CALVARY HAS A HUGE HEART

This week our congregation proved who we really are and what we can be. It all started with the prayer request book and the entry “I pray for my family to get a house.” Upon investigation, it turns out the writer of that request was a good friend of Gloria Padgett’s great-grandson Brayden Hutcherson and Erma Lowery-Dye’s grandson John. The young man had come to church as a visitor and took the opportunity to ask something big from God. Further investigation revealed that Tara McGee, preschool teacher assistant, also knew of this family’s needs because her daughter Molly knew the first boy’s older brother quite well. Tara vouched for the brothers and said she wanted to do something to help. Together, several of us located the boys’ guardian, their grandmother, who told us that not one, not two, but three of her grandsons were about to face a very grim Christmas. Although they had managed to rent a house in Bloomington for the time being, their boys were barely clothed for winter and would not be getting any presents. Marilyn, the bulldozer, got involved and spread the word to our congregation about needs and sizes. Soon presents for the boys began to pour in. On Wednesday a thankful and tearful grandmother and grandfather took a huge number of presents and boxes of used clothing off to Bloomington. Our usual “Sharing and Caring” tree had already supplied gifts to two needy families at Parkview School, and now the rest of us had a chance to do something good for the holidays. Surely God will bless us if we continue to do things such as this in His name.

Calvary Messenger

bringing you news of our congregation and God’s love.

Volume XIV Number 1 January 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

January . . . 1 Rachel Batz

2 Emily Kern

5 Christa Fulkerson

7 Melody Floerke

8 Sara Luallen

10 Ken Anderson

13 Anthony Schnarr

14 Wayne Stallard

15 David Lee

16 Brontee Anderson

17 Carissa Ruble-Cox

18 Dana Gerth

20 Ethan Ralph

26 Sarah Anderson

29 Dawneen Hall, Laura Stroud

31 Marilyn Anderson, Max Miller

HAPPY ANNIVERSAY!! January . . . 20 Jeff & Anita Ralph

The Innkeeper’s Daughter

Congratulations to the kids who put on this little skit during church on Sunday, December 18. It was very icy day, and it would have been so easy for these kids and their parents to just cop out and stay in bed. In fact, Pastor Zakian wasn’t able to be make it down from Bloomington. However, the whole cast showed up with a bunch of their relatives, and the kids did a marvelous job. Cast members were: Anthony Schnarr, Gloriana Roll, Hallie Manues, Brayden Hutcherson, Ryan Hutcherson, and Gabriel Jacks. Also worth noting is the wonderful sermon David Lee gave with about a one-hour notice that he was preaching

January 1 "Right on Time, Just When We Need His Grace"

Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz It's the right time to repent, turn to God, ask for His help, and trust in

the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. (Galatians 4:4-7)

January 8 "God's Real Promise of Righteousness and Justice"

Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz Jesus brings us righteousness and justice to restore bruised reeds

and reignite faintly burning wicks. (Isaiah 42:1-9)

January 15 "Looking For God? Look to the Lamb"

Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz Jesus' love, suffering, sacrifice, and triumph are all expressed in that

most precious of titles: the Lamb of God. (John 1:29-42)

January 22 "The Word of the Cross - Power for Life"

Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz To the world, Jesus seemed to be a loser. He suffered what all would

consider defeat in order to win new life for you. (1 Corinthians 1:10-18)

January 29 "Our Foolishness, His Faithfulness"

Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Many consider Christ's cross to be just so much foolishness. That is

the worst foolishness of all. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

“THE LUTHERAN HOUR” every Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.

on WBIW 1340 AM or on the Web at: www.lutheranhour.org.

January 1, 2017 – First Sunday after Christmas

Psalm: 111:2-9; Epistle: Galatians 4:4-7; Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15; 19-23 “Timing is Everything” - Sermon Text: Galatians 4:4-5

by Rev. James L. Elsner, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church ~ Stroh, IN

In baking a cake, catching a bus, or making the doctor appointment, timing is everything! And it is with God’s timing for your redemption, too.

January 8, 2017 – The Baptism of Our Lord Psalm: Psalm 29; Epistle: Romans 6:1-11; Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

“Wanted: Dead AND Alive!” – Sermon Text: Romans 6:11 by Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Ahlersmeyer, Holy Cross Lutheran Church ~ Fort Wayne, IN

Did you know that God wants you “dead AND alive?” His Word tells us that we share in

Jesus’ death and resurrection through our Baptism. Baptismal power is at work in us yesterday, today, and forever as we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ

Jesus!

January 15, 2017 – Second Sunday after the Epiphany Psalm: Psalm 92:1-5; Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-6 Gospel: John 1:29-42a

“The Light” - Sermon Text: Isaiah 49:6 by Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III, Concordia Theological Seminary ~ Fort Wayne, IN

It’s no fun being in darkness. By nature we were in spiritual darkness. But grasping Christ and

his Word in faith, we have the light, and so we see, and are filled with cheer.

January 22, 2017 – Third Sunday after the Epiphany Psalm: 27:1-9; Old Testament: Isaiah 9:1-4; Gospel: Matthew 4:12-25

“Darkness to Light” - Sermon Text: Matthew 4:12-25 by Rev. Dr. Daniel J. Brege, St. Paul Lutheran Church ~ Decatur, IN

The world is in darkness. We sit in all kinds of darkness...sin, misery, sickness, temptation,

death...all the result of the fall of mankind into rebellion against the Creator. But the Son of God came into this dark world, and in Him..in His birth, life, death and resurrection...we see

light. Through the Gospel this light dawns in our dark hearts to give us eternal salvation.

January 29, 2017 – Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Psalm: 15; Epistle: 1 Corinithians 1:18-31 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

“Gas or Water?” - Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians1:18-31 by Rev. William Mueller, Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Church ~ Fort Wayne, IN

When was the last time you put water into your gas tank on your car? Hopefully never!! We wouldn’t do such a thing because it just simply wouldn’t work. What kind of a message does God put into our “tanks”? The message of Jesus, His cross and resurrection, is the real (and

only) message of life and salvation!

Lutheran Ministries Media, Inc.

5 Martin Luther Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825-4996 Worship for Shut-Ins Sermon Summaries

2016 LCMS Stewardship Newsletter Article Celebrating New Years is a celebration of the past and the future. We take stock of

the past with thanksgiving and sometimes even relief (that it’s over), and we look to

the future in the hope and anticipation and perhaps even worry of what it holds.

The point is that New Year’s celebrations remind us of who we are as opposed to

who we would like to be; what we have done in comparison to what we want to do.

It reminds us of our accomplishments, but mostly it reminds us of our failures. What

we’ve lost. Who we’ve lost.

New Years is our own version of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. And we all

play Scrooge. We are visited by the ghosts of our pasts, presents, and futures.

St. Paul writes: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he

has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful

giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all

sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is

written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness

endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply

and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will

produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:6–15).

St. Paul tells us that the Lord of all will both supply and increase what you need to

give to the church for its work in and for the world. He tells us that this work that

God is doing in us will enrich and bless us in every way and through this it will

produce thanksgiving to God. With this in mind, here is some practical advice to

help you take stock of your giving of years past, which will help you to change what

needs to be changed, improved, or done away with altogether.

First, attend the Divine Service to receive God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and

salvation. If you’ve not been faithful in attending worship to hear the preaching of

God’s Word, to receive forgiveness, and feast of the rich food of our Lord’s body

and blood for the eternal benefit of your body and soul, then repent and come to

receive the gifts God freely gives. God doesn’t want your money. He wants you—all

of you (Matt 22:20–22).

Second, pray for the Lord’s help. Your right as a Christian is to speak with your

Father, the King of all creation, freely through His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Go to

the throne of grace and ask for strength and wisdom to follow His bidding faithfully

(John 15:1–16).

Third, consider what the Church is and what the Church does. The Church is a mercy

place. It inhales the mercy of the Father by the death, resurrection, and ascension of

His Son through the preaching of the Gospel and the Sacraments. It exhales this

mercy in love toward the neighbor. You are a member of the Church, of God’s

family. Thus, you are not only a recipient of God’s mercy, but a bearer of that mercy

for the life of the world. You spread that mercy in showing mercy through the

generous giving of your income to support the work of the Church in and for the

world, as the Israelites did in the Old Testament (Lev 27:1–34).

Fourth, take stock of your current giving in light of the New Testament’s teaching on

supporting the work of the Church. Are you giving of your first fruits, taking it out of

your paycheck first, or does God get what’s left over? Are you giving voluntarily and

cheerfully? Are you giving proportionally and generously? The Old Testament

required a tithe, ten percent. The New Testament gives freedom to be generous, to

give more for the Church’s work. Are you relying on God’s promise to provide and

increase what you need to do His work? If your answer is no to any of these, repent.

If God gave you His only Son, will He not provide for you all things, even physical

things? Trust Him, His Word, and heed it.

So, don’t let your past define your future. Rather, commit for the year a generous

proportion of your income, which is God’s gift to you for this body and life.

Greetings from Concordia Lutheran Church, LCMS

Sarasota, FL 34237

As you plan your Florida vacation we'd like to welcome you

to our warm and welcoming congregation at our Saturday

evening and/or Sunday worship services. Looking forward

to greeting you.

concordia5@juno.com http://concordiasarasota.org

The residents of White River Lodge enjoyed the Christmas trees this past Christmas, thanks to you for the use of your Christmas cards. The director was thrilled to have the trees for the dining tables as well. God’s blessings to you in 2017!

Tucker Booth Haley Wray

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Calvary Lutheran preschool strives to enrich the spiritual, academic, physical, and social lives of the community children via the Word and example of Christian living.

A NEW YEAR…A NEW BEGINNING…

A fresh new year for us; the old year has joined the past with our memories, the good ones to remember and hopefully the unpleasant ones to forget forever. Added to our good memories…two Christmas plays, “God Had a Plan” by the preschool kids and “No Room in the Inn”, performed by the Sunday school kids. “God’s Plan” was about our salvation through His Son, JESUS. “No Room in the Inn” was about that fulfillment when our Savior was born in a manger in Bethlehem. As you sat in the pew, you could feel God’s presence working through these children to tell about His saving grace and love for you and me.

These kids are not only learning how to witness to others but they are learning life skills. They can speak before a crowd, they learn how to use a microphone, they learn to project their voices so that people in the back row can hear their words, they develop a stage presence, they learn how important it is to memorize their lines, they learn to listen to their teachers for their cues and most importantly, they learn poise and confidence and become great kids. Looking forward to the 2017 plays! Get your child on board! Thank you Janet, Tara and Marilyn.

Janet thanks all who have helped with the preschool, the programs, daily helps in the classroom, the delicious cookies, the fund raisers (cookie dough netted a little over $1600) and most of all for your support. You support is very much needed and appreciated.

JANUARY 3 School begins for the 2nd semester Winter is here! CHECK Facebook or radio for school delays. FEBRUARY 13 Pre-K Grandparent’s Day FEBRUARY 14 3 YR OLD Grandparent’s Day

Haley Wray is the daughter of Tony and Sarah and she

has an older brother Jackson in the pre-k class. Haley is in the 3 year old class. She is also one of our quiet 3 year olds, very shy at times until she is comfortable with things. Haley is one of Ralph and Mary Anderson's great grandchildren. She loves to learn things when we have one on one time and she likes doing crafts. She is slowly coming out of her shell and it will be interesting to watch the changes in her from this year to the next.

Tucker Booth is the son of David and Abby. He has a

younger brother named Bennett. Tucker is new to our preschool this year. He is quiet and likes to observe things first to see what and how things are done. He is an amazing puzzle worker and does puzzles above his age level. Tucker is the only boy in our class so far this year, but he enjoys the attention that he gets from the girls, and they all play great together.

In case I missed someone, I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone again for the help you gave the preschool with the Christmas Program. All of you who helped decorate the church, it was really beautiful that night and many parents and grandparents commented on it. I know the stable is awkward and heavy but we appreciate the men who put it up and took it down for us. It is always such of wonderful reminder and focus of Christmas to have that nativity as part of our program. Thank you to all who made cookies this year for us as well. There was a nice variety and they all looked great, the ones I tasted definitely were. It is nice to have the support of our church and such a great many people willing to help. Thank you all.

Janet and Tara