Worship Info and Bulletin for October 8, 2023

Worship October 8^th, 2023 – The 19^th Sunday after Pentecost

The bulletin for this week may be found by looking under "downloads" at the bottom of this post. 

Overview 

Jesus, Cornerstone of Our Faith

God has showered humanity with gifts and blessings, but humanity continues to abuse those gifts. We have been entrusted with a creation to care for, and in our shortsightedness we abuse and pollute the earth, even bringing about the extinction of entire species. We abuse the gift of our bodies when we overindulge in food or alcohol or drugs. We have been given the ability to create so many wonderful things, and even this gift we abuse as we gather and keep as much as we can for ourselves.

This is nothing new. Even in the days of Isaiah it was clear the people turned away from God’s gifts. God expected righteousness and justice. Instead the people responded with bloodshed and suffering, turning away from God.

Even if you can think of all the ways you have not turned from God and all the ways you have been faithful, it does no good. As Paul reminds us in the reading from Philippians, “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ” (Phil. 3:7). Even all of Paul’s good and faithful acts add up to nothing. For Paul, and for us, all that matters is Jesus.

As Christ himself reminds us, he is our rock, our cornerstone. Jesus is the foundation for our faith and the foundation for our lives. Even as we turn from Jesus, even as we reject Jesus, he returns to us with love and forgiveness. This is the grace of God, the love of God coming into our world and into our lives. To our joy we discover the open arms of Jesus on the cross, bringing life into this world even where there is death; bringing hope where there is despair; and bringing resurrection to all creation.

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 on our Facebook page (facebook.com/clcathens).

Thank you for joining our worship today and thank you for 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 through the prompts.