St. John Lutheran Church Willits

09/06/2026

https://youtu.be/aVv85MUyWYc?is=6k5XYAecU8NHw37D

The Shepherd’s Heart
Mathew 18

mathew 18

09/06/2026

Day 16 — 100 Days of Prayer

Tomorrow we gather around the Lord’s Table, and tonight our prayers prepare our hearts.

In the Lord’s Prayer we ask, “Give us this day our daily bread… and forgive us our trespasses.”

Both petitions lead us straight to the Holy Sacrament.

In Communion, Christ gives us more than earthly bread — He gives us His true body and blood, the means of grace that strengthens faith, forgives sins, and unites us as one family in Christ. We don’t come because we are worthy; we come because He invites us, feeds us, and restores us.

As you pray tonight, let it be a prayer of humility and readiness.

We approach His table together — forgiven, nourished, and loved.

Join us tomorrow in Divine Service as we receive Christ’s gifts with grateful hearts.
Come hungry for grace. Come ready to be blessed.

09/04/2026

Day 14 — Devotional for the 100 Days of Prayer

Scripture: Acts 2:1
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”

Day 14 invites us to see how God works when His people keep showing up in prayer. The early church didn’t know when the Spirit would come. They didn’t know how God would move. They only knew one thing: stay together, stay praying, stay expectant.

Their faithfulness in the upper room became the birthplace of Pentecost. Not because their prayers were perfect, but because their hearts were united. They kept returning to the same place, the same posture, the same hope — and God honored their perseverance with power.

In these 100 days, your daily prayer is doing the same kind of quiet, steady work. Every time you pause to pray, you are joining a community that is learning to wait on God together. You are helping shape a congregation that believes unity is worth protecting, prayer is worth prioritizing, and the Spirit is worth seeking.

Pentecost didn’t come to a scattered people; it came to a praying people. And God still meets His church the same way today — not always in dramatic wind and fire, but often in the slow strengthening of faith, the deepening of unity, and the quiet courage to keep praying one more day.

Reflection:
Where is God inviting you to keep showing up — faithfully, expectantly — even before you see the answer?

09/03/2026

DAY 13 — 100 Days of Prayer

“Breaking Through in Prayer When I’m Angry”

Moses knew anger. Overwhelmed and exhausted, he cried out to God, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant?” (Numbers 11:11).

He didn’t hide his frustration — he brought it honestly to the Lord. And God didn’t reject him. He met Moses with help, mercy, and strength.

Jesus invites us the same way: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden.” (Matthew 11:28)

He doesn’t wait for us to calm down first. He meets us in the anger, not after it.

And Paul reminds us that even when anger makes prayer hard to express, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:26)
Your prayer is never alone.

Your anger is never too much for God.

Breakthrough begins when you bring your real heart to Him.

Today’s prayer:

“Lord, I bring You my anger. Meet me in it. Break through it. And lead me into Your peace.”

09/01/2026

DAY 11 — 100 Days of Prayer

“Keep Praying: God Has Not Forgotten You”

David says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1)
Even in long seasons of waiting, God leans in to the voice of His people. Waiting is not silence — it’s the space where God is working.

Jesus encourages us to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). He knows prayer can feel slow, but He promises the Father is never indifferent. He hears. He responds. He moves in His perfect timing.

And the apostle John reminds us, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
God’s hearing is always paired with God’s wisdom.

As St. John continues our 100 Days of Prayer, Day 11 speaks to the tired pray-er:
God hears you. God remembers you. God is working in ways you cannot yet see.

Today’s prayer:
“Lord, help me keep praying even when I feel discouraged. Teach me to trust that You hear, You remember, and You are working.”

08/31/2026

Day 10 Encouragement
“Does the Father Really Hear Me?”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we reach Day 10 of our 100 Days of Prayer, we pause to ask a question that sits quietly in many hearts: When I pray, does the Father really hear me? Scripture answers this with a resounding yes — not once, but again and again.

The Psalms give us our first witness. David writes, “I called to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.” (Psalm 3:4) Even in fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty, David held onto one truth: God hears the cry of His children. Your prayer is never ignored, never lost, never dismissed.

The Gospel strengthens this assurance. Jesus tells us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8) Prayer is not a way to get God’s attention — it is a conversation with a Father who is already attentive, already present, already loving. You are never unheard.

And the Epistles give us the deepest comfort of all. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus… is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34) And again, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26) Even when you don’t know what to say, even when your prayer feels weak or distracted, the Son and the Spirit carry your prayer to the Father. Your prayer is never alone.

As St. John continues our 100 Days of Prayer, Day 10 reminds us that prayer is not about eloquence or perfection — it is about trust.

When you pray, the Father hears.
When you whisper, the Son intercedes.
When you struggle, the Spirit helps.
Heaven is not distant — it is attentive.

May today’s prayer be simple and sincere:

“Father, thank You for hearing me. Teach me to trust Your listening heart even when my own feels uncertain.”

In Christ’s love,
Your Vicar

08/29/2026

🎁 Pack a box, pack a smile, and share the love of Jesus around the world!
Join us this Sunday, August 30th, at St. John Lutheran Church of Willits for our annual Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. We’ll be gathering to pack shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children in need across the globe.
Schedule of Events:
* 10:00 AM: Divine Service
* Immediately Following: OCC Packing Party & Fellowship
Location:
24 Mill Creek Dr, Willits, CA
Whether you’ve been buying items all year or just want to lend a hand putting boxes together, there is a place for you at the table. Everyone is welcome—bring a friend or the whole family! Let’s work together to make a lasting impact. See you Sunday! ❤️📦

08/29/2026

Day Nine 100 days of prayer - Daily Encouragement — “The Noise That Drowns the Voice”

Scripture: “After the fire came a gentle whisper.” — 1 Kings 19:12

Elijah knew what it meant to be overwhelmed. The noise of fear, pressure, exhaustion, and threat filled his mind so completely that he could no longer hear God clearly. He ran, hid, collapsed under a broom tree, and prayed for escape. Yet when God met him, He did not shout over the noise. He spoke in a whisper — a voice quiet enough that Elijah had to silence everything else to hear it.

The Old Testament shows us this pattern again and again:
God speaks, but distraction shouts.
God whispers, but fear screams.
God guides, but noise competes.

The Gospel reveals the cure. Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27)

He does not force His voice upon us; He invites us to follow it. And the apostle Paul reminds us that faith grows when we hear the Word of Christ. The Spirit teaches us to quiet the inner storm so the Shepherd’s voice becomes clear again.

In these 100 Days of Prayer, God is calling St. John to step out of the noise — the hurry, the worry, the constant distraction — and into the quiet where His whisper becomes unmistakable.

Prayer is not just speaking; it is making room. It is choosing the whisper over the whirlwind. It is letting the Gospel calm the noise so the Spirit can guide.

Today’s encouragement:
The noise will not stop itself.
But God will meet you the moment you choose to step into the quiet.

Today’s prayer:
“Lord, silence the noise within me. Let Your whisper be the voice I follow.”

08/28/2026

100 days of prayer encouragement Day 8 — The Eighth Day of New Creation

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we enter **Day Eight** of our 100 Days of Prayer, we step into one of the most beautiful themes in Lutheran theology: the **Eighth Day**—the day of **new creation**, **resurrection**, and **baptismal life**.

The first seven days of creation tell the story of the world as it was made. But the Eighth Day proclaims the world as God is remaking it in Christ. The early church called Sunday “the Eighth Day” because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, breaking open a new creation that begins now and will be fulfilled in eternity.

In baptism, we are brought into this Eighth Day reality. We die with Christ and rise with Him. We are given a new identity, a new life, and a new future. As Paul writes, *“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”* The old has gone; the new has come.

This is where prayer becomes essential. Prayer is how we live the Eighth Day now. It is how the Spirit renews us. It is how Christ’s resurrection life breaks into our ordinary days. It is how God shapes us into people of hope, courage, and new creation.

As St. John continues our 100 Days of Prayer, Day Eight reminds us that we are not simply asking God to help us survive the week—we are asking Him to make us new. To raise what is weary. To restore what is broken. To breathe resurrection life into our congregation.

May today’s prayer be simple and sincere:

**“Lord Jesus, raise me into Your new creation. Let Your resurrection life renew my heart, my hope, and my prayers.”**

In Christ’s love,
Your Vicar