Pastor’s Perch Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.”
Sibling rivalries! With four older brothers, I saw my fair share of sibling rivalries. I did everything in my power to be better than my brothers. For you who have siblings, you know what I am talking about. But even if you did not have a brother or sister, perhaps you had friends or classmates whom you tried to be better than them. We are well-versed in rivalries. We try to be better than others and we like to have proof. I threw the shotput 50 feet while my older brother could only throw it 48 feet. But he could throw the hammer over 200 feet and I could only throw it 150 feet. We like to argue based on the evidence of our greatness. We can even try to measure our greatness in spiritual matters by what we do. Our offerings, our time dedicated to church matters, and the times we help others, can be used to display our greatness. But there is a problem with this measure of greatness. It is self-serving. each of these examples of greatness is self-serving which leads to death. If we measure our greatness like this it will lead to death. But Jesus gives us an object lesson on greatness. “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.” Jesus used the child to remind his disciples that the measure of greatness is not seen in self-serving but in selfless serving. A child will not be able to repay or understand the fullness of your service and that is okay. Think of the billions of people Jesus bled and died for who do not know that he is their Savior. Most people do not recognize the sacrifice he made for them, but he did it anyway. He died because we all needed him to die. He demonstrated his greatness by giving up everything for us so that we can have forgiveness and eternal life. Now he wants to follow him in selfless service to others. And when we serve in this way, we are serving Jesus and our Father, to thank them for their selfless work in rescuing us from sin and death. This is the true measure of greatness. Dear heavenly Father! Give us a heart of selfless service to the people in our lives. Help us throw out the sinful desire to make ourselves great in the eyes of the world. Let us do everything we can to point people to the greatness of your Son! In his name, we pray! Amen. A Servant of Christ, Rev. Patrick FeldhusGrace’s News
Starting in September, we will be offering a Family bible study on familiar Sunday school stories, after worship on Sundays. Please note that the Pastor is offering an online topical bible study on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm. If you are interested, please let Pastor know. He is also looking for topics that are interesting to you. On September 12th at 6:30 pm we will meet at the Cura Care Center to sing familiar hymns to their residents. After we are done singing, we will have our final movie night beginning around 7:30 pm. There will be snacks provided. Pastor Feldhus will be away at a Pastor’s conference from September 8th to the 10th. The Women of Grace will next meet on September 18th at 10:30 am. All women are welcome to join us. Pastor Feldhus will have a Jesus Cares Sunday at Trinity in Belle Plaine on September 22nd. Pastor Slaughter from Trinity will be at Grace for a special Christian Education Sunday.Synod News
Musical energy and talent a highlight at the National Worship Conference The following summary of the recent WELS National Festival for Worship, Music, and the Arts, held July 31–Aug. 2, in Kenosha, Wis., was written by Rev. Bryan Gerlach. He has served as the director of the WELS Commission on Worship since 1996 and was involved in the development of the new WELS hymnal. He will be retiring this month. He has provided steady and solid leadership in the area of worship, emphasizing the importance of worship that is Christ-centered, focused on law and gospel, and retains the principles of faithful Lutheran worship while incorporating variety and freshness in the liturgies and hymns used in our congregations. We thank God for this gift to his church, and we thank him for his faithful service. — WELS President Mark Schroeder
After a seven-year hiatus, rather than the three-year pattern that began in 1996, it’s not surprising that this year’s conference unleashed a lot of musical energy and talent. One first-time attendee said, “I had heard it would be awesome, but it far exceeded my expectations.” Some regular past attendees said “best ever” about the caliber of the orchestra . . . and the superb cafeteria menu choices. The conference theme was “Sing to the Lord a New Song.” While the song of the gospel is always new, this conference made extensive use of new songs from the 2021 WELS hymnal suite and beyond, accompanied by a wide variety of instruments in different styles. Those who couldn’t attend can still enjoy concerts and services at welsworshipconference.net/media. This link also includes service folders, some presentation handouts, and photos. While the impact of these videos isn’t the same as being present with 1,000 people (like a photo of the Grand Canyon can’t compete with standing at the rim), viewers can still enjoy these events. Here are some “not to miss” items: • Festival concert: Don’t miss the thrilling final movement of Saint Saens’ “Organ Symphony” and excellent choral music from a 115-voice choir. • Plenary address: Jonathan Bauer presented “Lutheran Worship: What Now?” In a context of rapid change, Bauer demonstrates how, as we, confessional Lutherans, are fully equipped to answer this crucial question. It’s available in both video and print. • Morning “Alive in Christ” sermons: Hear sermons by Prof. Aaron Christie (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary), President Richard Gurgel (Martin Luther College), and President em. Paul Wendland (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary). • Closing concert: A rendition of “Amazing Grace” starts with a whisper from the children’s choir (50 voices singing with beautiful tone) accompanied by harp, handbells, and flute. It keeps building until the last stanza, a sonic roar from 1,200 people, full orchestra with lots of percussion, and a kilt-clad bagpiper. (The hymn begins at 1:15 in the video) The conference wasn’t only for musicians and pastors. Non-musical laypeople from congregations of all sizes selected from many presentation topics. A first-time non-musical attendee said, “My wife twisted my arm to come, but I won’t miss another!” View all the materials and presentations online. The new pictorial book will highlight synod history As WELS prepares to celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding in 2025 under the theme “Christ through us,” Northwestern Publishing House is producing a special book entitled, Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850-2025. In seven chapters, the synod’s history will be told freshly and engagingly with over 600 images and numerous short vignettes about important people, places, and events in the history of the Wisconsin Synod. “The past has shaped who we are,” says Rev. Joel Otto, chairman of the WELS 175 Committee and coauthor of the book. “Learning about God’s work through us and among us leads us to appreciate his grace. And it helps us see where we also fit into his answers to the prayers of his people for new generations of faithful witnesses.” A special preorder sale for this pictorial history is going on through the end of September. Place your order today to guarantee delivery of this unique volume and receive a 20 percent discount. Find sample pages and ordering information at online.nph.net/175annivbook. The order deadline is Sept. 30, 2024. This book is just one way that WELS is planning to commemorate its founding. Numerous other resources are being produced to help congregations and individuals celebrate this anniversary and learn more about WELS history, including: • documentary-styled videos to accompany the pictorial history; • an update of The Wisconsin Synod Lutherans, a book recording the history of the Wisconsin Synod; • an online interactive timeline of the synod’s history; • worship resources for anniversary services; and • multiple articles in synod publications like Forward in Christ, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, and the WELS Historical Institute Journal.