September 2014
The Pastor’s Ponderings Pastor David’s cell phone—765-330-4170 and email address —fleeneda@gmail.com You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16 Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees
Choir Practice
Choir Practice will resume in September. Singers will meet on Wednesday the 3rd and 17th beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall. New voices are always welcome!
in secret will reward you. -Matthew 6:1-4 We Lutherans have mastered the second of these sayings from Jesus. We’re not ones to sound the trumpet before our good deeds. I have yet to see someone, while putting money in the offering plate or giving food to the pantry, put a vuvuzela to his lips (though that would be entertaining - the first time). The last thing we want to do is make a big fuss about ourselves. It’s this first saying of Jesus that is tricky for us. Let your light shine before others? We’d rather keep our light safely contained, thank you. These two sayings of Jesus may seem to contradict one another. How can you let your light shine without letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing? If you are hiding your good works from yourself, how can you possibly share them with other people? Jesus may be referring to a
certain group of religious leaders that were excellent at self-promotion. Rather than let the works speak for themselves, they would engage in a big PR campaign to let everyone know how special they were. Jesus, rather, speaks of living the godly life for its own sake. We are not Christians because we expect some reward from others. We don’t expect that the life we live to fill the pews and restore the congregation to some long-gone, romanticized golden age. We are Christians because we put our ultimate faith and trust in Jesus as God’s Messiah, and we try to do what he says. As we enter the fall, and as we kick off the school year with “God’s Work: Our Hands” service day, let us be mindful of all the ways we can serve God and his Kingdom in Blackford County, not for any expected reward, but because service is part of what we Christians do. See you in church! Pr. David
Lutheran Refreshment
Rally Day
Join Pr. David for a six-week course on the basics of Lutheran theology, with a special emphasis on the Small Catechism. No memorization required! Class meets in the church library on Wednesday nights at 6 PM, through October 1st. And, true to the name, there will be actual refreshments.
Come kick off the Sunday School year! Rally Day September 7th Outdoor worship on the North Lawn at 10:30 AM Carry-in dinner to follow.