1809 S. Main St. Fairgrove, MI 48733 Church office: (989...
Transcript of 1809 S. Main St. Fairgrove, MI 48733 Church office: (989...
WORDS of GRACE Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
1809 S. Main St. Fairgrove, MI 48733
Church office: (989) 693-6322
Rev. Joshua T. Haller
cell phone: (248) 794-3703
AUGUST 2017
A Letter from the Pastor
“HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE!”
The beauty of nature and the joy of life may be best experienced during the summer months. We can finally get
out and enjoy the fresh air, free from the many spring rain showers and snowy winter days. Whether it’s a walk in
your neighborhood, a swim in the lake, or a week at the campground, life seems a little sweeter during this season
of the year. We’re able to visit some pretty awesome places, whether in this state or another. There’s so much to
see and do. The possibilities are endless. “How awesome is this place,” we might say, as we’re watching our kid’s
softball game or sitting around a campfire at night. Awesome, indeed.
And yet, not as awesome as one place that’s set apart from the rest.
In Genesis 28, Isaac’s son Jacob was on the way to meet his new bride. He had fled from his angry brother Esau,
from whom he had stolen the family blessing. Jacob was searching for a new beginning. As he journeyed, he
stopped at a certain place to rest for the night and laid his head down on a rock. While he slept, he had a dream.
He saw a ladder on the earth that reached into heaven and angels going up and down. And the Lord stood above it
all and said,
I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I
will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you
shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and
your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep
you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have
done what I have promised (Genesis 28:13-15).
Jacob saw heaven. He heard the promises of God. What else could one declare than what Jacob then said: “HOW
AWESOME IS THIS PLACE! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven” (Genesis 28:17)?
Jacob saw all this in his sleep, but one day, all this would become a reality. For on a Friday afternoon many years later,
another ladder was set up from earth that reached into heaven and brought it down. The Lord himself was at the top of
this ladder also and spoke promises to his people, as he did to Jacob, such as, “Today, you will be with me in
paradise” (Luke 23:43) and “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Yes, this ladder was a
cross, and the Lord who hung out it was the same who spoke to Jacob. From this cross, God fulfilled the promise given
to Jacob that through him, all the nations would be blessed. By the shedding of his blood, Christ paid for the sins of the
world. He came down from heaven, so that we might climb up. HOW AWESOME WAS THAT PLACE where our
Lord died!
By now, the cross has been taken down from the Mount of Calvary, and Jesus is no longer hanging on it. But the ladder
and stairway to heaven hasn’t gone away. The Lord still descends down to his people, not in dreams but in words, not in
visions but in water, bread, and wine. The same Lord Jesus who spoke to Jacob and was crucified in Jerusalem comes to
his people today in another awesome place—the church.
To the world’s eyes, this place may not seem all that awesome. In fact, it may appear dark and dingy, worn-down and
old-fashion. And that’s probably what they would’ve thought about Jacob’s campsite or the place where our Lord had
died. But for those of faith, we see anything but ordinary, anything but boring and outdated. We see the eternal God,
who forgives us all our sins, who washes children young and old, who feeds sinners his body and blood. We see heaven
with angels, archangels, and all its company. We get a glimpse of what is to come, just as Jacob did, and we rejoice:
“HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Summer is great, but church is better. Activities come and go, but the Word of our Lord endures forever. Nothing is
more important than receiving God’s gifts every Sunday. If we truly believe that heaven comes down to earth in this
place, that Jesus is physically present in his church, why would we ever miss it? And if you’re on vacation and out of
town, allow me tell you about a great church to visit nearby, so that you’ll never be away from this awesome place.
You won’t find the Lord Jesus in your dreams or in Jerusalem, not on the beach or on a bike ride, but you’ll find him in
the sanctuary of your church. You’ll find him in his Word preached, his water of Baptism, and in his body and blood of
the Supper. Wherever those things are, that is an awesome place.
In Christ,
Pastor Haller
PRIVATE CONFESSION
Private Confession and Absolution is available by appointment. You can call
Pastor Haller at the church office or on his cell phone: (248) 794-3703.
—donations—
THUMB AREA CRISIS CENTER donations can be placed in box under fellowship hall window
AUGUST disinfectant spray
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF donations can be placed in box by the coat rack
BABY CARE KITS
Lightweight cotton t-shirts
Long or short-sleeved gowns or sleepers (without feet)
Jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts
Bath-size bars of gentle soap
HIGENE KITS
Bath-size towels
Bath-size bars of soap
Sturdy combs
SCHOOL KITS
70-sheet notebooks of wide or college-ruled paper
Ruler (centimeter and inch)
Pencil sharpener
Blunt scissors
Unsharpened #2 pencils
Ballpoint pens (no gel ink)
Box of 24 crayons
2.5” pink eraser
KNOWN AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
2 Marge Montgomery
3 Rachel Rushford
15 Caitlin Schoenow
16 Daryl Winter
17 Arron Winter
Harold Burnison
Joann Van Every
19 Pastor Josh Haller
23 Daniel Reinbold
24 Lois Cutler
25 Charlea Mossner
27 Carol Jamison
KNOWN AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES
23 Paul & Lisa Hodgkinson
Rachel & Nicholas Chaney-Ruiz
26 Gordon & Joanne Bigham
27 John & Ruth Ann Kaijala
29 Larry & Diane Spencer
August Divine Services (services with Holy Communion)
Sunday, August 6, 2017 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Divine Service Setting 3 Matthew 14:13-21
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Divine Service Setting 1
Matthew 14:22-33
Sunday, August 20, 2017 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Divine Service Setting 3 Matthew 15:21-28
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Divine Service Setting 3
Matthew 16:13-20
Sunday, September 10th
after the Divine Service
Ladies Aid News
Ladies Aid is selling pasties! There’s an order form on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. You
can request them to be baked or unbaked, and we’re selling them for $6 each. They will be ready for
pickup on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at the church. The last day to order will be August 27, 2017.
Any questions, please call Diane Spencer (693-6311).
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who helped at Wellspring Lutheran Home’s Birthday Bingo this past month.
If you donated a cake, prize, or were there to help, it was greatly appreciated. The residents of the
Lutheran Home enjoy playing Bingo and visiting with people. We could not provide this service
without your help.
Thanks again,
Diane Spencer
KIDS REFORMATION RETREAT to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
800 EAST BAY ST., SEBEWAING, MI
2 PM TO 5 PM FAMILY BARBECUE TO FOLLOW
ALL LUTHERAN CHURCHES IN “THE THUMB”
Preschool - 5th grade
GAMES, MUSIC, CRAFTS, SKITS, LESSONS
Reformation
Divine Service
in celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
A Joint Divine Service for all LCMS congregations in Michigan’s Thumb
Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 4 pm
Immanuel Lutheran Church 800 East Bay St., Sebewaing, MI
Serving our Lord in the Month of August
Elders for August Brian Steinley & Steve Reinbold Ladies Aid for August Irene Stange & Pat Starkey Sunday, August 6, 2017 Greeters: Vic & Jean Trisch Ushers: Larry Spencer, Brian Steinley, Daniel Bublitz, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Ruth Ann Kaijala, Mary Masker, Karen Mendyk, Susan Pfund Sunday, August 13, 2017 Greeters: Dave & Kristi Weber Ushers: Lee Voss, Jason Hall, David Weber, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Sarah Reid, Joanne Reinbold, Diane Spencer, Irene Stange Sunday, August 20, 2017 Greeters: Daryl & Holly Winter Ushers: David Hills, Joseph Bublitz, Harold Burnison, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Pat Starkey, Beth Hoppe, Bev Voss, Helene Weber Sunday, August 27, 2017 Greeters: Harold & Cindy Burnison Ushers: Harold Burnison, Vic Trisch, Jim Burnison, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Kristi Weber, Holly Winter, Joanne Bigham, Cindy Burnison **If you are unable to provide refreshments when scheduled, please switch with someone on the list. **If your name is not on the Greeter and/or Refreshment list and you would like to serve, please contact the church office. **the Secondary Elder assigned for that month will also serve as the fourth usher. **If you’re not able to serve on a particular Sunday, please call another usher to replace you.