Christian Life Spring Web-shop 2020
Psalm 139:14
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well. (ESV)
Note from Sheila Phelps - Chimney Rock Zone Christian Life Chair
I know this isn't the most ideal situation, but thought this was better than completely canceling our Spring Christian Life Workshop. This page is set up using the general workshop format. As you can see, there are links to both text, videos, and hymns. If you are able to gather as a small group and have your own mini-workshop, that would be great. If not, this page can be used individually.
Additionally, I am mailing a hard copy of the text portions of the workshop to CRZ Society Presidents for members unable to view online.
Link to additional hymns: The complete TLH hymn melodies played on pipe organ
(This is melody only - you will need a TLH hymnal, or the corresponding hymn # from LSB)
Additionally, I am mailing a hard copy of the text portions of the workshop to CRZ Society Presidents for members unable to view online.
Link to additional hymns: The complete TLH hymn melodies played on pipe organ
(This is melody only - you will need a TLH hymnal, or the corresponding hymn # from LSB)
Opening
Opening Hymn: Shepherd of Tender Youth
LSB 865 (tune Italian Hymn),
TLH 628 (tune Olivet)
The League Pledge
In fervent gratitude for the Savior's dying love and His blood-bought gift of redemption we dedicate ourselves to Him with all that we are and have; and in obedience to His call for workers in the harvest fields, we pledge Him our willing service wherever and whenever He has need of us. We consecrate to our Savior our hands to work for Him, our feet to go on His errands, our voice to sing His praises, our lips to proclaim His redeeming love, our silver and our gold to extend His Kingdom, our will to do His will, and every power of our life to the great task of bringing the lost and the erring into eternal fellowship with Him. Amen.
LSB 865 (tune Italian Hymn),
TLH 628 (tune Olivet)
The League Pledge
In fervent gratitude for the Savior's dying love and His blood-bought gift of redemption we dedicate ourselves to Him with all that we are and have; and in obedience to His call for workers in the harvest fields, we pledge Him our willing service wherever and whenever He has need of us. We consecrate to our Savior our hands to work for Him, our feet to go on His errands, our voice to sing His praises, our lips to proclaim His redeeming love, our silver and our gold to extend His Kingdom, our will to do His will, and every power of our life to the great task of bringing the lost and the erring into eternal fellowship with Him. Amen.
Opening Devotion:
Quickening
Rev. Jeffery Grams
Luke 1:39–45 (ESV): 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
I remember the first time I felt my daughter move while she was still in my wife’s womb. My hand on her tummy trembled with nervous joy, as I felt the life that was growing within. There is nothing quite like that feeling. The miracle of life is so real and precious in that moment. At the very heart of the pro-life movement is this simple reality; that the life we feel moving in the womb is a gift of God.
In the Gospel of Luke above, we see that miracle multiplied! The miraculous conception of John stands as evidence of the power of God unto the miraculous conception of Jesus. John was miraculously conceived to an elderly couple past childbearing years. Jesus was miraculously conceived of the Virgin Mary with no human father at all….
Here we see their first “meeting” before either was even born. Nevertheless, baby John was moved to leap for joy in the presence of baby Jesus. Not only were they alive in the womb, they had already taken up an aspect of their office. John, the forerunner, acknowledging the coming of Jesus as the Savior of the world.
Every child, from the moment they are conceived, is a miraculous gift of God. Every child has a unique identity and vocation which they are meant to fulfill. May the Lord grant us the wisdom to cherish every life as a unique gift of God.
Heavenly Father, you breathe into our human frame the precious gift of life. Grant mercy and forgiveness to those who have suffered the loss of the little ones that are so precious to us all. Move our hearts to leap for joy with John in the presence of our savior. Amen
Bible Study:
Rev. Neil Carlson Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Video Link - does not include additional notes) Part I Text Link (text only) Part II Additional Notes Text Link (text only) |
Psalm 139: 13-16
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a] Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. |
Christian Life Feature
Watch this beautiful video from Bethesda Lutheran Communities - Lutherans for Life. I think this message speaks for itself.
We are all......
Wonderfully Made.......
God Knows Me - A Mustard Seed Devotion
O LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways (Psalm 139:1-3).
God knows us intimately. He is familiar with each one of us. He walks with us and calls us by name. The Holy Spirit knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows everything about us. He knows when we rest or work, laugh or cry, what we say and think. As humans we find this too difficult to comprehend; it boggles our minds. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it (Psalm 139:6). For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Our Father knew us before our parents knew us. From the beginning His desire was for us to be His children. Nobody loves us like God loves us. The God who created us, loves us, and knows us will forever be at our side. Not one minute in the span of our lives will go unnoticed by Him. While we are still on this earth we will never fully understand the awesomeness of God, but we can honor Him with praise and thanksgiving for what He has done and continues to do in our lives. We can be ready to tell others of our omnipresent Father … who desires all people to be saved … (1 Timothy 2:4).
Prayer: What comfort it is, dear Lord, to know that we do not face this day alone. You are with us to protect and guide us. Thank You for being ever present in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Mustard Seed: Comfort from the Psalms. Authors: Marcia Gomulka & Myrna Lou Meyer. 26/30 ©2009 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org)
Learn More about Bethesda Lutheran Communities
"To enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through services that share the good news of Jesus Christ."
Bethesda
Human Care Feature
A few activity ideas
May 2020: Women Blessing Women - What a great way to "celebrate all women in their own special role" April 2020: Activities as we stay-at-home: Includes a pattern for cloth masks Mission Service Activity Archive: |
In-gathering
"Equipping Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life"
Lutherans For Life Precious Feet pins are available for a suggested donation price of $5.00 each. The proceeds from these pins will go toward the purchase of materials for "Layette Kits" and donated to Orphan Grain Train.
To order your pin - contact your Society President. She will place one order for your society.
Society Presidents: to order pins, please send one check to Sheila and she will mail the pins to you.
Sheila Phelps
36975 CR 69 Box A9A
Peetz, CO 80747
Lutherans For Life Precious Feet pins are available for a suggested donation price of $5.00 each. The proceeds from these pins will go toward the purchase of materials for "Layette Kits" and donated to Orphan Grain Train.
To order your pin - contact your Society President. She will place one order for your society.
Society Presidents: to order pins, please send one check to Sheila and she will mail the pins to you.
Sheila Phelps
36975 CR 69 Box A9A
Peetz, CO 80747
In-gathering Prayer:
Almighty God, Heavenly Father, the maker of heaven and earth, we praise You for creating us in Your own image, and for gifting us with bodies which You have formed with Your own hands. We praise You and bless You, and join our voices with Your servant David in confessing that:
Almighty God, Heavenly Father, the maker of heaven and earth, we praise You for creating us in Your own image, and for gifting us with bodies which You have formed with Your own hands. We praise You and bless You, and join our voices with Your servant David in confessing that:
You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from
You when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the dark of the womb,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in
Your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Remind us that we are not an accident, nor formed by random chance, but Your special creation, fashioned for Your pleasure. Help us to glorify You by yielding the members of our body as instruments of righteousness for Your service and the good of others.
(This prayer was shared on May 2, 2013 at the National Day of Prayer event in Portage, Michigan. The prayer was written by Rev. Dr. Paul R. Naumann, senior pastor at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, in Portage.)
(Graphic "Psalm 139:13" by April Knight #scripturedoodle)
(This prayer was shared on May 2, 2013 at the National Day of Prayer event in Portage, Michigan. The prayer was written by Rev. Dr. Paul R. Naumann, senior pastor at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, in Portage.)
(Graphic "Psalm 139:13" by April Knight #scripturedoodle)
Leader Development/HOPE Feature
Dear LWML leaders, your Chimney Rock Zone Leadership Committee, Julia Meisner and Jeanette Stahl encourage you to utilize the wonderful resources available on the LWML website Click the "Service" tab, and then "Leadership Development". Sign up to receive "Tips for Leading with Confidence" on The LWML website. Two Leadership Tips we recently received Were Leadership Transition, Parts I and II. (Click HERE) An excellent resource for new or incoming officers. Another that is especially appropriate at this time is "Dear Lucy Leader...Leading During a Pandemic. " (CLICK HERE)
Prayers for you all and everyone as we experience this first ever world wide Pandemic together. We wish you God's Blessing .
Julia and Jeanette
Prayers for you all and everyone as we experience this first ever world wide Pandemic together. We wish you God's Blessing .
Julia and Jeanette
Closing Devotion:
Pro Eternal Life
Rev Jeffery Gramms
1 Corinthians 15:42–49 (ESV): 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
We cherish every gift of life from the moment it is conceived, until the day the Lord claims our spirit and our flesh returns to the dust from which it was formed.
Nevertheless, as Christians we are also absolutely certain of an even greater gift. The promise that in Jesus Christ on the day of the resurrection we will receive a new and glorious body. This body will be free from sin and guilt and death. It will be as different from the one we have now, as a full-grown plant is from a seed that is sewn into the ground.
This creates a blessed paradox for all living Christians. We cherish this life and celebrate our existence, we also look forward to the eternal life yet to come. This allows us the freedom to live in our vocations, without obsessing over “protecting our life” and trembling in fear of death.
Especially in times of plague when we are confronted with our own mortality, we are set free by the promise of everlasting life. We do not need to compromise our values or vocation in order to try to prolong our earthly existence. Instead, we simply celebrate the life we have while anticipating the life yet to be.
When the end of our days approaches, we are free to pass from this world into life eternal with dignity and confidence. Free from fear, we are enabled to act both rationally and in faith as we make end of life decisions.
Heavenly father, please bless your children with a spirit of Thanksgiving and hope, as we use this life to the glory of your name and look forward to the glory of life eternal with our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev Jeffery Gramms
1 Corinthians 15:42–49 (ESV): 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
We cherish every gift of life from the moment it is conceived, until the day the Lord claims our spirit and our flesh returns to the dust from which it was formed.
Nevertheless, as Christians we are also absolutely certain of an even greater gift. The promise that in Jesus Christ on the day of the resurrection we will receive a new and glorious body. This body will be free from sin and guilt and death. It will be as different from the one we have now, as a full-grown plant is from a seed that is sewn into the ground.
This creates a blessed paradox for all living Christians. We cherish this life and celebrate our existence, we also look forward to the eternal life yet to come. This allows us the freedom to live in our vocations, without obsessing over “protecting our life” and trembling in fear of death.
Especially in times of plague when we are confronted with our own mortality, we are set free by the promise of everlasting life. We do not need to compromise our values or vocation in order to try to prolong our earthly existence. Instead, we simply celebrate the life we have while anticipating the life yet to be.
When the end of our days approaches, we are free to pass from this world into life eternal with dignity and confidence. Free from fear, we are enabled to act both rationally and in faith as we make end of life decisions.
Heavenly father, please bless your children with a spirit of Thanksgiving and hope, as we use this life to the glory of your name and look forward to the glory of life eternal with our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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You may also include the Evening Prayer (LSB 243) or the Compline (LSB 254)
Note: The link is to the music portion of each service. Follow along in the LSB. When it is time for the Readings, use the readings of the week. You can find the reading of the week HERE
Evening Prayer: Service of LIght (LSB 243)
or
Compline: Prayer at the Close of the Day (LSB 253)
You may also include the Evening Prayer (LSB 243) or the Compline (LSB 254)
Note: The link is to the music portion of each service. Follow along in the LSB. When it is time for the Readings, use the readings of the week. You can find the reading of the week HERE
Evening Prayer: Service of LIght (LSB 243)
or
Compline: Prayer at the Close of the Day (LSB 253)
Closing Hymn: Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won
TLH 201, LSB 490 (Concordia Publishing)
TLH 201, LSB 490 (Concordia Publishing)
Announcements
***NOTE***
Please continue to put together Layette Kits for Regional West.
We will collect them at a later date.
Reminder - no crochet or knitted blankets as per hospital policy.
Unfortunately as the District LWML Board "met" via Zoom this past Saturday, it was decided we could not, in good conscience, go ahead with plans for District Convention in Rock Springs this June. Our district website will have a "virtual convention" put together. The District President, Barb Schaer, will be contacting all of the Society Presidents about this. As I have more information, I will try to get it to you to post on our website also. I do know that each society should choose 2 delegates to go online and vote and that each society will be assessed a $20.00 convention fee to help cover expenses and allow for the delegate voting. There will be another "zoom" district board meeting in May to finalize plans. Please take the time to visit the
Wyoming District web page. It will have info and other useful information. And if anyone has questions or concerns about anything, please call or text me at (308)631-7472 or email me at [email protected]
Please continue to put together Layette Kits for Regional West.
We will collect them at a later date.
Reminder - no crochet or knitted blankets as per hospital policy.
Unfortunately as the District LWML Board "met" via Zoom this past Saturday, it was decided we could not, in good conscience, go ahead with plans for District Convention in Rock Springs this June. Our district website will have a "virtual convention" put together. The District President, Barb Schaer, will be contacting all of the Society Presidents about this. As I have more information, I will try to get it to you to post on our website also. I do know that each society should choose 2 delegates to go online and vote and that each society will be assessed a $20.00 convention fee to help cover expenses and allow for the delegate voting. There will be another "zoom" district board meeting in May to finalize plans. Please take the time to visit the
Wyoming District web page. It will have info and other useful information. And if anyone has questions or concerns about anything, please call or text me at (308)631-7472 or email me at [email protected]
More links if you are interested.......
- LCMS Life Ministry: Advocating for the unborn, weak and vulnerable
- Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond. (Note from Sheila: This is Exceptionally Good - produced in 2011 We are God's Great Creation)
- The Story Behind The Precious Feet Pin: Many of us have worn it, and others have surely seen it — the iconic pro-life “Precious Feet” pin. But what’s the story behind this symbol?
- Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus - "All is Well" - 2012 Lutherans For Life National Conference
- Lutherans For Life: "Equipping Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life"
- Orphan Grain Train: "Orphan Grain Train is a Christian volunteer network that ships donated food, clothing, medical and other needed items to people in 69 different countries including the USA."