As followers of Jesus, we want to invite those not yet following Him to become followers of Jesus.  And we know we do not walk without His presence among us as church; His support and strength as our protection; and His love as the balm that heals out hearts—for the cares and burdens of this life batter us daily.  I invite you, if you’re looking for a Lutheran church, or just looking for a church, to come and be fed with God’s Word here at Zion Lutheran.  To learn more about where we stand on whatever matters to you, visit www.lcms.org.  And may God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—bless your Summer.

A great time was had by all on Sunday, March 25, 2012 as congregation members joined together to commit their time, talents, and treasures for our Capital Campaign. Thank you to everyone who helped out, and we are excited to continue on our journey of growing in faith and expanding our facilities!

And be sure to check out the photo gallery with more pictures from Commitment Sunday!

Happy New Year!  And the Lord bless you through and beyond the Holiday Season!

HYMN SING  Before Advent service, beginning on November 30^th,  at 6:45 pm, Susan Keeler will be doing a ‘HYMN Sing” for the prelude. People from the congregation can choose hymns they would like to sing (from the hymnal) and we will sing a verse or two as time allows.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…”  (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV)

In most parts of our nation and much of the world, seasons change.  In history, one era closes and another opens.  In the life of a person, or a group, one chapter closes and another opens.  But not everyone likes that. 

The old joke can strike us new if it’s been long enough since we’ve heard it:  “How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?  None:  Lutherans don’t do change.”

I can see some folks not wanting Fall to give way to winter, not even when January and Februry come.  And in Oklahoma, it  might happen and it might not; but normally it does.  Not wanting it does not prevent it. 

Any time God opens a new chapter in your life, and you find yourself hankering for the last one, remember that He is your help in every setting, every chapter, every stage, every event in your life.  And keep in mind that it’s not safe to live too much of your life in the rear view mirror.  Cherish memories; and look forward to the blessings, fresh new discoveries, and continued love and providence that God has in store for you thanks to the amazing and saving work of Christ our Savior.

The Lord bless you abundantly with His favor, and with His unique peace!

For some it seems like it’s been more than ten years since our dubious sense of security was shattered.  For others, like a teenager interviewed on TV this week who lost her dad on 9/11, it “…seems like yesterday.”  The event got my daughter’s picture in The Platteville Journal.  A group of students joined the principal and the superintendent in saluting the American flag, as it flew at half mast outside Westview Elementary, on a chilly Fall day in Wisconsin.  It wasn’t just rural Pennsylvania, D.C., and New York that were struck that day:  it was an entire nation.

My mother recalls being a teenager during the Second World War.  In the little town of Evansville, Wisconsin, far from any coastline, all homes and offices had to put black sheets or curtains over their windows at night.  Volunteers (including my grandmother, now 99) took turns standing on the highest building in town, watching for enemy aircraft.  The closest any ever got to the heartland during all of World War II was half way across the Pacific, in a territory called Hawaii, where America was plunged into the war.

But on September 11, 2001, our own domestic airliners were commandeered by enemy pilots and used as missiles to slaughter civilians.  We were shocked, panic stricken, angry, and confused.  Bad people doing bad things:  that wasn’t new.  Spouses losing spouses, children losing parents, friends losing friends:  not new either.  But so many at once; and our sturdy nation bloodied in her centers of government and finance:  that was new. 

Some claimed it was punishment for the toleration of immorality, or for indifference about God.  I don’t think we should blame God for the sins of warped individuals.  Others claimed it was due to our consistent support of Israel while some Arab lands were supposedly snubbed.  But there’s a wide gulf between disliking a nation’s choices of friends on the one hand, and the murder of unarmed civilians on the other.  

As Christians remembering America’s national, regional, and individual sufferings, we bring our faith along with our citizenship.  We understand how fresh the wounds can feel, even now, to those who were robbed of loved ones on 9/11.  We appreciate the need to stay vigilant, because evil lurks in all times, until history is over and we arrive at Paradise restored.  We honor the memory of the victims, including the heroes who steered a plane into the ground to reduce death and destruction; and many who entered structures that later collapsed on them, as they worked feverishly to get others to safety. 

Come what may, as we hope and pray for good times and peace in the world, we know where our help comes from:  who is our refuge and strength.  And we know that because we have the forgiveness of sins, our eternal future is secure in God’s hands.  Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we can live with vigilant awareness, but without undue worry. 

Even in times of panic, evil, and loss, we have an ever-present help; we know God is near us.  That’s the theme of today’s selection from Isaiah.  Growing up, I loved a church song that really captures the sense of the last part of today’s selection from Isaiah:

“I will never forget you, My people.  I have carved you on the palm of My hand.  I will never forsake you.  I will not leave you orphaned.  I will never forget My own.  Could a mother forget her baby, or a woman the child within her womb?  Yet even if these forget, yes even if these forget, I will never forget My own.”   (From a song by the St. Louis Jesuits)

In Jesus’ name, who saved us from our sins and gives us the joy of inviting others to know such grace, Amen. 

– Pastor Kinast