The Necessity of Faith
While Pastor Jenson is on vacation, Deacon Poe is filling in and delivered today’s service.
Faith is a loaded word. It sounds simple but it’s not always easy. Our sinful nature gets in the way. Our inclination is to want to prove we can follow the Law, or be a better person by doing good works. Logically, these ideas are all very reasonable. But logic and reason get in the way of faith.
So Jesus reminds us to have childlike faith. To keep it simple and pure. Know that He died for our sins.
Know that He rose from the dead.
Know that He redeemed us with his own blood and righteousness.
Faith is belief in Christ as our Savior. Faith so pure and simple that it can only come as a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Today’s sermon text is from Mark 10:
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,[a] 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Click here to open the bulletin in a new tab or scroll down to read it.
Announcements
Vacation: Pastor Jenson will be taking the remainder of his vacation time from Sunday, September 26th – Sunday, October 6th. Bible Study will be recessed on those two dates. In case of need, please contact Deacon Poe.
LWML Fall Rally: Will be held on Saturday, October 9th at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Kenmore. Registration is $4 and opens at 9:30 a.m. The In-Gathering donation are items for the Everett Gospel Mission — warm hats, gloves, scarves and socks for men, women and children. Contact Margaret if you would like more details.
Volunteers Needed: We need a few individuals who would like to be responsible for setting up & tearing down the coffee station. A few ladies from the church have cleaned out the kitchen cupboards and bought fresh items. Now we need a few folks who can take on set-up and tear-down. Please speak to Margaret if you are interested in helping.
Bible Study: ON HIATUS and will resume October 10th. You are invited to join us! We have two classes every week. The first one meets Sunday mornings at 9:30 am in person and is topical. The second meets Wednesday nights at 7 pm via Zoom and is covering the Book of Colossians. If you would like to attend the Zoom class, please let Pastor know and he will add you to invite.
Donations: Although we are slowly emerging from the pandemic, the expenses remain constant. If you wish to make a donation please mail them to the St. James post office box as that is a secure location.
Prayer requests. Bring your prayer requests to Pastor Jenson, Deacon Poe, or Loyd Harris (bulletin typist). They will printed in the bulletin and prayed in the Sunday service. The deadline is Tuesday for mailing on Wednesday. Remember if you are bringing a prayer request on behalf of another person their permission must be obtained.