SCLA Game Night Virtual Gala

Join us for the SCLA Game Night Virtual Gala

Saturday, April 10, 2021.

The silent auction opens at noon, and a live broadcast starts at 6:30 p.m.
Visit StCroixLutheran.org/Gala for more information.

How can another online event be fun? Purchase a Party in a Box, host a small gathering, and enjoy your night in!

Or maybe being the silent hero is more your style. Can you help out by donating auction items?

A Note from Pastor Al - A Unique Friend

The miracle of Matthew 8:5-13 is unique. Jesus performs this miracle at the request of a foreigner. Now that is not totally unique in itself; Jesus healed the two men possessed by demons in the Decapolis. They were foreigners. Jesus healed the Syro-phoenecian woman’s daughter. She was a foreigner. But what makes this unique is the type of foreigner in this account; his identity would stun the crowd. He is the enemy. He is a Roman. And he has military power that could crush them.
The Romans were not well-liked in Palestine, and that is a severe understatement. The Romans routinely used their power to squash and oppress the Jews. But this event is an unusual historical account of strange love and concern for the enemy. It creates a portrait of compassion. This Roman centurion shows curious and uncommon love for his enemy and his servant.
Matthew’s account (and Luke 7:1-10) tug on our attention because of the fact this man is a disregarded enemy. He would have been hated, but the Jews loved him; he was generous and kind to them. I can’t think of another foreigner who is so highly regarded by the Jews. Luke’s account says this: “When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ ”  (Luke 7:3-5)
This Roman military man typified mercy and grace—not oppression and despotism. He was an unexpected brightness in their dark world. He cared. And he was Roman.
Here is why I like this story: it shows that enemies can become friends—even family. This account uncovers the miraculous power of God to change something more severe than sickness, maimed limbs, tortured minds, and traumatized organs. Jesus’ love and power does heal. And we have numerous examples of this. But this miracle is not the preeminent miracle of Matthew 8. God has changed this Centurion’s heart so much that others can see his change. They have witnessed his gracious nature. Their town is blessed by his bankrolling the new synagogue. Why would a Roman show this care? It did not match the modus operandi of Roman oppression. It showed God’s love had gone deep into his heart. It showed that somewhere in his past, the message of the gospel had melted his ironclad heart. This tough guy was still tough—or he wouldn’t have such a position—but he was different. He was forever changed. He let his light shine before Jewish men and women so that on this particular day, glory would be given to God, who changes enemies into friends.
The miracle Jesus performed is still important. It is important and valuable. But we must pause and ponder the richer display of grace in the life of someone who had been vastly changed by God’s eternal love. And this change was obvious to the Jewish elders—they held him in high regard (Luke 7). 
And now Jesus makes note of this great example of faith: “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” (Matthew 8:10). There was no Jewish man or woman to rival his faith—at least not yet.
Why does this matter to you and me? Because we were once enemies of God, and he made us his family. The power of God’s good news—the love of God displayed in Jesus—has changed our hearts from stone cold to vibrant, warm, and alive. We were enemies of God (Colossians 1:21 and Romans 5:10) but now we’ve been brought close by his love and compassion.
But this message also matters because grace, love, and compassion—the Good News about Jesus our Savior—is the same powerful news that will change our enemies into friends. Romans 1:16 tells us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 
In a world that expects retaliation for grief, blow for blow, sarcasm and insult as payment for negative remarks, the message of God’s love for enemies is strange and shocking. It’s God’s off-kilter love that causes enemies to become friends.
“I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.’ For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44-48).
What is the backstory that caused this Roman Centurion to become a dear friend of the Capernaum Jews? We might have to wait until we meet him in heaven to find out. But be sure of this, it was the unmerited love of God that broke through to him, and that same undeserved love broke through to us also. For this we gladly give God the Father our thanks and praise! 

Encouragement-Isaiah 55:8-9

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." // Isaiah 55:8-9

Bible Reading Challenge March 4 Matthew & Psalms

 Matthew 15:21-39

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. 32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” 33  His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” 35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Psalm 35

Of David. 

1 Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;

    fight against those who fight against me.

2 Take up shield and armor;

    arise and come to my aid.

3 Brandish spear and javelin

    against those who pursue me.

Say to me,

    “I am your salvation.”

4 May those who seek my life

    be disgraced and put to shame;

may those who plot my ruin

    be turned back in dismay.

5 May they be like chaff before the wind,

    with the angel of the LORD driving them away;

6 may their path be dark and slippery,

    with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

7 Since they hid their net for me without cause

    and without cause dug a pit for me,

8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—

    may the net they hid entangle them,

    may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD

    and delight in his salvation.

10 My whole being will exclaim,

    “Who is like you, LORD?

You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,

    the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;

    they question me on things I know nothing about.

12 They repay me evil for good

    and leave me like one bereaved.

13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth

    and humbled myself with fasting.

When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

14     I went about mourning

    as though for my friend or brother.

I bowed my head in grief

    as though weeping for my mother.

15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;

    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.

    They slandered me without ceasing.

16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;

    they gnashed their teeth at me.

17 How long, LORD, will you look on?

    Rescue me from their ravages,

    my precious life from these lions.

18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;

    among the throngs I will praise you.

19 Do not let those gloat over me

    who are my enemies without cause;

do not let those who hate me without reason

    maliciously wink the eye.

20 They do not speak peaceably,

    but devise false accusations

    against those who live quietly in the land.

21 They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!

    With our own eyes we have seen it.”

22 LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.

    Do not be far from me, LORD.

23 Awake, and rise to my defense!

    Contend for me, my God and LORD.

24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;

    do not let them gloat over me.

25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”

    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26 May all who gloat over my distress

    be put to shame and confusion;

may all who exalt themselves over me

    be clothed with shame and disgrace.

27 May those who delight in my vindication

    shout for joy and gladness;

may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,

    who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,

    your praises all day long.

Bible Reading Challenge-March 3 Matthew & Psalms

March 3 Matthew 15:1-20 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain;     their teachings are merely human rules.’” 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”   Psalm 34 Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. 1 I will extol the LORD at all times;     his praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will glory in the LORD;     let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me;     let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;     he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant;     their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;     he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,     and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;     blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people,     for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,     but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me;     I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life     and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil     and your lips from telling lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good;     seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,     and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,     to blot out their name from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;     he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted     and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 The righteous person may have many troubles,     but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones,     not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked;     the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD will rescue his servants;     no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Bible Reading Challenge March 1 Matthew & Psalms

Matthew 14:1-21

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
 

 

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Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the LORD does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the LORD'S unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!
 

Bible Reading Challenge March 2 Matthew & Psalms

Matthew 14:22-36

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
 

 

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Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
    and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
    even as we put our hope in you.