All Saints Lutheran Church of Bloomington Normal
a reverent, familiar approach to being church
When You Have a Choice to Make . . .
Do you ever wonder what the “right thing” is to do?
Pastor John will talk about “Wise Choices” during worship tomorrow at All Saints Lutheran Church.
We meet in the Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church at 4:15 p.m., with Sunday School for all ages immediately following worship.
We would love to have you join us!
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
No, Tina Turner isn’t going to be at worship with us this week — at least, not as far as we know — but Pastor John will be asking the question “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” during worship at All Saints Lutheran Church.
You’re invited to join us, though; we meet for worship at 4:15 p.m. in the Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, with Sunday School for all ages immediately following worship.
We’d love to meet you!
Philip’s Opportunity
Are you ready for the opportunities God puts before you?
Philip was, and his “Opportunity” is the subject of Pastor John’s sermon this week at All Saints Lutheran Church.
We meet for worship in the Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church at 4:15 p.m., with Sunday School for children and adults immediately following worship.
We would be pleased to have you join us!
Making Disciples
The LCMC Gathering in Des Moines earlier this month offered a lot to think – and pray – about. The theme of the Gathering was “Growing in Christ,” and many of the speakers addressed the issue of making disciples, encouraging their listeners to take the responsibility of making disciples seriously.
Pastor Greg Ogden asked, “How do we present the gospel? Do we have a ready answer to the question, ‘how do I become a disciple?’”
Pastor T. J. Anderson observed that our job is to train and send disciples out into the world, adding that faith is “a sort of catch-and-release program.”
In a break-out session, Pastor Brad Miller said, “Don’t get too busy to disciple the next generation of leaders.”
Making disciples is the task of a church that seeks to carry out the instructions Jesus gave in Matthew 28, when He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The question is, how?
Jesus didn’t give us a Discipleship Manual, and so far I haven’t seen Discipleship for Dummies on the shelf at our local Barnes and Noble. All we really have is the Scripture which testifies to Jesus, and His example. The Scripture helps us know what to teach, and His example shows us how: Jesus lived His life in the midst of the men He discipled. They saw how He worked; they shared meals, conversation, and life experiences with Him. They saw Him live out what the Scripture taught.
It was just as Pastor T. J. Anderson said: “Discipleship is a way of life, not a program.”
I think Pastor Anderson is right: making disciples isn’t something we do in a ritual or a ceremony or even a class. Discipleship is a way of life. It’s how we live, and how we invite others into that way of living. It’s letting the Holy Spirit change us so that we become more and more like Jesus, and letting others see that process.
The problem is, as one of our granddaughters likes to observe about her household chores, “This is gonna take a long time.”
A program with three points and a checklist would probably be easier. We’d know what we are supposed to do, and we’d know if we are on track or not. Making disciples by sharing our lives as Jesus is formed in us seems more risky, somehow.
And yet, Jesus got good results with the whole discipleship-as-a-way-of-life thing. The twelve men He discipled changed the world. His integrity, His joy, His love for the Father and for all those around Him – these were the discipleship lessons the twelve disciples absorbed from their time with Jesus.
Making disciples is His work, and He does it – in us, and through us.
– Holly Schurter
This column was originally published in the October 2011 issue of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Parish Paper.
The Good Shepherd
The prophet Isaiah reminds us that “all we, like sheep, have gone astray . . .” but the New Testament reminds us that, in Christ, we have a good shepherd.
Pastor John will talk about “The Good Shepherd” tomorrow during worship at All Saints Lutheran Church, and we’d love to have you join us; we meet for worship at 4:15 p.m. in The Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, with Sunday School for all ages following worship.
Hope to see you then!
Behold, what manner of love . . .
Beloved, behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us!
Pastor John will talk about that love during worship tomorrow at All Saints Lutheran Church.
We meet in the Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church at 4:15 p.m., with Sunday School for children and adults immediately following worship, and we hope you will join us!
Still Celebrating!
Easter may be over, but we can still celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, and you are invited to do just that with the congregation of All Saints Lutheran Church!
We meet for worship at 4:15 p.m. in the Marquis Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, with Sunday School for children and adults following worship.
Tomorrow our friend John Cross will be preaching — you’re invited to join us!
Finding Heroes
Who are your heroes?
I’ve been thinking about that question this month as I read the daily newspaper. From the front pages to the sports pages, there seem to be far more accounts of people behaving badly, selfishly, or carelessly, than there are of people like U. S. Airways Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who landed his Airbus on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all on board.
It’s hard to find a hero in the news. And yet heroes aren’t all that hard to find, if we know where to look.
Consider the life of William Borden. Born in 1877, William Borden could have lived a life of luxury and ease as an heir to the Borden fortune. A gift from his family upon his graduation from high school — a trip around the world — changed his life. His exposure to the poor, hurting people of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East changed Bill Borden. He returned home and enrolled in Yale University with the intention of becoming a missionary. Borden is often remembered for this attitude toward his work: “No reserves. No retreat. No regrets.”
Although Bill Borden died of spinal meningitis at a young age, his life was fruitful. Biographer Mary Taylor wrote of his death, “A wave of sorrow went round the world . . . Borden not only gave (away) his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it (seemed) a privilege rather than a sacrifice.”
Or how about Eric Liddell? The son of missionaries, Eric Liddell is best known as an Olympic champion who refused to run a Sunday race at the Paris Olympics. He switched to the 400-metre race, for which he had not trained, and won a gold medal. (The story of that race is told in the movie Chariots of Fire.)
Liddell became a missionary himself, serving in China just before World War II. He died as a Japanese prisoner of war in 1945, still holding firm to the gospel of grace. His lived out his desire to honor God in everything he did.
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This column was previously published in the Parish Paper, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Emden, Illinois.
Easter Sunday Services
The congregation and friends of All Saints Lutheran Church is invited to celebrate Easter Sunday with the congregation and friends of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Emden.
A Sunrise Service is scheduled for 6:30 a.m., and another worship service is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.
There will be no All Saints Lutheran Church worship service in the Marquis Chapel at Second Presbyterian Church for Easter Sunday.
Good Friday
Members and friends of All Saints Lutheran Church are invited to join the congregation of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Emden for Good Friday services this evening at 7:00 p.m.
