WORDS of GRACE Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

1809 S. Main St. Fairgrove, MI 48733

Church office: (989) 693-6322

Rev. Joshua T. Haller

cell phone: (248) 794-3703

AUGUST 2017

A Letter from the Pastor

“HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE!”

The beauty of nature and the joy of life may be best experienced during the summer months. We can finally get

out and enjoy the fresh air, free from the many spring rain showers and snowy winter days. Whether it’s a walk in

your neighborhood, a swim in the lake, or a week at the campground, life seems a little sweeter during this season

of the year. We’re able to visit some pretty awesome places, whether in this state or another. There’s so much to

see and do. The possibilities are endless. “How awesome is this place,” we might say, as we’re watching our kid’s

softball game or sitting around a campfire at night. Awesome, indeed.

And yet, not as awesome as one place that’s set apart from the rest.

In Genesis 28, Isaac’s son Jacob was on the way to meet his new bride. He had fled from his angry brother Esau,

from whom he had stolen the family blessing. Jacob was searching for a new beginning. As he journeyed, he

stopped at a certain place to rest for the night and laid his head down on a rock. While he slept, he had a dream.

He saw a ladder on the earth that reached into heaven and angels going up and down. And the Lord stood above it

all and said,

I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I

will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you

shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and

your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep

you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have

done what I have promised (Genesis 28:13-15).

Jacob saw heaven. He heard the promises of God. What else could one declare than what Jacob then said: “HOW

AWESOME IS THIS PLACE! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of

heaven” (Genesis 28:17)?

Jacob saw all this in his sleep, but one day, all this would become a reality. For on a Friday afternoon many years later,

another ladder was set up from earth that reached into heaven and brought it down. The Lord himself was at the top of

this ladder also and spoke promises to his people, as he did to Jacob, such as, “Today, you will be with me in

paradise” (Luke 23:43) and “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Yes, this ladder was a

cross, and the Lord who hung out it was the same who spoke to Jacob. From this cross, God fulfilled the promise given

to Jacob that through him, all the nations would be blessed. By the shedding of his blood, Christ paid for the sins of the

world. He came down from heaven, so that we might climb up. HOW AWESOME WAS THAT PLACE where our

Lord died!

By now, the cross has been taken down from the Mount of Calvary, and Jesus is no longer hanging on it. But the ladder

and stairway to heaven hasn’t gone away. The Lord still descends down to his people, not in dreams but in words, not in

visions but in water, bread, and wine. The same Lord Jesus who spoke to Jacob and was crucified in Jerusalem comes to

his people today in another awesome place—the church.

To the world’s eyes, this place may not seem all that awesome. In fact, it may appear dark and dingy, worn-down and

old-fashion. And that’s probably what they would’ve thought about Jacob’s campsite or the place where our Lord had

died. But for those of faith, we see anything but ordinary, anything but boring and outdated. We see the eternal God,

who forgives us all our sins, who washes children young and old, who feeds sinners his body and blood. We see heaven

with angels, archangels, and all its company. We get a glimpse of what is to come, just as Jacob did, and we rejoice:

“HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Summer is great, but church is better. Activities come and go, but the Word of our Lord endures forever. Nothing is

more important than receiving God’s gifts every Sunday. If we truly believe that heaven comes down to earth in this

place, that Jesus is physically present in his church, why would we ever miss it? And if you’re on vacation and out of

town, allow me tell you about a great church to visit nearby, so that you’ll never be away from this awesome place.

You won’t find the Lord Jesus in your dreams or in Jerusalem, not on the beach or on a bike ride, but you’ll find him in

the sanctuary of your church. You’ll find him in his Word preached, his water of Baptism, and in his body and blood of

the Supper. Wherever those things are, that is an awesome place.

In Christ,

Pastor Haller

PRIVATE CONFESSION

Private Confession and Absolution is available by appointment. You can call

Pastor Haller at the church office or on his cell phone: (248) 794-3703.

—donations—

THUMB AREA CRISIS CENTER donations can be placed in box under fellowship hall window

AUGUST disinfectant spray

LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF donations can be placed in box by the coat rack

BABY CARE KITS

Lightweight cotton t-shirts

Long or short-sleeved gowns or sleepers (without feet)

Jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts

Bath-size bars of gentle soap

HIGENE KITS

Bath-size towels

Bath-size bars of soap

Sturdy combs

SCHOOL KITS

70-sheet notebooks of wide or college-ruled paper

Ruler (centimeter and inch)

Pencil sharpener

Blunt scissors

Unsharpened #2 pencils

Ballpoint pens (no gel ink)

Box of 24 crayons

2.5” pink eraser

KNOWN AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

2 Marge Montgomery

3 Rachel Rushford

15 Caitlin Schoenow

16 Daryl Winter

17 Arron Winter

Harold Burnison

Joann Van Every

19 Pastor Josh Haller

23 Daniel Reinbold

24 Lois Cutler

25 Charlea Mossner

27 Carol Jamison

KNOWN AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES

23 Paul & Lisa Hodgkinson

Rachel & Nicholas Chaney-Ruiz

26 Gordon & Joanne Bigham

27 John & Ruth Ann Kaijala

29 Larry & Diane Spencer

August Divine Services (services with Holy Communion)

Sunday, August 6, 2017 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Divine Service Setting 3 Matthew 14:13-21

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Divine Service Setting 1

Matthew 14:22-33

Sunday, August 20, 2017 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Divine Service Setting 3 Matthew 15:21-28

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Divine Service Setting 3

Matthew 16:13-20

Sunday, September 10th

after the Divine Service

Ladies Aid News

Ladies Aid is selling pasties! There’s an order form on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. You

can request them to be baked or unbaked, and we’re selling them for $6 each. They will be ready for

pickup on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at the church. The last day to order will be August 27, 2017.

Any questions, please call Diane Spencer (693-6311).

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who helped at Wellspring Lutheran Home’s Birthday Bingo this past month.

If you donated a cake, prize, or were there to help, it was greatly appreciated. The residents of the

Lutheran Home enjoy playing Bingo and visiting with people. We could not provide this service

without your help.

Thanks again,

Diane Spencer

KIDS REFORMATION RETREAT to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

800 EAST BAY ST., SEBEWAING, MI

2 PM TO 5 PM FAMILY BARBECUE TO FOLLOW

ALL LUTHERAN CHURCHES IN “THE THUMB”

Preschool - 5th grade

GAMES, MUSIC, CRAFTS, SKITS, LESSONS

Reformation

Divine Service

in celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

A Joint Divine Service for all LCMS congregations in Michigan’s Thumb

Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 4 pm

Immanuel Lutheran Church 800 East Bay St., Sebewaing, MI

Serving our Lord in the Month of August

Elders for August Brian Steinley & Steve Reinbold Ladies Aid for August Irene Stange & Pat Starkey Sunday, August 6, 2017 Greeters: Vic & Jean Trisch Ushers: Larry Spencer, Brian Steinley, Daniel Bublitz, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Ruth Ann Kaijala, Mary Masker, Karen Mendyk, Susan Pfund Sunday, August 13, 2017 Greeters: Dave & Kristi Weber Ushers: Lee Voss, Jason Hall, David Weber, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Sarah Reid, Joanne Reinbold, Diane Spencer, Irene Stange Sunday, August 20, 2017 Greeters: Daryl & Holly Winter Ushers: David Hills, Joseph Bublitz, Harold Burnison, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Pat Starkey, Beth Hoppe, Bev Voss, Helene Weber Sunday, August 27, 2017 Greeters: Harold & Cindy Burnison Ushers: Harold Burnison, Vic Trisch, Jim Burnison, Steve Reinbold Refreshments: Kristi Weber, Holly Winter, Joanne Bigham, Cindy Burnison **If you are unable to provide refreshments when scheduled, please switch with someone on the list. **If your name is not on the Greeter and/or Refreshment list and you would like to serve, please contact the church office. **the Secondary Elder assigned for that month will also serve as the fourth usher. **If you’re not able to serve on a particular Sunday, please call another usher to replace you.