Our Savior Lutheran Church—LCMS Volume 14, Issue 7 Inside this issue: From the Pastor 1-2 Congregation 3-4 Calendar 5

July 2016

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Stewardship Under the Cross—Part 2 This series of article is written by Rev. Heath Curtis—LCMS. These articles present teaching that conforms to Holy Scripture and the Book of Concord. They also provide practical guides to practice this teaching in our homes and maybe even in our congregation. As you have questions, please ask. Pastor Pautz Do I have to Tithe?

Our Savior Lutheran Church 2611 Lucas Street Muscatine, IA 52761 Church Phone 563-263-0347 Email Pastor Pautz [email protected] Text Pastor Pautz 563-554-4488 Divine Service Sunday at 9 a.m. Monday at 6 p.m. Matins Service Wednesday at 9 a.m. Bible Studies Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at 9:30am

That is an interesting question: do we have to tithe under the New Testament? After all, tithing, that is, giving 10% of our income to God's work in the Church, is a regulation of the Old Testament. We live under Christ in the New Testament so does this apply to us today? We might approach our answer to this question by asking whether or not we have to keep the Third Commandment – which reads in full from Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. So do we have to keep this commandment? Should we cease from all labor on Saturday as the people of the Old Testament did? Of course not! That was one of the Old Testament prophecies of Christ – and since Christ has fulfilled the Sabbath rest by resting in the tomb on Holy Saturday, we are free from the Old Testament Sabbath regulations. Thus St. Paul writes, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:16-17) . And yet, there the Third Commandment stands in our Small Catechism: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy! What's going on here? Well, look at Luther's explanation of the third commandment: “What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but gladly hear and learn it.”

Stewardship Under the Cross—Part 2 So the form of the commandment, the letter of the law, has passed away as a shadow: but the spirit still remains. We are to honor God by our worship, by gladly receiving His Word and Sacraments in His Church. So it is with tithing. The New Testament nowhere lists the precise regulations about giving this tithe and that tithe to the Levites and the Temple and so on. Those precise regulations were to point us to Christ: who represents the fullness of humanity though He is one Man, just as the tithe represented the fullness of the income of the people of Israel though it was only 10% thereof. We are in no way bound to these precise legal regulations of Old Testament Israel. And yet, just as the fulfilling of the Sabbath Day doesn't mean that going to the Lord's House for worship once a week is obsolete – so also the New Testament does not make faithful financial stewardship obsolete. Rather, the New Testament is full of admonitions on this point: “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as each one of you may prosper.” (1 Cor.16:2); “But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us --see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (2 Cor. 8:7); “The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8). So just as the Old Testament's once a week worship became the benchmark for New Testament worship, so also the Old Testament's tithe becomes the benchmark for New Testament stewardship. Not in the way of inflexible, minute regulations – but in the way of pattern and fulfillment. If in the New Testament we are called to give proportionally (“as each one may prosper”), weekly (“on the first day”), and “generously” - then surely the Old Testament tithe is the floor level of Christian giving, not the ceiling. As our worship in the New Testament is a greater fulfillment of the Old Testament Sabbath, so also our New Testament stewardship is called to be an even greater sacrificial fulfillment of the Old Testament tithing regulations.

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HIGH SCHOOL TABLE TALK The next Table Talk is Sunday August 7th at 6:00pm. Welcome are all who just received confirmation: Megan Gibson, Kirstin Osland, Hannah Pautz, Brian Prussman, and Zach Eversmeyer. Also, if you are in High School and have not attended yet, this is a good time to jump in. You pick the topic (but I’ll come prepared with something just in case). Pastor

OFFERING UPDATE January through May 2016 Sunday Offerings E-Giving Sunday School Total Offering Budget

$59,044.97 $7,245.00 $56.94 $59,044.97 $69,320.00

ALTAR GUILD SIGN-UP A sign-up sheet is on the easel for the upcoming LWML year. Please add your name where you can serve. It is greatly appreciated. Betty Dunbar, Altar Chairman.

PRAYER SHAWLS Dear Sisters in Christ, Do you knit or crochet? Have you heard about Prayer Shawls? Prayer Shawls are made by women in many congregations all over the world. Christ taught that we are to clothe the naked and comfort the sick and dying. A Prayer Shawl represents God’s loving arms wrapped around someone who is suffering. Our love and prayers are added to the gift. If you are interested in finding out more about Prayer Shawl group at Our Savior, I will be here July 18 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Come pray with me. I yarn and a pattern to get you started. You may also 264-3644 or put a note in my mailbox at Church.

starting a on Monday, will bring call me at

Please consider how this quiet gift of your time can help spread Christ’s love. Kathy Logel 3

WEDNESDAY MATINS SERVICE AT 9:00AM The congregation is invited to attend Wednesday morning Matins Service. What is Matins? It is a service of prayer and Word with a devotion on the Bible reading of the day. This service will continue to be offered throughout the summer.

SUMMER WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY AT 9:30AM THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL. What was the basis of Martin Luther’s thought and teaching? Do Protestants today still teach and preach and live according to Luther’s belief’s? The Bondage of the Will is fundamental to an understanding of the primary doctrines of the Reformation. In these pages Luther gives major treatment to what he saw as the heart of the Gospel. The issue was freedom of the will and the matter under debate was the grace of an all-powerful God. Luther affirms man’s total inability to save himself and gift of divine grace in his salvation. He upholds the doctrine of justification by faith and defends predestination as determined by the foreknowledge of God. My goal is to address this topic so that you may have more Gospel in your day to day life. And when all is said and done we can keep adding our Amen to this line of the hymn A Mighty Fortress: With might of our can naught be done, soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the valiant One, whom God Himself elected. Ask ye who is this? Jesus Christ it is of Sabbaoth Lord, and there’s none other God; He holds the field forever. (LSB656:2)

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Our Savior Lutheran Church July 2016 Sunday

3 6th Sunday a. Trinity 9:00am Divine Service 10:30 Sunday School 10:45 Wilton Service 1:00pm Hombound

Monday

4 Independence Day

Tuesday

Wednesday

Friday

Saturday

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7 National

8 Conference

9 Pastor leaves for LCMS Convention

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14

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16

9:00am Matins 9:30am Bible study

Pastor returns from LCMS Convention

1:00pm God’s Word Lutheran Church for the Deaf

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21

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23

28

29

30

6 Things

5 Higher

Thursday

9:00am Matins 9:30am Bible study

6:00 pm Divine Service

8:00pm Elders 10 7th Sunday a. Trinity 9:00am Matins Service 10:30 Sunday School 11:30 Potluck

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6:00pm Matins Service 7:00pm Church Council

17 8th Sunday a. Trinity 18 9:00am Divine Service 10:30 Sunday School 10:45 Wilton Service 1:00pm Hombound 24 9th Sunday a. Trinity 9:00am Divine Service 10:30 Sunday School 10:45 Wilton Service 1:00pm Hombound

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19

9:00am Matins 9:30am Bible study 6:00 pm Divine Service

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27

9:00am Matins 9:30am Bible study 6:00pm Divine Service 7:00pm Voters’ Assembly

31 10th Sunday a. Trinity 9:00am Divine Service 10:30 Sunday School 10:45 Wilton Service 1:00pm Hombound 5