expect: we listen not to try to persuade, or even to convert. What happens in people’s hearts and minds is entirely up to God, and does not in any way depend on our own powers of persuasion. We also do not listen to try to fix, solve, or even save, but to be able to let people know that they are heard – and often times, all someone needs is just be know that they are being heard, that someone is willing to listen to them, and comfort them by letting them know someone is there willing to validate them, to take them seriously by hearing what they have to say. Instead, what we can offer is a listening ear, which is willing to hear unconditionally anything anyone has to say. We can offer open ears to hear the deepest worries, frustrations, anxieties. Even though sometimes we may be uncomfortable in doing so, we can also listen to people’s struggles, where they’ve been, what they’re dealing with, and what they’re battling. We may also not even need to respond: often times just letting someone talk, without us needing to say anything or offer any advice can be comfort enough.
3. Prayer. When we listen, and are able to hear what people need, we can pray for them. Some of the most meaningful and powerful moments are when we pray with someone right in that moment. Prayer also has power, and does work. There is much that can be accomplished through prayer – not anything we do, but everything God does. But we also have to remember that prayer is not us somehow conjuring up God’s power, as a magic spell, but instead giving up everything we are praying for over to God’s power; we are releasing our own control and giving control over to God. Here’s another little secret I’ll let you all know: especially since I’ve been here, some of the times I’ve greatly enjoyed have been when I’ve been able to pray for people in unexpected situations. I’ve even prayed with people at the Village Inn at least a few times over the last few years, for example; and I’ve also had rewarding times of being able to pray with complete strangers. And the ultimate purpose of prayer is to provide comfort and encouragement, especially through the promise of God taking charge of things. Another way to do this is:
4. Comfort and Encouragement from God’s Word. The Bible is to be used, and, especially in this day and age, only to be used, to show God’s love, care, and concern for anyone in any situation. It’s also helpful to have a “reserve” of our favorite Bible verses to be able to tell others, especially any we’ve found to be particularly comforting and encouraging for us ourselves. One of my personal favorites is actually today’s Second Reading from Romans. As many of you have probably witnessed over the years I’ve been here, it’s also been one of my main “go-to” passages for funerals. Even though verse 36 usually gets left out of the funeral readings, it’s a reminder that death is inevitable, and we live in a world where disaster happens, as we’ve been seeing in Maui on the news the last few days with the wildfires there. But we also have the promise that nothing, even anything else which may seem powerful to us, can separate us from God’s love, or keep Him from working His power to show His love and care to us. In other words, nothing can keep God from accomplishing His purposes for us, especially the good He wants for us. Even though our lives may get out of control sometimes, God is always there to take control, and nothing can stop Him from doing so. This is comfort we have, which we can give to others.
5. Sacraments. Finally, another source of comfort and encouragement which we can offer freely comes from the Sacraments. We know that the Sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion, but we also need to remember they are gifts of God’s love we give to others just as they are given to us. In Baptism, we are given the promise that we are each beloved children of God, and, again, as we are reminded in Romans, nothing can take that away from us. In Communion, Jesus is really present with us, and gives us His body and blood to eat and drink, to fill us with His power, strengthen our faith and trust in Him, and remind us that He is with us and nothing can separate us from Him. He is inseparable from the bread and wine in Communion, because the bread and wine are His true body and blood; and He is inseparable from us because nothing can make Him stop loving us. I’ll also let you in on yet another little secret: some of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in ministry so far have been to be able to baptize and give Communion to other Christians of many backgrounds and traditions. Also, I make it a point never to charge for the Sacraments, either for Baptism or Communion, in keeping, once again, with the promise God makes in today’s reading from Isaiah, that all of His good gifts, He offers freely. And, because of my own personal approach, as well as the association to which our church family belongs, I am free to offer Baptism and Communion unconditionally to every Christian who desires them, regardless of background or tradition – and I actively look forward to and seek out those opportunities to reach out to people outside of my tradition with the Sacraments. One of several examples is, many years ago, I officiated a wedding for a certain couple in Southern California. A few months later, out of the blue, I was contacted by the bride, who told me that she and the groom had had a fight, and the groom up and moved out. She was, of course, incredibly distraught and confused. I stopped by the bride’s apartment that evening, listened to what had happened, encouraged her not to give up or lose hope that her marriage could be salvaged, prayed with her, and gave her Communion. The reason I gave her Communion was to let her know in a real, visible way that Jesus was with her. This gave her renewed comfort and encouragement from God, and resolve to be able to face the battles ahead. As we will be doing in just a few minutes, we will also hear that same promise: Jesus is with us. Also, at any time we may be struggling, frustrated, or ready to give up, we can go back to the promises God made to us at our Baptism: we are His children, He is always there for us, and He loves us. We need to receive the gifts from God just as much as we are to give them – because how can we give what we don’t realize we have, and enjoy ourselves just as much as we want others to enjoy them? That is why I encourage all of you, when you come to receive Communion, believe that God loves you personally. He loves you so much He sent His Son to die on the cross and rise again for you, and He is always with you to support, encourage, and sustain you at every moment of every day. He loves and accepts you unconditionally, is always there to listen to you, and speaks words of comfort to you.
You all will also probably have noticed that there’s one common thing between everything we’ve just been talking about: our calling as Christians is to provide comfort and encouragement freely. Especially in this day and age, that ought to be our message, and our approach: God’s love, open heart, open ears, and open hands for all people. Everything we do, we are to do in the name of Jesus – Jesus is to be inseparable, and the real reason, we do everything we do. Even the little things we do in Jesus’ name will have more of an enormous impact for people than we can possibly imagine. And, if we offer them freely and unconditionally to everyone, on behalf of Jesus, then Jesus will bless our efforts, increase our gifts and our ability to give, and will cause things to happen because of our giving. We will be able to grow spiritually ourselves, and as a church family, if we give freely, as we have been freely given. So let’s continue to fellowship and welcome together, listen, pray, speak God’s comforting Word, and give His promises to everyone, so we can be blessed as we are blessings.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Friday, August 11, 2023
Rally Sunday and Youth Sunday September 10, 2023!
Rally Sunday and Youth Sunday is coming up on September 10th! There are many parts available for the worship service; please let Pastor know if you would be able to participate, and what part you would like.
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District Prayer Concerns for August 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District
Prayer Concerns for August
2023
For the Church:
- Lutheran
Congregations in Mission for Christ
- LCMC's Staff:
Mike Bradley, Service
Coordinator
Charles Hunsaker,
Military Endorser
Christian Huntley,
Coordinator for Leadership and Pastoral Development
Sharon Macfayden,
Director of Operations
Cathy Nichol,
Administrative Coordinator
Julie Smith,
Coordinator for Districts and Fellowships
Kristy Thomas,
Communication and Public Relations
- LCMC's Board of
Trustees and Ministry Board.
- Our congregations in
the Great Lakes District. This month, we pray for Christ Community Church in
Youngstown, Ohio, and Pastor Rusty Wills; and Light of Christ Lutheran Church
in Fairborn, Ohio, and Pastor Randy Maki.
- Our Mission Partners:
this month, we pray for the ILT International Partners; and MissionsLink.
- Our International
Partners: this month, we pray for the Malawi Lutheran Church and Mission Mexico
International, and Pastor Enrique Estrada.
- Our local
congregations with whom we fellowship and work alongside for mission and
ministry in our communities.
For
our Government:
- Joe Biden, our
President.
- Kamala Harris, our
Vice President.
- Mike DeWine, the
Governor of Ohio.
- Gretchen Whitmer,
the Governor of Michigan.
- Our elected representatives
in Congress and State Legislatures.
- Our local county and
municipal officials.
- Our nation's Armed
Forces, especially those serving who are members of our church families; and
for those who are suffering from mental or physical injury, and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- Our First
Responders, particularly those of law enforcement, fire safety, paramedics, and
all medical professionals.
For all those in
special kind of need:
- The people of
Ukraine and Russia in the ongoing war there; and for Spiritual Orphans Network
and others who are ministering to the victims of the war in that region.
- All in our church
families who are suffering from physical, mental, or spiritual illness;
addiction; injury; abuse; domestic violence; trauma; stress; or Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- All in our own
families who are in need of any kind of healing from God, in mind, body, or
spirit.
- Those who are
continuing to suffer from the effects of COVID-19.
- Those in our church
families and communities who are suffering from poverty; homelessness; food
insecurity; lack of adequate shelter and/or utilities; unemployment or
underemployment.
- Those in our
communities who are working to alleviate poverty and homelessness, especially
our local shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and clothes closets.
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