Mt. Olive Ev. Lutheran Church

 

www.mtolive-wels.net

 

1460 Almond Avenue

St. Paul, Minnesota  55108

 

651.645.2575

 

A Praying Church

 

Carl R. Henkel, pastor

651.631.8625

carl.henkel@juno.com

 

The 16th Sunday After Pentecost

 

September 16, 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.

 

The Lord's Supper is being celebrated today. This special meal, instituted by Christ, unites us with Him and our brothers and sisters in the faith. This sacrament is intended for those who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven; and believe that the true body and blood of Jesus are present with the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  Guests who share this faith are invited to speak with the pastor before joining us in this holy meal.

 

Assisting Us In Worship This Morning

 

Jerry Holen, head usher

Linda Henkel, organist

Tim Wiedmann, communion assistant

 

We Gather To Worship The Lord

 

Order of Service:     Service of Word & Sacrament, p 26, hymnal

 

Hymns:                    252          355          315          465

 

Message:                 Philemon 1:1,10-21

 

                                “From Useless To Useful”

 

 

THE FIRST LESSON:   Proverbs 9:8-12

 

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."

 

THE SECOND LESSON:   Philemon 1:1,10-21

 

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker…

I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

I am sending him-- who is my very heart-- back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.

Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good-- no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.

I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back-- not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

 

THE GOSPEL LESSON:   Luke 14:25-33

 

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-- yes, even his own life-- he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.”

 

 

 

This Week At Mt. Olive

 

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

                          9:00am   Family Worship with Holy Communion

                        10:00am    Social Hour

                        10:30am    Sunday School & Adult Bible Class

Monday:          11:30am    Mt. Olive Worship Service on Cable Channel 14

                          2:00pm   Worship Service at Lyngblomsten

                          4:00pm   “Cross-Eyed Warriors” Bible Study

                          6:30pm   Mt. Olive Worship Service on Cable Channel 14

                          7:00pm   “Beautiful Feet” Bible Study

Wednesday:       5:30pm   Confirmation Class

Thursday:        10:00am    “Explorers of the Word” Bible Study

                          7:00pm   Altar Guild

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

                          9:00am   Family Worship

                        10:30am    Education Hour

 

Today’s Flowers are given by Robert & Lois Bentson in celebration of their 53rd Wedding Anniversary (September 18th). Congratulations!  Thank you!

 

The New Fall Season of Sunday School and Adult Bible Study begins this morning.  Please plan to stay!  Our Adult Bible Study will focus on the outstanding Book of Romans.

 

The Altar Guild would like to replace the paraments in our church (the liturgically colored pulpit, lectern, and altar hangings and the accompanying pastor’s stole) and therefore announce the formation of the Parament Fund to receive your contributions.  If you would like to make a special gift to this fund, checks may be made out to the Mt. Olive Altar Guild, with “Parament Fund” written on the memo line.  If you would like to give a gift in memory of loved ones, please note that also.  Thank you.  The next meeting of the Altar Guild is this Thursday, September 20th, at 7:00pm.  They will have a brief meeting and then polish all the silver Communion ware.  Thank you, Altar Guild, for all your labors of love!

 

Pastor John Baumann, currently of Appleton, Wisconsin, will be installed on Sunday, September 30th at 2:00pm as the new pastor of Mt. Olive Chinese Church.  The service will take place here at Mt. Olive.  You are all cordially invited to attend this special service and to show your support for our Chinese brothers and sisters.

 

The Bell Choir from Crown of Life Lutheran Church will be coming to Mt. Olive to help our congregation celebrate the 86th Anniversary of the Women’s Guild.  Reserve the date: Thursday, October 4th at 6:30 PM.  A meal will be served first, and then a devotional service with the Bell Choir.  Please sign up in the narthex, so that we know how much food to make.  Men, women and children are invited.  We would like to provide a nice audience for the Bell Choir.  This is also the time that members of the Women’s Guild bring their annual monetary gift for the “working funds” of the Guild.  Contributions will also be accepted for the cost of the meal.

 

AA Meetings (The Firing Line) are being held on Sunday evenings here at Mt. Olive from 5:00 to 6:15pm.  Contact Dustin B. at 612.483.3198.

 

St. Croix Lutheran High School has an opening for a Library Assistant position. This is a paid, part-time position, 3 days/week, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tasks include library organization and maintenance, assisting students and teachers with library materials, supervising students in the library. Qualifications: someone who has a love for books and high school students. Please call 651-455-1521, ext. 116, and ask for Sue Galler, Library/Media Specialist.

 

Thought For The Day: Woody Allen is credited with saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." We could add to it, "If you want to hear Him laugh even louder, tell Him how much you know."

 

Intelligence Is Not Enough!  Most people have an IQ in the 90 - 109 range. You're considered a genius if your IQ is 132 or above. Chris Langan has an IQ of 195, the highest known IQ in the US. He started talking at 6 months and by age 4 could read and comprehend books. His IQ puts him in the same class as Sir Isaac Newton and Michelangelo. He's in his mid-forties, and he works as a part-time bouncer at a bar and lives in a one-room house on $6,000 a year.

 

 

 

Text Box: WORSHIPER'S PRAYER Pray to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit • Ask to be made conscious of His presence • Praise Him for a specific attribute • Thank Him for His full and free forgiveness • Thank Him for a specific blessing • Ask to be led by the Spirit as you worship • Ask for help to focus on worshipping God rather than on pleasing self • Thank Him for opportunity to gather for worship …with others here at Mt. Olive ...with others in our country ...with others throughout the world ...with all the angels in heaven • Ask for the Word to be planted in your heart • Ask for the Word to produce fruit in your life • Ask for awareness as you sing the hymns • Ask for a genuine “amen” to the prayers • Ask for the Spirit's presence in the pastor • Ask for the Spirit's gifting of the organist • Ask for the Spirit's moving within each worshipper • Ask for the Spirit’s working in His church as He did so powerfully in the Book of Acts • Ask for the Spirit’s blessing on our Fall Sunday School and Bible studies May God answer your prayer so that He may be glorified in you and through you.