ststephensfallriver.org
221 North Main St
Fall River, WI 53932
Phone: 920-484-3822
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How can I be happy without doing anything dirty?
“Blessed are the pure in heart.”
Matthew 5:8
Wash your hands. Wash your hands! So often we are reminded of the need to wash our hands. After using the restroom, before eating, after eating, before cooking, after cooking. It’s so hard to keep them clean.
And that’s just our hands! Try keeping our hearts clean, and we have an impossible task! How hard it is to have perfectly pure motives! When I cut that little section of grass between my neighbors’ house and mine, the good deed is spoiled with the self-serving intent that maybe he’ll let me borrow his edger. I give some money for a worthy charitable cause, but only because I don’t want to disappoint the sincere person asking.
We may be able to hide our impure motives from others, but not from God. The Bible says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We can’t fool God. There is no covering false notions or hidden deception. God looks right through the outward act and inspects the inner motivation. He is looking for the pure in heart.
What is the measure for that kind of inner purity? God holds us up to his perfect will and measures us against it. The conclusion is that all of us have sinned and fall short of the sinless standard that God has set for us. Under God’s inspection, our hearts are not pure.
What’s the solution? Our hearts need to be washed. But how? We can’t wash them on our own, so Jesus did it for us. The Bible says, “The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). By his death for us, Jesus washed our hearts clean; he has cleansed us of sin’s stain. Through him all our sins are forgiven and our hearts are now pure in God’s sight.
The forgiveness of sins and purity of heart that we have received freely from Jesus powerfully motivates us to stay away from anything dirty. We’ll not want to dirty our hearts again with sinful things. Rather, we’ll be happy to strive to live according to the pure way that God teaches and thereby indicate our great appreciation for the sacrifice that Jesus made to wash our hearts clean.
In this month’s newsletter we encourage every one to be faithful in your worship life and prayer life of your Savior God. Don’t miss out on blessings from His gospel assurances and blessings from his Word.
Pastor Bolda’s summer sermon series concludes at the end of the month on the Seven Churches in the book of Revelation. Pastor Krueger’s series continues on the Lord’s Prayer on August 15th. Bring your friends to church. Attend church at your sister church in Doylestown or Fall River if it works better for your schedule. Don’t forget about Thursday night 7:30pm services in Fall River.
THANK you to our Vacation Bible School staff for holding an excellent VBS this year. And thanks for the teaching, canvassing, the crafts, etc. And thanks for the beautiful “set” to go along with presentation of the Word of the Lord about Noah. Special thanks to the children for being a very good “group” of Christian children.
Fellowship / Brewers Game: Changed to August 22nd. Want tickets? Call Pastor immediately.
Coming August 29th: Longtime area Pastor Walter Goers will retire from Friedens Lutheran in Randolph. God’s blessings to him and his wife in retirement. Events include: 2pm Service followed by farewell program and open house.
September 12th: Ice Cream Social at St. John’s. Mark your calendars!
Coming in September: “Modern” style worship service at our dual parish.
The Silent Treatment & The Deaf Ear
The Silent Treatment is sort of like this: when a person says nothing instead of saying something (anything). The “Deaf Ear” Treatment is sort of like this: when a person will not listen to something someone is saying. Nothing good can happen when the communication between people process breaks down like this. Have you ever given the Lord the “Silent Treatment?” Or the “Deaf Ear Treatment?” Offering few if any prayers to him in your daily lives. Giving His Word little to no attention for extended periods of time in your lives. Silence instead of prayers. Ignoring what God has to say for the day or week instead of paying attention to it. Nothing good can happen when the communication between a person and His God breaks down like this. The Lord loves you. He proved it when He gave His Son for you as the Savior you (and everyone) needs. Communicate with Him. With prayers & praises from your hearts. And with attention to His Word with your hearts. Don’t give God the silent treatment. Don’t harden your hearing to His Word. Like everyone, you need to pray to him and you need to hear his Word for continual reminders of his love and care, his forgiveness and help. The Lord is only a prayer away, or a prayer book away. Don’t give him the silent treatment. The Lord is only an open bible or a pew occupancy away. Don’t give him the deaf ear. Speak to your Lord in prayer. And Trust in Him and His Word. Assure him of your love and thankfulness. Let Him assure you of His love and promises in Jesus.