Our Savior Ev. Lutheran Church

04/16/2024

Our Easter observation continues with the day that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples. They were hiding behind locked doors because they feared what the people might do. Jesus was supposed to rise, but no one had seen him yet. Even the disciples were beginning to have their doubts. But that was about to change.

Suddenly Jesus appeared. Remember, the doors were locked, so it startled the men. "As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." (Luke 24:36). Even with those words of comfort, the disciples were terrified.

You see, they didn't recognize him at first. Slowly, Jesus helped them to see him, and a peace came over the room. Their fears and doubts were replaced with the greatest peace there is, Jesus' peace.

This peace is spoken of often in the Bible. Here is one from John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." A true believer has nothing to fear, because all his troubles can be laid on Jesus and he will see to it that we can always find peace in him.

04/09/2024

Happy belated Easter! Sorry, my computer and I were not getting along. Hopefully that problem is gone now.

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

03/27/2024

Holy Week in pictures.

03/19/2024

Why did Jesus allow so many horrible things to happen to him? The usual answer is that he did all that to save us from an eternal life with Satan and, of course, that is true, but there is more to it than just that. Why didn't he just use his powers?

He could have saved us without going through the tortures, but that is not what his Father had asked of him to do. In Luke 22, verse 42 Jesus says "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus obeyed and did what God the Father willed him to do. All of it had been prophesied. Here is one account from Isaiah 5:3,5. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Yes, Jesus had the power to do anything he wanted, and what he wanted was to save us from our sins. God the Father outlined what needed to be done to reach that goal. "He did what he said he'd do."

03/11/2024

John 3:16. Does that sound familiar? No! How about this? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." There is a good chance that even those that don't know Jesus have heard all or part of this passage.

The thought of losing a child is terrifying, and that was what God the Father was about to experience. God was willing to sacrifice his Son, for us. The exchange wasn't even close to equal. Jesus was sinless. He hadn't done anything to warrant punishment of any kind, let alone suffer and die. Jesus never once questioned his Father's decision. His love for us was that strong.

John 3:17 adds, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

NOTE: The collage for today may need a little explaining. How do they fit the theme - God's love? The cross reminds us of what our Savior went through out of love for us. The stairway to heaven represents what he won for us because of that love.

03/05/2024

What is "righteous anger?" We have been led to believe that all anger is a sin, but we need to take another look.

Sunday's sermon was about when Jesus kicked the merchants out of the temple. They had set up their tables in an area that was set aside for the Gentiles to worship. They were allowed to sell their wares, but not in the temple. Jesus was angry because they were interfering with his truths reaching everyone. Their tables were taking up space that was supposed to be for worshipping. Therefore, his anger was justified.

Can we say the same? Most of the time, I would say," no". But Proverbs 14:29 infers that we can, with God's help. The secret is love. Jesus' motivation at the temple was love for the people who worshipped there. We must follow his example, but our sinful nature can get in the way. Turn to God.

"People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness." (Proverbs 14:29)

02/28/2024

What did Jesus mean when he told us to "take up (our)cross"? He certainly didn't mean that we had to drag one to the top of a hill like he did. Because of HIS cross, OUR cross is a lot lighter, but because of Adam and Eve, sin will still exist here on earth. Therefore, OUR crosses will remain, and we will have to pick them up and fight all temptations to sin until the day he takes us home to heaven.

Think of OUR cross as the burdens that we as Christians have to bear. Christians will be mocked, laughed at, teased, bullied, ridiculed, and rejected, to name a few. Sadly, those are the lesser burdens in this world today. In some of the worst-case scenarios Christians are still being persecuted or even murdered.

I have always felt very grateful to have been born in a part of the world that accepts Christians for the most part. I was blessed to be surrounded by friends, family and colleagues who respected my right to believe and live my faith. However, that doesn't mean that I don't have a cross to carry. We all do.

There is sickness, impatience, depression and other things that tend to frustrate us so much that we forget that Jesus is always there for us, and we are to put all of our worries in his hands. We must trust that he will get us through.

On the surface a cross does represent the suffering that Jesus endured to win us our salvation but look deeper. He did so willingly out of love. He knew the torments he would have to endure, but he did it anyway. He is always there for us and will help us with any burdens life might throw our way as long as we come to reject Satan's temptations and put Jesus' rules and guidance first.

We are to learn from Jesus and handle our challenges as he did.

Our Savior Ev. Lutheran Church is a small congregation serving the Springville community and beyond with the changeless good news about Jesus Christ. Our Savior is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

02/20/2024

God loves us, this we know. For the Bible tells us so. Okay, that is not the exact words, but it means the same thing. Jesus loves everyone, not just me, but us, all of us. He loves us so much that he gave his life to save us, all of us, from eternal damnation.

I think it is safe to say that there will always be those that don't believe, some that have turned their loyalty to the devil, and some that are not willing to repent. God still loves them and is waiting with open arms to welcome them back into the fold.

Nothing comes between us and God's love as God's Word tells us in Romans 8. "I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low. thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love.".

GOD LOVES US, THIS WE KNOW!

02/14/2024

Sunday, we celebrated Jesus' Transfiguration. Unlike Christmas, Easter, and even the Ascension, the Transfiguration was in a low-key. Jesus did want us to know who he was, besides a man, but not yet. So he took Peter, James and John up a high mountain, away from the other disciples and the public.

Once there, he showed them why they had come. His clothes turned white as snow. His face was so radiant that it was shining brighter than the sun. And if that wasn't clear enough, God the Father appeared in a cloud and declared "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

As they went back down the mountain Jesus informed them that they were not to say anything about what they had just seen. Not yet. They were to wait until he returned from the dead.

So, no, it isn't a big holiday, but it is a very important event. Jesus is both God and Man. That truth was revealed to a few of his men, with the understanding that when the time comes, they would share it with the world.

02/05/2024

Are you a member of the Church or the church? You see, there are two different churches, three if you count the building itself. Most people think of the building if asked about the church. Of course, they aren't wrong, but when God refers to the church he is talking about the people. The people make up the church. The faithful "are" the church.

Okay, so we have established that there are two meaning for the word church. However, that doesn't answer the initial question-Are you a member of the Church or the church? The answer is "both".

I am sure that by now you have figured out that one is capitalized, but why?

We are not just members of a congregation that meets in an actual building to worship. (By the way, that building does not necessarily have to be a church building.) We are just a small portion of the people that believe in Jesus as their Savior. We are the church with the little "c".

That leaves the capitalized Church. It is God's Holy Church. It is made up of all believers, worldwide. It's all the little "c" churches combined. There is no better fellowship than in the "C" Church.

There is one more, very important, point being made with today's post. "God doesn't want you to JUST go to church. God wants you to be the church". Anyone can take up space in a pew, but God wants more than that. He requires that you truly believe and live your faith.

01/15/2024

How reassuring is the message on the post today? Such a simple act holds so much power. Be it a few drops, a full baptismal pool, or a natural body of water the first requirement is water. But we splash our face, bathe, and swim in water and nothing special happens. Oh, we may feel refreshed, but that is about all that water does by itself.

So, what makes it so powerful that we become a part of God's family? First of all, it is not something that we can do for ourselves. In fact, there is only one who can. "John answered them all. 'I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'" (Luke 3:16). God the Father will send the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our hearts. There he will plant the seed of faith that is required to be a part of his family.

Okay, we have the water and the Holy Spirit, but something is still missing. There are words that must be spoken, as the water is applied. "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'" Matthew 28:18-19 and that's when it happens. The Holy Spirit enters your heart and welcomes you into the family of God.

So, the water is just plain water until the words are spoken. It is the power of God that makes it a baptismal tool. And the words aren't just the ramblings of the baptizer. They are commanded words. Specific words that when joined with the water does wondrous things. It brings us into the fold to join God's family of believers.

So, in retrospect is baptism such a simple thing? I would say "yes" and "no". Our part in it doesn't ask much of us, but God's part is much more complex. There is nothing simple about what he does during a baptism and beyond. He washes away our sins, wins us salvation, watches over us, and takes us into his family.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing us to faith and guiding us as we try to hang on and not fall victim to sin. Without you salvation would not be in our grasp, but you gave us a second chance through our baptism. Thank you.

01/08/2024

Have you ever put yourself in the wisemen's shoes? Have you ever thought about the faith it must have taken to venture out depending only on a star as your guide? Matthew 2:10 says; "When the Magi saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy."
Perhaps this is the right time to remind you that those shoes were the footwear of Gentiles. The Jews were the chosen ones, but many of them had turned away from God and the promise of a Savior. So, the ministry had spread beyond the Jews. Many Gentiles had come to faith, the wisemen among them. They really didn't know what kind of reception they were going to get, but the love they felt for this baby overpowered any concerns they might have had.
"After coming into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him." Matthew 2:11a. You are still in their shoes. At first look the home probably looked like any other home in the area. Jesus was no longer sleeping in a manger, but it was still a very humble existence. How do you think you would have reacted to see your new King living in such a place? Would you be put off by it? The wisemen were not. They saw the promised Savior, dropped to their knees and worshiped him. We should follow in their footsteps and praise the Lord.
WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM! Make sure to read this very carefully. We have been talking about how the wisemen sought Jesus. One simple word changes the whole meaning. That word is "still". "Wisemen still seek him." That means us. We shouldn't just imagine what it would be like to wear the wisemen's shoes. We should put them on and seek out Jesus now and forever.