Peace Talk October 2009

Peace Talk - October 2009

Apostolic Mission Congregation of the LCMS www.yourpeace.org Pastor Kristian Bjornstad 2506 N. Main Ave. 343-9828

Old Testament Prophet Amos writes in chapter 5:

good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

15Hate evil, and love good and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART: The evils and injustices of our world are all around us, and we cry out when we are the subjects of them.

But yet, at the same time, it seems that we are a nation who is not particularly hateful of evil and injustice. We love to indulge in it secretly when we can. Neither are we in love with true goodness. We find ourselves downright lazy in doing it!

“Hate” evil and “love” good God says! No matter what! Establish Justice in the Land! Defend the poor and those who cannot defend themselves from evil and wickedness. Praise the Lord in every good.

One of the great privileges of being a Christian is that we KNOW what is good and what is evil. The rest of the world is so confused and they have nothing to measure the righteousness of their lives!

But we have a blessed Savior who is clear about what it means to love good and hate what is evil. We have a Savior who has concerned himself with fulfilling the just demands of the Holy Father. He has concerned himself with others - with US, in fact - especially those who are unable to defend ourselves, unable to attain the righteousness of God. In the cross of Jesus we know how much God truly loves us!

Calling all to hate evil and love good with Jesus!

Pastor Bjornstad

14Seek

We Praise God for 100 years of blessings!

Catherine Tugend (left with Sarah Bjornstad 3 years ago) on October 4th turns 100 years old! She is residing with her son Harold and his wife Donna (members at Grace Lutheran, Hop Bottom, PA) in Kingsley, PA, about 30 minutes north of Scranton. Catherine was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church, grew up as a young child in the house right across from Immanuel on Reese street, but her mother and father were one of the original charter members of Peace Lutheran when they started the church in 1916! Her favorite story to tell is how she had come down with her mother and father to look at the building that stood on the corner of Parker and Main that the congregation wanted to buy. Unfortunately everyone left the building and locked the door, forgetting her inside! This story, and a few more of her remembrances, as she shared them in an interview will be posted to the web page soon!

FALL POT ROAST DINNER Saturday, OCT. 24!

3:00 - 6:00 pm ALL HANDS ON DECK

“Watermark” Youth Encounter Concert Thursday, October 1st Peace was alive and well as almost 40 folks of all ages enjoyed a great concert!

The band spent the night at the church and had a great time giving a short concert for the Lutheran Academy on Friday morning before heading off to Massachusetts.

Audrey Russell was pictured in the national LWML publication! She, along with Grace Morris and Elsie Schweitzer attended the LWML National Convention in Portland Oregon! As usual, Audrey’s smile at the convention totally outshined everyone else’s on the page!

Congrats!

students include Elizabeth Mirarchi, George Price, Jr., Karissa Tugend!

Please pray for them! Matthew Rogan has entered the carpenter’s apprentice and works with his dad on the job!

James McHale James McHale is here pictured TOWERING over every other player on the field during the Freshman High School game between Dunmore and Lakeland.

The band is made of young people who literally give up a year of their lives to sing and perform (with no pay) across the nation and overseas to Denmark - all with the aim of sharing Jesus Christ and His Salvation!

Praise God!

Joseph Schulze was in the newspaper as he played his trumpet at the 150th commemoration ceremony of the Avondale mine disaster in which 110 miners died Sept. 6, 1869. Great Job, Joseph!

Attendance at Church has been increasing lately! You too will be blessed to be with the people of God on Sunday Morning!

Joshua Schultz Congrats also to Joshua as he has received a FULL scholarship to Keystone College. He is studying sports management. Other college

But amazingly, James doesn’t just tower on the field! He also towers in his faith here at Peace as he helps teach Sunday School! COOL!

Kiana Sauter Cheerleader on the B Squad of the Western Wayne Wildcat, won 2nd place at the District Cheering Competition!

Congratulations Kiana!

The local Thrivent Chapter COOK BOOK is available!

THE LUTHERAN ACADEMY, SCRANTON It’s been a busy time this fall. The Academy 1st graders and the Immanuel Preschool went on their first field trip of the season to Miller’s Orchard. The Academy has also been invited to sing at the Luther Day Banquet on October 18. Do you think that Martin Luther ever heard of Christopher Columbus or what we now call the new world? I call such queries, heavenly questions-only in heaven will we really find out. So October celebrates Columbus and Reformation Day (which some people mistakenly call Halloween). At the Preschool and the Academy we dress up for harvest parties. Our costumes may be whimsical, historical, or contemporary but never exemplify anything that glorifies evil, the occult, or harm to others. We do talk about the Reformation Day and that it comes on “All Hallows’ Eve” which comes the day before All Saints Day. The benefit of a Christian education is that students get to hear the whole story.

Last week the Academy took delivery of a beautiful new storage cabinet. I mention this because it came as the result of the fundraising we did at the end of last year. It was something that we needed, would not fit into our lean budget, and something we could order that exactly meets our needs. PRAISE GOD! Please keep praying for our beautiful school and for our 18 precious students! - Roger Borchin, Principal

MISSION PRAYERS! PLEASE PRAY FOR CARSTEN BJORNSTAD (Pastor’s father), short term missionary in Macau, China.

Dear friends, Of the three Bible studies we do each week, the most exciting study for me is the one on Friday nights. It's the one that uses Karen's (his wife who wrote Bible Studies for international students) work as its basis. It is led in both Cantonese and English by a young Chinese woman named "Sue" who does a great job in getting people to respond. The participants are a mixed group of Chinese Christians and non-Christians, some there for practice in English, but others as earnest seekers. It is held in the small sanctuary of the only Lutheran church in Macau, a rented facility on the first floor of an apartment/business building just off the downtown area.

The study last Friday began with Jesus' summary of the Law recorded in Matthew 22:34-40. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The second of the two commands got the most attention. "Are enemies really to be counted as neighbors? (Matthew 5:41-44) How are we to love them?" If the study had ended there, we would have been in despair because we all knew that we had fallen short in loving enemies. But Karen's questions and commentary moved us from there to the Good News recorded in Romans 3:21-24. We "are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus," I heard Karen's voice in the commentary. I heard her joy in the Good News. I praised God for her joy.

Christian History Notes: On Sunday, October 17th, the church commemorates Ignatius of

Antioch, Pastor and Martyr Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch in Syria at the beginning of the second century A.D. and an early Christian martyr. Near the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan (98–117), Ignatius was arrested, taken in chains to Rome, and eventually thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. On the way to Rome, he wrote letters to the Christians at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna, and also to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. In the letters, which are beautifully pastoral in tone, Ignatius warned against certain heresies (false teachings). He also repeatedly stressed the full humanity and deity of Christ, the reality of Christ's bodily presence in the Lord's Supper, the supreme authority of the bishop, and the unity of the Church found in her bishops. Ignatius was the first to use the word catholic to describe the universality of the Church. His Christ-centeredness, his courage in the face of martyrdom, and his zeal for the truth over against false doctrine are a lasting legacy to the Church.

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CONGREGATIONAL VOTER’S MEETINGS COMING UP! Please set aside Tuesday, October 6th at 7 pm for the regular Voter’s Meeting of the Congregation.

Then also we will have a short meeting after church on November 1st to elect our church officers and approve a budget.

Yes, PLEASE pray about how you might serve your beautiful church!

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES ARE NOW BROADCAST OVER THE INTERNET! Just go to www.yourpeace.org during our 10:30 worship hour and join in our worship! Thank you to Chris Jones who is helping keep it all running! This service is not only a way in which we can serve those members who cannot attend, but we are also sharing God’s Word with individuals who “drop in” as they are “cruising” the net.

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CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP! "Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God's family, the church, in managing all of life and life's resources for God's purposes."

The above definition of Christian Stewardship has been used in our church for a few decades. It contains only 29 words, but what a mouthful when you consider the application of the various parts of this definition.

"Free and joyous." Many people do not think of stewardship as being free and joyous but it really can be when we have the calm assurance that our God richly provides all that we need for the support and wants of our body and life.

"Child of God." What a beautiful title for God's people! The opening verses of 1 John 3 speak of the lavish love of God resulting in making us His very own children. What great good news and what a powerful reminder of the proper motivation for our stewardship activity – love to our God who first loved us.

"God's family, the church." This phrase reminds us that our stewardship is not a solo performance but is done within the Christian

community to honor God and benefit others.

"In managing all of life and life's resources." Part of our stewardship struggle is that we think we "own" all those things that surround us when, in truth, we are managers. Another part of our struggle is that we may think that Stewardship is just about money, time and talents. Christian stewardship is about those things and more; Christian stewardship involves our whole life--everything that God has entrusted to us to manage as faithful stewards.

"For His purposes." Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons. All we do as Christian stewards is to be done to the glory of God and for the welfare of others as well as ourselves. Who said stewardship was easy? If it were, everyone would be doing it!

THIS MONTH WE WILL HAVE A STEWARDSHIP FOCUS! +++++++++++++++++++++

NEW MEMBERS AND BAPTISMS! Please celebrate with prayer and praise to the Lord as we look forward to a great day on October 25th! We plan to have two baptisms and several others join the church by confession of their faith!

PRAYER CORNER: PLEASE PRAY for Rachelle Evans and her child as her due date comes near. Also pray for Mark Koenig as he is undergoing a Kidney transplant!

Continue prayers for the Brown family as they mourn their loss!

What was the Lutheran Reformation?

By Dr. Richard P. Bucher, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lexington, KT The Lutheran Reformation was an event in 16th Century Germany and Europe in which God used the monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) to reform the Christian Church of that day. By "reform" we mean to correct abuses and to restore it to what it should be.

However, it is important to understand, that this was not the first or only reformation. Over the fifteen hundred years of church history prior to this, there were many reformations.

Heiko Oberman is quite right when he says that in the Middle Ages the word reformation was as popular as the word democracy is today. Many pushed for reforms in the Church of one kind or another.

A reformation in the 11th Century, led

by Pope Gregory VII, attacked lay control of the Church, simony (buying church offices), and clergy immorality. In the 14th Century John Wyclif (d. 1384) sparked a reformation in England when he attacked the power and corruption of the Roman Church, rejected celibacy and transubstantiation, and stressed the reading of the Scriptures in the vernacular. In the 15th Century, the Bohemian, Jan Hus (d. 1415), influenced by Wyclif, initiated a reformation among his people by directing the people to obey God rather than the Roman Church authorities. By their false teachings and immorality, they had forfeited the right to be called Church. These are just three examples of the many reformations throughout church history.

Yet, none of these reformations were like Luther's Reformation. Luther also sought to reform various abuses in morals. He also attacked the Pope and the domination of the Roman Church. What made his reformation unique was that it was more concerned with doctrine than life. The heart of the Lutheran Reformation was a recovery of sound New Testament doctrine. In one of his table talks, Luther remarked: Doctrine and life are to be distinguished. Life is as bad among us as among the papists. Hence we do not fight and damn them because of their bad lives. Wyclif and Hus, who fought over the moral quality of life, failed to understand this . . . When the Word of God , remains pure, even if the quality of life fails us, life is placed in a position to be what it ought to be. That is why everything hinges on the purity of the Word. I have succeeded only if I have taught correctly (WA TR 1:624; LW 54:110).

God's Reformation of His Church through Martin Luther began as a rediscovery of the main teaching of Christianity, that we are declared righteous (justified) by faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. It is not our righteousness (created by our works, efforts, and obeying God's laws) that saves us; Christ's righteousness saves us. And His righteousness is credited to our account when we believe that He died for us.

Put very simply, Luther's Reformation was a matter of taking this rediscovered Gospel, showing that it was Scriptural, and then reforming the Church by it.

Whatever in the Church was found to contradict this Gospel of salvation by

grace through faith was to be reformed. Anything else (if it edified) could be retained.

Luther's Reformation was concerned with essentials, with the very heart of Christianity. It is for this reason that it swept through Europe and had such amazing results. Without this Reformation, there would have been no salvation, for the Gospel would have remained largely hidden. When we celebrate the Reformation, we are celebrating this rediscovered Gospel that we believe in; and we are celebrating our salvation through Jesus Christ.

We will celebrate Reformation Day on Sunday, Oct. 25!

Faith Alone!

Grace Alone!

Scripture Alone!

2009 ANNUAL LUTHER DAY DINNER Celebrating our Lutheran Community

Featuring: The music of The Lutheran Academy, Scranton

Sunday, October 18, 2 p.m.

The Melting Pot 2119 Washburn St., Scranton, PA Tickets are $15 (members), $18 (non-members) or $7.50 for children.

See your Association of Lutheran Friends Representative in your congregation to buy them, or call 570-343-9828.

Sponsored by the Association of Lutheran Friends

Yes! Sunday School and Youth Group COUNT! WE WELCOME TWO NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS THIS YEAR! James McHale will be a helper staff, and we welcome Lori Harsche as our new teacher of the younger elementary class! We are still in need of one more teacher to share the duties with Lori!

Sunday, October 25th we plan on going to Miller’s Orchard after church!

CONFIRMATION STUDENTS: WE ARE MEETING ON MONDAYS AT 7!

Please notify Pastor Bjornstad if you know someone who would like to join our class of FIVE confirmands!

CALLING ALL OUR YOUTH! FALL 2009 BANANA CRAM LOCK-IN IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 20-21

LCMS YOUTH GATHERING IN JULY, 2010!

There are at least a group of SIX youth that are planning on going! Pastor is still TRYING to get you all together to meet and PLAN for this great adventure!!!!