Church News

A Note From Our Head Elder

Are We On the Road to Emmaus?

 This Sunday, April 30, 2017, Pastor Bill preached on the Luke 24:13-35 text. This text is Jesus encountering two followers on the road to Emmaus. One is named in the text and the other is not. I penciled in myself with Cleopas as the other one journeying on the road as Pastor Bill was preaching.

After Easter attendance is generally down, and I have been a member of the church long enough to expect that phenomenon. Then I found myself asking, is Jesus chasing me too? He clearly caught the two followers who, as Pastor Bill put it, were getting out of town.  Luke says in verse 21 “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.” They clearly had given up their hope. They were clearly leaving town and their hope in Jesus.

We talked a lot about hope in the bible study today related to this lesson. We settled on the word “trust” as a class. Of course, Pastor Bill reminded us that we should say a “certain” hope. That got me to thinking that like Cleopas and the other one journeying with Cleopas, we were present for the big event and could not make it back to church. It is as if we are saying that nothing in my life changed as a result of Easter services.

I wonder if that is true. Has nothing changed since you were in church on Easter Sunday? For me, we have had several personal changes. The one thing I know is that the joy I experienced on Easter Sunday has not faded. Unlike the two on the road to Emmaus, I know that my redeemer lives. Each Sunday is a chance to celebrate the resurrection, especially the weeks following Easter when all of the lessons begin with the resurrection.  

Take a moment with me to reflect on the ones that were closest to Jesus. Are we on the road, leaving town or are we hiding in a room so not to be found out as a Christian. One of the joyous events coming next week is confirmation. In the confirmation service, three of our young people will publically leave the road and proclaim their faith. What a joy it will be to see their courage in speaking to us next week.

My prayer for you is that you share the joy from Easter with others. As you share that joy, as Jesus did with the two on the road to Emmaus, you regain the hope and want to be again with the other believers. After Jesus reveals himself in their sight, the two leave the same hour. From Luke 24: 33 “And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,”

Like me, Jesus is looking for us on the road. I am looking forward to seeing you in Church on Sunday.

A Note From Our President...

Easter Sunday has now passed and I hear I missed out on a fantastic Easter Sunday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. I missed out on our first ever Children’s Easter play along with the egg hunt. I also missed out on the wonderful breakfast and fellowship. I hope each and every one of you had a very blessed Easter and enjoyed the festivities. But mostly, I hope you were truly blessed and touched by God’s greatest gift, the gift of His Son, who was sacrificed for our sins so that we might have everlasting life with our one true Father in Heaven. Easter, to me, is such an amazing time. It is amazing all of the events that took place leading up to Jesus' death that were foretold about in the Old Testament from the dividing of His garments to the piercing of His side. It is even more amazing that this man, Jesus, came down from heaven to be with us. He showed and taught us how we should live our lives, and about His Father in heaven. This man knew no sin, yet He died on the cross for OUR sins. This is true love, grace, and dedication to His Father in Heaven. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42. He never experienced the joy we might experience in our sin, only the pain of it. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53: 5. Amazing!!!!!

On May 7th we will be confirming three confirmands. Their confirmation journey has been a three year long process. During this time they have learned more about the Lutheran Church, studied Luther’s Small Catechism, and of course – learned more about the Bible. They have been quizzed by the elders and Pastor on all that they have learned, and will be confirming their faith before the congregation during the late service on May 7th. They will also be giving mini sermonettes on a topic they have chosen to share their faith with us. This is a big time for them. I hope you will join us in celebrating with them as they continue on their life long journey with Christ. For our confirmands, I hope they will continue to grow in their faith and stay straight on their path to righteousness. Jesus has given us the ultimate example of a righteous life. John 17: 20-21 gives us these words that Jesus prayed as he was approaching his crucifixion, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

Becky Aragon, GSLS President

A Note from Our Head Elder

Are you as Smart as a Confirmand?

Preparing for the confirmation questioning, I was reminded of the game show that went off the air in 2015 “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” On April 2, the Elders met with the confirmation class for this year and quizzed then on what they know. Pastor Bill teaches this material year after year and is well versed in the material. For the rest of us, including some of the confirmation class, we may not know the material as well as we once did. Fortunately for us we had a printed list of questions and answers.

Some of the questions we asked come from Luther’s small catechism. If you look at each section of the catechism it starts with “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.” The Elders and the Pastor are there to assist the family and their students learn the faith.

My copy of the catechism contains over 300 questions. I have been at churches where we ask the students these questions during the worship service, all 300, and hold each student accountable to answer from the text. At Good Shepherd we ask the questions for general spiritual understanding in a public forum with the Elders and teachers for the class along with their parents. Each student is expected to know all of the answers.

In reflecting and getting ready for the questioning, I found myself not being able to respond as the text would have me respond for each question I am looking at. Okay, I know the “answers,” just not the memorized answer from the text anymore. In the same way, when the students have memorized the text of the catechism and explained the meaning, we can be assured that the students understand what they are saying.

As we think back to our own education on what it means to be a Lutheran Christian, I am convinced that memorization is important to cement the knowledge for the questioning. And, the lifelong practice of being in the church and coming regularly to worship is what brings that head knowledge to our heart. Many times after confirmation is complete our young people (no different from my confirmation in 1973) fall away and do not have the opportunity to put into practice what they memorized or have learned.

My prayer for this confirmation class is that beyond the memorization and the sermonettes, God will touch their hearts and they will become active participants in the life of this church. I am looking forward to the confirmation service on May 7. See you there.

Glen Leavens, Head Elder

Step It Up and Walk for Life!

STEP IT UP and WALK For LIFE:  Saturday, April 29, 2017 – 9:30 am Registration – 10 am Walk

Two Walk Locations – Pioneer Park, Covington, KY & Pendleton County Fairgrounds, Falmouth, KY

Your support for the New Hope Center provides information and compassionate assistance to men, women and students in Northern Kentucky.  New Hope offers comprehensive, positive alternatives to abortion and their services are free!  Refreshments and hot dog cookout after the Walk.  Come out and support a great cause for LIFE!

OWLS

On April 4, OWLS will be getting together for fellowship and devotion at 12:00 noon. We would also like to invite anyone in the congregation who would like to join us on our trip to the ark. Just bring something to share for a pot luck luncheon and don’t forget your item for our food pantry here at the church. Also, bring your calendars so that we can schedule our trip to the ark which is being planned for the end of April or the first part of May. See you there!

Sunday School Mission Projects!

A portion of the weekly Sunday School offerings are designated for Sunday School Missions. The Sunday School students at Good Shepherd have chosen three worthy mission projects:

1) Let the Children Come to Me Project provides Sunday School materials for children in Southeast Asia. These funds will go toward writing and translating a Lutheran Sunday school program for Southeast Asians in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.

2) Juan 3:16 provides Bible Storybooks for Spanish-speaking children. These funds will be used to provide families in countries like the Dominican Republic, Peru and Mexico with their own copy of A Child's Garden of Bible Stories written in the Spanish language. 

3) Mobile Food Pantry - The Mobile Pantry Program directly serves clients in areas of high need in an effort to supplement other hunger-relief agencies in that area. Through a Mobile Pantry, food is distributed to clients in pre-packed boxes or through a farmer’s market-style distribution where clients choose to take what they need.

Below are photos of our Sunday School students!

LWML Spring Rally!

The LWML Spring Rally is “going to the dogs!”... Comfort Dogs, that is!  The program will be presented by dog handlers from Atonement Lutheran Church in Columbus, OH.  Their first dog, a soft, fuzzy, friendly English Cream Golden Retriever, is kept very busy traveling to stressful situations where people need the unconditional love, comfort, and compassion only our God can provide. After the program and light refreshments, the yearly business meeting of the Cincinnati Zone will follow.

The Rally will be Sunday, April 30, and will be at 2:00 p.m. (1:45 registration starts).  It will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran and all women and their guests are welcome. See you there!

Whiz Kids Update!

Whiz Kids is going strong, but all good things must come to an end. On April 26, 2017 we will be celebrating our fifth graders who will be graduating from Whiz Kids. In addition, GHCH will be presenting a reptile program. Some of the reptiles can be touched! It will be an exciting day. Parents will be invited to a dinner at 6:00 with an awards ceremony. This will be our last day of Whiz Kids, but reading will last a lifetime!


-Lisa Krejci, Whiz Kids Site Coordinator, Good Shepherd

Lent and What it Means to Me

We are now entering our 3rd week of the Lenten season.  Every year as we enter this season I ask myself, “What exactly is Lent and what does it mean to me?”  To me it is a very solemn time when I am reminded of how sinful I truly am.  Every Sunday I go to church to confess my sins and to praise God for the wonderful Maker that He is – only to find myself struggling with my sinful nature even before I have made it home.  Paul states in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Sin, unfortunately, something we will struggle with the rest of our lives.  Sin, brought into the world when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden.  “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned“ (Romans 5:12). 

Fortunately for us, we have a loving and caring God who sacrificed His only son to pay the full price for our sins.  This is a sacrifice beyond belief.  This is a love beyond compare.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).  His love is immeasurable!!!!    We “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24). 

Grace, something I do not deserve yet it has been freely given to me.  All that I have to do is accept it and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.  So what does Lent mean to me?  The Lenten season is a reminder to me of my sinful nature.  I am ashamed of the times when I let my sins get the best of me.  It is a reminder to me of how loving and caring our God truly is, that He would accept a poor miserable sinner like me.   I am truly humbled to receive such undeserving love.  It is also a reminder to me of God’s Grace and Righteousness.  I am in awe of God and His power, and anxiously await to be with Him in heaven!

I wish God’s blessings upon you all this Lenten season.

Becky Aragon, GSLC President

New Women's Bible Study

Inviting all Ladies! There is a new women's Bible study beginning on Sunday 3/19. We will start a 4-week study authored by Donna Pyle focusing on the single verse of Isaiah 53:5, encapsulating the focus of this season of Lent - "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed." (ESV). There is no cost - see you Sunday at 9:45am in the Duchow Room!

Join us for Lent!

The scenes of Lent are familiar. The Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, the halls of Pontius Pilate, and the hill of Golgotha—these are the places we remember when we meditate on our Lord’s Passion. Yet when Jesus enters a place, He never leaves it as He found it. The most troubling places in our lives become the most amazing places of God’s grace when Jesus visits them.

For this reason, each week in our midweek Lenten series, the Gospel of Luke will take us to a different place, the places of the Passion. Our focus, however, will not be on these physical places. Instead, we will gaze in wonder on the spiritual work that our Lord does there. Jesus will share His strength in our times of weakness. He will fill us with His praise in the midst of our sorrow. We will enter the places of the Passion only to discover our Lord waiting for us, willing to share with us a love that was set in place before the foundations of the world.

Join us for our midweek Lenten Services on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Soup and sandwich suppers precede the services beginning March 8th at 6:15 p.m.

 

March 1  A Place at the Table for You (Luke 22:1–13)

Ash Wed. Imposition of Ashes & Holy Communion will be offered.

March 8 The Upper Room: A Place of Service (Luke 22:14–38)

March 15 Gethsemane: A Place of Strength(Luke 22:39–46)

March 22 The Betrayal: A Place of Eternal Love (Luke 22:47–53)

March 29 The Courtyard: A Place of Renewal (Luke 22:54–62)

April 5  The Trial: A Place of God’s Will (Luke 22:63–23:25)

VBS 2017

Save the Date! 

VBS 2017 - June 12-16, 6-8:30 pm

At Mighty Fortress, we’ll learn about Jesus, our Savior, through five Bible stories, meet new friends, do fun activities, sing great songs, make crafts, play games, eat snacks, and more! It’s going to be fun, but it would be more fun with you there. More details to follow!

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Love

February is often a time when we reach out to our loved ones and show them how much we love them.  We might do this by buying flowers or a gift.  We could do this by having a special dinner, or we could do this by doing something nice for them.  Whatever it is we do, the meaning behind it is the same – to show our love and appreciation for them.  So what exactly is love? The dictionary states that love is “an intense feeling of deep affection.”  The apostle Paul says that “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous.  It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant.  It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.  Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

When Jesus breaks bread with the disciples he says to them, “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.  Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.” John 13: 34-35. Oh to be like Jesus!!!!  He truly did love everyone!  Remember the woman at the well?  How about Zacchaeus?  Bartimaeus? The Bible gives many examples of Jesus and his love, so to love like Jesus is a very tall order!  I am not sure about you, but I often find myself fighting inwardly between what I know Jesus would want me to do and what I want to do.  Truly loving and showing love takes time, and in our busy lives time is something that is very valuable and hard to give.  Sure, we can be nice to one another.  We can easily greet each other with a hug and a smile.  That is the easy stuff.  To take the time to love like Jesus is not easy.  Shamefully I am often a Martha instead of a Mary.  To me loving like Jesus means to take the time to really listen to someone when they are sad or hurting.  It means taking the time out of your busy schedule to help someone who needs help.  Sometimes this means that what we had planned for that day is not going to get done.  If you are a scheduler like me, this can be very hard to give up.  The task of loving becomes even harder when the person who needs your love the most is a person that you do not like.  However, God made it very clear that we are to love our enemies like we love ourselves.  It is our duty as followers of Christ.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Phillipians 4:13 - that includes loving my enemies.

I am so thankful for my church and my church family.  Every Sunday I am able to come to church and renew my spirit which in turn fills my heart with love.  I am also very thankful for my Bible and other religious books that give me something to turn to during the week that also help to fill my heart with love.   By surrounding myself with these positive influences it makes it easier to fulfill God’s commandment and to love others as he has loved us.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still a daily struggle, but without these tools I would be lost.  I am very thankful for, and truly do love, all my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Yours in Christ,

Becky Aragon, GSLC President

Sign up today for Financial Peace!

YOU'RE INVITED TO FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY! 

Good Shepherd will be hosting another session of this life-changing program from Dave Ramsey. Participants will learn God's way of handling money as FPU presents Biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!  This class will meet each Sunday from February 12 through April 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center.  Course materials cost $93 plus shipping per family.  To ensure that your materials arrive in time, please register in advance by clicking here. Hope to see you there!

Notes from the Head Elder

You are missed when you are not at Church on Sunday.

Good Shepherd was the location for a funeral on Saturday. We had several members in attendance and one who was the reason for our gathering. Last Sunday she was at church and this Sunday her husband and a few of their kids showed up for the worship service. She was missed by all this Sunday.

Why do we go to church every Sunday? I am sometimes asked this question. When I hear the question, my mind always goes back to an old joke about eating that a Pastor would tell when asked a similar question. The story goes that we cannot remember the dinner we had last Thursday or the topic of last week’s sermon (okay some of you may know, you are the exception). Both were beneficial even though we may not recall the specifics about either one.

Here are three thoughts on why we should develop the regular habit of attending worship:

  1. God’s commandment.
    1. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”
    2. This Sunday’s gospel lesson had this reminder: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17
  2. God’s blessing.
    1. Today in the adult Sunday school class we studied Psalm 128. Verse 1 says: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” All who attended this class were blessed by the lesson. This blessing is also for you.
    2. Our Old Testament reading today pointed out that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Isaiah 9:2. If we can see the light we are blessed by God.
  3. God calls us to come together for worship.
    1. Our sermon hymn today was “Come Follow Me” LSB 688. The message that went with the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4 was that Christ is calling each of us to Him to worship Him. 
    2. Our master is calling us to worship. We say these words in our liturgy: “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” Joel 2:13. Our God is a loving God and wants us together to worship.

Faith grows when we are in fellowship with other believers. Yes, we are reminded that we are poor, sinful beings. We are also reminded that our God loves us and wants us to be saved. This is where we find the answers to the questions in our hearts.

Now is the time to begin the regular habit of Sunday morning worship. It is time to remove the barriers and distractions that cause us to stay at home on Sunday mornings. We are all missed when we are not in church.

See you at church on Sunday. 

-Glen Leavens, Head Elder

A Note from the GSLC President

New Year

The beginning of a New Year is often a time when people decide to reflect back on the past year, and set New Year’s resolutions in areas they feel the need to strengthen. This is often done across many areas of their lives – work, family, church, etc. Sometimes looking back can be very discouraging if the past year was not a very good one, or sad if you experienced a loss during the past year.  Either way, we typically take this time of year to try and make a change.

Here at Good Shepherd we are also taking this time to try and make a change.  We have decided with the start of a New Year to change our monthly newsletter over to a blog.  This blog will be posted on our web-site and will contain any updates or upcoming events from any of our committees.  It will also contain blurbs from our pastor, head elder, president, and any other committee member with news or wisdom to share.  If you are reading this now, then you have already adapted well to the change!

I hope this New Year finds you in good health, and eager and ready to grow in your spiritual life.

-Becky Aragon, GSLC President

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 32:8