matthew 6:9 …from the pastor’s office
TRANSCRIPT
Plymouth Apostolic Lutheran Church, Pastor Joel Baker July 2015 11015 County Road 15, Plymouth, MN 55441 Telephones: 763-544-7248 & 763-544-9170
Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name'." Luke 11:2 ‘And He said to
them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come'." Do we or did we think of our Heavenly
Father in regard to celebrating Father's Day? Well, it's not too
late-Our Lord says every day is our Heavenly Father's Day!!
Jesus tells us we are to "hallow" His Name. According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
(ISBE) "hallowed means 'sanctified, make holy, declare holy, keep holy’. ‘Profane or pollute is the most
emphatic antonym to holiness. Unusual significance is placed upon the holiness of the name of God, because
His name is an expression of His personal essence. Joshua 5:15: 'The captain of the Lord’s host said to
Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did
so.' Exodus 3:5: 'Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground.”' "To the Semitic mind the name expressed and represented the person.
Therefore, His name is the essence of His person, which is holy in itself and is revealed in its holiness"-
Ezekiel 20:41: ''As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you
from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations".
"To hallow the name of God requires that mankind speaks of the Supreme Being with words of reverence and
that one manifests His name in every act of life."
Are you speaking of the Lord with reverence, holiness, hallowing His name regularly, even daily? Sometimes
we're very casual in our referencing the Lord, if we reference Him at all. Sometimes we fall into the traps of
our culture using God's name in a profane or polluted way by cursing, swearing, or even saying, "Oh my G__"
with or without the exclamation point at the end. God's name and speaking of Him should come with an
awesomeness in regard to how much He loves and takes care of you, with seriousness in how much, due to
His holiness, that He cannot tolerate sin, in loving appreciation and devotion for how much He forgives those
who confess their sin before Him and restores their soul, and in respectful fear of appearing before Him on
Judgment Day if our heart is not prepared in the way He desires it to be.
May all of us be ever mindful of how we use God's Name, in how we reference Him in our speech, in our
attitude toward Him in our heart, and in our times of worship before Him.
Blessings/shalom2u from Pastor Joel
Pastor Baker’s e-mail: [email protected] Church website: www.plymouthapostolic.org Church e-mail: [email protected] Prayer Chain: 612-554-6823 or [email protected] If you would like to receive this by email please send a message to [email protected]
1Thessalonians 5:13-15
13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with
one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help
the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but
always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
…from the Pastor’s Office
July at PALC
Sundays: 5, 12, 19, 26 – 9:30 a.m. Summer Worship Service
12 – 10:40 a.m. Prayer in Sanctuary 19 – Worship & Communion Service 26 – 10:40 a.m. Abbreviated Communion
Tuesdays: 14 – Board of Trustees meeting Wednesdays: 1 9 a.m. Men’s Breakfast at Perkins
8, 15, 22, 29 - 9:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study
1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – 6:30 p.m. Bible Study for everyone at the church
Fridays: July 17 – Movie Night – Movie TBD Saturdays: July 18 - 9 – Noon Church Work Day!
Celebrate Our Congregation
July Birthdays
July Anniversaries:
Don & Bette Hietala 7/3
Earl & Karen Rokala 7/7
Brad & Bev Aho 7/12
Tom & Christina Madison 7/16
Daniel & Terri Bloomquist 7/26
Congratulations, Graduates! We’d like to congratulate this year’s graduates from our PALC family.
May God bless the next chapter of your life. High School Graduates: Rachel Olson and Allison Walters
College Graduates: Julie Bartell (not pictured), Michelle Myrmel, Alisha and Allison Walters
Alaura Walters 07/04
Joel Baker 07/06
Don Hietala 07/07
Jennie Rintala 07/10
Deb Sunnarborg 07/12
Allison Walters 07/12
Cole Wempen 07/12
Kris Walters 07/20
Betty Amala 07/21
Mary Sunnarborg 07/22
Amanda Sunnarborg 07/27
It’s A God Thing
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of
Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst as you yourselves know…” Acts 2:22
Pastor Joel used this verse is his sermon one
morning to remind or to teach us a lesson. Are we Christians too caught up in doing our good deeds of service that we miss the many blessing (works, wonders and signs) that God does through Jesus right in front of us?
It reminded me of this old coffee jar I keep on my kitchen counter with the small note pad atop. In late December a friend shared this idea of a jar. A friend of hers used to say on several occasions. “It’s a God thing!” The W-W or S could be little or could be great. Nonetheless, she’d pause and recognized it was a God thing. When this occurred, she’d date and write a brief note. At the end of the year she said to remove the slips of paper and read the works, wonders and signs God had performed in the past year.
LBF Bible Camp 2015 Come enjoy a time filled with fellowship and fun! Grow close to Jesus during meaningful worship services and small group sessions. Camp is an opportunity to meet new people and experience the great outdoors. See you there!
2 camps at 2 locations: Grantsburg, WI (July 1-5)
Rabbit Bay, MI (July 27-31) Register and get more information @
lbfbiblecamp.org Come for the week or just a day!
All are Welcome!
Wednesday, July 1st
Wednesday, July 1st at 6:30pm
Louie Zamperini: Captured by Grace
Published and distributed by the Billy Graham Association, this presentation goes beyond the movie UNBROKEN. Now Louie’s life counts for God.
Our June Church Family Service and Picnic on Beautiful Medicine Lake
Next year, come and explore the
facilities of French Park. There is a lot of space for games; a well-structured playground for children; walking and bike paths; beach and boating. This year we enjoyed the covered pavilion for both the worship service and the lunch. Earl Christopherson and Noel Walters did terrific job of grilling “dogs” to perfection!
Dying to make a difference - literally
One News Now – June 11, 2015
Bible translators working underground in the Middle East and Central Asia are trying to reach millions of people despite severe persecution.
In the past year, in fact, 11 Bible translators living and working in the region have been reported dead or missing.
But the work will continue, vows Bruce Smith, Wycliffe Associates president and CEO.
"As the darkness increases, the demand for the light is increasing as well," Smith says of the dangers. "And so we're just really humbled and privileged to have great partners - local Christians in that arena - who are ready, willing and actually risking their lives to speed the translation of God's Word into their languages for their families and their communities."
Rather than withdrawing amid the danger there is an "increased boldness," says the Wycliffe leader.
In the Middle East and Central Asia, nearly 1,000 languages representing 280 million people are without the Scriptures. But through its "Scriptures for New Frontiers" initiative, Wycliffe Associates is providing local translators the technology, training, and resources needed.
"This is what's leading to the unprecedented progress of Bible translation in that arena despite the antagonism," Smith says.
Saeed Abedini Shaken By What He Witnessed in Iranian Prison The Vine and Branches – Vol.30 Spring 2015
Pastor Saeed Abedini is an Iranian-American
who has been wrongfully imprisoned by the Iranian authorities for the past two and a half years. Recently a family member in Iran was able to visit with him and learned that he had been emotionally shaken by have to witness the brutal execution of six fellow inmates.
“It was a hard and dark day having witnessed that and seeing life being taken. The prison visit was also very hard, as the families of those who were executed were crying and wailing,” said Saeed’s wife, Neghmeh.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve discovered that God doesn’t say we won’t go through trials; he says His followers will be persecuted, tortured, killed and imprisoned, but He will be there with us every step of the way. In prison, Saeed has no fellowship and no Bible, but he has Jesus Christ.”
Saeed grew up in Iran converting to Christianity at age 20. He later traveled with his family back and forth between Iran and the United States to meet other members of his family and for Christian work. During one such trip in 2009, Saeed was detained by Iranian officials and interrogated because of his conversion to Christianity. While he was released with a warning against engaging in underground church activities, he was once again arrested in 2012 while working on a non-sectarian orphanage project.
Saeed was sentenced for endangering “national security,” the Iranians claim. Keep praying for his release!
Information from Christian Post, 3/8/15
Sitting at my lovely kitchen corner table I
see the young red maple tree outside my window. This tree was
planted about four years ago. The air is cold and the wind is
blowing outside. But occasionally the clouds part and the sun makes some of the leaves sparkle
rust-gold, appearing almost translucent. Leaves on the other side of the tree stay dull, dark rust. This tree reminds me of what Jesus can do with our lives. If we have the Son, Jesus Christ in our
heart we can shine, sparkle and reflect His light to others. Without the love of Jesus in our hearts our lives are darker, less beautiful. Lord, let your light
shine out to others through my life.
Janis Saari, May 2015
Courage By Dorothy Anderson ©2013
(Dorothy is the mother of Terri Bloomquist)
Late in the evening I came to the place
where I asked the Master,
as we met face-to-face,
“When You were on earth, what did it mean
for one to have courage?
Could you explain?”
He answered so gently,
“This flows from the heart and fills all one’s being
with strength for a start,
so one can be bold,
unafraid to go on,
to face now and later from evening to dawn,
and all through the day whatever one must
from the time of one’s birth till returning to dust.
Remember I Love you”
I’ll show you the way
as we journey together into God’s perfect day!”