June 25, 2024
Dear Friends,
First, keep an eye on the bottom of this e-mail for things coming up!
Then, consider the words from Ecclesiastes in the picture above.
There are lots of strategies out there for dealing with hurtful things that people say. You can recite the mantra, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Or, “I’m rubber, you’re glue, and everything that you say bounces off me and sticks to you.” Or you can try exercising pity, feeling bad for someone who has to stoop so low.
But there’s another angle that the Bible suggests, summed up in these words from a famous 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon: “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be.” Or, as Solomon puts it in Ecclesiastes: “Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.”
This angle is not about self-esteem. It’s not about learning resiliency and letting things roll off me like water off a duck’s back. It’s about humility, being honest about how I really am: downright awful.
This is what Jesus is after when he says that you should pay attention to the log in your own eye before you help your neighbor with the speck in his.
Whatever you can see of your neighbor’s sin must pale in comparison with the extent of the sin you know is in your own heart. You can only see the tip of his iceberg, but you know how far down into the deep your own iceberg goes.
This starting place — this proper understanding of what’s in my heart and how much Christ has forgiven me — this is the setup for mercy. Knowing how much you’ve been forgiven makes it easy for you to forgive others and rejoice that they too can receive such mercy from Christ. Knowing how much needs to be forgiven and set right in your heart makes it possible for you to hear God’s Word rightly — to listen to preaching and correction and receive new life in the Sacrament.
So always start there, with Paul: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1Tim. 1:15). Start there and return there again and again. Confess, be forgiven, and then be merciful as your Father is merciful to you!
Old Settler’s Day at Fairhaven Park is coming up this Saturday, June 29! Concordia is serving Pork Chops for lunch – join in the fun! You can sign up to bring bars or help out with preparation and serving on the bulletin board by the church kitchen.
Mark your calendars for VBS on August 5-7 (Monday-Wednesday), 5:30-7pm! Invite your friends and neighbors! Come for part even if you can’t make it for all the days! The whole congregation is invited on Wednesday as we close out VBS with a pizza dinner followed by Vespers at 7pm!
The Ladies’ Book Club has another title in the works: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen! Copies of the book are available for $5 – just put your name down on the sign-up outside the offices. Meeting date/time are TBD sometime in July.
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, June 26
9:30 am – Chapel
10:00 am – Bible Study
7:00 pm – Vespers
Saturday, June 29
Old Settlers’ Day at the Fairhaven Park
Sunday, June 30
9:00 am – Divine Service
10:30 am – Bible Study
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
9:30 am – Chapel
10:00 am – Bible Study
7:00 pm – Vespers
Sunday, July 7, 2024
9:00 am – Divine Service
10:30 am – Bible Study