President Harrison on Hurricane Sandy

Here is an update from LCMS President Pastor Matthew Harrison on Hurricane Sandy.
Grace Lutheran webpage will keep you updated.

Fun Reformation Video

Check out this fun, yet informative Reformation video - Martin Luther ("Manic Monday" by the Bangles)

Today the Church Commemorates Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk posted ninety-five statements for discussion on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Dr. Martin Luther hoped that posting his theses would bring about an academic debate regarding repentance, the sale of indulgences, and other matters of concern with in the Roman Catholic Church.  However, Rome eventually excommunicated Luther, judging him to be a heretic.  Luther’s refoms, centered on the teaching that a believer is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, sparked religious reforms not only in the German states but also in many European countries.  In 1667, Elector John George of Saxony standardized the custom of observing Luther’s October 31 posting of the Ninety five Theses.

To listen to an interview of Dr. Rod Rosenbladt of “The White Horse Inn” on Martin Luther’s Rediscovery of the Gospel on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Baptism - Savannah Marie Schindler

Savannah Marie Schindler was baptized on October 28, 2012 at Grace Lutheran Church.  Here is a picture.

Today the Church Commemorates St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

      In the lists of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot ( or “Cananaean”) and by Jude (or “Judas,” not Iscariot but “of James”), who was apparently known also as Thaddaeus.  According to early Christian tradition, Simon and Jude journeyed together as missionaries to Persia, where they were martyred.  It is likely for this reason, at least in part, that these two apostles are commemorated on the same day.  Simon is not mentioned in the New Testament apart from the lists of the twelve apostles.  Thus he is remembered and honored for the sake of this office, and thereby stand before us-in eternity, as in his life and ministry on earth-in the name and stead of Christ Jesus, our Lord.  We give thanks to God for calling and sending Simon, along with Jude and all of the apostles, to preach and teach the Holy Gospel, to proclaim repentance and forgiveness, and to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (John 4:1-2; Matthew 10: 28:16-20; Luke 24:46-49).

      Jude appears in John’s Gospel (14:22) on the night of our Lord’s betrayal and the beginning of His Passion, asking Jesus how it is that He will manifest Himself to the disciples but not to the world.  The answer that Jesus gives to this question is a pertinent emphasis for this festival day: “If anyone love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him”  (John 14:23).  Surely both Jude and Simon exemplified, in life and earth, their love for Jesus and their faith in His Word.  Not only are we thus strengthened in our Christian faith and life by their example, but, above all, we are encouraged by the faithfulness of the Lord in keeping His promise to them to bring them home to Himself in heaven.  There they live with Him forever, where we shall someday join them.


To listen to an interview of Dr. Peter Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today the Church Commemorates Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt, Hymnwriters

Philipp Nicolai


Johann Heermann


Paul Gerhardt

To listen to an interview of Dr. Paul Grime of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt, Hymnwriters on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today the Church Commemorates Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia, and Phoebe, Faithful Women

These women were exemplary Christians who demonstrated their faith by their material support of the Church. Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) was well-known and much loved for her acts of charity in the city of Joppa, especially for her making clothes for the poor. When Dorcas died suddenly, the members of her congregation sent to the neighboring city of Lydda for the Apostle Peter, who came and raised her from the dead (Acts 9:3641). Lydia was a woman of Thyatira, who worked at Philippi selling a famous purple dye that was so much in demand in the ancient world. She was also a worshiper of God at the local synagogue. When the Apostle Paul encountered her in prayer among other proselyte women, his preaching of the Word brought Lydia to faith in Christ. She and her friends thus became the nucleus of the Christian community in Philippi (16:1315, 40). Phoebe was another faithful woman associated with the Apostle Paul. She was a deaconess from Cenchrae (the port of Corinth) whom Paul sent to the church in Rome with his Epistle to the Romans. In it he writes of her support for the work of the early Church (Rom 16:1).

To listen to an interview of Deaconess Pam Nielsen of Witness, Mercy, Life Together on Dorcas Mercy Worker on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.


To listen to an interview of Deaconess Pam Nielsen of Witness, Mercy, Life Together on Lydia on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.


To listen to an interview of Deaconess Cynthia Lumley of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on Phoebe on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today the Church Commemorates St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr

St. James of Jerusalem (or “James the Just’) is referred to by St. Paul as “the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19).  Some modern theologians believe that James was a son of Joseph and Mary and, therefore, a biological brother of Jesus.  But throughout most of the Church (historically, and even today), Paul’s term “brother” is understood as “cousin” of “kinsman,” and James is thought to be the son of a sister of Joseph or Mary who was widowed and had come to live with them.  Along with other relatives of our Lord (except His mother), James did not believe in Jesus until after His resurrection (John 7:3-5: 1 Corinthians 15:7).  After becoming a Christian, James was elevated to a position of leadership within the earliest Christian community.  Especially following St. Peter’s departure from Jerusalem, James was recognized as the bishop of the Church in that holy city (Acts 12:17; 15:12ff).  According to the historian Josephus, James was martyred in AD 62 by being stoned to death by the Sadducees.  James authored the Epistle in the New Testament that bears his name.  In it, he exhorts his readers to remain steadfast in the one true faith, even in the face of suffering and temptation, and to live by faith the life that is in Christ Jesus.  Such a faith, he makes clear, is a busy and active thing, which never ceases to do good, to confess the Gospel by words and actions, and to stake its life, both now and forever, in the cross.

To listen to an interview of Dr. Peter Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Sermon - October 14, 2012

To listen to the sermon click on the picture below.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal preaches Sermon by Pastor James DeLoach
Text: Mark 10:23-31

Prepare for Sunday - October 21, 2012

To help you prepare for Sunday click on the picture below to read the readings.
Text: Mark 10:23–31
Title: "For All Things Are Possible For God"

The Intersection of Church and State

This Sunday,  October 21, we will continue a study of The Intersection of Church & State, an hour long video special from Lutheran Hour Ministries at 9:30AM.  The program explores how the U.S. Constitution was crafted both to protect the church and the state and to provide a framework within which the two can work together for the common good.  Below is a promo video.  Join us at 9:30AM on Sunday October at Grace Lutheran Church.

Today the Church Commemorates St. Luke, Evangelist

St. Luke, the beloved physician referred to by St. Paul (Colossians 4:14), presents us with Jesus, whose blood provides the medicine of immortality.  As his traveling companion, Paul claimed Luke’s Gospel as his own for its healing of souls (Eusebius).  Luke traveled with Paul during the second missionary journey, joining him after Paul received his Macedonian call to bring the Gospel to Europe (Acts 16:10-17).  Luke most likely stayed behind in Philippi for seven years, rejoining Paul at eh end of the third missionary journey in Macedonia.  He traveled with Paul to Troas, Jerusalem, and Caesarea, where Paul  was imprisoned for two years (Acts 20:5-21:18).  While in Caesarea, Luke may have researched material that he used in his Gospel.  Afterward, Luke accompanied Paul on his journey to Rome.  (Acts 27:1-28:16). Especially beloved in Luke’s Gospel are the stories of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), the rich man and Lazarus (Luke16:19-31), and the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).  Only Luke provides a detailed account of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:1-20) and the canticles of Mary (Luke 1:46-55), of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79), and of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32).  To show how Christ continued His work in the early Church through the apostles, Luke also penned the Acts of the Apostles.  More than one-third of the New Testament comes from the hand of the evangelist Luke.

To listen to an interview of Dr. Peter Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on St. Luke, Evangelist on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today 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 (98117), 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.

To listen to an interview of Dr. Carl Beckwith of Beeson Divinity School on Ignatius of Antioch, Pastor and Martyr on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

To listen to the sermon click on the picture below.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal preaches Sermon by Pastor James DeLoach
Text: Genesis 2:18-25

Sermon - October 7, 2012

To listen to the sermon click on the picture below.
Preacher: Pastor David Kuhfal preaches Sermon by President Rev Matthew Harrison
Text: Mark 9:50

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/28779791/Sermon%2010-7-12%20Mark%209%2050.mp3

Prepare for Sunday - October 14, 2012

To help you prepare for Sunday click on the picture below to read the readings.
Text: Genesis 2:18-25
Title: "Holy Marriage"

The Intersection of Church and State

The Intersection of Church & State, an hour long video special from Lutheran Hour Ministries will be the topic of a Bible Study at 9:30AM on Sundays October 14 and 21.  The program explores how the U.S. Constitution was crafted both to protect the church and the state and to provide a framework within which the two can work together for the common good.  Below is a promo video.    Join us at 9:30AM on Sundays October 14 and 21 at Grace Lutheran Church.

Today the Church Commemorates Philip the Deacon

Philip, also called the Evangelist (Acts 21:8), was one of the seven men appointed to assist in the work of the twelve Apostles and of the rapidly growing early church by overseeing the distribution of food to the poor (6:16). Following the martyrdom of Stephen, Philip proclaimed the Gospel in Samaria and led Simon the Sorcerer to become a believer in Christ (8:413). He was also instrumental in bringing about the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (8:2639), through whom Philip became indirectly responsible for bringing the Good News of Jesus to the people on the continent of Africa. In the town of Caesarea he was host for several days to the Apostle Paul, who stopped there on his last journey to Jerusalem (21:815).

To listen to an interview of Dr. Peter Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN on Philip the Deacon on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today the Church Commemorates Abraham

Abraham (known early in his life as Abram) was called by God to become the father of a great nation (Genesis 12). At the age of 75 and in obedience to God's command, he, his wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot moved southwest from the town of Haran to the land of Canaan. There God established a covenant with Abraham (15:18), promising the land of Canaan to his descendants. At the age of 100 Abraham and Sarah were finally blessed with Isaac, the son long promised to them by God. Abraham demonstrated supreme obedience when God commanded him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. God spared the young man's life only at the last moment and provided a ram as a substitute offering (22:119). Abraham died at the age of 175 and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah, which he had purchased earlier as a burial site for Sarah. He is especially honored as the first of the three great Old Testament Patriarchsand for his righteousness before God through faith (Romans 4:112).

To listen to an interview of Dr. David Adams of Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, MO on Abraham on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

Today the Church Commemorates Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Pastor

Moving from the Old World to the New, Muhlenberg established the shape of Lutheran parishes for America during a 45-year ministry in Pennsylvania. Born at Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, he came to the American colonies in 1742. A tireless traveler, Muhlenberg helped to found many Lutheran congregations and was the guiding force behind the first American Lutheran synod, the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, founded in 1748. He valued the role of music in Lutheran worship (often serving as his own organist) and was also the guiding force in preparing the first American Lutheran liturgy (also in 1748). Muhlenberg is remembered as a church leader, a journalist, a liturgist, andabove alla pastor to the congregation in his charge. He died in 1787, leaving behind a large extended family and a lasting heritage: American Lutheranism.

To listen to an interview of Dr. Martin Noland of Trinity Lutheran-Evansville, IN on Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Pastor on Issues Etc, click on the Issues Etc logo below.

LWML Sunday - Tomorrow - October 7

Tomorrow we will celebrate Lutheran Women's Missionary League Sunday.  Grace Lutheran has two LWML Groups.
Ladies Aid meets the first Wednesday of the month at 1:30PM.
Mary Martha meets the first Monday of the month at 7:00PM.
Each group serves the church and community in a variety of ways here are just some:
Ladies Aid
   Funeral Lunches (Ways and Means Committee)
   Willows and Golden Living Center Visitation
   Hospital Visitation
   Over 85 Birthday’s
   Shut-in’s
   Quilters
   Prayer Partners
   Missionary Support
   LWML Service Projects
   Church Cleaning
Mary Martha
   Altar care (Banners, Flowers, Paraments, Set up and cleaning for Communion)
   Christmas Decorations
   Over 80’s Birthday
   New Resident Baskets
   Baptismal Banners/Napkins
   Banners
   Prayer Partners
   Missionary Support
   LWML Service Projects
   Church Cleaning
Both of these groups welcome new members.  If you desire to become more active in one of these groups just come to one of their meetings which consist of a Bible Study, a business meeting, and refreshments.

Youth and Parent Meeting about National Youth Gathering

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 3 following Youth Night we will have a youth AND parent meeting regarding the Youth Gathering at 7:45.  If you are planning on going to the National Youth Gathering (July 1-5 San Antonio, Texas) you MUST come to this meeting.