Wednesday Words for October 29, 2014
From Interim Senior Pastor Len Hoffmann
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Worship 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30 am
Children’s Church, Sunday School and Adult Education at 9:00 am.
New Coffee and Get Acquainted Hour 10:00 am.
Sunday, November 2 Festival of All Saints Celebration Worship –
Remembering those who entered eternal life
No Music at 8:00 a.m. Worship to allow time for music preparation
When you arrive for worship there will be tables of candles. Prior to worship you are invited to come forward and light a candle in memory of a loved one who has entered eternal life. In addition, at the beginning of worship in place of the Thanksgiving for Baptism, we will have a Rite of Remembrance for those of our family of faith who have entered the church triumphant this past year.
Our next Fanning the Flame event will be held tomorrow, October 30. Soup Supper 5:45 - 6:15 pm
Purpose and Planning Session 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Identifying Our Core Values.
Find a new opportunity for supporting God’s Mission. Go to our website and click on “Give on Line.”
Men’s Ministry Meeting, Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 a.m.
A special thanks to our choirs and musicians for their leadership last Sunday and this Sunday.
Thought for the Day:
Fear the Lord, you saints of the Lord; for those who fear the Lord lack nothing. Ps. 34:9
Sunday at Bethany:
Fear does amazing things to us. It is often categorized as a natural reaction to threats real or imagined, and our response is either “fight or flight.” We have seen this happen in regards to the recent Ebola outbreak. Health care workers are stepping forward to fight Ebola by going to West Africa to confront this disease on the front lines.
News media have tended to cause greater fear and have encouraged people to flee from those who may have the disease, as well as not always giving the scientific evidence clearly enough to alleviate our fears.
When our Psalmist talks about fear of the Lord, this does not mean to be afraid of God. Rather it is about being in awe of God. We are to respect God. As Martin Luther says, we are to “fear, love and trust in God above everything else.” We see that God is the one who provides us with everything. When we trust in the Lord we lack nothing.
Now the Psalmist doesn’t say that we will have everything we want. What the Psalmist is saying is that when God is first everything else falls into place and we lack for nothing, because we have put our trust and confidence in the one who owns it all.
In the Gospel for this Sunday Jesus reminds us that as followers of his no matter what or circumstances in life we are blessed, because through Christ is with us. We are reminded of this each time we worship and receive the assurance of God’s presence in our lives. We live with confidence and joy in that we have God with us.
So it is with joyful hearts and since we lack nothing, we return to God the first fruits of the gifts that God has given us, so that we might do God’s work in the world through our message and actions.
Festival of All Saints
Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, 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 Revelation 7:9-17
The book of Revelation is written to seven churches in western Asia Minor during a time of great oppression. Today's reading is a response to the question asked in 6:17: "Who is able to stand?" The writer gives the faithful the assurance of God's protection and a vision of victory.
9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal ;they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Second Reading 1 John 3:1-3
A saint is one who has been set apart by God for God's purposes. God, out of divine love, set us apart to be the children of God. Our holy hope is that we shall see God as God really is.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
The Gospel Matthew 5:1-12
In the beatitudes, Jesus provides a unique description of those who are blessed with God's favor. His teaching is surprising and shocking to those who seek wealth, fame, and control over others.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
