Devotion

• Romans 10:12-21

Announcements

• Review
  • MN Pastoral Conference
  • CLC Teachers’ Conference
• Upcoming
  • Board of Deacons (Thursday 5:00pm)
  • Church Choir (Thurs 6:15pm)
  • Men’s Breakfast (Friday 6:30am)
  • Ladies Bible Study (Friday 7:00pm)
  • Youth Group Fall Festival Farmamerica (Saturday 11:00am)
  • Worship
    • Bible Class: Tithing and Jeremiah 29:11
    • Sunday School: Call of Abram & Abram and Lot
  • Quarterly Voters’ Meeting (Monday 7pm)
  • Ladies’ Auxiliary (Tuesday 2pm)
  • Board of Elders (Tuesday 5:15pm)

Prayer List

• Jim Lien - Hospice
• Lynette Roehl
• Kathy Greve’s Sister Becky - Uterine Cancer
• Blake Frank - Neck Surgery October 8
• Rachel Mariner
• Bailey and Josie Reichel - Baby Amelia
• David Lueck - 80th birthday
• Lori Drummer - Sandee Curtis friend, on hospice
• Nephew of Julie Heinze - lawn mower accident
• Teachers’ Conference
• Pastoral Conference
• Kenya (East Africa)

Hymn of the Day:

• TLH 505 “May God Bestow on Us His Grace”

This week we take up our "Hymn of the Week," which is the hymn that develops the theme of our service and in this case, is based on our sermon text. We are looking at TLH 453, which was written by a largely unfamiliar German hymnwriter named Carl Spitta. Spitta had a very difficult life, dealing with a severe illness for four years in his childhood that left him academically behind, and loosing his father at only four years of age. But these challenges led Spitta closer to His Savior, and motivated him to pursue the ministry. He also had a gift for poetry from a young age. While this gift was used for worldly purposes in his youth, by the age of 25, Spitta came to realize that God had a greater purpose for those gifts. He wrote: "In the manner in which I formerly sang I sing no more. To the Lord I consecrate my life and my love, and likewise my song. His love is the one great theme of all my songs; to praise and exalt it worthily is the desire of the Christian singer. He gave to me song and melody; I give it back to Him." What a beautiful Christian sentiment and realization!

This hymn is based primarily on Romans 14:7-9, where the Apostle Paul writes: "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living."

In the four verses of this hymn Spitta points to the confidence we have in life and in death because we are the Lord's. Christ's life and death is the reason we are the Lord's. And His work of redemption motivate us to live for Him as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:20: "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s," and as Peter says 1 Peter 1:17-18: "conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct."

But that confidence is not just in life, but also in death. Spitta concludes: "No pangs of death shall even then appal us. Death we shall vanquish, for we are the Lord’s."

Rejoice that you are the Lord's! Live in a way that reflects that you are the Lord's. Die in the absolute certainty that Jesus has defeated death for you, because you are His!

The LORD bless your worship and reflection on this truth this weekend!

God's people have worshiped Him from the very beginning. Able offered sacrifices to the LORD. Noah and Abraham built altars to worship the true God. Moses constructed the tabernacle for worship, and Solomon built the LORD a temple. God people gathered around humble altars, and glorious temples to worship. For what reason?

This hymn, and the Psalm that it is based on (Psalm 100) answers that questions.

The Psalmist describes God's people: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." Psalm 100:4

The Psalmist also describes why God's people do this: "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100:5

Remember why you come to church: The LORD is good.

Remember what that means: Jesus paid the debt of your sin through His life and death.

That changes us. He has given us a new life, freedom from ourselves and freedom to serve Him.

O enter then His gates with praise, Approach with joy His courts unto; Praise, laud, and bless His name always, For it is seemly so to do. (TLH 14:3)

The LORD bless your worship of Him this weekend, and give you joyful hearts for all that He has done for YOU!