News & Announcements | Redeemer Lutheran Church

News and Announcements are published on Friday of each week.

News and Announcements for the

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9, Ephesians 6:10-20, Mark 7:14-23

We Are Cleansed and Sustained by the Word of God

Wickedness and evil come “from within, out of the heart,” and that is what defiles a person (Mark 7:21–23). Hence, we cannot save ourselves, because we are sinful and unclean from the inside out. But as the Lord Jesus “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19), so He cleanses us by His Word, the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, “listen to the statutes and the rules” of the Lord, “and do them, that you may live” (Deut. 4:1). For His Word is righteous, and to live according to it is “your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples” (Deut. 4:6). Cling to His Word, and also teach it “to your children and your children’s children” (Deut. 4:9). Put on this “armor of God” by hearing and heeding what He speaks to you, that you may “stand firm” in the evil day (Eph. 6:11–13). Gird yourself with the righteousness of Christ, by faith in the “gospel of peace,” and take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” by confessing Christ Jesus and “praying at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:14–18).

Witness

Regular Worship Days and Times

The same liturgy will be used in each service.

Saturday at 10:00 am in Gorham specifically for those in any at-risk category.

Saturday at 5:00 pm in Sanford.

Sunday at 8:00 am in Gorham.

Sunday at 10:15 am in Gorham. This service will be broadcast live on Redeemer’s Facebook Page and posted for later viewing on Redeemer’s You Tube Channel.

Wednesday at 7:00 am Morning Prayer in Gorham and live on Redeemer’s Facebook Page.

Wednesday at 7:00 pm Evening Prayer in Gorham and live on Redeemer’s Facebook Page.

Midweek Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm via Zoom.

Sunday School kickoff: the fall season of Sunday School begins in September! Please join us Sundays at 9 am starting on September 5. We will also be having a rally day ice cream social after Divine Service on 9/5. The adult class will be held in the nave and we will discuss the gospel reading for the day. Sunday school for the children will have both in-person and zoom options. Please email jhutchns@gmail.com if you would like your children to attend, or if you are interested in helping out.

Online Book Study Group: What does freedom mean? This fall we will be discussing two of Martin Luther’s most famous works: “Freedom of the Christian” and “Bondage of the Will.” They are among his shorter works, but both are packed with teachings that are essential for us to know as we live with Christ and one another. The online discussion format will allow anyone to join as they are able, regardless of schedules. Please email redeemermaine@gmail.com if you are interested.

Witness and Outreach Sentence: Mark 7:14-23: So many of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Jesus’ day were preoccupied with rituals and ceremonies instead of worshiping the only true God from their heart. Our hearts overflow with the truth of God’s saving grace as we believers share the Good News of Jesus with people who are still living in spiritual darkness.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” - Romans 10:13-15 ESV

Thank you to all who donated items and money for the bags for the homeless. We have over 30 bags ready to make a difference in someone’s life. While clean socks, snacks, and clean teeth can make a difference in someone’s day, it’s the Truth of the Gospel that can change their lives. Here are some things to consider when delivering these bags:

Pray for God’s guidance and a divine appointment
Each bag has a copy of the Gospel of John in it
There is also a card with Isaiah 25:1,4 on the front and a note on the back
You can add a personal note to the back of the card and sign your first name
Introduce yourself and ask the person what their name is so you can pray for them specifically by name
Ask if you can pray with them
Let them know about the Gospel of John included in the bag
Continue to pray for the recipient, their needs, and that they hear God’s words

Mercy

Special Mercy Collection for Haiti: The LCMS is actively on the ground assessing the situation and the needs in Haiti. We are designating the next two Sundays for special collections to be sent to LCMS Disaster Response. Your designated gift can be placed in the offering plate on Aug 29 or Sep 5 so that Redeemer can send a check to Synod in short order.

Gorham Food Pantry Update - Our friend Heather Whitaker, at present is feeding at least 110 families in Gorham. Much of the food is coming from the Gorham food Pantry and they are soliciting direct cash donations. If anyone would like to support them you can make a donation at their website www.gorhamfiveforfood.org.

Preble Street Resource Center is a mercy organization serving the needs of the homeless and underprivileged in the Portland area. Donations may be made by check to Preble St Resource Center and mailed to 38 Preble Street Portland, Maine 04101.

If you need anything (rides, supplies, medicine pickups) or any assistance please feel free to contact Sandy or Tom DiPasqua at 207-883-2730 or tjdipasqua@aol.com.

Life Together

A message from your Altar Guild: Thank you to everyone who attended our training session last Saturday. If you were unable to attend, and you are interested to find out more, please reach out to me, Becky Hamby, I would love to share with you what we do, and how @ 207-650-6275.

Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the October church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by September 27.

The Summer/Fall issue of the LWML-NED newsletter, The Beacon, is available for your reading.

Calling All Musicians – If you would like to sing (solo or choir) or play an instrument during any of the services, please let Mary Huhn know. We would love to make use of your talent in the worship of our God.

The LWML-NED is accepting Mission Grant applications from NED churches, schools, and preschools. The deadline for submission is September 30, 2021, and the grants will be voted on by our delegates at our next convention in April 2022. In the past we've supported such mission projects as the purchase of books and playground equipment, teacher training, and tuition assistance for schools and preschools. We've also supported programs to share Christ with the community through the distribution of foods and goods, parenting classes, English language learner classes, after school programs, the purchase of library books, and the remediation of classroom space after water intrusion. Please consider submitting an application for your church or school. Follow the link for the guidelines and the application.

Church Flowers – There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board for church flowers. If you’d like to commemorate an anniversary, birthday, or just praise the Lord, fill in your name on the appropriate date. If you’d like an announcement in the bulletin, fill out one of the information cards. You’re responsible for bringing the flowers before church. We have vases in the communion set up room you may use. You may take the flowers home with you after service, or donate them to a shut-in or nursing home. Contact Brenda for more information.

Stewardship Note: Deuteronomy 4:6 – “Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ ” There is no wiser, more fulfilling life than a life lived according to the Word of God. We should be encouraged by this when the world tempts us to think that the Word of God is harmful to us. Our Father loves us; so all His Word is meant to bless us. We may have to suffer for upholding the Word of God, as St. John the Baptist did. But the cross the Lord has for us to bear will be far better than any we would create for ourselves.

Life Thought for August 29 – The devil himself drove Herod to behead the Baptist. Satan sees Jesus in Christians and children. His vengeance attempts to slay anyone connected to the One who escaped the grave. Abortion’s become a spiritual battle, not just a political issue. Our only hope lies in leaning ourselves and every little one upon the Lord of Life (Psalm 71:6), from fertilization to forever as John did (Luke 1:41).

All announcements and prayer requests received in the church office by end of day on Wednesday will appear in print that week in Friday’s email. If there is an announcement that you would like Pastor to make following Sunday’s FB live stream, please email him that information.

Calendar

Looking Forward to the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7a, James 2:1-10, 14-18, Mark 7:24-37

Hymns: 524, 797, 618, 793

News and Announcements for the

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7a, James 2:1-10, 14-18, Mark 7:24-37

Hymns: 524, 797, 618, 793

Our Merciful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Does All Things Well

The Lord proclaims the Gospel “to those who have an anxious heart” to comfort and encourage them with His presence. He comes not only with threats of “vengeance” and “recompense,” but with His gracious salvation (Is. 35:4). He opens “the eyes of the blind” and “the ears of the deaf,” and He loosens “the tongue of the mute” to “sing for joy” (Is. 35:5–6). Like water on thirsty ground, He speaks His life-giving Word to people of all nations. With His Word and the touch of His hand, He does “all things well,” so that you may now speak “plainly” (Mark 7:31–37). You confess the truth of God in Christ to the glory of His holy name, and you call upon His name in every trouble, confident that He will hear and answer. As you pray and confess with your tongue, so also “love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8). Show your faith “in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,” by loving without partiality. For God has “chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom” (James 2:1–5).

Witness

Regular Worship Days and Times

The same liturgy will be used in each service.

Special Worship Days and Times in September

Sep 4, 2021 Divine Service at 10:00 am in Gorham and 5:00 pm in Sanford

Sep 5, 2021 Divine Service at 8:00 am and 10:15 am in Gorham

Sep 8, 2021 Morning Prayer at 7:00 am and Evening Prayer at 7:00 pm

Sep 11, 2021 Service of the Word at 5:00 pm in Sanford

Sep 12, 2021 Divine Service at 10:10 am in Gorham

Sep 18, 2021 Divine Service at 5:00 pm in Sanford

Sep 19, 2021 Service of the Word at 10:15 am in Gorham

Sep 25, 2021 Service of the Word at 5:00 pm in Sanford

Sep 26, 2021 Divine Service at 10:10 am in Gorham

Midweek Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm via Zoom will be Sep 8 and 29 only this month.

Witness and Outreach Sentence: Mark 7: 24-37: In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus healed a man who was deaf and could not speak in an understandable manner. Those who witnessed this miracle were amazed and couldn’t stop talking about what Jesus had done. Jesus is still working miracles in our lives. We have the Good News of what Jesus means to us to share with those who do not yet believe in Him. May God work in us through His Word so that it may be said of us that we just will not stop talking about the blessings found in the relationship with Christ.

Pray for God’s guidance and a divine appointment
Each bag has a copy of the Gospel of John in it
There is also a card with Isaiah 25:1,4 on the front and a note on the back
You can add a personal note to the back of the card and sign your first name
Introduce yourself and ask the person what their name is so you can pray for them specifically by name
Ask if you can pray with them
Let them know about the Gospel of John included in the bag
Continue to pray for the recipient, their needs, and that they hear God’s words

Mercy

If you need anything (rides, supplies, medicine pickups) or any assistance please feel free to contact Sandy or Tom DiPasqua at 207-883-2730 or tjdipasqua@aol.com.

Life Together

Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the October church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by September 27.

The Summer/Fall issue of the LWML-NED newsletter, The Beacon, is available for your reading.

Solid, Serious, Substantive… Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. This week’s teachings include: Union with Christ; The Theology of Worship; The Movies “Old” and “Pig;” Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel and more. You can listen on-demand at issuesetc.org, the LPR mobile app and your favorite podcast provider.

Stewardship Note: James 2:2 – “For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in …” God shows no partiality. Rich and poor alike are called into the Kingdom. And both rich and poor alike have something to contribute to the Kingdom in accordance with the callings God has given them in their lives. This is why both the Old and New Testaments talk about proportional giving – that is giving a proportion of our income to the Lord’s work. This makes it possible for rich and poor alike to have the honor of supporting God’s work.

Life Thought for September 5 – God’s grace shows no partiality (James 2:1). All have sinned, and all have received the mercy of justification for Jesus’ sake. Christians cannot encourage abortion because it discriminates against neighbors based on size, skills, or circumstances. We cannot ignore physician-assisted suicide because it discriminates against neighbors based on age, appearance, or ability. Instead, we rejoice to receive every member of our race as sister and brother.

Calendar

Looking Forward to the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Isaiah 50:4-10, James 3:1-12, Mark 9:14-29

Hymns: 901, 589, 533, 713

Christ Jesus Delivers Us from Sin, Death and the Devil

Those who teach the Word of God “will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1) because it is by the Word that saving faith is obtained, whereas false doctrine always threatens to destroy Christian faith and life. The tongue “boasts of great things,” whether for good or evil (James 3:5). In fallen man, “it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). But anyone who bridles his tongue with the Word of God, who “does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2). It is Christ who opens His ear to the voice of His Father, so that, with “the tongue of those who are taught,” He is able to sustain the weary “with a word” (Is. 50:4–5). Entrusting Himself to His Father, even to death, He is not put to shame but is vindicated in His resurrection (Is. 50:6–9). By His faith and faithfulness, He casts out the “mute and deaf spirit” from us (Mark 9:25). He has compassion on us and helps us, so that we are not destroyed but cleansed from every evil and raised up from death to life (Mark 9:22–27).

Looking Forward to the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Jeremiah 11:18-20, James 3:13-4:10, Mark 9:30-37

Hymns: 454, 851, 706

Our Father Cares for His Children with the Gospel of His Son

The sinful heart is filled with “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (James 3:14), which causes hostility, quarrels and conflicts, even among those who are fellow members of the Body of Christ. This should not be so! Rather, God “opposes the proud” with His Law, in order to humble them unto repentance; He “gives grace to the humble,” in order to exalt them by His Gospel of forgiveness (James 4:6–10). This true “wisdom from above” is found in the gentleness, mercy and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself and sacrificed Himself for the salvation of sinners (James 3:17). He was “like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter,” committing Himself to God, His Father, “who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind” (Jer. 11:19–20). Therefore, “after three days,” His Father exalted Him by raising Him from the dead (Mark 9:31). In Holy Baptism, He takes disciples of all ages into His arms like little children. In receiving Him through repentance and faith in His forgiveness of sins, they receive from His Father a share in the glory of His cross and resurrection (Mark 9:36–37).

Looking Forward to the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, James 5:1-20, Mark 9:38-50

Hymns: 904, 685, 628, 850

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, Cares for Us and Serves Us with the Forgiveness of Sins

When the people of Israel wept, complaining that they had no meat to eat (Num. 11:4), Moses cried out to the Lord that “the burden of all this people” was too heavy for him and that he was “not able to carry all this people alone” (Num. 11:11–14). So the Lord had Moses gather “seventy men of the elders of Israel” (Num. 11:16), and the Lord “took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders” (Num. 11:25), so that Moses would not carry the burden alone. All who thus labor are honored, and all the people are cared for, in the name of the Lord (Mark 9:39–41). Everything is done with reference to Christ Jesus. So we cling to Him, and we flee from all sins that would separate us from Him (Mark 9:42–48). The life of the Church is one of repentant faith in Christ. Christians confess their sins to one another, and they “pray for one another,” that each would be raised up and healed by the Lord Jesus, who covers “a multitude of sins” and saves our souls from death (James 5:15–20).

Looking Forward to the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Genesis 2:18-25, Hebrews 2:1-18, Mark 10:2-16

Hymns: 903, 863, 512, 862

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Redeemer Lutheran Church

News and Announcements for the

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Witness

Mercy

Life Together

Calendar

Looking Forward to the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

News and Announcements for the

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Witness

Mercy

Life Together

Calendar

Looking Forward to the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Looking Forward to the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Looking Forward to the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Looking Forward to the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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