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Alive in Christ to share life in Christ
5200 Lake Otis Parkway · 563-3499 · FaithAlaska.com
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost July 5, 2020
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Jeremiah 19:14-20:6
Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the LORD’s temple and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ”
20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. 4 For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’ ”
The First Lesson
A word from your pastor about this Word of God
Jeremiah’s words to the leaders of the temple no doubt brought more recoil than a cannon’s blast and more turmoil than the projectile’s destruction. Pashhur, the second in command after the high priest, was blazing mad. He demonstrates just how hostile the Old Adam is to the Word of the Lord. Held by the tyrannical dictator—sin—we, too, demonstrate our stiff necks.
Jesus came to conquer our greatest foe: our dependence on ourselves!
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The Second Lesson Romans 5:12-18
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13
for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
A word from your pastor about this Word of God
As a citizen of the United States of America, which do you prefer: servitude or freedom? It’s an easy question, isn’t it? We value our freedom and independence as something sacred. However, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven value something greater than independence; we value our dependence on Christ and the lasting freedom that He gives. Jesus is so powerful that He is able, by one singular act, to undo all the damage of the dictator of death. Although Adam brought disaster on his descendants, Jesus gives us real and lasting independence from our true oppressors.
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The Gospel Matthew 10:24-33
“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
A word from your pastor about this Word of God
Imagine if our forefathers hadn’t signed the Declaration of Independence with their own names, but had simply written “Anonymous.” What if those men hadn’t had the courage to stand united against Britain, but instead, quickly apologized for their insubordination and then once again donned the red coats of England? Jesus speaks of something far braver than the actions of the early revolutionaries; He speaks to us about the courage of the everyday Christian. Jesus calls us, not to declare our independence from any nation on earth, but our allegiance to the kingdom of Heaven. The battles are fiercer than any the world has seen, but take heart in the One
Who gives us true freedom: Jesus Christ!
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Message Notes Living the Gospel: You Have Real Independence!
A sermon based on Romans 5:12-18
On July 4, our nation celebrates Independence Day. Most of us likely don’t spend much time reflecting on what the day is really about anymore. We’ve enjoyed the freedoms of the United States of America for as long as we’ve been alive that we might just take the historical aspect of the date and its celebration for granted. The Continental Congress, representing the original 13 colonies, voted to declare independence from England on July 2 and made their declaration public on the fourth of July. The political world always seems to cover up the real truth. July 4th didn’t make us any more independent. The whole thing is a hoax and a sham. Romans tells us why.
In the sermon text today, note the stark contrast that Paul sets up between two people: the one man—Adam—and the one man—Jesus Christ. He demonstrates both the singular nature of the acts of each and the universal consequences that each caused. Both Adam and Jesus brought about new reigning and ruling in the hearts of mankind; Adam introduced a kingdom of sin and death and Christ introduced a kingdom of grace and life. The former is really nothing more than a declaration of slavery to tyranny while the latter is a declaration of liberty for eternity.
It’s difficult for the modern world to deal with this text. It’s hard to come to grips with the idea that because some dead guy did something wrong before I was born, his guilt colors my life. That’s more appalling than taxation without representation. And yet, the Book of Romans clarifies the concept of what we mean when we say “I confess that I am by nature sinful.” It’s a proclamation that we are truly held hostage by sin and subjects of the tyrannical dictator: death. We’re not independent. It’s beautiful to understand the truth of this text. Real independence comes from recognizing our true dependence on Christ. That’s living the Gospel!
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Announcements
Our pastors are ready to serve you in any way consistent with their office. If you have spiritual Pastor Christopher Ewings - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - [email protected] - (907) 792-9788 Pastor Nathan Wagenknecht - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - [email protected] - (817) 428-2356 Pastor Pao Moua - Hmong Faith Lutheran Church - [email protected] - 891-2640 Faith Lutheran Preschool offers a high-quality education in an environment enriched with Christian teachings and values. For more information, contact the office at 563-3499.
Your vote matters! We will have our annual meeting on Sunday, July 12 at 4:30pm. After rescheduling the typical time due to COVID, we hope that you can join us to share your thoughts on our ministry. Look for an informational packed about our ministry later in the week. Also note that we will be making provisions for those who are uncomfortable attending in person to join us online. With today’s technology, we have the capabilities to allow our voting members to weigh in our congregation’s decisions anonymously and responsibly.
Dear fellow members of the family of Faith,
It is with deep appreciation in our hearts that we would like to thank you for your farewell presentations for us. The drive-by farewell was heartwarming with the decorated cars and wonderful signs. It was a delightful morning to see and visit with many people before our departure. We will treasure the kind words spoken to us at the last church service before leaving Alaska. The metal bear wall hanging will be a great reminder of our beloved Alaska. We thank the Lord of the church for allowing us to serve the children of Faith for over forty years. Your support and encouragement over the years have been a vital blessing to us in our service to the Lord. We pray that God would continue to bless, guide, and strengthen you as you continue to reach out to the Anchorage community with His saving Word of life.
In Christ's service,
Tom & Cindy Zarnstorff
The Zarnstorffs are on their way to Arizona! If you would like to send them a letter, or visit them in the South, you can find them at
295 E US Hwy. 70, Box 18 Bylas, AZ 85530
We wish them Godspeed and God’s blessings on their trip and ministry! Read a letter they asked to share with you below:
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Announcements
Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Wisconsin Synod Lutherans are Christians who are convinced that the Bible is the Word of God. We are eager to share the comfort, hope and power of the unchanging message of the Gospel: Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the eternal salvation of mankind.
Faith Lutheran Church: 10:30 Worship Service, 9:37 Bible Study Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo: 12:30 Worship Service Hmong Faith Lutheran: 3:00 Worship Service with Sunday School and Bible Study to follow
Dishwasher for Toys The Preschool is requesting a dishwasher in order to better sanitize toys against the sickies. Offerings may be marked “Dishwasher” if you would like to contribute. For more information, please contact our Preschool Director, Ms. Rockhoff.
We will not offer Vacation Bible School this year. While we were hoping to offer VBS this summer to the kids of our congregation, due to the conflicting schedules of both members and staff in addition to COVID concerns, there isn’t a week where it would be feasible to offer this opportunity. Unfortunately, we will have to cancel this, too.
Join us for a WILD youth rally! The Alaska Circuit is planning to offer the first ever Alaskan Youth Rally on August 6-8 in Denali National Park. We hope to have teens from Fairbanks, Wasilla, Eagle River, Anchorage and Kenai participate in this event. For any questions, or if you’d like to help, please contact Pastor Chris.
Alaskan Youth Rally
Take Me Out to the Ball Game! King of Kings Lutheran Church in Wasilla has invited Faith to play a few friendly games of softball over the summer. After a rain delay last week, we rescheduled the first games for this Saturday, July 11 at 4:00pm. Pastor Robbert is working on acquiring a field in either Birchwood or Eagle River. If you would like to play on Saturday, please meet in the Faith parking lot at 3:00pm. Also, we’re planning to grill out together in the evening after the games. Please talk with Pastor Chris for more details.
Alaska Called Workers Summer Conference Note on the calendar that the Alaskan Called workers will be having a summer conference from July 21-24 in Kenai. The Alaskan Circuit is making an effort to pursue more opportunities for professional growth right here in our home state. At this conference, we will be learning with the pastors and teachers from all the WELS congregations in Alaska as we study a book called “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.”
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Stay up to date with what’s happening at Faith by liking our Facebook page. You can find us at Faith Lutheran Church Alaska.
Calendar
If you cannot join us on Sunday morning, you may watch our services online. You can view them live or any time after the service is finished. Follow the link on our website at FaithAlaska.com, or go directly to youtube.com and search for “Faith Lutheran Church Alaska.”
Offerings June 28
General: $4,079 Missions: $35
Faith Lutheran School June 28
Donations: $210
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
9:37am
Bible study
10:30am
Worship
4:00pm
Softball Make-
Up in Wasilla
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
9:37am
Bible study
10:30am
Worship with Holy
Communion
4:30pm
Annual Meeting
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
9:37am
Bible study
10:30am
Worship
26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1
9:37am
Bible study
10:30am
Worship with Holy
Communion
4:00pm
Softball in Wasilla
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9:37am
Bible study
10:30am
Worship
Attendance June 28
Faith 62 Iglesia 12
Alaska Circuit Summer Conference in Kenai
