Volume 46 AUGUST 2016 Issue 8 St. Paul’s Epistle St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1844 Highland Dr., Carroll, IA 51401 A Word from the Pastor... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) Chosen by God. How cool is that? You’ve probably heard it before, but have you ever let that thought really sink in and cross the perimeters of your defenses? Or do you just hold on to it like a good luck charm or a “get out of jail free” card to use when you get in trouble? If the full weight of being chosen by God is to really sink in through our thick skulls we need to first recog- nize how truly improbable it is that God should chose us. By nature we are spiritually blind, dead, and ene- mies of God (1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 8:7). Why would God choose us? Well, it’s not because of any- thing good in us, that’s for sure. God chooses us simply because He is merciful, slow to anger and abound- ing in steadfast love (Ex. 34:6). God takes no pleasure in His blind, dead, enemies perishing for all eternity (Ez. 33:11). It’s His desire for all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). So being chosen by God is pretty cool because we don’t deserve it. But it gets even cooler than that when you consider what we become as those chosen by God. We haven’t simply become people He tolerates and puts up with like that annoying relative you tolerate at family gatherings. No. When God chooses you He makes you part of His “royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” Martin Luther puts it this way, “Therefore, all Christian men are priests, all women priestesses, be they young or old, mas- ter or servant, mistress or maid, learned or unlearned.” We are His priests, His nation, His people who are possessed by God for a specific purpose. We are to “proclaim the excellences” of God. He’s called us out of the darkness of our sin into the light of His Gospel. This we are to proclaim. And, considering what we were before God called us, we should be anxious to pro- claim the “marvelous light” of God. Yet we often hesitate and feel unprepared to do so. If you feel unsure of how you can proclaim the excel- lences of God to your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors then the workshop we are hosting on Satur- day, August 27 is for you. This is a very practical workshop designed by the LCMS Office of National Mis- sions. A representative from this office will lead us in becoming better prepared to proclaim the Good News of the God who has chosen us. Pastor Licht E-Mail: [email protected][email protected]Phone: 712-792-4354 Fax: 712-792-0514 Web Page: www.stpaul-ia.com Check out our Facebook pages at www.facebook/ stpaulcarroll and www.facebook.com/stpaulLYF Follow us on Twitter @stpaulcarroll Witness & Outreach Ministry and Revitalization, LCMS Office of National Mission presents this workshop for St. Paul Lutheran Church 1844 Highland Dr. Carroll, Iowa 51401 Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Morning Snack and Lunch furnished
Transcript
Volume 46 AUGUST 2016 Issue 8
St. Paul’s Epistle St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1844 Highland Dr., Carroll, IA 51401
A Word from the Pastor... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) Chosen by God. How cool is that? You’ve probably heard it before, but have you ever let that thought really sink in and cross the perimeters of your defenses? Or do you just hold on to it like a good luck charm or a “get out of jail free” card to use when you get in trouble? If the full weight of being chosen by God is to really sink in through our thick skulls we need to first recog-nize how truly improbable it is that God should chose us. By nature we are spiritually blind, dead, and ene-mies of God (1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 8:7). Why would God choose us? Well, it’s not because of any-thing good in us, that’s for sure. God chooses us simply because He is merciful, slow to anger and abound-ing in steadfast love (Ex. 34:6). God takes no pleasure in His blind, dead, enemies perishing for all eternity (Ez. 33:11). It’s His desire for all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). So being chosen by God is pretty cool because we don’t deserve it. But it gets even cooler than that when you consider what we become as those chosen by God. We haven’t simply become people He tolerates and puts up with like that annoying relative you tolerate at family gatherings. No. When God chooses you He makes you part of His “royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” Martin Luther puts it this way, “Therefore, all Christian men are priests, all women priestesses, be they young or old, mas-ter or servant, mistress or maid, learned or unlearned.” We are His priests, His nation, His people who are possessed by God for a specific purpose. We are to “proclaim the excellences” of God. He’s called us out of the darkness of our sin into the light of His Gospel. This we are to proclaim. And, considering what we were before God called us, we should be anxious to pro-claim the “marvelous light” of God. Yet we often hesitate and feel unprepared to do so. If you feel unsure of how you can proclaim the excel-lences of God to your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors then the workshop we are hosting on Satur-day, August 27 is for you. This is a very practical workshop designed by the LCMS Office of National Mis-sions. A representative from this office will lead us in becoming better prepared to proclaim the Good News of the God who has chosen us. Pastor Licht
Bible Study led by Pastor Schauer will resume in Septem-ber. § § §
BINGO at Hawkeye Care Center Au-gust 5th (Friday). Come at 1:30 p.m. to help! Bring 10 prizes (fruit, snacks, candy bars) for the winner(s) of each round. Residents look forward to our arrival, many depending on our keen eyesight for assistance.
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Carroll Fest will be August 6th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Graham Park.
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Christian Fiction Book Club will meet in the East Room , Sunday, August 14, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. We will be discussing the book, Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar. Everyone is welcome.
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Little Lamb Preschool will begin classes for the 2016-17 school year on August 23, 2016. § § §
Confirmation Classes (Grades 5-8) Parents/Students Meeting is Wednesday, August 31 at 6:00 p.m. Clas-ses will begin on Wednesday, September 7, at 6 p.m. § § §
Sunday School Rally Day is Sunday, September 11th. Sunday School Classes will begin that day.
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Hospitalized: It is very important that you or a family member notify Pastor or the church office when you are hospitalized. Hospital Chaplain, Peg Scheidt, will call us only if you request her to do so. Thank you for your cooperation.
Camp Okoboji Calendar of Events
You will need to go to the Camp website to register for all events www.campokoboji.org or call the Camp at 712-337-3325 for assis-tance. Aug 7-13 Family Retreat II Aug 26-28 Adult Retreat-Rev. Kurt Klaus Aug 27 Kathy Troccoli Concert Sept 3 BBQ Cook Off Event & DISCOVER Ground Breaking Sept 21-23 Outdoor Education Sept 29-Oct 2 Fall Clean-up Weekend & Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Oct 7-9 Women’s SPA Retreat Visit www.campokoboji.org for details
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE: We are looking for volunteers to make the announcements to the con-gregation at the beginning of the service. We are look-ing for individuals that will have fun with it and en-gage the congregation and make it welcoming. Please contact Joe Eisenbacher at 712-792-9455 for details or call the church office at 712-792-4354 to get on the list of volunteers. Thanks!
We are planning to start Sunday School the Sunday after Labor Day, so first day of Sunday School will be Sept. 11th. With enough volunteers, we hope to have classes for nursery through high school. To do this we would need volunteers to step forward to help with this. We are looking for about 15 people willing to teach and help out. Please prayerfully consider helping with Sun-day School this coming year.
Third Annual Confirmation Retreat Date: September 9th—10th, 2016 For Grades: 5th-8th Graders Where: Sunstream Retreat Center, Ogden, Iowa
More information will be available at the confirmation parent meeting on August 31, 2016 @ 6:00 p.m. or feel free to contact Pastor Licht at 712-792-4354 or email [email protected].
Confirmation Meeting
The annual confirmation parent/student meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 6 p.m. All parents and students should attend to learn about the confirmation program, goals and expecta-tions, youth programs here at St. Paul, and our upcom-ing third annual confirmation retreat. Class materials will also be available at this meeting.
Barnyard Roundup: Jesus Gathers Us Together
July 17-21, 2016
Attended: 35 students—James Janssen, Ezekiel Janssen, Riley Nagl, Zander Richards, Addi Quandt, Dayton Wiederin, Kacie Wiederin, Michael Rowedder, Katie Rowedder, Cooper Quandt, John Janssen, Jaityn Tigges, Karson Schoenfeld, Kaden Schoenfeld, Trevin Worley, Peyton Wardell, Rayne Leymaster, Abraham Janssen, So-phie Sullivan, Bennett Schweers, Tommy Quandt, Camer-on Schweers, Jack Janssen, Keziah Janssen, Ella Kate Sul-livan, Lynn Hensel, Amelia Schmitz, Sienna Leymaster, Sarah Janssen, Serenity Richards, Leah Woodward, Em-ma Kuhlmann, Chloe Janssen, and Vivian Meyers.
Youth Helpers: Sarah Riesberg, Kristine Cowlham, Mia Nagl, Clare Nagl, Brooke Janssen, Matt Janssen, Patrick Hensel, Matthew Hensel, Laura Hensel, and Savannah Quandt.
Adult Volunteers: Jacqueline Leymaster, Karen Ray-mond, Renee Grimsman, Deb Schmidt, Dale Schmidt, Jessica Schmitz, Ralph von Qualen, Sharon von Qualen, Ken Podewils, Christy Kuhlmann, Carol Onken, Shirley Bayless, Brenda Lingren, Brett Lingren, Jan Wess, Mari-lyn Ruchti, Aimee Janssen, Cindy Naberhaus, Pastor Licht, Paige Licht, and Jill Schweers.
Directors: Kara Rowedder, assisted by Aimee Janssen, Brenda Lingren, and Cindy Nauberhaus.
Daily Themes: Lesson 1: Jesus Is The Good Shepherd Lesson 2: Jesus Feeds 5000 People Lesson 3: Jesus Tells About A Sower Lesson 4: Jesus Tells About A Lost Son Lesson 5: Jesus Appears to Mary in the Garden
Mission Project: Tin Roofs for Africa was this year’s mission project. Our offerings will help provide tin and other supplies for Lutheran Church roofs in Africa.
A Thrivent Action Team grant helped promote and sup-port the Tin Roofs for Africa Mission project and helped provide meals for the VBS participants and their families. THANK YOU for ALL your hard work and support!
LABELS FOR SCHOOL
The Carroll Community School Dis-trict wants to thank you for your sup-port in collecting Campbell Soup labels, Boxtops for Education, Ty-son labels, and Nestle Water Bottle Labels. A box is in the Narthex for the labels.
Conference will be held on Friday, August 5th, 2016 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Urbandale.
Little Lamb Preschool starts August 23, 2016
(Tuesday) and Preschool/Parents Orientation Day is August 10th (Wednesday). We have sixteen students enrolled for this fall and are full at this time. You may fill out a registration form and your child’s name will be added to a waiting list for 2016-2017 school year.
Registration available online at www.stpaul.ia.com.
Contact the Director, Durene Eisenbacher at 712-792-9455 for information.
Little Lamb Preschool
THE LUTHERAN HOUR
The Lutheran Hour may be heard on Sundays on the fol-lowing radio stations in our area: KAYL, 990 AM, Storm Lake, 10 am; KDSN, 107.1 FM, Denison, 6:30 am; KDSN, 1530 AM, Denison, 10:30 am; WHO 1040 AM, Des Moines, 7:30 a.m.
Also available 24 hours/day on the Internet @ www.lutheranhour.org Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz
August 7 "The Word in a World of Words" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz : It's "Archives August" and Pastor Gregory Seltz revisits a classic sermon by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
August 14 "In Spite of Everything " Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz "Archives August" continues, as Pastor Gregory Seltz preaches another classic sermon by Dr. Os-wald Hoffmann. (Romans 8:28)
August 21 "Hope Not in Politicians" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz "Archives August" concludes with a classic yet timely message originally presented by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. (Isaiah 31:1-3)
August 28 "Boasting - Ridiculous or Real" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Modern man boasts, "God is dead," but what have we gained from such thinking? (Galatians 6:14)
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Circle Dates—
No Circle Meetings in August
Lydia: Tuesday, September 13, 7:00
p.m., Fellowship Hall, Lynette Licht,
hostess, Sharon von Qualen, topic
Rachel: Wednesday, September 14,
1:30 p.m. Fellowship Hall, LaDonna
Mohr, hostess, Shirley Schirck, top-
ic
LWML UPDATE
ATTENTION LADIES!!
Try a new recipe or bring one of your favorite dishes, dust off your Tupperware troughs, and come join us for a potluck at 6:30, Tuesday, August 16th. Just bring your appetite and a dish to share and enjoy getting to know your fellow "sisters in Christ". No meeting or program, only good food and fellowship.
Our Servant Event/General Meeting will be on Thursday, September 1 from 7:00 to 8:00 in the Fellowship Hall with Rachel Circle as hostess. Ladies are asked to bring a donation of peanut butter and jelly that will be going to the Vet-eran's Food Pantry here in Carroll. Ann Lander, Social Worker at the Veterans Administration, will speak to us brief-ly regarding the needs of veterans in our community. In Christ’s service, Deb Schmidt, LWG President
Quilters will not meet in August.
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Notes for Life is published by: LCMS Life Ministry
The Breastplate of God’s Righteousness
REV. JACOB MUELLER, LIFE COORDINATOR, LCMS MISSOURI DISTRICT
Being pro-life means waging war in and against a cul-ture of death. We Christians have been on the frontlines ever since the pro-life movement was galvanized by the opening shot in the Roe v. Wade decision. In 2016, the war looks pretty grim, at least politically. The front run-ners for president in both parties, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump, do not have stellar records when it comes to val-uing and defending the dignity of human life. The Su-preme Court, with a new unbalanced court lacking Jus-tice Antonin Scalia, is about to hear an abortion case in Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole. The case concerns two provisions in the 2013 Texas law, which require that doctors at clinics have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the clinics and that clinics have facili-ties equal to those of an outpatient surgical center. The court’s ruling could impact similar laws around the country. Not only is the political front in the pro-life cause an uphill climb at the moment, but the personal front can be draining too. There are so many people in our local communities who need help and pro-life coun-sel that demand often seems to exceed what we can sup-ply. We face the assaults of the culture of death on every front, and bad news on every page. The good news, however, is that we can and do stand firm against the assaults of the enemy! In our Baptism, God gave us the perfect righteousness of Christ and every piece of equip-ment that we need to make our defense in a hostile world. In Eph. 6:14, St. Paul says, “Stand therefore, hav-ing fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” Soldiers know that the breastplate is the most important piece of armor, for it is the piece that protects our heart. Lest our hearts grow faint and weary in battle, we are encouraged by the truth that we wear the breastplate of God’s righteousness. In Isaiah 59 we see the breastplate of righteousness and how God wears it in battle in circumstances not unlike our own today: “Justice is turned back, and righteous-ness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey” (Is. 59:14–15a). Sound familiar to our time? But keep read-ing to see how God answers! The Lord saw it, and it dis-pleased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to in-tercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak (Is. 59:15b–17). What enables us to stand firm in the battle now is the knowledge that God has defeated all our enemies in the death and resur-
rection of Jesus. Christ’s resurrection means our resur-rection. His resurrection was the defeat of the army of sin, death and the evil one. Our resurrection means that we triumph too because Jesus has given us the victory! The real tension we live with is knowing what God has already done but not yet seeing the full results. Isaiah prophesied that along with the breastplate of righteous-ness and helmet of salvation, God has also put on “garments of vengeance for clothing.” The Lord’s venge-ance will come on the Day of Judgment. In context of our various life ministries, we must always remember that the war is won and vengeance belongs to the Lord. Our task is to speak the truth in love at all times, know-ing that even if we lose everything for the sake of the truth, we have lost nothing. We pray fervently for our-selves and for others, asking God to give us repentance and true faith, and the same for our enemies. We can speak to and pray for our enemies in the culture of death because we are free to love and serve our world in this way. Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil means we are free to live in order to serve, not selfishly for our-selves. This victory is ours in Baptism, where we are clothed with the righteousness of God. Just consider what St. Paul says in Ephesians 4 about this reality, espe-cially verse 24 (emphasis added): Now this I say and tes-tify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gen-tiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God be-cause of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hard-ness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true right-eousness and holiness (Eph. 4:17–24). God has given us every piece of equipment that we need for our defense in our Baptism. His Word, our prayers, and receiving His Body and Blood give us the strength we need to endure to the end. We endure knowing that God fights for us even now. The third verse of the hymn “Onward, Chris-tian Soldiers” (LSB 662) captures our reality and hope very well: Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane, But the Church of Jesus Constant will re-main. Gates of hell can never ’Gainst that Church pre-vail; We have Christ’s own promise, And that cannot fail. Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before.
Notes for Life The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. • President of Synod: Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison • Director, Life and Health Ministries: Stephanie Neugebauer • Editor: Tracy Quaethem • Designer: Chrissy Thomas
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Witness & Outreach Ministry and Revitalization, LCMS Office of National Mission presents this workshop for
St. Paul Lutheran Church 1844 Highland Dr. Carroll, Iowa 51401
FREE Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Morning Snack and Lunch furnished
The “Every One His Witness” workshop is designed to equip individual believers to be more effective witnesses of Jesus in their everyday lives. It draws on God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions to build a solid foundation for bearing
witness of Jesus and provides practical resources for sharing the simple Gospel in today’s complex world.
There are 5 sessions to this workshop... 1. Witnessing: What’s It All About? 2. You Are a Witness - What Does This Mean? 3. Vocation and Witness 4. LASSIE: Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, Encourage 5. Going, Planting, Watering ... and Waiting Expectantly
To register, please call the church office at, 712-792-4354; or email [email protected] Deadline for registration is August 21, 2016
An “Every One His Witness” T-Shirt for each participant please include size when you register
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We are blessed in Iowa District West of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod to have four fully equipped LERT (Lutheran Early Response Team trailers). This is one of the
many ways the Lutheran Church-- Missouri Synod seeks to care for its neighbors.
The St Paul Lutheran Church in Carroll, Iowa will have this trailer at the Carroll Fest on 6 August from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM for you to see. Pass the word please and bring the kids for a great outreach. The Lutheran Early Response Team and trailer is an amazing
response from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod to any emergency.
Along with the trailer visit we will handout the following! 1. Half sheet handout explaining the trailer and why it exists. 2. Witness Bracelets. 3. The Life of Jesus, 15 page, coloring book with a 4 pack of crayons.
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Download Mobile Apps
LCMS website—http://www.lcms.org/resources/mobileapps—has a listing of mobile apps that can be downloaded on your ISO and Android.
Sermons Online and Service on TV
You can listen to the Sunday morning ser-mon again online on our website. Go to www.stpaul-ia.com and click on “Sermons” in the left-hand column and then click on the date of the sermon you wish to hear. You can also watch the service on Media-com Channel 6 and Western Iowa Network Channel 30.
Check out our Facebook pages at www.facebook/stpaulcarroll and www.facebook.com/stpaulLYF
