Archive for April, 2011
Greeters Needed
We are asking for volunteers to be greeters after Sunday Service. If you would like to help, sign up or contact Pastor Ron
Relief Fund established to help Ethiopia
The Rev. Dr. Wakseyoum Idossa, President of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (the Lutheran church in Ethiopia), has reported that 57 churches and 45 individual homes have been destroyed. More than 3,600 people have been displaced from their homes and some have been badly beaten and killed.
The Rev. Dr. Gemechis D. Buba, Missions Director for the North American Lutheran Church and a native of Ethiopia, reported that these brutal acts are not the first of their kind. Three years ago Muslim fundamentalists burned down several churches, killed evangelists, pastors and lay leaders. They are now repeating the same attacks. Today thousands have lost their homes, churches, family members and their rights to safely worship and conduct their ministries.
Persecution is not new to Lutherans in Ethiopia. “However, every time it happens it opens up old wounds and breaks the hearts of many. In the middle of all this our brothers and sisters are walking into this holy Lenten season not with ashes on their forehead but carrying the cross of Christ and confessing their faith in the words of Psalm 23:1, ‘The Lord is my shepherd!’” Dr. Buba said.
Two weeks ago we called for a day of prayer, and continued prayer for our brothers and sisters who have suffered for the faith. Now we are also offering a chance to contribute financially to help those affected recover.
An Ethiopia Relief Fund has been established to help Christians in Ethiopia who have recently experienced persecution by Islamic radicals. The Ethiopian Church Relief Fund is a joint effort by Lutheran CORE, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC).
Please send gifts to Ethiopian Church Relief Fund; 2299 Palmer Drive, Suite 220; New Brighton, MN 55112. Please make checks payable to Ethiopia Relief Fund. All funds received will be forwarded to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.
You may also give online by clicking on the following link:
We are reminded by the apostle that it has been granted to us on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since we are going through the same struggle we see (Philippians 1:29-30).
“I would like to thank God for God’s protection and the grace and courage that God is giving his chosen people to suffer for the sake of Christ! There is hope for them and for all of us. Christ is alive and will always remain Emmanuel for us in times of our joys and difficulties. We highly appreciate your concerns and prayers in such a difficult situation. It is our sincere hope that you will continue to pray and accompany us. May the almighty God bless you all!” EECMY President Idossa.
Zion will soon be participating in the fundraising efforts sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Scrip Association. This organization provides our families with Scrip, or gift cards for area merchants at a discount. We will make a percentage from each Scrip card that we sell, but the best part is that if you spend $25 for a gift card for a restaurant, grocery store, gas station or other merchant, you get $25 worth of product!
The earning potential is huge, and the earnings can be used for any of our outreach, families in need, or other ministries.
For example, if you like to go out to eat and purchase on Scrip for $25 for the cost of a meal for two, the potential earning at 10% is $2.50. If you spend $100 at the grocery store and the earning is 5%, that totals $5. If you purchase gas for your vehicle at 3%, $100 of Scrip will earn $3. That is a total earning of $10.50 for Zion ministries with just those three purchases! And, you get the benefit of the total amount of the gift card for things you'd purchase anyway. If only half of our families participate, EVERYBODY WINS!
Our challenge to you will be to purchase gas and groceries for only one month using Scrip. You won't believe how much Zion will earn.
To get started, it will work like this. We will have order forms available for everyone on Sunday that lists the Scrip offered, the denomination, and the percentage we will earn. You order and pay for your Scrip on Sunday, and it will be waiting for you the following Sunday. You can enjoy the benefit of the cards, and Zion enjoys the earning. Eventually we will have enough earnings so the most often used Scrip can be purchased and picked up immediately on Sunday.
More details to follow, but look forward to this fantastic program!
Volunteers are needed to landscape by Zion's sign for the summer. We need volunteers to plant flowers. We also need people to weed and water.
Sign-up sheets are on the bulletin board.
Thanks!
Remember the 150th Anniversary this year. We ask for your ideas and suggestions for our Church celebration on October 16.
Please see Pastor Ron
When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he addressed Jesus respectfully — "Rabbi," he said — "teacher." He told Jesus that is was obvious that Jesus had come from God, because "no one can do THESE SIGNS that you do apart from the PRESENCE OF GOD".
Jesus' response seems rather off-the-wall. He said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being BORN FROM ABOVE". Did Jesus mean that we must be "born again" or that we must be "born from above"? It is pretty clear that he meant BOTH. If we are to see the kingdom of God, we must be BORN AGAIN — born from above — begotten of God.
Jesus went on to explain: "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of WATER AND SPIRIT".
"Born of water" points to BAPTISM, doesn't it? In his letter to the Romans, Paul talks about baptism as a DEATH and RESURECTION — being "buried with (Christ) by baptism into death.
"Born of the Spirit" points to the WORK of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God LIVING AMONG US — DWELLING IN US. When we were BAPTIZED, we received the GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 2:38). We now have the Spirit of God LIVING IN US — LOVING US — GUIDING US– OPENING DOORS FOR US — and sometimes CLOSING DOORS as well.
The Holy Spirit DWELLS WITHIN US to act as the Captain of our lives. If we would only let the Spirit DIRECT OUR LIVES, — how much SIMPLER things would be for us. If we would only let the Spirit STEER US in the right DIRECTION, — we could AVOID much of the WRECKAGE that most of us experience. That's hard to do. It's hard to "Let go — and let God!"
"When you have a GLOVE in your HAND the glove CANNOT DO ANYTHING BY ITSELF, but when your HAND IS IN IT, it can do MANY THINGS. True, it is NOT the GLOVE, BUT YOUR HAND in the GLOVE that ACTS. BROTHERS & SISTERS….WE ARE THE GLOVES. It is the Holy Spirit IN US that is the HAND, who does the job. We have to MAKE ROOM for THE HAND so that every finger is filled.
BY MYSELF I am NOT LIKELY to do much that will be truly IMPORTANT. Like that GLOVE, I am only LIMP and LIFELESS as long as I am working by my own meager POWER. I might be only a CLOTH GARDENING GLOVE but it makes NO DIFFERENCE. ****Without a HAND in the GLOVE, it can do NOTHING IMPORTANT.
All I have to do is to let God's Spirit FILL MY LIFE as a HAND FILLS A GLOVE. When I do that, MY LIFE becomes GOD-POWERED, and there is NO LIMIT to what God can do as he WORKS through me! The same is TRUE FOR YOU!
When God's Spirit is at WORK, great things HAPPEN. I came across a story that illustrates what I mean. A young woman living in London was concerned about HER UNCLE Henry. Henry DIDN'T have much USE for the CHURCH, but his NIECE kept INVITING HIM to go to church with her.
Finally he AGREED TO GO. They went to church together. When the preacher READ the SCRIPTURE, — the young woman's HEART SANK. The scripture was from Genesis 5, which is a LIST of the DECENDENTS of Adam. Let me give you just a little sample. It says: "When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, — and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years; and he died".
The fifth chapter of Genesis keeps REPEATING THE PATTERN OVER and OVER and OVER. Henry's niece felt AWFUL that the preacher would have CHOSEN a text like that for the Sunday that HER UNCLE finally agreed to GO TO church.
But the next day, as Henry went about his business, the phrase "and he died" kept REPEATING in his MIND. It was LIKE one of those SONGS that gets STUCK in your BRAIN. Henry kept hearing "and he died" — "and he died" — "and he died". Finally, he COULDN'T STAND IT ANY LONGER, because he knew that someday people would say of him, "and he died". He also knew that he was NOT READY to face ETERNITY so he got DOWN on his KNEES and GAVE HIS LIFE TO CHRIST.
When things like that happen and THEY DO happen, they are the WORK of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit takes ORDINARY THINGS like a GLOVE, like that genealogy from Genesis 5, like YOUR LIFE and MY LIFE and FILLS them with POWER.
That delights me, because it means that OUR LIVES can be something IMPORTANT if we are BORN of the WATER and the SPIRIT.
Jesus says, "No one can see the kingdom of God without being BORN FROM ABOVE." The Good News is that, by the GRACE OF GOD, WE CAN DO THAT. By the grace of God, we can become NEW PEOPLE ready to live RICH and FULFULLED. All we have to do is GIVE OURSELVES to God so that God might EMPOWER US just as a live hand EMPOWERS A LIMP GLOVE. Do not live another day without accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Please pray this prayer.
Precious Jesus- I am a SINNER-I REPENT of ALL my SINS.
Forgive me Lord for the sins that I am AWARE of – and the sins I have BURIED AND FORGOTTEN. I believe that your are the MESSIAH and DIED ON THE CROSS to set me free. Come into my life – Be my LORD & SAVIOR. Show me the WISDOM of YOUR WAYS – IN Jesus' NAME I PRAY…..AMEN
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I….May you enjoy your new life in Christ this Easter.
Pastor Ron