This Sunday September 27th, 2015 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Have Salt” (Mark 9:38-50)
25Sep/15Off
Divine Service: 9:30 am
Bible Study for adults, high school, and Sunday School for junior youth and little children starts at 11:00 am.
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint's Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran South High School...we worship in the event center/gym)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Salt -- esp. in the ancient world -- was viewed as that which gave purifying, seasoning, and preserving qualities and was a symbol of endurance and value.
Scripture is full of describing the people of God as being salted, having salt lives. The salt of course in this case is symbolic for something else. By the Word of Christ and the Holy Spirit, God's people salt the world, preserve the Word and therefore God's presence in the world, they "season" the world with the love of God and the proclamation of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the Christians themselves are salted so that they may endure...through all trial and tribulation. And they have value, the value of those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
We will expound on the salt theme as it relates to our Gospel this Sunday in Mark 9. It is the salt of discipleship and will address:
1. The radical words of Jesus to cut off the hand, cut off the foot, and tear out the eye.
2. Further teach on hell...something the world tries desperately to ignore or "water down"...if you get my meaning.
3. The biblical teaching of TWO fires, there is a bad kind and a good kind.
4. How salt relates to the Word and the Word to salt in the life of the Christian.
You will grow in your knowledge of the Word and beyond that, you will receive the Spirit's working through the Word to bless you and strengthen your faith...you will be salted.
We will as always receive the pure Gospel through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
This has been a week of the reminders of issues that Christians are concerned about -- like defending life at all stages -- but without the life of Jesus all of our social efforts for good will be for naught. We need Jesus Himself. This is why we come to Divine Service: to get Jesus and the life that flows from Him.
Also this Sunday:
1. A special blessing and Godspeed to Robby Flores who is off to Oxford for a semester.
2. Children's Message in the service.
3. Adult Bible Study and Children's Sunday School.
We rejoice in God's gifts to us!
Also, please pray for a wedding service being conducted on Saturday, September 26th. Our ministry (I'm conducting on our behalf) is facilitating the holy matrimony of Juan Valles and Sierra Alexis Mays (daughter of members of Saint Paul's, Jeff & Vicki Mays). Keep Juan and Sierra in your prayers. I am so very proud of their testimony of Jesus in their lives. The two will become one and we rejoice with Jeff & Vicki!
Also, please pray: Ruby Cavanaugh, mother to our brother in Christ, Doug Cavanaugh has entered into hospice care. The family has welcomed our ministry to Ruby during this sacred season in her life. Please keep Ruby, Doug, and the entire Cavanaugh family in your prayers.
The Lord bless you this weekend. Live for Jesus...He lived, and died, and lives for you!
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor Espinosa
Tomorrow Sunday September 20th, 2015 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Servant of All” (Mark 9:30-37)
19Sep/15Off
Divine Service: 9:30 am
Bible Study for adults, high school, and Sunday School for junior youth and little children starts at 11:00 am.
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint's Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran South High School...we worship in the event center/gym)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are primed in our culture not to think about what others need, but to think about what we need (and want) first. We live in the "me, myself, and my" culture. The pursuit of immediate gratification is insatiable. At the end of the day, it seems like everyone is "in it" for themselves.
This makes the true Gospel all the more amazing. The One with all things, the richest, the greatest, the most inherently fulfilled and perfect, gave it all up to become a Servant of All. As a result, we are rescued from our mad pursuits to be the greatest, to be first.
But this salvation does more than forgive our sins (which is of course the greatest gift), but it also impacts the way we live. In Christ, we are put first -- perfectly loved by God -- and we receive all things. Jesus speaks to all of us not to fear, because He has given us the Kingdom. God is on our side. We who were bankrupt on account of sin, have been made rich in the love of God!
This does something to us...we become followers of the Servant of All by becoming servants ourselves. The servant of God is the servant of people.
This is where life gets interesting, because the moment we enter this new status, we want to revert to the old standards: "But does this person DESERVE my service?"
What does that have to do with anything?
Did we DESERVE Christ's service?
Of course not.
Rather, the new standard is grace. And in this grace we are propelled to SERVE...serve who? Serve ALL. We become little Christs.
Come to God's house tomorrow to be enriched in the Gospel (the sermon will also have some practical counsel for walking with the Lord), receive the saving body and blood of Jesus, and tomorrow -- after a couple of Sundays off for confirmations and installations -- we will have the Children's Message back!
We will also continue our Bible Study on "Power for Daily Living"...it is very, very easy to underestimate the significance of our Holy Baptism. But to live in it is to live in God's guarantee of His work in our lives, setting us free from sin and death. Please come.
REMINDER: tomorrow is the youth-sponsored breatkfast. Any donations go to the high school program.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor Espinosa
Tomorrow Sunday, September 13th, 2015 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “I believe [Lord]! Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24)
12Sep/15Off
Divine Service: 9:30 am
Bible Study for adults, high school, and Sunday School for junior youth and little children starts at 11:00 am.
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint's Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran High School...we worship in the event center/gym)
Dear Christians,
Sometimes our minds whirl: ISIS, prayer, rising ocean levels, Divine Service, abortion, the crucifix, the economy, holy baptism, physician assisted suicide, confession, sexual degradation, the full armor of God, immoral media, the body and blood of Christ...the good, the bad, the holy, the evil...how do we form our platform, our stall, our position?
Think of life as a wheel with a hub in the middle and integral spokes radiating from the hub to attach to the rim and to finally form a functioning wheel. Our worldview is like this, and for the Christian, we have a definite "hub."
Once the hub is clear then we know which "spokes" to advocate, we know what to stand for, we know what to defend, and we know what to rejoice in. We will know how to live.
So what is the hub? And with this hub in place, we will also know how to deal with our doubt...it is God's answer; it is God's hub.
Tomorrow I will proclaim the hub, without which, none of the rest of it matters.
Come to hear about and to receive the hub.
____
This morning we conducted our Vigil in Remembrance of the Victims of Abortion...those dead and alive; the little babies and the adults who live with the burden of their decision...and everyone else who did not do enough to defend the unborn and to protect the consciences of those who gave in...for all of us who give in to sin and who need forgiveness. For these we remembered and for these we prayed.
Tomorrow morning you will have access to receive a free copy of the beautiful worship bulletin and if you desire, you'll be given the opportunity to contribute to the free-will offering. The free-will offering will go to three families within our fellowship who either recently had a new-born or have babies in the womb. We celebrate and affirm our love for and protection of the little ones. The offering basket will be kept on the side where the bulletins are if you wish to contribute.
Tomorrow we will receive Word and Sacrament that we may live with faith in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to have faith at all, but with the Lord feeding and nourishing us, we are kept strong in the faith.
Tomorrow we will also get back to Bible Study and continue our study for adults and teens which is entitled "Power for Daily Living."
Tomorrow we also install our parish council officers.
Come and be blessed and celebrate the Lord's gifts to His Church...to each and every one of you.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor
Tomorrow Sunday, September 6th, 2015 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Jesus Our Savior Who Heals” (Mark 7:31-37)
5Sep/15Off
Divine Service: 9:30 am
Bible Study for adults, high school, and Sunday School for junior youth and little children starts at 11:00 am.
NOTE: Tomorrow morning we will not have Bible Study and Sunday School as we will welcome our new members with a fellowship-reception!
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint's Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran High School...we worship in the event center/gym)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Healing is one of the most controversial and confusing topics in the Christian Church. What should the Christian expect when their health is compromised? How should the Christian pray? How does God heal? Are there different types of healing? How does the Lord's Law and Gospel relate to these things? In Mark 7 a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment was brought to Jesus. In this gospel text, Jesus pours out compassion and heals the man...the text presents a details "process" to Jesus' ministry to the man and it is packed with meaning! I hope to share it with you tomorrow morning!
In addition to receiving the Word and Sacrament of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal-overflowing life, but we will have other celebrations!
Tomorrow is "New Member Sunday" (with another one to follow on October 11th!), but tomorrow we will receive:
Logan Gallina through confirmation
Collette Kelly through confirmation
Ben Fisher through transfer
Joel Stichler through transfer
Raquel Flores through transfer
Gerald Dahlin through transfer
Jeanette Dahlin through transfer
In addition, tomorrow we are installing our new ORGANIST! Gerald "Jerry" Dahlin!
We are being blessed with a wonderful new organist and we praise God for sending Jerry to us!
Tomorrow morning promises to be a very special Sunday in our lives at Saint Paul's. We will be distributing a new, updated directory to all of our members tomorrow morning.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor Espinosa
