November 2007 Newsletter Contents [Newsletter Archive]
Pastor's Article	Vicar's Article
Christian Education	Parish Notes
Portals of Prayer

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PASTOR'S ARTICLE

THE END OF ALL THINGS?

Perhaps it's just a matter of one's age that the world seems to be unraveling and speeding to a horrific conclusion. After all, after six, seven, or eight decades one has seen a lot of change, especially those of us who have been around since before World War II and who have lived through a tumultuous second half of the 20th century. Technology, once touted as the "savior" of much of what was wrong with the world can just as easily be turned against us. Hardly a week goes by that doesn't have a report that something new may be killing us. And this technology that allows to keep in touch with family and friends around the world instantly, also gives us 24 hour a day news of corruption, violence, and inhumanity. What is given on the one hand is taken away on the other. The innocence of youth no longer seems to exist in our present age.

All of this depressing evidence leads us to think that the world is spiraling toward a destructive end. When we're young we want to hurry toward adulthood and all the "good" things we think we see. When we get to be middle-aged, we begin to question whether these "good" things are all they're cracked up to be, and when we reach old age, we often come to the conclusion that little "good" remains in the world. We're sometimes eager to "check out" and leave it all behind.

We've reached the last month in the Church Year, the liturgical year. The themes of the Sundays from Michaelmas to All Saints' Day focus on the Christian's engagement in spiritual warfare and of the protection of God's holy angels. After All Saints' Day the Church turns her attention to the end of all things, the consummation of the age and the victory of God over all the forces of evil. She longs for the final act, the end of sin, death, and misery. She longs for the glories of heaven.

Why? Precisely because of the character of this present age. Our Lord Jesus speaks about this age, or aeon, at length in Matthew 13, one of the chief texts for this part of the liturgical year. He speaks of the age coming to an end, of a harvest of the saints where his Christians are rescued from God's judgment on this present age. The Apostle Paul calls this age "the present evil age" [Gal. 1.4]. Like Jesus, he too, looks forward to its demise. He looks forward to "the age to come" where sin, death, and hell are no more and there is no more misery, shame, and sin.

But do we have the same view as our Lord and the Apostle? It seems often that we are too caught up in this age as though it is all that there is, that there is no age to come. We seem to live as though this world is our home, but it is not. We are "strangers and exiles" here on earth [Hebrews 11.13]. We desire "a better country, that is, a heavenly one" [Hebrews 11:16, ESV]. Yet, we often live as though our attachment to this present age is something good and desirable.

Politicians like to talk about making a heaven here on earth. One leading candidate for President said that recently! He said that it was his goal to provide just that, and he said it in a religious context! Very dangerous, indeed! It is like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic! Perhaps that is a good analogy. The ship of this earth is sinking. There is no saving it. It is doomed, in spite of all the people who are determined to save the earth from global warming. They speak as though getting that under control will save the planet. In fact, Al Gore's book, "Earth in the Balance," says precisely that. Not only can we say that his science is bad, but his theology is even worse. Mr. Gore flunked out of Vanderbilt Divinity School! He certainly does not know what the Word of God says, or if he does, he certainly doesn't believe it.

This is not to say that Christians may be poor stewards of the created order. No responsible Christian should say that! We are accountable to God for how we treat his creation, but we should also know that we aren't going to "save" it, either. God has put an expiration date on it. All of the turmoil in the created order, the political order, and our own lives points us to the end of this age. The readings during these last four weeks point that out unequivocally. God will call this age to a halt on a day that he has appointed. No human being is going to slow it down or stop it, any more that you can hold back the ocean tides. Remember the adage, "Time and tide wait for no man."

But the end of all things, of this present age, is not a cause for handwringing about God's faithful people. Quite the contrary, we long for the end, we look forward to it with eager expectation because we know that the end of the age brings the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall bring about the consummation of his kingdom. The long, hard struggle against sin, death, and hell shall be over for good. There will be no more suffering, pain, sorrow, or any of the thing that cause unhappiness and misery in our world. Even the created order itself shall be restored. All will be a "new creation."

This "new creation" was begun in our Lord's Incarnation. His birth brought a new day which will not stop when this present age ends. You are part of that new age through your new birth in Holy Baptism. Your Baptism carries you through the death throes of this age to the glorious age that never ends. You belong to Christ and he will take you to himself in his glorious, eternal kingdom.

Is it the end of all things? No, not all, just this present evil age. That is passing away and the eyes of faith can see it. It's not bad news for those who belong to Christ, but great, good news. So the Bride of Christ celebrates the coming of her heavenly Bridegroom! Let those bound to this age wring their hands; you know what lies beyond it. Share this message with them so that they may also join us in the age to come.

Pastor Meyer

VICAR'S ARTICLE

JONAH

³Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. (Jonah 1:3)

Jonah could quite possibly be one of the best known characters in the Bible with the least known about him. The book of Jonah is very short and starts with a bang. Instead of getting background information on Jonah, we immediately hear only of his mission. The fact that the Lord has personally called Jonah to preach against Nineveh doesn't make much of an argument for him being an ordinary guy. But for those of you who've read this story, we know that his reaction is the same that we'd love to give in his situation. Right away, in the very second sentence in the whole book of Jonah, we see him 'getting out of Dodge' in a hurry: "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish" (Jonah 1:3). Jonah figured what most of us would probably think in this circumstance also. If he ran away from the situation, it might just blow over without him getting involved.

This is so similar to what also happens in our lives. When the going gets tough, we often seek to separate ourselves from the problem at hand. For all of you fellow procrastinators out there, we often keep from doing the tasks set before us because we feel that they're beyond our abilities and we're afraid to fail. Just imagine being told to go and preach to a quarter of a million people that they're damned sinners and that God is angry with them! The amazing thing about our Lord is that He never gives up on us, even when we've long since given up on Him. Jonah hops on a boat and escapes one situation only to find himself in another.

Now he has to deal with the elements: "such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up" (Jonah 1:4). What does Jonah do? He takes a nap. We've all been so stressed out that we nearly pass out from exhaustion (and people who are depressed are often tired), and we can only surmise that this is the situation which faces Jonah. About this time the rest of the crew have given up on praying to their gods and they wake up Jonah to help them out. They ask him which god he worships. Jonah can be an example to us all when he describes his Lord, without missing a beat: "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land" (Jonah 1:9).

By this time, Jonah sees that there is no escape from his duty to God. He walks up to the deck and calmly explains the situation to the rest of the crew. "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you" (Jonah 1:12). Jonah is finally addressing his responsibilities, and whether he faces death or some other danger, he is ready to meet it head on.

What happens next is one of the most famous episodes in the entire Bible. Jonah is swallowed up, not by a whale (as is commonly thought), but by a great fish. We remember this part of the story well because things like this never happen to us. But how can we be sure? Of course we aren't swallowed up by large animals, but we often do come to our senses when things are worst and we feel that we've hit "rock bottom". This is when reality hits and we're forced to take some sort of action. Often we want to put difficult situations into our own context and timetable, when in reality we're working on God's timetable, which means that we must try to display patience and understanding when these things happen. This is true also of the large scale tragedies that are happening all around us, such as hurricanes, terrorists, and diseases. We don't understand why these things happen to us if God loves us. If we take time to note these Biblical examples, however, we see that coddling isn't God's way. We're God's children, and as children we will not always understand the will of the Father, and much more will we despise the hardships which we know we deserve, but never want to face nonetheless. These tragedies are the result of our sinful nature, and may God be glorified that He can bring faith in the midst of such adversity!

Children will almost always thank you in their own way for disciplining them fairly according to their conduct. Discipline may not always (or ever) turn into a situation where instant gratification takes effect, but eventually they will thank you, and their lives will benefit from the discipline and love you have shown them. Jonah's words from the fish display his own budding understanding of the situation in which he finds himself. He says "?Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD" (Jonah 2:8-9). Jonah, because he has been brought to see the error of his ways, is now ready to take on the task which the Lord set before him at the opening of the book. Jonah didn't decide this because he was afraid of the fish or dying, but because he now understood that Nineveh must hear the Word of God so that they would have a chance for repentance and forgiveness.

So Jonah preaches in Nineveh and what happens? THEY REPENT! Even the king "rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust" (Jonah 3:6). So what brought these people to faith? Was it Jonah's awesome preaching style? This is doubtful since all that is mentioned of his preaching is that he did preach (Jonah 3:4). Throughout the Bible we find evidence of great things happening without a detailed explanation of why or how, and we credit these accomplishments to God. We must never focus on how God does anything, only that it's been done.

Nineveh has repented and all is well for Jonah-or is it? God is pleased and Nineveh is faithful, but Jonah is furious. Just when you might fool yourself into thinking that Jonah is a man of extraordinary character and that is why his story is so legendary, you are forced to think again. We might venture guesses at Jonah's dismay; anything from jealousy at Nineveh's blind faith to hurt at being proved wrong could make Jonah upset, so how does God deal with this cranky prophet? He comforts him and tries to make life as easy for Jonah as possible. "Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6). We picture Jonah smiling to himself now, happy that the Lord has given him a reward for his hard work, but then what would he have learned from all of this? "But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint" (Jonah 4:7-8).

Now things are just miserable for Jonah again. Is this what his hard work has earned him? We often feel this way also. We want to be rewarded in our way and in our time for what we've done. And what about Jonah? He says that he wants to die, as if that would be a proper solution to his mounting discomfort and misery. God even asks Jonah: "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" (Jonah 4:9). Now God has sufficiently set the stage for a final lesson to Jonah, one which we can only assume gets through to him, since the book ends here. "But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" (Jonah 4:10-11). Here is a valuable lesson to us all. We want the Lord to fix every little bump in our road, but we fail to realize that God does provide where it is needed. God doesn't bring these hardships into our lives (they are the result of sin), but he always provides the way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

As our heavenly Father, He knows best what to make easy for us and what to let us struggle with. When his children are in a massive state of despair, such as the Ninevites, He finds a relatively 'ordinary' means to get their repentance, namely Jonah. The wonderful message contained in the book of Jonah is that we are taken care of by our Lord, but oftentimes the man behind the book is thrust into the spotlight. We can look up to Jonah as a hero of faith, and an example to all Christians, but we also need to keep God in focus. Without God working in his actions, Jonah would have hopped a ship out to the boonies of ancient civilization and taken the easy road. Just as with all people who make an incredible impact with the saving message of the Bible (including you and I), Jonah needed the Lord's help to accomplish these great things in his life.

Vicar Heath Trampe

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

[Note: each month we shall endeavor to include a quote from the Lutheran Confessions about important items.]

¹Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Book of Concord : The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (119). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

PARISH NOTES

01 November		All Saints' Day, 7:00 PM			Divine Service
04 November		Pentecost 23, 10:30 AM				Divine Service
07 November		Wednesday, 7:00 AM				Office of Matins
11 November		Pentecost 24, 10:30 AM				Divine Service
14 November		Wednesday, 7:00 AM				Office of Matins
18 November		Pentecost 25, 10:30 AM				Divine Service
21 November		Wednesday, 7:00 PM				Office of Vespers
25 November		Last Sunday of Church Year, 10:30 AM		Office of Matins
28 November		Wednesday, 7:00 AM				Office of Matins

ALL SAINT'S DAY
On Thursday, 01 November, we shall celebrate All Saints' Day and the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed with Divine Service at 7:00 P.M.. As part of that service, we wish to read the names of those who received the ministry of our congregation during their last days and who received a Christian burial. Those who have died since last All Saints' Day and who were members of this congregation are automatically included. Please call the church office if you have names to be included.

BOARD OF WORSHIP SUPPORT
The Worship Support Committee met on September 30 to review the status of those activities under its supervision. Among the topics discussed were the following:

The new hymnals seem to be generally working out well. Pastor indicated that we have not yet done Divine Service setting 4&5; however, these are similar to settings from the old hymnal and hymn supplement.

We would like to get more of the congregation's musicians involved with providing instrumental music on a regular basis. This could range from adding an instrumental accompaniment to the Hymn of the Day to the Offertory. Bill Davis has agreed to coordinate the scheduling of instrumentalist. Please contact him if you have an interest in participating in an individual group.

The Vorsteher (Usher Coordinator) is still looking for additional men willing to help serve as ushers. Please contact Paul Danielsen or the church office to volunteer.

Choir has resumed. Currently, they are practicing in the choir loft at 10AM prior to Divine Service. Anyone with interest in singing is encouraged to participate.

Dave Miller, Deacon of Worship Support

OUTREACH, ASSIMILATION & FELLOWSHIP BOARD MINUTES OCTOBER 9, 2007
Pastor opened with Responsive Prayer at 6:38 PM. Pastor Meyer, Vicar Trampe, Nicholas Trexler, Luzia Trexler, Kari and Brad Cress, Leslie Bilyeu, Marolyn Lux, and Kristen Schulz attended.

Marolyn reported greeters have started again. The same families have signed up as last year. She is going to recruit more people to make it easier on everyone. The church picnic was well received. Lots of people lingered and visited. There was good feedback from the attendees. 120+ people stayed.

Luzia reported the Bradford baby shower went well. Seventeen attended, some brought gifts but weren't able stay. A nice lunch was served and Kristen Schulz made a beautiful cake. Since the baptism was the same day the décor was themed to that.

The Race for the Cure had 10 people on our team. Chuck and Nancy Roush, Leslie, Katie, and Emma Bilyeu, Kari and Noelle Cress, Aunnee Trampe, Warren Gardiner, and Marolyn Lux. Seven people actually walked, 1 was a volunteers and 2 were sleep-ins. At least 8 other Immanuel members participated with other teams or volunteered. Chuck was a competitive walker and finished well. We'd like to have 15-- 20 participants next year.

Reformation dinner plans are progressing. Marolyn is making Potato Salad, Leslie is ordering Brats and will check with Monette about other plans. The desserts will be carry in by the congregation as well as donations of canned goods for the local food pantries. We'll set up after Sunday School.

Pastor had Leslie look into the Certified Food Handler (SafeServe) course. We need 2-3 individuals to do this. Classes are held at B & B Foods and Ivy Tech. Cost is $120 - $130 per person, to be paid for by the church.

Also discussed was an automated call service to notify the congregation about upcoming events. A company has a free trial period we might try. We will get more info about contracts also.

Kristen mentioned a bulk E-mail type of contact list. It would be used for the newsletter perhaps, also prayer requests and general distribution of information. It would be set up so all e-mail addresses are kept private. Pastor is to discuss it with Dave Miller and then it will be highlighted in the Esprit.

We are looking into more events with Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life and Race for the Cure.

Kristen Schulz has joined the OAF board.

Also discussed were the shut-ins. How to proceed with members who can no longer attend services but don't have a family member or friend able to drive them to services. It's an ongoing issue with no real simple solution. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Next meeting was set for November 14th at 6:30pm.

Upcoming Dates
Advent Dinners- Dec. 5, 12
Put up tree and lights- Dec. 14, late afternoon
Decorate tree and Sanctuary- Dec. 15, 9:00am
German Service- Dec.16

Please volunteer. We need your help!

Respectfully,
Brad Cress, OAF Deacon

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00am on Sunday, November 4, 2007. Remember to mark your calendars and change your clocks back one hour!

THANK YOU
Thank you to Pastor and Vicar for their visits, your prayers, cards, food, and support from the congregation during Gloria's recuperation. - The Hayne Family

Thanks to everyone for their cards, prayers, well wishes when Harvey had his surgery. Our special thanks to Pastor Meyer for the time spent with Harvey and the family. May God bless you all! - The Milner Family

REMEMBER IMMANUEL IN YOUR WILL!
Help keep the work of the Gospel going here after you are gone.

TABLE TALK

Martin Luther used to sit around the dinner table and talk for hours with his friends about all kinds of topics, some of them merely reflections on what was happening in their society. In Luther's Works, American Edition, this is called "Table Talk," from the German Tischreden, which can be translated as "after dinner talk." In that spirit we include this monthly column.

There is no letup by the militant homosexual lobby against Christianity. Recently, the Folsom Street Fair, a hedonistic event which takes place in San Francisco, portrayed DaVinci's Last Supper with half-naked homosexual sadomasochists. This event, proudly sponsored by Miller Brewing Company, had Christ's body and blood replaced with sadomasochistic sex toys and a beefcake Jesus. The pictures online are so disgusting that words fail to describe. So far, no condemnation has been issued by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in whose congressional district this takes place, nor from Senators Boxer and Feinstein. No condemnation has been issued by Governor Schwarzenegger's office, either. Christianity is openly ridiculed. Such hate speech seems to be not only allowed, but applauded by these politicians. The city of San Francisco sanctions this event in which streets are shut down and homosexuals parade fully nude and engage in sexual activities in broad daylight. The police provide protection as streets are shut down for the orgiastic parade. Everything is tax-payer funded. Ironically, this same city refused the U.S. military the right to film a commercial on its streets. A similar event has taken place in Berlin, Germany for the last three years. The Apostle Paul warned, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." (Galatians 6:7, ESV)²

²The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society
³The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society

SMILES
This is from the online edition of the Brown County (Ind.) Democrat [06 October]:
Mount Nebo United Methodist Church will be holding its annual Bean Supper on Saturday, October 6. Serving will begin at 5 p.m., with special music to follow. All are invited.