Friday, September 26, 2025

This week I received our Advent 2025 worship materials, and I came to this realization..... Can you believe it is now less than 3 months until Christmas! This year of 2025 has flown by! And while I didn't mean to panic you this morning, let's hear some words from Psalm 4....

                    "You have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly."    (Psalm 4:7  AMPC)

The Vanderbilt family epitomized the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century. Descendants of "The Commodore," Cornelius Vanderbilt plowed the vast wealth he'd gained from shipping and railroads into immense homes and lavish social gatherings designed to outdo all others. Fellow Americans were stunned by their wild spending ways.
   
A century later, Arthur Vanderbilt II wrote Fortune's Children, an account of the wild spending that erased the family wealth. In one intriguing account, the author quoted a newspaper reporter's conversation with another Gilded Age figure. When the former said that the Vanderbilt's "spared no expense in the pursuit of pleasure," the latter disagreed. "No, they spared no pleasure in the pursuit of expense." 
   
Wealth is certainly a double-edged sword. Of course, it's nice not to worry about groceries or the power bill. But money can subtly become a hard taskmaster, driving us to compete with others. When that happens, pleasure gives way to pain... stresses like envy and one-upmanship. 
   
The solution is to find our wholeness in God, who can "put more joy and rejoicing" in our hearts than anyone or anything else. And why not? Having created all things, God is far beyond any amount of wealth, any person or home or experience we could ever imagine.  

                   I have vast wealth in simply knowing You, Lord. Please help me be content.  Amen. 

+++ On Sunday we gather for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am and we will hear another of Jesus' parables... this one about a man named Lazarus, a poor beggar. And we will be talking about wealth and treasures and what the valuable things in life really are. At 10:00am we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Baptism once again and welcome another new member to our church family.  Our Facebook "live-stream" begins at 10:00am and, following worship we will upload the completed worship service to our YouTube page, as well. We hope to welcome you for worship on Sunday! 

+++ Following worship our Highway Cleanup crew will be heading out once again to beautify a section of Route 695! See Lynne H. for information and bring your work clothes if you'd like to join the group.  

+++ St. Michael's Lutheran Church will be offering another Grab and Go Dinner of Pasta and Meatballs on Tuesday, September 30. Serving starts at 5:00pm and goes quickly so don't be late!  
   
+++ Don't forget to sign up for our first Second Sunday Luncheon of the new school year, being held on Sunday, October 12th! Barb B. will be making us a batch of her world-famous Mac and Cheese and the fellowship and meal sure are fun. But we need you to sign up so we have enough food for all.  

+++ You can also sign up for Barb M.'s Healthy Aging class, starting on Wednesday, October 8th. The class and soup luncheon will be offered on 5 Wednesday mornings, and Barb would be glad to give you more information about it.  

+++ Have you marked your calendar for our fall Craft Fair on October 24th and 25th? It's a great chance to do some fall shopping and introduce your friends and neighbors to our church. See Betty B. for information, please. 

Make this day a great day and enjoy the wealth God has given each of us!   
​Pastor Jack