Bible Reading Challenge 4/31

 

Day 4/31 THE GOOD WORK IN YOU Philippians 1:1-11 (TLB) From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. To: The pastors and deacons and all the Christians in the city of Philippi. 2 May God bless you all. Yes, I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give each of you his fullest blessings and his peace in your hearts and your lives. 3 All my prayers for you are full of praise to God! 4 When I pray for you, my heart is full of joy 5 because of all your wonderful help in making known the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. 7 How natural it is that I should feel as I do about you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and when I was out, defending the truth and telling others about Christ. 8 Only God knows how deep is my love and longing for you—with the tenderness of Jesus Christ. 9 My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight, 10 for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns. 11 May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.

Bible Reading Challenge 2/31

Day 2/31 TO WIN THE PRIZE Philippians 3:7-16   7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Bible Reading Challenge 1/31

 

Day 1/31 DEFINITION OF FAITH Hebrews 11  *Click the links to read more about the individual. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel... 5 By faith Enoch... 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah... 8 By faith Abraham... 11 And by faith even Sarah,... 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham... 20 By faith Isaac... 21 By faith Jacob...22 By faith Joseph... 23 By faith Moses’ parents... 24 By faith Moses... 29 By faith the people... 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell... 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab... 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.   THIS GIFT OF GOD IS FAITH   1. The empty hand now filled, the Spirit’s sacred spark, the eyes that see the hidden things, the ‘yes’ said in the heart. This gift of God is faith. 2. The nod of Abraham when promised late one night his family would numbered be like stars that sweep the sky. This gift of God is faith. 3. The Virgin’s willingness, when hearing Gabriel’s word, to be the one to bear the Son, the Savior of the world. This gift of God is faith. 4. The soul that knows it’s lost but hopes against all hope and clings to life in Jesus Christ. To whom else would we go? This gift of God is faith. 5. Our leaning in to hear, above the daily noise, the word divine that says, “You’re mine,” the Father’s still, small voice. This gift of God is faith. 6. God’s heart that beats in us, no matter what we feel; when we are weak, his Spirit speaks; our destiny is sealed. This gift of God is faith. 7. Our turning back to God when far from him we’ve strayed; because we see his constancy, we come back unafraid. This gift of God is faith. 8. The peace we see upon the dying sinner’s face who knows that death is powerless when sinners die in grace. This gift of God is faith.

In-Person Worship - April 25, 2021

If you were unable to worship in person last Sunday, you will find the service on the link below.

In-Person Worship

A Note From Pastor Al - Sure Hope

To view this week's Note from Pastor Al, please use the link below.

A Note from Pastor Al 

Weekly Encouragement from Pastor Al

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” // John 16:33

Beverly Collyard Obituary

 

Beverly Ethel Collyard (Wilcox) was born in St. Paul, MN, on July 12, 1926, the daughter of Fred and Myrtle (Brown) Wilcox. Her family moved to St. Paul’s east side during the Great Depression. During WWII Bev worked at 3M in place of her husband Ed who was serving overseas.  She also worked for 14 years as a dental assistant.

Bev and Ed Collyard were married while he was on leave on March 16, 1944.  They were blessed with three sons and a daughter. Throughout her life, Bev was a loving wife and dedicated mother. She always had a positive attitude (“Count your blessings” “Put a smile on your face”).  She taught her children the blessings of a strong Christian faith.

 She was active at St. John’s Lutheran Church (WELS) in St. Paul for over 65 years.

Bev actively volunteered to help others.  In 2002 she was awarded the “Governor’s Act of Kindness Award” from the state of Minnesota for her work as a Braille transcriber.  Bev used this skill for over 30 years, particularly as a volunteer for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s Ministry to the Visually Disabled,

headquartered in St. Paul.

 Bev loved music and was a skilled ballroom dancer.

In these last days of her life, she anticipated her departure with peace and was made a member of the Church Triumphant on April 24, 2021. 

Bev was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, Edward; her mother and father; brothers, Leslie, Wayne, and Robert; and sisters, Mildred, Bernice, Jeanine, Bess, and Margie. Three other siblings died as young children.  

She is survived by her children,

Len (Kathy), Larry (Fran), Karen, and Gerry (Sandy); eight grandchildren;

and 21 great-grandchildren.

 

Funeral at 11:00am on Monday, May 3rd at St. John Lutheran Church, 765 E. Margaret St., on St. Paul's Eastside, with Visitation at the church at 10:00am. Private burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery following the funeral.

 Bev's family sends special thanks to the caretakers at New Perspectives in Highland Park

.

 Memorials requested for St. John Lutheran Church or
the WELS Mission for the Visually Impaired.