Take It Personally!

“Don’t take it personally; it’s just business!”  Chances are, if you’ve heard that statement directed at you, it was personal, and very hard to take … especially if you’d just been given your walking papers.  When it comes to our religion, we seem to want it both ways:  we want both a personal God, and a God who “does business.”  We want the ability to trade our goodness—our good intentions, good piety, good faith—all for God’s love and forgiveness.  How easy it is to lose sight of the real meaning and power of the gospel!
 
So, it’s good to have a Reformation Sunday to help us remember our heritage and celebrate Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the gospel back in the sixteenth century.  Luther’s story begins with a German father’s dream for his child—a dream of success and fame—a dream that his son would grow up to be a great lawyer.  But that dream was never to be realized, at least not in the way good old dad envisioned.  God had other plans for Martin.
 
On the way home from classes one day Luther found himself caught in a deadly thunderstorm.  A bolt of lightning hit the ground very close to him, and in a panic he cried out, “Save me, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk!”  That was both very personal and very business-like.  Luther was bargaining for his life.  Long story short, Luther lived…and kept his word.
 
Why would Luther do that?  Quite simply, he was like every other person of his era who was scared to death of a God they saw as hating sinners and looking for an excuse to damn them all!  So when a man by the name of Tetzel came along selling “indulgences” that promised people pardon for all their sins, they naturally lined up to get in on this cheap way to heaven.  All the church had to do in those days to raise money was to play on the fear of damnation.  Just literally scare the hell out of people and you could very easily scare their money out of them too!  Not a very ethical approach to stewardship, but it worked—until Luther saw the light!
 
While teaching at a university Martin Luther came to his own awakening concerning the truth and power of the gospel after an intensive study of the book of Romans, in which he heard, for the first time, the good news God had for God’s people in Jesus.  The truth, Luther said, is that God indeed hates sin, but intensely loves the sinner—so much so that God sent Jesus to die for us all, that we might receive forgiveness and new life.  That is the unanimous witness of the entire New Testament!  Very strange, then, that this truth had gotten lost.
 
The power of the gospel is this:  salvation is a free gift—no strings attached—no good intentions, no good works, no good piety required.  It’s free, period!  We can do absolutely nothing to earn it or deserve it.  And that’s the truth!  The only business transaction required has already been completed, by Jesus, on the cross, through his death and resurrection.  His death for our eternal life.  The deal’s done. It’s over.  We are saved!  And that’s about as personal as you can get!
 
Take it personally! Luther said.  But make sure you understand that it’s God’s personal love and not God’s anger or God’s hatred that is directed at you.  You have been saved by God’s grace—by God’s love—in Christ Jesus, and not by your own works.  That’s the good news Luther rediscovered, and that’s the good news we need to celebrate every day.  From a Halloween perspective:  there are no divine tricks; only our Lord’s saving treat!

                                                                               ~ Pastor Jeff Chubb

Help Yourself...

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Our quilting ladies have been working on “Walker Bags” for residents of area nursing homes.  They are also making them available to members of our congregation.  You will find a basket full of these colorful and handy fabric bags in the Narthex.  Please feel free to take one for yourself or someone you know.

Kids Against Hunger
food pack event -- October 20th

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Our Kids Against Hunger food pack event will be held here on Saturday, October 20th.  We will need  MANY helping hands — 10 people to help with set-up for the event on Friday evening, 100 people to work the event from 12pm to 3pm, and 12 people to help with clean-up following the event.  We have created a way for you to sign up online through SignUpGenius.  Just click on this link:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C45AEA92CA2FB6-kids, choose how you would like to help, and fill in your information.  Paper sign-up sheets are also posted on the bulletin board outside of the Fellowship Hall.  You are also welcome to call the office and we can help get you signed-up.

First, We Give of Ourselves
Giving in Generosity

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This fall we enter into the final leg of our three-year journey exploring discipleship and growing as stewards.  We began our first leg with an emphasis on “Giving in Grace”.  Year two was one filled with the meaning of gratitude as we centered our attention of “Giving in Gratitude”.  Now, as we enter year three of this emphasis on discipleship and stewardship, we turn our attention to “Giving in Generosity”.  Over the next number of weeks, we will explore the concept of generosity, both God’s and ours.  What does God’s generosity look like?  How do we live each day in God’s generosity?  How does God’s generosity provide a model for our own?  These are just a few of the questions we will explore together.
 
Mark These Dates on Your Calendar:
September 30 — “Kick Off Sunday”
October 28 — “Generosity Sunday”  This is a special day providing an opportunity for the combined generosity of our congregation in sharing a gift for a ministry outside our congregation.  Be watching for more news about this opportunity for generosity.  Following Sunday School at 11:15am, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall for a delicious catered dinner.  It is important that you RSVP to the church office by Monday, October 22nd.  We hope you will join us!
November 11 — “Celebration and Commitment Sunday”  At this service we will celebrate God’s generosity and indicate how we will generously share our gifts in response to God’s grace and for our ministry of sharing this grace.
 
“Giving in Generosity” All Congregation Bible Study

Gathering around God’s Word enriches all we do.  As we experience our conversation about generosity, we have the opportunity to share in an all-congregation Bible Study entitled, “Giving in Generosity”.  This is a four-week study that will examine generosity from the perspective of God’s grace, God’s generosity, and how God’s generosity is model for our own.  We will meet in the Fellowship Hall following worship for four Sundays beginning on October 7th.  Be sure to grab some refreshments and join us!