+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 13A
August 3, 2008
Isaiah 55:1-5
“My One Thing”

Isaiah asks the question, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

Words are created all the time to describe new phenomena and recently a new word was developed to explain a sickness causing discontent. Affluenza is said to be a helpful explanation for a sickness that is taking place in America. Influenza is the virus that leads to the winter flue we so much want to avoid. Affluenza is not a biological virus but a sociological virus, nevertheless it is apparently pretty dangerous. The longing for comfort and contentment is present in our lives. When people look for spiritual enlightenment, they are not seeking struggle and disappointment. No doubt we want to find peace. The question becomes, “How do we know we have found the peace, the success, the enlightenment that defines the end?”

Affluenza is the altering of the measuring stick of success with its unit of measurement becoming the attainment of stuff I can show off. It gets to the point that our sense of identity and what is necessary to maintain who we are gets distorted. As dreams and promises are built on credit and credit becomes harder to maintain the spiraling down becomes fast and frustrating.

“Can I live without my cell phone, TV, computer, car…?”

The question of what is necessary for my life… cell phone, tv, computer, car, .. is not that different from the question that Isaiah brings up. Isaiah’s question is nearly three thousand years old but still valid today, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” Read the rest of this entry »

Pastor Gaertner will be away on vacation until August 21. If you have a pastoral emergency, please contact Rev. Keith Blom from Immanuel Lutheran at his office 692-4219 or after hours on his cell phone 946-2100.

YOUTH SERVICE EVENT

Please help feed the hungry by preparing and serving lunch at the Niagara Falls Community Mission. On Thursday, August 28 youth entering grades 7 through 12 are invited to volunteer. Meet at Grace at 9:00 a.m. Wear comfortable clothing, nothing that you would be heartbroken if bleach or food stains it. No short shorts or low cut blouses. Wear a baseball cap if you don’t want to wear a hair net. We will be back to church by 1:30 p.m.

Mark your calendars! Sunday, September 7 is Rally Day. We will be having a Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Tickets will go on sale soon. See the sign up sheets in the chapel for volunteer positions to make this event successful.

There will be an important Sunday School staff meeting on August 24 at 11:30 a.m. after the worship service. Please plan on attending in you are interested in being a part of the Sunday School Staff.

Niagara Zone LWML summer picnic will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 453 Old Falls Blvd. in North Tonawanda, on Tuesday, August 12, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Hot dogs and dessert will be provided; bring a dish to share! All women are welcome-friends and spouses, too! A report on the recent District LWML Convention will be shared. Free will donations toward the Zone Travel Fund will be cheerfully accepted to help send the zone delegate to the June 2009 National Convention in Portland, OR.

The Fall Women’s Retreat at Camp Pioneer will feature Rev. David Belasic as guest speaker and our own Rev. Evan Gaertner presiding at the Sunday Morning Worship. Theme for the weekend is “Friends Forever, Forever Friends” based on Proverbs 17:17. All women are welcome to attend. Cost for the weekend is $128; part time registration is also available. Registration deadline is September 1.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Through you contributions to the mission fund at Grace, we reach out and support different missions locally, nationally, and international. Joint Seminary Fund is the special mission for the month of August.

Through the LCEF Joyful Repsonse program our church can receive electronic payments directly from personal bank accounts or LCEF Steward Accounts. It is simple, safe, convenient, and stewardship-minded. Interested? Talk to Jon Lehning.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

WEDNESDAY

10:00 a.m. Craft Group

SATURDAY

3:00 p.m. Whistler/Andrews Wedding

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
July 27, 2008
Vacation Bible School vbs.cph.org
This sermon is based on the materials for Vacation Bible School from Concordia Publishing House.

Sermon Outline

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are My friends.” John 15:14-14

1.   Jesus, our friend, ___________   ________

Raya Raccoon.

Raccoons reach out with their hands to do tasks or get food. Jesus reached out to Matthew and asked Matthew to follow Him and be His friend. Jesus, our friend, reaches out to make us His friends too. Raya, means “friend.”

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15

I want you know that all people sin and need a savior. Lost and cast out we are not forgotten. Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector, and said, “Come, follow me.” Matthew got up and followed Jesus. Matthew invited Jesus to dinner and also invited his friends, other tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees were astonished and told Jesus disciples, “Do you know what he is doing.”

We know what Jesus was doing. Jesus was opening the kingdom of God for the lost and forgotten reaching out to us. Given tax collectors’ reputations, choosing Matthew as a disciple may be surprising, but Jesus came to help sinners. Matthew left everything to follow Jesus, then reached out and invited his sinner friends to dinner with Jesus. Read the rest of this entry »

Camp Pioneer will hold its 17^th Annual Summerfest Sunday, July 27, combining it with a welcome and recognition for military children and families participating in Operation Purple Camp- a new outreach program at Pioneer for children of deployed military personnel. The day begins with worship at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Dr. John Brunner, Chicken BBQ from 11:30-3:30, music by the Buffalo Silver Band and Diamond Soul, hayrides, obstacle course, bounce house, beach activities and more! Tickets for the all day event are only $10 for an adult and $5 for children 5-12, 4 and under free. This is a Thrivent Financial Fundraising Event and all proceeds will benefit the children attending the new Operation Purple Camp Program at Pioneer. Consider donating the cost of a ticket, even if you can’t attend and support these unsung heroes!

Anyone interested in preserving our organ as a great musical instrument that supports our worship, please come to the first organ committee meeting Wednesday, July 30 at 7:15 p.m. to hear from the organ company.

Mark your calendars! Sunday, September 7 is Rally Day. We will be having a Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Tickets will go on sale soon. See the sign up sheets in the chapel for volunteer positions to make this event successful.

Niagara Zone LWML summer picnic will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 453 Old Falls Blvd. in North Tonawanda, on Tuesday, August 12, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Hot dogs and dessert will be provided; bring a dish to share! All women are welcome-friends and spouses, too! A report on the recent District LWML Convention will be shared. Free will donations toward the Zone Travel Fund will be cheerfully accepted to help send the zone delegate to the June 2009 National Convention in Portland, OR.

The Fall Women’s Retreat at Camp Pioneer will feature Rev. David Belasic as guest speaker. Theme for the weekend is “Friends Forever, Forever Friends” based on Proverbs 17:17. All women are welcome to attend. Cost for the weekend is $128; part time registration is also available. Registration deadline is September 1.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Be sure to check your family mailbox, in the chapel area. The July-August Gleanings is published. Also check out the church’s website. You can see a calendar of all the church happenings, read the sermons, request a prayer and read the announcements. Take a look! www.gracenf.org

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Craft Group

7:15 p.m. Organ Restoration Meeting

FRIDAY

Elders’ Picnic @ Lehnings

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 11A
Matthew 13:24-30,36-46
“Responding to evil planted in the field”
July 20, 2008

How do we react to the weeds we find in our yards?

Some people will call a company in to do the dirty work and so expect someone else to take care of the problem. Some people will get down on their hands and knees and pick by hand the dandelions out. Others will go to Home Depot get the chemicals and get the spreader out and go to town. In some neighborhoods a perfect lawn is a must. In fact I have known of neighborhoods were a person cared so much about their lawn staying perfect that he also had his neighbors sprayed on either side less there be some devious migration of weeds into his yard.

Monsanto makes a product called Roundup that is remarkably efficient in killing weeds. But unfortunately it is pretty tough on the plants as well. So Monsanto developed a genetically modified corn seed that is roundup resistant. With this special seed a farmer can lay as much roundup on his field as he needs without worrying about burning and destroying his corn.

Jesus tells his disciples another parable about farming. Jesus is not interested in developing the next agricultural school for disciples. Jesus desires to open up to the crowds the truth of the kingdom of God and lead people to trust in the victory of God. Read the rest of this entry »

GET READY! VBS Starts Monday. Remember besides the excellent activities for the children there is also an adult Bible study.

Thank you to all of you that picked up a bag of VBS fliers. The fliers should be distributed by today. If you did not get to it, please deliver your fliers as soon as possible! VBS starts tomorrow!

Thank you Grace! You made our Youth hot dog sale a success. The youth earned nearly $300.00. We had lots of workers- Ezaks, Passeros, Ally Coleman, and the Broekers. Thank you especially to Mark Andrews who delivered the grill, the Lehnings who delivered the pop, and Neil Stenzel who delivered the tent. Also thank you Gary Krull, D’Arcy Coulter, Deb Reisig, and Bev Mills for doing shopping for us.

Camp Pioneer will hold its 17^th Annual Summerfest next Sunday, July 27, combining it with a welcome and recognition for military children and families participating in Operation Purple Camp- a new outreach program at Pioneer for children of deployed military personnel. The day begins with worship at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Dr. John Brunner, Chicken BBQ from 11:30-3:30, music by the Buffalo Silver Band and Diamond Soul, hayrides, obstacle course, bounce house, beach activities and more! Tickets for the all day event are only $10 for an adult and $5 for children 5-12, 4 and under free. This is a Thrivent Financial Fundraising Event and all proceeds will benefit the children attending the new Operation Purple Camp Program at Pioneer. Consider donating the cost of a ticket, even if you can’t attend and support these unsung heroes! Tickets are available through the church office.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Through you contributions to the mission fund at Grace, we reach out and support different missions locally, nationally, and international. Lutheran Campus Ministries is the special mission for the month of July.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service

MONDAY

5:30-8:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

TUESDAY

5:30-8:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:00 a.m. Craft Group

5:30-8:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School

THURSDAY

5:30-8:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School

FRIDAY

5:30-8:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

Following is a copy of a letter sent to the brothers and sisters in Christ at Pinnacle Lutheran Church in Henrietta, New York.

July 15, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Pinnacle,

I am returning to you the Divine Call you have extended to me to be your pastor. I have greatly appreciated your hospitality as you opened your hearts for my family and myself. During my visits I witnessed the wonderful people of Pinnacle capturing a vision for reaching out into the community with the good news of Jesus. I do not want anyone wondering if he said something wrong because every person I met at Pinnacle was gracious, kind, and extended words of peace and encouragement.

I have found it very difficult in deliberating over the Divine Call that you issued to me to be your pastor. Awareness of your need for a pastor has been present in many of my thoughts, and I have struggled to discern if I am to be your pastor. I believe that I am a young, dynamic, exciting shepherd who is able to share my joy to people of every generation. I find in myself many of the qualities that would help serve the people of Pinnacle and the community of Henrietta. It is the match of my gifts with your need for a pastor that made the discernment process so difficult. Read the rest of this entry »

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
July 13, 2008
Proper 10A
“The Powerful Word”
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

There are certain stories in the Bible that for a long time it was expected that people just knew. The number of Bible stories that people know now are decreasing and even when we do know the stories we may be forgetting the impact these stories had in Jesus’ time and should still have in our time.

Jesus used stories to share the greatness of the kingdom of God with others. His stories often were about simple events that people were experiencing in their everyday lives. The power of the stories he told were in how he redefined for the people their relationship to God and how they were to relate to one another. Today the parable of the sower is the story for us to consider.

The story is about the planting of seeds. Can you imagine a meeting in Hollywood with a writer trying to convince a producer about how he has this great story about a guy that plants seeds. This story will revolutionize the way we think. I don’t know how that pitch meeting would go. But it is interesting that after Jesus tells this story the disciples ask, “Huh? Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Read the rest of this entry »

A blood pressure clinic will be held on Sunday during the 10:00 a.m. coffee fellowship. Look for us where the coffee is being served and have your blood pressure checked for free.

There is a VBS planning meeting after the worship service on Sunday. If you are interested in helping but cannot attend the meeting, please contact the Randy Broeker.

Grace Ladies picnic is this Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 at the home of Dorothy Kew. Dessert and beverages will be provided, just bring a dish to pass. All women are welcome, come bring a friend. Rain location will be at church.

The Wednesday Morning Bible Study is starting a new topic this week, “Angels and Demons.” Please join us at 9:30 a.m.

Vacation Bible school is coming soon! Christi Gaertner is looking for volunteers willing to pass out fliers to houses in the neighborhood promoting VBS. Please see her to pick up a map and a bag of fliers. Fliers should be distributed anytime between now and Saturday, July 19. VBS is a great way to tell kids about Jesus, and you can help spread the Good News.

From now until Labor Day, there will be a box in the narthex for our SOCK and UNDERWEAR collection. We will collect all sizes of undergarments and socks to be distributed in the fall by the Community Mission and our city’s school nurses. ONLY NEW ITEMS CAN BE ACCEPTED. This is one of our most appreciated collections. Last summer we collected 272 items and they were distributed within a week! Please remember this project as you shop this summer. Your help is needed.

Youth entering grades 7 through 12 are invited to attend this summer’s only Backyard Bible Study on Thursday, July 17 from 7-8 p.m. It’s at the home of Jordan and Jake Dixon, 180 Colonial Dr. East on Grand Island. Invite your friends to this free event.

Be sure to check your family mailbox, in the chapel area. The July-August Gleanings is published. Also check out the church’s website. You can see a calendar of all the church happenings, read the sermons, request a prayer and read the announcements. Take a look! www.gracenf.org

Through you contributions to the mission fund at Grace, we reach out and support different missions locally, nationally, and international. Lutheran Campus Ministries is the special mission for the month of July.

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

SUNDAY

9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

11:30 a.m. Blood Pressure Clinic

11:30 a.m. VBS Planning Meeting

MONDAY

6:30 p.m. Community AA Meeting

6:30 p.m. Elders’ Meeting

TUESDAY

6:00 p.m. Grace Ladies Picnic @ Kew’s

WEDNESDAY

9:30 a.m. Bible Study

10:30 a.m. Craft Group

5:30 p.m. Choir Picnic

THURSDAY

7:00 p.m. Youth Backyard Bible Study

SATURDAY

5:00 p.m. Communion Worship

NEXT SUNDAY

9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Service

10:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

10:30 a.m. Communion Worship Service