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Thursday, October 22, 2020

Weekly Newsletter

Glimpses of Glendale
Glendale Lutheran Church Newsletter
October 22, 2020
This Sunday is our day to celebrate the reformation.  One of the mottos of the reformation was “Go to the Source.”  The church had neglected the source of our faith, scripture. Instead they focused on interpretations of interpretations, commentaries on commentaries. This twisted the gospel and made it hidden. Last Sunday I preached at Jenna Jackson’s funeral. In order to dispel the myth of suicide as the unforgivable sin and give grace to the family, I went to the source. Here is my message to the family and friends of Jenna who were hurting and needed Gospel and not Law:

My heart goes out to the Jackson family. You have been through hell this week. I’ve been touched that as you are dealing with the devastating loss of Jenna, you have been worried about everyone else here today. When I asked you what you wanted out of this service, it was clear that you wanted to give people hope and a place to begin healing.

What you all have experienced this week is unspeakable. Jenna, of course was the first to experience torment and pain. Her physical decline and mental exhaustion led her down a dark path. I know that many of you did everything you could to ease her pain. You felt helpless against her condition and her hopelessness. You loved her the best you know how but it wasn’t enough to save her from death. You need to hear some words of hope. Thankfully, that is what I’m here for.

Let me first dispel an ugly myth that comes from ignorant, misinformed Christians, even pastors. People who commit suicide have not committed an unforgivable sin and go to hell. That is not taught by the church because it is not in scripture. We believe that Jesus came to help the tormented, not to judge them. The person who is on the brink of suicide has had their hope stolen from them by the world. Jenna was a victim of forces outside of her control.  Jesus has mercy on people like Jenna. He had mercy on a man overwhelmed by demons. He had mercy on a woman who the world discarded. Jesus had mercy on lepers who were hopeless according to society. Jesus has compassion on those who are hopeless. We should also.

Jesus gave hope to those who were in mourning over his own death. In our second reading, his friends were locked away avoiding the authorities who crucified Jesus. They were experiencing all of the things you’ve gone through this week. They were shocked at his horrible death. They were angry at themselves for not putting a stop to it. The disciples would have changed a lot of things if they had to do it over again. They probably turned on each other in their grief and pain, playing the blame game. Then Jesus returns from the dead and his first words are “Peace to You.” His next words are “receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” Jesus knew that the pain of death didn’t just evaporate, even when you have hope of the resurrection. They needed to forgive one another in order to get past their horrible week of mourning.

I imagine that in order for you to get past the pain of this week, you need forgiveness. For those of you who are tormenting yourself for not stopping Jenna’s death, you need to hear these words. You did not have the power to stop her. Ed and Cindy gave me Jenna’s last words that she had written down to her family. Jenna herself said, “There is nothing you or anyone could have done to prevent this.” She was actually forgiving you for any perceived responsibility you felt. Jenna knew that her death would devastate you and she wanted her last words to bring healing. Forgive yourself. Jenna forgives you and God forgives you. Honor Jenna by receiving her forgiveness.

But you also need to forgive Jenna. She asked for it when in her note she said, “I’m sorry. Words can’t express the tremendous remorse I have about this.” It is completely understandable if you are angry at Jenna. She denied you the ability to see her and give her love face to face. You miss her so much it hurts and Jenna caused that. The pain you feel is linked to the love you have for Jenna. The only way you can start to heal is to forgive Jenna like she asked.  Holding onto your anger is poisonous. It’s not something you can do today and forget about. Forgiving Jenna is necessary every time you feel anger welling up in side you. Jesus said, “Forgive one another as I have forgiven you.” The key to healthy relationships with our Lord and with our loved ones is forgiveness. You still have a relationship with Jenna. Heal it with mercy and understanding.

In addition to forgiveness, you need hope in the midst of mourning. Our Romans passage talks about how this world is suffering but there is hope.  There is pain but a day will come when the pain is over. All of creation is groaning in anticipation of the final day when everything is made right. There will be no more pain and no more tears of sadness. We joyfully anticipate that God will make sense out of all of our suffering.

Jenna hoped for that day. She was hopeless about her medical condition. She was in dread over her ability to overcome paralysis and excruciating physical pain. But she hoped for a day in which she would be free. She longed for a day when she would see you again but with no physical limitations or defects.  Romans agrees with Jenna. God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth in which Jenna’s body is the way God intended. She will run and not grow weary. She will jump and not be faint. God is restoring the world to its original design.

Our hope to see Jenna again is not a wishful dream. It is backed by Jesus words, “I go to prepare a place for you. I am the way the truth and the life.” Jesus prepared a place for Jenna. There is room for you and I as well.

Death is a monster. Jenna experienced that monster for a long time. Her condition attacked her body, heart and mind. She grieved the loss of her ability to accomplish her goals. She saw her legs die a little bit every day. She knew well how horrible and powerful is death even before she died. But death is no match for God. God is all powerful. Jesus overcame the grave through his resurrection. That is why the Bible says, “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing in this world can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus has embraced us.” We can say, “I’m convinced that even suicide can't get between us and God’s love.”

I’ve seen the love that you have for Jenna. I experienced it when I talked to Ed and Cindy, JD and Kendal. I saw how you love her through the facebook posts you shared. I read the evidence of Jenna’s love for you in her final words. She said, “I love you always. I’m with you always.” As an outsider, I can attest to witnessing the love that you shared through Jenna. Now imagine a God who loves her even more. Who created her and delights in her humor, character, idiosyncrasies, and abilities. She is getting to know the one who prepared a place for her. His love is deeper, wider and more powerful than ours. You don’t have to worry about Jenna. She’s in good hands.

By Grace through Faith.
Please wear a mask during worship services.
Daily Bible Reading
Samaritan's Purse Christmas Boxes
Samaritan's Purse information will be available this Sunday. Mark your calendar now for the collection deadline date, November 15. Thank you for your generosity!
Let's Get to Know Our Field Workers
As you know, we have been blessed with two field workers this year, Ryan Barnett and Oliver LaMie, along with Oliver's wife, Bethany.

Since we can't gather as a church family for Pot Luck or Tables of 8, the idea was brought forth that we individually host them; maybe a lunch after church, a picnic on the patio or in the Family Life Center, maybe a lunch or dinner in your home or a restaurant. Be creative!

Here are their emails and phone numbers so you can make arrangements with them personally: Ryan's is barnettr@csl.edu (208-559-2919); Oliver's is lamieo@csl.edu (815-471-1125) Have a fun and blessed visit!
Financial Update
Next Sunday's Bible Readings
Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
Worship Leaders 10/25
Lector: Jerry Nicolaus
Communion: Andy Ortstadt
S/V: Ken Clark
Bible Class S/V: Mike Murphy
Usher: Mike Toney
Worship Leaders 11/1
Lector: Marcia Hempel
Communion: Tony Petzoldt
S/V: Mike Toney
Bible Class S/V: Jerry Nicolaus
Usher: Ken Clark
The Word Within the Word

Worship Bulletin


Welcome to Glendale Lutheran!

Pastor Scott Jonas would love to talk to you. You can contact him via cell 805-345-6658 or email scottjonas314@gmail.com.
Take a fieldworker to lunch! Sign up to take Oliver and Bethany or Ryan to lunch after church. Bring them to your house or to a restaurant. Sign up in the lobby.

Women’s Tuesday Morning Bible Study is beginning a new study, “Prophets and Kings.” They meet weekly in FLC at 9:15. Women’s Thursday Evening Bible Study meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 7:00pm. All women are welcome!

Men’s Bible Study is starting a new series: Walking Where Jesus Walked, visiting Holy Land sites. We meet Mondays at 7:30am.
Reformation
9:15am
Prelude – A Mighty Fortress

Greeting and Welcome

Lighting of the Candles

Hymn of InvocationA Mighty Fortress Is Our God (LSB 656)

A mighty fortress is our God,
A trusty shield and weapon;
He helps us free from ev’ry need
That hath us now o’ertaken.
The old evil foe now means deadly woe;
Deep guile and great might
Are his dread arms in fight;
On earth is not his equal.

With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is,
Of Sabaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever.

Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.

The Word they still shall let remain
Nor any thanks have for it;
He’s by our side upon the plain
With His good gifts and Spirit.
And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife,
Though these all be gone,
Our vict’ry has been won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth.

+ Preparation +

Invocation
P:  In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C:  Amen.

Opening Sentences Psalm 46:1a, 2a; Romans 3:23–24a; John 8:31b–32
P:  God is our refuge and strength;
C:  therefore we will not fear.
P:  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
C:  and are justified by His grace as a gift.
P:  If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples,
C:  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Confession and Absolution
P:  Lord of hosts,
C:  hear our confession of sins and grant us Your mercy and forgiveness. We have not trusted in Your promised protection and strength but have looked elsewhere for help and refuge. You alone have provided the remedy for that which truly causes our separation, troubles, and death. For the sake of Christ, Your Son, our Redeemer, grant us forgiveness and deliverance from all that would keep us from Your present help. We ask it in the name of Jesus.
P:  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. Because that river of grace and power has flowed over us in our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ, in spite of our fear, the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. By grace God has created each of us and everything that exists, and in the person of His Son entered our history and paid for our every sin and sin itself. In Christ’s resurrection, God’s promises have been made sure. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C:  Amen. The Lord of hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our fortress!

+ Word +

First ReadingRevelation 14:6–7
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

P:  This is the Word of the Lord.
C:  Thanks be to God.

Epistle Colossians 1:15–29
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
You, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

P:  This is the Word of the Lord.
C:  Thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel – John 8:31–36
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the eighth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
 
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.                                                                                                  

Children’s Hymn – Jesus in the Morning (AGPS 143)

Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus in the morning, Jesus in the noontime
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus when the sun goes down.

Love Him, Love Him,
Love Him in the morning, Love Him in the noontime,
Love Him, Love Him,
Love Him when the sun goes down.

Children’s Sermon

Hymn of the DayI Know My Faith Is Founded (LSB 587)

I know my faith is founded
On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord;
And this my faith confessing,
Unmoved I stand on His sure Word.
Our reason cannot fathom
The truth of God profound;
Who trusts in human wisdom
Relies on shifting ground.
God’s Word is all-sufficient,
It makes divinely sure;
And trusting in its wisdom,
My faith shall rest secure.
 
In faith, Lord, let me serve You;
Though persecution, grief, and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me,
Let me a steadfast trust retain;
And then at my departure,
Lord, take me home to You,
Your riches to inherit
As all You said holds true.
In life and death, Lord, keep me
Until Your heav’n I gain,
Where I by Your great mercy
The end of faith attain.

Sermon
Nicene Creed
C: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
 
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,      begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven      and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man;     and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
 
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life + of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Church

+ Celebrating birthdays this week: 25 – Karen Raterman; 26 – Kelly Climer; 28 – Molly Ryan

Special Celebrations and Needs:
+ Church family members: John Brugere, upon the death of his father; friends and family of Lucille Massie, upon her death; Chris Kattentidt, upon the death of his mother, Vivian; Frank Moret, who is in the hospital
+ Friends of our congregation: A friend of John Brugere, Kenny, who is fighting a recurrence of cancer; Friends and family of Jenna, friend of the Buchholz family, upon her sudden death; friends of Derick Carrico of Glendale Chrysler, who died last week; Tina, sister of Tony Petzoldt, who has an ongoing illness; Oliver LaMie, upon the death of his grandfather; Christian Ryan, son of Flo and Vince Ryan, healing from successful hip surgery  

Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Mary Guion, Corinne Gutzler, Anne Hammann, Bettie Welch, Joan Winkler, Ruth Wussler

Offertory – Lord, Keep Us Steadfast  
Offering
We are excited to announce a new option for electronic giving using your mobile device. Please scan the following QR code or visit https://tithe.ly/give?c=815174 to make a donation.
+ Sacrament +

The Words of Our Lord
P:  Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
     In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Lord’s Prayer
C:  Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pax Domini
P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C:  Amen.

Distribution

Distribution MusicBuilt on the Rock (Vocal Quartet)

(Lyrics provided for reflection)

Built on the Rock the Church shall stand
Even when steeples are falling.
Crumbled have spires in ev’ry land;
Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest,
But above all the souls distressed,
Longing for rest everlasting.

Surely in temples made with hands
God, the Most High, is not dwelling;
High above earth His temple stands,
All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He who dwells in heav’n above
Chooses to live with us in love,
Making our bodies His temple.

Grant, then, O God, Your will be done,
That, when the church bells are ringing,
Many in saving faith may come
Where Christ His message is bringing:
“I know My own; My own know Me.
You, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you. Amen.”

Blessing

Benediction
P:  The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.
C:  Amen.

Closing HymnThe Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644)

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

(Vocal Quartet Only)
Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation:
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses
With ev’ry grace endued.

Yet she on earth has union
With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessèd heav’nly chorus!
Lord, save us by Your grace
That we, like saints before us,
May see You face to face.

Postlude All Hail the Power (arr: Ken Williams)

+ + +

+ WORSHIP LEADERS +
Preacher/Celebrant/Liturgist – Pastor Scott Jonas
Pianist/Organist – Jim Thielker
Vocal Quartet – Marcia Hempel, Gail Metzler, Kevin Metzler, Steve Phelps
Communion – Andy Ortstadt
Sound/Video – Ken Clark
Lector – Tracey Ortstadt
Usher – Mike Toney
Bible Class Sound/Video – Mike Murphy

+ + +

Altar flowers are given by Jules & Mary Bush
In thanksgiving and celebration of their wedding anniversary
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.