10203 W. Tieton Drive, Yakima WA 98908 Isaac P. Cherney, Pastor

www.redeemer-yakima.org (262) 204-8027

Worship: Sunday 9:00 AMBible Class to follow

GOD’S ENCOURAGING WORD

When I am tired

Sleep experts advise getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night. We need rest for our tired bodies to recuperate.

Even on the most regular day, life is draining. The work day is long and the demands are great. The commute, getting the kids to school, work schedules, meeting deadlines, grocery shopping, getting dinner ready, children’s activities, only to get ready to do it over again the next day. Getting older doesn’t help matters. By the time you hit the pillow at night you may feel like a smart device that has only 2% battery life left.

But what do you do when you become tired emotionally? It’s the exhaustion that comes from strained relationships, heated arguments and being rejected by those from whom you want acceptance.

Then there’s that inner weariness—the kind that no one else knows you have except you. The weariness that comes from the burden of sin and guilt. It comes when you must live in the brokenness of past mistakes. When things don’t go so well on any given day, you wonder if God is angry and out to get you. The earthly consequences of your sins and knowledge of your guilt is…well…spiritually tiring.

God comes to you today with an encouraging word recorded in the book of Isaiah: The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

The LORD is the everlasting God. He is the Creator. He never gets tired. He has perfect understanding; he knows what it’s like when you feel tired for any reason at all. He promises to give strength to you when you’re tired. The LORD God is Jesus, your Savior. He took your sins and guilt to the cross and died for you. It’s a fact! Jesus took your sins and guilt away from you, buried it all in his tomb, and rose from the dead. Your sins are forgiven. That’s rest—rest for your soul. Talk about strength for the weary!

And don’t forget! It’s the LORD God who gives the blessing of physical rest too. It’s been said that a clean conscience is a good pillow. God gives you this clean conscience in Jesus Christ. He also provides you with home, food, and bed to become recharged to tackle the new day with all its challenges. So do it with all the energy and strength that Lord God gives you as his own through faith in Jesus!

· From the WELS Outreach Newsletter

OCTOBER 2018

See http://www.redeemer-yakima.org/#/calendarnews for most recently updated calendar

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

1

2

3

4

5

6

9:00am

Worship Committee

7

9:30am Worship

11:00am Bible Study

6:30pm

Catechism

8

9

6:00pm

Ladies Bible Study at Redeemer

10

11

12

13

7:00am Elders

9:00am

“Dying to Live” Forgiveness Study

14

9:30am Worship

(Communion)

11:00am Bible Study

2:00 pm

Fall Colors Hike

6:30pm

Catechism

15

16

17

18

19

20

9:00am

Grace/Redeemer

Men’s Gathering

21

9:30 Worship

11:00am VOTERS’ MEETING

6:30pm

Catechism

22

23

6:00pm

Ladies Bible Study at Redeemer

24

25

26

27

28

9:30am Worship

(Communion)

11:00am Bible Study

3:00pm Joint Reformation Service

6:30pm

Catechism

29

30

31

DATE ATTENDANCE MINISTRATIONS -EVENTS OFFERINGS

Sunday, September 2, 2018

85

Grace 19 / Redeemer 11

$3,899.68

Sunday, September 9, 2018

72

Grace 16 / Redeemer 14

$4,361.25

Sunday, September 16, 2018

74

Grace 20 /Redeemer 16

$3,289.00

Sunday, September 23, 2018

83

12

$5,417.00

The Reformation Celebration: A Great Tradition!

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God’s Word clearly shows us an amazing truth: the righteousness our Lord demands of us has been delivered in Christ. Our faith clings to this. May we never take this gift for granted! May every messenger who championed this sacred revelation be celebrated and imitated in our church!

While we pursue that godly goal all year round, October 31st is a special date to celebrate regarding church history. A champion of the gospel rose to proclaim the simple and freeing truth of Christ’s love in a time where it was risky, a landscape in which it was difficult. The German monk Martin Luther embraced the good work of church fathers before and was determined to speak the honest truth boldly to God’s people: God’s righteousness is yours in Christ!

The tradition of celebrating Reformation, then, is not so much gratitude for a bold-speaking German 500 years ago, but the incalculable joy we share knowing that God’s gospel message is victorious in every age. On October 28 we celebrate God’s work through one particular servant, Martin Luther. Our prayer is that you join us to celebrate the truth of God’s Word continually; giving thanks for the great salvation gift we have been given.

In the spirit of Reformation focus on faith in Christ and all the blessings it brings, here is a devotion from Luther himself from his devotion book By Faith Alone[footnoteRef:1]. It concerns the marvelous aspects of faith that we take for granted. May it inspire you to gratitude and praise in your life for the reforming God did with your heart to give you your faith and put you to service in his kingdom! [1: God’s Word Publishing: Grand Rapids, 1998. Ed. Galvin, James C.]

Faith Changes People

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Hebrews 11:9

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Faith changes people. It makes them see everything in a new light. Their ears hear, their eyes see, and their hearts feel something completely different from what everyone else perceives.

Faith is living and powerful. It’s not a simple-minded idea. It doesn’t float around in the heart like a goose on the water. Rather, it’s like water that’s been heated. After heating, the water is different. It’s still water, but it’s warm. The same thing happens when the Holy Spirit gives us faith. Faith transforms the mind and attitudes. It creates an entirely new person.

Faith is active, profound, and powerful. If a person were to describe faith correctly, he would say it’s a process, not a result. In other words, faith changes the heart and mind.

Reason tends to concentrate on what is present – the here and now. Faith concerns itself with things that are intangible and, contrary to reason, regards them as actually being present. That is why faith isn’t as common among people as the five senses are. Considering the number of people in the world, there are relatively few believers. Most people concern themselves with what they can see, touch, and handle rather than listening to God’s Word.

Get to Know Your Council:

Education Representative – Doug Widhalm

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“Wait… councilmen are people, too?”

In an attempt to put faces to the names, our newsletter will be showing you Redeemer’s council one office at a time. Our hope is that with these entries you learn a little about the councilmen you can encourage, give input, and pray for as they do the good work of serving Redeemer.

Hailing from a farm outside Valier, Montana, Doug Widhalm became a member of Redeemer in 1991. He served one term as Education Representative in the early 90’s, taking up the office again in 2014. You can catch him most days at AutoCare Experts on Ahtanum Rd.

Vehicles are more than just a job for Doug. He enjoys drag-racing, having participated in competitions everywhere from Walla Walla to Mission, Canada. Where one might assume winter might mean a break from freewheelin’, for Doug it simply means switching to the alternative: snowmobiling.

Doug’s work as Education Representative includes overseeing the preschool, Sunday School, and coordinating with our Teen Group leader (and as it happens, Doug’s bride), Cherie Widhalm. We thank the Widhalms for their commitment to education at Redeemer and the gospel ministry we share together!

Doug and Cherie Widhalm

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