Weekly Worship Bulletin for 11/10/24

Sunday, November 17, 2024 – 25^th Sunday after Pentecost

Please stay after the service for the congregational meeting regarding the proposed upgrade for the audio and visual equipment.

The bulletin may be accessed by clicking “Read More” below and looking under "downloads" at the bottom of the page.  

Be Not Afraid

How would you live if you were not afraid? Fear is used by politicians to gain our votes, by the media to get our attention, by advertising firms to sell us what we don’t need, and by TV evangelists to get our donations. What fears are used against us? One is scarcity, the fear that we won’t have enough or won’t get our share. Our false belief that having more money and “stuff” will save us binds us as slaves. In many cases, having less can free us to live by faith.

The writer of Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Normally, we read forward from this verse, but the word “Now” is a clue that we should look back. Hebrews 10:39 says, “But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.” Who shrinks back? Those who are afraid. Who are saved? By implication, those who do not shrink back and are not afraid. So fear is not only a faith issue but an issue of our salvation. And is that not what we would expect? What more do we need to be saved from than our worst fears? What good is a savior who does not help us confront our fears? As noted above, our fears are the handles that marketers, politicians, and supervisors often use to control us and bend us to their plans and desires.

But like the pain that warns us of injury and nausea that tells us we are becoming ill, our fear has a positive use: it lets us know our vulnerability, and it tells us what we truly value and truly trust. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). The powers and principalities promise us what we can see. Where do put our true faith and trust?

How to watch via livestream or on demand:

Join us Sunday mornings at 10am as we broadcast live directly on our website: clcathens.org/live. (Note: If you don’t hear audio, make sure that it is not muted.) 
Sign into the chat and participate with others who are watching. 

If you miss the livestream or want to watch something again, you can find the video on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/clcathens and our Facebook page: facebook.com/clcathens.

Thank you for your partnership and your generosity.  Please know that your financial support for the ministry of Christ Lutheran is greatly appreciated. Consider giving in one of the following ways:

• Mail your Sunday offerings to: Christ Lutheran Church, Attn Wanda Weinberg, 69 Mill St., Athens, OH 45701
• Donate on our website, click on "Give" on the top right and follow the prompts.