| REDEEMER’S VOICE
“O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14
May 2023
A DEVOTION FROM THE PASTOR’S DEVOTIONS
An excerpt from Dr. C.F.W. Walther 20th evening lecture from The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel:
“When a place has been assigned to a Lutheran candidate of theology where he is to discharge the office of a Lutheran minister, that place ought to be to him the dearest, most beautiful, and most precious spot on earth. He should be unwilling to exchange it for a kingdom. Whether it is in a metropolis or in a small town, on a bleak prairie or in a clearing in the forest, in a flourishing settlement or in a desert, to him it should be a miniature paradise. Do not the blessed angels descend from heaven with great joy whenever the Father in heaven sends them to minister to those who are to be heirs of salvation? Why, then, should we poor sinners be unwilling to hurry after them with great joy to any place where we can lead other men, our fellow-sinners, to salvation? However, though great be the joy of a young, newly called pastor on entering his parish, there should be in him an equally great earnestness and determination to do all he can to save every soul and trusted to him.
Blessed is the minister who starts his official work on the very first day with the determination to do everything that the grace of God will enable him to do in order that not a soul in his congregation shall be lost by his fault. Such a one resolves that by the grace of God he will do all he can, so that, when the day comes for him to put down his shepherd's staff, he may be able to say, as Christ said to His Father: Here I am and those that thou gavest me, and none of them is lost. Even the blood of those who shall stand on the left side of the judgment-seat, he resolves, shall not be on his hands.”
I can hardly believe that it has been nearly six years since I was assigned to Redeemer Church to ‘discharge the office of a Lutheran minister.’ Dr. Walther reminded me how precious Redeemer Church is to me. It is the ‘most precious spot on earth’ and ‘unwilling to exchange it for a kingdom’. Because it is here that God has sent me to lead you and others, as my fellow-sinners, to salvation. What greater joy and task is there than to be your pastor and grow in God’s Word with you?
This joy and zeal ought to have been with me from day one, and today, and many more days in the future until I ‘put down my shepherd’s staff’. That is many days and I am too weak of a man to carry out such an important task. I need strength from one who is far stronger than I am. I need the Good Shepherd to give me strength. I need Jesus to feed me with His Word and Supper to strengthen my faith. I need Jesus to make me bold to share with strangers and unbelieving friends my Savior. I need Jesus to make me confident to proclaim Law and Gospel to you, Jesus’ sheep. O Lord, give me strength, boldness, and confidence! Amen.
A Word from your head Trustee
Dear Redeemer Members:
The Lord has finally let winter turn into spring, now is the time for new things, green grass, leaves on the trees and things to be done.
Some of the things that need doing are that the eve troughs need sealed up. Parking lot needs some attention.
I would like to schedule a work day for Saturday May 20, 2023 at 9:30am. I will have a list of things to do.
All this stuff will get done with the help of everyone. All help will be appreciated greatly by everyone.
All these things are done by everyone and we need to remember to keep contributing to the building fund and help pay down the loan on the addition.
Head Trustee,
Shane Reede
A Word from your Church President
Brothers and Sisters,
Hopefully Springtime is finally here to stay. It is a feeling of renewal with the grass greening up, gardens growing, new born animals being seen, and a special day to honor our mothers.
Another day recently celebrated was Easter Sunday. The day our victorious Lord Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death. It really was and is a renewal for mankind, giving hope and eternal life to us.
Every Sunday we give thanks, praise, honor and glory in celebration of the work Jesus did for us. One of the things Jesus told us was that whenever we gather together in His name, He will be with us.
God also gave us the 3rd commandment, telling us to remember the Sabbath.
Every Sunday we celebrate and commemorate the resurrection of our Savior and the grace of God for the opportunity to enter His Kingdom. Being in worship regularly makes us better at it. We give strength to one another by coming together. We learn to turn our focus, to God and not on ourselves. We are fed the bread of life and as we are nourished, we learn and grow as Christians. We weekly have a chance to hold ourselves accountable for how we live our lives. Are we remaining centered on God or are we drifting away by neglecting worship attendance. Our goal as a church is to spread the word of God and teach the Gospel message given to us in scripture.
Article III of our church constitution says:
Section 1
The continuing purpose of this congregation, as a gathering of Christians is to serve all people in God’s world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, on the basis of the Holy Scriptures.
Section 2
The primary objective of this congregation shall be:
A) To proclaim the law and the gospel to lead sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for life and salvation.
B) To strengthen believers in faith and sanctification through the means of grace
C) To equip believers as disciples, stewards, and witness for sharing the gospel of Jesus with all people.
If we are on a starvation diet and not partaking of the bread of life, how can we remain healthy and hope to nurture others.
As mentioned before, springtime is a season of new growth and renewal. Let us renew our hearts and strengthen our faith in our Lord.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold the new one has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Church President,
Richard Nickerson
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ascension Service: We will have a special Ascension service on Thur., May 18th at 6:30pm.
Confirmation Sunday: This year two young men are becoming confirmed members on Sunday, May 21st. The examination will be at 9am and the service at 10am.
Pastor Schwartz has a call: On Sunday, April 16th, pastor received a call from Good Shepherd Church to serve as their pastor. Pastor would love to hear any thoughts and comments and/or answer any questions you may have.
Congregational Mission Statement: The mission of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church is to reach out with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to call those who are lost, comfort those who mourn, rejoice with those who come to know and believe that Christ’s victory is their victory and to grow together in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ until the final victory is ours.
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