The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

August 5, 2007 9:00am

Thank You for sharing this time of worship with us. We're glad you're here! Please sign the Friendship Register. Do come again! If you do not have a local church home, we invite you to make your home with us. Here you will find Christian love, opportunities for spiritual growth, warm friendships, and a feeling of being part of the family of God.

Assisting Us In Worship This Morning

The Mathew Puliyelil family, greeters

Greg Schuyler, head usher

John Mueller, communion assistant

Linda Henkel, organist

We Gather To Worship The Lord

Order of Service: The Common Service, page 15 in front of the hymnal

Hymns: 229 411 410 379

Message: Luke 11:1-13

“What To Pray For, And How To Pray For It”

This Week At Mt. Olive

Today: 8:45am Prayer Time in the Fireside Room

9:00am Family Worship with Holy Communion

10:00am Social Time

Monday: 7:00pm “Time of Grace” Bible Study

Next Sunday: 6:30am “Time of Grace” on KMSP, Channel 9

9:00am Family Worship Service

THE FIRST LESSON: Genesis 18:20-32

Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know."

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached Him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing-- to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," He said, "I will not destroy it." Once again he spoke to Him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

THE SECOND LESSON: Colossians 2:6-15

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

Join Us For Monday Evening Bible Study. Called “Time of Grace,” it begins with a viewing of the weekly “Time of Grace” church service with Pastor Mark Jeske, and continues with a discussion of that week’s text and topic. We meet in the air-conditioned Fireside Room at 7:00pm. All welcome!

A Door Offering for the renovation of the main lodge at Camp Croix will be taken next Sunday, August 12^th. Offerings up to $200 will be matched by Thrivent. A video presentation of Mt. Olive’s annual Camp Croix Weekend will be shown during next Sunday’s Fellowship Hour.

The State Fair Is Coming! That means we’ll need volunteers to park cars in our parking lot. There is a sign-up sheet on the narthex bulletin board. Please sign up today! There are three shifts per day, beginning at 8:00am and ending at 8:00pm. Thank you for your help!

St. John Lutheran School Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 registration will be held on Wednesday, August 8^th, from 3:30-7:00 p.m. Please park in the parking lot behind church and enter through those doors. If you are unable to register your child(ren) at that time, please call the school office at 651.776.8861 to make other arrangements. If you know of anyone who might be interested in sending their child to our school, please let them know of the registration date. St. John School is located at 771 Margaret Street in St. Paul.

You Are Invited to celebrate St. Croix Lutheran High School's 50th Anniversary weekend of events August 10 - 12, 2007. Come next Saturday afternoon to meet and greet former principals, teachers, Alumni, and friends during the Open House from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, August 11. Strike up the band and be there for a Patriotic Tribute at 3 pm to honor those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. This provides a chance to thank them personally. Bring friends and family!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game! That's right, it's time again for "Lutheran Night at the Twins"! The game is at 7:10pm on Tuesday, August 21^st against the Seattle Mariners. The Crossroad Associates and the South Ramsey County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have teamed up to provide two buses to the game at NO cost to you! The bus will leave from Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (674 Johnson Pkwy) at 6pm sharp. General admission tickets are available for only $6 (with one dollar of each ticket going to Habitat for Humanity). Space is limited and the deadline to order your tickets is Monday, August 13^th, so reserve your spot early by calling Audrey Gilman or Kevin Bonine at 651-738-1767.

St. Croix Lutheran High School will begin the 50th year of providing Christian secondary education in the Twin Cities. Please join us as we open the school year with a very special service in the St. Croix Chapel on Sunday, August 26, at 3 p.m. The service will include the installation of new called staff including Dr. Gene Pfeifer, president of St. Croix LHS. Time for fellowship and refreshments will follow the service.

Mission Boxes for the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society that you have been filling with change can be turned in to Mae Schmidt, our LWMS Reporter, before the end of September to ensure being counted before the Fall Rally. New boxes are available in the back of church. Thank you!

WELS News Release
August 3, 2007

Presidents demonstrate unity as convention closes

Newly elected WELS President Mark Schroeder and former president Karl Gurgel together are urging delegates to take home a message of unity as they head back to their home congregations today.

In interviews with WELS Director of Communications Joel Hochmuth as the 59th biennial convention concluded, both discussed their hopes for the synod’s future and their confidence in the Lord to provide.

“From day one there was no doubt that we all have the same beliefs, we have the same core beliefs, and we have the same mission—to spread the gospel and to declare His praises,” says former president Gurgel.

“This convention, even though it was facing some tremendous challenges, was the most optimistic and positive conventions that I’ve witnessed,” says Pres. Schroeder. “In spite of the problems we face, with God’s help we can move forward.”

Before leaving, the delegates adopted a series of resolutions that keep Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS), Saginaw, Mich., open. The convention amended a proposal from the Synodical Council (SC) that would have closed MLS at the end of the 2007-08 school year.

The budget adopted by the convention alters the SC proposal by adding $600,000 to the 2008–09 budget for World Missions and $2 million to the 2008-09 budget for the Board for Ministerial Education. With inflationary factors and other spending authorized by the convention, former president Gurgel said the convention-approved budget requires an increase in Congregation Mission Offerings of $3 to $4 million.

To fund the increase, the resolutions call for a special stewardship effort to emphasize long-term spiritual growth, and direct the Conference of Presidents to maintain and enhance current funding efforts, and authorize a special offering to reduce synodical debt.

“It’s a huge challenge the delegates have ascribed to themselves,” says Gurgel. “It’s not a huge challenge for God. Trusting God and working together as brothers and sisters, we can achieve this huge challenge that we’ve laid out.”

“This convention sets a clear direction that focuses not on reductions and cutbacks but a direction that says under God we will grow,” says Pres. Schroeder. “I think that is what connects all of us to this idea that the mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel.”

If necessary, the convention has directed the SC to make adjustments to the 2008-09 budget primarily from Ministry Support, internal borrowing repayment, or Parish Services, and that every effort be made to retain budgets for the Board for Home Missions, the Board for World Missions, and the Board for Ministerial Education.

“My belief is that even though the problems ahead are daunting, we have a renewed resolve to work and walk together,” says Pres. Schroeder.

Gurgel said he’s praying for Pres. Schroeder as he addresses those problems. “My prayer is he first listens to God and then listens to God’s people, and that the people of God listen to him as he seeks to work in support of the Lord’s mission.”

For more convention coverage, go to www.wels.net/convention.