Month: January 2018
Bulletin Announcements
January 14, 2018
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” God owns everything, including our very selves. We were made to serve Him and glorify Him and will never truly be happy or find our fulfillment until we learn that lesson. Jesus has redeemed us and brought us back into the Kingdom of the Father – and that has set us free to serve Him in joy, generosity, liberty, and faith.
NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available. Please speak with Pastor who has the details. Thank you.
OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).
ADULT BIBLE CLASS: In conjunction with Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, the Adult Bible Class will be studying, “Hope For Life”. The class meets at 9:15 a.m. in the church basement.
TODAY is our door Offering for Seminarian Brent Keller. Mr. Keller is a 4th year seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN.
THE FUNERAL SERVICE for Bud Barnett will be this coming Saturday, January 20th at 10:30 a.m. at the church.
NEXT SUNDAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER. Janet Evans is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at goodshepherdblm@frontier.com or you may call her at (309) 838-9868.
THE BOARD OF ELDERS would like to remind the congregation of our winter weather protocol if worship needs to be cancelled. We will send an e-mail to members and let WJBC Radio and TV Stations WEEK and WMBD know. If we do not have your e-mail and you would like to be included please call the church office (309) 662-8905 or sign-up at: http://www.goodshepherdblm.org/about-us/contact-us/.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES begins again this coming Friday, January 19th at 6:30 p.m. We will be showing the movie, “THE CASE FOR CHRIST”. Working to disprove the growing Christian faith of his wife, an investigative journalist chases down the biggest story of all time…with unexpected, life-altering results! “THE CASE FOR CHRIST” is based on the true-life story of Lee Strobel, author of the best-selling book, “THE CASE FOR CHRIST”. What will your verdict be? Join us for a great movie, fine fellowship and good food!
WE NEED YOUR IDEAS for our new church sign. Sheets are available on the table in the narthex. We will take submissions until Sunday, February 11, 2018. You may drop them in the box in the narthex. Thank you!
PORTALS OF PRRAYER: The January – Martch 2018 are available on the book rack in the narthex. Please pick up your free copy today.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Wittenberg Lutheran Center’s Speakers Forum is scheduled for Saturday, February 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Schroeder Hall, Room 130 on the Illinois State University Campus. This is a FREE event with lunch served. Speaking will be Tim Goeglein an LCMS Laymen who worked in the Bush White House. His topic will be “Faith In The Halls Of Power”. The other speaker is family psychologist John Rosemond who will discuss “50 Years Of Parenting Babble (With No End In Sight”).
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2018 we have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up. We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other. You may also sign-up for both if you wish. The sign-up is by the door by the north stairwell.
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED to Camp CILCA’S first Annual Banquet on Sunday, January 28, 2018 from 5-8:00 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 2645 Old Jacksonville Rd., Springfield, IL. Tickets are $40.00 each, and must be purchased before January 20th. Purchase tickets by calling the Camp Office at (217) 487-7497, or by email at: camp@cilca.org.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Meeting Millennials Where They’re At” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Mark 1:14-20. Robots can’s produce disciples. How can we mentor those who don’t know Jesus, or don’t know Him well enough? Reverend Dr. Dale Meyer is the speaker. Hear his message on The Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tune in! You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.
FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE: If you miss church, please be reminded that copies of the previous week’s sermon are available on the table in the narthex. Also, the sermon will be available on our web site at www.goodshepherdblm.org. Thank you.
PRAYER CHAIN: If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582. The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.
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Sermon for Sunday, January 7, 2017: “The Voice.”
January 7, 2018 – The Baptism of our Lord Text: Mark 1:4-11
Dear Friends in Christ,
Most of us are not crazy about the realities of life, but our society does have a fascination with reality TV. Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America’s Got Talent fills the airwaves throughout the week.
One of the more popular programs is called The Voice. I am no connoisseur of this type of program but the lady I sleep next to at night is, so I know a little about the show. The Voice is looking for the next big singing star. The unique thing about this show is that when the singer auditions for the first time, the judge cannot see them. They have their back to the performer. They may not like the look, the clothes or their movements, but if they like The Voice, they turn around and say, “I want you!” Then that judge becomes their coach. It’s all about the voice.
Our reality this morning is that we are filthy rags of sin and we need forgiveness for our misdeeds. We may not always want to hear that, but we can’t ignore the voice that tells us. Even if we don’t like this reality in ourselves, we should not dislike hearing the voice. Quite the contrary, rejoice in
“THE VOICE”
There is a voice in the wilderness that is preparing us for the Mighty One. This voice has no previous fanfare or an agent trying to promote him – John the Baptist appears in the wilderness. Could this possibly be the next great voice? Is he in line to be a star preacher? From the look of things let’s not crown his head quite yet. Look at him – rough leather, camel’s hair (didn’t that go out in the stone age), locusts, wild honey. But has he ever got a voice.
He uses that voice to pass on a painful reality to the crowds, you are all sinners. You besmirch your neighbor with your talk. You kill with words just for the sport of it. You take things that do not belong to you. Repentance is needed. Without it you are all going to perish.
But this was no voice of despair. John was preparing the way of the Lord’s forgiveness. Crowds did hear the voice. They came out to John and did repent. They were baptized and in that baptism they were forgiven. Most importantly, they heard the voice that the One who would secure this forgiveness was coming.
The voice from heaven announces to us the beloved Son. Now appears another one who appears on the scene that we would not recognize as a star. Jesus is just another guy in the crowd. From the podunk town of Nazareth in backward Galilee. In fact, He comes to be baptized, like all those sinners.
But you can’t ignore this voice, The Voice: God the Father in heaven. Jesus may not look like much. The Holy Spirit isn’t there to put on a show; He comes simply as a dove. But the voice has power. This voice needs no coaching.
This is no audition. It is not a contest. This voice has the final Word: “My beloved Son is the final Word.” God the Father is well pleased that Jesus will now begin the task of saving all his children lost in the wilderness. The Father is pleased that His Son is heading off to the wilderness to defeat temptation for all who have given into it. The Father is well pleased that His beloved Son will go to the cross to take the punishment for all our sinful failures.
The voice declares these same wonderful things to us today. In His Baptism, He put himself in our place. He came to John to be baptized so that he would be the sinner in our stead. That is, Jesus’ Baptism sent him to the cross for our sins.
That means the opposite is also true; we who are baptized are now in Jesus’ place. Jesus’ Baptism sanctified all water to be powerful when the voice of the Pastor speaks God’s Word. In Baptism, we receive the holiness of Jesus’ life, the forgiveness of his death. Our loose talk and sticky fingers and hurtful words are washed clean from our body and soul.
Therefore, the Voice of God the Father can be heard in the Pastor’s voice. “You – fill in your name – are my beloved son, beloved daughter. With you I am well pleased.” “You are my holy one, my child to live with me forever.”
Unlike The Voice with their blind auditions and backs turned on the performers. God sees us for who we are, but he does not turn his back on us. We are chosen by Him, not because of what we look like or even how we sound, but because we are connected to him through Christ’s Baptism. We hear the voice of God calling us to repentance, and we follow him in faith. Now, then, with great joy, we rejoice to hear THE Voice.
Amen.