Blood Drive: Give the Gift of Life (This Friday)

Just a reminder that American Red Cross will be having a blood drive st St. Andrew's this Friday July 26  from 2 - 7 PM downstairs in St. Andrew's Hall.  You can make an appointment by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or by signing up online at redcrossblood.org. The blood supply tends to be particularly challenging during the summer months.  As you are able, please take some time out of your schedule on Friday to give this precious gift.

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Midweek Worship this Wednesday July 24

Dear Friends,

Come join us this Wednesday night at 7 PM for outdoor worship. Feel free to use our benches or bring a favorite lawn chair. We always have the option of moving indoors to our worship space if the weather is too hot or wet.  However, we have been blessed with great weather almost every time we have gathered on Wednesdays through the years and the forecast for this Wednesday looks great!

This  simple Service of Holy Communion will have it's own acoustic music, a spoken liturgy, and different readings and message from Sunday mornings. This summer we will be focusing on "Stories We Think We Know."  These are very familiar stories from Genesis that many of us learned in Sunday School and even many non-church people would recognize.  However, we are going to focus less on the events of the story and more on the context of the first writers, readers, and hearers of these stories.  We are going to ask the following questions:  What was at stake for them when these stories were written?  What is at stake for us today? This week we will look at the strange story of the Tower of Babel.  We hope you can join us Wednesday night.

See you in church!

Peace,

Pastor Mueller

standrewslutheran.com

enterthebible.org

pray-as-you-go.org

A Prayer for Pentecost

This Sunday at 9:30 AM,  we celebrate one of the three great festivals of the church year, the Day of Pentecost.  Coming 50 days after Easter and ten days after the Ascension of Our Lord, it is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit to Christ's followers, the birth of Christ's Church in the world, and our mission together. Historically, Pentecost has been a huge celebration in Europe, where church celebrations take on the tone of Easter here in the States.  Because Pentecost tends to fall over graduation weekends or Memorial Day (but not this year!), our celebrations tend to be more intimate and subdued.  However, in no way does this diminish the importance of this day in the life of Christ's Church. For that may have been the first Pentecost but there have been many more since that time as God's Spirit continues to work in, with, and through us for the sake of the world.

  If you are going to be in worship, here or elsewhere, this Sunday, wear something red as we celebrate the coming of the Spirit. (and St. Andrew's faithful - remember our important congregational meeting following 9:30 Worship)  May God continue to  bless us. empower us, and guide us for the joys and challenges of the journey ahead.

Holy Spirit, come upon us.  Breathe new life into us.  Help us to share this new life in what we do and say.  You are our Creator.  Help us to be creative.  You inspire us.  Help us to inspire others.  Help us to build up rather than to break down.  Help us to be renewed and refreshed when we are torn down and tired.  Call us by your Spirit into the way of New Life, through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

standrewslutheran.com

enterthebible.org

pray-as-you-go.org

Memorial Day - 9:30 Worship Begins

Dear Friends,

For those of you who are getting through this week by looking forward to an extended weekend, rejoice that we have such a gift as we transition into beautiful weather and the summer months ahead.  However, I encourage you to remember to give thanks this weekend for the reason we have this holiday in the first place.  Let us give thanks to God for those members of our armed forces who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we enjoy.  Also, if you see someone in uniform in the days ahead, thank them for their service to our nation as well.

If you find yourself around a special meal with family and friends on Monday or if you find yourselves gathered around the barbecue, take time to say grace giving thanks for our many blessings.  Also, feel free to print out and read the following prayer as well:

Almighty God, you are our strength and our shield.  We give you thanks for the men and women of our armed forces, past and present, especially for those who have died while serving.  May their sacrifices serve the cause of peace, and may our nation be ever grateful for their service.  With your wisdom and strength guide our military's leaders, and give to your people a desire for justice and peace.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

We pray for safety in your travels and if you are in the area, we hope you will have the opportunity to join us for Sunday worship.  Remember that we begin our summer schedule this weekend with one service at 9:30 AM.  This Sunday, we will also have another installment of "Ask the Pastor"  as the message will be shaped by your anonymous questions about the Bible, Church History, Liturgy and Worship, St. Andrew's, or faith and daily life. Come with your questions or simply listen and learn from the questions of others.   

By the way, as we collect summer hymn requests for worship,  there were some that were requested repeatedly.  We will be singing one of them on Sunday (with percussion and trumpet) -  the Battle Hymn (Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory).  

A blessed week and weekend to you all.  See you in church!

Peace,

Pastor Mueller

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Easter Vigil – Liturgy of Light, Word, Baptismal Remembrance, and Holy Communion at 5:00 PM

In this historic, deeply symbolic service, we are reminded of the great acts of God from Creation to Exodus to Resurrection.  God's saving grace is proclaimed, then light fills the church as that grace fills us.  Come and experience profound readings, wonderful music, and a first glimpse of the resurrection.

 Easter Sunday – 8:15 and 11:00 AM:

With word and sacrament, prayer and song, choirs, bells, and brass, we rejoice at the empty tomb. Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed! 

    Participating in the upcoming services can only heighten your sense of joy when we celebrate the resurrection.  Think about family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors etc who could join you for one of these special services. 

   

As we approach the cross and the empty tomb in worship, consider the following questions: 

   

    - Christ humbled himself out of love.  Where might we need to be humbled for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ?

     - What needs resurrecting in our lives? 

    - What makes it hard to turn this over to God and trust that God will bring us, too, through darkness to light, through death to new life?

    Holy God, remind us of your presence with us when we stumble, suffer, or are afraid in any way.  Give us strength, courage, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.  Help us to be an encouragement and a sign of life to others.  Amen

    See you in church!

   Grace and  Peace,

    Pastor Mueller

standrewslutheran.com 

pray-as-you-go.org

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