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WEEKLY DEVOTION OCTOBER 27

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

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

“Where Is Your Sting?”

READING: I Corinthians 15:51-57 – Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. BUT THANKS BE TO GOD! HE GIVES US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

I love Halloween! I love it for my grandkids. I love it for my neighborhood kids. I love it for all that’s best about it. When else can our children go to complete strangers’ homes and get gifts of candy, smiles, and fake fear? I love to open my door and hear, “Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!” And while there are always a few kids, especially middle schoolers and a few high schoolers, who dress up in ghoulish and grizzly costumes with lots of fake blood and horrible wounds, most of the kids I see come as princesses, cowboys, superheroes, athletes, police officers, and the like. They love to dress up and pretend they are someone cool, unusual, or scary, and what’s wrong with that? We open the doors, recoil in “horror”, and hand out candy to them. It’s all about the kids and their enjoyment.

Now, when it comes to Halloween movies and “Haunted Houses” and occult behaviors – well, that’s a different thing altogether. There will always be people who will revel in darkness and the things of Satan. They’ll go too far. They allow themselves to act in foolish, sinful, even criminal ways because they have no sense of Godliness and what’s right. They celebrate what is sick and twisted, but that’s no reason to condemn Halloween as some churches and some pastors are wont to do.

Halloween gets its name from “Hallowed Eve”, the night before November 1, which is “All Saints Day” in the church calendar. It was that way in Luther’s day, too. In fact, that was the reason he nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” to the church door. He knew that the next day all the professors and learned men of Wittenberg would be coming to the church to celebrate what was then the second most important church holy day after Easter. He wanted them all to see and read the Theses, so a debate could be scheduled to consider what he was thinking.

Now in some towns in Europe, on Hallowed Eve young men would dress up like skeletons and ghouls (today they’re called “Zombies”) and run through the streets scaring children and adults alike. But they did this to make fun of death and the devil. Why? Because on the morrow they were going to celebrate the Eternal Life of the Saints, and on November 2, “All Souls Day”, they would celebrate the promise of the Resurrection and Everlasting Life for all of God’s people. So, they dressed up and ran through the streets, laughing and making jest of the very things Jesus has overcome in his death and resurrection. They weren’t celebrating the things of evil. On the contrary, they were celebrating Christ’s victory over those things.

In our text above, St. Paul does the same. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” He might just as well have said, “Ha! You can’t have me for long! And, your days are numbered! Jesus has already overcome you all, and at that last trumpet call, I WILL, TOO!” Paul assures the Corinthians and us that the day will come when those “who sleep” in death AND those living in that moment will be changed, “…in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…”, and we will ALL be “imperishable” and “immortal”, never to die again.

So, I say buy lots of candy, keep the porch light on, recoil in “horror”, and then give those kids each a handful and tell them, “Happy Halloween!” For the great majority of them, it’s just an excuse to dress up, pretend, and keep the dentists in business! For those of us “in the know” it’s a night to reflect on the indisputable fact that Jesus lives, and because he lives, we shall live also, forever with him. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENT(S):

TURKEY SUPPER is coming! A week from Saturday, NOVEMBER 7, from 4-7:00 PM. Drive-through only! $10 for adults, $5.00 for kids ten and under. White meat, dark meat, or ham – WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

With the Turkey Supper we also need help: Monday, November 2, 9:00 AM – pulling bread, cutting vegetables. Thursday, November 5, from 9:00 on – baking all the turkeys and breasts. Friday, November 6, from 9:30 on – slicing all the meat and making all the broth. I’m somehow in charge of this job, so I need, yea! I DEMAND help! (Please?) And, the Elders can use help on Saturday to pull and fill orders starting about 3:30. Come work! Come eat! But, come!

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/yZ4peKZHRgs

pastork@glcna.com — (502) 797-7407

PRINTABLE PDF: WEEKLYDOct27.PDF

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WEEKLY DEVOTION OCTOBER 26

Monday, October 26, 2020

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

“Getting Good Advice”

Well, good morning all. Hope that this finds you well as you tune in. Some of you are asking how the Newlyweds are doing. They are well, and enjoying married life. Thanks be to God. And thanks to all you who have been praying and wishing them well.

And some of you have asked about mom. She is holding her own, sporting knitted caps, and working hard to keep her strength up. So far so good. She is half-way through her chemo and eager to have it behind her. Thank you to all who continue to pray for our family and send cards to mom. Special shout out to Jackie for the great hats.

So, lets talk about advice. By the time you view this I will have undergone my first colonoscopy. I was ready to go back in March but that’s when Covid moved in to kick our butt. So, I am finally checking that one off my bucket list. The mere mention of the procedure has strangely evoked a lot of reaction.

It all starts with the question: “Is this your first one?” I answer “yes” because I hit the Five-O last November. Lucky me. Then comes the smiles, an occasional chuckle, and then a story about that person’s experience, and finally the advice. And its been a riot hearing all the takes on such a glamorous procedure. For example: one person said, “You should really fast two days before” while another said, “You should eat a lot so that you have something to actually pass besides water” –to make it worth it, I guess. How about the fluids? One experienced voice said to me, “When it comes to that really sweet solution you have to drink–just drink the solution down rather than sip it so that you get it over with quickly.” Another experienced voice also suggested that I mix the go-juice that you have to drink with lemonade. I had numerous other stories and with each story I got another little piece of advice. I started having a lot of fun with it. Thank you to all who have enough concern for me to offer their advice. The best part is that when you summarize what was said it is clear that it all comes out all right in the end.

Scripture has a lot to say about getting good advice from reliable people. Proverbs 24:6 for instance says, “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” But I think the Proverbs 2 makes a very important distinction about getting advice and discernment; learning and applying what you have learned.

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”

Let me premise my next thoughts with a word of warning to those of us who are quick to give advice. I remember reading somewhere—wish I could remember where: “A need is not necessarily an invitation and a problem doesn’t always have a solution. Not everything is meant to get fixed by you.” Instead remember to listen more than speak. Weigh the matter carefully, before you speak as an expert on something. And remember that helping others is not about you.

The proverb is telling us however to seek wisdom when it can be found. I still enjoy learning from those who have much to teach me, especially from the ninety somethings that have lived a lot longer than me. My favorite professors are the little old ladies who read and reread their Bible. That Word saturates their experience and at their age the speak their minds freely which makes them a lot of fun.

But Proverbs 2 is not just advice, it is God teaching us about wisdom. Seek the Lord where He may be found we are told. Sometimes that is found in people that have lived long enough or been through enough to know something who are experiencing something they know a lot about because they have lived it. For instance, how many of us parents try to teach our children about mistakes in life we wish we could have avoided when we were younger. We do this because we have lived it. We know what direction something might go because we’ve been there and done that.

Ultimately good advice takes us in the direction of Godly advice. When the proverb says, “Store up God’s Commands”, it advises that godly advice works best when it is integrated into our life, when faith turns into action. In the end wisdom that comes from experience, when combined and tempered with God’s Word we will be better equipped to be discerning; knowing how and where to apply the advice we are given. Literally to take someone else’s experience and integrate it into our own for the purpose of deeper faith is the ultimate goal.

So, it says, “seek it as silver or a treasure hidden.” “Then you will be able to know what is right and fair.” “Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.” When you put this altogether wisdom will keep your backside out of trouble. From buying the right car to learning how to care for a sick member of the family to experiencing a first colonoscopy. Wisdom will benefit where ever life may take you. So, seek the advice of godly people, and certainly of God knowing that path has been walked before. And on that path we will find our way.

Announcements

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 Woods — John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WeeklyDOct25.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/1nGGZWXJ86A

matt.woods@glcna.com — (502) 523-9327

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No Saturday Worship on November 7

Please join us for one of our Sunday services
on November 8 at 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. (Communion served at 10:30)

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BLOOD DRIVE

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, November 12, 2020
3:00 – 7:00 PM
Click here to schedule your time.

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9:35 KIDS

Something new is coming to Grace on November 8 and 22 and December 13. It’s called “9:35 Kids” and it’s a worship service designed for children and their parents. It will take place in the gym with proper social distancing and safeguards. It will start at 9:35, between the services, and last until about 10:00. There will be skits, puppets, music, and praises to our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We encourage parents to attend with the kids. So, mark your calendars and anticipate something designed just for kids – “9:35 Kids”, that is!

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MARKING BIBLES

for Kentuckiana Zone LWML Prison Ministry

A Thrivent Action Team, sponsored by Dale Beickman, used funds to purchase Bibles for prison ministry. The Bibles are on a table in the narthex. Simply take a Bible from the box on the table and mark it as noted on the directions. Please return the marked Bibles by November 1 and place in the box next to God’s Post Office. Please be sure to mark the date you returned them. Contact Dolly Jenkins, 812-989-3093, if you have any questions. Thank you for sharing God’s word!!

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Thanksgiving Baskets for those in Need

The Caring Team will be giving out Thanksgiving baskets this year to households in need. We are collecting the following items for the baskets if you can help: green beans, evaporated milk, peas, pumpkin pie mix, canned fruit, corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, gravy, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese. If you have anything perishable, please place in the freezer in the food pantry. All your donations are deeply appreciated.

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Love Offering for Thanksgiving Baskets

A love offering will be taken on Sundays, November 1 & 8 to help purchase additional items we will need for the baskets. Your monetary donations will help others and is deeply appreciated.

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Ahead to December:
Christmas Stocking Stuffers

On Tuesday, December 8 in the church Fellowship Hall from 10:00 a.m. to noon, volunteers will meet to stuff stockings with items for the children of an incarcerated parent, children in youth shelters and other children needing help and support. Helpers are needed; a boxed lunch will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Dolly Jenkins at 812-989-3093.

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Grace Lutheran’s children’s ministry is online!
Materials packets available for pickup at church!
There are TWO age groups; if the age group you need is not there, contact Sabrina at 502-386-6371.

In order to have enough material packets, please register here: https://forms.gle/V6cXawuxGMs53H229

I am excited about moving into this next phase of our Children’s Ministry. If you have any questions, please email Children’s Ministry Director Sabrina Haug at sabrina.haug@glcna.com.

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Announcement of links to Grace Pages online

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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SERVICES IN THE BUILDING AND ONLINE!

PLEASE, we ask that you do not attend if you are older than 65, have any illness or underlying health condition that makes you more vulnerable to the virus, or if you are feeling unwell, or are just not comfortable yet, we encourage you to stay at home and watch us online. Online Sunday services are a new addition and will remain indefinitely. For those planning to attend, we encourage you to wear a face mask, refrain from hand shaking and hugging. We will sanitize everything before and after services. We also will be spacing people apart in the Sanctuary. (No Sunday School or Bible Classes, just yet. More on that later). No VBS for 2020

OCTOBER and NOVEMBER WORSHIP SCHEDULE: (* = Communion).

Saturday, October 31 5:00 pm — Sunday, November 1 *8:00 & 10:30 am
Saturday, November 7 NO WORSHIP — Sunday, November 8 8:00 & *10:30 am
Saturday, November 14 *5:00 pm — Sunday, November 15 *8:00 & 10:30 am
Saturday, November 21 *5:00 pm — Sunday, November 22 8:00 & *10:30 am

THANKSGIVING WORSHIP
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 7:00 pm with Communion
Saturday, November 28 5:00 pm — Sunday, November 29 8:00 & 10:30 am

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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

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.