March 1 - Four Things on Friday


Four Things on Friday

March 1, 2019

An Interesting Article/Podcast

Lutheran Liturgical Practices During Lent
Lent is starting this coming Wednesday, March 6, with Ash Wednesday. We will have services at noon and at 7 p.m. This article is a nice summary of some of the traditions of Lent, gives some explanation about why we observe Lent the way we do, and focuses on Jesus’ obedience and love as our motivation for such actions. https://lutheranreformation.org/worship/lutheran-liturgical-practices-lent/

Quote I’m Pondering

“Jesus did not die to make bad people good. He died to make dead people alive.” – Tim Hawkins, paraphrased.

One Good Thing This Week

I had the opportunity to speak with a couple mission groups this week, learning about their work to reach people with Jesus’ love.

The first conversation was Farruhk Khan and Sara Christian (a pseudonym to protect her) from People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO). I was blessed to meet Pr. Khan while I was still in Michigan, and both Pr. Khan and Miss Christian have presented here at Gloria Dei in the past. POBLO started in Dearborn, MI to reach the large number of Muslims there with the Gospel. Their ministry has expanded to different areas of the U.S., and they have now brought missionaries to Ohio: a couple in Columbus and a couple in Dayton. It is exciting to hear about the lives that are being transformed in their ministry, and the lives they have helped to save. You can learn more about POBLO at www.poblo.org.

The second conversation was with J.J. Voelker. We know Pr. J.J. from his work at Lutheran Campus Ministries of Kent (LCMK) and our Haiti Mission Trip this past January. On that trip, I was asked to serve on LCMK’s board of directors, so I wanted to sit down with Pr. Voelker and learn more about what they’re doing. It was very encouraging to hear about the students who get involved with this campus ministry, which is the last full time LCMS campus ministry in Ohio. Many of the students do not know Jesus when they start attending, but some of those students who go to the events LCMK hosts come to faith in Jesus, get baptized, and return back to their countries of origin, taking the Gospel with them. It is very exciting stuff, and I’m glad to get a little more involved with them. There are opportunities for you to help out, too, which I look forward to sharing. You can learn more about LCMK at https://kentstatelutherhouse.org/.

Our Scripture readings for the Transfiguration of Our Lord are:

Over the years I have learned that those who read the Scripture lessons and spend a little time thinking about them before church on Sunday get more out of the service.
The sermon is: Dust and Glory

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