VIDEO: Wednesday September 18, 2024 - Complete Service

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. — The Book of Hebrews
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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AUDIO: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday September 18, 2024

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. — The Book of Hebrews
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.

Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
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Nehemiah 1:1—2:10 
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. 

Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” 

Now I was cupbearer to the king. 

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. 

Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 

1 Timothy 1:1-20 
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 

To Timothy, my true child in the faith: 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. 

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 

The Ten Commandments 
What is the Seventh Commandment? 
You shall not steal. 
What does this mean? 
We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income. 

Bulletin: Wednesday September 18, 2024

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. — The Book of Hebrews
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.

Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of BULLETINS

Lutherans Engage the World

“It’s so amazing to see how God just made everything fall into place.” 

David Anderson said these words about Light of the World Lutheran Church, a church plant in DeSoto, Kan. But they could also be used to describe the other projects in this issue of Lutherans Engage the World, from the dedication of a new Lutheran center in Romania, to the opportunity three pastors have had to serve their communities in unique ways, to the staggering array of mercy projects that your gifts and prayers have supported over the past few years. 

Thank you for reading and for walking with us in Christ’s church.

Summer 2024 – FREE DOWNLOAD

Installation of Deaconess Joanna Lee

LINK TO THE VIDEO of Deaconess Joanna Lee at Zion Lutheran Church – the installation begins 44 min. into the service

Deaconess Joanna Lee was installed in her role at Zion on August 4th. Her family was in attendance for the joyous occasion (shown L-R: Joanna's mom, Denise; husband, Richard; children, Leopold & Janna; Joanna; sister, Mary; and Aunt, Deb. A brunch was held between services to celebrate the occasion. 

Pittsburgh Area Lutheran Ministries (PALM) has begun publication of The PALM Digest, a concise electronic newsletter that highlights news and events from our Pittsburgh-area sister congregations. Written by local Lutherans, for local Lutherans, The PALM Digest is distributed electronically every other Friday.

Click below to subscribe, or contact the PALM office at 412-407-3306 or directors@palmpa.org

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President’s Perspective

Let's Take a Little Walk ... 
Hopefully, you've all had a nice summer! The activity at your church is really picking up as usual now that Preschool is getting back in session and our Sunday School is about to start a new year. Rally Day is September 8th with the All Church Picnic to follow. Hope you all can make it. We are blessed. 

Once the north wing project is over, (hopefully it should be by the time of this printing), the Trustees will throttle back a bit and cruise into the autumn in a lower gear. If you see a Trustee, or our custodian, Jim, give them a well-earned "thank you" for all that has been done at Zion. 

We're looking for a few good members to step up to the plate in the coming elections for church officers . Specifically, we'll be needing a new President, Vice President and Chair of the Board of Education when we vote on October 20th at the Regular Quarterly Voters Meeting. If you're interested, please talk to Tom Erbrecht or myself in the coming weeks. Don't wait. Let the Spirit move you and raise your hand. You can find out more about these positions by accessing our website and taking a look at the Constitution, or contacting Tom or me. We could also welcome a few more Trustees if anyone is interested in helping out with the maintenance and operations of the campus facilities. 

If you're not attending Adult/Teen Bible Class these days, you're missing a really nice study and discussion of the book of Romans, a very important book to our Christian doctrine. Bible Class is right in between the services so it's convenient. If you're an 8AM church attendee, what's another hour of your time to enjoy hearing some foundational instruction on our doctrine and faith? How difficult is it to show up an hour early to enjoy fellowship with your brothers and sisters before you partake of Word and Sacrament at the late service? The Word is the armor and the way things are going in our society and the world, we cannot get enough of "truth" and love through hearing and considering what our God is trying to have us believe. You have to make the effort and make the first move. The opportunity is at Zion to strengthen your faith and fight the foe! 

In James 4:7...10, it's written: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ... Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you." In Micah 6:8, we read, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" 

Take a little walk to Bible Class and draw nearer to the Word. Watch that devil flee from you. Pray for the Christians on this orb, our LCMS, our District, Circuit and of course---your home here at Zion. Amen. 

– Paul Klemash