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Church Email News – July 2, 2021

ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH 

Friday, July 2, 2021

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Sunday, the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, we hear the story of Jesus calling His disciples to be “fishers of men.” After that, they left everything and followed Jesus. That’s what a disciple is: a follower. Why did they follow Jesus? Well, He called them to be witnesses with their ears of His Word and with their eyes of His signs and wonders and His resurrection from the dead. What does it mean for us today to be disciples, followers of Jesus? It means we hear Jesus’ Word, believe it, trust in Him, and learn how to love others. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be follower of the One who rose from the dead. It is to be a believer in the One whose death on the cross takes away the sin of the world. To be a follower of Jesus is to ask the question each day, “What would you have me learn and do, Lord?” The answer is that He would have us trust in Him and learn to love our neighbor in whatever ways others need our love and support. The be a follower of Jesus means that we don’t follow our own hearts or instincts which only lead to death. Following Jesus is to follow the One who leads us through death to everlasting life. We fishies have been scooped up in the net of Jesus’ Word! That’s our celebration the Fifth Sunday after Trinity this week!

BRINGING BEAUTY TO THE LORD’S HOUSE – A PROCESSIONAL CRUCIFIX
This year marks the 145th Anniversary of the Lord’s congregation at Zion, McHenry. It’s also been five years since we’ve had a major project to beautify the Lord’s sanctuary (our stain glassed windows!) Things have come together to present an opportunity for Zion to acquire a one-of-a-kind piece of art: a Processional Crucifix by Lutheran Artist Ed Riojas.

This processional crucifix (read more below) is being sold by the artist for $12,000. HOWEVER…we have a generous donor who has agreed to match funds for us, bringing our cost to $6000. At the recommendation of our Elders, Church Council has approved asking for donations to raise the $6000 for this piece to adorn the sanctuary and to be used in worship. As you’ll read below, the processional crucifix is full of details that confess our faith in Jesus, the testimony of the Gospels, and the foundation of the Word of God. If you wish to make an offering for this please place it in an envelope (or mark your check with a memo) for “PROCESSIONAL CRUCIFIX.”

You can read the artist’s commentary and see pictures of the crucifix at THIS LINK.

PASTOR OUT OF TOWN
Please be aware that I’ll be out of town from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday. I’ll be back in the Office on Thursday (July 8th). Because of our travel there will be NO WEDNESDAY SERVICE THIS WEEK (July 7th).

Just a reminder that we’re back to ONE SUNDAY SERVICE at 9:00 AM each week.

  • Pews will not be restricted.
  • We will kneel at the rail for Communion.
  • Masks will not be required. Those who are not vaccinated or who may be more comfortable doing so should wear a mask. (Vaccination status will not be asked or checked). If you are not feeling well, consider remaining at home and watching our livestream.
  • The passing of the offering plate will be resumed.
  • For now, we’ll continue to take attendance by list. We’ll return cards to the pews soon.

BIBLE STUDY will be at 8:00 AM on Sundays

LEARNING THE FAITH will be held following the service on Sundays.

SUMMER SCHEDULE CHANGES
Please note the following exceptions to our regular schedule over the summer:

No Wednesday Services – July 7, 14 and 28.

No Tuesday Bible Study during the month of July. (We resume August 3).

 

1st WAY LIFE COLLECTION
Sunday is our week to collect for the 1st Way Life Center in Johnsburg. 1st Way helps pregnant moms and moms with newborns. Please bring your items this week to help them out!

SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
Come on out and cheer on our Zion Zephyrs. They play Monday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. Zephyrs vs. CrossPoint Church #1, Township Field 3.

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
We will continue to Live Stream and Record the service each week:

You can watch live and find recorded services here:
We stream live on our FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.

Our videos are also live and recorded on YOUTUBE HERE.

The simplest way to watch online (not live) is probably through our church’s website HERE.

 

When Peter saw the miraculous catch of fish, He recognized God’s power in Jesus and fell to his knees, confessing that he was a sinner. That didn’t stop Jesus from calling Peter and the others to be “fishers of men.” Jesus doesn’t call us to be His disciples because we fix our lives but because being His disciples, we learn and know that He is our Savior who forgives our sins and has eternal life for us. So we follow Him and listen to His Word and rejoice in all He has done for us, even as he teaches us to live in love toward others. See you in the Divine Service this Sunday!

In Christ,
Pastor Buetow
Holy Baptism

Lilies!

 

Download this week’s Bulletin, Daily Devotions, and NewsNotes from our website here: