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WEEKLY DEVOTION SEPTEMBER 21

Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“More Than the Hairs of My Head”

READING: Psalm 40:11-16 – Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame. But ,may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!”

You might remember a devotion I did some months back where I talked about Bradford pear trees and how they weren’t supposed to be able to produce seed, but they do. I told you of a small farm on Grant Line Road that the city had bought and let it grow wild. That whole farm was soon covered with Bradford pear trees growing thick as the hair on my head. In the spring it was beautifully white with pear blossoms. In the fall it was deep red until the leaves fell. But a man could hardly find his way through that tangle, let alone do anything useful there.

Well, about this time last month I was jogging past the farm one morning when I heard the sound of a large diesel engine and crackling sounds that sort of scared me. It sounded like some huge beast was stomping around amongst all those pear trees, and I couldn’t help but wonder what manner of beast was on the loose in there. But when I applied both my hearing and my reason, I surmised that they were starting to clear that farm to build a nursing home that’s due to go up on that property. I thought maybe there were using a bulldozer.

The following week when I was jogging past the farm again and my curiosity led me to walk in on the old driveway. What I saw was indeed some manner of beast! A machine was parked back near the old house that had a header full of grinding teeth that simply chewed all of those pear trees into little pieces. There were lanes already cut through the stand, and now, a couple of weeks later, the whole farm has nearly been cleared. Those trees were as thick as the hair on my head, but they were no match for that machinery. They are gone and gone for good!

So says King David! In our text he has the lines, “…my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head…” David confesses his sinfulness. He realizes that he can never make good on all those sins. He cannot “make it up” to the Lord. David says that if God decides to withhold his mercy from him, he will be lost. If God does not save him, he cannot save himself – from his enemies or from his sins.

David is going to the right One! David turns to the Lord and beseeches him for mercy, for salvation, for forgiveness, and for life. He knows that only God’s love and his truth can protect him. And God’s mercy, brought to its fullest strength by the life, death, and resurrection of his only Son, Jesus Christ, can chew through all those sins and utterly destroy and discard them. Like that wood-chewing machine on the farm along Grant Line, God’s salvation wrought by his Son, can take our sins and remove them permanently. When they’re gone, they’re gone for good!

I suppose next spring I’ll miss all those white blossoms, but I suspect by next spring the old house, the outbuildings, and all those pear trees will be history and something new will be a-building. Once you and I stand before God’s throne dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in our hands, the sins that were as thick as the hair of our heads will be long gone and forgotten. Something new will have taken their place. They’ll be forgotten because Jesus gave himself as payment, and in God’s mercy, for his Son’s sake, he’ll have forgiven those sins AND forgotten them. Wow! We couldn’t have accomplished that, but He did. Did it because He loved us and wouldn’t give us up. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENT(S):

1) The elders will be hosting the “ELDERS’ BBQ” on Sunday, October 17, immediately following the 10:30 service. You’ll be asked to RSVP for that at our Website (glcna.org) or by calling the office. You’ll get a postcard in the mail shortly with all the details. Put the date on your calendar. You won’t want to miss it!

2) Grace will be hosting this year’s CIRCUIT REFORMATION SERVICE on Sunday, October 31, at 3:00 P.M. Get that on your calendar, too! It’s going to be very special. Watch for details.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/_hIZf8ul7EY

pastork@glcna.com — (502) 797-7407

PRINTABLE PDF: WEEKLYDSept21.PDF

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WEEKLY DEVOTION SEPTEMBER 20

Monday, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Time vs. Opportunity”

Recently, in preparation for my Sunday morning Bible class I finished book called, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. On pages 137-155 the authors talked about Time (Greek-Chronos) verses Kairos (Opportunity). Usually time is very linear; clocks, appointments, deadlines etc. Kairos is opportunity within the chronos of things.
The Author once lived in Indonesia spoke of needing a carpenter to do some work. The author had to travel to a nearby island, a two-day boat ride away just to try and find a woodworker. He found one. About a month later he showed up with his apprentice. Not your usual, “I’ll be there between the hours of 8Am Monday and 5:00 on Friday. The carpenter arrived about a month later. He says, they moved into the carport and cooked breakfast. “He and his apprentice would sit there for an hour or two sharpening their tools, including a hand saw, one tooth at a time….” It too long enough to lose track of time. “After he finished my project, various neighbors in the area also arranged for him to do projects for them. After all, a carpenter was in town! Take advantage of the opportunity (Kairos).” After a year all the projects were finished. Page 144

The author goes on to suggest that this may have been the case with Joseph as a carpenter in Bethlehem. He may have stayed in Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus because opportunity allowed for him to find plenty of work to keep them busy. After all, by the time the Wisemen show up we are told that they found Jesus in a house by then (Matt 2:11). And Jesus is described as a child (paidon-toddler) and not Brephos (Newborn or infant). The point in all of this is that Joseph did not hurry back but essentially stayed where the work was. When he returns to Nazareth Dr. Paul Maier of Western Michigan University has said that Nazareth was a short walk from the Roman city of Sepphoris which had a long string of major renovations that would have kept Joseph securely employed.

So let’s consider our text from Ecclesiastes 3.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes is talking about Kairos-opportunities. What defines those opportunities depends on the context of that “time”. Last year may not have been a time to build because of prices. Maybe next year will be the right time. In the spring one may plant and in the fall one may reap and so on.

The Author points out that Jesus speaks of the end of time (chronos) in Matthew 22:1-3 in the parable of the wedding Banquet. Weddings back then were not set for a certain day necessarily. So, an invitation would usually mean be ready for that day when the king decided that the wedding was perfect, when it was time to kill the fattened calf. If everything was just right the opportunity (Kairos) for a wedding would be seized upon. The idea of Matt 24:36 when Jesus says, “no one knows when except the father” is in direct relation to this wedding language of the previous parable. Be ready and don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the wedding feast of the Lamb.

For a young family time and opportunity is always a balancing act. There are only 24 hours in a day right. There is a time for everything and every activity under our roof. There is a time for getting up and a time for bed. There is a time to change the baby and a time to buy diapers. There is a time to take the dog out and a time to feed the dog. There is a time for dance class and a time for soccer practice. There is a time for school and a time for a nap (maybe). There is a time for supper and a time to go to bed. There is a time to get up for a trip to the bathroom and a time to start all over again. Time is filled with things to do.

Kairos is the word for seizing on those most significant of things. Time with the kids, a teachable moment, a chance to say, ‘I love you.”; or a chance to catch up. As I get older and my time (Chronos) gets shorter I find myself craving more Kairos, more opportunities for the things that count. And isn’t that the way it works with most of us. When time feels short, we tend to pay attention to or reflect on the important things, the opportunities that have made life so meaningful.

Beware of the “somedays.” This year as many of you know Tricia and I celebrated our 25th anniversary by going to Alaska. It was on our someday list and then it was on our priority list. I’ve often heard the comment, “I’d like to visit Alaska someday.” However, lots of things often come before Someday: Life happens–weddings, graduations, retirement, replacing the furnace, or too many projects at work. For us, we finally decided that someday would never come if we didn’t decide to get one with it and go. So, we did and we are grateful to have experienced everything about that trip. Likewise, any chance we get to be with family is something that we try to take advantage of. When we were young, we had all the time in the world. Not so much right! Where does all the time go. Along with that how many opportunities for family, friends, good stuff are we potentially missing. How much time with the Lord is lost because we were going to read the Bible someday, get our kids into Bible class someday, take advantage of that invitation to go with a friend to church someday.

Life is like the flowers of the field, here one minute and gone the next. In truth, everything has its time and season. But when opportunities come, we will do well to take the time to dance, mourn, laugh, mend, speak, listen and so on. Especially, when it comes to our faith, we here in America we have loads of opportunities to worship and fellowship. We probably own at least two Bibles with all kinds of information in the footnotes. We can pray to the Lord early and often without being imprisoned for it. We have lots of opportunity to know the Lord. The opportunities are many, actually. We will do well to turn our time into something sacred and even eternal.

Isn’t this what the Law of God was all about. Love the Lord your God with your whole self and love your neighbor as yourself. The Law is dripping with a Kairos mindset. So is the Gospel. I can’t find a single place in scripture where Jesus turned down an invitation to be with someone. Jesus never passed on an opportunity to bring the Gospel to a sinner, tax collector, or pharisee, or someone who needed healing. Look at how much He accomplished in just three years of public ministry. The Lord has promised us an eternal life. Let’s make the most of the time we have in Christ to make every grace filled opportunity count in our own lives.

And now the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with His favor and give you His peace in Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF:WDSept20.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/A5eW00uIRUc

matt.woods@glcna.com — (502) 523-9327

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Elders BBQ LUNCHEON”

Sunday, October 17
Immediately after late service (approx. noon)
Everyone is invited to join us for the Elders BBQ and all the fixin’s.
There will be some good food, good fellowship, and plenty of fun.
SIGNUP FOR LUNCH!
Please RSVP by calling the office or SIGNUP HERE!.

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Please Help — Hope Southern Indiana

Grace Lutheran Door Offering
To Help Hope Southern Indiana
Weekends of September 26 & October 3
Our Community Needs Your Help.
Check Out the most recent information from the Director, Angie Graf.
HERE! HopeSouthernIndiana.PDF

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College & Young Adult Survey

In order to relaunch College & Young Adult ministry, I need your input. I want to know who you are, what you are interested in, and what kind of time commitment you would like to take on. By September 26th, please fill out the form HERE!.

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For more pics follow the link:
TO WOMEN’S page

CLICK ON PICTURES TO EXPAND THEM.

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When: Sept. 24th-25th
Where: St. John’s Lanesville
Time: Friday @8:00pm-Saturday @1:30pm

Van will leave Grace Friday @7:30pm and return @2:00pm on Saturday.

Cost: $10 and a packaged snack to share

Have no Fear, the Jr. High Youth Rally is here! Join us for a night of fun, fellowship, Bible study and service. Friday night, we will dive into the Word and learn about how we don’t have to live in fear because of Jesus! We will play GROG and Fear Factor to name a few. Saturday morning, we will have a service event in Corydon. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The fee will help cover the cost of the event t-shirt. Please bring a sleeping bag or blow-up twin-size mattress, blanket, pillow, extra change of clothes, work gloves (for servant event), Bible, flashlight, toiletries, and tennis shoes.

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CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NOTES

This new offering was very successful and enjoyed by all!

Grace Notes available Online

Grace Notes started as a children’s version of the confirmation level Sermon Notes. It has grown to two full pages front and back with Bible verses according to the weekly church readings, pictures illustrating stories or verses, a prayer box, and puzzles. Grace Notes are part of the Grace Packs (single use church bags) available on Sundays.

Grace Notes are an awesome way to build on the online service as an opportunity for devotion and discussion.

Children’s Ministry Contact Information

Email: sabrina.haug@glcna.com
Phone/Text: 502-386-6371
Facebook: Grace Lutheran Children’s Ministry
Web: www.glcna.org – click Children’s Ministry in right-side Index

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SERVICES IN THE BUILDING AND ONLINE!

If you are not feeling well, please stay home and watch online. We are sanitizing everything. No masks required.

WORSHIP SCHEDULE: (* = Communion).

Saturday, September 25, 5:00 pm — Sunday, September 26, 8:00 & *10:30 am

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Grace Online – Children’s Bible Lessons!

Bring the message home with activity pages. Enjoy yourself or share with someone. Use as family devotion. New pages posted weekly on children’s ministry page @ glcna.org.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE CHILDRENS MINISTRY PAGE!

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For more information (Your Bulletin) check out
NEWS & TIDBITS at the top right box

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For more Devotions check out RECENT DEVOTIONS
at the top right box

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CHECK OUT BAPTISM – OBITS

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Bring Your Can to Church

Feed the Hungry

On Sunday, October 3rd, we will again collect items for the food pantry to help feed the hungry. We can use: freezer items (meats, cheese, bread – place in food pantry freezer), mac & cheese, spaghetti sauce & noodles, jelly, canned meat, canned pastas, canned fruit, pork n’ beans, rice, potatoes, crackers, toiletries, baby diapers, wipes, formula, etc.

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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9
https://glcna.org/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cgmp-documentation

Welcome to the Grace Lutheran Church and School web site. There is a variety of information here regarding our congregation and our beliefs. Lutherans are Bible-believing, sacramental Christians who trace their roots back to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. There have been Lutherans since 1517, particularly in Germany and Scandanavia. Lutherans in America followed large immigrations from Europe in the 1840’s and 1850’s.

The congregation at Grace was founded in 1927 in a small room over a pool hall on State Street in New Albany. The congregation moved to Tenth and Oak, then to Charlestown Road, before building its current facilities on Klerner Lane in 1974. The congregation now numbers just over 1100 souls. We worship at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday evenings. The pastors are Rev. Bruce Kischnick and Rev. Matt Woods.