Attached is the latest information from ELCA Disaster Response and an opportunity to assist in combating this deadly disease.
Please open the attachment and read the information and then prayerfull consider a response.
Pr. Len
Wednesday Words for September 24, 2014
From Interim Senior Pastor Len Hoffmann
Please Click the Link Below to Access Bethany Weekly Newsletter
Worship 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 am with Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education at 9:00 am. Children are to go to their classrooms and then they will go as classes to Children’s Church. New Coffee 10:00 am.
Adult Classes at 9:00 am: Parenting Class – Bad Girls of the Bible (Men are Welcome!)
PADS Ministry begins Sunday, October 5. We will recognize and bless all PADS Ministry Volunteers at worship on that day.
Thought for the Day:
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love.
Psalm 25:6
When my daughter was very little, when she could just begin to talk she would say, “I want what I want when I want it.”
It was at that moment in my life when I became totally committed to the concept of sin being part and parcel of human nature.
As our prayer of the day states, “God knows our failings and frailties better than we ourselves.” God knows that we are selfish and faithless. Therefore, we go on to pray, “Give us grace to overcome.”
We receive that grace as we worship and receive the sacrament. We receive forgiveness of sins, new life and salvation.
We are given power to be turned from our faithless and selfish ways toward God to faithfully and toward our neighbors to live selflessly.
We are renewed, set free, and saved from ourselves.
Pr. Len
Lectionary 26 - Proper 21
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer of the Day: God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading Ezekiel 18:1-14; 25-32
Ezekiel challenges those who think they cannot change because of what their parents were and did, or who think they cannot turn from their wicked ways. God insistently invites people to turn and live.
The word of the LORD came to me: 2What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? 3As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die. 25Yet you say, "The way of the LORD is unfair." Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. 27Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. 28Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 29Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the LORD is unfair." O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.
Second Reading Philippians 2:1-13
As part of a call for harmony rather than self-seeking, Paul uses a very early Christian hymn that extols the selflessness of Christ in his obedient death on the cross. Christ's selfless perspective is to be the essential perspective we share as the foundation for Christian accord.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death —
even death on a cross.
9Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Gospel Matthew 21:23-32
After driving the moneychangers out of the temple (21:12), Jesus begins teaching there. His authority is questioned by the religious leaders, who are supposed to be in charge of the temple.
23When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." 27So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. After driving the moneychangers out of the temple (21:12), Jesus begins teaching there. His authority is questioned by the religious leaders, who are supposed to be in charge of the temple.
Hi Bethany Lutheran,
If you missed Sunday morning worship, please join us tonight at 5pm for our Sunday evening worship.
Sunday evening worships will be held on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
Blessings!
Pr. Paul
| Fanning the Flame of Renewal(View Online) | ||||||||
| What: | Meeting | |||||||
| When: | Thu, Sep 25, 2014, 5:45p - 8:30p | |||||||
| Where: | Luther Hall | |||||||
| RSVP: | Click here to indicate if you will attend or not | |||||||
Wednesday Words for September 17, 2014
From Interim Senior Pastor Len Hoffmann
Scroll Down and Click to View the Bethany Weekly Newsletter
Coming Events
Worship 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 am with Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education at 9:00 am. Children are to go to their classrooms and then they will go as classes to Children’s Church. Get acquainted hour 10:00 a.m..
Adult Classes at 9:00 am. Parenting Class – Bad Girls of the Bible (Men are Welcome!)
New Member Class for this Sunday has been postponed until a future date due to scheduling conflicts. Thank You!
Please RSVP (let us know you’re coming) to the first of five Fanning the Flame-Unlocking Our Potential gatherings. We need all voices. Please join in engaging God’s future for our congregation. Thursday, September 25. Soup Supper 5:45 – 6:15 Session 1 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
PADS Ministry begins Sunday, October 5. We will recognize and bless all PADS Ministry Volunteers at worship on that day.
Thought for the Day
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:8
When interviewed by the media, the brother of the decapitated British citizen aid worker said, “My first reaction is anger and hatred, but my brother wasn’t about that he was about love.”
This statement is especially true about God. In Jesus Christ we come to know that God is not about punishment and anger, but God is gracious, full of compassion and abounding in steadfast love.
As the Gospel for this week reminds us God’s goodness and grace is not about rewarding those who get it right or work the hardest, but rather God’s abundance is poured out upon us all, as Luther says, “without any merit or worthiness in me.” He goes on to say, “Therefore we are to pray, praise and give thanks.
The biblical way of saying thanks to God, our thank you note, is through our offerings. Our offering are not given as a bargaining chip to get something back from God, but a recognition of how abundant are the blessings of God to us. The response of our offerings to God enables us to engage in God’s work in our congregation, community and world.
Pr. Len
Lectionary 25
Proper 20
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
Almighty and eternal God, you show perpetual loving-kindness to us your servants. Because we cannot rely on our own abilities, grant us your merciful judgment, and train us to embody the generosity of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading Jonah 3:10 - 4:11
After Jonah's short sermon in 3:4, the Ninevites all repented and God decided to spare the city. Jonah objected to this and became even more angry when God ordered a worm to destroy a plant that was providing shade. The book ends with a question that challenges any who are not ready to forgive: You, Jonah, are all worked up about a bush, but should not I be concerned about a hundred and twenty thousand Ninevites who do not know the difference between their right and left hands?
Chapter 3
10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
Chapter 4
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2He prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4And the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" 5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
6The Lord GOD appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
9But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enough to die." 10Then the LORD said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?"
Second Reading Philippians 1:21-30
Paul writes to the Philippians from prison. Though he is uncertain about the outcome of his imprisonment, he is committed to the ministry of the gospel and calls on the Philippians to live lives that reflect and enhance the gospel mission.
21For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
27Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well — 30since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
The Gospel Matthew 20:1-16
Jesus tells a parable about God's generosity, challenging the common assumption that God rewards people according to what they have earned or deserve.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' 8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
CRYSTAL LAKE C.R.O.P WALK
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH - 1 P.M.
ST. PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
485 WOODSTOCK STREET
What are CROP Hunger Walks?
A CROP Hunger Walk is a walk in our community to raise money to take a stand against hunger, not only around the world but here in Crystal Lake, IL. Our walk will start at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. You have the choice of a 4 mile or 1 mile route.
Where does the money go?
In the last 20 years, CROP Hunger Walks have raised more than $294 million to help people struggling to feed their families – both around the world and around the corner. In fact, 25 percent of the funds raised by the Crystal Lake CROP Hunger Walk will benefit the Crystal Lake Food Pantry.
How you participate?
There are several ways you can participate in this year’s CROP Hunger Walk
See Pam Bock on Sunday to get your packet and get your questions answered.
Contact information thebocks@prodigy.net or 815-245-0087
Our goal is to raise $4,000.00 from Bethany Lutheran Church.
| Fanning the Flame of Renewal(View Online) | ||||||||
| What: | Meeting | |||||||
| When: | Thu, Sep 25, 2014, 5:45p - 8:30p | |||||||
| Where: | Luther Hall | |||||||
| RSVP: | Click here to indicate if you will attend or not | |||||||
Working on Sunday Mornings? Out of town for the weekend?
Why not join us for Sunday evening worship the 3rd Sunday of each month.
The first Sunday evening worship will be
Sunday, September 21 at 5:00 pm
Wednesday Words for September 10, 2014
From Interim Senior Pastor Len Hoffmann
Scroll Down to Click Open the Weekly Newsletter
Thought for the Day
All the ends of the earth have seen the victory for our God.
Psalm 98:3b
Our new schedule starts on September 14, Holy Cross Day, 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 am with Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education at 9:00 am. Children are to go to their classrooms and then they will go as classes to children’s church. Social Hour at 10:00 am.
Adult Classes at 9:00 a.m. Parenting Class – Bad Girls of the Bible (Men are Welcome!)
This is a priceless opportunity. Financial Peace University (adults) beginning on Wednesday, September 17 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Child care available.
Thursday, September 18, Experience Palestinian culture right here in Chicago! Purchase tickets for $75 a person at chicago-roomforhope.eventbrite.com. 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 7300 Division Street, River Forest. For more information about these festivals, please contact Sue Foran at sforan4@comcast.net or call 815-315-0682. For more information on Bright Stars of Bethlehem, visit www.brightstarsbethlehem.org.
As we celebrate Holy Cross Day we are encouraged to “Lift High the Cross” and proclaim, “God Wins! God Wins! God Wins”! The Psalmist says, “all have seen the victory of our God.” The ultimate victory for us is the Cross of Christ. It is there that Christ died once for all.
However, Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that this is foolishness and a stumbling block. It looks like foolishness, because an instrument of death becomes the gateway to eternal life. A cross becomes a “W” flag for those who are connected to Christ through word and sacrament.
The world wants clear choices – winners and losers. The world seeks victory in power and glory. The cross reminds us that power comes in the midst of our weakness and strengthens us to face the reality of our losses.
It is for this reason that our reredos (the area behind the altar) is decorated with crosses and connected with the word W.I.R.E.D. It is in the cross that we are plugged into God’s power and we become W.I.R.E.D. for Outreach and Service. Worship, Involvement, Renewal, Education and Discipleship connects us to the victory of the cross emboldens us to reach out to share and invite others to plug into this victory; a victory that has eternal implications greater than the “W” at Wrigley Field.
Pr. Len
Holy Cross Day
This festival, which originated in the fourth century, celebrates the triumph of the cross. Paul reminds us that Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God. As Moses put a serpent on a pole to be a source of healing for the Israelites, we lift high the cross as the sign of our health and salvation. Each time we make the sign of the cross we remember our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ.
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that he might draw the whole world to himself. To those who look upon the cross, grant your wisdom, healing, and eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading Numbers 21:4b-9
When the people spoke against God and Moses, the Lord sent poisonous snakes against them. Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord ordered him to erect a serpent of bronze on a pole. All who looked at it after having been bitten by a serpent would live.
4bBut the people became impatient on the way. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-24
At the heart of the Christian message is the word of the cross. This proclamation seems foolish to many because it reveals true divine power in the absolute weakness of Christ's crucifixion. True wisdom understands how ours is a God who suffers for and with humankind in the cross.
18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The Gospel John 3:13-17
After explaining to Nicodemus that one must be born of water and Spirit, Jesus speaks of being lifted up on the cross, with reference to the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert. Here the Son of God is revealed as the source of healing.
13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
| Fanning the Flame of Renewal(View Online) | ||||||||
| What: | Meeting | |||||||
| When: | Thu, Oct 16, 2014, 5:45p - 8:30p | |||||||
| Where: | Luther Hall | |||||||
| RSVP: | Click here to indicate if you will attend or not | |||||||
This Week
Wednesday - 5:00 p.m. Children's Choir (Sonshine Singers)
New Members Welcome!
Wednesday - 7:00 p.m. Confirmation Class Begins (Grades 6-8)
Sunday - 8:00, 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Worship
Sunday - 9:00 a.m. Children's Church, Sunday School and
Adult Education
Parenting Class and Bad Girls of the Bible (Men Welcome!)
Help Wanted!
Ushers-Greeters-Communion Assistants (one or two people for 8:00 a.m.)
Assisting Ministers and Readers (All Services)
No Experience Necessary. Training Provided.
Contact Pr. Len at len.hoffmann@bethanylc.com
Our new schedule starts on September 14, Holy Cross Day,
Correction
8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 a,m. Worship
9:00 a.m. Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education
10:00 a.m. Social Hour
Bethany Lutheran Church W.I.R.E.D. for Outreach and Service
Worship - Involvement - Renewal - Education - Discipleship
Invite a Friend or Family Member
Wednesday Words for September 3, 2014
From Interim Senior Pastor Len Hoffmann
Scroll down to find the link to your Bethany Weekly Newsletter!
Thought for the Day
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8
Men's Minstry Meets Saturday September 6 at 7:30 a.m. All men are welcome
We have a New Nursery attendant – Laura Zawada. We welcome Laura to our staff. She has 13 years of experience and was certified for CPR and First Aid. She begins this Sunday, Sept. 7.
Our new schedule starts on September 14, Holy Cross Day, 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 with Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education at 9:00 a.m. Social Hour at 10:00.
Would you like to receive some tools for managing your personal finances? Consider attending Financial Peace University (adults) beginning on Wednesday, September 17 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Child care available.
Thursday, September 18 Experience Palestinian culture right here in Chicago! Purchase tickets for $75 a person at chicago-roomforhope.eventbrite.com 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Grace Lutheran Church 7300 Division Street, River Forest For more information about these festivals, please contact Sue Foran at sforan4@comcast.net or call 815-315-0682. For more information on Bright Stars of Bethlehem, visit www.brightstarsbethlehem.org.
Sunday at Bethany: I recently heard a commentator speaking about the issue of “Law and Order.”
He mentioned that we often focus on the idea of “law” but we forget about the need for “order.”
Martin Luther talks about the ‘law” as both the Ten Commandments and all civil authority that is in place to provide an orderly society. His argument is that if we do not have order we have chaos.
However, Luther also says that the law always accuses us. The law holds us accountable for what we do and what we fail to do. In light of the Gospel the law shows us that we are in need of rescue from sin, death and the power of evil. So even though we may view ourselves as keeping or upholding the letter of the law we can never claim to fulfill the spirit of the law.
Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that Christ has come to fulfill the law and it is only through Christ that we can live in the way that God intends us to live. So, when Paul says that when we love others we fulfill the law, he intends for us to understand that this is Christ’s love flowing in and through us toward others.
One of the ways we grow in this understanding and living is by spending time in worship and in learning. As we gather with one another, singing, praying, sharing, listening, learning we become W.I.R.E.D for Outreach and Service.
Pr. Len
Lectionary 23
Proper 18
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
O Lord God, enliven and preserve your church with your perpetual mercy. Without your help, we mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us toward all that gives life and salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading Ezekiel 33:7-11
God appointed Ezekiel as a sentinel for the house of Israel. Ezekiel must faithfully convey God's warnings to the people. Remarkably, God—who is about to attack Jerusalem—gives a warning with the hope that repentance will make the attack unnecessary.
7So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
10Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" 11Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Second Reading Romans 13:8-14
The obligation of Christians is to love one another and so fulfill the heart and goal of the law. Clothes make the person as we "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" and live today in light of the future God has in store for us.
8Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
The Gospel Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus offers practical advice to his disciples on how individuals—and the church as a whole—should show wrongdoers their need for repentance.
15If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Michelle A. Nordlof, 46, of Chicago, died on August 26, 2014 at her home in Chicago.
She was born January 4, 1968 in Chicago to William R. and Virginia A. (Schneider) Nordlof.
Michelle was a graduate of Crystal Lake Central, Class of 1968. She earned her Bachelors Degree from Illinois State University in 1990; and her MBA from Illinois Benedictine University in 1992; and a Master Degree in Mechanical Enginering from U of I Chicago in 2005.
She managed the family business in Chicago for 24 years. Michelle loved dogs and scuba diving.
She is survived by her parents, William R. and Virginia A. Nordlof of Huntley; and a brother, Keith Nordlof.
There will be a gathering of friends and relative at the Schneider Leucht Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL on Thursday, September 4, 2014 from 5 pm until the 7 pm funeral service. Interment will be private. The Rev.Dr. Len Hoffamnn, Bethany Lutheran Church officiating.
7:00 pm Wednesday, September 3 - Confirmation Orientation - Luther Hall
8:30 a.m. Sunday, September 7 - Worship (and all that follows)
9:30 a.m. Sunday School Registration/Parent Orientation - Community Room
9:30 a.m. Adult Education Fair (See What's Being Offered) - Luther Hall
9:30 a.m. Coffe Hour - Luther Hall (grab some coffee and tour the fair)
There will be a drawing for those validating that they have visited 7 Booths
10:30 a.m. Sunday, September 7 - Worship
Bethany - W.I.R.E.D. for Outreach and Service
Invite a Family Member or Friend