23 October 2020
*Feast of St. James of Jerusalem*
Dear Saints and Friends of Grace & Trinity,
*Twentieth Sunday after Trinity*
T The Sunday of the Wedding Feast T
Isaiah 55:1-9; Ephesians 5:15-21; Matthew 22:1-14 <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=4ae54f5c-72e3-452c-84a1-69a1cab933d6&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>
*Today* is the feast of St. James, the half-brother of our Lord. You can read <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=79224e8e-245b-45cf-b391-339e6b9c18c5&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> or listen <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=88e704df-dd3b-49b7-a24f-bbb6dd634ec7&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> to a sermon I preached for today some years back. You might also celebrate the day by reading the book of James and giving thanks to God for his faithful witness to the Church (Acts 15) and unto death as a martyr. His voice is needed among us today: “*Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness*…*Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him*” (James 1:2-3, 12).
*This Sunday *join us at *8am at Grace and* *11am at Trinity *as we celebrate the 20th Sunday after Trinity. Both Isaiah and the Gospel invite us to come to our Lord’s table and feast abundantly upon His graciousness. Of course, this all goes badly when we reject the invitation, whether because we’re too busy or too apathetic. Don’t do that. Come to the feast; eat and drink freely of all that the Lord has for you. And in so doing, you’ll redeem the time, as St. Paul says in our Epistle.
*Also this Sunday, *join us over at Immanuel Lutheran (909 S Market) as we celebrate the Festival of the Reformation with Lutherans from all around. We’re thrilled to have Dr. Carl Fickenscher from Concordia Theological Seminary-Fort Wayne preach for us. Thanks also to the saints at Immanuel for hosting this year’s circuit festival!
*Bible Study is at 9:30am at Grace. *We’re entering chapter eight of the book of Revelation. Here’s your weekly dose of Peter Leithart on Revelation <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=6f856fac-a5a7-42d3-815f-555c479cc842&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>. Please join us!
*A word of caution and freedom:* Dear Saints of God, I want to remind you all that as Christians we are to follow our conscience, washed in Holy Baptism and made clean by the blood of Christ. We are not given to judge one another, neither in motive nor in action. In times such as our own—with heightened political tension, with weariness from various forms of lock-down, from economic suffering, not to mention physical, mental, and spiritual suffering—we must pray for one another and forgive one another, bearing with one another the trials of this evil day. To that end, I want to remind you that there are various ways in which you might gather with the faithful here at Grace and Trinity—each of which can and ought to be done with a clear conscience before our Lord.
· We are blessed to gather with as many as so choose on Sunday mornings. Typically, at Grace we have about 30 each week, while at Trinity it’s about 70. If 70 is too many for you, please feel welcome at Grace!
· Also, Grace offers a Wednesday morning Divine Service at 11am, at which about 15 regularly attend. That provides even more distancing.
· Finally, you are welcome to arrange with me individually—either in the sanctuary or your home—and I’d be more than happy to accommodate.
The Lord has gifts to give. Please be sure to take part as your conscience and context provide.
*For those not yet joining us in person*, here is the bulletin for Sunday <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=460a7a0d-8dff-4914-a1f0-da2d6e5b2f88&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> to follow along with at home. Please remember to give your offering to the Lord for the service of the Church, either by mailing a check or donating through our PayPal account (Grace <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=3ea41730-cb9b-4ba7-9431-b6f79f6ee3ea&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> , Trinity <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=33359a17-f6d9-4e5f-80ff-5c018042650f&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>). I know this is a difficult financial time for many, so if you need assistance, please let us know! We are so thankful for the continued generosity shown to both congregations during this time. Also, here are the news/notes <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=2d7e9c7d-a6b3-47f6-a372-7b98278997c5&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> and the congregation at prayer <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=7f71f6d4-559d-47b1-a927-de5bc8f3681f&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>for Sunday.
*Coming up this week…*
· *Today*: *Feast of St. James*
o *4-5pm* Private Absolution, Trinity
· *Saturday: *
o *9-11am *Church Clean-up, Trinity
· *Sunday: **20th Sunday after Trinity*
o *8am *Divine Service, Grace
o *9:30am *Bible Study, Grace
o *11am *Divine Service, Trinity
o *2pm **Misa en Español, *Grace
o *3pm *Choir Rehearsal, Immanuel
o *4pm *Reformation Festival Divine Service, Immanuel
o *5:30pm *Reformation Festival Banquet <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=ee75abcf-baab-45b0-af66-ed59d2c11cbf&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>, Immanuel
· *Monday*: *Commemoration of Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt, hymnwriters*
o *9am *Matins, Grace
· *Tuesday*:
o *9am* Matins, Grace
o *7pm *Marriage & Family Class, Trinity (We’re just starting into Gene Edward Veith and Mary Moerbe’s *Family Vocations* <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=f2815bfb-fc1f-40b3-a611-4d5303ceb45c&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c>. I have a couple copies left if you’re interested.)
· *Wednesday: **Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles*
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *9:30am* Bible Study, Grace
o *11am *Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude Divine Service, Grace
o *5:15pm *Youth Catechesis, Trinity
o *7pm *Evening Prayer, Trinity
· *Thursday:*
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *7pm *Reformation Festival Choir Rehearsal, Immanuel
o *7:30pm *Hall of Men, the Ladder
· *Friday*:
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *4-5pm* Private Absolution, Trinity
· *Saturday (10/31): **Festival of the Reformation*
o *12-3pm *Fall Festival & Oktoberfest, Trinity
· *Sunday (11/1): **Feast of All Saints – Joint-Parish Sunday (**Daylight Savings)*
o *9:30am *Bible Study, Grace
o *11am *Divine Service, Grace
o *12:15pm *Joint-Parish Pot-luck*, *Grace
o *2pm **Misa en Español, *Grace
o *3:30pm *Concordia Academy Board Mtg., Grace
*Remember the Regular Rhythm of the Church…*
· Daily Matins at Grace, Monday to Friday at 9am
· Wednesday Bible Class at Grace, 9:30am (*studying Colossians*)
· Wednesday Divine Service at Grace, 11am
· Wednesday Youth Catechesis at Trinity, 5:15-6:45pm
· Wednesday Evening Prayer at Trinity, 7pm
· Friday Private Absolution at Trinity, 4-5pm
· Sunday Divine Service at Grace at 8am, at Trinity at 11am, and *en Español *at Grace at 2pm
· Sunday Bible Class at 9:30am at Grace (even months) and at Trinity (odd months)
· Sunday *Catecismo en Español *at Grace at 1pm
*Looking Ahead…*
· October 31st: Trinity’s Annual Fall Festival & Oktoberfest! <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=38ea564e-38e4-4d12-a1c1-88b798c9a7f3&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> Join us from 12-3pm in Trinity’s parking lot for games, a bounce house, food, and beer tents. We could use some extra volunteers to help pull this off. If interested, please speak with Angie Patterson, Vicki Lessman, Scott Irwin, or myself. *Volunteers should arrive at 10am*.
· Joint-Parish Sunday is November 1st at Grace: 9:30am Bible Study, 11am Divine Service. For the meal afterwards we’ll have a pot-luck—please bring something to share!
*Other things…*
· Doug & Erin Stone (member at Grace) are expecting their second child, Marietta, any day now. Their friend, Brian, will be Marietta’s godfather and attending the baptism from out of town. They’re wondering if anyone at Grace or Trinity might be willing to host him the nights of the November 14th and 15th? If so, please let me know. Thanks!
· Pastor Conrad, our missionary from Mexico City, sent us a nice picture of a recent Baptism as well as their new prayer card, both of which can be found below.
*Prayer Requests…*
· All the members of our congregations need prayer. To help with this, I’m sharing a Daily Prayer List <ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=9433551&l=83f6a85e-c6c8-437c-bc24-5e2573df7777&r=270b543e-34b0-4704-b30d-2e64f7b24f1c> that I’ve used for quite some time. I’ll make some hard copies available at both Grace and Trinity.
· For Jeff Gilmore, brother of Kirsten Bartel, who was admitted last night to St. Francis with a brain bleed and is having emergency surgery today.
· For Don and Diana, Dave Norris’s Uncle and Aunt. Both had a serious battle with COVID-19. Don ended up in a nursing home to rehab and is pretty confused. Diana had a lesser battle, but they discovered a malignant tumor the size of a football in her abdomen.
· For Kim Koch, a long-time member of Grace, who in her recent move back to Wichita from Pennsylvania, ended up in a roll-over accident and is recovering.
Many blessings and much joy to you all in Christ our life,
-Pastor
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