April DOVE
Church Office
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PASTOR'S CORNER - April 27
There is great value in reading the Bible daily and at some length. A verse or two a day is better than nothing, but spending time in the Scriptures really is good for the soul and our faith. For those who don’t know where to start, we have reading plans readily available to help assist. For those who don’t think they have the time, think of how much time you and I spend daily watching television, reading the newspaper, or reading novels. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll feel significantly better after reading the Bible daily.
As I continue through the ESV Reading Plan, I’ve started to notice just how many people throughout the Old Testament experienced a Christophany – a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. It wasn’t just Abraham, Moses, and Joshua who saw Christ, but Hagar, Baalam, the Israelites at Bochim, Manoah and his wife, Gideon, Zechariah, Elijah, David, Sennacherib’s Assyrian army encamped against Jerusalem, Jacob, the list goes on, and on, and on.
Isaiah writes “Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” (45:15) And yet, God reveals Himself in Christ, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15) and makes Himself known in countless times and places, recorded by eyewitnesses throughout the Scriptures.
While a great number of people had encounters with the pre-incarnate Christ, not all of them did. Yet the promise that Christ would be known to all who believed in Him remained throughout the Old Testament. God tells Jeremiah, “No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more,” (31:34) and He tells Isaiah, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (56:7) In Christ, through Christ, and by Christ, the grace and salvation of God is no longer limited to a specific people in a specific time and a specific place, but is open to all peoples in all times and in all places.
Christ did not die on the cross and rise to newness of life to destroy sin, death, and the devil for Israel only, but for the Gentiles as well: the Greeks, the Germans, the French, the Finns, the Norwegians, the Bantu, the Han, the Hmong, the Haudenosaunee, the Kalmyks, the S’Klallam, the Māori, and all other tribes, tongues, nations, and peoples.
Christ makes Himself known through His Word and Sacraments to all, and promises that all who have the faith in Him that He gives to His own will behold and see Him. What a great and gracious gift, appreciated all the more once we see how He works among His people from Genesis through Malachi, from Matthew through Revelation.
The seeds of Easter occur even before Genesis, and God’s Kingdom exists without end. Christ has planned all from before the foundations of the world, and will reign with His people through all eternity. Thanks be to Christ, who makes “all things new” (Rev 21:25)! Thanks be to Christ, who has destroyed our sins and death and the world’s hold on us through the Cross and His Resurrection, raised us to newness of life and sealed us to Himself in our Baptism, feeds and nourishes us with His Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper, and promises to raise us from the dead to bring us bodily to Himself in the eternity of life of the world to come! Thanks be to God who tells us of these things through His Holy Word!
Christ is Risen!
~ Pastor Singer
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NEWS FROM KENYA
Dear friends at Peace in Christ, thank you for your recent contribution to God’s work here at Matongo. The students are now reviewing for final exams. We have over 30 students who are finishing their classes. Many will now go out for internships before returning for graduation. Just today we had a group of new students come for a two week intensive class. This is a new program to train those who already have a college degree to now become pastors. I have recently been preaching on some Sundays in rural churches where our recent graduates are serving and have seen churches packed to overflowing. Your support makes a difference. God’s blessings to all your work there also.
~ Rev. Vance Becker
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Here's a link to Sunday's bulletin and the current prayer list
- Second Quarter Voters’ Meeting will be held after church on June 11. Lunch that day will be a special Turkey and Ham meal, with donations to benefit the Altar Guild (toward the cost of new paraments). Please sign up on the bulletin board if you plan to attend, so the cooks can prepare accordingly.
- Would you like to honor a loved one or special occasion and help beautify the sanctuary? Look for the signup sheet for altar flowers on the hall bulletin board or email the church office. Deadline for June orders: MAY 18.
- Sharon will be on vacation from May 22 to June 11.
- It's time for "Summer Choir": on the last Sunday of the month June through August, all are invited to join Sharon in the music room at 10:00 AM to practice a familiar hymn for special music. This is your chance to sing without committing to regular rehearsals!
- Special thanks to Rick Wesenberg for repairing the hearing-impaired sound receiver(s).
- If you are a member or regularly attend services at Peace in Christ, you have been assigned to one of our elders. A list is available on the bulletin board with contact information for our elders Susan Bell (household last names A – M) and Rick Wesenberg (household last names N – Z). As well as providing leadership, Elders assist the Pastor in keeping up with the status and spiritual welfare of those in the church.
- Thank you for remembering to sign in on the attendance sheet by the door. It helps the Altar Guild and church office know how to plan.
MAY ANNIVERSARY
18 – Laura & Mark Battaglia
MAY BIRTHDAYS
11 – Shirley Williams
12 – Garrett Mullins
13 – Dave Hofflinger
18 – Laura Battaglia
20 – Brian Battaglia
21 – Patricia Pemberton
30 – Jean Samuel
31 – Sharyn Krauch
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FAITH AND FINANCE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Follow Jesus in Generosity
Our Savior calls us to follow Him in generosity. “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you”
(John 13:15). We cannot give our lives for the salvation of the world, of course. Praise God, that job is already done! But with hearts full of thanksgiving for what Jesus has given us, we
can follow His example of generous giving. And Jesus’ generosity is not merely an example. Our Lord also commands us to act according to our gifts: “The one who contributes, [let him give] in generosity” (Rom. 12:8).
So, when we bring offerings to the Lord, we should strive to heed His command and follow the pattern He has established for us. Jesus did not give us leftovers. He gave His best. We should not give leftovers, either, but the first and best of what He has given us. Jesus did not give as an afterthought — He gave according to the plan of salvation God established from the foundation of the world. So, when it comes to our own offerings, we should make a thoughtful plan to give generously, in proportion to the way He has blessed us. Like the Macedonian Christians, who gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability (2 Cor. 8:3), we should honor the Lord by giving a generous portion of the income that God provides us.
Finally, we follow Jesus in generosity. He teaches us to give generously out of love for him when we support His Gospel ministry and other works of mercy. We support our congregations in the preaching of His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, which bestow His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Our Savior calls us to follow His example in generous giving. Let us then, with thankful hearts, rededicate ourselves to following Him in generosity.
~LCMS Stewardship Ministry Resources
