July 8, 2007

Vol. 1, no. 3

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From Your Pastor

Beloved Saints of God in Christ Jesus,

The World is a hectic, fast-paced, loud and crazy place. Our thoughts often and easily get lost in the shuffle of all the commotion. It would be nice to take a break from all the craziness, but it is hard. Our Lord tells us how important “holy silence” can be. In Psalm 46:10 we are told to simply

"Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

As we gather for worship, there is a lot to be gained by taking some time, 15-20 minutes or so, to simply be still and really think about the awesomeness of God, to meditate upon what He has done and continues to do for us in Christ and how unworthily we receive this blessing. I know, it’s hard to just “be still,” but there is great spiritual significance to taking the time before the service starts as quiet reflection. I would suggest, to help focus your silent meditation, to open the hymnal and read the pre-service prayers on the inside of the front cover. Also, take a look at the Small Catechism beginning on page 321, or take a few minutes, as the prelude music is playing, to read through and think about the text of the hymns we will be singing.

It is difficult to break the daily habit of action and movement, but we need a sabbath rest, and it is the purpose of the church to give that rest. So, as you are preparing for worship, take some time to simply “be still” and know the greatness of the Lord!

May the Lord be with you!

Pastor Jim

Worship Practices

FAQs

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: I’ve noticed that pastor holds his hand in an unusual way during times of benediction and when he makes the sign of the cross. Does this mean anything?

Everything we do in church should point us to Jesus Christ and remind us of our relationship to Him. As a pastor, I speak in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is for that reason that I shape my hand, especially when making the sign of the cross over the congregation, to be another little reminder of my Master, in Whose name I speak. The picture to the right shows the position of the hand when making the sign of the cross. The index finger forms a straight “I,” the middle finger bends to form a “C,” the ring finger crosses the thumb, making an “X,” and the pinky is curved to form another “C.” These 4 letters are the first and last letters of Jesus Christ, Iesous Cristous, in Greek. This is just another little practice to point you to the Savior. I have found that kids especially like these little touches, so be sure to explain to your children the importance of the “Jesus Christ” blessing from the pastor!

Bible Study Opportunities

This Sunday (July 8) we will look at how we “dress” the church with art, paraments, and vestments (and what those things are!) Why is it important to make our place of worship and the house of God a place of beauty? What are the theological and Biblical commands for and against adorning our house of worship? And how can beauty in the church aid your worship?

Finally, (July 15) we will look at how we are dressed by the church. We have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed with righteousness through Christ. It is the church’s purpose to clothe you in that righteousness.

Also, don’t forget the men’s Bible study Thursday mornings at 6 am. I would also appreciate your input about a Wednesday morning Bible study with Matins as well as a possible evening Bible study with Vespers.

Vacation Bible School

VBS will be July 15-19 from 6:00-8:30. This is a great time to reach out to the community and share with the children the love of Christ given freely for them.

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 19:14

Going to the Web

As the world increasingly turns to the world wide web for information, Good Shepherd certainly wants to be there serving the Lord. I am looking at how we can best start up a church web site. There are many advantages to a church web site, it gives important information that can keep our parisioners connected, it gives information to visitors and the community, it is a good place to share to Gospel with the world through audio, video and text. It may take a while to get things up and running smoothly, but hopefully before the beginning of the Advent season we will have a nice and informative home on the web. Lesa has volunteered to be the web master, which means she will do all the updating and formatting of the web site. Please pray that this would be yet another way in which Good Shepherd can lead the world to our Good Shepherd.

Pastor`s Blog

As many of you know, I have a blog that I update regularly. A blog is short for “web log” and is like an online journal. Anyone can start one and anything can be put onto a blog. My blog was started in my second year at seminary and has devotional thoughts, prayers, short essays on the Church and her mission, personal events and thoughts, pictures, sermons and a whole bunch of other stuff. I would love for you to visit my blog!

The address is http://lutheranhoosier.blogspot.com/

Also, e-mail is an important way of keeping in touch. I would love to get an e-mail from you, my address is pastorroemke@yahoo.com

Another way of keeping in touch is through instant messaging. Instant messaging makes it possible to “chat” live with people over the internet and its free! I use Yahoo! Messenger. This can be downloaded for free at http://messenger.yahoo.com/download.php

May God keep us in all purity as we enter into this electronic world!

Pastoral Visitation

In an effort to better know the flock to which God has called me, it is my goal to visit with each of you personally, either in your homes or in my study. I do not want this to be a stressful or anxiety-filled thing, but rather a time of joy in our fellowship together under the cross. In the coming weeks, there will be a sign-up sheet in the back of the church. Please take a moment to sign up for a visit! This is not a Leviticus 26:16 kind of visit! (Look it up to see what I mean!)

If you have any questions about this, please call me at the church: 269-795-2391, at home: 269-509-0293 or my temporary cell number: 314-703-7774.

Next week`s readings

Psalm 41

Leviticus 19:9-18

Colossians 1:1-14

Luke 10:25-37

The Lord be with you!

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 908 W. Main Middleville, MI 49333 +269-795-2391+ goodshepherdlcms@gmail.com