Weekly Announcements 9.25.2020
SEEK YE FIRST
September 27, 2020
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Lord promises that He will care for and provide for His children. Why then, do we try so often to take matters into our own hands or chart our own path? Children of the heavenly Father, who trust and follow the Lord's lead, experience much more love and peace in their earthly journey than those who do not. Not to mention, the spiritual and eternal blessings that flow from receiving Christ's love and sharing His love with those around us.
IN OUR PRAYERS
Bob Abernathy, Nicole Cook, Annie Green, Dorothy Levihn, Tee Lipsey, Joanne Orebaugh, Evelyn Presley, Pastor Logan Scheiwe, Marjorie Sims, Paula Stiles, and John Widau. For all who mourn. 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
Reception for Lepley family, Sept. 27, 9am
“Day Away” Women’s Retreat, Oct 3
Clothing and Food Pantry, Oct 3
Church Worker Appreciation, Oct 4
SGO Presentation by John Dize, Oct 4
SHARE LIFE WITH OUR SHEPHERD
The Food Pantry has been abundantly blessed in the form of monetary and food donations in the last several months. Your generosity of resources has sustained us through this pandemic. We continue to serve a record number of families: over 200 families, totaling nearly a thousand people a month are now being fed through Our Shepherd.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PASTOR LEPLEY FAREWELL—This weekend we bid farewell to Pastor Lepley and the Lepley family. We are thankful for God's blessings through Pastor Lepley's years of service here at Our Shepherd. As Pastor Lepley follows his call to Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), we pray the Lord will be with Pastor Lepley and will bless his ministry for years to come.
CHURCH WORKER APPRECIATION—Help us show appreciation for the dedicated service of our pastors and church workers by providing notes of encouragement, cards, or tokens in blessing bags. These gifts will be presented to our church workers on Oct. 4 at the 8:00 am service.
CLOTHING & FOOD PANTRY —We are still collecting clothing items for October distribution. We would appreciate packages of new socks and underwear. Donations are collected by the Luther Room. Our need for physical help is imperative in keeping this mission going. We have shifts during the week that involve driving, putting items in storage, bagging items and organizing. All of this is done with the utmost priority on safety. Please consider serving with us to continue this amazing mission. If you are interested in volunteering, contact David Rieger at (317) 362-8748 or .
IOWA CLEAN UP SERVANT EVENT—King of Kings Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is asking for our help in clean-up efforts from storm damage. You are invited to join a group of youth and adults from Our Shepherd who will serve in Cedar Rapids from October 10-14. King of Kings will provide meals and lodging, but their greatest need is for willing hands and ready hearts to help them serve their community. Contact DCE Joel for information.
OSLS—This past week our school students were challenged "to love your neighbor" in a big way. Class of 2018 alumnus Ashlyn Tucker is participating in a scholarship program in which she partnered with a non-profit, organized a campaign, and tracked results, all to give back to her community. Ashlyn chose to work with an organization that makes covid kits to supply basic hygiene needs for teenagers. Students were divided into five teams to procure the items needed for a complete kit. In only one week, our amazing Our Shepherd student body rose to the occasion and was able to donate 19 bars of soap, 36 bottles of conditioner, 62 bottles of shampoo, 98 tubes of toothpaste, and 69 toothbrushes! Through projects like this, our students learn that we can accomplish all things through Christ who gives us strength.
THE SCHOOL BOARD— Would like to invite you to an upcoming SGO information session by Jon Dize (the SGO Guy) on Sunday, October 4, at 9:30am in the Gym. Please consider joining us to learn more about the Scholarship Granting Organization and how it benefits you and the students at Our Shepherd.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
OLD TESTAMENT READING, Isaiah 55:6-13
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord.”
EPISTLE READING, Philippians 2:1-4, 14-18
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
GOSPEL READING, Matthew 6:19-21, 25-33
[Jesus said,] 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."