“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
Another summer has come and gone, and we are now preparing to return to our Fall schedules and routines. This is always a little bittersweet for me. I appreciate the summer schedule; having the boys home from school, entertaining our family and friends who visit, taking some trips, going to the beach, the golf course, and the tennis courts, and getting a break from having as many classes and Bible Studies to prepare. However, it is also sweet to get back into the routines of Bible Study and Confirmation in the Fall. These different groups are a blessing to me, and studying and teaching God’s Word is so nourishing and refreshing, and I think I appreciate these different groups even more after the little break in the summer.
I would like to invite you and encourage you to participate with me and your brothers and sisters in Christ in one of these studies. I thought I would take this opportunity, especially, to introduce our Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study topic for this Fall. In the scripture passage from John 1 above, we are told that Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth. This is definitely good news! We need grace, and we need truth! Yet, sometimes, as we are fond of saying, “Truth hurts.” Although there are some things that Jesus says that we would be quick to say “Amen,” to, or “this is the Gospel of the Lord—praise to you O Christ,” there are also things that Jesus says that leave us scratching our heads or that might even make us troubled or upset and angry. It is tempting to gloss over these and quickly move on to the more comforting “full of grace” things that Jesus says. However, all the truth that Jesus speaks is truth that is good for us, that we need to hear and to believe. For our Sunday morning class, we will be using a book by Rev. Chris Kennedy called “Jesus Said What?” as a guide to lead us through some of the challenging topics Jesus addresses and truths that He teaches. We will use scripture to interpret scripture delving deeply into the background behind some of things that Jesus says. Many of these passages are tough to tackle in a sermon when you have a limited amount of time and all ages present, but this Bible class will be a chance to roll up our sleeves and take our time to carefully listen to what Jesus says, try to understand what He is teaching, and look to the Holy Spirit to help us to trust and believe even when we don’t understand. Please join us on Sunday mornings from 8:45-9:45. While you study with us, your children/grandchildren can be learning and growing in grace & truth in Sunday School/Youth Bible Class.
For those of you who are able to be at church on Thursday mornings at 10:00, I would also invite you to join us for Bible Study. We have been blessed to have a large group that often exceeds 20 people. We are studying the Gospel of Luke going verse by verse. When this study resumes on September 21st, we will be starting Luke chapter 15 looking at the parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son.
For those in 3rd through 8th grades, we have our Weekday School and Confirmation program beginning on September 14th and continuing each Thursday from 6:45-8:15pm. Students learn the basic message of the Scriptures and study the key teachings of the Bible using Luther’s Small Catechism.
Finally, if you know of adults who have not been confirmed in the Lutheran Church but may be interesting in being confirmed and joining our church family at Trinity, a class will be starting soon that goes through the basics of the Christian faith (and particularly what we believe as Lutherans). This class is preparation for joining the church if you have never been confirmed, but you are also welcome to come if you just want a refresher on the basics of the faith. Times and dates are YTBD, but details will be forthcoming in the bulletin. Please share this information with anyone you think may be interested.
In Christ,
Pastor Liebich