Bible study continues to be held each Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM on Zoom.com. We are continuing our study of the book of James. There are no special materials that you must purchase. All you need is a computer and access to the internet to join in the conversation. Weekly study guides are emailed to the congregation on Tuesday afternoon. Even if you have not provided an email address our study is such that you can join in and participate in the conversation. Why not make Bible study a part of your week? If you have any questions, please contact Pastor David or Rachel Shelton.
Pastor Archive
Weekly Bible Study On Zoom
Posted September 30, 2020 By adminThe Blessing Basket
Posted September 30, 2020 By adminBefore the COVID-19 virus caused us to suspend in person worship, children would come forward for a brief children’s sermon with me. As they came, they would bring their offerings and put them in what you have known as the “Pickle Jar.” The premise was that the monies collected could be used for people who find themselves “in a pickle.” During the past several months, I have thought about what we might be teaching our children concerning providing for those in need. To make this more memorable and to apply bible teaching for our children, I have retired the Pickle Jar and replaced it with the “Blessing Basket.”
You will recall that as Jesus fed the 5000 multiplying the loaves and fishes, twelve baskets full were collected after everyone had eaten their fill. These baskets teach us about the abundance God provides even through the smallest of gifts.
Our children’s offerings resemble those loaves and fish. They are modest offerings to be sure. To think such a small amount can make a difference in someone’s life just doesn’t add up. But you know what? God’s math never adds up…it multiplies!
On October 4th, we will resume children’s sermons during the 10:30 AM service. I will use the Blessing Basket to collect the children’s offering as they come forward. Each month there will be a specific ministry that the children’s offering will support. At the end of the month, we will add it all up and see just what God has multiplied. October’s ministry will be We Care. Together, we can teach our children how God provides loaves and fishes and how his disciples distribute them to those in need of God’s blessing.
The Congo Mission
Posted September 30, 2020 By adminIt has been a while since I provided an update on the mission work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of course, the world wide COVID-19 pandemic has touched many lives in the Congo, just as it has around the world. In a place where medicine and medical services are much more difficult to receive, you can imagine the impact such viruses can have on a community. Pastor Stephane Kalonji and I remain dedicated to the ministry to which God has called us, and we are committed to leading Congo Mission International in order to support our sisters and brothers in Christ. Please be in prayer for our mission and especially for those to whom we minister. God’s love knows no borders. Sharing God’s love with those even so far away is a joy and a privilege. I thank God for this opportunity and also for your support.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted September 1, 2020 By adminActs 19:2 [Paul writes] “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
I remember reading a devotion written by my friend and fellow NALC Pastor Gemechis Buba concerning the above scripture passage. Within his devotion, Pastor Buba describes the fullness and richness of a life lived in through the power of the Holy Spirit. This same Spirit God pours out upon his people through their Baptism. With regards to their Baptism, Paul puts forward a simple question to the people in Ephesus, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” The people of the church in Ephesus were quite honest in their answer. They informed Paul that they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. As I read this passage once more, I wonder how we at St. Jacob’s might address our receiving God’s Holy Spirit.
I don’t think Lutherans talk enough about the Holy Spirit, much less talk about being blessed with spiritual gifts. Yet as baptized people of God, we truly are blessed with this same Spirit of God that Jesus’ disciples, Paul and the saints at Ephesus received. Still, Lutherans tend to be more reserved when it comes to acting in what we perceive to be a “spiritual way.” But Pastor Buba is right when he wrote in his devotion that “the Christian life becomes powerless, meaningless, and dull” without the power and presence of the Holy Spirit evident in our lives. The Holy Spirit fills the hearts and minds of Christian people with the joy and hope of God’s amazing grace. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a tremendous blessing, a life giving blessing…a life SAVING blessing.
Think about it for a moment. As Lutherans, we have been taught that it is the Holy Spirit that brings us to faith. That faith enables us to believe in Jesus Christ. As sinful creatures we cannot, by our own power, come to believe, let alone have faith in the resurrected Lord. By its very nature, our sin seeks to drive us away from having a relationship with God. Yet, as we are baptized and the pastor lays hands on us (as Paul laid hands on the saints at Ephesus), God pours out his Holy Spirit upon us, cleanses us from the stains of our fallen humanity, and clothes us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This, my friends, should bring us to loud shouts of thanksgiving. It is at this particular moment in time when we are brought to new life in Christ. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, God calls us to live differently; He calls us to live as children of God. Such a Spirit filled life is both joyous and exciting.
Friends, as baptized children of our loving God, we are invited into a deep and rich relationship with the One who created all there is. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that each of us would always welcome more spiritual joy in our lives, especially in these times of the pandemic. Believe me, when you realize the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, your life will never be the same. Soon and very soon the joy of being redeemed by God in Christ Jesus and brought to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit will fill your heart.
Let us be honest with ourselves and admit we need to experience the love, hope, and peace the Holy Spirit brings to us. Let us all welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives and not be afraid to show others just how joyful we are to be God’s children. I promise you that as you live in the power and love of the Holy Spirit, God will satisfy the hunger and thirst of your souls and pour out blessings upon you. Express this joy as often as you can so that others can see how God changes the lives of people.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Pastoral Devotion For September
Posted September 1, 2020 By adminLet your light shine
Read Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket.” God blesses the Church with the most precious treasure there is. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every Christian is therefore filled with the light of Christ and called to give witness to the wonders of God’s mercy and grace.
Often, it is said to the newly baptized person, “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our light shines when we love God with all our heart, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Shining our light, we share the love of Christ Jesus with all whom we meet.
Jesus of Nazareth is the light and life for the world. Baptized into his death and resurrection, the light of Christ dwells within God’s people. May you always feel the presence and power of our Lord Jesus. And may your light shine through the darkness of this world, that those within your midst may finally see the glory of the Father and enter the gates of our eternal home.
Prayer: Shine the light of your love, O Lord, and fill me with the power of your love. Amen.
Pizza With The Pastor
Posted August 30, 2020 By adminOn September 6th , we will have our first KFC meeting after Children’s Choir practice enjoying pizza and fellowship with one another and talking about what’s to come for the remainder of the year!
Bible Study
Posted August 30, 2020 By adminDon’t forget our Wednesday Morning Bible Study that is being held each week. All information will be emailed to the congregational members no later than Tuesday afternoon. If you have trouble logging on to Zoom, please contact Rachel Shelton or Pastor David for assistance.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted August 1, 2020 By adminby Pastor David Nuottila
Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” Mark 4:26-27
Throughout July, our texts from the Gospel according to Matthew have included several of Jesus’s farming parables. The fourth chapter of Mark’s gospel could also be described as the Lord’s Guide to Kingdom Farming. Jesus teaches with parables involving fertile soil; sunshine; the sower; and of course, seeds. In the first of the farmer parables, the sower willfully scatters seed in all types of soil. Some of the seed grows, some struggles against other unwanted plants, and there is a portion that seems to have little chance at all. Yet the sower is always generous with the seed of God’s Word.
In the text above, there is little doubt that the farmer takes no credit for the sprouting of the seed. Instead, the farmer sleeps and rises with the day and night, simply having faith that growth will occur. Please read the parable found in Mark 4:26-34 to get the fuller context. The farmer in God’s kingdom understands powers beyond his own are at work causing the seed to sprout and grow. When the time is right, he takes up the sickle and reaps the harvest. This cycle is but one way of recognizing how the Holy Spirit moves throughout the world as disciples of Jesus carry out the farmer’s duty of scattering seed.
As Christians scatter the Word among the mission fields, faithful disciples resemble the farmer in the parable. In faith, the Church sleeps and rises not knowing how it is that God causes the seed to sprout and grow in the hearts of those who receive the Word. We are often surprised at how quickly some seeds sprout. Suddenly, new members enter the community of believers and take their place at the table where God continues to feed and nourish their faith. Other seeds seem to take a long time to sprout and grow. Those who have scattered have diligently sown the seed but don’t see much in the way of results. In either case, it isn’t up to the one planting to cause growth but to simply sow the seed.
Jesus uses this parable to teach the Church that no matter the time or place, ours is the duty to be generous in the planting of the seed of God’s Word. Our mission is to be kingdom farmers and plant seed. God causes growth; the measure of our success is in the planting. As an illustration, the second parable offered today teaches us that God causes the seed planted by God’s people to grow far beyond what we are able to comprehend.
Jesus asks, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With such an illustration, we ought to recognize that it isn’t the size of the congregation or the number in a group that is important. It is the faith in which we sow our seed which is essential to kingdom farming.
Often, in the church that is sleeping and rising with the night and the day, small groups of believers gather to pray. Eventually, they recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit and begin to put faith into action. Soon, new ideas sprout and ministries for the sake of others emerge. The mustard seed is the smallest, yet it miraculously grows and becomes the largest of shrubs. Likewise, we never know which of our small ideas will grow into vibrant ministries to feed and shelter those within the kingdom who have need. And so it is that we continue to gather as a congregation, hear the Word of God, pray with one another, and engage the mission of God as kingdom farmers. Again as Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Pastoral Devotion For August
Posted August 1, 2020 By adminTaking Rest With The Lord
Read Mark 6:30-46
The world is a busy place. Schedules and agendas are packed so tightly that, if left unchecked, they will do their best to consume people. Once a task is completed or an experience had, there is always something else waiting in line; one more thing to do. It is little wonder that by the end of the day, so many people feel emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained.
When Jesus’ twelve disciples completed their mission of the gospel, they returned to their Lord filled with excitement, but none the less for wear. Wearied from their work, Jesus invited them to come away to a desolate place to rest. There, they might hope to reflect on all they accomplished while getting some much-needed rest.
It is the same for today’s disciple. To take rest with the Lord means to be refreshed by his Word, to be fed with his supper, and to enjoy the closeness of God our Father. This is the benefit of worship and prayer. To rest is to take advantage of each opportunity to draw closer to God and hear his Word. In this way, we are refreshed in mind, body and spirit. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Let us rest in you, O Lord, that we may be ready and able to do the work of your gospel. Amen.
Bible Study
Posted July 29, 2020 By adminDon’t forget our Wednesday Morning Bible Study that is being held each week. All information will be emailed to the congregational members no later than Tuesday afternoon. If you have trouble logging on to Zoom, please contact Rachel Shelton or Pastor David for assistance.
