“Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.”
(Psalm 119:97-100 ESV)
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Jesus!
Oh my! The Psalm writer is brash! “I’m wiser … I’m more understanding,” etc. That doesn’t seem very humble, you might say.
But here we need to remember that those are the thoughts of a sincere believer who is feeling the threat of his enemies and the self-doubt of his own inexperience. He was facing the devil’s incessant temptations and discouragements. We can feel that way, too. The world is trying to wear us out with its sophistication that has supposedly outgrown the need for God while encouraging us to give up on the Bible and its claims. It can be very discouraging.
But the Psalm writer takes heart – and so should we. It is not a self-determined self confidence that the writer of Psalm 119 is expressing. It is a confidence that is born of faith in God and His Word.
The Lord’s “law – commandment – testimonies – precepts” are eternally true and reliable. We as believers know that we can count on what God says and promises.
Supremely so is the promise of God’s love in His Son, Jesus Christ, the very Word of God made flesh who came into the world to save and preserve us.
As the Lord Himself has said about anyone who puts their trust in Him and His Word, “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed.” (Isaiah 54:16 ESV)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Sunday (October 1) here at Prince of Peace…
LWMLC Sunday
9:00 Early Service: Holy Communion
9:00 Sunday School & Adult Bible Class
10:30 am Holy Communion
Sermon: “Sola Scriptura – By Scripture Alone” based on Romans 10:17
Prince of Peace News …
October 31 will mark the 500th anniversary of Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses in 1517 and the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation. To focus on this important anniversary, we will be using the five Sundays of October to examine the five “solas” that epitomize the teachings that were clarified during the Reformation. Here is a listing of the October sermon series:
October 1 “Sola Scriptura” – By SCRIPTURE Alone
October 8 “Soli Deo Gloria” – To God alone be the GLORY
October 15 “Solus Christus” – CHRIST Alone
October 22 “Sola Fide” – Through FAITH Alone
October 29 “Sola Gratia” – By GRACE Alone
See you Sunday!
Pre-Convention Circuit Forum & Feature Movie: Martin Luther, The Idea That Changed the World. All members of the congregations of the Hamilton Circuit, which includes Prince of Peace, are invited to this event THIS Saturday, September 30, at Faith Lutheran Church, 1308 Hwy 3, Dunnville.
Circuit Forum: Pastors Mark Koehler & Michael Meleg, pastoral delegates to the LCC Convention will lead us through the workbook and convention resolutions. They are anxious to get your input. The forum will begin at 1:30pm (Coffee will be on by 1:15).
Movie: Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed the World. The rousing adventure story of Martin Luther’s life, following his bold quest for truth—a journey that would reshape the church, and the world. The movie will start at 3:00pm. Refreshments during and following the movie. View the movie trailer here.
A Man Named Martin-Part 2: The Moment – The Adult Bible Class continues this video-study/discussion Sunday at 9:00am in the church basement. In this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation, come and learn more about the faith and church of which we are a part. Coffee will be on.
Women of the Reformation Retreat (LWMLC) . . . You are invited to join the LWMLC, Ontario District in Christian Growth Retreat at the Sunbridge Inn, Cambridge, as they study the contribution women made to the Reformation 500 years ago and similar roles they still play today. Fri., Oct 20 @ 7:30 pm to Sat. Oct 21 @ 4:00 pm. Bible Study Leaders: Rev. R. Orlowski & Rev. M. Koehler. Registration Cost: $75 (Sat. only: $55). Talk with Donna H. if you are interested in carpooling for the Saturday session.
Hamilton Circuit Reformation Service: All members of the congregations of the Hamilton Circuit are invited to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 200 Erie Street in Port Colborne for a joint Reformation Service. Refreshments will follow. By the way, it is hoped that having the event after Harvest Day at the Seminary in St. Catharines will make a full day for those interested but not create a conflict.
Halton Alive Baby Food Drive: Please join us and Halton Alive (our local right to life group) in support of a Baby Food & Formula Drive. Items can be dropped off in the lobby until October 8th.
Seminary Guild: Twice a year we like to support our Seminary Students by filling their Food Pantry. All food donations will be appreciated by October 22, 2017. We will be taking the items to Harvest Day at the Seminary on October 28.
Joyful Seniors invites everyone to join with them in attending the movie “Mully”. The movie is about a man in Kenya going from rags to riches and rescuing 10,000 children from despair, transforming their lives. The movie will be shown at SilverCity Theatre on Brant Street, across from our church, October 12. We will meet in the lobby by 6:45pm with the movie starting at 7:00pm. See the trailer by clicking here.
Convention is less than a month away. Next month, October 13-16, fellow Lutherans from across Canada will gather at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kitchener for Lutheran Church–Canada’s 11th triennial convention…and you can be part of it! Everyone is invited to attend the opening Divine Service at Historic St. Paul’s in downtown Kitchener, Friday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening the convention joins the Reformation Intersections Concert at Grace Lutheran Church at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, October 15 at 8:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2nd floor, the convention will hold a public Meet and Greet for President Bugbee in appreciation for his service to the national church over the past 12 years. Any member of an LCC congregation is welcome to sit in and observe any of the convention business sessions. The schedule is available at www.lcc2017.ca.
Elders, Trustees and Church Council members are urged to note our October meeting is a week earlier than the monthly norm due to Thanksgiving the following week. We will meet Monday, October 2.
Online News …
Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) is accepting donations in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. Millions of people are in need of basic necessities including food, water and shelter. Psychosocial, health and employment support will also be needed in the coming weeks and months. See more by clicking here.
Reformation News …
LCC Releases New Book to Celebrate Reformation Anniversary: Lutheran Church–Canada is celebrating the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation with a new book entitled Saints of the Reformation. Congregations are encouraged to use the new book as they celebrate the Reformation locally, for both in-house education and as an outreach tool. READ MORE
The book is also available as a free e-book for use on e-readers, mobile devices, and computers.
The Reformation, a book from CPH: Many people recognize the name Martin Luther when they think of the Reformation, but this era was filled with other fascinating personalities and dramatic changes across every aspect of human life throughout the Western world. The Reformation is a richly illustrated and engagingly written overview of this amazing time of change and renewal in the Christian Church and helps the reader sort through the complex chain of events that shook both church and state to their very foundations. There is a sign-up poster in the lobby and a booklet-sized sample of the book in the lobby. The order has to be placed by mid-October.
Reformer of the Church?: Perhaps one of the most commonly associated terms we hear with regard to Martin Luther is “reformer of the church.” The question is, would Luther have identified himself in this way, and would he have identified the reformation of the church as the fruit of his labor? To view click here.
In your prayers, please remember:
- Those in mourning
- Those awaiting surgery
- Those undergoing cancer treatments
- A number of our seniors dealing with health issues
- Heavenly Father, as the delegates of our Synod gather in Kitchener as Your children and our representatives, pour out Your Holy Spirit upon them to equip them for this service. Let His gifts be manifest among them for the common good of us all. Grant them faith, wisdom and knowledge. Let the harmony they share in Christ prevail among them. Let them outdo one another in showing honour. Grant that they might walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which they have been called with all humility and gentleness and patience, bearing with one another in love, and eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let their love be genuine, that they might love one another with brotherly affection. Help them to hold on to what is good. Make them fervent in spirit and constant in prayer, that they might serve You in all things; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Kevin Walrath
