Weekly Announcements 9.04.2020

LESS THAN, GREATER THAN

September 6, 2020

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 God has tendency to lift up the lowly and bring low those whom the world exalts. That's good news for those who think little of themselves, but bad news if you think you some how "measure up." Only in Christ can we measure up! Despite ourselves, God loves us and lifts us up. That's great news for us when the world treads us down.

IN OUR PRAYERS

Scott Brown, Nicole Cook, Marcy Eckhoff-Wagner, Dorothy Levihn, Tee Lipsey, Joe Manger, Dee Ortoff, Pastor Logan Scheiwe, Marjorie Sims, Linda Tangman, John Widau, and Pastor Jon Zehnder. For all who mourn, especially the family of Barb Stoner. For all schools, students and educators. For all missionaries including Pastor Sam Ruiz, Luterano Indy. For all who are imprisoned. For all persecuted Christians throughout the world. For our active military, including Corey Cook, Jr., Dominick Greci, Katelyn Harvey, Dylan Pliska-Lyndoe and Rex Rafferty.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Labor Day, church office closed, Sept. 7

PTL City BBQ Dine Out, Sept. 14

Second Grade Bible Presentation, Sept. 19-20

Camp Lakeview “Day Away” Women’s Retreat, Oct 3

SHARE LIFE WITH OUR SHEPHERD

We are pleased to announce this past Sunday we voted to call Vicar Kyle Borcherding as Pastor and Steven Hohnstadt as Sanctuary Music Director. We praise God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us. Please keep Steven in your prayers as he considers his call.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

SECOND GRADE BIBLE PRESENTATION — Celebrate this important milestone in the faith-life of our children during all worship services on September 19 and 20! We will present each second grade student with a Bible of their own and pray a blessing over them and their family.

 “Day Away” Women’s Retreat — is Saturday, October 3 at Camp Lakeview. For more  information or to register visit https://lakeviewministries.camp/women/

 LWML MISSON PROJECT — LWML is requesting donations of seventy page spiral notebooks for Orphan Grain Train school packs. A bin is marked by the Luther Room for donations until mid—September.

 FELLOWSHIP OPTIONS FOR THE FALL— Please take a few minutes to take a three question survey to help the Fellowship Team and our Trunk or Treat leadership team decide on a direction for events this coming fall. Check your email or fill out a hard copy on the Welcome desk.

 OSLS—is working daily to be an unwavering place of faith and normalcy for our       students and their families. Our God is never changing. He is steadfast in His love and protection of us. As it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’ One of the benchmarks of "normal" for many students is sports. We have been able to offer our young people the chance to connect, compete, and better themselves through Cross Country, Soccer, and Volleyball. We are honored to be able to give these kids a well rounded  experience at Our Shepherd Lutheran School.

PTL — Will be hosting a dine out on Monday September 14th at City BBQ.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

OLD TESTAMENT READING, Ezekiel 33:7-9

[The Lord said,] ⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

 EPISTLE READING, Romans 13:1-10

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. ⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the 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: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 GOSPEL READING, Matthew 18:1-20

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. ¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their    angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

Weekly Announcements 8.28.2020

LIFE SAVINGS

September 30, 2020

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 According to earthly wisdom, if you want to save something, you must hold-on, conserve and hold back. But Jesus teaches a different principle: that which you hold-back, you lose. That which you spend in pursuit of Christ and His kingdom, you  actually gain. As we reflect on our own lives, what have you given-up to gain? What are you holding onto, only to lose?

 IN OUR PRAYERS

Cheryl Barksdale, Scott Brown, Marcy Eckhoff-Wagner, Kathy Frank, Dorothy Levihn, Tee Lipsey, Joe Manger, Pastor Logan Scheiwe, Marjorie Sims, Marcia Stoner, Linda Tangman, John Widau, and Pastor Jon Zehnder. For all who mourn, especially the family of Sharon Anderson. For all schools, students and educators. For all missionaries including Pastor and Deaconess Meeker, POGA, Kenya. For all who are imprisoned. For all persecuted Christians throughout the world. For our active military, including Corey Cook, Jr., Dominick Greci, Katelyn Harvey, Dylan Pliska-Lyndoe and Rex Rafferty.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Special Voters’ Meeting, TODAY, noon

Labor Day, church office closed, Sept. 7

PTL City BBQ Dine Out, Sept. 14

Second Grade Bible Presentation, Sept. 19-20

“Day Away” Women’s Retreat, Oct 3

SHARE LIFE WITH OUR SHEPHERD

God has given us the gift of work. Take some time this week to reflect on how God uses your work to bless others and to provide for you and the work of His Kingdom.

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPECIAL VOTERS’ MEETING — Please join us for an important, yet brief Voters’ Meeting TODAY at noon. There are two items on the agenda: vote to call a Director of Parish Music, and vote to call Vicar Kyle Borcherding as Pastor. We will need a special quorum (minimum of 84 people to attend). There will not be a virtual option because the call votes must be by a ballot vote.

SECOND GRADE BIBLE PRESENTATION — Celebrate this important milestone in the faith-life of our children during all worship services on September 19 and 20! We will present each second grade student with a Bible of their own and pray a blessing over them and their families.

Sunday School — “On Being Lutheran," meets in the Sanctuary and on Facebook Live each week. Pastor Matt and Vicar Kyle lead "Do This In Remembrance of Me," a study of Communion, in the gym. Parents with 2’s and 3’s meet in room 165. Children's Sunday School meets in room 175. Confirmation groups meet in the middle school classrooms at the end of the hall.

Camp Lakeview “Day Away” Women’s Retreat — is Saturday, October 3 at Camp Lakeview. For more information or to register visit lakeviewministries.camp/women/

OSLS—Brothers and Sisters of Our Shepherd, During last weekend's worship services, Mrs. Cronauer, our long-time Kindergarten teacher, read a letter to the congregation    stating her decision to step down from her called position at Our Shepherd effective   September 8^th, 2020. While the faculty, staff, and congregation are saddened, we know that God works all things for good and will continue to use Mrs. Cronauer with her unique and special gifts and talents to serve Him. We are thankful for her faithful years of service and high-quality instruction she has provided to the school ministry. With this recent announcement, the school board and I are working diligently to fill the Kindergarten opening. God is good and He will provide, as he always does. We ask you to keep both Mrs. Cronauer and the school ministry in your   prayers.– Mrs. Hedges

SCRIPTURE READINGS

OLD TESTAMENT READING, Jeremiah 15:15-21

¹⁵ O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach. ¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. ¹⁷ I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation. ¹⁸ Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord:  “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. ²⁰ And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you,   for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. ²¹ I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”

SECOND READING,Romans 12:9-21

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 GOSPEL READING, Matthew 16:21-28

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” ²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”