The Zion
Messenger
June 2016
Pastor’s Page: God’s Gives the Growth
Looking outside of my window from the office I behold the glory of God. The beauty, the complexity, the newness of Springtime. A lot has happened here at Zion in the last couple of months and it reminds me of how God continues to care for not only His creation, but also His bride, the Church.
As I write this, some of our own here at Zion, the farmers, begin the work of planning, prepping, and finally seeding their land for future harvest. This is what happens in our church each and every week. We plan, we prep, we “seed” God’s Holy Word and God’s Holy gifts with those around us. And when we do, we stand back and allow God to give the growth. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
This is the glory of God. Happening right here, right now in our Church. The “newness,” the growth, the healing, that is happening here at Zion, is God growing, God healing, and God caring for His bride the church. This is the glory of God at work through us. We are God’s servants, doing God’s work, but to Him alone be all the glory.
Let us stand back, and allow God to continue His work here at Zion. Let not us become a stumbling block for our neighbors, nor one for God Himself. Things may change, things may stay the same, but it is all for God, and His will. As we labor and work for God, Spring becomes a time of planning, a time of planting, and a time for growth. May we all here at Zion work, and watch God’s will and God’s glory be done. Thanks be to God!!
Lutheranism and the Cross
St. Peter was riding high. Jesus had just asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”While the rest of the disciples stumbled around in confusion, Peter hit a home run. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13-16). Then,moments later, Jesus blesses him and entrusts him with the keys of his kingdom, giving him far more authority than he could imagine. Whatever you bind in heaven will be bound? Oh yes, Peter was feeling fine. But then, as they continued theirjourney, Jesus began talkingstrangely, predictinghis own suffering and death at the hands of the priests and Pharisees. The disciples were worried and puzzled—but Peter was downright upset. What was Jesus saying? He couldn’t mean it. He had just affirmed that he wasthe long awaited Messiah, the Son of God! Surely he was only moments away from ushering in a glorious earthly kingdom; a kingdom in which, he, Peter, son of Jonah, would occupy a very prestigious position. Jesus couldn’t mean it, and Peter felt he had to set him straight. “Far be from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Then something happened that shook St. Peter to the core. Jesus, his meek and gentle master, turned to him with an angry fire in his eyes. “Get behind me, Satan!” he exclaimed. “For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter was
stunned, humiliated, and grief stricken. Had Jesus just
called him…Satan? But Jesus wasn’t finished. He turned to the disciples who were still reeling from this sudden zealon the part of their Master. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” Jesus continued passionately. “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
As we read this account in Matthew’s Gospel, we are compelled to ask: Why was Jesus so angry? Wasn’t St. Petersimply looking out for him? The answer is quite simple. Jesus loved the cross. His death was not an accident of circumstances or the outcome of a successful plot on behalf of the Pharisees, but rather the longing of hisheart. Jesus Christcame to earth for one reason only—to redeem fallen humanity—and the cross was his chosen instrument of redemption. His whole life was like an arrow shot towards Calvary. The cross was always before his eyes.
The disciples, on the other hand, were appalled by the idea that their Lord could be killed. They did not listen to Jesus’ warnings and calls to sacrifice everything. They were interested only in the easy road, the smooth road.They longed for glory and a high place in the Messiah’s restored earthlykingdom. To them, their journey could end in no other way. The cross? Far from loving it, they were horrified by it, repelled by it. Jesus looked into their hearts and saw their empty ambition, their pride, their love of comfort, their vain envy of one another. His infernal enemy, Satan, had been cast from heaven for the very pride and ambition his closest friends were now displaying. And it made Jesussad. He turned to them and assured them that if they did not embrace the cross as he did, they had no part with him.The cross that so horrified them became the one condition of their salvation.
Far too often, Lutherans areembarrassed by the cross. The crucifix is removed from sanctuaries. The Mass, once knownas an unbloody sacrifice, the re-presentation of Calvary, is reframed as a community meal. Pastors, we are told, do not offer a Victim to God the Father, but rather preside like friendly hosts at a dinner. Sermons, instead of issuing callsto self-denial, ratherexhort us to a mild and tolerant cordiality. Talk of sin and hell and God’s justice is scoffed at and is replaced by a vague and cheerful universalism.
In short, many Lutherans prefer the wide and smooth road. They do not see the bloody sacrifice ofChrist as central to the faith—they are horrified by it like the disciples before them. To them, niceness, friendliness, and tolerance are at the heart of the Lutheran faith.
Jesus Christ is repelled by this weak-kneed, timid faith, and to it he thunders, “Get behind me Satan, you are a hindrance to me.” For Christ still loves his cross. He still bears in his hands and in his side the wounds that purchased our salvation. To all those who would follow him, he still offers the samecondition: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
As we begin Church, Bible study, or our own daily devotions, we must again hear and heed the call of our Lord and Savior, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Strive to enter the narrow gate. Take up your cross and follow me.”We must reject easy and comfortable Lutheranism, a Lutheranism that demands nothing of us. We must not hide the crucifix, but rather gaze lovingly upon it, recalling the words of St. Paul, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” We must turn from the sin of our complacency and begin again to embrace the cross, for it alone is the sure way to true joy and life eternal.
Treasurer’s Report– Larry Beardsley
The bills are paid and a reasonable cash balance is on hand. Summer is a time when typically, we do most of our building repairs, so I am standing by for the Trustees to start their projects. Our giving for May was good; once again we are thankful for our faithful members who support our church with their pocketbooks as well as their prayers.
Help Wanted: I need someone to help me run the audio-visual equipment to make CD’s and DVD’s for our servicemen and shut-ins. If you are interested in being an audio-visual geek, contact Larry Beardsley.
The Church Year – Larry Beardsley
The Season of Easter has come to a close, and we celebrated The Day of Pentecost on Sunday May 15th. May 29thwas Holy Trinity Sunday and as we enter June, Sunday June 5th is the first Sunday of the Season of Trinity. On June 5th, we shift the altar paraments and vestments to green, the color for Trinity, The Time of the Church.
In the Lectionary, our readings for the Trinity season are identified as “Propers”. Our Lectionary contains Propers 3 through 29 (no – I don’t know what happened to Propers 1 and 2; ask Pastor). Because of the variation in the date of Easter, the start of Lent will vary from year to year, which causes the start of Trinity to vary. Because of this, it isn’t possible to assign a specific reading to an exact calendar week, so the readings for the Season of the Church are assigned by date. This year, the Proper for the first Sunday in Trinity (the second Sunday after Pentecost) is Proper 4. In June we will study Galatians for our Epistle lessons and Luke as our Gospel.
Feasts for June:
June 11thSt. Barnabas, Apostle
June 24thNativity of St. John the Baptist
June 29thSt. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles
Historical Notes – Larry Beardsley
Did you know? Through the 1920’s, Zion was commonly known as “… the German Lutheran Church in West Fairfield… “. Our cemetery is shown in a number of DeKalb County Historical records as “The Old German Cemetery in West Fairfield Township”.
On July 9, 1855, Henry and Christina Hartman deeded the first parcel of land for the church- not to Zion - but to “John G. Martz, Deacon of the EvangelicalLutheran unaltered Augsburg Confession & Zion”. This deed was executed two years after the construction of the first parsonage on the site.
Through the early 1900’s, the church was located at “Hartman’s Corners”. Fairfield Center was the area in front of what is now DPM’s office.
Visit our website at for more notes on our history.
260-281-2286
0389 CR 12, Corunna, IN 46730
Flower Calendar
Do you need to recognize a birthday, anniversary, or another significant day? One way to do this is to purchase and dedicate the Altar Flowers. There is a Flower Calendar on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall where you can sign up for flowers for any Sunday. We have a great arrangement with Baker’s Flowers in Kendallville – for $20.00 per Sunday they provide us with an arrangement of fresh flowers for our altar and FREE DELIVERY. There is a form on the calendar to let the secretary know details about flower dedications. Sign up and your occasion will be noted in the bulletin for that Sunday. Just note “Flowers” and add $20 to your offering forthat Sunday to cover the expense. Thank you!
Thoughts from Lutheran Writings- excerpts from an article published in Synodical President Pastor Matthew Harrison’s Life Together Digest for May. The article is written by Deaconess Kim Schave, a CTS Ft. Wayne graduate.
Protecting the Vulnerable in the Transgender Public Facilities Debate Perhaps in recent weeks you have found yourself at the receiving end of criticism for your position on the transgender public facilities debate. Have you been called a bigot? Have you been referred to as hysterical and fear-driven in your quest to want to protect innocent women and children? Have you noticed how the argument has been twisted to claim that we are afraid of those identifying as transgender as the demographic we fear will exploit those in public restrooms and changing areas?
Since the church is charged with protecting her most vulnerable–the children–she must not cave to the demands of the LGBT agenda (Mark 9:42). For church bodies such as The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod who believe in the infallible and inerrant Word of God and employ it as the normative guide by which our lives are ordered, it is vital that we look to His Word on these matters rather than getting swept up by the winds of political correctness. In Genesis 1:27, we read that God created mankind in His own image and that “male and female He created them.” As Christians, we acknowledge that a loving Creator was so intimately involved in crafting each and every one of us that even the numbers of our hair are numbered (Luke 12:7). When we despise the very way in which He lovingly formed us, we sin against Him. Martin Luther reminds us in the Small Catechism that when we confess in the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed that “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”, this means “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.” Given the fall of mankind in Genesis 3 when sin entered the world, it is not a surprise that our view of the sexes would be corrupted.
The entire post can be read at: /2016/male-and-female-he-created-them
We pray:
“ Our Lord Jesus, You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Give the pastors and people of your Church strength to face these challenging times with courage and compassion. Keep our witness faithful to your revealed truth and filled with divine hope. Protect us from the temptations
of despair or capitulation to the ways of the world. We join in Your great prayer: Thy will be done. Hear us, for we pray in your saving name.
Amen. “
Stewardship News Becky Beardsley
The Budget Committee will meet onWednesday, June 4to begin developing a budget for 2017. If you have any suggestions or concerns, please see a member of the committee: Phyllis Casselman, Carolyn Martz, Larry Beardsley, Jay Becker or myself.
Thank you for your continuous support!
CALENDAR NOTES/EVENTS FOR JUNE
June 1 8:00 pm – CHURCH COUNCIL MEETS
June 4 – Budget Committee Meets
June Tuesdays – 6:00 pm – Adult Confirmation
June 10 – Zion’s 165th Anniversary
June 12 –11:00 LADIES AID LUNCH MEETING
June 19 – FATHER’S DAY
Baby bottles are due to be returned!!
June 22 – Info for July Newsletter is due
June 26 - 11:00 - ELDERS MEETING
Scrip News
I have some extra Darden cards for $25. Darden is for Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Longhorn. See me if interested. Albright's gift cards are available anytime, as they are local. So please let me know when you want some. (They are $25.) The next Scrip order will be in November. Becky Beardsley
LADIES AID - Michelle Phillips
There will be a lunch meeting after worship on Sunday June 12. Everyone please bring a salad to share.Baby bottles for Life and Family Services are due to be returned full of your donations on Sunday the 19th. We are considering doing a chicken fund raiser this fall. Be looking for that! And please remember that there are Camp Lutherhaven Scholarships available for campers. Please contact them if you know of interested campers!
Zion Church Council and Leaders
President Charles Martz
Vice President David Swogger
Board of Missions ChairCharles Martz
Board of Evangelism ChairSandy Bartolin
Board of Stewardship ChairBecky Beardsley
Board of Elders ChairLance Hoffman
Board of Trustees ChairJay Becker
Board of Christian Ed ChairShannon Comment
TreasurerLarry Beardsley
Financial SecretaryCarolyn Martz
Recording SecretaryKathy Swartz
Altar Guild HeadCarolyn Martz
Ladies Aid PresidentMichelle Phillips
Finance Committee ChairBecky Beardsley
All are invitedto attend a Graduation Celebration for Stephen and Kaitlyn Koziol in the Fellowship Hall, on Saturday, June 4th, beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Are We the Chosen People?
The Holy Bible has countless stories of men and women chosen by God for specific purposes. He chose Moses to lead “the chosen people” out of Egypt. He chose Noah to re-populate the earth after the flood destroyed it. He chose the virgin, Mary, to carry and give birth to his earthly son, Jesus Christ. Jesus chose the twelve apostles to carry on his message after his return to his Father in Heaven. So, you ask, what does that have to do with me? I know all that and have heard it in church and Sunday School all my life; so what’s your point? My point is you need to think about it and ask yourself, “Am I doing what God chose me to do?” Our church will be looking for candidates to run for office on the church council again this year. Most of the church boards are for a 2-year term and the current term will be ending in December. The election will be in November and while I do realize this is only May, November will be here before we know it. I urge each and every one of you to start including in your daily prayers for the Lord to give you guidance about running for office on the church council. The majority of the council are people who have served for many years mainly because no one else will do it. The council meets once a month (presently the first Wednesday of the month). The meeting rarely takes more than an hour, if that. Some of you are afraid it will take away from your families, but let me assure you it does not.
The boards on the council up for election will be Evangelism, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Stewardship, Education and Trustee. Also, the positions of President and Vice President will also be voted on. Board of Elders is manned by the Head Elder and the Council Secretary is not an elected position. Some of these people may wish to run again in the November election, but if your heart finds you interested in any of these areas, you will be welcomed and encouraged to run. Speak with the current Board Members and ask any questions you may have.