Gravel Springs Lutheran Church

 Worship Service hours change today.  Service will begin at 9:00am.

 Power in the Spirit – is July 12^th – 14^th at Roanoke College in Salem, VA.  The cost is $255/person.  If you are interested, please see Pastor Sonya or go to the www.vasynod.org website for registration materials.

Devotions provided by Luther Seminary “God Pause”.

John 15:1-8 (NRSV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.   "You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.  "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.  "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Reflection

My last call was to a congregation that had been in conflict for many years. My challenge was to recover the congregation's mission, a purpose that was greater than personal tastes or preferences.

That year, the annual meeting was packed with the hope that things could be different. I suggested focusing on our purpose and writing a mission statement that could rally us above pettiness. I gave an example: "Every person will know Jesus."

A man named Virgil interrupted my presentation by saying that he wanted the floor. Everyone tensed up, remembering the shouting matches from the previous year. "I know that this is not according to Roberts Rules of Order, but I would like to move that we adopt Pastor's suggestion as our mission statement."

A new spirit was born that night. We had a clear sense of our mission that has guided the congregation ever since.

This was what Jesus was doing for his followers. The disciples had been arguing about what the kingdom would look like and what their part would be. Jesus then gave them a mission statement that would guide his followers to this day. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Prayer

Lord Jesus, unite us and energize us to live as your disciples. Amen.

Devotions provided by Luther Seminary “God Pause”.

John 15:1-8 (NRSV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.   "You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.  "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.  "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Reflection

Emil Peterson was the plumber in Kirkland, Ill., during the Great Depression. He always sat in the second pew, holding a hearing assist to his ear. He would fill in for my dad, the pastor, once in a while and would shout so that he could hear himself. 

He began each day at his desk, where he would read his daily devotions and pray for those whose pictures or letters were tacked on his bulletin board.

It was this prayer routine that led Emil to walk in on us while we were eating breakfast. Dad had just announced that the coal company had cut us off. The church was not always able to pay Dad and consequently the coal and grocery bills were not always paid on time.

"What do the Nelsons need?" the plumber shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Dad replied, clearly taken back.

"Well I was talking with God this morning, and God said, 'Stop at the Nelsons. They're in trouble.'"

Later, Mom looked in the icebox and tucked away on one of the shelves was $10. Dad only made $60 a month. We ordered coal.

Emil was attached to the True Vine. We tasted of the fruit.

Prayer

Owner of the vineyard, pruner of the branches, vitalize our connection to the true vine that we might bear fruit for your glory. Amen.  

Devotions provided by Luther Seminary “God Pause”.

1 John 4:7-21 (NRSV)
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.  God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.   In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.   No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.  God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.  So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.  We love because he first loved us. Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Reflection

I slammed the front door after a rare fight with my mother. As I drove my '39 Nash to school, I rehearsed my arguments for the evening. It was hard to concentrate all day, but I was sure that I had an airtight case.

It was the usual time when I pulled up at our rural parsonage. I got out of my car and immediately smelled pot roast, my very favorite food. I was further surprised to discover the entire family sitting at the table, since they never wait for anyone.

The pot roast, and everything with it, was amazing. Mother then handed out lemon pudding, again my favorite. I had a knot in my stomach.

After supper, I slowly went over to the sink and picked up a towel. Mother and I did the dishes in silence. I broke down in tears. "I am sorry, Mom.  Will you forgive me?”
It was at that moment when I really understood God's love. "Hubert, I forgave you the moment you walk out the door." How is that possible? John says, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son...."

Prayer

Gracious God, help us to accept you for your undeserved forgiveness as we walk out the door today. Amen.

Devotions provided by Luther Seminary “God Pause”.

Psalm 22:25-31 (NRSV)
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.  The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!  All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.  For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.  To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.  Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,  and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Reflection

"The greatest day in my life," beamed Ed Lowe, "was when I was chosen to be the first resident to move to the new Winnebago County Nursing Home. I felt like I was in heaven."

The manager told me she had chosen Ed to move in first so he could be at the door to welcome the new residents. "Ed," she said, "is the most cheerful and positive resident we have. Isn't that strange? How does one explain how this crippled, utterly destitute man, who lost his only family when his mother died, be the most positive and thankful person in our home?"

Ed was nearly blind, but with thick glasses and a magnifying glass, he managed to read the paper every day. I was always greeted with a smile. Without fail he would say, "Pastor, I cannot walk or sit up straight, but I thank God that I have these hands." 

Ed, like the Psalmist and his Lord, was well acquainted with pain and suffering, but he could also say in the words of our lesson, "The poor shall eat and be satisfied, those who seek him shall praise the Lord."


Prayer

Suffering Savior, teach us to be more like your disciple, Ed. Amen

Acts 8: 26-40 (NRSV)
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. "In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Reflection

Magnus Nelson usually began appearing in Hector, Minn., in late spring. We never witnessed his arrival, nor did we see his departure. The assumption was that he came by rail. The freight trains would often slow down and even stop at Hector and then hobos would jump from the boxcars and go into the village to beg for a meal.

Magnus, however, was not like any of the other hobos. We never saw him beg for food and he was always alone. 

First Lutheran Church was across the gravel street from the tracks. Magnus would come and sit on the front steps of the church and soon the word got out that Magnus was back. He gave a nickel to every youngster who told him a Bible story or listened to him tell a story about Jesus.

This was his all-consuming mission, to tell the story of Jesus to children. His comings and goings, his source of support, and where he called home, were as mysterious as those of Philip. But, like Philip, he lived to tell the story of Jesus. I see a window in our lesson, and in the window I see the hobo, Magnus.


Prayer

Spirit of God, guide us to tell the story of Jesus as you prompt us. Amen.

INSPIRATION

John 10:11 (NRSV)
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Let us pray. O Lord Christ, good shepherd of the sheep, you seek the lost and guide us into your fold.  Feed us, and we shall be satisfied; heal us, and we shall be whole.  Make us one with you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Sermon thought:   The phrase “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” is heard 5 times in John 10:11-18.  That’s 5 times in a total of 8 verses of scripture.

Gravel Springs / St John's Lutheran Church Parish is now on facebook.  

Visit us at:  www.facebook.com/GravelSpringsStJohnsLutheranChurch

ELCA Draft Social Statement on Criminal Justice, March 2012:  

"The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is preparing a social statement on criminal justice, which may be considered by the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly mandated the development of this statement.