Grace Lutheran Church Oshawa

Weekly Bulletin

Aug 11, 2024 - Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

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Welcome in the name of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. If you are visiting, we are glad that you are here and kindly ask that you sign our guest book at the sanctuary doors. If you would like to become a member please speak to the Pastor. In case of illness, the Pastor should be informed. He will always be glad to speak with those who are confronted with problems of a spiritual nature. The time before worship is a quiet time for prayer and meditation to prepare for worship. Please see the inside cover of the hymnal for prayers and page 329f to prepare for Holy Communion. God bless you as we gather before our gracious God!  

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The Lord Jesus Feeds Us with His Flesh, in Order to Strengthen Us with His Own Life 

God the Father sent His Son into the world, so that the world might have life in Him. Now He “draws” you to His Son, Christ Jesus, by the preaching of His Gospel. “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father” comes to Jesus, who will never cast him out but “will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44–45). He is “the bread of life,” who “comes down from heaven” in the flesh, that you may eat of Him and “live forever” (John 6:48–51). Although “the journey is too great for you,” in the strength of this food you shall come to “the mount of God.” Do not be afraid, and do not despair, but “arise and eat” (1 Kings 19:5–8). And “no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds” (Eph. 4:17), but “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2). In Him, you have been “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Therefore, “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1), by “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

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​PRAY FOR:  Julia; Ed; Eloise (hip/shoulder); Robert; Sherran; Herta; Phil; Minnie; Corinne (nee Tim); Albina; Daniel and Alexandria.

Friends and Fellow Christians:  Christy;  Rev. Basil Christi (heart attack); Matthew & Megan; Lynda; Alice; Carol; Terry & Brenda; Norma; Kristy; Chris; Susan; Heather; Waldtraut; Kathy; Bev; Elizabeth; Mary (David’s mother), Carolyn (Medina,OH); Rose; Jason​

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MISSION PRAYERS FOR AUGUST:   CANADA:  Rev. Seungwoo “Sam” Choi -  Korean Lutheran Church in Toronto, Ontario;  Rev. James D. Kay- Sudanese congregation of Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton;  Rev. Marco-Antonio Jacobsen - Assistant Missionary-at-Large for LCC’s French ministries in Quebec;   Rev. Asefa Aredo - Shalom Oromo Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and LCC's Missionary-at-Large for Oromo Outreach-  NICARAGUA-Rev. Henry Evelerth Ramirez-two congregations in the Leon area;  .Prayer: Heavenly Father, as Your Son sent forth His Church to make disciples in all nations, we lift up before You, asking You to sustain THEM by Your Spirit and bless THEIR  labours for the sake of the Gospel; Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. 

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BIRTHDAYS And Anniversaries for July; see on back of July/August calendar, copies available on table at back of church.  Contact office if I need to update it, throughout the summer. Update calendar on table.

MEMBER RECORDS:   Thank you to those who have completed the church record update form for 2024.  If you have not had a chance to complete it, current members and returning members to active status, please take some time to complete it for me by email or if you need assistance, leave a phone message and I will call you back. 905-728-4381..Thank you, blessing, Debby

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THANK YOU:  We want to thank all our family, friends and Grace Family, who helped make my Ordination ceremony on July 14, even more special. Everything was so amazing!  Thank you all so much. God bless, Daniel/Alexandria and Lynn/David.

Halfway thru the summer, enjoy, be safe and blessing to all who are travelling.

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*****EMERGENCIES, PLEASE CONTACT AN ELDER OR LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE CHURCH PHONELINE 905-728-4381**********

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BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS:  may be placed in the holder outside the office door and for the monthly calendar.  They are due by Wednesday of each week.  Calendar events are due by the 3rd Sun of the month.  Email the info to: gracelutheranoshawa.office@gmail.com

FOOD BANK:  Our food cabinet is doing well. Please drop off non-perishable food, that can be eaten without cooking for homeless (Pull off lids tins), in their original container or wrapping. (Cereal bars, pudding/fruit cups.) Also Donation of can openers.  We support our church members, our Seminary students (1/2) and community.

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The Divine Service Part 6

Sermon

A sermon is the proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the application of that message for you as you live your life in this world surrounded and saturated by sin and death. When the pastor preaches the sermon, he is to hold strictly to the Word of God. While illustrations can be used (as Jesus used parables to teach), the primary message of a sermon must be rooted in the Word of God, more specifically the Gospel.

The entire service, especially the sermon, consists of a division of Law and Gospel. The Law is what God would have us do and how we’ve failed to live up to His expectations. The Gospel tells us what God has done on our behalf through Jesus Christ. A proper sermon includes both of these. If the sermon is only Law, the congregation leaves feeling inadequate or self-righteous. If a sermon contains only Gospel, the Gospel has no power, since we do not see our sin and thus have no need for Jesus and the salvation from sin that he won for us on the cross and in the empty tomb. Hence, we “preach nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” because he is the only one who can free us from the sin and death that reign in and plague our mortal bodies, indeed our lives. Yet there remains in Christendom a mindset where people think that a central message of a sermon should be focused on telling them how to live their lives, but God’s primary message for us is not our actions, for when we look at or focus on those we see nothing but our sin. Rather, God’s primary message for us is His love for us, in spite of our sin and his victory for us over sin and death, in Jesus Christ. As we hear this message, God continues to grant us faith to believe it. And we naturally respond to God’s message by faith evidenced in our words and actions during the service and in our everyday lives. The sermon also need not create an emotional response. Different people respond differently to different messages, so sometimes, you may feel moved by a particular expression of God’s Word, while other times, it won’t trigger your emotions. That’s OK. The purpose of a sermon is not to feed emotions—it’s to feed faith. Consequently, the primary goal of a sermon is to strengthen you to withstand the attacks of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh, through the proclamation of God’s sin forgiving, life giving message of salvation for you in Jesus Christ.

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​This week @ Grace:

Today (G)                  11:15 am         Divine Service (No communion) 

Next Sunday (G)    11:15 am         Divine Service (Communion)

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