His Time - Oktoberfest, Witness Wednesday, "Paul's Ministry to the Church"

1. St. John Lutheran Oktoberfest

Rev. Rod Serbus, Senior Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Darien, Illinois, talks about the mission and ministry at St. John Lutheran Church as well as the upcoming Oktoberfest celebration. For more information, visit sjlcdarien.org.

2. Witness Wednesday

With Rev. Mark Wood, Director of Witness and Outreach for the LCMS Office of National Mission.

3. Daily Lectionary

Rev. Kevin Golden from Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, Missouri, studies Colossians 1:24-2:7.

4. Morning Prayer Sermonette

Today’s sermonette is given by Rev. Kevin Golden from Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, Missouri.

"The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid." - Martin Luther — “The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid.” – Martin Luther

Colossians 1:24-2:7

Paul’s Ministry to the Church

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Alive in Christ

⁶Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,⁷rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Andy Bates, DCE

If you haven’t had Associate Executive Director's Andy Bates’s smoked mac and cheese from scratch (yes, including the noodles), you’re missing out on a magical food experience. Although he’ll gladly go venturing through the woods in his Vivobarefoot Trail Freaks (those are shoes), he’ll also stay happily busy automating every possible thing in his home while eating cherry cheesecake brownies made by his wife, Lauren. As a Theatre major, don’t ask him to pick a favorite play, but you may find him hanging out with his adorable son watching Trolls or listening to bluegrass or the latest audiobook on biomechanics.